Science X Newsletter Sunday, Apr 7

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for April 7, 2019:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Scientists set to unveil first picture of a black hole

Digging ancient signals out of modern human genomes

Mummified mice and more in latest Egyptian tomb discovery

Can attackers inject malice into medical imagery? Fake growths here and there

Dutchman ends 'world's longest electric car trip' in Australia

Fresh guidance to fill 'information vacuum' on new cannabis products for medicinal use

Common food additive may weaken defenses against influenza

Astronomy & Space news

	Scientists set to unveil first picture of a black hole The world, it seems, is soon to see the first picture of a black hole.
Debris from anti-satellite test no danger to ISS, India says India insisted Saturday that debris from its anti-satellite missile test was not a danger to the International Space Station, in a rebuff to criticism from the US space agency.

Technology news

	Can attackers inject malice into medical imagery? Fake growths here and there Researchers have found more reason to be concerned over possibilities of tampering within the medical setting. Security watchers are talking about the paper, "CT-GAN: Malicious Tampering of 3-D Medical Imagery using Deep Learning," which is on arXiv. Authors are Yisroel Mirsky, Tom Mahler, Ilan Shelef and Yuval Elovici.
	Dutchman ends 'world's longest electric car trip' in Australia A Dutchman completed an epic 95,000 kilometre (59,000 mile) journey by electric car in Sydney Sunday in a bid to prove the viability of such vehicles in tackling climate change.
	Boeing cutting production rate of troubled 737 Max jet Boeing will cut production of its troubled 737 Max airliner this month, underscoring the growing financial risk it faces the longer that its best-selling plane remains grounded after two deadly crashes.
	China's virtual reality arcades aim for real-world success Chen Jiuxiao puts on virtual-reality goggles and is immediately transported to a snow-covered ski slope, down which she slaloms without ever leaving Shanghai.
	Singapore's 'fake news' laws upset tech giants Tech giants have reacted with horror after Singapore proposed laws against "fake news" allowing authorities to order the removal of content and impose hefty fines, in what critics say is an assault on free speech.

