They Can Grow New Body Parts from Cells ... Easily

Scientists recently published results that describe how they use TNT (not the explosive) to reprogram skin cells to make other types of cells they used in the body to fix problems.

The main things they did: make vascular cells to make blood flow again to test subjects (animals) with skin flaps and removed femoral arteries. They also made nerve cells to to help subjects recover from stroke.

The process has 2 parts: a chip (developed 6 years ago) that injects the "cargo," and the cargo itself -- plasmid, DNA, or even RNA. The cargo induces plasticity (it fires novel cell reprogramming factor genes into the skin cells) through tiny channels in the cell membranes (much smaller than the older process for doing this).

The researchers were "surprised how it worked so well" and don't completely understand it yet, but they've also achieved or see themselves achieving similar results in making insulin-producing cells that can sense glucose levels, changing white fat cells to brown, and working with eyes and ears.

They also explained that they see the technology going much further, relaying transfection to deeper than skin levels, since they can do this with almost any cell type. It requires no lab equipment, so they see it being done at point-of-care.

Babies Are Being Killed with Benadryl... by Parents and Daycares

Antihistamines are not sleep medication, and should not be used as a sleep aid by anyone, according to doctors. But they are being given to make children sleepy by parents, babysitters and daycares in the U.S.

In fact, Benadryl should not even be given to children under the age of 2 at all, according to the FDA. From age 2-12, it must be appropriately dosed based on body weight.

People seem to be mistakenly thinking that the medicine is safe because it's not a prescription drug. There have been involuntary manslaughter charges for those responsible for the deaths.

Yemen Struck with Massive Cholera Outbreak

The "worst cholera outbreak in the world" (according to the WHO) is taking place in war torn Yemen right now. Around 300k people have been infected in the past 10 weeks (about 7,000 new cases each day), according to the ICRC.

The UN is finding themselves having to divert resources away from combating malnutrition in the region toward dealing with the cholera outbreak, raising the risk of famine.

PFOA Chemicals in Water

A study has now shown that residents of the Mid-Ohio River Valley had higher than normal levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), based on blood samples collected over a 22-year span (1991-2013).

The exposure source was likely drinking water contaminated by industrial discharges upriver.

The researchers identified three known industrial sources who discharge PFOA into the Ohio River: DuPont's Fort Washington Works and on-site landfill, Dry Run Landfill in Washington, WV, and Letart Landfill in Letart, WV.

The issue is increasingly common. It has been reported that every person now has around 4 or 5 parts per billion in their blood, which is around 10x the EPA provisional limit.

And, while PFOA is being phased out, it's only one chemical in a large class of fluorine-derived substances called fluoropolymers (PFAs), so all the industry has to do is simply switch to different ones that aren't registered by the EPA, and have not been studied to the same extent.

The recourse taken by those affected tends to be lawsuits. A lawyer recently made headlines for suing DuPont for PFOA after a farmer called him to complain his cattle were getting sick and dying left and right and a soapy froth of chemical buildup in his creek.

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U.S.'s New Health Care Bill Passes

217 - 213 was the vote that passed without motion to reconsider, but all 193 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted "Nay."

Democrats made news by shouting "Hey Hey, Goodbye" on the Senate floor, and protesters staged public demonstrations against the move in the streets.

Trump said of the bill, "Make no mistake. This is a repeal and replace of Obamacare."

The bill's writing had several changes made in order to get passed, including that states can opt out of essential benefits, spending caps, hospital care, and pre-existing conditions requirements, on the condition that the state show it would improve the market to opt out.

The bill also cuts spending on Medicaid $880b over 10 years. This is where the figure of "24m more uninsured Americans" comes from, as reported by the CBO.

Coca-Cola to Cut 1,200 Jobs as People Drink Less Sugary Drinks

Coca Cola said it would cut 20% of its corporate workforce to save $800m, and will increase cuts to save $3.8b by 2019.

The current corporate staff is 5,500, around 5% of the total workforce of over 100,000.

The company expects profits to be down 1 - 3% this year.

Sugary drink and snack companies are looking towards new technology to reduce sugar while keeping sweetness.