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☆ 850 people still missing after Maui wildfires, mayor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Search and recovery team members check charred buildings and cars in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on August 18, 2023. A total of 850 people are still missing in connection with the deadly wildfires that devastated Maui earlier this month, the county's mayor announced. In an overnight update posted to Facebook, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said there were now 850 people officially believed to be missing. Bissen said the number of missing people was the result of the FBI combining and refining various lists of missing people. "The death toll number is always provisional, in a way," Goldman said.

Persons: Richard Bissen, Bissen, We're, Lynn Goldman, Hurricane Maria, Goldman Organizations: Facebook, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, NBC, FBI Locations: Maui, Lahaina , Hawaii, Maui County, Puerto Rico, Lahaina

☆ Opinion: Hitting the gym or going to yoga? Your workout clothes could be doing more harm than you realize
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Opinion Alden Wicker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

BPA is an endocrine disruptor, meaning that it mimics or interferes with the body’s hormones. It governs weight management and your energy levels, not to mention your skin’s appearance and your ability to fend off illness. Others have tried to argue that some of the chemicals in clothing fell within the legal and regulatory limits. The signs that something is very, very wrong with our reproductive health and endocrine systems are myriad. After all, you might be undoing the benefits of hitting the gym every day when your workout clothes could be doing so much damage to your health.

Persons: Alden Wicker, Athleta, Alden Wicker Alden Wicker, There’s, bisphenol, Ashley Eskew, “, Thinx, ” Dr, Laura Vandenberg, Down, ”, Shanna, Dr, Graham Peaslee, PFAS, Swan, lipsticks, ‘, ” Eskew, Eskew Organizations: New York Times, Vox, Wired, CNN, Center for Environmental Health, Nike, IKEA, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC, US Environmental Protection Agency, Industry, University of Massachusetts Amherst, of Environmental Health Sciences, Notre, Twitter Locations: Putnam, California, Patagonia, ” North Carolina, Spain

☆ How to Think About Rising Covid Cases in California
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Soumya Karlamangla | More About Soumya Karlamangla | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s been several months since I last wrote about it in this newsletter, and almost as long since I gave it serious consideration. The rate of spread has been relatively low this year, and Covid hospitalizations in California were lower last month than at any time since the pandemic took hold. New Covid cases have been rising this month in California and across the country. While experts say the trend isn’t a cause for alarm, they do agree it’s something to monitor if you’re hoping to avoid infection. “I’m sure many of you are anecdotally both hearing about friends and family and colleagues, as well as seeing more or hearing more about some more circulating Covid.”

Persons: It’s, Covid, Erica Pan, “, ” Locations: California

☆ Extreme heat will make Grand Canyon visits dramatically more risky in the future, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Eric Zerkel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Climate change-fueled extreme heat will significantly increase the risk of heat-related illness for the millions of people who visit Grand Canyon National Park each year, a new National Park Service study found. They found the rate of heat illness per 100,000 visitors increased across both scenarios. Heat is suspected to have killed 16 people at Grand Canyon National Park since 2007 – more than any other national park – according to preliminary heat mortality data provided to CNN. Visitors watch the sun rise along the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park on May 25, 2020. “It tells us so much of the impact of climate change is the variability and the unexpected nature,” Buttke said.

Persons: ” Danielle Buttke, ” Buttke, Mario Tama, Buttke, “, we’re, ” Organizations: CNN, National Park Service, “, National, Service

☆ When the Scientific Method Is an Accessory to Murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Maya Phillips | More About Maya Phillips | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

LIQUID SNAKES, by Stephen KearseSomeone sound the alarms, bar the labs and give Dr. Fauci a ring — the scientists have gone mad. Not in real life, thankfully, but in “Liquid Snakes,” Stephen Kearse’s new novel, in which two C.D.C. epidemiologists try to track down a man’s home-brewed drug that he plans to wield as a bioweapon for revenge. Clever, pretentious and a bit sociopathic, Kenny is the mad scientist Walter White-ing his way through an unnecessarily involved revenge plot. But unlike Walter, Kenny is awfully dull.

