Sunday, October 31, 2021

Long COVID can negatively impact physical and cognitive function, employment, and quality of life for at least one year

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932580

 

 News Release 25-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine

 

Patients experiencing post-acute COVID syndrome (PACS, also known as “long COVID”) may have symptoms for at least 12 months after initial COVID-19 infection, significantly and negatively impacting their cognition, ability to work, participation in physical activity, interaction with others, and overall quality of life, according to a new Mount Sinai study. 

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Potentially harmful industrial chemicals detected in US fast foods

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932592

 

 News Release 27-Oct-2021
eer-Reviewed Publication
George Washington University

 

Chicken nuggets, burritos and other popular items consumers buy from fast food outlets in the United States contain chemicals that are linked to a long list of serious health problems, according to a first-of-its-kind study published today.

Researchers at the George Washington University and their colleagues bought fast foods from popular outlets and found 10 of 11 potentially harmful chemicals in the samples, including phthalates, a group of chemicals that are used to make plastics soft and are known to disrupt the endocrine system. The research team also found other plasticizers, chemicals that are emerging as replacements to phthalates.

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 In this study, Edwards, Zota and their colleagues purchased 64 fast food items from different restaurants and asked for three pairs of unused food handling gloves. The team tested food items and the gloves for 11 kinds of phthalates and plasticizers, finding that:

    81% of the food samples studied contained a phthalate called DnBP and 70% contained DEHP. Both these chemicals have been linked in numerous studies to fertility and reproductive problems in humans. These phthalates can also increase risk for learning, attention, and behavioral disorders in childhood.
    86% of the foods contained the replacement plasticizer known as DEHT, a chemical that needs further study to determine its impact on human health.
    Foods containing meats, such as cheeseburgers and chicken burritos, had higher levels of the chemicals studied.
    Chicken burritos and cheeseburgers had the highest levels of DEHT. The researchers noted that food handling gloves collected from the same restaurants also contained this chemical.
    Cheese pizzas had the lowest levels of most chemicals tested.

Phthalates and replacement plasticizers are chemicals used to make plastics soft and can migrate out of plastics into the food, which is ingested. Some sources of plastics include food handling gloves, industrial tubing, food conveyor belts and the outer packaging used to wrap fast food meals available in restaurants.

Previous research by Zota’s team suggests that people who eat food cooked at home have lower levels of these chemicals in their bodies, probably because home cooks do not use food handling gloves or plastic packaging. To avoid these industrial chemicals, consumers can switch to mostly home cooked meals, which are often healthier than fast food, Edwards said.

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‘I could be killed at any time’: The anguish of being wrongfully convicted of murder

 

Please read the whole article at the following link.

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933094

 

 News Release 28-Oct-2021
A UCLA psychologist and undergraduate analyze Maurice Caldwell’s unjust incarceration and its profound long-term effects
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of California - Los Angeles

 

Maurice Caldwell spent 20 years in prison before his wrongful conviction for a 1990 murder in San Francisco was finally overturned.

Paul Abramson, a UCLA professor of psychology who was hired as an expert by Caldwell’s legal team to assess the psychological harm Caldwell suffered, conducted 20 extensive interviews with Caldwell between 2015 and 2020, in addition to interviewing prison correctional officers and reviewing court hearings and decisions, depositions, psychological testing results and experts’ reports.

In a paper published in the peer-reviewed Wrongful Conviction Law Review, Abramson provides an overview of the case and a comprehensive psychological analysis detailing the devastating and ongoing effects of Caldwell’s wrongful conviction and imprisonment. He also examines the historically contentious relations between police and communities of color and asks why corrupt and abusive officers rarely face punishment for their actions.

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CoVID-19 vaccines lower risk of infection with delta variant, but infection can still be passed on in household settings

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933075

 

 News Release 28-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
The Lancet

 

People who have received two vaccine doses against COVID-19 have a lower, but still appreciable, risk of becoming infected with the delta variant compared with unvaccinated people. Vaccinated people clear the infection more quickly, but the peak viral load among vaccinated people is similar to that seen in unvaccinated people, which may explain why they can still readily pass on the virus in household settings, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 

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Professor Ajit Lalvani of Imperial College London, UK, who co-led the study, said: “Vaccines are critical to controlling the pandemic, as we know they are very effective at preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19. However, our findings show that vaccination alone is not enough to prevent people from being infected with the delta variant and spreading it in household settings. The ongoing transmission we are seeing between vaccinated people makes it essential for unvaccinated people to get vaccinated to protect themselves from acquiring infection and severe COVID-19, especially as more people will be spending time inside in close proximity during the winter months. We found that susceptibility to infection increased already within a few months after the second vaccine dose—so those eligible for COVID-19 booster shots should get them promptly.”

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High availability of fast-food restaurants across all US neighborhood types linked to higher rates of type 2 diabetes, new study finds

 

 https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932598

 

 News Release 29-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine

 

An increasing number of studies suggest a link between a neighborhood’s built environment and the likelihood that its residents will develop chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and certain types of cancers. A new nationwide study led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine published online today in JAMA Network Open suggests that living in neighborhoods with higher availability of fast-food outlets across all regions of the United States is associated with higher subsequent risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Findings also indicated that the availability of more supermarkets could be protective against developing T2D, particularly in suburban and rural neighborhoods.

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Car crash deaths involving cannabis increasing and more likely to involve alcohol

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933225

 

 News Release 29-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Boston Medical Center

 

New research indicates that between 2000 and 2018, the percentage of car crash deaths in the United States involving cannabis have doubled, and the percentage of deaths involving both cannabis and alcohol, have more than doubled. Researchers from Boston Medical Center, Boston University, and University of Victoria found people who died in crashes involving cannabis had 50 percent greater odds of also having alcohol in their system. Published in the American Journal of Public Health, these results suggest that as states have loosened cannabis policies, cannabis and alcohol have increasingly been used together when driving.

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tags: drug use, drug abuse,

COVID vaccines 5 times more effective at preventing COVID-related hospitalization than prior infection alone

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933238

 

 News Release 29-Oct-2021
Findings suggest people who recovered from the virus should still receive vaccines
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Regenstrief Institute

 

A nationwide study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are associated with significantly more immunity than a prior COVID-19 infection.

Researchers from the CDC’s VISION Network gathered data from more than 201,000 hospitalizations in nine different states. About 7,000 people in that group fit the criteria for this study. The research team analyzed the number of unvaccinated individuals who had a positive COVID-19 test more than three months before being hospitalized for the virus as well as the number of individuals who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and were not diagnosed with COVID prior to being admitted to the hospital. The research team found that overall, unvaccinated adults with a previous COVID-19 infection were about five times more likely to be hospitalized than those who were vaccinated.

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New study shows environmental and social factors contribute to higher rates of pneumonia in children

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933286

 

 News Release 29-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Louisiana State University

 

A new study led by researchers in the Louisiana State University Superfund Research Program demonstrates that children who are exposed to a certain type of environmental air pollution are more likely to contract community acquired pneumonia, or CAP, and to be hospitalized for longer periods of time. Social factors, including race and socioeconomic status, were also found to be associated with living in high-risk areas for CAP.

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 Another important finding from this study is that the health risk associated with high PM2.5 occurred at levels below the current regulatory maximum standard set by the EPA.

“The fact that we saw increased risk for pediatric pneumonia at PM2.5 levels lower than what is currently allowed by the EPA is a concern and signals the need for continuous review and policy adjustment based on health effects evidence and exposure or risk information such as this,” Cormier said.

The World Health Organization recently lowered the maximum standards for environmental particulate matter globally to below the EPA’s current maximum level for the U.S.

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Largest real-world study of third dose of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933198

 

  News Release 29-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Clalit Research Institute


Many countries are currently experiencing a resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 infections despite hitherto successful vaccination campaigns. This may be due to the greater infectiousness of the delta (B.1.617.2) variant of SARS-CoV-2, and to waning immunity of vaccines administered months earlier. In the face of the current resurgence, several countries are planning to administer a third booster dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

This study suggests that a third vaccine dose is effective in reducing severe COVID-19-related outcomes compared to individuals who have received two vaccine doses at least 5 months ago.

