Mom always said, “Choose your friends wisely.” Now a study led by a Rutgers Health professor shows she was onto something: Their traits can rub off on you – especially ones that are in their genes. The genetic makeup of adolescent peers may have long-term consequences for individual risk of drug and alcohol use disorders, depression and anxiety, the groundbreaking study has found. “Peers’ genetic predispositions for psychiatric and substance use disorders are associated with an individual's own risk of developing ...

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is a protein receptor on T immune cells that prevents the cells from killing other cells, such as cancer cells. Blocking CTLA-4 with a specific antibody is an effective treatment for some cancers, but it can damage the heart. New research published in The FASEB Journal reveals the mechanisms involved in this side effect—a finding that could be used to help prevent it. Experiments conducted in mice showed that blocking CTLA-4 activates certain T cells called Th17 cells, which increase inflammation. Inhibiting this activation reversed ...

Forests absorb carbon by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making forest carbon stocks an important resource against climate change. In research published in Ecology and Evolution, investigators examined existing tree regeneration patterns to develop an indicator of potential changes to future carbon stocks across forests in the northeastern and midwestern United States. The scientists’ comparison of carbon stock predictions from tree and seedling composition suggested that 29% of plots were poised ...

Among the 250 individuals who were kidnapped during the Hamas terror attack on Israeli towns in October 2023, 19 children and 7 women were released and admitted to Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel after approximately 50 days in captivity, during a cease-fire deal. A new study published in Acta Paediatrica reports on the physical and psychological state of these returnees upon their return. The most common clinical findings included significant weight loss, psychological trauma, complications of poor hygiene (such as head lice), and complications of recent shrapnel injuries. Tests revealed that returnees also often had ...

In a survey-based study, UK dietitians exhibited significant weight stigma, both towards themselves and towards others. The study in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics involved an online survey completed in 2022 by 402 registered dietitians aged 20–70 years old. Most respondents reported personally experiencing weight stigma prior to (51%) and after becoming (59.7%) registered dieticians, and nearly a quarter (21.1%) felt that their weight influenced their own ability to perform as a dietitian. Weight stigma was experienced across the weight spectrum. Participants reported explicit (or conscious) weight bias attitudes, moderate beliefs that obesity is ...

Soil salt concentrations above the optimal threshold for plant growth can threaten global food security by compromising agricultural productivity and crop quality. An analysis published in Physiologia Plantarum examined the potential of nanomaterials—which have emerged over the past decade as a promising tool to mitigate such “salinity stress”—to address this challenge. Nanomaterials, which are tiny natural or synthetic materials, can modulate a plant’s response to salinity stress ...

Modern commercial aircraft flying at high altitudes create longer-lived planet-warming contrails than older aircraft, a new study has found. The result means that although modern planes emit less carbon than older aircraft, they may be contributing more to climate change through contrails. Led by scientists at Imperial College London, the study highlights the immense challenges the aviation industry faces to reduce its impact on the climate. The new study also found that private jets produce more contrails than previously thought, ...

The world’s seabeds are little explored, and the knowledge we have is patchy. Using remotely operated underwater vehicles to learn about seabeds is expensive, requires certain weather conditions, and is difficult in deep, remote, and offshore habitats. To circumvent these challenges, researchers in Australia have now enlisted endangered Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) to carry cameras. The resulting videos allowed the researchers to identify previously unmapped benthic habitats used by the sea lions on the continental shelf. They published their results in Frontiers in Marine Science. “Using ...

ARLINGTON, Va. (August 7, 2024) — Family members of patients recently discharged from the hospital may have a higher risk of getting an antibiotic-resistant infection, often called a superbug, even if the patient was not diagnosed with the same infection, suggesting hospitals play a role in the community spread of resistant bacteria, according to study in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. When recently hospitalized patients were diagnosed with the superbug — Methicillin-resistant ...

With rising global temperatures due to global warming, the risk of heat strokes has increased and is expected to grow even further. This is particularly troubling for athletes participating in competitive sports. In tennis, multiple matches are played daily, lasting up to five hours. Playing such matches in sweltering conditions could be highly detrimental. The Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 faced extremely hot conditions with many players calling for appropriate countermeasures. Consequently, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) formulated and issued the “Extreme Weather Policy” at the Tokyo Olympics to manage matches based ...

Everyone gets sleepy at work from time to time, especially after a big lunch. But for people whose jobs involve driving or working with heavy machinery, drowsiness can be extremely dangerous — if not outright deadly. Drowsy driving contributes to hundreds of fatal vehicle accidents in the U.S. each year, and the National Safety Council has cited drowsiness as a critical hazard in construction and mining. To help protect drivers and machine operators from the dangers of drifting off, engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have created prototype earbuds that can detect the signs of drowsiness ...

Boston – Vorasidenib has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with Grade 2 gliomas with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations.  Based on evidence from the INDIGO clinical trial, a global phase 3, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial, vorasidenib more than doubled progression-free survival and delayed the need for treatment with radiation and chemotherapy for patients with Grade 2 IDH-mutant glioma after surgery to remove the tumor. INDIGO was the first phase 3 clinical trial of a molecularly targeted therapy for IDH-mutant glioma. “The INDIGO trial ...

