Latest news with #KeckSchoolofMedicine
Jordan News
24-04-2025
- Health
- Jordan News
Study: Artificial Sweeteners Disrupt Appetite and Slow Weight Loss - Jordan News
People who consume artificial sweeteners in an effort to lose or manage weight might actually be making things worse, according to a recent study published in Nature Metabolism. اضافة اعلان A team of scientists based in Germany and the United States found that sucralose—a widely used sugar substitute—increases activity in the hypothalamus, a brain region involved in appetite regulation. Researchers from the German Center for Diabetes Research and the University of Southern California reported that tests involving 75 participants revealed that sucralose enhanced "functional connectivity between the hypothalamus and brain regions involved in motivation and somatosensory processing." These findings suggest that 'non-caloric sweeteners may influence key mechanisms in the hypothalamus responsible for regulating appetite.' Kathleen Alana Page from the Keck School of Medicine at USC explained, 'Sucralose confuses the brain by providing a sweet taste without the expected caloric energy.' Sucralose was also found to have no effect on the hormones that signal to the brain that calories have been consumed, which help reduce hunger. Page warned that this effect was more pronounced in individuals with obesity, suggesting they may feel hungry even when they are not. She added, 'If your body expects a certain amount of calories from the sweeteners but doesn't receive them, this could alter the brain's programming for craving these substances over time.'
Reuters
11-04-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Health Rounds: Incontinence after stroke closer to being correctable
April 11 (Reuters) - (To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here) (This is an excerpt of the Health Rounds newsletter, where we present latest medical studies on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. Brain-imaging studies are giving researchers a better understanding of the cause of incontinence after a stroke that could lead to therapies for restoring bladder control in these patients, according to a report published on Thursday. Urinary incontinence affects up to 79% of patients in the immediate aftermath of a stroke and persists in nearly 40% of survivors one year later, the researchers wrote in the journal Stroke, opens new tab. 'The brain plays a crucial role in regulating the bladder, allowing people to sense bladder fullness and giving them the ability to delay urination until it is socially appropriate or initiate it at will,' study leader Dr. Evgeniy Kreydin of the Keck School of Medicine at USC said in a statement. 'Stroke survivors often struggle to suppress unwanted bladder contractions and may even lose bladder sensation and awareness entirely. Since a stroke impacts the brain, it disrupts the normal (nerve) pathways that govern bladder control,' he explained. His team recruited stroke patients with incontinence and healthy volunteers and obtained MRI scans of their brain functions during repeated bladder filling and voiding. When participants consciously decided when to empty their bladder, both healthy individuals and stroke survivors showed significant activation in brain regions associated with sensorimotor control and executive decision-making. In contrast, during involuntary or incontinent bladder emptying in stroke survivors, researchers saw minimal cortical activation, suggesting a failure to engage key brain networks necessary for urinary control. This finding opens doors for potential therapeutic interventions, the researchers said. These might include non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation or direct current stimulation, to target the necessary network, or the development of medications that enhance activation in critical continence control regions in the brain. USUAL ESOPHAGUS MONITORING PROTOCOL FOR CANCER PROVIDES LITTLE BENEFIT People with an esophagus condition that can be a precursor to cancer do not generally benefit from the periodic endoscopic screening that is the current standard of care, a new study shows. In the first-ever randomized trial to test the routine monitoring protocol employed for patients with Barrett's esophagus, nearly 3,500 participants were assigned to undergo surveillance endoscopy at regular intervals or 'at need' endoscopy upon development of symptoms suggestive of cancer. In the surveillance group, the average interval between endoscopy was three years. In the 'at need' group, roughly 60% of patients had at least one endoscopy. With half the patients followed for more than 13 years, there were no differences in overall survival, cancer-specific survival, time to diagnosis of esophageal cancer, or cancer stage at diagnosis, researchers reported in Gastroenterology, opens new tab. Overall in the study, the risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma was 0.23% per patient per year. 'Guidelines suggest that all patients with Barrett's esophagus should have surveillance every 3-5 years,' the authors wrote. 'Our data indicate this may be too aggressive as any benefit is likely to be modest for (certain) low-risk patients.'