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The results show that, compared with individuals who received only two doses five months prior, individuals who received three doses of the vaccine (7 days or more after the third dose) had 93% lower risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization, 92% lower risk of severe COVID-19 disease, and 81% lower risk of COVID-19-related death. Vaccine effectiveness was found to be similar for different sexes, age groups (ages 40-69 and 70+) and number of comorbidities.

The study also included a population-level analysis which found that infection rates began to drop for each age group 7-10 days after that age group became eligible for the third dose.

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Saturday, October 23, 2021

Mother’s occupational exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants could cause asthma in future children

 Surely heavy exposure at home would also have this effect.  But it would be easier to study what jobs mothers had.

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931863

 

 News Release 18-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
The University of Bergen

 

New analysis of data collected in the large international RHINESSA and RHINE studies, raises concern for adverse health effects of cleaning products and disinfectants, even in the next generation. A study led by UiB researchers have found that childhood asthma was more common if the mother had worked in a job with exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants before conception of the child. This may raise our awareness of how we use disinfectants and cleaning products in these times of pandemia.

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Filling half of kids' plates with fruits and veggies helps increase consumption

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931842

 

 News Release 18-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Penn State

 

Filling half of a child’s plate with fruits and veggies isn’t just recommended by the United States Dietary Guidelines, it also helps increase the amount of produce that kids end up eating, according to Penn State research.

In a controlled feeding study, the researchers tested two strategies for encouraging kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.

The first was simply adding 50 percent more to fruit and vegetable side dishes at kids’ meals throughout the day. The second was substituting 50 percent more fruits and vegetables for an equivalent weight of the other foods. For example, if they added 50 grams of veggies to the lunch meal, they also subtracted 50 grams of mac-and-cheese.

The researchers found that adding more fruit and vegetable side dishes resulted in the kids eating 24 percent more veggies and 33 percent more fruit compared to the control menus. Substituting fruits and veggies for some of the other foods resulted in kids consuming 41 percent more veggies and 38 percent more fruit.

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Adding SNAP benefits for older adults in Medicare, Medicaid can reduce hospital visits, healthcare costs

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931911

 

 News Release 19-Oct-2021
A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine shows that participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by older adults dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid is associated with fewer hospital visits and lower healthcare costs.
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of North Carolina Health Care

 

Food insecurity among older adults takes a toll on the nutrition and health of those affected. According to data from 2019, 5.2 million people age 60 and above in the U.S. were food insecure – equaling 7.1% of that population – and that number has likely grown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Older adults facing food insecurity are more likely to have chronic health conditions like depression, asthma, diabetes, congestive heart failure and heart attack. Only 48% of older adults who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides benefits to supplement budgets to purchase healthy and nutritious foods, are enrolled in the program.

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows the importance of older adults taking advantage of this nutrition benefit, as it is associated with fewer hospital visits and lower healthcare costs. 

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Corporate influence linked to slow implementation of public health policies globally

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932008

 

 News Release 19-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Karolinska Institutet

 

Implementation of WHO’s recommended public health policies on alcohol, unhealthy foods and tobacco has been slow globally, according to a study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, published in the journal The Lancet Global Health. The study found particularly low implementation in poor, less democratic countries and where corporations had more influence for example through corruption and political favoritism.

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Does a lifetime of vigorous exercise increase the risk of developing ALS?

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931658

 

 News Release 20-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
American Academy of Neurology

 

There is debate over whether vigorous physical activity is a risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A new study suggests it depends on whether that vigorous activity you get over your lifetime happens on the job or during leisure time. The research is published in the October 20, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

ALS is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. People with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death. The average life span after diagnosis is two to five years.

“The good news is that our results provide further evidence that physical activity you get off the clock, like walking and bicycling, does not appear to be a risk factor for ALS,” said study author Angela Rosenbohm, MD, of Ulm University in Germany. “However, we did find an increased risk when we looked at intense physical activity that happens during work hours, for example, in occupations like farmer, steelworker or mason. While we did not prove this type of physical activity is a cause of ALS, the association could be because of repetitive motion on the job, or it could be due to other factors like exposure to chemicals or pollution.”

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Hidden costs of global illegal wildlife trade

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932307

 

 News Release 21-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Adelaide

 

An international team of experts, including researchers from the University of Adelaide, has highlighted that the illegal and unsustainable global wildlife trade has bigger ramifications on our everyday lives than you might think.

In a paper published in Biological Conservation, the team of researchers investigated the many ways in which the trade negatively impacts species, ecosystems, and society – including people’s health, crime and our economies.

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 “As a threat to targeted species, the trade represents one of the five major drivers of biodiversity loss and extinction at global scale.

“But these effects are just the tip of the iceberg.”

In their paper the researchers also describe the incidental effects of wildlife harvesting on other species. These include disrupted interactions between species and ecosystem structure, altering species composition, functioning, and services – such as seed dispersal, pollination and carbon storage. Many species also provide habitat for others and their loss results in habitat depletion.

The trade can further result in deliberate or accidental introduction of predators and pests in previously predator-free areas. This has an estimated cost of US$162.7 billion a year, and can cause havoc on the native systems through the spread of disease, and in extreme cases cause the extinction of native species.

The paper also discusses impacts for human health.

Dr Stringham said: “Two-thirds of emerging infectious disease outbreaks affecting humans, many leading to pandemics, have zoonotic origins, and of these, the majority originate in wildlife.”

There are also costs to eco-tourism. Deforestation of pristine areas can reduce space for recreation, and the global estimated net loss in ecosystem services, mainly due to logging and consequent habitat loss is estimated at US$20.2 trillion.

According to co-author of the paper PhD candidate Adam Toomes from the University of Adelaide, the legal yet unregulated trade can be just as detrimental as its illegal counterpart.

 

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COVID-19 vaccination strongly protected 12- to 18-year-olds during Delta

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932288

 

 News Release 21-Oct-2021
Two studies find that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine prevents COVID-19 infection and severe illness
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Boston Children's Hospital

 

Two new studies report that COVID-19 vaccination strongly protects against both infection and serious illness, respectively among adolescents age 12 to 18. Both studies covered periods when the highly contagious Delta variant was the predominant circulating strain.

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Gun violence rates in United States rose by 30% during COVID-19 pandemic

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931835

 

 News Release 21-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Scientific Reports

 

Gun violence rates in the United States were 30% higher during the COVID-19 pandemic (1st March 2020 to 31st March 2021), compared to the year before, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

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Mandates likely work to increase vaccine uptake

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932363

 

 News Release 21-Oct-2021
Rather than causing a backlash, vaccination requirements will succeed at getting more people inoculated, according to research from PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín and colleagues at Penn.
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Pennsylvania

 

Though almost 190 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, that’s less than 60% of the country’s population. To increase that number, the federal government set in motion requirements that businesses with 100-plus employees mandate the vaccine.  

Some headlines decried such a move, saying it would hamper, not help the effort. But new research from a University of Pennsylvania team shows that such fears are unfounded. Rather than causing a backlash, the mandates strengthen vaccination intentions, results the researchers published in the journal Scientific Reports.

“Our experiments show very clearly that these requirements do not have any negative effects on vaccination intentions,” says Dolores Albarracín, the Alexandra Heyman Nash Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor with appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication and the School of Nursing. “And, actually, they have positive effects across various ethnic groups and for people who have a tendency to oppose anything seemingly forced on them,” what’s known as psychological reactance, she says. 

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New study finds no risk of pregnancy loss from COVID-19 vaccination

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932380

 

 News Release 21-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Ottawa

 

A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine has found no correlation between COVID-19 vaccinations and risk of first-trimester miscarriages, providing further evidence of the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy.

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Poor immune response in many double- vaccinated blood cancer patients

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932328

 

 News Release 21-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
King's College London

 

More than half of double vaccinated blood cancer patients have been left with little protection against COVID-19, new research has found.

Data from the SOAP-02 trial, published today in a letter to Cancer Cell, examines the level of immune protection following the delayed Pfizer vaccine boost in 159 participants, 128 of whom were cancer patients. Although administering the second dose increased rates of seroconversion (development of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2) in blood cancer patients from <20% following a single dose, 57% of double-vaccinated blood cancer patients still failed to mount an immune response to SARS-CoV-2 spike.

