The Daily Trickle

Washington requires hospitals to report emergency department data

The Washington Department of Health has adopted a new chapter of rules requiring hospitals with emergency departments, and stand-alone emergency departments, to submit patient care data to the department. The data helps the department respond to emerging public health threats and chronic conditions, and other parties may submit it voluntarily through the rapid health information network (RHINO) program. The rule is in effect from October 4, 2026.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Effective

Oct 4, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Washington proposes rules for tamper-resistant prescription pads

The Washington Department of Health has proposed rules on tamper-resistant prescription pads and paper, adding detail to what existing guidance covers. The proposal would require reapproval of a pad whenever there are changes to an approved design, to add oversight that helps prevent prescription tampering.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Comments close

Oct 22, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by October 22, 2026.

Washington extends temporary sun bucks summer benefits rules

The Washington Department of Social and Health Services has extended emergency amendments that support the summer electronic benefits transfer program, also known as sun bucks, for the 2026 summer operational period. The amendments follow a federally approved state plan and were made to meet a federal deadline. The temporary rule is in effect from September 23, 2026, while the department pursues a permanent rule.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Effective

Sep 23, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Washington proposes a new home safety provider pathway and 2027 rate increases

The Washington Department of Social and Health Services has proposed a new qualification pathway for home safety evaluation providers, which would let more providers meet the minimum qualifications. It would also remove a pathway for education and consultation providers, because its requirements are no longer offered. Maximum rates for most approved services would rise to account for inflation in calendar year 2027.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Comments close

Oct 27, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by October 27, 2026.

Tau pathology in the hypothalamus disrupts pair bonding in prairie voles

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports a study in monogamous prairie voles. Expressing a dementia-causing form of tau in the hypothalamus caused social bonding deficits in older male voles and reduced partner preference in healthy males paired with an affected female. Tau expression across hippocampal and cortical regions did not produce the same deficits.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Preprint links PFKFB3 inhibition to beta-cell responses in mice

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports experiments on pancreatic tissue slices from aged 3xTg-AD mice, a model of Alzheimer's disease that also develops diabetes. The authors report that PFKFB3 inhibitors increased calcium activity in beta-cells, and that the effect persisted after the drug was removed. They describe the recordings as exploratory and say residual drug in the tissue cannot be excluded.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Preprint finds rising irritability in ADHD tied to later disorders

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, is an observational study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in two cohorts, one from Oregon and one from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. It shows links, not causes. Symptoms generally declined over time, and rising irritability and inattention were associated with new disorders later in adolescence, while early-life factors did not robustly predict how symptoms changed.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Preprint finds nicotine pouch use higher among other tobacco users

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, is a nationally representative longitudinal study using Waves 7 and 8 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, covering 2022 to 2024. It finds that starting oral nicotine pouches (ONPs) was more common among adults who used cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), smokeless tobacco, or several products. The authors say this raises the question of whether pouches replace those products or lead to using several.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Preprint links folate to anti-tumor function of T cells

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports laboratory work on CD8+ T cells, a type of immune cell. It finds that folate deprivation disrupted their cell-surface glycosylation and triggered an apoptotic stress response. The authors report that boosting folate transporters in transferred T cells increased their numbers in tumors and reduced exhaustion.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Preprint links high shear stress to changed monocytes in valve disease

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports laboratory and mouse work on how monocytes, a type of immune cell, respond to pathological shear stress as they pass through a stenotic aortic valve. The authors report that these forces reprogrammed the cells, and that Piezo1 acts as a key mechanosensor linking the forces to lasting changes in monocyte phenotype.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Preprint maps brain changes in mice after peripheral injury

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports a study in mice with a tibial fracture and cast immobilization. The injured mice developed mechanical hypersensitivity and reduced exploration in anxiety-related tests, which had resolved by 20 weeks. At 7 weeks, the hippocampus showed changes in extracellular matrix signals, and microglia and astrocytes changed over time, with some changes persisting after behavior returned toward normal.

Published

Oct 8, 2026

Preprint finds a higher activity cost reduced quarantine in a campus game

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports a randomized controlled trial of 283 participants at VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam, who played an app-based epidemic game. Quarantine was chosen on 30.1% of participant-days when each contact earned 1 point, and on 20.2% when each contact earned 2 points. The authors say beliefs measured in real life did not reliably predict choices in the game.

Published

Oct 8, 2026

Texas proposes labeling rules for imported shrimp sold by wholesalers

The Texas Department of State Health Services has proposed rules requiring wholesalers to label shrimp as imported if it does not meet United States country of origin requirements for wild or farm-raised shellfish. The proposal implements Senate Bill (SB) 823 from the 2025 session of the 89th Legislature, and would let the department assess administrative penalties against violators.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Comments close

Nov 9, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 9, 2026.

