upi--2020-03-05--Alabama set to execute Nathaniel Woods for slaying of 3 officers

March 4 ( UPI ) -- An Alabama man convicted in the shooting deaths of three police officers in 2004 is set to be executed Thursday despite not pulling the trigger in the slayings .
Nathaniel Woods , 44 , is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 6 p.m. at the Holman Correctional Facility near Atmore .
Woods ' attorneys sought a stay of execution for their client on the grounds that other death row inmates in Alabama who chose nitrogen hypoxia as their method of execution received temporary reprieves , but not those who selected lethal injection .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those who chose the former as officials review the protocol for the new method .
The 11th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday declined to intervene in the case , saying `` the last-minute nature '' of his request for a stay was `` unjustified . ''
The panel also said Woods had the opportunity to select nitrogen hypoxia as his method of execution like other inmates .
`` That the state has chosen to offer an alternative method of execution and to honor the wishes of inmates who make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in carrying out the sentences of inmates who did not elect that method , '' the opinion said .
Woods was convicted in 2005 of multiple counts of capital murder and attempted murder for the deaths of officers Carlos Owen , Harley Chisholm III and Charles Bennett .
A fourth officer also was shot but survived .
Woods ' roommate at the time , Kerry Spencer , admitted to shooting the officers after they responded to their Birmingham home .
Prosecutors said Woods set up an ambush of the officers , but Spencer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they were assaulting Woods .
The Appeal reported in February that two of the officers -- Chisholm and Owen -- were known for `` corruption and violence '' and had a reputation for collecting money from known drug dealers in the city in exchange for protection .
Activists and supporters appealed to Alabama Gov .
Kay Ivey to stop the execution .
Martin Luther King III sent her a letter asking her to intervene .
`` Killing this African American man , whose case appears to have been strongly mishandled by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he wrote .
`` Are you willing to allow a potentially innocent man to be executed ? ''
If his lethal injection is carried out Thursday , Woods would be the fifth person executed in the United States this year and the first in Alabama .

Nathaniel Woods was executed on Thursday after being convicted in 2005 of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder for the deaths of three Birmingham, Ala., police officers. File Photo courtesy of the Alabama Department of Corrections
March 4 (UPI) -- An Alabama man convicted in 2005 in the murders of three Birmingham police officers was executed on Thursday night. Nathanial Woods, 44, was pronounced dead at 9:01 p.m. at the Holman Correctional Facility near Atmore after the Supreme Court lifted a stay on his execution just before 8 p.m. Advertisement
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement on the execution, the fifth in the United States and first in Alabama this year, after she had declined a request to halt it.
"Under Alabama law, someone who helps kill a police officer is just as guilty as the person who directly commits the crime. Since 1983, Alabama has executed two individuals for being an accomplice to capital murder."
Woods was convicted in 2005 of multiple counts of capital murder and attempted murder for the deaths of officers Carlos Owen, Harley Chisholm III and Charles Bennett. A fourth officer also was shot but survived.
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Woods' roommate at the time, Kerry Spencer, admitted to shooting the officers after they responded to their Birmingham home. Prosecutors said Woods set up an ambush of the officers, but Spencer said he shot the officers in self-defense because they were assaulting Woods.
The Appeal reported in February that two of the officers -- Chisholm and Owen -- were known for "corruption and violence" and had a reputation for collecting money from known drug dealers in the city in exchange for protection.
The Supreme Court had earlier halted Woods' scheduled 6 p.m. execution pending further order from the justices on his appeal.
The document filed in the 11th Circuit asked for a limited, 90-day stay of execution so that Woods, 44, can obtain new legal counsel.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the request was "untimely" and called it "an eleventh-hour exercise in gamesmanship." He said Woods also failed to establish that he's entitled to a stay.
Woods' request came less than a day after the 11th Circuit denied an earlier request for a stay.
The defense sought the stay on the grounds that other death row inmates in Alabama who chose nitrogen hypoxia (gas asphyxiation) as their method of execution received temporary reprieves, but not those who selected lethal injection. The state has delayed setting execution dates for those who chose the former as officials review the protocol for the new method.
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The 11th U.S. Circuit on Wednesday declined to intervene in the case, saying "the last-minute nature" of his request for a stay was "unjustified." The panel also said Woods had the opportunity to select nitrogen hypoxia as his method of execution like other inmates.
"That the state has chosen to offer an alternative method of execution and to honor the wishes of inmates who make that selection does not eliminate its interest in carrying out the sentences of inmates who did not elect that method," the opinion said.
Activists and supporters appealed to Ivey to stop the execution. Martin Luther King III sent her a letter asking her to intervene.
"Killing this African American man, whose case appears to have been strongly mishandled by the courts, could produce an irreversible injustice," he wrote. "Are you willing to allow a potentially innocent man to be executed?"
If his lethal injection is carried out Thursday, Woods would be the fifth person executed in the United States this year and the first in Alabama.


upi--2020-03-05--Kim Jong Un sends letter of support as South Korean coronavirus cases top 6,000

SEOUL , March 5 ( UPI ) -- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Korea rose to 6,088 on Thursday , while North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a `` message of comfort '' to South Korean President Moon Jae-in .
In the letter , Kim `` conveyed his message of comfort to the South Korean people '' and `` expressed his confidence that they will prevail in this fight , '' according to Yoon Do-hae , the presidential Blue House senior secretary for public communication .
Kim `` underlined his unwavering trust and friendship towards President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quietly send his best wished for President Moon to overcome COVID-19 , '' Yoon said .
The North Korean leader also `` expressed his candid thoughts and positions on the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula , '' in the letter , which was delivered on Wednesday .
Moon sent a reply expressing his gratitude , Yoon said .
North Korea has not reported any confirmed infections of the COVID-19 virus and the World Health Organization has said it has not seen any signs of an outbreak there , but there have been unconfirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with contacts inside the country .
South Korea is battling a massive outbreak of the infectious disease that began two weeks ago and has remained concentrated around the southeastern city of Daegu and a secretive religious sect there .
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 322 new COVID-19 cases across the first 16 hours of Thursday , following 438 new cases on Wednesday .
The death toll rose to 40 , mostly elderly people with underlying illnesses .
Roughly 90 percent of cases remain based in Daegu , a city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighboring North Gyeongsang province .
The KCDC said that 60 percent of the total infections are connected to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus , a controversial new religious movement that was at the heart of the outbreak .
The number of reported cases began skyrocketing after a 61-year-old woman who is a member of the Shincheonji church in Daegu was confirmed as the country 's 31st COVID-19 patient on Feb. 17 .
She had attended services at the church both before and after exhibiting symptoms , health authorities said .
Officials continue testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ church nationwide .
Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said on Thursday that health officials and forensic investigators began a probe of the Shincheonji headquarters in Gwacheon , a city neighboring Seoul to the south .
Some municipal officials have been questioning the accuracy and completeness of the list of members that the group gave to the government , Kim said .
Kim said at a daily briefing that the testing of Shincheonji members showing symptoms has nearly been completed and authorities have expanded their focus to ordinary citizens of Daegu , where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the community .
Health officials are also looking to contain the spread in other smaller clusters , such as a nursing home in North Gyeongsang province which had 34 cases reported among patients and staff on Thursday .
On Thursday , authorities designated Gyeongsan , a city near Daegu , as the nation 's third `` special care zone '' for coronavirus infections .
The government also announced that all day care centers will be closed until March 22 .
Schools from kindergarten through high school have already had the start of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
South Korea has tested over 140,000 people for the coranvirus so far , a number far higher than most countries .
In a positive sign , the KCDC announced the release of 47 fully recovered coronavirus patients Thursday , raising the number of those discharged from quarantine to 88 .

1/4
Health workers conduct drive-thru coronavirus testing in Seoul as South Korea battles an outbreak that neared 6,100 cases on Thursday. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
SEOUL, March 5 (UPI) -- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Korea rose to 6,088 on Thursday, while North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a "message of comfort" to South Korean President Moon Jae-in. In the letter, Kim "conveyed his message of comfort to the South Korean people" and "expressed his confidence that they will prevail in this fight," according to Yoon Do-hae, the presidential Blue House senior secretary for public communication. Advertisement
Kim "underlined his unwavering trust and friendship towards President Moon" and would "continue to quietly send his best wished for President Moon to overcome COVID-19," Yoon said.
The North Korean leader also "expressed his candid thoughts and positions on the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula," in the letter, which was delivered on Wednesday.
Moon sent a reply expressing his gratitude, Yoon said.
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North Korea has not reported any confirmed infections of the COVID-19 virus and the World Health Organization has said it has not seen any signs of an outbreak there, but there have been unconfirmed accounts of cases published in media outlets with contacts inside the country.
South Korea is battling a massive outbreak of the infectious disease that began two weeks ago and has remained concentrated around the southeastern city of Daegu and a secretive religious sect there.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 322 new COVID-19 cases across the first 16 hours of Thursday, following 438 new cases on Wednesday. The death toll rose to 40, mostly elderly people with underlying illnesses.
Roughly 90 percent of cases remain based in Daegu, a city of 2.5 million people, and its neighboring North Gyeongsang province. The KCDC said that 60 percent of the total infections are connected to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a controversial new religious movement that was at the heart of the outbreak.
The number of reported cases began skyrocketing after a 61-year-old woman who is a member of the Shincheonji church in Daegu was confirmed as the country's 31st COVID-19 patient on Feb. 17. She had attended services at the church both before and after exhibiting symptoms, health authorities said.
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Officials continue testing the more than 210,000 members of the church nationwide.
Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said on Thursday that health officials and forensic investigators began a probe of the Shincheonji headquarters in Gwacheon, a city neighboring Seoul to the south. Some municipal officials have been questioning the accuracy and completeness of the list of members that the group gave to the government, Kim said.
Kim said at a daily briefing that the testing of Shincheonji members showing symptoms has nearly been completed and authorities have expanded their focus to ordinary citizens of Daegu, where the highly infectious disease has been spreading throughout the community.
Health officials are also looking to contain the spread in other smaller clusters, such as a nursing home in North Gyeongsang province which had 34 cases reported among patients and staff on Thursday.
On Thursday, authorities designated Gyeongsan, a city near Daegu, as the nation's third "special care zone" for coronavirus infections. The government also announced that all day care centers will be closed until March 22. Schools from kindergarten through high school have already had the start of their spring semester pushed back to March 23.
South Korea has tested over 140,000 people for the coranvirus so far, a number far higher than most countries. In a positive sign, the KCDC announced the release of 47 fully recovered coronavirus patients Thursday, raising the number of those discharged from quarantine to 88.