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Study links air pollution before pregnancy to childhood obesity risk
With rapid urbanization and industrial growth, air pollution levels are rising globally, posing serious risks to public health. From respiratory diseases to cardiovascular conditions, the adverse effects of polluted air are well-documented. However, emerging research suggests that air pollution may also have more subtle but long-term consequences—especially on early childhood development. A new study now reveals that exposure to air pollution in the three months before pregnancy could increase the risk of childhood obesity. The study, conducted on more than 5,000 mothers and their children, raises concerns about children's body mass index and obesity risk factors up to age 2. The research, supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and published in Environmental Research, reveals the potential impacts of environmental exposure before conception. While previous studies have connected air pollution during pregnancy to various childhood health issues, including respiratory problems and increased risks of obesity and heart conditions, this research specifically examined the preconception period. The study focused on the final stages of egg and sperm development when environmental factors can influence reproductive cell health. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Duke University, and Fudan University conducted one of the largest studies to date on preconception environmental exposures. The team analyzed 5,834 mother-child pairs recruited from 28 maternity clinics across Shanghai, examining the relationship between pre-pregnancy exposure to different types of air pollution and childhood body mass measurements. "These findings imply that the three months before conception are important and that people who plan to bear children should consider taking measures to lower their air pollution exposure to reduce their children's risk for obesity," said Jiawen Liao, postdoctoral research associate in population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine and the study's lead author. The research team developed advanced machine learning models to assess daily pollution exposure at participants' residences. Led by Jim Zhang of Duke University, they incorporated satellite data, pollutant simulations, and meteorological factors to measure levels of PM2.5, PM10, and nitrogen dioxide, primarily produced by vehicles. The study tracked children's weight and height through electronic medical records every three months until age 2. Researchers compared participants exposed to lower pollution levels (25th percentile) with those exposed to higher levels (75th percentile) to evaluate connections between air pollution and child development outcomes. Results showed that higher PM2.5 exposure before conception correlated with a 0.078 increase in child BMIZ, a standardized score comparing body mass index to children of the same age and sex, at age 2. Similarly, increased PM10 exposure was linked to a 0.093 kilogram per square meter rise in BMI at the same age. After six months, children with greater preconception exposure to all three pollutants demonstrated higher weight, BMI, and BMIZ growth rates. Zhanghua Chen, assistant professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine and senior study author, noted the broader implications: "The magnitude is small, but because air pollution is widespread and everybody is exposed, the risk of air pollution exposure on children's obesity risk may be substantial and may start before their mothers' pregnancy." While the observational nature of the study necessitates additional research to establish direct causation between pre-pregnancy air pollution exposure and childhood obesity risk, researchers recommend precautionary measures. These include wearing masks during poor air quality conditions, minimizing outdoor exposure, and using air purifiers indoors. The recommendations apply to both women and men planning to conceive. The research team at the Keck School of Medicine plans to continue investigating this connection through a new study monitoring preconception air pollution exposure in Southern California. They are also evaluating the effectiveness of indoor air purifiers in reducing heart and metabolic problems among the general population. This story was produced by LA Post and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
Fox News
02-04-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Sugar substitutes can cause brain changes that increase appetite, study says
Sugar substitutes are readily available in restaurants throughout the country — but they may be confusing the brain and make people "feel" hungrier than they really are, a new study suggests. Sucralose – a widely used sugar substitute – increases activity in the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that regulates appetite and body weight, according to a recent study from the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. The study was published in the journal Nature Metabolism. "Particularly in individuals with obesity, sucralose caused a significant activation of that brain area – and that was linked to greater ratings of hunger," Dr. Katie Page, director of the USC Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute and co-author of the study, told Fox News Digital. Page, an endocrinologist, said there have been plenty of discrepancies when it comes to noncaloric sweeteners and whether they're helpful or harmful for weight loss. "What we know from studies in animal models is that they have effects on the brain where the brain is interpreting the signal of sweetness but not getting any nutrient with it," she said. "And that's kind of confusing the brain and making the animals hungrier. So, we wondered if that same mechanism might happen in humans." Page and her colleagues tested how 75 participants responded after consuming water, a drink sweetened with sucralose or a drink sweetened with regular sugar. Sucralose increased hunger and activity in the hypothalamus, especially in people with obesity, the study revealed. It also changed the way the hypothalamus communicates with other brain regions. Unlike sugar, sucralose did not increase blood levels of certain hormones that create a feeling of fullness, according to the study. Although it was just a short-term study, Page said, the data was clear that the brain's response to artificial sweeteners differs when compared to sugar or water. "I don't recommend substituting noncaloric sweeteners for added sugars," Page said — pointing out that the study showed these sugar substitutes "may lead to greater cravings over time." Splenda responded with a statement saying that "this small study had several limitations." She suggested that more Americans should "try to wean [themselves] off all these added sweeteners" and stick to eating sugar that is "found naturally in fruits and vegetables." Fox News Digital reached out to Sweet 'N Low and Splenda for comment. Splenda responded with a statement saying that "this small study had several limitations," including sample size and self-reported data. Splenda's sucralose was not used in the study, but it "has undergone extensive, rigorous reviews by health authorities worldwide," including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a spokesperson for the company told Fox News Digital. "A wealth of trusted scientific research has consistently confirmed that sucralose does not affect blood glucose or insulin levels and is safe for regular consumption," the statement said. "Also, numerous studies have found no link between the consumption of sweet-tasting foods or beverages and a long-term preference for sweetness."
