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Humans have continued to evolve after splitting from chimpanzee ancestors nearly 7 million years ago, according to a new study that found 155 new genes unique to humans that suddenly arose from tiny sections of DNA. Some of the new genes date back to the ancient origin of mammals, according to the researchers. They suspect a few of these “microgenes” have links to human-specific diseases. “This project started back in 2017 because I was interested in novel gene evolution and figuring out how these genes originate,” said study author Nikolaos Vakirlis, a scientist at the Biomedical Sciences Research Center Alexander Fleming in Vari, Greece. “It was put on ice for a few years, until another study got published that had some very interesting data, allowing us to get started on this work.” For this new study, published Dec. 20 in Cell Reports, his team created an ancestral tree to compare humans to other vertebrate species using previously published genetic data. The investigators tracked the relationship of these genes across evolution and 155 popped up from regions of unique DNA. New genes can arise from duplication in the genome, but these started from scratch. “It was quite exciting to be working in something so new,” said senior author Aoife McLysaght, a scientist at Trinity College Dublin, in Ireland. “When you start getting into these small sizes… read on > read on >

Many young U.S. adults are estranged from their parents, at least temporarily — with the father/child bond being especially fragile. Those are among the findings of a new national study that tracked thousands of parent-child relationships from the 1990s to recent years. Researchers found that one-quarter of young adults were estranged from their fathers at some point — four times the number who reported broken ties with their mother. Often, those relationships got back on track to some degree, but reconciliation was less likely with fathers: Of adults who were estranged from their mother at some point, 81% got back in contact; that compared with 69% of people who were estranged from their father. One of the messages from the findings is that family estrangement is common — and not a sign of failure, according to the researchers. “There is a lot of shame and silence around family estrangement, but in my view estrangement isn’t inherently good or bad,” said Rin Reczek, a professor of sociology at Ohio State University. Most often, Reczek said, it’s the adult child who breaks ties, rather than the parent. And there may be many reasons. “As children grow up, they start making choices regarding independence for themselves, and sometimes this includes cutting off or significantly reducing contact with parents for their own healing,” Reczek said. In other cases, someone… read on > read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s tobacco unit is “reactive and overwhelmed,” an expert panel reviewing its work reported Monday. In addition, the panel blamed the FDA’s inconsistent regulation efforts for the spread of unauthorized e-cigarettes that are appealing to teens, among other problems. Commissioned by FDA chief Dr. Robert Califf this summer, the review was done by a panel convened by the nonprofit Reagan-Udall Foundation. “This work is particularly critical as we focus on preventing initiation, while also helping people quit, especially the deadliest form of tobacco use, combustible tobacco products,” Califf said in a news release announcing the release of the report. “Despite meaningful declines in cigarette use over the past several decades, nearly 500,000 Americans still die every year from cigarette smoking. Additionally, with more than 3 million youth reporting current use of a tobacco product in 2022, and e-cigarettes being the most used product, we risk another generation becoming addicted to these products.” Califf added that he plans to review the recommendations and develop an action plan by February. In the report, the experts recommended agency leaders set clear objectives and expectations to prevent more “detrimental” effects on the FDA’s work and staff morale. “Something is wrong if FDA can be given these amazing powers in 2009 and here we are at the end of 2022 and it has yet to… read on > read on >

Red may be a traditional holiday color, but no one wants to wear it on their teeth. An expert offers some tips for keeping “wine teeth” at bay during your holiday parties. “When you drink red wine, you’re encountering a triple threat to your teeth’s whiteness: anthocyanins, which are the pigments in grapes that give red wine its rich color; tannins, which help bind the pigment to your teeth; and the acidity found in wine, which etches your enamel, making it more porous and it easier for the stain to stick,” said Dr. Uchenna Akosa. She is a dentist who heads Rutgers Health University Dental Associates in New Brunswick, N.J. “The strength of your enamel and how prone you are to plaque build-up is key to how much your teeth might stain,” Akosa said. Brush before you drink red wine, she advised. And don’t brush immediately after drinking. Plaque can make it look like your teeth are stained, so brushing 30 minutes beforehand can reduce that issue. And toothpaste itself can cause more etching if you brush afterward. Another tip: Don’t drink white wine before red wine, because the extra acid in the white wine will worsen the staining. After drinking wine, swish your mouth with water. This reduces acidity and increases saliva flow, which fights harmful bacteria and maintains the ideal pH in your… read on > read on >

Keeping an eye on safety will let the joy from holiday toys last longer, without a trip to the emergency room, experts say. Last year, more than 200,000 people were treated in emergency departments for toy-related injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Dr. Roopa Thakur, a pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic Children’s in Ohio, recommends keeping toy safety in mind safety when choosing a gift. Toys that shoot objects into the air may cause bodily injury, Thakur noted. “They can cause eye injury, especially,” she said in a Cleveland Clinic news release. “So, if you have kids that are running around and shooting things at each other, make sure that there is good supervision.” Small toys and pieces can be choking hazards for young children who could put them in their mouths. Parents should be wary of toys that have button batteries or high-powered magnets, Thakur said. If your child swallows these, they can damage their tissues and intestines, turning holiday fun into a surgical emergency. The highest number of toy-related injuries are from non-motorized scooters. When buying scooters, bikes, rollerblades and tricycles, also get safety gear. “Consider giving a helmet,” Thakur said. “If you are gifting a hover scooter or something similar, knee and elbow pads would be great to gift as well, to prevent injury in the case of a… read on > read on >