upi--2020-03-05--California declares state of emergency as cruise ship held off coast over COVID-19

March 4 ( UPI ) -- California Gov .
Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as a cruise ship was being held off the state 's coast after a former passenger died from COVID-19 and others on board were suffering from symptoms of the virus .
The declaration follows health officials saying a patient who died in Placer County on Wednesday from the coronavirus was a passenger of a Princess Cruises vessel that had made a roundtrip voyage from San Francisco to Mexico on Feb. 11 to 21 .
Princess Cruises identified the victim in an email @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newsom told reporters during a news conference that following the disembarkation of passengers in San Francisco , the cruise ship went on to Hawaii and was returning to California with 11 passengers and 10 crew among the thousands on board exhibiting symptoms of the virus .
Princess Cruises said in a statement emailed to UPI that it has been notified by the CDC that the federal health agency was investigating `` a small cluster of COVID-19 cases in northern California '' among its former passengers .
All former passengers of the Mexico trip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cruise company , Princess Cruises said .
It did not reveal how many passengers were on board the Grand Princess but said 62 of them had participated in the February cruise to Mexico .
`` In an abundance of caution , these guests and other potential close crew contacts have been asked to remain in their staterooms until screened by our onboard medical team , '' Princess Cruises said .
In a separate statement emailed to UPI early Thursday , Princess Cruises said fewer than 100 passengers on the vessel , including those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexico , have been identified for testing as they are either experiencing influenza-like symptoms or are receiving care for respiratory illness .
`` To facilitate this testing , the U.S. Coast Guard will deliver sampling kits to the ship the morning of March 5 via helicopter , '' the statement read .
`` On onboard medical team will administer the test and the samples will be sent in batches by helicopter to a lab in Richmond , Calif. , across the bay from San Francisco . ''
No passengers will be permitted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been received , it said , adding those who have been identified for testing must remain in their rooms .
Newsom told reporters that he 's declaring a state of emergency not only because of the cruise ship but because the patient who died was one of 2,500 passengers disembarked the ship in San Francisco on Feb. 21 .
`` We are working very closely with [ U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ] and working closely with our healthcare partners up and down the state of California to contact all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he said , adding passengers who are not California residents are being tracked down by the CDC .
California , he said , currently has 54 confirmed cases of the virus , including 24 people who were repatriated from either the coronavirus-riddled Diamond Princess cruise ship under quarantine in Japan or Wuhan , China , the epicenter of the global outbreak .
`` The State of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus , '' Newsom said in a statement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ state further prepare our communities and our health care system in the event it spreads more broadly . ''
California 's first death to COVID-19 brings the death toll in the United States to 11 as Washington recorded another death , its ninth since the outbreak began .
Washington State also recorded 10 new confirmed cases of the virus , raising its total count to 31 .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday there are 129 cases of the coronavirus in the United States .
Officials in King County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have occurred , are recommending people who are pregnant , the elderly and those with underlying health issues and weakened immune systems to avoid concert venues , conventions , sporting events and crowded social gatherings .
News of the measures came as the U.S. House voted 415-2 to pass a bill providing nearly $ 8 billion in emergency funding to fight the outbreak after days of intense negotiations .
Approval was expected in the Senate by the end of the week followed by prompt approval by President Donald Trump .
Senate Appropriations Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiated the funding with House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey , D-N.Y. , said the measure will provide $ 7.76 billion to battle the coronavirus .
`` This should not be about politics ; this is about doing our job to protect the American people from a potential pandemic , '' Shelby said in a statement .
The funding was three times the $ 2.5 billion initially requested by the Trump administration .
The bill includes $ 7.4 billion in new discretionary spending for vaccine development , research , equipment and state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than $ 400 million to be sent to governments within 30 days with each state receiving no less than $ 4 million .
`` While we all ardently hope that this public health emergency does not worsen , House Democrats will not hesitate to act again if we must augment this funding with more resources , '' Lowey said .
After a meeting at the White House with executives from the nation 's largest air carriers , Trump said air travel is safe for `` large portions of the world . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ email to employees that it would cut flights in the United States and Canada by 10 percent and overseas flights by 20 percent in April , curtailing the flight schedule `` in a way that minimizes the impact on our employees and our operation , '' CNN reported .
Executives from American , United , Southwest and other airlines briefed Trump and Pence on their procedures for ensuring aircraft are safe and disinfected for passengers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
They urged the administration to reassure the public as ticket sales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and worried travelers have postponed or canceled trips over outbreak fears .
Several airlines have grounded flights to Hong Kong , Japan , Milan and other international destinations where the virus has sickened hundreds .
Administration officials also discussed procedures for properly disinfecting planes between flights , as well as tracking passenger travel so that close contacts with infected passengers can be found and monitored for treatment .
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also reiterated their belief that earlier travel restrictions for foreign nationals arriving from China and State Department-issued travel warnings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have limited the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States .
Additionally , the United States started screening all passengers arriving on direct flights from Italy and South Korea on Tuesday .
Meanwhile , several carriers -- including American , Delta and United -- have waived some ticket change fees in the aftermath of the outbreak , but they only apply to those purchasing tickets this month , and not for those who booked travel months ago for now-canceled vacations or conventions .
Pence on Wednesday said that it appears the elderly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that all nursing home inspection resources usually used to identify abuse and neglect will be redirected exclusively to ensuring compliance with infection control standards .
Meanwhile , New York state officials confirmed 11 cases of COVID-19 after the friend of a 50-year-old man with the disease tested positive along with the friend 's wife and their three children .
The 50-year-old man 's wife , two children and a neighbor tested positive earlier .
The 50-year-old , from New Rochelle in Westchester County , is the only one to require hospitalization for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said during a press briefing .
New York is one of 13 U.S. states with confirmed cases of the virus .
Cuomo said an initial review of the 50-year-old man 's travels does n't suggest any travel to China or other countries at the nexus of the outbreak , so authorities are treating it as a case of person-to-person transmission .
Although the man lived outside New York City , he worked as an attorney in Manhattan .
`` We will continue working closely with our state partners to ensure we are doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe , '' New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement .
The Westchester patient was first diagnosed at a hospital in the city earlier this week , as the city began conducting rapid testing locally , de Blasio said .
The man 's 20-year-old son , who has also been diagnosed with COVID-19 , is a student at Yeshiva University in Manhattan , and he had been symptomatic prior to his father 's hospitalization , officials said .
No details on the son 's condition were immediately available .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-person graduate courses on the campus and closed its all-boys ' high school .
De Blasio said two of the son 's contacts from the Yeshiva campus have been sent to Bellevue Hospital for testing .
Cuomo said about 300 students and faculty from several State University of New York and City University of New York schools studying abroad in high-risk countries will be recalled to New York and quarantined in dorms located throughout the state .

