Understanding the intersection of Alzheimer’s Disease caregiving and the LGBT experience

Insight into disparities can help meet needs of LGBT people with dementia and their caregivers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

REGENSTRIEF INSTITUTE

INDIANAPOLIS – A new study of caregivers of LGBT older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease provides rare insight into the intersection of caregiving and the LGBT experience. 

Researchers from Regenstrief Institute and the medical schools of Indiana University and University of Colorado report that many common caregiver experiences -- such as feelings of social isolation and of being overwhelmed -- are similar for caregivers, whether an individual with Alzheimer’s disease is LGBT or not. However, because LGBT older adults often do not have adult children who can serve as caregivers or may be estranged from their families of origin, provision of the care they need, frequently provided by spouses or partners, is especially challenging.

Health disparities experienced by LGBT individuals have been well documented. Risk factors -- such as higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption in the LGBT population -- often lead to poor health outcomes and increase the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease in older LGBT adults and amplify the challenges faced by their caregivers. 

“We wanted to explore how health disparities affect LGBT persons with dementia and their caregivers. It is not surprising that many of the experiences of caregivers of LGBT older adults with Alzheimer’s disease are very similar to those of any caregiver. But we found that in many cases those providing care for LGBT individuals with dementia felt they had to come up with their own solutions to challenges because the ones that have been created were not inclusive in some way,” said study senior author Alexia Torke, M.D., M.S., of Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine. “We found that caretakers of LGBT older adults often wrestled with whether or not support groups would be supportive and they had mixed experiences. One caregiver reported not knowing where to go to find a lesbian support group, while another joined a general support group in her partner's assisted living community and found it to be very welcoming.”

“Our phenomenological study of the experiences of caregivers for LGBT older adults with AD found themes similar to the concerns of all caregivers, including the importance of social support, financial security and grief and bereavement support. But it also showed that LGBT status could affect the experience of healthcare in various ways, including raising concerns about discrimination and acceptance in care settings,” said study lead author Carey Candrian, PhD, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “The importance of doing qualitative research is that we acquired a lot of depth in terms of the information discovered. The LGBT caregiving experience is something where there isn't a lot of research, and this qualitative work can help us determine the most important questions we need to be asking.”

"Caregivers of LGBT individuals with Alzheimer’s disease may feel that they're shouldering a heavier burden by themselves given a limited support network due to not having children and lack of family of origin support,” said Dr. Torke. “And there's another dimension to this, for future study, which is that issues that all caregivers experience might actually be more challenging for LGBT caregivers. For example, until recently, marriage was not a possibility, and some of the couples did not necessarily get married, which might affect insurance benefits and caregiver access.” 

The 19 caregivers participating in the study ranged in age from 44 to 77 years old; 74 percent were lesbian, 16 percent were gay, 5 percent were straight, and 5 percent were unknown. They were from California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Connecticut, New Mexico, Minnesota and Missouri, providing a demographically diverse perspective.

Slightly more than half of the caregivers were spouses of the person with dementia and a quarter were identified as a spouse equivalent or unmarried partner. Approximately two-thirds of the caregivers had been in a relationship for 15 years or more with the person living with dementia.

Conducting and analyzing in-depth interviews with these caregivers, the researchers identified five themes:

• Caregiver tension and isolation,
• Financial stress and security, 
• Lack of social support and connection,
• Engineering grief support,
• Entrapment of past and present stigma and discrimination

One of the most interesting findings of the study was that the LGBT experience is very diverse, with some individuals feeling they had a close, tight knit social circle that was incredibly supportive and others feeling like their LGBT status made their social circle smaller and their stress much, much higher,” said Dr. Torke. “It's important to recognize that being LGBT can affect people in diverse ways, but in some ways can be thought of as a strength where a person might have close friendships or what people often refer to as a chosen family if they have bad relationships with their family of origin.”

Noting that LGBT individuals become caregivers at a higher rate than the general population, the authors write: “Discrimination related to LGBT status was an important theme over the participants’ lives and occurred for several during dementia care. While other themes were similar to prior AD studies, LGBT status affected these other aspects of the caregiving experience. Findings can inform future programs that better meet needs of LGBT people and those who care for them.”

