Medical -Science News-

Medical News Can We Harness Our Genes to Burn More Calories? Novel biomedical research uncovers tie between genetic variant and energy expenditure – a potential biological pathway to increase calorie burn and weight loss – Obesity Society TOS Annual Meeting at ObesityWeek 2016, Nov-2016 Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 01:00 ET Baby and Toddler Food Advertising Contradicts Expert Advice, Promotes Manufactured Foods Over Healthier Options Marketing for baby and toddler foods often contradicts health professionals’ advice, according to new research released at APHA 2016. – American Public Health Association (APHA) Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 00:00 ET Perceptions of Tap Water Quality Linked to PTSD in Flint, Michigan, Residents The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, increased the stress levels of community residents, according to new research released at APHA 2016. – American Public Health Association (APHA) Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 00:00 ET Managing Depression, Fatigue in Patients with Heart Failure May Reduce Hospital Stays, Mortality A study in the American Journal of Critical Care found that patients with both fatigue and depression were hospitalized more than those without either condition. They also had more visits to the emergency department and longer lengths of stay. – American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) American Journal of Critical Care, November-2016 Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 06:00 ET LJI Scientists Flip Molecular Switches to Distinguish Closely Related Immune Cell Populations The cornerstone of genetics is the loss-of-function experiment. In short, this means that to figure out what exactly gene X is doing in a tissue of interest—be it developing brain cells or a pancreatic tumor—you somehow cut out, switch off or oth... – La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology Immunity; National Institutes of Health (R01 HL118765, R01HL134236, R01 CA202987, and R01 GM086912); American Heart Association fellowships 16POST27630002and12DG12070005; Ruth Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) and Institutional Predoctoral Training Grant... Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 00:00 ET Confusing Food Labels Place Consumers with Food Allergy at Risk A study found that consumers with food allergy concerns often misunderstand food labels about allergens that say “may contain” or “manufactured on shared equipment.” While they should avoid such products to prevent what could be a serious all... – Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, Nov 1, 2016 Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 00:00 ET New Target Could Halt Growth, Spread of Ovarian Cancer Researchers have identified a protein that helps ovarian cancer cells multiply and spread. By blocking it with a new antibody agent, they could slow the cancer’s growth and stop it from metastasizing. – University of Michigan Health System Cancer Research; CA046592 Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 00:05 ET Could Targeting a Gene Linked to Microcephaly Lead to a Better Brain Cancer Treatment? In a study in the journal Development, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers report preclinical findings showing promise for targeting a gene linked to microcephaly in infants as a treatment for medulloblastoma. – University of North Carolina Health Care System Development, Nov-2016 Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 09:00 ET New Discovery Could Help Oral Medicines Work Better A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota and The Dow Chemical Company have discovered a new method for customizing ingredients that help oral medications dissolve in the body and be absorbed into the bloodstream. The materials discovere... – University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering ACS Central Science Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 08:00 ET For TAVR Patients, Transcatheter Cerebral Embolic Protection Is Safe but More Research Is Needed to Demonstrate Efficacy An international study has found that transcatheter cerebral embolic protection (TCEP) is safe, provides effective capture of embolic debris and does not change neurocognitive function for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patients. – New York-Presbyterian Hospital Embargo expired on 01-Nov-2016 at 09:00 ET Live Long and… Facebook? Is social media good for you, or bad? Well, it’s complicated. A study of 12 million Facebook users suggests that using Facebook is associated with living longer – when it serves to maintain and enhance your real-world social ties. – University of California, San Diego Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Embargo expired on 31-Oct-2016 at 15:00 ET Making Sense of the Seneses: "Context" Matters When the Brain Interprets Sounds The brain’s interpretation of sound is influenced by cues from other senses, explaining more precisely how we interpret what we hear at a particular moment, according to a report published in Nature Neuroscience online Oct. 31. – NYU Langone Medical Center Nature Neuroscience Embargo expired on 31-Oct-2016 at 12:00 ET Zika Infection Causes Reduced Fertility, Low Testosterone in Male Mice A new study shows that Zika targets the male reproductive system, at least in mice. Three weeks after Zika infection, male mice had shrunken testicles, low levels of sex hormones and reduced fertility. The results suggest that Zika infection may inte... – Washington University in St. Louis