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Toilet bowls reveal much about the health of a community, alerting scientists to coming outbreaks of flu and other seasonal viruses, researchers say. “Just one flush can hold a lot of information,” said Kristine Du, co-author of a new Canadian study. “Wastewater surveillance equips public health experts, clinicians, policymakers and the public with community-based, objective data to inform health and safety decisions against the flu and RSV,” said Du, a lab technician at the University of Calgary School of Medicine. “Knowing what viruses are coming down the pike can help prepare individuals and communities appropriately,” she added in a university news release. Du and her colleagues found that the clinical cases of influenza A and B, as well as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) correlated closely with virus positivity rates from wastewater surveillance in Calgary. Wastewater surveillance rose in prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this new research builds on that. The study included data from weekly collections of 24-hour composite wastewater samples from three treatment plants in Calgary between March 2022 and April 2023. The samples were then compared to clinical data for total cases and test positivity rates across Calgary and Alberta. The researchers found that influenza A peaked in Calgary’s wastewater between November and December 2022. Influenza B peaked between February and April 2023. RSV’s peak was between November 2022 and February 2023.… read on > read on >

The signs of climate change are everywhere, from raging wildfires to flash flooding to soaring temperatures. Now, a new study warns that things could get worse, with scientists reporting that even small increases in global temperatures will make some parts of the Earth too hot for humans to endure. “As long as we continue to put greenhouse gases emissions into the atmosphere, we’re going to continue warming,” said study author Daniel Vecellio, a postdoctoral research scholar at the George Mason University’s Virginia Climate Center. “The take-home message is that we want to keep global warming to as much of a minimum as we can,” said Vecellio, who conducted the research while at Penn State University. “The easiest thing to say, but I guess as we see the hardest thing to do is to accelerate our reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible in order to stave off these worst effects.” In the study, scientists used lab-measured, physiologically-based temperature thresholds at a range of air temperatures and relative humidity. The team modeled global temperature increases ranging from 1.5 degrees Celsius (C) to 4 degrees C (2.7 degrees F to 7.2 degrees F) above what temperatures were when the industrial revolution began. The Paris Agreement, signed by 196 nations from around the world in 2015, aims to limit those increases to 1.5 C. The threshold… read on > read on >

As many doctors and patients hail the advent of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy as the perfect fix for obesity, some experts are urging caution. The drugs are not well-tolerated by everyone struggling with obesity. For some folks, the weight piles back on as soon as the medication stops. There are also financial and ethical considerations, according to a commentary published online recently in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. More research is needed to better understand the medications, said endocrinologist Dr. Michael Schwartz from the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle. Many experts seem to be saying “OK, we’ve fixed this problem. We’re done,” said Schwartz, co-director of the school’s Diabetes Institute and a co-author of the commentary. “We shouldn’t be complacent, and assume that these drugs are the answer to these chronic conditions,” Schwartz said in a university news release. “We are giving drugs where we don’t understand totally how they work.” Wegovy (semaglutide) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of obesity, a problem affecting about 42% of the U.S. population. Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) are approved for type 2 diabetes, but are also prescribed for weight loss. The medications mimic the action of naturally produced hormones, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Patients feel full when eating less because of the increase in insulin, appetite suppression… read on > read on >

You have a lot of choices when buying milk, from the traditional cow variety to some made from plants. But how do these options compare in terms of nutrition? An expert from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston breaks down the differences. “If you’re looking for a high-protein product, cow’s milk and soy milk are the best options. If you want something lower calorie that doesn’t need to meet your protein needs, a plant-based product might be the right thing,” said Sarah Mahlke, senior program management associate at Baylor’s Weight Loss and Metabolic Center. “Maybe you’re just going for taste, which is important too, because at the end of the day, food makes us happy, and that’s a good thing,” Mahlke said in a Baylor news release. Cow’s milk Cow’s milk contains calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A, B2 (riboflavin), B12, and minerals such as magnesium, zinc, potassium and phosphorus. It’s also high in protein, much more so than most plant-based milks. Cow’s milk is also a source of less heart-healthy saturated fats, but skim and nonfat milk provide a less fatty option. “All of the dairy milks have similar amounts of calcium and vitamin D. Choosing the type of cow’s milk to drink depends on the stage of life that you’re in and what your goals are,” Mahlke said. Trying to lose weight? Nonfat or… read on > read on >

A California bill would have made free condoms available for high schoolers, but it was vetoed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom because of cost. California has a budget deficit of $30 billion, Newsom noted in his veto of Senate Bill 541. This bill, plus several other measures lawmakers passed, would have increased state budget costs by $19 billion. “This bill would create an unfunded mandate to public schools that should be considered in the annual budget process,” the Democratic governor wrote. If the bill had been allowed to go through, it would have required public schools with grades 9 through 12 to make condoms available and free for all students. Those with grades 7 through 12 would have been required to allow condoms to be available as part of educational or public health programs. The state has 1.9 million high school students in more than 4,000 schools, the Associated Press reported. Under the bill, retailers would also have not been allowed to refuse to sell condoms to youth. The bill would have helped “youth who decide to become sexually active to protect themselves and their partners from [sexually transmitted infections], while also removing barriers that potentially shame them and lead to unsafe sex,” said the bill’s author, State Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a Democrat from Los Angeles, the AP reported. Newsom said programs that increase access… read on > read on >

