Ka`u News Briefs Monday, March 27, 2017

Ope`ape: The Hawaiian Bat is the subject of the talk at Kilauea visitor Center 

Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park  on Tuesday at 7 p.m. 

See story below. Photo from HVNP

One of more than 30 species of box jellyfish, Chironex 

fleckeri.  Photo by Robert Hartwick/Courtesy of UH

THE BEST JELLYFISH STING TREATMENTS are as counter-intuitive as the stings are harmful. Reputable medical websites repeatedly mimic each other and unwittingly disseminate unproven remedies – such as rinsing with sea water, or applying ice or scraping the tentacles off the victim’s skin with a credit card. It’s vinegar, not sea water; plucking, not scraping; and heat, not cold that are helpful, according to a new study by University of Hawai`i researchers. They found that many “remedies,” readily available to anyone who Googles “how to treat a jellyfish sting,” will only exacerbate an already serious problem.
     Angela Yanagihara, assistant research professor at UH Mānoa Pacific Biosciences Research Center and John A. Burns School of Medicine, told University of Hawai`i: “We put those methods to the test in the lab and found they actually make stings much, much worse.”
    Box jellies are among the deadliest animals in the oceans, responsible for more deaths every year than sharks. Even mild stings cause severe pain and can leave horrible scars. The stings are caused by tiny capsules called cnidae, which contain a coiled tubule and venom. Upon contact with a victim, the tubule is discharged in a harpoon-like fashion, either entangling or piercing the skin of the animal it contacts.

Dr. Angela Yanagihara collects Hawaiian box jellyfish

at 3 a.m. Photo courtesy of UH

    Yanagihara, aided by Christie Wilcox, a postdoctoral fellow at JABSOM, looked at the best ways to respond to stings from two box jelly species, the Hawaiian box jelly Alatina and the largest box jelly in the world, the Australian box jelly Chironex fleckeri.
     They examined how different ways of removing tentacles—rinsing with vinegar or seawater, scraping with a credit card or simply plucking them off—affected the amount of venom injected during a sting using a human tissue model designed by Yanagihara. They also looked at whether treating with ice packs or hot packs lessens damage from the venom.
     The team found that some of the most commonly recommended actions, including rinsing with seawater, scraping the tentacles and applying ice, dramatically increased the severity of the stings.
     “Less than one percent of stinging cells on a tentacle actually fire when you’re first stung,” explained Wilcox. “So anything you do that moves the tentacles, or the unfired 99 percent of stinging cell capsules around, has the potential to increase the amount of venom injected into you by many fold.”
     The team found that rinsing with vinegar—which irreversibly prevents the unfired stinging cells from firing—or even simply plucking tentacles off with tweezers led to less venom injection. And after the sting, applying heat actively decreased venom activity.
     Applying ice not only didn’t help with stings from Hawaiian box jelly, it enhanced the venom’s activity to make stings cause more than twice the damage.
     Yanagihara explained: “Heat not ice will act as a “treatment” by inactivating venom already in the skin. These venoms are all highly heat sensitive. Safe hot water 110-115 degrees F (43-45 degrees C) applied for 45 minutes massively inactivated the venom already injected.

Jelly fish at the Sting No More laboratory. Photo from stingnomore.com

   “Authoritative web articles are constantly bombarding the public with invalidated and frankly bad advice for how to treat a jelly sting,” commented Yanagihara, “I really worry that emergency responders and public health decision makers might rely on these unscientific articles. It’s not too strong to point out that in some cases, ignorance can cost lives.”
     For those who can find it, the team found the best way to treat a jelly sting was the combination of Sting No More™ Spray and Cream, a venom-inhibiting product duo developed by Yanagihara with Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense funding.
     In response to a comment posted to the UH News website, Yahagihara wrote: “Vinegar is not a “remedy” or “treatment”; it does not enter the skin or effect venom already in the body. While this has gotten muddled in the popular lay press and on-line, the purpose of vinegar has always been to accomplish part one of a two part first aid approach which is to prevent additional stinging by