Nature, Oct-2016; IO1BX007080; AI073755; AI104972; HD065435; HD083895; AI007163; UL1 TR000448; P41 GM103422-35 Embargo expired on 31-Oct-2016 at 12:00 ET 1-in-4 Older Adults Has Not Discussed Advance Care Planning More than one in four older adults have not engaged in planning for end-of-life care or directives, despite significant public efforts to encourage the practice. This is especially true for African Americans, Latinos and those with less education and... – University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) JAMA Internal Medicine; National Institute of Aging (T32-AG000212, K23AG040772); Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (T32 HS000053-24); American Federation for Aging Research... Embargo expired on 31-Oct-2016 at 11:00 ET Insight on Rett Syndrome Neurophysiology Finds Mechanisms Underlying its Functional Deficits—and Shows They Are Reversible Researchers using a mouse model of Rett Syndrome find that cortical pyramidal neurons have faults in excitatory and inhibitory signaling; and demonstrate why recombinant human Insulin Like Growth Factor 1 has had therapeutic effects for RTT patients ... – Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, October 31, 2016 Embargo expired on 31-Oct-2016 at 15:00 ET Beta-Cryptoxanthin, a Carotenoid, Inhibits Nicotine-Linked Lung Cancer Development in Mice New study finds that beta-cryptoxanthin, a carotenoid primarily found in plants, reduces lung cancer development and invasiveness in mouse and cell models. The results support human epidemiological studies associating high beta-cryptoxanthin intake w... – Tufts University Diabetes Study Finds That Cutting Nerves to the Kidneys Improves Insulin Resistance Incapacitating specific nerves to the kidneys improves the work of insulin on another organ, the liver, according to research from Cedars-Sinai recently published in the journal Diabetes. – Cedars-Sinai Diabetes Being Fit Protects Against Health Risks Caused by Stress at Work It is a well-known fact that fitness and well-being go hand in hand. But being in good shape also protects against the health problems that arise when we feel particularly stressed at work. As reported by sports scientists from the University of Base... – University of Basel Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2016) NUS Scientists Discover the “Switch” That Makes Breast Cancer Cells Aggressive A study by Dr Alan Prem Kumar from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, together with Professor Shazib Pervaiz and Associate Professor Marie-Veronique Clement... – National University of Singapore Antioxidants & Redox Signaling Silencing SIRT2, a Sirtuin Enzyme, Reduces Malignancy in Deadly Breast Cancer Subtype Silencing SIRT2, a member of the sirtuin family of enzymes, reduces the invasiveness of basal-like breast cancer cells in culture and inhibits tumor growth in mice, according to new research led by scientists from Tufts University School of Medicine.... – Tufts University Trial Results Suggest That Drug-Eluting Stents Are Acceptable Alternative to Open Heart Surgery for Select Patients with Left Main Coronary Artery Disease A large-scale randomized trial examining percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in patients with left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) and low-intermediate SYNTAX scores found that there was no... – Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) New England Journal of Medicine Study Indicates That Open Heart Surgery May Be Superior to PCI for Treatment of Left Main Coronary Artery Disease Coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery is the standard treatment for revascularization in patients with left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease, but use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for this indication is increasing. Findings from the... – Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) Study Shows Link Between Mitochondrial DNA and Autism Cornell University researchers have confirmed a genetic link between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is passed on from the mother, and some forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). – Cornell University PLOS Genetics This New Technology Could Prevent a Leading Cause of Death Sepsis can kill a person in two days. Normal methods of detecting sepsis take at least that long. But researchers at Texas Tech University have found a new way to significantly reduce that detection time, giving medical professionals more time to tre... – Texas Tech University Bedtime Use of Media Devices More Than Doubles Risk of Poor Sleep in Children A Cardiff University study has found that children using screen-based media devices at bedtime have over double the risk of inadequate sleep duration compared to children without access to such a device. – Cardiff University JAMA Pediatrics Racial Disparities in Postoperative Readmission May Be Reduced by Improving Nurse-to-Patient Staffing A new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) shows that older black adults are not only more likely to be readmitted following an elective hip/knee replacement, than othe... – University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; R01-NR04513; T32-NR0714 ; R01-AG041099-01 First-in-Human of New Polymer-Free Stent Demonstrates Favorable Angiographic and Imaging-Based Outcomes at Nine-Months A first-in-human study of a new polymer-free drug-filled stent, which provides controlled drug elution from an internal lumen, indicated non-inferior in-stent late lumen loss at nine-months compared with historical zotarolimus-eluting stent (Resolute... – Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) UCI Study Finds Acupuncture Lowers Hypertension by Activating Opioids Researchers with the UCI Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine have found that regular electroacupunture treatment can lower hypertension by increasing the release of a kind of opioid in the brainstem region that controls blood pressure. – University of California, Irvine Scientific Reports Social Media Proves Effective as a Tool for Antimicrobial Stewardship A new study (www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(16)30688-5/fulltext) from the University of Chicago Medicine examines the use of social media platforms to inform young physicians about proper use of antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics. Curre... – Elsevier BV American Journal of Infection Control New Study Suggests Way to Slow Skin Fibrosis in Scleroderma Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City have identified a possible mechanism behind the fibrosis that occurs in scleroderma – a mechanism that may one day lead to a treatment for the disease. – Hospital for Special Surgery Johns Hopkins Opens New Center to Reduce Diagnostic Errors A headache can be just a migraine, or it can be something more. It could be caused by a number of different health concerns: allergies, stress or possibly worse — a stroke. Headaches are just one of the many symptoms that often lead doctors to misd... – Johns Hopkins Medicine Treatment Hope Would Leave Liver Cancer Cells in Limbo New treatment leaves liver cancer cells in limbo – MRC Clinical Sciences Centre/Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS) Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London Genes and Development, Oct-2016 TCT 2016 First Report Investigations Examine Potential for Novel Bioresorbable Stent Technologies The 28th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), the annual scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) featured a number of first report investigations on novel stents that could become the next generation o... – Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) UChicago Medicine Earns 10th Straight 'A' for Hospital Safety Rating The University of Chicago Medicine earned its 10th consecutive straight "A" rating in hospital safety, according to a new report card released Monday by a prominent industry watchdog. – University of Chicago Medical Center Low-Oxygen Environment Leads to Heart Regeneration in Mice, UTSW Research Shows Normal, healthy heart muscle is well-supplied with oxygen-rich blood. But UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiologists have been able to regenerate heart muscle by placing mice in an extremely low-oxygen environment. – UT Southwestern Medical Center Nature 2016 Less Than Half of Cervical Cancer Patients Receive Standard-of-Care Treatment University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the journal Gynecologic Oncology shows that only 44 percent of patients in a large, national sample received all three components of standard-of-care treatment, most often lacking brachytherapy.... – University of Colorado Cancer Center Gynecologic Oncology UTHealth: Out-of-Pocket Costs, Not Race, Can Explain Breast Cancer Treatment Disparities High out-of-pocket costs, rather than race or ethnicity, are responsible for disparities associated with adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy, according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (U... – University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer Aren’t What We Think, SWOG Study Shows When it comes to prostate cancer biopsies, risk and reality don’t always match up, according to research published online today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Investigators from SWOG, the cancer clinical trials network funded by the National ... – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center the Journal of Clinical Oncology Improving Health Care for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities To improve access to quality health care for adults with IDD and to support the physician specialty of adult developmental medicine, UofL and the Lee Specialty Clinic are sponsoring the second annual Caring for Adults with Intellectual and Developmen... – University of Louisville ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress Explores How Incentives Could Support Effectiveness Research of Medical Devices The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) held a workshop this morning on Incentivizing Research Into the Effectiveness of Medical Devices at the Society’s 19th Annual European Congress in Vienna, Austria. – International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) ISPOR 19th Annual European Meeting ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress Examines Use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to Support Health Technology Assessment The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) held a workshop this morning entitled, "The Potential and Pitfalls of Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to Support Health Technology Assessment." The session took plac... – International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Receives Insight Into Diversity 2016 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award As a recipient of the Health Professions HEED Award — a national honor recognizing medical, dental, pharmacy, osteopathic, nursing, and allied health schools that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — the The Icahn Sc... – Mount Sinai Health System Plenary 1 of ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress Explores Synergies in Health Care The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) opened its 19th Annual European Congress in Vienna, Austria this morning with the first plenary session, "What Synergies Could Be Created Between Regulatory and Health Tech... – International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress A Life-Saving Friendship Two Rutgers graduate school alumni will be forever connected. A living donor transplant kept one man alive and left another glad he was able to help his friend and save his life by donating part of his liver. – Rutgers University ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress Explores European Cooperation in Health Technology Assessment The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) facilitated a discussion on National Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Process and European Cooperation on HTA: Fit for Purpose? this morning at the Society’s 19th Annu... – International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress Examines New Approaches to Survival Modeling in Oncology The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) held a workshop this afternoon on "New Approaches to Survival Modeling in Oncology" at the Society’s 19th Annual European Congress in Vienna, Austria. – International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress Explores How HTA Bodies Can Consider the Voice of Patients with Rare Diseases The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) led a session this afternoon entitled, "From Testimonials to Qualitative Research Embedded in Clinical Trials: How Do Health Technology Assessment Bodies Consider the Voic... – International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress Getting Survivorship Care Planning Off the Page and Into Practice Jennifer Klemp, PhD, MPH, director of cancer survivorship and an associate professor at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, is interviewed by Oncology Nursing News. In this interview, Klemp offers insights on some of the critical issues that clin... Expert Available – University of Kansas Cancer Center Virginia Mason Earns ‘A’ in Leapfrog's National Hospital Safety Program Virginia Mason has again earned an “A” in the national Hospital Safety Grade program, The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit patient safety watchdog, announced today. – Virginia Mason Medical Center Johns Hopkins Launches Website and App To Connect Baltimore City Youth to Health Resources Officials at Johns Hopkins Medicine’s teen health program announce the launch of a new website, Y2CONNECT, designed to connect Baltimore City youth with a wide range of clinical and community-based health and non-health programs and resources. – Johns Hopkins Medicine TTUHSC El Paso Med Students Win International Space Race Competition A team of medical students at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) is one of 11 winners of the international Space Race competition. More than 300 individuals from across the globe entered the entrepreneurial challeng... – Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso UNMC/Nebraska Medicine Awarded Nearly $20 Million to Develop National Training Center Center will educate health care personnel on how to best treat people with highly infectious diseases such as Ebola – University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Congress of Neurological Surgeons Names Alan M. Scarrow, MD, JD, President for 2016-2017 Alan M. Scarrow, MD, JD, president of Mercy Health System for the Springfield Communities in Missouri, has been named president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). – Congress of Neurological Surgeons American College of Surgeons Launches Education Program on Opioids and Surgery: Use, Abuse, and Alternatives The American College of Surgeons today announced a new multifaceted initiative to improve the knowledge and management of pain in surgical patients with a focus on opioid risk and non-opioid alternatives. – American College of Surgeons (ACS) Dr. Dale Lange Receives Award From Muscular Dystrophy Association Dale Lange, MD, neurologist-in-chief at Hospital for Special Surgery has received the Diamond Award from the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The recognition is granted to a scientific leader dedicated to the eradication of amyotrophic lateral scleros... – Hospital for Special Surgery UTHealth’s Maria E. Fernandez, Ph.D., Named Distinguished Alumna by Alma Mater Maria E. Fernandez, Ph.D., professor and director of the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, recently received the Distinguished Alumni Aw... – University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Science News Social Media Photos Priceless for Natural Resources Research Crowdsourced information can provide a continental perspective on the scenic places where people live, work and play. Using geotagged data from photo-sharing platforms, researchers from North Carolina State University created a predictive model that ... – North Carolina State University Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Embargo expired on 31-Oct-2016 at 15:00 ET Artificial Muscles Show More Flex In the cover article appearing this week in Applied Physics Letters, researchers at Louisiana State University discuss how they have developed a new fiber that offers higher tensile stroke and is triggered -- or actuated -- at temperatures more than ... