Mysterious kidney disease killing thousands of laborers in Central America

In Central America's sugarcane field, more and more workers are coming down with a disease that shuts down their kidneys. Researchers are struggling for a cause. Chemicals on the fields? Heat? Overwork? No one knows, but it's a leading cause of death for men in El Salvador and Nicaragua. A mysterious epidemic is sweeping Central America its the second biggest cause of death among men in El Salvador, and in Nicaragua its a bigger killer of men than HIV and diabetes combined. Its unexplained but the latest theory is that the victims are literally working themselves to death. In the western lowlands of Nicaragua, in a region of vast sugarcane fields, sits the tiny community of La Isla. The small houses are a patchwork of concrete and wood. Pieces of cloth serve as doors. Maudiel Martinez emerges from his house. Hes pale, and his cheekbones protrude from his face. He hunches over like an old man but he is only 19-years-old. The way this sickness is you see me now, but in a month I could be gone. It can take you down all of a sudden, he said. Maudiels kidneys are failing. They do not perform the essential function of filtering waste from his body; hes being poisoned from the inside. When he got ill two years ago, he was already familiar with this disease and how it might end. I thought about my father and grandfather, he said. Both died of the same condition. Three of his brothers have it too. All of them worked in the sugarcane fields. The epidemic extends far beyond Nicaragua. Its prevalent along the Pacific coast of Central America across six countries. It is important that the chronic kidney disease (CKD) afflicting thousands of rural workers in Central America be recognized as what it is a major epidemic with a tremendous population impact, said Victor Penchaszadeh, a clinical epidemiologist at Columbia University in the US. He is also a consultant to the Pan-American Health Organization on chronic diseases in Latin America.

El Salvadors health minister recently asked the international community for help. She said the epidemic is wasting away our populations. At a health clinic in El Salvador, in the farming region of Bajo Lempa, Dr. Carlos Orantes recently found that a quarter of the men in his area suffered from chronic kidney disease. Whats more, he said, most of the men who are ill show no signs of high blood pressure or diabetes the most common causes of CKD elsewhere in the world. Most of the men we studied have CKD from unknown causes, he says. What the men in the area have in common is they all work in farming. So Dr. Orantes thinks a major cause of their kidney damage is the toxic chemicals pesticides and herbicides that are routinely used here in agriculture. These chemicals are banned in the United States, Europe and Canada, and theyre used here, without any protection, and in large amounts that are very concerning, he said. But hes not ready to rule out other possible causes. For instance, the overuse of painkillers can damage the kidneys, and so can drinking too much alcohol. Both are major problems here, too. In Nicaragua, the disease has become a political issue. In 2006, the World Bank gave a loan to Nicaraguas largest sugar company to build an ethanol plant. Plantation workers filed a complaint, saying the companys working conditions and use of chemicals were fueling the epidemic. They said the loan violated the banks own standards on company's worker safety and environmental practices. In response, the bank agreed to fund a study to try to identify the cause of the epidemic. The evidence points us most strongly to a hypothesis that heat stress might be a cause of this disease, said Daniel Brooks of Boston University, who is leading the research. His team has found its not just sugarcane workers who are falling ill. Miners and port workers also suffer high rates of kidney disease, yet theyre not exposed to farm chemicals. What these men have in common, he said, is they all work long hours in extreme heat. Day after day of hard manual labor in hot conditions without sufficient replacement of fluids could lead to effects on the kidney that are not obvious at first but over time accumulate to the point that it enters into a diseased state, Brooks said. This has never been so far shown to cause chronic

