Could Ultra-processed Foods Be the New ‘Silent’ Killer?

Hundreds of novel ingredients never encountered by human physiology are now found in nearly 60 percent of the average adult’s diet and nearly 70 percent of children’s diets in the U.S. An emerging health hazard is the unprecedented consumption of these ultra-processed foods in the standard American diet. This may be the new “silent” killer, as was unrecognized high blood pressure in previous decades.

FAU Receives $750,000 Philanthropic Grant for Alzheimer’s Disease

A $750,000 philanthropic grant from the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation will help FAU develop partnerships and programs that will establish best practice for coordinated care and research for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

World can now breathe easier

Global, population-weighted PM2.5 exposure — related to both pollution levels and population size — increased from 1998 to a peak in 2011, then decreased steadily from 2011 to 2019, largely driven by exposure reduction in China and slower growth in other regions, new research shows.

Elevated Lipoprotein(a) is the latest variant of ‘bad cholesterol’ found to increase the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease

Increased levels of Lipoprotein(a), a variant of ‘bad cholesterol’, in the bloodstream are a risk factor for recurrent coronary heart disease (CHD) in people aged 60 or over, according to the results of a new study which tracked the issue over the course of 16 years.

GW Expert Available: UN Committee Meets This Week on Treaty to End Global Plastic Pollution

Talks are underway this week to create a global treaty that would bring an end to plastic pollution. According to The Associated Press, a United Nations committee is meeting in Paris to work on what would be a landmark agreement that…

Perfect ‘Pathogen’ Storm: Vibrio Bacteria, Sargassum and Plastic Marine Debris

Little is known about the ecological relationship of Vibrio bacteria with Sargassum. Evidence also is sparse as to whether vibrios colonizing plastic marine debris and Sargassum could potentially infect humans. As summer kicks off and efforts are underway to find solutions to repurpose Sargassum, could these substrates pose a triple threat to public health? Results of a study representing the first Vibrio spp. genome assembled from plastic finds Vibrio pathogens have the unique ability to “stick” to microplastics, harboring potent opportunistic pathogens.

FAU Developed AUTOHOLO Shows Potential as Red Tide Warning System

Current methods to monitor red tide are limited. Using AUTOHOLO, a new autonomous, submersible, 3D holographic microscope and imaging system, a study is the first to characterize red tide in the field and breaks new ground for monitoring harmful algal blooms.

Global Efforts to Eliminate Mercury Skin Lightening Products

Led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with funding from the Global Environment Facility, and executed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), the Eliminating mercury skin lightening products project will work to reduce the risk of exposure to mercury-added skin lightening products, raising awareness of the health risks associated with their use, developing model regulations to reduce their circulation, and halting production, trade, and distribution across domestic and international markets.

Indoor Air-Cleaning Strategies Are Key to Minimizing Virus Spread

Along with vaccines, masks, and testing, indoor air hygiene and building engineering controls will be key to slowing the spread of airborne, highly infectious variants of COVID-19. In a recent review in the journal Indoor Air, researchers at Berkeley Lab presented a thorough review of the state of the science for several key strategies to reduce airborne infection risk using building controls – ventilation, filtration, airflow management and disinfection by germicidal ultraviolet (UV) light.

National Researcher of the Year 2022 Decodes Drug Resistance in Animals – A Step towards Sustainable Solutions

Chula Veterinary Lecturer and “National Outstanding Researcher 2022” has revealed the genetic code that causes drug resistance in animals that affects human health, animals, and the environment, and suggests comprehensive solutions under the concept “One Health”.

UCLA Experts Available for Comment on “A Year of Climate Action” Stemming From the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Experts, affiliated with FSPH’s UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions, are available for comment on issues raised by the IPCC report: Dr. Jonathan Fielding, UCLA FSPH distinguished professor of health policy and management and…

Climate Change from Nuclear War’s Smoke Could Threaten Global Food Supplies, Human Health

Nuclear war would cause many immediate fatalities, but smoke from the resulting fires would also cause climate change lasting up to 15 years that threatens worldwide food production and human health, according to a study by researchers at Rutgers University, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and other institutions.

The Health Implications of Climate Change: Emergency Medicine expert available

Caleb Dresser, MD, MPH, attending physician in Emergency Department, recent graduate of Fellowship in Climate and Human Health at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC)  Climate change and the extreme weather it brings, including heatwaves, hurricanes, and wildfires, impact not only land and infrastructure but human health as well. Through his work as an…

UCLA Fielding School of Public Health experts available to comment on IPCC report in terms of the public health impact of climate change

Dr. David Eisenman, director of the UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters and a MD, is available to respond to media inquiries on the potential impacts of climate change on human populations, including extreme heat, wildfire/smoke exposure, mental health, and…

FAU Receives Florida Department of Health Grant to Study Health Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms

Despite many occurrences of red tide and blue green algae in Florida waters, the understanding of the health effects of exposure to these blooms is limited. Researchers will evaluate short- and long-term health effects of exposure to harmful algal blooms (HABS) in Florida to capture key areas of human exposure and a wide demographic population profile. They also will evaluate the potential effect of exposure to COVID-19 on susceptibility to HABs and health outcomes in this study population.