The data highlight the continued vulnerabilities of blood cancer patients to COVID-19.  In the absence of protection typically offered by vaccination, the authors argue that the study shows the importance of continuing public health measures to limit SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and the urgency of the booster programme, particularly at a time of very high transmissions of the delta-variant in the U.K.

Solid cancer patients, such as those with breast, urological or skin cancers, also showed poor responses to single-dose vaccination, with just 38% seroconversion rates. However, unlike their blood cancer counterparts, these patients showed strong responses to a second vaccine dose given at either 3 weeks or 12 weeks. 

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People vaccinated against COVID-19 had lower non-COVID-19 death rates than people who were not vaccinated.

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932463


 News Release 22-Oct-2021
Mortality study reinforces safety of COVID-19 vaccinations
Kaiser Permanente study shows people vaccinated against COVID-19 had lower non-COVID-19 death rates than people who were not vaccinated.
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Kaiser Permanente


OVID-19 vaccine recipients had lower non-COVID-19 death rates than people who weren’t vaccinated, according to Kaiser Permanente research published October 22 in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“Despite numerous studies showing the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, some people have remained hesitant to get vaccinated,” said lead author Stanley Xu, PhD, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. “This study provides reassurance that the vaccines are very safe, and, in fact, people who received COVID-19 vaccines in the United States had a lower death rate than those who didn’t, even if you don’t count COVID deaths.”

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All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, and Vaccine Safety Datalink site.

  • Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine recipients had a mortality rate of 4.2 deaths per 1,000 vaccinated people per year after first dose, and 3.5 deaths after second dose.
    • The unvaccinated comparison group had a mortality rate of 11.1 deaths per 1,000 people per year.
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  • Moderna COVID-19 vaccine recipients had 3.7 deaths per 1,000 people per year after the first dose, and 3.4 deaths after the second dose.
    • The unvaccinated comparison group had a mortality rate of 11.1 deaths per 1,000 people per year.
  • Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine recipients had 8.4 deaths per 1,000 people per year.
    • The unvaccinated comparison group had a mortality rate of 14.7 deaths per 1,000 people per year.
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New study suggests that breastfeeding may help prevent cognitive decline

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932532

 

 News Release 22-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences

 

A new study led by researchers at UCLA Health has found that women over the age of 50 who had breastfed their babies performed better on cognitive tests compared to women who had never breastfed. The findings, published in Evolution, Medicine and Public Health, suggest that breastfeeding may have a positive impact on postmenopausal women’s cognitive performance and could have long-term benefits for the mother’s brain.

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Interestingly, the researchers also found that longer time spent breastfeeding was associated with better cognitive performance. When they added up all the time a woman spent breastfeeding in her life, they found that women who did not breastfeed had significantly lower cognitive scores in three out of four domains compared to women who had breastfed for 1-12 months, and in all four domains compared to the women who had breastfed for more than 12 months. Women who had breastfed the longest had the highest cognitive test scores.

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Chance of postoperative complications after hospital discharge increases with shorter hospitalization

 

 https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932407

 

 News Release 23-Oct-2021
Researchers say hospitals need a better system to identify and manage surgical patients’ post-discharge complications; offer recommendations for improvement
Reports and Proceedings
American College of Surgeons

 

New study results suggest the national trend toward decreasing length of hospitalization after surgical procedures may come at the expense of an increasing proportion of complications occurring after patients leave the hospital. Findings from one of the few studies to explore the relationship between length of stay (LOS) and post-discharge complications for surgical patients were presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) virtual Clinical Congress 2021.

Hospitals have shortened inpatients’ hospital stays over the past two decades amid factors including an emphasis on outpatient treatment*, bed shortages, cost-cutting measures, and  payers’ requirements. The new study found the median, or middle, LOS after an operation dropped by one-third, from three days in 2014 to two days in 2019.

Although the researchers discovered that the overall rate of postoperative complications declined 1 percent over the five-year study, they found a 12 percent increase in post-discharge complications across several common surgical specialities for more than 538,000 American patients.

Multiple serious complications, including infections and heart problems, had significantly higher rates of occurrence after discharge in 2019, when the average hospital stay was shorter versus 2014, said study co-investigator Ruojia Debbie Li, MD, MS. Dr. Li is a research fellow at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, where the study took place.

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Climate change lowers nutrition, increases toxicity at base of food web

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932391

 

 News Release 22-Oct-2021
Research looks at warming, browning effects on freshwater systems
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Dartmouth College

 

HANOVER, N.H. – October 25, 2021 – Climate change impacts on freshwater systems can lower nutrition and increase toxicity at the base of the food web, according to research from Dartmouth College and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, focused on the effects of warming water temperatures and browning—a discoloration of water caused by increased dissolved organic matter—using controlled outdoor environments known as mesocosms.

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 The research found that a combination of warmer, browner water resulted in the higher transfer of methylmercury from water to phytoplankton at the base of food web. Lower concentrations of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids in phytoplankton were also observed.

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids—such as omega-3 and omega-6—support the growth and survival of animal and plant life by providing energy and by regulating immune systems. Methylmercury is a form of mercury that is easily absorbed by living organisms and acts a potent neurotoxin.

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Phytoplankton are the main suppliers of polyunsaturated fatty acids in aquatic ecosystems. According to the study, the less nutritious phytoplankton that result from browning and warmer water cause higher-level organisms—such as zooplankton, fish, other wildlife, and humans—to be exposed to more methylmercury as they consume more to achieve fatty acid quotas. 

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How Much Did Ancient Land-Clearing Fires in New Zealand Affect the Climate?

 

I suggest reading the whole article.

 

 https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20102021/ancient-lndigenous-fires-newzealand-climate/

 

vBy Bob Berwyn
October 20, 2021

 

There’s new evidence, this time from the Southern Hemisphere, that human activities altered Earth’s atmosphere long before the start of the fossil-fueled industrial age that kicked global warming into high gear.

Research published Oct. 6 in Nature suggests that soot from the land-burning practices of the seafaring Polynesians that settled New Zealand spread widely around the Southern Hemisphere. The detailed analysis of six ice cores from Antarctica found a sharp spike in depositions of climate-altering black carbon starting in about 1300.

Using models of winds in the Southern Hemisphere, along with other records showing possible sources of black carbon, the scientists found that the most likely source was fires started by the Māori to clear forests for agriculture and to ease their hunts as they settled the islands. 

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Several recent studies reinforce the importance of understanding pre-industrial aerosols in the context of modeling modern climate change, he added, singling out research by aerosol expert Ken Carslaw, with University of Leeds.

Until recently, such emissions were believed to be so low that researchers weren’t interested in studying their impacts on the climate, he said, so the idea that pre-industrial human activity caused such a big change in atmospheric black carbon was surprising. The findings show that, even in remote and sparsely populated regions, the environment wasn’t pristine, said McConnell, who has also traced lead pollution in ice cores from Greenland to the Roman empire.

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And it’s not just fires. Deforestation before 1850—a date often used to demarcate the start of the industrial era—resulted in 300 million tons of carbon going into the atmosphere, Ruddiman said, but only about half as much since then.

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“You could easily make a claim that the anthropocene began thousands of years ago, causing a slow warming that stopped a natural cycle of cooling,” he said. “It kept the climate warmer than it would have been.” The emerging science suggests that warming driven by human activity started earlier, and makes up more of the measured heating of the atmosphere than acknowledged up to now, he added.

For instance, the once widely held assumption that most deforestation happened in the last 150 years or so is starting to crumble under the weight of new data, he said. The evidence includes “hundreds of pollen records from lakes showing forests at the maximum extent about 6,000 to 7,000 years ago,” when mass forest clearing and slow warming started, he added.

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Understanding those past changes won’t lead to a “magic solution” to climate change, he added, but “knowing can help us, because it shows that, if we can regrow a large percentage of the forests that have been cleared, we could do something to reduce our CO2 impacts on the atmosphere.” 

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Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Optimal blood pressure helps our brains age slower

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931264

 

 News Release 12-Oct-2021
Optimal blood pressure helps our brains stay at least six months younger than our actual age
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Australian National University

 

People with elevated blood pressure that falls within the normal recommended range are at risk of accelerated brain ageing, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU).

