Pot is increasingly replacing cigarettes and alcohol as the first drug of choice among young Americans, researchers have found. Boys, black Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics and multi-racial Americans were the most likely to turn to marijuana before other recreational drugs, the new report suggests. For the study, the investigators analyzed nationwide surveys done between 2004 and 2014 that assessed drug use among 275,000 American boys and girls aged 12 to 21. “We also observed a significant increase in youth abstaining from substance use altogether, which rose from 36 percent to 46 percent, and therefore, it is unclear the degree to which increases in those initiating marijuana first could be due to youth abstaining or delaying cigarettes,” said study author Brian Fairman. He’s a researcher with the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The concern is that studies have shown that young Americans whose first recreational drug is marijuana are more likely to end up becoming heavy users, the study authors noted. The report was published online recently in the journal Prevention Science. According to Fairman, the findings also suggest that American Indian/Alaska Natives and black youth are important targets for prevention programs, because these groups are less likely to have access to drug treatment or successful treatment outcomes. “To the degree these trends continue and greater numbers of youth start with marijuana…  read on >

Your blood mght be a thirst quencher for mosquitoes during a drought. A new study found that while female mosquitoes need the protein in blood to lay eggs, they also bite you to stay hydrated. According to the research team from the University of Cincinnati, learning more about how often these insects need to drink blood in dry conditions could lead to new ways to fight mosquito-borne diseases. These diseases include malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever, dengue fever, Zika and Eastern equine encephalitis. “It makes sense,” said study co-author Elise Didion, a biology student. “We find the highest transmission rates of West Nile virus during droughts because mosquitoes may use blood meals to replace the water they lose,” she said in a university news release. Biology professor Joshua Benoit added that the findings will “make for better modeling for when disease outbreaks occur. When it’s dry, it might be easier for a mosquito to locate a host than limited supplies of water or nectar.” Benoit said mosquitoes don’t often seek a blood meal when they have ample water and hydration. “Normally only 5 or 10 percent of female mosquitoes will feed at any time, depending on the species,” he said. “Dehydration has a big impact on whether they feed normally or not.” In the lab, his team found dehydration led up to 30 percent…  read on >

People with heart failure who are socially isolated are more likely to be hospitalized or die prematurely than those who feel connected to others, new research suggests. The study authors said screening heart failure patients to identify those who lack social support might help to improve outcomes. Previous studies have shown that social isolation may increase the risk of depression and anxiety. For the latest study, researchers examined the effects of isolation on risk of death and use of medical care. The investigators asked nearly 1,700 heart failure patients if they were lonely or if they felt socially isolated. The participants, who lived in southeastern Minnesota, had an average age of 73 years. Most were white and slightly more than half were men. Roughly 6 percent of the patients said that they felt socially isolated, according to the report. Compared to those who felt socially connected, those who said they were isolated had a 3.7 times greater risk of early death, a 1.7 times greater risk of hospitalization, and a 1.6 times greater risk of visiting the emergency department, the findings showed. “Our study found a patient’s sense of feelings of loneliness or isolation may contribute to poor prognosis in heart failure,” said the study’s senior author, Lila Rutten. She is a professor of health services research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “Health…  read on >

There’s preliminary research suggesting that abuse or neglect in childhood might have an effect on the quality of a man’s sperm. The study was small and can’t prove cause and effect. But researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston say it points to a way in which stress early in a man’s life might be passed on to his children. The finding is based on a survey of 28 men who completed questionnaires that assessed the degree to which they had been exposed to physical, verbal or sexual abuse, and/or physical or emotional neglect. In turn, investigators analyzed each man’s ejaculate to assess the status of two key gene regulators found in sperm. Such regulators are known as “miRNAs” — bits of genetic code that control how specific DNA is or is not activated. The new research was led by Larry Feig, a professor of developmental, molecular and chemical biology at Tufts. His team found that levels of the miRNAs in question were 300 times lower among men who experienced the most early life abuse, compared with those men who had experienced the least amount of abuse. In mice, the miRNAs in question are known to be connected to levels of anxiety and “sociability defects” in the female offspring of affected males. Studies in mice have also connected the miRNAs to embryonic development…  read on >