Hearing loss can reduce your opportunities, cause social withdrawal, and result in emotional problems.
A new hypothesis about crocodile ears.
Over 1.2 billion individuals worldwide have hearing loss. Crocodiles, on the other hand, have excellent hearing for their whole lives and can live up to 70 years. One reason is that crocodiles can create new hair cells, and an Uppsala University research team is currently investigating why. Hopefully, understanding crocodile biology can benefit those who have hearing loss.
“We can see that new hair cells seem to be formed from the activation of so-called support cells, which is connected to crocodiles having certain cell structures that humans appear to lack. Our hypothesis is that nerves that carry impulses from the brain, so-called efferent nerves, trigger that regrowth,” says Helge Rask-Andersen, professor of experimental otology at Uppsala University and one of the researchers behind the study, which was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.
More than a billion people worldwide have hearing loss, which causes significant difficulties for individuals and often lowers the perceived quality of life. The most common cause of hearing loss is the failure of receptors in the ears, and these receptors cannot be regenerated in humans. They may, however, be in non-mammal creatures such as crocodiles, which maintain strong hearing throughout their lives despite living up to 70 years.
It is known that animals can quickly regenerate the hair cells in their ears if they are damaged. But it is not really known how. Crocodiles have excellent hearing that is adapted for being on land and underwater. One distinctive characteristic is that the receptors’ sensitivity to different pitches is affected by external temperature, making it perfect for different kinds of dangers in different environments during evolution.
The crocodile ear has been examined in a new study by ear researchers at Uppsala University Hospital together with researchers at Uppsala University. Few research groups in the world have studied the inner ear of the crocodile, and the researchers in this study have used electron microscopy and molecular technologies.
One interesting discovery was that small cell particles are secreted in the crocodile’s ear. The particles resemble exosomes and can secrete enzymes that break down or form the membrane against which the cilia in the ear rub as sound comes in. The exosomes form small alveoli, cavities, that make it easier for the cilia to bend when sound vibrations reach the ear.
“One hypothesis is that this increases sensitivity to sound and hearing improves. Our hope is to learn how crocodiles regenerate their hair cells and to eventually be able to use that on people in the future,” says Helge Rask-Andersen.
Reference: “Regeneration in the Auditory Organ in Cuban and African Dwarf Crocodiles (Crocodylus rhombifer and Osteolaemus tetraspis) Can We Learn From the Crocodile How to Restore Our Hearing?” by Hao Li, Karin Staxäng, Monika Hodik, Karl-Gunnar Melkersson, Mathias Rask-Andersen and Helge Rask-Andersen, 4 July 2022, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.934571
The study found that pairing Spinraza® with valproic acid could boost its effects.
A New Drug Duo
Spinraza® changed the game for people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in 2016. It was the first medication for the neurodegenerative condition that is the leading genetic cause of infant mortality to get FDA approval. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Adrian Krainer and colleagues conceptualized and developed the medication.
Krainer didn’t stop there, however. Together with Alberto Kornblihtt at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, his lab has been looking into whether Spinraza® could be enhanced. They identified a novel strategy to enhance the therapeutic benefits of Spinraza® by combining it with valproic acid (VPA), a separate FDA-approved drug.
Increasing a drug’s dose is one method for increasing its impact. But like with any drug, using more Spinraza® puts you at risk for negative side effects. Krainer and his associates used a different strategy. They found that combining Spinraza® with VPA could be an alternative method for increasing its clinical effect without using more of the drug. Krainer explains:
“Sometimes you don’t want to use a ton of a drug. If you have a condition that allows you to use less of the drug, then you may have fewer toxicities. So the idea is to combine these two drugs to get maximal effects.”
People with SMA don’t have enough of a protein called SMN. Spinraza® is a type of molecule called an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) that helps cells make more SMN protein from a gene called SMN2. The team discovered that there were roadblocks on the SMN2 gene when using Spinraza®. This slowed down the cellular machine producing SMN protein. The drug VPA helps remove the roadblocks, allowing Spinraza® to further increase the SMN protein output. When mice with SMA were treated with both VPA and a Spinraza®-like ASO used for research, the mice survived longer and had improved muscle function.
Over 11,000 SMA patients have been treated with Spinraza® in more than 50 countries. Krainer’s latest research shows that there’s always room for improvement. He hopes the team’s findings will help optimize the efficacy of Spinraza® treatments. He also hopes their work will help researchers who are trying to develop therapies for other neurodegenerative diseases.
