Is New Zealand's food system unsustainable?

New research from Massey University's College of Health shows overwhelming support for sustainability characteristics to be included in the Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults, set out by the Ministry of Health.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/is-new-zealands-food-system-unsustainable

The opioid crisis: Drug overdose deaths are down for the first time in 30 years

Drug overdoses cause more deaths in the U.S. than gun violence, car accidents, or H.I.V. did when they reached their most lethal peaks. For almost three decades, the number of overdose deaths increased unabated. But, according to a recent government report, the U.S. experienced a slight decrease in overdose deaths last year, marking the first decline in drug mortality rates since 1990.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/the-opioid-crisis-drug-overdose-deaths-are-down-for-the-first-time-in-30-years

Genetic characteristics of peripheral artery disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD)—a narrowing of the arteries serving the legs and feet —affects as many as 12 million Americans and 200 million people worldwide. It is a manifestation of clogged arteries, but until now, scientists lacked information about why some people with the disease presented with problems with their legs, some with their heart and some with strokes.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/genetic-characteristics-of-peripheral-artery-disease

Wool odor could be key to protecting sheep from flystrike

A global research project led by The University of Western Australia in collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Western Australia has identified compounds in Merino sheep wool that are attractive to Australian blowflies.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/wool-odor-could-be-key-to-protecting-sheep-from-flystrike

Old vaccine brings new surprises

New research about an old vaccine—one that has been in use for nearly 100 years—has not only shown how effective it is but also suggests it improves our immune response to a wider range of bacteria than originally intended.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/old-vaccine-brings-new-surprises

New software helps plant breeders bring out their best

Broccoli is in the eye of the beholder. A head of broccoli that might appeal to one person—perhaps because of its deep green color—may leave another cold, due to an asymmetrical shape or too-large buds.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-software-helps-plant-breeders-bring-out-their-best

Offspring of pregnant women exposed to high level of pollutants may have lower IQs

A new study found that pregnant women exposed to higher levels of air pollutants had children with lower IQs, compared to the children of women exposed to lower levels.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/offspring-of-pregnant-women-exposed-to-high-level-of-pollutants-may-have-lower-iqs

Targeting old bottleneck reveals new anticancer drug strategy

The enzyme ribonucleotide reductase is a bottleneck for cancer cell growth. Scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified a way of targeting ribonucleotide reductase that may avoid the toxicity of previous approaches, informing focused drug discovery efforts.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/targeting-old-bottleneck-reveals-new-anticancer-drug-strategy

Reducing the size and weight of medical MRI equipment by more than half

A team led by Dr. Seog-Whan Kim and Dr. Young-Sik Jo at the Superconductivity Research Center of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute has developed a superconducting insulation technology that can significantly reduce the size and weight of medical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/reducing-the-size-and-weight-of-medical-mri-equipment-by-more-than-half

More Basra water crises unless Iraq govt fixes 'failures': HRW

Human Rights Watch on Monday warned of a repeat of last year's deadly water crisis in Iraq's oil-rich southern province of Basra unless authorities correct decades of management failures.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/more-basra-water-crises-unless-iraq-govt-fixes-failures-hrw

Portugal wildfires '90 percent' under control

Huge wildfires that have ravaged a mountainous region of central Portugal and left dozens injured have been "90 percent" controlled, firefighters said Monday, but warned that strong winds could cause the flames to spread.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/portugal-wildfires-90-percent-under-control

India launches historic bid to put spacecraft on Moon

India launched a bid to become a leading space power Monday, sending up a rocket to put a craft on the surface of the Moon in what it called a "historic day" for the nation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/india-launches-historic-bid-to-put-spacecraft-on-moon

New hard X-ray eclipsing polar identified

Using ESA's XMM-Newton and NASA's Swift spacecraft, astronomers have found that a hard X-ray source known as 2PBCJ0658.0-1746 is an eclipsing magnetic cataclysmic variable of the polar type. The finding, presented in a paper published July 11 on arXiv.org, makes the object one of only a handful hard X-ray eclipsing polars known to date.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-hard-x-ray-eclipsing-polar-identified

