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

Antibiotic pollution in rivers

2025-04-22
(Press-News.org) Human consumption of antibiotics increased by 65% between 2000 and 2015. These drugs are not completely metabolized while passing through the body, nor completely destroyed or removed by most wastewater treatment facilities. Heloisa Ehalt Macedo and colleagues calculate that worldwide humans consume around 29,200 tonnes of the 40 most used antibiotics. After metabolism and wastewater treatment, an estimated 8,500 tonnes (29% of consumption) may reach the world’s river systems, and 3,300 tonnes (11%) may arrive at the world’s oceans or inland sinks (such as lakes or reservoirs). The authors calculate these figures using a model validated by data on measured concentrations of 21 antibiotics at 877 locations globally. While the total amounts of antibiotic residues translate into only very small concentrations in most rivers, which makes the drugs very difficult to detect, the chronic environmental exposure to these substances can still pose a risk. Antibiotics in rivers and lakes can reduce microbial diversity, increase the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes, and possibly impact the health of fish and algae. The authors calculate that levels of antibiotics are high enough to create a potential risk for aquatic ecosystems and antibiotic resistance during low-flow conditions (i.e., at times of less dilution) on 6 million kilometers of rivers. Waterways with high concentrations are found across all continents, with the most impacted regions located in Southeast Asia. Amoxicillin is the antibiotic most often predicted to be found at high-risk concentrations and is the most-consumed antibiotic around the world. The authors note that this version of their model does not include antibiotics given to livestock, which include many of the same drugs, or pharmaceutical manufacturing waste. However, the results show that antibiotic pollution in rivers arising from human consumption alone is a critical issue, which would likely be exacerbated by veterinarian or industry sources of related compounds.  According to the authors, monitoring programs and strategies to manage antibiotic contamination of waterways, especially in areas at risk, are warranted.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Join the nation of lifesavers at NFL draft in Green Bay

2025-04-22
DALLAS, April 22, 2025 — The American Heart Association and the National Football League (NFL) want more people to be confident and capable when faced with a cardiac emergency. Currently, 9 out of every 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die[1]. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), performed immediately, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. That’s why the Heart Association and the NFL are working together to expand the Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, the Association’s most recent commitment to CPR. With support from the NFL and ...

TTUHSC researchers seek novel therapies for chronic pain

2025-04-22
Chronic pain, a common and debilitating condition, often leads practitioners to prescribe opioids in escalating doses. The prescription of opioids has created a serious nationwide crisis that killed more than 107,000 Americans from December 2020 through December 2021, according to a report by the American Medical Association (“Nation’s opioid-related overdose and death epidemic continues to worsen”). Given these realities, an urgent need exists to develop novel non-opioid and non-addicting therapies capable of effectively managing chronic pain. To help spur the development of these therapies, ...

Predicting long-term psychedelic side-effects

2025-04-22
Psychedelic drugs are seeing a surge of interest from mainstream medicine, and initial results suggest that psychedelic-therapy can be a safe and effective treatment for some mental health conditions. However, the side-effect profile is still incompletely understood. In particular, the use of psychedelics has been posited to carry a risk of triggering latent psychotic disorders or persistent visual hallucination, known as Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD). In order to better understand the prevalence and risk factors of such side-effects, Katie Zhou and colleagues surveyed 654 people online who were planning to take psychedelics through their ...

Carnegie Mellon researchers create transformable flat-to-shape objects using sewing technology

2025-04-22
Researchers from the Human Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) and Robotics Institute (RI) at Carnegie Mellon University introduced a novel method for fabricating functional flat-to-shape objects using a computer-controlled sewing machine.  The team includes Sapna Tayal, undergraduate student in the School of Design; Lea Albaugh, Mark Stehlik postdoctoral teaching fellow at HCII; James McCann, associate professor in RI; and Scott E. Hudson, professor and associate department head for education in HCII.  “Flat-to-shape” refers to objects that can be transformed from a flat sheet into a three-dimensional form through ...

Preventing cellular senescence to prevent neuroinflammation

2025-04-22
A study in mice suggests that senescent cells are at least partially responsible for post-surgical delirium and similar conditions in elderly people—and identifies a combination of drugs that might be able to prevent the complication.  Elderly people sometimes experience neurocognitive problems after infections or surgeries. Shyni Varghese and colleagues investigated the role of cellular senescence in the neuroinflammation that occurs in these cases. Cellular senescence is a normal process that helps prevent abnormal cell proliferation, but it can also occur in response to stress. Senescent cells stop dividing and typically secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and other molecules ...

