Surprised Republicans air frustration with Gonzales prediction of GOP losing House

AND THE SENATE TOO

Emily Brooks

THE HILL

Sat 7 September 2024

Rep. Tony Gonzales’s (R-Texas) pessimistic prediction that the House GOP conference will lose its majority in November is sparking frustrations among Republican lawmakers, while underscoring just how competitive the race for the lower chamber will be this fall.

The surprise comments from Gonzales at the Texas Tribune Festival on Thursday drew widespread attention, breaking from the positive expectations other GOP lawmakers have publicly hammered home.

Privately, the remarks are making waves among House Republicans, who believe Gonzales’s surprise forecast is simply untrue, better kept to himself, and unproductive as rank-and-file members fight furiously to hang on to their edge in the chamber.

“Entirely unnecessary and not at all what we feel on the ground,” one Republican who represents a district President Biden won in 2020 told The Hill.

A second Biden-district Republican echoed that sentiment — “I think he’s wrong” — before tearing into Gonzales for airing his reservations publicly.

“Even if you believe that, it’s extremely unhelpful and counterproductive to the cause,” the GOP lawmaker wrote. “[T]he Members and seats that will decide the outcomes, are not going to be determined by the handful of folks who have undermined the majority. It’ll be determined by the members and the work they have done in their own district.”

“Well that’s a team player???” a third House Republican told The Hill in a text message. “Have you ever heard someone on a sports TEAM say that about their TEAM. Just disappointing.”

The cynicism from Gonzales, a border-district Republican, is fueled in part by irritation with the chaos that has been the 118th Congress, which began with a drawn-out Speaker’s race, came close to allowing a default on U.S. debts, and experienced the first-ever successful move to oust the House Speaker.

His public airing of grievances comes as Republicans are facing pressure electorally: while Decision Desk HQ gives Republicans a 56 percent chance of winning the House, forecasters have decreased the party’s chances of holding the House majority and forecasters say the chamber is essentially a toss-up. At the same time, the party is losing the cash dash to Democrats, who experienced a jolt of enthusiasm after Vice President Harris replaced President Biden at the top of the ticket.

“What’s frustrating me is I firmly believe that House Republicans are going to lose the majority — and we’re going to lose it because of ourselves,” Gonzales said in a discussion with Punchbowl News at the Texas Tribune Festival.

Gonzales, who was first elected to the House in 2020, knocked his party for its deep focus on impeaching Biden throughout this Congress, an effort that fizzled after the party failed to find a smoking gun against the president.

“Are we talking about some of these kind of kitchen table issues? No — it’s all about who we’re going to impeach,” Gonzales said.

“I get that part of our job is oversight — but it’s not the entire job,” he added.

The Texas Republican elaborated on his remarks in wake of the GOP pushback in comments to The Hill, standing by his concerns that the loudest message is coming from Republicans.

“House Republicans have good candidates and great members. If we can get our message back on track talking about our solutions to the failed Biden-Harris economy and security policies that negatively impact Americans, we are in great shape,” Gonzales told The Hill.

“The growing number of blue collar Americans who can’t afford to purchase a home. The rampant illegal immigration crisis which makes our communities less safe. If we show we are [the] party that can’t govern, nothing good will come out of it. It’s all about the message and the messengers,” he said.

But his GOP colleagues in the House — including members whose races will make or break the majority — disagreed with the analysis and criticized the move by Gonzales to publicly vocalize it.

“Sure, we are all frustrated, but handing over Congress to the [party that] plunged us into high costs and abandoned borders. Stay focused!” the first Biden-district Republican said.

Gonzales is no stranger to fiery ideological battles in the Republican Party. He overcame a primary challenge from the right earlier this year, called some of his conservative colleagues in the House “scumbags,” and was censured by the Texas Republican Party over his votes in favor of gun safety legislation and a bill to codify same-sex marriage protections.

The National Republican Congressional Committee Press Secretary Will Reinert had a two-word response to Gonzales anticipating the House flipping to Democratic control: “We disagree.”