Reference: “Counteracting chromatin effects of a splicing-correcting antisense oligonucleotide improves its therapeutic efficacy in spinal muscular atrophy” by Luciano E. Marasco, Gwendal Dujardin, Rui Sousa-Luís, Ying Hsiu Liu, Jose N. Stigliano, Tomoki Nomakuchi, Nick J. Proudfoot, Adrian R. Krainer and Alberto R. Kornblihtt, 9 June 2022, Cell. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.04.031
The study was funded by Familias Atrofia Muscular Espinal, CureSMA, Richard Lounsbery Foundation, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica of Argentina, NIH/National Institutes of Health, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, St. Giles Foundation, Fundação para Ciência e a Tecnologia.
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, expressed outrage on Friday over a 34 years in prison sentence handed down to a Saudi woman charged with following and retweeting so-called dissidents and activists.
🇸🇦 We are appalled by the harsh sentencing of #SalmaAlShehab in connection with tweets and retweets on political and human rights issues in #SaudiArabia. We urge the Saudi authorities to quash her conviction and release her immediately & unconditionally 👉 https://t.co/4ARoJNbIHnpic.twitter.com/BD14jlFv02
Doctoral student Salma Al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison, followed by a 34-year travel ban in connection with a series of tweets and retweets on political and human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell said in a statement.
“We urge the Saudi authorities to quash her conviction and release her immediately and unconditionally,” she said.
“She should never have been arrested and charged in the first place for such conduct”.
The extraordinarily lengthy sentence adds to “the chilling effect” among Government critics and civil society at large, the statement continued, describing it as “yet another example of Saudi authorities weaponizing the country’s counter-terrorism and anti-cybercrime laws to target, intimidate and retaliate against human rights defenders and those who voice dissent”.
The mother of two young children, Ms Al-Shehab, 34, was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2021 while on holiday from her studies at Leeds University in the United Kingdom.
She was accused of spreading false information and aiding dissidents seeking to disrupt public order with her tweets, retweets and follows on Twitter.
News reports have pointed out that the case marks the latest example of how the country has targeted Twitter users in a campaign of repression, while simultaneously controlling a major indirect stake in the United States social media company.
Journalists have also observed that the sentencing by Saudi’s special terrorist court was handed down weeks after US President Joe Biden visited Saudi Arabia, which human rights activists had warned could embolden the kingdom to escalate its crackdown on dissidents and other pro-democracy activists.
Call for release
“Saudi Arabia must not only release Al-Shehab so that she can re-join her family, but also review all convictions stemming from free expression against human rights defenders, including women who were jailed after they legitimately demanded reforms of discriminatory policies, as well as religious leaders and journalists,” said Ms Throssell.
OHCHR also urged the Saudi Government to establish “a robust legislative framework in line with international human rights law” to uphold the rights to freedom of expression and association, and the right of peaceful assembly for all.
A graphic of traumatic brain injury with blood test vials. Credit: Justine Ross, Michigan Medicine
In the study, the method predicted poor outcomes six months after injury with high accuracy.
A study finds that blood tests taken the day of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can accurately predict which patients are likely to die or survive with severe disability. This could allow clinicians to make decisions earlier on possible treatment of TBI.
Researchers analyzed day-of-injury blood tests of nearly 1,700 patients with TBI. Results reveal that higher values of two protein biomarkers, GFAP and UCH-L1, are associated with death and severe injury. The study, from Michigan Medicine, the University of California San Francisco, and the University of Pennsylvania, was published in The Lancet Neurology.
According to first author Frederick Korley, M.D., Ph.D., this is the first study to examine the association between biomarker levels of these two proteins and all-cause mortality following TBI. Korley is an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.
“Early and accurate prediction of TBI outcomes will help clinicians gauge how severe a brain injury is and inform how best to counsel family members about care for their loved ones with brain injury and what to expect with regards to their recovery,” Korley said. “It will also help researchers more precisely target promising TBI therapeutics to the right TBI patients.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the use of GFAP and UCH-L1 in 2018 to help clinicians decide whether to order CT scans for mild traumatic brain injury.
Scientists measured the proteins using two devices from Abbott Laboratories, the i-STAT Alinity, and the ARCHITECT. Results were compared to evaluations made six months after injury using the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended, a system that grades the functional status of TBI patients.
