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Category: health – Page 2

New opioid testing techniques could lead to better therapies

As the opioid epidemic persists across the United States, a team of researchers from Brown University has developed new diagnostic techniques for detecting opioid compounds in adults with opioid use disorder and infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome.

The new techniques, described in two recently published research studies, could equip with powerful new tools for more effectively treating conditions related to opioid exposure, the researchers say.

In a study published in Scientific Reports, the researchers describe a method that can rapidly detect six different opioid compounds from a tiny amount of serum—no more than a finger prick.

Global fisheries’ nutrient extraction threatens ocean ecosystems and productivity, study finds

The four billion tons of marine organisms that global fisheries extracted from the ocean between 1960 and 2018 resulted in the depletion of over 560 million tons of essential nutrients vital to ecosystem health, new research has found.

In a recent paper published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, researchers at Utah State University and the Sea Around Us initiative at the University of British Columbia estimate that industrial fisheries have removed over 430 million tons of carbon, 110 million tons of nitrogen, and 23 million tons of phosphorus from countries’ Exclusive Economic Zones and 18 high seas regions since 1960.

“Fish and other marine organisms contain specific nutrients in their bodies. By massively targeting 330 species based on , sociopolitical factors and natural availability, industrial fisheries have altered the natural nutrient balance of marine ecosystems,” said Adrian Gonzalez Ortiz, who led the research while pursuing his master’s degree at Utah State University.

Newly discovered mechanism of mitochondrial dysfunction in obesity may drive insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

A newly discovered mechanism that leads to liver dysfunction may be a key factor in type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders in individuals with obesity, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The dysfunction identified—dysregulated hepatic coenzyme Q metabolism—leads to excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by mitochondria at a single specific site in an enzyme called complex I. The researchers say the discovery offers a potential path for new, precise treatments for metabolic diseases.

“Our findings provide the first step toward solving a complex problem in the field of metabolic disease research that has stood for three decades,” said corresponding author Gökhan S. Hotamisligil, James Stevens Simmons Professor of Genetics and Metabolism.

Envisioning a Future Where Wastewater Doesn’t Go to Waste

Wastewater generated by animal farms poses a significant environmental risk, as it can pollute soil and groundwater and can be hazardous to human health. However, animal farm wastewater also contains carbon and many other nutrients. What if we could extract the carbon and nutrients and then release treated water back into the environment?

That’s the future envisioned by Prathap Parameswaran, an associate professor at Kansas State University who researches how to use environmental biotechnology platforms for biological wastewater treatment and sustainable resource recovery.

ABPDU and Kansas State University researchers make progress on extracting useful products from animal farm wastewater.

You Don’t Need To Lose Weight To Get Healthier, Says Harvard Study

New research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Ben Gurion University in Israel reveals that nearly one-third of people who stuck to a healthy diet didn’t lose any weight, but still saw impressive health improvements.

Even without shedding pounds, participants experienced key benefits to their cardiometabolic health. These included higher levels of HDL cholesterol (often called the “good” cholesterol), reduced levels of leptin (a hormone that drives hunger), and less visceral fat, which is the deep belly fat that can surround vital organs.

“We have been conditioned to equate weight loss with health, and weight loss-resistant individuals are often labeled as failures,” said lead author Anat Yaskolka Meir, postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard Chan School. “Our findings reframe how we define clinical success. People who do not lose weight can improve their metabolism and reduce their long-term risk for disease. That’s a message of hope, not failure.”

Excessive use of disinfectants in intensive care patients may raise risk of antibiotic-resistant infections

An international study has, for the first time, revealed a strong and direct link between the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and universal disinfection procedures applied to patients in intensive care units. Published in The Lancet Microbe, the study calls for a reassessment of health care guidelines on the widespread use of disinfectants.

“Our research highlights the unintended consequences of universal decolonization in a global context where antibiotic resistance is an increasing threat,” says Marco Oggioni, professor at the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology at the University of Bologna and one of the study’s authors. “Coordinated efforts to prevent are crucial, but they must not prevent us from critically re-evaluating the tools we use to achieve these goals.”

Universal decolonization is a preventive procedure applied to patients upon admission to . The entire body is disinfected with chlorhexidine—a commonly used antiseptic also employed to sanitize and hospital surfaces—and an additional nasal treatment is administered with another disinfectant, mupirocin.