"Experiences of caregiving with Alzheimer's disease in the LGBT community" is published in BMC Geriatrics.

 Authors and affiliations:

Carey Candrian, PhD, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Emily S. Burke, B.A., Regenstrief Institute

Danielle Kline, University of Colorado School of Medicine, M.S.

Alexia Torke, M.D., M.S., Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine 

This work was supported by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) supplemental grant to Dr. Torke’s Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (3K24AG053794-04S1).

About Alexia Torke, M.D., M.S.  

In addition to her appointment as a Regenstrief Institute research scientist, Alexia Torke, M.D., M.S., is the inaugural chief of the Section of Palliative Medicine in the Division of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics and a professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. She also directs the Daniel F. Evans Center for Spiritual and Religious Values in Healthcare at Indiana University Health. 

About Carey Candrian, PhD.

Carey Candrian, PhD is an associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and on the Board of Directors at GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing Health Equity. As a qualitative and community-based researcher, her goal is to effect change on an interaction and policy level so that older LGBTQ adults receive the support they and their loved ones want, when they need it most.

About Regenstrief Institute

Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its research scientists are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe.

Sam Regenstrief, a nationally successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute’s research mission.

About IU School of Medicine

IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.

About University of Colorado School of Medicine

The University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus is the largest health care center between Chicago, Texas and the west coast, serving over 500,000 patients a year. The innovative campus architecture and state-of-the-art technology bridge education and research in three collaborative zones: an education zone with remarkable facilities for training future physicians and other health professionals; a research zone with ground-breaking, internationally renowned research; and a clinical care zone. 

 

 

 

 

 

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JOURNAL

BMC Geriatrics

DOI

10.1186/s12877-023-03914-1 

ARTICLE TITLE

Experiences of caregiving with Alzheimer's disease in the LGBT community

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

Decoding the secrets of human health: scientists worldwide collaborate on developing a holographic digital mannequin

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ENGINEERING

A groundbreaking research project aimed at revolutionizing the field of life sciences and providing unprecedented insights into the human body had been announced. The significant research program, titled "digital life and holographic human body" brought together leading scientists, researchers, and experts from all around the world to develop a pioneering digital model that represents the physiological and pathological processes of human life system activities in real time.

 

The concept of a “holographic digital mannequin” involves reconstructing the micro-, meso-, and macro-networked dynamic life information dataset of the human body using advanced technologies such as digital twin and computer simulation. By categorizing, integrating, and digitizing existing theoretical models, the research aims to decode the complex life activity processes and uncover the exact causes of accurate and effective intervention and rehabilitation measures for improved initiative for this research program, which was ignited during the 696th Xiangshan Science Conference on the theme of Revealing Three Major Scientific Problems in the Field of Life and Analyzing the Mechanism of Human Information and Energy Network.” Organized by Academician Cong Bin, the conference attendees unanimously agreed to spearhead this significant effort in developing the field of “digital life and holographic human body.”

 

The global implications of this research project span multiple disciplines, including life sciences, medicine, and information technology. It aims to establish an international hub for cutting-edge scientific research and technological advancements while attracting exceptional talent from around the world. Cooperation among scientists worldwide are crucial to establish a unified framework and research and development standards.

 

The creation of a holographic digital mannequin represents a remarkable convergence of medicine, life science, information science, chemistry, physics, and mathematics for collaborative innovation and development. Drawing inspiration from the ontological and holistic theories of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), this major research undertaking seeks to analyze the evolution of living matter in the body’s four-dimensional spatial operation law. The project will construct a cross-fusion platform, incorporating information science, brain science, physics, modern medicine, life science, and TCM to bring the holographic digital mannequin to life.

 

The ultimate goal of this ambitious endeavor is to decipher the code of human life and health by unraveling the mutual regulation mechanisms among multiple life systems. As this code is decoded, it will drive further scientific and technological progress and open up new opportunities for comprehensive development across various fields. The layered decryption of the human holographic life system promises to inspire fresh perspectives and advancements, paving way for the future of science and technology.