Investigators found that compared to those with GFAP values in the bottom 20th percentile, those with GFAP values in the top 20th percentile had a 23 times higher risk of death during the subsequent six months. Similarly, compared to those with UCH-L1 values in the bottom 20th percentile, those with UCH-L1 values in the top 20th percentile had a 63 times higher risk of death during the subsequent 6 months.
“Modern trauma care can result in good outcomes in what we had once believed were non-survivable injuries,” said co-senior author Geoffrey Manley, M.D., Ph.D., professor and vice chair of neurosurgery at UCSF. “These blood tests are both diagnostic and prognostic, as well as easy to administer, safe and inexpensive.”
While the method is promising for determining poor outcomes in moderate and severe TBI, researchers say more must be done to examine its role in mild cases.
“As a next step, the TRACK-TBI team is planning a clinical trial that will examine the efficacy of promising therapeutic agents that may help traumatic brain injury patients recover quickly,” Korley said. “As part of this clinical trial, these biomarkers will be used as an objective method for selecting the right patients to enroll in this trial. We will also use these biomarkers to monitor individual patient response to these promising therapeutics.”
Reference: “Prognostic value of day-of-injury plasma GFAP and UCH-L1 concentrations for predicting functional recovery after traumatic brain injury in patients from the US TRACK-TBI cohort: an observational cohort study” by Frederick K Korley, MD PhD; Prof Sonia Jain, PhD; Xiaoying Sun, MS; Ava M Puccio, PhD; John K Yue, MD; Raquel C Gardner, MD; Prof Kevin K W Wang, PhD; Prof David O Okonkwo, MD PhD; Prof Esther L Yuh, MD PhD; Prof Pratik Mukherjee, MD; Lindsay D Nelson, PhD ABPP-CN; Sabrina R Taylor, PhD; Amy J Markowitz, JD; Prof Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, MD PhD; Prof Geoffrey T Manley, MD PhD and the TRACK-TBI Study Investigators, 1 September 2022, The Lancet Neurolog. DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(22)00256-3
Korley previously consulted for Abbott Laboratories. Korley and Robertson have received research funding from Abbott Laboratories. Manley received research funding from a collaboration between Abbott Laboratories and the U.S. Department of Defense. Diaz-Arrastia consulted for MesoScale Discoveries, BrainBox Solutions, and NovaSignal. All other authors and collaborators declare no competing interests.
Researchers discovered new compounds in marine sponges that were capable of killing antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Brazilian scientists discovered several compounds in a marine sponge from Fernando de Noronha, an island off the coast of the Northeast, that killed antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Researchers at the University of So Paulo (USP) in So Carlos, Brazil, have identified a variety of bioactive substances in a marine sponge that was found on Fernando de Noronha, an island located about 400 km off the northeastern coast of Brazil. Some of the substances were able to kill bacteria that are resistant to current antibiotics, opening the door for the creation of new medications.
The study was funded by FAPSEP and its findings were published in the Journal of Natural Products.
“This marine sponge had been studied previously by groups outside Brazil, mainly in the 1990s. We used next-generation techniques to analyze substances from their secondary metabolism, look for new molecules, and test their biological activity. We were able to describe a number of novel compounds. The main potential detected was against drug-resistant bacteria,” said Vítor Freire, who conducted the study as part of his Ph.D. research at the São Carlos Institute of Chemistry (IQSC-USP).
Several substances that killed antibiotic-resistant bacteria were found by Brazilian researchers in a marine sponge native to Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago off the coast of the Northeast. Credit: Eduardo Hajdu/Museu Nacional/UFRJ
The World Health Organization (WHO) views antibiotic resistance as a serious worldwide public health issue. An analysis commissioned by the British government and released in 2016 predicted that in 2050, there would be 10 million drug-resistant bacterial infection-related fatalities annually. Therefore, it is crucial to develop new, powerful antibiotics.
Agelas dispar, a species endemic to the Caribbean and a portion of the Brazilian coast, is the marine sponge that was the subject of the study’s analysis. Marine sponges spend their whole lives attached to reefs or the ocean floor and are some of the oldest animals on Earth. They have evolved a sophisticated metabolism during millions of years of evolution, generating substances needed for competition with other invertebrates and defense against dangerous bacteria.
