Stress And The Acceleration Of Immune Aging
Stress in the form of traumatic events, job strain, everyday stressors, and discrimination can accelerate aging of the immune system, potentially increasing an individual’s risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and illness from infections such as COVID-19. As reported on June 13, 2022 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, a study by researchers at the University of Southern California indicates that exposure to stress is a risk factor for poor health and accelerated aging. Immune aging plays a role in immune health and tissue specific aging, and may contribute to elevated risk for poor health among individuals who experience high psychosocial stress. Individuals with higher stress scores had older-seeming immune profiles, with lower percentages of fresh disease fighters and higher percentages of worn-out white blood cells. The association between stressful life events and fewer ready to respond, or naive, T cells remained strong even after controlling for education, smoking, drinking, BMI and race or ethnicity.
Disparities In Activity And Traffic Fatalities By Race/Ethnicity
Traffic fatalities remain a major public health challenge, A study reported on June 7, 2022 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine develops exposure-based estimates of fatalities per mile traveled for pedestrians, cyclists, and light-duty vehicle occupants and describes disparities by race/ethnicity, including a sub-analysis of fatality rates during darkness and in urban areas. Exposure to traffic fatality differs by race/ethnicity group and by mode, indicating that adjustment for differential exposure is needed when estimating disparities. Investigators found that fatality rates per 100 million miles traveled are systematically higher for Black and Hispanic Americans for all modes and notably higher for vulnerable modes (e.g., Black Americans died at more than four times the rate for White Americans while cycling, 33.71 [95% CI: 21.84, 73.83] compared with 7.53 [95% CI: 6.64, 8.69], and more than twice the rate while walking, 40.92 [95% CI: 36.58, 46.44] compared with 18.77 [95% CI: 17.30, 20.51]).
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CORNER
E-Nose Sniffs Out Mixtures Of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Clean air and the detection of pollution are of utmost importance for human health. As paint thinner, ink, and adhesives dry, they can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can have a negative impact on health. A typical common air pollutant among these VOCs is xylene, an important chemical feedstock finding widespread use not only in the large-scale synthesis of various polymers, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and parylene, but also in the rubber and leather industries. It exists as three isomers with the same elements, but slightly different arrangements. Because the isomers are so similar, they are difficult to monitor separately. The detection and discrimination of these isomers are quite important for environmental monitoring and medical care. As reported in an article published on June 8, 2022 in the journal ACS Sensors, researchers have developed an electric nose (“e-nose”) with porous metal-organic framework (MOF) films that can distinguish xylene isomer mixtures accurately.
Identification Of A Brain Circuit For Addiction Remission
Drug addiction is a public health crisis for which new treatments are needed urgently. In rare cases, regional brain damage can lead to addiction remission. These cases may be used to identify therapeutic targets for neuromodulation. Substance use disorders in the U.S. are a leading cause of death among young individuals. Treatments such as deep brain stimulation hold promise for helping them overcome addiction, but questions remain about what brain areas should be targeted. Researchers are gaining new insights from patients who are no longer addicted to nicotine after experiencing a brain lesion, such as a stroke. Using a new technique known as lesion network mapping, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA have mapped addiction remission to entire brain circuits rather than specific brain regions, pointing to new targets for treatment. The results are published on June 13, 2022 in the journal Nature Medicine. A goal is to take larger steps towards improving existing therapies for addiction and open the door for remission.