Vinegar doesn't cure the sting but it prevents the cells from
continuing to sting. Image from www.perfscience.com

undischarged cnidae left on the skin after tentacle contact. Anytime a jellyfish tentacle contacts human skin thousands of undischarged cnidae (stinging cell capsules) are left on the skin. These are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye but can be seen under the microscope after taking a sticky tape lift. Vinegar causes the collagen capsule to swell preventing the structural apparatus from firing. Sea water – while sounding innocuous, is not a good choice to remove cnidae. It is not effective in washing the cnidae off of the skin. It simply moves the sticky stinging capsules around without inactivating these “time bomb” venom injecting capsules. Later they will fire increasing the over all area of the sting.
     “It’s all too easy to find bad advice on treating jelly stings on the internet,” said Wilcox. But she also noted that such bad advice isn’t solely the fault of the sites that provide it. “Even in the peer-reviewed literature, there are a lot of examples of recommendations that are made in passing in discussion sections without any direct evidence to back them up, and then those just keep getting repeated and cited over and over even though they’re not based on rigorous, empirical scientific evidence.”

Sting No More was developed in cooperation
with University of Hawai`i.

    The team expects these statistically powered findings will prompt online medical sites, government agencies, and the broader medical community to re-evaluate the advice they provide on treating jelly stings. International collaborators and colleagues have joined in this effort and are conducting similar studies around the world using this Yanagihara-Wilcox sting model to test locally prevalent jellyfish species in a similar push to develop evidence-based medical practices.
     Sting No More™ (Alatalab Solutions, LLC) was developed under a Department of Defense grant that aimed to rapidly and effectively treat stings in U.S. Special Operations Command combat divers. With the intention of supporting the development of technologies and therapies of benefit to people, the funding required a commercialization plan for resulting products. All testing of the new commercial product, in the current study was performed under an approved University of Hawaiʻi Conflict of Interest plan. This product demonstrates the strongly pro-innovation culture at UH dedicated to bringing to the public sector technologies that have been developed with federal and state research dollars.

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A NO VOTE FOR JUDGE NEIL GORSUCH in his confirmation for U.S. Supreme Court Justice is promised by Hawai`i Senator Mazie Hirono. She is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and explained her opposition today:  

     “The real focus and the real heart of this decision lies in the struggles that working families, women, differently-abled, people of color, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, students, seniors, and our native peoples face every day,” Senator Hirono said. “These are the everyday Americans who will be impacted by the decisions a Justice Gorsuch would make.

Hawaiian bat.
Photo by Corrina Pinzari /USGS

      “The central question for me in looking at Judge Gorsuch and his record, in listening carefully through three days of hearings is whether he would be a Justice for all, or only a Justice for some. I do not believe Judge Gorsuch meets this test. 

     “I will oppose his nomination, and I will oppose it every step of the way. I urge my colleagues to do the same. This is simply too important for the future of America and its values.”    
    Hirono discussed her decision to oppose Judge Gorsuch with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

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Hawaiian Hoary Bats, Tue, Mar 28, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. USGS bat biologist and researcher Corinna Pinzari reveals recent research into bat biology, monitoring and ecology and examines ‘ōpe‘ape‘a’s current status and distribution.  ‘Ōpe‘ape‘a (Hawaiian hoary bats) are the only true native terrestrial mammals in Hawai‘i. Free; park entrance feed apply.

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Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, March 26, 2017

The community is invited to a meeting on the Preservation Plan for the Hawaiian hula site, ʻImakakāloa Heiau.
The gathering will be held this Saturday, April 1 at 12:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. See Plan,
Archaeological Inventory Survey and Protocol Guide at www.edithkanakaolefoundation.org.
See story below. Photo from Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION has applied to the Hawai`i Legislature for a Grant-in-Aid, which, if approved, would pay for a new roof for the community center. The existing metal roof was installed by volunteers in 1979. Although the roof has been patched numerous times, it urgently needs to be replaced before leaking water causes more damage to other parts of the building.
    According to Hawai’i Revised Statutes, Chapter 42F, Grants-in-Aid are awarded for either capital improvements or operating funds to support programs. OVCA is asking for a grant of $40,000 to replace the roof.
    The application is reviewed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Jill Tokuda, and the House Finance Committee, chaired by Sylvia Luke.
     On Saturday, OVCA President Ron Gall and OVCA Vide-president Dave Anderson made a joint personal presentation in Waimea, limited to ten minutes, to members of both committees in the Legislature.