It may now be time to ban artificial stone—a firm favourite for kitchen worktops in the UK— to ward off the incurable lung disease caused by its manufacturing and fitting, say a team of doctors in the journal Thorax after treating the first 8 cases of artificial stone silicosis reported in the UK. Silicosis is caused by breathing in crystalline silica dust, and millions of people around the world are at risk of developing it as a result of their jobs in mining, quarrying, stone-cutting ...

The UK and the European Union should follow Australia’s lead and ban the kitchen worktop favourite and cause of irreversible and rapidly progressive lung disease—artificial stone siliicosis—urge researchers in an editorial, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. And until a ban comes into force, all possible control measures should be legally enforced to minimise workers’ exposure to the harmful crystalline silica dust generated during its manufacture and fitting, insist the authors. Artificial stone (also known as engineered stone) is widely used for surfaces ...

Renewed efforts to reduce child poverty in England between now and 2033, such as removing the 2-child limit on child benefit, would significantly boost several aspects of child health and narrow health inequalities across the country, finds research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Tackling it would substantially cut the number of infant deaths and children in care, as well as rates of childhood nutritional anaemia and emergency admissions, with the most deprived regions, especially ...

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should cut its ties with Coca Cola in the best interests of athletes, spectators, and the planet, urge Trish Cotter and Sandra Mullin of the international public health organisation, Vital Strategies, in an editorial to be published shortly in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.* The company’s sponsorship forces athletes to implicitly endorse unhealthy sugary drinks and provides Coca Cola with elite access to political and corporate leaders to exert its influence, insist the authors. Coca Cola has sponsored the Olympic Games for almost 100 years, they note. And there’s ...

Today, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a gift of $5 million in seed funding to support the creation of the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine (XOCOM), a newly established medical school in New Orleans founded by Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health. Earlier this year, Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically Black college and university (HBCU) with a strong track record of sending graduates into the medical field, and Ochsner Health, the Gulf South’s leading not-for-profit health system with a long academic ...

A recent study by László Zsolt Garamszegi from the Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungary, and Niclas Kolm from the Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Sweden, challenges the long-held notion that domestication is the primary driver of reduced brain size in domesticated animals, specifically dogs. The study employs a phylogenetic comparative method to analyze whether the domesticated dog (Canis familiaris) exhibits a uniquely small brain relative to its body size compared to other canid species. The prevailing belief has been that domestication leads to a significant ...

*Note this is an early release from the Annual Meeting of the European Association of the Study of Diabetes (EASD 2024, Madrid, 9-13 September). Please credit the meeting if using this material* Women who develop gestational diabetes are not more likely to go on to be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a study of almost three-quarters of a million mothers to be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) (Madrid, 9-13 September). Gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that can develop during ...

New studies emphasize the vital role of fruits, vegetables, and their co-products in boosting human health and life expectancy. Packed with minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber, these foods help prevent chronic diseases. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, such as vitamins and carotenoids, combat harmful free radicals. To get more information and to contribute to the research, visit: bit.ly/46zTKFX Combining various fruits like oranges, apples, grapes, and blueberries enhances antioxidant effects. Diets ...

A new University of Vermont study published today in Nature: Scientific Reports examines the social and psychological aspects of farmers’ decisions about whether or not to implement biosecurity measures on pig farms. This is the first study to look at human behavior in biosecurity adoption among swine producers.       Through survey data and simulations, the scientists found that it is largely farmers’ attitudes, which have the biggest impact on farmers’ decision-making strategies regarding implementing farm biosecurity.  Farmer’s attitudes ...

Dr. Eric Ravussin of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge was one of 38 scientists from five continents to present the first international consensus on fasting terminology and key definitions. Published in Cell Metabolism, the recent study reflects the increasing popularity of diets tied to fasting and a significant increase in scientific studies of fasting. While the application of fasting is rapidly growing, there was previously no globally established terminology.  The panel was the first to bring ...

TUCSON, Ariz., August 6, 2024 — Critical Path Institute’s (C-Path) Critical Path for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (CPA-1) consortium today announced the addition of several key advisory members. The new members, recognized experts in their respective fields and patient advocacy organizations, will contribute their significant expertise to the consortium’s mission to accelerate drug development for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD), a rare genetic disorder.  Joining the consortium are:  Alpha-1 Foundation  COPD Foundation  Global ...

By recruiting the immune system to combat tumor cells, immunotherapy has improved survival rates, offering hope to millions of cancer patients. However, only about one in five people responds favorably to these treatments. With a goal of understanding and addressing immunotherapy’s limitations, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis have found that the immune system can be its own worst enemy in the fight against cancer. In a new study in mice, a subset of immune cells – type 1 regulatory T cells, or Tr1 cells – did its normal job of preventing the immune system from overreacting but did so while inadvertently restraining immunotherapy’s ...

For thousands of years, plants have evolved in the presence of wildfires in the Cerrado, Brazil’s savanna-like biome. Scientists at São Paulo State University (UNESP) studied the effect of smoke on seed germination for 44 plant species typical of the Cerrado, as reported in an article published in Plant Ecology, where they stress that their findings could be used to optimize the restoration of degraded areas. The study was conducted by PhD candidate Gabriel Schmidt Teixeira Motta under the supervision of Rosana Marta Kolb, a professor at UNESP. “Previous studies focused on the effect of smoke on only a few ...