The substances with the most therapeutic potential identified in the study were three different types of ageliferin, named after the marine sponge genus Agelas.
“Another important factor is the ability of sponges to store symbiont microorganisms, which also help them defend themselves. When we analyze compounds found in sponges, we don’t always know what’s been produced by them and what comes from symbionts,” said Roberto Berlinck, a professor at IQSC-USP and principal investigator for the study.
The research was conducted as part of two projects led by Berlinck and supported by FAPESP.
The trials involving bacteria were performed at Adolpho Lutz Institute (IAL), the reference laboratory for epidemiological surveillance in São Paulo state, and led by André Gustavo Tempone, a researcher also supported by FAPESP.
Tumors and bacteria
Thirteen compounds were tested on an ovarian cancer cell line known as OVCAR3 but were not found to be biologically active. Other research groups that tested ageliferins on lung, colon and breast cancer cells did not observe anti-tumor action, and one had no effect on lymphoma cells. However, three ageliferins eliminated drug-resistant bacteria Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis, which are extremely common and found in various environments as well as the human body; and Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, listed by WHO as priority targets for novel antibiotics and among the bacteria responsible for most hospital-acquired infections.
The researchers wanted to know whether the use of these ageliferins could lead to the destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis) in the intestines, a potentially lethal side effect often seen in patients undergoing chemotherapy who need antibiotics. In murine cells, the compounds did not cause this kind of damage, suggesting promising drug development potential.
The next step is to analyze other marine sponges using the same methodology. “Finding out how these substances are produced is extremely important as they’re distributed by several classes of sponge and could help treat diseases in the future,” said Freire, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the National Cancer Institute in the United States.
Reference: “Feature-Based Molecular Networking Discovery of Bromopyrrole Alkaloids from the Marine Sponge Agelas dispar” by Vítor F. Freire, Juliana R. Gubiani, Tara M. Spencer, Eduardo Hajdu, Antonio G. Ferreira, Dayana A. S. Ferreira, Erica V. de Castro Levatti, Joanna E. Burdette, Carlos Henrique Camargo, Andre G. Tempone and Roberto G. S. Berlinck, 15 April 2022, Journal of Natural Products. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.2c00094
The study was funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation.
Artist’s illustration of a pulsar. Credit: Carl Knox, OzGrav-Swinburne University
Occasionally pulsars—rapidly-spinning remnants of stars that flash like a lighthouse—show extreme variations in brightness. Astrophysicists predict that these short bursts of brightness occur because dense regions of interstellar plasma (the hot gas between stars) scatter the radio waves emitted by the pulsar. However, we still don’t know where the energy sources required to form and sustain these dense plasma regions come from. To better understand these interstellar formations, more detailed observations of their small-scale structure are required. A promising avenue for this is in the scintillation, or “twinkling,” of pulsars.
When a pulsar’s radio waves are scattered by the interstellar plasma, the separate waves interfere and create an interference pattern on the Earth. As the Earth, pulsar, and plasma move relative to each other, this pattern is observed as brightness variations in time and in frequency: the dynamic spectrum. This is scintillation, or “twinkling.” The scattering and twinkling occurs in small regions of the plasma thanks to the point-like nature of pulsar signals. Following specialized signal processing of the dynamic spectrum, we can observe vivid parabolic features known as scintillation arcs that are related to the image of the pulsar’s scattered radiation on the sky.
One particular pulsar, called J1603-7202, underwent extreme scattering in 2006. This makes it an exciting target for examining these dense plasma regions. However, the pulsar’s trajectory still hasn’t been determined as it orbits another compact star called a white dwarf in a face-on orbit, and astronomers don’t have alternative methods to measure it in this situation. Fortunately, scintillation arcs serve a double purpose: their curvatures are related to the pulsar’s velocity, as well as the distance to the pulsar and the plasma. How the pulsar’s velocity changes as it orbits depends on the orbit’s orientation in space. Therefore, in the case of pulsar J1603-7202, we calculated the changes in the curvature of the arcs over time to determine the orientation.
The measurements we obtained for the orbit of pulsar J1603-7202 are a significant improvement compared to previous analyses. This demonstrates the viability of scintillation in supplementing alternative methods. We measured the distance to the plasma and showed that it was about three-quarters of the distance to the pulsar, from Earth. This does not seem to coincide with the positions of any known stars or interstellar gas clouds. Pulsar scintillation studies often explore structures such as this, which are otherwise invisible. The question, therefore, remains open: what is the source of the plasma that scatters the pulsar’s radiation?