Cuttlefish ink found promising for cancer treatment

Researchers have found that cuttlefish ink—a black suspension sprayed by cuttlefish to deter predators—contains nanoparticles that strongly inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors in mice. The nanoparticles consist mostly of melanin by weight, along with amino acids, monosaccharides (simple sugars), metals, and other compounds. The researchers showed that the nanoparticles modify the immune function in tumors, and when combined with irradiation, can almost completely inhibit tumor growth.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/cuttlefish-ink-found-promising-for-cancer-treatment

Heat and humidity grip East Coast as Midwest gets reprieve

The East Coast on Sunday sweated through another day of extreme heat and humidity as organizers in Boston canceled a benefit run, Delaware Civil War re-enactors got the day off and the New York Police Department implored residents to take it easy.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/heat-and-humidity-grip-east-coast-as-midwest-gets-reprieve

Audit: Hospitals put Native Americans at risk with opioids

Government hospitals placed Native American patients at increased risk for opioid abuse and overdoses, failing to follow their own protocols for prescribing and dispensing the drugs, according to a federal audit released Monday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/audit-hospitals-put-native-americans-at-risk-with-opioids

More ED visits because of alcohol, 175% increase in 25- to 29-year-olds seeking care

New research shows dramatically rising visits to emergency departments (ED) related to alcohol, especially for women, with a 175% increase in alcohol-related visits from young people aged 25 to 29. The article, published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), shows increases in ED visits related to alcohol that are occurring much faster than overall ED usage.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/more-ed-visits-because-of-alcohol-175-increase-in-25-to-29-year-olds-seeking-care

School readiness impaired in preschoolers with ADHD symptoms, study finds

Preschoolers with symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are much less likely than other children their age to be ready for school, new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine has found.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/school-readiness-impaired-in-preschoolers-with-adhd-symptoms-study-finds

Plasticizer interaction with the heart

Calling an ambulance during an emergency, emailing a breaking news or journal article before a 5 p.m. deadline and maintaining conditions during the fifth week of a 6-week lab study, without altering the light or temperature, requires electricity and translates into time, money and lives. During critical moments, we appreciate the tiny particles and ions in electric currents that power our phones, computers or laboratory equipment. We seldom think about the speed of these connections or potential disruptors when conditions are stable. The same applies to the electric currents, or electrophysiology, of our heart.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/plasticizer-interaction-with-the-heart

Study finds children with autism more likely to be bullied at home and at school

A major new study has found children with autism are more likely to be bullied by both their siblings and their peers, meaning that when they return from school, they have no respite from victimisation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/study-finds-children-with-autism-more-likely-to-be-bullied-at-home-and-at-school

Failure to launch: Parents are barriers to teen independence

Something most parents don't want to hear from their teenager: I am not prepared to be an adult, and it's your fault.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/failure-to-launch-parents-are-barriers-to-teen-independence

Gun ownership linked to greater incidence of domestic homicides

A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, reveals a unique and strong association between firearm ownership and the risk of domestic homicides. For each 10 percent increase in household gun ownership rates, the findings show a significant 13 percent increased incidence of domestic firearm homicide. The homicide risk differed across victim-offender relationships, with nondomestic firearm homicide rising only 2 percent among firearm owners.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/gun-ownership-linked-to-greater-incidence-of-domestic-homicides

More colorectal cancer cases are being diagnosed in younger patients

The incidence of colorectal cancer in adults younger than 50 years of age has increased in the United States since 1970. A new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, found that the proportion of adults diagnosed with colorectal cancer under age 50 in the United States has continued to increase over the past decade, and younger adults are diagnosed with more advanced disease.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/more-colorectal-cancer-cases-are-being-diagnosed-in-younger-patients