 

The paper “Revolutionizing the Life Sciences by Developing a Holographic Digital Mannequin” has been published in Engineering, authored by Bin Cong, Xin-An Liu, Shiming Zhang, Zhiyu Ni, and Liping Wang. Full text of the open access paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2023.05.004. For more information about the Engineering, follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/EngineeringJrnl) & Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EngineeringPortfolio).

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DOI

10.1016/j.eng.2023.05.004 

ARTICLE TITLE

Revolutionizing the Life Sciences by Developing a Holographic Digital Mannequin

Plastic pollution on coral reefs increases with depth and mostly comes from fishing activities, Nature study finds

In the most comprehensive survey of plastic pollution on coral reefs to date, researchers find troubling signs of human impact and promising strategies to ramp up protections

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

 

IMAGE: THIS FIRE URCHIN (ASTHENOSOMA VARIUM) IS HANGING ON TO A FISHING LINE WHILE CAMOUFLAGING ITSELF WITH A PIECE OF A BLUE PLASTIC BAG AT ABOUT 130-M DEPTH IN THE PHILIPPINES. THESE URCHINS USUALLY PICK UP BLADES OF SEAGRASS OR SMALL PIECES OF RUBBLE TO BLEND IN WITH THE BOTTOM, BUT THIS ONE PICKED UP A PIECE OF PLASTIC. (LUIZ ROCHA © CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES) view more 

CREDIT: (LUIZ ROCHA © CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (July 12, 2023) — In a paper published today in Nature, researchers from the California Academy of Sciences, University of São Paulo, University of Oxford, University of Exeter, and other collaborators reveal the extent of plastic pollution on coral reefs, finding that debris increases with depth, largely stems from fishing activities, and is correlated with proximity to marine protected areas. 

Through underwater visual surveys spanning more than two dozen locations across the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans, the researchers expose the abundance, distribution, and drivers of plastic pollution at various depths, which in turn enables them to identify what conservation efforts could be prioritized—and where—to protect our planet’s vulnerable coral reefs.

“Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing problems plaguing ocean ecosystems, and coral reefs are no exception,” says Hudson Pinheiro, PhD, the study’s lead author, a biologist at the Center for Marine Biology of the University of São Paulo, and an Academy research fellow. “From macroplastics that spread coral diseases to fishing lines that entangle and damage the structural complexity of the reef, decreasing both fish abundance and diversity, pollution negatively impacts the entire coral reef ecosystem.”

Surveying reefs from shallow to never-before-seen
For the study, the researchers conducted more than 1,200 visual surveys across 84 shallow and mesophotic reef ecosystems located in 14 countries. To survey hard-to-reach mesophotic—or ‘twilight zone’—coral reefs that exist between 100 and 500 feet (30 and 150 meters) deep, researchers relied on specialized diving gear that few other scientific dive teams are trained to safely use.

According to the study, coral reefs appear to be more contaminated by plastics and other human-derived debris than other marine ecosystems that have been evaluated, but are much less polluted than shoreline ecosystems like beaches and wetlands. 

However, contrary to studies of near-shore environments, the researchers found that the amount of plastic increased with depth—peaking in the mesophotic zone—and was mostly derived from fishing activities. 

“It was surprising to find that debris increased with depth since deeper reefs in general are farther from sources of plastic pollution,” says Luiz Rocha, PhD, Academy curator of ichthyology and co-director of the Academy’s Hope for Reefs initiative, who was the senior author on the study. “We are almost always the first humans to set eyes on these deeper reefs, and yet we see human-produced trash on every dive. It really puts the effect we have had on the planet into perspective.”

Of the total debris, 88% was macroplastics larger than about two inches (five centimeters). The researchers posit that the potential causes of pollution reaching such depths include increased wave action and turbulence near the surface dislodging trash and carrying it away, recreational divers removing debris from more accessible shallow reefs, and shallow corals with higher growth rates overgrowing the trash hiding it from their surveys.