Preprint links Pdk1-high cells to aggressive colorectal cancer

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports that cells with high pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-1 (Pdk1) expression drive tumor growth, resistance to 5-fluorouracil and relapse in models of colorectal cancer. The authors report that these cells show increased interferon signaling, and that inhibiting it weakened their tumorigenic and aggressive features.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Preprint maps gene activity across lung adenocarcinoma progression

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, profiles lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tissue from atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) through invasive disease, using single-nucleus sequencing on 23 patients and spatial transcriptomics on 25. The authors report that several apparently positive results disappeared once sequencing depth was matched, but that an extracellular matrix signature stayed higher in invasive disease in 20 of 22 paired cases. They also list candidate compounds, mostly PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, and state their negative results explicitly.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Preprint suggests three placental proteins may increase susceptibility

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, combines computer modeling, placenta tissue samples and binding assays to propose that CD147, EGFR and LDLR may act as secondary cofactors for the virus's spike protein in the placenta. The study reports higher protein levels of CD147, ACE2 and LDLR in placenta samples from women with a COVID exposure risk than in controls, although the differences in mRNA expression were not statistically significant. The authors say the findings could point to targeted therapeutic opportunities.

Published

Oct 10, 2026

Preprint links FLT3 signaling to weaker morphine pain relief in rats

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports cell, nerve cell and rodent experiments showing that activating the FLT3 receptor with its ligand FL triggers a Raf-MEK-ERK signaling pathway. The authors report that this pathway caused mechanical hypersensitivity and reduced morphine's analgesic effect, and that blocking MEK prevented the loss of morphine analgesia in male rats.

Published

Oct 11, 2026

Preprint links ketone levels to reduced craving during alcohol withdrawal

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, analyzes brain scans from people in inpatient alcohol withdrawal treatment, comparing a ketogenic diet with a standard American diet. It reports that higher serum beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), a ketone, was associated with changes in brain network dynamics, which in turn were associated with reduced cue-induced alcohol craving. The work shows associations rather than causes.

Published

Oct 11, 2026

Preprint proposes checking fewer applicant claims in school admissions

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, is a theoretical study of centralized admissions platforms, which grant priority based on self-reported facts. It argues that a platform only needs to check priority claims that could move an applicant across a school's admission cutoff, and still reach the same outcomes as full verification. In simulated markets, the approach cut verification by 76 percent compared with checking every claim up front.

Published

Oct 8, 2026

Preprint links physician licensing stringency to patient outcomes in Chile

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, uses a sudden migration of physicians to Chile, together with growth in domestic medical schools, to study occupational licensing in public hospitals. It finds that more physicians improve patient outcomes, while lower-quality physicians, measured by licensing exam performance, worsen them. The authors use these findings to evaluate what changing the stringency of the licensing policy would do.

Published

Oct 8, 2026

Preprint examines how UK women's pay and disability claims change over life

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, documents labor supply, wages, health and disability claims among UK working-age women over the last three decades, and fits a structural model of life-cycle work and disability benefit claims. Its results highlight that interactions between disability benefit, welfare and tax-credit systems shape hours, employment, earnings and disability claims over the life cycle, which matters for evaluating policy.

Published

Oct 8, 2026

Washington unemployment claimants must register for work themselves

The Washington Employment Security Department has a rule requiring unemployment benefit claimants to register for work through the state's labor exchange system. Under the rule, claimants register themselves rather than being registered automatically by the department, which the department says will help them reach reemployment services. The rule is in effect from October 9, 2026.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Effective

Oct 9, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Washington sets audit and terminal market inspection fees to match USDA

The Washington Department of Agriculture has adopted fees for USDA audit verification and terminal market inspection services that are identical to the fees set by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS). The state is adopting them to comply with its cooperative agreement with USDA-AMS for services it provides as a Federal-State Inspection Agency. The rule is in effect from October 4, 2026.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Effective

Oct 4, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Preprint finds ammonium gave higher rice yields than nitrate

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports field trials of 48 recombinant inbred lines of rice grown under ammonium or nitrate nitrogen, in irrigated and rainfed conditions across two cropping seasons. Ammonium produced higher average grain yield than nitrate, especially under rainfed conditions, although responses varied by genotype. The authors suggest these traits may help identify rice genotypes suited to water-limited systems.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Texas proposes easing bond and record rules for alcohol licensees

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has proposed changes to its rules on food and beverage certificates and bonds. The changes would remove valuation tracking requirements for complimentary drinks, and cut the record retention period for certificate holders from four years to two. They would also drop the requirement that bonds be payable in Travis County, and let banks and credit unions without a physical presence in Texas provide bonds if they are authorized to transact business in Texas and insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Comments close

Nov 9, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 9, 2026.

Texas proposes changes to alcohol penalties and written warnings

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has proposed changes to its schedule of sanctions and penalties. Under the proposal, written warnings could no longer be an aggravating factor or trigger a hearing, though they could show the recipient was aware of a violation, and the agency could rescind warnings issued in error. The proposal would also place the burden of proving mitigating factors on licensees and permittees, and list factors the agency may weigh when setting a sanction.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Comments close

Nov 9, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 9, 2026.

