- US drug overdose deaths decreased in 2023 for the first time in five years
- US government announces new financial incentives for farms to stem the spread of bird flu in dairy cattle
- Warren Buffett finally reveals the mysterious company he’s invested billions of dollars in
- Certain vegetarian diets significantly reduce risk of cancer, heart disease and death, study says
- Experimental obesity drug packs double punch to reduce weight
- How to kill the ‘zombie’ cells that make you age
US drug overdose deaths decreased in 2023 for the first time in five years
2023 年美國藥物過量死亡人數五年來首次下降
Health
After a steep rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, preliminary data shows that drug overdose deaths in the United States ticked down in 2023 for the first time in five years. About 107,500 people died from a drug overdose in 2023, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics — about 3,500 fewer than in 2022. Preliminary data is subject to change as death certificates are reviewed and records are assessed, but estimates suggest that, despite the decline, overdose deaths in 2023 were still almost twice as high as they were five years ago, according to the CDC data. “It is a hopeful trend in some ways,” said Dr. Katherine Keyes, a professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health whose research focuses on substance use epidemiology. “We know that this drug epidemic is dynamic and changes quite quickly, so any time you see a leveling off or a slight decrease, it is promising. It is certainly not a sign that we need to take the foot off the gas of overdose prevention.”
---from CNN
在 Covid-19 大流行期間急劇上升後，初步數據顯示，美國藥物過量死亡人數在 2023 年出現五年來首次下降。 根據美國疾病管制與預防中心國家衛生統計中心的數據，2023 年約有 107,500 人死於藥物過量，比 2022 年減少了約 3,500 人。 隨著死亡證明的審查和記錄的評估，初步數據可能會發生變化，但根據 CDC 的數據，估計表明，儘管數量有所下降，但 2023 年服藥過量死亡人數仍幾乎是五年前的兩倍。 「從某些方面來說，這是一個充滿希望的趨勢，」Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health，研究重點是藥物使用流行病學家Katherine Keyes教授說到， 「我們知道，這種毒品流行是動態的，變化很快，所以任何時候看到平穩或略有下降，都是有希望的。 這當然並不意味著我們需要停止預防過量用藥的關注。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
US government announces new financial incentives for farms to stem the spread of bird flu in dairy cattle
美國政府宣布對農場採取新的財政激勵措施，以阻止禽流感在乳牛中的傳播
Health
Newly announced financial incentives to farms to help stem the spread of bird flu in dairy cattle drew mixed reviews Friday, as some farmers said they were grateful for money to help buffer the economic impact but advocates for farm workers questioned whether the money paid to workers would be enough to encourage more testing for the H5N1 virus. As part of the plan, announced Friday by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture, the government will pay up to $28,000 per farm over the next four months to support specific steps to prevent the spread of bird flu in dairy cattle. About $98 million will be funneled to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to fund the program. The USDA confirmed the first bird flu infection in cows in late March. Since then, more than 40 herds have tested positive in nine states. Right now, health officials say, the virus doesn’t transmit efficiently from person to person, making the risk to humans low. But scientists have said that having the infection spreading in domesticated animals like cattle is risky because it puts the virus in closer proximity to people, where it could adapt and evolve to become a fully human pathogen. If that happens, researchers say, it could spark another pandemic.
---from CNN
週五，新宣布的針對農場的財政激勵措施，以幫助阻止禽流感在奶牛中的傳播，引起了不同的評論，一些農民表示，他們很感激能提供資金來幫助緩衝經濟影響，但農場工人的倡議者質疑，支付給工人的錢是否足夠鼓勵對於H5N1病毒更多的測試。 美國衛生與公共服務部和美國農業部週五宣布，作為該計畫的一部分，政府將在未來四個月內向每個農場支付高達28,000 美元的資金，以支持採取具體措施，防止禽流感在美國蔓延。 約 9,800 萬美元將流入美國農業部動植物衛生檢驗局，為該計畫提供資金。 美國農業部在三月下旬確認了第一起乳牛感染禽流感事件。 此後，9個州的40多頭牛群檢測結果呈現陽性。 衛生官員表示，目前該病毒無法在人與人之間有效傳播，因此人類面臨的風險較低。 但科學家表示，感染在牛等家養動物中傳播是有風險的，因為它使病毒更接近人類，在那裡它可以適應並進化成為完全人類的病原體。 研究人員表示，如果這種情況發生，可能會引發另一場疫情。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Warren Buffett finally reveals the mysterious company he’s invested billions of dollars in
Warren Buffett終於揭開了他投資數十億美元的神秘公司的面紗
Culture
The mystery is over: Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a major stake in the insurance company Chubb, finally revealing the investment he has kept under wraps since last year. Berkshire revealed it acquired nearly 26 million shares of Chubb in a Wednesday Securities and Exchange Commission filing of the company’s first quarter investments. That translates to a value of approximately $6.7 billion. Buffett’s company had shielded the position from public knowledge as it was building the stake, requesting “confidential treatment” from the SEC in previous filings. Chubb, an insurance business that operates in 54 countries, made headlines in March after the company underwrote President Donald Trump’s nearly $92 million appeal bond in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit. Buffett, Berkshire’s CEO famous for his investing prowess, has amassed a sizable following of investors who mimic his portfolio moves. Berkshire Hathaway’s stake in Chubb is no exception. Chubb’s stock jumped by more than 8% in after-hours trading on Wednesday.
