- FDA May Review MDMA for the Treatment of PTSD
- Poison Centers See Nearly 1,500% Increase in Calls Related to Injected Weight-loss Drugs as People Accidentally Overdose
- Biden’s National Security Adviser Travels to the West Bank as White House pressures Israel to Reduce Civilian Casualties
- What is Criminal Contempt of Congress?
- Extreme Morning Sickness? Scientists Finally Pinpoint a Possible Cause
- COP28 Climate Summit Signals the End of Fossil Fuels — but is it Enough?
FDA May Review MDMA for the Treatment of PTSD
FDA 可能會審查 MDMA 治療 PTSD 的作用
Health
The US Food and Drug Administration has been asked to review MDMA, or midomafetamine, the active ingredient in street drugs like ecstasy and molly, along with therapy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. MDMA is a psychedelic drug known as an entactogen, a class of psychoactive drugs that produce experiences of emotional communion, relatedness and emotional openness. The new application was filed Tuesday by a company called the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, which has been studying the drug in combination with therapy to treat PTSD. The FDA has 60 days to determine whether the new drug application, or NDA, will be accepted for review and whether it will be fast-tracked through the approval process. In 2017, the agency granted MDMA-assisted therapy a breakthrough therapy designation, a status that expedites the development and review of drugs that are intended to treat a serious condition and that preliminary clinical evidence indicates may be a substantial improvement over available therapies. In two studies, with 90 and 104 participants respectively, MDMA significantly reduced symptoms and impairment associated with PTSD compared with a placebo. MAPS says it has completed six late-stage clinical trials testing MDMA for PTSD.
--from CNN
美國食品藥物管理局已被要求審查搖頭丸和莫莉等街頭毒品的活性成分 MDMA（即midomafetamine）以及作為創傷後壓力症候群治療方法的療法。 MDMA 是一種被稱為誘因的迷幻藥物，是一類精神活性藥物，可以產生情感交流、關聯性和情感開放的體驗。 新的申請是由一家名為 MAPS Public Benefit Corporation 的公司於週二提交的，該公司一直在研究該藥物與治療 PTSD 的聯合療法。 FDA 有 60 天的時間來決定是否接受新藥申請（NDA）審查以及是否會快速通過審查流程。 2017 年，該機構授予 MDMA 輔助療法突破性療法稱號，這一地位可加快用於治療嚴重疾病的藥物的開發和審查，並且初步臨床證據表明可能比現有療法有實質性改進。 在分別有 90 名和 104 名參與者參與的兩項研究中，與安慰劑相比，MDMA 顯著減輕了與 PTSD 相關的症狀和損傷。 MAPS 表示，它已經完成了六項後期臨床試驗，測試 MDMA 治療 PTSD 的效果。
-- 摘錄翻譯自 CNN
Poison Centers See Nearly 1,500% Increase in Calls Related to Injected Weight-loss Drugs as People Accidentally Overdose
由於人們意外服用過量，毒物中心發現與注射減肥藥物相關的電話增加了近 1,500%
Health
Poison control centers across the US say they are seeing a steep increase in calls related to semaglutide, an injected medication used for diabetes and weight loss, with some people reporting symptoms related to accidental overdoses. Some have even needed to be hospitalized for severe nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, but their cases seem to have resolved after they were given intravenous fluids and medications to control nausea. From January through November, the America’s Poison Centers reports nearly 3,000 calls involving semaglutide, an increase of more than 15-fold since 2019. In 94% of calls, this medication was the only substance reported. In most of the calls, people reported dosing errors, said Dr. Kait Brown, clinical managing director of the association. “Oftentimes, it’s a person who maybe accidentally took a double dose or took the wrong dose,” Brown said.
