Navigating Life After an Incurable Diagnosis: Vital Steps to Take

Guest Post by: Nicole Rubin

Receiving an incurable disease or chronic condition diagnosis is undoubtedly life-altering. The emotional and physical toll can be overwhelming, but it's important to remember that you're not alone in this journey. In this article from MindSpa, we'll guide you through essential steps to take if you've been newly diagnosed. Let's begin.

Create a Strong Support Network
While a diagnosis of a chronic or incurable condition can be an isolating experience, it's vital to recognize that you're not alone; you have a network of people who deeply care about you. Your friends and family can be irreplaceable sources of emotional sustenance and can often provide practical support as well. Whether they are taking on the role of chauffeur for medical appointments or serving as empathetic confidants, their contributions can significantly alleviate the weight of your journey.

Improve Your Home
Your physical environment plays a crucial role in your well-being, especially when facing a chronic condition. A living space that accommodates your unique needs can significantly improve your quality of life. Whether that means installing mobility aids or relocating closer to healthcare providers, investing in your living conditions is a step towards self-care.

Purchase a More Accessible Home
Purchasing a more accessible home can greatly enhance the quality of life for individuals with mobility issues or other special needs. When embarking on the home-buying process, it's crucial to work with a real estate agent who has experience in finding properties that meet accessibility requirements, such as wheelchair-friendly ramps, wider doorways, or single-story layouts. Inspections and walk-throughs should be more meticulous to ensure all accessibility features are up to code and meet your specific needs. 

Financial planning is also key, as accessible homes may sometimes come at a premium, so exploring grants or loans aimed at accessibility can be beneficial. You’ll also need to start saving for a down payment; depending on the situation, you may be required to put around 20 percent down.

Symptom Management
Harvard Medical School notes that management of your symptoms should be a priority. Consult your healthcare team for a tailored management plan that might involve medication, lifestyle alterations, or possibly physical therapy. Empowering yourself through a proactive approach to symptom control can help give you a semblance of normality and control, both of which are necessities.

Take Good Care of Your Mental Health
One Medical points out that your emotional well-being is as important as your physical health, particularly given the added stress and psychological burden of your diagnosis. Consider engaging with a mental health professional like a counselor or therapist. They can equip you with coping strategies to handle the emotional rollercoaster you might be experiencing as you progress through this time in your life.

Exploring Alternative Therapies
While conventional treatments are foundational, exploring alternative therapies could offer additional relief. Techniques like acupuncture, yoga, or mindfulness meditation may complement your current treatment and offer holistic health benefits. However, always consult your healthcare provider before incorporating new therapies into your routine.

Maintaining Hope
Maintaining a positive mindset amid the difficulties of a chronic illness or incurable diagnosis is not just uplifting but crucial for your overall well-being. Engaging in activities that bring you joy and positivity can serve as both emotional relief and mental rejuvenation. Whether it's immersing yourself in a creative endeavor like painting, enjoying your favorite music, or cherishing quality time with loved ones, these moments of happiness act as valuable pauses, offering a respite from the constant focus on health challenges.

Advocating for Yourself
You're the principal stakeholder in your healthcare journey. Equip yourself with the knowledge about your condition and the treatments available. Being well-informed enables you to ask pertinent questions during medical consultations and even seek second opinions when in doubt. Your engagement and advocacy can lead to more personalized and effective care.

Streamline Your Medical Records
Being organized is another way to advocate for yourself effectively. Well-organized medical records can facilitate clear communication with healthcare providers and ensure you receive timely care. You can use non-proprietary digital formats like PDFs to keep your medical history, treatment plans, and other documents neatly organized and easily accessible.

Being diagnosed with an incurable disease or chronic condition is an immensely challenging experience that can make you feel like you've lost control over your life. However, the actionable steps detailed earlier offer a roadmap to regaining a sense of autonomy and well-being. From creating a robust network of friends and family to improving your living situation, efficiently organizing your medical records in PDF formats, and more, you can face these difficult times armed with resilience and a proactive approach.

Depression, anxiety common among college students

Study underscores role of building culture of belonging for minority

October 17, 2023

Science Daily/University of Georgia

Depression and anxiety among college students is a growing public health problem. And new research from the University of Georgia suggests the problem may be worse for students who aren't the same race as most of their peers.

The new study found that students who were not the majority race at a predominantly white college reported significantly higher rates of depression than their white peers.

At the mostly white university, more than half of the students who self-identified as races other than white reported feelings of mild depression. An additional 17% said they were experiencing moderate to severe depression.

Students at the predominantly white institution all reported similar levels of anxiety, regardless of race, with more than three in every five students saying they experience mild to severe levels of anxiety.

At the historically Black college, students who weren't Black experienced higher rates of anxiety and depression as well.

"Our study adds to the evidence of how important the work around inclusivity and mental health is in the college environment," said Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa, an associate professor in UGA's College of Public Health. "It's important to be mindful that not all students come with the same background, and we need to support them more."

First-generation students more likely to suffer depression

More than 3,100 students participated in the study during the COVID-19 pandemic, answering questions about feelings of hopelessness, sleep issues and lack of energy, among other topics.

The researchers found that first-generation students were also significantly more likely to experience depression compared to students who weren't the first to attend college in their families.

All first-generation students surveyed expressed that they had some level of depression, regardless of the institution. Most reported mild symptoms, but more than half at the predominantly white university said they had moderate to severe levels of depression.

"I was an international student myself and can relate to the stresses of settling in during the first semester in the U.S. a little bit" Rajbhandari-Thapa said. "Being a first-generation student and experiencing college for the first time in your family comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities, and it is important that university faculty and staff work towards addressing the challenges.

"There are trainings and workshops in the workplace, but we need to do more to help new college students feel at home."

Socializing, sense of belonging helps safeguard against mental illness

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life for most Americans. College students were particularly hard hit.

Where they would normally be socializing and engaging in group activities, many were masked up and socially distanced, preventing some of that integral interaction that strengthens social bonds. The additional stressors likely led to increases in stress and anxiety, but the researchers suggest that not all groups were affected equally.

Female students, for example, were harder hit with depression and anxiety than their male counterparts, which reflects the larger social pattern of mental health problems hitting women more intensely.

But the researchers say investing in diversity, equity, and inclusion resources can help students feel more at home on campus, regardless of their race or first-generation status.

"Belonging is so important," Rajbhandari-Thapa said. "I don't think there is ever enough support for first-generation and minority students. Universities are starting to do this already, but it's important that we provide as much support as possible."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231017123422.htm

Assessing 'readiness' by tracking fluctuations in daily sleep duration and their effects on daily mood, motivation, and sleepiness

October 13, 2023

Science Daily/National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

Self-reported sleepiness relates to poorer performance in tasks requiring vigilance, such as driving and has also been associated with reduced motivation to engage in social or physical activities. Better mood can result in more productive behavior, better job performance and higher academic achievement. Finally, higher motivation has been tied to greater productivity among working adults and higher grade-point averages in students.

A good night's sleep prepares us for the next day. Conversely, inadequate sleep diminishes performance in tasks requiring attention, memory, and executive functions that have real world consequences.

'Readiness scores' currently provided by consumer fitness and sleep trackers were designed to predict physical performance rather than how we would handle daily tasks and social interactions. Both manufacturers and users loosely assume the latter as well but that has never been scientifically tested. A simple gauge of preparedness to take on a new day would be highly desirable.

Professor Michael Chee, Assistant Professor Stijn Massar and Alyssa Ng from the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) led work to create such a gauge by having 119 university students report their mood, motivation, and sleepiness (MMS) after waking and before going to bed, daily for between 2 to 6 weeks.