The research also found optimal blood pressure helps our brains stay at least six months younger than our actual age. The researchers are now calling for national health guidelines to be updated to reflect their important findings.

The ANU study, published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, found participants with high blood pressure had older and therefore less healthy brains, increasing their risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia.  

Participants with an elevated blood pressure, but within the normal range, also had older looking brains and were at risk of health problems.  

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Nearly 6 million children are driven into severe hunger by the hot, dry shifts of a strong el Niño

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931018

 

 News Release 12-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Chicago

 

Over the last year and a half, the 1-in-100-year Covid-19 pandemic drove millions of children into hunger. But every four to seven years, an El Niño causes weather patterns to shift across the tropics, leading to warmer temperatures and precipitation changes and widespread impacts on agriculture, infectious diseases, conflicts and more. During a single bad El Niño, nearly 6 million children are driven into undernutrition as a result, according to a study in Nature Communications. That’s at least 70 percent and perhaps up to three times the number of children who have gone hungry because of the pandemic.

“It would have been very difficult to prepare the world for a pandemic that few saw coming, but we can’t say the same about El Niño events that have a potentially much greater impact on the long-term growth and health of children,” says Amir Jina, an author of the paper and assistant professor at the Harris School of Public Policy. “Scientists can forecast an approaching El Niño up to 6 months in advance, allowing the international community to intervene to prevent the worst impacts. Our study helps to quantify those impacts on child nutrition to guide global public investments in food insecure areas.”

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 While it is unclear whether climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of El Niño, climate change will cause hot areas to become hotter and dry areas to become drier. When El Niño is layered on top of these overall shifts, there is no doubt that the impacts during El Niño years will be worse than they are now.  For example, as areas expect to lose crops with climate change, those same areas will likely lose even more crops during El Niño years.

-----


Exposure to childhood adversity is linked to early mortality and associated with nearly half a million annual US deaths

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931290 


 News Release 12-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health


The findings of a new study suggest that childhood adversity is a major contributor to early and preventable causes of mortality and a powerful determinant of long term physical and mental health.  Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Harvard University found that childhood adversity is associated with elevated risk for chronic disease including heart disease and cancer. 

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Sex matters when it comes to immune responses against infection and disease, study shows

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931345

 

 News Release 12-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

 

 

A University of Alberta-led study shows that when it comes to susceptibility to infections and other health conditions, sex matters.

The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, was led by U of A immunologist Shokrollah Elahi. Elahi and his team looked at how anemia — a condition in which a person lacks enough mature red blood cells to carry oxygen in the body — can be due to an iron deficiency or loss of blood, and can generate different immunological responses in males versus females. 

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Combined treatments are the most effective to stop smoking, study finds

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931328

 

News Release 12-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Bristol


Combination therapies, particularly varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) combined, are the most effective tobacco cessation pharmacotherapies, the largest review to examine the effectiveness and safety of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and medicines that people use to quit tobacco has found. 

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How many people get 'long COVID?' More than half, researchers find

 

I might have had this.  When I was sick in the spring of 2020, I had a flat tire on the way to the Covid testing place, never got tested.  It was a relatively mild case, I've felt a lot sicker from the flu.  For almost a year and a half after I recovered,  I kept having one or more days of needing to sleep 12 hours and also have to take a nap.  I don't think I went as much as a week between these episodes.  They finally cleared up after I was vaccinated.


https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931397


 News Release 13-Oct-2021
Half of COVID survivors experience lingering symptoms six months after recovery
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Penn State


More than half of the 236 million people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 worldwide since December 2019 will experience post-COVID symptoms — more commonly known as “long COVID” — up to six months after recovering, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. The research team said that governments, health care organizations and public health professionals should prepare for the large number of COVID-19 survivors who will need care for a variety of psychological and physical symptoms.

During their illnesses, many patients with COVID-19 experience symptoms, such as tiredness, difficulty breathing, chest pain, sore joints and loss of taste or smell.

Until recently, few studies have evaluated patients’ health after recovering from the coronavirus. To better understand the short- and long-term health effects of the virus, the researchers examined worldwide studies involving unvaccinated patients who recovered from COVID-19. According to the findings, adults, as well as children, can experience several adverse health issues for six months or longer after recovering from COVID-19.

-----

The investigators noted several trends among survivors, such as:

    General well-being: More than half of all patients reported weight loss, fatigue, fever or pain.
    Mobility: Roughly one in five survivors experienced a decrease in mobility.
    Neurologic concerns: Nearly one in four survivors experienced difficulty concentrating.
    Mental health disorders: Nearly one in three patients were diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorders.
    Lung abnormalities: Six in ten survivors had chest imaging abnormality and more than a quarter of patients had difficulty breathing.
    Cardiovascular issues: Chest pain and palpitations were among the commonly reported conditions.
    Skin conditions: Nearly one in five patients experienced hair loss or rashes.
    Digestive issues: Stomach pain, lack of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting were among the commonly reported conditions.

-----


Data supports early COVID-19 vaccination for essential workers

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930706

 

 News Release 13-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
PLOS

 

In areas where COVID-19 vaccines are limited, vaccinating essential workers before older adults can reduce infections and deaths, according to a modeling study published this week in the new open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Nicola Mulberry of Simon Fraser University, Canada, and colleagues.

-----

 

Stanford-led research underscores pollution’s impact on child health

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931510

 

 News Release 13-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Stanford University

 

Studies have shown air pollution is a major risk factor for respiratory infection – the leading cause of death among children under five – but bad air’s specific impacts on developing bodies have remained somewhat of a mystery.

A Stanford-led study reveals a link between tiny airborne particles and child health in South Asia, a region beset with air pollution and more than 40 percent of global pneumonia cases. The analysis, published in Environmental Pollution, estimates the effect of increased particulate on child pneumonia hospitalizations is about twice as much as previously thought, and indicates a particular industry may play an outsized role in the problem.

-----

 Prior studies by researchers at the Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka found that biomass burning contributed the most to outdoor PM2.5 levels, followed by brick kiln emissions and soil dust. However, on days when brick kilns contributed a heavier than-usual amount of PM2.5 to the mix of bad air, the link between PM2.5 and child pneumonia was stronger.

The findings are among the first evidence that communities and policymakers can point to that suggests a measurable impact of brick kilns on child health. 

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Formula milk trials are not reliable, warn experts

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931111

 

 News Release 13-Oct-2021
Recent trials lack scientific rigour; substantial change needed to protect participants from harm and protect consumers from misleading information
Peer-Reviewed Publication
BMJ

 

 Formula milk trials have a high risk of bias, authors almost always report favourable conclusions, transparency is lacking, and findings are selectively reported, finds a review of evidence from recently published trials in The BMJ today.

The researchers say their findings “support the need for a substantial change in the conduct and reporting of formula trials to adequately protect participants from harm and protect consumers from misleading information.”

Formula milk is consumed by most European and North American infants, and new formula products need to be tested in clinical trials. But concerns have been raised that formula trials are biased and could undermine breastfeeding.


-----


High intake of fatty acid in nuts, seeds and plant oils linked to lower risk of death


https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931110

 

 News Release 13-Oct-2021
BMJ

 

A high intake of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) - found mainly in nuts, seeds, and plant oils - is associated with a lower risk of death from all causes, and specifically from diseases of the heart and blood vessels, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

Higher ALA intake was associated with a slightly higher risk of death from cancer, but the researchers say further studies are needed to confirm this.

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is a type of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in plants, such as soybean, nuts, canola oils and flaxseed.

-----

 

 

 

Monday, October 04, 2021

The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax

 

 https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax

 

by Jesse Eisinger, Jeff Ernsthausen and Paul Kiel

June 8, 5 a.m. EDT

 

In 2007, Jeff Bezos, then a multibillionaire and now the world’s richest man, did not pay a penny in federal income taxes. He achieved the feat again in 2011. In 2018, Tesla founder Elon Musk, the second-richest person in the world, also paid no federal income taxes.

Michael Bloomberg managed to do the same in recent years. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn did it twice. George Soros paid no federal income tax three years in a row.

ProPublica has obtained a vast trove of Internal Revenue Service data on the tax returns of thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people, covering more than 15 years.

