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Category: health

Cannabis use associated with quadrupled risk of developing type 2 diabetes, finds study of over 4 million adults

Cannabis use is linked to an almost quadrupling in the risk of developing diabetes, according to an analysis of real-world data from over 4 million adults, being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) held in Vienna, Austria (15–19 Sept).

Cannabis use is increasing globally with an estimated 219 million users (4.3% of the global adult population) in 2021, but its long-term metabolic effects remain unknown. While some studies have suggested potential anti-inflammatory or weight management properties, others have raised concerns regarding glucose metabolism and , and the magnitude of the risk of developing diabetes hasn’t been clear.

To strengthen the evidence base, Dr. Ibrahim Kamel from the Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts, U.S. and colleagues analyzed from 54 health care organizations (TriNetX Research Network, with centers from across U.S. and Europe) to identify 96,795 outpatients (aged between 18 and 50 years, 52.5% female) with cannabis-related diagnoses (ranging from occasional use to dependence, including cases of intoxication and withdrawal) between 2010 and 2018.

Color-changing strip enables affordable nanoplastic analysis using ordinary microscope

A joint team from the University of Stuttgart in Germany and the University of Melbourne in Australia has developed a new method for the straightforward analysis of tiny nanoplastic particles in environmental samples. One needs only an ordinary optical microscope and a newly developed test strip—the optical sieve. The research results have now been published in Nature Photonics.

“The test strip can serve as a simple analysis tool in environmental and health research,” explains Prof. Harald Giessen, Head of the 4th Physics Institute of the University of Stuttgart. “In the near future, we will be working toward analyzing concentrations directly on site. But our new method could also be used to test blood or tissue for nanoplastic particles.”

Plastic waste is one of the central and acute global problems of the 21st century. It not only pollutes oceans, rivers, and beaches but has also been detected in living organisms in the form of microplastics. Until now, environmental scientists have focused their attention on larger plastic residues.

Mini microscope enables real-time 3D brain imaging in freely moving mice

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have created a miniaturized microscope for real-time, high-resolution, noninvasive imaging of brain activity in mice. The device is a significant step toward revolutionizing how neuroscientists study the brain.

“What we are doing is creating technology to image brain activity in freely moving and behaving mice to open up the behavior paradigm,” said Weijian Yang, professor of electrical and computer engineering. “The goal is to create a device capable of enabling research into brain activity and behavior in mice in real time—to see how brain activity drives behavior or perception.”

The microscope will advance insights into how the brain works, which is expected to benefit human health by empowering the development of new and improved therapeutic strategies for brain disorders.

New aortic repair device improves patient survival and recovery

King George, Albert Einstein, John Ritter, Richard Holbrooke, George C Scott, Lucille Ball, Betty Garrett, Walter Huston, Humphrey Lyttleton, Marilyn Chambers, and Michael Rennie all died from the same thing, Aortic dissection however the FDA recently approved AMDS Hybrid Prosthesis is helping change that by greatly inproving survival and recovery rates. UI Health Care is the first in Iowa to implant a patient with the recently approved AMDS Hybrid Prosthesis.

Patients who experience a specific type of aortic tear now have a new treatment option available at UI Health Care. The AMDS Hybrid Prosthesis, the world’s first aortic arch remodeling device, was recently approved for DeBakey Type 1 aortic dissection patients.

DeBakey Type 1 aortic dissection is a tear in the inner layer of the wall of the aorta—the main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. An aortic dissection causes blood to flow between the wall layers, which slows or stops normal blood flow and can lead to a complete rupture of the aorta. The condition is emergent, life-threatening, and requires immediate surgical repair.

The current treatment option involves removing a portion of the damaged aorta and grafting a synthetic tube in its place. These procedures are successful but often fail to treat the remainder of the diseased aorta, which can result in complications and the need for additional procedures in the future.

New study links blood proteins to Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss

Researchers at Emory Goizueta Brain Health Institute and partner institutions have found new clues in the blood that could help explain why Alzheimer’s disease develops and how it affects memory.

The study, published in Nature Aging, examined from more than 2,100 individuals across four large research cohorts. Using advanced tools, scientists measured thousands of proteins in the blood and linked them to changes in the and thinking ability.

