Thursday, May 27, 2021

Rapid heating of Indian Ocean worsening cyclones, say scientists


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/27/rapid-heating-of-indian-ocean-worsening-cyclones-say-scientists

 

Neelima Vallangi
Thu 27 May 2021 04.41 EDT



India’s cyclone season is being made more intense by the rapidly heating Indian Ocean, scientists have warned.

Last week India was battered by Cyclone Tauktae, an unusually strong cyclone in the Arabian Sea, resulting in widespread disruption. This week, another severe storm, Cyclone Yaas, formed in the Bay of Bengal, leading to more than a million people being evacuated into safe shelters.

The Indian subcontinent has been facing the brunt of costly and deadly tropical cyclones for decades. But scientists say global heating is accelerating the rate of ocean warming, leading to an increased number of cyclones and rapid intensification of weak storms, with severe repercussions for the country.

Cyclones are much more likely to gather intensity over warmer waters. The Arabian Sea, part of the west Indian Ocean, generally has a sea surface temperature of below 28C (82F), and recorded just 93 cyclones between 1891 and 2000. By comparison, the warmer Bay of Bengal in the east Indian Ocean, where temperatures are permanently above 28C, recorded 350 cyclones over the same period.

Between 2001 and 2021, 28 cyclones formed in the Arabian Sea, along with a marked increase in storm intensity, fuelled by rising sea surface temperatures which reached as high as 31C (88F). A 2016 Nature study found ant


Belcampo: ‘farm to door’ butcher admits misrepresenting origins of meat

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/27/santa-monica-purveyor-admits-mislabeling-meats

 

Erin McCormick
Thu 27 May 2021 09.24 EDT


The trendy “farm to door” meat purveyor Belcampo has admitted to misrepresenting the origin of meats sold at a store in Santa Monica, after an employee posted an Instagram video that charged the company’s products were not all they claimed to be.

The San Francisco Bay Area-born company is well known for its high-end butcher shops, where organic beef and other meats can sell for over $30 a pound. It’s website promises that its meat comes from vetted partner farms – “meat you can trust start to finish” – and says it tracks its animals “from birth to butchery to your plate”.


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In a statement to the Guardian, the company co-founder Anya Fernald described the issue as an “isolated incident at the Santa Monica Butcher Shop”.

Fernald said that individual Belcampo butcher shops have “a small degree of autonomy when it comes to sourcing products for their local customer base or when there are supply shortages on certain items.

“The preliminary results of our investigation show that unfortunately protocols both for sourcing and communicating product origin to customers were not being followed in our Santa Monica location. These errors made up a small percentage of total product,” she added.

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Concussion with loss of consciousness may be linked to life with some disability


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/aaon-cwl052021.php

 

News Release 26-May-2021
American Academy of Neurology

 

People who have had a concussion where they lost consciousness may be more likely to have some disability or limitations later in life--such as difficulty walking or limitations in the amount or type of work they can do--than people who have never had a concussion, according to a study published in the May 26, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"About 16% of all adults have experienced a concussion with loss of consciousness, and our study found that nearly half of those people are living with disability," said study author Andrea L.C. Schneider, MD, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.


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People who eat a plant-based dinner could reduce their risk of heart disease by ten percent


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/tes-pwe052421.php

 

News Release 26-May-2021
The Endocrine Society

 

People who eat too many refined carbs and fatty meats for dinner have a higher risk of heart disease than those who eat a similar diet for breakfast, according to a nationwide study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.


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"Meal timing along with food quality are important factors to consider when looking for ways to lower your risk of heart disease. Our study found people who eat a plant-based dinner with more whole carbs and unsaturated fats reduced their risk of heart disease by ten percent," said study author Ying Li of the Harbin Medical University in Harbin, China. "It's always recommended to eat a healthy diet, especially for those at high risk for heart disease, but we found that eating meat and refined carbs for breakfast instead of dinner was associated with a lower risk."

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Amazon indigenous group's lifestyle may hold a key to slowing down aging

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uosc-aig052521.php

 

News Release 26-May-2021
Tsimane people are unique for their healthy brains that age more slowly
University of Southern California

 

A team of international researchers has found that the Tsimane indigenous people of the Bolivian Amazon experience less brain atrophy than their American and European peers. The decrease in their brain volumes with age is 70% slower than in Western populations. Accelerated brain volume loss can be a sign of dementia.


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Although people in industrialized nations have access to modern medical care, they are more sedentary and eat a diet high in saturated fats. In contrast, the Tsimane have little or no access to health care but are extremely physically active and consume a high-fiber diet that includes vegetables, fish and lean meat.

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The researchers note that the Tsimane have high levels of inflammation, which is typically associated with brain atrophy in Westerners. But their study suggests that high inflammation does not have a pronounced effect upon Tsimane brains.

According to the study authors, the Tsimane's low cardiovascular risks may outweigh their infection-driven inflammatory risk, raising new questions about the causes of dementia. One possible reason is that, in Westerners, inflammation is associated with obesity and metabolic causes whereas, in the Tsimane, it is driven by respiratory, gastrointestinal, and parasitic infections. Infectious diseases are the most prominent cause of death among the Tsimane.

"Our sedentary lifestyle and diet rich in sugars and fats may be accelerating the loss of brain tissue with age and making us more vulnerable to diseases such as Alzheimer's," said study author Hillard Kaplan, a professor of health economics and anthropology at Chapman University who has studied the Tsimane for nearly two decades. "The Tsimane can serve as a baseline for healthy brain aging."

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The indigenous Tsimane people captured scientists' -- and the world's -- attention when an earlier study found them to have extraordinarily healthy hearts in older age. That prior study, published by the Lancet in 2017, showed that Tsimane have the lowest prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis of any population known to science and that they have few cardiovascular disease risk factors. The very low rate of heart disease among the roughly 16,000 Tsimane is very likely related to their pre-industrial subsistence lifestyle of hunting, gathering, fishing, and farming.

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Immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth improves survival of pre-term babies


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/ki-isc052521.php


News Release 26-May-2021
Karolinska Institutet

 

Continuous skin-to-skin contact starting immediately after delivery even before the baby has been stabilised can reduce mortality by 25 per cent in infants with a very low birth weight. This according to a study in low- and middle-income countries coordinated by the WHO on the initiative of researchers at Karolinska Institutet published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Continuous skin-to-skin contact between infant and mother, or "Kangaroo Mother Care" (KMC), is one of the most effective ways to prevent infant mortality globally. The current recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) is that skin-to-skin contact should commence as soon as a low weight baby is sufficiently stable, which for those weighing under 2 kg at birth normally takes several days.