Self-reported sleepiness relates to poorer performance in tasks requiring vigilance, such as driving and has also been associated with reduced motivation to engage in social or physical activities. Better mood can result in more productive behavior, better job performance and higher academic achievement. Finally, higher motivation has been tied to greater productivity among working adults and higher grade-point averages in students.

Sleep was measured with Oura Rings and cross-referenced with smartphone app based self-reports that also captured daytime naps and their duration.

Nights with longer sleep than the participant's average were associated with better mood, higher motivation, and lower sleepiness in the post-wake period. Better scores in mood and sleepiness persisted into the pre-bedtime period. Interestingly, these associations between nocturnal sleep and MMS did not affect ratings for the subsequent day, meaning that a good night of sleep following a poor one could be helpful to restore one's social function.

Irregularity of sleep duration over a week had a negative impact on MMS ratings, extending work done elsewhere that found multiple ill effects of having irregular sleep duration.

Significant associations between MMS and nap duration suggest that day-time naps may alleviate the effects of inadequate nocturnal sleep that university students are well known for.

Attesting to the importance of personalized sleep information, a person's average sleep duration did not significantly predict between-subjects differences in average mood or motivation ratings in the post-wake window. This suggests that there are significant interindividual differences in the amount of sleep necessary to maintain mental well-being.

"This work lends credibility to provision of a daily 'readiness' score for purposes other than athletic performance based on measurements of nocturnal sleep duration" said Alyssa Ng the graduate student who drove the work.

"People say they know all they need about their sleep within a few weeks of using a sleep tracker but our work suggests, there is real value in continuing to measure sleep to help you judge when to push it and when to hold back in work or social settings" said Professor Chee who has been a significant contributor to research evaluating the utility of wearable sleep trackers.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231013114906.htm

Americans will spend half their lives taking prescription drugs

October 12, 2023

Science Daily/Penn State

An American born in 2019 will spend a larger share of their lifetime taking prescription drugs than being married or receiving an education, according to new research by Jessica Ho, associate professor of sociology and demography at Penn State. She found that American males will spend approximately 48% of their lives taking prescription drugs. The number jumped to 60% for females.

Ho reported her findings this week (Oct. 1) in the journal Demography.

"As an American, I'd like to know what medications I'm putting in my body and how long I can expect to take them," said Ho, who is also an associate of Penn State's Social Science Research Institute. "The years that people can expect to spend taking prescription drugs are now higher than they might spend in their first marriage, getting an education or being in the labor force. It's important to recognize the central role that prescription drug use has taken on in our lives."

Ho used nationally representative surveys conducted by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 1996 through 2019 to study prescription drug use across the United States. The surveys include information from approximately 15,000 households chosen annually and collect information every five months, offering better recall than surveys taken once a year. In addition, nearly 70% of survey respondents allow the AHRQ and CDC to verify their prescriptions with their pharmacies, affording the surveys higher levels of accuracy.

The researcher then used mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Human Mortality Database to estimate how long Americans born in 2019 could expect to live. She then combined this information with the survey data to estimate the percent of their lifetimes they could expect to spend taking prescription medications.

She found that the majority of American men are taking prescription drugs by age 40, while most American women are taking prescription drugs by age 15. On average, a newborn boy in 2019 could expect to take prescription drugs for approximately 37 years, or 48% of his life. A newborn girl in 2019 could expect to take them for approximately 47.5 years, or 60% of her life.

"We see that women start taking prescription drugs earlier than men do, and some of that is related to birth control and hormonal contraceptives," Ho said. "But it is also related to greater use of psychotherapeutic drugs and painkillers among women. If we consider the difference between men and women, excluding contraceptives would only account for about a third of the difference. The remaining two-thirds is primarily driven by the use of other hormone-related drugs, painkillers and psychotherapeutic drugs used to treat conditions such as depression, anxiety and ADHD."

Men, on the other hand, tend to take more statins and other medications to treat cardiovascular disease, explained Ho. But statin use varies across race and ethnicity, she said.

"Non-Hispanic Black men have lower rates of statin use than non-Hispanic whites or Hispanics," Ho said. "That's concerning because we know that cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other metabolic disorders are really high among Black men. There's no reason that they should be taking these drugs for fewer years of their lives than men in other racial and ethnic groups. Health care access, differential treatment by medical providers, and available socioeconomic resources vary across populations and may help to account for these differences."

She also found that rates of polypharmacy, or when an individual takes five or more drugs at the same time, have risen to alarming levels. In the mid-1990s, most people taking prescription medications were on one drug. Today, individuals taking prescription medications are equally likely to be taking five or more medications, according to Ho.

The findings have implications for Americans' health and health care expenditures. Many of the drugs that individuals are on for 40 or 50 years have only been on the market for the past five decades, so their long-term effects on the body are still unknown, Ho said. Further, polypharmacy puts the individual at greater risk for drug interactions and adverse health outcomes, she said.

As for health care costs, prescription drug expenditures hit $335 billion in 2018. Out-of-pocket expenditures on prescription medications account for 14% of drug spending, and prescription drug spending is projected to hit $875 billion, or 15.4% of national health expenditures, by 2026.

"This paper is not trying to say that use of prescription drugs is good or bad," Ho said. "Obviously, they have made a difference in treating many conditions, but there are growing concerns about how much is too much. There's a large body of research that shows Americans are less healthy and live shorter lives than our counterparts in other high-income countries. The prescription drug piece is part and parcel of that reality. What we find is, even above and beyond what we might expect to be seeing, the rates of prescription drug use in the United States are extraordinarily high."

The National Institutes of Health, through the National Institute on Aging, supported this work.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231012161832.htm

Jet lag disorder associated with shift work can lead to brain changes increasing appetite

October 11, 2023

Science Daily/University of Bristol

Scientists have uncovered why night shift work is associated with changes in appetite in a new University of Bristol-led study. The findings, published in Communications Biology, could help the millions of people that work through the night and struggle with weight gain.

Scientists from Bristol and the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Japan, sought to understand how 'circadian misalignment' -- a phenomenon commonly associated with 'jet-lag' whereby the body's biological clock is disrupted -- affects the hormones responsible for regulating appetite.

Prevalent in night shift workers, in this new study, the international team reveal how circadian misalignment can profoundly alter the brain's regulation of hormones controlling hunger to the detriment of metabolic health.

The team focused on glucocorticoid hormones in the adrenal gland which regulate many physiological functions including metabolism and appetite. Glucocorticoids are known to directly regulate a group of brain peptides controlling appetitive behaviour, with some increasing appetite (orexigenic) and some decreasing appetite (anorexigenic).

In an experiment using animal models, comprising a control group and a out-of-phase 'jet-lagged' group, the team found misalignment between light and dark cues led the out-of-phase group's orexigenic hypothalamic neuropeptides (NPY) to become dysregulated, driving an increased desire to eat significantly more during the inactive phase of the day.

Strikingly, the team discovered that rats in the control group ate 88.4% of their daily intake during their active phase, and only 11.6% during their inactive phase. In contrast, the 'jet-lagged' group consumed 53.8% of their daily calories during their inactive phase (without an increase in activity during this time). This equated to nearly five-times more (460% more) than what the control group consumed during the inactive phase. These results show that it is timing of consumption that has been affected.

This new discovery revealed how completely, and significantly, disordered the neuropeptides become when daily glucocorticoid levels are out of synch with light and dark cues. However, the authors suggest the neuropeptides identified in this study may be promising targets for drug treatments adapted to treat eating disorders and obesity.