Persons: Stephen Kearse, Fauci, Stephen Kearse’s, epidemiologists, Kenny Bomar, Kenny milks, Kenny, Walter White, Walter, don’t Organizations: Valencia

☆ According to TikTok, Americans Are Very, Very Thirsty
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Jessica Roy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

At one point or another, most Americans have heard that they should drink about eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated. But the recommended amount of water consumption in the United States is still higher than that of many other European countries. “So we’re still trying to define what hydration means.”Yet the scientific uncertainty over hydration hasn’t prevented Americans from applying a moralistic lens to water consumption. Americans buy status water bottles to carry around like fashion accessories and enter their daily water consumption into fitness-tracking apps. “Americans have this mind-set of, they’re not just drinking water, they’re competitively drinking water,” said Amanda Rollins, an American who has lived in Paris for the past six years.

Persons: Jodi Stookey, Stookey, “, ”, we’re, they’re, Amanda Rollins Organizations: National Academy of Medicine Locations: United States, France, Italy, Europe, London, American, Paris

It was showtime at the youth swine exhibition, and the pig barn was bustling. The competitors, ages 3 to 21, were practicing their walks for the show ring and brushing pig bristles into place. As he slipped into one pen, a pig tried to nose its way out, then started nibbling his shoelaces. Bowman prefers not to enter the pens, he said, as he wiped gauze across the animal’s nose. He soon spotted a more appealing subject: a pig sticking its nose out from between the bars of its enclosure.

Persons: Andrew Bowman, Bowman, ” Organizations: showtime, Ohio State University Locations: New Lexington , Ohio, Wuhan, China

☆ Adults with depression are at a greater risk of developing dementia, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A diagnosis of depression in adulthood could more than double your risk of developing dementia in older age, according to a new study. But the latest study shows a connection between dementia risk and depression diagnoses in early and mid-life as well. “Our results therefore provide strong evidence that depression is not only an early symptom of dementia, but also that depression increases dementia risk,” she said. “For example, there may be shared common risk factors for depression and dementia that occur earlier in the lifecourse, depression may increase dementia risk through alterations in levels of key neurotransmitters, or depression may lead to changes in health behaviors that in turn increase risk for dementia,” she added in an email. Regardless of dementia risk, treating depression should be a priority, Elser agreed.

Persons: Holly Elser, Natalie Marchant, Marchant, Elser, ”, ” Elser, ” Marchant Organizations: CNN, University of Pennsylvania, University College London

☆ Nearly 62,000 people died from record-breaking heat in Europe last summer. It’s a lesson for the US, too
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Nearly 62,000 people died heat-related deaths last year during Europe’s hottest summer on record, a new study has found — more heartbreaking evidence that heat is a silent killer, and its victims are vastly under-counted. Of the nearly 62,000 deaths analyzed, heat-related mortality rate was 63% higher in women than in men. “The acceleration of warming observed over the last 10 years underlines the urgent need to reassess and substantially strengthen prevention plans,” Achebak said. Heat deaths have outpaced hurricane deaths in the country by more than 8-to-1 over the past decade, according to data tracked by the National Weather Service. Yet the United States’ heat mortality numbers would suggest that far fewer people are dying from heat than in Europe.

Persons: “, Joan Ballester, Ballester, ”, Matt Dunham, —, Hicham Achebak, ” Achebak, Ricardo Rubio, David S, Jones, “ There’s, ” Jones, ” John Balbus, Greenlee Beal, Balbus, Biden, “ We’re, ” Balbus Organizations: CNN, Nature Medicine, Eurostat, Guard, Europa Press, National Weather Service, Centers for Disease Control, Harvard University, Health Equity, US Department of Health, Human Services, CDC Locations: Europe, Italy, Spain, Germany, ISGlobal, Buckingham, London, Madrid, United States, France, American, Chicago, Eagle Pass , Texas, U.S

☆ Fluctuating cholesterol linked with Alzheimer’s, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In addition to total cholesterol, the study tracked triglycerides, a type of fat that comes from butter and oils; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, also known as LDL or “bad” cholesterol; and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, known as HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol. In the Neurology study, variations in LDL and HDL cholesterol weren’t associated with higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Lipids and neurodegenerative diseaseThe authors found a link, but not a causal relationship, between fluctuating levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Exactly how varying lipid levels and risk for Alzheimer’s or related dementias are related remains unclear, Bielinski said. “Always consult your doctor or healthcare provider if you are concerned about your cardiovascular health, cholesterol levels, or cognitive decline,” Weber said via email.

