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Medical News Scientists Use New Data Mining Strategy to Spot Those at High Alzheimer’s Risk The push to develop treatments for Alzheimer’s disease has yielded a greater understanding of the disease, but has failed to generate successful new drugs. To blame are the many undefined subtypes of mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to Alz... – Duke Health Scientific Reports Embargo expired on 28-Jul-2017 at 05:00 ET Death Rate for People with Heart Disease and Depression Double Than for Non-Depressed Heart Patients People who are diagnosed with coronary artery disease and then develop depression face a risk of death that’s twice as high as heart patients without depression, according to a major new study by researchers at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake... – Intermountain Medical Center European Heart Journal Embargo expired on 28-Jul-2017 at 06:00 ET US Transplant Centers Frequently Refuse Deceased Donor Kidneys • From 2007-2012, deceased donor kidneys in the United States were offered a median of 7 times before finally being accepted for transplantation. • Such refusals may have contributed to racial and ethnic disparities that exist in access to trans... – American Society of Nephrology (ASN) doi: 10.2215/CJN.10130916. Embargo expired on 27-Jul-2017 at 17:00 ET Scientists Become Research Subjects in After-Hours Brain-Scanning Project Dosenbach, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of pediatric and developmental neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues used imaging techniques to collect a massive amount of data on individual brains. Their work ... – Washington University in St. Louis Neuron, Jul-2017; NS088590; TR000448; MH104592; 1P30NS098577; HD087011 Embargo expired on 27-Jul-2017 at 12:00 ET Cancer-Death Button Gets Jammed by Gut Bacterium Researchers at Michigan Medicine and in China showed that a type of bacterium is associated with the recurrence of colorectal cancer and poor outcomes. They found that Fusobacterium nucleatum in the gut can stop chemotherapy from causing a type of ca... – Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan Cell; CA211016 Embargo expired on 27-Jul-2017 at 12:00 ET CRISPR sheds light on rare pediatric bone marrow failure syndrome Using the gene editing technology CRISPR, scientists have shed light on a rare, sometimes fatal syndrome that causes children to gradually lose the ability to manufacture vital blood cells. The research, at Washington University School of Medicine in... – Washington University in St. Louis Stem Cell Reports Embargo expired on 27-Jul-2017 at 12:00 ET New Imaging Technique Overturns Longstanding Textbook Model of DNA Folding Researchers funded by NIH have developed an imaging method that reveals a much more diverse and flexible DNA-protein chromatin chain than previously thought. The result suggests a nimbler structure to regulate gene expression, and provide a mechanism... – National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Science, July-2017; EB021247, CA014195, GM103412 Embargo expired on 27-Jul-2017 at 14:00 ET Researchers Find Link Between Backup Immune Defense, Mutation Seen in Crohn's Disease Genes that regulate a cellular recycling system called autophagy are commonly mutated in Crohn’s disease patients, though the link between biological housekeeping and inflammatory bowel disease remained a mystery. – UT Southwestern Medical Center Science Embargo expired on 27-Jul-2017 at 13:00 ET Shedding Light Deeper Into the Human Brain Dr. Vladislav Yakovlev, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been developing a more efficient way of propagating light through an opaque medium. Propagation of light refers to the way that light travels f... – Texas A&M University PNAS - June-2016 Proposals to End Medicaid Expansions Threaten Support to Address the Opioid Crisis A new analysis by researchers at Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University concludes that Medicaid expansions are helping states cope with the rising toll taken by the opioid crisis. – George Washington University Nurses at San Diego Hospitals Develop Initiatives to Improve Patient Outcomes, Operational Processes As participants in AACN Clinical Scene Investigator Academy, critical care nurses at eight southern California hospitals developed initiatives to address diverse healthcare challenges, with noteworthy clinical and fiscal results. – American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Glowing Tumor Technology Helps Surgeons Remove Hidden Cancer Cells Surgeons were able to identify and remove a greater number of cancerous nodules from lung cancer patients when combining intraoperative molecular imaging (IMI) – through the use of a contrast agent that makes tumor cells glow during surgery – wi... – Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania 1F32CA210409; R01 CA193556 Researchers Show Curcumin Protects Against Chemoresistant Pancreatic Cancer Researchers at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute reveal curcumin has potential to overcome chemoresistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, a common but aggressive form of cancer in the pancreas. – Baylor Scott and White Health Carcinogenesis, July-2017 Study Finds Breast Cancer Driver, HER2, in 3 Percent of Lung Cancers The Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium at the University of Colorado Cancer Center reports this week in the journal Cancer that 24 of 920 patients (3 percent) with advanced-stage lung cancer had mutations in the gene HER2. Seventy-one percent of these p... – University of Colorado Cancer Center Non-LCD Technology Shows Promise for Return to