1/5
A second Princess Cruises vessel has been asked to idle off the coast of California to test passengers for COVID019 after the Diamond Princess was quarantined off Japan in February. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
March 4 (UPI) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday as a cruise ship was being held off the state's coast after a former passenger died from COVID-19 and others on board were suffering from symptoms. The declaration follows health officials saying a patient who died in Placer County on Wednesday from the coronavirus was a passenger of a Princess Cruises vessel that had made a round-trip voyage from San Francisco to Mexico from Feb. 11 to 21. Princess Cruises identified the victim in an email to UPI as a 71-year-old man. Advertisement
Newsom told reporters during a news conference that following the disembarkation of passengers in San Francisco, the cruise ship went on to Hawaii and was returning to California with 11 passengers and 10 crew among the thousands on board exhibiting symptoms of the virus.
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Princess Cruises said in a statement emailed to UPI that it has been notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the federal health agency was investigating "a small cluster of COVID-19 cases in northern California" among its former passengers.
All former passengers of the Mexico trip have been sent a message by the cruise company, the cruise line said.
It did not reveal how many passengers were on board the Grand Princess but said 62 of them had participated in the February cruise to Mexico.
"In an abundance of caution, these guests and other potential close crew contacts have been asked to remain in their staterooms until screened by our on-board medical team," Princess Cruises said.
The cruise line said fewer than 100 passengers on the vessel, including those who participated in the February trip to Mexico, have been identified for testing as they are either experiencing influenza-like symptoms or are receiving care for respiratory illness.
"To facilitate this testing, the U.S. Coast Guard will deliver sampling kits to the ship the morning of March 5 via helicopter," a statement from the cruise line read. "On-board medical team will administer the test, and the samples will be sent in batches by helicopter to a lab in Richmond, Calif., across the bay from San Francisco."
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No passengers will be permitted to leave the ship until all results have been received, it said, adding those who have been identified for testing must remain in their rooms.
Newsom told reporters that he's declaring a state of emergency not only because of the cruise ship but because the patient who died was one of 2,500 passengers who disembarked the ship in San Francisco on Feb. 21.
"We are working very closely with [CDC] and working closely with our healthcare partners up and down the state of California to contact all of the individuals from the manifest," he said, adding passengers who are not California residents are being tracked down.
California, he said, has 54 confirmed cases of the virus, including 24 people who were repatriated from either the coronavirus-riddled Diamond Princess cruise ship under quarantine in Japan or Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the global outbreak.
"The state of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus," Newsom said in a statement. "This emergency proclamation will help the state further prepare our communities and our healthcare system in the event it spreads more broadly."
California's first death to COVID-19 brings the death toll in the United States to 11 as Washington state recorded another death, its ninth since the outbreak began.
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Washington also reported 10 new confirmed cases of the virus, raising its total count to 31.
The CDC reported Wednesday there are 129 cases of the coronavirus in the United States.
Officials in King County, where many of Washington's deaths have occurred, are recommending people who are pregnant, the elderly and those with underlying health issues and weakened immune systems to avoid concert venues, conventions, sporting events and crowded social gatherings.
Emergency funding
Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 415-2 to pass a bill providing nearly $8 billion in emergency funding to fight the outbreak after days of intense negotiations. Approval was expected in the Senate by the end of the week followed by prompt approval by President Donald Trump.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., who negotiated the funding with House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said the measure will provide $7.76 billion to battle the coronavirus.
"This should not be about politics; this is about doing our job to protect the American people from a potential pandemic," Shelby said in a statement.
The funding was three times the $2.5 billion initially requested by the Trump administration.
Advertisement
The bill includes $7.4 billion in new discretionary spending for vaccine development, research, equipment and state and local health budgets amid the outbreak including more than $400 million to be sent to governments within 30 days with each state receiving no less than $4 million.
"While we all ardently hope that this public health emergency does not worsen, House Democrats will not hesitate to act again if we must augment this funding with more resources," Lowey said.
Air travel
After a meeting at the White House with executives from the nation's largest air carriers, Trump said air travel is safe for "large portions of the world."
United Airlines on Wednesday said in an email to employees that it would cut flights in the United States and Canada by 10 percent and overseas flights by 20 percent in April, curtailing the flight schedule "in a way that minimizes the impact on our employees and our operation," CNN reported.
Executives from American, United, Southwest and other airlines briefed Trump and Pence on their procedures for ensuring aircraft are safe and disinfected for passengers to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
They urged the administration to reassure the public as ticket sales have slowed globally in recent weeks, and worried travelers have postponed or canceled trips over outbreak fears. Several airlines have grounded flights to Hong Kong, Japan, Milan and other international destinations where the virus has sickened hundreds.
Advertisement
Administration officials also discussed procedures for properly disinfecting planes between flights, as well as tracking passenger travel so that close contacts with infected passengers can be found and monitored for treatment.
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also reiterated their belief that earlier travel restrictions for foreign nationals arriving from China and State Department-issued travel warnings for areas of Italy and South Korea have limited the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States. Additionally, the United States started screening all passengers arriving on direct flights from Italy and South Korea on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, several carriers -- including American, Delta and United -- have waived some ticket change fees in the aftermath of the outbreak, but they only apply to those purchasing tickets this month, and not for those who booked travel months ago for now-canceled vacations or conventions.
New York cases
Pence on Wednesday said that it appears the elderly are most at risk from the virus and that all nursing home inspection resources usually used to identify abuse and neglect will be redirected exclusively to ensuring compliance with infection control standards.
Meanwhile, New York state officials confirmed 11 cases of COVID-19 after the friend of a 50-year-old man with the disease tested positive along with the friend's wife and their three children. The 50-year-old man's wife, two children and a neighbor tested positive earlier.
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The 50-year-old, from New Rochelle in Westchester County, is the only one to require hospitalization for the illness, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a press briefing.
New York is one of 13 U.S. states with confirmed cases of the virus.
Cuomo said an initial review of the patient's travels doesn't suggest any travel to China or other countries at the nexus of the outbreak, so authorities are treating it as a case of person-to-person transmission. Although the man lived outside New York City, he worked as an attorney in Manhattan.
"We will continue working closely with our state partners to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.
The Westchester patient was first diagnosed at a hospital in the city earlier this week, as the city began conducting rapid testing locally, de Blasio said.
The man's 20-year-old son, who has also been diagnosed with COVID-19, is a student at Yeshiva University in Manhattan, and he had been symptomatic prior to his father's hospitalization, officials said. No details on the son's condition were immediately available.
Yeshiva announced Wednesday it had canceled all in-person graduate courses on the campus and closed its all-boys' high school. De Blasio said two of the son's contacts from the Yeshiva campus have been sent to Bellevue Hospital for testing.
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Cuomo said about 300 students and faculty from several State University of New York and City University of New York schools studying abroad in high-risk countries will be recalled to New York and quarantined in dorms located throughout the state.


upi--2020-03-05--AIPAC: Conference guests may have been exposed to COVID-19

March 5 ( UPI ) -- The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said attendees to its policy conference earlier this week , including U.S. lawmakers , may have come into contact with a person infected with COVID-19 .
In a statement published Wednesday night on Twitter , AIPAC said a group from New York came into contact with a person confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus prior to attending the conference .
The person infected did not , however , attend the Washington , D.C. , conference , which ran from Sunday to Tuesday , the Israel lobbying group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website , the three-day policy conference attracts more than 18,000 people `` to learn , meet with the nation 's top leaders and do their part to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship . ''
In the statement by AIPAC President Betsy Berns Korn and AIPAC Chairman Mort Fridman , AIPAC said the attendees who came into contact with the infected person have been added to a self-quarantine list .
`` To our knowledge , no one who attended the conference has tested positive for coronavirus at this time , '' the statement read , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told by the D.C. Health Department there is no reason to 'sound the alarm , ' we want to be sure all Policy Conference attendees have the information we have at this time . ''
Some of the speakers from this year 's event included U.S. Vice President Mike Pence , U.S. Security of State Mike Pompeo , New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo and other government officials .
Earlier Wednesday , officials in California announced the nation 's 11th death due to the virus while Chinese health officials reported Thursday that its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 3,000 .

March 5 (UPI) -- The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said attendees to its policy conference earlier this week, including U.S. lawmakers, may have come into contact with a person infected with COVID-19.
In a statement published Wednesday night on Twitter, AIPAC said a group from New York came into contact with a person confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus prior to attending the conference. The person infected did not, however, attend the Washington, D.C., conference, which ran from Sunday to Tuesday, the Israel lobbying group said.
Advertisement Important Health Note emailed to Policy Conference attendees, participants, speakers, and administration and Hill offices. pic.twitter.com/QzEKXajJBX— AIPAC (@AIPAC) March 4, 2020
According to the lobby's website, the three-day policy conference attracts more than 18,000 people "to learn, meet with the nation's top leaders and do their part to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship."
In the statement by AIPAC President Betsy Berns Korn and AIPAC Chairman Mort Fridman, AIPAC said the attendees who came into contact with the infected person have been added to a self-quarantine list.
"To our knowledge, no one who attended the conference has tested positive for coronavirus at this time," the statement read, adding, "although we have been told by the D.C. Health Department there is no reason to 'sound the alarm,' we want to be sure all Policy Conference attendees have the information we have at this time."
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Some of the speakers from this year's event included U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Security of State Mike Pompeo, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other government officials.
Earlier Wednesday, officials in California announced the nation's 11th death due to the virus while Chinese health officials reported Thursday that its death toll from the disease climbed to more than 3,000.


upi--2020-03-05--One egg per day unlikely to increase heart disease risk

Go ahead and crack that egg .
Eating one a day is n't likely to increase your risk of heart disease , researchers say .
The three-decade study showed no association between moderate egg consumption and risk of heart disease .
The report -- led by a team at Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health in Boston -- should help reassure uneasy egg eaters .
`` Recent studies reignited the debate on this controversial topic , but our study provides compelling evidence supporting the lack of an appreciable association between moderate egg consumption and cardiovascular disease , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientist , said in a Harvard news release .
He 's an assistant professor at Laval University in Quebec , Canada .
For the new study , the researchers analyzed data from more than 173,000 women and over 90,000 men in the United States who did not have heart disease , type 2 diabetes or cancer when initially assessed .
The study participants were followed for 32 years , during which their diets and other lifestyle habits were recorded .
The researchers also analyzed 28 studies with up to 1.7 million people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ egg consumption is not associated with increased risk of heart disease in Americans and Europeans .
The investigators also found some evidence suggesting that moderate egg consumption may be associated with lower heart disease risk in Asian populations , but the finding may be affected by their overall dietary habits , according to the authors .
The results were published online March 4 in the BMJ .
While not essential , moderate egg consumption can be part of a healthy diet , said study co-author Shilpa Bhupathiraju , a research scientist in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women 's Hospital in Boston .
`` There is a range of other foods that can be included in a healthy breakfast , such as whole grain toasts , plain yogurt and fruits , '' Bhupathiraju said .
The link between eggs and heart disease risk has been hotly debated in recent decades .
In the past 12 months , three published studies have reported conflicting findings .
One study , published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , also found no heart harms tied to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ updates a 1999 one that likewise found no connection between eggs and heart disease risk .
The U.S. National Heart , Lung , and Blood Institute offers a guide to a healthy heart .