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Even among the insured, cost may delay follow up care for cancer survivors


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/mcog-eat052521.php

 

News Release 26-May-2021
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

 

Even among a large group of cancer survivors who were mostly insured, college educated and had annual incomes above the national average, up to 10% delayed care in the previous 12 months because they simply could not afford out of pocket expenses like copays and deductibles, investigators report.

Being unable to get time off from work and being "nervous" about seeing a health care provider, were among the other frequently cited reasons for not always getting timely survivorship care, investigators at the Medical College of Georgia and Georgia Cancer Center report in the journal Cancer Medicine.


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Memory details fade over time, with only the main gist preserved


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uob-mdf052521.php


News Release 26-May-2021
University of Birmingham

 

What information is retained in a memory over time, and which parts get lost? These questions have led to many scientific theories over the years, and now a team of researchers at the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham have been able to provide some answers.

Their new study, which is published today in Nature Communications, demonstrates that our memories become less vibrant and detailed over time, with only the central gist eventually preserved. Moreover, this 'gistification' of our memories is boosted when we frequently recall our recent experiences.

The work could have implications in a number of areas, including the nature of memories in post-traumatic stress disorder, the repeated questioning of eye-witness testimonies and even in best practice for exam studying.



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Study: Don't count on caffeine to fight sleep deprivation


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/msu-sdc052621.php

 

News Release 26-May-2021
Michigan State University

 

Rough night of sleep? Relying on caffeine to get you through the day isn't always the answer, says a new study from Michigan State University.

Researchers from MSU's Sleep and Learning Lab, led by psychology associate professor Kimberly Fenn, assessed how effective caffeine was in counteracting the negative effects of sleep deprivation on cognition. As it turns out, caffeine can only get you so far.


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"Caffeine may improve the ability to stay awake and attend to a task, but it doesn't do much to prevent the sort of procedural errors that can cause things like medical mistakes and car accidents."

Insufficient sleep is pervasive in the United States, a problem that has intensified during the pandemic, Fenn said. Consistently lacking adequate sleep not only affects cognition and alters mood, but can eventually take a toll on immunity.

"Caffeine increases energy, reduces sleepiness and can even improve mood, but it absolutely does not replace a full night of sleep, Fenn said. "Although people may feel as if they can combat sleep deprivation with caffeine, their performance on higher-level tasks will likely still be impaired. This is one of the reasons why sleep deprivation can be so dangerous."

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Grocery taxes put low-income families at risk for food insecurity

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/cu-gtp052621.php

 

News Release 26-May-2021
Cornell University

 

Approximately one-third of all U.S. counties do not exempt grocery foods from the general sales tax, which means the lowest-income families living in those areas are most susceptible to food insecurity. New research from Cornell University finds that even a slight grocery tax-rate increase could be problematic for many.

"An increase of 1% to 4% may sound small, but after several trips to the grocery store, the extra costs can create serious burdens for the lowest-income families," said co-author Harry Kaiser, professor of applied economics and management in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. "We found that even the slightest increase in tax rate correlated to an increased likelihood of food insecurity. Grocery taxes that rose by just one percentage point led to a higher risk of hunger in households."

The study focused on sales taxes on foods at retail outlets such as grocery and convenience stores. Kaiser and his co-authors found that, across 14 states, the average grocery tax is just over 4%.



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In Alabama, for example, where the grocery tax rate is as high as 9%, the average annual expense in grocery taxes is $630. For households living at or near the poverty level, this tax expense represents a sizeable portion of their household income.

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Seabirds face dire threats from climate change, human activity — especially in Northern Hemisphere


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uow-sfd052521.php

 

News Release 27-May-2021
University of Washington

 

Many seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere are struggling to breed -- and in the Southern Hemisphere, they may not be far behind. These are the conclusions of a study, published May 28 in Science, analyzing more than 50 years of breeding records for 67 seabird species worldwide.

The international team of scientists -- led by William Sydeman at the Farallon Institute in California -- discovered that reproductive success decreased in the past half century for fish-eating seabirds north of the equator. The Northern Hemisphere has suffered greater impacts from human-caused climate change and other human activities, like overfishing.


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Effects of nanoplastics on Canadian and Guadeloupean oysters

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/indl-eon052621.php


News Release 27-May-2021
Institut national de la recherche scientifique - INRS

 

Oysters' exposure to plastics is concerning, particularly because these materials can accumulate and release metals which are then absorbed by the molluscs. According to a recent study published in the journal Chemosphere, the combined presence of nanoplastics and arsenic affects the biological functions of oysters. This study was conducted by the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Québec City and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the University of Bordeaux in France.

The international research team chose to study arsenic, since it is one of the most common metals absorbed by the plastic debris collected from the beaches of Guadeloupe. www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/indl-eon052621.php



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Sleep warning for older men. Disruption or change can mean cognitive decline.


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/fu-swf052721.php

 

News Release 27-May-2021
Flinders University

 

Men aged 65 and over should monitor their sleep patterns and seek medical advice after a warning from Flinders University experts that disrupted slumber can be linked to cognitive dysfunction.

In a new article published in the Journal of Sleep Research, the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health research group studied a group of 477 middle-aged and older men's attention and processing speed in relation to their sleep.

The participants from the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study undertook cognitive testing and a successful sleep study.

"Less deep sleep and more light sleep is related to slower responses on cognitive function tests," says lead author Jesse Parker.

"While obstructive sleep apnoea itself is not directly related to cognitive function in all men studied, we did note that in men aged 65 and older, more light sleep was related to worse attention and processing speed."


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COVID-19 increases rate of heart attacks in people at genetic risk for heart disease


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/tfhf-cir052621.php


News Release 27-May-2021
New research from FH Foundation underscores importance of diagnosing and treating familial hypercholesterolemia
The Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation

 

Individuals with genetic high cholesterol, heart disease or both, who were infected with COVID-19 had more heart attacks according to new research by the FH Foundation. While previous studies have speculated about poorer outcomes if a person with genetic high cholesterol - called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) contracts COVID-19, this study from the FH Foundation's national healthcare database is the first to demonstrate higher heart attack rates in the real world. Published online in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, the study also importantly confirms that COVID-19 increases heart attack rates in individuals with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).



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Lead levels in urban soil are declining but hotspots persist


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/du-lli052721.php

 

News Release 27-May-2021
Decades after federal bans ended widespread use of lead-based paint and gasoline, some urban soils still contain lead levels that exceed children's safety guidelines
Duke University

 

Decades after federal bans ended widespread use of lead in paint and gasoline, some urban soils still contain levels of the highly toxic metal that exceed federal safety guidelines for children, a Duke University study finds.