Dr Becky Conway-Campbell, Research Fellow in Bristol Medical School: Translational Health Sciences (THS) and the study's senior author, said: "For people working throughout the night, a reversed body clock can play havoc with their health.

"For those who are working night shifts long-term, we recommend they try to maintain daylight exposure, cardiovascular exercise and mealtimes at regulated hours. However, internal brain messages to drive increased appetite are difficult to override with 'discipline' or 'routine' so we are currently designing studies to assess rescue strategies and pharmacological intervention drugs. We hope our findings also provide new insight into how chronic stress and sleep disruption leads to caloric overconsumption."

Stafford Lightman, Professor of Medicine at Bristol Medical School: THS and co-senior author on the study, added: "The adrenal hormone corticosterone, which is normally secreted in a circadian manner, is a major factor in the daily control of brain peptides that regulate appetite. Furthermore when we disturb the normal relationship of corticosterone with the day to night light cycle it results in abnormal gene regulation and appetite during the period of time that the animals normally sleep.

"Our study shows that when we disturb our normal bodily rhythms this in turn disrupts normal appetite regulation in a way that is at least in part a result of desynchrony between adrenal steroid hormone production and the timing of the light and dark cycle."

Dr Benjamin Flynn, one of the study's co-authors who conducted the study while at Bristol but is now based at the University of Bath, added: "This is further evidence of how phase shift 'jet-lag' affects feeding behaviours and neuronal gene expression -- data important for shift work co-morbidity research."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231011182220.htm

How plant-derived nutrients can affect the gut and brain

Study tests link in overweight adults

October 10, 2023

Science Daily/Universität Leipzig

Prebiotics are used to foster the colonisation of beneficial bacteria in the gut. These indigestible dietary fibres are found in plant-derived foods such as onions, leeks, artichokes, wheat, bananas, and in high concentrations in chicory root. They support gut health by promoting the growth and activity of beneficial gut bacteria. Researchers have now investigated whether certain prebiotics can also influence brain function by improving communication between the gut microbiome and the brain.

The interventional study led by the University of Leipzig Medical Center indicates that consumption of high-dose dietary prebiotics leads to a reduction in reward-related brain activation in response to high-calorie food stimuli. "The results suggest a potential link between gut health and brain function, in this case food decision-making," says PD Dr Veronica Witte, co-author of the study and a scientist at the University of Leipzig Medical Center.

Young to middle-aged adults with overweight were selected for the study who followed an omnivorous, Western diet. The 59 volunteers consumed 30 grams of inulin, a prebiotic from chicory root, daily for 14 days. During functional MRI imaging, participants were shown pictures of food and asked how much they desired to eat the meals depicted. Following the MRI experiment, they were provided with their highest rated dish and asked to consume it.

The MRI examination was repeated at four timepoints, before and after the prebiotic administration and before and after a placebo phase in which the participants were given a preparation with identical energy density but without prebiotics. When the participants evaluated high-calorie foods, there was comparatively less activation of reward-related brain areas after they had consumed the prebiotic fibre. This effect was accompanied by a shift in the composition of the gut bacteria.

The findings, derived from advanced neuroimaging, next-generation sequencing of gut bacteria, and combined analyses of potential metabolic pathways, suggest that functional microbial changes may underlie the altered brain response towards high-caloric food cues. Fasting blood samples from the participants underwent analysis for gastrointestinal hormones, glucose, lipids, and inflammatory markers. In addition, gut microbiota and their metabolites, namely short-chain fatty acids, were measured in stool samples. The research was conducted within the Collaborative Research Centre 1052, "Obesity Mechanisms."

"Further studies are needed to investigate whether treatments that alter the microbiome could open up new avenues for less invasive approaches to the prevention and treatment of obesity. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms between the microbiome, gut, and brain could help to develop new strategies that promote healthier eating habits in people at risk" says Dr Witte. A follow-up study is currently underway, examining the effects of long-term, high-dose prebiotic administration over six months on eating behaviour, brain function and body weight in people living with overweight and obesity.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231010133552.htm

Scientists says identifying some foods as addictive could shift attitudes, stimulate research

October 9, 2023

Science Daily/Virginia Tech

Researchers from the United States, Brazil, and Spain, including scientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, published an analysis in a special edition of the British Medical Journal with a timely and controversial recommendation: It's time for an international shift in the way we think about ultra-processed food.

"There is converging and consistent support for the validity and clinical relevance of food addiction," said Ashley Gearhardt, the article's corresponding author and a psychology professor at the University of Michigan. "By acknowledging that certain types of processed foods have the properties of addictive substances, we may be able to help improve global health."

While people can give up smoking, drinking, or gambling, they can't stop eating, said co-author Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. The challenge, and the open and controversial question, is defining which foods have the most potential for addiction and why.

Their work was published Oct. 10 in Food For Thought, a special edition of the British Medical Journal, a high-impact publication and one of the world's oldest medical journals.

DiFeliceantonio is also associate director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute's Center for Health Behaviors Research and an assistant professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech.

Not all foods have the potential for addiction, the researchers said.

"Most foods that we think of as natural, or minimally processed, provide energy in the form of carbohydrate or fat -- but not both," DiFeliceantonio said.

Researchers gave the example of an apple, salmon, and a chocolate bar. The apple has a carbohydrate to fat ratio of roughly 1-to-0, while the salmon has a ratio of 0-to-1. In contrast, the chocolate bar has a carbohydrate to fat ratio of 1-to-1, which appears to increase a food's addictive potential.

"Many ultra-processed foods have higher levels of both. That combination has a different effect on the brain," DiFeliceantonio said. Researchers also called for more study into the role of food additives used in industrial processing. Key takeaways from the analysis include:

• Behaviors around ultra-processed food, which are high in refined carbohydrates and added fats, may meet the criteria for diagnosis of substance use disorder in some people. Those behaviors include less control over intake, intense cravings, symptoms of withdrawal, and continued use despite such consequences as obesity, binge eating disorder, poorer physical and mental health, and lower quality of life.

• This global health challenge needs to consider geographic differences. In a review of 281 studies from 36 different countries, researchers found ultra-processed food addiction is estimated to occur in 14 percent of adults and 12 percent of children. In some countries, ultra-processed foods are a needed source of calories. Even within high-income countries, food deserts and other factors could limit access to minimally processed foods. People facing food insecurity are more reliant on ultra-processed foods, and therefore more likely to demonstrate food addiction, researchers noted.

• Viewing some foods as addictive could lead to novel approaches in the realm of social justice, clinical care, and public policy. Policies implemented in Chile and Mexico -- taxes, labelling, and marketing -- are associated with decreases in caloric intake and purchases of foods high in sugar, saturated fat, and salt, for example. And in the United Kingdom, a salt-reduction program was associated with a decline in deaths from stroke and coronary artery disease.

The co-authors represent international expertise on food addiction, nutrition physiology, gut-brain reward signaling, food policy, behavioral addiction, and eating disorders. They call for more study and science surrounding ultra-processed foods,

"Given how prevalent these foods are -- they make up 58 percent of calories consumed in the United States -- there is so much we don't know." DiFeliceantonio said.

The researchers call for more study into such areas as: how complex features of ultra-processed foods combine to increase their addictive potential; better defining which foods can be considered addictive; differences among countries and communities, including disadvantaged communities; the value of public-health messaging; and clinical guidelines for preventing, treating, and managing addiction to ultra-processed foods.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231009191727.htm

Unifying matter, energy and consciousness

Understanding the interplay between consciousness, energy and matter could bring important insights to our fundamental understanding of reality

October 10, 2023

Science Daily/University of Technology Sydney

With the rise of brain-interface technology and artificial intelligence that can imitate brain functions, understanding the nature of consciousness and how it interacts with reality is not just an age-old philosophical question but also a salient challenge for humanity.

