PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Historically redlined areas see more modern-day gun violence

New research from Boston Children’s Hospital suggests that areas of U.S. cities graded as “hazardous” in the 1930s are nearly six times more likely to have non-suicide firearm fatalities today

2024-04-22
(Press-News.org) In the 1930s, the United States government introduced redlining, a discriminatory practice that categorized neighborhoods based on people’s race or ethnicity and denied financial services to residents in certain areas—redlining disproportionately affected marginalized communities. While redlining was officially outlawed in 1968, new research from Boston Children’s Hospital suggests a relationship between historic redlining and present-day gun violence. 

“We found a significant, dose-dependent correlation between discriminatory designations from the 1930s and the incidence of non-suicide firearm fatalities from 2014-2022. Of note, in areas designated ‘hazardous' 80 years ago, non-suicide firearm fatalities are nearly six times more likely to occur today than in areas designated ‘best,’” said Dr. Eric Fleegler, a pediatric emergency physician and senior author of the paper.

The findings, published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine at 5pm ET on April 22, speak to the lasting detrimental impact of redlining on firearm fatalities today.

The researchers used data from 202 cities across 38 states for nearly 9,000 different areas graded by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation on a scale from A to D, with A being “best” and D being “hazardous”. They found that 76% of the cities they examined had a higher rate of non-suicide firearm fatalities in D areas compared to A regions. Additionally, the team discovered that there are more than six times the rate of non-suicide firearm fatalities in D areas compared to A regions. 

Despite accounting for other factors associated with firearm fatalities, such as poverty, firearm prevalence, and legislation, the researchers found that the relationship between redlining designation and fatalities today persists. This suggests that there might be other consequences of redlining that impact non-suicide firearm fatalities.

“Firearm fatalities are a leading cause of mortality in the United States, and the epidemic of gun violence continues to affect marginalized communities disproportionately. Our findings warrant further research on and investment in nuanced solutions to the detrimental impacts of historical redlining,” said Dr. Ayesha Dholakia, Chief Resident in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital  and Boston Medical Center and first author of the paper.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Bonobos aren’t as peace-loving as we thought

Bonobos aren’t as peace-loving as we thought
2024-04-22
The endangered bonobo, the great ape of the Central African rainforest, has a reputation for being a bit of a hippie. Known as more peaceful than their warring chimpanzee neighbors, bonobos live in matriarchal societies, engage in recreational sex, and display signs of cooperation both inside and outside their immediate social groups. But this relaxed reputation isn’t quite reality, according to a new Harvard study in Current Biology. Observing bonobos and chimps in their natural environments over roughly three years, researchers found that actual rates of aggressive acts among male bonobos were notably higher than among male chimps. “These ...

Abdominal obesity might predict risk of fecal incontinence

2024-04-22
Fecal incontinence (FI), or involuntary loss of bowel control, significantly impacts quality of life and mental health for millions of adults in the U.S. Obesity is thought to affect bowel function, but the relationship between its standardized measure, body mass index (BMI), and FI remains unclear. Examining better markers of obesity that include body composition and fat distribution, rather than BMI alone, could help clarify the effect of obesity on FI. Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General ...

Smartphone swabs provide convenient toxicology testing

2024-04-22
A simple and convenient method to collect drug use data from the surface of a smartphone is revealed for the first time in a new study published in De Gruyter’s Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. By helping clinicians understand what drugs people are taking in certain contexts, the research could protect public health and improve the treatment of patients suspected of overdosing.  Understanding the most common drugs in a particular area, who uses them, when they use them and in what contexts can help inform life-saving treatment decisions but given the illegal nature ...

Advancing high-resolution ultrasound imaging with deep learning

Advancing high-resolution ultrasound imaging with deep learning
2024-04-22
Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology developed a new technique to make ultrasound localization microscopy, an emerging diagnostic tool used for high-resolution microvascular imaging, more practical for clinical settings. Their method uses deep learning to advance in the post-processing pipeline of ULM. Their technique, called LOcalization with Context Awareness Ultrasound Localization microscopy, or LOCA-ULM, appears in the journal Nature Communications.  “I’m really excited about making ULM faster and better so that more people will be able to use this technology. I think deep learning-based computational ...

New study confirms community pharmacies can help people quit smoking

2024-04-22
A new study shows community pharmacies may play a key role in helping people quit smoking. The findings came out in the article Closing the Tobacco Treatment Gap, published in the 10th anniversary special issue of Pharmacy. The results provide valuable insights into the implementation of tobacco cessation services within community pharmacies while identifying barriers to further improvements. Tobacco use remains a leading preventable cause of death. Although two thirds of people who smoke would like to quit, many individuals trying to quit on their own are not successful. To address this gap, the study explored how ...