A row of tall, carefully crafted 'Ohi'a posts stand in proud testament 

to skill of volunteers who built Ocean View Community Center 

in 1979. Trademark columns support the Community Center's 

upper lanai. The two-story meeting place is home to many community 

events, medical programs, social services resources, political talk 

stories, meals and gatherings. Photo by Ann Bosted

    “I think it went pretty well,” commented Gall, “they all seemed familiar with the Ocean View situation and I felt we got a positive reaction. We gave them a photo book showing the poor state of the metal roof. We just have to wait and see.”
    The State of Hawai`i website lists about 46 grants awarded last year. They range from $ 1.7 million to $35,000. Gov. David Ige has the final decision as he can withhold funds even if the grant is awarded.
    As part of the application process, OVCA provided, in advance of the presentation, a summary of its background, stating that OVCA has “served the community’s needs as a place to talk story, meet our neighbors and learn about issues important to our community. The OVCA sponsors community forums, activities and events important to the Ka’u District related to Health, Education, Social Services and Community Services.”

     Under the section devoted to the building's contributions to health, OVCA’s application lists: “Department of Veterans Affairs medical, mental health and benefits assistance; Public Health nurse services; Dengue Fever briefings; Medical insurance enrollment; and other medical service.”
    Educational contributions are explained by “Early Head Start; kindergarten registration; family reading night; school parent-teacher conferences; farmer and field worker briefings.”
     OVCA lists the social services facilitated in the community center as “Legal Aid services; Epic `Ohana services to Hawai’i’s at risk children and youth; Project Vision free vision screening and glasses; Imua Ka’u family and community training.”

Looking down on Ocean View's Community Center, which was

largely built by town volunteers in 1979, is the center's iconic metal 

roof with "Aloha Ocean View" in large letters next to a red flower. 

The OVCA Board has applied for a state Grant in Aid to raise 

$40,000 for a new roof. Photo by Ann Bosted

     Community services provided by OVCA include: “free community dinner once a week; free Thanksgiving Day dinner; venue for three local churches; Neighborhood Watch monthly meetings; CERT training and meetings; Volunteer Fire Department training and meetings; free spay and neuter clinics; and adopt-a-Highway program." 

     “For our politicos,” the OVCA application states, “we host meet and greets for Hawai`i County Council members and state Representatives. The Community Center is a Hawai'i County polling site for local and national elections.”
    The purpose of replacing the roof is, according to the application, “to preserve the building’s integrity and continue to provide a safe and dry environment for use by the Ocean View community and for services in the Ka’u District."

     To help take care of the facility and pay for expensive insurance or Ocean View Community Center, OVCA is urging an expansion of its membership and for all current members to renew.

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THE HULA HEIAU MAKAI OF KA`ALAIKI ROAD, the old sugar cane haul road between Pahala and Na`alehu, is the subject of a public meeting this Saturday, April 1 at 12:30 at Pahala Community Center. The Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, which is working with the Edmund C. Olson Trust to steward the historic site, will explain its Preservation Plan and Protocol Guide.
     Preservation Plan for ʻĪmakakāloa Heiau at Kaʻalāiki, Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi Island was written by Konrad K. Mossman, Matthew R. Clark, Dr. Peter R. Mills and Dr. Huihui Kanalehe-Mossman. 

An aerial view of ʻĪmakakāloa Heiau
Photo from Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation

      According to the Foundation, "KaʻūImakakāloa Heiau is one of the few documented hula heiau in the pae ʻāina of Hawaiʻi. Little is known of the practices and protocol used at heiau hula.
     "The Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation is conducting research in this area in collaboration with hula practitioners, other cultural practitioners, the community, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Heritage Management Program, State Historic Preservation Division, and private land owners in the area."

      Goals stated by the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, are: "To mālama this heiau in perpetuity; to complete an archaeological inventory survey; to design a preservation plan for this heiau; to restore the heiau to be utilized in hula practice by 2018; to research and design hula protocol; to teach protocol to practitioners and community; to study alignments with other heiau and puʻu and to inspire similar initiatives throughout  Hawaiʻi."

 North corner of ʻĪmakakāloa Heiau. Photo by K. Mossman

     The Foundation states that three documents have been generated "to move the ʻĪmakakāloa Heiau restoration project forward. They are available online: Archaeological Inventory Survey  of the Heiau and the two acre area surrounding it;  Preservation Plan for restoration of the Heiau, and a Protocol Guide "to help orient and prepare volunteers and visitors prior to entering the site."

