The Biggest US Oil Field Is at Risk of Poisonous Water Leaks, Texas Warns
Texas regulators are warning that wastewater from fracking in the biggest US oil basin is causing a 'widespread' increase in underground pressure — a development that risks hindering crude output and harming the environment.
Shale oil wells in the Permian Basin generate millions of gallons of chemical-laced water, which drillers then pump back into the earth. Landowners and activists have said for years that this process causes toxic leaks. Now the state's powerful oil and gas regulator, the Railroad Commission of Texas, is acknowledging the scale of the problem and imposing restrictions that could increase crude production costs.
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Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Centanafadine ‘Clinically Meaningful' for Adult ADHD
LOS ANGELES — The novel norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin reuptake inhibitor (NDSRI) centanafadine (Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) is effective and 'clinically meaningful' for adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), new research suggested. In a combined analysis of two phase 3 trials with a total of 859 adults, more patients who received the NDSRI had at least an 18-point improvement at week 6 on the ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS) total scores compared with patients on placebo. Additionally, a significantly greater percentage of the active treatment groups showed improvement in the measure's hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention subscales. Lenard A. Adler, MD But we weren't just interested in statistically significant change but in change 'that means something,' said principal investigator Lenard A. Adler, MD, director of the Adult ADHD program and professor of psychiatry at the New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York City. 'In other words: What do we know is a significant amount of change in patients receiving a compound? That's always a question because we want to get patients well and not just better,' Adler told Medscape Medical News . The findings were presented on May 19 at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2025 Annual Meeting. A high-dose, pediatric version of the drug was similarly effective for both children and adolescents in two additional phase 3 trials also presented at the meeting by Adler and colleagues. 'Gives a Benchmark' Centanafadine 'is a triple reuptake inhibitor, so it's not a classical stimulant,' said Adler. 'It's a compound that offers a unique profile.' Investigators pooled data from two identically designed phase 3 trials looking at the drug in patients with a primary diagnosis of ADHD. Together, this included 859 adult patients, with a mean age of 35 years (52% men; 80.3% White). The mean baseline total score on the semi-structured AISRS scale was 38.8 ('moderately ill'), with the mean AISRS inattention score 21.6 ('severely ill') and the mean AISRS hyperactivity/impulsivity score 17.2 ('moderately ill'). The AISRS is conducted as an interview between patient and clinician. 'We also recorded data on clinicians' global impression of severity and global impression of change and then used those as anchors to look at the clinically meaningful within-patient change for the AISRS,' co-investigator Caroline Ward, PhD, director of the Global Clinical Development at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies, told Medscape Medical News. All participants were randomly assigned to receive centanafadine at 200 mg (n = 287) or 400 mg (n = 287) or a matching placebo (n = 285). Results showed that the mean change on the AISRS total score at week 6 was −12.1 and −12.5 for the centanafadine 200 mg and 400 mg groups, respectively, vs −8.1 for the placebo group ( P = .002 and .0009). In addition, 24% of the 200 mg group and 25.4% of the 400 mg group achieved an 18-point or greater improvement in AISRS total score from baseline to week 6 compared with 15.4% of the placebo group (ratio of response rate [RR], 1.70; P = .002 and RR, 1.71; P = .001, respectively). A 10-point or greater improvement on the AISRS inattention subscale was achieved by 26.1% of the 200 mg group and 23.3% of the 400 mg group compared with 16.5% of the placebo group (RR, 1.71; P = .001 and RR, 1.45; P = .03, respectively); and an 8-point or greater improvement on the hyperactivity/impulsivity subscale was achieved by 26.5% and 28.6% of the 200 mg and 400 mg groups, respectively, compared with 20% of the placebo group (RR, 1.38; P = .03 and RR, 1.47; P = .01, respectively). The 200 mg and 400 mg groups also reached the 'clinically meaningful within-patient change AISRS threshold' for the first time earlier than the placebo group ( P = .0006 and P < .0001, respectively). Looking at meaningful change 'gives clinicians a benchmark,' said Adler. Pediatric Safety and Efficacy The investigators also presented results from two other randomized phase 3 trials that assessed the drug in children between the ages of 6 and 12 years (n = 480; 58% boys) and adolescents between 13 and 17 years (n = 459; 59% boys). Of these, 77% and 81%, respectively, completed their studies. All were from the United States and Canada. The adolescents received high-dose centanafadine (328.8 mg once daily), low-dose centanafadine (164.4 mg once daily), or placebo for 6 weeks. The children received a placebo or a high or low dose of centanafadine, with doses based on their weight. A larger number of children who received high-dose centanafadine had an 18-point or greater improvement at week 6 on the ADHD Rating Scale–5 (ADHD-RS-5) total score compared with the children who received placebo (34.5% vs 23.3%; P = .03), with even stronger effects found in the adolescents (47.7% vs 31.7%; P = .004). A greater number of the high-dose active treatment group vs the placebo group also had at least a 10-point improvement in ADHD-RS-5 inattention subscale scores (children, P = .03; adolescents, P = .003) and at least an 8-point improvement in hyperactivity/impulsivity subscale scores ( P = .04 and .03, respectively). In addition, the mean change from baseline to week 6 on the ADHD-RS-5 total score was −16.3 for the children receiving the high-dose drug vs −10.8 for those receiving placebo ( P = .0008) and was −18.5 vs −14.2 in the adolescents ( P = .0006). When assessing caregiver-rated improvements, investigators found that a greater number of children and adolescents receiving high-dose centanafadine vs placebo achieved at least a 14-point improvement on the Conners 3–Parent Short Inattention T-scores ( P = .02 and .001, respectively) and at least a 13-point improvement on the Conners 3–Parent Short Hyperactivity/Impulsivity T-scores ( P = .02 and .007, respectively). Most treatment-emergent adverse events were deemed to be mild to moderate. The most common adverse events in the high-dose centanafadine group were decreased