CNN
30-03-2025
- Science
- CNN
Toxic dust on Mars would present serious hazard for astronauts
Toxic dust on Mars would make a future mission to the red planet extremely hazardous for astronauts and require significant countermeasures, new research suggests. Substances such as silica, gypsum, perchlorates and nanophase iron oxides contained in Martian dust could have life-threatening effects on members of a potential Mars mission, according to a study published in the journal GeoHealth last month. 'The biggest danger is the risk to astronauts' lungs. Since the dust is so fine, it is expected to remain in astronauts' lungs and some of it will be absorbed into the bloodstream,' study co-author Justin Wang, a medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), told CNN on Wednesday. 'Astronauts are already at risk for pulmonary fibrosis due to the radiation exposure in spaceflight, and many of the hazards including silica and iron oxides can cause pulmonary disease that could be superimposed.' Wang also highlighted concerns that perchlorates – chemical compounds that have been detected at toxic levels in Martian soil – could cause thyroid dysfunction and aplastic anemia – a condition in which the body stops producing enough blood cells. Given the length of time it would take to return to Earth from Mars, as well as a delay in communicating with our home planet, the key is to avoid dust exposure through dust filtration, cabin cleaning and the use of electrostatic repulsion devices, according to the study. Nonetheless, Wang is optimistic that the toxic dust doesn't make a Mars mission an impossibility. 'While the dust on Mars isn't going to be the most dangerous part of a mission to the Red Planet, it's definitely a hazard that can be harmful to astronauts, yet easily avoidable given we're properly prepared for it,' he said. Study co-author Brian Hynek, a professor of geological sciences at the University of Boulder, highlighted the wider impacts of Martian dust. 'It's constantly falling from the sky and covering everything. Every few years there are globe-encompassing storms that lay down a thick coat,' he told CNN, underlining that spacecraft, vehicles, solar panels and other equipment 'will need constant attention to keep functioning.' 'Our rovers have already experienced this with loss of scientific instruments or the entire mission due to solar panels rendered too dusty to charge the batteries,' Hynek said. 'These secondary considerations will have a significant impact on humans as well.' Julia Cartwright, an independent research fellow at the University of Leicester's Institute for Space, who wasn't involved in the study, told CNN that dust mitigation is a big issue for space exploration. 'As the authors have highlighted – the dust really does get everywhere, and it behaves a bit differently to dust on Earth. Here, most dust and particles go through their own transportation journeys and tend to be quite rounded when you look at it under the microscope as they get worn down gradually over time,' she said. 'By comparison, on the Moon and Mars, you're dealing with very sharp, pointy particles which haven't had this same activity. This is a problem if they are in the air that you are breathing – sharp particles are more likely to cause irritation to soft membranes, which is where you can run into issues with your lungs.' Cartwright said the process could be likened to being exposed to asbestos, a fibrous mineral that was used in building materials until research found that it caused health conditions including lung cancer, mesothelioma and pulmonary heart disease. She also highlighted issues surrounding the use of filters to clean the air of 'unpleasant elements and compounds' such as chromium, arsenic and cadmium. 'Assuming that you are able to filter these out, you would still need to have a strategy for changing out all of the filters that you would have to breathe through and you would need to have a load of those filters on board the spacecraft,' said Cartwright. And Jonathan Eastwood, a professor of space physics at Imperial College London, agreed that sophisticated solutions will be needed to overcome the hazards posed by Martian dust. 'The distance from the Earth to Mars means that rapid evacuation back to Earth is ruled out, and so it's necessary to have a complete medical capability locally on the surface,' he told CNN. 'As the authors point out, solving this is a highly interdisciplinary problem where medical, engineering and scientific disciplines must converge to find a solution.' Natalya Zavina-James, senior exploration research manager at the UK Space Agency, told CNN that the 'study illustrates the breadth of considerations needed to protect astronauts' health.' 'It's great to begin to see studies, like this one, addressing the human health aspect of Mars exploration,' she said. 'This is a critical aspect of the horizon goal, with huge ethical implications that must be considered in depth before crewed missions take off.'