Finally, using our orbit measurement, we are able to estimate the mass of J1603-7202’s orbital companion. It was calculated to be about half the mass of the Sun. When considered alongside the highly circular orbit of J160-7202, this implies the companion is likely a stellar remnant composed of carbon and oxygen — a rarer find around a pulsar than the more common helium-based remnants.
As we now possess a near-complete model of the orbit, it’s currently possible to transform scintillation observations of J1603-7202 into on-sky scattered images and map the interstellar plasma at Solar System scales. Creating images of the physical structures that cause extreme scattering of radio waves may give us a better understanding of how such dense regions form and of the role the interstellar plasma plays in the evolution of galaxies.
Written by PhD student Kris Walker (ICRAR-UWA) and Dr. Daniel Reardon (OzGrav-Swinburne University).
Reference: “Orbital Dynamics and Extreme Scattering Event Properties from Long-term Scintillation Observations of PSR J1603−7202” by Kris Walker, Daniel J. Reardon, Eric Thrane and Rory Smith, 28 June 2022, The Astrophysical Journal. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac69c6
The most common kind of heart disease in the US is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can result in a heart attack.
Discriminatory housing policies from the past may still have an impact on heart disease risk factors and outcomes today.
More than 60 years after they were outlawed, the historical discriminatory housing practices known as “redlining” are still connected to heart disease and related risk factors in the affected districts, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Health disparities have been related to a number of socioeconomic, environmental, and social variables. This research adds to the increasing body of evidence demonstrating the long-term cardiovascular impacts disparities may have on vulnerable groups.
The phrase “redlining” is used to refer to a variety of discriminatory housing practices. Its roots are in a government program from the 1930s when the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation produced maps of over 200 American towns with ratings based on racial/ethnic mix, housing conditions, and local surroundings.
The graded locations were color-coded as A (“best” or green), B (“still desirable” or blue), C (“definitely declining” or yellow), and D (“hazardous” or red) depending on the potential lending risk. The areas with a D-rating were referred to as “redlined” areas. Despite the fact that these housing practices were prohibited in the 1960s, throughout the course of the last century, their consequences and other forms of discrimination have persisted to shape social and environmental structures, worsening health inequities.
“We already know historic redlining has been linked with modern-day health inequities in major urban areas, including asthma, certain types of cancer, preterm birth, mental health, and other chronic diseases,” said Sadeer Al-Kindi, MD, a cardiologist at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and a senior author on the study. “While ours is the first study to examine the national relationship between redlined neighborhoods and cardiovascular diseases, it’s logical that many of the socioeconomic, environmental, and social impacts of redlining on other areas of residents’ health outcomes would also be seen in heart disease.”
A previous study demonstrated that Black adults living in historically redlined areas had a lower cardiovascular health score than Black adults living in A-graded neighborhoods. The current study supports this finding and extends the demonstrated health inequality nationally, showing that redlining not only affects coronary artery disease, stroke, and chronic kidney disease but also is associated with an increased risk of comorbidities and a lack of access to appropriate medical care.
The researchers used original Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) graded data and calculated the percentage of intersection between each graded neighborhood boundary and the 2020 U.S. Census tract boundaries. They excluded any census tracts with less than 20% total area of intersection. The researchers used the graded intersections to generate a scale using their corresponding HOLC numeric scores (1-4 corresponding to A-D) and created a score that was transformed back into one of four categories: A (1), B (2), C (3) and D (4). The study defined redlined neighborhoods as D-graded census tracts and non-redlined neighborhoods as A- through C-graded census tracts.
The CDC PLACES database, which reports the prevalence estimates of census tract level health indicators, as well as census-tract level exposure of particulate matter and Diesel particulate matter from the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2021 environmental justice tool, were used to calculate potential environmental confounders. Other outcome variables and assessments used included: markers of health care access, cardiometabolic risk factors, and cardiometabolic outcomes. The researchers then linked HOLC-graded census tracts with the prevalence of cardiometabolic indicators and calculated the average of each indicator across census tracts in each HOLC grade.
