Monday 22 July 2019

Protests spread as activists fight telescope in Hawaii

Demonstrations against a giant telescope planned for Hawaii's tallest peak have spread to New York, Las Vegas and Honolulu's tourist mecca of Waikiki as Native Hawaiians push to protect what they say is a sacred place.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/protests-spread-as-activists-fight-telescope-in-hawaii

Multidrug-resistant malaria spreading in Asia

Multidrug-resistant forms of Plasmodium falciparum parasites, the most lethal species causing human malaria, have evolved even higher levels of resistance to antimalarial drugs and spread rapidly since 2015, becoming firmly established in multiple regions of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, where they are causing alarmingly high treatment failure rates to a widely used frontline malaria drug combination.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/multidrug-resistant-malaria-spreading-in-asia

Research shows high prices of healthy foods contribute to malnutrition worldwide

Poor diets are the now the leading risk factor for the global burden of disease, accounting for one-fifth of all deaths worldwide. While the causes of poor diets are complex, new research finds the affordability of more nutritious foods is an important factor.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/research-shows-high-prices-of-healthy-foods-contribute-to-malnutrition-worldwide

Researchers unveil experimental compound to block therapeutic target in blood cancer

Researchers at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered a hyperactive cell signal that contributes to tumor growth in an aggressive blood cancer. They also developed an experimental therapeutic to block the signal and slow tumor growth.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-unveil-experimental-compound-to-block-therapeutic-target-in-blood-cancer

How fat prawns can save lives

Before bite-sized crustaceans like crayfish, shrimp and prawns land on our dinner plates, they first have to get fat themselves—and it turns out they relish the freshwater snails that transmit the parasite that causes schistosomiasis, the second most devastating parasitic disease worldwide, after malaria.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/how-fat-prawns-can-save-lives

Critical heart drug too pricey for some Medicare patients

An effective drug to treat chronic heart failure may cost too much for senior citizens with a standard Medicare Part D drug plan, said a study co-authored by a John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) researcher at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/critical-heart-drug-too-pricey-for-some-medicare-patients

Obstructive sleep apnea may be one reason depression treatment doesn't work

When someone is depressed and having suicidal thoughts or their depression treatment just isn't working, their caregivers might want to check to see if they have obstructive sleep apnea, investigators say.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/obstructive-sleep-apnea-may-be-one-reason-depression-treatment-doesnt-work

Connection to HIV care helps hardly reached US populations suppress the virus

Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and transgender women with HIV, who are not in care, can be engaged in care when reached and connected with HIV treatment services, according to findings from a clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health. Nearly half of the study participants achieved and maintained viral suppression by one year, researchers reported today at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2019) in Mexico City.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/connection-to-hiv-care-helps-hardly-reached-us-populations-suppress-the-virus

Gene test picks out prostate cancers that could respond to 'search-and-destroy' medicine

Testing for genetic weaknesses in repairing DNA could pick out men who may benefit from a new type of targeted nuclear medicine, a new study reports.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/gene-test-picks-out-prostate-cancers-that-could-respond-to-search-and-destroy-medicine

People are more likely to try drugs for the first time during the summer

American teenagers and adults are more likely to try illegal or recreational drugs for the first time in the summer, a new study shows.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/people-are-more-likely-to-try-drugs-for-the-first-time-during-the-summer

Medicare for All unlikely to cause surge in hospital use

As political leaders debate the merits of a future Medicare for All system in the U.S., some analysts predict that implementing universal coverage could cause a sharp, unaffordable increase in hospital use and costs, overwhelming the system. But new research by a team at Harvard Medical School and The City University of New York at Hunter College, published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, contradicts that assumption, finding that past insurance expansions did not result in a net increase in hospital use. Instead, researchers found a redistribution of care, with increases in hospital care among those newly insured that was offset by small decreases among healthier and wealthier Americans.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/medicare-for-all-unlikely-to-cause-surge-in-hospital-use