Vegan Infants: Growing at Comparable Rates to Omnivore Babies

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

Meat and dairy products are not essential for a child’s development.

Evgenia Gordeeva/Getty Images

Research indicates that infants born into vegan or vegetarian families may initially have slightly lower birth weights. However, by age two, they typically catch up to their omnivorous peers.

Official dietary guidelines suggest: A well-balanced vegan diet, rich in vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fortified foods, can satisfy nutritional needs. Nonetheless, ensuring adequate nutrition for children’s growth can be challenging on a vegan diet, due to potential protein and amino acid deficiencies.

Small-scale studies have yielded inconsistent results regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a vegan diet for young children. To address these issues comprehensively, Kerem Avital and researchers from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, Israel, analyzed data from 1.2 million infants recorded at Israel’s National Family Care Center between 2014 and 2023, monitoring growth parameters such as height, weight, and head circumference during their first two years.

The researchers compared these growth metrics to reported dietary habits of parents when the infants reached around six months old. The majority of families identified as omnivorous, while only 1.2% reported as vegetarian and 0.3% as vegan.

This still reflects approximately 18,000 infants in vegetarian and vegan households. “The size of this study is significant enough that even these small percentages represent a substantial number of children, ensuring statistical reliability,” notes Tomer Avnon, a professor at Tel Aviv University who did not participate in the research.

During the first 60 days after birth, growth measurements such as height, head circumference, and overall development were comparable across all dietary groups. However, infants from vegan households were found to be slightly more likely to be underweight. Conversely, being overweight was rare overall but less common among vegan and vegetarian households.

By the time they reached 2 years of age, developmental benchmarks appeared to converge across all three dietary groups. While growth restriction was more prevalent in vegetarian and vegan families, the differences were minor and not statistically significant. Researchers accounted for various influencing factors, such as income, maternal age, and breastfeeding practices.

“The findings are quite encouraging,” stated Avnon. “It provides robust evidence that children of vegetarian and vegan parents can have healthy developmental trajectories.”

The analysis aligns with medical insights that babies born smaller than average typically “catch up” in their growth later, Avnon added. It should reassure parents that a meat-free diet can support healthy early childhood development, although the researchers point out that dietary habits were self-reported by parents, potentially affecting result accuracy. “This study lacks continuous assessments of children’s actual nutritional intake, an important element in long-term development,” he explains.

Zulfikar Bhutta, a researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, expressed concerns regarding the minor growth discrepancies noted among the groups. “The subtle differences in growth may have long-term implications, particularly since other studies indicate that vegan diets could lead to lower bone density and micronutrient levels,” he warned.

He encourages caution against assuming that a vegan or vegetarian diet is universally suitable during early childhood, especially in regions where malnutrition is a critical issue.

While the study was conducted in Israel, Avital believes the findings are applicable to countries with similar economic conditions and healthcare access, such as the United Kingdom. Bhutta advocates for larger studies to capture more precise data on dietary habits and parental characteristics.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

How Early Cancer Treatment Before 3 PM Can Increase Patient Survival Rates

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

Timing Cancer Treatment: A Simple Yet Effective Intervention

Kenneth K. Lam/ZUMA Press/Alamy

The first randomized controlled trial investigating the timing of cancer immunotherapy has revealed that administering treatment earlier in the day may significantly enhance patient survival rates.

Human cells and tissues operate on a 24-hour cycle, known as the circadian rhythm, influencing various bodily functions including mood, metabolism, and immune response.

Numerous observational studies have indicated that cancer patients receiving checkpoint inhibitors (a class of immunotherapy drugs that empower the immune system to combat cancer) earlier in the day show a lower risk of disease progression and mortality.

Recently, Francis Levy and his team at the University of Paris-Saclay, France, conducted the first randomized controlled trial focused on chronotherapy—timing treatments based on circadian rhythms—utilizing both chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

In this study, 210 patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer were given four doses of either pembrolizumab or sintilimab, two checkpoint inhibitors that function similarly.

Every three weeks, half of the participants received their doses before 3 p.m., while the others received treatments later. All patients also received chemotherapy immediately after each immunotherapy session. Chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cells and is believed to have a lesser connection to circadian rhythms than immunotherapy.

This timing was strictly adhered to during the initial four cycles of the combined immunochemotherapy treatments. Following this period, all participants continued receiving the same medications until their tumors advanced or no longer responded, but without specific timing guidelines. Previous research suggests that the first four cycles are crucial, as noted by team member Zhang Yongchang from Central South University, China.

Participants were monitored for an average of 29 months post-initial treatment. Results showed that those treated before 3 p.m. had a median survival of 28 months, compared to 17 months for those treated later in the day. “The results are dramatically positive,” Levy stated. “Survival time nearly doubles.”

“When we compare our findings to significant trials that resulted in new drug approvals, such large effects are rarely observed,” noted Pasquale Innominato from the University of Warwick, UK. He emphasized that the study demonstrates a definitive link between treatment timing and survival outcomes, deeming it solid evidence of causation.

This dramatic improvement may be attributed to T cells, a type of immune cell targeted by checkpoint inhibitors, which tend to accumulate near tumors in the morning and gradually enter the bloodstream later. Administering immunotherapy earlier could position T cells closer to tumors, enabling more effective destruction, according to Levy.

Levy also emphasized the need for further studies to explore if more precise timing, such as 11 a.m., offers additional advantages compared to broader scheduled treatments. Innominato pointed out that having flexibility in timing is advantageous for busy healthcare facilities.

Further investigation is necessary to determine whether managing the timing of chemoimmunotherapy beyond the first four cycles yields greater benefits, Levy mentioned. Individual variability could also play a critical role; for example, a morning person may have different immune responses compared to a night owl.

Whether these findings apply to various cancer types remains an open question. Innominato anticipates similar results in other tumors commonly treated with immunotherapy, like skin or bladder cancers, but tempered his expectations for tumors such as prostate or pancreatic cancers that often resist treatments.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Doctors Warn of Rising Tetanus Cases Due to Declining Vaccination Rates

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Health professionals are sounding the alarm over potential rises in tetanus, commonly known as bone-lock. Symptoms may take anywhere from 3 to 21 days to manifest and can include severe muscle spasms leading to breathing difficulties. Once the infection establishes itself, sufferers often experience jaw clenching, resembling a fixed grin, coupled with painful back muscle contractions.

“The effects are alarming,” stated Dr. Mobeen Rathore, Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Florida Jacksonville School of Medicine.

The bacterium Clostridium tetani is commonly found in soil and fertilizers. Infections can arise from puncture wounds, and the illness can persist for several weeks, complicating treatment.

Treatment is not only challenging but also expensive. A case reported by the CDC highlighted an unvaccinated 6-year-old in Oregon who incurred nearly $1 million in medical expenses due to tetanus in 2019.

Dr. Rasool emphasized the stark difference in costs, likening vaccination expenses to intensive care costs.

“It’s a fraction of a cent compared to hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Rasool remarked. “It’s a hefty price to pay.”

This year, he diagnosed an unvaccinated 9-year-old in Laseau, Florida, who exhibited signs of muscle spasms reminiscent of warnings from his medical school tetanus wards—dark, quiet spaces meant to minimize sensory overload.

“Even minimal noise can provoke seizures in many cases,” Rasool explained.

Light sensitivity, or photophobia, can also lead to painful spasms and airway muscle contractions.

In the bustling ICU, bright lights and alarms limited Rasool’s ability to reduce patient stimulation. The 9-year-old was sedated, intubated, and treated with tetanus immune globulin antibodies alongside vaccination to mitigate future risks.

The child spent a challenging 37 days in the hospital.

“Before widespread immunization, we witnessed increased tetanus cases and a higher mortality rate,” noted Dr. Matthew Davis, Chief Scientific Officer at Nemours Children’s Health.

John Johnson, a vaccination and epidemic prevention expert with Médecins Sans Frontières, operates in regions like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where tetanus remains a pressing concern. In 2022 alone, 540 cases were reported in the DRC according to the World Health Organization.

“This disease is trivially preventable,” Johnson lamented. “One case of tetanus in the U.S. would be a regrettable anomaly; there’s no reason for this illness to reappear.”

“My jaw has completely locked.”

Post childhood vaccination, booster doses are advised every decade for adults, yet many remain unaware of this necessity.

Nikki Arellano, aged 42, hadn’t received a tetanus shot since 2010. After a minor injury while assisting a friend, she began experiencing jaw pain during lunch. Soon, she found herself unable to open her mouth.

“My jaw completely locked shut,” said Arellano from Reno, Nevada. “Despite heavy sedation and pain relief in the emergency room, nothing worked.”

Arellano was diagnosed with tetanus and admitted for IV antibiotics.

“With each episode, I heard a loud beeping response. The muscle contractions felt explosive,” she recounted.

Initially, spasms began in one arm, spreading rapidly. “My back curved painfully,” she shared.

Arellano then struggled to swallow and feared her airway was at risk.

“It was terrifying,” she added.

After nearly a week in the hospital, Arellano continues her recovery process.

Climate Change Heightens Tetanus Risks

Natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods heighten the risks of tetanus outbreaks. Injuries from debris can facilitate bacterial infection.

“As global temperatures rise, the frequency and severity of extreme weather events are increasing,” stated Christy Ebi, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington. “More flooding translates to fewer vaccinations for diseases like tetanus, heightening public vulnerability.”

States severely affected by natural disasters, such as Florida, Texas, and Kansas, have reported significant drops in tetanus vaccination rates, according to NBC News data.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Aligning Anticancer Drug Administration with the Body Clock Could Enhance Survival Rates

Posted on December 9, 2025 by

Timing chemotherapy properly can reduce side effects.

