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☆ Extreme weather in Latin America unlocks vicious cycle that further fuels climate dangers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Nelson Acosta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAVANA, July 5 (Reuters) - Extreme weather is wreaking havoc across Latin America, racking up billions worth of damage and unleashing a vicious cycle that leads to higher demand for fossil fuels and more climate change, the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday. Temperatures have warmed an average 0.2 degree Celsius per decade over the past 30 years – the highest rate on record, according to the State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022 report. As temperatures rise, extreme weather events become more common, with often unexpected consequences that stoke climate change, the report said. “Many of the extreme events were influenced by the long-running La Nina but also bore the hallmark of human-induced climate change," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. "We are facing increasingly strong impacts from climate change, but the decisions adopted in climate negotiations for the implementation of the Paris Agreement do not advance at the same rate," she said.

Persons: Petteri Taalas, Daniel Becerril, Elba Rosa Perez, Nelson Acosta, Dave Sherwood, Marguerita Choy Organizations: World Meteorological Organization, stoke, Nina, REUTERS, El Nino, for Research, Meteorological Institute, Environment, Development, Thomson Locations: HAVANA, America, Latin America, Caribbean, South America, Monterrey, Mexico, El, Havana, China, Cuba, Paris

☆ Health-conscious millennials, Gen Zers are making cottage cheese cool again—but is it really that good for you?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

That number has since fallen to 1.9 pounds of cottage cheese per person in one year in 2021, USDA data shows. But is cottage cheese— or any cheese for that matter— actually good for you? Compared to other cheeses, including American cheese, cottage cheese is a much healthier option because it's less processed, says Shanahan. "Cottage cheese is healthier than American cheese because it's fermented and has some live bacteria in there [like] yogurt has," she says. "I'm not confident to suggest cottage cheese would be significantly different than other types of cheese," Sun tells CNBC Make It.

Persons: Zers, Cate Shanahan, Shanahan, Qi Sun, I'm, Sun, wouldn't Organizations: NPR, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Shanahan, CNBC, Harvard, of Public Health Locations: TikTok, cheddar, Chan

☆ The cult of Emily Oster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Sarah Todd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Emily Oster is sitting in the back of a car, checking her Garmin watch as we lurch through rush-hour traffic toward the Holland Tunnel. A self-described expert in data, Oster uses her economics training to dig into studies on things like circumcision and screen time and translate them for popular consumption. There doesn't seem to be much of a gap between the way Oster presents herself in her books and newsletters and the way she conducts her life. Unsurprisingly, economics informs every aspect of the way Oster sees the world. When Oster was a toddler, her mother told a Yale colleague that Oster often talked to herself before falling asleep.

Persons: Emily Oster, doesn't, Oster, Taylor Swift, Spock, —, Mandy Moore, Emily DiDonato, Amy Schumer, " Oster, Emily, Aisha McAdams, Claudia Goldin, who's, Lori Feldman, " Feldman, Winter, It's, reopenings, Timothy Caulfield, Oster's Brown, OSTER, She's, Sheryl Sandberg's, Brown, Denis Tangney Jr, graham, Eminem, Sharon Oster, Ray Fair, Jesse Shapiro, Katherine Nelson, Carl, Choate Rosemary Hall, John F, Kennedy, Glenn Close, Ivanka Trump, Goldin, Steven Levitt —, Oster —, Paul Farmer, Steven Levitt, Oster's, Levitt, Robert Barro, demographer Monica Das Gupta, Joseph Delaney, she'd, I've, Matt Notowidigdo, Chicago Booth, hadn't, Udo Salters, Patrick McMullan, Shapiro, Jessica Calarco, Dr, Anthony Fauci, Donald Trump, Calarco, Rochelle Walensky, Delaney, University of Manitoba epidemiologist, Abigail Cartus, Justin Feldman, Delivette Castor, they're, COVID, Castor, Notowidigdo, Carter, you'd, she's, there's Organizations: Garmin, Brown University, New York Times, American Academy of Pediatrics, Yorker, Yale School of Management, Yale, Harvard, Connecticut, Choate, University of Chicago, Forbes, Wall, Publicly, University of Manitoba, Getty, Oster, Centers for Disease Control, Columbia University, Harvard Business School Locations: Holland, Montclair , New Jersey, Montclair, Harvard, Providence , Rhode Island, New Haven , Connecticut, China, Canada, Chicago, Ohio, New Jersey