kidney disease, so we would be talking about a new mechanism that has not so far been described in the scientific literature. But Brooks said a new preliminary study bolsters this hypothesis. His team tested blood and urine from sugarcane workers who perform different jobs. The scientists found more evidence of kidney damage in the workers who have more strenuous, outside jobs. Professor Aurora Aragon of Nicaraguas National University in Leon said this explanation makes sense. Shes long suspected that part of the problem is the way sugarcane workers are paid receiving more money the more sugarcane they cut. This way of working forces people to do more than they are able to do, and this is not good for their health, she said. Jose Donald Cortez has cut sugarcane for 18 years. He has kidney disease and heads an organization of sugarcane workers in Nicaragua who are ill Working in the field made us feel dizzy and nauseous, he said. We often had fevers. Hes convinced that something on the sugar plantations is causing the sickness. Whatever it is, he said, those who are ill need treatment with dialysis which can keep them alive when their kidneys fail. But few can get it because dialysis is extremely expensive and rarely available. If you ask the ministry of health they say they dont have the money. If you ask the sugar company if they are responsible, they say no, he said. For their part, the sugarcane companies say theyre not convinced that farm chemicals or working conditions on their plantations are to blame for the epidemic. Still, they say, they are trying to protect their workers health. One conglomerate that owns several sugar plantations in Central America the Pellas Group said its started giving workers an hour-long lunch break and now employs staff to make sure the men drink water. The company also routinely tests its workers kidney function. Company spokesman Ariel Granera said if a worker is found to have kidney disease, he is let go out of concern, Granera said, for the workers well-being.

But the sick workers who have been dismissed say what they receive from the companies and from social security isnt enough to live on and when they lose their jobs, they lose the right to be treated at company clinics. In La Isla, and many other villages like it, the men often seek new employment with contractors who do not check for kidney disease yet send the men to work in the same sugarcane fields. There is no alternative, said one woman who recently lost her father. No other way to support a family.

FDA, at the behest of HHS, denies permission to sell Plan B in front of the counter
The FDA had been making plans to allow TEVA Pharmaceuticals to sell its Plan B contraceptive in front of the pharmacy counter to women of any age. But Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius intervened at the last minute to prevent it.

Kathleen Sebelius, the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, has overruled the Food and Drug Administration and will not allow women younger than 17 to receive emergency contraceptive without a prescription. Plan B, as the pill is known, had originally only been available via prescription. A few years ago, it became available over-the-counter to people 17 and older. The FDA was moving to make it available on shelves of pharmacies, rather than from pharmacists, and available to people of any age. But Sebelius intervened at the last minute to reverse the FDA's plan. "I reviewed and thoughtfully considered the data, clinical information, and analysis provided by (The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research), and I agree with the Center that there is adequate and reasonable, well-supported, and science-based evidence that Plan B One-Step is safe and effective and should be approved for nonprescription use for all females of child-bearing potential," FDA Administrator Margaret A. Hamburg said in a statement. Sebelius said she acted because she was not confident in the data used by the center to determine the drug's safety for women of all ages.

"The label comprehension and actual use studies did not contain data for all ages for which this product would be available for use," Sebelius said in a statement. "I have concluded that the data, submitted by Teva, do not conclusively establish that Plan B One-Step should be made available over the counter for all girls of reproductive age." Many doctors, women's health advocates and even members of Congress were surprised by the decision. As was TEVA, the drug manufacturer. "We commend the FDA for making the recommendation ... and we are disappointed that at this late date, the Department of Health and Human Services has come to a different conclusion," said a statement Teva issued Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Others cried politics. "We are outraged that this administration has let politics trump science," Kirsten Moore of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project said to the AP. "There is no rationale for this move."

In Colombia, tower racing's stars run for World Cup

In nearly 40 years, tower racing has gone from a nice idea to a sport that draws thousands of people. But, perhaps, could it be a ticket to the best, safest form of exercise in an increasingly urban environment.

Some 5,000 racers are running to the top of the Colpatria tower in Bogota, site of this year's tower running World Cup. That means climbing 48 floors, 980 steps. Most will make it to the top in 10 to 15 minutes. The elite athletes, competing for the World Cup, go last. They run the course in about half that time. Tower running, the sport of sprinting up the stairs of skyscrapers, may sound monotonous and a bit claustrophobic, but it just may be a sport for our times. In an increasingly urban world, running up stairwells is one way to get exercise while avoiding traffic jams, street crime and severe weather. Though short, the races are pure torture.

