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Science News for October 26, 1999


Oxygen may be cause of first snowball Earth

A Penn State researcher suggests that increasing oxygen levels may have triggered the first of three past episodes when the Earth became a giant snowball, covered from pole to pole by ice and frozen oceans. The study proposes that low methane levels and high carbon dioxide levels were responsible for the glaciation process.

Poorer people worse off after heart attack

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that poorer neighbourhoods have higher mortality rates and reduced access to cardiovascular services after a heart attack. The researchers emphasize the need for targeted healthcare delivery and promotion to address these disparities.

SourceUniversity of Toronto·JournalNew England Journal of Medicine·DateOct 26, 1999

Hormone-like gel causes speedier deliveries, study suggests

Researchers found that pregnant women who received a hormone-like gel called prostaglandin E2 gave birth faster than those who received a placebo, with an average labor time of 5.6 hours versus 8.6 hours. The study suggests that this gel may help prevent the need for induced labor and reduce Caesarean sections in women at risk

SourceOhio State University·JournalObstetrics and Gynecology·DateOct 26, 1999

Rebound of HIV and reappearance of HIV reservoirs in patients treated with IL-2& combination antiretroviral drugs following cessation of therapy

Researchers found that even after highly sensitive tests detected no viable HIV, the virus quickly rebounded to substantial levels when therapy was stopped. The study suggests that eradicating HIV with current therapies is unlikely due to the presence of latent reservoirs that drugs cannot access.