Current Events in August 2020

The Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten has suspended all of its sailing expeditions through September after an outbreak of COVID-19 spread through its ship -- the MS Roald Amundsen. The virus reportedly infected 36 crew members and five passengers. 

Worse yet, the ship -- which sometimes doubles as a cruise line as well as a ferry -- had visited several Norwegian ports. Authorities are concerned that townspeople in those stops may have also been infected when passengers disembarked to tour a town or village.

The 41 people who tested positive have been admitted to a hospital in Tromsoe, Norway where the ship is docked.

The MS Roald Amundsen had previously sailed two expeditions to the Arctic, one on July 17 with 209 guests aboard and another on July 24 with 178 guests on board. The cruise line has not commented on the health or testing of other passengers; it only says that it is working closely with the Norwegian National and Local Health Authorities for follow-up, information, further testing, and infection tracking.

A major blunder

Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam said that cruise ship officers were not aware that they should have notified the passengers after the first case was reported on Friday, claiming that the officers simply followed the advice of the ship's doctors.

That line of advice runs counter to the guidelines offered by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The agency said its advice was to inform passengers and crew as quickly as possible so their health could be monitored and, if necessary, be quarantined.

"We have made mistakes. On behalf of all of us in Hurtigruten, I am sorry for what has happened. We take full responsibility," Skjeldam said.

President Trump is poised to “take action” against Chinese apps, including TikTok, in the coming days, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday. The Trump administration is concerned that the apps threaten national security. 

During an interview on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," Pompeo said the administration believes TikTok, a social media video app owned by China-based Bytedance, could potentially feed data to the Chinese Communist Party. 

"Here's what I hope that the American people will come to recognize -- these Chinese software companies doing business in the United States, whether it's TikTok or WeChat, there are countless more ... are feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party, their national security apparatus -- could be their facial recognition pattern, it could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, their friends, who they're connected to," Pompeo said. 

"President Trump has said enough and we're going to fix it and so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party,” he added. 

Pompeo said Trump “will make sure that everything we have done drives us as close to zero risk for the American people...That's the mission set that he laid out for all of us when we began to evaluate this now several months back. We're closing in on a solution and I think you'll see the President's announcement shortly.”

TikTok responds

TikTok has maintained that it would never give the Chinese government access to U.S. user data. In response to Trump’s threat on Friday to ban the platform in the United States, TikTok U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas posted a video saying the social media app is “not planning on going anywhere.”

“These are the facts: 100 million Americans come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, especially during the pandemic,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We've hired nearly 1,000 people to our US team this year alone, and are proud to be hiring another 10,000 employees into great paying jobs across the US.” 

“We are committed to protecting our users' privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.” 

Cracking down on Chinese companies

President Trump’s planned action against TikTok and other Chinese apps would join other efforts to tighten U.S. security amid concerns over Chinese data sharing. Previously, the administration ordered the U.S. to stop buying equipment from Chinese telecom providers Huawei and ZTE. 

In July, the FCC formally designated the companies as national security threats, citing a “weight of evidence” that the companies could “cooperate with the country’s intelligence services” to harm U.S. communications. 

“With today’s Orders, and based on the overwhelming weight of evidence, the (FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security) Bureau has designated Huawei and ZTE as national security risks to America’s communications networks—and to our 5G future,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement at the time. 

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against a California marketing company over charges that it deceptively advertised and sold a COVID-19 treatment plan to consumers.

Regulators accuse Golden Sunrise Nutraceutical, Inc. of falsely stating in advertising materials that its “Emergency D-Virus” treatment plan was approved by the FDA and scientifically proven to treat COVID-19. The agency says the defendants kept marketing the product in this way at a price point of $23,000 despite previous warnings.

“We warned the defendants not to falsely market their product as an effective treatment for COVID-19, but they didn’t stop. As this case makes clear, the FTC is prepared to sue companies that continue to make deceptive health claims about COVID-19 or other serious diseases,” said Andrew Smith, the FTC’s director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

False claims

In its report, the FTC states that Golden Sunrise Nutraceutical placed advertisements on its website, social media accounts, and billboards to promote its diet supplements. Three of these supplements -- ImunStem, Aktiffvate, and AnterFeerons -- were noted to be “uniquely qualified to treat and modify the course of Coronavirus in CHINA and other countries.”

The company also allegedly promised consumers that symptoms of the virus could be cleared up “within two to four days,” despite no evidence or scientific backing.

In addition to its claims linked to COVID-19, the company was also found to have sold dietary supplements that claimed to treat cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious conditions. These treatments supposedly cost some consumers up to $200,000.

Officials are asking for a preliminary injunction against the defendants and ancillary relief for consumers while its report is processed.

Many college students are receiving treatment for mental health, but some still find it difficult to stay calm when feeling stressed or overwhelmed. 

Now, researchers from Yale University have found that teaching college students breathing techniques could be a great way to ease some of those mental health struggles. 

“In addition to academic skills, we need to teach students how to live a balanced life,” said researcher Emily Seppälä. “Student mental health has been on the decline over the last 10 years, and with the pandemic and racial tensions, things have only gotten worse.” 

Importance of taking a breath

For the study, the researchers had 135 undergraduate college students test out three different programs, all of which are designed to promote mindfulness and reduce stress and anxiety. 

