Health
Dogs who comfort sick children, leap out of helicopters are nominated for American Humane award
Five standout dogs are helping to improve the lives of others — including in the areas of physical and mental health. Now they’re being recognized nationally for their work.
The American Humane Hero Dog Awards announced the standouts to shed light on their remarkable efforts in a variety of areas. The organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., was founded in 1877 and is the country’s first national humane organization committed to animals.
The annual nationwide competition identifies America’s best dogs in five key categories: military dogs; law enforcement and first responder dogs; service and guide or hearing dogs; therapy dogs; and emerging hero and shelter dogs.
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Beginning in April, hundreds of dog owners across the country submitted the names of their pets for consideration for “Hero Dog.”
The winning dog in each category will be honored at a gala in Palm Beach, Florida, in November — where the animals will walk, sniff and run down a red carpet.
Robin Ganzert, PhD, president and CEO of the American Humane Association, speaks on stage during the Sixth Annual American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards. The organization, headquartered in D.C., will present the “Hero Dog” award this winter in Palm Beach, Florida. (Araya Diaz/Getty Images for American Humane Association)
American Humane president and CEO Robin Ganzert, PhD, told Fox News Digital that the canine heroes this year are “unsung heroes.”
“I’m in awe of these inspiring canine heroes, who sniff out criminals, leap out of helicopters, comfort sick children and more,” she said. “All five dogs are a winner in their category and deserve to be recognized for serving their communities and our country.”
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She added, “American Humane is honored to shine a spotlight on these unsung heroes who make the world a better, kinder place.”
Ahead of its annual event, American Humane announced the finalists. Here are the top five dogs in their respective categories.
Military: Niki
Niki is a five-year-old Belgian Malinois-German shepherd mix who lives in Seattle, Washington.
She started with the U.S. Coast Guard in 2021 and helps detect explosives alongside her human partner, Petty Officer Alicia Horn.
Niki is the military dog finalist for the 2024 American Humane Hero Dog Awards. (American Humane)
Niki has completed over 250 high-stakes operations and logged more than 4,000 working hours protecting the American public, per the American Humane. She helps protect the safety and security of the Washington State Ferries and has boarded over 250 vessels thus far.
The shepherd mix is known for being a hero in her community. She often visits schools to help educate children about military dogs and their handlers.
Law enforcement & first response: Bo
Bo is an 18-month-old bloodhound male from Gastonia, North Carolina, who works with the Gastonia Police Department. Though still young, he’s been saving lives and solving crimes since he was just eight months old, according to the American Humane.
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He started his career in law enforcement in 2023 after the police department handpicked him from a litter of puppies — a move his handler Sgt. David Rowland is happy about, he said.
Bo is also up for the top prize at the Hero Dog Awards on Nov. 8, 2024. He’s shown with Sgt. David Rowland. (American Humane)
Rowland brought Bo home during his training to help strengthen their bond — and his family took a liking to him.
A bloodhound breed was new for the Gastonia Police Department, American Humane noted, as the department had only ever had German shepherds and other classic law enforcement breeds prior to Bo.
Bo has located many lost senior citizens.
Bloodhounds, known for being easily frightened and gentle giants at heart, are not the typical K-9 officer pick — but American Humane said Bo broke the mold.
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Although still terrified of Halloween decorations, Bo is able to approach and comfort people he tracks down — making him a secret weapon. Since he began working, Bo has tracked down a missing 11-year-old child with autism and a 7-year-old kidnapping victim. He’s also found many lost senior citizens.
Service: Sampson
Sampson is an 11-year-old golden retriever service dog up for an American Humane Hero Dog Award.
The service dog based in Sierra Vista, Arizona, recently retired after spending years with his other half — a woman named Joey who was in an accident in 2006. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and over 23 broken bones.
Sampson is the service dog finalist for this year’s award. (American Humane)
For almost a decade, Sampson was by Joey’s side helping her recover and manage a new way of life.
Joey told American Humane that Sampson learned over 245 commands to help her with her recovery. He was even able to go into a medicine cabinet, open it, grab the correct medication and carry it to Joey, followed by a bottle of water to swallow the pills.
When Joey decided to pursue a neuroscience degree after her accident, she encountered issues with getting Sampson into science labs, as there were concerns about contamination and safety hazards.
After she fought hard to find ways to include Sampson, he took on the nickname of “Science Service Dog.” Today, the pair advocates for service dog handlers in science while Sampson spends his golden years off-duty, according to American Humane.
Therapy: Dayo
A nine-year-old Rhodesian ridgeback male dog is the top therapy dog nominated for the American Humane Hero Dog Award this year.
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Dayo, of Dublin, California, began his life as a puppy companion to a baby cheetah named Pancake at the Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon.
Dayo and the cheetah were born on the same day. They grew up together as pseudo-siblings until Pancake tragically passed away in 2017 from health complications.
Nine-year-old Dayo of California is a finalist for the 2024 American Humane Hero Dog Awards. (American Humane)
After officials decided to remove Dayo from the zoo, he was placed with an owner named Liz — who put his lovable personality and emotional intelligence to good use as a therapy dog, according to American Humane.
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Today, Dayo brings love and hope to people in need at several life-changing facilities, such as the George Mark Children’s House, Camp Erin, Children’s Hospital and more.
Shelter: Penny
Penny is a four-year-old mixed breed dog from Louisville, Kentucky, and was named a finalist in the shelter dog category.
Penny was a rescue animal who now works as a therapy dog for children. (American Humane)
Penny was rescued in 2020 after she was thrown out of a moving car and left on the side of the road, according to American Humane.
After making a recovery from what appeared to be long-term abuse, Penny was fostered by two owners. The two high school teachers loved the three-legged dog at first sight, American Humane said.
For over a year, the foster parents helped Penny relearn how to walk — even carrying her in a backpack or stroller when necessary. They ended up adopting her into their home.
American Humane announced the finalists for the 2024 Hero Dog Awards. (American Humane)
Today Penny shows no signs of physical or emotional trauma. She’s described as trusting, loving and gentle.
She works as a therapy dog for children of all ages and is an advocate for stricter anti-animal abuse laws, per the American Humane.
The winner of the 2024 American Humane Hero Dog Award will be announced on Nov. 8.
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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