Can AI become conscious, and how would we know? Should we incorporate human or animal cells, such as neurons, into machines and robots? Would they be conscious and have subjective experiences? Does consciousness reduce to physicalism, or is it fundamental? And if machine-brain interaction influenced you to commit a crime, or caused a crime, would you be responsible beyond a reasonable doubt? Do we have a free will?

AI and computer science specialist Dr Mahendra Samarawickrama, winner of the Australian Computer Society's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Professional of the year, has applied his knowledge of physics and artificial neural networks to this thorny topic.

He presented a peer-reviewed paper on fundamental physics and consciousness at the 11th International Conference on Mathematical Modelling in Physical Sciences, Unifying Matter, Energy and Consciousness, which has just been published in the AIP (the American Institute of Physics) Conference Proceedings.

"Consciousness is an evolving topic connected to physics, engineering, neuroscience and many other fields. Understanding the interplay between consciousness, energy and matter could bring important insights to our fundamental understanding of reality," said Dr Samarawickrama.

"Einstein's dream of a unified theory is a quest that occupies the minds of many theoretical physicists and engineers. Some solutions completely change existing frameworks, which increases complexity and creates more problems than it solves.

"My theory brings the notion of consciousness to fundamental physics such that it complements the current physics models and explains the time, causality, and interplay of consciousness, energy and matter.

"I propose that consciousness is a high-speed sequential flow of awareness subjected to relativity. The quantised energy of consciousness can interplay with matter creating reality while adhering to laws of physics, including quantum physics and relativity.

"Awareness can be seen in life, AI and even physical realities like entangled particles. Studying consciousness helps us be aware of and differentiate realities that exist in nature," he said.

Dr Samarawickrama is an honorary Visiting Scholar in the School of Computer Science at the University of Technology Sydney, where he has contributed to UTS research on data science and AI, focusing on social impact.

"Research in this field could pave the way towards the development of conscious AI, with robots that are aware and have the ability to think becoming a reality. We want to ensure that artificial intelligence is ethical and responsible in emerging solutions," Dr Samarawickrama said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231010105350.htm

Fathers' parental leave might protect men against alcohol-related morbidity

October 6, 2023

Science Daily/Stockholm University

Men who have been on parental leave have a significantly reduced risk of being hospitalized due to alcohol consumption. This is shown by a study published in Addiction from researchers at the Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University.

The aim of the study was to assess whether fathers' parental leave influences alcohol-related morbidity and mortality. In order to try to find out if that is the case, the researchers have investigated the effects of parental leave policy that was implemented in Sweden in 1995. The policy encouraged fathers to use parental leave by reserving 30 days of leave for their use alone and resulted in the proportion of fathers using parental leave increasing from 43 percent to 75 percent.

"Our findings were pretty remarkable considering the severity of the studied outcome. Although alcohol-related hospitalizations were rather uncommon, we found that after the policy was implemented there was a 34% decrease in these hospitalizations among fathers in the two years after birth, as well as smaller decreases up to 8 and 18 years after birth," says Helena Honkaniemi, researcher at the Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University.

"Most changes were found among hospitalizations for alcohol intoxication and alcohol-related mental and behavioral disorders. Additional analyses evaluating actual changes in parental leave use from before to after the policy suggest that these health consequences could be explained by the increase in fathers' parental leave use, rather than other underlying trends," says Helena Honkaniemi.

However, no changes were found for alcohol-related mortality.

Co-author Associate Professor Sol Juárez believes that the results of the study could be useful for policymakers.

"Policymakers should consider that fathers' parental leave not only promotes more gender-equal participation in childcare, but can also reduce alcohol-related harms," Juárez says.

The study "Alcohol-related morbidity and mortality by fathers' parental leave: A quasi-experimental study in Sweden" draws on Swedish register data of all fathers of singleton children born from January 1992 to December 1997, three years before and after the policy was implemented.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231006104552.htm

Don't feel appreciated by your partner? Relationship interventions can help

October 5, 2023

Science Daily/University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

When we're married or in a long-term romantic relationship, we may eventually come to take each other for granted and forget to show appreciation. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign finds that it doesn't have to stay this way.

The study examined why perceived gratitude from a spouse or romantic partner changes over time, and whether it can be improved through relationship intervention programs.

"Gratitude almost seems to be a secret sauce to relationships, and an important piece to the puzzle of romantic relationships that hasn't gotten much attention in research studies until recently. And in couple relationships, it's not just about being appreciative for your partner but also about feeling appreciated by your partner. Gratitude for couples is very interpersonal and something that is exchanged between partners," said Allen Barton, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at U. of I. and an Illinois Extension specialist. Barton is lead author on the paper.

The study analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial with 615 low-income, help-seeking couples who signed up for an online relationship intervention program. Both partners had to participate in order to qualify for the study.

Couples assigned to the treatment group in the study participated in one of two online relationship education interventions, OurRelationship and ePREP, both of which provide couples with principles and practices to better communicate, understand conflict, and address problems in their relationship. Each program ran for 6 weeks and included online lessons and activities, as well as periodic meetings with a relationship coach.

A control group was assigned to a waitlist and did not receive intervention until after the study was completed. The researchers collected data through surveys before program participation began and at two-, four-, and six-month follow-ups.

Barton and his colleagues first looked at factors that predicted lower levels of perceived gratitude among the control group. They found that individuals who felt less appreciated by their partner were more likely to be female, married, and have children. Older age was also associated with a decline in perceived gratitude over time.

"These findings make sense. When we first meet somebody, we're very mindful to show our appreciation. Over time, this tends to get lost, and people may not realize that neither partner feels as appreciated as they would like to be. From other research we have done, we know that ensuring partners feel acknowledged and valued will go a long way in promoting the quality of their relationship," Barton stated.

The researchers also found that, for those assigned to the control group, perceived gratitude remained at the same level throughout the duration of the study despite improvements in communication, satisfaction, and other relationship variables. Thus, while other aspects of the relationship may be more likely to fluctuate or increase, gratitude is not something that seems to improve by itself over time, Barton said.

But can it get better with some outside assistance?

To answer that question, the authors examined whether perceived gratitude increased by participating in either of the two online relationship interventions.

Results indicated couples in the intervention group did, in fact, report improvement in partner gratitude relative to individuals in the control group.

"We found that levels of perceived gratitude improved as a result of participating in these online relationship interventions, which have been shown to improve overall couple relationship quality across several dimensions. The effect on gratitude was not as large as program effects on some of the other aspects, which isn't surprising because the program wasn't focusing on gratitude, but there was still a measurable effect," Baron explained.

Some relationship programs have been directed solely towards improving gratitude, but those have shown mixed results, Barton noted. When people express gratitude because they've been asked to do so as part of a program, it may come across as insincere and be less effective.

"Gratitude is a unique construct that seems to be lower in more established relationships, but it can be improved through efficacious relationship intervention programming. It has been an overlooked dimension that makes for healthy, supportive relationships. Our findings indicate we should develop programming that aims to improve levels of perceived gratitude, but it shouldn't be the sole focus; it should be one component of the intervention," he said.

Barton's advice to couples is to be mindful of the power of saying "thank you."

"If you're married or in a romantic relationship, as simple as it may seem, make sure to regularly give specific, sincere compliments to your spouse or romantic partner. I also encourage couples to ask each other if there are areas where one person doesn't feel appreciated and then work to remedy that," he said.