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Artificial muscles made of chiral two-way shape memory polymer fibers; Applied Physics Letters Embargo expired on 31-Oct-2016 at 11:00 ET "Patchy" Approach to Nanoparticle Synthesis, Supercomputing Finds Nickel-78 Is a 'Doubly Magic' Isotope, The ‘Perfect’ Soap Molecule, and More in the DOE Science News Source Click here to go directly to the DOE Science News Source – Newswise Wild Cat Brains: An Evolutionary Curveball The brains of wild cats don’t necessarily respond to the same evolutionary pressures as those of their fellow mammals, humans and primates, indicates a surprising new study led by a Michigan State University neuroscientist. – Michigan State University Frontiers in Neuroanatomy Physicists Leapfrog Accelerators with Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays An international team of physicists has developed a pioneering approach to using Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs)—the highest energy particles in nature since the Big Bang—to study particle interactions far beyond the reach of human-made acc... – New York University Physical Review Letters Weakness Is Good… When Controlling Light Researchers have demonstrated a way to control light with light using one third — in some cases, even less — of the energy typically required. The advancement, coupled with other developments, could lead to more powerful, energy-efficient compute... – University at Buffalo Physical Review Letters Jumping Spiders Can Hear Sound Without Eardrums There really is a “spider sense.” With help from Binghamton University’s Ron Miles, researchers found that despite not having ears—or ear drums—jumping spiders can perceive airborne sound. – Binghamton University, State University of New York Current Biology, Oct-2016 In Communicating Wildlife Conservation, Focus on the Right Message If you want people to care about endangered species, focus on how many animals are left, not on the chances of a species becoming extinct, according to a new study by Cornell University communication scholars. – Cornell University U-M Could Get New Kind of on-Demand Transit System Passengers could be trying out a new urban mobility system on the University of Michigan's North Campus as soon as summer 2017. – University of Michigan Study Reveals the Brain Regulates Social Behavior Differently in Males and Females The brain regulates social behavior differently in males and females, according to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. – Georgia State University Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Spooky New Fungal Disease on Southern Golf Courses Unmasked Downright spooky fungus has southern golfers teed off - until the culprit is pegged and a treatment found. – Texas A&M AgriLife Cloudy Feedback on Global Warming Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have identified a mechanism that causes low clouds – and their influence on Earth’s energy balance – to respond differently to global warming depending on their spatial pattern and location. – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Nature Geosciences, October 31, 2016 Hurricanes From 3 Million Years Ago Give Us Clues About Present Storms Studying hurricane and tropical storm development from three million years ago might give today’s forecasters a good blueprint for 21st century storms, says a team of international researchers that includes a Texas A&M University atmospheric scienc... – Texas A&M University Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; National Natural Science Foundation of China; National Science Foundation Grant ; National Natural Science Foundation of China... Shark Race to the White House Finish Date Extended With the latest news hitting about the race to the White House, Nova Southeastern University is extending its Shark Race to the White House to give its sharks more time to predict the next occupant of the Oval Office! – Nova Southeastern University Cal State LA Partners with NASA to Study How Materials Solidify in Space NASA has awarded Cal State LA two grants to conduct materials science experiments with the International Space Station. The grants are made through NASA’s Physical Sciences Research program and will provide a total of $840,000 in funding. – California State University, Los Angeles PPPL Physicist Receives ExxonMobil Grant for Plasma Research Physicist Egemen Kolemen is sharing a grant from ExxonMobil to research whether plasma could reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with oil wells. – Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory New APS Fellows for Los Alamos Announced Eight Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists are being honored as new Fellows in the American Physical Society (APS). – Los Alamos National Laboratory Two Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Faculty Members Named to WEF Global Future Councils Two faculty members at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been invited to join the World Economic Forum’s Network of Global Future Councils. Cynthia Collins, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, has been selected for the G... – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) UC San Diego Receives $2.5 Million Gift to Honor Late Scripps Oceanography Director For the past three years, Joy Frieman has been searching to find a suitable way to honor her late husband, Edward A. Frieman, former director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Noting that, “Ed was one of the very early people ... – University of California, San Diego Seven Research Teams Receive Intermountain-Stanford Grant Award Stanford Medicine and Intermountain Healthcare award more than $500,000 in seed grants to research projects focused on transforming healthcare

