A 12-year-old South Carolina boy has died after being infected by a rare, brain-eating amoeba found in freshwater, his family’s lawyer said. Middle school student Jaysen Carr died July 18 after swimming in Lake Murray, a large reservoir near Columbia, S.C., according to a Facebook post from the law office of Tyler D. Bailey. Doctors from Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in South Carolina confirmed that Jaysen was infected by Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic organism that lives in warm freshwater and can cause a deadly brain infection. Dr. Anna-Kathryn Burch of Prisma Health Children’s Hospital explained at a press briefing that the amoeba is “ubiquitous to any fresh water in the state of South Carolina” and common throughout the Southeastern U.S., according to The New York Times. As temperatures rise and water levels drop during summer, the risk of exposure increases. The infection is nearly always fatal, although it is extremely rare, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In all, 167 cases were reported in the U.S. from 1962 to 2024. Just four people survived. Most people who come into contact with Naegleria fowleri never get sick. The amoeba can only infect a person when contaminated water goes up the nose, often during swimming or diving. It then travels to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue. Once in the brain,…  read on >  read on >

A 12-year-old South Carolina boy has died after being infected by a rare, brain-eating amoeba found in freshwater, his family’s lawyer said. Middle school student Jaysen Carr died July 18 after swimming in Lake Murray, a large reservoir near Columbia, S.C., according to a Facebook post from the law office of Tyler D. Bailey. Doctors from Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in South Carolina confirmed that Jaysen was infected by Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic organism that lives in warm freshwater and can cause a deadly brain infection. Dr. Anna-Kathryn Burch of Prisma Health Children’s Hospital explained at a press briefing that the amoeba is “ubiquitous to any fresh water in the state of South Carolina” and common throughout the Southeastern U.S., according to The New York Times. As temperatures rise and water levels drop during summer, the risk of exposure increases. The infection is nearly always fatal, although it is extremely rare, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In all, 167 cases were reported in the U.S. from 1962 to 2024. Just four people survived. Most people who come into contact with Naegleria fowleri never get sick. The amoeba can only infect a person when contaminated water goes up the nose, often during swimming or diving. It then travels to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue. Once in the brain,…  read on >  read on >

Living near lush green spaces appears to reduce a child’s risk of ADHD and autism, even before they are born, a new study says. Children had lower odds of developing brain development problems if they lived near green spaces as infants, or if their moms did before or during pregnancy, researchers report in the August issue of the journal Environment International. “Our findings suggest that enhancing green space access in urban environments may support early childhood neurodevelopment and help reduce the burden of neurodevelopmental delays,” senior researcher Dr. Stefania Papatheodorou, an associate professor at the Rutgers University School of Public Health in Piscataway, New Jersey, said in a news release. Exactly how green spaces might promote healthy brain development in the womb is not fully understood yet, but researchers have their theories. Green space exposure reduces stress and depression, increases social engagement and lowers exposure to noise and extreme temperatures, all of which could benefit development among young children, they speculated. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 1.8 million mother-child pairs enrolled in Medicaid from multiple states. Green space exposure was measured using satellite imaging and the mothers’ residential Zip codes. Results show that children of mothers who lived near green spaces had a 34% lower risk of intellectual disabilities and a 17% lower risk of autism. Kids themselves living near green…  read on >  read on >

Living near lush green spaces appears to reduce a child’s risk of ADHD and autism, even before they are born, a new study says. Children had lower odds of developing brain development problems if they lived near green spaces as infants, or if their moms did before or during pregnancy, researchers report in the August issue of the journal Environment International. “Our findings suggest that enhancing green space access in urban environments may support early childhood neurodevelopment and help reduce the burden of neurodevelopmental delays,” senior researcher Dr. Stefania Papatheodorou, an associate professor at the Rutgers University School of Public Health in Piscataway, New Jersey, said in a news release. Exactly how green spaces might promote healthy brain development in the womb is not fully understood yet, but researchers have their theories. Green space exposure reduces stress and depression, increases social engagement and lowers exposure to noise and extreme temperatures, all of which could benefit development among young children, they speculated. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 1.8 million mother-child pairs enrolled in Medicaid from multiple states. Green space exposure was measured using satellite imaging and the mothers’ residential Zip codes. Results show that children of mothers who lived near green spaces had a 34% lower risk of intellectual disabilities and a 17% lower risk of autism. Kids themselves living near green…  read on >  read on >

Low vitamin D levels might increase a person’s odds of a severe bout with COVID-19, a new study says. People with a vitamin D deficiency are 36% more likely to require hospitalization from a COVID infection, researchers report in the journal PLOS One. “Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating the immune system, so it’s plausible that low levels may influence how the body responds to infections like COVID-19,” investigator Kerri Beckmann, a senior research fellow at the University of South Australia, said in a news release. However, the study also found no increased risk of COVID infection among people with low vitamin D levels. “Our study found that people with a vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency were more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those with healthy levels of Vitamin D – but they weren’t more likely to catch the virus in the first place,” Beckmann said. About 1 in 5 (22%) of Americans are vitamin D deficient, according to a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 150,000 people participating in UK Biobank, a long-range study of health in the United Kingdom. The team looked at the risk COVID poses among people who are either fully vitamin D deficient or have insufficient levels of the vitamin and compared it to risk seen…  read on >  read on >

