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Category: health – Page 74

New Study Connects Air Pollution With Increased Eczema Risk

Research from Yale School of Medicine indicates a strong link between air pollution levels and eczema prevalence in the U.S.

The study found that residents in high PM2.5 areas are twice as likely to develop eczema, suggesting significant health implications of air pollution on skin conditions.

A new study published today, November 13, 2024, in the journal PLOS ONE has found that people living in areas with higher air pollution are more likely to have eczema. Led by Dr. Jeffrey Cohen of Yale School of Medicine, the study explores the potential environmental impact of industrialization on skin health.

When muscles work out, they help neurons grow: Biochemical and physical effects of exercise could help heal nerves

This study explores how muscle contractions, such as those that occur during exercise, influence motor neurons—the cells responsible for controlling muscle movement.

There’s no doubt that exercise does a body good. Regular activity not only strengthens muscles but can bolster our bones, blood vessels, and immune system.

Now, MIT engineers have found that exercise can also have benefits at the level of individual neurons. They observed that when muscles contract during exercise, they release a soup of biochemical signals called myokines.

In the presence of these -generated signals, neurons grew four times further compared to neurons that were not exposed to myokines. These cellular-level experiments suggest that exercise can have a significant biochemical effect on nerve growth.

Study examines how early experiences shape our mental health trajectory

Satellite Data Reveals How Environment Shapes Kids’ Brain Health https://neurosciencenews.com/environment-brain-development-28026/

Adverse childhood experiences can lead to adult symptoms of anxiety and depression, mediated by life history strategies, according to a study published in Biodemography & Social Biology.

Existing research underscores the psychological impact of early-life adversity, with theories across cognitive, behavioral, and evolutionary psychology exploring these long-term effects. The life history theory, specifically, offers insight by framing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in terms of fast or slow life strategies, each with distinct reproductive and developmental adaptations suited to one’s environment.

Life history theory posits that individuals exposed to unstable or hostile environments in childhood often adopt a “fast” life strategy, focusing on early reproduction and risk-taking. In contrast, those in stable conditions tend to adopt “slow” strategies, emphasizing long-term planning and higher parental investment.

People whose parents suffered from substance use disorders are more likely to develop psychiatric disorders

Substance use disorders are a group of conditions involving the recurrent use of substances, like drugs or alcohol, despite harmful consequences to physical, mental, or social health. These disorders are characterized by an inability to control usage, intense cravings, and continued use despite negative impacts on relationships, work, or health.

While it is well-known that substance use disorders have negative consequences for the individual, research has recently begun to focus on the effects of these disorders on others, known as the “harm to others” framework. A key area of these studies is the impact on children growing up with parents affected by substance use disorders. These children have been found to have lower academic achievement than their peers whose parents do not have such disorders, as well as an increased risk of various mental health and developmental issues.

Study author Hélio Manhica and his colleagues aimed to explore the mental health risks for children of parents with substance use disorders in greater detail. They also sought to determine whether these risks differ between males and females and if certain periods in childhood or adolescence are particularly critical in relation to exposure to parental substance use disorder (i.e., periods that influence the overall risk of developing psychiatric disorders).

Exercise Spurs Nerve Growth Through Biochemical and Physical Impact

Summary: Researchers found that exercise promotes neuron growth through both biochemical signals (myokines) and physical stretching. Muscle cells, when contracted, release myokines that boost neuron growth and maturity. Furthermore, neurons that were “exercised” through mechanical movement grew just as much as those exposed to myokines.

These findings reveal the dual role of exercise in stimulating nerves, offering hope for developing therapies targeting nerve repair and neurodegenerative diseases. This research opens new avenues in treating nerve damage through “exercise as medicine.”

Salton Sea’s Shrinking Shoreline Linked to Rising Dust Pollution

How is California’s rapidly shrinking Salton Sea contributing to dust pollution in the Golden State? This is what a recent study published in Geographies hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how much dust pollution is occurring from Salton’s receding shoreline, which has been occurring due to water needs transitioning from the Colorado River to San Diego. This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand water management strategies and how to curtail potential environmental catastrophes from them.

“This research was a direct response to a request from the community, which wanted to be involved in impactful research questions to understand shoreline reduction,” said Dr. Ryan Sinclair, MPH, who is an associate professor of environmental microbiology at Loma Linda University School of Public Health and lead author of the study. “The community wants to be able to live next to a Salton Sea that they’re proud of.”

For the study, the researchers analyzed balloon and satellite images obtained between 2002 and 2021 and estimated the average rate of shoreline loss the Salton Sea experienced during that period. They estimated the shoreline loss averaged 12.53 meters/year between 2002 and 2017 and more than tripled to 38.44 meters/year between 2017 to 2020. They also provided predictions regarding its continued retreat, estimating that between 2030 and 2041 the shoreline is estimated to retreat 22 meters in total. They caution this retreat will contribute to increased dust pollution as a result of the continued shoreline retreat.

Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived macrophages as a platform for modelling human disease

Macrophages are associated with many human diseases but are challenging to study in vivo. Here, Ginhoux and colleagues discuss how iMacs — macrophages generated from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells — can enable disease modelling, including through the use of patient-derived iPS cells and 3D organoid co-culture systems. Ultimately, these iMac-based approaches can improve our understanding of macrophage biology in both health and disease.

New Spectral Camera Uses AI to Boost Farm Yields by 20%

A team of EU scientists is developing a new advanced camera that uses photonics to reveal what the eye cannot see. This innovative system is being developed to transform various industries, including vertical farming. It will allow farmers growing crops like salads, herbs, and microgreens to detect plant diseases early, monitor crop health with precision, and optimise harvest times — boosting yields by up to 20%.

A new European consortium funded under the Photonics Partnership is developing a new imaging platform that ensures everything from crops to factory products is of the highest quality by detecting things humans simply cannot.

Called ‘HyperImage’, the project aims to revolutionise quality assurance and operational efficiency across different sectors. This high-tech imaging system uses AI machine learning algorithms to identify objects for more precise decision-making.

NIH study demonstrates long-term benefits of weight-loss surgery in young people

Adolescents see a greater remission of type 2 diabetes compared to adults.

What

Young people with severe obesity who underwent weight-loss surgery at age 19 or younger continued to see sustained weight loss and resolution of common obesity-related comorbidities 10 years later, according to results from a large clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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