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Covid-19 kept our parks busy, but not everyone ventured outside

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Public use of parks and reserves increased only slightly during last year’s Covid-19 national lockdown despite gyms and sports facilities shutting down, a University of Queensland study found.

UQ School of Biological Sciences PhD candidate Violeta Berdejo-Espinola surveyed 1000 people in Brisbane, measuring their use of urban green space and the benefits people associated with visiting the areas during lockdown.

“People all around Brisbane, myself included, noticed a boom in park use in 2020, but while more people ventured into local parks, many folks were left indoors,” Ms Berdejo-Espinola said. [Read more…] about Covid-19 kept our parks busy, but not everyone ventured outside

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  • ECDC and WHO call for improved HIV testing in Europe
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    ECDC and WHO call for improved HIV testing in EuropeThe number of people living with undiagnosed HIV is increasing in the WHO European Region. According to data published today by ECDC and the WHO/Europe, more than 136 000 people were newly diagnosed in 2019 – roughly 20% of these diagnoses were in the EU/EAA and 80% in the eastern…
    Tags: people, news, health
  • Physical distancing policies ‘not enough to protect lower-income people’
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    Physical distancing policies ‘not enough to protect lower-income people’A new Boston University School of Public Health study of the first four months of America's coronavirus epidemic, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, shows that physical distancing (also called "social distancing") policies had little effect on lower income people still needing to leave their homes to go to work…
    Tags: people, covid, health, news
  • Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask study
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    Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask studyA new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that stretching is superior to brisk walking for reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or who are at risk of developing elevated blood pressure levels. Walking has long been the prescription of choice for physicians trying to help…
    Tags: people, news, health
  • Making health care more personal
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    Making health care more personalThe health care system today largely focuses on helping people after they have problems. When they do receive treatment, it’s based on what has worked best on average across a huge, diverse group of patients. Now the company Health at Scale is making health care more proactive and personalized –…
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  • Empathy may be in the eye of the beholder
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    Empathy may be in the eye of the beholderEmpathy is talked about a lot these days. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and a divisive political climate in the United States, calls for empathy have become louder and more urgent. We encourage empathy for those inflicted with Covid-19 and those struggling with unemployment. We reminisce about the…
    Tags: people, news

People who eat a plant-based dinner could reduce their risk of heart disease by 10 percent

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People who eat too many refined carbs and fatty meats for dinner have a higher risk of heart disease than those who eat a similar diet for breakfast, according to a nationwide study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Cardiovascular diseases like congestive heart failure, heart attack and stroke are the number one cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year.

Eating lots of saturated fat, processed meats and added sugars can raise your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease. [Read more…] about People who eat a plant-based dinner could reduce their risk of heart disease by 10 percent

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  • Déjà brew? Another shot for lovers of coffee
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    Déjà brew? Another shot for lovers of coffeeLong black, espresso, or latte, whatever your coffee preference, drink too much and you could be in hot water, especially when it comes to heart health. In a world first genetic study, researchers from the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the University of South Australia found that that long-term,…
    Tags: health, risk, heart, disease, news
  • One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation
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    One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillationA study of nearly 108,000 people has found that people who regularly drink a modest amount of alcohol are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a condition where the heart beats in an abnormal rhythm. The study, published today (Wednesday) in the European Heart Journal, found that, compared to drinking no…
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  • One cup of leafy green vegetables a day lowers risk of heart disease
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    One cup of leafy green vegetables a day lowers risk of heart diseaseNew Edith Cowan University (ECU) research has found that by eating just one cup of nitrate-rich vegetables each day people can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease. The study investigated whether people who regularly ate higher quantities of nitrate-rich vegetables, such as leafy greens and beetroot, had lower blood…
    Tags: disease, people, heart, risk, study, health, eating
  • Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask study
    32
    Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask studyA new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that stretching is superior to brisk walking for reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or who are at risk of developing elevated blood pressure levels. Walking has long been the prescription of choice for physicians trying to help…
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  • Coffee lovers, rejoice! Drinking more coffee associated with decreased heart failure risk
    31
    Coffee lovers, rejoice! Drinking more coffee associated with decreased heart failure riskDietary information from three large, well-known heart disease studies suggests drinking one or more cups of caffeinated coffee may reduce heart failure risk, according to research published today in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal. Coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke are among the top causes of…
    Tags: heart, risk, study, health

One cup of leafy green vegetables a day lowers risk of heart disease

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New Edith Cowan University (ECU) research has found that by eating just one cup of nitrate-rich vegetables each day people can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease.

The study investigated whether people who regularly ate higher quantities of nitrate-rich vegetables, such as leafy greens and beetroot, had lower blood pressure, and it also examined whether these same people were less likely to be diagnosed with heart disease many years later.

Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death globally, taking around 17.9 million lives each year. [Read more…] about One cup of leafy green vegetables a day lowers risk of heart disease

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  • People who eat a plant-based dinner could reduce their risk of heart disease by 10 percent
    41
    People who eat a plant-based dinner could reduce their risk of heart disease by 10 percentPeople who eat too many refined carbs and fatty meats for dinner have a higher risk of heart disease than those who eat a similar diet for breakfast, according to a nationwide study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Cardiovascular diseases like congestive heart failure,…
    Tags: heart, risk, disease, eating, people, study, health
  • Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask study
    35
    Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask studyA new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that stretching is superior to brisk walking for reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or who are at risk of developing elevated blood pressure levels. Walking has long been the prescription of choice for physicians trying to help…
    Tags: blood, pressure, study, people, health
  • One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation
    34
    One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillationA study of nearly 108,000 people has found that people who regularly drink a modest amount of alcohol are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a condition where the heart beats in an abnormal rhythm. The study, published today (Wednesday) in the European Heart Journal, found that, compared to drinking no…
    Tags: risk, heart, study, people, health
  • Higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer
    34
    Higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancerNext time you make a salad, you might want to consider adding mushrooms to it. That's because higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer, according to a new Penn State study, published on March 16 in Advances in Nutrition. The systematic review and meta-analysis examined 17…
    Tags: cancer, risk, lower, health
  • Déjà brew? Another shot for lovers of coffee
    33
    Déjà brew? Another shot for lovers of coffeeLong black, espresso, or latte, whatever your coffee preference, drink too much and you could be in hot water, especially when it comes to heart health. In a world first genetic study, researchers from the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the University of South Australia found that that long-term,…
    Tags: health, risk, heart, disease

Using social values for profit cheapens them, a new study cautions

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Businesses sometimes align themselves with important values such as a clean environment, feminism, or racial justice, thinking it’s a win-win: the value gets boosted along with the company’s bottom line.

But be careful, warns new research from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Using these values primarily for self-interested purposes such as profit or reputation can ultimately undermine their special status and erode people’s commitment to them. [Read more…] about Using social values for profit cheapens them, a new study cautions

Cancer rates in medieval Britain around 10 times higher than previously thought, study suggests

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The first study to use x-rays and CT scans to detect evidence of cancer among the skeletal remains of a pre-industrial population suggests that between 9-14% of adults in medieval Britain had the disease at the time of their death.

This puts cancer prevalence in a time before exposure to tumour-inducing chemicals from industry and tobacco at around ten times higher than previously thought, according to researchers.

Prior research into historic cancer rates using the archaeological record has been limited to examining the bone exterior for lesions. It suggested that cancer was rare, affecting less than 1% of the population. [Read more…] about Cancer rates in medieval Britain around 10 times higher than previously thought, study suggests

Implications are global in new study predicting human exodus in Bangladesh

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Rising sea levels and more powerful cyclonic storms, phenomena driven by the warming of oceans due to climate change, puts at immediate or potential risk an estimated 680 million people living in low-lying coastal zones (a number projected to reach more than one billion by 2050). In nations like Bangladesh these populations are already moving to escape sea-level rise.

In a new study, “Modeling human migration under environmental change: a case study of the effect of sea level rise in Bangladesh,” researchers led by Maurizio Porfiri, an engineer at the Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, apply data science to predict how the cascading effects of the migration in Bangladesh will ultimately affect 1.3 million people across the country by 2050. The work has implications for coastal populations worldwide.

The new study, co-authors of which include first author Pietro De Lellis, an engineer at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, and Manuel Ruiz Marin, a mathematician at the Technical University of Cartagena, Spain, presents a mathematical model of human migration that considers not just economic factors but also human behavior – whether people are unwilling or unable to leave and if they later return home. [Read more…] about Implications are global in new study predicting human exodus in Bangladesh

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    Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental changeOn an expedition to the Central Andean Plateau, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and colleagues were astounded to find a huge fossil-tree buried in the cold, grassy plain. The plant fossil record from this high-altitude site in southern Peru contains dramatic reminders that the environment in the…
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Human genome editing requires difficult conversations between science and society

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In October of 2020, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their discovery of an adaptable, easy way to edit genomes, known as CRISPR, which has transformed the world of genetic engineering.

CRISPR has been used to fight lung cancer and correct the mutation responsible for sickle cell anemia in stem cells. But the technology was also used by a Chinese scientist to secretly and illegally edit the genomes of twin girls – the first-ever heritable mutation of the human germline made with genetic engineering.

“We’ve moved away from an era of science where we understood the risks that came with new technology and where decision stakes were fairly low,” says Dietram Scheufele, a professor of life sciences communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. [Read more…] about Human genome editing requires difficult conversations between science and society

Use of e-cigarettes plus tobacco cigarettes linked to higher risk of respiratory symptoms

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Exclusively using (or “vaping”) e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking, but many people using e-cigarettes to quit smoking continue to smoke cigarettes.

New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reveals that respiratory symptoms – such as cough and wheeze – are more likely to develop when people use both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes together compared with using either one alone.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the flagship journal of the American Thoracic Society. [Read more…] about Use of e-cigarettes plus tobacco cigarettes linked to higher risk of respiratory symptoms

How tangled proteins kill brain cells, promote Alzheimer’s and CTE

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Look deep inside the brain of someone with Alzheimer’s disease, most forms of dementia or the concussion-related syndrome known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and you’ll find a common suspected culprit: stringy, hairball-like tangles of a protein called tau.

Such conditions, collectively known as “tauopathies” strike scores of people across the globe, with Alzheimer’s alone affecting six million people in the United States.

But more than a century after German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer discovered tau tangles, scientists still have much to learn about them. [Read more…] about How tangled proteins kill brain cells, promote Alzheimer’s and CTE

Making spaces on the high street for clothing repairs

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Making space in high street shops for people to repair clothes could mend the damage caused by fast fashion and transform sewing into a wellbeing activity, experts say.

More resources and opportunities for people to embrace slow fashion could also save people money, help them learn new skills and create new business opportunities.

A new study suggests a variety of ways in which consumers might be encouraged to change their clothing purchasing behaviour, depending on their personality traits. One way to do this might be by marketing making and mending expertise as the “hipster’s’ equivalent of a spa day”. [Read more…] about Making spaces on the high street for clothing repairs