Texas proposes wider priority inspections for alcohol premises

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has proposed widening which premises count as priority locations for inspection. Premises licensed for less than two years would be priority locations if they have not been the target of any investigative activity, not just underage compliance or other public safety operations. The proposal also defines 'reasonable care' and 'reasonable steps' for the rules on consuming consumable hemp products.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Comments close

Nov 9, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 9, 2026.

Preprint maps protein responses to 367 antineoplastic agents in HepG2 cells

A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports a proteomics atlas of 367 antineoplastic agents (anti-cancer drugs) tested in HepG2 cells. The authors describe a six-protein score that they say tracks how strongly each drug slows cell growth across independent datasets. They also describe an online portal for annotating new protein profiles.

Published

Oct 8, 2026

Washington updates Columbia River Gorge land rules on rebuilding after disasters

The Washington Columbia River Gorge Commission has updated its land use ordinance to match an amendment to the management plan for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The amendment changes the guidelines for landowners who want to rebuild homes and other structures after a disaster. The rules are in effect from October 1, 2026.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Effective

Oct 1, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Washington proposes more flexible licensing rules for foster homes

The Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families has proposed changes to its licensing rules for foster homes. The changes would align the rules with the D.S. Settlement Agreement and the DeGross permanent injunction, and make them more developmentally appropriate and flexible for children and youth. The rules were developed through negotiated rulemaking with foster parents, tribal nations and others.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Comments close

Oct 27, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by October 27, 2026.

Washington proposes an update to its state noxious weed list

The Washington Noxious Weed Control Board has proposed updating the state noxious weed list, which provides the basis for weed control efforts by county boards and other entities. The proposal also updates wording throughout chapter 16-750 of the rules. The title also refers to a schedule of monetary penalties.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Comments close

Nov 2, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 2, 2026.

Washington proposes rules for electronic records notaries

The Washington Department of Licensing has proposed rules to carry out HB [SHB] 2158, a bill passed in the 2026 legislative session. The proposal would add provisions for electronic records notaries public, set methods for confirming the identities tied to tangible records, and clarify when duplicative originals are created.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Comments close

Nov 4, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 4, 2026.

Washington proposes clearer rules for family, friends, and neighbors child care

The Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families has proposed rules to clarify requirements for family, friends, and neighbors (FFN) providers who care for children receiving working connections child care subsidy. The changes would also help the department meet federal directives on the number of children under age two in care, following recent audit findings.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

Comments close

Oct 27, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by October 27, 2026.

GAO finds gaps in Economic Development Administration coordination and data

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report examines the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and five regional commissions, which awarded more than $12 billion in grants during fiscal years 2016 through 2024. It finds that EDA has no comprehensive framework for coordinating with the regional commissions and has not systematically validated key performance measure data since 2020. The report also says the Denali Commission lacks standard procedures for collecting performance information across its grants.

Published

Oct 7, 2026

California updates Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise rules

The California Department of General Services has adopted a final rule updating the Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (SB/DVBE) Program regulations. The rulemaking's title refers to Assembly Bill 2019/2974. The rule takes effect on January 1, 2027.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Effective

Jan 1, 2027

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

California makes permanent GoGreen financing changes for multifamily projects

The California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority has made permanent, without changes, emergency amendments to the GoGreen Business Energy Financing Program regulations. The main changes concern multifamily property projects, which get a 12-month final funding deadline and let finance providers take a security interest in real property. The rules are in effect from September 29, 2026, and also permit financing to rebuild a building destroyed by a natural disaster.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Effective

Sep 29, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

California sets hazardous waste fee rates for 2026-27

The California Board of Environmental Safety (BES), within the Department of Toxic Substances Control, has adopted emergency fee rates for the 2026-27 fiscal year for facilities that generate or process hazardous waste. The action covers facility fees, generation and handling fees, environmental fees, and related fee limits. It is a deemed emergency temporary rule in effect from October 1, 2026, until the board repeals it.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Effective

Oct 1, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

California proposes changes to solar contractors' battery storage work

The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) has proposed changes to the C-46 Solar Contractor classification. The proposal keeps an 80 kWh rating limit on battery energy storage systems (BESS) that these contractors install, maintain or repair, and removes a time restriction on BESS work for systems they installed. The board says this lets solar contractors meet contract and warranty obligations without sacrificing public safety.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Comments close

Nov 23, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 23, 2026.

Texas proposes enforcement rules for foreign purchases of real property

The Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has proposed new rules to carry out Senate Bill (S.B.) 17 from the 2025 session of the 89th Legislature, which restricts certain foreign persons and entities from buying interests in real property in Texas. The proposed rules set procedures for complaints, timelines for responding to civil investigative demands and Secretary of State (SOS) interrogatories, interagency coordination, and confidentiality of complaints and investigative materials.

Published

Oct 9, 2026

Comments close

Nov 8, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 8, 2026.