Other Notable Health Studies & Research From May 16, 2022

There are dozens of studies, innovations, and research findings released everyday by institutions and clinics across the world. Here’s a look at some of the other notable health reports from May 16.

2022 Warren Alpert Prize goes to mRNA research that enabled the design of COVID-19 vaccines
The2022 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize has been awarded to five scientists for transformational discoveries into the biology of mRNA, for its modification for medicinal use, and for the design of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.

OHSU on-demand buprenorphine clinic reaches every corner of Oregon
In the fall of 2019, Oregon Health & Science University opened a clinic to provide same-day, walk-in access to proven medications to treat opioid use disorder.

Researchers Reveal Moral Distress Impact, Actions to Support Doctors During Pandemic
Published in PLOS ONE and the Journal of Healthcare Management, respectively, the studies offer insights from an online survey that Sonis and colleagues conducted in late 2020 among internists who are members of the American College of Physicians, the largest medical specialty organization in the United States.

Global study assesses teen vaping
In a study published in Addiction that analyzed 2015–2018 information from 47 countries, approximately 1 in 12, or 8.6%, of adolescents reported vaping in the past 30 days. Countries with higher tobacco taxes tended to have higher adolescent vaping.

Stimulating Brain Circuits Promotes Neuron Growth in Adulthood, Improving Cognition and Mood
For the first time, University of North Carolina School of Medicine scientists have targeted a specific kind of neuron in mice to increase the production of neural stem cells and spur on the creation of new adult neurons to affect behavior.

Exercise Increases Dopamine Release in Mice
Exercise increases dopamine signaling in the motor areas of mice, according to research recently published in Journal of Neuroscience.

Boost in Nerve Growth Protein Helps Explain Why Running Supports Brain Health
Exercise increases levels of a chemical involved in brain cell growth, which bolsters the release of the “feel good” hormone dopamine, a new study shows.

Children in Underserved Communities Are at Increased Risk of Being Admitted to the Pediatric ICU and of Dying There; Black Children at Most Risk
Hospitalized children covered by Medicaid who reside in the poorest neighborhoods are at increased risk of being admitted to the hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and of dying while there, according to research published at the ATS 2022 international conference.

Precursor of spine and brain forms passively
Researchers at ETH Zurich have conducted a detailed study of neurulation – how the neural tube forms during embryonic development.

CU School of Medicine Research Defines the Role of HDAC6 in Regulating Heart Stiffness
Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have discovered an enzyme that regulates heart stiffness, setting the stage for developing novel treatments for heart failure.

New clinical support software improves efficiency and quality of care in the operating room
A new approach to managing and documenting how medications are administered in the operating room (OR) improves patient safety and clinicians’ workflow efficiency, according to a new study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Hope for treatments against hearing loss as 10 genes identified
Researchers led by King’s, Karolinska Institute and Erasmus University have identified 10 new genes linked with hearing loss and located the part of the ear affected.

Drug Combination Reduces the Risk of Asthma Attacks
A global study of asthma patients by Rutgers and an international team of researchers found a combination of two drugs dramatically reduces the chances of suffering an asthma attack.

Suicide prediction method combines AI and face-to-face screening
A new observational study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center points to solutions for efficient clinical prediction of suicide attempt or suicidal thinking in adults.

IU study explored how people’s beliefs impact overdose education and naloxone distribution programs
A new study by Indiana University researchers, published in the journal BMC Public Health, explored people’s beliefs about overdose and naloxone as a step to understanding why some communities are not using the reversal medication.

WHO collaborating center supports global nutrition research
A renewed partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) will extend the Division of Nutritional Sciences’ (DNS) global impact, engaging university experts in reviews and training that help shape WHO guidelines and research networks.

Early Days of COVID-19 Pandemic Brought Increased Anxiety for Some Cancer Survivors
In recently published research, Joanna Arch, PhD, found that previous therapy interventions did not spare cancer survivors the stresses of the pandemic.

Recent advances in venom therapeutics
Using compounds from venom — poisons intended to hurt or kill — as therapeutics might seem counter-intuitive. Nevertheless, researchers are identifying venom proteins that could help treat a variety of medical conditions.

New Paper Explores Ethical Challenges in Microbiome Research
A human rights activist and a group of anthropologists and human biologists are casting a critical lens on the way that microbiome research is conducted with Indigenous peoples.

Allergic asthma, allergies may be associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases
In a review paper published in Nature Cardiovascular Research by experts in cardiology, pulmonology and basic research science from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, investigators lay out the evidence demonstrating how allergic asthma and other associated allergies may be risk factors for CVD and how medications given to treat asthma may also influence risk of CVD.