That jibes with Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) messaging that Republicans will keep the House. During a call with Trump’s campaign on Friday, the Speaker predicted Republicans could have as large as a 13-seat majority next year if the party has a good night in November, a source on the call told The Hill.

Democrats need to flip at least four seats to regain control of the House. The DDHQ/The Hill forecast puts 10 districts in the toss-up category. Almost all of those are not in states that are competitive in the presidential race.

The second Biden-district Republican laid out the case for the GOP keeping the House, pointing to GOP gaining seats when Trump won 2016 and even when he was on the ballot but lost in 2020.

“[T]he map favors Republicans, the issues favor Republicans, and with Trump on the ballot, the base will come out,” the lawmaker said.

Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), who is retiring from Congress at the end of the year, also pointed to past GOP performance in House races when expressing confidence about Republicans being able to win in blue-state races.

“House Republicans have outperformed President Trump … in congressional districts in California, New York before. So I think we’re in good shape,” Buschon said.

Buschon said that Gonzales might be responding to concerns he is hearing in his district.

“But that’s not what I’m hearing, of course, in Indiana and from my other colleagues, particularly my New York colleagues and California colleagues, who are pretty bullish on House Republicans right now,” Buschon said.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) also noted that the districts that will decide control of the House are much different than that of Gonzales.

“I love Tony, but you’re sitting in Texas wondering about what might happen. It’s a totally different world when you actually go to the districts where these battleground races are being held,” Scalise told Punchbowl News.

Still, Gonzales is not alone in his worries about the election, or in pointing the finger at the Republican party.

“I’m focused on my own race because the party isn’t focused on the issues that will help us win. Repeat of 2022,” one House Republican told The Hill. “We will not win nearly as many seats as we could have. We aren’t hammering our support for women. Each man for himself. Don’t wait on the party to save you.”

Other Republicans, however, are brushing off Gonzales’s outlook.

“Well, if he’s right… I’m sure house leadership will hold a well publicized fundraiser for him next year to ‘take back the majority,’” another GOP lawmaker told The Hill.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 

New dementia research highlights deprivation as major reason Māori and Pacific people more at risk

By Melissa Nightingale
Senior Reporter, NZ Herald - Wellington·NZ Herald·
5 Sep, 2024 


People in the most deprived areas are 60% more at risk of developing dementia
Māori and Pacific people have a higher prevalence of dementia, which researchers say is not due to ethnicity, but disadvantage
Only half of Māori and Pacific dementia sufferers receive diagnoses, often at late disease stages

People living in New Zealand’s most deprived areas are 60% more at risk of developing dementia than those in the least deprived areas - and Māori and Pacific people are taking the brunt of the risk.

New research from the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland shows social disadvantage is a factor fuelling the country’s soaring rates of dementia.

The findings indicate Māori and Pacific people are not at more risk of dementia due to their ethnicity as such, but because they are overrepresented in areas of deprivation.

Risk factors for dementia 'cluster around social deprivation'. Photo / 123RF

These figures are exacerbated by poor rates of diagnoses for these groups, and a lack of tailored support for patients and their whānau.

“I think, at every step of the health system, Māori and Pacific people are drawing the short straw,” said Dr Etuini Ma’u, who co-authored the study with Sarah Cullum and Gary Cheung.

He said this new research shifted the blame away from ethnicity alone, but the way Kiwis and the Government look at dementia needed to change.

“One of the issues is that you look at some of the risk factors for dementia and you say ‘this is personal responsibility, these are behaviours and lifestyles that people have chosen to engage in’,” he said.

“I think we need to shift the entire focus and say ‘these are risk factors that cluster around social deprivation’.”


The Lancet Commission Report 2024 found there are 14 risk factors which, if eliminated completely, would prevent or delay 45% of dementia cases worldwide. The risk factors are:

Early life
Less education

Mid life
Hearing loss
High LDL cholesterol
Depression
Traumatic brain injury
Physical inactivity
Diabetes
Smoking
Hypertension
Obesity
Excessive alcohol

Later life
Social isolation
Air pollution
Visual loss

Ma’u said most of these factors could be connected to poverty, noting a recent study showed, for example, there were about seven times more vape shops in the most socioeconomically deprived areas in New Zealand. He said in Auckland social-deprived areas were closer to main roads and motorways, which contributed to poor air quality.