Persons: ”, Christopher Weber, Suzette J, Bielinski, hadn’t, ” Bielinski, ” Weber, “, Weber Organizations: CNN, Alzheimer’s Association, Mayo Clinic, Neurology Locations: Minnesota

CNN —A woman died at the Grand Canyon National Park while trying to hike eight miles on Sunday, the National Park Service said. The 57-year-old was hiking near the Tuweep area of the park when she became unconscious, according to a news release from the park service. An excessive heat warning is in place for the inner parts of the Grand Canyon through Wednesday, NPS said. The park service is investigating the incident alongside the Mohave County Medical Examiner. And extreme heat is the No.

Persons: stepsons, Tarik Benmarhnia, San Diego Organizations: CNN, National Park Service, NPS, Medical, Environmental Protection Agency, University of California, US Centers for Disease Control Locations: Mohave, Big Bend, Texas, San, United States, Mexico

☆ Landmark Study Shows Higher Suicide Risk for Transgender People
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Azeen Ghorayshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Transgender people in Denmark have a significantly higher risk of suicide than other groups, according to an exhaustive analysis of health and legal records from nearly seven million people over the last four decades. The study is the first in the world to analyze national suicide data for this group. Transgender people in the country had 7.7 times the rate of suicide attempts and 3.5 times the rate of suicide deaths compared with the rest of the population, according to the records analyzed in the study, though suicide rates in all groups decreased over time. And transgender people in Denmark died — by suicide or other causes — at younger ages than others. “This is beyond doubt a huge problem that needs to be looked at,” said Dr. Morten Frisch, a sexual health epidemiologist at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen and a co-author of the new study.

Persons: —, ”, Morten Frisch Organizations: Statens Serum Institut, American Medical Association, Republican Locations: Denmark, Copenhagen, United States

☆ The cult of Emily Oster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Sarah Todd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Emily Oster is sitting in the back of a car, checking her Garmin watch as we lurch through rush-hour traffic toward the Holland Tunnel. A self-described expert in data, Oster uses her economics training to dig into studies on things like circumcision and screen time and translate them for popular consumption. There doesn't seem to be much of a gap between the way Oster presents herself in her books and newsletters and the way she conducts her life. Unsurprisingly, economics informs every aspect of the way Oster sees the world. When Oster was a toddler, her mother told a Yale colleague that Oster often talked to herself before falling asleep.

Persons: Emily Oster, doesn't, Oster, Taylor Swift, Spock, —, Mandy Moore, Emily DiDonato, Amy Schumer, " Oster, Emily, Aisha McAdams, Claudia Goldin, who's, Lori Feldman, " Feldman, Winter, It's, reopenings, Timothy Caulfield, Oster's Brown, OSTER, She's, Sheryl Sandberg's, Brown, Denis Tangney Jr, graham, Eminem, Sharon Oster, Ray Fair, Jesse Shapiro, Katherine Nelson, Carl, Choate Rosemary Hall, John F, Kennedy, Glenn Close, Ivanka Trump, Goldin, Steven Levitt —, Oster —, Paul Farmer, Steven Levitt, Oster's, Levitt, Robert Barro, demographer Monica Das Gupta, Joseph Delaney, she'd, I've, Matt Notowidigdo, Chicago Booth, hadn't, Udo Salters, Patrick McMullan, Shapiro, Jessica Calarco, Dr, Anthony Fauci, Donald Trump, Calarco, Rochelle Walensky, Delaney, University of Manitoba epidemiologist, Abigail Cartus, Justin Feldman, Delivette Castor, they're, COVID, Castor, Notowidigdo, Carter, you'd, she's, there's Organizations: Garmin, Brown University, New York Times, American Academy of Pediatrics, Yorker, Yale School of Management, Yale, Harvard, Connecticut, Choate, University of Chicago, Forbes, Wall, Publicly, University of Manitoba, Getty, Oster, Centers for Disease Control, Columbia University, Harvard Business School Locations: Holland, Montclair , New Jersey, Montclair, Harvard, Providence , Rhode Island, New Haven , Connecticut, China, Canada, Chicago, Ohio, New Jersey

☆ Insomnia raises stroke risk in people under 50, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Stroke risk is typically higher in older adults with more health problems, the study noted. After controlling for other factors that contribute to stroke risk, researchers found people with five to eight symptoms of insomnia had a 51% increased risk of stroke compared with people who did not have insomnia, according to a statement on the study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology. In comparison, people who had one to four symptoms had a 16% increased risk of stroke compared with people with no symptoms of insomnia, the study found. Getting more than nine hours of sleep on average was linked with a twofold increase in stroke risk. However, taking a planned nap of less than an hour was not associated with an increased stroke risk, the study said.

