- We aren’t doing enough about the risk of bird flu – but we can
- Use of popular diabetes drug in preconception or early pregnancy may not be tied to higher birth defect risk, studies suggest
- Why some scientists think extreme heat could be the reason people keep disappearing in Greece
- Aliens, artists, or pranksters? Another ‘mysterious’ monolith appears
- Misinformation might sway elections — but not in the way that you think
- Cheaper versions of blockbuster obesity drugs are being created in India and China
We aren’t doing enough about the risk of bird flu – but we can
我們在應對禽流感風險方面做得還不夠——但我們可以
Health
We’ve seen H5N1 coming for more than 20 years. Although the challenge was smaller because of its size, Finland stopped H5N1 in animals before it spread to humans last summer. This story, among a half dozen outbreaks that never made headlines, is featured in our new Epidemics That Didn’t Happen report. The U.S. has done a lot, including scaling up test production, evaluating vaccines, tracking wastewater for related viruses, and providing information about efforts. Finland did three things particularly well; all are relevant to the U.S. response to the virus. In the United States, H5N1 has been spreading among cattle since at least late last year. Even today, the United States doesn’t know the extent of spread among animals or humans due to insufficient testing and tracking. The 7-1-7 target for outbreak detection and response should be our guiding principle: seven days to detect a suspected infectious disease outbreak, one day to notify public health authorities, and seven days to complete the initial response. This approach can halt outbreaks before they spread. Finland’s response met this target. In the U.S., instead of 7 days, the time from emergence of H5N1 in cattle to detection was more like 100 days, and it’s not clear we’ve met the 7-day target for initial response even months into the outbreak. Doing so requires communication and public health measures in the affected communities and an effective coordination mechanism. We must improve the connection of human and animal health and strengthen animal public health.
---from CNN
20 多年來，我們見證了 H5N1 的出現。儘管由於規模較小，挑戰較小，但芬蘭去年夏天在 H5N1 病毒傳播到人類之前就阻止了它在動物中的傳播。這個故事是六起從未成為頭條新聞的疫情之一，在我們新的《未發生的流行病》報告中得到了重點報導。 美國已經做了很多工作，包括擴大試驗生產、評估疫苗、追蹤廢水中的相關病毒以及提供有關工作的資訊。芬蘭在三件事上做得特別好：所有這些都與美國對病毒的反應有關。 在美國，至少從去年年底開始，H5N1 病毒就開始在牛群中傳播。即使在今天，由於測試和追蹤不足，美國也不知道動物或人類之間的傳播程度。疫情發現與因應的7-1-7目標應該成為我們的指導原則：7天發現疑似傳染病疫情，1天通知公共衛生部門，7天完成初步因應。這種方法可以在疫情蔓延之前阻止其爆發。芬蘭的因應措施達到了這個目標。在美國，從牛出現 H5N1 到檢測到的時間不是 7 天，而是更像 100 天，而且即使在疫情爆發幾個月後，我們也不清楚我們是否達到了 7 天初步應對的目標。這樣做需要受影響社區採取溝通和公共衛生措施以及有效的協調機制。我們必須改善人類和動物健康的聯繫，加強動物公共衛生。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Use of popular diabetes drug in preconception or early pregnancy may not be tied to higher birth defect risk, studies suggest
研究表明，在懷孕前或懷孕早期使用流行的糖尿病藥物可能與較高的出生缺陷風險無關
Health
Some studies have raised concerns about a potential link between the widely used type 2 diabetes drug metformin and an increased risk of conceiving a baby with birth defects. But new research now suggests that the use of the medication among men planning to conceive or women in early pregnancy does not appear to be linked with an increased risk of major birth defects for their children. The two studies, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, contradict a 2022 study that linked metformin use by men in the three months before they conceived a baby to a 40% increased risk of birth defects in their offspring. The findings provide “assurance” for parents, said Dr. Ran Rotem, an author of the new study on the paternal use of metformin and a researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Conventionally and traditionally, the mother has been the focus when it comes to pregnancy and when it comes to fetal health and the health of the newborn. What we are increasingly finding is that the father is also important,” he said. He added that the increased risk of birth defects seen in previous research could be associated with the disease of diabetes or with related comorbidities, and not so much the medication itself.