Over the course of eight weeks, the participants tried Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, SKY Campus Happiness, and Foundations of Emotional Intelligence. All three programs took different approaches to improving mental health, and the researchers assessed which one yielded the best outcomes. 

Ultimately, the SKY Campus Happiness program produced the best results. Using a combination of breathing techniques and yoga poses, while also incorporating space for community engagement, the participants reported fewer symptoms associated with stress and depression. The program also helped them feel supported by their peers and gave them tangible ways to be more mindful and capable of tackling their mental health struggles. 

“I didn’t realize how much of it was physiology, how you control the things inside you with breathing,” said Anna Wilkinson, one of the study participants. “I come out of breathing and meditation as a happier, more balanced person, which is something I did not expect at all.” 

Teaching lifelong skills

Though many universities offer mental health services to students, the researchers suggest that having more opportunities for programs like the ones utilized in this study could be even more beneficial. These types of classes offer students skills they can use in their daily lives and can even be administered online. 

“Continually adding staff to counseling and psychiatric services to meet demand is not financially suitable -- and universities are realizing this,” said Seppälä. “Evidence-based resiliency programs can help students help themselves.” 

​Over the weekend, the attorney representing the alleged ringleader of the massive Twitter hack that compromised a number of high-profile accounts said his client owns 300 bitcoin, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Graham Ivan Clark was arrested on July 31 for promoting a Bitcoin giveaway scam called "CryptoForHealth,” which netted him $117,000 in cryptocurrency. Clark now faces 30 criminal charges.

During a virtual appearance at Hillsborough County Courthouse in Florida on Saturday, Clark’s attorney David Weisbrod said his client has a collection of digital currency that is worth $3.4 million at current market prices -- more than enough for the 17-year-old to pay his $725,000 bail. 

Prosecutors said Clark’s “conduct” raises questions about the legitimacy of the stash. They pointed out that Florida case law states that Clark must prove that the funds used to post bail were legitimately obtained.

“Because, based upon the conduct of this defendant, I believe it’s appropriate to assume that every single penny that this defendant has access to is by ill-gotten gains,” the prosecutor said. “And we’re talking about millions of dollars.”

Defense attorney denies illegitimacy

Weisbrod pushed back against prosecutors' claim that the bitcoin must have been illegally acquired. He argued that because the authorities returned 300 of the 400 bitcoin confiscated as part of a criminal investigation last year, the teen’s assets are legitimate. 

"I can think of no greater indication of legitimacy than law enforcement giving the money back," said Weisbrod, who noted that the funds didn’t come from illegal activities. 

The judge ultimately decided to set Clark’s bail at $25,000 per 29 counts. 

“For the 30th charge, the judge ordered that if Clark posts bail he must wear an electronic monitor and be confined to his home, except for visits to the doctor or his attorney,” according to the Tampa Bay Times. “The judge barred him from accessing the internet on any device and ordered the 17-year-old to surrender his passport if he has one.”

Recent studies have highlighted the ways that diet and exercise can contribute to positive outcomes for those struggling with liver disease. Now, a new study has found more evidence that physical activity can be beneficial in treating liver disease. 

According to researchers from Trinity College, adopting an aerobic exercise routine could lead to improved health outcomes for those with metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). 

“The benefits of exercise training on both liver and cardiometabolic for these patients is very clear,” said researcher Dr. Philip O’Gorman. “Our findings suggest that there is an urgent need to better transition exercise into the community setting for these patients as the benefits of exercise intervention were not sustained longitudinally.”

Seeing improvements with exercise

To understand the effects of exercise on liver disease, the researchers had participants who had already been diagnosed with MAFLD undergo several medical assessments -- one at the start of the study, one at the study’s end, and one a year after the study began. 

The participants were divided into two groups: those who participated in aerobic exercise classes multiple times per week and those who carried on with their day-to-day lives as usual. The researchers encouraged all participants not to make any major changes to their diets during the study. 

At the end of 12 weeks, all of the participants were reassessed, at which point the researchers determined that exercising yielded several health benefits. 

The study revealed that many of the vital health markers associated with MAFLD were improved when participants followed an exercise routine. Based on biopsies performed at the beginning and end of the study, fibrosis improved over the course of the study. Fibrosis is the scarring and deterioration that occurs in the liver, and incorporating more physical activity was effective in lowering those figures. 

Exercising regularly also reduced participants’ risk of obesity, which the researchers explained is one of the biggest risk factors associated with MAFLD. 

Staying active long-term

Participants were no longer required to exercise after three months, so many fell out of the habit. By the one year check-in, many of the improvements they experienced had diminished. In an effort to keep consumers on the right track, the researchers are calling on medical professionals to recommend exercise routines that their patients can adopt for the long haul, as doing so can improve their health in countless ways.  

“Worryingly, there is little to no exercise referral systems in place within hospital departments and beyond throughout the health care system in Ireland,” Dr. O’Gorman said. “However, as our results have shown, the lack of sustainability of the benefits of exercise in MAFLD is concerning and there is an urgent and unmet need to enable patients to continually engage in exercise therapy in the community setting. A systems-based approach whereby clinicians can refer patients to exercise specialists in the community is required for long-term benefits of exercise to be sustained.”