-----

Taken together, it demolishes the cornerstone myth of the American tax system: that everyone pays their fair share and the richest Americans pay the most. The IRS records show that the wealthiest can — perfectly legally — pay income taxes that are only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions, if not billions, their fortunes grow each year.

-----

 In recent years, the median American household earned about $70,000 annually and paid 14% in federal taxes. The highest income tax rate, 37%, kicked in this year, for couples, on earnings above $628,300.

The confidential tax records obtained by ProPublica show that the ultrarich effectively sidestep this system.

-----

To capture the financial reality of the richest Americans, ProPublica undertook an analysis that has never been done before. We compared how much in taxes the 25 richest Americans paid each year to how much Forbes estimated their wealth grew in that same time period.

We’re going to call this their true tax rate.

The results are stark. According to Forbes, those 25 people saw their worth rise a collective $401 billion from 2014 to 2018. They paid a total of $13.6 billion in federal income taxes in those five years, the IRS data shows. That’s a staggering sum, but it amounts to a true tax rate of only 3.4%.

It’s a completely different picture for middle-class Americans, for example, wage earners in their early 40s who have amassed a typical amount of wealth for people their age. From 2014 to 2018, such households saw their net worth expand by about $65,000 after taxes on average, mostly due to the rise in value of their homes. But because the vast bulk of their earnings were salaries, their tax bills were almost as much, nearly $62,000, over that five-year period.

-----

 Our analysis of tax data for the 25 richest Americans quantifies just how unfair the system has become.

By the end of 2018, the 25 were worth $1.1 trillion.

For comparison, it would take 14.3 million ordinary American wage earners put together to equal that same amount of wealth.

The personal federal tax bill for the top 25 in 2018: $1.9 billion.

The bill for the wage earners: $143 billion.

-----


Prescribed blood thinners can help reduce hospitalizations related to COVID-19

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930337

 

  News Release 1-Oct-2021
U of M Medical School-led study finds that having a protocol to use blood thinners for COVID-19 patients reduces patient COVID-19 mortality by almost half
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Minnesota Medical School


The NIH has reported that many individuals with COVID-19 develop abnormal blood clots from high inflammation, which can lead to serious health complications and mortality. To find ways to decrease clotting related to COVID-19, researchers from the University of Minnesota and Basel University in Switzerland looked at reducing hospitalizations by using prescribed blood thinners.

-----

Published in Lancet’s Open Access EClinical Medicine, the study found that:

    patients on blood thinners before having COVID-19 were admitted less often to the hospital, despite being older and having more chronic medical conditions than their peers;

    blood thinners — regardless of if they are being used before being infected with COVID-19 or started when admitted to the hospital for treatment of COVID-19 — reduce deaths by almost half; and,

    hospitalized COVID-19 patients benefit from blood thinners regardless of the type or dose of the medication used.

“Unfortunately, about half of patients who are being prescribed blood thinners for blood clots in their legs, lungs, abnormal heart rhythms or other reasons, do not take them. By increasing adherence for people already prescribed blood thinners, we can potentially reduce the bad effects of COVID-19,” Hozayen said. “At M Health Fairview and most centers around the world now, there are protocols for starting blood thinners when patients are first admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 — as it is a proven vital treatment option. Outside of COVID-19, the use of blood thinners is proven to be lifesaving for those with blood coagulations conditions.”

-----


Glycerin is safe, effective in psoriasis model

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930236

 

 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

 

Patients with psoriasis have reported that glycerin, an inexpensive, harmless, slightly sweet liquid high on the list of ingredients in many skin lotions, is effective at combatting their psoriasis and now scientists have objective evidence to support their reports.

They found that whether applied topically or ingested in drinking water, glycerin, or glycerol, helps calm the classic scaly, red, raised and itchy patches in their psoriasis model, Dr. Wendy Bollag, cell physiologist and skin researcher at the Medical College of Georgia and Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center and her colleagues report in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

-----

 

Almost one-in-three people globally will still be mainly using polluting cooking fuels in 2030, research shows

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930272

 

 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Exeter

 

Almost one-in-three people around the world will still be mainly using polluting cooking fuels and technologies– a major source of disease and environmental destruction and devastation – in 2030, new research warned.

This rises to more than four-in-five in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of people mainly using polluting fuels is growing at an alarming rate.

A new study, carried out by UK researchers and the World Health Organization (WHO), has estimated that just under 3 billion people worldwide – including more than one billion in Sub-Saharan Africa - will still mainly be using polluting fuels such as wood fuels and charcoal at the end of the decade.

These ‘dirty’ fuels are a source of major health risks as they produce high levels of household air pollution – chronic exposure to which increases the risk of heart disease, pneumonia, lung cancer and strokes, amongst others.  

While the overall percentage of the global population mainly using polluting cooking fuels has been steadily decreasing since 1990, this trend is already showing signs of stagnation. Six in in ten people in rural areas are still reliant on biomass fuels such as wood and charcoal.

Reports by the WHO and others have attributed household air pollution from these fuels to millions of deaths per year – comparable to the death toll from outdoor air pollution. At the same time, fuel collection is often tasked to women and children, reducing opportunities for education, or income generation.

Polluting fuels are also an important cause of environmental degradation and climate change, with the black carbon from residential biomass cooking estimate to account for 25% of anthropogenic global black carbon emissions each year.

The researchers insist the pivotal new study shows that, although progress has been made, the quest to deliver universal access to clean cooking by 2030 is “far off track”. 

-----

 

Earlier onset of high blood pressure affects brain structure, may increase dementia risk

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929951


 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Hypertension Journal Report
Peer-Reviewed Publication
American Heart Association


Individuals who are diagnosed with high blood pressure at ages 35-44 had smaller brain size and were more likely to develop dementia compared to people who had normal blood pressure, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

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When the western US burns, the east also gets sick

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930440


 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Pollution from smoke is responsible for a higher percentage of health problems in the Western U.S. but affects a greater number of people in the East.
Peer-Reviewed Publication
American Geophysical Union


While most of the largest U.S. wildfires occur in the Western U.S., almost three-quarters of the smoke-related deaths and visits to the emergency room for asthma occur east of the Rocky Mountains.

Smoke exposure, whether from wildfires or local burning, contributes to health problems across the U.S., but the impacts vary by region. A new study finds that smoke contributes to a larger percentage of health problems in the West, but affects greater numbers of people in the East — possibly when they aren't even aware of the smoky air.

-----

In the West, where population density is generally lower and smoke concentrations are typically higher, smoke played a larger role in the number of asthma complaints and ER visits, contributing to more than 1% of annual visits in some years. In the East, with its high population density and lower smoke concentrations, there were a higher number of visits overall, even though a smaller percentage were related to smoke (0.3% to 0.6%).

The researchers estimate that long-term smoke exposure results in about 6,300 extra deaths each year, with the highest numbers occurring in the most populous states. Only 1,700 of those deaths occurred in the West.

-----

O'Dell emphasized that their study didn’t determine the source of the smoke affecting each region and that local burning and Canadian fires also contribute to smoky air in the Eastern U.S. She said that establishing the source of the smoke impacting health in each region is an important next step.

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The case of the aquarium's disappearing medicine

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930455

 

  News Release 4-Oct-2021
Hungry microbes found responsible for stealing from Shedd Aquarium’s animals
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Northwestern University


For months, veterinarians put medicine into the animals’ quarantine habitats at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, ensuring that animals entering the building did not bring dangerous pests or pathogens with them. And for months, the medicine consistently kept disappearing. Where was it going? Who was taking it? And what was their motive?

-----

After conducting microbial and chemical analyses on samples from the saltwater aquarium systems, the team found it was not just one culprit but many: A family of microbes, hungry for nitrogen.

“Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorous are basic necessities that everything needs in order to live,” said Northwestern’s Erica M. Hartmann, who led the study. “In this case, it looks like the microbes were using the medicine as a source of nitrogen. When we examined how the medicine was degraded, we found that the piece of the molecule containing the nitrogen was gone. It would be the equivalent to eating only the pickles out of a cheeseburger and leaving the rest behind.”