---from CNN
一些研究引發了人們對廣泛使用的 2 型糖尿病藥物二甲雙胍與懷上患有先天缺陷嬰兒的風險增加之間潛在聯繫的擔憂。但現在的新研究表明，計劃懷孕的男性或懷孕早期的女性使用這種藥物似乎與孩子出現嚴重出生缺陷的風險增加無關。 週一發表在《內科醫學年鑑》上的兩項研究與 2022 年的一項研究相矛盾，該研究將男性在懷孕前三個月內使用二甲雙胍與後代出生缺陷風險增加 40% 聯繫起來。 這項關於父親使用二甲雙胍的新研究的作者、哈佛大學T.H. Chan公共衛生學院的研究員Ran Rotem博士說，這些發現為父母提供了「保證」。 「傳統上，在懷孕、胎兒健康和新生兒健康方面，母親一直是關注的焦點。我們越來越發現父親也很重要，」他說。 他補充說，先前研究中發現的出生缺陷風險增加可能與糖尿病或相關合併症有關，而不是與藥物本身有關。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Why some scientists think extreme heat could be the reason people keep disappearing in Greece
為什麼有些科學家認為極端高溫可能是希臘人不斷消失的原因
Culture
It was a shock when Michael Mosley, a doctor and well-known TV presenter in the UK, was found dead earlier this month after hiking in scorching temperatures on the Greek island of Symi. But it is now one of a series of tourist deaths and disappearances in Greece as the country endures a powerful, early summer heat wave with temperatures pushing above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). On Saturday, a Dutch tourist was found dead on the island of Samos. The following day, the body of an American tourist was found on Mathraki, a small island west of Corfu. Albert Calibet, another American tourist, has been missing since he set out for a hike on June 11 on Amorgos. And two French women disappeared on Sikinos after going for a walk. The bodies of those who died still need to be examined to establish the precise cause of death, but authorities are warning people not to underestimate the impacts of the searing temperatures. “There is a common pattern,” Petros Vassilakis, the police spokesman for the Southern Aegean, told Reuters, “they all went for a hike amid high temperatures.” Some scientists say what’s happening in Greece offers a warning sign about the impacts of extreme heat on the body, and in particular the brain, potentially causing confusion, affecting people’s decision-making abilities and even their perception of risk. As climate change fuels longer and more severe heat waves, scientists are trying to unravel how our brains will cope.
---from CNN
英國醫生兼著名電視節目主持人Michael Mosley本月早些時候在希臘錫米島的酷暑中徒步旅行後被發現死亡，這令人震驚。 但這是希臘發生的一系列遊客死亡和失踪事件之一，因為該國正在經歷初夏的強烈熱浪，氣溫高達 40 攝氏度（104 華氏度）以上。 週六，一名荷蘭遊客在薩摩斯島被發現死亡。第二天，在科孚島以西的小島上馬特拉基發現了一名美國遊客的屍體。另一位美國遊客Albert Calibet，自6月11日出發前往阿莫爾戈斯徒步旅行以來一直失踪。兩名法國婦女在散步後在西基諾島失蹤。 死者的屍體仍需要檢查以確定確切的死因，但當局警告人們不要低估高溫的影響。 愛琴海南部警方發言人Petros Vassilakis 告訴路透社，“有一個共同的模式，他們都在高溫下徒步旅行。” 一些科學家對希臘發生的事情提出了一個警告信號，表明極端高溫對身體，特別是大腦的影響，可能會造成混亂，影響人們的決策能力，甚至影響他們對風險的感知。 隨著氣候變遷引發更長時間、更嚴重的熱浪，科學家正試圖弄清楚我們的大腦將如何應對
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Aliens, artists, or pranksters? Another ‘mysterious’ monolith appears
外星人、藝術家還是惡作劇者？另一個「神秘」巨石出現
Culture
Another “mysterious” monolith has been spotted. This time, on a Las Vegas hiking trail in Nevada, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). “We see a lot of weird things when people go hiking like not being prepared for the weather, not bringing enough water … but check this out,” the department wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday showing images of a mirrored structure. “How did it get up there?” The pillar is reminiscent to ones popping up all over the world shortly after a 10-feet silver monolith was discovered in late 2020 by a helicopter crew flying over an Utah desert. Similar structures appeared on a California mountaintop, a forest in Romania, and the Isle of Wight off England’s south coast, to name a few. Sightings have largely slowed down since 2021, but this March, local builder Craig Muir in Powys County, Wales stumbled on one during a walk up a hill. He told the BBC that it seemed to be carefully planted. “Obelisks have unknown power and purpose. I think it’s man made but aliens are still among us. Keep your eyes open and cameras ready,” wrote one user.
