Links

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/31/politics/w-samuel-patten-plea-russia-ukraine/index.html
Aug. 31, 2018
Washington lobbyist W. Samuel Patten pleaded guilty Friday to acting as an unregistered foreign lobbyist, and admitted to lying to the Senate Intelligence Committee and funneling a Ukrainian oligarch's money to Donald Trump's Presidential Inaugural Committee.


https://qz.com/1391530/bpa-free-plastics-may-not-be-safer-than-regular-plastics-a-new-study-finds/
Sept. 15, 2018
A new study, published in the journal Current Biology, concluded that common alternatives to BPA caused harmful effects in mice, notably in their reproductive cells. The findings add to the mounting body of evidence that these alternatives carry their own health risks. As Science noted, if further research on animals and humans continues to support these findings, it could derail efforts to reassure the many consumers already nervous about the plastics in their food and drink containers that there are safe options to choose from.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/cp-bri090618.php


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/16/air-pollution-particles-found-in-mothers-placentas
Sept. 16, 2018
Scientists have found the first evidence that particles of air pollution travel through pregnant women’s lungs and lodge in their placentas.
Toxic air is already strongly linked to harm in foetuses but how the damage is done is unknown. The new study, involving mothers living in London, UK, revealed sooty particles in the placentas of each of their babies and researchers say it is quite possible the particles entered the foetuses too.
“It is a worrying problem – there is a massive association between air pollution a mother breathes in and the effect it has on the foetus,” said Dr Lisa Miyashita, at Queen Mary University of London, one of the research team. “It is always good if possible to take less polluted routes if you are pregnant – or indeed if you are not pregnant. I avoid busy roads when I walk to the station.”
A series of previous studies have shown that air pollution significantly increases the risk of premature birth and of low birth weight, leading to lifelong damage to health.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/elf-fet091318.php


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/esoc-ebp091118.php
Public Release: 12-Sep-2018
Elevated blood pressure is linked to increased risk of aortic valve disease
European Society of Cardiology


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/s-hdl091018.php
Public Release: 13-Sep-2018
Heat-related deaths likely to increase significantly as global temperatures rise, warn researchers
Models show that the implementation of the Paris Agreement is critical to avoid a large increase in temperature-related deaths


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/ason-cep090618.php
Public Release: 13-Sep-2018
Certain environmental pollutants may contribute to poor kidney health
American Society of Nephrology
Certain highly pervasive environmental pollutants may have a variety of negative effects on kidney health, according to an analysis of all relevant studies published on this topic to date. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), point to the need for additional research to clarify and address these effects.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of manufactured non-biodegradable compounds used in industrial processes and consumer products, and they are everywhere in the environment. Humans are exposed to PFAS through contaminated soil, food, water, soil, and air. Recently, they have been detected on military bases, where they are used in aqueous fire-fighting foams, as well as in public water supplies from industrial contamination and in agricultural and crop products.


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/w-adl091318.php
Public Release: 13-Sep-2018
Adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet was associated with lower risks of dying from any cause, dying from cardiovascular causes, and dying from cancer in a recent Journal of Internal Medicine study.
In the study of 68,273 Swedish men and women aged 45 to 83 years who were followed for 16 years, participants who most closely followed an anti-inflammatory diet had an 18% lower risk of all-cause mortality, a 20% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, and a 13% lower risk of cancer mortality, when compared with those who followed the diet to a lesser degree. Smokers who followed the diet experienced even greater benefits when compared with smokers who did not follow the diet.
Anti-inflammatory foods consist of fruits and vegetables, tea, coffee, whole grain bread, breakfast cereal, low-fat cheese, olive oil and canola oil, nuts, chocolate, and moderate amounts of red wine and beer. Pro-inflammatory foods include unprocessed and processed red meat, organ meats, chips, and soft-drink beverages.
"Our dose-response analysis showed that even partial adherence to the anti-inflammatory diet may provide a health benefit," said lead author Dr. Joanna Kaluza, an associate professor at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, in Poland.


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/gumc-pum091118.php
Public Release: 14-Sep-2018
Use of probiotics is linked to reduced need for antibiotic treatment in infants and children, according to a review of studies that probed the benefits of probiotics, say researchers in the U.S., England and the Netherlands.
Their study, supported in part by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics and published in the European Journal of Public Health, found that when the results from twelve studies were pooled together, infants and children were 29% percent less likely to have been prescribed antibiotics if they received probiotics as a daily health supplement. When the analysis was repeated with only the highest quality studies, this percentage increased to 53%.


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/f-whm091018.php
Public Release: 14-Sep-2018
We have more than enough calories, but what about other nutrients?
"There are two main issues with how we currently talk about food systems," says Hannah Ritchie from the University of Edinburgh, who led the study. "The first is that we focus our measure of food security in terms of calories (energy), when micronutrient malnutrition ('hidden hunger') affects more than ~2 billion people across the world."


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/uom-bei091318.php
Public Release: 13-Sep-2018
BPA exposure in US-approved levels may alter insulin response in non-diabetic adults
University of Missouri-Columbia


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/uoic-dfr091318.php
Public Release: 13-Sep-2018
Dietary fiber reduces brain inflammation during aging
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/elf-pui091318.php
Public Release: 16-Sep-2018
Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen or APAP. use in infancy is linked to increased risk of asthma in some teenagers
Specific variants in the GST genes seem to play a role in greater susceptibility to lung problems
European Lung Foundation