“We are being let down by a system that continues to foster inequities,” he said.

Despite having a higher prevalence of dementia, only half of Māori and Pacific people with the condition receive a diagnosis, and more than half of these people only get diagnosed once they are at a moderate to severe stage of their disease.

This meant there were families and communities caring for people with dementia without any access to funded supports.

“Even those who get a diagnosis, we know that many of them don’t even use the supports that are on offer.”

This was because the supports were not tailored to the communities that needed them.

Focusing on a “whole of Government” move to addressing dementia, rather than putting so much of the onus on an individual’s behaviours, meant policies could be put in place tackling the food, tobacco and alcohol industries that people in deprived areas were more strongly targeted by.

Forty per cent of Māori and Pacific people live in the lowest two deciles in New Zealand, and these groups were also between 45% and 80% more at risk of developing dementia than Pākehā.

“We know the number of people living with dementia in NZ is expected to double in the next 20 years and triple in the same period for Māori and Pacific peoples,” Ma’u said.

“We know the 14 risk factors for the disease as outlined in the recently-released Lancet Commission Report and we know good policy can change that trajectory.”

Recent estimates indicate reducing 12 of the 14 risk factors in NZ by just 10% could result in 3000 fewer people with dementia, Ma’u said.

“Most risk factors build up across a lifetime. It is their incremental and cumulative damage to the brain that eventually leads to dementia. This shows the importance of promoting brain health in early life and midlife, even when the immediate dementia risk is deemed to be low.”

Other possible changes to areas of social deprivation included more green spaces and cycleways, creating facilities people were encouraged to use that could increase healthy habits.

“I think we can do a lot to prevent dementia. I think we really need to relook at the way we’re targeting it and I think we really need to be looking at these much more broad population level legislations and policies that increase our ability to live a healthy lifestyle.”

Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.

 

Can you identify the new threat attracting Gen Z to nicotine use?

Survey finds just 1 in 4 adults could identify nicotine pouches if they saw them, but they are skyrocketing in popularity

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

 

image: 

A new national survey by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center —Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute finds just one in four Americans could identify a nicotine pouch outside of its packaging. As these products skyrocket in popularity, experts worry they’re a gateway to nicotine addiction for teens and young adults.

view more 

Credit: The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – About half of adults can identify cigarettes and e-cigarettes, but just one in four would recognize oral nicotine pouches, and these easily available products are growing increasingly popular among teens and young adults, according to a recent study commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).

Oral nicotine pouches are small packets filled with a flavored powder containing nicotine and other chemicals that are tucked between the lip and gums. Researchers at the OSUCCC – James Center for Tobacco Research are concerned that these oral nicotine pouches are so appealing and easy to use that they could be a gateway to future tobacco product addiction for Gen Z.

Epidemiologist Brittney Keller-Hamilton, PhD, says these products are available in low- and high-nicotine concentrations, making them appealing to both new users and people who are already addicted to nicotine. 

“We're starting to hear from college students that they find it easier to use nicotine pouches at work or in class because they are easier to conceal. They also do not require you to spit excess saliva like older tobacco oral products (dip, snuff),” said Keller-Hamilton, who studies nicotine pouch use and regulation at the Center for Tobacco Research. “One of my biggest concerns with nicotine pouches is that as youth experiment with these products, they might not find them to be satisfying enough to continue to meet a growing nicotine craving and then might transition to more harmful products.” 

She notes that regulation of these products is minimal, and that removing flavorings, prohibiting online sales, and increasing the price could discourage youth experimentation and, therefore, reduce their risk of becoming addicted to nicotine. 

As students go back to school, Keller-Hamilton cautions parents to pay attention to what is in their teenagers’ backpacks.