Go ahead and crack that egg. Eating one a day isn't likely to increase your risk of heart disease, researchers say.
The three-decade study showed no association between moderate egg consumption and risk of heart disease. The report -- led by a team at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston -- should help reassure uneasy egg eaters.
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"Recent studies reignited the debate on this controversial topic, but our study provides compelling evidence supporting the lack of an appreciable association between moderate egg consumption and cardiovascular disease," first author Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier, a visiting scientist, said in a Harvard news release. He's an assistant professor at Laval University in Quebec, Canada.
For the new study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 173,000 women and over 90,000 men in the United States who did not have heart disease, type 2 diabetes or cancer when initially assessed.
The study participants were followed for 32 years, during which their diets and other lifestyle habits were recorded.
The researchers also analyzed 28 studies with up to 1.7 million people. This meta-analysis supported the finding that moderate egg consumption is not associated with increased risk of heart disease in Americans and Europeans.
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The investigators also found some evidence suggesting that moderate egg consumption may be associated with lower heart disease risk in Asian populations, but the finding may be affected by their overall dietary habits, according to the authors.
The results were published online March 4 in the BMJ.
While not essential, moderate egg consumption can be part of a healthy diet, said study co-author Shilpa Bhupathiraju, a research scientist in the Harvard Chan department of nutrition and an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
"There is a range of other foods that can be included in a healthy breakfast, such as whole grain toasts, plain yogurt and fruits," Bhupathiraju said.
The link between eggs and heart disease risk has been hotly debated in recent decades. In the past 12 months, three published studies have reported conflicting findings.
One study, published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found no heart harms tied to moderate egg consumption.
This new study updates a 1999 one that likewise found no connection between eggs and heart disease risk.
More information
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers a guide to a healthy heart.
Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


upi--2020-03-05--COVID-19 deaths top 3,000 in China

COVID-19 deaths top 3,000 in China

March 5 ( UPI ) -- More than 3,000 people in China have died from the coronavirus since the outbreak began in the Asian nation in December , officials said .
China 's Health Commission reported a death toll of 3,012 in its daily update on Thursday after 31 people died from COVID-19 over the previous 24 hours .
The number of infected also grew by 139 cases to 80,409 infections .
Among the infected , China said more than 52,000 have been cured and discharged from hospitals nationwide .
Following at least two months of exponential growth in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China has reported stabilizing statistics over the past few weeks .
However , as China 's epidemic may be coming under control , those the world over are growing .
According to the World Health Organization , there are now nearly 15,000 cases and more than 200 deaths in nearly 80 countries outside of China due to the coronavirus .
The main three clusters are in South Korea , Italy and Iran , accounting for more than 10,000 of those cases .
South Korea on Thursday added 438 infections for a total of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three more deaths for a tally of 35 .
Italy 's death toll , however , surpassed 100 dead , its health ministry reported Wednesday evening , making its epidemic the most deadly outside China with a tally of 107 .
It also surpassed 3,000 infections with 3,089 patients , mostly in northern Italy .
Europe 's largest epidemic has prompted Italian education officials to close all schools and universities and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to sign a special decree Wednesday night that prohibits spectators from attending all sporting events for at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus , '' he wrote in a caption that accompanied the video .
`` A challenge that has no political color , which must bring together the entire nation .
It is a challenge that must be overcome with the commitment of all . ''
And in Iran , the WHO said the Middle Eastern county has recorded 835 infections and 77 deaths as of Wednesday .
In Hong Kong , which has 104 confirmed cases , officials said they were preparing to repatriate more than 200 citizens stranded in China 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak that has been under lockdown for over a month -- on two chartered flights on Thursday .
Patrick Nip , the secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs who was facilitating the evacuation flights , explained on Thursday that 258 people were originally expected to return the day prior but nine people said they decided not to take the evacuation flight , three passengers recorded elevated temperatures , which barred them from boarding , and a pregnant woman said she would return on the next plane .
The Hong Kong government said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the passengers were stranded in Wuhan , including two students , with the other 44 having been located throughout Hubei province requiring urgent need .
Thirteen were pregnant and 10 were suffering from serious illness , it said .
The evacuees were driven to Chun Yeung Estate by coaches where they will undergo a 14-day quarantine , according to the government officials .
News of the evacuations follows the Hong Kong government announcing Wednesday it may have discovered a human-to-animal transmission of the virus after diagnosing low levels of COVID-19 in a dog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Hong Kong government said the Agriculture , Fisheries and Conservation Department conducted the tests last Wednesday and Thursday , and again on Friday and Tuesday , returning `` weak positive for the virus '' each time .
The dog is under quarantine and has yet to show signs of the disease , the government said without stating how the dog was infected .

1/2
Shelves are empty in a grocery store Thursday in Beijing as panic buying starts to hit certain areas due to the threat of spreading coronavirus. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
March 5 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization reported 95,265 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide Thursday, with 3,281 deaths and a shrinking number of cases in China that indicate the outbreak is coming under control. Over the past day, 2,055 new cases were reported in 33 countries, about 80 percent of which are in Iran, Italy and South Korea, WHO officials said in a news briefing. Advertisement
China's Health Commission early Thursday reported deaths there have reached 3,012. WHO said the nation had reported 143 new cases to the agency in the last 24 hours. Most of the new cases are in Hubei province, where the outbreak began.
Eight provinces in China have not reported new cases in 14 days, and 20 of the country's 31 provinces have downgraded their public health warnings linked to COVID-19.
Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's emergencies program, said those numbers indicate the outbreak -- which began in December in Wuhan, China -- is coming under control.
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Besides China's 80,409 coronavirus patients -- more than 52,000 of whom have been cured and discharged from hospitals -- there are more than 15,000 cases and more than 200 deaths in nearly 80 countries outside China.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to take a "whole government" approach to containing the outbreak, saying that too many have tasked their health ministries with response management. The best approach, he said, is to have multiple agencies, including military and security, engaged with the head of state coordinating response.
All governments, including those that have not reported cases of the novel coronavirus, should increase testing capacity and get their hospitals ready.
"This is not a drill," Ghebreyesus said. "The solution is aggressive response. This epidemic is a threat for every country, rich and poor. Even the high-income countries should expect surprises."
As the statistics stabilize in China, epidemics in other countries are growing, with three main clusters in South Korea, Italy and Iran accounting for more than 10,000 cases.
South Korea on Friday morning added 518 infections from the prior day for a total of 6,284 confirmed cases. It also reported seven more deaths for a tally of 42.
Italy's death toll rose to 148 deaths after 41 people infected with the virus died in the past 24 hours, its health ministry reported Thursday evening, making its epidemic the most deadly outside China. It also surpassed 3,000 infections with 3,296 patients, mostly in northern Italy.
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Europe's largest epidemic has prompted Italian education officials to close all schools and universities and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to sign a special decree Wednesday night that prohibits spectators from attending all sporting events for at least a month.
Conte posted a 5-minute video to Facebook detailing the measures.
"We are facing the coronavirus," he wrote in a caption that accompanied the video. "A challenge that has no political color, which must bring together the entire nation. It is a challenge that must be overcome with the commitment of all."
Along with Italy, the outbreak continued to grow throughout Europe, which was reporting nearly 6,000 cases of the virus and more than 160 deaths, according to a running tally compiled by Johns Hopkins from government and health sources.
In Germany, the number of confirmed cases rose by 145 on Friday from the day prior to 545, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins.
France saw its cases jump by 92 infections from Wednesday to 377, according to its Ministry of Health. It also recorded two new deaths in the previous 24 hours raising its death toll to six.
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And the Netherlands said it now had 82 patients with the disease after confirming 44 new cases. Its Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport said 69 of its patients were infected abroad.
Spain on Thursday reported 37 new cases for a total of 237, according to an update from its Ministry of Health.
Britain also experienced its first death to COVID-19 on Thursday.
The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust reported an older patient with underlying health issues died from the virus. The country's cases also rose by more than 30 in the past 24 hours to 105 with London reporting a quarter of them as the cases are dispersed throughout the nation.
The surge has Britain forecasting the outbreak is going to deepen before it is brought under control.
"We will continue to try to contain this," a spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. "However, it's now highly likely that the virus is going to spread in a significant way."
Switzerland on Thursday also confirmed its first death -- a 74-year-old woman from Vaud. Its health ministry said it had 87 confirmed cases in 17 of its 26 federal states.
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"All people are isolated," the ministry said. "The health authorities have informed people who made close contact with them."
In response, Switzerland has banned events of more than 1,000 people until at least March 15 while federal states will individually decide whether to allow events hosting fewer people to continue.
Iran on Thursday reported 3,513 infections and 107 deaths.
In Hong Kong, which has 105 confirmed cases, officials said they successfully completed a two-day operation to repatriate nearly 500 residents who were living in China's Hubei province where its capital Wuhan has been under lockdown for over a month.
On four chartered flights over Wednesday and Thursday, 469 people were evacuated to Hong Kong where they will undergo a two-week quarantine at Chun Yeung Estate, officials said.
The operation began Wednesday with 225 Hong Kong residents flown back to the semi-autonomous region from Wuhan.
Patrick Nip, the secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs who was facilitating the evacuation flights, said Thursday that 258 people were originally expected to return Wednesday but nine people said they decided not to take the evacuation flight, three passengers recorded elevated temperatures, which barred them from boarding, and a pregnant woman said she would return on the next plane.
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The Hong Kong government said in a statement late Wednesday that 200 of the passengers were stranded in Wuhan, including two students, with the other 44 having been located throughout Hubei province requiring urgent need. Thirteen were pregnant and 10 were suffering from serious illness, it said.
News of the evacuations follows the Hong Kong government announcing Wednesday it may have discovered a human-to-animal transmission of the virus after diagnosing low levels of COVID-19 in a dog after repeated testing.
In a statement, the Hong Kong government said the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department conducted the tests over four days, returning "weak positive for the virus" each time.
The dog is under quarantine and has yet to show signs of the disease, the government said without stating how the dog was infected.