To conduct their study, the researchers analyzed and mapped soil lead concentrations along 25 miles of streets in Durham, N.C., a city of about 270,000 people. They found that while soil lead levels have generally decreased since the 1970s, they have decreased much less near residential foundations than along streets.


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Biden shows list of Republicans 'bragging' about relief plan they didn't vote for

Zero republicans voted for the relief bill.


https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/biden-shows-list-of-republicans-bragging-about-relief-plan-they-didn-t-vote-for-113637445890?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma

 

May 27, 2021
 

While discussing the effects of his jobs plan and economic recovery efforts, President Biden showed a list of Republicans who celebrated legislation passed for Covid-19 relief packages that they did not vote for. "If you're going to try to take credit on what you've done," he said, "don't get in the way of what we still need to do."



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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/555814-biden-needles-gop-touting-rescue-plan-they-didnt-vote-for-some-people

 

Biden read off how various Republicans have touted the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which provides funding for small businesses hurting from the pandemic, as well as grants to community health centers that were included in the rescue plan.

Reps. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.), Greg Pence (Ind.), Beth Van Duyne (Texas) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.) are among the GOP lawmakers who have promoted the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, despite having voted against the bill that authorized money for the program.

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https://www.newsweek.com/biden-shows-list-republicans-touting-covid-relief-after-voting-against-it-some-people-have-no-1595626

 

Biden didn't name the lawmakers, but photographs showed the list included Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 1 and No. 3 House Republicans.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/some-people-have-no-shame-biden-mocks-republicans-embrace-bill-n1268871

 

Biden held up a copy of the list as he spoke, but did not read it aloud. It had 13 names on it that were visible, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R.-N.C., and Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., brother of former Vice President Mike Pence.

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Families with a child with ADHD can benefit from mindfulness training


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/rumc-fwa052721.php

 

News Release 27-May-2021
Publication in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Radboud University Medical Center

 

Children with ADHD are generally treated with medication and/or behavioral treatments. However, medication-alone is insufficient in a quarter to a third of the children. For that reason, the scientists investigated whether a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) would have a positive effect on children who did not respond sufficiently to other ADHD treatments. MBIs can elicit positive effects on psychological symptoms and behavior of children and parents.

In the study, two groups of children between the ages of eight and sixteen were compared. One group received only regular care (CAU, care-as-usual), and the other group also received MYmind, the mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) with at least one parent. They did this training for a period of eight weeks.

A striking result was that parents especially benefited from this training. There was an increase in mindful parenting, self-compassion and an improvement in mental health among the parents. These effects were still visible six months after the end of the training. In the children, there were some effects on ADHD symptoms, anxiety, and autistic traits, but effects were small. Yet, a subgroup appeared to benefit: One in three children reliably improved on self-control following MYmind, whereas only one in ten improved when following only regular care.


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AGA recommends early use of biologics in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/aga-are052721.php

 

News Release 27-May-2021
American Gastroenterological Association

 

Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation (pain and swelling) in the gastrointestinal tract, can cause daily health problems, frequent hospitalizations and surgery when not adequately controlled. While there is no cure for Crohn's disease, there are treatments that can help patients live a symptom-free life.

After a detailed review of available literature, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has released new clinical guidelines outlining the benefits and risks of each drug currently available to Crohn's patients. Based on this research, AGA recommends the early introduction of biologics for patients experiencing luminal and fistulizing Crohn's disease rather than waiting until other treatments fail. These guidelines are published in Gastroenterology, AGA's official journal.



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Three years younger in just eight weeks? A new study suggests yes!


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/ijl-tyy052721.php


News Release 27-May-2021
Impact Journals LLC

 

A groundbreaking clinical trial shows we can reduce biological age (as measured by the Horvath 2013 DNAmAge clock) by more than three years in only eight weeks with diet and lifestyle through balancing DNA methylation.

A first-of-its-kind, peer-reviewed study provides scientific evidence that lifestyle and diet changes can deliver immediate and rapid reduction of our biological age. Since aging is the primary driver of chronic disease, this reduction has the power to help us live better, longer.

The study, released on April 12, utilized a randomized controlled clinical trial conducted among 43 healthy adult males between the ages of 50-72. The 8-week treatment program included diet, sleep, exercise and relaxation guidance, and supplemental probiotics and phytonutrients, resulting in a statistically significant reduction of biological age--over three years younger, compared to controls.


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Thursday, May 20, 2021

FDA recommends not using syringes from Chinese firm after safety issues with vaccine injections

https://news.yahoo.com/fda-recommends-against-syringes-needles-202545270.html

Reuters

 

Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:25 PM

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday asked healthcare providers to stop using certain syringes and needles manufactured by Chinese medical device maker Guangdong Haiou Medical Apparatus Co (HAIOU).

At least one pharmacist that Reuters spoke to said the syringes had been shipped for use with the Pfizer Inc /BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine.

An FDA spokesperson said the devices stopped being shipped in COVID-19 vaccination kits as of March 22. The agency does not believe that stopping use of these syringes will cause vaccination delays.

The FDA said it has received information about quality issues, including certain HAIOU needles detaching from the syringe and getting stuck to the patient's arm after injection and a few incidents involving accidental needlestick injuries to healthcare providers.

The agency has recommended against use of two of HAIOU's syringe-needle combinations - 1mL syringe with 25Gx 1-inch needle and the 1mL syringe with 23G x 1-inch needle - until further notice.


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'No level of smoke exposure is safe'


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/vcu-lo051821.php

 

News Release 19-May-2021
Study links secondhand smoke during pregnancy to epigenetic changes in babies
Virginia Commonwealth University

 

Nearly a quarter of pregnant women say they've been around secondhand smoke - in their homes, at work, around a friend or relative - which, according to new research, is linked to epigenetic changes - meaning changes to how genes are regulated rather than changes to the genetic code itself - in babies that could raise the risk of developmental disorders and cancer.

The study, published today in Environmental Health Perspectives by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, is the first to connect secondhand smoke during pregnancy with epigenetic modifications to disease-related genes, measured at birth, which supports the idea that many adult diseases have their origins in environmental exposures - such as stress, poor nutrition, pollution or tobacco smoke - during early development.

"What we recommend to mothers in general is that no level of smoke exposure is safe," said study lead author Bernard Fuemmeler, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate director for population science and interim co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control program at VCU Massey Cancer Center. "Even low levels of smoke from secondhand exposure affect epigenetic marks in disease-related pathways. That doesn't mean everyone who is exposed will have a child with some disease outcome, but it contributes to a heightened risk."


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Red meat intake, poor education linked to colorectal cancer


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/oupu-rmi051321.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
Oxford University Press USA


A new paper in JNCI Cancer Spectrum, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that several non-genetic factors--including greater red meat intake, lower educational attainment, and heavier alcohol use--are associated with an increase in colorectal cancer in people under 50.