Paul Springett/Alamy

It is often said that timing plays a crucial role, and cancer treatment might be no exception. Researchers have discovered that adjusting the timing of immunotherapy drugs administered to cancer patients can enhance survival rates, adding to the evidence that our body’s internal clock affects cancer treatment efficacy.

The activities of cells and tissues within our bodies follow a 24-hour cycle termed the circadian rhythm, which governs everything from hormone release to cell division and repair timing. These rhythms are frequently disrupted in cancer cells, which tend to divide uncontrollably rather than at set intervals.

This has led to efforts aimed at alleviating chemotherapy side effects by targeting quickly dividing cells while the healthy tissue is less active. However, researchers are also exploring whether administering cancer drugs at particular times can enhance their efficacy.

One class of drugs under scrutiny is immune checkpoint inhibitors, which enable immune T cells to more effectively identify and target tumors. “T cells and other immune agents are naturally more active in the morning, making them more responsive,” explains Dr. Celine Ismail Sutton at Easbeatty Gwynedd Hospital in Bangor, England, who was not part of the study. “Administering immune checkpoint inhibitors during this window may bolster antitumor effects and enhance effectiveness.”

Earlier this year, ze fan and colleagues from Central South University in Changsha, China, documented that giving the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab before 11:30 a.m. alongside chemotherapy to patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) resulted in a survival rate that nearly doubles compared to those receiving treatment primarily in the afternoon.

To assess whether timing treatments in accordance with circadian rhythms, termed chronotherapy, could benefit patients with rapidly dividing, aggressive small cell lung cancer, the same team analyzed data from 397 individuals treated with the checkpoint inhibitors atezolizumab or durvalumab alongside chemotherapy from 2019 to 2023.

“Patients treated before 3 p.m. exhibited significantly longer progression-free survival and overall survival in comparison to those treated later in the day,” reported team members. Zhang Yongchang, also at Central South University, noted.

After accounting for numerous confounding variables, early treatment appeared to be associated with a 52% reduced risk of cancer progression and a 63% decreased risk of mortality.

Zhang suspects that this effect may manifest in additional tumor types, referencing evidence from studies on renal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Research on NSCLC trials illustrated that morning dosing boosts circulating T cell levels and activation, while later dosing does the opposite. Mouse studies have shown that the behavior of tumor-infiltrating T cells fluctuates throughout the 24-hour cycle and that circadian clocks in adjacent endothelial cells influence when immune cells migrate into tumors.

While larger randomized controlled trials are essential, this investigation “adds further support to a growing number of studies globally that indicate improved outcomes when immunotherapy drugs are administered earlier in the day,” states Pasquale Innominato from the University of Warwick, UK.

But is it feasible for hospitals to implement this? When it comes to modifying treatment schedules, “adjusting infusion times is a straightforward clinical decision that incurs minimal costs,” asserts Zhang.

Nevertheless, treating everyone early in the day isn’t practical. According to Robert Dalman, also at the University of Warwick, each person’s body clock varies. “For instance, the biological time discrepancy between an ‘early bird’ and a ‘night owl’ can span several hours.”

Nonetheless, biomarkers that accurately assess individuals’ chronotypes are currently in development. Once established and validated, chronotherapy could emerge as a “cost-effective, resource-efficient innovation with the capability to significantly enhance treatment outcomes. A simple shift in timing can unveil a new facet of precision medicine,” concludes Ismail Sutton in a recently published perspective on this innovative strategy.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Rising Tuberculosis Rates: Who Is Most Vulnerable?

Posted on December 3, 2025 by

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne illness that many deem to be a relic of the past. Yet, after years of decline in high-income nations like the UK and US, TB diagnoses are on the rise.

According to the UK Health and Safety Executive, tuberculosis cases in the UK are projected to increase by 13% in 2024, reaching a total of 5,480 diagnoses.

Although this number is relatively modest compared to other high-burden nations, England remains just below the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold for “low incidence” status, which is defined as 10 cases per 100,000 people.

These statistics, along with similar trends in the US, indicate that our progress has plateaued, hindering our path to TB eradication.

A Wake-Up Call

So, is tuberculosis making a resurgence? In short, it never fully disappeared.

Tuberculosis remains the deadliest infectious disease globally, claiming approximately 1.23 million lives in 2024 alone—more than HIV and malaria combined—and ranks among the top 10 causes of death worldwide.

According to WHO, over 10 million individuals contract tuberculosis each year, with a shocking quarter of these going undiagnosed and untreated. The COVID-19 pandemic has further hampered years of progress in TB control, but it’s only part of the picture.

Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, spreading through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes, sings, or speaks.

Common symptoms include a persistent cough lasting three weeks or more, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and fatigue. While TB commonly affects the lungs, it can impact any organ in the body.

Despite the availability of effective treatments for decades, they remain imperfect. A cure requires months of antibiotics, which can be difficult to access in certain regions. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine offers some protection to young children against severe forms of TB, but it does not reliably prevent the contagious lung disease prevalent in adults.

It’s crucial to note that most individuals who inhale the bacteria do not fall ill. An estimated a quarter of the global population is infected with tuberculosis, with their immune systems keeping it dormant. Latent tuberculosis can be detected through skin and blood tests, and preventive antibiotics are often prescribed to avert progression.

Individuals with weakened immune systems, including those with HIV or diabetes, those undergoing cancer treatments, and those on specific medications for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, are at heightened risk of developing TB.

Tuberculosis primarily affects the lungs but can also impact lymph nodes, bones, brain, kidneys, and spine.

An Unbalanced Burden

Tuberculosis is closely linked to poverty and the living and working conditions of individuals. Factors like overcrowded or poorly ventilated housing, homelessness, low income, malnutrition, smoking, and alcohol dependence can elevate vulnerability to TB.

People in disadvantaged communities tend to be more frequently infected and less often diagnosed early, resulting in generally poorer health outcomes. Social stigma, healthcare system gaps, and misinterpretation of symptoms can also delay treatment.

Consequently, a human-centered model that merges medical care with psychotherapy and financial and social support is increasingly recognized as vital for effectively combating tuberculosis.

While TB impacts individuals of all genders, WHO data indicates that men aged 15 and older carry a disproportionately heavy burden, with an estimated 54% of TB cases in 2024 occurring in men, compared to 35% in women and 11% in children and adolescents.

Men also encounter greater barriers to diagnosis and treatment, with a 45% higher mortality rate after initiating treatment compared to women.

These disparities stem from various factors, including elevated rates of smoking and alcohol consumption among men, as well as occupational hazards and gender norms that deter them from seeking care.

Women and individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities face their own distinct challenges. A gender-sensitive and human-centered approach is crucial for achieving the goal of tuberculosis elimination for everyone.

The WHO’s first rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis revolutionized detection, offering results in under two hours and identifying rifampicin resistance, one of TB’s most effective treatment drugs.

A Turning Point

The good news is that scientific advancements are leading the fight against tuberculosis to new heights, with quicker diagnoses, shorter treatments, and promising vaccines.

Rapid molecular tests like Xpert MTB/RIF and Truenat can identify tuberculosis and drug resistance within hours instead of weeks. AI-assisted chest X-rays are also enhancing early detection in areas lacking radiologists.

Treatment regimens have become both shorter and safer. Current TB treatments may only take one month, while some drug-sensitive cases require four months, and drug-resistant cases can be treated in six months.

Vaccine research is progressing as well, with candidates like M72/AS01E entering late-stage clinical trials. Although these advancements signify considerable progress, ensuring equitable access for all, especially in low-resource settings, remains a significant challenge.

Research from Liverpool’s Tuberculosis Research Center highlights that stigma, discrimination, poverty, and structural barriers significantly affect the experiences of those living with TB.

Understanding the lived experiences of TB patients, as well as the obstacles and enablers in their treatment trajectories, is essential to ensure that no one is left behind.

For effective human-centered TB care, collaborations between governments, researchers, and affected communities are underway, integrating clinical care with education, mental health support, and financial assistance. Yet, there’s still much more to achieve.

The UK’s recent pledge of £850 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria from 2027 to 2029 reaffirms this commitment, contributing to efforts that have reportedly saved 70 million lives since 2002.

However, it is important to note that this pledge reflects a 15% decrease from the previous financial cycle, which adds to the sobering reality of diminishing development funding impacting progress in the fight against tuberculosis.

Reductions in international aid have weakened tuberculosis programs in heavily burdened nations, with repercussions likely to extend beyond borders. Persistent political will and investment in locally relevant, people-centered strategies are crucial to achieving the goal of TB elimination for all.

So, should you be concerned about contracting tuberculosis? If you reside in the UK, generally the answer is no. TB remains rare, and infection risk for most individuals is minimal unless they have had extended, close contact with someone infected.

If your cough persists for over three weeks, particularly when accompanied by symptoms such as fever, weight loss, or night sweats, consult your physician.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Free-Floating Exoplanets Are Growing at Unprecedented Rates

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Cha J11070768-7626326 (shortened to Cha 1107-7626), a young and isolated exfoliating planet five to ten times the mass of Jupiter, has undergone a remarkable “growth spurt,” accumulating approximately 600 million tons of gas and dust within just a few months in the new sulse.

Artists’ impressions of Xplanet CHA 1107-7626 floating freely. Image credits: ESO/L. Kalsada/M. Kornmesser.

Located approximately 620 light years from the constellation Chamaeleon, Cha 1107-7626 is a free-floating exoplanet still in formation, drawing material from a gas and dust surrounding disc.

This material consistently falls onto planets, a process known as acquisition.

By August 2025, CHA 1107-7626 had increased its accretion rate to about eight times faster than just a few months prior, reaching an astonishing 6 billion tons per second.