Fishing lines tangled to and breaking Dendrophylliid corals in Cape Verde. (Luiz Rocha © California Academy of Sciences)

CREDIT

(Luiz Rocha © California Academy of Sciences)

The lowest and highest densities of pollution
Over the course of the study, the researchers found human-derived debris in nearly all locations, including some of the planet’s most remote and pristine coral reefs, such as those adjacent to uninhabited islands in the central Pacific. The lowest densities of pollution—around 580 items per square kilometer—were observed in locations such as the Marshall Islands. Comoros, an island chain off the southeast coast of Africa, had the highest density of pollution with nearly 84,500 items per square kilometer—the equivalent of around 520 pieces of debris on one football field.

Troublingly, the researchers say that because these plastic-laden deeper reefs are more difficult to study, they are rarely included in conservation efforts, management targets, and discussions despite harboring unique biodiversity that’s often not found on shallow reefs. 

“Our findings provide more evidence that the mesophotic is not a refuge for shallow reef species in a changing climate as we once thought,” says co-author Bart Shepherd, director of the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium and co-director of Hope for Reefs. “These reefs face many of the same pressures from human society as shallow reefs, and have a unique and poorly-studied fauna. We need to protect deeper reefs and make sure that they are included in the conservation conversation.”

Fishing gear foremost source of pollution
Although the researchers found much consumer debris, such as water bottles and food wrappers, which are often the main source of plastic pollution in other ecosystems, nearly three-quarters of all plastic items documented on the surveyed reefs were related to fishing like ropes, nets, and fishing lines. 

Nylon rope at 100m depth (IMAGE)

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Bundle of nylon rope from an anchor line in Palau. Nylon ropes are expensive and usually removed from shallow reefs, but since this piece got entangled so deep, it was cut and left behind. (Luiz Rocha © California Academy of Sciences)

CREDIT

(Luiz Rocha © California Academy of Sciences

“Fishing gear, which even as debris continues to catch marine life through what we call ghost fishing, appears to contribute a large proportion of the plastic seen on mesophotic reefs,” says co-author Lucy Woodall, PhD, principal scientist of Nekton and associate professor in marine conservation biology and policy at University of Exeter. “Unfortunately, fishing gear debris is often not reduced by general waste management interventions; therefore specific solutions related to the needs of fishers should be considered, such as no-charge disposing of damaged gear in ports or individually labelling gear to ensure fishers take responsibility for misplaced equipment.”

To uncover the drivers of coral reef pollution, the researchers analyzed how the abundance of human-derived debris correlated with a number of geographic and socioeconomic factors. In general, they found pollution on reefs increases with depth and proximity to densely populated cities, local markets, and, counterintuitively, marine protected areas. Since most marine protected areas allow some fishing within or near their borders and are typically more productive than other locations due to their protected status, they are often heavily frequented by fishers, according to the researchers.

“Our findings reveal some of the complex collective challenges we face when dealing with plastic pollution,” Pinheiro says. “As marine resources around the world dwindle, humans that rely on those resources are turning to deeper habitats and those closer to marine protected areas where fish remain abundant.”

Science-based solutions to fight reef pollution
Ultimately, the researchers hope that by teasing out the major drivers of pollution, as well as demonstrating that plastic pollution increases with depth, conservation efforts can be redirected to better protect and ensure a thriving future for Earth’s coral reefs.

“The results of our global study shine a light on one of the many threats that deep reefs face today,” says study author and University of Oxford marine biologist Paris Stefanoudis. “Because these ecosystems are ecologically and biologically unique, much like their shallow-water cousins, they need to be conserved and explicitly considered in management plans.” 

In particular, they stress the need to expand the depth of marine protected areas to include mesophotic reefs, update international agreements on combating plastic pollution at their source—such as those discussed at the recent Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution—to include fishing gear, and develop low-cost biodegradable alternatives to fishing gear that will not adversely impact the well-being of coastal communities that rely on sustainable fishing for their livelihoods. 