Stronger Collaboration for Greater Energy Access in Asia Pacific

Dr. Shamshad Akhtar

Dr. Shamshad Akhtar is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). She will be speaking about Asia’s new energy realities and the implications for regional energy security at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 2016.

Bangkok, Oct 26 2016 (IPS) - The emergence of new ideas, technological advancements and innovative market-driven financing solutions has lent confidence to the idea that universal access to energy services is attainable. This is particularly good news in the Asia and the Pacific region, where, despite making significant contributions to global growth and poverty reduction since 2000, nearly half a billion citizens still have no access to modern energy, principally in rural and far-flung areas. Three-quarters of these people live in South Asia alone. Some 70% of the Pacific island households are un-electrified, a level similar to sub-Saharan Africa. The lack of electricity and clean cooking options marginalizes predominantly remote and slum communities who are trapped in energy poverty, preventing them from stepping on the first rung of the ladder to prosperity.

Dr. Shamshad Akhtar

There are a range of approaches, options and sources which, if effectively exploited, can help Asia-Pacific broaden energy access. One of the game-changing elements for energy access is Asia’s emergence as producer and provider of renewable energy technology, with investment in renewables reaching $160 billion in 2015, or over half the global total. Renewable energy options are poised to reshape the energy access challenge. In particular, solar power with its low cost advantages and widespread applicability will pay a major role, as it offers both grid-based centralized solutions as well as decentralized applications such as solar lanterns, solar home systems and solar-powered mini-grids. This year, three large scale solar proposals(1) in the Middle East and South America have contracted their solar generated power for US three cents per kilowatt hour, which is cheaper than any other source of energy. The marketability of solar energy further benefits from technological advancements in energy storage, driven by utility power and electric vehicle markets. These developments will have positive spillover on the energy access sector.

In many countries of Asia and the Pacific, the decentralized power option offers lower costs than extending the grid into remote locations, which influences long-term energy planning scenarios of countries. These options include mini grids, hybrid systems, biogas and micro-hydro power, depending on costs, local geography and resource availability.

Reliability and scalability require an enhanced role of the private sector to find the most suitable local energy access solutions and to mobilize innovative finance and business models. Energy access solution providers already promote creative solutions, however the private sector’s role in the provision of energy access has been limited, accounting for only 18% of total investment. To bring private capital, technology and expertise to energy access, partnerships between public sector and multilateral financing agencies need to offer the right enabling policy environment and a combination of incentives including risk mitigation frameworks, loan guarantees and other supportive credit enhancements.

The potential of private investment in the promoting energy access should not be underestimated. The so-called “bottom of the pyramid” energy users currently spend $37 billion on energy services(2) such as kerosene, batteries or candles, which are often inefficient and more costly than clean alternatives. Many pioneering private sector firms have developed low-cost energy systems at household or village scale such as solar lanterns, biogas or micro-hydro systems and are rolling out business models with product, process and distribution innovations. Across the Asia-Pacific, rural micro-credit is funding energy access including Bangladesh’s Grameen Shakti which has funded half a million solar home systems.(3) Development of indigenous technology capacity in Nepal has lowered equipment costs for biogas and micro-hydro systems. India has leveraged public-private partnerships in its rural electrification efforts, bringing electricity to 32 million households over the last decade.(4) Local provision of energy can have a catalytic effect, leading to economic growth and increased demand for other products and services that can be met by these companies, leading to growing business opportunities.(5)

Realizing the goals of poverty eradication is critically linked to enhancing energy access to the poor. The recent adoption by G20 Ministers of the Action Plan for Enhancing Energy Access in Asia and the Pacific, supported by ESCAP, will assist the region in adopting the appropriate policy framework to scale-up the private sector’s role in enhancement of energy access. As a follow-up to the G20 Action Plan on Energy Access, ESCAP, with the Energy Market Authority of Singapore, is co-organizing an Energy Access Forum at the Singapore International Energy Week in October 2016. The Forum will provide insights on the challenges and opportunities for countries to enhance energy access.