Traditionally, doctors have focused on sticky amyloid plaques in the brain as a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.

Soft magnetoelastic sensor measures fatigue from eyeball movements in real-time

Over the past few decades, electronics engineers have developed increasingly sophisticated sensors that can reliably measure a wide range of physiological signals, including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate and oxygen saturation. These sensors were used to create both biomedical and consumer-facing wearable devices, advancing research and the real-time monitoring of health-related metrics, such as sleep quality and physiological stress.

Fatigue, a mental state marked by a decline in performance due to stress, lack of sleep, excessive activity or other factors, has proved to be more difficult to reliably quantify. Most existing methods for measuring fatigue rely on surveys that ask people to report how tired they feel, a method to record the brain’s electrical activity known as electroencephalography (EEG) or camera-based systems.

Most of these approaches are unreliable or only applicable in laboratory settings, as they rely on subjective evaluations, bulky equipment or controlled environments. These limitations prevent their large-scale deployment in everyday settings.

Atom-thin crystals provide new way to power the future of computer memory

Picture the smartphone in your pocket, the data centers powering artificial intelligence, or the wearable health monitors that track your heartbeat. All of them rely on energy-hungry memory chips to store and process information. As demand for computing resources continues to soar, so does the need for memory devices that are smaller, faster, and far more efficient.

A new study by Auburn physicists has taken an important step toward meeting this challenge.

The study, “Electrode-Assisted Switching in Memristors Based on Single-Crystal Transition Metal Dichalcogenides,” published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, shows how memristors—ultra-thin that “remember” past —switch their state with the help of electrodes and subtle atomic changes inside the material.

World’s First Clinical Trial Showing Lubiprostone AIDS Kidney Function

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue worldwide. Many patients end up requiring regular dialysis to avoid kidney failure and stay alive. Despite the severity of the condition, there are currently no drugs available that improve kidney function. A research group led by Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine’s Professor Takaaki Abe has found a remarkable solution to treat patients with CKD by co-opting a drug typically used for constipation. This is the first time that this drug (lubiprostone) was shown to prevent the decline of renal function in patients with CKD.

“We noticed that constipation is a symptom that often accompanies CKD, and decided to investigate this link further,” explains Abe. “Essentially, constipation disrupts the intestinal microbiota, which worsens kidney function. Working backwards, we hypothesized that we could improve kidney function by treating constipation.”

To address this issue, the group conducted a multicenter Phase II clinical trial (LUBI-CKD TRIAL) at nine Japanese medical institutions, enrolling 150 patients with moderate CKD. This study evaluated the effects of lubiprostone on kidney function. The results showed that, compared to the placebo group, the decline in kidney function (defined as the estimated glomerular filtration rate: eGFR) was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner in patients treated with 8 µg or 16 µg of lubiprostone.

A drug called lubiprostone — typically used for constipation — was remarkably shown to help patients with chronic kidney disease.

Surprising gut discovery reveals a hidden trigger of diabetes and liver disease

Scientists in Canada have uncovered a surprising culprit behind high blood sugar and liver problems: a hidden fuel made by gut bacteria. This little-known molecule, called D-lactate, slips into the bloodstream and pushes the liver to make too much sugar and fat. By creating a simple “trap” that blocks the molecule in the gut, researchers saw big improvements in blood sugar, insulin resistance, and liver health in obese mice—without changing diet or weight. The discovery opens up a fresh way to fight diabetes and fatty liver disease by targeting the gut’s secret fuel before it can do harm.

Personalized brain stimulation shows benefit for depression

A more precise and personalized form of electric brain stimulation may be a more effective and faster treatment for people with moderate to major depression compared to other similar treatments, according to a UCLA Health study.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, examined the effectiveness of a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment known as (HD-tDCS) in treating depression. Transcranial direct current stimulation uses electrodes placed on a patient’s scalp to deliver noninvasive, safe levels of electrical currents to targeted areas of the brain.

For depression, the treatment is used to target brain networks that regulate emotional processing and self-referential thoughts. TDCS has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for depression, and into various forms of tDCS is ongoing.

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