“While it is often thought that planets are quiet and stable, this discovery shows that planetary mass objects drifting in space can be incredibly dynamic,” says Dr. Víctor Almendros-Abad.

“We have observed this newly forming illicit planet devouring material at a fierce pace,” remarked Ray Jayawardana, a professor at Johns Hopkins University.

“Our ongoing monitoring over recent months, utilizing two of the most powerful telescopes on Earth and in space, has provided us with rare insight into the infant stages of isolated objects not much larger than Jupiter.”

“Their early existence appears to be significantly more turbulent than previously conceived.”

“This represents the most intense accretion episode ever documented for planetary mass objects,” added Dr. Almendros-Abad.

The discovery was made using the X-Shooter spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) operated by ESO in the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Astronomers also employed data from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, as well as archived data from the SINFONI Spectrograph of the VLT.

“The origins of illicit planets remain an open question: are they the lowest mass objects that form like stars, or are they giant planets ejected from their birth systems?” queried Dr. Alex Scholz, an astronomer at St. Andrews University.

Results suggest that at least some illicit planets may follow formation pathways similar to stars, as analogous bursts have been previously observed in younger stellar bodies.

“This finding blurs the line between stars and planets, offering a glimpse into the earliest formation periods of these objects,” states Dr. Belinda Damien, an astronomer at St. Andrews University.

By comparing the light emitted before and after the burst, astronomers gathered insights into the nature of the accretion process.

Interestingly, magnetic activity seems to contribute to driving this intense process.

This indicates that even low-mass objects can possess strong magnetic fields capable of fueling such accretion events.

The team also discovered that the chemistry of the surrounding discs changes during accretion episodes, with water vapor detected in the steam.

This phenomenon has been noted in stars but not previously observed in any type of planet.

“We are beginning to understand how the early life of a free-floating planetary mass object resembles that of a sun-like star,” stated Professor Jayawardana.

“Our recent discoveries emphasize this similarity, suggesting that some giant planet-like objects may form in a manner akin to stars and experience growth episodes similar to newborn stars as they accumulate gas and dust with their own discs.”

The team’s paper was published today in the Astrophysics Journal Letter.

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Victor Almendros-Abad et al. 2025. Discovery of accretion bursts on free-floating planetary mass objects. apjl 992, L2; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae09a8

Source: www.sci.news

Amazon’s Deforestation Surges at Alarming Rates, Nearing a Critical Tipping Point

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Scientists warn that the Amazon Rainforest has experienced a loss of the rainfall necessary to sustain it, pushing the world’s largest tropical ecosystem toward a potential tipping point.

A recent study published in Nature Communications indicates that deforestation is causing a significant decline in rainfall during the Amazon’s dry season, thereby increasing heat across the region.

Researchers suggest these changes could signify “early signs of biome destabilization,” implying that the forests are beginning to struggle to maintain their balance.

The study analyzed satellite and climate data from 1985 to 2020, encompassing an area of 2.6 million km² (1,000,000 square miles) in Brazil’s Amazon. This is nearly four times larger than Texas.

The data revealed that dry season rainfall has decreased by approximately 21mm (0.8 inches), with about three-quarters of this decline directly associated with deforestation.

During the same period, maximum daily temperatures increased by around 2°C (3.6°F), with 16.5% of this rise attributable to forest loss, while the remainder results from global climate change.

Deforestation contributes to reduced rainfall, while increased methane and carbon dioxide levels result from climate change – Source: Machado et al., Nature Communications (2025)

Plants play a crucial role in the Amazon’s rain cycle by extracting water from the soil and releasing it through a process known as transpiration.

When trees are removed, this cycle weakens, leading to fewer clouds and less rainfall. Consequently, the forest becomes hotter and drier, creating a harmful feedback loop.

If the Amazon reaches a tipping point, it may no longer be able to sustain itself, resulting in a rapid and irreversible collapse of the ecosystem and converting the region into a savanna.

This shift would significantly impact the entire water cycle in South America and release the carbon stored in the rainforests.

“These findings underscore the necessity of preserving and restoring Amazonian forest cover as a vital strategy for mitigating climate change and ensuring ecosystem stability,” the scientists conclude.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Global Suicide Rates Decline by 30% Since 1990—But Not in the U.S.

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The global landscape is improving in suicide prevention

Gremlin/Getty Images

Globally, suicide rates have seen a noteworthy decline over the last several decades. However, certain nations like the US are deviating from this trend, making it challenging to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2030 reduction target by one-third.

From 1990 to 2021, the worldwide suicide rate decreased by nearly 30%, dropping from approximately 10 deaths per 100,000 to nearly 7 per 100,000, according to Jiseung Kang and her team from Korean University. They utilized the WHO’s mortality database to compile data on suicide fatalities across 102 countries.

“A growing number of countries recognize that suicide is preventable,” states Paul Nestadt from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. Many have implemented policies aimed at reducing suicide, such as restricting access to pesticides and firearms, which appear to be yielding positive results.

Since 2000, suicide rates have consistently decreased in all continents except for the United States, where there has been over an 11% increase. Countries like Mexico, Paraguay, and the US have also seen rising suicide rates. Between 2000 and 2020, the suicide rate in the US surged from about 9.6 to 12.5 per 100,000. Researchers attribute this rise to increased firearm-related suicides and the mental health repercussions of the 2008 financial crisis.

In contrast, Asia and Europe have seen a steady decline in suicide rates, with Oceania and Africa experiencing drops before a reversal around 2010-2015. Interestingly, despite decades of decline, Europe reported the highest suicide rate in 2021 at nearly nine deaths per 100,000, while Africa had the lowest rates.

This discrepancy could be attributed to varying data collection practices. Many European nations have comprehensive systems for tracking and reporting suicide deaths, which can better inform public health strategies. “However, this means their rates may appear significantly higher than those of other regions like Africa and some parts of Asia,” adds Nestadt.

Moreover, suicide rates in high-income countries significantly surpass those in low-income nations, influenced by surveillance capabilities. Cultural attitudes towards suicide can also vary, where some societies may stigmatize the act, leading to underreporting, according to Nestadt.

Previous studies have similarly highlighted global declines in suicide rates, especially with the dawn of early Covid-19 data. Concerns about potential surges in suicide during the pandemic were widespread as many faced unemployment, isolation, and loss. “It felt like a perfect storm for suicide,” remarks Nestadt. “Yet, the surprising outcome was that suicide rates actually decreased.” The average global suicide rate fell approximately 1.5% from 2010 to 2019, with an even greater drop of nearly 1.7% during the pandemic.

“Trends often reflect a decline in suicides amid national tragedies and significant global crises,” notes Nestadt. “It’s acceptable to not be okay.” Efforts made by many governments throughout the crisis—including enhanced access to mental health resources and financial support—have been seen as positive steps. “From a suicide prevention standpoint, our pandemic response was commendable,” he adds.

Should this trend persist, researchers predict that global suicide rates could fall even further by 2050, potentially reaching fewer than 6.5 deaths per 100,000.

“These are not just numbers; countless lives could be saved,” stresses Nestadt. “It’s uplifting to recognize that there are effective interventions that can help prevent these tragedies.”

If you need a listening ear, reach out to the British Samaritans at 116123 (Samaritans.org) or the US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 (988lifeline.org). For services in other countries, visit bit.ly/suicidehelplines.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Rising Rates of Gastrointestinal Cancer Among Individuals Under 50

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Rising Rates of Gastrointestinal Cancer in Young Adults

Gastrointestinal cancers, which encompass colorectal, gastric, and pancreatic cancers, are increasingly prevalent among young adults, though the reasons remain largely unclear. The potential causes warrant further investigation, according to experts. A review published in JAMA on Thursday highlights that gastrointestinal cancer has become the fastest-growing cancer among adults under 50 in the United States.

This review offers one of the most comprehensive overviews of gastrointestinal cancer trends, synthesizing data from a major international cancer database alongside 115 studies published from January 2014 to March 2025. The authors stress the importance of adhering to colorectal cancer screening guidelines. They recommend that individuals at average risk begin screening—typically through colonoscopy or stool tests—at age 45. As screening for pancreatic, stomach, and esophageal cancers remains infrequent in the U.S., the authors are exploring innovative ways to broaden screening access.

“This underscores the necessity of improving screening and early detection,” stated Dr. Kimmie Ng, co-author and director of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Young Onset Colorectal Cancer Center.

According to the findings, colorectal cancer is the most frequently diagnosed early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, with approximately 185,000 cases worldwide in 2022, including nearly 21,000 in the U.S. This reflects a 2% annual increase since 2011, as reported by the American Cancer Society. “This is unprecedented in this age group, and we are witnessing a significant rise among individuals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s,” commented Dr. John Marshall, chief medical consultant for the nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance, which was not involved in the study. A notable case is actor Chadwick Boseman, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and passed away at age 43 four years later.

Emerging research indicates a rise in early-onset cases of pancreatic, stomach, and esophageal cancers as well. Previous studies suggest that the incidence of these gastrointestinal cancers is disproportionately higher among Black and Hispanic populations. Pancreatic cancer, known for its high mortality rate, shows that only 13% of patients survive five years post-diagnosis. Although colorectal cancer is the most common, healthcare providers possess a better understanding of the factors contributing to early-onset cases compared to other cancers.

“Understanding the dynamics of colorectal cancer has given us insights into its initiation,” noted Dr. Scott Kopetz, a professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He posited that multiple factors likely contribute to the increase in early-onset cases. “There isn’t one overarching theory,” he said.