☆ Loneliness, social isolation linked with early death
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The new paper, however, is a meta-analysis of 90 studies that had examined the links between loneliness, social isolation and early death among more than 2 million adults. People who experienced social isolation had a 32% higher risk of dying early from any cause compared with those who weren’t socially isolated. Holt-Lunstad was the lead scientist on the US Surgeon General’s recent advisory report on social isolation and loneliness. Broadening social connectionsPeople experiencing social isolation and loneliness should actively seek social support, Wang said. Public health strategies to address loneliness and social isolation, including raising awareness, are also needed, Wang said.

Persons: Turhan Canli, Canli wasn’t, Julianne Holt, wasn’t, Holt, Lunstad, Anthony Ong, Ong wasn’t, ” Holt, Canli, “, ” Canli, Fan Wang, ”, Ong, Wang Organizations: CNN, Stony Brook University, Brigham Young University in, Center, Integrative Developmental, Human Health Labs, Cornell University, “, Harbin Medical University Locations: Brigham Young University in Utah, New York, China

State and local officials have touted the settlements as providing desperately needed relief to communities hit hard by the crisis. But when the money will be paid out, and who will get it, remains far from clear, Reuters has found. Among the states where money is already reaching organizations on the ground are Massachusetts, Kentucky and Arizona. Most states share a significant portion of their total settlement funds with their city and county governments, which make their own independent decisions about how to spend. But in May, the board overseeing the state’s opioid settlement denied a joint application by Challenges and a county health department to fund harm reduction efforts, without explaining its decision.

Persons: Johnson, ”, Brandon Marshall, Julie Burns, Chris Bryan, Glenn Hegar, Lisa Ruzicka, “, Ruzicka, “ I’ve, drugmakers Johnson, Lauren Kestner, Tricia Christensen, –, we’re, ” Marc Burrows, Brendan Pierson, Disha, Alexia Garamfalvi, Claudia Parsons Organizations: Johnson, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Reuters, District of Columbia, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics Reuters, Brown University School of Public Health, Rhode, Texas, Hope Foundation, Walgreens, Alliance, state’s Department of Health, Human Services, Prevention Services, Community Education Group, Alabama Attorney, University of Mississippi Medical, Inc, Thomson, & $ Locations: Massachusetts, Texas, United States, Maryland, Illinois, . Arkansas, Kentucky, Arizona, Rhode, RIZE Massachusetts, RIZE, Kansas, North Carolina, Charlotte, Appalachia, Mississippi, Alabama, New York

☆ FDA advisors raise doubts about seasonal updates to Covid vaccines as with flu shots
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's independent panel of advisors raised doubts about the need to "periodically" update Covid vaccines, noting that it's unclear if the virus is seasonal like the flu. But the original voting question included language about whether the panel recommends a "periodic update" to Covid shots. But several advisors cautioned against calling Covid seasonal like the flu. "It's not clear to me that this is a seasonal virus yet," said Henry Bernstein, a pediatrician at Cohen Children's Medical Center. In response to the advisors, FDA's Marks emphasized that Covid shots will likely require another update "at some point."

Persons: Peter Marks, Arthur Reingold, Henry Bernstein, Mark Sawyer, Sawyer, FDA's Marks Organizations: Union Station, The U.S . Food, University of California, Children's Medical Locations: Los Angeles , California, The U.S, Berkeley, U.S, San Diego

☆ Australia’s having an intense flu season, and it could be a signal of what’s to come in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —It’s only June, but scientists in the US are already thinking about flu season. As always at this time of year, they’re keeping a close eye on Australia, which saw an early start to its flu season. “We closely monitor what happens in countries throughout the Southern Hemisphere this time of year, just to see what’s happening during their flu season. If many people opt out of the flu vaccine, cases could rise. So while Reed and her colleagues will be watching Australia’s flu numbers and running their calculations, it’s still not totally clear what 2023’s flu season will bring for the US.

