National Post

HERALD, W.Va. — A half a century after serving in Vietnam, hundreds of veterans have a new reason to believe they may be dying from a silent bullet — test results show some men may have been infected by a slow-killing parasite while fighting in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

The Department of Veterans Affairs this spring commissioned a small pilot study to look into the link between liver flukes ingested through raw or undercooked fish and a rare bile duct cancer. It can take decades for symptoms to appear. By then, patients are often in tremendous pain, with just a few months to live.  Continue reading “A parasite that can live for decades may be slowly killing Vietnam War veterans: study”

SCI News

Vaccines represent one of the most effective means of preventing infectious disease.

They have saved millions of lives, but nobody likes getting a shot. That’s why researchers are trying to develop oral vaccines.

In addition to avoiding needles, oral vaccines can generate a broader immune response by stimulating immune cells within the mucus layer of the intestine to produce a special class of antibody called immunoglobulin A (IgA).  Continue reading “Self-Propelling Micromotors Deliver Oral Vaccines”

The Jamestown Sun

KINDRED, N.D. — Marvel Von Hagen and her love of 37 years were living the good life.

The 60-year-old woman built hotels for a living while her man worked as a plumber. The couple who have lived in their Kindred home for 29 years were never ones to ask for help, even after medical bills started to roll in for her back and his diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Continue reading “Most North Dakotans, Minnesotans who qualify for heating assistance don’t seek it”

WCAX 3 News

WILLISTON, Vt. (WCAX) If you’re planning on taking the boat out this season, Vermont State Police want to make sure you can make the most of your time on the water.

VSP is participating in the national Spring Aboard campaign, which encourages boaters to get educated prior to the kick-off of the boating season.  Continue reading “VSP joins Spring Aboard campaign”

Times Union

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An effort to make Maine the first state to require labels on foods made with the manipulation of tiny particles was shot down Thursday by a legislative committee.

Former Rep. John Eder wanted Maine to require labels for food products made with nanotechnology. Nanotechnology allows scientists to manipulate atoms and molecules and is touted by some as a way to enhance the appearance or nutritional quality of food. Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry unanimously rejected the labeling idea during a meeting.  Continue reading “Bid to require labels about nanotechnology in food shot down”

The Hill – by Emily Birnbaum

The largest association of doctors in the U.S. on Wednesday pressed the country’s leading tech companies to crack down on anti-vaccine misinformation spread on their platforms.

The American Medical Association (AMA) in letters to Amazon, Facebook, Google, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube wrote that social media companies have the responsibility to provide users with “scientifically valid information on vaccinations.”  Continue reading “Key doctors group presses tech to crack down on anti-vaccine misinformation”

Syracuse.com – by Chris Baker

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse police union wants officers who wear body cameras to be paid extra — a bargaining chip they’re taking into contract negotiations as the city plans to expand its body camera program throughout the department.

City lawmakers called the suggestion “ridiculous.” Department leaders agreed and said they will push back on the union once negotiations begin.   Continue reading “Union wants Syracuse cops to be paid to wear body cameras”

AlJazeera

The last refugee children held in an Australian-funded camp on the remote Pacific nation of Nauru have departed for the United States, according to campaigners.

The Refugee Action Coalition (RAC) said on Wednesday that 19 refugees, including four children, were on board a flight from the island.   Continue reading “Refugees, including children, leave Nauru for the US”

Time – by Matthew Perrone

(WASHINGTON) — A mind-altering medication related to the club drug Special K won U.S. approval Tuesday for patients with hard-to-treat depression, the first in a series of long-overlooked substances being reconsidered for severe forms of mental illness.

The nasal spray from Johnson & Johnson is a chemical cousin of ketamine, which has been used for decades as a powerful anesthetic to prepare patients for surgery. In the 1990s, the medication was adopted as a party drug by the underground rave culture due to its ability to produce psychedelic, out-of-body experiences. More recently, some doctors have given ketamine to people with depression without formal FDA approval.   Continue reading “This Trippy Ketamine-Like Drug Has Been Approved to Treat Depression”

Observer Dispatch

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The Democrat-controlled New York state Legislature has passed legislation that requires gun owners to keep firearms in a locked cabinet or equipped with a trigger-locking device if someone under 16 is in the home.

