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

Is New Zealand's food system unsustainable?

New research from Massey University's College of Health shows overwhelming support for sustainability characteristics to be included in the Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults, set out by the Ministry of Health.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/is-new-zealands-food-system-unsustainable

The opioid crisis: Drug overdose deaths are down for the first time in 30 years

Drug overdoses cause more deaths in the U.S. than gun violence, car accidents, or H.I.V. did when they reached their most lethal peaks. For almost three decades, the number of overdose deaths increased unabated. But, according to a recent government report, the U.S. experienced a slight decrease in overdose deaths last year, marking the first decline in drug mortality rates since 1990.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/the-opioid-crisis-drug-overdose-deaths-are-down-for-the-first-time-in-30-years

Genetic characteristics of peripheral artery disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD)—a narrowing of the arteries serving the legs and feet —affects as many as 12 million Americans and 200 million people worldwide. It is a manifestation of clogged arteries, but until now, scientists lacked information about why some people with the disease presented with problems with their legs, some with their heart and some with strokes.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/genetic-characteristics-of-peripheral-artery-disease

Wool odor could be key to protecting sheep from flystrike

A global research project led by The University of Western Australia in collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Western Australia has identified compounds in Merino sheep wool that are attractive to Australian blowflies.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/wool-odor-could-be-key-to-protecting-sheep-from-flystrike

Old vaccine brings new surprises

New research about an old vaccine—one that has been in use for nearly 100 years—has not only shown how effective it is but also suggests it improves our immune response to a wider range of bacteria than originally intended.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/old-vaccine-brings-new-surprises

New software helps plant breeders bring out their best

Broccoli is in the eye of the beholder. A head of broccoli that might appeal to one person—perhaps because of its deep green color—may leave another cold, due to an asymmetrical shape or too-large buds.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-software-helps-plant-breeders-bring-out-their-best

Offspring of pregnant women exposed to high level of pollutants may have lower IQs

A new study found that pregnant women exposed to higher levels of air pollutants had children with lower IQs, compared to the children of women exposed to lower levels.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/offspring-of-pregnant-women-exposed-to-high-level-of-pollutants-may-have-lower-iqs

Targeting old bottleneck reveals new anticancer drug strategy

The enzyme ribonucleotide reductase is a bottleneck for cancer cell growth. Scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified a way of targeting ribonucleotide reductase that may avoid the toxicity of previous approaches, informing focused drug discovery efforts.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/targeting-old-bottleneck-reveals-new-anticancer-drug-strategy

Reducing the size and weight of medical MRI equipment by more than half

A team led by Dr. Seog-Whan Kim and Dr. Young-Sik Jo at the Superconductivity Research Center of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute has developed a superconducting insulation technology that can significantly reduce the size and weight of medical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/reducing-the-size-and-weight-of-medical-mri-equipment-by-more-than-half

More Basra water crises unless Iraq govt fixes 'failures': HRW

Human Rights Watch on Monday warned of a repeat of last year's deadly water crisis in Iraq's oil-rich southern province of Basra unless authorities correct decades of management failures.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/more-basra-water-crises-unless-iraq-govt-fixes-failures-hrw

Portugal wildfires '90 percent' under control

Huge wildfires that have ravaged a mountainous region of central Portugal and left dozens injured have been "90 percent" controlled, firefighters said Monday, but warned that strong winds could cause the flames to spread.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/portugal-wildfires-90-percent-under-control

India launches historic bid to put spacecraft on Moon

India launched a bid to become a leading space power Monday, sending up a rocket to put a craft on the surface of the Moon in what it called a "historic day" for the nation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/india-launches-historic-bid-to-put-spacecraft-on-moon

New hard X-ray eclipsing polar identified

Using ESA's XMM-Newton and NASA's Swift spacecraft, astronomers have found that a hard X-ray source known as 2PBCJ0658.0-1746 is an eclipsing magnetic cataclysmic variable of the polar type. The finding, presented in a paper published July 11 on arXiv.org, makes the object one of only a handful hard X-ray eclipsing polars known to date.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-hard-x-ray-eclipsing-polar-identified

Cuttlefish ink found promising for cancer treatment

Researchers have found that cuttlefish ink—a black suspension sprayed by cuttlefish to deter predators—contains nanoparticles that strongly inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors in mice. The nanoparticles consist mostly of melanin by weight, along with amino acids, monosaccharides (simple sugars), metals, and other compounds. The researchers showed that the nanoparticles modify the immune function in tumors, and when combined with irradiation, can almost completely inhibit tumor growth.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/cuttlefish-ink-found-promising-for-cancer-treatment

Heat and humidity grip East Coast as Midwest gets reprieve

The East Coast on Sunday sweated through another day of extreme heat and humidity as organizers in Boston canceled a benefit run, Delaware Civil War re-enactors got the day off and the New York Police Department implored residents to take it easy.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/heat-and-humidity-grip-east-coast-as-midwest-gets-reprieve