“Despite the disturbing overall trend, there were some places where we found relatively little debris, which shows us that there are effective strategies for preventing plastic pollution,” Shepherd says. “If we act fast and employ science-based solutions, there absolutely is hope for coral reefs.”  
 

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JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-023-06113-5 

ARTICLE TITLE

Plastic pollution on the world’s coral reefs

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

12-Jul-2023

Global study details microplastics contamination in lakes and reservoirs

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

 

IMAGE: REBECCA KESSLER SAMPLES WATER FOR MICROPLASTICS IN CLINTON LAKE, LAWRENCE. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY TED HARRIS.

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Around 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. But that is not the only water source where plastic represents a significant intrusion.

“We found microplastics in every lake we sampled,” said Ted Harris, associate research professor for the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research at the University of Kansas.

“Some of these lakes you think of as clear, beautiful vacation spots. But we discovered such places to be perfect examples of the link between plastics and humans.”

Harris is one of 79 researchers belonging to the international Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), which examines processes and phenomena occurring in freshwater environments. Their new paper, titled “Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs,” reveals that concentrations of plastic found in freshwater environments are actually higher than those found in so-called “garbage patches” in the ocean. The article is published in Nature.

For his role, Harris teamed with Rebecca Kessler, his former student and recent KU graduate, to test two Kansas lakes (Clinton and Perry) and the Cross Reservoir at the KU Field Station.

“That entailed us going out, tolling a net with tiny little holes in it, dragging it for about two minutes, then collecting those samples of microplastics and sending them off to (the lead researchers),” Kessler said.

The research project was designed and coordinated by the Inland Water Ecology and Management research group of the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy (headed by Barbara Leoni and Veronica Nava). The team sampled surface waters of 38 lakes and reservoirs, distributed across gradients of geographical position and limnological attributes. It detected plastic debris in all studied lakes and reservoirs.

“This paper essentially shows the more humans, the more plastics,” Harris said. “Places like Clinton Lake are relatively low in microplastics because — while there are many animals and trees — there aren’t a lot of humans, relative to somewhere like Lake Tahoe where people are living all around it. Some of these lakes are seemingly pristine and beautiful, yet that’s where the microplastics come from.”

Harris said that many of the plastics are from something as outwardly innocuous as T-shirts.

“The simple act of people getting in swimming and having clothing that has microplastic fibers in it leads to microplastics getting everywhere,” he said.

The GLEON study cites two types of water bodies studied that are particularly vulnerable to plastic contamination: lakes and reservoirs in densely populated and urbanized areas; and those with elevated deposition areas, long water retention times and high levels of anthropogenic influence.

“When we started the study, I didn’t know a lot about microplastics versus large plastics,” Harris said.

“When this paper says ‘concentrations as much or worse than the garbage patch,’ you always think of the big bottles and stuff, but you’re not thinking of all that smaller stuff. You don’t see a huge garbage patch in Lake Tahoe, yet it’s one of the most impacted lakes when it comes to microplastics. Those are plastics you can’t really see with the naked eye, and then you get underneath a scope at 40,000x, and you see these little jagged pieces and other particles that are the same size as algae or even smaller.”

Part of Harris and Kessler’s enthusiasm for taking part in this project was to highlight a region of the U.S. that is often overlooked.

“In this study, there’s one dot in the middle of the country, and that’s our sample,” he said. “In Iowa, Missouri and Colorado, there’s this huge swath of area that has water bodies, but we often don’t get them into those massive global studies. So it was really important for me to put Kansas on the map to see and contextualize what these differences are in our lakes.”

Harris has worked at KU since 2013, where his research focuses on aquatic ecology. Kessler graduated KU in 2022 with a degree in ecology, evolutionary & organismal biology.

“The biggest takeaway from our study is that microplastics can be found in all lakes,” Kessler said. “Obviously, there are different concentrations. But they are literally everywhere. And the biggest contributing factor to these microplastics is human interaction with the lakes.”

Top photo: Rebecca Kessler samples water for microplastics in Clinton Lake, Lawrence. Photo by Ted Harris.