Work/School for Postconcussion Syndrome Sufferers A pilot study conducted by the Canadian Concussion Centre has shown that using a non-LCD screen for computer tasks may decrease the risk of exacerbating symptoms in sufferers of post-concussion syndrome (PCS). – University Health Network (UHN) Trauma-Informed, Mindfulness-Based Intervention Significantly Improves Parenting Among Mothers in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Researchers at Jefferson’s Maternal Addiction Treatment Education & Research (MATER) program found significant improvement in the quality of parenting among mothers who participated in a trauma-informed, mindfulness-based parenting intervention whi... – Thomas Jefferson University Journal of Addiction Medicine, July 2017; Children’s Bureau, 90CB0190 Test May Help Identify Veterans with Deployment-Related Lung Disease A test called the lung clearance index (LCI) is superior to standard tests in identifying patients with lung disease related to military deployment, suggests a study in the August Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. – Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine MKTP Surgery Has Long-Term Benefit for Restoring Skin Pigmentation in Vitiligo Patients A Henry Ford Hospital study has shown that skin transplant surgery has long-term benefit for restoring skin pigmentation caused by the skin disease vitiligo. In a retrospective study, researchers found that a majority of areas of the skin treated ... – Henry Ford Health System Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology includes video Can Florida Mosquitoes Transmit New Strains of Painful Chikungunya Virus? UF/IFAS researchers used a baseline comparison of infection and transmission rates of Florida mosquitoes to those from the Dominican Republic, a region associated with numerous human cases. Barry Alto, an associate professor of entomology at the UF ... – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases New 3D Imaging Reveals How Human Cell Nucleus Organizes DNA and Chromatin of its Genome A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies describe development and application of new electron microscopic imaging tools and a selective stain for DNA to visualize... – University of California San Diego Health Science Drug Improves Brain Performance in Rett Syndrome Mice A brain penetrant drug — a small-molecule mimetic of BDNF, or brain derived neurotrophic factor — is able to improve brain performance in Rett syndrome mice — specifically synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus and object location memory. The h... – University of Alabama at Birmingham Disease Models & Mechanisms; NS-065027 ; HD-074418 The Medical Minute: Foodborne Illness Is Often Avoidable Each year, Americans develop more than 50 million cases of foodborne illness. While some are caused by eating out, others originate in home kitchens. – Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Secure Strategies to Continuously Improve Quality in Radiology Practices The American College of Radiology (ACR) Annual Conference on Quality and Safety helps radiology practices add value through cost-effective service quality improvement. – American College of Radiology (ACR) STS Opposes Current Health Care Reform Efforts The Society of Thoracic Surgeons urges members of the Senate to prioritize ensuring patient access to high quality health care when considering plans to reform health care. – The Society of Thoracic Surgeons TriCore Announces David G. Grenache, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer TriCore Reference Laboratories announced today that David G. Grenache, PhD; has been selected as its first Chief Scientific Officer, effective September 2017. – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo Ultra-Sensitive Point of Care Test for a Brain Biomarker Dx-Sys Inc. (Booth # 1356) has developed an ultra-sensitive, Lateral Flow Point of Care diagnostic test for Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), a potential biomarker for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The test is a one-step quantitative immunochr... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Healthcare’s Most Advanced Upright Refrigerators and Freezers Follett LLC, an industry leader in medical-grade refrigerators and freezers, announces the release of an enhanced feature set in all of its upright refrigerators and freezers. The new touchscreen control package puts every essential feature at your ... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting 5-Part Auto Hematology Analyzer-KT-6610 KT-6610 is an innovative, economic, compact hematology analyzer using advanced tri-angle laser scattering, flow cytometry technology to deliver cost-efficient 5-part white blood cell differential results. It is a perfect solution for small labs and c... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting 3-Part Auto Hematology Analyzer-KT-6400 KT-6400 is an innovative hematology analyzer with a large touch screen, built-in thermal printer and huge storage capacity. It is a diagnostic system combined with reliable hardware and intuitive software, which is a perfect solution for small labs ... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Electrolyte Analyze-GE300 GE300 is an easy-to-use, color touch screen electrolyte analyzer with throughput of 60 samples per hour based on ISE method. Auto calibration, sampling, cleaning to assure accurate results. Maintenance-free and long life electrode is another competit... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Auto Chemistry Analyzer-GS200 GS200 is a multi-functional benchtop clinical chemistry analyzer with a throughput up to 150 T/H. It features 24-hour non-stop cooling, stable heating for reaction, bilateral LIS etc., it is a compact chemistry solution for small laboratories and a b... