Negative stories tend to circulate the media, often overshadowing some of the great news worth hearing. In New Zealand just last week a rescue dog saved her owner from a house fire. Even though her new forever home had turned to ashes, Hazel, who had been rescued just two days before, was able to preserve her life along with her owners.
Hazel had already been abandoned by two owners at only nine months old and was not ready to lose a third family. After a life filled with rejection, Hazel was able to make a happy ending out of a disastrous situation.
The fire occurred on a Saturday morning in Whakatāne and the fire department rushed to make it to the scene on time. When they arrived at the house, they explained how the fire had already become too big to save.
The owner, who was still sleeping at the time of the scene was woken up by Hazel with a bite, alarming him they needed to evacuate immediately. While they may have lost all of their belongings, both Hazel and his owner were able to safely make it out of the fire with each other by their sides.
“It’s so fascinating to see how dogs are able to help us and understand us humans. Hazel and her owner truly have so much thanks to give for saving each other’s lives. Stories like this give me so much hope for the future,” said by sophomore Bella Timpone.
It’s so inspiring that Hazel was able to return the favor for her owner after the previous cards she’s been dealt. They both wouldn’t be here without each other, creating an unbreakable bond between them that will last forever.
On another note, according to new U.S. research, a drug previously used to treat asthma and allergies may also help fight aggressive cancers. This study revealed how tumors hijack common white blood cells to evade immunotherapy.
This drug named montelukast is already approved by the food and drug association which makes the clinical testing move much quicker. The research team in Illinois explained that the center of the discovery is a molecule called CysLTR1, which is best known for its role in Asthma and inflammation.
Research has just revealed that many cancers exploit CysLTR1 to resist treatment. The tumors trick the immune system into helping them grow by increasing a group of white blood cells.
Researchers tested this treatment with mouse models and found that the drug slowed tumor growth, improved survival, and restored response to cancer-killing immunotherapy.
Professeur Zang from Northwestern’s school of medicine says that because drugs such as montelukast are already FDA approved, the findings could quickly be moved on to patient trials. He explains how the next steps are to confirm this mechanism in patients, identify who will benefit most, and begin carefully designing trials.
“It’s so amazing how research is continuing to expand so we can help save more and more people’s lives. This drug that we thought was just useful for allergies and asthma will now hopefully go on to help even more people. I hope this research continues so that people all around the world can benefit.”
Additionally, a Great Horned owl in Utah regained his ability to fly after being stuck in concrete. In October this owl was found in a concrete mixer and was then sent to The Best Friends Animal Society in Utah.
The team at this nonprofit refuge realized that the young owl would need new feathers before being allowed back into the wild.They patiently waited for the owl to molt, but it didn’t go as predicted. Because of this, the Wild Friends team took a course on how to imp, which meant replacing the old feathers with new ones.
They prepared the surgery using feathers from a donation by a wildlife rescue group nearby. On May 1, the procedure took place and went very smoothly. The owl was then able to be set free in the wild and fly to the highest perch of a tree. Thanks to the team’s persistence to learn how to imp and give the owl the best care possible, he was able to fly free once again with no worries.
“It’s so inspiring to see what people are able to do when they work together for the greater good. Thanks to the team, now this owl gets to rebuild his life that was taken away from him. I hope he goes on to keep flying and the team goes on to keep helping more animals!”