Male Gel
Currently, male birth control consists of two approaches: condoms and vasectomies. The search for something more effective than the former and less drastic than the latter has produced a possible third option: injectable gel.
The gel, which recently went through a small Phase 1 clinical trial with encouraging results, is inserted into the sperm duct, physically blocking sperm from coming out. Tested on 23 participants in Australia last year, researchers found the participants' sperm concentration had dropped by 99%, comparable to a vasectomy.
What remains to be determined is how long the gel persists and its efficacy over time, the health effects of long-term use and whether it reduces pregnancy and not just sperm counts.
Body of Knowledge
A 2020 published study estimated that people have, on average, 6,000 thoughts per day or about 6.5 per minute per waking hour. However, others think differently, and some sources have gone on record speculating that on an average day, the human brain produces up to 70,000 thoughts.
Get Me That, Stat!
The rates of chronic illnesses in children, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and diabetes, are rising, with a corresponding increase in the use of drugs for longer periods of time. That has resulted in increased numbers of dangerous interactions between drugs prescribed to treat those conditions.
A study published in Pediatrics estimates that 1 in 5 U.S. children who take prescription drugs will experience a serious problem from a drug-drug interaction over a year of treatment, with the risk higher among adolescents, children with more medical and mental health complexity and those who take more than two drugs.
Counts
33 -- Percentage that consumption of sugary drinks declined in five major cities (Boulder, Philadelphia, Oakland, San Francisco and Seattle) after specific taxes were implemented. The decline was immediate and enduring, with no increase in travel to areas where sugary drinks are not taxed.
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