Technologies

Surgeons transplant pig heart into human for first time

A medical milestone involving an animal’s genetically modified organ shines a hopeful light for the long ledger of patients awaiting organ transplants.

An ambitious crew of doctors transplanted a genetically modified pig’s heart into a human patient for the first time last week, marking a historic moment for medicine. As of Monday, three days after the surgery, the 57-year-old organ recipient, David Bennett, was reportedly still doing well.

While the team will monitor Bennett closely in coming weeks to ensure long-term benefits from the procedure, their medical milestone undoubtedly lays the groundwork for a new generation of animal-to-human organ transplants, known as xenotransplantation, and directly addresses the organ shortage crisis.

«There are simply not enough donor human hearts available to meet the long list of potential recipients,» Bartley P. Griffith, the University of Maryland School of Medicine physician who surgically transplanted the pig heart, said in a statement. He’s also a professor in transplant surgery at the medical school.

«We are proceeding cautiously,» Griffith added, «but we are also optimistic that this first-in-the-world surgery will provide an important new option for patients in the future.» According to organdonor.gov, well over 100,000 Americans are awaiting an organ transplant and more than 17 patients die each day before making their way to the top of the waitlist.

Leading up to his surgery, Bennett’s story unfortunately mimicked those of the many, many patients awaiting transplants. He was hospitalized and bedridden due to terminal heart disease.

«It was either die, or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice,» Bennett said a day before the surgery was conducted, according to a statement provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Several leading transplant centers had previously deemed Bennett ineligible for a conventional heart transplant, including UMSOM, where the groundbreaking surgery was performed.

«I look forward to getting out of bed after I recover,» Bennett said.

To conduct the life-saving operation as a last resort, doctors genetically modified a pig’s heart to increase the chances of Bennett’s body accepting it as its own circulatory control center. Without such modifications, non-human-to-human organ transplants carry risks like triggering severe, and sometimes fatal, immune responses.

Further guarding against the likelihood of a bodily rejection, physicians behind the surgery’s blueprint also administered certain drugs that suppress the immune system, which the UMSOM report says helped Bennett’s body accommodate the foreign organ.

«This is the culmination of years of highly complicated research to hone this technique in animals, with survival times that have reached beyond nine months,» Muhammad M. Mohiuddin, a professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicinewho established the cardiac xenotransplantation program with Griffith, said in a statement. «The FDA used our data and data on the experimental pig to authorize the transplant in an end-stage heart disease patient who had no other treatment options.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, Oct. 27

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 27.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought 8-Across was a bit of an odd one, since it was asking for a sound that has no universal spelling. If you need help, read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: «Soooo cute!» reactions
Answer: AWS

4A clue: ___ mode (battery-saving state)
Answer: SLEEP

6A clue: Afica’s largest capital city
Answer: CAIRO

7A clue: Bicker, bicker, bicker
Answer: ARGUE

8A clue: Close-mouthed sound of agreement
Answer: MMHMM

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Reason to suddenly bolt awake
Answer: ALARM

2D clue: Put on a scale
Answer: WEIGH

3D clue: kin-care product dispensed with a dropper
Answer: SERUM

4D clue: Total rip-off
Answer: SCAM

5D clue: «The Raven» or «The Road Not Taken»
Answer: POEM

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 27, #399

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 27, No. 399.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tricky one. Hope you know your NBA history! If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Help athletes learn.

Green group hint: Statistics.

Blue group hint: From Sin City.

Purple group hint: Not Queens, but…

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Coach.

Green group: Seen in a baseball scorebug.

Blue group: UNLV

Purple group: Home cities of the NBA’s Kings franchise, over time.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is coach. The four answers are drill, instruct, school and teach.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is seen in a baseball scorebug. The four answers are count, inning, outs and score.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is UNLV. The four answers are Las, Nevada, University and Vegas.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is home cities of the NBA’s Kings franchise, over time. The four answers are Cincinnati, Kansas City, Rochester and Sacramento.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 27, #869

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Oct. 27, No. 869.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a fun mix of topics today. They’re not too tough but if you need help you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Reach out from a center point.

Green group hint: Barely.

Blue group hint: Decorative eats in a drink.

Purple group hint: Not two or three, but …