Marcos Magaña
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
EV fast chargers have a surprising health downside
Hundreds of public fast chargers are popping up across the U.S. to serve electric vehicle drivers seeking a cleaner alternative to gas-powered cars. But they come with a surprising risk: Charging stations create air pollution. While EVs contribute vastly less to air pollution than combustion-powered vehicles, fast-charging stations are what a recent study called an 'overlooked source of air pollution.' The U.S. added 703 high-speed charging stations in the second quarter, bringing the total across the country to 11,400, according to Energy Department data. Charging firms are planning to install hundreds more before year-end, making it important to address health risks now before the infrastructure becomes entrenched. The problem 'can be solved,' said Yuan Yao, a co-author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health. 'We want to make sure that EV adoption is clean.' The emissions are likely tied to the fans used in direct current fast chargers' power cabinets. While they help keep equipment cool, the recent study indicates they likely have the unintended side effect of kicking up particles from tires, brakes and dust into the air. Researchers took air quality measurements at 50 direct current fast charging stations in Los Angeles County, the majority of which were Tesla Inc. Supercharger locations. The company didn't respond to a request for comment. The average concentration of fine particulate matter in the air at the charging sites was 15.2 micrograms per cubic meter, slightly higher than what researchers found at gas stations and significantly higher than in other urban locations such as parks. Nearly half of the charging sites had daily fine particulate matter emissions that exceeded the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines. (The study focused on non-exhaust emissions and therefore didn't measure many types of pollution related to gas-powered cars.) EV charging companies can include filtration in charging cabinets to mitigate pollution, the study's authors said. They can also avoid putting the chargers near places like schools and residential areas. Some companies say they've already taken measures to reduce the risks of particulate matter. 'On all of our current DC fast chargers, ChargePoint enforces a minimum height for the air intake and exhaust to limit the ingress of dust, debris and water,' said a spokesperson for ChargePoint Holdings Inc., which operates the largest charging network in the US. The company plans to add air filters to its 'DC chargers to further reduce the risk of dust or water entering the system, or particulates being expelled.' Gas-powered cars are still a much more potent health risk, both because of their emissions and gas stations' environmental impact, said Joe Allen, an air quality expert and professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who was not involved in the study. Research shows fueling stations are major sources of volatile organic compounds, a category of chemicals that includes the carcinogen benzene, while internal combustion vehicles produce smog-forming pollutants. Greenhouse gas emissions also adversely affect health due to their influence on climate change. 'I'd much rather be charging my EV than filling my gas-powered car at the gas station,' Allen said. 'As we expand EV charging — especially fast-charging stations — we should also pay attention to potential emissions from the charging equipment itself,' Yao said. Alake and Court write for Bloomberg. Bloomberg's Kyle Stock contributed to this report.
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Promising cancer vaccine could prevent recurrence of pancreatic, colorectal tumors
An experimental cancer vaccine has shown promise in keeping certain cancers from coming back. In a phase 1 clinical trial led in part by the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, researchers tested the vaccine (ELI-002 2P) with 25 patients who had been treated for pancreatic and colorectal cancer. Advertisement The patients had all undergone surgery to remove tumors and showed 'signs of minimal residual disease' or traces of DNA, putting them at a high risk of recurrence, according to a UCLA press release. More than 80% of pancreatic cancer patients experience recurrence of the disease after surgery, research shows — and for 40% to 50%, this happens within the first year. For colorectal cancer, the recurrence rate is between 30% and 50% and is most likely to occur within the first two years after surgery. Mutations in the KRAS gene are responsible for half of colorectal cancers and more than 90% of pancreatic cancers. The vaccine, which targets those mutations, was given via a series of injections to activate an immune response in the lymph nodes. Advertisement 4 A phase 1 clinical trial indicates that a vaccine may prevent pancreatic and colorectal cancer from coming back. InsideCreativeHouse – A majority (21 out of 25) of the patients generated 'KRAS-specific T cells,' which indicates a stronger immune response. The ones with higher T-cell responses showed a longer relapse-free survival compared to those with lower responses, the researchers found. For three colorectal cancer patients and three pancreatic cancer patients, the vaccine appeared to remove all disease biomarkers. Among the patients who showed the strongest immune response, a majority were still cancer-free nearly 20 months after receiving the vaccine. Advertisement 4 The vaccine appeared to remove all disease biomarkers for three colorectal cancer patients out of the 25 pancreatic and colorectal cancer patients that were part of the trial. Jo Panuwat D – The findings were published in Nature Medicine. 'This is an exciting advance for patients with KRAS-driven cancers, particularly pancreatic cancer, where recurrence after standard treatment is almost a given and effective therapies are limited,' said first author of the study, Zev Wainberg, M.D., professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and researcher in the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, in the release. 