Researchers studying well water found current monitoring practices often fail to reflect actual groundwater pollution risks. The problem: Spikes in harmful bacteria, like those from animal and human waste, vary depending on the season. They may be higher at times when testing is less likely to be done. “This is concerning because many residents and homeowners across the country, including here in the Northeast, have been found to test their wells in colder months, which can cause a false sense of security and underestimate the true threat of harmful bacteria in their drinking water,” said study co-author Ranjit Bawa, a visiting assistant professor of natural resources and the environment at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. The research team studied this by looking at year-round water samples from nearly 50,000 wells across the state of North Carolina between 2013 and 2018. The investigators found a significant gap in the timing of sample collection from private wells and when they were likely to become contaminated. More than 44 million people in the United States depend on private drinking water wells. These wells are not federally regulated, the study authors noted in a university news release. Communities without access to public water systems also tend to be near sources of industrial and agricultural pollution, according to the report. The researchers focused on wells near hog farm…  read on >  read on >

Healthy young people who vape or smoke may be putting themselves at greater risk for developing severe COVID, new research finds. Both smoking tobacco and vaping electronic cigarettes may predispose people to increased inflammation, future development of severe COVID-19 and lingering cardiovascular complications, said lead study author Dr. Theodoros Kelesidis. He’s an associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, in Los Angeles. “The key message is that smoking is the worst, but vaping is not innocent,” Kelesidis said in a UCLA news release. “This has been shown for many lung diseases, but not for COVID. It was a quite interesting and novel finding that vaping changed the levels of key proteins that the virus uses to replicate.” For the study, the researchers examined blood plasma collected before the pandemic from 45 nonsmokers, 30 vapers and 29 cigarette smokers. The investigators tested the plasma to measure levels of since-identified proteins that the COVID virus needs in order to replicate. These proteins are known as ACE2, furin, Ang II, Ang 1–7, IL-6R, sCD163 and L-selectin. A protein called ADAM17 collectively regulates those last three proteins. The researchers found that plasma from healthy young people who smoke tobacco or vape had increased levels of furin, sCD163, and L-selectin, compared to nonsmokers. The findings suggest there may be increased…  read on >  read on >

Using a “neuroprotectant” drug alongside the standard surgical removal of a clot may slash the risk of death and disability following a stroke, a new study finds. The new medication, called ApTOLL, shields brain tissue from continuing damage by cooling down inflammation, the researchers said. A stroke occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is blocked by a clot or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. Ischemic strokes, which are far more common, occur when a blood clot cuts off blood supply to the brain. Still, more research is needed before ApTOLL is ready for prime time. “We need confirmatory studies in larger populations, and we are aiming to start those in the last quarter of 2023,” said study author Dr. Marc Ribó, an interventional neurologist at Hospital Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. “If everything goes well and we replicate these findings in larger studies, the drug may be available in a couple of years.” For the study, more than 150 people who had an ischemic stroke (average age, 70) were treated in 15 hospitals in France and Spain between July 2021 and April 2022. Patients received either 0.05 mg/kg of ApTOLL, 0.2 mg/kg of ApTOLL, or a placebo medication. Everyone in the study also underwent mechanical blood clot removal to restore blood flow to their brain within six hours of…  read on >  read on >

Chemicals found in plastic personal care products, kids’ toys, and food and drink packaging could be raising the risk of type 2 diabetes among women, new research suggests. To study the impact of these chemicals, known as phthalates, researchers followed just over 1,300 U.S. women for six years to see if exposure contributed to the incidence of diabetes. About 5% of the women developed diabetes during the study period. The researchers found that white women exposed to high levels of some phthalates had a 30% to 63% higher chance of developing diabetes. The harmful chemicals were not linked to diabetes risk in Black or Asian women. Exposure to these endocrine-disrupting chemicals has previously been associated with reduced fertility and other endocrine disorders. “Our research found phthalates may contribute to a higher incidence of diabetes in women, especially white women, over a six-year period,” said Sung Kyun Park, an associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, in Ann Arbor. “People are exposed to phthalates daily, increasing their risk of several metabolic diseases. It’s important that we address [endocrine-disrupting chemicals] now as they are harmful to human health,” Park said in a news release from the Endocrine Society. The study, which was published online Feb. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, received funding from…  read on >  read on >

There’s been plenty of scientific debate about whether vaping is safer than tobacco, and whether it may help some people stop smoking. According to a recent Cochrane Review analysis of 78 studies, electronic cigarettes show more success in helping people quit smoking than traditional nicotine-replacement therapies, such as nicotine patches and gums. “The most important finding from our recent review update is that for the first time there is high certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes are more effective than traditional nicotine-replacement therapies, such as patches, gum or lozenges, in helping people to quit smoking,” said study co-author Ailsa Butler. She is a postdoctoral researcher from the University of Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, in the United Kingdom. But is vaping better than smoking? Let’s look at how vaping compares to smoking in terms of its safety and effects on your health. How vaping works Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are handheld devices that contain a reservoir for liquid, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. This liquid is vaporized upon heating. The heating element is usually powered by a battery. The liquid that goes into the reservoir or “pod” comes in both nicotine and nicotine-free forms. While the liquid may be free of harsh chemicals, it may contain carcinogens or other toxins that can be harmful to your health, according to the National Institute on Drug…  read on >  read on >

Primary care doctors are no longer just in the physical health business: Americans are increasingly turning to them for mental health care, too, a new study finds. Looking at Americans’ primary care visits between 2006 and 2018, researchers found a 50% increase in the proportion of visits that addressed mental health concerns. That figure rose from just under 11% of visits, to 16% by the end of the study period. The reasons are unclear, experts said, but it’s not just a matter of mental health conditions becoming more common: During the same period, other studies show, the national rate of mental health disorders rose by about 18%. Instead, it seems primary care doctors are shouldering more responsibility for diagnosing and in some cases treating, mental health conditions. “I think this study really underscores the importance of primary care in our country,” said lead researcher Dr. Lisa Rotenstein, medical director of population health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. That also means primary care doctors need the resources to make sure patients diagnosed with mental health conditions get the best treatment, she said. The findings — published in the February issue of the journal Health Affairs — are based on an ongoing government survey that collects information on Americans’ office-based medical care. Rotenstein’s team analyzed records from nearly 110,000 primary care visits, representing roughly 3.9…  read on >  read on >

Electric cars are still in the minority on America’s roads, yet researchers are already seeing health benefits from reduced tailpipe pollution. In a new California study, neighborhoods with the most all-electric cars — called zero-emission vehicles — saw a decline in asthma-related emergency room visits. Researchers believe this was a result of lower levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air. “Results from this study provide some of the first real-world evidence suggesting that switching to zero-emissions vehicles could be a win-win, both reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and potentially improving local air quality and health,” said study co-author Sandrah Eckel, an associate professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. The adoption of electric cars, however, was seen in areas with higher incomes and educational levels, she said. This might be due to their higher cost and the lack of charging facilities in rental properties. “We are concerned about environmental justice because the communities that stand to benefit the most from reductions in air pollution and asthma ER visits are the communities at risk of being left behind in the transition to electric,” Eckel said. “We need to overcome some of these barriers and make sure that the policies that are made can target the populations that stand to benefit the most…  read on >  read on >