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Specific Protein Analyzer-PA54 PA54 is a semi-auto analyzer for quantitative determination of specific proteins in blood, urine samples, including HbA1c, HS-CRP, CRP, ASO, CYS-C, RF, mALB, D-Dimer, IgM, IgG, IgA, C3, C4, etc. It's an ideal instrument designed for medium or small ... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Imegen, a Top Spanish Company for Genetic Analysis and Molecular Diagnostics Services and Kits Imegen is a top Spanish Company for genetic analysis and molecular diagnostics services and kits. We offer A to Z flexible services and products including Sequencing, Arrays, MLPA, Real-time PCR, Digital PCR, NIPT, etc. Our internally developed seque... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting New Flow-Tight Liquid Transfer Pump with Linear Drive KNF introduces the new solenoid-driven FL 10 diaphragm pump for OEM customers. With a nominal liquid flow rate of 100 mL/min, FL 10 features bi-directional flow-tightness without additional check valves, IP 65 protection, simple linear flow rate adju... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting New Ultra-Small, Portable Device Pump Introducing new KNF NMP 03 micro gas pump—starting at a lightweight 11g and measuring just 12.9 mm wide and 24.2 mm in length—this diminutive pump delivers very consistent, linear transfer from a few milliLiters to 500 mL/min. – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting LGC Maine Standards Announces Release of VALIDATE® IBC Linearity and Calibration Verification Test Kit LGC Maine Standards1 announces the release of VALIDATE® IBC linearity and calibration verification kit. The VALIDATE® IBC kit, in a human serum matrix, evaluates Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) and Unsaturated Iron Binding Capacity (UIBC). Eac... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Path-Tec: SpectraPath Brings Laboratories into the Future A pain point many clinical labs will have to tackle in increasing priority over the next few years is cost reduction. As healthcare continues its transition from fee-for-service payments to value-based payments, facilities are anticipating a consider... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Next Generation of Enzymes for Gene Amplification & Sequencing In 2016 the team at Pharmozyme made a break through. Developing a proprietary platform, gene amplification enzymes were re-envisioned for the next generation of amplification and sequencing technologies. Taq Polymerase, a major player in biotechnolog... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Information of Products Proteometech focus on Innovative technology and Novel bio-products. All of our products, Allergy-Q, ImmuneCheck IgG and TriCheck, are world-first products and are being reputed a great success in Korea and the exporting countries. – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Quest Diagnostics 50th Anniversary: Celebrating a Half Century of Life-Changing Results Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, commemorated its 50-year anniversary by awarding $150,000 in total grants to three organizations that share its goal to improve healthcare: The American R... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Quest Diagnostics Named One of 2017 "World's Most Admired Companies" by Fortune Magazine Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that it has been named one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" for 2017 by Fortune. – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Quest Diagnostics: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Partners with Physicians to Close Costly Gaps in Care Harvard Pilgrim Health Care now offers physicians Data Diagnostics®, a point-of-care health analytics technology from Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) and Inovalon (NASDAQ: INOV) that is designed to help close costly gaps in care and improve health out... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting IBM and Quest Diagnostics Launch Watson-Powered Genomic Sequencing Service to Help Physicians Bring Precision Cancer Treatments to Patients Nationwide IBM Watson Health (NYSE: IBM) and Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) today announced the launch of IBM Watson Genomics from Quest Diagnostics, a new service that helps advance precision medicine by combining cognitive computing with genomic tumor sequenci... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Faculty Receives Funding for Pediatric Cancer Research Alex Huang has been awarded a $150,000 St. Baldrick’s Foundation Innovation Award. – Case Western Reserve University FDA Clears Roche High-Volume Immunoassay Lab Testing Solution to Support Critical Medical Treatment Decisions Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that its new, dedicated high-volume testing immunoassay solution for the cobas 8000 modular analyzer series, the cobas e 801 module, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administ... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Breakthrough Development for Americans with Suspected Heart Attack – Next Generation Troponin T Test From Roche Cleared by FDA Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that it has received the 510(k) clearance for its Elecsys Troponin T Gen 5 STAT (TnT Gen 5 STAT) blood test for patients with a suspected heart attack. With this clearance, Roche is the first IVD company ... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Roche Receives ClLIA Waiver for Cobas® Influenza A/B & RSV Test for the Cobas® Liat® ... