HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

December 16, 2024 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• A twice-yearly shot could help end AIDS. But will it get to everyone who needs it? (AP)
• Hospitals gave patients meds during childbirth, then reported them for illicit drug use (USA Today)
• Brian Thompson’s killing inspired rage – against the healthcare industry (Guardian)
• Wildfire retardant is laden with toxic metals, USC study finds (Los Angeles Times)
• Words Reportedly Written on Bullet Casings Tied to CEO's Killing Echo Scathing Phrase About Insurance Industry (People)
• Anthem BCBS reverses plan to cap anesthesia coverage after time limits  (NPR)
• Record outbreak of dengue fever in Central and South America  (BBC)
• Why these doctors started writing medical 'prescriptions' for solar power  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Arctic Tundra Shifts to Source of Climate Pollution, According to New Report Card (Inside Climate News)
• Journalists flock to Bluesky as X becomes increasingly 'toxic' (NBC)
• Australia passes social media minimum age law, cracking down on app use by kids under 16 (USA Today)
• What is Bluesky, the ‘up-and-coming’ social platform seen as X alternative (The Hill)

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

HEALTH

A twice-yearly shot could help end AIDS. But will it get to everyone who needs it? (AP)

It’s been called the closest the world has ever come to a vaccine against the AIDS virus. The twice-yearly shot was 100% effective in preventing HIV infections in a study of women, and results published Wednesday show it worked nearly as well in men.

Hospitals gave patients meds during childbirth, then reported them for illicit drug use (USA Today)

Mothers were reported after they were given medications used routinely for pain or in epidurals, to reduce anxiety or to manage blood pressure during cesarean sections.

Brian Thompson’s killing inspired rage – against the healthcare industry (Guardian)

Thousands of Americans go bankrupt, lose their homes or die every year due to medical insurer practices... the death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO unleashed an eruption of anger from people mistreated, or untreated, by the US’s rapacious medical industry....

Wildfire retardant is laden with toxic metals, USC study finds (Los Angeles Times)

...The U.S. Forest Service and other agencies each year drop tens of millions of gallons of fire retardant, mostly an ammonium phosphate-based slurry called Phos-Chek, around wildfires to coat vegetation and slow the spread of flames. But a new study by researchers at USC has found that a popular variety is laden with toxic metals, and estimates retardant use has released 850,000 pounds of these chemicals into the environment since 2009. The results suggest the ecological consequences of retardant use merit further study, and that finding a cleaner product is probably worthwhile.

Words Reportedly Written on Bullet Casings Tied to CEO's Killing Echo Scathing Phrase About Insurance Industry (People)

The phrase "delay, deny, defend" is used to describe a strategy of rejecting claims. Bullet casings found at the scene where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York City on Wednesday, Dec. 4, reportedly had words written on them that bore a resemblance to the phrase about the insurance industry.

Anthem BCBS reverses plan to cap anesthesia coverage after time limits  (NPR)

One of the country's largest health insurers has reversed its decision to no longer pay for anesthesia care in certain states if the surgery or procedure goes beyond a particular time limit. The original move by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, which would have started next year, alarmed doctors and policymakers.

Record outbreak of dengue fever in Central and South America  (BBC)

The number of cases of dengue fever in Central and South America has nearly tripled to a record high this year, the Pan American Health Organisation (Paho) said on Tuesday. More than 12.6m cases and 7,700 deaths were recorded in what Paho says is the biggest outbreak in the region since records began in 1980.

Why these doctors started writing medical 'prescriptions' for solar power  (NPR)

Anna Goldman, a primary care physician at Boston Medical Center, got tired of hearing that her patients couldn't afford the electricity needed to run breathing assistance machines, recharge wheelchairs, turn on air conditioning or keep their refrigerators plugged in. So she worked with her hospital on a solution. The result is a pilot effort called the Clean Power Prescription program. The initiative aims to help roughly 80 patients with complex, chronic medical needs keep the lights on.

SCIENCE AND TECH

Arctic Tundra Shifts to Source of Climate Pollution, According to New Report Card (Inside Climate News)

The Arctic tundra has shifted from storing carbon in the soil to becoming a carbon dioxide source, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its partner researchers concluded in their 19th annual Arctic Report Card. As a result, the Arctic’s ability to help regulate Earth’s temperature is significantly compromised. Emissions from warming permafrost regions must be thought of as an increasing risk to a planet already being transformed by the overburden of fossil fuel pollution.

Journalists flock to Bluesky as X becomes increasingly 'toxic' (NBC)



Journalists are finding more readers and less hate on Bluesky than on the platform they used to know as Twitter.... Since Elon Musk bought Twitter, has turned the platform into an increasingly difficult place for journalists, and many had come to suspect that the platform had begun to suppress the reach of posts that include links to external websites. On Sunday, Musk confirmed the platform has deprioritized posts including links, which was how journalists and other creators historically shared their work

Australia passes social media minimum age law, cracking down on app use by kids under 16 (USA Today)

Australia approved on Thursday a social media ban for children aged under 16 after an emotive debate that has gripped the nation, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech.

What is Bluesky, the ‘up-and-coming’ social platform seen as X alternative (The Hill)

Bluesky, a new social platform garnering millions of users, is now competing with top networks like X and Truth Social.  Jack Dorsey, a former CEO at Twitter, created the site in 2019 to be “a protocol for public conversation.” Its features are modeled after Twitter and include the option to message other users in addition to a discover and feed tab.