Book aims to re-design the up-skilling game. Rotman School author says we need a re-set in the way we think about human skill in the genAI era

Book aims to re-design the up-skilling game. Rotman School author says we need a re-set in the way we think about human skill in the genAI era
2024-04-22
April 22, 2024 Book Aims to Re-Design the Up-Skilling Game. Rotman School Author Says We Need a Re-Set in the Way We Think About Human Skill in the GenAI era Toronto – Although communicative and relational skills are currently in the greatest demand in organizations large and small, we are as educators, executives, and talent developers very far away from the kind of precision in identifying, measuring, selecting, and developing these skills that we have achieved with cognitive and technical skills. At the same time, the automation ...

Could automation, electrification of long-haul trucking reduce environmental impacts?

2024-04-22
April 22, 2024 Contact: Lori Atherton, SEAS, lorather@umich.edu                Jim Erickson, Michigan News, ericksn@umich.edu   A new University of Michigan study finds that automation and electrification of long-haul trucking can reduce urban health impacts and environmental damages.  For long-haul routes below 300 miles, electrification can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas damages by 13%, or $587 million annually, according to the study. ...

European union should adopt a research-based approach to ensure the quality and safety of substances of human origin

European union should adopt a research-based approach to ensure the quality and safety of substances of human origin
2024-04-22
April 22, 2024 European Union Should Adopt a Research-Based Approach to Ensure the Quality and Safety of Substances of Human Origin London/Toronto – Substances of human origin (SoHOs) such as blood, plasma, skin, corneas, and embryos play an increasing role in life-saving medical procedures. Governments around the world are reevaluating their healthcare policies to ensure of a supply of SoHOs for their population, while also considering the best-interests of both donors and patients. A ...

Study identifies signs of repeated blast-related brain injury in active-duty United States Special Operations Forces

2024-04-22
Repeated exposure to explosive blasts has the potential to cause brain injuries, but there is currently no diagnostic test for these injuries In a study of 30 active-duty United States SOF personnel, researchers found that increased blast exposure was associated with structural, functional, and neuroimmune changes to the brain and a decline in health-related quality of life The researchers are now designing a larger study to develop a diagnostic test for repeated blast brain injury United States (US) Special Operations Forces (SOF) personnel are frequently exposed to explosive blasts during training and combat.  However, ...

Mount Sinai scientists discover the cellular functions of a family of proteins integral to inflammatory diseases

2024-04-22
New York, NY (April 22, 2024) – In a scientific breakthrough, Mount Sinai researchers have revealed the biological mechanisms by which a family of proteins known as histone deacetylases (HDACs) activate immune system cells linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases. This discovery, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could potentially lead to the development of selective HDAC inhibitors designed to treat types of IBD such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. “Our understanding of the specific function of class II HDACs in different cell types has been limited, impeding ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

How crickets co-exist with hostile ant hosts

Tapered polymer fibers enhance light delivery for neuroscience research

Syracuse University’s Fran Brown named Paul “Bear” Bryant Newcomer Coach of the Year Award recipient

DARPA-ABC program supports Wyss Institute-led collaboration toward deeper understanding of anesthesia and safe drugs enabling anesthesia without the need for extensive monitoring

The Offshore Wind Innovation Hub 2025 call for innovators opens today

Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) launches a new funding opportunity to join the Collaborative Research Network

State-of-the-art fusion simulation leads three scientists to the 2024 Kaul Foundation Prize

Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative launches innovative brain health navigator program for intuitive coordination between patients and providers

Media registration now open: ATS 2025 in San Francisco

New study shows that corn-soybean crop rotation benefits are extremely sensitive to climate

From drops to data: Advancing global precipitation estimates with the LETKF algorithm

SeoulTech researchers propose a novel method to shed light on PFOS-induced neurotoxicity

Large-scale TMIST breast cancer screening trial achieves enrollment goal, paving the way for data that provides a precision approach to screeninge

Study published in NEJM Catalyst finds patients cared for by MedStar Health’s Safe Babies Safe Moms program have better outcomes in pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum

Octopus arms have segmented nervous systems to power extraordinary movements

Protein shapes can help untangle life’s ancient history

Memory systems in the brain drive food cravings that could influence body weight

Indigenous students face cumbersome barriers to attaining post-secondary education

Not all Hot Jupiters orbit solo

Study shows connection between childhood maltreatment and disease in later life

Discovery of two planets sheds new light on the formation of planetary systems

New West Health-Gallup survey finds incoming Trump administration faces high public skepticism over plans to lower healthcare costs

Reading signs: New method improves AI translation of sign language

Over 97 million US residents exposed to unregulated contaminants in their drinking water

New large-scale study suggests no link between common brain malignancy and hormone therapy

AI helps to identify subjective cognitive decline during the menopause transition

Machine learning assisted plasmonic absorbers

Healthy lifestyle changes shown to help low back pain

Waking up is not stressful, study finds

Texas A&M AgriLife Research aims for better control of widespread tomato spotted wilt virus

[Press-News.org] Historically redlined areas see more modern-day gun violence
New research from Boston Children’s Hospital suggests that areas of U.S. cities graded as “hazardous” in the 1930s are nearly six times more likely to have non-suicide firearm fatalities today