upi--2020-03-05--Florida growers predict bigger avocado crop while battling fungal disease

ORLANDO , Fla. , March 5 ( UPI ) -- Florida 's avocado industry is bouncing back from hurricane damage , but still struggles to find new , effective weapons in a war against laurel wilt fungal disease .
The state 's industry hopes for a crop of about 900,000 bushels this year , up from 800,000 bushels last year , mostly thanks to recovery from Hurricane Irma damage in 2017 .
Florida is known for the large , green-skinned avocado , which is produced commercially only in the southern part of the state around Miami .
With the damage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wage warfare against the disease , which first appeared in South Florida 's groves in 2011 .
Tree loss is now estimated at over $ 42 million , with lost avocado sales well over $ 4 million , according to the University of Florida .
`` Pathologists are working on a vaccine to inoculate against the fungus , '' said Jonathan Crane , a horticulture scientist with the University of Florida .
`` We just got the funding for that , '' Crane said .
`` We 're at the very early stages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is very difficult .
We hope to have results of current tests in about three years . ''
He said additional research is focused on finding varieties of avocado trees that are resistant to the disease .
After the disease wiped out large tracts of older , more vulnerable avocado trees , the spread of laurel wilt is n't as bad now , but trees still succumb to it , Crane said .
`` Even when we 've gone through and removed all the laurel wilt trees , in a few weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Medora Krome , a third-generation grower near Homestead , south of Miami .
`` There are very few groves where you do n't see dead trees from this now . ''
Laurel wilt has killed half a billion laurel trees , which include avocados , on farms and in woods in the southeastern United States over the last 18 years .
The best defense once a tree is infected is to cut it down , grind it into chips and apply chemicals to kill larvae of invasive redbay ambrosia beetles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are n't the only species of laurel that are attacked .
The disease also kills redbay laurel , which is common in many wooded areas , and several other types of laurel -- but not every type .
The industry also is struggling to contain the spread of the disease when people carry infested firewood or even furniture made with redbay laurel trees into new regions , allowing hidden larvae to escape and begin spreading .
Krome remembers the day in 2011 that field inspectors told her they 'd spotted the disease in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by her grandfather , William Krome , an engineer who helped build Florida East Coast Railway .
`` I called my grove manager and said nobody goes home at 4 p.m. , '' Krome said .
`` We went out there with chainsaws .
I cut it down that day . ''
At the same time , demand for avocados -- most recently for avocado spread -- caused prices to double over the past year .
The current price is just over $ 3 each , according to the most recent information from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida .
Florida is known for the green-skinned avocado , which is produced commercially only in the south part of the state around Miami .
The variety also is called the West Indies avocado and is larger than the darker-skinned Hass avocado that comes primarily from California or Mexico .
The trees can be saved by injecting them with a fungicide .
But it is expensive and time-consuming and only lasts a year or two , said Jonathan Crane , a horticulture scientist at the University of Florida .
Many growers , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reluctant to go that route .
`` It showed up in South Florida much faster than we thought after it was first detected in Georgia in 2002 and then in Jacksonville , '' Crane said .
`` We thought it would take 20 years , but it only took a few years . ''
Research has shown that the beetles like bigger , older tree trunks in shaded areas that are stressed by drought or poor soil .
That allows them to bore holes into the trunk , where they cultivate the Raffaelea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their larvae .
Older trees also pass the fungus to other trees because their roots often grow together , Crane said .
In response to this research , best management practices to contain the disease now include keeping trees healthy with proper irrigation and fertilizer , and cutting them off at the stump to be grafted with new cuttings to grow newer , healthier treetops .
`` We learned that the large groves of older trees were most vulnerable , '' Crane said .
So-called dooryard avocado trees -- individual trees growing on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not as vulnerable because they are usually smaller , isolated and grown in bright sunlight , Crane said .
The new understanding of the disease means growers now have some hope , said Alan Flinn , manager of the Florida Avocado Administrative Committee .
The state-authorized trade group includes growers and packers to promote Florida avocados and set quality standards for the industry .
`` Many of the acres lost were n't properly managed and fertilized and topped .
If you manage it correctly , you can still be a successful grower , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got a problem with laurel wilt , so what are we doing ? ''
grower Krome asked rhetorically .
`` We 're replanting .
We are getting grants to replace and to remove the sick trees .
And we trust the biologists are working on a better solution . ''

1/2
An avocado tree shows signs of laurel wilt disease. Photo courtesy of the University of Florida
ORLANDO, Fla., March 5 (UPI) -- Florida's avocado industry is bouncing back from hurricane damage, but still struggles to find new, effective weapons in a war against laurel wilt fungal disease. The state's industry hopes for a crop of about 900,000 bushels this year, up from 800,000 bushels last year, mostly thanks to recovery from Hurricane Irma damage in 2017. Advertisement
Florida is known for the large, green-skinned avocado, which is produced commercially only in the southern part of the state around Miami. Also known as the West Indies avocado, the Florida variety is larger than the darker-skinned Hass avocado that comes primarily from California or Mexico.
With the damage mostly behind them, avocado growers still wage warfare against the disease, which first appeared in South Florida's groves in 2011. Tree loss is now estimated at over $42 million, with lost avocado sales well over $4 million, according to the University of Florida.
Advertisement
"Pathologists are working on a vaccine to inoculate against the fungus," said Jonathan Crane, a horticulture scientist with the University of Florida.
"We just got the funding for that," Crane said. "We're at the very early stages. Developing a vaccine for something like this is very difficult. We hope to have results of current tests in about three years."
He said additional research is focused on finding varieties of avocado trees that are resistant to the disease.
After the disease wiped out large tracts of older, more vulnerable avocado trees, the spread of laurel wilt isn't as bad now, but trees still succumb to it, Crane said.
"Even when we've gone through and removed all the laurel wilt trees, in a few weeks we're going to see another one," said Medora Krome, a third-generation grower near Homestead, south of Miami. "There are very few groves where you don't see dead trees from this now."
Laurel wilt has killed half a billion laurel trees, which include avocados, on farms and in woods in the southeastern United States over the last 18 years.
The best defense once a tree is infected is to cut it down, grind it into chips and apply chemicals to kill larvae of invasive redbay ambrosia beetles that spread the disease.
Advertisement
Avocado trees aren't the only species of laurel that are attacked. The disease also kills redbay laurel, which is common in many wooded areas, and several other types of laurel -- but not every type.
The industry also is struggling to contain the spread of the disease when people carry infested firewood or even furniture made with redbay laurel trees into new regions, allowing hidden larvae to escape and begin spreading.
Krome remembers the day in 2011 that field inspectors told her they'd spotted the disease in a single tree amid groves first planted by her grandfather, William Krome, an engineer who helped build Florida East Coast Railway.
"I called my grove manager and said nobody goes home at 4 p.m.," Krome said. "We went out there with chainsaws. I cut it down that day."
At the same time, demand for avocados -- most recently for avocado spread -- caused prices to double over the past year. The current price is just over $3 each, according to the most recent information from the USDA based on market prices in Florida.
The trees can be saved by injecting them with a fungicide. But it is expensive and time-consuming and only lasts a year or two, said Jonathan Crane, a horticulture scientist at the University of Florida. Many growers, especially those who produce organic avocados, are reluctant to go that route.
Advertisement
"It showed up in South Florida much faster than we thought after it was first detected in Georgia in 2002 and then in Jacksonville," Crane said. "We thought it would take 20 years, but it only took a few years."
Research has shown that the beetles like bigger, older tree trunks in shaded areas that are stressed by drought or poor soil. That allows them to bore holes into the trunk, where they cultivate the Raffaelea lauricola fungus inside the tree to feed their larvae.
Older trees also pass the fungus to other trees because their roots often grow together, Crane said.
In response to this research, best management practices to contain the disease now include keeping trees healthy with proper irrigation and fertilizer, and cutting them off at the stump to be grafted with new cuttings to grow newer, healthier treetops.
"We learned that the large groves of older trees were most vulnerable," Crane said.
So-called dooryard avocado trees -- individual trees growing on someone's private property -- generally are not as vulnerable because they are usually smaller, isolated and grown in bright sunlight, Crane said.
The new understanding of the disease means growers have some hope, said Alan Flinn, manager of the Florida Avocado Administrative Committee. The state-authorized trade group includes growers and packers to promote Florida avocados and set quality standards for the industry.
Advertisement
"Many of the acres lost weren't properly managed and fertilized and topped. If you manage it correctly, you can still be a successful grower," Flinn said.
For now, optimism reigns.
"We've got a problem with laurel wilt, so what are we doing?" grower Krome asked rhetorically. "We're replanting. We are getting grants to replace and to remove the sick trees. And we trust the biologists are working on a better solution."