Persons: CNN — It’s, don’t, Care, It’s, ”, Carrie Reed, Reed, “ We’ve, Thomas McAndrew, “, Taylor Swift, ” McAndrew, William Schaffner, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, –, it’s, ” Reed Organizations: CNN, Australian Department of Health, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Department of Community, Population Health, Lehigh University . “, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, CNN Health, World Health Organization, agency’s Department of Health, Care Locations: Australia, Southern, Chicago, agency’s

We used a professional device called a sound level meter to record the decibel levels of common sounds and environments. According to the World Health Organization, average road traffic noise above 53 dB or average aircraft noise exposure above about 45 dB are associated with adverse health effects. This chart shows how many people in the United States may be exposed to various outdoor noise levels, on average. Scientists believe that pronounced fluctuations in noise levels like this might compound the effects on the body. Nighttime noise shows similar inequities.

Persons: D’Lo, Jackhammers clack, San Diego —, Reagan, George Jackson, Mendenhall, Carolyn Fletcher, Ron Allen Organizations: Bankers, San Diego, thunders, Massachusetts General Hospital, World Health Organization, Department of Transportation, Queens, High Tech Middle School, San Diego International Airport, dBs, Noise, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety, Health, European Union Locations: San, Bankers Hill, San Diego, Greenpoint , Brooklyn, Brooklyn, D’Lo, Miss, Mississippi, New York City, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, United States, U.S, Point Loma, Swiss, Paris, Berlin, Switzerland

☆ Is taurine the ‘elixir of life’? Maybe, if you’re a worm, mouse or monkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“This study suggests that taurine could be an elixir of life within us,” Yadav said in an earlier news release on the study, which published Thursday in the journal Science. Considered a non-essential amino acid, taurine exists in the brain, retina and nearly every muscle and organ tissue in the body. Taurine-fed worms lived longer and appeared healthier, but taurine “had no effect on yeast,” Yadav said. More than one solutionThe field of anti-aging is exploding, with taurine just one of many potential pathways to the holy grail of longer life. In the end, science is going to need “100 different kinds of taurine,” Lithgow said.

Persons: CNN —, taurine, Vijay Yadav, ” Yadav, Henning Wackerhage, “, ”, Walter Willett, Harvard T.H, ” Willett, Gordon Lithgow, I’m, it’s, Lithgow, ” Lithgow, “ You’ve, taurine “, Wackerhage, Yadav, Taurine, Pieter Cohen, Cohen, ” Cohen, There’s, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Columbia University, Technical University of Munich, Harvard, of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, Buck Institute, Disease, US Food and Drug Administration, Research, Cambridge Health Alliance, taurine Locations: New York City, Germany, Chan, Novato , California, Somerville , Massachusetts

☆ Fact Check-False claim of COVID vaccine link to AIDS-related illnesses recirculates
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Expose article says that its central claim is based on a “cherry-picked” list of conditions associated with AIDS and HIV infection. Any increase in the incidence of the listed conditions “would not necessarily be proof that the COVID-19 vaccines cause weakened immune systems,” Mimiaga noted. The claim that COVID vaccines can cause “vaccine-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome” or “VAIDS” has been shared since 2021. Similar claims that COVID vaccines cause HIV infections, AIDS or AIDS-like immune weakening have also been debunked (here), (here). The posts stem from a story that uses unreliable data to falsely suggest a link between COVID vaccines and AIDS-associated diseases and cancers, according to independent health experts.

Persons: ”, VAERS, Matthew Mimiaga, Mimiaga, Thomas Russo, ” Mimiaga, ” Russo, Read Organizations: Reuters, U.S, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Facebook, Food and Drug Administration, University of California, Fielding School of Public Health, ”, myocarditis, University, Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Locations: United States, Los Angeles, COVID

☆ How long you breastfeed may impact your child’s test scores later, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Whether children were breastfed as infants and for how long may have an impact on their test scores when they are adolescents, according to new research. What the study team found was that there was a modest improvement in test scores associated with being breastfed longer, Pereyra-Elías said. Consequently, the results only show a correlation between breastfeeding and test scores — not causation. The researchers tried to control for many factors that might influence their results, like the mother’s cognitive ability, but they couldn’t account for everything in an observational study, Pereyra-Elías said. The difference this study showed was modest, Pereyra-Elías added, meaning that it does not make a big enough difference on the test scores that it should cause parents worry, Pereyra-Elías said.