For a lot of us elite climbers, its under the theory that if youre not collapsing when you get to the top then you didnt push yourself hard enough, said Kristin Frey, whos from suburban Chicago. Frey is No. 2 in the world among women tower runners. Still, she has to pay her own way to races because she cant find a sponsor. A lot of companies are like: Stairclimbing? You know, we dont want to sponsor stairclimbing. Because they dont know much about it, Frey said. They think it doesnt really have a big audience. But some of the races get thousands of participants. But so far no ones biting. The first modern tower race was at the Empire State Building back in 1978. Since then, the sport has spread across the globe. Michael Reichetzeder, an Austrian tower runner who organized the sports World Cup, said there are certain tricks to winning, like using the railings to pull yourself up the stairs. Some athletes can make very good use of it. There are people even who spend hours before in the stairwell measuring out the steps to find the exact way to use the railing. Because if you do it right you can save a lot of energy, Reichetzeder said. The Colpatria tower is only half as high as the Empire State Building, which stretches up 102 floors. But Bogotas building is especially tough due to the altitude; the city sits 8,600 feet high in the Andes Mountains. Obviously, altitude is a factor that helps Colombian runners and hurts the foreigners, said Juan Pablo Rangel, a Colombian whos won the Colpatria tower race twice. And sure enough, when the elite runners start up the tower, the locals dominate. Angela Figueroa of Colombia wins the womens division, clocking in at 6:32, about 45 seconds ahead of American Frey. At the finish line, several runners collapsed into the arms of first aid workers, panting heavily. Rangel won the mens race for the third time and set a new course record: 4:42. Reichetzeder, the race organizer, struggled in several minutes later. He said just finishing is a victory. I couldnt do one extra step. I felt the altitude completely, he said, trying to catch his breath. So hard. But I did it.

Government report urges changes to U.S. policies on human subject research

Commission finds that while improvements are needed, there's every reason to believe that experiments that were conducted in Guatemala in the 1940s can never happen again.

In the late 1940s, a team of American researchers conducted a disturbing experiment in Central America. They deliberately infected 1,300 Guatemalans prisoners, sex workers, and soldiers with sexually transmitted diseases. Only 700 of them received treatment. The subjects in the study did not give their consent. In fact, they didnt even know they were being infected. When the study came to light last year, President Barack Obama apologized on behalf of the United States. He also asked a Presidential Commission to investigate if safeguards are in place now to make sure nothing like that could happen again. On Thursday the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues released its findings. It was bad science, and it was bad ethics, said Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania and chair of the commission. The commission is confident that what happened in Guatemala in the 1940s could not happen today. Gutmann said today there are measures in place to protect human subjects from unethical treatment. For example, volunteers must give informed consent, and institutional review boards oversee projects. But the commission couldnt tell how well these rules were followed in every study. Gutmann said, when it comes to federally funded research, there needs to be more transparency and accountability. When the bioethics commission asked the government to submit information on studies it had funded last year, some departments struggled. The Pentagon for example required more than seven months to prepare information on specific studies supported by the Department of Defense, says Gutmann. They did not have a central database to which they could refer, and they told us that it was very difficult for them to gather all the information that we requested.

In its new report, the presidential commission recommended the government create a website with information about the human studies it funds. Another issue raised in the report is what to do when volunteers are injured or otherwise harmed in the course of research. Larry Gostin, a bioethicist at Georgetown University who was not on the commission, said compensation is a real issue. You have to remember that human subject research is just that its a medical experiment, he said. The commission recommended the federal government develop a clear policy to compensate participants who are harmed. Gostin supports that recommendation. He said most developed countries have such policies. The United States is behind the curve on compensation, he said. The Guatemalan citizens who were experimented on never received compensation. Five of those Guatemalans who are still alive are suing the U.S. government. Their lawyer, Terry Collingsworth, said before filing the lawsuit in March he reached out to the government and asked for compensation for his clients. He said he has yet to receive a response. The presidential commission did not address the issue of whether the Guatemalans who were experimented on in the 1940s should be compensated. ----------------------------------------------------------

Tantalizing indications, but no proof, of existence of Higgs boson -- 'God particle'

Scientists and Switzerland have come close to proving the existence of the Higgs boson, but so far they don't have the evidence they need to make a conclusive finding. The so-called 'God particle' is expected to be a key in understanding the presence of mass in the universe.