In the United States, incidence rates of early-onset colorectal cancer have nearly doubled between 1992 and 2013 (from 8.6 to 13.1 per 100,000), with most of this increase due to early-onset cancers of the rectum. Approximately 1 in 10 diagnoses of colorectal cancer in this country occur in people under 50.

Researchers have observed the rise particularly among people born since the 1960s in studies from the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan. During the same period there have been major changes in diets among younger generations across the developing world. Such changes include decreases in consumption of fruits, non-potato vegetables, and calcium-rich dairy sources. This is coupled with an increase in processed foods (e.g., meats, pizza, macaroni and cheese, etc.) and soft drinks. Average nutrient intakes of fiber, folate, and calcium among the U.S. population are also lower than recommended.

The increase in early onset colorectal cancer is concerning to researchers because these cancers often have worse outcomes than those diagnosed in older people. It has led to recommendations that colorectal cancer screening begin at younger ages. 


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Early-onset colorectal cancer was associated with not regularly using aspirins, greater red meat intake, lower educational attainment, heavier alcohol use, and (interestingly enough) also alcohol abstinence. Researchers also found that lower total fiber intake was linked more strongly to rectal than colon cancer.

Several other colorectal cancer risk factors trended toward an association with early-onset colorectal cancer, including history of diabetes and lower folate, dietary fiber, and calcium intake.

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Taking more steps daily may lead to a longer life


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/aha-tms051421.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
American Heart Association



Taking more steps per day, either all at once or in shorter spurts, may help you live longer, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2021.

Researchers found:

  • Overall, 804 deaths occurred during the entire study period of 2011-2019.
  • Study participants who took more steps in short spurts lived longer, regardless of how many steps they had in longer, uninterrupted bouts. The benefits leveled off at about 4,500 steps per day in short spurts.
  • Compared to no daily steps, each initial increase of 1,000 steps per day was associated with a 28% decrease in death during the follow-up period.
  • A 32% decrease in death was noted in participants who took more than 2,000 steps daily in uninterrupted bouts.

A prior analysis of the same women reported that those who took 4,500 steps per day had a significantly lower risk of death compared to the least active women. “Our current results indicate that this finding holds even for women who did not engage in any uninterrupted bouts of walking. Taking 2,000 or more additional steps during bouts was associated with further benefits for longevity,” Moore said.


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Black adults in US who consume ultra-processed foods at greater risk for hypertension


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/aha-bai051421.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
American Heart Association

 

Black adults in the U.S. who consumed significant amounts of ultra-processed foods were at 55% increased risk for high blood pressure compared to white adults who ate a similar amount of ultra-processed foods, according to according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2021. The meeting is virtual, May 20-21 and offers the latest science on population-based health and wellness and implications for lifestyle.

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) are ready-to-eat formulations of industrially formulated products, typically containing added flavors, colors, and other cosmetic additives, that have been extracted or refined from whole foods, and are typically high in salt, added sugar, and fat. These food products are inexpensive, heavily marketed, and are readily available with a long shelf life.

People experiencing food insecurity, the state of not having reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food, are more likely to eat UPF.


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Healthy lifestyle behaviors reduced dementia risk despite family history of dementia


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/aha-hlb051421.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
American Heart Association

 

Adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors can lower dementia risk among people who are at higher risk due to a family history of dementia, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2021. The meeting is virtual, May 20-21, and offers the latest science on population-based health and wellness and implications for lifestyle.

Familial dementia is a strong risk factor for dementia. Having a first-degree relative such as a parent or sibling with the disease can increase a person’s risk of dementia by nearly 75% compared to someone who does not have a first-degree relative with the condition.  Other common risk factors for dementia include age, sex, race, education, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and depression.

“When dementia runs in a family both genetics and non-genetic factors, such as dietary patterns, physical activity and smoking status, affect an individual’s overall risk,” said study author Angelique Brellenthin, Ph.D., assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. “This means there may be opportunities for reducing risk by addressing those non-genetic factors.”


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Participants were given one point for each of six healthy lifestyle behaviors they followed, including:

  • Eating a healthy diet with more fruits and vegetables, and less processed meat and refined grains;
  • Meeting physical activity guidelines of 150 or more minutes a week of moderate-to- vigorous physical activity;
  • Sleeping 6 to 9 hours each day;
  • Drinking alcohol in moderation;
  • Not smoking; and
  • Not having obesity, meaning they had a BMI (body mass index) of <30 kg/m.

Researchers then followed the study participants for about eight years to monitor who did and did not develop dementia. They found:

  • During the follow-up, 1,698 (0.6%) participants developed dementia. Adults with a family history of dementia had about a 70% increased risk of dementia compared to those who did not have a family history of dementia.
  • Following all six healthy lifestyle behaviors cut the risk of dementia by nearly half compared to following two or fewer healthy behaviors, 
  • In general, following three of the healthy behaviors was associated with a 30% reduced risk of dementia compared to following two or fewer behaviors, even when investigators considered familial dementia and more common risk factors for dementia like age, sex, race, education, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and depression.
  • Participants with familial dementia who followed at least three healthy lifestyle behaviors had a 25% to 35% reduced risk of dementia compared to those with familial dementia who followed two or fewer healthy behaviors.

Researchers said these results suggest that starting with small changes, like engaging at least three or more healthy lifestyle behaviors, can significantly lower the risk of dementia even for those at higher risk due to a family history of dementia.

 



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Moderate-to-high TV viewing in midlife linked to later cognitive and brain health decline


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/aha-mtv051421.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
American Heart Association

 

Spending moderate to high amounts of time watching television throughout midlife was linked to greater cognitive decline and lower gray matter volumes in the brain later in life, according to preliminary research from three studies (P149, MP24 and MP67) to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2021 (EPI).


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Global food, hunger challenges projected to increase mortality, disability by 2050


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/ifpr-gfh051821.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
New study shows climate change will increase the challenge of meeting nutrition and food needs of a growing population, especially in Africa south of the Sahara, but policy actions initiated now could help avert this additional burden
International Food Policy Research Institute

 

A new study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and RTI International (RTI) projects that global chronic and hidden hunger will increase the overall years of life lost due to premature mortality and years lived with disability, also known as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), globally by over 30 million by 2050 relative to 2010. Expected impacts of climate change on the availability and access to nutritious food will exacerbate this change in DALYs by almost 10 percent.