"It takes a lot of work to make a family happen, and that work becomes all the more challenging when your efforts aren't acknowledged. So just ensuring there's a regular rhythm in a relationship where both partners are expressing appreciation and both partners feel valued is important."

The study focused on low-income couples, who were at or below 200% of the federal poverty line for a family.

"Financial strain can be a stressor for couples, and lower-income individuals tend to have higher relationship instability," Barton noted. "Decades of social science research indicate that having strong marriages and couple relationships matters for individuals, for children, and for communities. A lot of factors influencing couple relationships are difficult to change but this-feeling appreciated by your partner-is one important factor that, as we show in this study, can be changed by effective interventions."

Couples seeking help with their relationship can participate in the Strong Couples Project that is currently disseminating the ePREP program tested in this study. This project, offered through Illinois Extension and directed by Barton, is available free of charge to qualifying participants nationwide.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231005161729.htm

Increased deep sleep benefits your heart

October 5, 2023

Science Daily/ETH Zurich

Researchers play ultra-brief tones to stimulate the brain during deep sleep. This stimulation improves cardiac output and relaxation of the left ventricle. Such technology to improve cardiovascular function could be relevant both in disease treatment and competitive sports.

Sleep is a vital aspect of human life, with deep sleep being particularly crucial for overall health. The brain recovers during this sleep stage, and the rest of the body seems to regenerate then as well.

Recently, researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich have shown that increased deep sleep is of particular benefit to the cardiovascular system: targeted stimulation with brief tones during deep sleep causes the heart -- in particular the left ventricle -- to contract and relax more vigorously. As a result, it pumps blood into the circulatory system and draws it out again more efficiently. The left ventricle supplies most organs, the extremities, and the brain with oxygen-rich arterial blood.

When the heart contracts, the left ventricle is squeezed and wrung out like a wet sponge. The more immediate and more powerful this wringing action, the more blood enters the circulation and the less remains in the heart. This increases blood flow, which has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system.

An interdisciplinary team of heart specialists led by Christian Schmied, Senior Consultant for Cardiology at the University Hospital Zurich, used echocardiography (cardiac ultrasound examinations) to demonstrate that the left ventricle undergoes more intense deformation after nocturnal stimulation. This is the first time anyone has shown that an increase in brain waves during deep sleep (slow waves) improves cardiac function. The corresponding study was recently published in the European Heart Journal.

"We were expecting that stimulation with tones during deep sleep would impact the cardiovascular system. But the fact that this effect was so clearly measurable after just one night of stimulation surprised us," explains project leader and sleep expert Caroline Lustenberger, SNSF Ambizione Fellow at the Neural Control of Movement Lab at ETH Zurich.

Heart specialist Schmied is also delighted: "We clearly saw that both the heart's pumping force and its relaxation were greater after nights with stimulation compared to nights without stimulation." Both factors are an excellent measure of cardiovascular system function.

Stimulation with pink noise

The study involved 18 healthy men aged 30 to 57, who spent three non-consecutive nights in the sleep laboratory. On two nights, the researchers stimulated the subjects with sounds; on one night, they did not.

While the subjects slept, the scientists continuously measured their brain activity, blood pressure and heart activity. They coupled their measurements to a computer system that analysed the incoming data.

As soon as the readings indicated that the subject had fallen into deep sleep, the computer played a series of very brief tones at certain frequencies, called pink noise, which sound like static. Ten seconds of such tones were followed by 10 seconds of silence, and then the same procedure could be repeated. A feedback mechanism ensured that the noise was played at the right time and -- depending on the brain wave pattern -- stopped again.

This experimental setup allowed the researchers to directly monitor whether the sound simulation enhanced deep sleep and whether it influenced the subjects' heart rate and blood pressure. "During stimulation, we clearly see an increase in slow waves, as well as a response from the cardiovascular system that is reminiscent of cardiovascular pulsation," says lead author Stephanie Huwiler, describing the direct effects during sleep.

The next morning, the heart specialists examined the subjects' cardiac function using echocardiography (ultrasound).

Significant results despite small group

"Despite the relatively small group of subjects, the results are significant. We were also able to reproduce the results on two separate nights, which in statistical terms makes them very strong," Lustenberger says.

A small group size is typical for laboratory sleep studies, she adds, because they require a lot of resources. In addition, the researchers deliberately selected only men. This is because they are more homogeneous as a group of subjects than women in a comparable age bracket, whose menstrual cycle or menopause has a major effect on their sleep. "When all you've got to work with is one night a week for three weeks, the effects of the menstrual cycle will play a role in women. These effects might have masked the stimulation effect in this sort of initial study," Lustenberger explains.

She emphasizes, however, that future studies should definitely include women, as gender differences in sleep and cardiovascular health are becoming increasingly apparent and have profound implications for primary healthcare.

Practical future benefits

This study is of great interest not only to cardiologists but to athletes as well. "Especially in preventive medicine, but also in competitive sport, this kind of deep sleep stimulation system might enable improved cardiac function in the future -- and possibly ensure faster and better recovery after intense workouts," says Huwiler, who presented the initial results of the study at the Zurich Symposium for Sports Cardiology in March 2023. Lustenberger adds: "The treatment of cardiovascular diseases may be enhanced with this or similar stimulation methods. However, it's crucial to first investigate whether patients can benefit from this kind of deep sleep stimulation method as well."

The researchers are now looking for further, more powerful stimulation methods to positively impact the cardiovascular system. To this end, Huwiler is applying to Innosuisse for a Bridge Proof of Concept grant and for an ETH Pioneer Fellowship grant. In addition, she is in the process of setting up a start-up called EARDREAM together with Lustenberger, Simon Baur, and Rafael Polanía to further develop the findings and transfer them into practice.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231005110805.htm

Awe-inspiring science can have a positive effect on mental wellbeing

October 5, 2023

Science Daily/University of Warwick

Research led by psychologists at the University of Warwick has revealed a profound connection between the spirituality of science and positive wellbeing, much like the benefits traditionally associated with religion.

The research explored how people use science as a source of spirituality and its connection with their sense of wellbeing.

Dr Jesse Preston, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick and lead author of the study said: "Spirituality is most often associated with religion, but science can be a powerful source of awe and wonder for many. It can provide a meaningful source of understanding oneself and the universe, and it can foster a sense of connection to others and our place in the world."

Science parallels positive wellbeing observed in religious people

In three studies, Dr. Preston and her research team surveyed 1197 people (602 men, 589 women, and 6 others) on their attitudes towards religious beliefs, spirituality and their interest and belief in science.

The first study established the concept of "Spirituality of Science," and asked people about feelings of transcendence, connection and meaning when engaging with science. Participants' responses were compared with other attitudes towards science, including an interest in science and belief in science, feelings of awe, meaning in their lives and religious beliefs.

Spirituality of Science was related to belief in science, but unlike other attitudes including interest in science and belief in science, Spirituality of Science was also associated with feelings of awe and general spirituality. This showed that scientific sources of spirituality may be psychologically similar to religious spirituality.

In the second study, the researchers focused specifically on a group of 526 atheists and agnostics, and found that Spirituality of Science was correlated with measures of psychological wellbeing, such as happiness, and meaning in life.

Preston explained: "Previous research has found that religious belief generally predicts positive mental wellbeing, but it has also implied that non-religious people may be subject to poorer psychological wellbeing. This research has found that in fact, sources of spirituality outside of religion, like science, can have similar positive effects."