The search for the elusive Higgs boson particle, also known as the God particle, continues.

Despite hints and indications, scientists on Tuesday at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, announced that the elusive particle had not been conclusively found. Scientists have long sought this particular sub-atomic particle, which is believed to be the key to understanding why there is mass in the universe. According to the New York Times, it will likely be sometime in 2012 before scientists can conclude that the boson actually, conclusively, exists. We cannot conclude anything at this stage, Fabiola Gianotti, the Atlas spokeswoman, said to the Times. Given the outstanding performance of the L.H.C. this year, we will not need to wait long for enough data and can look forward to resolving this puzzle in 2012. Hundreds of scientists around the world gathered to hear CERN scientists announce their findings. Rumors had circulated on the Internet that a major breakthrough had been made. Two separate experiments at the LHC - Atlas and CMS - have been conducting independent searches for the Higgs. According to the BBC, what the researchers have found is a strong indication that the boson exists. Previous research has indicated the particle probably weighs about 125 million electron volts. "The excess is most compatible with a Standard Model Higgs in the vicinity of 124 GeV and below, but the statistical significance is not large enough to say anything conclusive, Guido Tonelli, spokesperson for the CMS experiment, said to the BBC. A gigaelectronvolts, or GeV, is equal to one million electron volts.

Studies link pollution to lower IQs, increased Alzheimer's risk

Several new studies in recent months have added new complications that can be linked to over-exposure to pollution from automobile traffic.

Tiny carbon particles commonly found in car and truck exhaust have long been suspected of playing a role in heart disease, cancer, and respiratory illnesses. But an increasing number of studies are linking vehicle exhaust to other serious health problems.

Studies in New York, Beijing, Boston, and Krakow, Poland show that children in high traffic areas perform worse on intelligence tests and have more emotional problems than children who breath cleaner air. In a California study, children born to mothers living within 1,000 feet of a major road were twice as likely to have autism. A long-term Columbia University study found that the air pregnant women breathed could leave a bio-chemical mark on their babies DNA. Babies with the highest pre-natal exposure had higher rates of physical and emotional problems as they grew up. Another study linked exposure to traffic pollutants with increased risk of Alzheimer's and faster progression of Parkinson's disease. "There are a number of laboratories across the United States that have been examining the effects of these on the elderly, where they appear to cause emotional problems, cognition problems, learning and memories problems," said Wall Street Journal science correspondent Robert Lee Hotz. "These cognitive effects added five years to a person's mental age." Hotz said in many cases, traffic congestion could be addressed easily, helping decrease health problems. For instance, in New Jersey, premature births to women living near highway toll passes decreased almost 11 percent after the introduction of the E-Z Pass system, which reduced congestion and fumes. Hotz also said New York Citys Times Square is an example of how small changes can impact pollution levels. By simply changing the pattern of streets, reducing the traffic so there were fewer traffic jams, the general air pollution levels there dropped 63 percent, Holtz said.

SETI scientist says humans will discover extraterrestrial life within 20 years
As NASA launches a mission to Mars, scientists are saying we could be within 20 years of finding life outside of our planet. It may come from a mission just like this one.

Story from Here & Now. Listen to the above audio for a complete report.

A scientist at the SETI Institute in California says in the next two decades, we will discover life outside of our world. Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at SETI, the Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence, said that in the next two decades, some form of life would be discovered in one of three ways: on a nearby celestial body, like Mars, with our own spacecraft; via powerful instruments that can determine if a far-away planet has an atmosphere made of oxygen, which would strongly suggest the presence of life; or via SETI, which looks for radio waves from far away worlds. Most astronomers agree with him. And now, with a mission to Mars slated to launch later this month, that clock may be ticking. Most likely, in the near-term, we'll find some basic form of life, but in the not too distant future, Shoshtak said SETI will find some form of life that can be classified as "highly intelligent." "Whether they have arms or legs, everything else is secondary. What is important is that they are smart enough to get in touch," he said. Shoshtak said the major importance behind this is philosophical it changes our point of view of life on our own planet and what it means for us. "If you find it in one other place, it's likely to be all over the place," he said.