The recent review in JAMA suggests that lifestyle factors such as obesity, sedentary behavior, inadequate nutrition, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption are largely associated with early-onset gastrointestinal cancers. A specific study highlighted that women who consumed more sugary beverages during puberty faced a heightened risk of developing early-onset colorectal cancer. “The behaviors and exposures during childhood and adolescence likely contribute to the cancer risks seen in young adults,” remarked Dr. Ng.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has raised concerns about the correlation between sugary drinks and health issues, including cancer. Recently, President Donald Trump announced that Coca-Cola would switch to cane sugar instead of U.S. corn syrup; however, the company did not confirm this change to NBC News.

Dr. Marshall speculated that the uptick in early-onset colorectal cancer may be linked to shifts in gut microbiota. Factors such as diet, antibiotic usage, microplastics, and chemical exposures could impact these bacteria, yet scientists lack a clear understanding of what constitutes a healthy microbiome and its implications for health. This area is ripe for research.

The review by Dr. Ng found that between 15% and 30% of individuals with early-onset gastrointestinal cancer carry hereditary genetic mutations, indicating a propensity to develop cancer earlier. She advocates for genetic testing for all patients diagnosed under 50.

Despite improvements in treatment and screening that have boosted overall survival rates for gastrointestinal cancer, the review indicates that younger patients often experience poorer outcomes. This trend persists despite receiving more comprehensive treatment, including surgeries, radiation, and aggressive chemotherapy regimens. One reason cited is that primary care physicians may overlook symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, heartburn, and reflux in younger patients, delaying diagnosis.

“In my experience, when young individuals present with non-specific symptoms, there tends to be a lack of consideration for colorectal or other gastrointestinal cancers, leading to more advanced-stage diagnoses,” said Dr. Howard Hochster, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health. However, Dr. Ng pointed out that younger patients still display worse survival rates, even when accounting for the stage of diagnosis. “This leads us to contemplate whether cancers that arise in younger individuals might possess unique biological characteristics that render them more aggressive or less responsive to treatment,” she concluded.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

New Study Unveils Countries with the Slowest and Fastest Aging Rates

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A recent study reveals that Denmark boasts the most favorable environmental, social, and political conditions for aging slowly and maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

Published in Natural Medicine, this research pinpointed the elements influencing the biological processes that dictate healthy aging. An international team of researchers examined data from over 160,000 individuals across 40 nations, assessing how various factors influence aging worldwide.

To establish a baseline for the average aging rate, researchers utilized a measurement known as the “Biobiural Age Gap” clock. This AI model estimates the disparity between an individual’s chronological age and their predicted age based on surrounding risk factors. For instance, a 50-year-old person might be predicted to have a biological age of 55 based on these factors, resulting in a five-year age gap.

The findings revealed that among the four continents studied—Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America—European individuals showcased the highest levels of healthy aging. Conversely, in lower-income nations, accelerated aging was prevalent among older individuals.

“This study is significant as it reconceptualizes aging as influenced by not just biology and lifestyle, but also broader environmental and sociopolitical factors,” stated Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, an associate professor of aging at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, who was not involved in the research, in comments to BBC Science Focus.

Egypt recorded the fastest rate of aging, with individuals showing an average biological age 4.75 years older than their chronological age. Following Egypt were South Africa and certain South American nations. Within Europe, Eastern and Southern regions displayed more rapid aging trends.

In contrast, Denmark demonstrated the slowest aging rate, with an average biological age 2.35 years younger than the actual age. The Netherlands and Finland followed in terms of healthy aging.

Key Factors for Healthy Aging

What makes Denmark and much of Northern and Western Europe conducive to healthy aging? Researchers identified crucial factors including environmental elements like air quality alongside social factors such as gender equality and socioeconomic status.

Interestingly, significant influences were also found in sociopolitical conditions. Healthy aging is closely related to political representation, freedom of parties, democratic elections, and voting rights.

“The link between politics and accelerated aging presents an intriguing puzzle in this study,” commented Scheibye-Knudsen. “Possible mechanisms include heightened chronic stress responses due to anxiety and healthcare disparities.”

This study indicated that individuals with accelerated aging face challenges in completing daily tasks and are eight times more likely to experience cognitive decline.

While the study spanned four continents, it primarily represented limited areas of Africa, focusing on Egypt and South Africa.

Researchers stress that their findings illustrate correlations rather than causative relationships. Nonetheless, they advocate for urgent action to address global health disparities.

“Remarkably, risk factors outweigh protective ones, indicating that individuals in low-income countries experience significantly accelerated aging irrespective of their socioeconomic status,” noted Scheibye-Knudsen.

“This reinforces the compelling case for investing in universal initiatives, such as access to education and healthcare, to enhance the health of populations.”

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About Our Experts

Dr. Morten Scheibye-Knudsen serves as an associate professor of aging at the University of Copenhagen and leads the Scheibye-Knudsen research group. He is also the president of the Nordic Aging Association.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

After Spike’s Review: A Controversial New Book Argues for Persuading People to Increase Birth Rates

Posted on July 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A large population can drive innovation and economies of scale

Philippe Montigny/Istockphoto/Getty Images

Stadium crowd — A large population can drive innovation and economies of scale

Philippe Montigny/Istockphoto/Getty Images

After the Spikes

Dean Spears and Michael Geruso (Bodley Head (UK); Simon & Schuster (US))

Current estimates suggest that four-fifths of all humans who will ever be born have already come into existence. The global number of births peaked at 146 million in 2012 and has been on a decline ever since, indicating that the world population is set to peak and decrease by the 2080s.

This decrease won’t be gradual. Fertility rates are already below replacement level in several nations, including China and India, leading to a rapid decline in population as quickly as it rose. This new controversial book argues that the planet could hold fewer than two billion people in the coming centuries.

“There’s no scenario where individuals worldwide are likely to opt for fewer children than required to replace themselves, leading to a drastic population reduction,” assert economists Dean Spears and Michael Geruso in After the Spike: Risks of Global Depopulation and Cases for People.

You might consider this a positive development. Could it help alleviate pressing environmental challenges? Not according to the authors. They assert that while population size does hold significance, adjusting other factors, such as the speed of global warming, is even more critical. The chance to lessen our carbon footprint through population reduction has mostly passed.

Spears and Geruso highlight numerous advantages of a large population. More individuals can lead to greater innovation and economies of scale, making technologies like smartphones feasible. “The abundance of neighbors enhances our potential,” they state.

Thus, their perspective is not about reducing the global population but rather stabilizing it. The challenge lies in the fact that even with the right political determination, the path to achieve this is unclear.

As we become more affluent, we are increasingly hesitant to give up career and leisure opportunities for parenthood.

The authors contend that while some government strategies may yield short-term results, no country has sustainably altered long-term demographic trends. Consider China’s one-child policy—it is often credited with curtailing population growth but did it genuinely do so? Spears and Geruso present ambiguous data on China’s population in relation to its neighbors before, during, and after these policies were enacted, raising the question of discernible differences based on their observations.

Efforts to reverse the declining fertility rates have also faced failure, they argue. In Romania, after the ban on abortion in 1966, birth rates surged but soon declined again. Sweden’s approach has been to incentivize through subsidies for childcare, yet its fertility rates remain below replacement level.

Attempts to boost fertility with financial incentives are likely doomed to fail, according to Spears and Geruso. While some claim that they would have more children if financial means allowed, the reality is that as people gain wealth, the tendency to have fewer children increases.

The focus should be on addressing what individuals need to balance rather than simply financial capability, according to the authors. As affluence grows, there is a reluctance to sacrifice careers and leisure for childbearing. Even technological advancements are not expected to change this trajectory, they conclude.

This book presents an unwaveringly optimistic viewpoint regarding many issues, but it acknowledges the complexity of stabilizing population levels. It effectively demonstrates that dire predictions of widespread famine with population growth have proven incorrect and suggests long-term trends toward healthier, longer lives remain possible. “Fears of a depleted, overpopulated future are outdated,” they argue.

But is that truly the case? Spears and Geruso also emphasize that food prices play a key role in determining hunger levels, yet it’s worth noting that food prices are presently rising as a consequence of escalating climate change. For a substantial portion of the population, uncertainty persists regarding whether conditions will continue to improve.

This book is undoubtedly provocative and may not provide an easy read, as Spears and Geruso delve into their primary assertions. However, if you believe that understanding the impact of a declining population is simple, and if you consider it a positive trend, this book is essential reading.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Key U.S. Cities, Including New York and Seattle, Are Sinking at Alarming Rates

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

New York City’s skyline may undergo significant changes as major cities continue to sink.

Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

Over 20 of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States are experiencing subsidence, impacting thousands of structures and millions of residents.

This phenomenon has been noted especially in coastal areas. However, utilizing satellite technology that gauges the duration it takes radar signals to reach the Earth’s surface and return, researchers discovered that 25 out of the 28 largest cities in the country are affected.

“By analyzing multiple images taken over time from the same region, we can identify subtle vertical shifts in the ground that can reach several millimeters annually,” explains team member Manoochehr Shirzaei from Virginia Tech. “It’s akin to capturing a high-resolution time lapse of the Earth’s surface, revealing whether it is rising or sinking over time.”

Fort Worth, Houston, and Dallas demonstrate the highest rates of subsidence among major cities, averaging over 4 millimeters per year. Cities like New York, Chicago, Houston, Columbus, Seattle, and Denver show average subsidence rates surpassing 2 millimeters annually.

“Houston, the fastest sinking city among the 28 most populous in the US, has 42% of its land area sinking at rates greater than 5 mm per year, with 12% sinking faster than 10 mm annually,” researchers reported.

Most subsidence is attributed to groundwater extraction, although cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, primarily experience sinking due to “glacial isoplasm regulation.”

“During the last glacial period, these regions were covered by massive ice sheets. The considerable weight of the ice compressed the Earth’s crust, akin to resting on a memory foam mattress,” says Shirzaei. As the ice melted thousands of years ago, the pressure released and the terrain began to slowly recover,” he explains.

