Newswise Curated News Channel: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Research aims to uncover genetic and environmental risk factors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Wayne State University Division of Research — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 14:05:59 EST

A $3 million, five-year award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the NIH aims to discover and validate the gene Х heavy metal (GXM) interactions in human livers and to understand their role in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nanozymes drive tumor-specific drug delivery while minimizing toxicity

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 10:35:16 EST

Nanozymes--artificial enzymes that can carry out pre-determined chemical reactions--could selectively activate a cancer drug within a tumor while minimizing damage to healthy tissue in a mouse model of triple negative breast cancer.

Transcription Factors Contribute to Subtypes of Colorectal Cancers

Johns Hopkins Medicine — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 11:05:15 EST

New research in colorectal cancers directed by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center suggests that expression of transcription factors -- proteins that help turn specific genes on or off by binding to nearby DNA -- may play a central role in the degree of DNA methylation across the genome, contributing to the development of different subtypes of these cancers. Methylation is a process in which certain chemical groups attach to areas of DNA that guide genes' on/off switches.

Why Ongoing Worker Safety Training Is Critical to Effective Disaster Response

Rutgers University-New Brunswick — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 12:00:51 EST

Rutgers is part of a national network of institutions tasked with ensuring workers have the knowledge and skills to stay safe on the job.

Women treated for breast cancer may age faster than cancer-free women

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:05:26 EST

Women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer have increased biological aging compared to women who remain free of breast cancer, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their collaborators. Among women diagnosed with breast cancer, the association with faster biological aging was most pronounced for those who received radiation therapy, while surgery showed no association with biological aging. This finding suggests that developing cancer is not what increases the aging effect.

Proteins Predict Significant Step Toward Development of Diabetes

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 11:00:00 EST

Scientists have taken an important step forward in predicting who will develop Type 1 diabetes months before symptoms appear.

Mount Sinai Institute for Exposomics Research Awarded $8.45 Million Grant to Study Environmental Health

Mount Sinai Health System — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 09:00:35 EST

New five-year award will focus on the effects of environmental exposures on health across the lifespan

UC Irvine receives grant to study lead exposure effects on children's learning, behavior

University of California, Irvine — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 13:30:03 EST

The Program in Public Health at the University of California, Irvine has received a five-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to research the connection between low-level lead exposure during pregnancy and early childhood and children's school performance and behavior in Santa Ana, California.

Exposure to "forever chemicals" during pregnancy linked to increased risk of obesity in kids

Brown University — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 20:00:01 EST

The risks of exposure to "forever chemicals" start even before birth, a new study confirms, potentially setting up children for future health issues.

Fetal exposure to PCBs affects hearing health later in life

Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 14:35:48 EST

Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology found that early exposure to an environmental chemical called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, made it more difficult for mice to recover from sound-related trauma sustained later in life.

Air pollution worsens movement disorder after stroke

Hiroshima University — Wed, 10 May 2023 14:45:30 EST

Air pollution has been shown to have a negative effect on the prognosis of ischemic stroke, or stroke caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, but the exact mechanism is unknown. A team of researchers recently conducted a study to determine whether or not increased inflammation of the brain, also known as neuroinflammation, is the main culprit.

Higher lithium levels in drinking water may raise autism risk

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 11:00:00 EST

Pregnant women whose household tap water had higher levels of lithium had a moderately higher risk of their offspring being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, researchers reported in JAMA Pediatrics.

Black, Latinx Californians face highest exposure to oil and gas wells

University of California, Berkeley — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 16:25:07 EST

More than 1 million Californians live near active oil or gas wells, potentially exposing them to drilling-related pollution that can contribute to asthma, preterm births and a variety of other health problems.

New Study: Abatacept Therapy Offers Promising Results Treating Juvenile Dermatomyositis

George Washington University — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 12:40:35 EST

Juvenile dermatomyositis, a rare but often severe and chronic systemic autoimmune disease, includes a large number of patients who are treatment resistant, requiring long term immunosuppressive therapy. A small open-label study published in Arthritis and Rheumatology shows promise using a targeted biologic therapy called abatacept to treat such patients.

Exposure to green space linked to reduced risk of postpartum depression

University of California, Irvine — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 12:35:36 EST

In an analysis of more than 415,00 electronic health records of healthy, full-term births in Southern California, a team of researchers led by the University of California, Irvine determined that exposure to green space and tree coverage was associated with a decreased risk of postpartum depression among mothers.

Toxic protein linked to muscular dystrophy and arhinia

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 14:00:00 EST

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues have found that a toxic protein made by the body called DUX4 may be the cause of two very different rare genetic disorders. For patients who have facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), or a rare facial malformation called arhinia, this research discovery may eventually lead to therapies that can help people with these rare diseases.

PFAS Can Suppress White Blood Cell's Ability to Destroy Invaders

North Carolina State University — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 11:05:15 EST

In a new study, researchers found that the PFAS chemical GenX suppresses the neutrophil respiratory burst - the method white blood cells known as neutrophils use to kill invading pathogens.

Clemson scientists identify enzyme that reduces diet-induced obesity in humans

Clemson University — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 08:00:00 EST

Clemson University researchers have identified an enzyme and its products in humans that reduce diet-induced obesity.

Exposure to toxic blue-green algae, exacerbated by climate change, shown to cause liver disease in mouse models

University of California, Irvine — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 18:10:32 EST

Algal blooms or cylindrospermopsin, exacerbated by climate change, shown to have a connection with several adverse health effects.

Molecules found in mucus could prevent cholera infection

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:15:59 EST

MIT researchers have identified molecules found in mucus that can block cholera infection by interfering with the genes that cause the microbe to switch into a harmful state.