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JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-023-06168-4. 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

13-Jul-2023

Chemical odyssey: First global analysis shows how pesticides leach into the environment

Study reveals pesticides travel far and wide after initial agricultural application, leaching into aquifers, rivers, oceans and soils

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

 

IMAGE: PESTICIDE CONCENTRATION IN RIVERS AND DISCHARGE TO OCEANS GLOBALLY view more 

CREDIT: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR FEDERICO MAGGI, DR FRANCESCO TABIELLA, DR FIONA TANG.

Chemical odyssey: First global analysis shows how pesticides leach into the environment

• Study reveals pesticides travel far and wide after initial agricultural application, leaching into aquifers, rivers, oceans and soils
• Researchers recommend pesticide reduction and increased global monitoring

Sydney – About three million tonnes of agricultural pesticides are used across the globe each year, yet little is known about where or in which environments these chemicals end up after their initial application.

A global study published today in Nature, which analysed the geographic distribution of 92 of the most commonly used agricultural pesticides, found that approximately 70,000 tonnes of potentially harmful chemicals leach into aquifers each year, impacting ecosystems and freshwater resources. 

Associate Professor Federico Maggi, the study’s lead author from the University of Sydney’s School of Civil Engineering, said: “Our study has revealed that pesticides wander far from their original source. In many cases these chemicals end up a long way downstream and often, though in much smaller amounts, all the way to the ocean.” 

The study showed that about 80 percent of applied pesticides degrade into daughter molecules – or byproducts – into soil surrounding crops. 

“This degradation of pesticides often occurs as a ‘cascade’ of molecules into the surrounding environment, which can persist in the environment for a long time and can be just as harmful as the parent molecule or applied pesticide. One such example is glyphosate. Although it is highly degradable, it breaks down into a molecule known as AMPA that is both highly persistent and toxic,” said Associate Professor Maggi.

While the study found that only a fraction of pesticides enter river systems after field application, once in the water most of the active ingredients end up in the ocean, with potential negative impacts on marine wildlife and coral reefs. This puts at risk the very basis of marine and freshwater food chains. 

“On paper, 0.1 percent leaching into fresh waterways might not sound like much,” said Associate Professor Maggi. “But it only takes a tiny amount of pesticides to have a negative impact on the environment.” 

The study showed that 730 tonnes of pesticides enter rivers each year, with about 13,000 kilometres of rivers reaching chemical concentrations above safety limits for a number of aquatic plants and invertebrates, with poorly understood consequences on rivers’ ecosystems. 

Dr Fiona Tang, a lecturer in water engineering at Monash University and paper co-author said: “Just because we don’t see pesticide residues in soil and water doesn’t mean they’re not there, impacting critical systems on land, rivers and oceans.”

Paper co-author, Dr Francesco Tubiello, Senior Environmental Statistician at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation said: "We must urgently adopt sustainable management strategies to promote reductions in field applications of harmful pesticides and set in place systems to effectively monitor their use under the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.”

The research team used a large collection of publicly accessible geospatial data to conduct the study. 

However, the authors say the paper is a conservative estimate because not all pesticides were included in the analysis. They did not analyse legacy pesticides and those used in aquaculture, private dwellings and public spaces, meaning the risk exposure of ecosystems and people to these chemicals could be higher.

 

Associate Professor Maggi last week co-authored a separate paper in Nature Ecology and Evolution that outlined recommendations to reduce pesticide use, including calling for a reliable set of indicators and improved monitoring.

He and the paper’s co-authors argue that targets for lowering pesticide pollution should be focused on decreasing risk, including reducing amounts and toxicity, because some organisms are at high risk from very toxic pesticides, even when used in low quantities. 

"It is important that national authorities disclose statistics on the use of agricultural inputs, be they fertilisers or pesticides, given the effect they have on the environment and ecosystem service,” he said.

Associate Professor Maggi said a global reduction in pesticide use while maintaining food security was possible as long as such initiatives were designed and implemented in consultation with food producers.

“Globally, there is a lot of room to increase efficiencies and yield while still supporting an abundant food supply through new technology and modern crop management practices,” he said. 