    According to the Foundation, "These three documents were a collaborative effort involving cultural practitioners, non-profit organizations, government agencies, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and the Kaʻū community."          The Foundation explains that the Archaeological Inventory Survey documents the site as it exists today as well as compiles historical, ethnohistorical, and archaeological background of the area. The Preservation Plan outlines how this site will be restored to maintain the authenticity of the site as well as to follow cultural protocol in the process. The Protocol Guide is a means of "disseminating proper etiquette and protocol to the masses. Within this guide, oli and mele are offered and discussed, these mele include traditional compositions as well as newly composed mele. We offer these documents for the purposes of demonstrating the steps taken in the work of mālama heiau to help other similar initiatives."

    See more on the Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation at www.edithkanakaolefoundation.org.

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Prince Kuhio

PRINCE KUHIO DAY is Sunday, March 26 with the state holiday on Monday to celebrate the birthday of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi on March 26, 1871. He was an heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawai`i, a territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress and authored the first Hawai`i Statehood bill in 1919. He also won passage of the Hawaiian Homes Act to create the Hawaiian Homes Commission and set aside 200,000 acres for the benefit of Native Hawaiians. 

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Hawaiian Hoary Bats, Tue, Mar 28, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. USGS bat biologist and researcher Corinna Pinzari reveals recent research and examines ‘ōpe‘ape‘a’s current status and distribution. Free; park entrance feed apply.

Coffee Talk, Fri, Mar 31, 9:30 – 11 a.m., spotlights Footprints in the Ka`u Desert. Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A monthly series of talks on various subjects. nps.gov/havo or 985-6011

www.kaucalendar.com

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, March 25, 2017

The last 2017 Ocean Count of humpback whales was held in Ka`u and around the state on Saturday, sponsored
by Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
File Photo by Danielle Cholewiak/NOAA

FINAL HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY OCEAN COUNT for 2017 drew more than 380 volunteers to 48 sites along the shores of Ka`u and around the state on Saturday morning. Humpback whales are sensing summer coming on and starting to make their way north for the season after wintering in Hawai`i where they breed, give birth and nurse their calves each year.

Humpback females breed, give birth and nurse their calves in
Hawaiian waters each winter. Photo from NOAA

     Cindy Among-Serrao, the Ocean Count Project Coordinator, said that during the count from 8 a.m. until noon, 85 whale sightings were recorded during one 8:35 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. time slot, the most during any period of the day. Volunteers not only counted but recorded whale and other marine life activity.
     "It was a nice sunny day with the occasional cloud cover which was great for volunteers but whale viewing conditions were not so favorable due to the presence of gusty winds and choppy waters," said Among-Serrao.
     Statewide more than 1500 volunteers participated during three Sanctuary Ocean Count days in January, February and March, the peek, time for whales living in Hawaiian waters before they take off to Alaska and Japan for the summer with their calves born and nursed in Hawai`i. The largest number of whales in one day in Ka`u and Volcano were seen at Ka Lae - South Point and at Ka`ena Point - the bottom of Chain of Craters Road.
     Ocean Count serves to promote public awareness about humpback whales, the sanctuary, and shore-based whale watching opportunities. The count is conducted three times per year during the peak whale season and provides a snapshot of humpback whales sightings from the shoreline. Participants tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals' surface behaviors during the survey. See http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

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WHAT'S NEXT IN IMPROVING HEALTH CARE? Though the Affordable Care Act still in place, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said there is much to do to improve health care delivery, particularly in rural areas like Ka`u. Gabbard said that she was happy to report that the proposed American Health Care Act, slated to replace the ACA, was pulled from the U.S. House of Representatives floor Friday "due to lack of support. It's a terrible bill that was basically written by insurance and pharmaceutical corporations on the backs of the most needy and vulnerable. There are serious problems with our health care system that must be addressed, but this bill was not the solution - it would have just made things worse. This is not the end. We must continue to work for a healthcare system that puts the health and well being of people first."      She noted that Medicare and Medicaid "help provide access to quality healthcare for nearly 130 million Americans, including close to 570,000 people in Hawai`i." She pointed to her sponsorship of the Medicare Premium Fairness Act "to prevent premium and deductible increases for those enrolled in Medicare, and the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act to help ensure those who are the most in need continue to have access to quality and affordable care." She said she is also working to increase the Medicare reimbursement rate to help expand health care access and retain physicians in rural communities like Ka`u. She also reviewed other efforts toward improving health care:

