Wildlife experts perturbed after finding 'suffering and confused' creatures stranded on beach: 'Highly suspicious'
At least 14 sea lions recently fell ill in Malibu, and experts suspect toxic algal blooms, often called red tides, are to blame, per a report by The Independent. The California Wildlife Center believes the sea lions were likely sick from domoic acid toxicity, a condition caused by the algae.
"Though we have not confirmed the cause for these animals' illness, their signs and the recent rains make the situation highly suspicious for domoic acid toxicity," the California Wildlife Center said in a statement.
According to The Marine Mammal Center, sea lions are especially susceptible to domoic acid toxicity. They and other marine animals are exposed to toxic algae by eating contaminated fish. The algae can damage an animal's "brain and heart, even in low doses," according to the California Wildlife Center. Signs of the condition in marine mammals include seizures, a craning head motion known as "stargazing," and highly lethargic or comatose states.
The Environmental Protection Agency explains that rising temperatures due to the overheating of our planet promote the growth of algal blooms, which thrive in warmer waters. Intense rainfall and extreme weather events driven by climate instability can also increase agricultural runoff into oceans, delivering excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that fuel algae growth. These factors make red tides more frequent and severe, posing serious risks to marine animals and their ecosystems.
But humans are also at risk of toxic algae exposure. Eating seafood contaminated by toxic algae can lead to a rare but potentially life-threatening illness called amnesic shellfish poisoning. Early symptoms include fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, blurred vision, and sweating. As the condition worsens, it may cause dizziness, confusion, motor weakness, and seizures. In severe cases, it can lead to permanent short-term memory loss, coma, or even death.
Even just being near a toxic algal bloom can impact human health. Wind can carry airborne toxins, irritating the eyes, nose, and throat. People with chronic respiratory issues such as asthma may experience a flare-up or worsening of their condition.
Wildlife officials are currently caring for the sick sea lions. If you see a sea lion in distress, the California Wildlife Center advises calling your local wildlife center for assistance.
"Do not interact directly with animals such as sea lions in distress as they may lunge and bite without warning," the California Wildlife Center said in the statement.
But preventing toxic algal blooms is more complicated than making a phone call. While climate-conscious action can help address planet-warming pollution, there are practical ways to prevent excess nutrients from entering waterways. Greener agricultural practices such as using fewer or no fertilizers and managing animal waste can help reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff. Improved wastewater treatment can also decrease these nutrient levels. On an individual level, you can switch from lawn fertilizers to natural lawn care options and dispose of household chemicals properly to help protect local waterways.
Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home?
Yes — always
Yes — often
Yes — sometimes
No — never
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
NRx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: NRXP) Reports Q2 2025 Results, Highlights Progress Across Lead Programs
LOS ANGELES, CA - August 19, 2025 ( NEWMEDIAWIRE ) - NRx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: NRXP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2025, and provided a corporate update. The Company highlighted progress in all three lead programs, including expanded FDA Fast Track designation for NRX-100 in treating suicidal depression, filing of multiple regulatory documents, and advancement of the NRX-101 NDA. A strategic investor group led by B Group Capital has committed capital through a purchase of restricted common stock with a one-year lockup and no dilutive mechanisms. The capital is expected to support the Company through key regulatory milestones and help scale HOPE Therapeutics and its clinic network. To view the full press release, visit About NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. NRx Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics based on its NMDA platform for the treatment of central nervous system disorders, specifically suicidal depression, chronic pain, and PTSD. The Company is developing NRX-100 (preservative-free intravenous ketamine) and NRX-101, (oral D-cycloserine/lurasidone). NRX-100 has been awarded Fast Track Designation for the treatment of Suicidal ideation in Depression, including Bipolar Depression. NRX-101 has been awarded Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of suicidal bipolar depression; the company recently filed module 3 manufacturing data to support the New Drug Application for NRX-101. NRx has recently filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) and initiated a New Drug Application filing for NRX-100 (IV ketamine) with an application for the Commissioner's National Priority Voucher Program for the treatment of suicidal depression. The filing is based on results of well-controlled clinical trials conducted under the auspices of the US National Institutes of Health and the Government of France, licensed under a data sharing agreement. Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the InvestorBrandNetwork website applicable to all content provided by IBN, wherever published or re-published: Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this article are forward-looking, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements and may not be indicative of future results. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, among others, various factors beyond management's control, including the risks set forth under the heading 'Risk Factors' discussed under the caption 'Item 1A. Risk Factors' in Part I of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K or any updates discussed under the caption 'Item 1A. Risk Factors' in Part II of the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in the Company's other filings with the SEC. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this article in making an investment decision, which are based on information available to us on the date hereof. All parties undertake no duty to update this information unless required by law.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Viking Therapeutics Stock Plunges as Oral Obesity Drug Shows Higher Dropout Rates
Aug 19 - Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) dropped nearly 40% on Tuesday after reporting results from a mid-stage trial of its experimental oral weight-loss drug, VK2735. The Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral study tested VK2735, a GLP-1/GIP dual receptor agonist, in 280 overweight or obese adults with at least one weight-related condition. Over 13 weeks, patients taking the drug lost up to 12.2% of body weight, while reductions relative to placebo reached 10.9%. Viking said the drug met both primary and secondary endpoints and was generally well tolerated, though 28% of treated patients exited the study compared with 18% on placebo. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Signs with VKTX. Despite meeting its goals, VKTX shares sold off sharply, with investors likely weighing safety signals and high expectations in the competitive obesity drug market. Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Eli Lilly (LLY), major players in GLP-1 therapies, each rose about 1%. Eli Lilly is developing orforglipron, which showed up to 11% weight loss over 72 weeks in a late-stage study. Novo Nordisk has submitted an oral version of semaglutide to the FDA after reporting around 14% weight loss over 64 weeks in Phase 3 testing. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Medscape
3 hours ago
- Medscape
Q&A: Cervical Cancer
Maurie Markman, MD Dr Maurie Markman, an internationally recognized medical oncologist and president of medicine and science at City of Hope, specializes in gynecologic malignancies. In this interview, he discusses the transformative role of immunotherapy in advanced and recurrent cervical cancer treatment. He also addresses practical management considerations for special populations, immunotherapy toxicity profiles, surveillance strategies, resistance mechanisms, and the field's future directions. How has immunotherapy transformed the landscape for recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer, and what defines the current standard of care? The transformation has been nothing short of remarkable. Before immunotherapy, we were essentially offering patients with cervical cancer single-agent cisplatin with awful toxicity and minimal response rates; it was a pretty dismal situation. The introduction of pembrolizumab in the first-line setting has been a true game-changer. Based on the KEYNOTE-826 trial results, pembrolizumab — combined with platinum-based chemotherapy, with or without bevacizumab — significantly prolonged both progression-free and overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone.[1,2] This has become our standard approach for PD-L1-positive disease.[3] In practice, this means that patients who previously had almost no effective therapy options now have a regimen that produces meaningful tumor responses and substantial survival gains. We're talking about dramatically improved outcomes where none existed before. The current standard involves simultaneous administration of all agents from cycle 1. For patients who are candidates for triple therapy, we give pembrolizumab on day 1 with cisplatin or carboplatin plus paclitaxel and add bevacizumab at its usual dose and schedule if there are no contraindications.