SCIENCE AND HEALTH HIGHLIGHTS

September 18, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• UCSD Researchers Discover Protein That Can Help Damaged Hearts( KPBS)
• '700 million' malaria cases stopped (BBC)
• The amazing significance of what a mother-to-be eats  (BBC)
• Cognitive Decline May Move Faster In People With Low Vitamin D (NPR)
• New device could save millions from septic shock  (Reuters)
• New blood test helps detect cancer early (U-T)
• Aggressively Lowering Blood Pressure Saves Lives, Study Finds (NPR)
• Waking up HIV to kill it (U-T)
• Why India Is A Hotbed Of Antibiotic Resistance And Sweden Is Not (NPR)
• Child deaths 'halved since 1990' (BBC)
• Modelling spread of hospital bugs (BBC)
• British Scientists Seek Permission To Edit DNA In Human Embryos  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Has Arctic ice loss reached a tipping point? (CS Monitor)
• Fiat Chrysler to recall 1.06 million trucks over steering glitch (Reuters)
• Former Uber driver was an employee, rules California department (Reuters)
• When Cyber Fraud Hits Businesses, Banks May Not Offer Protection (NPR)
• How robots are helping smaller dairy farms stay in business (CS Monitor)
• 1813 Alaska shipwreck: How they survived  (CS Monitor)
• Black and blue then back again: What’s going on with Beijing skies? (CS Monitor)
• Why climate change is good news to Arctic mosquitoes (CS Monitor)
• Lungs found in mysterious deep-sea fish (CS Monitor)

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

HEALTH

UCSD Researchers Discover Protein That Can Help Damaged Hearts( KPBS)

Researchers from UC San Diego and Stanford have discovered a method of helping the heart repair itself after a heart attack.

'700 million' malaria cases stopped (BBC)

Nearly 700 million cases of malaria have been prevented in Africa as a result of concerted efforts to tackle the disease since 2000, say researchers.

The amazing significance of what a mother-to-be eats  (BBC)

New research reveals the extraordinary impact that your mother's diet at the time of your conception has on the rest of your life.  

Cognitive Decline May Move Faster In People With Low Vitamin D (NPR)

Older people with low levels of vitamin D are likely to lose memory and executive function more quickly, a study finds. But it didn't look into whether taking supplements could help.

New device could save millions from septic shock  (Reuters)

Prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS are all potentially lethal diseases that affect hundreds of thousands each year. But Sepsis, a deadly immune response triggered by infection, kills more people than all of them combined.

New blood test helps detect cancer early (U-T)

San Diego companies pushing painless "liquid biopsies"  A blood test that was scarcely heard of two years ago is quickly emerging as an alternative to the often painful practice of using needles or surgery to sample a patient’s tissues for signs of cancer.

Aggressively Lowering Blood Pressure Saves Lives, Study Finds (NPR)

A huge federal study was halted early when a preliminary analysis of the results found clear evidence that lowering blood pressure can slash heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and deaths.

Waking up HIV to kill it (U-T)

HIV might be eradicated from those infected with drugs being tested for cancer.

Why India Is A Hotbed Of Antibiotic Resistance And Sweden Is Not (NPR)

In the developing world, antibiotics are now being overused — just like in the U.S. So antibiotic resistance is a growing global issue. But some countries have figured out a solution.

Child deaths 'halved since 1990' (BBC)

Child mortality has fallen by more than 50% since 1990, a report by the World Health Organization and UN children's organisation Unicef says.

Modelling spread of hospital bugs (BBC)

A new computer model predicts that multi-bed hospital wards increase bacterial hand contamination by 20% compared with single-bed wards.

British Scientists Seek Permission To Edit DNA In Human Embryos  (NPR)

After Chinese scientists announced in April that they had edited the genes in human embryos, many researchers said it shouldn't be done. Scientists in London say they want to do it for research only.

SCIENCE AND TECH

Has Arctic ice loss reached a tipping point? (CS Monitor)

In the past year, the Arctic has lost the equivalent area of ice of California, New York, and Maryland combined.

Fiat Chrysler to recall 1.06 million trucks over steering glitch (Reuters)

 FCA US LLC, a unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, is recalling about 1.06 million of its Ram trucks in the United States to fix a steering wheel defect that may cause an air-bag to deploy inadvertently.

Former Uber driver was an employee, rules California department (Reuters)

 Uber has lost another legal round in the dispute over whether its drivers are independent contractors or employees, an issue that threatens the core of the ride-hailing company's business model

When Cyber Fraud Hits Businesses, Banks May Not Offer Protection (NPR)

Individuals are pretty well-protected when it comes to fraudulent transfers from their bank accounts. Regulation E of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act requires banks to bear the burden in most circumstances. That's not the case for business

How robots are helping smaller dairy farms stay in business (CS Monitor)

Robots are becoming part of dairy production on smaller farms across the country. Farmers say the technology is providing more efficient labor and helping their businesses remain viable.

1813 Alaska shipwreck: How they survived  (CS Monitor)

In 1813 shipwrecked sailors survived for nearly a month during an Alaska winter with nearly no supplies. Now archaeologists say they know how they did it.

Black and blue then back again: What’s going on with Beijing skies? (CS Monitor)

Less than 24 hours after Beijing hosted a much-awaited military parade under clear skies, the notoriously polluted city was as smoggy as ever.

Why climate change is good news to Arctic mosquitoes (CS Monitor)

Rising temperatures are bringing massive mosquito swarms to the Arctic, researchers say.

Lungs found in mysterious deep-sea fish (CS Monitor)

Researchers discover a vestigial lung in a coelacanth, an order of fish once thought extinct.