More than 11,000 HOLC-graded census tracts were included, comprising over 38.5 million inhabitants. The A-graded areas covered 7.1%, B-graded areas covered 19.4%, C-graded areas covered 42% and D-graded areas covered 31.5% of census tracts. The percentage of Black and Hispanic residents increased across HOLC grades (A-D, respectively). Across HOLC grades A through D, the researchers found statistically significant increases in the prevalence of coronary artery disease, stroke, and chronic kidney disease.
“We found neighborhoods with so-called better HOLC grades had higher cholesterol screening and routine health visits when compared to neighborhoods with worse HOLC grades. And the prevalence of adults 18 to 64 years old without health insurance nearly doubled from A through D-graded areas,” said Issam Motairek, MD, lead author of the study and a clinical research associate at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute in Cleveland. “In each stepwise increase across the HOLC grading spectrum, from A to D, we also observed an overall increase in rates of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and smoking.”
According to the researchers, the association between redlining and the prevalence of cardiometabolic conditions further illustrates that historic redlining practices may impact contemporary cardiovascular outcomes by traditional and non-traditional risk factors. Residents of redlined neighborhoods, particularly minorities, are known to have lower access to public transportation, health care insurance, and healthy food choices, which increases their risk for missed prevention and adverse health outcomes.
Disparities in environmental exposures and in socioeconomic attributes may help explain the poor health outcomes in redlined neighborhoods, which are often situated next to major sources of pollution and make residents more likely to experience the detrimental health effects of disproportionately higher exposure to air pollution, less green space and other environmental toxins. Residents of redlined neighborhoods also experience financial strain, dismantled communities, and racial discrimination which may lead to increased stress and associated adverse health events.
Study limitations include self-reported health outcomes in the CDC PLACES database, which may be mischaracterized. The study was also unable to measure confounders such as behavioral and genetic factors. The definition of redlining census tract boundaries has also not been standardized across studies.
Reference: “Historical Neighborhood Redlining and Contemporary Cardiometabolic Risk” by Issam Motairek, Eun Kyung Lee, Scott Janus, Michael Farkouh, Darcy Freedman, Jackson Wright, Khurram Nasir, Sanjay Rajagopalan and Sadeer Al-Kindi, 4 July 2022, Journal of the American College of Cardiology. DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.05.010
“This study represents the most rigorous and comprehensive systematic analysis of the modern-day literature regarding health and spirituality to date,” said Tracy Balboni, lead author and senior physician at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center and professor of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School. “Our findings indicate that attention to spirituality in serious illness and in health should be a vital part of future whole person-centered care, and the results should stimulate more national discussion and progress on how spirituality can be incorporated into this type of value-sensitive care.”
“Focusing on spirituality in health care means caring for the whole person, not just their disease.”
“Spirituality is important to many patients as they think about their health,” said Tyler VanderWeele, the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Harvard Chan School.
The study, which was co-authored by Balboni, VanderWeele, and senior author Howard Koh, the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at Harvard Chan School, was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Balboni, VanderWeele, and Koh are also co-chairs of the Interfaculty Initiative on Health, Spirituality, and Religion at Harvard University.
Spirituality is defined as “the way individuals seek ultimate meaning, purpose, connection, value, or transcendence,” according to the International Consensus Conference on Spiritual Care in Health Care. This might involve organized religion, but it also includes means of discovering ultimate meaning through connections with family, community, or nature.
Balboni, VanderWeele, Koh, and colleagues evaluated and assessed the highest-quality data on spirituality in severe illness and health published between January 2000 and April 2022 in their analysis. 371 of the 8,946 publications dealing with serious illness fulfilled the study’s tight inclusion requirements, as did 215 of the 6,485 articles regarding health outcomes.
A Delphi panel, an organized, interdisciplinary group of experts, then assessed the strongest collective evidence and produced consensus implications for health and health care.
They noted that for healthy people, spiritual community participation–as exemplified by religious service attendance – is associated with healthier lives, including greater longevity, less depression and suicide, and less substance use. For many patients, spirituality is important and influences key outcomes in illness, such as quality of life and medical care decisions. Consensus implications included incorporating considerations of spirituality as part of patient-centered health care and increasing awareness among clinicians and health professionals about the protective benefits of spiritual community participation.
