U.S. expands its endangered species list
WASHINGTON, March 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday the designation of 48 more Hawaiian animals and plants as endangered species.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said the announcement marks a major step forward in conserving imperiled animals and ecosystems on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Salazar said the Fish and Wildlife Service, which is responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act, is also designating critical habitat on the island for 47 of the species.
"Our action today reflects President Obama's determination to base conservation decisions on the best available science and to move quickly to protect our nation's wildlife and ecosystems when, like the fragile ecosystem of Kaua'i, they are at risk," Salazar said.
He said the critical habitat decision is a significant step forward from past efforts that created an overlapping patchwork which didn't maximize conservation efforts.
"The ecosystem-based approach that our scientists used to make this decision represents an efficient and innovative model for conserving imperiled species and their habitats," said Salazar. "By highlighting species that share ecosystems and common threats, we can more effectively focus conservation management efforts to address these threats and restore ecosystem function for these species and the entire ecological community."
Officials noted Hawaii has more threatened and endangered species than any other state in the nation.
A list of the newly designated endangered species -- 45 birds, two plants and an insect -- is available at: http://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2010/pdf/designatedendangeredspecieslisted2010.pdf.
Supplements may hurt prostate treatment
ROYAL OAK, Mich., March 10 (UPI) -- Some dietary supplements may harm rather than help prostate cancer patients, U.S. researchers say.
Researchers at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., looked at three widely used commercial prostate-specific dietary supplements taken by many prostate cancer patients to improve or increase sexual potency or alleviate symptoms associated with poor prostate health.
The study, published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, finds cell growth and sensitivity to radiation of the malignant tumor cells were not affected by any of the supplements.
However, two supplements inhibited the growth rate of normal prostate cells and the third also increased the cellular sensitivity to radiation of some normal cell lines by inhibiting DNA repair.
Study senior author Brian Marples said the study shows what some patients believe is helping them may actually be harming them.
"It is very important for all patients to discuss any type of supplement they may be taking with their physician and especially important for prostate cancer patients receiving radiation therapy as this study shows that it may be negatively affecting the effectiveness of their treatments," Marples says in a statement.
Cotton that conducts electricity created
ITHACA, N.Y., March 10 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have developed cotton threads that can conduct electricity as well as a metal wire, yet remain light and flexible enough to wear.
Researchers led by Cornell University Assistant Professor Juan Hinestroza say the technology might some day allow your T-shirt to cool you on a hot day, analyze your perspiration or monitor your heart rate. Your pillow will be able to monitor your brain waves and a dress might be able to charge an iPod or MP4 player.
The scientists say that's not science fiction -- it's cotton in 2010.
Using nanotechnology developed at Cornell in collaboration with universities at Bologna and Cagliari, Italy, Hinestroza and his colleagues developed a technique to permanently coat cotton fibers with electrically conductive nanoparticles.
"We can definitively have sections of a traditional cotton fabric becoming conductive, hence a great myriad of applications can be achieved," Hinestroza said. "Previous technologies have achieved conductivity, but the resulting fiber becomes rigid and heavy. Our new techniques make our yarns friendly to further processing, such as weaving, sewing and knitting."
A solar-powered dress using the newly developed technology will be featured Saturday during the annual Cornell Design League Fashion Show at the Ithaca, N.Y., university.
Drug used for high potassium questioned
ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 10 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say a drug used to treat high potassium levels for more than 50 years has no proven benefit and probably would not be approved today.
The study was led by Dr. Richard Sterns of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
The researchers said high potassium levels (hyperkalemia) are a potentially life-threatening problem, commonly occurring in patients with kidney disease. Ion exchange resins, mixed with a cathartic called sorbitol, have long been used to treat the condition with millions of doses prescribed every year in the United States.
"These agents came into widespread use in 1958 -- four years before drug manufacturers were required to prove the effectiveness of their products before gaining FDA approval," Sterns said. "Their approval was essentially 'grandfathered.' "
Last year, the FDA issued a warning against giving ion exchange resins with sorbitol, based on reported cases of potentially fatal bowel injury. Yet pre-mixed preparations of the resin with sorbitol are still marketed and widely used.
"We found no rigorous scientific evidence that ion exchange resins are effective in ridding the body of excess potassium," Sterns added. "In fact, we found some evidence showing that, on rare occasions, they might be harmful."
The study that included Maria Rojas, Paul Bernstein, and Sreedevi Chennupati is to be reported in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