Persons: ”, epidemiologist Wendemi, snored, Napping, Phyllis Zee, ” Zee, Andrew Freeman Organizations: CNN, Mayo Clinic, Virginia Commonwealth University, US Centers for Disease Control, Center, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Jewish Health Locations: Richmond, Chicago, Denver

☆ Dr. Chatbot will see you now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Almost invariably, the chatbot answers were rated as three or four times as reliable as the ones from the poor wee humans. But here's the most striking part: The chatbot answers, on average, were rated seven times as empathetic as the ones from humans. It's as if the unfeeling android Mr. Data figured out how to convincingly emulate Dr. Crusher's comforting bedside manner. Give those medical chatbots access to people's individual medical records, and they could offer more precisely directed advice. Healthcare AI startups will want the cheapest versions with the most financial bang, which won't necessarily have the best patient outcomes.

Persons: feely, San Diego lurked, I'm, ChatGPT, John Ayers, Ayers, —, chatbot, they're, That's, They're, Teva Brender, Brender, Jonathan Chen, Greg Corrado, isn't, Adam Rogers Organizations: University of California, UC San Diego, Pew Research Center, Harvard, Google, Stanford University School of Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, Healthcare Locations: San Diego, San Francisco

☆ Was mass hysteria behind the mysterious case of 227 middle school students fainting last fall?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Lillian Perlmutter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

On September 23, 2022, 12-year-old Esmeralda walked out of the girls' bathroom at her middle school in Tapachula, Mexico, and fainted. Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador began including regular updates on the government's investigation into the fainting episodes in his daily press conferences. Dr. Carlos Alberto Pantoja Meléndez, one of Mexico's few field epidemiologists, had taken an interest in the fainting episodes. News of the initial fainting episodes had been shared there, the epidemiologist, who asked to remain anonymous, told Pantoja-Melendez. Both believe that the fainting episodes in Mexico were examples of something new and alarming: mass hysteria spreading online.

Persons: Esmeralda, Diala, Gladys, Esmeralda's, convulsing, Esmeralda Eva Alicia Lépiz, —, Esmerelda, Mami, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, Gladys didn't, Bochil, Luis Villagrán, bristled, Susanna, Tapachula, Diala's, José Eduardo Morales Montes, they'd, Eva Alicia Lépiz, Hidalgo —, I've, Carlos Alberto Pantoja Meléndez, Pantoja Meléndez, Meléndez, Robert Bartholomew, Bartholomew, Lopez Obrador, busily, Simon Wessley, schoolgirls, twitching, we'll, Pantoja, Melendez, Bartholomew said, we're, We've, who's Organizations: Federal, Central America, Journalists, Mexico City —, Mexico City, Universidad Autónoma Nacional, University of Auckland, Roswell, Kings College, New York, Health Department, Pantoja Locations: Tapachula, Mexico, Bochil, Mexican, Chiapas, Mexico City, El Pais, Chiapas —, Central, Esmeralda, Mexico City — Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, México, University of Auckland , New Zealand, Veracruz, London, Southern Mexico, Kanshasa, Tanzania, Blackburn , England, Sweden, Pyuthan, Nepal, Leroy , New York, Tapachula .

☆ How to Lower Deaths Among Women? Give Away Cash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The pandemic drove 97 million additional people into extreme poverty in 2020, according to a World Bank estimate, prompting more countries to start cash transfer programs. Direct cash transfers have been shown to improve school attendance, nutrition and use of health services. The new study is the first to examine the effect of cash transfers on death rates worldwide, the researchers said. The findings suggest that cash transfers may be helpful not just to women, but to families and entire communities. Cash transfers are often accompanied by improvements to health care services or other infrastructure that helps communities, he noted.

Persons: ”, Harsha Thirumurthy, Thirumurthy, Audrey Pettifor, Pettifor, ” Berk Organizations: University of Pennsylvania, University of North, Chapel Hill Locations: Saharan Africa, Africa, Asia, Pacific, America, Caribbean, U.S, University of North Carolina, South Africa

☆ Consumers are starting to fire up China's pandemic-battered economy, two ETF experts find
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Sean Conlon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The National Bureau of Statistics of China reports retail sales have been increasing since last November. "We're seeing the incremental rebound from the Chinese consumer," the firm's chief investment officer told " ETF Edge " this week. China's pandemic-battered economy is starting to see consumers open their wallets wider, according to KraneShares' Brendan Ahern. "Domestic travel [is] rebounding … but we've yet to see that from the international sector," the ETF provider's CEO said. Rhind told CNBC in a special interview later in the week that international travel from China could start to rebound this summer following a sluggish start.