upi--2020-03-05--Scientists' ability to predict 'flash droughts' could assist farmers

DENVER , March 5 ( UPI ) -- Scientists have identified ways to predict a type of quick-hitting drought , which could give farmers , ranchers and water managers early warning and options for irrigation and help them protect crops and livestock .
`` Flash droughts '' occur quickly and are characterized by their speed and high intensity .
They can be devastating to agriculture and water supplies , a peer-reviewed essay published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change said .
`` The weather will go from a normal state and then suddenly enter a drought within a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets much worse very rapidly , '' lead author Angie Pendergrass , an atmospheric scientist at Boulder 's National Center for Atmospheric Research , told UPI .
Giving a few weeks ' notice to farmers and water managers might lessen the blow of a flash drought , said co-author Philip Mote , a professor in the College of Earth , Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University .
`` Forewarned is forearmed , '' Mote said .
`` The more experience we get with making these forecasts , the more helpful they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flash droughts could be predicted by factoring in the evaporation rate of the atmosphere when other weather patterns are in place , researchers said in `` Flash droughts present a new challenge for subseasonal-to-seasonal prediction . ''
A combination of thirsty air , or high evaporative demand , combined with stretches of no rain and extra heat , can lead to a flash droughts , Pendergrass said .
A 2012 flash drought hit the agricultural heartland of the Midwest and Great Plains , in early June , lasting through the summer and causing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Mary Knapp , assistant Kansas state climatologist .
`` We got a cessation of rainfall at critical points when the crops were needing it with the highest demand , '' Knapp said .
Notice of flash drought conditions could help water managers in the West plan for irrigation and drinking water usage , she said .
`` As we go into the spring , if we 're going to see an onset of a flash drought , reservoir managers might not lower the storage levels because they will need that water later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a heads-up about the drought in 2012 , they might have planted more water-tolerant crop varieties or increased row spacing in the fields so crops did not compete for water , she said .
But some decisions , like following a five-year planned crop rotation , would not have been alterable with only a few weeks ' notice , Knapp said .
In summer 2017 in Eastern Montana and western North Dakota , a wet spring was followed by a flash drought .
Rangeland for cattle grazing suddenly dried up under extreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a fast-moving wildfire destroyed 300,000 acres of rangeland .
Many producers weaned calves early and sold them to market , and many cut down their herds significantly that year , said Jay Bodner , executive vice president of the Helena-based Montana Stock Growers Association .
`` Grass composition was such poor quality that the young calves were not putting on pounds and coming in underweight , '' Bodner recalled .
Giving ranchers a three-week lead time before a flash drought could have helped make some decisions about locating pasture options or alternative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might not have had to sell those animals , '' Bodner said .
Droughts are among the most complex weather patterns , still not well understood by climate scientists , the essay said .
They can last for a few weeks or decades , and can affect a few square miles or stretch over continents .
Some parts of the western United States have been in a state of drought for decades , and that can increase wildfires .
Weather scientists and farmers try to predict how a drought is progressing via the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
Climate scientists might have predicted the flash drought of 2012 early if they added analysis of atmospheric thirst , or evaporative demand drought index , the paper said .
Evaporative demand numbers showed that by early May , weeks before the drought actually hit , arid , hot weather conditions already were building .
One thing climate scientists ca n't predict , however , is when a drought will end .
It 's actually harder to predict when it will rain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a flash drought , Pendergrass said .
Meanwhile , she said she hoped more research would lead to better predictions .
`` If communities are able to make plans and have them at the ready , they can prepare ahead of time before a flash drought event gets too far underway , '' she said .

Flash droughts that can cause major crop damage can be predicted with weather data, new research says. Photo by Curt Reynolds, courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture
DENVER, March 5 (UPI) -- Scientists have identified ways to predict a type of quick-hitting drought, which could give farmers, ranchers and water managers early warning and options for irrigation and help them protect crops and livestock. "Flash droughts" occur quickly and are characterized by their speed and high intensity. They can be devastating to agriculture and water supplies, a peer-reviewed essay published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change said. Advertisement
"The weather will go from a normal state and then suddenly enter a drought within a few weeks, or a mild drought gets much worse very rapidly," lead author Angie Pendergrass, an atmospheric scientist at Boulder's National Center for Atmospheric Research, told UPI.
Giving a few weeks' notice to farmers and water managers might lessen the blow of a flash drought, said co-author Philip Mote, a professor in the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University.
Advertisement
"Forewarned is forearmed," Mote said. "The more experience we get with making these forecasts, the more helpful they will be for water use."
Flash droughts could be predicted by factoring in the evaporation rate of the atmosphere when other weather patterns are in place, researchers said in "Flash droughts present a new challenge for subseasonal-to-seasonal prediction."
A combination of thirsty air, or high evaporative demand, combined with stretches of no rain and extra heat, can lead to a flash droughts, Pendergrass said.
A 2012 flash drought hit the agricultural heartland of the Midwest and Great Plains, in early June, lasting through the summer and causing billions of dollars in crop losses, said Mary Knapp, assistant Kansas state climatologist.
"We got a cessation of rainfall at critical points when the crops were needing it with the highest demand," Knapp said.
Notice of flash drought conditions could help water managers in the West plan for irrigation and drinking water usage, she said.
"As we go into the spring, if we're going to see an onset of a flash drought, reservoir managers might not lower the storage levels because they will need that water later," Knapp said.
If farmers had a heads-up about the drought in 2012, they might have planted more water-tolerant crop varieties or increased row spacing in the fields so crops did not compete for water, she said.
Advertisement
But some decisions, like following a five-year planned crop rotation, would not have been alterable with only a few weeks' notice, Knapp said.
In summer 2017 in Eastern Montana and western North Dakota, a wet spring was followed by a flash drought.
Rangeland for cattle grazing suddenly dried up under extreme dry conditions. During the same period, a fast-moving wildfire destroyed 300,000 acres of rangeland.
Many producers weaned calves early and sold them to market, and many cut down their herds significantly that year, said Jay Bodner, executive vice president of the Helena-based Montana Stock Growers Association.
"Grass composition was such poor quality that the young calves were not putting on pounds and coming in underweight," Bodner recalled.
Giving ranchers a three-week lead time before a flash drought could have helped make some decisions about locating pasture options or alternative hay, he said.
"They might not have had to sell those animals," Bodner said.
Droughts are among the most complex weather patterns, still not well understood by climate scientists, the essay said. They can last for a few weeks or decades, and can affect a few square miles or stretch over continents.
Some parts of the western United States have been in a state of drought for decades, and that can increase wildfires.
Advertisement
Weather scientists and farmers try to predict how a drought is progressing via the U.S. Drought Monitor website, run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Climate scientists might have predicted the flash drought of 2012 early if they added analysis of atmospheric thirst, or evaporative demand drought index, the paper said.
Evaporative demand numbers showed that by early May, weeks before the drought actually hit, arid, hot weather conditions already were building.
One thing climate scientists can't predict, however, is when a drought will end.
It's actually harder to predict when it will rain than whether atmospheric conditions are right for a flash drought, Pendergrass said.
Meanwhile, she said she hoped more research would lead to better predictions.
"If communities are able to make plans and have them at the ready, they can prepare ahead of time before a flash drought event gets too far underway," she said.


upi--2020-03-05--Famous birthdays for March 5: Penn Jillette, Eva Mendes

March 5 ( UPI ) -- Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces .
-- Magician @ @ @ @ @ Teller in 1955 ( age 65 )