Meaningful experiences could improve educational outcomes in science

The third study investigated links between Spirituality of Science and engagement and learning in science, and found that spiritual experiences in science predicted stronger engagement and recall of scientific information.

Dr Preston says the findings of the research could improve the teaching and learning of science in schools and predict better educational outcomes:

"Although science and religion differ in many ways, they share a capacity for spirituality through feelings of awe, coherence, and meaning in life. This capacity for spirituality has some important benefits and implications, as this research has found.

"People with greater feelings of Spirituality of Science were more positively engaged with science material, which predicted better science performance. And in a group of atheists and agnostics, Spirituality of Science predicted measures of well-being and meaning in life, paralleling the positive effects of religion that is frequently observed in religious people.

Dr Preston added: "This work contributes not only to our current understanding of science attitudes but also to our general understanding of spirituality."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231005110757.htm

Should fathers be screened for postpartum depression?

October 4, 2023

Science Daily/University of Illinois Chicago

Dads can suffer from postpartum depression, and a new pilot study at the University of Illinois Chicago suggests they can and should be screened for the condition. Given the intertwined effects of mothers' and fathers' physical and mental health, addressing the health of fathers may be a powerful untapped tool in improving the nation's ongoing maternal health crisis.

The researchers got mothers' permission to interview and screen 24 dads, 30% of whom screened positive for postpartum depression on the same tool that is commonly used to screen moms. Lead author Dr. Sam Wainwright said this points to the importance of asking new dads how they're doing.

"A lot of dads are stressed. They're scared. They're struggling with balancing work and parental and partner responsibilities," he said. "Men are often not doing well, but no one is asking them about it."

Talking to new dads about their mental health takes on additional importance when considering how it can impact their partners' health.

"A woman at risk for postpartum depression is much more likely to get postpartum depression if she has a depressed partner," said Wainwright, assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics.

Other studies have estimated that 8% to 13% of new fathers have postpartum depression. Wainwright suspects this study's rate was higher because nearly 90% of the participants identified as being from a racial or ethnic group that faces issues of structural racism and social determinants that can worsen mental health.

The study, published in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, was conducted at UI Health's Two-Generation Clinic. Opened in 2020, the clinic grew out of the understanding that new mothers, especially low-resource mothers of color who are taking on parenthood alongside a host of structural challenges often do not prioritize their own health care. However, they are often very diligent in bringing their children to the doctor, Wainwright explained. The Two-Generation Clinic capitalizes on children's visits by offering moms primary care at the same time.

Yet, dads were often left out of this process. Members of the clinic team began chatting with dads to see how they were doing. Wainwright said they'd often hear comments such as, "I'm really stressed, but I don't want my partner to know because I'm here to support her." This study grew out of those conversations.

Those conversations also spurred a larger research project that Wainwright has begun to learn more about the experiences of dads, especially as related to their mental and physical health. Perhaps well-baby visits aren't the only place to reach dads, he said, so he's started talking to fathers-to-be in the obstetrics waiting area, too. He's also asking to screen dads for conditions like high blood pressure during these conversations.

The medical world struggles to connect with young men, who often aren't eager to see a doctor, Wainwright said, so reaching them as they enter fatherhood presents an important opportunity. In fact, some of the men in the postpartum depression study who did not have a primary care physician are now seeing Wainwright for medical care, and others requested mental health services.

The overarching goal of this line of research is to better understand how to help men stay healthy so that their relationships and families are healthy, too, Wainwright explained.

"How can we show them that it's important to take care of yourself for the sake of your baby, for the sake of your partner and for your own sake?" he said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231004105219.htm

Losing sleep? It might be time to check your blood pressure

October 2, 2023

Science Daily/Brigham and Women's Hospital

New study from Brigham researchers highlights a correlation between symptoms of insomnia and hypertension in women.

Getting enough sleep has never been more difficult in today's fast-paced environment. Yet new research from investigators in the Channing Division of Network Medicine of Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, highlights why getting a good night's sleep is critical to staying healthy. Their research unveils that women who struggled with getting enough sleep were at greater risk of developing hypertension, or high blood pressure. Results are published in the journal Hypertension.

"These findings suggest that individuals who struggle with symptoms of insomnia may be at risk of hypertension and could benefit from preemptive screening," explained Shahab Haghayegh, Ph.D., a research fellow at the Brigham and Harvard Medical School. "Hypertension is associated with many other physical and mental health complications. The sooner we can identify individuals with high blood pressure and treat them for it, the better we can mitigate future health issues."

Both hypertension and sleep disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent among adults in the United States. In fact, more than 35% of US adults do not get enough sleep at night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests that 30% of Americans experience symptoms of insomnia. Strikingly, 45% of U.S. adults live with high blood pressure.

Haghayegh and colleagues followed 66,122 participants between 25 and 42 years of age in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS2) cohort, all without hypertension at the study's onset, over sixteen years (from 2001 until 2017). Investigators collected information on participants' age, race, body mass index (BMI), diet, lifestyle, physical activity, history of sleep apnea, and family history of hypertension and assessed the incidence of hypertension among the group every two years. They first began measuring sleep duration in 2001, then did so again in 2009, recording the average number of hours slept over a 24-hour period. They also tracked sleeping difficulties, such as having trouble falling or staying asleep or waking up early in the morning, collecting responses at several time points throughout the study.

Data analyses revealed that women with sleeping difficulties had higher BMIs, lower physical activity, and poorer diets, on average. Researcher also found that those who struggled with sleep were more likely to smoke and drink alcohol and have previously gone through menopause.

Among the 25,987 cases of hypertension documented over the follow-up, women who slept less than seven to eight hours a night had a significantly higher risk of developing hypertension, according to the data collected. Similarly, women who had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep were also more likely to develop hypertension. Waking up early in the morning was not associated with this increased risk. Notably, these associations, remained significant after controlling for participant shift work schedules (night versus day shifts) and chronotype (morningness versus eveningness).

While the exact nature of the relationship between sleep and risk of hypertension is unknown, Haghayegh said that sleep difficulties can lead to a chain of events that can increase sodium retention, arterial stiffness, and cardiac output, potentially leading to hypertension. Disruptions to the sleep/wake cycle can also influence blood vessel constriction/relaxation activity and the function of cells that regulate the vascular tone.

While this study only looked at the association between sleep and hypertension in women, researchers hope to expand their work to include men and non-binary participants. A second limitation is that researchers could only collect data on sleep quality at select time points throughout the study. Some of the study's strengths include the larger number of participants and length of follow-up duration.

Haghayegh emphasizes that these findings do not indicate causality. He wants to understand why this association exists and how treating one condition may also treat the other. In future clinical studies, he aims to investigate if sleep medications could have a beneficial effect on blood pressure.

"I hope these findings further underscore the crucial role of quality sleep in our overall well-being. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends sleeping seven or more hours a night, and if you cannot fall or stay asleep, it might be worth exploring why that is," said Haghayegh. "This study highlights yet another reason why getting a good night's sleep is so important."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231002170907.htm

Exposure to air pollution linked to increased risk of stroke within 5 days

September 28, 2023

Science Daily/American Academy of Neurology

Short-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to an increased risk of stroke, according to a meta-analysis published in the September 27, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Short-term exposure was defined as occurring within five days of the stroke.

"Previous research has established a connection between long-term exposure to air pollution and an increased risk of stroke," said study author Ahmad Toubasi, MD, of the University of Jordan in Amman. "However, the correlation between short-term exposure to air pollution and stroke had been less clear. For our study, instead of looking at weeks or months of exposure, we looked at just five days and found a link between short-term exposure to air pollution and an increased risk of stroke."

