HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

January 14, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Lack Of Deep Sleep May Set The Stage For Alzheimer's (NPR)
•  We're Thinking About ADHD All Wrong, Says A Top Pediatrician (NPR)
•  E-cigs damage DNA in lab study (U-T)
•  Study links e-cigarettes to incurable disease called 'Popcorn Lung’ (AOL)
•  Electronic Toys May Hinder Baby Language Development  (NPR)
•  Preventing dementia without drugs? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
•  New Dietary Guidelines Call For Limits On Sugar, Red Meat NPR
•  Stinging Report On Pandemics Makes Louis Pasteur Look Like A Prophet  (NPR)
•  Optimistic results for Phase ALS treatment at Jerusalem hospital (JPost)
•  Comparing private vs. public expansion of healthcare coverage (APM Marketplace)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

•  Plans for underwater  ‘oceanscraper’ revealed (CNN)
•  Time Warner Cable says up to 320,000 customers' data may have been stolen (Reuters)
•  What GM's $500 million Lyft investment means for the future of cars (USA)
•  Meet the world’s smallest camera-equipped drone (Engadget)
• Agriculture is big threat to water quality. These farmers are doing something (CS Monitor)
•  Spotify Faces Class Action For Copyright Infringement (NPR)

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

HEALTH

Lack Of Deep Sleep May Set The Stage For Alzheimer's (NPR(

A mouse's brain clears out toxins during periods of deep sleep — including toxins that form the sticky plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. Could the same hold true for people?

We're Thinking About ADHD All Wrong, Says A Top Pediatrician (NPR)

Every child needs help from parents and teachers to develop his or her attention span, argues a researcher.

E-cigs damage DNA in lab study (U-T)

Heavy e-cigarette vapor exposure damages DNA in cell cultures, possibly causing cancer.

Study links e-cigarettes to incurable disease called 'Popcorn Lung’ (AOL)

E-cigarettes are often touted as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, but according to a study released by the Harvard School of Public Health, they may just pose a different threat than their nicotine-filled counterparts.

Electronic Toys May Hinder Baby Language Development  (NPR)

A new study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics says electronic toys for infants that produce lights and words were associated with decreased quantity and quality of language when compared to wooden toys.

Preventing dementia without drugs? (San Diego Union-Tribune)

UCSD-led study uses exercise, meditation, health education to keep older minds sharp

New Dietary Guidelines Call For Limits On Sugar, Red Meat NPR

There's new diet advice out Thursday from the federal government. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which are updated every five years, serve as the government's official advice on what we should be eating. New this year: a recommendation to limit sugar to no more than 10 percent of daily calories. The guidelines also call for a shift to alternative sources of protein such as seafood, nuts and beans.

Stinging Report On Pandemics Makes Louis Pasteur Look Like A Prophet  (NPR)

We're not prepared for the next coming plague or pandemic — or HIV 2.0. That report, titled "The Neglected Dimension of Global Security," comes from a commission put together last year by the National Academy of Medicine.

Optimistic results for Phase ALS treatment at Jerusalem hospital (JPost)

After a four-year study, a pioneering treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) using stem cells and growth factors has been shown to inhibit the progression of the fatal neurological disease in 87 percent of 26 patients.

Comparing private vs. public expansion of healthcare coverage (APM Marketplace)

Harvard’s Dr. Ben Sommers and his team conducted a head-to-head comparison between Arkansas’s private expansion and Kentucky’s public one.  As they publish in the journal Health Affairs, the researchers found both states significantly reduced rates of the uninsured and made healthcare more affordable.  “This provides pretty strong evidence, either private or public expansion of coverage is going to have impacts for people to get the care they need,” said Sommers.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Plans for underwater  ‘oceanscraper’ revealed (CNN)

Sub-aquatic living still seems, perversely it could be argued, very alien.

Not so for Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut. He has revealed ambitious plans for a series of underwater eco-villages that could house up to 20,000 people each in the future. His Aequorea project imagines entirely self-sufficient, spiraling "oceanscrapers" reaching to the sea floor from mangrove-covered marinas on the surface of the world's oceans.

Time Warner Cable says up to 320,000 customers' data may have been stolen (Reuters)

Time Warner Cable Inc said on Wednesday up to 320,000 customers may have had their email passwords stolen.

What GM's $500 million Lyft investment means for the future of cars (USA)

General Motors $500 million investment in the ride-hailing service Lyft will provide cars for drivers and more options for consumers, the automaker says.

Meet the world’s smallest camera-equipped drone (Engadget)

It's so tiny, users don't have to register it with the FAA.

Agriculture is big threat to water quality. These farmers are doing something about it. (CS Monitor)

Agriculture, with its fertilizers, has emerged as the biggest threat to water quality in many parts of the US. Some farmers are trying new conservation strategies. 

Spotify Faces Class Action For Copyright Infringement (NPR)

Spotify, the groundbreaking streaming music service, is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that it violates the copyrights of thousands of independent musicians….