HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

December 8, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Specialty Drugs Can Prove Expensive Even With Medicare Coverage (NPR)
• False Alarm Mammograms May Still Signal Higher Breast Cancer Risk (NPR)
• Court rejects Sequenom bid to restore prenatal DNA test patent (Reuters)
• Too Much TV And Chill Could Reduce Brain Power Over Time (NPR)
• Guidelines Give A Boost To Diabetes Screening For Overweight Adults (NPR)
• Dating apps prove factor in HIV rise (BBC)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• EPA tries to thread the biofuel needle (Marketplace)
• In massive stranding, 337 whales beached on Chilean coast (AP)
• Comcast data caps make life for deaf difficult (Marketplace)
• 5 Things To Know: Net Neutrality Is Back In Court  (NPR)
• Migratory birds are losing ground. Study cites key areas needing protections. (CS Monitor)

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

HEALTH

Specialty Drugs Can Prove Expensive Even With Medicare Coverage (NPR)

Medicare recipients who have arthritis, cancer or other complex conditions may find they have to pay thousands of dollars a year for their medications, even if their insurance plan covers most prescriptions.

False Alarm Mammograms May Still Signal Higher Breast Cancer Risk (NPR)

Women who have an abnormal mammogram should stay vigilant for cancer for for the next decade, even when follow-up tests fail to detect cancer, a study released Wednesday finds.

Court rejects Sequenom bid to restore prenatal DNA test patent (Reuters)

 A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday refused to reconsider a decision invalidating a Sequenom Inc prenatal DNA test patent, in a decision that could put in doubt the validity of a wide swath of medical and biotechnology patents.

Too Much TV And Chill Could Reduce Brain Power Over Time (NPR)

Young adults who watch at least three hours of TV a day might end up with less cognitive function by middle age, a study finds. That's especially true if they're sedentary couch potatoes.

Guidelines Give A Boost To Diabetes Screening For Overweight Adults

Guidelines say that patients with high blood sugar levels be referred to nutrition and exercise counseling. Under the health law, the services would be covered by insurance without cost sharing.

Dating apps prove factor in HIV rise (BBC)

More adolescents are killed by HIV/Aids around the world than by anything else, apart from road traffic accidents.  While HIV infection rates have been falling globally in the past 10 years or so, among adolescents in some regions they have been on the rise - prompting fears of a "hidden epidemic”… one of the factors behind this trend is thought to be an increase in casual sex with multiple partners, driven by mobile dating apps.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

EPA tries to thread the biofuel needle (Marketplace)

The Environmental Protection Agency laid out a rule Monday for how much biofuel must be mixed into the nation’s gas supply next year. 

In massive stranding, 337 whales beached on Chilean coast (AP)

The coast of southern Chile has become a grave for 337 sei whales that were found beached in what scientists say is one of the biggest whale strandings ever recorded.

Comcast data caps make life for deaf difficult (Marketplace)

It’s hard to find a Comcast Internet customer who doesn’t loathe the idea of the company’s forthcoming data usage limits, but usage caps may prove particularly painful to one group: the deaf and hard of hearing.

5 Things To Know: Net Neutrality Is Back In Court  (NPR)

Once again, a federal court will decide whether the FCC can keep its Open Internet rules. This time, the challenge centers on the FCC's overhaul of how it regulates Internet providers. 

Migratory birds are losing ground. Study cites key areas needing protections. (CS Monitor)

Migratory birds are at risk from increasing habitat destruction of stopover points, especially in North Africa, Central Asia, and the coast of East Asia. Past international efforts for conservation may provide a framework for future efforts.