The meta-analysis involved a review of 110 studies that included more than 18 million cases of stroke.

Researchers looked at pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide.

They also looked at different sizes of particulate matter, including PM1, which is air pollution that is less than 1 micron (µm) in diameter, as well as PM2.5 and PM10. PM2.5 or smaller includes inhalable particles from motor vehicle exhaust, the burning of fuels by power plants and other industries as well as forest and grass fires. PM10 includes dust from roads and construction sites.

People who had exposure to a higher concentration of various types of air pollution had an increased risk of stroke. Higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were linked to a 28% increased risk of stroke; higher ozone levels were linked to a 5% increase; carbon monoxide had a 26% increase; and sulfur dioxide had a 15% increase. A higher concentration of PM1 was linked to a 9% increased risk of stroke, with PM2.5 at 15% and PM10 at 14%.

Higher levels of air pollution were also linked to higher risk of death from stroke. Higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were linked to a 33% increased risk of death from stroke, sulfur dioxide, a 60% increase, PM2.5, a 9% increase and PM10, a 2% increase.

"There is a strong and significant association between air pollution and the occurrence of stroke as well as death from stroke within five days of exposure," Toubasi said. "This highlights the importance of global efforts to create policies that reduce air pollution. Doing so may reduce the number of strokes and their consequences."

A limitation of the meta-analysis was most of the studies were conducted in high-income countries, while limited data was available from low- and middle-income countries.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230928152634.htm

Increasing steps by 3,000 per day can lower blood pressure in older adults

This study sought to determine if older adults with hypertension could receive these benefits by moderately increasing their daily walking, which is one of the easiest and most popular forms of physical activity for this population.

September 27, 2023

Science Daily/University of Connecticut

An estimated 80% of older adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure. Maintaining healthy blood pressure can protect against serious conditions like heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes.

A new study including Linda Pescatello, distinguished professor of kinesiology in UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, found that adding a relatively minimal amount of movement, about 3,000 steps per day, can significantly reduce high blood pressure in older adults.

Pescatello worked with Elizabeth Lefferts, the lead author of the paper, Duck-chun Lee, and others in Lee's lab at Iowa State University. They published their findings in a recent issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease.

"We'll all get high blood pressure if we live long enough, at least in this country," Pescatello says. "That's how prevalent it is."

Pescatello is an expert on hypertension (the clinical term for high blood pressure) and exercise. Her previous research has demonstrated that exercise can have a significant immediate and long-lasting impact on lowering blood pressure in hypertensive adults.

This study sought to determine if older adults with hypertension could receive these benefits by moderately increasing their daily walking, which is one of the easiest and most popular forms of physical activity for this population.

"It's easy to do, they don't need any equipment, they can do it anywhere at almost any time," Lee says.

The study focused on a group of sedentary older adults between ages 68 and 78 who walked an average of about 4,000 steps per day before the study.

After consulting existing studies, Lee determined that 3,000 steps would be a reasonable goal. This would also put most participants at 7,000 daily steps, in line with the American College of Sports Medicine's recommendation.

"3,000 steps is large enough but not too challenging to achieve for health benefits," Lee says.

The team conducted the study during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant they had to do everything remotely.

The researchers sent participants a kit with pedometers, blood pressure monitors, and step diaries for participants to log how much they were walking each day.

On average, participants' systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by an average of seven and four points, respectively, after the intervention.

Other studies suggest decreases of these magnitudes correspond to a relative risk reduction of all-cause mortality by 11%, and 16% for cardiovascular mortality, an 18% reduction in the risk of heart disease, and a 36% risk reduction of stroke.

"It's exciting that a simple lifestyle intervention can be just as effective as structured exercise and some medications," Lefferts says.

The findings suggest that the 7,000-step regimen the participants in the study achieved is on-par with reductions seen with anti-hypertensive medications.Eight of the 21 participants were already on anti-hypertensive medications. Those participants still saw improvements in systolic blood pressure from increasing their daily activity.

"In a previous study, we found that when exercise is combined with medication, exercise bolsters the effects of blood pressure medication alone," Pescatello says. "It just speaks to the value of exercise as anti-hypertensive therapy. It's not to negate the effects of medication at all, but it's part of the treatment arsenal."

The researchers found that walking speed and walking in continuous bouts did not matter as much as simply increasing total steps.

"We saw that the volume of physical activity is what's really important here, not the intensity," Pescatello says. "Using the volume as a target, whatever fits in and whatever works conveys health benefits."

This work was a pilot study, and the researchers hope to use these data to launch a larger clinical trial.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230927003032.htm

New research adds evidence to the benefits of ginger supplements for treating autoimmune diseases

Study looked at the impact of ginger supplements on people's white blood cell function

September 22, 2023

Science Daily/University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

New research has revealed a potentially important role ginger supplements can play in controlling inflammation for people living with autoimmune diseases.

The research published today in JCI Insight focused on studying the impact of ginger supplementation on a type of white blood cell called the neutrophil. The study was especially interested in neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, also known as NETosis, and what it may mean for controlling inflammation.

The study found ginger consumption by healthy individuals makes their neutrophils more resistant to NETosis. This is important because NETs are microscopic spider web-like structures that propel inflammation and clotting, which contribute to many autoimmune diseases, including lupus, antiphospholipid syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.

"There are a lot of diseases where neutrophils are abnormally overactive. We found that ginger can help to restrain NETosis, and this is important because it is a natural supplement that may be helpful to treat inflammation and symptoms for people with several different autoimmune diseases," said senior co-author Kristen Demoruelle, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

In a clinical trial, the researchers found that daily intake of a ginger supplement for seven days (20 mg of gingerols/day) by healthy volunteers boosted a chemical inside the neutrophil called cAMP. These high levels of cAMP then inhibited NETosis in response to various disease-relevant stimuli.

"Our research, for the first time, provides evidence for the biological mechanism that underlies ginger's apparent anti-inflammatory properties in people," said senior co-author Jason Knight, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Michigan.

The researchers say that many people with inflammatory conditions are likely to ask their health care providers whether natural supplements could be helpful for them or they already take supplements, like ginger, to help manage symptoms. Unfortunately, the precise impact on disease is often unknown. The researchers hope that providing more evidence about ginger's benefits, including the direct mechanism by which ginger impacts neutrophils, will encourage health care providers and patients to more strategically discuss whether taking ginger supplements as part of their treatment plan could be beneficial.

"There are not a lot of natural supplements, or prescription medications for that matter, that are known to fight overactive neutrophils. We, therefore, think ginger may have a real ability to complement treatment programs that are already underway. The goal is to be more strategic and personalized in terms of helping to relieve people's symptoms," Knight adds.

As a next step, the researchers hope to use this study to unlock funding for clinical trials of ginger in patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases where neutrophils are overactive, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, antiphospholipid syndrome and even COVID-19.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230922141250.htm

Compound derived from hops reduces abundance of gut microbe associated with metabolic syndrome

September 21, 2023

Science Daily/Oregon State University

Researchers have shown in a mouse model and lab cultures that a compound derived from hops reduces the abundance of a gut bacterium associated with metabolic syndrome.

The findings, published today in the journal Microbiome, are important because an estimated 35 percent of the U.S. adult population suffers from the syndrome, a common and serious condition linked with cognitive dysfunction and dementia as well as being a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

A diet high in saturated fat results in chronic low-grade inflammation in the body that in turn leads to the development of metabolic syndrome.

Patients are considered to have metabolic syndrome if they have at least two of the following: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low levels of "good" cholesterol, and high levels of triglycerides.