E-cigarettes may be more effective than nicotine patches in helping pregnant women who smoke quit, and are just as safe
E-cigarettes are just as safe as nicotine patches for pregnant women and may help more women stop smoking, new research from Queen Mary University of London suggests.

Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Response After 2-Dose mRNA-1273 vs BNT162b2 Vaccines in Incrementally Immunosuppressed Patients
Both mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines elicit immune responses consistent with viral neutralization in most immunocompetent persons.

New study finds worrying linked to more COVID-19 preventative behaviors
People who worried more about COVID-19 also took more precautions against catching the disease, a new study led by a Dickinson College researcher finds.

Study: Deaths from Alcohol Use Disorder Surged During Pandemic
Deaths involving alcohol use disorder increased dramatically during the pandemic, according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai investigators.

Diverted Buprenorphine May Help Prepare People With Opioid-Use Disorder for Treatment
Using buprenorphine before starting addiction treatment may be an indicator of greater treatment readiness, according to a study coauthored by Rutgers researcher.

Rare genetic variants not the major contributing factors to common diseases
Although some rare genetic variants can increase the risk of disease markedly for a few individuals, the genetic contribution to common diseases is mostly due to a combination of many common genetic variants with small effects.

Excessive Gestational Weight Gain Increases Long-Term Maternal Cardiovascular Risk
Pregnant women with excessive gestational weight gain had a higher cardiovascular risk profile in midlife, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Women’s Health.

Researchers identify the high costs of living with sickle cell disease
Americans ages 64 and younger with commercial health insurance who live with sickle cell disease (SCD) pay almost four times more in out-of-pocket medical costs over their lifetimes, a total of $44,000, compared to people living without the disease.

The Cost of Living with Sickle Cell Disease
In a study published today in Blood Advances, researchers found that privately insured individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) spend approximately $1.7 million on disease-related medical expenses over their lifetime.

Georgia State Researchers Find CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing Approach Can Alter the Social Behavior of Animals

Georgia State Researchers Find CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing Approach Can Alter the Social Behavior of Animals
Georgia State University scientists have created gene-edited hamsters for studies of social neuroscience and have found that the biology behind social behavior may be more complex than previously thought.

Black Adults Raised in the South Have Greater Risk of Lower Cognitive Performance in Later Life
Black adults who grew up poor and socially disadvantaged in the American South are more likely than White adults with a similar background to suffer cognition problems later in life, according to a Rutgers study.

Good sleep continuity leads to better days for people with dementia
Not only does how well people with dementia sleep affect their symptoms the following day, but of particular significance is their sleep continuity, or the extent which they can stay asleep after initially falling asleep, according to a new study by BSMS, the University of Surrey and the University of Sussex.

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Researchers Develop a Tool for Studying Inflammatory Diseases Related to COVID-19
A new bioinformatics pipeline helps investigate the mechanism underlying the development of autoimmune diseases following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

UW-Madison: Cutting air pollution emissions would save 50,000 U.S. lives, $600 billion each year
Eliminating air pollution emissions from energy-related activities in the United States would prevent more than 50,000 premature deaths each year and provide more than $600 billion in benefits each year from avoided illness and death, according to a new study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers.

Mount Sinai Receives Landmark Gift from Royalty Pharma to Advance Health Equity
Marking a major advance in its efforts to achieve equity in the delivery of health care, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Icahn Mount Sinai) announced today that its Institute for Health Equity Research (IHER) has received a landmark $20 million gift over five years from Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) and certain members of its management team.

CU Anschutz and Children’s Hospital Colorado lead national pandemic response project
A CU Anschutz researcher is leading an innovative, nationwide pilot study focusing on enterovirus D68, a virus that is linked to a rare polio-like illness in children called Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM).

Circuit model may explain how deep brain stimulation treats Parkinson’s disease symptoms
In a new study, scientists at Boston University and The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT present a detailed model explaining the underlying circuit dynamics, providing an explanation that, if experimentally confirmed, could improve the therapy further.

Immunotherapy may play role in treating nonmetastatic gastroesophageal cancer
Researchers are now investigating whether immunotherapy benefits patients who do not have stage 4 metastatic disease.

Smart pacifier developed to monitor infant health in hospitals
A wireless, bioelectronic pacifier could eliminate the need for invasive, twice-daily blood draws to monitor babies’ electrolytes in Newborn Intensive Care Units or NICUs.