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Roche Launches Cobas® C 513 Analyzer and HbA1c Gen. 3 Assay to Meet Increasing Demand for Testing of People with Diabetes Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that its new dedicated, high-throughput HbA1c testing solution, the cobas c 513 analyzer, and HbA1c Gen. 3 assay has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting High-Speed Closed Tube Sorter HCTS2000 MK2 The Sarstedt HCTS2000 MK2 accessions and sorts closed primary sample tubes rapidly and accurately to 7 user-defined target bins. Optional extension modules add 5 bins each for up to 22 targets. The instrument can process up to 2000 tubes per hour, ... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Microvette® Capillary Blood Collection Systems Sarstedt’s Microvette® capillary blood collection systems accommodate volumes of 100µl to 500µl with a choice of two collection techniques. – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Minivette® POCT Sarstedt Minivette® POCT devices are designed for the precise and hygienic collection, transfer, and subsequent dispensing of small capillary blood samples for point-of-care tests. Blood is easily collected via capillary action into the collection... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting PVS 1625 Lab Automation System The Sarstedt PVS 1625 is a comprehensive, modular laboratory automation system for pre- and post-analytical processing. Independent from an analytical platform, the PVS 1625 is customized per facility needs for any size lab and every need. Modules ar... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting S-Monovette® Blood Collection System The Sarstedt S-Monovette® is an innovative, enclosed multiple-sampling blood collection system. Recent studies conclude that the system may be used to significantly reduce hemolysis in blood samples due to shear stress associated with traditional va... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Singulex Expands Collaboration with European Clinical Laboratories to Demonstrate Applications and Opportunity of Sgx ClarityTM System Singulex, Inc., the creator of Single Molecule Counting immunodiagnostic technology, is expanding clinical evaluation of the Sgx ClarityTM system at clinical research sites across Europe. With multiple clinical research studies currently underway at... – 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Press Program 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting Back to Basics: Chiropractors Offer Evidence-Based Care for Back Pain The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and chiropractors nationwide will observe National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) this October by sharing information on back pain prevention and the value of a conservative approach to treatment with the... – American Chiropractic Association Ben Taub Hospital’s Beacon Award is among Three in U.S., Canada Harris Health System’s Ben Taub Hospital joins two other hospitals in the U.S. and Canada to win a Beacon Award of Excellence for its Labor and Delivery Unit from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. – Harris Health System Science News Three Species of Tiny Frogs Discovered in Peruvian Andes A University of Michigan ecologist and his colleagues have discovered three more frog species in the Peruvian Andes, raising to five the total number of new frog species the group has found in a remote protected forest since 2012. – University of Michigan Embargo expired on 27-Jul-2017 at 19:00 ET Physics Researchers Eye Experimental Box as Key to Tracking Nuclear Activity by Rogue Nations Researchers at the Virginia Tech College of Science are carrying out a research project at Dominion Power’s North Anna Nuclear Generating Station in Virginia that could lead to a new turning point in how the United Nations tracks rogue nations that... – Virginia Tech Embargo expired on 28-Jul-2017 at 07:00 ET A New Picture Emerges on the Origins of Photosynthesis in a Sun-Loving Bacteria A research group led by Raimund Fromme has gained important new insights by resolving with near-atomic clarity, the very first core membrane protein structure in the simplest known photosynthetic bacterium, called Heliobacterium modesticaldum (Helios... – Arizona State University (ASU) Science; U.S. Department of Energy, DE- SC0010575 Analysis of Animal Teeth Suggests Neolithic Cattle Grazed at Home and Away An international team of researchers has shown in unprecedented detail that prehistoric farmers took their animals away from permanent settlements to graze in more fertile areas – probably because of high demand for land locally. – University of Southampton PLOS ONE WashU Biomedical Engineer Combines Data, Algorithms to Understand HER2 Breast Cancer Gene In American women, breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death. Using data, algorithms and lab experimentation, a biomedical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis is studying breast cancer at t... – Washington University in St. Louis Integrative Biology Effects of a Major Drug Target Regulated Through Molecular “Codes” The findings, published today in Cell, reveal for the first time components of a G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) named rhodopsin bound to a signaling molecule called arrestin, both crucial pieces of the body’s intricate cellular communication n... – Van Andel Research Institute New Method Promises Easier Nanoscale Manufacturing Scientists at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a new way to precisely pattern nanomaterials that could open a new path to the next generation of everyday electronic devices. – University of Chicago DO: 10.1126/science.aan2958