“However, this rebound isn’t uniform,” Shirzaei notes. “In some areas, particularly along the East Coast and in the Midwest, the land is subsiding rather than rising due to the residual weight of nearby ice and their proximity to regions currently collapsing.”

In Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco, plate tectonics may account for some of the subsidence.

“We must address sinking as a gradually unfolding disaster,” Shirzaei argues. Researchers also noted that cities can sink at varying rates in different locations or sink continuously in one area while other regions remain stable. “This uneven movement can create angular distortions and stress, resulting in cracks in walls and foundations, misalignments in windows and doors, or even significant structural failures,” Shirzaei warns.

Jesse Cars from Kyoto University in Japan demonstrated similar findings using satellite data, showing that many cities in New Zealand are also experiencing subsidence. “A crucial challenge for the geophysical community remains understanding how the observed trends stem from particular causes, whether they are artificial or naturally occurring geological processes,” he states.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Trump Advocates for Increased Birth Rates but Dismisses Fertility Experts

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Every year, tens of thousands of young women opt to freeze their eggs. This procedure can be costly and at times painful, with numbers rising as more Americans delay childbirth.

However, many uncertainties surround the process: What is the optimal donor age for egg freezing? What are the success rates? And importantly, how long can frozen eggs remain viable?

Finding reliable answers to these questions is challenging. During the significant downsizing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Trump administration disbanded a federal research team dedicated to collecting and analyzing data from fertility clinics aimed at enhancing outcomes.

According to Aaron Levine, a professor at Georgia Tech’s Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter School of Public Policy, who collaborated with the CDC team on research, the dismissal of the six team members was “a real, serious loss.”

“They held the most extensive data on fertility clinics, focused on ensuring truthfulness in patient advertising,” stated Barbara Collura, CEO of the National Infertility Association.

Collura emphasized that losing the CDC team is a significant blow to both couples facing infertility and women contemplating egg freezing.

These layoffs come amidst rising political interest in declining U.S. fertility rates. President Trump has dubbed himself the “infertile president” and signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization.

“The White House is committed to IVF and remains focused on it,” Collura noted.

With one in seven married or unmarried women experiencing infertility, she remarked, “Looking at these statistics, it’s disheartening—and not surprising—that our public health agencies have chosen to sidestep this issue.”

When asked about the team’s elimination, a health and welfare spokesperson commented that the administration is “in the planning stage” of transitioning maternal health programs to a new Healthy America initiative, offering no further details.

The scientists from the National Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance System were working to address numerous questions surrounding IVF research.

“We lack comprehensive data on the success rates of egg freezing for personal use because it’s relatively new and tricky to track,” Dr. Levine explained.

This uncertainty weighs heavily on women wishing to have children. Simeonne Bookal, who collaborates with Collura at Resolve, froze her eggs in 2018 while waiting to find the right partner.

She got engaged earlier this year, with her wedding scheduled for next spring. At 38, she expressed that having her eggs banked offers her a “security blanket.”

Though she still has reservations about her chances of conceiving, the frozen eggs provide her some assurance.

The precise success rate of the egg freezing procedure remains ambiguous, as many published studies are based on theoretical models that utilize data from infertile patients or egg donors, which differ significantly from women preserving their eggs for future use.

Some studies provide limited insights, often involving fewer than 1,000 women who thaw their eggs and undergo IVF, according to Dr. Sarah Druckenmiller Cascante, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Nyu Langone and author of a recent review paper on this topic.

“The available data is scant, and it’s crucial to be transparent with patients about this,” she said.

“I wouldn’t regard it as a guaranteed insurance policy. While it could lead to a baby, it’s more about improving the chances of having a biological child later in life, especially if done at a younger age.”

The CDC team maintained a database known as the National ART Surveillance System, established by Congress in 1992. This tracked success rates for various fertility clinics but now faces an uncertain future without continuous updates.

While the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology offers similar databases to researchers, they are not as comprehensive as the CDC’s since they contain data from approximately 85% of U.S. fertility clinics.

According to Sean Tipton, Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer for the American Association of Reproductive Medicine, no dedicated research team oversees the database.

The surge in women opting to bank their eggs for future use has intensified the scrutiny regarding the risks and benefits of freezing eggs.

This procedure was regarded as non-experimental as of 2012. In 2014, only 6,090 patients opted to bank their eggs for fertility preservation. Fast forward to 2022, and that number soared to 28,207, with 39,269 recorded in 2023, the latest year for which data is available.

Source: www.nytimes.com

The CDC reports an increase in autism rates among children

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The proportion of American children, whose autism spectrum disorder is estimated to have increased in 2022, continues to have a long-term trend. Released data Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of those ages 8, one in 31 people were found to have autism in 2022, compared to one in 36 people in 2020. That rate is almost five times higher than the number in 2000, when agencies first began collecting data.

Health agencies noted that the increase is most likely driven by better perceptions and screening, as it is not because autism itself is becoming more common.

It diverged surprisingly well from the rhetoric of the country’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said on Tuesday that “the autism epidemic is ramping.”

Kennedy has repeatedly tried to connect the increase in autism with vaccines. Dozens of studies For decades when such a link could not be established. Nevertheless, the Health Secretary has launched a federal study to revisit the possibilities and hired a well-known skeptical vaccine to oversee its efforts.

Kennedy recently announced efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services to identify “the origin of the epidemic” by September.

“They’re doing this,” said Katherine Lord, a psychologist and autism researcher at the University of California David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

Instead, a key part of the increase could be attributed to years of widening diagnosis to capture milder cases, Dr. Lord said, but he also said it could raise awareness of stigma and support services.

Still, she left the possibility that other factors contribute to more children who develop autism. “We can explain a lot of increases, but perhaps not everything,” Dr. Lord said.

“But whatever it is, it’s not a vaccine,” she added.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social interactions, communication, sensory problems, repetitive interest and difficulties in behavior.

The cause remains largely unknown, but researchers believe it has a strong genetic component. “It’s very unlikely that it could be one cause or even a few causes,” Dr. Lord said.

New data was collected by the CDC Autism and Developmental Disorder Surveillance Networkused health and education records of over 274,000 children at 16 sites nationwide to estimate autism rate.

The prevalence of disability has been steadily rising since 2000 when the network first began tracking.

Other trends were evident in new research. White children and children in wealthy socioeconomic regions have long had the highest percentage of autism in the United States, but that trend reversed in 2018.

Since 2020, the proportion of black and Latino children has been known to be autistic, and no longer has any links to wealthy communities found in the data.

The CDC reported a prevalence of 3.7% of black children, 3.3% among Hispanic children, and 3.8% among Asian American children.

Autism has long been associated with juveniles, and the differences that may be linked to genetics are that girls are now diagnosed at a higher rate as they are now increasingly aware of the subtle ways in which disability manifests, often manifesting in teen years.

According to the CDC, autism was 3.8 times higher than that of girls in 2022, down from 3.8 times higher than in 2020.

The data also showed the surprising variability in autism diagnosis by geography from 5.3% of 8-year-olds in California to just 1% to just 1% in Texas.

The availability of specific medical and educational resources increases the likelihood that these children will be identified. For example, California has a program that trains local pediatricians to identify signs of autism at an early age, and a community center that provides autism services.

Pennsylvania, which had the second highest prevalence, has a state Medicaid program that guarantees compensation for children with developmental disabilities regardless of their parents’ income.

Source: www.nytimes.com

New car prices feel the pressure as car rates increase.

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Customs duties on imported vehicles went into effect on Wednesday. The policy, said to promote investment and employment in the United States by President Trump, is expected to increase new car prices by thousands of dollars according to analysts.

The 25% duty applies to all vehicles assembled outside the United States. As of May 3rd, customs duties will also apply to imported auto parts, adding to the costs of automobiles and auto repairs.

There is a partial exemption for cars manufactured in Mexico or Canada under a free trade agreement. Automakers do not have to pay duties on parts like engines, transmissions, batteries, and other items that were made in the US and installed in cars at factories in Mexico or Canada.

This provision reduces the impact on vehicles such as Chevrolet Equinox electric vehicles assembled in Mexico but containing battery packs and other US-made components. General Motors only pays duties on some of the cars produced overseas.

Meanwhile, parts duties increase the costs of cars manufactured in states like Michigan, Tennessee, and Ohio where most vehicles contain components made overseas, often accounting for more than half the vehicle cost.

For example, around 90% of the value of some Mercedes-Benz cars made in Alabama comes from engines and transmissions imported from Europe, as per data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The impact of tariffs on individual vehicles varies widely. Cars like the Tesla Model Y made in Texas and California or Honda Passports made in Alabama have a higher percentage of US-made parts and pay lower duties.

The highest tariffs apply to cars manufactured overseas, such as the Toyota Prius from Japan and Porsche sports cars from Germany.

Even those not purchasing a new car will feel the impact of tariffs as prices go up for parts like tires, brake pads, and oil filters.

Michael Holmes, co-director of Virginia Tire and Auto, a chain of auto repair and maintenance shops, mentioned that he and his suppliers initially plan to absorb most of the cost increase.

Holmes stated, “It’s not sustainable. It’s wishful thinking to expect companies not to pass on these costs.”

Analysts predict that car tariffs could also drive up prices of used cars in the long run. Increased demand for these vehicles may make new cars unaffordable for many buyers. Furthermore, repair costs may rise, leading to potential increases in insurance premiums.

Source: www.nytimes.com

The potential reasons behind teenage girls’ higher rates of depression compared to boys

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Researchers have discovered that certain chemical imbalances in the brain may help explain the higher risk of depression in teenage girls compared to boys.

