About The Study: Consistent with prior research on adverse childhood experience (ACE; defined as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction before age 18) exposure and presence of a firearm in the household during childhood, this study found that cumulative ACE exposure was associated with higher odds of household firearm ownership in adulthood. The relationship may be due to a heightened sense of vulnerability to physical violence and greater perceived threats to personal safety associated with a traumatic childhood, which lead individuals to seek self-protection. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Alexander Testa, PhD, email alexander.testa@uth.tmc.edu. To ...

American women have the highest rate of maternal deaths among high-income countries, with outcomes worse for minoritized groups. In an effort to understand the maternal health of pregnant people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism and intellectual disability, researchers from Drexel University’s Policy and Analytics Center in the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute examined Medicaid data to identify perinatal and postpartum outcomes among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The study was recently published in JAMA Network Open. “While ...

MIAMI, FLORIDA (EMBARGOED UNTIL AUG. 15, 2024 @ 11 A.M. EDT) – For years, mouthwash has been marketed as an essential hygiene item to prevent bad breath, even though it offers minimal if any health benefits. But what if a mouthwash-based test to detect biomarkers can help physicians predict disease recurrence in head and neck cancer patients? That futuristic scenario seems closer to reality after a new study by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, UC San Diego Health and collaborating cancer centers. Their findings, ...

The Department of Health Behavior & Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health will become the Department of Health Behavior & Health Equity, effective August 15, 2024. The new name reflects the department’s increasing focus on issues of health equity in research, teaching and service.  “Health equity is at the core of our mission and actions in public health,” said F. DuBois Bowman, dean of Michigan Public Health. “I am grateful to the many members of the Health Behavior & Health Equity community ...

WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed a new two-photon fluorescence microscope that captures high-speed images of neural activity at cellular resolution. By imaging much faster and with less harm to brain tissue than traditional two-photon microscopy, the new approach could provide a clearer view of how neurons communicate in real time, leading to new insights into brain function and neurological diseases. “Our new microscope is ideally suited for studying the dynamics of neural networks in real time, which is crucial for understanding fundamental brain functions such as learning, memory and decision-making,” said research team leader ...

(WASHINGTON, August 15, 2024) – Over half of people with iron deficiency were found to still have low iron levels three years after diagnosis, and among patients whose condition was effectively treated within that timeframe, they faced longer-than-expected delays, pointing to substantial gaps in appropriate recognition and efficient treatment of the condition, according to a study published today in Blood Advances. Iron deficiency, or when the body’s iron stores are too low, is common, and may affect up to 40% of adolescents and young women. Iron is important in maintaining many body functions, including the production of ...

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a program that will support Native American communities to lead public health research to address overdose, substance use, and pain, including related factors such as mental health and wellness. Despite the inherent strengths in Tribal communities, and driven in part by social determinants of health, Native American communities face unique health disparities related to the opioid crisis. For instance, in recent years, overdose death rates have been highest among American Indian and Alaska Native people. Research prioritized by Native communities is essential ...

Weill Cornell Medicine has received a five-year, $12.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, for an extensive program of basic and translational research on the biology of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common form of lymphoma. The investigator-initiated Program Project grant, led by Dr. Leandro Cerchietti, the Richard A. Stratton Associate Professor in Hematology and Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine, and Dr. Christopher Flowers, professor and chair of the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at The University ...

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded Yubing Sun, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a $1.9 million Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award to support the exploration of the fundamental principles behind the process that close gaps caused by injury or growth between cells. This research has the potential to push forward advances in our understanding of wound healing, cellular regeneration therapies and embryonic development.  The gaps ...

**EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, AUG. 15, AT 9 A.M. ET** In what they labeled a “surprising” finding, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers studying bacteria from freshwater lakes and soil say they have determined a protein’s essential role in maintaining the germ’s shape. Because the integrity of a bacterial cell’s “envelope” or enclosure is key to its survival, the finding could advance the search for new and better antibiotics. The research, described August 15 in the journal mBio, suggests that loss of a protein ...

A genetic analysis of Lyme disease bacteria may pave the way for improved diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the tick-borne ailment. By mapping the complete genetic makeup of 47 strains of Lyme disease-causing bacteria from around the world, the international team has created a powerful resource for identifying the specific bacterial strains that infect patients. Researchers said this could enable more accurate diagnostic tests and treatments tailored to the exact type or types of bacteria causing each patient’s illness. "This comprehensive, high-quality sequencing investigation of Lyme disease and related bacteria provides the foundation to propel the field forward,” ...

A team led by CUNY Graduate Center biologists has produced a genetic analysis of Lyme disease bacteria that may pave the way for improved diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the tick-borne ailment. Weigang Qiu, a professor of Biology at the CUNY Graduate Center and Hunter College, and an international team including lead author Saymon Akther, a former CUNY Graduate Center Biology Ph.D. student, mapped the complete genetic makeup of 47 strains of Lyme disease-related bacteria from around the world, creating a powerful tool for identifying the bacterial strains that ...

CLEVELAND—More than 3,400 Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths are reported annually in the United States, making it the country’s biggest cause of death of infants from 1 month to 1 year old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most of these deaths are classified as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), a disorder with numerous, unexplained causes that have plagued researchers for decades. Now, with a new five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, researchers from Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies ...