'We observed that patients who developed strong immune responses to the vaccine remained disease-free and survived for much longer than expected.' Advertisement 4 'We observed that patients who developed strong immune responses to the vaccine remained disease-free and survived for much longer than expected,' Zev Wainberg, M.D., the first author of the study, said. manassanant – 'The new cancer vaccine from UCLA is very promising as a major tool against these cancers.' In another finding, 67% of the patients in the trial showed immune responses to 'additional tumor-associated mutations,' indicating that the vaccine could be used to suppress 'broader anti-tumor activity.' One of the benefits of ELI-002 2P, according to the researchers, is that it's considered 'off-the-shelf,' which means it's a mass-produced, standardized vaccine that doesn't have to be personalized for each individual patient. 'This study shows that the ELI-002 2P vaccine can safely and effectively train the immune system to recognize and fight cancer-driving mutations,' Wainberg said. 4 67% of the patients in the trial showed immune responses to 'additional tumor-associated mutations,' indicating that the vaccine could be used to suppress 'broader anti-tumor activity.' – 'It offers a promising approach to generating precise and durable immune responses without the complexity or cost of fully personalized vaccines.' The team has already finished enrolling participants for a phase 2 study that will test ELI-002 7P, the next iteration of the vaccine that will target a 'broader set' of KRAS mutations, the release stated. Advertisement The study was sponsored and funded by Elicio Therapeutics, the Massachusetts company that developed the vaccine. It was conducted in conjunction with the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented that targeted therapies are becoming increasingly important tools in the fight against cancer. Advertisement 'Solid tumors, especially pancreatic, can be difficult to treat because they are not as mutagenic (capable of inducing or causing mutations) as hematological malignancies (blood cancers) or melanoma, for example, so they don't have as many ready targets for immunotherapy,' he told Fox News Digital. 'The new cancer vaccine from UCLA is very promising as a major tool against these cancers, as it 'programs' the immune system to target these mutations and has been shown in the NATURE study to elicit a strong clinical response.'
Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Cancer vaccine shows promise in preventing recurrence of pancreatic, colorectal tumors
An experimental cancer vaccine has shown promise in keeping certain cancers from coming back. In a phase 1 clinical trial led in part by the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, researchers tested the vaccine (ELI-002 2P) with 25 patients who had been treated for pancreatic and colorectal cancer. The patients had all undergone surgery to remove tumors and showed "signs of minimal residual disease" or traces of DNA, putting them at a high risk of recurrence, according to a UCLA press release. More than 80% of pancreatic cancer patients experience recurrence of the disease after surgery, research shows — and for 40% to 50%, this happens within the first year. For colorectal cancer, the recurrence rate is between 30% and 50% and is most likely to occur within the first two years after surgery. Mutations in the KRAS gene are responsible for half of colorectal cancers and more than 90% of pancreatic cancers. The vaccine, which targets those mutations, was given via a series of injections to activate an immune response in the lymph nodes. A majority (21 out of 25) of the patients generated "KRAS-specific T cells," which indicates a stronger immune response. The ones with higher T-cell responses showed a longer relapse-free survival compared to those with lower responses, the researchers found. For three colorectal cancer patients and three pancreatic cancer patients, the vaccine appeared to remove all disease biomarkers. Among the patients who showed the strongest immune response, a majority were still cancer-free nearly 20 months after receiving the vaccine. The findings were published in Nature Medicine. "This is an exciting advance for patients with KRAS-driven cancers, particularly pancreatic cancer, where recurrence after standard treatment is almost a given and effective therapies are limited," said first author of the study, Zev Wainberg, M.D., professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and researcher in the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, in the release. "We observed that patients who developed strong immune responses to the vaccine remained disease-free and survived for much longer than expected." "The new cancer vaccine from UCLA is very promising as a major tool against these cancers." In another finding, 67% of the patients in the trial showed immune responses to "additional tumor-associated mutations," indicating that the vaccine could be used to suppress "broader anti-tumor activity." One of the benefits of ELI-002 2P, according to the researchers, is that it's considered "off-the-shelf," which means it's a mass-produced, standardized vaccine that doesn't have to be personalized for each individual patient. "This study shows that the ELI-002 2P vaccine can safely and effectively train the immune system to recognize and fight cancer-driving mutations," Wainberg said. "It offers a promising approach to generating precise and durable immune responses without the complexity or cost of fully personalized vaccines." The team has already finished enrolling participants for a phase 2 study that will test ELI-002 7P, the next iteration of the vaccine that will target a "broader set" of KRAS mutations, the release stated. The study was sponsored and funded by Elicio Therapeutics, the Massachusetts company that developed the vaccine. It was conducted in conjunction with the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented that targeted therapies are becoming increasingly important tools in the fight against cancer. "Solid tumors, especially pancreatic, can be difficult to treat because they are not as mutagenic (capable of inducing or causing mutations) as hematological malignancies (blood cancers) or melanoma, for example, so they don't have as many ready targets for immunotherapy," he told Fox News Digital. For more Health articles, visit "The new cancer vaccine from UCLA is very promising as a major tool against these cancers, as it 'programs' the immune system to target these mutations and has been shown in the NATURE study to elicit a strong clinical response."