They specifically highlighted the role of a chemical called tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in foods like turkey, chicken, eggs, milk, nuts, and seeds. Tryptophan is used by the body to produce serotonin, a brain chemical that influences mood, sleep, and happiness.

When tryptophan is broken down in the brain, it can lead to the production of beneficial chemicals like kynurenic acid, as well as harmful chemicals.

Tryptophan (the molecular structure shown here) is one of the 20 standard amino acids – Photo credit: Getty

A study by scientists from King’s College London analyzed blood and depression symptoms in Brazilian teenagers aged 14-16, linking these chemicals with depression in both genders.

According to Professor Valeria Mondeli, senior author and Kings’ clinical professor of psychoimmune, adolescence is a time of significant changes with little understanding of the biological factors contributing to depression differences between teenage boys and girls.

The researchers found that girls at high risk of depression had lower levels of brain health kynurenic acid compared to low-risk individuals, indicating potential harm from tryptophan breakdown.

Girls and women are twice as likely to experience depression compared to men, and the researchers suggested this may be linked to the unbalanced kynurenine pathway’s effects on the brain.

Dr. Nagum Nickhesrat, the first author of the study, expressed hope that the findings could lead to better support for teenagers with depression, possibly through drugs targeting the kynurenine pathway.

Understanding the kynurenine pathway’s role in depression development during teenage years could provide insight into better management strategies for depression.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

University graduates facing increasing layoffs and rising unemployment rates

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

When Starbucks announced last month it was firing more than 1,000 corporate employees, it highlighted a disturbing trend for white-collar workers. Slow wage growth.

It also fueled that long-standing discussion of economists. Is recent unemployment just a temporary development? Or will they inform something more ominous and irreversible?

After sitting below 4% for more than two years, the overall unemployment rate since May has surpassed that threshold.

Economists say the job market remains strong by historical standards, and much of the recent weakening appears to be linked to the economic impact of the pandemic. Companies actively hired amid a surge in demand and moved to layoffs after the Federal Reserve began to raise interest rates. Many of these companies are trying to make their businesses more lean under investor pressure.

But amid the rapid advances in artificial intelligence and President Trump’s federal targets, it disproportionately supports white-collar jobs, which some thinks it has begun a permanent decline in knowledge work.

Karltannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust, said: “I tell people that there are waves.”

To date, few industries have typical shifts over the last few years than creating video games. The boom began in 2020 Couch-bound Americans searched for a new form of home entertainment. The industry reversed the course and actively hired it before embarking on a period of layoffs. Thousands of video game workers lost their jobs last year and the previous year.

The scale of unemployment is Game Developers Choice AwardsThe industry’s annual awards show complained about the “record layoffs” during the 2024 opening monologue. The unionization trend that began with low-wage quality assurance testers that same year has spread to better-paid workers, such as game producers, designers, engineers, and more, of companies making hit games. fall out and World of Warcraft.

At Bethesda Game Studios, owned by Microsoft and creating fallout, workers said they had unionized some because they felt the union would leverage in the soft labor market, as they were wary of rounds of company layoffs in 2023 and 2024.

“It was the first time Bethesda had experienced a layoff in such a long time,” said Taylor Welling, a studio producer who earned a master’s degree in interactive entertainment. “It scared so many people,” Microsoft declined to comment.

unemployment Finance and related industrieswhile still low, it increased by about a quarter from 2022 to 2024. The rise in interest rates slowed demand for mortgages, and businesses were trying to lean more. In Revenue Call Last summer, Wells Fargo’s chief executive noted that the company’s “efficiency initiative” had pruned its workforce over 16 quarters, including a cut in nearly 50% of workers in the company’s home lending sector since 2023.

Last fall, Wells Fargo fired about a quarter of the approximately 45 employees of the Behavioral Management Intake Team, which confirms accusations of corporate misconduct against customers and employees. Heather Rolfs, The let go of lawyer said she believes the company is trying to save money by reducing the US workforce, and she and her colleagues believe it is an attractive target as they have recently tried to put in on the union.

“I think it’s great to get rid of two birds with one stone,” Rolfs said. Some of her former colleagues say they are worriedly waiting every Tuesday after payday. “We feel we can be fired at any time,” he said. Eden Davis, Another worker on the team.

A spokesman for Wells Fargo said in a statement that the layoffs have nothing to do with the union, saying “we will regularly review and adjust staffing levels to suit the market situation.” He said two managers on the team also lost their jobs.

Atif Rafiq, author of a book on corporate strategy in senior positions at McDonald and Amazon, said many companies are trying to emulate Amazon’s model of building teams that go beyond capabilities to reduce barriers between workers with different expertise, such as coding and marketing. In the process, they may discover redundancy and take on layoffs.

CEO Brian Nicole in a memo announcing the layoffs at Starbucks last month I quoted the goal “Delete layers and replicas and create smaller, more agile teams.” Nissan provided similar evidence for management reductions announcement this month.

Overall, the latest data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show Unemployment rates among university graduates have risen by 30% (2% to 2.6%) since falling from the bottom in September 2022, compared to about 18% (3.4% to 4%) for all workers. An analysis by Julia Pollack, Chief Economist at Zippleck Crutter, shows that unemployment rates are the highest among those with bachelor’s or university degrees, but do not have a degree.

Employment rates were slower for jobs that require university degrees than for other jobs. According to ADP Researchresearching the labor market.

Some economists say these trends are inherently short-term and may have little concern for themselves. Lawrence Katz, a labor economist at Harvard University, noted that the increase in unemployment rates among college-educated workers was slightly greater than the overall increase in unemployment rates, and unemployment rates for both groups remained low due to historic measures.

Professor Katz argued that slowing wage growth for middle-class workers could simply reflect the discounts that these workers effectively accepted in exchange for being able to work from home. Data from the Institute of Liberal Economic Policy Wages for workers in the 70th and 80th percentiles of income distribution have shown that since 2019 they have grown more slowly than wages in other groups.

However, there are other indications that returns on university degrees may have changed over time. Wage gap between people with university degrees and those without one It has grown steadily It started in 1980, but has been flattened over the past 15 years, but it remains high.

Flattening may partially reflect the fact that as university attendance increases, there are more college-educated workers that employers can choose. However, some economists Make a claim What it reflects Reduced Employer Needs For university graduates, for example, information technology is more sophisticated, which means fewer jobs like bookkeeping. Such jobs do not necessarily require a university degree, but they were often appealing to graduates.

Artificial intelligence can also reduce the need for it by increasing the automation of white-collar jobs. recently Academic Paper Software developers using AI coding assistants have improved their key measures of productivity by over 25%, and found that productivity gains appear to be the biggest among the most experienced developers. The results suggested that employing AI could reduce the wage premium enjoyed by more experienced coders as it erodes productivity benefits over beginners.

Mert Demirer, a MIT economist who co-authored the paper, said in an interview that the work of software developers could change over the long term, making human coders a type of project manager overseeing multiple AI assistants. In that case, wages could rise as humans become more productive. Also, if cheaper software leads to even greater demand, AI will expand employment among coders.

Still, at least in the short term, many tech executives and their investors seem to see AI as a way to trim staffing. Software engineers at large tech companies said they refused to be named for fear of harming their job prospects. His team was about half of last year, and he and his colleagues said they were expected to do roughly the same amount of work by relying on AI assistants. Overall, Unemployment rate In the technology and related industries, it jumped more than half from 2022 to 2024, from 2.9% to 4.4%.

Then there was Trump’s attempt to remake the federal government. This has so far resulted in job losses and employment freezes for federal employees and employees of universities and other nonprofits that rely on government funds. Johns Hopkins University, which relies heavily on funding for federal research, announced this month that it has abandoned 2,000 workers around the world as a result of Trump’s cuts.

Professor Katz at Harvard University noted that the majority of university-educated workers relied on the federal government over other groups, either directly or through nonprofit funding. “What appears to be a major contraction in science and research, education and government spending could potentially have a very large impact,” he said.

“The overall unemployment rate among university graduates does not seem to be particularly rising,” he added. “But that could be in the next six months.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

After a decade of increases, obesity rates among U.S. adults decreased last year.

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

overview

Last year, the obesity rate among U.S. adults decreased slightly for the first time in more than a decade, a study found.
Researchers suggested this may be due in part to the rise of weight loss drugs like Ozempic.
However, other drugs and factors (such as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic) may also have played a role.

Obesity rates among U.S. adults declined slightly last year, according to a study, but it was the first time in more than a decade that the country had seen a downward trend. Part of that may be due to the recent rise of blockbuster weight loss drugs like Ozempic, the study authors said.

The findings of the study were announced on Friday. Journal JAMA Health Forumthe most significant declines were seen in the South, especially among women and adults ages 66 to 75.

The study looked at BMI measurements for more than 16.7 million adults from 2013 to 2023 across different regions, age groups, genders, races, and ethnicities. BMI measurements are a standard but limited method for estimating obesity relative to body weight. Height to length was collected from electronic health records.

Researchers found that the adult obesity rate in the United States decreased from 46% in 2022 to 45.6% in 2023. (These are slightly higher rates than the U.S. adult obesity rate) Estimate from the center s for disease control and preventionThis means that from 2021 to 2023, approximately 40% of U.S. adults were obese. )

Benjamin Rader, a computational epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital and an author of the study, said the results were not uniform across demographics or geographic regions.

“Obesity has been on the decline in the United States as a whole, especially in the South, but this has not been the case in some regions,” he said. “Obesity among Black Americans also decreased significantly, but obesity among Asian Americans increased.”

Rader said the decline in the South was notable because the region observed the highest per capita intake of weight loss drugs, based on researchers' analysis of insurance claims. But he acknowledged that the possible link needed further investigation.

