Lead is a major developmental neurotoxicant in children, and tobacco smoke has been suggested as a source of lead exposure in vulnerable populations. This study evaluates the contribution of secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) to blood lead levels (BLLs) in children and adolescents.MethodsWe analyze data from 2,815 participants aged 6–19 years who participated in the National Health… Continue reading The contribution of secondhand tobacco #smoke to blood #lead levels in US children and adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2015–2018
Category: Environment
Recovery #sleep following sleep restriction is insufficient to return elevated daytime heart #rate and systolic blood #pressure to baseline levels
Objective Sleep restriction alters daytime cardiac activity, including elevating heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP). There is minimal research on the cumulative effects of sleep loss and the response after subsequent recovery sleep on HR and BP. This study examined patterns of HR and BP across baseline, sleep restriction, and recovery conditions using multiple daytime cardiac… Continue reading Recovery #sleep following sleep restriction is insufficient to return elevated daytime heart #rate and systolic blood #pressure to baseline levels
Inequalities in urban greenness and epigenetic aging: Different associations by race and neighborhood socioeconomic status
Slower epigenetic aging is associated with exposure to green space (greenness); however, the longitudinal relationship has not been well studied, particularly in minority groups. We investigated the association between 20-year exposure to greenness [Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)] and epigenetic aging in a large, biracial (Black/white), U.S. urban cohort. Using generalized estimating equations adjusted for… Continue reading Inequalities in urban greenness and epigenetic aging: Different associations by race and neighborhood socioeconomic status
Semaglutide reduces alcohol intake and relapse-like drinking in male and female rats
BackgroundGlucagon-like peptide1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists have been found to reduce alcohol drinking in rodents and overweight patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, the probability of low semaglutide doses, an agonist with higher potency and affinity for GLP-1R, to attenuate alcohol-related responses in rodents and the underlying neuronal mechanisms is unknown.MethodsIn the intermittent access model,… Continue reading Semaglutide reduces alcohol intake and relapse-like drinking in male and female rats
Emotional sounds in space: asymmetrical representation within early-stage auditory areas
Evidence from behavioral studies suggests that the spatial origin of sounds may influence the perception of emotional valence. Using 7T fMRI we have investigated the impact of the categories of sound (vocalizations; non-vocalizations), emotional valence (positive, neutral, negative) and spatial origin (left, center, right) on the encoding in early-stage auditory areas and in the voice… Continue reading Emotional sounds in space: asymmetrical representation within early-stage auditory areas
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: A Chemical Class of Emerging Concern
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), a large class of chemicals that includes high production volume substances, have been used for decades as antimicrobials, preservatives, and antistatic agents and for other functions in cleaning, disinfecting, personal care products, and durable consumer goods. QAC use has accelerated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the banning of 19… Continue reading Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: A Chemical Class of Emerging Concern
Successful aging of musicians: Preservation of sensorimotor regions aids audiovisual speech-in-noise perception
Musicianship can mitigate age-related declines in audiovisual speech-in-noise perception. We tested whether this benefit originates from functional preservation or functional compensation by comparing fMRI responses of older musicians, older nonmusicians, and young nonmusicians identifying noise-masked audiovisual syllables. Older musicians outperformed older nonmusicians and showed comparable performance to young nonmusicians. Notably, older musicians retained similar neural… Continue reading Successful aging of musicians: Preservation of sensorimotor regions aids audiovisual speech-in-noise perception
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2016
AbstractObjective While there are several well-established environmental risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a paucity of evidence exists linking environmental toxicants with RA prevalence. We aimed to examine the associations between various environmental toxicants and RA among adults in the U.S. general population while adjusting for non-heritable risk factors.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted… Continue reading Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2016
Association of Rurality With Risk of Heart Failure
Rural populations experience an increased burden of heart failure (HF) mortality compared with urban populations. Whether HF incidence is greater among rural individuals is less known. Additionally, the intersection between racial and rural health inequities is understudied.Objective To determine whether rurality is associated with increased risk of HF, independent of cardiovascular (CV) disease and socioeconomic… Continue reading Association of Rurality With Risk of Heart Failure
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