HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

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September 13, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

Hepatitis A Outbreak Declared Emergency in San Diego County (Patch)

Supervisors Wednesday unanimously ratified a declaration of a public health emergency....two-thirds of the cases have been among people who were homeless and/or illicit drug users.….health officials were talking with counterparts in El Cajon and planned to meet with officials in other localities where a significant number of people have been sickened with the disease -- Escondido, National City and Vista….  Additionally, information about sanitation procedures have been sent to food facilities, and fitness and recreation centers that have public pools….  County health officials said the number of those sickened by the outbreak is likely to grow because the disease has a long incubation period.

HIV Survivors Give Their 'Last Gift' In A New San Diego Study (KPBS)

… The Last Gift study at UC San Diego is a unique new research effort focusing on HIV patients with a terminal illness such as cancer, ALS or advanced heart disease. Participants must have a prognosis of less than six months to live. When they near the end of their lives, they stop taking their HIV medications and let researchers draw blood regularly to monitor the activity of the virus. They also consent to having their bodies autopsied within hours of death.

Drinks industry distorts alcohol cancer risk: scientists (Reuters)

The alcohol industry uses denial, distortion and distraction to mislead people about the risks of developing cancer from drinking, often employing similar tactics to those of the tobacco industry, a study said on Thursday…. / The World Health Organization says drinking alcohol is a well-established risk factor for a range of cancers, including tumors of the mouth, liver, breast and colon and bowel. And the risk of cancer rises with levels of alcohol consumed…. / The research team behind Thursday’s study analyzed the information relating to cancer on the websites and documents of nearly 30 alcohol industry organizations around the world between September 2016 and December 2016.

Security warning over hospital syringe pumps (BBC)

Syringe pumps used in hospitals around the world have flaws hackers could exploit to change the dosages being delivered to patients.  Security researcher Scott Gayou found eight separate flaws in the MedFusion 4000 pump made by Smiths Medical.  His discovery led the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue a warning about the danger this posed.

So Your Kitchen Sponge is a Bacteria Hotbed. Here's What to Do (NPR)

For the first time, scientists have carefully analyzed all the critters in a kitchen sponge. There turns out to be a huge number. Despite recent news reports, there is something you can do about it.

R&D Costs for Cancer Drugs Are Likely Much Less Than Industry Claims, Study Finds (NPR)

Industry says it costs about $2.7 billion to bring a cancer drug to market. But oncologists who ran the numbers put the average closer to $650 million. Drugs are priced way too high, the doctors say.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Russian firm tied to pro-Kremlin propaganda advertised on Facebook during election (Wash. Post)

Facebook officials reported that they traced the ad sales, totaling $100,000, to a Russian “troll farm” with a history of pushing pro-Kremlin propaganda, these people said…. Most of the ads, according to… Facebook’s chief security officer, Alex Stamos, “appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum — touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.”

Hurricane Irma Blasts into The Record Books with Lasting Intensity (NPR)

Hurricane Irma was the longest-lasting powerful hurricane or typhoon ever recorded, worldwide. It kept 185-mph winds for 37 hours — longer than any storm on record.

4 Things You Should Do About the Equifax Hack (New York Times)

…If you’re affected by the Equifax hack — you can check here, but you should assume you are anyway just to be safe — here are some steps you should take.

Clothes that grow with your child win Dyson prize (BBC)

The expanding garments fit children aged between six months and three years old.

Tesla remotely expanded car batteries near Irma’s path, and questions linger NPR)

Tesla owners who were in Hurricane Irma's path in the Southeast recently got an unexpected boost to help them, after the carmaker remotely upgraded vehicle batteries to their highest capacity. The boost gave customers' cars an extra 30 to 40 miles, but it's also temporary: The batteries will lose their extra juice this weekend.

'No fire risk' with new lithium batteries (BBC)

Lithium-ion batteries that are resistant to exploding or catching fire have been developed by scientists…. /he batteries use a water-salt solution as their electrolyte, removing the risks carried by some non-aqueous commercial models.

How Tech Giants Use Their Power to Advance Corporate Interests (NPR)

Big tech companies influence more of our lives than ever before. And there are growing concerns that they're using that power to advance their own corporate interests. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Gizmodo journalist Kashmir Hill about her own experience with the tech giant, Google

'Quakeland' Warns the U.S. Is Unprepared for the Next Big Quake (KPBS)

Areas across the country, including New York City and Memphis, are overdue for earthquakes... New York City is about 40 years overdue for a magnitude 5.0 quake, based on expert estimates, which would create more rubble than was seen in the aftermath of September 11.


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