Science and Tech

Bondurant's Pharmacy owner Eric Brewer advised customers to pick up their prescriptions Tuesday, but he declined to comment when asked about media reports that the distinctively shaped pharmacy might be closing. Customers who called the pharmacy Tuesday were told it would be open until 6 p.m.; then it would close for good. When asked whether Tuesday would be the pharmacy's last day open, Brewer said he didn't know. The independent pharmacy was built in 1974 in the shape of a giant mortar and pestle.

In downtown Lexington, hundreds of scientists, farmers and food producers are pondering what you had for breakfast. And dinner. And what the rest of the soon-to-be 7 billion people on the planet will eat this year. The 27th Alltech symposium on animal health and nutrition has brought together a record 2,100 people from 72 countries to weigh the big issues in food.

FRANKFORT – Kentucky Department for Public Health Commissioner William Hacker, M.D., joined representatives from Safe Kids and other advocates at the Capitol Monday to unveil the elements of a national education and awareness campaign to help reduce child vehicular deaths caused by heat stroke. The event comes on the heels of a weekend tragedy in Louisville in which a 2-year-old died after being left in a hot car.

Unless you volunteer or work at a hospital it's probably not the place you would choose to start or end your day. But a walking tour of UK Chandler Hospital's new Patient Pavilion may change your mind about that. Alan Lytle shares highlights from his trip through the facility.

Executive Vice President for Affairs Michael Karpf, has overseen every aspect of the building's construction estimated cost, 532-million dollars. He says from day one the idea has been to offer critical and acute care patients and their families a kind of shelter from the storms of life.

Depending on what happens next on the weather front, mosquitoes could find prime habitat in central Kentucky.  Record rainfall last month could also help increase numbers. The cool weather has slowed the emergence of mosquitoes, but once temperatures regularly reach into the 80s, Luke Mathias with Fayette County Environmental Health says mosquitoes will return.  A warm spell a week or so ago even probably had a few people scratching themselves.

Three years ago, Winchester dentist Rankin Skinner was reading The New York Times when he came across an article that hit particularly close to home. According to the article, children in Kentucky suffered from more tooth decay than any other state in the country.

Lawmakers in Georgia have approved a system to track prescription drugs dispensed there, which could help put a dent in interstate pill trafficking that has fed drug abuse and overdose deaths in Kentucky. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed the state's new prescription-monitoring program into law on Friday. That was a good step, said Boyd County Sheriff Terry Keelin.

Kentucky scientists will soon be analyzing cells that flew to space aboard the second-to-last U.S. space shuttle flight as part of their effort to determine whether the growth of brain tumors can be slowed. The space shuttle Endeavour, which lifted off Monday morning, is carrying a biomedical experiment that will investigate whether the combined effects of microgravity and ionizing radiation increase or decrease the survival rate of cancer cells affected by glioblastoma multiforme, said Kris Kimel of Kentucky Space, an independent company started by the Kentucky Science and Technology Corp. in 2007.

With the snips of several ceremonial scissors, a host of local, state, and federal dignitaries on Sunday, helped the University of Kentucky officially dedicate the new 12-story Patient Care Pavilion at UK Hospital. Alan Lytle has the story. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear says UK's new facility marks a significant milestone in healthcare for the Commonwealth.

The man most responsible for building a new hospital at the University of Kentucky says the facility’s ready for its “close up” this weekend. The one-point-two million square foot facility includes two patient-care floors with 128 intensive care and acute care beds.  Vice president for Health Affairs Michael Karpf says the new facility is much more adaptable than the old hospital.