DISCLOSURE:

The authors declare no competing interests. The study published in Nature was supported by the Australian Government’s National Computation Infrastructure and was accessed through the Sydney Informatics Hub HPC Allocation scheme, which is supported by the University of Sydney’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Office NCMAS Allocation Scheme. 

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JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-023-06296-x 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

ARTICLE TITLE

Agricultural pesticide land budget and river discharge to oceans

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

13-Jul-2023

COI STATEMENT

The authors declare no competing interests. The study published in Nature was supported by the Australian Government’s National Computation Infrastructure and was accessed through the Sydney Informatics Hub HPC Allocation scheme, which is supported by the University of Sydney’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Office NCMAS Allocation Scheme.

 21ST CENTURY SPAGYRIC HOMEOPATHY

New study using human fibroid cells supports use of green tea compound as treatment for uterine fibroids

Fibroids are the most common benign uterine tumors and about 25% of patients experience significant symptoms, driving the need for preventative measures

Peer-Reviewed Publication

JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE

In a pre-clinical, proof-of-concept study from Johns Hopkins Medicine, researchers found that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea compound with powerful antioxidant properties, could be promising for both treating and preventing uterine fibroids. Results of the study, first posted online May 25 in Scientific Reports, add to growing evidence that EGCG may reduce fibroid cell growth. The study was specifically designed to identify the biochemical mechanisms responsible for EGCG action in fibroid cells.

The investigators emphasize that their study involves human fibroid cells grown in the laboratory and treated with EGCG extract to explore the possibility of oral EGCG supplementation as a therapy, rather than just drinking cups of green tea as a preventative measure for uterine fibroids.

“The purpose of this study was to examine how EGCG works to treat and prevent uterine fibroids,” says James Segars Jr., M.D., professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “There is no standard protocol for uterine fibroid disease management or prevention, no tools to prevent their growth, so finding a safe nonsurgical therapy is important.”

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors of the uterus. Made up of smooth muscle cells and a large matrix of connective tissue, the fibroids range in size from nearly microscopic to bulky masses that can enlarge and distort the uterus.

An estimated 77% of women will develop fibroids in their lifetime, most of them by age 50. Black and Hispanic women develop them at 1.5 to two times the rate of white women. 

While many people with uterine fibroids are without symptoms, about 25% experience significant symptoms including heavy uterine bleeding, pelvic pain and infertility. Uterine fibroids are the leading cause of hospitalizationhysterectomy in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In addition to complete removal of the uterus, surgical treatment may include various means of removing fibroid tumors from the uterine wall.

For the new study, researchers used laboratory cultures of uterine fibroids collected from living patients. Because uterine fibroid cells have a large extracellular matrix (the network of macromolecules and minerals in tissues that support, but are not part of, cells) compared to normal cells, researchers designed their experiments to see if treatment of cells with EGCG affects protein expression associated with this matrix. Specifically, they studied fibronectin, a matrix protein; cyclin D1, a protein involved with cell division; and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) protein.

Cells were dosed with 100 micromoles (a micromole is 1 millionth of a mole) per liter of EGCG in growth media for 24 hours, and then a Western blot — a laboratory technique used to detect a specific protein in a blood or tissue sample — was performed. In this study, researchers looked for levels of cyclin D1 and CTGF proteins in EGCG-treated fibroid cells compared to untreated cell.

They found that EGCG reduced protein levels of fibronectin by 46% to 52%, compared with an untreated control group of fibroid cells. They also found that EGCG disrupted pathways involved in fibroid tumor cell growth, movement, signaling and metabolism, and they saw up to an 86% decrease in CTGF proteins compared with the control group.

“The results from this study show that EGCG targets many signaling pathways involved in fibroid growth, particularly the extracellular matrix,” says study lead author Md Soriful Islam, Ph.D., M.Sc., a postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “EGCG supplements could be an easily accessible and natural way to relieve symptoms and slow fibroid growth.”

