threshold | Common News Update

Jul262020 by adminNo Comments

Neanderthals may have had a weak pain threshold

Science

July 23 (UPI) -- A new genomic analysis suggests Neanderthals may have had a lower threshold for pain. Scientists found some modern humans -- mostly in central and south America, but also in Europe -- have inherited the Neanderthal variant of the pain-related gene. Advertisement The gene influences the function of an ion channel that initiates the sensation of pain, researchers say. The discovery, detailed Thursday in the journal Current Biology, was made possible by several breakthroughs in genomic science. Over the last year, scientists have collected and sequenced three Neanderthal genomes of especially high quality. The genomic data allowed scientists to identify gene variants that were likely present in most Neanderthals. "This is really what made this possible," study co-author Sva...

Dec22019 by adminNo Comments

More than 2,000 new flu cases reported, number of deaths remains below ‘epidemic threshold’

Health

Dec. 2 (UPI) -- An increasing number of doctor visits across the country are linked with the flu -- a sign the 2019-20 season is officially underway. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly FluView report, released Monday, 2.9 percent of all visits to healthcare providers across the country for the week ending Nov. 23 were related to influenza, up from 2.5 percent the previous week. Once again, seven states -- Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas -- and Puerto Rico reported high flu-related activity over the most recent week covered. Those same regions had reported high activity during the prior week. However, for the first time this flu season, an additional seven states -- Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Nebrask...

Jul172019 by adminNo Comments

Brexit: Bosses seek cut to immigrant salary threshold

Business

The next prime minister should lower the salary threshold for foreign workers in the UK from £30,000 to £20,000, a group of business and education bodies has said. They say that such a move would help to avoid "acute" skills shortages.Currently any non-EU citizen working in the UK must earn at least £30,000, but under current proposals this will be extended to EU citizens after Brexit. The Home Office said it was still consulting on the plans.The extension of the threshold was proposed in last year's Immigration White Paper, which set out the government's vision for a post-Brexit immigration system. However, the coalition - including the British Retail Consortium, business advocacy group London First, Universities UK, and UK Hospitality among others - war...

Sep202018 by adminNo Comments

Medical marijuana increases pain threshold for patients

Health

Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Drugs derived from an active ingredient in marijuana produced only modest increases in pain threshold and tolerance but no reduction in ongoing intensity, according to an analysis of research. Researchers examined 18 placebo-controlled studies in determining the effectiveness of cannabidiol, which contains less than 0.1 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana that makes users high. The findings were published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers concluded that cannabis-induced improvements in pain-related situations "may underlie the widely held belief that cannabis relieves pain." "Cannabinoid drugs are widely used as analgesics [painkillers], but experimental pain studies have produced mi...