Alzheimer's research funding difficult to come by

Despite its position as a leading cause of death and debilitating disease afflicting many Americans, funding for research on Alzheimer's is sparse. Critics say that's hurting efforts to find a cure. Alzheimers is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. More Americans each year die from Alzheimer's than breast or prostate cancer combined. And yet, in 2011, the National Institutes of Health spent more than $6 billion on cancer research, but less than $480 million on Alzheimers research. The NIH spends $3 billion a year on AIDS research though it affects only 20 percent as many Americans. U.S Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., has become a crusader for Alzheimer's research funding since his mother, Christina, developed Alzheimer's in the 1980s. He sponsored the National Alzheimer's Project Act in the U.S. House, and is fighting to direct more funding to it.

Christina Markey died in 1998 after living with the disease for 13 years. "Alzheimer's is a disease which clearly has been under-funded," Markey said. That's because, at least in part, Markey says, Alzheimer's sufferers and their caregivers can't get to Washington to plead their case. "That's different from other diseases where the victims themselves can the lead the marches," he said. Another problem for generating research funding for Alzheimer's is the stigma that goes along with it. Because Alzheimer's is a disease of the mind, many people are reluctant to talk about it or even admit they or a loved on are suffering. There's also a perception that diseases that afflict the young are more worthy of attention. Though it's becoming more clear that Alzheimer's can afflict the younger as well. High profile Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summitt recently admitted that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Henry McCance dealt personally with the lack of research on Alzheimer's. When his wife was diagnosed, doctors suggested he giver her three Advil a day, or perhaps try the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor. "When I learned the magnitude of the disease and the length of time the disease has been known, and then the weakness of the response the medical community can offer families in my position, I was shocked, frankly," he said. McCance, however, is in a unique position to help. He's a former head of a venture capital fund and in 2004 he partnered with two other families to create a fund for finding a cure for Alzheimer's. It uses the venture capital model McCance knows so well to identify and fund top researchers. "We are not afraid to fail. And we know if we do fail, the learning we gain from that will be valuable as well," he said. The fund spent $3 million in 2010 on 15 projects. Now he wants the government to step up and do its part as well. Markey said the United States is already spending a fortune on treating those with Alzheimer's, and it's short-sighted to not look for treatments to cut those expenses. Medicare and Medicaid spent $130 billion caring for those with Alzheimer's last year.

"That number will balloon to $500 or $600 billion by the time all the baby boomers have retired," he said. "The strongest argument, beyond the humanitarian argument, is that the budget cannot be balanced in the years ahead if this kind of a drain is placed upon it." Alzheimer's advocates say the lack of federal funding is limiting research. Tim Armor, president of the Cure Alzheimer's Fund, said the disease could be cured, if only the resources were in place. "The science is moving much faster than the resources. If we had the money, the science would be able to move much faster toward ameliorating this condition," Armor said.

'Santa's neighbors' make a home out of one of the most remote places on earth
Amidst the arctic foxes and caribou, a small Canadian military outpost, CFS Alert, is the permanent home of about 70 people. Living there year round, it's the permanent community closest to the North Pole. If you think it's cold and snowy where you are today, don't talk to Canadian Forces Major Andre Delhommou. Delhommou is stationed at CFS Alert, the northernmost year-round residence in the world. Alert is on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island across the frozen Lincoln Sea you can see Greenland. "It's not too bad today," Delhommou said. On Wednesday, it was pitch black, and the temperature was -18 degrees Celsius, or about -1 Fahrenheit. In fact, it will remain pitch black until March. The sun set on Oct. 14. Come summer, the place will have daylight year round. "You can't see the surrounding areas, but the stars are absolutely spectacular when it's clear," Delhommou said. Alert is about 500 miles from the magnetic North Pole. In fact, the crew stationed there call themselves "Santa's closest neighbors." Comparatively, it's about 2600 miles from the capital of Canada Ottawa. It's the place on Earth closest to the pole that's actually land. Everything further north is merely ice sheets. "Our closest neighbors are about 500 kilometers south of us," Delhommou said. About 70 people call the station home, supporting the military base.