These results lend support to the FRIEND (Fibroids and Unexplained Infertility Treatment With Epigallocatechin Gallate; A Natural Compound in Green Tea) study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05364008), an ongoing clinical trial of EGCG in women with fibroids who are seeking pregnancy. While results from this study show promise, researchers caution that more studies need to be done, and consumers should not try to self-dose with green tea supplements. Future research on EGCG will include clinical trials with large and diverse patient groups to determine optimal doses as well as possible side effects of EGCG supplementation.

Other scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who contributed to this research are Maclaine Parish, Joshua Brennan and Briana Winer. 

Segars has been a primary investigator on research sponsored by Bayer, Abbvie, BioSpecifics Technologies Corp., Allergan and Myovant Sciences. All other authors have no conflicts to disclose.  

This research was partly supported by the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Howard W. and Georgeanna Seegar Jones Endowment.

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JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

Disclaimer: AAAS and Eure

New study reveals evidence of diverse organic material on Mars

Scientists, including UF astrobiologist Amy Williams, gain vital insights into Mars’ history and potential for supporting life

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

A new study featuring data from the NASA Mars Perseverance rover reports on an instrumental detection potentially consistent with organic molecules on the Martian surface, hinting toward past habitability of the Red Planet. The research, led by a team of scientists that includes UF astrobiologist Amy Williams, was recently published in the journal Nature.

Scientists have long been fueled by the possibility of finding organic carbon on Mars, and while previous missions provided valuable insights, the latest research introduces a new line of evidence that adds to our understanding of Mars. The findings indicate the presence of a more intricate organic geochemical cycle on Mars than previously understood, suggesting the existence of several distinct reservoirs of potential organic compounds.

Notably, the study detected signals consistent with molecules linked to aqueous processes, indicating that water may have played a key role in the diverse range of organic matter on Mars. The key building blocks necessary for life may have persisted on Mars for a far more extended period than previously thought.

Amy Williams, an expert in organic geochemistry, has been at the forefront of the search for life’s building blocks on Mars. As a participating scientist on the Perseverance mission, Williams’ work centers on the quest for organic matter on the Red Planet. She aims to detect habitable environments, search for potential life materials, and uncover evidence of past life on Mars. Eventually, the on-site samples collected by Perseverance will be sent back to Earth by future missions, but it will be a complex and ambitious process spanning many years.

“The potential detection of several organic carbon species on Mars has implications for understanding the carbon cycle on Mars, and the potential of the planet to host life throughout its history,” said Williams, an assistant professor in UF’s Department of Geological Sciences.

Organic matter can be formed from various processes, not just those related to life. Geological processes and chemical reactions can also form organic molecules, and these processes are favored for the origin of these possible Martian organics. Williams and the team of scientists will work to further examine the potential sources of these molecules.

Until now, organic carbon had only been detected by the Mars Phoenix lander and the Mars Curiosity rover by using advanced techniques like evolved gas analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The new study introduces a different technique that also potentially identifies simple organic compounds on Mars.

The chosen landing site for the rover within Jezero crater offers a high potential for past habitability: As an ancient lake basin, it contains an array of minerals, including carbonates, clays, and sulfates. These minerals have the potential to preserve organic materials and possible signs of ancient life.

“We didn’t initially expect to detect these potential organics signatures in the Jezero crater floor,” Williams said, “but their diversity and distribution in different units of the crater floor now suggest potentially different fates of carbon across these environments.”

The scientists used a first-of-its-kind instrument called the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) to map the distribution of organic molecules and minerals on rock surfaces. SHERLOC employs deep ultraviolet Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy to simultaneously measure weak Raman scattering and strong fluorescence emissions, providing crucial insights into the organic composition of Mars.

The findings mark a significant step forward in our exploration of the Red Planet, laying the groundwork for future investigations into the possibility of life beyond Earth.

“We are just now scratching the surface of the organic carbon story on Mars,” Williams said, “and it is an exciting time for planetary science!”

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JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-023-06143-z 

ARTICLE TITLE

Diverse organic-mineral associations in Jezero crater, Mars

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

12-Jul-2023