☆ What 40-Somethings Should Know About Breast Cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Some biopsies don’t indicate cancer, yet still create anxiety for patients — but many biopsies do find cancer, he said, which saves lives. Many of the factors that contribute to breast cancer risk, like genetics and a family history of cancer, aren’t modifiable; others are within a patient’s control, but not necessarily practical. For example, having a child before age 35 lowers the risk of breast cancer, as does breastfeeding, but a doctor would never recommend a woman have a child by a certain age to reduce cancer risk, said Avonne Connor, a cancer epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. But a few behaviors have been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer, doctors said. A mounting body of evidence has tied drinking to a higher risk of cancer in general — and potentially to breast cancer in particular, partly because alcohol can boost levels of estrogen in the body.

☆ Brazil boosts bird flu defense to protect world's top chicken industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Per protocol, local veterinarians in Espirito Santo took samples from the birds on site and sent them to the reference lab in Campinas, Brazil. "The entire industry is mobilized to monitor the situation identified in Espirito Santo," national meat lobby ABPA said in a statement. In other countries, avian flu outbreaks in wild birds have frequently been followed by transmission to commercial flocks. Bird flu outbreaks have contributed to higher prices of poultry and eggs, normally an affordable source of protein. Since early 2022, wild birds have spread the highly infectious virus farther and wider around the world than ever before.

☆ How a deadly bat virus found new ways to infect people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

Scientists found bats with Nipah virus roosting near Sabith’s home. A search of the neighborhood led to a colony, near their house, of flying foxes, a common fruit bat. NETTING NIPAH: Researchers in Bangladesh use nets to catch bats and collect samples to find the Nipah virus in the wild. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainWhether Sabith ate contaminated fruit or somehow came into direct contact with a bat, the virus entered his cells. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainA year later, Chua’s team found the same strain of Nipah virus in flying foxes.

☆ How much you exercise may impact flu and pneumonia risk, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —It’s time to add to your list of reasons to work out: Getting active could help prevent risk of death from the flu and pneumonia, according to new research. Meeting both recommendations for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity cut the risk associated with flu or pneumonia death nearly in half, but meeting just the aerobic activity target was associated with a 36% lower risk, according to the study. This study might encourage them that physical activity may be another powerful tool for protecting themselves against influenza and pneumonia death,” he said. Even a little bit of exercise showed benefit in protecting against flu and pneumonia death, the study found. Getting 10 to 149 minutes a week of aerobic physical activity was associated with a 21% decreased risk of flu and pneumonia death, the study showed.

☆ How Reuters pinpointed bat-virus risk zones worldwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Areas where conditions are similar are more prone to spillover, scientists say. The Reuters analysis, which assessed spillover risk through 2020, has proven to have some predictive power. Similar statistical models are used widely to analyze data in ecology, and researchers use them to understand spillover risk. More than one of every five people on the planet is living in areas where the risk is highest for spillover. Using epidemic modeling software called GLEAMviz, the news agency simulated a worldwide pandemic originating from the spillover of a theoretical novel virus.

☆ Face masks are still a good idea at the doctor’s office, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But they remain in many medical offices, and a study published Monday says they might still be a good idea. The study, published in the journal the Annals of Internal Medicine, also found that there wasn’t a significant difference in protection between surgical masks and N95 respirators in a health care setting. Because gold standard evidence about their protectiveness is not available, they say, masks for patients and health care personnel should be considered a good safety measure. Lab studies show that surgical masks and respirators are good at limiting the spread of aerosols and droplets from people who are sick with the flu, coronaviruses and other respiratory viruses. “We all realize the importance and utility of a mask,” Madad said.

"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director," Walensky wrote to President Joe Biden in her resignation letter. "We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter," Biden said in a statement. "For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," she told CDC staff last summer. Public health experts said Walensky wrestled with political and technical challenges during her tenure. "Dr. Walensky was put into place at the CDC at a time when the agency was basically captive to politicians which clearly hampered her ability to lead," he said.

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