WORLD NEWS

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Charlie Gard dies in hospice care

Charlie Gard, the terminally ill 11-month-old at the center of a high-profile court case, has died in hospice care, his parents announced Friday.

Venezuela imposes ban on demonstrations as election nears

July 28 (UPI) -- The Venezuelan government on Friday ordered a ban on demonstrations, amid a two-day strike against proposed constitutional reforms.

North Korea test-fires ballistic missile, officials say

July 28 (UPI) -- North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile into the East Sea late Friday, South Korea's military said.

North Korean hackers shift focus to stealing money, not secrets

July 28 (UPI) -- North Korean hackers are increasingly targeting vulnerable foreign financial institutions, seeking to convert their Internet espionage efforts into a cash cow.

Russia orders out U.S. diplomatic staff, may seize properties

July 28 (UPI) -- Russia ordered a reduction in U.S. diplomatic staff in Moscow and other cities Friday, and may seize U.S. properties in response to new sanctions from Congress.

Dozens hurt in train crash at Barcelona station

July 28 (UPI) -- More than 50 people were injured Friday when a commuter train crashed while entering Barcelona, Spain's, Francia railway station, officials said.

Pakistan PM Sharif resigns after court disqualifies him from office

July 28 (UPI) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigned Friday after the country's Supreme Court disqualified him from office over corruption issues.

Porsche pulls 22,000 vehicles for cheating emissions standards

July 28 (UPI) -- The German government ordered 22,000 Porsche Cayenne sport-utility vehicles be pulled after the automaker was implicated in a diesel-cheating scandal.

British Museum reports loss of $1M Cartier diamond ring

July 27 (UPI) -- The British Museum announced this week it lost a Cartier diamond ring worth nearly $1 million in 2011, but never made a public effort to find it.

ENERGY NEWS-Slow start for oil prices after U.S. GDP report

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Slow start for oil prices after U.S. GDP report

July 28 (UPI) -- A mixed report on U.S. GDP and stable incomes reported in the European economy gave only modest support for rallying crude oil prices in early Friday trading.

