June 5, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• As mental health subsides in older generation, what to do about their guns? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Breast cancer: Test means fewer women will need chemotherapy (BBC)
• Therapy Made From Patient's Immune System Shows Promise For Advanced Breast Cancer  (NPR)
• Government issues warning about pill pushed on the elderly (CNN)
• It's important to wear sunglasses even on cloudy days, ophthalmologists say (Jewish World Review)

 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Need a little extra money? You'll soon be able to sell and rent your DNA (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• NASA’s new administrator says he’s talking to companies about taking over operations of the International Space Station (Washington Post)
• This start-up wants to turn your car into a vending machine (CNN)

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

Aggressive, day-biting, hairy-legged mosquitos can transmit heartworms to pets

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

June 1, 2018 (La Mesa) -- San Diego County residents now have one more reason to find and dump out standing water in and around their homes to fight mosquitoes.

County environmental health officials have found a new type of invasive, aggressive, day-biting mosquito in La Mesa — the Australian backyard mosquito, Aedes notoscriptus, also known as the “Aussie Mozzie.”

May 30, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• To Lower Your Medicare Drug Costs, Ask Your Pharmacist for the Cash Price  (NPR)
• FDA warns that Benzocaine teething products aren’t safe for children (CNN)
• With compassionate outreach, a city cuts its drug overdose rate in half (CS Monitor)
• Trump’s ban on global abortion funding has led to more abortions (CNN)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• FBI warns Russia hacked hundreds of thousands of routers (Yahoo News)
• Amazon Alexa heard and sent private chat (BBC)
• Amazon is selling facial recognition to law enforcement—for a fistful of dollars (Washington Post)
• Trump violated the Constitution when he blocked his critics on Twitter, judge rules (Washington Post)
• Scientists See Promise in Resurrecting These Rhinos That Are Nearly Extinct (New York Times)
• How many people do volcanoes kill? (BBC)

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

May 23, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• The FDA approved a drug that treats opioid addiction that isn’t addictive itself (Popular Science)
• Lost mothers: maternal mortality in the U.S. (NPR)
• Did Leaded Gasoline Contribute to the U.S. Baby Bust?  (Reason)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Circuit breaker still in use despite safety concerns (Jewish World Review)
• DNA Data From 100 Crime Scenes Has Been Uploaded To A Genealogy Website — Just Like The Golden State Killer
• NASA looks to send a small nuclear reactor to the moon and Mars  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Uber ends Arizona self-driving program following fatality (Reuters)
• Why privacy settings can't keep your location secret  (Marketplace)
• Security advocates challenge facial recognition in policing  (CS Monitor)

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

East County News Service

May 15, 2018 (Sacramento) -- Hours after a judge ruled that California’s assisted suicide law is illegal, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra indicated he will appeal the decision.

Judge Daniel Ottolia with the Riverside Superior Court ruled that the Legislature violated the law by passing the End of Life Option Act during a special session devoted to healthcare issues, the Los Angeles Times reports.

East County News Service

May 15, 2018 (La Mesa) – The Grossmont Healthcare District’s Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, will host “Joint Replacement,” a program on hip and knee total joint replacement surgeries and hip resurfacing procedures, from 10 to 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 23. The program is part of the library’s “Wellness Wednesday” series, normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Admission is free. Light refreshments will be served. Advance RSVP is not necessary. Handouts will be available.

May 8, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• In veterans, even a mild case of traumatic brain injury is linked to an increased risk of dementia (Los Angeles Times)
• This retinal implant may one day cure blindness caused by macular degeneration (Los Angeles Times)
• Regular fast food eating linked to fertility issues in women (BBC)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Uber CEO on flying taxis, the future and taking over a company in crisis (CBS)
• Russian spies posing as ISIS threaten to kill military wives' families, evidence shows (CBS)
• Elon Musk’s SpaceX is using a powerful rocket technology. NASA advisers say it could put lives at risk. (Washington Post)
• Electric Winnebagos are coming soon (Reuters)

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

East County News Service

May 2, 2018 (La Mesa) – The 19th annual East County Senior Health Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, May 11, at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr., La Mesa. Admission is free. No advance registration is necessary.

By Miriam Raftery

April 30, 2018 (Sacramento) – The state Assembly’s Health Committee has approved Assembly Bill 3087, the Health Care Price Relief Act. The controversial bill would create the California Health Care Cost, Quality and Equity Commission to set amounts that health plans, hospitals, doctors and other health providers may charge. 

April 25, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• FDA 'blitz' aimed at reducing youths' use of Juul, other e-cigarettes (CNN)
• Marijuana-derived drug for epilepsy gets FDA committee recommendation (CNN)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Electrical defects cause Priuses to stall: Toyota may be bracing for a legal fight as safety worries grow (Los Angeles Times)
• Why are tens of thousands of Americans still driving around with explosive devices in their cars? (Washington Post)
• This Start-Up Says It Wants to Fight Poverty. A Food Stamp Giant Is Blocking It. (NY Times)
• AT&T and Verizon are under federal investigation for potential collusion (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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

East County News Service

April 24, 2018 (La Mesa) – The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) is proud to announce the honorees for its 2018 Healthcare Heroes awards. GHD officials said the recipients are volunteers of all ages and walks of life who serve in health care in San Diego’s East Region community.

This year’s honorees include a family practice physician who helps those not able to afford health insurance, two volunteers who provide one-on-one comfort following crisis events, a 23-year-old who spends part of her weekends in a hospital emergency room, a couple who drives people to their cancer treatments and a non-profit board member who has volunteered for the past 20 years.

“The purpose of the Healthcare Heroes Awards is to recognize volunteers whose unsung work in healthcare might not otherwise be celebrated,” said Michael Emerson, GHD board president. “We are proud to recognize the 2018 winners and their inspiring commitment to caring for others.”

Here are the heartwarming stories of this year’s winners:

By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2018 (San Diego) - The Centers for Disease Control has broadened its health warning regarding e-coli cases linked to romaine lettuce.  

The federal health agency is now advising consumers to avoid all forms of romaine lettuce, including lettuce heads, chopped romaine and salad mixes that may contain romaine, unless you are certain that the lettuce was not grown in Yuma, Arizona. 

By Miriam Raftery

April 18, 2018 (San Diego) – San Diego County ranks an “F” on the American Lung Association’s Report Card on the state of the air you breathe.   Nationwide, the city of San Diego, along with Carlsbad, also ranked the 6^th worst cities in the nation for ozone pollution, out of 227 metropolitan areas studied.

Researchers found people tanned indoors less often after seeing a simulation of how their older selves would look if they continued tanning.

Source: SDSU News Center

April 12, 2018 (San Diego) – Ultraviolet (UV) light exposure through indoor and outdoor tanning is the leading environmental risk factor for developing skin cancer. Now, a new San Diego State University study explains how a new technology that shows future aging effects could lead people to engage in less risky tanning behavior.

East County News Service

April 11, 2018 (La Mesa) – The citizens group overseeing the spending of millions of dollars in taxpayer-approved bonds for new and improved patient care facilities at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa has issued its 2017 Annual Report to the Community.