---from CNN
另一個「神秘」巨石被發現。據拉斯維加斯大都會警察局（LVMPD）稱，這次是在內華達州的拉斯維加斯健行步道上。 「當人們去遠足時，我們會看到很多奇怪的事情，例如沒有為天氣做好準備，沒有帶足夠的水……但是請檢查一下，」該部門週二在Facebook 上發布的一篇帖子中寫道，該帖子展示了鏡像結構的圖像。 “它是怎麼爬上來的？” 這座石柱讓人想起 2020 年底，一架直升機機組人員在猶他州沙漠上空發現一塊 10 英尺高的銀色巨石後不久，世界各地突然出現的石柱。類似的結構也出現在加州的山頂、羅馬尼亞的森林以及英格蘭南海岸附近的懷特島等地。 自 2021 年以來，目擊事件大幅減少，但今年 3 月，威爾斯波伊斯縣當地建築商Craig Muir 在上山時偶然發現了一個。他告訴BBC，這似乎是精心種植的。 「方尖碑具有未知的力量和目的。我認為這是人造的，但外星人仍然在我們中間。睜大眼睛，準備好相機，」一位用戶寫道。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Misinformation might sway elections — but not in the way that you think
錯誤訊息可能會影響選舉——但不會像你想像的那樣
Sciences
In January, some US voters in New Hampshire received automated phone messages in which President Joe Biden’s voice urged them not to vote in the state’s Democratic Party primary election. It wasn’t actually Biden, however: the message had been generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The rise of such AI fakery has made more people than ever concerned about the effect of misinformation on elections, particularly because 2024 is a standout year for democracy. More than 50 countries will have held elections by the end of December, including high-profile polls in the United States, United Kingdom, India, South Africa and Mexico, totalling more than 2 billion potential voters. The broad umbrella of misinformation — encompassing all false information, whether spread unknowingly or with intent to deceive — could have devastating impacts. The World Economic Forum has ranked misinformation as its top global risk over the next two years, above extreme weather events and even war. Policymakers around the world have drafted and passed laws and measures in an attempt to combat the growing threat. Although the problem is undoubtedly real, the true impact of misinformation in elections is less clear. Some researchers say the claimed risks to democracy posed by misinformation are overblown. “I think there’s a lot of moral panic, if you will, about misinformation,” says Erik Nisbet, a communications and policy researcher at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. A body of research suggests that it is notoriously difficult to persuade people to change their vote, for example. It’s also far from clear how any one message — true or false — can penetrate amid the media chaos.
---from Nature
一月份，新罕布夏州的一些美國選民收到了自動電話訊息，其中總統拜登的聲音敦促他們不要在該州的民主黨初選中投票。然而，這實際上並不是拜登：該資訊是由人工智慧（AI）產生的。 這種人工智慧造假的興起讓更多的人比以往任何時候都擔心錯誤訊息對選舉的影響，特別是因為 2024 年是民主的重要年份。到12月底，將有50多個國家舉行選舉，包括美國、英國、印度、南非和墨西哥的高調民意調查，潛在選民總數超過20億。廣泛的錯誤訊息——包括所有虛假訊息，無論是在不知不覺中傳播還是有意欺騙——可能會產生毀滅性的影響。 世界經濟論壇將錯誤訊息列為未來兩年的首要全球風險，高於極端天氣事件甚至戰爭。世界各地的政策制定者起草並通過了法律和措施，試圖應對日益嚴重的威脅。 儘管這個問題無疑是真實存在的，但選舉中錯誤訊息的真正影響尚不清楚。一些研究人員表示，所謂的錯誤訊息對民主構成風險的說法被誇大了。 「我認為，如果你願意的話，人們對錯誤訊息存在很多道德恐慌，」伊利諾伊州埃文斯頓西北大學的傳播和政策研究員Petros Vassilakis說。例如，一系列研究表明，說服人們改變投票是出了名的困難。目前還不清楚任何一則訊息（無論真假）如何在媒體混亂中滲透。
---摘錄翻譯自Nature
Cheaper versions of blockbuster obesity drugs are being created in India and China
印度和中國正在生產更便宜的風靡減肥藥
Sciences
Blockbuster weight-loss drugs could soon become a lot cheaper — and reach more people — thanks to Chinese and Indian pharmaceutical companies. A long queue of companies is developing copies of the complex biological drugs, and some are racing to create modified or improved versions to compete in the global market. “There is huge potential for companies from India, China, that can help create access to these drugs,” says Abhijit Zutshi, chief commercial officer of the pharmaceutical giant Biocon, headquartered in Bengaluru, India, who oversees its generics business and is based in Woodbridge, New Jersey. These companies will “bring drugs to patients who need it, at a cost that can be afforded”, says Guy Rutter, a cell biologist at the University of Montreal, Canada. Globally, one billion people have obesity or are overweight — and hundreds of millions of them live in India and China. Lei Qian, vice-president of clinical development at Innovent Biologics in Shanghai, China, says that “demand for anti-obesity drugs is very strong” in the country.
--from Nature
由於中國和印度製藥公司，風靡減肥藥很快就會變得更加便宜，並惠及更多人。一長串的公司正在開發複雜生物藥物的複製品，其中一些公司正在競相開發修改或改進的版本以在全球市場上競爭。 總部位於印度班加羅爾的製藥巨頭 Biocon 的首席商務官 Abhijit Zutshi 表示：「來自印度和中國的公司潛力巨大，可以幫助獲得這些藥物。其海外針對學名藥的分公司是位在新澤西州伍德布里奇。 加拿大蒙特利爾大學細胞生物學家Guy Rutter 表示，這些公司將「以可負擔的價格為需要的患者提供藥物」。 全球範圍內，有 10 億人肥胖或超重，其中數億人生活在印度和中國。中國上海信達生物製品有限公司臨床開發副總裁錢雷表示，中國「對抗肥胖藥物的需求非常強勁」。
--摘錄翻譯自Nature