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Facing compounding stressors, many American workers plan to change jobs in coming year

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930458

 

 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Low salaries, long hours and lack of opportunity for growth are most likely to contribute to work-related stress, says APA survey
Reports and Proceedings
American Psychological Association

 

As the pandemic grinds on through a second year, many American workers are feeling the pressure, and many say they intend to leave their jobs within a year, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association.

Work stress related to low salaries, long hours and a lack of opportunity for growth and advancement has increased since the start of the pandemic. More than 4 in 10 workers said they plan to switch jobs in the coming year, which could impact many industries already facing a shortage of workers, particularly the hospitality and healthcare sectors.

However, there are actions that employers can take to improve employee well-being and support mental health.

-----

 

Convalescent plasma futile as treatment for critically ill COVID-19 patients

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930459

 

 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Pittsburgh

 

In the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical community turned to a century-old treatment: Take blood from recovered patients and give it to the sick. The hypothesis was that components in the so-called “convalescent plasma” that fought off the disease once could do it again, something that has worked in other diseases, such as Ebola.

Today, an international research team, which included University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine physician-scientists and UPMC patients, effectively put an end to that practice with a clinical trial that concluded convalescent plasma is “futile” as a COVID-19 treatment for most critically ill patients. The results are published in JAMA concurrent with presentation at the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine’s annual meeting.

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Researchers reveal the growing threat extreme heat poses to urban populations

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930495

 

 News Release 4-Oct-2021
The team from UC Santa Barbara and Columbia University found that exposure to dangerous temperatures has doubled since the mid 1980s
Reports and Proceedings
University of California - Santa Barbara

 

Between global warming and the urban heat island effect, many of the world’s cities are heating up. In fact, extreme heat already affects almost two billion urban residents worldwide, according to a new study led by former UC Santa Barbara graduate student Cascade Tuholske.

The paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to examine in fine detail global trends in extreme heat exposure across urban areas. The study spanned more than 13,000 settlements over nearly three and a half decades. The authors found that exposure to dangerous temperatures increased by 200% since the mid 1980s, with poor and marginalized people particularly at risk.

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Medicaid expansion closed health gaps for low-income adults across racial and ethnic groups, study shows

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930482


 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Michigan data show improvements in access to care and overall health, and could inform non-expansion states
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan


Michiganders from multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds say their health has improved and they have access to regular care through a doctor’s office, after enrolling in the state’s Medicaid expansion for low-income adults, a new study finds.

The improvements were especially pronounced among low-income white, Black and Latino Michiganders. Some improvements were seen among low-income members of the state’s sizable Arab-American and Chaldean population, and among those of other backgrounds.

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Dialysis facility closures linked to patient hospitalizations and deaths

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930515

 

 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
American Society of Nephrology

 


    Patients with kidney failure who were affected by dialysis facility closures between 2001 and 2014 experienced 7% to 9% higher rates of hospitalizations compared with similar patients at facilities that did not close.
    Also, patients affected by closures may have faced an 8% higher risk of dying within 6 months.
 

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Oesophageal cancer cases have tripled in under 50s over the past 30 years

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929950

 

 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Reports and Proceedings

emotive

 

(Vienna, October 5, 2021) Oesophageal cancer cases have tripled in under 50s over the past 30 years, a new study presented today at UEG Week Virtual 2021 has found2.

The research, conducted in the Netherlands on almost 60,000 patients, found new cases of oesophageal adenocarcinoma had risen from 0.34 to 0.92 per 100,000 population between 1989 and 2018. There was an average increase of 1.5% in males and 3% in females. The dramatic increases were seen in patients under the age of 50 years old with oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Experts believe that the rise in cases of oesophageal adenocarcinoma reflect changes in lifestyle-related risk factors for the disease, with increases in unhealthy habits including smoking, poor diet and reduced physical exercise.

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Depressed COVID patients respond better than expected to antidepressants

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930295

 

 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Reports and Proceedings
European College of Neuropsychopharmacology

 

The COVID pandemic has led to a significant increase in mental health problems. Now, in some good news, a pilot study has shown that depressed patients who have suffered from COVID respond better to standard antidepressants than do people who have not had COVID.

Around 40% of COVID sufferers report the development of depression within 6 months of infection. The inflammation caused by COVID is believed to be the main reason for the development of depression. Now new research has shown that around 90% of patients who have suffered from COVID respond to SSRIs, significantly more than would be expected.

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Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are highly effective against COVID-19 hospitalizations for at least six months

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930441

 

 News Release 4-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
The Lancet

 

Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) are 90% effective against COVID-19 hospitalizations for all variants, including delta, for at least six months, confirms a new study from Kaiser Permanente and Pfizer published in The Lancet

Effectiveness against all SARS-COV-2 infections declined over the study period, falling from 88% within one month after receiving two vaccine doses to 47% after six months. However, effectiveness against hospitalizations remained at 90% overall and for all variants.

-----

 

 

For unvaccinated, reinfection by Covid-19 is likely

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930359

 

 News Release 1-Oct-2021
For unvaccinated, reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 is likely
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been much uncertainty about how long immunity lasts after someone who is unvaccinated is infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Now a team of scientists led by faculty at Yale School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have an answer. Strong protection following natural infection is short-lived.

“Reinfection can reasonably happen in three months or less,” said Jeffrey Townsend, the Elihu Professor of Biostatistics at the Yale School of Public Health and a lead author of the study. “Therefore, those who have been naturally infected should get vaccinated. Previous infection alone can offer very little long-term protection against subsequent infections.”

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COVID-19 may trigger hyperglycemia and worsen disease by harming fat cells

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930271

 

 News Release 1-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Weill Cornell Medicine

 

 COVID-19 may bring high risks of severe disease and death in many patients by disrupting key metabolic signals and thereby triggering hyperglycemia, according to a new study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.

In the study, reported Sept. 15 in Cell Metabolism, the researchers found that hyperglycemia—having high blood sugar levels—is common in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and is strongly associated with worse outcomes. The researchers also found evidence suggesting that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can induce hyperglycemia by disrupting fat cells’ production of adiponectin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels. 

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Revealing the logic of the body’s ‘second brain’

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930287

 

 News Release 1-Oct-2021
Scientists discover new science in the gut and, potentially, new leads on how to treat irritable bowel syndrome and other disorders
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Michigan State University

 

Researchers at Michigan State University have made a surprising discovery about the human gut’s enteric nervous system that itself is filled with surprising facts. For starters, there’s the fact that this “second brain” exists at all.

“Most people don’t even know that they have this in their guts,” said Brian Gulbransen, an MSU Foundation Professor in the College of Natural Science’s Department of Physiology.

Beyond that, the enteric nervous system is remarkably independent: Intestines could carry out many of their regular duties even if they somehow became disconnected from the central nervous system. And the number of specialized nervous system cells, namely neurons and glia, that live in a person’s gut is roughly equivalent to the number found in a cat’s brain.

“It’s like this second brain in our gut,” Gulbransen said. “It’s an extensive network of neurons and glia that line our intestines.”

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Parental beliefs on child development and child outcomes go hand-in-hand—and those beliefs can be shifted

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930169

 

 News Release 1-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Chicago Medical Center

 

In a paper published October 1 in Nature Communications, University of Chicago Medicine pediatrician Dana Suskind, MD, along with University of Chicago economists John List, PhD, and Julie Pernaudet, PhD investigate one potential source of discrepancy in child skill level: disparity in parents’ beliefs about their influence over their children’s development.

Through experimental studies involving hundreds of families across the Chicagoland area, the researchers show parental knowledge and beliefs differ across socioeconomic status. But these beliefs can, with the right intervention, be changed. Moreover, these changes can have measurable effects on child outcomes. The results may offer policymakers insights into addressing an important contributor to disparities in child skill development.

“Neuroscience clearly shows that building early brain connections in children relies on the nurturing ‘serve and return,’ meaning the interactions between adult and child,” said Suskind, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics and Co-Director of the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health.

For this reason, differences in parental engagement can lead to differences in children’s brain development and their capabilities later on.

-----

 On average, the more education a parent had, the more their knowledge and beliefs were aligned with what the science shows. The more aligned their beliefs were with the science, the more facilitative behavior there was,” said Suskind.

However, within six months of starting the experiments, the beliefs of the treatment groups had shifted significantly from those of the control groups, although both were made up of parents of similar demographics. Moreover, the more intensive home visiting program saw more than twice the impact.

