Beijing meets air quality standards for the first time
Since 2013, levels of particulate pollution in China’s capital have dropped 63 percent, China Daily reported.
Public health & disease
Pittsburgh will become a dark sky city in 2022
Pittsburgh will follow the International Dark Sky Association’s new values-centered outdoor lighting guidelines and switch to lower wattage LED bulbs in streetlights, bridges, and other public spaces.
Oklahoma caps monthly insulin co-pay at $30
Over 450,000 Oklahomans suffer from diabetes, while the American Diabetes Association says that over 1 million in the state are on the verge of it.
Botswana achieves WHO’s “silver tier” certification for mother-to-child HIV transmission
The country was previously classified as a “high burden” country, which is defined as more than two percent of women living with HIV.
Countries with regulations against industrially produced trans fats tripled over the past year
Forty countries now have best-practice trans fat elimination policies in effect, protecting 1.4 billion people from this deadly food compound, according to new WHO report.
Researchers disable long-targeted gene behind spread of major cancers
Princeton University researchers have discovered what they call a “silver bullet” in the form of a compound that can disable the gene that allows most major cancers to metastasize in mice and human tissue.
A “functional cure” for HIV to begin human trials
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave approval to Excision Biotherapeutics to use its innovative HIV treatment in Phase I/II human trials.
HPV vaccine cutting cervical cancer by 87% in the U.K., shows new study
Cancer Research UK described the findings as “historic”, and said it showed the vaccine was saving lives.
Cleveland Clinic launches human trials on first-of-its-kind preventative breast cancer vaccine
After two decades of preclinical research, human trials are set to begin on a unique preventative vaccine that is designed to target a protein commonly expressed by triple-negative breast cancers.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces plans to regulate cancer-causing ‘forever chemicals’
A handful of states including New Jersey, Vermont, Michigan, and New York, have already moved to regulate the chemicals on their own while the EU has banned many of the chemicals outright.