SCIENCE AND HEALTH HIGHLIGHTS

May 24,  2014 (San Diego’s East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• The science behind the amazing, terrifying firenados in California (Slate)
• EBay, hit by a cyber attack, urges 145 million users to change passwords (+video) (CS Monitor)
• More Google 'forget' requests emerge (BBC)

HEALTH

• First U.S. case of deadly MERS virus confirmed: CDC (Reuters)
• A Spoon That Shakes To Counteract Hand Tremors (NPR)
• Two U.S. health workers ill after MERS exposure; World Health Organization meets (Reuters)
• Ranbaxy recalls nearly 30,000 packs of allergy-relief drug in U.S.   (Reuters)
• Modified pigs to grow humanized lungs  (UT San Diego)
• EWG's Dirty Dozen Report Lists The Most Pesticide-Heavy Fruits And Veggies Of 2014
• Study: E-cigs increase 'superbug' MRSA resistance (UT San Diego)

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

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The science behind the amazing, terrifying firenados in California (Slate)

…The wildfires in California have charred thousands of acres of land and have led to the evacuations of tens of thousands of people. But while they’re causing damage, they’re also the source of an amazing sight. Video was captured of a “firenado” in the Fallsbrook-Bonsall area. The fire funnels up into the air in a similar fashion to a tornado.

EBay, hit by a cyber attack, urges 145 million users to change passwords (+video) (CS Monitor)

More Google 'forget' requests emerge (BBC)

A European court this week ruled that an individual could force the removal of some search results.

The BBC has learned that more than half of requests sent to Google from UK individuals involved convicted criminals.

HEALTH

First U.S. case of deadly MERS virus confirmed: CDC (Reuters)

 A healthcare worker who had traveled to Saudi Arabia was confirmed as the first U.S. case of Middle East Respiratory Virus (MERS), an often fatal illness, raising new concerns about the rapid spread of such diseases, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

A Spoon That Shakes To Counteract Hand Tremors (NPR)

A young engineer working on an Army project to help stabilize weapons realized the technology could also help some Parkinson's patients with essential tasks.

Two U.S. health workers ill after MERS exposure; World Health Organization meets (Reuters)

(Reuters) - Two health workers at a Florida hospital exposed to a patient with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome have begun showing flu-like symptoms, raising concerns about the ability of global health authorities to contain the mysterious and deadly virus.

Ranbaxy recalls nearly 30,000 packs of allergy-relief drug in U.S.   (Reuters)

 Indian drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd started recalling 29,790 packs of an allergy-relief medicine in the United States in February, after finding defects in the packaging, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.  The loratadine and pseudoephedrine sulphate extended release tablets being recalled carry an expiry date of September 2015, and were manufactured by Ranbaxy's Ohm Labs plant in New Jersey, which is the company's only facility making generics for the United States…. The FDA classified the recall by Ohm Labs as Class II, which means use of or exposure to the recalled products may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.

Modified pigs to grow humanized lungs  (UT San Diego)

In a move filled with the promise of scientific innovation but also the prospect of controversy, a La Jolla company is set to announce Tuesday that it will join forces with a biotech firm to create pigs with lungs and other organs that are compatible for transplantation into humans.

EWG's Dirty Dozen Report Lists The Most Pesticide-Heavy Fruits And Veggies Of 2014

(Huffington Post) — For the 10th year in a row, nonprofit advocacy agency the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released its list of the most pesticide-contaminated produce, and once again apples top the Dirty Dozen.  The Dirty Dozen, part of the EWG's yearly Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, is compiled from U.S. Department of Agriculture data on 48 fruits and veggies with pesticide residue data. About 65 percent of the produce samples test positive.  That's bad news for a few reasons: Pesticides have been linked to developmental problems in children, and may act as carcinogens or throw off the endocrine system, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

Study: E-cigs increase 'superbug' MRSA resistance (UT San Diego)

Electronic cigarette vapor makes the antibiotic-resistant “superbug”MRSA harder to kill and reduces the immune system’s ability to fight infection, according to a study by UC San Diego and VA researchers