The study authors also noted that obese people in the South had a disproportionately high number of COVID-19 deaths, which may have influenced the overall data.

Dr. Michael Weintraub, an endocrinologist and clinical assistant professor at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine, said the results are consistent with the following: Recent data from the CDC Results showed a slight decrease in obesity prevalence among U.S. adults from 2021 to 2023 compared to 2017 to 2020 (although severe obesity increased during this period). ).

“This data is interesting and holds the promise that we may be on the cusp of changing this obesity epidemic,” said Weintraub, who was not involved in the new study. “However, I would hesitate to call the value of this downward trend in 2023 a trend.”

Even if weight loss drugs were the main factor in reducing obesity, experts say further studies over longer periods of time are needed to assess the true effects of new drugs.

“We know these drugs are very effective, but we need a few more years to see if this is really a trend, or if it's just a small spike and we're back to normal, or if things get much worse. Dr. Tannaz Moin, an endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said he was not involved in the study.

Moyn also pointed out that the new study only analyzed preparations of GLP-1 weight loss drugs (a category that includes Ozempic and Mounjaro). This type of drug is used to treat diabetes and obesity by reducing a person's appetite and food intake. This drug mimics the hormone that makes you feel full.

But GLP-1 drugs are only part of the prescription for treating obesity, and a more comprehensive study of different drugs could better capture changing trends, Moyn said. said. Weight loss drugs are also expensive, which can skew data about who can receive treatment.

Additionally, the study used insurance claims data, meaning those who were uninsured or who purchased weight loss drugs out of pocket were likely not included in the results.

Moin said he was surprised by the decline in BMI seen in older people.

“This group is not necessarily the group that I think is the biggest user of GLP-1 drugs, because a lot of them are in the Medicare age group,” she says, adding that weight loss drugs are the most popular for people on Medicare. may be difficult to obtain, he added. The Biden administration recently proposed a rule that would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss drugs for people seeking obesity treatment.

However, Weintraub cautioned that the observed decline does not necessarily indicate a long-term decline.

“We've been fooled until now by fluctuations in obesity prevalence,” he says. “We were excited about the downward trend in childhood obesity rates announced by the CDC in the early 2000s, but in the years since, obesity rates have increased even more.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Most fast radio bursts come from galaxies with high star formation rates

Posted on November 7, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-long events detected from beyond the Milky Way. The radiative properties of FRBs favor magnetars as their source, as evidenced by FRB-like outbursts from the Milky Way's magnetars and the star-forming nature of FRB host galaxies. However, the process that generates the FRB source remains unknown. FRBs are more likely to occur in massive star-forming galaxies, according to a new study. The study also suggests that magnetars, whose magnetic fields are 100 trillion times stronger than Earth's, are often formed when two stars merge and later explode in a supernova.

This photo montage shows the Deep Synoptic Array-110 antenna used to locate and determine the location of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). Above the antenna are several images of the FRB's host galaxy appearing in the sky. These galaxies are very large and challenging models to describe FRB sources. Image credit: Annie Mejia/California Institute of Technology.

“Magnetars' immense power output makes them one of the most fascinating and extreme objects in the universe,” said lead author Kriti Sharma, a graduate student at Caltech.

“Little is known about what causes magnetars to form during the extinction of massive stars. Our work helps answer this question.”

To search for FRBs, Sharma and his colleagues used Deep Synoptic Array-110 (DSA-110) at the Owens Valley Radio Astronomical Observatory near Bishop, California.

To date, this sprawling radio array has detected 70 FRBs and located their specific source galaxies (only 23 other FRBs have been located by other telescopes). is).

In the current study, the researchers analyzed 30 of these local FRBs.

“DSA-110 more than doubles the number of FRBs containing known host galaxies, which is what we built the array for,” said Dr. Vikram Ravi of the California Institute of Technology.

FRBs are known to occur in galaxies that are actively forming stars, but the authors were surprised to find that FRBs are more frequent in massive star-forming galaxies than in low-mass star-forming galaxies. I've found that this tends to happen.

This alone was interesting because astronomers had previously thought that all types of active galaxies generate FRBs.

Armed with this new information, they began pondering what the results revealed about the Fed.

Metals in our universe (elements manufactured by stars) take time to accumulate over the course of the universe's history, so large galaxies tend to be rich in metals.

The fact that FRBs are more common in these metal-rich galaxies means that the magnetars from which they originate are also more common in these types of galaxies.

Stars rich in metals (astronomical terminology for elements heavier than hydrogen or helium) tend to be larger than other stars.

“Over time, as the galaxy grows, successive generations of stars evolve and die, enriching the galaxy with metals,” Dr. Ravi said.

Additionally, massive stars that can go supernova and become magnetars are more commonly found in pairs.

In fact, 84% of massive stars are binaries. So when one massive star in a binary swells with extra metal content, that extra material is pulled into its partner, which facilitates the eventual merger of the two stars.

These merging stars will have a combined magnetic field that is larger than the magnetic field of a single star.

“Stars with more metallic content swell, promoting mass transfer and eventually reaching mergers, resulting in even more massive stars with a total magnetic field greater than what any individual star would have.” is formed,” Sharma said.

In summary, since FRBs are preferentially observed in massive, metal-rich star-forming galaxies, magnetars (which are thought to cause FRBs) are also probably located in metal-rich environments that promote the merger of two stars. It is thought that it is formed by.

Therefore, this result suggests that magnetars in the universe originate from the remains of stellar mergers.

In the future, the team plans to use the DSA-110 and eventually the DSA-2000, an even larger wireless array to be built in the Nevada desert and expected to be completed in 2028, to connect more FRBs and their We would like to track the location of the occurrence.

“This result is a milestone for the entire DSA team. Many of the authors of this paper helped build DSA-110,” said Dr. Ravi.

“And the fact that DSA-110 is so good at localizing FRBs bodes well for the success of DSA-2000.”

of findings Published in today's magazine nature.

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K. Sharma others. 2024. Preferential occurrence of fast radio bursts in massive star-forming galaxies. nature 635, 61-66; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08074-9

Source: www.sci.news

11 US Cities with the Highest Crime Rates

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Looking for information on the most dangerous cities in America? With thousands of cities and millions of people living in close quarters, there are bound to be areas with high crime rates. The FBI has compiled data tracking the most dangerous cities in America and has ranked the top 11 worst cities for crime based on serious felonies per 100,000 people in a year. These felonies include murder, manslaughter, assault, robbery, and other serious crimes. While some numbers may seem alarming, overall crime rates in the United States have been decreasing in recent years.

11. San Bernardino, California

Aerial view of a residential area in San Bernardino, California. Photo by Steve Proehl/Getty Images – Credit: Steve Proehl

San Bernardino, with a population of approximately 222,000, is California’s 18th largest city and one of the state’s oldest settlements. It’s known for its mining history and as the location of the first McDonald’s. In 2019, the city had a violent crime rate of 1,319 per 100,000 residents, with 46 people killed that year. Although crime numbers have since dropped, they remain above California’s average.

10. Indianapolis, Indiana

An aerial view of the downtown area of Indianapolis looking east-northeast. The Indiana State Capitol is visible in the foreground. Photo credit: TpsDave/Wikipedia

Indianapolis, known for the Indy 500 and its museums, also has a high violent crime rate, with 1,333.96 crimes per 100,000 people in 2019. Efforts like the Indiana Crime Gun Task Force aim to decrease violent crime rates and have shown some success in recent years.

9. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Monsoon season in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. This is the view from the Sandia Mountains at the Embud Canyon Trailhead. Photo by Mona Makela/Getty Images

Albuquerque, the most populous city in New Mexico, faces a violent crime rate of 1,369.14 felonies per 100,000 people. Efforts to combat this high crime rate include funding for law enforcement technology like gunshot recognition technology.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Massive bat die-off triggers surge in pesticide use in the US, contributing to rise in infant mortality rates

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Small brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) suffers from white-nose syndrome, which has devastated bat populations across the United States.

piemags/FWL / Alamy Stock Photo

A study has revealed that a decline in bat populations in the United States, caused by the spread of a fungal disease, has resulted in reduced farm incomes and an additional 1,300 deaths of infants under the age of one.

The research found that in counties affected by bat disease, farmers had to increase their use of insecticides by 31% to make up for the decreased insect predation by bats. Eyal Frank, a researcher at the University of Chicago in Illinois, estimated that farmers in these affected counties lost $27 billion between 2006 and 2017 due to reduced crop sales and higher pesticide costs.

Furthermore, the study observed an 8% increase in the number of infant deaths before the age of one in affected counties, which Frank links to the elevated pesticide usage. He expressed concerns about the inherent toxicity of pesticides, even when used within regulated levels, suggesting potential health hazards.

The white-nose syndrome, discovered in hibernating bats in a New York state cave in 2006, has since spread across North America, resulting in millions of bat deaths. This disease has raised questions about the benefits that bats provide to farmers.

By analyzing agricultural census data, Frank compared counties where white-nose disease was detected by 2017 with those where it hadn’t been identified yet. The results indicated a consistent increase in insecticide usage in affected areas each year post-detection of the disease.

In light of the study findings, the potential link between bat deaths, pesticide use, and higher infant mortality rates was examined. While the results point towards a correlation, the exact mechanism through which increased pesticide use might lead to elevated infant mortality remains unclear.

Experts like Roel Vermeulen from Utrecht University in the Netherlands emphasize the need to broaden human health impact assessments to consider the indirect effects of environmental factors like bat population decline. Moving forward, efforts are required to preserve the vital role wildlife species play in maintaining human health and well-being.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

VLBA uncovers groundbreaking information on the magnetars with the fastest spin rates

Posted on August 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Swift J1818.0-1617 is located about 22,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius.