Gorbachev Appeals for Sanity, Dialogue

John Scales Avery

The author was part of a group that shared the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize for their work in organising the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. He is Associate Professor Emeritus at the H.C. Ørsted Institute, University of Copenhagen. He was chairman of both the Danish National Pugwash Group and the Danish Peace Academy, and he is the author of numerous books and articles both on scientific topics and on broader social questions. His most recent book is Civilization’s Crisis in the 21st Century.

President Barack Obama drops by VP Joe Biden's meeting with former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev in the Vice President's Office, West Wing | 20 March 2009 | The Official White House Photostream / Pete Souza | public domain | Flickr

OSLO, Oct 28 2016 (IPS) - President Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of the Soviet Union and recipient of the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize, has appealed to world leaders to reduce the dangerous tensions, which today threaten to plunge human civilization and the biosphere into an all-destroying nuclear war.

In an October 10 interview with RIA Novosti, Gorbachev said: “I think the world has reached a dangerous point, I don’t want to give any concrete prescriptions, but I do want to say that this needs to stop. We need to renew dialogue. Stopping it was the biggest mistake.”

“It is necessary to return to the main priorities. These are nuclear disarmament, the fight against terrorism, the prevention of an environmental disaster,” he continued. “Compared to these challenges, all the rest slips into the background.”

Later the same day, in Iceland, President Gorbachev said: “The worst thing that has happened in recent years is the collapse of trust in relations between major powers, The window to a nuclear weapon-free world…is being shut and sealed right before our eyes.”

John Scales Avery

“As long as nuclear weapons exist, there is a danger that someday they will be used as a result either of accident or technical failure or of evil intent of man, an insane person or terrorist,” Gorbachev said.

Alyn Ware Agrees

Alyn Ware, the International Co-ordinater of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, commented:

“I would concur with the assessment of Gorbachev.”

“I have been at the UN General Assembly October sessions (Disarmament and International Security) every year since 1988. This year was the most acrimonious I have ever seen. The tensions between Russia and NATO/Ukraine/US spilled over into the deliberations with accusations and counter accusations flying in many of the sessions. And these were not the only tensions. Syria/Yemen/Middle East, India/Pakistan and North Korea v South Korea/Japan/USA were also vitriolic towards each other.”

“Tension reduction, confidence building and diplomacy are vital at this time”, Alyn Ware continued, “Without this, disarmament is unlikely to occur and further armed conflict is very likely.”

The New UN Secretary General

Hope that the current extremely dangerous tensions can be reduced comes from the appointment of former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as the new UN Secretary General. The Security Council was united in making this appointment, thus giving us hope for better cooperation in the future.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr. Guterres said that ending the conflict in Syria would be one of his greatest challenges. “I believe it is the international community’s first priority is to be able to end this conflict and use this momentum created by it to try to address all the other conflicts that are interlinked,”

“I hope people will understand that it’s better to put aside different opinions, different interests and to understand that there is a common, vital interest to put an end to these conflicts, because that is absolutely central if you want to live in a world where a minimum of securities are established, where people can live a normal life,” he said.

Nuclear War Would Be a Catastrophe

The danger of a catastrophic nuclear war casts a dark shadow over the future of our species. It also casts a very black shadow over the future of the global environment.

The environmental consequences of a massive exchange of nuclear weapons have been treated in a number of studies by meteorologists and other experts from both East and West.

They predict that a large-scale use of nuclear weapons would result in fire storms with very high winds and high temperatures, which would burn a large proportion of the wild land fuels in the affected nations.

The resulting smoke and dust would block out sunlight for a period of many months, at first only in the northern hemisphere but later also in the southern hemisphere.

Temperatures in many places would fall far below freezing, and much of the earths plant life would be killed. Animals and humans would then die of starvation.

Professor Bernard Lowen of the Harvard School of Public Health, one of the founders of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), said in a recent speech:

“…No public health hazard ever faced by humankind equals the threat of nuclear war. Never before has man possessed the destructive resources to make this planet uninhabitable… Modern medicine has nothing to offer, not even a token benefit, in the event of nuclear war…”

“We are but transient passengers on this planet Earth. It does not belong to us. We are not free to doom generations yet unborn. We are not at liberty to erase humanity’s past or dim its future. Social systems do not endure for eternity. Only life can lay claim to uninterrupted continuity. This continuity is sacred.