“With these different tiers of intervention,” said Suskind, “we could shift what parents know and believe and by doing so, shift their behavior in the positive direction.”

As parents began to believe their investments mattered, they began to invest more heavily in their children’s development. Suskind and her team saw statistically significant improvements in parent-child interactions over the span of both experiments.

These results were also correlated with improvements in child outcomes, such as vocabulary, math skills and social-emotional skills. Both experiments saw gains in outcomes, but the more intensive program again had a stronger effect.

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Cannabis users at ‘much higher’ risk of developing poor mental health

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930258

 

 News Release 1-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Birmingham

 

Those with a recorded history of cannabis use in general practice records are at a much higher risk of developing mental ill health problems such as anxiety or depression as well as severe mental illnesses, new research shows.

-----

 

tags: drug use, drug abuse,

When a free cancer check finds something, could cost keep patients from following up?


https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930204


Two new studies show potential out-of-pocket costs for tests in patients after initial screening for lung and cervical cancer
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan


Eleven years ago this month, the scans and exams that hold the most power to spot the early signs of cancer became available for free to many American adults.

Now, two new studies show that when those screening tests reveal potentially troubling signs, patients could face hundreds of dollars in costs for follow-up tests.

The studies, by teams from the University of Michigan and Duke University, could inform efforts to ensure that patients follow up on abnormal test results and don’t delay care due to cost. Such delays could lead to cancer going undiagnosed and progressing, potentially leading to worse patient outcomes and high medical costs.

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Preventing child malnutrition and promoting healthy development

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930154

 

 News Release 30-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of California - Davis

 

A small sachet of a fortified food-based supplement added to young children’s daily diets in low- and middle-income countries has shown remarkable results in preventing child mortality and malnutrition, while also promoting healthy development. The new findings from researchers at the University of California, Davis, based on an analysis combining data from 14 trials, were published in a series of four papers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study examined randomized trials in which children, ages 6 to 24 months old, were given about 4 teaspoons (20 grams) per day of a lipid-based nutrient supplement, which is a paste that typically includes oil, peanut butter, milk powder, vitamins and minerals. The trials were conducted in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa as well as Bangladesh and Haiti.

“This is the first intervention for children to show beneficial effects across four different outcomes of child health, including growth, development, anemia and mortality,” said project leader Kathryn Dewey, distinguished professor emerita in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition and Institute of Global Nutrition. Dewey played a key role in a collaborative research group that developed various formulations of the small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements starting in 2003.

The study included more than 37,000 children. Those who received the supplements had a 12% to 14% lower prevalence of stunted growth and of being underweight for their height, and a 16% to 19% lower prevalence of adverse language, social-emotional and motor development outcomes. The children also had a 16% lower prevalence of anemia and a 64% lower prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia. This builds on previous research demonstrating a 27% reduction in mortality between 6 and 24 months of age among children provided with the supplements.

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New research shows learning is more effective when active

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929505

 

 News Release 30-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Carnegie Mellon University

 

Engaging students through interactive activities, discussions, feedback and AI-enhanced technologies resulted in improved academic performance compared to traditional lectures, lessons or readings, faculty from Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute concluded after collecting research into active learning.

The research also found that effective active learning methods use not only hands-on and minds-on approaches, but also hearts-on, providing increased emotional and social support.

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Bigleaf maple decline tied to hotter, drier summers in Washington state

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930076

 

 News Release 30-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Washington

 

As its name suggests, the bigleaf maple tree’s massive leaves are perhaps its most distinctive quality. A native to the Pacific Northwest’s wet westside forests, these towering trees can grow leaves up to 1.5 feet across — the largest of any maple.

But since 2011, scientists, concerned hikers and residents have observed more stressed and dying bigleaf maple across urban and suburban neighborhoods as well as in forested areas. Often the leaves are the first to shrivel and die, eventually leaving some trees completely bare. While forest pathologists have ruled out several specific diseases, the overall cause of the tree’s decline has stumped experts for years.

A new study led by the University of Washington, in collaboration with Washington Department of Natural Resources, has found that bigleaf maple die-off in Washington is linked to hotter, drier summers that predispose this species to decline. These conditions essentially weaken the tree’s immune system, making it easier to succumb to other stressors and diseases. The findings were published Sept. 16 in the journal Forest Ecology and Management.

“These trees can tolerate a lot, but once you start throwing in other factors, particularly severe summer drought as in recent years, it stresses the trees and can lead to their death,” said co-author Patrick Tobin, associate professor in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.

In addition to warmer, drier weather, the researchers found that bigleaf maple are more likely to decline near roads and other development — especially in hotter urban areas. Across multiple years and sites in Western Washington, they weren’t able to find any single pest or pathogen responsible for the mass decline; rather, all signs point to climate change and human development as the drivers behind the regional die-off.

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End of employment benefits kills immunocompromised woman

 

From Twitter

 https://twitter.com/BreRVA/status/1443390574695002113


Justice looks like abolition.
@BreRVA
My friend rec’d pandemic unemployment as an independent contractor & stayed home safely, until that ran out. When it did, she was forced to return to work & w/in less than a month she contracted COVID-19 & died. She was immunocompromised.

Our gov’t failures killed my friend.
9:41 PM · Sep 29, 2021

Sibling bullying associated with poor mental health outcomes years later, new study finds

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929741

 

 News Release 29-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of York

 

Young people who are repeatedly bullied by siblings are more likely to suffer from poor mental health and wellbeing issues later in adolescence, a new study has suggested.

The new research, which analysed data from over 17,000 participants, found that as the frequency of bullying increased in early-to-middle adolescence, so did the severity of mental health outcomes in their late teens 

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“Of particular note was the finding that even those who bullied their siblings, but weren’t bullied themselves (ie the bullies) had poorer mental health outcomes years later”, Dr Toseeb added.

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Tobacco and alcohol may increase likelihood of using illegal drugs, new study shows

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929324

 

 News Release 30-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Society for the Study of Addiction

 

The use of legal drugs (tobacco and alcohol) may lead to the use of cannabis, a new study led by the University of Bristol and published in the journal Addiction has found. The study also found evidence that cannabis use may lead to smoking initiation, and opioid dependence could lead to increased alcohol consumption. Additionally, there might be shared risk factors that influence the use of multiple substances.

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 tags: drug use, drug abuse,

Stress of COVID-19 pandemic caused irregular menstrual cycles, study found

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930024

 

 News Release 29-Sep-2021
Northwestern University

 

Women and people who menstruate experienced irregularities in their menstrual cycle because of increased stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Northwestern Medicine study has found. 


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Former Trump staffer says she is 'terrified' of a 2024 Donald Trump presidential run

Stephanie Grisham says she is 'terrified' of a 2024 Donald Trump presidential run

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/politics/stephanie-grisham-donald-trump-2024/index.html

 

 By Kate Bennett, CNN
Updated 10:16 AM ET, Mon October 4, 2021


Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who worked for Donald Trump for more than five years, now says she fears another four years with Trump in the White House.
"I am terrified of him running for president in 2024," said Grisham, who also served as East Wing chief of staff, in an interview Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America," a promotional appearance for her memoir, "I'll Take Your Questions Now," which is scheduled for release this week. "I don't think (Trump) is fit for the job."
Grisham's take on the former President's fitness for the job came as she was asked by George Stephanopoulos whether she herself contributed to a White House "culture of casual dishonesty," to which Grisham answered, "Yes."

"I now want to, in whatever way I can, educate the public about the behaviors within the White House, because it does look like he's going to run in 2024," said Grisham.

Grisham said a second term for Trump in her opinion would mean a president driven by "revenge" for his political adversaries.

"He will probably have some pretty draconian policies," she added, noting another term would mean less concern about reelection and more emboldened opportunities to put forth policy shaped by Trump's base.
Asked why she was coming forward now, after so many years as a senior Trump loyalist, Grisham said her mind was changed after she spent time working in the West Wing.

"I do believe he gave voice to a lot of people who did feel forgotten, but I think that many of us, myself included, got into that White House, and got heady with power," said Grisham. "We didn't think about serving the country anymore, it was about surviving."