---from CNN
謎團解答已經公佈：Warren Buffett的Berkshire Hathaway公司披露了其在保險公司 Chubb 的主要股權，最終透露了他自去年以來一直保密的投資。 Berkshire在周三向美國證券交易委員會提交的該公司第一季投資報告中透露，它收購了近 2,600 萬股 Chubb 股票。 這相當於價值約 67 億美元。 Buffett的公司在增持股份時一直不讓公眾知道該交易，並在先前的文件中要求美國證券交易委員會進行「保密處理」。 Chubb 是一家在 54 個國家開展業務的保險公司，3 月成為頭條新聞，此前該公司在 E. Jean Carroll 的誹謗訴訟中為Donald Trump總統支付了近 9200 萬美元的上訴保證金。 Berkshire的首席執行官，Buffett，以其投資能力而聞名，他已經吸引了大量模仿他的投資組合舉措的投資者。 Berkshire持有Chubb的股份也不例外。 Chubb 的股價在周三盤後交易中上漲了 8% 以上。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Certain vegetarian diets significantly reduce risk of cancer, heart disease and death, study says
研究稱某些素食可顯著降低癌症、心臟病和死亡的風險
Culture
Eating a vegan, vegetarian or lacto-ovo vegetarian diet significantly reduces the overall risk of developing cancer, heart disease and dying early from cardiovascular disease, according to a new “umbrella” analysis of more than 20 years of research. An umbrella review looks at existing meta-analyses of large numbers of studies, providing a high-level view of existing research on a topic. In addition to lowering cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol, the umbrella analysis found a “protective effect” for specific cancers, including “liver, colon, pancreas, lung, prostate, bladder, melanoma, kidney and non-Hodgkin lymphoma,” said lead author Dr. Angelo Capodici, a graduate student in health science, technology and management at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, Italy. Vegetarians don’t eat any animal flesh, while the lacto-ovo version of vegetarianism allows dairy products and eggs while excluding all meat, poultry and fish. Veganism, the stricter form of vegetarianism, bans any food products made from meat, poultry and seafood as well as any animal by-products such as gelatin. However, the protective nature of the diets could be sabotaged if poor dietary choices were made, the study authors said via email. “Diets that emphasize consumption of unhealthy plant foods, such as fruit juices, refined grains, potato chips, and even sodas” might counter the positives of a plant-based diet for health, said study coauthor Dr. Federica Guaraldi, medical director of the pituitary unit at the IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna in Italy.
---from CNN
根據 20 多年研究的新「傘」分析，吃純素、素食或乳蛋素食可顯著降低罹患癌症、心臟病和因心血管疾病而過早死亡的整體風險。 除了降低血壓和膽固醇等心血管危險因子外，整體分析還發現對特定癌症有“保護作用”，包括“肝癌、結腸癌、胰腺癌、肺癌、前列腺癌、膀胱癌、黑色素瘤、腎癌和非霍奇金淋巴瘤、 」主要作者Dr. Angelo Capodici, 本身是health science, technology and management at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, Italy的研究生, 說到素食者不吃任何動物肉，而蛋奶素食主義則允許乳製品和雞蛋，但排除所有肉類、家禽和魚類。 純素食主義是一種更嚴格的素食主義形式，禁止任何由肉類、家禽和海鮮製成的食品以及任何動物副產品，例如明膠。 然而，研究作者透過電子郵件表示，如果飲食選擇不當，飲食的保護作用可能會被破壞。 研究的合著者、在義大利Bologna的IRCCS機構的醫學主任Federica Guaraldi 博士表示，「強調食用不健康植物性食品的飲食，例如果汁、精製穀物、薯片，甚至蘇打水」可能會抵消植物性飲食對健康的積極作用。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Experimental obesity drug packs double punch to reduce weight
實驗性肥胖藥物能雙重減肥
Sciences
With obesity drugs now helping people to slim down, researchers are working to capitalize on their popularity by bulking up the weight-loss drug pipeline. The latest contender takes a Trojan horse approach — hiding a small molecule in a gut-hormone-mimicking peptide already used in obesity drugs — to strike a double blow to the brain cells that control appetite. The new work, which demonstrated the effects of this drug candidate in mice and rats, was published today in Nature. “It’s a strong paper,” says Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada, who helped to unravel the role of gut hormones such as GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) in obesity. The blockbuster weight-loss drugs semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound) act by mimicking these hormones, binding to their receptors on neurons in the brain that control hunger pangs. These drugs can help people to lose 15–20% of their body weight. And it could be possible to eke even more activity from these hormone mimics by fusing them to other drugs, the new study suggests. “Very high marks for the novelty” of the research, says Drucker, who was not involved and consults for the pharmaceutical industry. “Let’s hope that we’ll see some proof of concept in the clinic”, when the approach is tested in humans.