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Stress from 2016 US presidential election associated with increase in cardiac events


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uonc-sf2051921.php



News Release 20-May-2021
A first of its kind study showed a 77% increase in the risk of cardiac arrhythmias leading up to and during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
University of North Carolina Health Care

 

American politics can be stressful and confrontational, which can lead to anger. The combination of intense stress and negative emotions can trigger potentially fatal cardiovascular events in people who are susceptible to these health issues. But the direct link between a stressful political election and an increase in cardiac events hadn't been established, until now. A new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association is the first to show that exposure to a stressful political election is strongly associated with an increase in potentially life-threatening cardiac events.

"This retrospective case-crossover study was conducted in North Carolina, which was a swing state in the 2016 U.S. presidential election," said lead author Lindsey Rosman, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the UNC School of Medicine. "People living in North Carolina were exposed to a particularly high volume of negative political commercials, advertisements and campaign events that were very intense in rhetoric. So, their stress levels may have been especially high leading up to the 2016 election."

The study looked at data from implanted cardiac devices of 2,500 patients at three points in time: a six-week span leading up to and following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and two control periods that consisted of a six-week span from June to July of 2016, and a six-week span from October to November of 2015. Rosman and her team found a 77% increase in the risk of arrhythmia - an abnormal heart rate or irregular heart rhythm - during the 2016 election period compared to the control periods.

"The increase in risk was significant, even after taking into account known risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as age, hypertension, health behaviors, and other medical conditions," Rosman said.

Researchers found a significant increase in the risk of both atrial arrhythmias, like atrial fibrillation, and potentially life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.

"We also found a higher burden of atrial fibrillation during the election, and this is important because it can increase your risk


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Nearly 3% of Americans take immune-weakening drugs that may limit COVID vaccine response

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/mm-u-n3o051921.php



News Release 20-May-2021
Many are taking steroids that could increase risk of COVID-related hospitalization, researchers say
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan



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A national study from researchers at Michigan Medicine found that nearly 3% of insured U.S. adults under 65 take medications that weaken their immune systems.

The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, are based on data from over 3 million patients with private insurance. They focus on patients' use of immunosuppressive drugs, including chemotherapy medications and steroids such as prednisone.

The analysis reveals nearly 90,000 people met the study criteria for drug-induced immunosuppression that may elevate risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms and hospitalization if they became infected. Two-thirds of them took an oral steroid at least once, and more than 40% of patients took steroids for more than 30 days in a year.

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These cognitive exercises help young children boost their math skills, study shows

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/ki-tce052021.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
Karolinska Institutet

 

Young children who practice visual working memory and reasoning tasks improve their math skills more than children who focus on spatial rotation exercises, according to a large study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.



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Epigenetic mechanism can explain how chemicals in plastic may cause lower IQ levels


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uu-emc052021.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
Uppsala University

 

The chemical bisphenol F (found in plastics) can induce changes in a gene that is vital for neurological development. This discovery was made by researchers at the universities of Uppsala and Karlstad, Sweden. The mechanism could explain why exposure to this chemical during the fetal stage may be connected with a lower IQ at seven years of age - an association previously seen by the same research group. The study is published in the scientific journal Environment International.


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Forensic memory detection tests less effective in older adults

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uok-fmd052021.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
New research led by the University of Kent's School of Psychology has found that some brain activity methods used to detect incriminating memories do not work accurately in older adults.
University of Kent

 

New research led by the University of Kent's School of Psychology has found that some brain activity methods used to detect incriminating memories do not work accurately in older adults.

Findings show that concealed information tests relying on electrical activity of the brain (electroencephalography [EEG]) are ineffective in older adults because of changes to recognition-related brain activity that occurs with aging.

EEG-based forensic memory detection is based on the logic that guilty suspects will hold incriminating knowledge about crimes they have committed, and therefore their brains will elicit a recognition response in the EEG when confronted with reminders of their crimes.

The team of researchers at Kent led by Dr Robin Hellerstedt and Dr Zara Bergström conducted the study with 30 participants under the age of 30 and 30 participants over the age of 65. All participants undertook a concealed information test to detect if they recognised details from a mock crime they had just committed, which would indicate criminal guilt. However, only young adults showed a strong EEG recognition response to reminders of the crime, with such responses being absent in the older group. This failure to detect memories with EEG brain activity occurred even though the older group had the same knowledge about the crime as the younger group, and had just as good general recognition memory ability.



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Total deaths due to COVID-19 underestimated by 20% in US counties


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/buso-tdd052021.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
Deaths caused by indirect effects of the pandemic emphasize the need for policy changes that address widening health and racial inequities
Boston University School of Medicine


Deaths caused by indirect effects of the pandemic emphasize the need for policy changes that address widening health and racial inequities.

More than 15 months into the pandemic, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is nearing 600,000. But COVID-19 deaths may be underestimated by 20%, according to a new, first-of-its-kind study from Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), the University of Pennsylvania, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Published in the journal PLOS Medicine, the study uses data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to estimate the number of deaths in 2,096 counties from January to December 2020 above what would be expected in a normal year, or "excess deaths." For every 100 excess deaths directly attributed to COVID-19, there were another 20 excess deaths not attributed to COVID-19. In other words, 20 out of every 120 excess deaths, or 17%, were not directly attributed to COVID.

The researchers found that the proportion of these excess deaths not directly attributed to COVID-19 was higher in counties with lower average socioeconomic status and less formal education, as well as in counties located in the South and West. Counties with more non-Hispanic Black residents--who were already at high risk of dying directly from COVID-19--also reported a higher proportion of excess deaths not assigned to COVID-19.



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When Medicare chips in on hepatitis C treatment for Medicaid patients, everyone wins


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uosc-wmc052021.php

 

News Release 20-May-2021
Joint Medicaid-Medicare coverage of treatment would save $1 billion over 25 years
University of Southern California

 

Untreated hepatitis C can lead to serious and life-threatening health problems like cirrhosis and liver cancer. Direct-acting antiviral therapies introduced in recent years are highly effective, with cure rates above 95%.

But most Medicaid beneficiaries with hepatitis C don't get these drugs, which cost $20,000-$30,000, due to state budget constraints.

Now, a new USC study finds that a Medicaid-Medicare partnership could cover the lifesaving medications -- and still save $1 to $1.1 billion over 25 years. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides health coverage for low-income families and others. Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older.




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Thursday, May 13, 2021

Snakes alive? We're totally fine with them -- just not at our house


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/asu-saw051321.php

 

News Release 13-May-2021
Arizona State University

 

Arizona! The sunsets. The saguaros. The snakes.

All of them are part of life in the sunny Southwest, but keeping cool when the latter is holed up in a golf bag, air compressor or swimming pool pump house is a big ask for a lot of people.

Not as big as you'd think, however.