appetite and rash in the children and decreased appetite, rash, nausea, and headache in the adolescents. Ward reported that data from these studies, along with some they conducted previously and some that are ongoing, will be part of a package they're preparing to send to the US Food and Drug Administration in the near future. Altogether, 'it tells a nice story,' she said. Real-World Data Commenting for Medscape Medical News, Soonjo Hwang, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, noted that among treatments already available for ADHD, the most well-known are stimulant medications, which 'are purely' dopaminergic reuptake inhibitors. Soonjo Hwang, MD 'That said, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin have a close relationship with each other in the brain. So, if you inhibit one, it will have an impact on the others as well,' said Hwang, who was not involved with the new research. He pointed out that centanafadine has a similar profile to other medication groups, such as antidepressants, that have been assessed previously for ADHD. 'In terms of the mechanism, it's similar to some we've had in the past. Still, it is really important for us to have new tools to treat this disorder because we currently have limited options,' Hwang said. He noted that being 'clinically meaningful' is a concept worth thinking about. 'This was a randomized-controlled clinical trial that [focused] towards more real-world data. And it's important to have data on how the medication performs in a real-world situation before launching it to market,' he said. Hwang added that he'd also like to know, moving forward, how well the medication works in patients with comorbidities, which is common in those with ADHD.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UNM researchers make new discovery about Yellowstone National Park supervolcano
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It's one of the world's largest supervolcanoes, and recent work out of the University of New Mexico led to a breakthrough discovery that could help geoscientists better predict an eruption and save lives. 'So it's very satisfying to see that come to fruition,' said Tobias Fischer, Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UNM. Story continues below Crime: Albuquerque business owner faces murder charge for shooting fleeing shoplifter News: Las Vegas deputy charged with aggravated battery and robbery Business: A downtown Albuquerque shoe shine parlor is still serving patrons after nearly a century Events: What's happening around New Mexico May 30-June 5? Kirtland Air Fiesta and more Fischer teamed up with a colleague to investigate Yellowstone National Park's volcanic system. 'Professor Brandon Schmandt is really the person who started this project. He's a geophysicist and he wanted to investigate the composition of the magma and where the magma is under Yellowstone, and especially how much volatiles are in the magma right now,' said Fischer. Fischer said Yellowstone's last volcanic eruption was about 70,000 years ago, and there is still an entire system sitting below the park today. 'So the hydrothermal system has all these beautiful geysers and hot springs and mud pots that attract millions of people a year to see the park and see these features,' said Fischer. Last August, KRQE News 13 reported on a 'localized' hydrothermal explosion that happened at the national park. The team's study led them to look at earthquakes they produced themselves with a big thumper truck. 'With that detailed geophysical study, they can make a very nice CT scan essentially of what's under Yellowstone, and they discovered that there is a really gas-rich, volatile-rich cap on top of the magma chamber,' said Fischer. Fischer said that when volcanoes erupt, they are driven by new magma coming into the system. They use samples from Yellowstone on a machine in one of UNM's labs to learn more. 'As magma rises towards the surface, gases like water and CO2 exalt from that magma at shallower levels,' said Fischer. Those gases migrate up to the surface and then eventually accumulate at some depth. The group found exactly where that accumulation happens, allowing them a better picture at what's taking place right under our feet. 'So it's a very detailed image of the quantity of water, the quantities of pores, the quantities of magma, and where exactly it sits under Yellowstone and how big it is,' said Fischer. Fischer said the Yellowstone system is similar to the Valles Caldera in New Mexico. Although Valles Caldera is smaller, it's a super volcano that produced large eruptions roughly a million years ago. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Defence Therapeutics Opens U.S. Laboratory in Boston-Cambridge Biotech Hub
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - June 2, 2025) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (OTCQB: DTCFF) (FSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a leading biotechnology company specializing in advanced endosomal escape technologies, is pleased to announce the opening of its first U.S. laboratory in the Boston-Cambridge area. This strategic expansion marks Defence Therapeutics' initial physical presence in the United States, reinforcing its commitment to advancing cutting-edge research and development in one of the world's foremost biotech clusters. The new laboratory, located at Cambridge Scientific Labs in Watertown, will allow Defence Therapeutics to further develop and optimize its proprietary Accum® technology for antibody-drug conjugates ("ADCs"). Establishing a presence in the Boston-Cambridge area provides the company with access to top-tier scientific resources and opportunities for collaboration within the region's renowned biotech ecosystem. The Cambridge Scientific Labs location will serve as a short-term base while Defence Therapeutics evaluates options for a long-term facility in the area. "Our expansion into the Boston-Cambridge area is a significant milestone for Defence Therapeutics," said Sebastien Plouffe, CEO of Defence Therapeutics. "Establishing a U.S. laboratory positions us at the heart of the global biotech community and supports our mission to advance the Accum® platform for next-generation ADCs. We look forward to deepening our presence in the region as we continue to grow and pursue a long-term facility in this dynamic market." About Defence: Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded clinical-stage biotechnology company developing and engineering the next generation of radio-immuno-conjugate and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM® technology, which enables precision delivery of radio-immuno-conjugates or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against cancer. For further information: Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and DirectorP: (514) 947-2272Splouffe@ Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit 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
