HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

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October 8, 2019 (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 TECH

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

HEALTH

Carcinogens have infiltrated the generic drug supply in the U.S. (Bloomberg Business Week)

An FDA quality-control nightmare reveals how impurities end up in America’s blood pressure pills.

FDA announces generic Zantac recalls after cancer concerns (Drugwatch)

Some generic versions of the heartburn drug Zantac are being recalled in the United States because they may contain low levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a substance that could cause cancer, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Tests show bootleg marijuana vapes tainted with hydrogen cyanide (NBC)

NBC News commissioned laboratory tests of knock-off marijuana vapes that found a pesticide linked to hydrogen cyanide in 10 out 10 products.

Purdue Pharma, Accused Of Fueling Opioid Crisis, Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy  (NPR)

 

Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday night, just days after striking a settlement with more than 2,000 local governments over its alleged role in creating and sustaining the deadly opioid crisis. The filing in New York follows the Sackler family agreeing to relinquish ownership of the lucrative company. The family also agreed to provide $3 billion in cash over several years and future revenue from the sale of OxyContin to assist communities hardest hit by the opioid epidemic.

Dengue cases are surging around the world. Experts blame climate change. (Washington Post)

Preliminary figures from the World Health Organization show 2.7 million reported cases of the mosquito-borne viral disease worldwide through August. Dengue is fatal in less than 1 percent of cases and most people recover on their own, but careful medical supervision is sometimes required.

Trump Signs Proclamation Denying Entrance to Immigrants Who Cannot Afford Health Care (NPR)

 President Trump signed a proclamation late Friday barring legal immigrants who cannot prove they will have health care coverage or the means to pay for it within 30 days of their arrival to the United States.

Smartphone App Can Help Detect Leukocoria, A Sign Of Eye Cancer : Shots - Health News  (NPR)

It's hard for doctors to do a thorough eye exam on infants. They tend to wiggle around — the babies, that is, not the doctors. But a new smart phone app takes advantage of parents' fondness for snapping pictures of their children to look for signs that a child might be developing a serious eye disease.

Kitchen Countertops Tied To Silicosis, Lung Damage, Deaths In Workers : Shots - Health News  (NPR)

Artificial stone used to make kitchen and bathroom countertops has been linked to cases of death and irreversible lung injury in workers who cut, grind and polish this increasingly popular material. The fear is that thousands of workers in the United States who create countertops out of what's known as "engineered stone" may be inhaling dangerous amounts of lung-damaging silica dust, because engineered stone is mostly made of the mineral silica.

SCIENCE AND TECH

Election Security And Voting Machines: What You Need To Know  (NPR)

Voting systems in the United States have come a long way since the hanging chads of the 2000 recount in Florida — but now cybersecurity is as big a concern as ballot fidelity.  

Iranians tried to hack U.S. presidential campaign in effort that targeted hundreds, Microsoft says (Washington Post)

An effort believed to be tied to the Iranian government attempted to identify, attack and breach email accounts belonging to a U.S. presidential campaign, government officials and journalists, according to new data unveiled by Microsoft, highlighting the continued global security threats that loom over the fast-approaching 2020 election.

Mysterious magnetic pulses discovered on Mars (National Geographic)

The nighttime events are among initial results from the InSight lander, which also found hints that the red planet may host a global reservoir of liquid water deep below the surface.



Facebook Can Be Forced to Delete Content Worldwide, E.U.’s Top Court Rules (New York Times)

The decision that individual countries can order Facebook to take down posts globally sets a benchmark for the reach of European laws governing the internet.

 

 

 

 


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