KA`U'S MARSHALLESE COMMUNITY is underserved in health care and Gabbard vowed to help restore federal funding for health care promised to Compacts of Free Association migrants. In 1996, Congress passed a law that made migrants from Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands ineligible for federal Medicaid dollars, despite an earlier commitment from the U.S. after it used the islands for nuclear weapons testing between 1946 and 1962. Many families had to evacuate their home islands after the U.S. established the Pacific Proving Grounds and conducted 105 atmospheric and underwater nuclear tests. Generations later, many of the islands remain contaminated by nuclear fallout and the descendants of those who lived there can still not return to their ancestral islands.
     A number of Marshallese families live in Ka`u, particularly in Ocean View. Many of them work

Marshallese students who attend Ka`u schools. with family members
working in the coffee industry and construction, are underserved with
health care, promised to them by the U.S. government.
Photo by Julia Neal

in the coffee and construction industries with some children entering public school without English skills.
     "Without federal dollars, Hawai'i has borne the cost of care for COFA migrants, which has strained our state's resources," said Gabbard. "Each year, Hawai'i spends an estimated $30 to $40 million to provide health care to these families. Gabbard introduced theRestore Medicaid to Compact of Free Association Migrants Act "to right this wrong, require the federal government to fulfill its obligations, honor our COFA, and share the cost of providing health care," she said.

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KA`U HOSPITAL IS A CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL, always under threat of losing funding. Gabbard said, "People from every island deserve access to the highest quality of health care." She said she visited rural hospitals and saw the "remote locations, lack of funding, and staff shortages." She proposed to help "solve these challenges and create greater access to care in our rural and underserved communities." Gabbard also cosponsored the CONNECT for Health Act to remove Medicare barriers to tele-health and remote patient monitoring services.

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VETERANS HEALTH CARE will continue to be another concern, said Gabbard. "While veterans have been experiencing delays and obstacles in receiving VA healthcare for decades, in 2014, our country's failure to fulfill its promise to our veterans was starkly exposed. At the Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans faced wait times of 90 days or more to see a doctor. Hawaiʻi veterans experienced the worst wait times in the country, averaging 145 days—almost five months—just to see a primary care physician for the first time."

Better health care for veterans is the aim of several bills
before the U.S. Congress. Photo from www.filipiknow.net

     She referred to her bill called the Access to Care and Treatment Now for Veterans Act to allow veterans not getting timely healthcare from the VA to get care from non-VA medical providers. This policy was ultimately included in the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act that became law at the end of 2014. She said she promises to do more to eliminate the unacceptable wait times veterans still face today.
     She also passed an amendment in the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act to provide military retirees living more than 100 miles from a military treatment facility the option to re-enroll in TRICARE Prime. The amendment reversed a 2013 policy that eliminated this access and created barriers for veterans. She recently cosponsored legislation to require that management positions be filled at VA medical facilities.

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UNIVERSITY CLASSES OFFERED IN THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE is a goal of Sen. Kai Kahele, whose family is from Miloli`i and father Gil Kahele served as a state Senator from the district that included Ka`u. Kai Kahele, who represents Hilo, authored a bill in the state Senate that made it through the double deferral filing deadline on Thursday.
     Senate Bill 848, House Draft 2 would authorize an Olelo Hawai`i pilot project at any of the ten University of Hawai`i campuses. "The na`au (core) of the bill is the opportunity to provide the pursuit of higher education at our state university through the medium of Hawaiian language," he said. Kahele said the implementation will take time, with initial focus on general education core requirement. He described the plan as "great for the University of Hawai`i and the hundreds if not thousands of keiki across the K-12 Hawaiian language immersion schools."  See the bill and comment at  SB848 SD2 HD2.

Senator Kai Kahele, whose family comes from Miloli`i, is proposing
University of Hawai`i core courses to be taught in the Hawaiian
language. Photo by Kai Kahele

      Kahele said he is also concerned about rising tuition at the U.H. main campus, with the cost averaging $11,000 per year. Even though a bargain compared to some other state universities, he noted that fewer students have registered each year since 2009 and that overall cost of living and tuition can be less expensive on the mainland. "Higher education is slowly becoming out of their reach," he said, referring to the local student enrollment.
      He noted that since 2009, annual state support of the university has dropped by $32 million.

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Hawaiian Hoary Bats, Tue, Mar 28, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. USGS bat biologist and researcher Corinna Pinzari reveals recent research and examines ‘ōpe‘ape‘a’s current status and distribution. Free; park entrance feed apply.

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