Alaska energy threat a new low, House leader says

July 28 (UPI) -- The Trump administration walked an ethical line by using a "bag man" to threaten Alaska's energy over a healthcare vote, a leader in the U.S. House said.

Drilling set to begin in British shale

July 28 (UPI) -- With its drilling rig on site, a British shale gas explorer said it expects to address offshore production declines with onshore operations by year's end.

Statoil starts new production after strong second quarter report

July 28 (UPI) -- Production started at a field in the Norwegian waters of the North Sea that holds an estimated 11 million barrels of oil equivalent, Statoil announced.

U.S. wind power momentum up 40 percent from last year

July 28 (UPI) -- About half of the population in the state of Kansas could now be drawing energy from wind power as the U.S. sector gains momentum, an industry report showed.

Russia drafts agreement to tap Iranian oil fields

July 28 (UPI) -- An agreement with an Iranian engineering services company expressed mutual interest in working in the oil fields of Iran, a Russian energy company said.

Venezuelan oil sanctions carry risks for U.S. economy

July 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department is ready with tougher sanctions on Venezuela, including crude oil restrictions, but may hold back, an industry report read.

Maasai women bring clean energy to rural villages in Kenya, Tanzania

July 27 (UPI) -- Solar power and clean-burning stoves are saving lives and changing fortunes in the Maasai lands between Kenya and Tanzania.

Russia seizes American property in Moscow and cuts US diplomatic staff in retaliation to fresh sanctions

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Russia has ordered America to cut the number of diplomatic staff it has in the country and has seized a dacha compound and warehouse used by US officials in retaliation for new sanctions against Moscow.

Embassy staff must leave the country by 1 September, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, in a move triggered by the US Senate’s near unanimous vote to slap new sanctions on Russia, further hurting its fragile economy.

The move puts Donald Trump in a tough position by forcing him to take a hard line on Moscow or block the legislation and anger his own Republican Party.

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US senators vote overwhelmingly for new sanctions on Russia

Russia’s Foreign Ministry also accused Washington of “extreme aggression in international affairs”.

The US embassy's recreational retreat on the outskirts of Moscow will be closed as well as warehouse facilities.

The number of American diplomats will fall to 455 under the plan, the Foreign Ministry added. It was not immediately clear how many US diplomats now serve in Russia.

Relations between Russia and the United States dropped to a post-Cold War low following Russia's annexation of Crimea and interference in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Reports of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election have dampened hopes for better ties that the Kremlin pinned on Mr Trump's presidency. 

Russian policemen stand guard in front of the US Embassy in Moscow (Getty)

The new package of sanctions aims to hit Vladimir Putin and his inner circle by targeting alleged corrupt officials, human rights abusers and crucial sectors of the Russian economy, including weapons sales and energy exports. 

The bill underwent revisions to address concerns voiced by American oil and natural gas companies that sanctions specific to Russia's energy sector could backfire on them.

Russia's Foreign Ministry dismissed the new sanctions as "creating unfair competitive advantages for the US economy”.

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White House sanctions Russia over election hacking

"This kind of blackmail aimed at restricting the cooperation between Russia and other nations is a threat for many countries and global businesses," the statement said. 

Russia's response mirrors moves by outgoing President Barack Obama last December to expel 35 Russian diplomats and shut down two Russian estates in the US. 

Moscow said it would cut the US diplomatic corps even further if the U.S. decides to expel more Russian diplomats. 

The Kremlin had previously said that it would not impose any sanctions on the US until Mr Trump signs the bill. 

On Thursday the senate backed the sanctions bill, which also imposes sanctions on Iran and North Korea, by a margin of 98-2 with strong support from Mr Trump's fellow Republicans as well as Democrats.

It will now be sent to the White House for Mr Trump to sign into law or veto.

Additional reporting agencies 

Bangladesh to decide site of South Asia's largest int'l airport

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DHAKA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government will soon decide on the three selected sites for the construction of a new mega international airport on the outskirts of capital Dhaka.