Reference: “Spirituality in Serious Illness and Health” by Tracy A. Balboni, MD, MPH, Tyler J. VanderWeele, Ph.D., Stephanie D. Doan-Soares, DrPH, Katelyn N. G. Long, DrPH, MSc, Betty R. Ferrell, Ph.D., RN, George Fitchett, DMin, Ph.D., Harold G. Koenig, MD, MHSc, Paul A. Bain, Ph.D., MLS, Christina Puchalski, MD, MS, Karen E. Steinhauser, Ph.D., Daniel P. Sulmasy, MD, Ph.D. and Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, 12 July 2022, Journal of the American Medical Association.DOI: 10.1001/jama.2022.11086
The study was funded by the John Templeton Foundation.
And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” – Mark 12:17
Just before his crucifixion, Jesus bade farewell to his disciples, telling them, “My joy I leave with you.” (John 15:11) There was something different about the early Christians—a tranquility and certainty that was apparent to the outsider. One of the earliest observations made by a nonbeliever was, “See how these Christians love one another.”
The early Christians not only loved one another and believed everyone equal in the eyes of God, but lived that way as well. They were cheerful in the face of adversity and imminent torture for they had no fear of death, no guilt, no regret. The early Christians set the example for all succeeding generations of Christians and Christianity as a great-hearted, inclusive, giving religion, its people generous, loving, humble and forgiving. And so it continues to this very day.
But a shadow of unseemly pride has darkened some corners of this religion of selflessness and joy. It manifests itself in the idea that ours is and should be a “Christian nation.”
Between 164 and 169 million American adults identify as Christian or roughly 65% of the population. It’s down 12% from the figure a decade earlier but is still a decided majority. Does a majority of Christians make for a “Christian Nation?”
In another survey, 40% of Americans believe that God has granted America a special place in history. 36% believe that America is a Christian nation. And 25% would prefer that the U.S. be primarily made up of people of the Christian faith. Does a widespread belief that ours is a Christian nation endowed by God with its own special destiny make for a Christian nation?
A long-dormant but emerging force is the “Christian Nationalist.” As America becomes more diverse, as minority religions and those who no longer identify with a religion increase in numbers, so do the volume and boldness of the Christian Nationalist faction of American faith and politics, which bears as much resemblance to actual Christianity as a sword does to a plowshare or a spear to a pruning hook.
The Christian Nationalist profiles almost invariably as white and professing to believe in the First Amendment tenet of freedom of religion—as long as Christians come first in line for that freedom, with other religions given their obligatory nod but directed to the back.
A Christian Nationalist may or may not identify as such (it is, after all, a relatively new term) but subscribes to a specific national and cultural template that involves first and foremost the words “America” and “Christian” to be synonymous or at least uttered in the same breath. As a Christian nation with a Christian template, certain things would need to be adjusted to fit into the paradigm. These would include history—as taught it would mandate a Christian-based curriculum predicated on God’s special relationship with America; immigration—with surgically precise restrictions on certain religions and ethnicities in order to ensure that diversity is nipped before it can get out of hand; and a redefinition and enforcement of moral codes, including stiff penalties for same-gender sex, premarital sex and other behaviors considered immoral. Some Christian nationalists have agitated for a Constitutional amendment to recognize America’s Christian heritage and ethos. This ethos, given the distinctly white composition of avowed Christian Nationalists, would necessarily exclude or reduce to the status of lower caste citizens such as Black Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Native Americans and others considered to be of a race other than white, a bin encompassing Muslims, Sikhs and yes, Jews.
Several prominent politicians have called for a raising of the flag to Christian Nationalism. One member of Congress has said, “We need to be the party of nationalism, and I’m a Christian and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists.” Another said, “The church is supposed to direct the government, the government is not supposed to direct the church. That is not how our founding fathers intended it. And I’m tired of this separation of church and state junk that’s not in the Constitution.” And a former National Security Advisor thundered at a Texas church to rapturous ovations, “If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God, and one religion under God.”
One may contrast the heatedly exclusive and decidedly political rhetoric of the Christian Nationalist movement with that of Christianity itself, its loving kindness, its willingness to sacrifice and its love of one’s neighbor as exemplified by the Christian pursuit of the abolition of slavery in the past and its pursuit of justice—racial equality, the rule of law, and the application of principle over power, creed over culture, humbleness over heritage—in the present.
The Christian Nationalist sees America becoming more America—which is to say more diverse, more multifarious, more varied in faiths, colors, and moral centers—and feels the utmost pangs of personal threat. The patchwork quilt must be torn apart, believes the Christian Nationalist. The mosaic must be shattered. The rainbow must be bleached white.
