Deaths by suicide increase significantly during the week of a full moon

For centuries, people have suspected a full moon in the sky to cause mysterious changes in people. Now, psychiatrists at Indiana University School of Medicine have found deaths by suicide increase during the full moon.

Trouble falling asleep at night? Chase that daytime light, study shows

A new study reports that college students in Seattle fall asleep later and wake up later in winter, likely because — as the study also found — in winter the students received less daylight exposure. The researcher say that outside in the morning, even on cloudy days, is the best way to prevent this circadian rhythm “delay.”

Permanent daylight saving time would reduce deer-vehicle collisions, study shows

Adopting permanent DST in the United States would reduce deer-vehicle collisions and likely prevent an estimated 36,550 deer deaths, 33 human deaths, 2,054 human injuries and $1.19 billion in costs each year. Deer-vehicle collisions would decrease under permanent DST because skies would be brighter later in the evening

AACN Research Grants Influence Nursing Practice

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses announces the newest recipients of its annual research grants and invites clinicians and researchers to submit projects online by Oct. 28, 2022, for the next application cycle. AACN will award up to three $50,000 Impact Research Grants in 2023, as well as co-sponsoring the AACN-Sigma Critical Care Grant, with up to $10,000 in funding.

New UCI-led research reveals the circadian clock influences cell growth, metabolism and tumor progression

In a new University of California, Irvine-led study, researchers define how the circadian clock influences cell growth, metabolism and tumor progression. Their research also reveals how disruption of the circadian clock impacts genome stability and mutations that can further drive critical tumor promoting pathways in the intestine.

NIH researchers decode retinal circuits for circadian rhythm, pupillary light response

The eye’s light-sensing retina taps different circuits depending on whether it is generating image-forming vision or carrying out a non-vision function such as regulating pupil size or sleep/wake cycles, according to a new mouse study from the National Eye Institute (NEI) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Seizures in the Canadian Arctic: A public health crisis, hidden in plain sight

He set out to research the effect of polar day-night patterns on seizure frequency and epilepsy. He found something he never expected: a public health crisis in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, relevant to geographically isolated communities and Indigenous peoples.

Light Therapy Improves Breast Cancer Survivors’ Sleep

Cancer alters the circadian rhythm functions, which results in fatigue and disrupted sleep/wake patterns. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Dr. Horng-Shiuann Wu studies how using extremely bright light to “reset” a female breast cancer patient’s internal clock can help them sleep better.​​​​​​​

Study points to remotely supervised exercise classes as best option during lockdown

Based on data for 344 volunteers, Brazilian researchers compared the physical and mental health benefits of workouts led in person by a fitness instructor, unsupervised online sessions, and classes supervised remotely via video call

Study: Don’t count on caffeine to fight sleep deprivation

Rough night of sleep? Relying on caffeine to get you through the day isn’t always the answer, says a new study from Michigan State University. Researchers from MSU’s Sleep and Learning Lab, led by psychology associate professor Kimberly Fenn, assessed…

How Did 500 Species of a Fish Form in a Lake? Dramatically Different Body Clocks

Despite the dramatic difference between day and nightlife, how fish exploit different times of day has not been studied systematically. Scientists explored alterations in the circadian timing of activity and the duration of rest-wake cycles in Lake Malawi’s cichlids and identified the first single nocturnal species. Timing and duration of rest and activity varies dramatically, and continuously, between populations of Lake Malawi cichlids, providing a system for exploring the molecular and neural basis underlying variation in nocturnal activity.

Significant decline in subarachnoid hemorrhage hospitalizations due to COVID-19

New research led by investigators from Boston Medical Center and Grady Memorial Hospital demonstrates the significant decline in hospitalizations for neurological emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) – bleeding in the space between the brain…

Chemo for glioblastoma may work better in morning than evening

An aggressive type of brain cancer, glioblastoma has no cure. Patients survive an average of 15 months after diagnosis, with fewer than 10% of patients surviving longer than five years. While researchers are investigating potential new therapies via ongoing clinical trials, a new study from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that a minor adjustment to the current standard treatment — giving chemotherapy in the morning rather than the evening — could add a few months to patients’ survival.

ENLIGHTENme: Exploring the impact of urban lighting on health and wellbeing

While EU cities have worked on improving urban lighting services, this has mostly focussed on efficiency, reducing costs and lowering emissions. Yet, it has failed to consider the effect urban lighting may have on citizens’ health and wellbeing. This will…

Mount Sinai Health System Launches Center for Light and Health Research

The clinical research conducted through the Center will investigate how to use light to improve people’s lives by stabilizing their circadian rhythms, the natural internal clock that regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Researchers will study how light, either from daylight or electric indoor light, affects circadian rhythms in various populations, from the very young to the very old, including patients with COVID-19, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and other illnesses. The goal is to help abate symptoms and improve their sleep, mental health, and cognition.

Study links exposure to nighttime artificial lights with elevated thyroid cancer risk

People living in regions with high levels of outdoor artificial light at night may face a higher risk of developing thyroid cancer. The finding comes from a study published early online in CANCER , a peer-reviewed journal of the American…