Bianca Nogrady

Strategies for complete B-cell depletion evolve for patients with lupus nephritis

July 18, 2023No Comments

From Rheumatology News, 13 June 2023: B cell–depleting therapies in patients with lupus nephritis have a higher likelihood of complete response if B cells are almost completely depleted, and strategies for achieving more complete B-cell depletion continue to be tested, according to evidence presented by Richard A. Furie, MD, at an international congress on systemic … Continue reading Strategies for complete B-cell depletion evolve for patients with lupus nephritis

Beyond the fence: what does it mean to rewild the Australian desert?

June 29, 2023No Comments

From the Guardian, 24 June 2023: Martu desert country, north-east of Wiluna in Western Australia, is green right now. “We had a big rain in this area,” says Yvonne Ashwin, Martu woman and coordinator of the Martu rangers, who care for this country. Normally the desert is dry, the red soil tufted with spinifex and … Continue reading Beyond the fence: what does it mean to rewild the Australian desert?

Australia bans all vapes except on prescription to stem use in children

June 29, 2023No Comments

From BMJ, 4 May 2023: The importation and sale of all e-cigarettes, regardless of whether they are labelled as containing nicotine or not, will soon be banned in Australia, unless they are supplied by prescription through a licensed pharmacist. The crackdown by the Australian government was announced amid concerns that a growing black market in … Continue reading Australia bans all vapes except on prescription to stem use in children

Hammerhead sharks are first fish found to ‘hold their breath’

June 29, 2023No Comments

From Nature, 11 May 2023: Because it makes them better hunters, scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) have evolved a unique method to avoid losing body heat when they dive for prey in deep, cold waters: they close their gills. Numerous fish and marine-mammal species are known to dive from the warm surface to deeper waters … Continue reading Hammerhead sharks are first fish found to ‘hold their breath’

‘You mean there’s nothing?’ The families fighting for their children with dementia

June 29, 2023No Comments

From the Guardian, 15 May 2023: In many ways, Ronin and Ethan are typical young boys. They love Hot Wheels toy cars, Shaun the Sheep, rude noises and pizza nights. Nine-year-old Ethan dotes on the family pets. Ronin, seven, is always booting a soccer ball around the back yard. “They’re two absolutely lovable friendly kids, … Continue reading ‘You mean there’s nothing?’ The families fighting for their children with dementia

Ocean Currents Are Slowing, With Potentially Devastating Effects

June 29, 2023No Comments

From WIRED, 8 June 2023: IN THE CRUSHING, cold depths of the oceans, something unimaginably huge flows inexorably, barely a few centimeters per second, along a path it has traveled for millennia. Dense, dark rivers of water toil ceaselessly around the world, making up around 40 percent of the total volume of the deep oceans. … Continue reading Ocean Currents Are Slowing, With Potentially Devastating Effects

The Planet Can’t Sustain Rapid Growth Much Longer

May 23, 2023No Comments

From WIRED, 22 May 2023: Half a century ago, a small group of esteemed thinkers that called itself the Club of Rome got together to chew over a thorny question: What would happen if humanity continued to consume the world’s finite resources as if they were limitless? Their efforts generated the now-famous 1972 paper “The … Continue reading The Planet Can’t Sustain Rapid Growth Much Longer

‘Hollywood skinny jab’: what do we know about anti-obesity drugs such as Ozempic in Australia?

May 23, 2023No Comments

From the Guardian, 8 April 2023: Dr Kathryn Williams has had patients cry when they go on anti-obesity drugs. “[They] say, ‘oh my God, this is the first time I haven’t felt hungry,’” says Williams, an endocrinologist at the University of Sydney, “because hunger is just something they have to live with every single day.” … Continue reading ‘Hollywood skinny jab’: what do we know about anti-obesity drugs such as Ozempic in Australia?

Australia bans all vapes except on prescription to stem use in children

May 5, 2023No Comments

From the BMJ, 4 May 2023: The importation and sale of all e-cigarettes, regardless of whether they are labelled as containing nicotine or not, will soon be banned in Australia, unless they are supplied by prescription through a licensed pharmacist. The crackdown by the Australian government was announced amid concerns that a growing black market … Continue reading Australia bans all vapes except on prescription to stem use in children

Forget cars, green hydrogen will supercharge crops

May 5, 2023No Comments

From WIRED UK, 24 April 2023: In the dry, red dust of Western Australia’s vast Pilbara region, something green is growing. In October 2022, construction began on a massive solar photovoltaic and battery installation, around 40 soccer fields in size, that will soon power a 10-megawatt electrolyzer—a machine that uses electricity to convert water into … Continue reading Forget cars, green hydrogen will supercharge crops