Both the American Christian and the American Christian Nationalist profess to be motivated by love, and while there is truth to that, the difference is that whereas the American Christian Nationalist loves America, the American Christian simply loves Americans.
You may have heard of MCT oil, a relatively new supplement that takes the form of a colorless oil. MCT oil isn’t just a passing health trend, but a proven benefit to brain and gut health. MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides, which are one of the easiest types of fat to digest and break down for fuel. Besides fueling the body and brain, there are several other benefits of MCTs to know about, as well as potential side effects.
When you think of triglycerides, you probably think of high cholesterol and heart disease. But triglycerides are a type of fat — in fact, they’re the most abundant type of fat found in your body. There are short-, medium-, and long-chain triglycerides, and your body uses all of them for fuel.
Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) are a tasteless oil isolated and extracted from coconuts and palm kernels. There are four types of MCTs, known as C6, C8, C10, and C12. These represent the various fatty acids containing a medium-length carbon chain of 6 to 12 atoms. You can take MCT oil daily, but you may experience side effects when you start taking it.
Benefits of Medium-Chain Triglycerides
Research suggests that MCTs can improve mental clarity, help with weight management, lower cholesterol levels, and protect brain health.
Boosts Mental Clarity
MCTs penetrate the blood-brain barrier, which controls the molecules let into the brain. Since they don’t need to be broken down, MCTs provide an instant source of energy for your brain that is healthier than glucose. In fact, MCTs don’t have the same “brain fog” effect that often follows eating sugary foods. If you’re trying to avoid simple carbohydrates, MCTs can keep your brain and body running while preventing sugar cravings.
Protects Brain Health
The brain’s ability to derive energy from glucose declines with age, leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. MCT oil can protect your memory and cognitive function as you age. It provides all the energy brain cells require, and research suggests it can improve cognitive performance at any age.[1]
Reduces Your Heart Disease Risk and Promotes Fat Burning
Like many healthy fats, MCTs are good for your heart. They’re shown to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties and improve fat metabolism.[2]
Research shows supplementing with MCT oil daily can melt 1.1 pounds every three weeks.[3] MCTs increase fat oxidation, which means you burn more calories at the same time. MCTs also induce thermogenesis, which causes you to expend more energy to release body heat.
MCT Oil Side Effects and Dosage
MCTs can cause side effects, including flatulence, diarrhea, stomach pain, and bloating. If you haven’t taken MCT oil before, start with no more with a teaspoon in a day. Build up to no more than three or four teaspoons per day. If you experience any gastrointestinal problems like cramping or nausea, reduce your dose.
How Do You Take MCT Oil?
It’s easy to add MCT oil to your routine by putting it in your morning coffee, smoothie, cereal, yogurt, or oatmeal. You can even take it by itself. MCT oil is tasteless but has an oily consistency.
MCT Oil Summary
You can find MCT oil at health food shops. The only ingredient listed for an MCT oil product should be 100% medium-chain triglycerides. Some MCT supplements list the types of MCTs in the ingredients, such as C8 or C12. According to research, C6, C8, and C10 offer the most benefits.[4] Keep in mind that MCT oil is a source of calories and not a magic pill for weight loss. You still need to exercise and burn more calories than you expend to lose weight.
References:
“The effects of medium chain triglyceride (MCT) supplementation using a C8:C10 ratio of 30:70 on cognitive performance in healthy young adults” by Jake S. Ashton, James W. Roberts, Caroline J. Wakefield, Richard M. Page, Don P.M. MacLaren, Simon Marwood and James J. Malone, 18 November 2020, Physiology & Behavior. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113252
“Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT) Oil Affects the Immunophenotype via Reprogramming of Mitochondrial Respiration in Murine Macrophages” by Seungmin Yu, Gwang-woong Go and Wooki Kim, 5 November 2019, Foods. DOI: 10.3390/foods8110553
“Effects of Medium-Chain Triglycerides on Weight Loss and Body Composition: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials” by Karen Mumme, PGDipSc and Welma Stonehouse, PhD, 1 February 2015, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2014.10.022
“Medium-Chain Triglycerides and Health” by Volpe, Stella Lucia Ph.D., RDN, FACSM, ACSM-CEP, 2020, ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal. DOI: 10.1249/FIT.0000000000000537