Low vitamin D levels might increase a person’s odds of a severe bout with COVID-19, a new study says. People with a vitamin D deficiency are 36% more likely to require hospitalization from a COVID infection, researchers report in the journal PLOS One. “Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating the immune system, so it’s plausible that low levels may influence how the body responds to infections like COVID-19,” investigator Kerri Beckmann, a senior research fellow at the University of South Australia, said in a news release. However, the study also found no increased risk of COVID infection among people with low vitamin D levels. “Our study found that people with a vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency were more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those with healthy levels of Vitamin D – but they weren’t more likely to catch the virus in the first place,” Beckmann said. About 1 in 5 (22%) of Americans are vitamin D deficient, according to a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 150,000 people participating in UK Biobank, a long-range study of health in the United Kingdom. The team looked at the risk COVID poses among people who are either fully vitamin D deficient or have insufficient levels of the vitamin and compared it to risk seen…  read on >  read on >

About 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) each year – one person every six minutes. While most people associate PD with tremors and stiffness, the condition is far more complex than these symptoms and may affect more than just movement. An estimated 1 million people in the United States are living with this disease, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. As the population continues to age, prevalence of PD is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030 – making it the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. What is PD? PD is a neurodegenerative disorder that mostly affects dopamine-producing neurons in the area of the brain called the substantia nigra. Dopamine is a chemical that is essential for movement and coordination. As dopamine levels drop, a variety of symptoms may gradually emerge and worsen over time. There is currently no cure for PD, but there are many treatment options for symptoms and maintaining a high quality of life. Symptoms of PD PD may cause a variety of symptoms, usually falling into two categories: motor (movement-related) and non-motor symptoms. Motor symptoms may include: Tremors  Slowed movements (bradykinesia)  Muscle stiffness (rigidity) Non-motor symptoms may include: Anxiety Depression Sleep disorders Fatigue Constipation Double vision Loss of smell Sleep disorders Every person’s experience with PD is unique, and no two people experience the same exact symptoms…  read on >  read on >

About 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) each year – one person every six minutes. While most people associate PD with tremors and stiffness, the condition is far more complex than these symptoms and may affect more than just movement. An estimated 1 million people in the United States are living with this disease, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. As the population continues to age, prevalence of PD is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030 – making it the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. What is PD? PD is a neurodegenerative disorder that mostly affects dopamine-producing neurons in the area of the brain called the substantia nigra. Dopamine is a chemical that is essential for movement and coordination. As dopamine levels drop, a variety of symptoms may gradually emerge and worsen over time. There is currently no cure for PD, but there are many treatment options for symptoms and maintaining a high quality of life. Symptoms of PD PD may cause a variety of symptoms, usually falling into two categories: motor (movement-related) and non-motor symptoms. Motor symptoms may include: Tremors  Slowed movements (bradykinesia)  Muscle stiffness (rigidity) Non-motor symptoms may include: Anxiety Depression Sleep disorders Fatigue Constipation Double vision Loss of smell Sleep disorders Every person’s experience with PD is unique, and no two people experience the same exact symptoms…  read on >  read on >

The struggle to tame wrinkles is an age-old conflict, with people using any number of lotions, creams and treatments to try and smooth their skin. Now, researchers say they know exactly why skin wrinkles. “This is no longer just a theory,” senior researcher Guy German, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Binghamton University in upstate New York, said in a news release. “We now have hard experimental evidence showing the physical mechanism behind aging.” Lab experiments show that aging skin stretches, contracts and buckles under pressure, eventually forming wrinkles, according to findings being published in the October issue of the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. Essentially, wrinkles occur when a person’s skin stretches in one direction and then contracts in the other, researchers found. The research team gave a person’s favorite hoodie as an example. After years of wear, it will get stretched out in different places, and so will that person’s skin. For the study, researchers stretched tiny strips of skin from people ages 16 to 91, simulating the natural forces working on skin every day. When skin is stretched in one direction, it contracts in the other, researchers said. But the contraction gets bigger with age, resulting in the formation of wrinkles. “If you stretch Silly Putty for instance, it stretches horizontally, but it also shrinks in the other…  read on >  read on >

The struggle to tame wrinkles is an age-old conflict, with people using any number of lotions, creams and treatments to try and smooth their skin. Now, researchers say they know exactly why skin wrinkles. “This is no longer just a theory,” senior researcher Guy German, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Binghamton University in upstate New York, said in a news release. “We now have hard experimental evidence showing the physical mechanism behind aging.” Lab experiments show that aging skin stretches, contracts and buckles under pressure, eventually forming wrinkles, according to findings being published in the October issue of the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. Essentially, wrinkles occur when a person’s skin stretches in one direction and then contracts in the other, researchers found. The research team gave a person’s favorite hoodie as an example. After years of wear, it will get stretched out in different places, and so will that person’s skin. For the study, researchers stretched tiny strips of skin from people ages 16 to 91, simulating the natural forces working on skin every day. When skin is stretched in one direction, it contracts in the other, researchers said. But the contraction gets bigger with age, resulting in the formation of wrinkles. “If you stretch Silly Putty for instance, it stretches horizontally, but it also shrinks in the other…  read on >  read on >