Exercise has been dubbed “nature’s antidepressant” by doctors for years, and now a new study confirms the notion. The finding follows a four-month look at the impact that running had on anxiety and depression when compared to a common antidepressant. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) work by boosting levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that’s a key player when it comes to regulating mood, depression and anxiety. But among 140 depression patients, those who engaged in regular group running — meaning two or three 45-minute runs each week — actually saw their depression levels drop a bit more than those who took the popular SSRI medication escitalopram (Lexapro). And those who treated their depression with exercise reaped an added reward, with improvements seen in their physical health as well. That group, said study author Brenda Penninx, also “lost weight, improved fitness and reduced heart rate and blood pressure.” The medication group did not see those benefits. Penninx, a professor of psychiatric epidemiology and vice chair of the department of psychiatry at Amsterdam University Medical Center in the Netherlands, presented her findings this weekend at the ECNP meeting, which focuses on the science and treatment of brain disorders. The research was published earlier this year in the Journal of Affective Disorders. All told, she said, the findings suggest that “we should pay much more attention to lifestyle… read on > read on >

Anyone with a cat knows the calm, low rumble of purring, but how does such a small animal make such a low sound? New research suggests it boils down to a pad embedded in feline vocal cord folds. That’s different than previously thought, which was that purring happened through a special mechanism, with cyclical contraction and relaxation of the muscles in the vocal folds within the larynx, and that it required constant control from the brain. “Anatomical investigations revealed a unique ‘pad’ within the cats’ vocal folds that may explain how such a small animal, weighing only a few kilograms, can regularly produce sounds at those incredibly low frequencies [20 to 30 Hz, or cycles per second] — far below even than lowest bass sounds produced by human voices,” researcher Christian Herbst, a voice scientist from the University of Vienna, said in a university news release. The findings, published online Oct. 3 in the journal Current Biology, aren’t an outright contradiction of the previous theory, but they are a clear indicator that the understanding of cat purring is incomplete, the researchers said. A controlled laboratory experiment showed that the domestic cat larynx can produce these low-pitched sounds with a mechanism similar to the human “creaky voice.” More information The U.S. Library of Congress has more on how cats communicate with each other. SOURCE: University of… read on > read on >

Former pro football players with symptoms of depression or anxiety are far more likely to receive an unverifiable diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) than players without those mental health conditions, a new study reports. Players with depression are 9.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with CTE, while players with both depression and anxiety are 12 times more likely, the study results showed. The problem: At this point CTE can only be diagnosed as part of a brain autopsy. “CTE can only be diagnosed after death,” said lead author Shawn Eagle, a research assistant professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “It shouldn’t be diagnosed in anyone while they’re living. Being told you have CTE when you’re alive is a problem because there’s no valid test to diagnose CTE in a living person.” Researchers argue that those players’ doctors are dropping the ball by handing out a CTE diagnosis, because there are effective treatments for the mood disorders that led to the diagnosis. “Depression, anxiety and sleep apnea produce cognitive symptoms, are treatable conditions, and should be distinguished from neurodegenerative disease,” Eagle said. “CTE is a neurodegenerative disease without available treatments or available diagnosis in a living person.” CTE is a degenerative brain disease that can be caused by repeated head impacts and concussions. It usually affects athletes who… read on > read on >

Long COVID, a constellation of symptoms that extend past the initial illness, is now a recognized condition. But researchers say COVID-19 may not be the only respiratory virus that causes these lasting health impacts — “long colds” may also exist. “Our findings shine a light not only on the impact of long COVID on people’s lives, but also other respiratory infections. A lack of awareness — or even the lack of a common term — prevents both reporting and diagnosis of these conditions,” said lead study author Giulia Vivaldi, a researcher from Queen Mary University of London. To study this, researchers compared the prevalence and severity of long-term symptoms after a COVID case versus illness with another acute respiratory infection that tested negative for COVID-19. Those recovering from COVID-19 were more likely to feel lightheaded or dizzy after the illness and to have problems with taste and smell compared to those who had a non-COVID respiratory infection. While those with a “long cold” didn’t seem to have those symptoms, among the symptoms they experienced were cough, stomach pain and diarrhea that lingered for more than four weeks. Severity of illness seemed to drive these other symptoms. Other respiratory illnesses can include colds, the flu and pneumonia. “As research into long COVID continues, we need to take the opportunity to investigate and consider the lasting effects… read on > read on >

New research suggests that concert goers may synchronize their breathing and more as they listen to the intricacies of a classical symphony performance. Previous studies have shown that music may be able to induce synchronization in listeners, but the authors of this study said there has been little investigation into whether concert audiences actually become synchronized. This new study, involving 132 participants, suggests that heart rate, breathing rate and the electrical conductivity of skin (which suggests excitement) may synchronize between audience members at classical concerts. People who rated more highly for personality traits such as agreeableness or openness were more likely to synchronize with other audience members. Those with neurotic or extravert traits were less likely to become synchronized. The researchers, led by Wolfgang Tschacher, from the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, in Bern, Switzerland, observed the 132 people while they listened to a concert in which three classical music pieces were played by a string quintet. They were Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Op. 104 in C minor,” Brett Dean’s “Epitaphs,” and Johannes Brahms’ “Op. 111 in G major.” The research team monitored participants’ movement using overhead cameras and measured their physical responses with wearable sensors. They also asked the participants to fill in questionnaires about their personality and mood both before and after the concert. While the investigators saw synchronization in a variety of… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Local Rates of Flu, RSV Show Up in a City’s Wastewater

Runaway Global Warming Will Make Some Areas Too Hot for Human Life

Wegovy, Ozempic Help Folks Lose Weight, But How?

Cow’s Milk Vs. Plant-Based Milks: A Nutritionist Weighs In

California Governor Rejects Bill to Provide Free Condoms to High Schoolers

Running vs. Meds: Which Works Best to Beat Depression?

Scientists Discover Secrets of the Cat’s Purr

Could Living Football Players Be Overdiagnosed for CTE?

Could Folks Suffer From ‘Long Colds,’ Similar to Long COVID?

Music Lovers’ Physiology ‘Synchronizes’ at Classical Music Concerts