Windblown dust from the shrinking Salton Sea harms the respiratory health of children living nearby, triggering asthma, coughing, wheezing and disrupted sleep, USC research shows. The problem is likely to intensify in a hotter climate, with evaporation exposing more and more of the lake bed, or playa, leading to more dust events.
Read more …The Salton Sea -- an area rich with lithium -- is a hot spot for child respiratory issues
A concerning increase in global rates of severe invasive infections becoming resistant to key antibiotics has a team of infectious disease researchers studying a recently emerged strain of bacteria called Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis. These infections range in severity from strep throat to flesh-eating disease.
Read more …Increased rates of severe human infections caused by Streptococcus subspecies
A new study involving 8,500 children from across the United States has revealed that a form of air pollution, largely the product of agricultural emissions, is linked to poor learning and memory performance in 9- and 10-year-olds. The specific pollutant, ammonium nitrate, is also implicated in Alzheimer's and dementia risk in adults, suggesting that PM2.5 may cause neurocognitive harm across the lifespan.
Read more …Exposure to particular sources of air pollution is harmful to children's learning and memory
Patients with Huntington's disease have a genetic mutation that triggers proteins to misfold and clump together in the brain. These clumps interfere with cell function and eventually lead to cell death. The new treatment leverages peptide-brush polymers, which act as a shield to prevent proteins from binding to one another. In studies in mice, the treatment successfully rescued neurons to reverse symptoms.
Read more …New Huntington's treatment prevents protein aggregation