The Assembly and Senate passed the legislation Monday, five weeks after lawmakers approved a package of other gun-control measures.   Continue reading “New York Legislature approves gun storage safety measure”

NCPR

Cornell University has received over $68 million from the United States Department of Agriculture to build a new federal research facility for grape genetics. The site will be in Geneva, New York, home to ongoing collaborations between Cornell and the USDA.

New York is home to the largest Concord grape industry in the eastern United States. And it’s one of the top five wine producers in the nation. Overall, the New York grape industry contributes $4.8 billion annually to the New York State economy.   Continue reading “Cornell gets $68.9 million for grape genetics research”

VPR

The parents of a 23-year-old man who committed suicide last December are asking lawmakers to create a waiting period for gun purchases in Vermont.

It’s been less than three months since Alyssa Black’s youngest child took his own life, and she’s still piecing together the events that led to her son’s death.   Continue reading “Right To Self-Defense Versus Suicide Prevention: Lawmakers Consider Waiting Period For Gun Sales”

New York Times – by Katharine Q. Seelye

Bill Jenkins, a government epidemiologist who tried to expose the unethical Tuskegee syphilis study in the 1960s and devoted the rest of his career to fighting racism in health care, died on Feb. 17 in Charleston, S.C. He was 73.

His wife, Dr. Diane Rowley, said the cause was complications of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease.

Continue reading “Bill Jenkins, Who Tried to Halt Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Dies at 73”

NCPR

Climate change is a culture war flash point in America. The fight over global warming and what to do about it is likely to shape next year’s presidential election. But scientists here in the North Country say they’re no longer asking if the climate is changing.

They’re now measuring real-world impacts: everything from sharp declines in bird populations to the rapid spread of human diseases carried by deer ticks.   Continue reading “Adirondack scientists document climate change impacts on wildlife, human health”

WCAX 3 News

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) The University of Vermont is taking part in one of the largest childhood development studies of its kind in the country. It aims to create a groundbreaking body of work that will influence researchers for years to come.

Stefanie Waite and her son, 13-year-old Emmett, are looking at brain scans. They’re MRI images of Emmett’s brain starting in 2016.   Continue reading “UVM taking part in major childhood development study”

New Britain Herald – by Lisa Backus

NEW BRITAIN – Amid the vibrant paintings of fresh fruit and tasteful displays of shelled nuts and grass in the café he’s about to open on West Main Street, Mark Schand explained that he isn’t angry that he spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.

“It’s a wasted emotion for me,” the 53-year-old budding entrepreneur said. “I’m just happy to be home.” Continue reading “Man who spent 27 years wrongly imprisoned set to open cafe”

Maine Public – by Lori Valigra

The state agreed on a three-year, $150,000 contract Tuesday with a Florida-based technology company that will track and trace medical and adult use marijuana products once regulations are approved for them.

The Department of Administrative and Financial Services said it will use Franwell Inc.’s Metrc cloud-based software to track marijuana growth and distribution throughout Maine. Metrc uses radio-frequency identification tags.   Continue reading “Maine Signs Deal For ‘Seed-To-Sale’ Marijuana Tracking System”

Bismark Tribune – by Jack Dura

By a slight margin, the North Dakota House voted down a so-called “stand your ground” bill that supporters said would “empower potential victims.”

House Bill 1497 failed by a vote of 41-49 on Wednesday. Rep. Jeff Magrum, R-Hazelton, introduced the bill to the House Judiciary Committee in January, which gave an 8-6 “do-pass” recommendation to the bill after amendments in committee work. Similar legislation failed in 2017.

Continue reading “‘Stand your ground’ bill fails in North Dakota House”