The first study to analyze snake removals in a social-ecological context was recently published by an Arizona State University conservation biologist working with a local rattlesnake removal company.

"I think one of the surprises was that people don't hate snakes," said researcher Heather Bateman of the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. "A lot of them responded that the snakes are important to the desert ecosystem and the snake belongs in the desert, just not in my garage."


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Eating more fruit and vegetables linked to less stress - study


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/ecu-emf051321.php

 

News Release 13-May-2021
Edith Cowan University

 

Eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is associated with less stress, according to new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU).


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Urban traffic noise causes song learning deficits in birds

I'm sure excessive noise of any kind, not just traffic noise, causes these problems.

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/m-utn051321.php

 

News Release 13-May-2021
Zebra finches also suffer from a suppressed immune function due to the chronic stress
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

 

Traffic noise leads to inaccuracies and delays in the development of song learning in young birds. They also suffer from a suppressed immune system, which is an indicator of chronic stress. A new study by researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and colleagues shows that young zebra finches, just like children, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of noise because of its potential to interfere with learning at a critical developmental stage.

Traffic noise is a pervasive pollutant that adversely affects the health and well-being of millions of people. In addition to severe noise-induced diseases in adults, traffic noise has also been linked to learning impairments and language deficits in children.

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Ingredient in common weed killer impairs insect immune systems


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/jhub-iic051321.php

 

News Release 13-May-2021
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

The chemical compound glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide, can weaken the immune systems of insects, suggests a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Round Up™, a popular U.S. brand of weed killer products.


•••••

To the researchers, the results raise concerns that glyphosate and possibly other phosphate-containing compounds may be harming insect populations. Insects have many roles in the global ecosystem, and disrupting their populations could in turn have major adverse effects on people, for example in agriculture, and even in the realm of infectious diseases.

"Mosquitoes exposed to glyphosate were less able to control Plasmodium infections they would have otherwise resisted, which hints that glyphosate exposure may make them better vectors for malaria," Smith says. "These results raise concerns about the increasing use of glyphosate in regions of the world where malaria is endemic."


Drivers with shift work sleep disorder 3x more likely to be in crash

From my own experience, I would say that it is the deviation from a person's own natural sleep rhythms that is the problem.  I am a night owl, and when I was working a normal schedule, I tended to fall asleep while driving on the way to work in the morning, but had no trouble staying awake on the way home after working late.


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uom-sdw051321.php

 

News Release 13-May-2021
University of Missouri-Columbia

 

People who work nontraditional work hours, such as 11 p.m.-7 a.m., or the "graveyard" shift, are more likely than people with traditional daytime work schedules to develop a chronic medical condition -- shift work sleep disorder -- that disrupts their sleep. According to researchers at the University of Missouri, people who develop this condition are also three times more likely to be involved in a vehicle accident.


•••••

As the demand for 24/7 business operations has increased in recent years to meet customer needs during all hours of the day and across multiple time zones, the traditional work day -- once defined as 9 a.m.-5 p.m. -- has shifted for many people to include evening and night shifts, causing sleeping difficulties and leading to shift work sleep disorder. Edara said he was surprised to see shift work sleep disorder increase the risk of a traffic crash by nearly 300%, as compared to both sleep apnea and insomnia, which both increased the risk of a crash by approximately 30%.

•••••


Many do not recognise animal agriculture's link to infectious diseases


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uok-mdn051321.php

 

News Release 13-May-2021
University of Kent

 

New research led by the University of Kent has found that people fail to recognise the role of factory farming in causing infectious diseases.

The study published by Appetite demonstrates that people blame wild animal trade or lack of government preparation for epidemic outbreaks as opposed to animal agriculture and global meat consumption.

Scientists forewarned about the imminence of global pandemics such as Covid-19, but humankind failed to circumvent its arrival. They had been warning for decades about the risks of intensive farming practices for public health. The scale of production and overcrowded conditions on factory farms make it easy for viruses to migrate and spread. Furthermore, the common practice of feeding antibiotics to farmed animals promotes antimicrobial resistance, threatens public health.


•••••


Study finds low sugar metabolite associates with disability, neurodegeneration in MS

It could be that glucosamine would be helpful to people with MS. I take 2500 g a day for my arthritis. It does have a laxative effect, which is inconvenient, but much better than severe pain.

 

 https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uoc--sfl051321.php

 

News Release 13-May-2021
University of California - Irvine

 

 A new University of California, Irvine-led study finds low serum levels of the sugar N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), is associated with progressive disability and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS).



•••••


Study of 70,000 individuals links dementia to smoking and cardiovascular disease


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/ttgr-tso051321.php


News Release 13-May-2021
The Translational Genomics Research Institute

 

In the largest study of the associations between smoking and cardiovascular disease on cognitive function, researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, found both impair the ability to learn and memorize; and that the effects of smoking are more pronounced among females, while males are more impaired by cardiovascular disease.


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•••••


Politically polarized brains share an intolerance of uncertainty


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/bu-ppb051321.php

 

News Release 13-May-2021
Brown University


•••••

scientists at Brown University measured and compared the brain activity of committed partisans (both liberals and conservatives) as they watched real political debates and news broadcasts. In a recent study, they found that polarization was indeed exacerbated by intolerance of uncertainty: liberals with this trait tended to be more liberal in how they viewed political events, conservatives with this trait tended to be more conservative.

Yet the same neural mechanisms was at work, pushing the partisans into their different ideological camps.

•••••

"We found that polarized perception -- ideologically warped perceptions of the same reality -- was strongest in people with the lowest tolerance for uncertainty in general," said van Baar, who is now a research associate at Trimbos, the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction. "This shows that some of the animosity and misunderstanding we see in society is not due to irreconcilable differences in political beliefs, but instead depends on surprising -- and potentially solvable -- factors such as the uncertainty people experience in daily life."

•••••

When the researchers analyzed participants' brain activity while processing the videos, they found that neural responses diverged between liberals and conservatives, reflecting differences in the subjective interpretation of the footage. People who identified strongly as liberal processed political content much in the same way and at the same time -- which the researchers refer to as neural synchrony. Likewise, the brains of those who identified as conservative were also in sync when processing political content.

"If you are a politically polarized person, your brain syncs up with like-minded individuals in your party to perceive political information in the same way," FeldmanHall said.

This polarized perception was exacerbated by the personality trait of intolerance of uncertainty. Those participants -- of any ideology -- who were less tolerant to uncertainty in daily life (as reported on their survey responses) had more ideologically polarized brain responses than those who are better able to tolerate uncertainty.

"This suggests that aversion to uncertainty governs how the brain processes political information to form black-and-white interpretations of inflammatory political content," the researchers wrote in the study.