OSU researchers for years have been studying the potential health benefits of xanthohumol, a chemical found in hops, and its derivatives including tetrahydroxanthohumol. The latter is commonly abbreviated to TXN, the former to XN.

XN is a polyphenol, a type of abundant organic compound existing in plants and used for millennia by practitioners of traditional medicine. XN is one of the flavonoids, natural products found in fruits, vegetables, grains, bark, roots, stems, flowers, tea and wine that are well known for their positive effects on health.

In the most recent study, Andrey Morgun of the OSU College of Pharmacy, Natalia Shulzhenko of the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine and Adrian Gombart of the Linus Pauling Institute and College of Science demonstrated that TXN can combat metabolic syndrome by reducing the population of Oscillibacter species within the gut microbiome.

More than 10 trillion microbial cells from about 1,000 different bacterial species comprise the human gut microbiome, the community of microorganisms in the digestive tract.

The researchers employed a novel computational method developed earlier by Morgun and Shulzhenko, transkingdom network analysis, to uncover TXN's mechanism for ameliorating metabolic syndrome. The analysis predicts which types of bacteria control the expression of mammalian genes connected to specific medical conditions.

"We found TXN mainly works by reducing the abundance of gut microbes that promote inflammation in the adipose tissue's macrophage cells, and improving glucose metabolism," Morgun said.

Macrophage cells are large cells that are part of the immune system. Glucose metabolism, the body's ability to convert the sugar into fuel, generally suffers impairment as someone becomes obese, which in turn can lead to the person becoming more overweight.

Faulty glucose metabolism also negatively affects brain physiology and is at the root of multiple medical conditions including diabetes and heart disease.

"When exposed to a high-fat diet common to metabolic syndrome, Oscillibacter bacteria help prompt the inflammation of fatty tissue that drives the syndrome," Morgun said. "TXN serves to limit Oscillibacter species' numbers."

The National Institutes of Health, the Linus Pauling Institute, the OSU College of Pharmacy, Hopsteiner, Inc., and the OSU Foundation Buhler-Wang Research Fund supported this study.

The research is a part of a larger collaborative effort spearheaded by Gombart, Fred Stevens of the OSU College of Pharmacy and Claudia Maier of the College of Science, who are exploring ways to improve human health, particularly as it pertains to diet and obesity, through hops compounds.

A little over a year ago, Morgun and Shulzhenko published research showing Oscillibacter and adipose tissue's link to type 2 diabetes, a finding that now suggests TXN may be able to help treat that condition too.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230921154434.htm

Reducing stress on T cells makes them better cancer fighters

September 20, 2023

Science Daily/Salk Institute

Even for killer T cells -- specialized immune cells -- seeking and destroying cancer cells around the clock can be exhausting. If scientists can understand why killer T cells become exhausted, then they can create more resilient cancer-killing cells.

In a new study, Salk Institute scientists discovered a relationship between killer T cell exhaustion and the body's sympathetic stress response ("fight-or-flight") in varying cancer types in mouse and human tissue samples. What's more, the team found that the interaction between killer T cells and sympathetic stress response hormones can be inhibited with beta-blockers -- a class of drugs already used in humans for controlling blood pressure and heart rate -- to create killer T cells that fight the tumor more efficiently.

The findings, published in Nature on September 20, 2023, establish a new link between the sympathetic stress response and how the immune system responds to cancer. Additionally, they demonstrate the benefit of pairing beta-blockers with existing immunotherapies to improve cancer treatment by bolstering killer T cell function.

"There is no question immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer patient treatment -- but there are many patients for whom it's ineffective," says Professor Susan Kaech, senior author and director of Salk's NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis. "Finding that our nervous system can suppress the function of cancer-destroying immune cells opens up entirely new ways to think about how to rejuvenate T cells in tumors."

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for mediating the body's stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response. However, little was known about how the nerves regulate the immune response to infections or cancer.

The researchers focused on sympathetic nerves that innervate our organs and produce the messenger hormone noradrenaline, which is also a stress hormone. The scientists used a variety of cancer and chronic illness models in mice and human tissue samples to study when and how killer T cells are influenced by the sympathetic nerves.

They found that the sympathetic nerves were producing noradrenaline, which was binding to killer T cells using a receptor called ADRB1. Exhausted killer T cells expressed more ADRB1 receptors than their functional counterparts, allowing the T cells to "listen" to the noradrenaline released by the nerves.

To test whether killer T cell exhaustion could be prevented, the researchers tested two approaches to intercepting noradrenaline and ADRB1 interaction: either removing ADRB1 altogether or impairing ADRB1 function with beta-blockers, which resulted in more-functional killer T cells that were better at destroying cancer cells.

The authors also found that the exhausted T cells do not just listen to nerves from afar, but cluster right around them in tissues. Surprisingly, the ADRB1 receptor provided the T cells with critical instructions to migrate near the nerves, which in turn suppressed their functions -- making them worse at fighting cancer.

"The innervation of tumors is an understudied area of tumor immunology. Our study has now uncovered that nerves contribute to the process of T cell exhaustion in tumors, where T cells become worn out and less powerful in their fight against the tumor over time," says first author Anna-Maria Globig, a postdoctoral researcher in Kaech's lab. "If we can unravel the details of how nerves suppress the body's immune response to cancer and why the exhausted T cells move towards the nerves, we can begin to target this process therapeutically."

According to Kaech, the researchers hope to expand their understanding of the exhausted killer T cell environment to learn more about why stress makes us sicker.

"We were able to find a new pathway that we can target with beta-blockers to create more resilient killer T cells that resist exhaustion and fight cancer better," says Globig.

Since beta-blockers are already clinically used, the team also hopes to implement their proposed cancer-fighting regimen soon in patients with lung cancer. By partnering with clinicians, they hope to study more human cancer tissue samples to enrich their findings and provide further evidence of the efficacy of beta-blockers in cancer treatment.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230920111129.htm

Trigonelline derived from coffee improves cognitive functions in mice

September 22, 2023

Science Daily/University of Tsukuba

Trigonelline is derived from coffee; researchers have found that it improves spatial learning and memory in senescence-accelerated mice. The study also suggested that this effect results from inhibiting neuroinflammation and restoring neurotransmitter levels in the brain.

The search for functional natural compounds that can improve age-related cognitive decline has recently emerged as an important research focus to promote healthy aging. Trigonelline (TG), a plant alkaloid found in coffee, as well as in fenugreek seed and radish, was anticipated to possess cognitive enhancement properties.

In this study, researchers led by the University of Tsukuba investigated the effects of TG on memory and spatial learning (acquiring, retaining, structuring, and applying information related to the surrounding physical environment) from both a cognitive and molecular biology perspective in an integrated manner using a senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) model.

Following oral administration of TG to SAMP8 mice for 30 days, the Morris water maze test indicated a significant improvement in spatial learning and memory performance compared with SAMP8 mice that did not receive TG. Next, the researchers performed whole-genome transcriptomic analysis of the hippocampus to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. They found that signaling pathways related to nervous system development, mitochondrial function, ATP synthesis, inflammation, autophagy, and neurotransmitter release were significantly modulated in the TG group.

Furthermore, the research team found that TG suppressed neuroinflammation by negatively regulating signaling factor Traf6-mediated activation of the transcription factor NF-κB. Additionally, quantitative protein analysis confirmed that the levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly decreased and the levels of neurotransmitters dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin were significantly increased in the hippocampus. These findings suggest the efficacy of TG in preventing and improving age-related spatial learning memory impairment.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230922110815.htm