[3] The beauty is that pembrolizumab toxicities don't meaningfully interact with chemotherapy or bevacizumab; the immune-related adverse events occur independently of vascular toxicities. We only withhold bevacizumab for patient-specific reasons like recent major surgery or active fistula, not because of immunotherapy concerns. Walk us through PD-L1 testing and biomarker strategies. What should oncologists know about patient selection? Every patient with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer should undergo PD-L1 testing using an FDA-approved assay; this is nonnegotiable.[3] The score is reported as a combined positive score (CPS), which is the number of PD-L1-staining cells (tumor cells, lymphocytes, macrophages) divided by the total number of viable tumor cells, multiplied by 100. A CPS of 1 or more is considered PD-L1-positive based on FDA definition and KEYNOTE-826 data. Essentially, if at least 1% of cells are PD-L1-positive based on this formula, the tumor qualifies for pembrolizumab-based therapy.[1,2] But we don't stop there. While PD-L1 remains the primary biomarker, we routinely obtain comprehensive genomic testing because other features can influence the treatment strategy. NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) recommends testing for MSI/MMR in recurrent disease.[3] Although MSI-H is uncommon in cervical cancer, any patient with MSI-H or high tumor mutational burden would be eligible for pembrolizumab on a tumor-agnostic basis. We also recommend comprehensive panel testing, including HER2 amplification/overexpression and NTRK fusions.[3] These markers may not predict pembrolizumab response per se, but they identify other targeted therapies if immunotherapy fails. For example, HER2 overexpression opens the door to trastuzumab deruxtecan later in the treatment course. How do targeted therapies like trastuzumab deruxtecan and tisotumab vedotin fit into the treatment paradigm? This is where things get exciting for the small subset of patients with specific molecular targets. HER2 overexpression occurs in roughly 2%-6% of cervical cancers, but it's clinically significant when these are present. The DESTINY-PanTumor02 trial included a cervical cancer cohort and showed impressive activity; the confirmed objective response rate was about 50% overall, and in the subset with IHC 3+ tumors, it reached 75%.[4] Based on these results, NCCN now recommends routine HER2 testing (IHC with FISH reflex) in recurrent/metastatic disease and lists trastuzumab deruxtecan as a category 2A, second-line option for HER2-positive tumors (IHC 3+ or 2+).[3] So, while only a minority of patients have HER2-positive disease, those who do have access to an active ADC (antibody-drug conjugate) therapy after first-line treatment. Tisotumab vedotin represents another significant advance. This tissue factor-directed ADC received full FDA approval in April 2024 for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with disease progression on or after chemotherapy, and it's now the only NCCN category 1 preferred option for second-line therapy.[3,5] What's particularly interesting is the ongoing innovaTV 205 (GOG-3024) trial combining tisotumab vedotin with pembrolizumab in the first-line setting; the NCCN guidelines already note this combination as an option for PD-L1-positive patients based on encouraging phase 2 activity.[3] The rationale behind these ADCs is compelling: They can target tumor cells independent of the PD-1 pathway, potentially overcoming immunotherapy resistance mechanisms. How do you approach treatment in special populations such as elderly patients, those with poor performance status, and PD-L1-negative disease? This requires individualized decision-making and honest conversations about goals of care. Age alone is never a contraindication; we don't refuse immunotherapy solely because of chronological age. However, older patients often have more comorbidities that can amplify even low-grade toxicities. Before treating such patients, we carefully assess overall health, lab values, and organ function.[6] For truly frail patients or those with poor performance status (ECOG [Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group] ≥ 2) due to disease burden, we discuss goals of care candidly. Sometimes we choose single-agent chemotherapy or best supportive care instead of full triple therapy. For moderately impaired patients who seem reasonably functional, we may proceed with chemo-immunotherapy but with closer monitoring and potentially modified dosing. The key is vigilant follow-up; these patients need frequent labs and clinic visits to catch toxicity early. We personalize the approach: full regimen if they can tolerate it, otherwise a modified strategy. For PD-L1-negative disease, pembrolizumab isn't indicated, so we revert to traditional approaches: platinum-based chemotherapy plus bevacizumab when feasible, followed by second-line agents like topotecan or irinotecan.