“Many products are cleverly packaged to conceal the real content – vapes as highlighters or pens, oral nicotine pouches as mints. Unfortunately, due to loose industry regulation, they are very easy to obtain for underage youth, and they are far from harmless. We know that when people start using any nicotine product, including nicotine pouches, before their brain is finished developing, it primes their brain for a stronger nicotine addiction and also primes their brain for addiction to other substances,” said Keller-Hamilton. “It’s really important for parents to talk with their kids about the dangers of these products and seek help from their pediatrician if they’re concerned about nicotine addiction.”

Study results and methods
For this survey, 1,000 adults aged 18 or older were asked about their ability to recognize nicotine products with and without the visual aid of packaging, as well as their perceptions about the health effects of these products.

Ohio State’s recent survey showed that 70% of adults believe nicotine pouches are harmful to health and lead to addiction, but just 25% say they could identify a nicotine pouch out of its container or packaging. The survey also found that those between the ages of 18-29 are more likely to know someone who uses nicotine pouches, as opposed to older adults.

This study was conducted on behalf of the OSUCCC – James by SSRS on its Opinion Panel Omnibus platform. The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a national, twice-per-month, probability-based survey. Data collection was conducted from July 19-22, 2024, among a sample of 1,008 respondents. The survey was conducted via web (n=976) and telephone (n=32) and administered in English. The margin of error for total respondents is +/- 3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus data are weighted to represent the target population of U.S. adults ages 18 or older. 

To learn more about research at the Center for Tobacco Research, visit cancer.osu.edu/CTR. For resources on nicotine use and cessation in youth, visit tobaccofreekids.org. Adult smoking cessation support is available at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. To schedule an appointment, call 614-293-QUIT (7848) or visit medcenter.osu.edu. 

##

  

at the Center for Tobacco Research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute are concerned that the fruity flavors and discreet design of nicotine pouches are a gateway to addiction for Gen Z.

Credit

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

News Package [VIDEO] | 

If a parent found a cigarette or vape in their child’s things, they would probably know what it was. But a new national survey by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute finds just one in four Americans could identify a nicotine pouch, which are growing in popularity and are much easier to hide.

Credit

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

---

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Fermented lingonberry juice shown to reduce inflammation and support gut health in IBD

AVAILABLE AT IKEA

By targeting both the mouth and gut, fermented lingonberry juice harnesses potent bioactive compounds to curb microbial dysbiosis and protect against inflammation, offering a promising natural solution for managing IBD.

Study: Oral Anti-Inflammatory and Symbiotic Effects of Fermented Lingonberry Juice—Potential Benefits in IBD. 

Image Credit: Mila_22 79 / Shutterstock


Download PDF Copy

By Dr. Chinta Sidharthan

Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, M.Sc.

Sep 2 2024

In a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, scientists in Finland and Sweden discussed the anti-inflammatory, anti-proteolytic, antimicrobial, and prebiotic properties of fermented lingonberry juice and its potential benefits in alleviating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Background

The role of the gut microbiome in human health has been widely explored in recent years, and the link between the oral and gut microbiomes and their impact on gastrointestinal inflammation has been of significant interest. The study highlights that oral microbes can influence gut health, exacerbating conditions like IBD through the transmission of oral pathogens to the gut. The gut microbiome is involved in numerous metabolic processes in the host, including modulating the immune responses and influencing the permeability of the intestinal mucosa.

Lingonberries are evergreen shrubs native to boreal forests and Arctic tundra across the Northern Hemisphere.

Dysbiosis in the gut microbiome can influence the integrity of the extracellular matrix in the mucosal epithelia and degrade proteins such as cadherin, collagen, laminin, claudin, and occludin in the basement and junctional membranes. A combination of loss of integrity in the mucosal barrier and the innate immune responses triggered by the microbiome can result in various metabolic and autoimmune disorders and increase the risk of cancer.

Gut microbiome dysbiosis has been linked to a wide range of diseases, including arthritis, asthma, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, IBD, and even mental health disorders. Studies have proposed the use of prebiotics and probiotics for the management of obesity and inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease

The excessive inflammation of the mucosal layer in the intestines characterizes inflammatory bowel disease. While the underlying causes are not known, alleles for specific genes, such as those coding for major histocompatibility complex (MHC), are known to increase the susceptibility to the disease.