World-first 3D insights into malaria parasites strengthen drug discovery pipeline
Revolutionary 3D images have enabled researchers to understand how new anti-malaria compounds kill malaria parasites, paving the way for the next generation anti-malarial treatments.

New project coordinated by the BSC aims to revolutionize the detection of breast cancer using ultrasound imaging
The Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) coordinates QUSTom (Quantitative Ultrasound Stochastic Tomography), a new European project that aims to introduce a new medical imaging modality based for the first time on ultrasound and supercomputing, which will complement or even replace current techniques that use X-rays such as mammograms.

The future is simulation: Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Innovation set to host inaugural simulation conference in June
Simulation facilitators, educators, technologists, clinicians, and academics will be joining forces to debate the latest trends in simulation and immersive technologies in health and social care.

Electronic Skin: Physicist at TU Graz Develops Multisensory Hybrid Material
The “smart skin” developed by Anna Maria Coclite is very similar to human skin. It senses pressure, humidity and temperature simultaneously and produces electronic signals.

Staffordshire University to host international workshop on footwear for people with diabetes
Staffordshire University is partnering with PFH Private Hochschule Göttingen, University of applied sciences in Germany, to host the British Council funded workshop at Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus.

Muscle-building linked to weapon carrying and physical fighting
Analyzing over 4,000 U.S. boys in high schools, from the 2019 National High School Youth Risk Behaviour Survey, researchers found that moderate to high engagement in muscle-building exercise is associated with physical fighting and carrying weapons, such as a gun, knife, or club.

COVID-19, MIS-C and Kawasaki Disease Share Same Immune Response
The inflammatory disorders share similar underlying molecular patterns, a UC San Diego study reports; findings may improve disease diagnosis and treatment and support new drug targets for MIS-C.

Artery stiffness may predict Type 2 diabetes risk better than BP and standard risk factors
Arterial stiffness was a better predictor of future risk of Type 2 diabetes than blood pressure, and people with a combination of high blood pressure and stiffer arteries had the highest risk of developing diabetes, according to new research published today in Hypertension, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers develop a test that uses a cell phone to simply and quickly detect gluten in food
Today is International Celiac Day; close to one percent of the global population suffers from celiac disease, a complex auto-immune disorder caused by the ingestion of gluten, for which there is no treatment besides eliminating gluten from the diet.

New micro device injects a boost to IVF success
A research team led by the University of Adelaide, in partnership with medical technology company Fertilis, has delivered a ground-breaking new micro-device to streamline the only fertility treatment procedure available for men with low sperm counts.

Tiny bots that can deep clean teeth
Nano-sized robots manipulated using a magnetic field can help kill bacteria deep inside dentinal tubules, and boost the success of root canal treatments, a new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and IISc-incubated startup, Theranautilus, shows.

Cervical cancer screening happens less often among sexual minority individuals
A recent database analysis reveals that in recent years, sexual minority individuals—those whose sexual orientation differs from societal normswere less likely to have undergone cervical cancer screening tests than heterosexual counterparts, with Hispanic sexual minority individuals having the lowest screening rates.

How fat could help in tailoring cancer treatment plans
In a recent article published in Hepatology, a team led by researchers at Osaka University developed an analytical method that could help predict if an HCC patient would successfully respond to immunotherapy.

Nearly 700,000 US hospitalizations and 110,000 deaths prevented from the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, national study finds
It is estimated that in 2021 the vaccine, the most widely used against COVID-19 in the US, prevented 8.7 million symptomatic cases of the virus, as well as 690,000 hospitalizations and more than 110,000 deaths.

Take herbal supplements with a dose of caution
New research in Heart Rhythm Case Reports highlights how serious side effects can result from the imprudent use of herbal supplements.

How common is readmission after hospitalization for COVID-19?
For patients discharged after hospitalization for COVID-19, death or readmission was common, with about 11% being readmitted or dying within 30 days, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.220272.

Nanomachines for direct penetration of cancer cells by folding and unfolding
Development of a ‘Nanomachines’ that penetrates and kills cells via mechanical molecular movements. Selective penetration of cancer cells using a latch molecule released near cancer cells.

Weights can be weapons in battle against obesity
Despite the commonly held belief aerobic exercise is essential for weight loss, an Edith Cowan University (ECU) study conducted at the Exercise Medicine Research Institute (EMRI) has found resistance training can also have positive results – in conjunction with reducing calorie intake.

Study shows children’s physical activity levels fell below national guidelines in wake of pandemic
New research has revealed children’s physical activity levels in the UK were significantly lower by the time the COVID-19 pandemic public lockdown restrictions were lifted.

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