A foreign consulting firm is working on the site selection.

A 1.2-billion-taka deal was signed with a Japanese firm in September last year to conduct feasibility studies, selecting site and making a master plan for the airport in the name of Bangladesh's founding father Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also father of incumbent Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina.

"We'll make a decision on the site location soon as feasibility studies for selecting the site to construct the Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Airport will be completed this month," Bangladeshi Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told journalists on Wednesday.

No further details were available about the project which is still under planning stage.

The Bangladeshi government had selected three possible sites, two of which are in districts close to Dhaka and the other inside Dhaka district.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal had earlier said the government would construct the new airport, which is to be the largest in South Asia, on the west bank of Padma River where wide-bodied aircraft equivalent to Airbus A380 could land and take off.

"We're keen to construct the airport so that it can function as one of the key airports of the South Asia region," he said.

Bangladesh has been making many mega infrastructure projects centering the largest Padma bridge. The 25-meter-wide and 10-km-long bridge is being built over Padma River, one of the three major rivers in Bangladesh.

China's Fuxing bullet trains to restore 350 kmh speed

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BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China started tests Thursday to restore the maximum speed of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed bullet train to 350 kilometers per hour, six years after it was reduced to 300.

Departing Beijing South Railway Station at 8:38 a.m., a Fuxing bullet train completed the round-trip from Beijing to Xuzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province, about 700 kilometers away, in about four hours.

The speed hike will cut the Beijing-Shanghai journey to about 4.5 hours, about half an hour faster than the current minimum.

The test will pave way for a new schedule on the Beijing-Shanghai railway starting mid-September.

Connecting the Chinese capital with its major financial and trade hub, the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway is one of the busiest in the country, carrying over 100 million passengers a year.

The test on Thursday showed that energy consumption on the Fuxing decreased to 10 percent less than on the Hexie train (CRH380) when running at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

"The Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway is built to the highest standard in the world, while the Fuxing is designed and manufactured with an operating speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It is out of question for Fuxing to run on the Beijing-Shanghai line at such a speed from the point of view of technical safety, reliability and comfort," said Lu Dongfu, general manager of China Railway Corporation.

China started to run its first 350-kmh high speed train between Beijing and Tianjin in Aug. 2008 and opened at least three more such high speed lines nationwide in the following years, until the authorities ordered speeds to be cut to between 250-300kmh in 2011.

China's Fuxing bullet trains were unveiled in June and are capable of top speeds of 400 kmh.

"The Fuxing was designed and manufactured in China, led by the China Railway Corporation. We hold the complete intellectual property rights of the new bullet trains -- electric multiple units (EMU) -- which have reached the world's advanced level," said He Huawu of the China Academy of Engineering.

The new EMU has completed 600,000 kilometers of running assessment and increased the design life to 30 years from 20, according to He.

The Fuxing has a monitoring system that slows the train in case of emergency or abnormal conditions. Telemetry allows a control center to monitor the train in real time.

The Fuxing, meaning rejuvenation, is a substantial upgrade on the Hexie, which means harmony. The Fuxing is more spacious and energy-efficient, with a longer life expectancy and better reliability.

There will be a process for China to consider whether to speed up its whole high-speed network, though such a move may pose a challenge to railway management, He said, adding that the financial and social benefits must be considered.

Take the Fuxing as an example, energy consumption would increase 20-30 percent if the train improved its speed from 300kmh to 350, according to Du Yanliang of the China Academy of Engineering.

However, the speed hike will improve social benefits, as it will help ease ticket shortages on the busy Beijing-Shanghai line and save time for passengers.

China will open seven Fuxing trains in either direction of the Beijing-Shanghai line in its initial stage. The ticket price will not change.

The authorities will gradually increase the number of the new bullet train and adjust ticket prices in future, He said.

China has the world's longest high-speed rail network, 22,000 kilometers at the end of last year, or about 60 percent of the world's total.

About one-third of China's high-speed railways were designed to run at a speed of 350 kmh, according to He.

Several countries, including Indonesia, Russia and India, have bought Chinese bullet trains.