Persons: Reneé, Elías, Kevin McConway, McConway, ” McConway, It’s, ”, “, Andrew Whitelaw, Whitelaw Organizations: CNN, Disease, University of Oxford, Open University, University of Bristol Locations: England, United Kingdom

☆ FDA grants full approval to Pfizer Covid treatment Paxlovid for high-risk adults
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted full approval to Pfizer's Covid antiviral pill, Paxlovid, for adults who are at high risk of getting severely sick with the virus. The FDA first made Paxlovid available in December 2021 under emergency use authorization for high-risk individuals ages 12 and up. Both Pfizer and the FDA view the treatment as an important complementary tool to vaccination that can help high-risk Americans manage their Covid infections and ultimately save lives. For some doctors, another area of concern is Paxlovid "rebound cases." That's when patients who take the treatment see their Covid symptoms return or test positive shortly after they initially recover.

☆ How Reuters pinpointed bat-virus risk zones worldwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Areas where conditions are similar are more prone to spillover, scientists say. The Reuters analysis, which assessed spillover risk through 2020, has proven to have some predictive power. Similar statistical models are used widely to analyze data in ecology, and researchers use them to understand spillover risk. More than one of every five people on the planet is living in areas where the risk is highest for spillover. Using epidemic modeling software called GLEAMviz, the news agency simulated a worldwide pandemic originating from the spillover of a theoretical novel virus.

☆ Marijuana harms development in first trimester of pregnancy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Low birth weight is one of the strongest predictors of a child’s health and development long-term,” she said. “What we are telling women is that it’s not an absolute certainty that your baby’s growth will be impacted if you are using marijuana. “My advice to women is to avoid using marijuana at all during pregnancy and if possible stop using prior to becoming pregnant,” Bailey said. Marijuana use can harm fetal development in the first trimester, a time when many people may not know they are pregnant. Prior research has “pretty well established” that smoking cigarettes during pregnancy has a bigger impact on birth weight than exposure to marijuana,” Bailey said.

☆ Is your job ruining your sleep? If so, this may be why
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Experiencing negative changes in workplace leadership and fairness was associated with the strongest long-term impact on a worker's sleep. LumiNola/E+/Getty ImagesSleep problems included initiating or maintaining sleep, poor-quality sleep and daytime tiredness two to four times a week that lasted one month to three months. Within a two-year period of time, over half of the participants (53%) reported changes in their workplace environment. However, if the changes at work were negative, sleep issues increased — in fact 1 in 4 people in the study with a worse job environment developed problems getting enough rest. Having negative changes in the leadership and fairness sector was associated with the greatest long-term impact on sleep, more than negative changes in coworker relationships or collaboration, the study found.

☆ Fact Check-Compounds in Apeel’s edible food coating deemed safe by FDA
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Edible food coatings from U.S. company Apeel Sciences are made of monoglycerides and diglycerides that are not “toxic” to humans, contrary to posts on social media. The company received funding from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but is not owned by Bill Gates, as also claimed online. This is a Bill Gates founded company using toxic mono & diglycerides to make you SICK!” alongside a photo of an avocado with an Apeel label (here). Reuters has debunked posts conflating the edible food coating with a UK-manufactured cleaning product (here). The edible food coating known as Apeel is made of monoglycerides and diglycerides, compounds that are generally recognized as safe by the FDA and a nutritional expert in the quantities proposed by the company.

☆ Do You Know How to Spot Foods That Are Ultraprocessed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Sally Wadyka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Do You Know How to Spot Foods That Are Ultraprocessed? Years of research has linked diets high in ultraprocessed foods with a higher risk of illness, including obesity, cancer and heart disease. More recently, it’s become apparent that these foods can take a toll on our mental health, too. Learning to identify ultraprocessed foods, or UPFs, is a step toward making your diet healthier. Think you know which foods are ultraprocessed or not?

☆ Florida surgeon general appointed by DeSantis cut data from a COVID-19 vaccine safety study
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Associated Press | Sarah Gray | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo cut data from a COVID-19 vaccine safety study, per multiple reports. Ron DeSantis in 2021 to head the Florida Department of Health. The nonbinding recommendation made by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo last fall ran counter to the advice provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ladapo said that the risk of men ages 18 to 39 having cardiac complications outweighed the benefits of getting the mRNA vaccine. "(The vaccine) has done a lot to advance the health of people of Florida and he's encouraging people to mistrust it."