Magician Penn Jillette attends the premiere of "American Gods" at the ArcLight Cinema Dome in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on April 20, 2017. He turns 65 on March 5. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
March 5 (UPI) -- Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include: Advertisement
-- Flemish mapmaker Gerardus Mercator in 1512
-- Antoine Cadillac, founder of Detroit, in 1658
-- Poet Lucy Larcom in 1824
-- Author Frank Norris in 1870
-- Actor Rex Harrison in 1908
File Photo by Larry Rubenstein/UPI
-- Actor Jack Cassidy in 1927
-- Actor Paul Sand in 1932 (age 88)
-- Actor Dean Stockwell in 1936 (age 84)
-- Actor Samantha Eggar in 1939 (age 81)
-- Actor Michael Warren in 1946 (age 74)
-- Actor Marsha Warfield in 1954 (age 66)
-- Magician Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller in 1955 (age 65)
-- Journalist Ray Suarez in 1957 (age 63)
-- Singer Andy Gibb in 1958
-- Televangelist Joel Osteen in 1963 (age 57)
-- Football Hall of Fame member Michael Irvin in 1966 (age 54)
File Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI
-- Guitarist John Frusciante in 1970 (age 50)
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-- Actor Matt Lucas in 1974 (age 46)
-- Actor Eva Mendes in 1974 (age 46)


upi--2020-03-05--On This Day, March 5: Hula Hoop patented

March 5 ( UPI ) -- On this date in history : In 1770 , British troops killed five colonials in the so-called Boston Massacre , one of the events that led to the American Revolution .
In 1917 , President Woodrow Wilson was publicly inaugurated for his second term .
He had a private , official inauguration a day earlier .
In 1933 , in German elections , Adolf Hitler 's Nazi Party won nearly half the seats in the Reichstag ( the Parliament ) .
In 1946 , Winston Churchill , in a famous speech in Fulton , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Iron Curtain '' had `` descended across '' Europe .
In 1953 , the Soviet Union announced that dictator Joseph Stalin had died at age 73 .
Stalin had been in a coma after having a massive stroke four days earlier .
In 1963 , Wham-O patented the Hula Hoop , which then became a fad across the country .
The company 's co-founders , Richard Knerr and Arthur `` Spud '' Melin died in 2008 and 2002 , respectively .
In 1984 , the Standard Oil Co. of California , also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for more than $ 13 billion in the largest business merger in U.S. history at the time .
In 1993 , Canada 's Ben Johnson , once called the world 's fastest human , tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and was banned for life from track competition .
In 2011 , archaeologists renovating the Rio de Janeiro harbor for the 2016 Olympics reported uncovering the remains of a 19th-century port where thousands of people arrived from Africa and were sold into slavery .
In 2013 , Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died at age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the presidency .
In 2014 , the New York-based College Board announced plans for a major overhaul of the SAT test -- the college entrance exam -- to take effect in 2016 .
In 2018 , North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with South Korean officials for the first time since becoming leader .
The special envoys of South Korean President Moon Jae-in were on a mission to broker denuclearization talks between North Korea and the United States .
In 2019 , Kylie Jenner was named the world 's youngest billionaire @ @ @ @

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A woman performs with a Hula Hoop as she walks in the St. Louis Mardi Gras Parade on February 22. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
March 5 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1770, British troops killed five colonials in the so-called Boston Massacre, one of the events that led to the American Revolution. Advertisement
In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson was publicly inaugurated for his second term. He had a private, official inauguration a day earlier.
In 1933, in German elections, Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party won nearly half the seats in the Reichstag (the Parliament).
In 1946, Winston Churchill, in a famous speech in Fulton, Mo., stated that a Soviet Union "Iron Curtain" had "descended across" Europe.
File Photo courtesy Cecil Beaton/Imperial War Museums
In 1953, the Soviet Union announced that dictator Joseph Stalin had died at age 73. Stalin had been in a coma after having a massive stroke four days earlier.
In 1963, Wham-O patented the Hula Hoop, which then became a fad across the country. The company's co-founders, Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin died in 2008 and 2002, respectively.
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In 1984, the Standard Oil Co. of California, also known as Chevron, bought Gulf Corp. for more than $13 billion in the largest business merger in U.S. history at the time.
In 1993, Canada's Ben Johnson, once called the world's fastest human, tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and was banned for life from track competition.
In 2011, archaeologists renovating the Rio de Janeiro harbor for the 2016 Olympics reported uncovering the remains of a 19th-century port where thousands of people arrived from Africa and were sold into slavery.
File Photo by Terry Schmitt
In 2013, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died at age 58 and Vice President Nicolas Maduro ascended to the presidency.
In 2014, the New York-based College Board announced plans for a major overhaul of the SAT test -- the college entrance exam -- to take effect in 2016.
In 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with South Korean officials for the first time since becoming leader. The special envoys of South Korean President Moon Jae-in were on a mission to broker denuclearization talks between North Korea and the United States.
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In 2019, Kylie Jenner was named the world's youngest billionaire in Forbes magazine.


upi--2020-03-05--'Devs' explores the space between scientific discoveries

LOS ANGELES , March 5 ( UPI ) -- Ex Machina and Annihilation writer/director Alex Garland created a TV show about a machine that could affect not only the future , but also the past .
Devs explores the very real implications of such technology and the company that created it .
`` It was about the machine and then trying to imagine the company behind it , '' Garland told UPI .
`` In some ways , the whole thing is about the ethics of a machine like that or the consequences of a machine like that . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Nick Offerman ) invites Lily Chan ( Sonoya Mizuno ) to join his top-secret development ( `` Devs '' ) team .
Lily participates because she believes the company had something to do with her boyfriend 's death .
`` I think there are ethics in the tech community that are not controlled by our political systems and our government , '' Mizuno said in a separate interview .
`` It 's a very strange time we 're living in now .
It 's difficult to know who 's in control of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the machine vague in the early episodes .
By midway through the eight episodes , the machine 's capabilities become more clear as the characters debate its applications .
The time the characters spend processing their discoveries is as important to Garland as the discoveries themselves .
Garland said he enjoyed filling the eight episodes of Devs with scenes of the characters processing their discoveries .
`` You could do a 10-page scene in a TV show and that 's just a 10-page scene , '' Garland said .
`` If that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up 7 percent of the entire movie or more .
It 's just very liberating . ''
As Chan discovers the true nature of the machine , she views images that vary in clarity .
Garland suggested the images become clearer as the Devs fine-tune the machine .
`` When we first see the images , they 're kind of like TVs in the old days , before they were digital , '' Garland said .
`` If you could n't tune it correctly , you 'd get this snowstorm of static .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a way . ''
Chan has enough programming experience to deal with the technology .
Mizuno does not and tries to learn enough to be able to perform convincingly .
`` I like to understand it to the best of my ability , but I 'm not a scientist and I 'm not Alex , who has the mind that he has , '' Mizuno said .
`` It 's reading some books .
It 's watching some things on YouTube , but at the end of the day , for me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going through . ''
Devs takes place in a somewhat futuristic office .
Encased in gold , a floating electromagnetic cube takes programmers to their stations .
They ca n't transfer anything inside or out .
`` Depending on the lighting , it would kind of pulsate in a particular way , '' Mizuno said .
`` It would look like the walls are breathing .
So it was like you were inside this living organism . ''
Garland said he extrapolated the security protocols from real tech companies .
`` One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vacuums because you can always tell if something 's passing across a vacuum , '' Garland said .
`` So there 'd be faraday cages and concrete and no cables and no USB ports , and also sometimes using vacuums around things .
I thought that was kind of interesting . ''
Devs will be the first FX series to launch exclusively on Hulu , with new episodes streaming every Thursday .
Garland said FX gave him creative freedom with the show 's technology and its characters , unlike anything he 'd experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never questioned him .
`` FX [ never said ] , 'Oh , that 's too complicated , oh , that 's too morally ambiguous , oh , that 's too unsympathetic , ' '' Garland said .
`` In film , there 's the cliche : the lead character 's not sympathetic enough .
I never heard anything like that when I was working on this . ''
Chan is the viewer 's entree into Amaya , and Forest hired her for her individual way of thinking .
Mizuno appreciated how Garland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science fiction .
`` Typically , they can be very sexy , glossy , badass , sassy , everyone 's best friend , '' Mizuno said .
`` Lily was none of those things .
She was a real outsider .
She did n't participate in groupthink and she did things for her own reasons .
That 's something I felt like I could relate to . ''

