We talk to the experts after US Treasury s OCC blesses blockchains, digi-bucks Share
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Feature The US Treasury Department s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Monday published a letter clarifying how federally chartered banking groups can use cryptocurrency and associated technology to manage financial transactions.
The letter endorses the use of independent node verification networks (INVN), such as blockchain distributed ledgers, and stablecoins – cryptocurrencies tied to fiat currencies, like Ethereum-based USD Coin (USDC) – as a means to settle customer transactions. Our letter removes any legal uncertainty about the authority of banks to connect to blockchains as validator nodes and thereby transact stablecoin payments on behalf of customers who are increasingly demanding the speed, efficiency, interoperability, and low cost associated with these products, said Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks in a statement.
The bacterium
Clostridium botulinum produces a toxin that can paralyze muscles and halt breathing. Eye of Science/Science Source
New strategy to fight world’s most potent poison passes first tests in animals
Jan. 6, 2021 , 2:00 PM
A new strategy to fight the world’s most potent poison has passed its first tests in animals. Two research teams have developed neutered forms of botulinum toxin that chase their deadly counterpart into nerves and disarm it. The treatment, if it works in people, would be the first to reverse the paralyzing effects of the toxin inside cells and might spare patients long periods on a ventilator. “In a life-threatening situation, this will be very, very helpful,” says Brenda Anne Wilson, a toxin microbiologist at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
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One of the nation’s most successful and longest-established insurance recovery practices, led by noted policyholder advocate Robin Cohen, is launching its own law firm. Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna opens with over 20 lawyers and staff, many of whom have worked together for more than 20 years at prestigious litigation firms, recovering billions of dollars for policyholder clients and securing landmark judicial rulings. The firm will be based in New York and expects more lawyers to join in the coming months.
Cohen most recently led the insurance recovery practice at trial firm McKool Smith, where she worked alongside her longtime partners Adam Ziffer, Kenneth Frenchman and Keith McKenna. The group has earned a national reputation as fierce advocates for policyholders in high-profile disputes against insurance companies with the biggest monetary stakes. Among other victories, the team earned a first-of-
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Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler has said a new rule will improve scientific transparency, but critics disagree. Al Drago/Pool via AP
Trump’s new rule restricting EPA’s use of certain science could have short life
Jan. 6, 2021 , 12:45 PM
President Donald Trump’s administration yesterday finalized a controversial rule that would make it more difficult for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use major health studies to guide pollution regulations. But the new rule which has been fiercely opposed by the scientific community could have a short life. The apparent victory by Democrats yesterday in two Senate races in Georgia is expected to give the party control of the U.S. Senate, and lawmakers could use a rarely invoked law to revoke the rule by a simple majority vote.
Related to new research published in the January issue of
Science Translational Medicine, Patrick McNutt, PhD, of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, was part of the research team that demonstrated a new Trojan horse approach that produces strong antidotal efficacy in treating lethal botulism in mice, guinea pigs and rhesus macaque monkeys.
Furthermore, in a companion article, an independent team demonstrated that a related drug has robust efficacy in mice. This is one of those serendipitous moments in science where two groups, working independently, demonstrate similar results for a long-standing problem, McNutt said. We are currently modifying this drug to enhance its therapeutic properties against botulism and exploring whether the same approach can be repurposed to treat other neuronal diseases.