Author: healthadmin

The atmosphere plays a major role in dispersing microplastics around the planet, transporting these tiny particles to the most remote regions. People and animals can inhale them, raising concerns about possible health effects. Once airborne, microplastics can fall to Earth and increase pollution of oceans and soil around the world. A new study from the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Vienna provides a clearer picture of where these airborne microplastics come from. Researchers use global measurements and computer models to estimate emissions from both land and ocean sources. Their key finding was surprising: land releases 20…

New research published in Journal of social and personal relationships This provides evidence that confidence in how a person feels about their romantic partner plays an important role in their overall relationship satisfaction. The findings suggest that when people have strong beliefs about their positive feelings toward their significant other, they tend to experience greater relationship happiness and better mental health. This study highlights the importance of metacognition, the psychological process of thinking about your thoughts and feelings. Social psychology has studied the concept of attitude for decades. An attitude is essentially a basic evaluation, positive or negative, of a…

The FDA has issued two manufacturing-related Complete Response Letters (CRLs), putting the brakes on promising treatments from AbbVie and Grace Therapeutics. Chicago drug company AbbVie was looking to strengthen its industry-leading beauty product portfolio with Trenibotulinumtoxin E (TrenibotE), a fast-acting follow-up to its blockbuster Botox franchise. TrenibotE is a first-in-class botulinum neurotoxin serotype E and may represent a new option for those looking to treat moderate to severe glabellar wrinkles with short-term aesthetic results. AbbVie’s experimental injection is expected to last two to three weeks, compared to Botox’s standard duration of several months. However, the FDA is now requesting more…

After a series of regulatory and clinical setbacks for Sanofi’s trebrutinib, the French drugmaker has scored a victory with its multiple sclerosis (MS) candidate. On Thursday, Europe’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended approval for patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS) who have not had a relapse in the past two years. The CHMP cited benefits of trebrutinib including a 31% reduction in disability progression and a 38% reduction in new or expanding lesions per year compared to patients who received a placebo. In Europe, the drug will be sold under the brand name Cenrifki. Sanofi announced…

Scientists studying ancient Antarctic ice are uncovering new details about how Earth’s climate has changed over the past three million years. By analyzing both the ice and the small pockets of air trapped within it, researchers are building a longer-term, more complete record of past climate conditions. Two new studies have been published in the journal nature Unexpected patterns emerge. During this time, the Earth gradually cooled, but the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere decreased only slightly. A long-standing climate mystery For more than a century, scientists have known that the Earth was significantly warmer about 3…

Researchers at Sweden’s Lund University have conducted the most detailed mapping to date of the epigenome of cells that regulate the body’s blood sugar levels. This research natural metabolismshows how chemical changes to DNA affect both insulin-producing beta cells and glucagon-producing alpha cells, and how these patterns change in type 2 diabetes. All cells in the body have the same set of genes, but use different genes to develop into different types of cells. The epigenome controls this process by activating and deactivating cell type-specific genes. Insulin and glucagon, the hormones that regulate blood sugar, are produced by cells in…

Daiichi Sankyo has postponed the publication of its annual report by two weeks to allow additional time to finalize financial figures. The Japanese drugmaker said the delay was primarily due to the need to review its “oncology drug portfolio and development pipeline supply plan in light of rapidly changing business conditions.” “As a result, additional consideration is required to reasonably estimate the amount of loss reserves recorded in connection with contracts with contract manufacturers,” the company said in an April 24 announcement (PDF). Daiichi’s stock price on the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell more than 10% following the delay in announcing…

Young people aged 16 to 25 in the UK are three times more likely to start drinking alcohol than non-alcoholic or low-alcohol alternatives (62% vs. 17%), while fewer than one in five (18%) have never tried either, according to new research from the University of Sheffield. The study, funded by Alcohol Change UK and carried out by researchers at the University of Sheffield and University College London, is the first UK attempt to investigate the role of non-alcoholic drinks (no/rose), such as non-alcoholic or low-alcohol spirits, beer and wine, in young people’s lives. This comes as sales of No/Load Link…

Golden oyster mushrooms with bright yellow cushion-like caps are popular among home growers and gourmet enthusiasts. It is widely available as grow-your-own kits and sold at grocery stores, farmers markets, and specialty stores. But researchers at the University of Florida warn that this attractive mushroom has quietly spread through natural forests and is now available on markets across Florida. Michelle Jusinot, assistant professor of forest pathology in the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Earth Sciences at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), says growing this popular species comes with important responsibilities. Although prized in the kitchen, it may…

Deliberately slowing down your breathing rate changes how accurately you can perceive emotions on the faces of people around you, depending on whether you’re breathing in or out. This top-down influence of breathing on vision reveals that our lung rhythms actively shape brain networks involved in moment-to-moment judgment. The results of this study were recently published in the European Journal of Neuroscience. The act of breathing sustains life by taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. Beyond this baseline survival function, breathing also serves as an internal metronome for the nervous system. As the lungs expand and contract, rhythmic signals…