Artist's impression of magnetar Swift J1818.0-1617. Image courtesy of NSF/AUI/NRAO/S. Dagnello.

Swift J1818.0-1617, discovered in 2020, rotates with a rotation period of 1.36 seconds and is thought to be the fastest rotating magnetar yet discovered.

The star is located on the opposite side of the Milky Way galaxy's bulge, 22,000 light-years away, making it relatively close to Earth.

In fact, it's so close that we can use parallax to pinpoint its 3D location within the galaxy.

The lifespan of magnetars is currently unknown, but astronomers estimate that Swift J1818.0-1617 is only a few hundred years old.

“A magnetar's bright X-ray emission requires a mechanism of extremely high-energy outflow. Only the rapid decay of its powerful magnetic field can explain the force behind these spectral features,” said Dr. Hao Ding, an astronomer at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and his colleagues.

“But again, this is an extreme process: for normal stars on the main sequence, bright blue stars burn through their fuel much faster than yellow stars, and therefore have very short lifetimes.”

“In the case of magnetars, although the physics are different, their lifetimes are also thought to be shorter than those of pulsars.”

“Magnetars are too young to continue releasing energy at this rate for long periods of time,” the researchers added.

“Moreover, magnetars can also exhibit radiation in the lower end of the electromagnetic spectrum, i.e. at radio wavelengths.”

“In these cases, the most likely energy source is synchrotron radiation produced by the magnetar's rapid rotation.”

“In synchrotron radiation, the plasma surrounding the neutron star itself is so tightly attached to the surface of the star that it rotates at very close to the speed of light and produces radiation at radio wavelengths.”

Astronomers NSF's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) was conducted over a three-year period to collect data on the position and velocity of Swift J1818.0-1617.

“The VLBA provided excellent angular resolution to measure this extremely small disparity, and the spatial resolution is unmatched,” said Dr Ding.

Swift J1818.0-1617's parallax is the smallest of any neutron star, and its so-called transverse velocity is the smallest of any magnetar (a new lower limit).

“Velocity in astronomy can be most simply described as having two components: direction and velocity,” the researchers explained.

“Radial velocity tells us how fast we're moving along the line of sight. In this case, radial velocity means the speed along the radius of the galaxy.”

“For magnetars like Swift J1818.0-1617, which are located on the opposite side of the central bulge, there is too much other material in the way to accurately measure the radial velocity.”

“Transverse velocity, sometimes called proper velocity, describes motion perpendicular to the galactic plane and is more easily identifiable.”

Astronomers are trying to understand the common (and different) formation processes between regular neutron stars, pulsars and magnetars, and hope to use precise measurements of the transverse velocities to analyse the conditions under which stars evolve along one of these three paths.

“This study adds weight to the theory that magnetars are unlikely to form under the same conditions as young pulsars, and suggests that magnetars are born from a more unconventional formation process,” Dr Ding said.

“We need to know how fast magnetars were moving when they were first born. The mechanism by which magnetars form is still a mystery, and we want to find out.”

Source: www.sci.news

Ancient fossils reveal slower growth rates in mammals compared to modern species from Jurassic period

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Cruxatodon kiltlingtonensisA small mammal from the Jurassic period

Maiya Carrara

During the Middle Jurassic, small mammals lived much longer than modern ones and received parental care for years rather than weeks, suggesting that at some point there was a major change in the growth rates of small mammals, although the exact cause is unknown.

The discovery is based on two fossil skeletons of extinct mouse-sized creatures. Cruxatodon kiltlingtonensis, It lived on the Isle of Skye in Scotland about 166 million years ago, and its fossils were unearthed decades apart, the first in the 1970s and the second in 2016.

The unusual discovery of two fossils of the same species, one adult and one juvenile, allowed the team to compare the specimens to study how the animals grew and developed. “That meant we could ask questions we never dreamed of with just one specimen,” he says. Elsa Panciroli At the National Museum of Scotland.

First, the scientists used X-ray images to count the growth rings on the specimens' teeth, which are similar to growth rings on tree trunks and can be used to estimate age. They found that the adult specimens were about 7 years old, and the juvenile specimens were between 7 months and 2 years old.

Panciroli said he expected the fossil to be much younger, since the pup still had its baby teeth. “This was quite surprising, as this animal is about the size of a squirrel or a shrew,” Panciroli said. “We would have expected its teeth to grow back within a few weeks or months, so we could see straight away that it must have been developing quite differently. [than modern species].”

This discovery K. Quiltrington Mice took up to two years to wean from their mothers, a big jump from the few weeks most small mammals require today. Analysis of the length and size of the fossil bones reveals that the animals “grew throughout their lives,” Panchiroli says. Today, small mammals like mice grow rapidly when they're young but then stop growing as adults.

It's unclear exactly when and why small mammals evolved this way, but Panchiroli said it could be linked to environmental changes or it could be the result of mammals having warmer blood and a faster metabolism.

Panciroli and her team return to Skye every year, and are optimistic that they will be able to better understand these changes: “Hopefully in the coming years we'll find more fossils and new ways to ask these questions,” she says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

British General Practitioners Utilize Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Cancer Detection Rates by 8% | Health

Posted on July 21, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Utilizing artificial intelligence to analyze GP records for hidden patterns has significantly improved cancer detection rates for doctors.

The “C the Signs” AI tool used by general practitioner practices has increased cancer detection rates from 58.7% to 66.0%. This tool examines patients’ medical records, compiling past medical history, test results, prescriptions, treatments, and personal characteristics like age, postcode, and family history to indicate potential cancer risks.

Additionally, the tool prompts doctors to inquire about new symptoms and recommends tests or referrals for patients if it detects patterns suggesting a heightened risk of certain cancer types.

Currently in use in about 1,400 practices in England, “C the Signs” was tested in 35 practices in the East of England in May 2021, covering 420,000 patients.

Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a study revealed that cancer detection rates rose from 58.7% to 66.0% by March 31, 2022, in clinics using the system, while remaining similar in those that did not utilize it.

Dr. Bea Bakshi, who developed “C the Signs” with colleague Miles Paling, emphasized the importance of early and quick cancer diagnosis through their system detecting over 50 types of cancer.

The tool was validated in a previous study analyzing 118,677 patients, where 7,295 were diagnosed with cancer and 7,056 were accurately identified by the algorithm.

Notably, the system’s ability to predict if a patient was unlikely to have cancer resulted in only 2.8% of these cases being confirmed with cancer diagnosis within six months.

Concerned by delays in cancer diagnosis, Bakshi developed the tool after witnessing a patient’s late pancreatic cancer diagnosis three weeks before their death, highlighting the importance of early detection.

“With two-thirds of deaths from untestable cancers, early diagnosis is crucial,” Bakshi emphasized.

In the UK, GPs follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines to decide when to refer patients for cancer diagnosis, guided by tools like “C the Signs.”

The NHS’s long-term cancer plan aims to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028, utilizing innovative technologies like the Garelli blood test for early cancer detection.

Decision support systems like “C the Signs,” improving patient awareness of cancer symptoms, and enhancing access to diagnostic technologies are essential for effective cancer detection, according to healthcare professionals.

NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, highlighted the progress in increasing early cancer diagnoses and access to timely treatments, emphasizing the importance of leveraging technology for improved cancer care.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The use of oral contraceptives correlates with decreased rates of depression

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

One study found that women who currently use oral contraceptives have lower rates of depression than women who previously used them. The study, which included 6,239 American women, suggests that reduced pregnancy concerns and potential “survivor bias” may explain this difference.

Researchers analyzed data from 6,239 women in the United States in the new study.

A recent study revealed that women who use oral contraceptive pills (OCP) are less likely to experience depression.

The study analyzed data from 6,239 U.S. women between the ages of 18 and 55. They found that current OCP users had a significantly lower rate of major depression at 4.6%, compared to 11.4% for women who had previously used OCPs.

The study was led by researchers at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), along with experts from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and the University of California, Davis.

Possible explanations and observations

The researchers suggest two possible explanations for the study results that run counter to the commonly held belief that OCPs can cause depression.

One is that taking the pill relieves anxiety about unwanted pregnancies and helps OCP users improve their mental health. The results may also have been influenced by “survivor bias,” where women who experienced signs of depression while using OCPs stopped taking them and were placed in the category of former users.

This cross-sectional study used data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and controlled for demographic characteristics, chronic conditions, and antidepressant use.

Among both users and former users, women who were widowed, divorced or separated, obese, or had a history of cancer were more likely to report depression. Additionally, among former users, depression was more commonly reported among women who were black or Hispanic, smoked, had lower education, or experienced poverty.

Meaning and comments

Dr Julia Gawronska, lead author and postdoctoral researcher at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “Contraception is an important component of preventive health care. Most women tolerate oral contraceptives without experiencing symptoms of depression, but some women experience unpleasant side effects and even depression. It is possible to develop a disease, and the reasons for this are not entirely clear.

“Unlike some previous studies, we found that women currently taking oral contraceptives reported more clinically relevant depression than women who previously took oral contraceptives. Turns out it’s much less likely.

“Taking the pill may have positive mental health effects for some women simply by relieving them of anxiety about pregnancy. A ‘survivor effect’ may also be at play. Women who experience symptoms of depression are more likely to stop taking the drug, placing them in a group of former users.

“However, stopping the pill without a suitable alternative increases the risk of unplanned pregnancy. Make sure women are well supported, well informed and provided with alternative contraceptive methods if necessary.” It is important that it be done.”

References: “The Association between Oral Contraceptive Use and Depression in U.S. Women” by Julia Gawronska, Katherine Meese, Lee Smith, Chao Cao, Nan Wang, and Susan Walker, October 11, 2023. Affective Disorders Journal.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.041

Source: scitechdaily.com