1/5
Alex Garland created the new FX series "Devs" streaming exclusively on Hulu. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
LOS ANGELES, March 5 (UPI) -- Ex Machina and Annihilation writer/director Alex Garland created a TV show about a machine that could affect not only the future, but also the past. Devs explores the very real implications of such technology and the company that created it. "It was about the machine and then trying to imagine the company behind it," Garland told UPI. "In some ways, the whole thing is about the ethics of a machine like that or the consequences of a machine like that." Advertisement
In the show, Amaya CEO Forest (Nick Offerman) invites Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) to join his top-secret development ("Devs") team. Lily participates because she believes the company had something to do with her boyfriend's death.
"I think there are ethics in the tech community that are not controlled by our political systems and our government," Mizuno said in a separate interview. "It's a very strange time we're living in now. It's difficult to know who's in control of what."
Advertisement
Garland keeps specific details about the machine vague in the early episodes. By midway through the eight episodes, the machine's capabilities become more clear as the characters debate its applications.
The time the characters spend processing their discoveries is as important to Garland as the discoveries themselves. Garland said he enjoyed filling the eight episodes of Devs with scenes of the characters processing their discoveries.
"You could do a 10-page scene in a TV show and that's just a 10-page scene," Garland said. "If that's a movie, you've used up 7 percent of the entire movie or more. It's just very liberating."
As Chan discovers the true nature of the machine, she views images that vary in clarity. Garland suggested the images become clearer as the Devs fine-tune the machine.
"When we first see the images, they're kind of like TVs in the old days, before they were digital," Garland said. "If you couldn't tune it correctly, you'd get this snowstorm of static. It sort of came from that, in a way."
Chan has enough programming experience to deal with the technology. Mizuno does not and tries to learn enough to be able to perform convincingly.
"I like to understand it to the best of my ability, but I'm not a scientist and I'm not Alex, who has the mind that he has," Mizuno said. "It's reading some books. It's watching some things on YouTube, but at the end of the day, for me it's always about what the character is going through."
Advertisement
Devs takes place in a somewhat futuristic office. Encased in gold, a floating electromagnetic cube takes programmers to their stations. They can't transfer anything inside or out.
"Depending on the lighting, it would kind of pulsate in a particular way," Mizuno said. "It would look like the walls are breathing. So it was like you were inside this living organism."
Garland said he extrapolated the security protocols from real tech companies.
"One of the things was to do with vacuums because you can always tell if something's passing across a vacuum," Garland said. "So there'd be faraday cages and concrete and no cables and no USB ports, and also sometimes using vacuums around things. I thought that was kind of interesting."
Devs will be the first FX series to launch exclusively on Hulu, with new episodes streaming every Thursday. Garland said FX gave him creative freedom with the show's technology and its characters, unlike anything he'd experienced in film. He added that FX never questioned him.
"FX [never said], 'Oh, that's too complicated, oh, that's too morally ambiguous, oh, that's too unsympathetic,'" Garland said. "In film, there's the cliche: the lead character's not sympathetic enough. I never heard anything like that when I was working on this."
Advertisement
Chan is the viewer's entree into Amaya, and Forest hired her for her individual way of thinking. Mizuno appreciated how Garland created a character unlike stereotypical women in science fiction.
"Typically, they can be very sexy, glossy, badass, sassy, everyone's best friend," Mizuno said. "Lily was none of those things. She was a real outsider. She didn't participate in groupthink and she did things for her own reasons. That's something I felt like I could relate to."
Devs premieres Thursday on FX on Hulu.


upi--2020-03-05--MRI, biopsy combo increases prostate cancer diagnosis accuracy

Adding MRI to a standard tissue biopsy appears to enhance the accuracy of a prostate cancer diagnosis , new research finds .
The study , led by researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute , found that combining the two methods cut the rate of `` underdiagnosis '' by more than half , compared to use of either MRI or biopsy alone .
`` With the addition of MRI-targeted biopsy to systematic biopsy , we can now identify the most lethal cancers within the prostate earlier , providing patients the potential for better treatment before the cancers spread , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an NCI news release .
Pinto is with the Urologic Oncology Branch of the NCI 's Center for Cancer Research .
In conventional prostate cancer care , the current main method of diagnosis is systematic biopsy .
It 's a non-targeted method of taking tissue samples from across the prostate gland .
But as the NCI team pointed out , this method can still potentially miss areas of cancer .
MRI-targeted biopsies could lead to better accuracy , Pinto 's group said .
In this approach , doctors merge previously taken MRI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology , and are better able to detect more high-grade cancers than systematic biopsies .
In this study , the researchers investigated whether it would be better to replace systematic biopsy with MRI-targeted biopsies or to use both tests together .
The study included more than 2,100 men with prostate lesions that were visible on an MRI scan .
All of the men underwent both MRI-targeted biopsies as well as traditional systematic biopsies .
Of these men , 1,312 were diagnosed with cancer and 404 underwent prostatectomy -- the removal of the entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue of the New England Journal of Medicine , Pinto 's team said that adding MRI-targeted biopsy to systematic biopsy led to 208 more cancer diagnoses , compared to using systematic biopsy alone .
The addition of MRI-targeted biopsy also led to 458 changes in diagnosis , alerting patients of a more aggressive cancer that might need more aggressive treatment , based on analysis of the biopsied tissue .
The two-method approach also provided more accurate diagnosis than MRI-targeted biopsies alone .
For example , among the men who underwent prostatectomy , systematic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cancers , while MRI-targeted biopsy alone underdiagnosed about 30 percent .
In contrast , combined biopsy underdiagnosed just 14.4 percent of the cancers , the researchers found .
And on the other hand , systematic biopsy alone underdiagnosed 16.8 percent of the most aggressive cancers , while MRI-targeted biopsy alone underdiagnosed 8.7 percent of the most aggressive cancers .
But combining the two biopsy methods missed only 3.5 percent of the most aggressive cancers , Pinto 's group said .
`` Prostate cancer has been one of the only solid tumors diagnosed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cancer 's location , '' Pinto noted .
`` For decades , this has led to the overdiagnosis and subsequent unnecessary treatment of non-lethal cancers , as well as to missing aggressive high-grade cancers and their opportunity for cure . ''
Two prostate cancer specialists said the study could be a game-changer in prostate cancer care .
`` The study represents the culmination of much research and has now changed the trajectory of the evaluation of elevated [ prostate-specific antigen ] and prostate cancer diagnosis , '' said Dr. Manish Vira .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Arthur Smith Institute for Urology , in New Hyde Park , N.Y .
However , Vira cautioned that no method is perfect when it comes to accurate diagnosis , and that is `` an important point to discuss with patients . ''
Dr. Art Rastinehad is vice chair of urology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City .
He called the NCI team `` pioneers '' in advancing the science of prostate cancer diagnosis .
According to Rastinehad , the new study also `` reinforces the recent update by the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group recommended that an MRI precede every prostate biopsy .
The American Cancer Society has more on prostate cancer .

Adding MRI to a standard tissue biopsy appears to enhance the accuracy of a prostate cancer diagnosis, new research finds.
The study, led by researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, found that combining the two methods cut the rate of "underdiagnosis" by more than half, compared to use of either MRI or biopsy alone.
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"With the addition of MRI-targeted biopsy to systematic biopsy, we can now identify the most lethal cancers within the prostate earlier, providing patients the potential for better treatment before the cancers spread," study senior author Dr. Peter Pinto said in an NCI news release. Pinto is with the Urologic Oncology Branch of the NCI's Center for Cancer Research.
In conventional prostate cancer care, the current main method of diagnosis is systematic biopsy. It's a non-targeted method of taking tissue samples from across the prostate gland. But as the NCI team pointed out, this method can still potentially miss areas of cancer.
Advertisement
MRI-targeted biopsies could lead to better accuracy, Pinto's group said. In this approach, doctors merge previously taken MRI images of suspected cancer with real-time ultrasound technology, and are better able to detect more high-grade cancers than systematic biopsies.
In this study, the researchers investigated whether it would be better to replace systematic biopsy with MRI-targeted biopsies or to use both tests together.
The study included more than 2,100 men with prostate lesions that were visible on an MRI scan. All of the men underwent both MRI-targeted biopsies as well as traditional systematic biopsies.
Of these men, 1,312 were diagnosed with cancer and 404 underwent prostatectomy -- the removal of the entire prostate.
Reporting in the March 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Pinto's team said that adding MRI-targeted biopsy to systematic biopsy led to 208 more cancer diagnoses, compared to using systematic biopsy alone.
The addition of MRI-targeted biopsy also led to 458 changes in diagnosis, alerting patients of a more aggressive cancer that might need more aggressive treatment, based on analysis of the biopsied tissue.
The two-method approach also provided more accurate diagnosis than MRI-targeted biopsies alone.
For example, among the men who underwent prostatectomy, systematic biopsy alone underdiagnosed about 40 percent of cancers, while MRI-targeted biopsy alone underdiagnosed about 30 percent. In contrast, combined biopsy underdiagnosed just 14.4 percent of the cancers, the researchers found.
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And on the other hand, systematic biopsy alone underdiagnosed 16.8 percent of the most aggressive cancers, while MRI-targeted biopsy alone underdiagnosed 8.7 percent of the most aggressive cancers. But combining the two biopsy methods missed only 3.5 percent of the most aggressive cancers, Pinto's group said.
"Prostate cancer has been one of the only solid tumors diagnosed by performing systematic biopsies 'blind' to the cancer's location," Pinto noted. "For decades, this has led to the overdiagnosis and subsequent unnecessary treatment of non-lethal cancers, as well as to missing aggressive high-grade cancers and their opportunity for cure."
Two prostate cancer specialists said the study could be a game-changer in prostate cancer care.
"The study represents the culmination of much research and has now changed the trajectory of the evaluation of elevated [prostate-specific antigen] and prostate cancer diagnosis," said Dr. Manish Vira. He's vice chair of urologic research at the Arthur Smith Institute for Urology, in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
However, Vira cautioned that no method is perfect when it comes to accurate diagnosis, and that is "an important point to discuss with patients."
Dr. Art Rastinehad is vice chair of urology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He called the NCI team "pioneers" in advancing the science of prostate cancer diagnosis.
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According to Rastinehad, the new study also "reinforces the recent update by the American Urological Association," in which the group recommended that an MRI precede every prostate biopsy.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more on prostate cancer.
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