☆ Fried food is linked to increased risk of anxiety and depression
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A research team in Hangzhou, China, found that frequent consumption of fried foods, especially fried potatoes, was linked with a 12% higher risk of anxiety and 7% higher risk of depression than in people who didn’t eat fried foods. These results “open an avenue in the significance of reducing fried food consumption for mental health,” according to the paper published Monday in the journal PNAS. Frequent consumption of fried foods was linked to higher risk of anxiety and depression. Dr. Walter Willett said the results “should be regarded as very preliminary, especially the connection with fried food and acrylamide.”“The health effects of fried food will depend greatly on what food is fried and what type of fat is used for frying,” said Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. It's also possible that some people with mental health issues reach for fried food.

About half of the new gun owners were female, 20% were Black, and 20% were Hispanic. Overall, gun owners were 63% male and 73% White. “The face of gun ownership is changing somewhat and the people who are becoming new gun owners today are less likely to be male and more likely to be non-White, more likely to be somewhat younger than existing and long-standing gun owners,” Miller said. “Most people are coming in as new gun owners looking for something for personal defense or we spend a lot of time with inquisitive people. “I have a Ruger and a Rossi – both rifles,” Shelby said.

☆ Kids under 6 ingesting illicit substances rose after Covid-19 outbreak, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The outbreak of Covid-19 presented many dangers for children, and a new study suggests increased illicit substance ingestions were among them. Those numbers grew by 1.8% more per month than they did before the pandemic, the study said. The results could be skewed if health care providers were on the lookout for ingestions, Dodington added. There was no association between medicinal or recreational cannabis legalization and the rate of cannabis ingestion encounters, according to the study. Safer storageIngesting drugs and alcohol are particularly dangerous for young children, Dodington said.

☆ Type 2 diabetes: Coffee, tea lower risk of heart disease and early death
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —If you have type 2 diabetes, drinking more coffee, tea or plain water may lower your risk of dying prematurely from any cause by about 25%, a new study found. However, drinking more sugar-sweetened beverages raised the risk of heart disease by 25% and the risk of dying from a heart attack or another cardiovascular event by 29%, the study said. Adults with type 2 diabetes who drink more coffee or tea lower their risk of heart disease, a new study said. There was a 26% lower risk of early death associated with drinking coffee, 21% for tea, 23% for plain water and 12% for low-fat milk. When both sugar-sweetened and artificial no-calorie drinks were replaced with coffee, tea, plain water and low-fat milk, there was an even lower risk of heart disease and death from any cause.

Small icons of scientific papers are lined up in a grid, each representing a study of medication abortion. Studies of abortion pills Each icon represents one study that reported serious complications after medication abortion. For pregnant women considering medication abortion, the alternatives would be childbirth or procedural abortion. Almost all patients will experience bleeding and pain during a medication abortion, because the pills essentially trigger a miscarriage. But the study itself notes that bleeding is expected, serious complications are rare and medication abortion is safe.

☆ My Family and the Measles Vaccine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( James V. Grimaldi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Surgeon General granted licenses to two drug companies to produce the first measles vaccines. It had taken nine years of research before a vaccine was ready for release to the public. That was too late for my sister, Mary Maura Grimaldi, who died at age 6 of encephalitis caused by measles, on the same day the licenses were announced. By contrast, it took only about a year for scientists to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. The difference was largely due to advances in research technology and $18 billion in taxpayer funds, said Dr. Paul Rota, chief of Viral Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

☆ FDA advisors reject Biogen's ALS drug for rare and aggressive form of the disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Food and Drug Administration's independent panel of advisors on Wednesday declined to endorse accelerated approval of Biogen's investigational ALS drug for a rare and aggressive form of the disease. The drug tofersen was developed to treat a rare genetic form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. That number is even smaller in the U.S., with roughly 330 people affected by the SOD1 mutation. The median survival time from diagnosis with the rare form of ALS to death is 2.7 years, according to the company. The SOD1 mutation is associated with 20% of cases that occur within families.

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