--from CNN
美國各地的毒物控制中心表示，他們發現與司馬魯肽(semaglutide)（一種用於糖尿病和減肥的注射藥物）有關的警訊急劇增加，有些人報告了與意外服用過量有關的症狀。 有些人甚至因嚴重噁心、嘔吐和胃痛而需要住院治療，但在接受靜脈輸液和控制噁心的藥物後，他們的病情似乎已經得到緩解。 從 1 月到 11 月，美國毒物中心報告了近 3,000 個涉及司馬魯肽的電話，自 2019 年以來增加了 15 倍以上。在 94% 的電話中，他是唯一報告的藥物。 該協會臨床常務董事Kait Brown博士說，在大多數電話中，人們都報告了劑量錯誤。 「通常情況下，一個人可能不小心服用了雙倍劑量或服用了錯誤的劑量，」Brown說。
--摘錄翻譯自CNN
Biden’s National Security Adviser Travels to the West Bank as White House pressures Israel to Reduce Civilian Casualties
拜登國家安全顧問前往約旦河西岸，白宮向以色列施壓，要求減少平民傷亡
Culture
President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will travel to the West Bank on Friday in his push to demonstrate continued US support for Israel in its fight against Hamas, while also urging the Israeli government to take meaningful steps to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza. A US official told CNN that Sullivan would meet with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah on the second day of his trip to the region. Sullivan previously met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top government officials on Thursday. Sullivan, the official said, “will discuss ongoing efforts to promote stability in the West Bank, including through efforts to confront terrorism, support for the Palestinian Authority Security Forces through the U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, ongoing efforts to revamp and revitalize the Palestinian Authority, and initiatives to hold extremist settlers accountable for violence against Palestinians.”
-- from CNN
拜登總統的國家安全顧問Jake Sullivan將於週五前往約旦河西岸，以表明美國繼續支持以色列打擊哈馬斯，同時敦促以色列政府採取有意義的措施，減少加薩平民傷亡。 一名美國官員告訴美國有線電視新聞網，Sullivan將在此行第二天訪問該地區，於Ramallah會見巴勒斯坦權力機構主席Mahmoud Abbas。Sullivan此前於週四會見了以色列總理 Benjamin Netanyahu和其他高級政府官員。 這位官員表示，Sullivan「將討論促進西岸穩定的持續努力，包括打擊恐怖主義的努力、透過美國以色列和巴勒斯坦權力機構安全協調員支持巴勒斯坦權力機構安全部隊、改革和重建巴勒斯坦權力機構的持續努力」。重振巴勒斯坦權力機構，並採取舉措追究極端主義定居者對巴勒斯坦人的暴力行為的責任。”
--摘錄翻譯自CNN
What is Criminal Contempt of Congress?
什麼是藐視國會罪？
Culture
On the same day House Republicans were set to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, his son Hunter defied a subpoena from Congress, raising the possibility that he could be held in contempt of Congress. Hunter Biden has said he will testify publicly, but not behind closed doors as Republicans running the impeachment inquiry into his father demanded. Not willing to negotiate on the venue for the testimony, House Oversight Chair James Comer and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan said they will start contempt proceedings against Hunter Biden for not appearing for his scheduled deposition. “Hunter Biden today defied lawful subpoenas and we will now initiate contempt of Congress proceedings,” the pair said in a statement.