Other factors such as smoking, drugs, diet, pathogens, and changes in the gut microbiome are believed to trigger IBD. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two major forms of IBD. Ulcerative colitis impacts only the lower intestines, while lesions in the entire gastrointestinal tract characterize Crohn’s disease. External symptoms of IBD include weight loss, diarrhea, and malnutrition.

Lingonberries are traditionally used in Nordic cuisine and are commonly made into jams, sauces, and juices.

CHEMUK - Highlights from 2023 eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year.Download the latest edition

Both classes of IBD also manifest in oral symptoms, with aphthous stomatitis or canker sores and pyostomatitis vegetans, or pustules in the oral mucosa appearing in cases of ulcerative colitis. The oral symptoms of Crohn’s disease include mucogingivitis, bumps at the back of the throat, and tag-like lesions. A wide range of non-specific symptoms common to both forms also include dry mouth, halitosis, gingivitis, submandibular lymphadenopathy, periodontitis, and decreased saliva production. The study emphasizes that oral manifestations may precede gastrointestinal symptoms, and oral health is crucial for managing overall IBD symptoms.

Probiotics are recommended for symptom alleviation in IBD based on their ability to lower oxidative stress, strengthen the intestinal barrier, lower pathogenic load, and increase the abundance and diversity of beneficial bacteria. Probiotics can also lower the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and increase the levels of anti-inflammatory immune responses.

Lingonberries

Vaccinium vitis-idaea, or lingonberries, grows wild in the northern hemisphere. Numerous in vivo and in vitro studies have reported that the fractions isolated from lingonberries have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-proteolytic, and anti-cancer properties.

The study identifies specific bioactive compounds in lingonberries, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and stilbenes, such as resveratrol, which are noted for their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects.

Studies using murine models of obesity have shown that these phenolic compounds can alter metabolic and inflammatory states by impacting the gut microbiome. Lingonberry juice has also been found to lower the ratio of Firmicute to Bacteroidetes in mice, which has proven beneficial in preventing excess weight gain.

Fermented lingonberry juice is also known to inhibit the growth of opportunistic pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans, Fusobacterium nucleatus, Candida, and Porphyromonas gingivalis in the oral cavity. A natural mouth rinse based on fermented lingonberry juice has been developed, and its clinical trials show multiple benefits for oral health, including reduced periodontal inflammation and increased growth of probiotic lactobacilli.

Fermentation also enzymatically breaks down large molecules into small ones, increasing the bioavailability of phenolic compounds and improving their absorption. Fermented lingonberry juice has been found to lower the levels of proteolytic inflammation in the oral cavity and selectively inhibit the growth of pathogens while promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Furthermore, studies examining the efficacy of the fermented lingonberry juice oral rinse reported improvements in oral health, reduced periodontal inflammation, lower gum bleeding and oral plaque formation, and a decrease in the proteolytic and opportunistic microbial load in the oral cavity. The study suggests that these benefits may extend to the gut if the juice is swallowed, potentially aiding in the management of IBD.

Conclusions

To summarize, the researchers discussed the link between the oral microbiome and the risk of chronic inflammatory and metabolic disorders through gut microbiome dysbiosis. They propose that oral health interventions, including the use of fermented lingonberry juice, could indirectly benefit gut health by modulating the oral microbiome.

Additionally, the study examined the involvement of the oral microbiome in IBD and presented the potential benefits of lingonberry and fermented lingonberry juice in modulating the oral and gut microbiomes to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and lower inflammation.

The researchers recommend further research and human clinical trials to examine the beneficial effects of lingonberry in lowering gastrointestinal inflammation and alleviating the symptoms of IBD.