[3] We still ensure broad molecular profiling since targets like NTRK fusions or microsatellite instability could open second-line options, but immunotherapy is reserved for PD-L1-positive cases per label. What are the key principles for managing immunotherapy-related toxicities, and are there cervical cancer-specific considerations? Toxicity management for pembrolizumab in cervical cancer follows the same principles as other tumors. There are no cervical cancer-specific immune toxicities. We monitor for the usual immune-related adverse events (thyroid function tests, skin checks, GI symptoms) and treat according to standard guidelines like steroids for grade ≥ 2 colitis and hormone replacement for hypothyroidism. The main caveat is that many patients with cervical cancer have had extensive prior therapy (eg, radiation, cisplatin) and may have compromised organ function or poor performance status at baseline. This means that even the same immune side effect could be more clinically challenging. For example, a patient with heavy tumor burden and GI involvement might not tolerate low-grade colitis as well as someone with good performance status.[6] We apply common sense; patients with multiple comorbidities or moderate ECOG 2-3 status require very close monitoring since any grade 3-4 immune-related adverse event could tip the balance. In practice, we treat most patients with PD-L1-positive disease regardless of age or mild frailty, but we have a lower threshold to hold therapy and manage side effects aggressively in vulnerable populations. What does surveillance look like during and after immunotherapy, and what emerging resistance mechanisms concern you? Unlike some other cancers, we don't have reliable tumor markers to follow in cervical cancer. There's no CA-125 equivalent. We rely entirely on imaging, typically CT scans every 3 months or as clinically indicated by symptoms. For patients with visceral disease, we image the chest, abdomen, and pelvis together.[3] We continue therapy as long as patients derive benefit (response or stable disease) without prohibitive toxicity. The surveillance schedule is similar to other metastatic cancers: every 2-3 cycles (6-8 weeks) for the first 6 months and then every 3 months if stable. Regarding resistance mechanisms, this is an active area of research that keeps me up at night. We know from other cancers that tumors can evade immunotherapy through several routes: downregulating antigen presentation machinery, upregulating alternative checkpoints like LAG-3 or TIM-3, or creating an immunosuppressive microenvironment. In cervical cancer specifically, these mechanisms haven't been fully elucidated. What's clear is our need for effective second-line strategies. This is where ADCs become particularly attractive; they target tumor cells independent of the PD-1 pathway.[4,5] Beyond HER2-targeted and tissue factor-directed ADCs, new conjugates targeting novel antigens are in development. The field is also exploring combination strategies adding other checkpoint inhibitors or stimulatory agents and novel approaches like therapeutic vaccines. What developments in earlier-stage disease and emerging trials should we be watching? Immunotherapy is rapidly moving upstream, and this trend will likely accelerate. Pembrolizumab was recently approved in combination with definitive chemoradiation for high-risk locally advanced cervical cancer (FIGO 2014 stage III–IVA) based on the ENGOT-cx11/GOG-3047 (KEYNOTE-A18) trial.[7] This trial showed that adding pembrolizumab after chemo-RT improves outcomes, and NCCN guidelines now include this as a category 1 recommendation.[3] Whether to extend immunotherapy to even earlier stages remains to be proven. For bulky stage IB or IIA disease, we'd need to weigh benefits against long-term toxicity and cost. The current priority is optimizing use in high-risk settings where relapse rates are significant, rather than treating early-stage patients we already cure with surgery or chemoradiation. Several trials deserve attention. The innovaTV 205 (GOG-3024) study combining tisotumab vedotin with pembrolizumab in first-line treatment is particularly intriguing; the rationale is that tisotumab vedotin may provide synergy with PD-1 blockade.[3] Other ongoing trials are testing combinations of PD-1 inhibitors with CTLA-4 inhibitors or novel immunomodulators.[8,9,10] Looking ahead, ADC combinations and additional checkpoint combinations represent the major themes. We're also seeing movement toward incorporating immunotherapy into adjuvant settings for high-risk patients. The goal is to build on our success in metastatic disease and prevent recurrences before they occur. Of course, while we're making these therapeutic advances, we can't forget that prevention through HPV vaccination and screening remains our best strategy for reducing cervical cancer incidence overall.