Musk Ox, caribou, arctic foxes and arctic wolves all call the area home as well. Occasionally, a polar bear will wander through as well. Delhommou said sports and recreation equipment are used quite a bit at the station, to ward off getting cabin fever. "We're going to have our own hockey tournament for a few days," he said. "We play cards in the evening, watch movies, we definitely keep busy."

In the island nation of the Maldives, China and India trying to assert themselves
China and India are trying to establish a measure of control over the Indian Ocean and a small island nation, the Maldives, is at the center of the tensions between the two.
A rivalry between two of the worlds emerging powers is taking shape in an unlikely place: the Maldives.

The Maldives is known more as a honeymooners' paradise than a foreign policy destination. India and China are jockeying for influence in the Maldives, a tiny country of 1,200 islands scattered across the northern Indian Ocean. In the Maldives capital, Mal, theres a new embassy in town. China is the first and only non-South Asian country with a delegation in the country. With fewer than 400,000 people, the Maldives ranks just 179th in the world for GDP, but the Chinese love it. The Chinese are the biggest segment of tourists in the Maldives, where almost 30% of the economy depends on tourism. But the beautiful beaches arent the only draw. The Chinese Embassy opened just two days before the Maldives hosted a gathering of the eight South Asian leaders last month. For the next year, President Mohamed Nasheed will head the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. I believe that Asia, and South Asia in particular, is becoming more powerful and more prominent than at any time in our history. I believe the future is ours to shape, President Nasheed said to loud applause.

Thats heady talk, but SAARC isnt talked about much in the rest of the world. Even here, some people question its effectiveness as a forum for its members. In theory, SAARC works somewhat like the European Union, facilitating cooperation on issues like security, trade and development. Its not always easy with rivals like India and Pakistan in the same room. And it was no small feat when China was added to the mix as an observer 5 years ago. Chinas efforts to gain greater status in the group have so far failed. Experts say India has a lot to do with that. India considers South Asia its turf. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made that clear during a state visit to the Maldives just after the SAARC summit. This is our extended neighborhood, Singh said. We wish to work with the Maldives and other likeminded countries to ensure peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region. Singhs visit was the first by an Indian premier in nearly a decade. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director of the Center for Policy Alternatives in Sri Lanka, said India wants to create a buffer against rising Chinese influence in the region. The Indians want to remind the Chinese that theyre the preeminent regional power, Saravanamuttu said. And theyll lose no time in asserting that they are the power to be reckoned with. In a short address at the end of the gathering, Zhang Zhijun, Chinas vice foreign minister, reminded his neighbors of their historical connection. China and South Asian countries have been long linked through a common destiny and stood together through thick and thin, he said. Friendly contacts date back nearly 2000 years. Some experts say China has its eye on the Maldives as it tries to gain improved access to SAARC. D.S. Rajan of the Chennai Center for China Studies said Chinas interest in the Maldives is tied to the tiny countrys location. China wants to protect its goods as they pass through the Indian ocean. But the Maldives leadership of SAARC might also play a role. SAARC has got the potential to grow, in spite of tensions, Rajan said. I personally believe that maybe Chinas game is to improve its influence in SAARC through Maldives, possibly, being nice to Maldives.

The Maldives is reaping the benefits of the rivalry of the world's two largest countries. Singh promised a $ 100 million line of credit from India to the Maldives. The two countries also signed a security pact. Saravanamuttu said India suspects China is using investments, especially financing new ports in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, to try to envelop India, economically and perhaps in other ways as well. The worst Indian fears are the Chinese are trying to establish a military presence in South Asia and using these ports as military ports in all of the countries, which will constitute a string of pearls to contain India," Saravanamuttu said. So it is a new balance of power emerging with India and the U.S. on one side and China on the other. Although no Indian ports are planned in the Maldives, more cooperation with India is in the works, including a ferry service between the two countries.