Medicine & Health news

	Fresh guidance to fill 'information vacuum' on new cannabis products for medicinal use A clinical review, published today for the BMJ, provides new interim advice for doctors and clinicians in prescribing cannabis-based products and cannabinoids to treat certain conditions.
	Common food additive may weaken defenses against influenza Research conducted in mice suggests the food additive tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ)—found in many common products from frozen meat to crackers and fried foods—suppresses the immune response the body mounts when fighting the flu. In addition to increasing the severity of flu symptoms, the study found evidence that tBHQ exposure could reduce the effectiveness of the flu vaccine through its effects on T cells, a vital component of the immune system.
	Preeclampsia treatment for mothers also benefits offspring An estimated six to 15 million people in the U.S. are children born of a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia. New research performed in rats reveals that treating preeclampsia with sildenafil citrate (Viagra) may help protect the cardiovascular health of the offspring.
Sah: Medical guidelines may be biased, overly aggressive Dr. Sunita Sah practiced general medicine for several years in the United Kingdom's National Health Service. When she came to the United States, she noticed something strange.
	Study measures gluten in gluten-free labeled restaurant food Even tiny amounts of gluten in foods are troublesome for people with celiac disease, and restaurants may be the hardest places to avoid the protein, finds a study by Benjamin Lebwohl, MD, MS, Celiac Disease Center at NY-Presbyterian Hospital and assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School. More than half of gluten-free pizza and pasta dishes in restaurants tested positive for the presence of gluten; about one-third of supposedly gluten-free foods had detectable gluten. Results are published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
	Researchers seek firefighters for data on cancer risk (HealthDay)—Learning more about firefighters' increased risk for certain cancers is the aim of a voluntary registry being created by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
	Let your lawn grow: it's good for bees, won't attract ticks, study finds (HealthDay)—You now have an excuse to skip cutting the grass every weekend—it's beneficial for the bees.
	Transgender men and women may have higher heart attack risk A new study indicates transgender men and women have a higher risk of heart attack—more than four times in some instances—than people who identify as the gender with which they were born.
	Blacks live longer, not necessarily better, with ALS (HealthDay)—Black Americans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) tend to live longer than whites with the disease because blacks are more likely to have a procedure called a tracheostomy, a new study shows.
	CDC investigates mystery E. coli outbreak affecting 5 states (HealthDay)—U.S. health officials say they are investigating an outbreak of E. coli gastrointestinal illness that's already affected 72 people across five Eastern states.
	No benefit seen with rituximab for chronic fatigue syndrome (HealthDay)—In patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), B-cell depletion using several infusions of rituximab over 12 months is not associated with clinical improvement, according to a study published online April 2 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Topical corticosteroids associated with higher risk for type 2 diabetes (HealthDay)—There is a positive association between use of topical corticosteroids and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a study published online April 1 in Diabetes Care.
	CDC: prevalence of COPD high among some nonsmokers (HealthDay)—The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among individuals who have never smoked is high in certain industries and occupations, according to research published in the April 5 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
	Ibrance approval expanded to include men with breast cancer (HealthDay)—U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Ibrance (palbociclib) capsules has been widened to include men with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, the agency said Thursday in a news release.
	October may be best time for older adults to receive flu shot (HealthDay)—It may be best for older adults to wait until October to receive their flu vaccine, unless that delay would cause them to skip getting their flu shot altogether, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
	Ebola toll tops 700 in DR Congo Some 100 people have died in the Ebola epidemic in DR Congo over the past three weeks, taking the overall death toll in the latest outbreak past 700, according to health ministry data.
Few people with heart failure take guideline-recommended drug, especially if not started while hospitalized Heart failure patients who could possibly benefit from a newer class of drug to lower their heart rate were more likely to take the medication if it was prescribed before hospital discharge rather than in a follow-up doctor's visit, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Quailty of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2019, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in quality of care and outcomes research in cardiovascular disease and stroke for researchers, healthcare professionals and policymakers.
Socioeconomic status associated with likelihood of receiving a heart pump Patients who are African-American or Hispanic, uninsured or covered by Medicaid insurance and living in low-income ZIP codes are less likely to receive a heart-pumping device known as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2019, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in quality of care and outcomes research in cardiovascular disease and stroke for researchers, healthcare professionals and policymakers.
Heart attack victims over 65 treated differently; suffer worse outcomes but have lower hospital charges Heart attack victims over age 65 are less likely than younger patients to receive timely percutaneous coronary intervention to open their blocked heart arteries, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Quailty of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2019, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in quality of care and outcomes research in cardiovascular disease and stroke for researchers, healthcare professionals and policymakers.
	NY county measles outbreak spotlights vaccine religious exemptions Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, the health commissioner of an outlying New York suburban county, is feeling "overwhelmed."
New insights into how fatty liver disease progresses to cancer The buildup of fat in the liver known as fatty liver disease sometimes leads to hard-to-treat liver cancer. Scientists don't understand why the cancer risk is higher for fatty liver disease caused by excessive alcohol consumption than for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
	Scientists find new therapy target for drug-induced liver failure Acetaminophen—a commonly used pain reliever and fever reducer—is the leading cause of quickly developing, or acute, liver failure in the U.S. Findings from a new mouse study suggest that treatments that increase levels of the protein thrombospondin-1 could help the liver recover from an overdose of acetaminophen.
Real cost of heart attacks and strokes: Double the direct medical expense The full financial cost of a heart attack or stroke is twice as much as the medical costs when lost work time for patients and caregivers is included.
	Patients resistant to breast cancer therapy show epigenetic differences According to a new study, breast cancer patients who don't respond to targeted therapy have different patterns of epigenetic modifications than patients who do respond. Epigenetic modifications change gene expression without altering the DNA's genetic code.
Spicy compound from chili peppers slows lung cancer progression Findings from a new study show that the compound responsible for chili peppers' heat could help slow the spread of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women. Most cancer-related deaths occur when cancer spreads to distant sites, a process called metastasis.
	New hope for preventing dangerous diabetes complication People with diabetes who use insulin to control their blood sugar can experience a dangerous condition called hypoglycemia when blood sugar levels fall too low. New insights into a recently discovered protein called neuronostatin could lead to new ways to treat and prevent hypoglycemia, which is sometimes deadly for people with diabetes.
	Smoking pot vs. tobacco: What science says about lighting up As more states make it legal to smoke marijuana, some government officials, researchers and others worry what that might mean for one of the country's biggest public health successes : curbing cigarette smoking.
	Sunscreen use could lead to better blood vessel health A new study suggests that sunscreen protects the skin's blood vessel function from harmful ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure by protecting dilation of the blood vessels. Perspiration on the skin may also provide protection to the skin's blood vessels from sun damage. The findings will be presented today at the American Physiological Society's (APS) annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2019 in Orlando, Fla.
Experimental drug shows promise for opioid withdrawal symptoms While medicines are available to relieve withdrawal symptoms in people recovering from opioid addiction, they cause side effects and can maintain the brain changes that led to addiction in the first place, which can lead to relapse before treatment is completed. New research offers hope that a better solution may be on the horizon. Rapastinel, an experimental drug originally developed as an antidepressant, substantially reversed acute signs of opioid withdrawal in rats in just three days.
Blocking opioid receptors could reduce hormone-therapy-fueled increases in sugar intake Estradiol is a commonly prescribed estrogen therapy. Previous research has found that rats treated with the hormone experience an increase in sugar consumption. But according to new research, blocking the body's opioid receptors can reverse this effect. The findings will be presented today at the American Physiological Society's (APS) annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2019 in Orlando, Fla.
Device-guided breathing lowers heart rate, sympathetic activity in people with PTSD Device-guided breathing may improve physiological symptoms in people with severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study. The findings will be presented today at the American Physiological Society's (APS) annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2019 in Orlando, Fla.
	Exercise during pregnancy protects offspring from obesity A new study found that offspring born to mice that exercised during pregnancy were less likely to gain weight after consuming a high-fat diet later in life. Although previous studies have shown that exercise by obese females benefits their offspring, this is the first research to demonstrate that the same is true when non-obese females exercise.
Older adults with blood cancers: How they fare Although the majority of patients who have blood cancers are older adults, they make up only a small percentage of participants in the clinical trials that lead to new therapies. That's because the standard research methods used in oncology (cancer medicine) are not ideal for identifying certain vulnerabilities linked to aging, such as having multiple chronic diseases and being frail.

Biology news

	Digging ancient signals out of modern human genomes With new genome analysis tools, scientists have made significant advances in our understanding of modern humans' origins and ancient migrations.
	New insights on the form and function of the dolphin clitoris Despite decades of fascination with dolphins, scientists have long overlooked one aspect of the species' anatomy. For the first time, researchers offer an up-close look at the clitoris of female dolphins along with insights on the potential for the animals to experience sexual pleasure.
	Sydney Brenner, who helped decipher genetic code, dies at 92 Sydney Brenner, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist who helped decipher the genetic code and whose research on a roundworm sparked a new field of human disease research, has died. He was 92.

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