Noise exposure is a known occupational hazard in some jobs, particularly for hearing loss, physical and psychological stress, and reduced concentration. A new study presented at the ACC Asia 2024 conference found in adult power loom weavers, chronic noise exposure not only increased their blood pressure overall, but also each year of exposure increased their odds of having high blood pressure by 10%. “While the mechanism is still not well-explored, it is thought that the stress response by the body to chronic sound exposure causes hormonal imbalances that gradually leads to a permanent elevation of blood pressure,” said Golam Dastageer Prince, MBBS, MPH, medical officer ...

From coffee to tea, caffeinated beverages are an integral part of morning routines across the globe, but these popular drinks can be harmful when enjoyed in excess. According to a new study being presented at ACC Asia 2024 in Delhi, India, drinking over 400 mg of caffeine per day on most days of the week could increase the susceptibility of otherwise healthy individuals to cardiovascular disease. “Regular caffeine consumption could disturb the parasympathetic system, leading to elevated blood pressure ...

A first-of-its-kind study led by Lawson Health Research Institute is receiving $1.2 million in funding from the federal government, delivered through the Veteran Homelessness Program, to better understand homelessness amongst women in Canada who are military Veterans. “This is an important and yet often invisible problem,” says Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Lawson Assistant Scientific Director based at St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Parkwood Institute and the study lead. “This is the first Canadian study to focus exclusively on women Veterans’ experience of homelessness. Gender matters, especially when we’re talking ...

PULLMAN, Wash. -- A new algorithm may make robots safer by making them more aware of human inattentiveness. In computerized simulations of packaging and assembly lines where humans and robots work together, the algorithm developed to account for human carelessness improved safety by about a maximum of 80% and efficiency by about a maximum of 38% compared to existing methods. The work is reported in IEEE Transactions on Systems Man and Cybernetics Systems. “There are a large number of accidents that are happening every day due to carelessness – most of them, unfortunately, from human errors,” said lead ...

Scientists at deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of AMGEN, have discovered rare sequence variants, predicted to cause a loss of function of ITSN1, that are associated with a high risk of Parkinson‘s Disease. The findings also support less studied pathways involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. The study, published today in npj Parkinson‘s Disease, used whole-genome sequence data from Iceland (deCODE genetics), the UK (UK Biobank), and the US (Accelerating Medicines Partnership Parkinson‘s ...

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurological disorders can be seen as “dirty brain” diseases, where the brain struggles to clear out harmful waste. Aging is a key risk factor because, as we grow older, our brain's ability to remove toxic buildup slows down. However, new research in mice demonstrates that it’s possible to reverse age-related effects and restore the brain’s waste-clearing process. “This research shows that restoring cervical lymph vessel function can substantially rescue the slower removal of waste from the brain associated with age,” said Douglas Kelley, PhD, a professor of Mechanical ...

Zebrafish are members of a rarefied group of vertebrates capable of fully healing a severed spinal cord. A clear understanding of how this regeneration takes place could provide clues toward strategies for healing spinal cord injuries in people. Such injuries can be devastating, causing permanent loss of sensation and movement. A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis maps out a detailed atlas of all the cells involved — and how they work together — in regenerating the zebrafish spinal cord. In an unexpected finding, the researchers showed that survival and adaptability of the severed neurons themselves is required for full spinal cord regeneration. ...

A new paper in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, published by Oxford University Press, finds that bone fracture rates in older women differ by race, quite significantly. While researchers have known for years that the risk of bone fracture is highest for White women, this is the first study to show the real fracture rate for Asian and Hispanic women. Until recently researchers have had limited data on fracture rates by specific race and ethnicity beyond White people, and even less fracture data within race and ethnic groups. Hispanic and Asian populations are the ...

For the second consecutive year, three Israeli universities are ranked among the top 100 institutions globally. Alongside the Hebrew University, ranked 81st, are the Technion (85th) and the Weizmann Institute (69th). This is an outstanding achievement for Israeli academia and especially for the Hebrew University. Professor Asher Cohen, President of the Hebrew University, stated: "The presence of three Israeli universities in the list of the top 100 universities globally is an exceptional achievement in such a challenging and complex year. The Hebrew University's rise to 81st place ...

Bottom Line: Patients with liver cancer who received immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) before surgery—including those who would not have been eligible for surgery by conventional criteria—had similar outcomes to patients who received surgery upfront, according to results from a retrospective study. Journal in Which the Study was Published: Cancer Research Communications, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Author: Mari Nakazawa, MD, first author of the study and a clinical research fellow ...

PORTLAND, Ore. – Patients with a prescription for an opioid use disorder medication may have a tough time getting it filled if their pharmacy is in a community that’s racially and economically segregated, according to a new study led by scientists at Oregon State University and Johns Hopkins University. The findings shed additional light on inequities in health care as the U.S.’s overdose crisis continues to accelerate, with fatality rates rising fastest in Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities. “While there have been notable policy changes over the past decade that ...

An analysis of 12 years of data collected from over 500 hospitals in 25 different U.S. states shows that weather, geographic location, and urban or rural location all appear to influence hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University in the open-access journal PLOS Water. Waterborne infectious diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses still affect over 7,000,000 people annually in the United States despite drinking and recreational water regulations, and sanitation ...