UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News

EPA report warns of greenhouse gas risk

WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report says greenhouse gases contribute to air pollution and could pose a public health threat.

The proposed finding, which now moves to a public comment period, came out of a scientific review ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"In both magnitude and probability, climate change is an enormous problem," the EPA report said. "The greenhouse gases that are responsible for it endanger public health and welfare within the meaning of the Clean Air Act."

The proposed endangerment finding identified six greenhouse gases that pose a potential threat -- carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride -- the EPA said Friday in a release.

"This finding confirms that greenhouse gas pollution is a serious problem now and for future generations. Fortunately, it follows President (Barack) Obama's call for a low carbon economy and strong leadership in Congress on clean energy and climate legislation," EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said in a statement. "This pollution problem has a solution -- one that will create millions of green jobs and end our country's dependence on foreign oil."

NIH releases draft stem cell research regs

WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- The National Institutes of Health Friday released draft guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research, saying some U.S. funding restrictions were lifted.

"We think this is a significant," said acting NIH Director Raynard Kington during a news conference, "(This is) a new step and will lead in a relatively short period of time to a greatly increased number of human embryonic stem cells eligible for federal funding."

The draft guidelines would allow funding for research only using human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos created by in vitro fertilization for reproductive purposes but "were no longer needed for that purpose," Kington said.

Under the draft guidelines, funding for research using human embryonic stem cells from sources such as somatic cell nuclear transfer, parthenogenesis, and in vitro fertilization embryos created for research purposes is prohibited, he said.

The guidelines also outline the required documentation for the embryos, Kington said, including a sign-off from individuals who sought reproductive services and elected to donate the embryos for research purposes.

"NIH is truly looking forward to expanding research using human embryonic stem cells," Kington said. "We welcome President (Barack) Obama's executive order and are moving expeditiously to put guidelines in place that will allow responsible and scientifically worthy research to benefit from that NIH funding."

These draft guidelines will be published next week in the Federal Register and open for public comments for 30 days, he said. The final guidelines are expected to be published in early July.

Phthalates found in obese children

NEW YORK, April 17 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests endocrine disruptors such as phthalates may play a role in childhood obesity, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine said.

Researchers found children in New York's East Harlem are three times more likely than other children in the United States to be overweight.

The study determined neighborhood characteristics -- including availability of convenience foods -- likely play a strong role in the number of obese children. Eighty percent of the children in the study reported purchasing food items from convenience stores at least one time per week, the hospital said in a report released Thursday.

High levels of phthalates and Bisphenol A found in the children's urine may play a role in obesity by disrupting hormones that regulate growth and development, researchers said. Higher levels of three endocrine disruptors -- 2,5 DCP, MBP and MEHHP -- were also found.

The levels of DCP, formed in the body from the chemical DCB, were three to 10 times higher than those found in a national sample of children the same age, the report said. The chemical is common in mothballs, room deodorizers and toilet bowl deodorizer cakes.

Nanoparticles boost cancer treatment

SEATTLE, April 17 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say combining nanoparticles with a scorpion venom compound can cut the spread of cancerous brain tumor cells by 98 percent.

The University of Washington said the nanoparticles more than double the effectiveness of chlorotoxin, a small peptide isolated from scorpion venom.

"People talk about the treatment being more effective with nanoparticles but they don't know how much, maybe 5 percent or 10 percent," Miqin Zhang, professor of materials science and engineering, said Friday in a release. "This was quite a surprise to us."

The findings are published in the journal Small.

Researchers said adding nanoparticles can improve a therapy by increasing the length of time the combination lasts in the body. Nanoparticles also boost effectiveness of treatment compounds because therapeutic molecules tend to clump around each nanoparticle, the report said.