Interestingly, the researchers did not observe the polarized perception effect during a non-political video or even during a video about abortion presented in a neutral, non-partisan tone.

"This is key because it implies that 'liberal and conservative brains' are not just different in some stable way, like brain structure or basic functioning, as other researchers have claimed, but instead that ideological differences in brain processes arise from exposure to very particular polarizing material," van Baar said. "This suggests that political partisans may be able to see eye to eye -- provided we find the right way to communicate."


Man who served 42 years in prison for triple murder is innocent, prosecutor says

https://news.yahoo.com/man-served-42-years-prison-161123747.html

 

Biba Adams
Wed, May 12, 2021, 12:11 PM

 

TheGrio

A Missouri prosecutor released a statement on Monday proclaiming that a man who has been in prison for more than 42 years is innocent.

“All those who have reviewed the evidence in recent months agree — Kevin Strickland deserves to be exonerated,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker. “This is a profound error we must correct now.”

Strickland’s 1978 prosecution relied greatly on the testimony of one woman. That witness died in 2015, but prosecutors note that for years, she wished and attempted to recant her testimony.

•••••

“Keeping him incarcerated now on a jury verdict, where the jury heard none of this convincing exculpatory evidence, serves no conceivably just purpose,” Baker and Chief Deputy Daniel M. Nelson stated in a joint letter to Strickland’s attorneys.

A letter to the court notes that the now-deceased witness, Cynthia Douglas, was traumatized after witnessing the triple murder and was also shot on that fateful day. She said she only identified Strickland after he was suggested as a suspect by someone else.

•••••


Thursday, May 06, 2021

Total knee replacement may be more painful for vitamin-D deficient postmenopausal women


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/tnam-tkr050321.php

 

News Release 5-May-2021
New study suggests that vitamin D deficiency, smoking, and high body mass index are independent risk factors for increased postoperative pain for postmenopausal women undergoing total knee replacement
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio (May 5, 2021)--Vitamin D is a critical part of a healthy diet. Among other benefits, it has been shown to protect against bone disease and maintain soft tissue health. A new study suggests that it may also play a role in the degree of postoperative pain postmenopausal women experience after undergoing total knee replacement. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Vitamin D deficiency is a major issue globally. It is estimated that 60% of adults have insufficient levels of the bone-building vitamin. Estrogen deficiency in perimenopausal women has been associated with decreased levels of vitamin D. A sedentary lifestyle and lack of sun exposure have also been shown to contribute to vitamin D deficiency in perimenopausal women.


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Secondhand smoke linked to higher odds of heart failure


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/acoc-ssl050321.php

 

News Release 5-May-2021
Findings call attention to need for more education and stringent smoke-free policies, especially for vulnerable populations
American College of Cardiology

 

Breathing in secondhand cigarette smoke may leave you more vulnerable to heart failure, a condition where the heart isn't pumping as well as it should and has a hard time meeting the body's needs, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

The data showed that nonsmokers with recent exposure to secondhand smoke had a 35% increased odds of developing heart failure compared with those who hadn't been around tobacco. The association between tobacco exposure and heart failure remained, even after controlling for other factors known to heighten the risk for heart failure such as a history of other heart conditions, high cholesterol and diabetes.

While previous studies have demonstrated the impact of secondhand smoke exposure on people with existing heart failure--for example, on outcomes such as mortality, quality of life and exercise tolerance--this is the first to show an association between tobacco exposure and developing heart failure.


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Breathing problems are the second most common symptom of heart attacks


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/esoc-bpa050421.php

 

News Release 5-May-2021
European Society of Cardiology

 

One in four heart attack patients have atypical symptoms such as breathing difficulties, extreme exhaustion, and abdominal pain, according to a study published today in European Heart Journal - Acute Cardiovascular Care, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 Patients with atypical symptoms were less likely to receive emergency help and more likely to die within 30 days compared to those with chest pain.


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Greater access to birth control leads to higher graduation rates


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uoca-gat050421.php

 

News Release 5-May-2021
Colorado family planning initiative closes women's graduation gap by 14%
University of Colorado at Boulder

 

When access to free and low-cost birth control goes up, the percentage of young women who leave high school before graduating goes down by double-digits, according to a new CU Boulder-led study published May 5 in the journal Science Advances.

The study, which followed more than 170,000 women for up to seven years, provides some of the strongest evidence yet that access to contraception yields long-term socioeconomic benefits for women. It comes at a time when public funding for birth control is undergoing heated debate, and some states are considering banning certain forms.


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'Natural disasters' increase triggers for violence against women and girls


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/b-di050421.php

 

News Release 6-May-2021
This must now be formally recognised in public health and disaster management strategies
BMJ

 

'Natural disasters,' sparked by climate change and other natural hazards, increase the triggers for violence against women and girls by boosting the means, opportunity, and underlying drivers, finds a review of the available evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Global Health.

As these disasters are increasing in frequency, severity, and duration worldwide, this consequence must now be formally recognised in public health, violence prevention, and disaster management strategies, urge the researchers.


•••••

The violence was primarily physical, psychological and sexual. Some studies also looked at murder, controlling or aggressive behaviour, forced early marriage and financial violence.

More than a third (37%) of perpetrators were current or former partners, 15% relatives, 12% strangers, 11% authority figures, 8% friends/neighbours and 16.5% unspecified or other types of perpetrators.

Eight of the 20 quantitative studies found that natural disasters were associated with increased violence against women and girls, and four others found positive associations with particular types of violence.

Five found no association between natural disasters and violence against women and girls, but two commented on exceptionally high rates of this type of violence before the occurrence of a natural disaster.

But the researchers note that violence against women is often under reported, a factor that was evident in the qualitiative studies.

The 16 qualitative studies and the one mixed method study all described violence against women and girls in the wake of natural disasers.

Three main possible triggers emerged: an increase in stressors that spark violence, such as trauma, mental health issues, financial insecurity; an increase in enabling environments, such as absence of policing, health and support services, breakdown of family structures and social isolation; and a worsening of existing drivers, such as gender and social inequalities, lack of female representation and inclusion, etc.

The health consequences for women include unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, miscarriages, sexually transmitted infections, poor overall health for mothers and babies, physical injuries, mental health issues, and deaths from murder or suicide, note the researchers.

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Men with chest pain receive faster, more medical attention than women


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/acoc-mwc050421.php

 

News Release 6-May-2021
Women with possible heart attack wait longer and undergo less testing, study finds
American College of Cardiology

 

Among younger adults visiting the emergency department for chest pain, women may be getting the short end of the stick. Compared with men of similar age, women were triaged less urgently, waited longer to be seen, and were less likely to undergo basic tests or be hospitalized or admitted for observation to diagnose a heart attack, according to new research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.