---from Nature
隨著肥胖藥物現在可以幫助人們減肥，研究人員正在利用它們的受歡迎程度，擴大減肥藥物生產流程線。 最新的競爭者採用了特洛伊木馬方法——將一個小分子隱藏在已經用於肥胖藥物的腸道激素模擬肽中——對控制食慾的腦細胞造成雙重增效。 這項新研究今天發表在《Nature》雜誌上，展示了這種候選藥物對小鼠和大鼠的作用。 「這是一篇很有說服力的論文，」Toronto, Canada, Mount Sinai醫院的內分泌學家Daniel Drucker 說道，他幫助闡明了腸道激素的作用，例如GLP-1（胰高血糖素樣肽-1）和GIP（葡萄糖依賴性促胰島素多肽）在肥胖症中的作用。 重磅減肥藥Wegovy和Zepbound透過模仿這些荷爾蒙發揮作用，與大腦中控制飢餓感的神經元上的受體結合。 這些藥物可以幫助人們減輕 15-20% 的體重。 新的研究表明，將這些激素模擬物與其他藥物融合，可以從這些激素模擬物中獲得更多的活性。 沒有參與但為製藥業提供諮詢的Drucker表示，這項研究的「新穎性給予了很高的評價」。 當該方法在人體中進行測試時，「希望我們能在臨床上看到一些概念證明」。
---摘錄翻譯自Nature
How to kill the ‘zombie’ cells that make you age
如何殺死讓你變老的「殭屍」細胞
Sciences
Lurking throughout your body, from your liver to your brain, are zombie-like entities known as senescent cells. They no longer divide or function as they once did, yet they resist death and spew out a noxious brew of biological signals that can slow cognition, increase frailty and weaken the immune system. Worst of all, their numbers increase as you age. For more than a decade, researchers have been trying to see whether they can selectively destroy these cells with a variety of drugs. In a pivotal study published in 2015, a team at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida, discovered that a combination of two compounds, called dasatinib and quercetin, killed senescent cells in aged mice. The treatment made the mice less frail, rejuvenated their hearts and boosted their running endurance. The finding opened the door to a new area of medicine called senolytics. Now, fresh results from animal studies and human clinical trials have added momentum to the field. In mice and monkeys, researchers are using genetic tools to reprogram and kill senescent cells. Others are engineering senolytic immune cells. And about 20 clinical trials are ongoing. Researchers are testing new and repurposed drugs that could have senolytic properties, in the hope of combating age-related conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, lung disease and chronic kidney disease. “I am convinced that senolytics will have an impact in the clinic,” says Anirvan Ghosh, chief executive of Unity Biotechnology, a company in South San Francisco, California, that is developing senolytics. “I think the question is really what the agent looks like and what the first approved drug is.”
--from Nature
從肝臟到大腦，潛伏在您全身各處的是類似殭屍的實體，稱為衰老細胞。 它們不再像以前那樣分裂或發揮作用，但它們會抵抗死亡，並噴出有毒的生物訊號，這些訊號會減慢認知、增加虛弱並削弱免疫系統。 最糟糕的是，隨著年齡的增長，它們的數量會增加。 十多年來，研究人員一直試圖看看是否可以用多種藥物選擇性地破壞這些細胞。 在2015 年發表的一項關鍵研究中， Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota和Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida的合作團隊發現，dasatinib和quercetin兩種化合物的組合可以殺死老年小鼠的衰老細胞。 這種治療使老鼠不再那麼虛弱，讓它們的心臟恢復活力，並提高了它們的跑步耐力。 這項發現為稱為「senolytics」的新醫學領域打開了大門。 現在，動物研究和人體臨床試驗的新結果為該領域增添了動力。 在小鼠和猴子中，研究人員正在使用遺傳工具重新編程並殺死衰老細胞。 其他人正在設計衰老免疫細胞。 大約 20 項臨床試驗正在進行中。 研究人員正在測試可能具有抗衰老特性的新藥物和再利用的藥物，希望能夠對抗與年齡相關的疾病，包括阿茲海默症、肺病和慢性腎臟病。 「我相信 senolytics 將對臨床產生影響，」Unity Biotechnology 的執行長 Anirvan Ghosh 說道，該公司位於South San Francisco, California，正在開發 senolytics。 “我認為問題實際上是藥物是什麼樣子以及第一個批准的藥物是什麼。”
--摘錄翻譯自Nature