Air pollution is plaguing the world’s oldest subway system, a new study warns, with high levels of tiny metal particles found in dust samples throughout the London Underground. Whether these particles actually pose a risk to human health remains an open question, British researchers acknowledge. But experts say it’s happening in subway systems elsewhere, including the United States. The London Underground, especially, is poorly ventilated, the authors of the new report noted. And the bits of a form of iron oxide in question are often incredibly small, far smaller than a single red blood cell. So the threat, the study team cautioned, is that easily inhaled metallic particles can readily enter into the bloodstream of the network’s 5 million daily passengers. Prior research has linked that kind of exposure to a higher risk for serious issues such as Alzheimer’s disease and bacterial infections. “Our study looks at nanoparticles of iron oxide — particles between 5 nm [nanometers] and 500 nm in size — which are generated by the braking system,” explained study lead author Hassan Sheikh, a risk researcher with the Centre for Risk Studies at the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. The particulates are byproducts of the routine workings of train brake blocks, collector shoes and motor brushes. They may also be released by the friction caused by the interaction between the…  read on >  read on >

Nearly one-quarter of all American adults who care for an elderly parent also care for a child at the same time, a new study reveals. And when compared with those who only have a parent under their watch, members of the so-called “sandwich generation” — namely caregivers of both the old and the young — are much more likely to struggle with money problems, emotional trouble and exhaustion, the researchers found. “There is actually little research evidence characterizing this group,” said lead study author Lianlian Lei, a health services researcher in the department of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. “So, our team aimed to fill that gap and provide a national estimate describing this group of caregivers, and how they are similar or different from other types of caregivers.” In the end, Lei’s team pegged the number of dual caregivers in the United States at about 2.5 million, “which is nearly one-quarter of all those who are caregivers for their aging parents.” “We weren’t that surprised by the size,” she stressed. “It seems more like we described something that many colleagues actually are living through.” Nor were investigators surprised by the struggles they identified as particular to this group, “given the intense type of burden they are experiencing.” To get a handle on the scope and burdens of dual caregiving, the…  read on >  read on >

Scientists have pinpointed four genes that seem to play a part in how vulnerable you are to suicidal thoughts or behaviors. “It’s important to note that these genes do not predestine anyone to problems, but it’s also important to understand that there could be heightened risks, particularly when combined with life events,” said study co-author Nathan Kimbrel. He’s an associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University in Durham, N.C. To find the culprit genes, Kimbrel and his colleagues conducted a large, genome-wide analysis using data from more than 630,000 U.S. military veterans. Participants were diverse, with 71.4% of European ancestry, 19.1% of African ancestry, 8.1% Hispanic and 1.3% Asian. Although most of the participants were men, 9% were women. Medical records revealed more than 121,000 cases of suicidal thoughts or actions within that group. Those who had no documented lifetime history of self-harm behaviors were considered a control group. The study included analysis of blood samples, finding links between suicidal behavior and ESR1, an estrogen receptor. It has previously been identified as a driver gene of both PTSD and depression, which are risk factors for suicidal behaviors among veterans. A link was also found with DRD2, a dopamine receptor. It has been associated with suicide attempts, schizophrenia, mood disorders, ADHD, risky behaviors and alcohol use disorder. The third gene…  read on >  read on >

As the United States moves towards a world in which electric vehicles (EVs) have fully replaced fossil fuel-driven engines, can Americans look forward to reliably cleaner air and better health? Absolutely, a new study predicts. By 2050, researchers say, the resulting improvements in air quality will be substantial enough to slash both the risk of premature death and billions off the nation’s related health care costs. But there’s a catch. When it comes to better air to breathe, increased longevity, and reduced health care expenses, some parts of the country — such as Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago — are likely to gain considerably more from the greening of transportation than others. Study author H. Oliver Gao, director of systems engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., said he and his colleagues were not surprised by the broad finding that EVs will be a boon to American health. “We were expecting — and I believe most people are expecting — a substantial air quality and health benefit associated with electric transportation,” he noted. That’s because what folks drive matters: Vehicles powered by petroleum fuels — mostly gasoline and diesel — account for nearly 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Fully electric cars, by contrast, have zero tailpipe emissions. While Gao noted that “the technology has actually been there for quite…  read on >  read on >