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5:2 diet helps reduce skin symptoms in Psoriasis patients


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/sc-5dh050521.php

 

News Release 6-May-2021
Say Communications

 

New research investigating for the first time the effects of modified intermittent fasting (MIF) on the skin of people with psoriasis has yielded promising results. Preliminary study findings presented today at the EADV Spring Symposium, show a significant reduction in scaling and thickness in patients with mild psoriasis after following a MIF 5:2 diet (eating normally for 5 days and restricting calorie intake on 2 non-consecutive days).

[So each calorie-restricted day would be followed by at least one regular day.]


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Exercise aids the cognitive development of children born preterm


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uob-eat050521.php

 

News Release 6-May-2021
University of Basel

 

A premature start in life can cause problems even into teenage years. A study by the University of Basel and the University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB) indicates that training motor skills in these children helps even when they are older.

Children that are born before the 37th week of pregnancy remain under close medical supervision while they are young. Any cognitive limitations often disappear after a few years. However, children who come into the world even before the 32nd week of gestation still exhibit differences even into their teenage years. In a new study, researchers led by Dr. Sebastian Ludyga and Professor Uwe Pühse have demonstrated that these children have weaker impulse control compared with children born at term (after the 37th week of pregnancy). This can, for example, have disadvantages in school performance and is linked to behavioral problems and a higher susceptibility to addiction.

As the research team reports in the journal Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, these differences in impulse control can be fully explained by the children's motor skills. "In other words, premature children who had very well-developed motor skills were practically equal to children born at term when it came to impulse control," explains Ludyga.


•••••

In younger children in particular, the development of motor and cognitive skills are closely linked. The time window from 9 to 13 years is therefore a promising period in which to reduce cognitive deficits in children born very preterm. 


Healthy young adults who had COVID-19 may have long-term impact on blood vessels and heart health


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/tps-hya050621.php

 

News Release 6-May-2021
The Physiological Society

 

New research published in Experimental Physiology highlight the possible long term health impacts of COVID-19 on young, relatively healthy adults who were not hospitalized and who only had minor symptoms due to the virus.

Increased stiffness of arteries in particular was found in young adults, which may impact heart health, and can also be important for other populations who may have had severe cases of the virus. This means that young, healthy adults with mild COVID-19 symptoms may increase their risk of cardiovascular complications which may continue for some time after COVID-19 infection.

While SARS-CoV-2, the virus known for causing the COIVD-19 pandemic, is mainly characterized by respiratory symptoms, other studies have recently shown changes to blood vessel function among young adults 3-4 weeks after being infected with SARS-CoV-2 (Ratchford et al., 2021).

This has also been observed months after infection in older adults as well (Riou et al. J Clin Med. 2021).

The research team at Appalachian State University found that the virus may have detrimental effects to arteries throughout the body, including in the carotid artery which supplies the brain with blood.


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Organ transplant recipients remain vulnerable to COVID-19 even after second vaccine dose


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/jhm-otr050621.php

 

News Release 6-May-2021
Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers urge people who are immunocompromised to strictly follow COVID-19 safety measures, even after vaccination
Johns Hopkins Medicine

 

In a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers show that although two doses of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID 19 -- confers some protection for people who have received solid organ transplants, it's still not enough to enable them to dispense with masks, physical distancing and other safety measures.

This is a follow-up study to an earlier one published in March in JAMA, in which the researchers reported that only 17% of the participating transplant recipients produced sufficient antibodies after just one dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine regimen.

"While there was an increase in those with detectable antibodies -- 54% overall -- after the second shot, the number of transplant recipients in our second study whose antibody levels reached high enough levels to ward off a SARS-CoV-2 infection was still well below what's typically seen in people with healthy immune systems," says study lead author Brian Boyarsky, M.D., a surgery resident at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

"Based on our findings, we recommend that transplant recipients and other immunocompromised patients continue to practice strict COVID-19 safety precautions, even after vaccination," Boyarsky says.


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Fear of losing health insurance keeps 1 in 6 workers in their jobs


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/whi-fol050521.php

 

News Release 6-May-2021
Black workers 50% more likely to stay in unwanted jobs than white workers
West Health Institute

 

One out of every six adult workers (16%) in the United States are staying in jobs they might otherwise leave out of fear of losing their employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a new West Health-Gallup survey of more than 3,800 U.S. adults.

The survey finds the fear is even more pronounced among Black workers, who are 50% more likely to remain in an unwanted job than their White and Hispanic counterparts (21% to 14% and 16%, respectively).

But the most likely to stay in a job they would rather leave are those workers in households earning less than $48,000 a year -- roughly 3 in 10 (28%) say they will not leave and risk losing their health benefits. Workers in lower income households are nearly three times more likely to stay in an unwanted job than are workers living in households earning at least $120,000 per year. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, 37% of U.S. households earned less than $50,000 in 2019. Approximately 158 million people receive health insurance via their own employer or via the employer of a household member.

"Healthcare costs have become so high that many Americans are unwilling to risk any disruption in their coverage even if that means higher and higher premiums and deductibles and sticking with a job they may not like," said Tim Lash, chief strategy officer for West Health, a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable successful aging. "Americans are increasingly concerned that they will get priced out of the U.S. healthcare system and are struggling to hang on in any way they can."

Earlier this year, an estimated 46 million or 18% of the U.S. population reported that they could not afford healthcare if they needed it today. In this latest survey, three times as many Americans or approximately135 million adults, are worried that they will eventually be priced out of healthcare if they are not already.


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Researchers develop new metal-free, recyclable polypeptide battery that degrades on demand

I avoide batteries when I can.  Eg., I have a wired computer mouse and keyboard. 


https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/tau-rdn050621.php

 

News Release 6-May-2021
This could result in battery production moving away from strategic elements like cobalt
Texas A&M University


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Current Li-ion [lithium-ion] batteries utilize significant amounts of cobalt, which in several well-documented international cases is mined using child labor in dangerous working environments. Additionally, only a very small percentage of Li-ion batteries are recycled, increasing the demand for cobalt and other strategic elements.

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The all-polypeptide organic radical battery composed of redox-active amino-acid macromolecules also solves the problem of recyclability. The components of the new battery platform can be degraded on demand in acidic conditions to generate amino acids, other building blocks and degradation products -- one of the major breakthroughs in this research, according to Lutkenhaus.

"The big problem with lithium-ion batteries right now is that they're not recycled to the degree that we are going to need for the future electrified transportation economy," Lutkenhaus added. "The rate of recycling lithium-ion batteries right now is in the single digits. There is valuable material in the lithium-ion battery, but it's very difficult and energy intensive to recover."

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