--from CNN
就在眾議院共和黨人準備正式對總統Joe Biden進行彈劾調查的同一天，他的兒子Hunter不理會國會的傳票，這增加了他可能因藐視國會而被拘留的可能性。 Hunter Biden表示，他將公開作證，但不會按照共和黨人對他父親進行彈劾調查的要求閉門作證。 眾議院監督主席James Comer和眾議院司法委員會主席Jim Jordan不願意就作證地點進行溝通，表示他們將對Hunter Biden未出席預定的證詞啟動藐視法庭訴訟。 兩人在一份聲明中表示：“Hunter Biden今天無視合法傳票，我們現在將啟動藐視國會訴訟程序。”
--摘錄翻譯自CNN
Extreme Morning Sickness? Scientists Finally Pinpoint a Possible Cause
嚴重孕吐？ 科學家終於找出了可能的原因
Sciences
Researchers have pinpointed a hormone released by growing fetuses that might cause a debilitating form of morning sickness. Women who are more sensitive to the hormone, which increases during early pregnancy, might be at greater risk of experiencing a severe form of nausea and vomiting, called hyperemesis gravidarum, according to their study. “For the first time, hyperemesis gravidarum could be addressed at the root cause, rather than merely alleviating its symptoms,” says Tito Borner, a physiologist at the University of Pennsylvania. The work was published on 13 December in Nature1. The finding could also open avenues for treatment. “We now have a clear view of what may cause this problem and a route for both treatment and prevention,” says study co-author Stephen O’Rahilly, a metabolism researcher at the University of Cambridge, UK. The researchers found that women who had high levels of the hormone GDF15 before they got pregnant had minimal reactions to it while carrying their baby. The findings suggest that giving GDF15 to those at high risk of hyperemesis gravidarum before pregnancy could protect them from the condition. O’Rahilly says that although their study suggests that GDF15 influences the risk of severe sickness, other factors might have a role.
--from Nature
研究人員已經確定了胎兒生長過程中釋放的激素，這可能會導致令人衰弱的孕吐。 根據他們的研究，對這種在懷孕早期增加的激素較為敏感的女性可能更有可能經歷嚴重的噁心和嘔吐，稱為妊娠劇吐。 賓州大學生理學家Tito Borner 表示：“這是第一次可以從根本上解決妊娠劇吐，而不僅僅是減輕症狀。” 該成果於 12 月 13 日發表在 Nature 上。 這項發現也可能為治療開闢途徑。 研究合著者、英國劍橋大學代謝研究員 Stephen O’Rahilly 表示：“我們現在清楚地了解了導致這一問題的原因以及治療和預防的途徑。” 研究人員發現，懷孕前 GDF15 荷爾蒙水平較高的女性在懷孕期間對其產生的反應最小。 研究結果表明，妊娠劇吐高風險族群在懷孕前服用 GDF15 可以預防懷孕劇吐。 O’Rahily 表示，雖然他們的研究顯示 GDF15 會影響重病風險，但其他因素也可能扮演角色。
--摘錄翻譯自Nature
COP28 Climate Summit Signals the End of Fossil Fuels — but is it Enough?
COP28 氣候高峰會標誌著化石燃料的終結——但這就足夠了嗎？
Sciences
Scientists have voiced mixed reactions to a pledge to “transition away from fossil fuels” made by the world's governments at the end of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. “It’s major,” says Lisa Schipper a developmental geographer at the University of Bonn, Germany. Previous end-of-COP declarations have failed to mention fossil fuels in this way — at COP26 in Glasgow, delegates pledged to “phase down” unabated coal, which was regarded as a first at the time. COP28 is the first global stocktake after the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21) in which representatives of more than 190 countries pledged to limit global warming to within 1.5 ºC degrees of pre-industrial levels. The final COP28 text calls on parties to be: “Transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.”
--from Nature
對於世界各國政府在杜拜舉行的 COP28 氣候高峰會結束時所做的「擺脫化石燃料」的承諾，科學家們的反應不一。 「這很重要，」德國波昂大學的發展地理學家Lisa Schipper說。 先前的 COP 結束宣言都沒有以這種方式提及化石燃料——在格拉斯哥舉行的 COP26 上，代表們承諾「逐步減少」未被減用的煤炭，這在當時被認為是第一次。 COP28 是繼 2015 年《巴黎氣候協定》(COP21) 之後的首次全球盤點，來自 190 多個國家的代表承諾將全球暖化限制在工業化前標準攝氏1.5 度以內。 COP28 的最終文本呼籲各方：「以公正、有序和公平的方式，在科學的指導下在能源系統擺脫化石燃料，在這個關鍵十年加速行動，到2050 年實現淨零排放。 ” ”
--摘錄翻譯自Nature