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Saturday, October 02, 2021

How mercury gets into the sea

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929647

 

 News Release 29-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Basel

 

Mercury released into the atmosphere by industry enters the sea and from there makes its way into the food chain. Now, an analysis by the University of Basel has revealed how the harmful substance enters seawater in the first place. This is not primarily via rainfall, as previously assumed, but rather also involves gas exchange. Measures to reduce mercury emissions could therefore take effect faster than previously thought.

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Study provides more evidence of how COVID-19 changed Americans’ values, activities

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929978

 

 News Release 29-Sep-2021
University of California - Los Angeles

 

A new UCLA-led study decisively confirms findings of research published earlier this year, which found that American values, attitudes and activities had changed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The earlier study, published in February, was based on an analysis of online behavior — Google searches and phrases posted on Twitter, blogs and internet forums. The latest research, published in the open-access journal Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, is based on a survey of 2,092 Americans — about half in California and half in Rhode Island.

Patricia Greenfield, a UCLA distinguished professor of psychology and senior author of both studies, said the results indicate that Americans’ activities, values and relationships have begun to resemble those found in small, isolated villages with low life expectancy — such as an isolated Mayan village in Chiapas, Mexico, that she has studied since 1969.

For example, according to the survey, people said that compared with pre-pandemic times, they are now more likely to be growing and preparing their own food, conserving resources, demonstrating less interest in financial wealth and showing greater appreciation for their elders. The researchers found all of those shifts are a function of Americans’ increased focus on survival and their isolation during the pandemic.

The study also found that during the pandemic parents expected their children to help out around the home — for example, by cooking for the family — more than they did before the pandemic.

The fact that the latest findings aligned with those of the earlier research on online trends provides additional support for both studies.

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Science backs nature as key to children’s health

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929890

 

 News Release 29-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Washington State University

 

 The presence of greenspaces near homes and schools is strongly associated with improved physical activity and mental health outcomes in kids, according to a massive review of data from nearly 300 studies.

Published online Sept. 29 in the journal Pediatrics, the review conducted by Washington State University and University of Washington scientists highlights the important role that exposure to nature plays in children’s health. Importantly, some of the data examined the effects for kids from historically marginalized communities and showed that the benefits of nature exposure may be even more pronounced for them.

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Study links air pollution to nearly 6 million preterm births around the world

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929399


 News Release 28-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of California - San Francisco


Air pollution likely contributed to almost 6 million premature births and almost 3 million underweight babies in 2019, according to a UC San Francisco and University of Washington global burden of disease study and meta-analysis that quantifies the effects of indoor and outdoor pollution around the world.  

The analysis, published September 28, 2021, in PLOS Medicine, is the most in-depth look yet at how air pollution affects several key indicators of pregnancy, including gestational age at birth, reduction in birth weight, low birth weight, and preterm birth. And it is the first global burden of disease study of these indicators to include the effects of indoor air pollution, mostly from cook stoves, which accounted for two-thirds of the measured effects.

A growing body of evidence points to air pollution as a major cause of preterm birth and low birthweight. Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal mortality worldwide, affecting more than 15 million infants every year. Children with low birthweight or who are born premature have higher rates of major illness throughout their lives.  

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 90 percent of the world’s population lives with polluted outdoor air, and half the global population is also exposed to indoor air pollution from burning coal, dung and wood inside the home.  

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Happiness in early adulthood may protect against dementia

 

 https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929745

 

 News Release 28-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of California - San Francisco

 

While research has shown that poor cardiovascular health can damage blood flow to the brain increasing the risk for dementia, a new study led by UC San Francisco indicates that poor mental health may also take its toll on cognition.

The research adds to a body of evidence that links depression with dementia, but while most studies have pointed to its association in later life, the UCSF study shows that depression in early adulthood may lead to lower cognition 10 years later and to cognitive decline in old age.

The study publishes in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease on Sept. 28, 2021. 

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Looking to lose weight? Diet drinks might not be the sweet spot, according to new USC study


https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929587


 News Release 28-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Keck School of Medicine of USC


A synthetic aftertaste might not be the only side effect of switching to diet soda, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

Drinks that contain the artificial sweetener sucralose may increase food cravings and appetite in woman and people who are obese, according to a new study by led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Just published in JAMA Network Open, the study is one of the largest to-date to examine the effects of an artificial sweetener, also called a nonnutritive sweetener (NNS), on brain activity and appetite responses in different segments of the population.

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USPSTF recommendation on aspirin use to prevent preeclampsia

 

 https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929512

 

 News Release 28-Sep-2021
JAMA
Peer-Reviewed Publication
JAMA Network

 

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends the use of low-dose aspirin (81mg/d) as preventive medication for preeclampsia after 12 weeks of gestation in individuals who are at high risk for preeclampsia. A multisystem inflammatory syndrome that is often progressive, preeclampsia is one of the most serious health problems that affect pregnant individuals. It is a complication in approximately 4 percent of pregnancies in the United States. The USPSTF routinely makes recommendations about the effectiveness of preventive care services and this statement updates and is consistent with its 2014 recommendation and is strengthened by new evidence from additional trials demonstrating reduced risks of perinatal death with low-dose aspirin use.

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Deadly auto crashes more likely during pandemic lockdown

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929789

 

  News Release 28-Sep-2021
Study finds less traffic, more speeding and reckless driving
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Ohio State University
 

  With fewer people on the road during the early days of the pandemic, more drivers were speeding and driving recklessly, resulting in more crashes being deadly, a new study found.

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While the total number of collisions declined after the lockdown, the proportion of those crashes that were incapacitating or fatal more than doubled, results showed.

 

“More of the crashes that did occur were severe, not just because of less congestion, but also because of drivers who were speeding, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Jonathan Stiles, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in geography at Ohio State.

 

Pandemic driving also led to far fewer rear-end collisions and more single-vehicle crashes, findings revealed.

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The results reveal a disturbing fact about urban road design, said study co-author Harvey Miller, a professor of geography at Ohio State.

 

“This is more evidence that our streets are designed for speed, not safety,” said Miller, who is also director of Ohio State’s Center for Urban and Regional Analysis.

 

“What is keeping crashes from being more severe during normal times is higher volumes of traffic, and once traffic goes away, people speed and crashes have more serious consequences.”

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Largest trial of antibiotic amoxicillin for treating chest infections in children finds little effect

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929798

 

 News Release 28-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Bristol

 

The largest randomised placebo-controlled trial of the antibiotic amoxicillin for treating chest infections in children - one of the most common acute illnesses treated in primary care in developed countries, has found it is little more effective at relieving symptoms than the use of no medication. The study, published in The Lancet and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), was led by researchers from the University of Southampton and supported by centres at the Universities of Bristol, Oxford and Cardiff.

Although viruses are believed to cause many of these infections in children, whether or not antibiotics are beneficial in treatment of chest infections in children is still debated. While research so far in adults has shown that antibiotics are not effective for uncomplicated chest infections until now, there has not been the same level of research in children.

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Children who eat more fruit and veg have better mental health

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929312

 

 News Release 27-Sep-2021
Peer reviewed / observational study / children
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of East Anglia

 

Children who eat a better diet, packed with fruit and vegetables, have better mental wellbeing – according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

A new study published today is the first to investigate the association between fruit and vegetable intakes, breakfast and lunch choices, and mental wellbeing in UK school children.

It shows how eating more fruit and veg is linked with better wellbeing among secondary school pupils in particular. And children who consumed five or more portions of fruit and veg a day had the highest scores for mental wellbeing.

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 We also found that the types of breakfast and lunch eaten by both primary and secondary school pupils were also significantly associated with wellbeing.

“Children who ate a traditional breakfast experienced better wellbeing than those who only had a snack or drink. But secondary school children who drank energy drinks for breakfast had particularly low mental wellbeing scores, even lower than for those children consuming no breakfast at all.

“According to our data, in a class of 30 secondary school pupils, around 21 will have consumed a conventional-type breakfast, and at least four will have had nothing to eat or drink before starting classes in the morning.

“Similarly, at least three pupils will go into afternoon classes without eating any lunch. Thchils is of concern, and likely to affect not only academic performance at school but also physical growth and development.

“Another interesting thing that we found was that nutrition had as much or more of an impact on wellbeing as factors such as witnessing regular arguing or violence at home.

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