Specific Environmental Exposures may Help Predict Increased Risk of Death from Cardiovascular Disease

A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai quantifies the cardiovascular risk posed by exposure to specific environmental factors, showing, for example, that air pollution heightens the risk of heart disease mortality by 17 percent.

As COVID-19 and Online Misinformation Spread, Children and Teens Were Poisoned with Hand Sanitizer and Alcoholic Drinks

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, as false health information spread on social media, the number of children and teens poisoned with hand sanitizer or alcoholic beverages surged in Iran. These poisonings resulted in hundreds of hospitalizations and 22 deaths. Misinformation circulating on social media included the false suggestion that consuming alcohol (methanol) or hand sanitizer (ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) protected against COVID-19 infection (it does not). A major alcohol poisoning outbreak sickened nearly 6,000 Iranian adults, of whom 800 died. It was not known, however, to what extent children and adolescents were affected. For the study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, investigators compared pediatric hospitalizations for ethanol and methanol poisoning during the early COVID-19 pandemic in Iran with the same period the previous year. They also looked at types of exposure and how those were linked to the children’s ages and clinical outcomes.

Suspended studies and virtual lab meetings: How the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting epilepsy researchers

How was epilepsy research forced to morph during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic? Researchers from 11 countries shared their experiences and thoughts on the future of laboratory research, clinical trials, and in-person conferences.

The Road Ahead With Iran: A Conversation With Tony Blair

Against the backdrop of the recent U.S. strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Tony Blair discusses the current tensions with Iran and the implications for international policymakers. Mr. Blair discusses the critical role of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including ways the IRGC mobilizes and radicalizes its fighters for violence at home and abroad, and the road ahead for the United States and Europe.

Is Lebanon Becoming A Real Nation?

Amir Asmar is a Department of Defense analyst and CFR’s national intelligence fellow. Throughout his intelligence career, his primary area of focus has been the Middle East. He held a wide range of analytic, senior analytic, and leadership positions for the Department of the Army, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Intelligence Council. The statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in this blog post are strictly those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense (DoD) or the U.S. government. Review of the material does not imply DoD or U.S. government endorsement of factual accuracy or opinion.

New Doomsday Clock time signals inability or direct unwillingness of leaders to cooperatively respond to devastating threats to our planet

George A. Lopez, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies at Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies offers the following comments on the movement of the Doomsday Clock. In addition, he can comment on nuclear proliferation…

Evaluating the Trump Administration’s Iran Policy

In his testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, CFR President Richard N. Haass analyzed the pros and cons of the targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani and offered recommendations for U.S. policy moving forward.

University of Michigan legal experts can comment on the aftermath of the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, war powers and target killing operations.

University of Michigan legal experts can comment on war powers and target killing operations in the aftermath of the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Julian Davis Mortenson is a professor of law, focusing on constitutional and international law. He…

WashU Expert: Soleimani killing likely unlawful

Thousands of mourners have taken to the streets in Iran following the Jan. 3 death of Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force. Many questions remain following the U.S. drone strike in Iraq and Iran’s posturing about potential retaliation. Chief among them: Was the strike legal?“Unless there is much more to the story than meets the eye, the answer seems to be no,” said Leila Sadat, the James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law at Washington University in St.

University of Kentucky’s Ambassador Cavanaugh Available to Discuss Implications of U.S. Strike on Iran

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 7, 2020) — Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh is available to comment on escalating tensions in the Middle East. He is an expert on foreign policy.  Cavanaugh came to the University of Kentucky Patterson School of International Diplomacy following a…