Tuning in to blood glucose for simpler early diabetes detection

2025-04-22
The highs and lows of blood glucose aren’t just an energy rollercoaster; they could be a key to detecting diabetes risk early and spare you a needle prick or two. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have identified a simple, noninvasive method for assessing blood glucose regulation — an essential factor in diabetes risk. Their approach, based on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data, could improve early detection and risk assessment for diabetes without relying on blood samples and expensive or complex procedures. The ...

NUS Medicine and HeyVenus study: Menopause is a critical workplace challenge for APAC business leaders

2025-04-22
While much of the global research on menopause has focused on Western populations, the unique cultural, genetic, and lifestyle factors affecting Asian women during menopause have been largely overlooked. Key findings from a new white paper that surveyed 1,741 working women across five major Asia Pacific (APAC) countries—Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia titled ‘Menopause and the Bottom Line: A Critical Leadership Challenge for APAC Leaders’, published by NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE) at the NUS ...

Insects are disappearing due to agriculture – and many other drivers, new research reveals

2025-04-22
Insects are disappearing at an alarming rate worldwide, but why? Agricultural intensification tops the list of proposed reasons, but there are many other, interconnected drivers that have an impact, according to new research led by Binghamton University, State University of New York.  Research on insect decline has surged in recent years, sparked by an alarming 2017 study that suggested that insect populations had declined by 75% in less than three decades. This has led to countless published papers, with scientists hypothesizing different ...

Blends of child and best friend, with power imbalance: How dogs fit into our social networks

2025-04-22
Many people view their dog as a family member, friend, or kid, but does the relationship with them really resemble these human relationships? Researchers from ELTE Eötvös Loránd University now set out to explore the precise role dogs play in human social networks by comparing human-dog relationships with human-human relationships using 13 relationship scales. Their study revealed that the owner-dog relationship can be interpreted as a mix of child and best friend relationships, combining positive aspects of the child relationship with the lack of negative aspects of friendship, blended with a high level of control over the dog.  Interestingly, ...

Transgene-free genome editing in poplar trees: A step toward sustainable forestry

2025-04-22
Scientists at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology and VIVES University College have developed a new method to genetically improve poplar trees without introducing foreign DNA into its genome. This advancement could pave the way for faster and more widely accepted use of gene-edited trees in forestry and the bio-based economy. The work appeared in New Phytologist.   Gene editing without the baggage  Gene editing tools like CRISPR are revolutionizing plant science by allowing precise and targeted improvements ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study unexpectedly finds living in rural, rather than urban environments in first five years of life could be a risk factor for developing type 1 diabetes

Editorial urges deeper focus on heart-lung interactions in pulmonary vascular disease

Five University of Tennessee faculty receive Fulbright Awards

5 advances to protect water sources, availability

OU Scholar awarded Fulbright for Soviet cinema research

Brain might become target of new type 1 diabetes treatments

‘Shore Wars:’ New research aims to resolve coastal conflict between oysters and mangroves, aiding restoration efforts

Why do symptoms linger in some people after an infection? A conversation on post-acute infection syndromes

Study reveals hidden drivers of asthma flare-ups in children

Physicists decode mysterious membrane behavior

New insights about brain receptor may pave way for next-gen mental health drugs

Melanoma ‘sat-nav’ discovery could help curb metastasis

When immune commanders misfire: new insights into rheumatoid arthritis inflammation

SFU researchers develop a new tool that brings blender-like lighting control to any photograph

Pups in tow, Yellowstone-area wolves trek long distances to stay near prey

AI breakthrough unlocks 'new' materials to replace lithium-ion batteries

Making molecules make sense: A regional explanation method reveals structure–property relationships

Partisan hostility, not just policy, drives U.S. protests

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: August 1, 2025

Young human blood serum factors show potential to rejuvenate skin through bone marrow

Large language models reshape the future of task planning

Narrower coverage of MS drugs tied to higher relapse risk

Researchers harness AI-powered protein design to enhance T-cell based immunotherapies

Smartphone engagement during school hours among US youths

Online reviews of health care facilities

MS may begin far earlier than previously thought

New AI tool learns to read medical images with far less data

Announcing XPRIZE Healthspan as Tier 5 Sponsor of ARDD 2025

Announcing Immortal Dragons as Tier 4 Sponsor of ARDD 2025

Reporting guideline for chatbot health advice studies

[Press-News.org] Antibiotic pollution in rivers