Even though roughly 1 in 5 Americans has been involved in an “open” relationship at some point in their lives, new research cautions that many end up bearing the brunt of stigmatizing and stressful disapproval. The finding stems from a pair of fresh investigations: The first found that roughly 40% of men and women who participate in “consensually non-monogamous” relations report being judged negatively or even threatened by others. And 70% of those who say they don’t experience stigma admit taking pains to keep the less traditional nature of their relationships under wraps. In turn, a follow-up study found that being on the receiving end of such stigma exacts a significant emotional toll, causing anxiety not only when disapproval is actually expressed but also in anticipation of future negative encounters. “Prior research has found that people tend to view consensually non-monogamous relationships more negatively than monogamous relationships,” noted study author Elizabeth Mahar. She is a postdoctoral fellow in the department of obstetrics & gynecology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. And in the latest study, “we found that people in consensually non-monogamous relationships do indeed report experiencing stigma in a variety of ways,” Mahar said. That stigma can take many forms, she added, ranging from disgust to social exclusion to worse service when out in public. And those experiences sting, undermining quality… read on > read on >

It’s easy to blame the childhood obesity epidemic for growing cases of type 2 diabetes, but a new study finds nearly one-quarter of all diagnoses are not related to obesity. “The finding was somewhat surprising,” said Dr. Constantine Samaan, an associate professor in the department of pediatrics at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. “The findings highlighted to us that there is significant heterogeneity [diversity] in type 2 diabetes risk in children. We clearly do not understand all the factors that drive its occurrence.” The researchers set out to study the issue because it wasn’t clear if obesity was universal in these patients, Samaan said. Screening has been driven by body-mass measures, so the investigators also wanted to know whether there was a subgroup of kids whose type 2 diabetes did not involve obesity. “We had considered several possible explanations and tested for them in the study. We had thought maybe children had lost weight due to the late diagnosis of diabetes or that they may have other forms of diabetes such as genetic forms,” Samaan said. “These two possibilities did not pan out in the analysis, so we do not yet know why some children develop type 2 diabetes when they are not overweight.” Researchers have hypothesized that there are likely children who do not produce enough insulin or are resistant to insulin, even at… read on > read on >

Patients with a high-risk bladder cancer now have a new option to treat it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a gene therapy called Adstiladrin, which is designed to work for patients who have what’s called high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) that hasn’t responded to the standard treatment, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), but hasn’t spread. BCG is a vaccine typically used for tuberculosis. “This approval provides health care professionals with an innovative treatment option for patients with high-risk NMIBC that is unresponsive to BCG therapy,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release. “Today’s action addresses an area of critical need. The FDA remains committed to facilitating the development and approval of safe and effective cancer treatments.” About 75% to 80% of newly diagnosed bladder cancers have grown through the lining of the bladder, but not yet invaded the muscle. About 30% to 80% of cases recur and risk spreading. Treatment typically involves removing the tumor and using BCG to reduce the risk that the cancer will recur. But for patients whose cancer is unresponsive to BCG, there are few treatment options. Patients will receive Adstiladrin once every three months into the bladder through a urinary catheter. About 57,000 men and 18,000 women are diagnosed with bladder cancer annually, according to the… read on > read on >

MONDAY, Dec. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Add better chances of conceiving a baby to the list of health benefits linked to the much-touted Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet – which is rich in fresh fruits and veggies, healthy fats like olive oil, whole grains, legumes, nuts and fish – has been shown to boost brain health, and reduce the risk for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Now, researchers in Australia report that this style of eating also can improve fertility, the chances of success with assisted reproductive technology, and sperm quality in men. The common denominator? Inflammation. “Our review demonstrates that the Mediterranean Diet may also increase fertility and provide benefits for couples who are trying to have children,” said study author Simon Alesi, a researcher at Monash University in Melbourne. “Inflammation is increasingly recognized as a factor that contributes to poor reproductive and fertility outcomes, often termed ‘inflammatory infertility’ in the evidence,” Alesi said. “And the bionutrients in the Mediterranean diet such as monounsaturated fats, flavonoids, vitamins C and E, polyphenols, and the limited intake of processed meat, are likely to reduce inflammation in the body, thus improving fertility.” By contrast, the traditional Western diet, which is low in fruits and vegetables and high in fat and sodium, has been linked to more inflammation and other health problems. For this study, researchers… read on > read on >

The holiday season is filled with to-do lists, but one should rise to the top: Take care of your heart. Whether from stress, cold weather or falling out of good habits in terms of eating, sleeping and drinking, heart attack rates spike as much as 40% between Christmas and New Year’s, according to cardiologist Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones. He is chairman of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago. “When we look across the year in terms of heart attack rates, what we see is fairly constant rates week by week with two exceptions: One is that there’s a broad, shallow dip in summer months and, two, there is a very short spike of about 30% to 40% in the last couple weeks of the year between Christmas and New Year’s,” Lloyd-Jones said in a university news release. It’s important not to underestimate symptoms, he stressed. “We have two kidneys and two lungs, but only one heart and one brain, so it’s much safer to err on the side of caution,” Lloyd-Jones said. “If there’s any doubt, get checked out in person. At best, hopefully you are aborting a heart attack or stroke. Time is heart muscle, time is brain cells, and so time is of the essence. The sooner you seek help in that situation, the sooner we can save your… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

People Are Still Evolving, Creating New Genes

Adult Children Far More Likely to Be Estranged From Dad Than Mom

FDA’s Tobacco Unit Overloaded and Lacking Direction, Panel Says

Avoiding ‘Wine Teeth’ This Holiday Season

Holiday Toys: Fun, But Remember Safety, Too

People in Open Relationships Face Stigma, Research Shows

1 in 4 Kids With Type 2 Diabetes Isn’t Obese

FDA Approves Gene Therapy for Tough-to-Treat Bladder Cancer

Another Mediterranean Diet Bonus: Healthier Sperm, Better Fertility

‘Holiday Heart’: Heart Attacks Spike in Last 2 Weeks of December