Insulin pumps can help folks with type 1 diabetes get better control of their disease and minimize how often they inject insulin, and use of the devices has taken off in the past 20 years. That’s the good news from a new study. The not-so-great news is that a large gap in who is using these insulin pumps remains. Specifically, white patients are twice as likely to receive an insulin pump as Black patients, and better-educated, wealthier people are also more likely to be using one. “The big message is that over a 20-year period, we saw a pretty large increase in insulin pump use across all patients, but no change in distribution by race or socioeconomic status,” said study author Dr. Estelle Everett, an assistant professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Despite the overall increase, most populations are really not able to benefit from insulin pump use and these are the groups who have more challenges managing their diabetes and a higher risk of complications, so they may actually gain the most benefit from diabetes technology,” she said. Unfortunately, such race and socioeconomic disparities exist throughout medicine. “This study is another example of a larger issue in the medical field,” Everett said. People with type 1 diabetes produce little to no insulin, the hormone tasked…  read on >  read on >

Surprisingly, most people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are in excellent mental health, Canadian researchers report. Two-thirds of COPD patients don’t suffer from common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety or addiction to drugs, the new study found. The key to well-being seems to be having the support of loved ones and not being isolated or lonely, according to a new study. COPD is a progressive, debilitating chronic lung disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The condition has previously been tied to mental health problems, researchers noted. “This is not an easy disorder,” said senior researcher Esme Fuller-Thomson, director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto. But to see that two-thirds of people who have COPD — which can make it hard to breathe and interfere with their ability to work and participate in family activities — are overcoming those difficulties to the point that they are mentally flourishing is heartening, she said. For the study, Fuller-Thomson and her colleague Sally Abudiab, a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, looked at the mental health of 703 COPD patients. They found that 67% of the participants were in excellent mental health. According to Fuller-Thomson, that meant being happy and satisfied with their life most of the time, having social and psychological…  read on >  read on >

Patients who undergo angioplasty and stenting to open clogged arteries in and around the heart should also be screened for depression, according to a new study. Researchers found that depressed patients were less likely than their mentally healthy peers to take their prescribed medications, including beta-blockers, antiplatelets and statins. These medications reduce the likelihood of another heart attack or cardiovascular event after angioplasty and stenting (also called percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI). “It is well-appreciated that depression carries adverse cardiovascular risk. We wanted to understand better why that is the case,” said Dr. Jared Magnani, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. “We found that 10% to 20% of individuals with depression were less likely to take their medicine after PCI, which is significant because this group is at a higher risk for serious complications or dying from a heart attack,” he said in a university news release. Using medical claims data that included prescriptions filled at pharmacies, the researchers examined the records of more than 124,000 patients who had the procedure and were also diagnosed with depression. Patients were followed for a year. Medication adherence may depend on social factors, such as having the money to cover medication costs, the study authors noted. Pharmacy access is another challenge. Prior research has found that a high percentage of people with…  read on >  read on >

For those who care about their teeth, a new study sounds a pretty clear alarm: using tobacco in any form — including the increasingly popular practice of vaping — is a recipe for a dental nightmare. The warning comes from the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), after scientists analyzed several years of tracking data that looked at associations between smoking and poor dental health among thousands of American men and women. The bottom line: regular users of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (vapes), cigars, pipes, hookahs and/or smokeless tobacco face a notably higher risk for various forms of dental trouble. Depending on the type of tobacco involved, that includes a significantly heightened likelihood for six different types of dental concerns, including gum disease; precancerous oral lesions; bone loss surrounding the teeth; loose teeth; and/or tooth loss due to tooth decay or gum disease. And vaping, which is sometimes viewed as a safer form of tobacco use, was linked to a 27% higher risk for bleeding following brushing or flossing. “We’ve always known that smoking increases your odds for gum disease,” said Dr. Purnima Kumar, a spokesperson for the American Dental Association. Though not a part of the study team, Kumar — who is also chair of the department of periodontics and oral medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, in Ann…  read on >  read on >