The authors looked at whether youth use of marijuana related to later high-risk drug use. Using survey data from 2010-2019 they found that youth marijuana use did correlate to an increased risk of high-risk drug use.
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QuitPuff: A Simple Method Using Saliva to Assess the Risk of Oral Pre-Cancerous Lesions and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Chronic Smokers
Smoking generates free radicals and reactive oxygen species which induce cell damage and lipid peroxidation. This is linked to the development of oral cancer in chronic smokers. The authors of this study developed Quitpuff, simple colorimetric test to measure the extent of lipid peroxidation in saliva samples. This test detected salivary lipid peroxidation with 96% accuracy in test subjects and could serve as an inexpensive, non-invasive test for smokers to measure degree of salivary lipid peroxidation and potential risk of oral cancer.
Read More...Who is at Risk for a Spinal Fracture? – A Comparative Study of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data
One common age-related health problem is the loss of bone mineral density (BMD), which can lead to a variety of negative health outcomes, including increased risk of spinal fracture. In this study, the authors investigate risk factors that may be predictive of an individual's risk of spinal fracture. Their findings provide valuable information that clinicians can use in patient evaluations.
Read More...Deciphering correlation and causation in risk factors for heart disease with Mendelian randomization
Here, seeking to identify the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), a major cause of cardiovascular disease, the authors used Mendelian randomization. With this method they identified several traits such as blood pressure readings, LDL cholesterol and BMI as significant risk factors. While other traits were not found to be significant risk factors.
Read More...Sex differences in sleep disorders of Parkinson’s disease patients associated with a genetic risk variant
The authors use known Parkinson's disease-associated genetic variants to compare the prevalence of sleep dysfunction between males and females diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Read More...Entropy-based subset selection principal component analysis for diabetes risk factor identification
In this article, the authors looked at developing a strategy that would allow for earlier diagnosis of Diabetes as that improves long-term outcomes. They were able to find that BMI, tricep skin fold thickness, and blood pressure are the risk factors with the highest accuracy in predicting diabetes risk.
Read More...Validation of impact-absorbing football helmet facemask for head injury prevention with simulation
Head injuries are common in American football and the facemasks found on football helmets receive a lot of impact during contacts. This study investigates how effective they are at reducing concussion risk.
Read More...The Effect of Neem on Common Nosocomial Infection-Causing Organisms
Nosocomial infections acquired in hospitals pose a risk to patients, a risk compounded by resistant microorganisms. To combat this problem, researchers have turned to bioactive compounds from medicinal plants such as the widely used neem. In the present study, researchers sought to determine the effectiveness of different neem preparations against several hospital acquired human pathogens. Neem powder in water successfully inhibited microorganism growth making it a potential agent to combat these infections.
Read More...Can Children Acquire Their Parents’ History of Fracture?
While the genetic basis of hip fracture risk has been studied extensively in adults, it is not known whether parental history of bone fractures affects their children's fracture risk. In this article, the authors investigated whether a parental history of bone fractures influences the rate of fractures in their children. They found that adolescent children whose parents had a more extensive history of fractures were more likely to have a history of fractures themselves, suggesting that parents' medical histories may be an important consideration in future pediatric health research.
Read More...Evaluation of Microplastics in Japanese Fish Using Visual and Chemical Dissections
Does the overuse of plastic in Japan poses an ecological risk to marine species and their consumers? Using visual and chemical dissection, all fish in this study were found to have microplastics present in their gastrointestinal tract, including two species that are typically eaten whole in Japan. Overall, these results are concerning as previous studies have found that microplastics can carry persistent organic pollutants. It is presumed that the increasing consumption of microplastics will have negative implications on organ systems such as the liver, gut, and hormones.
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