Journal reference:

• Pärnänen, P., Räisänen, Ismo T & Sorsa, T. (2024) Oral Anti-Inflammatory and Symbiotic Effects of Fermented Lingonberry Juice — Potential Benefits in IBD. Nutrients 16. DOI:10.3390/nu16172896, https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/17/2896

Written by

Dr. Chinta Sidharthan

Chinta Sidharthan is a writer based in Bangalore, India. Her academic background is in evolutionary biology and genetics, and she has extensive experience in scientific research, teaching, science writing, and herpetology. Chinta holds a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the Indian Institute of Science and is passionate about science education, writing, animals, wildlife, and conservation. For her doctoral research, she explored the origins and diversification of blindsnakes in India, as a part of which she did extensive fieldwork in the jungles of southern India. She has received the Canadian Governor General’s bronze medal and Bangalore University gold medal for academic excellence and published her research in high-impact journals.

 Research finds particulate pollution during pregnancy may impact newborn kidney function

• Download PDF Copy

By Dr. Sushama R. Chaphalkar, PhD.Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLMSep 2 2024

In a recent cohort study published in the journal eBioMedicine, researchers investigated the potential effect of gestational exposure to particulate air pollution on cord blood cystatin C levels, a marker for kidney function.

They found that increased exposure to black carbon and fine particulate matter during pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester, was associated with higher cord blood cystatin C levels, suggesting potential negative effects on newborn kidney function.

Study: Newborn glomerular function and gestational particulate air pollution. Image Credit: Deemerwha studio/Shutterstock.com

Background

Researchers have previously hypothesized that a lower number of nephrons at birth increases the risk of hypertension, and early environmental exposures can have a long-term impact on health. Optimal kidney function is critical for maintaining body homeostasis.

However, assessing kidney function in neonates is challenging. Cystatin C, a protein produced by nucleated cells and filtered by the kidneys, has emerged as a valuable marker for glomerular filtration in newborns, as it is not influenced by muscle mass or inflammation.

Ambient air pollution, especially particulate matter of diameter <2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC), is a significant contributor to global disease, linked to cardiovascular, respiratory, and kidney issues. PM2.5 is known to cause cardiovascular problems, which are closely related to kidney health.

Maternal exposure to PM2.5 is shown to be associated with higher blood pressure and lower birth weight in newborns, potentially affecting kidney development.

While studies have shown that air pollution increases cystatin C levels and decreases glomerular filtration in adults, there is a lack of research on its effects on cystatin C levels in newborns, highlighting a gap in understanding the early-life impact of pollution on kidney function.

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook Learn about mass photometry, a revolutionary way of characterizing biomolecules, with this free eBook.Download the latest edition

Therefore, researchers in the present study investigated whether cystatin C levels are altered in the cord blood plasma of neonates owing to exposure to ambient air pollution, specifically BC and PM2.5.

About the study

In the present study, medical and lifestyle data of 1,484 healthy mother-newborn pairs with singleton pregnancies between 2010 and 2020 were obtained from the ENVIRONAGE (ENVIRonmental influence ON early AGEing) birth cohort in Belgium.

Pairs lacking cord blood samples or missing data were excluded. Exposure to air pollution in the form of BC and PM2.5 was estimated using a model that integrated satellite land cover data and pollution data from monitoring stations.

Daily exposure values were averaged for the entire pregnancy and across trimesters. Cord blood samples were collected within 10 minutes of delivery, stored, and analyzed.

Cystatin C levels were measured in the samples using an accredited immune turbidimetry assay, where cystatin C binds to antibody-coated latex particles for quantification, providing insights into kidney function in newborns.

Statistical analysis involved the use of multiple linear regression analyses, distributed lag models, logistic regression analyses, and sensitivity analyses adjusting for various covariates, including age, education, smoking habits, alcohol consumption throughout pregnancy, and ethnicity.

Results and discussion

The average birth weight of newborns was 3,417.52 g, with 49.6% being girls, and the average gestational age was 39.2 weeks. Cord blood cystatin C levels averaged 2.16 mg/L. Mean exposure to BC and PM2.5 during pregnancy was found to be 1.18 μg/m³ and 12.65 μg/m³, respectively, remaining relatively constant across trimesters.

Significant associations were found between BC exposure during the entire pregnancy and elevated cord blood cystatin C levels, with a 0.5 μg/m³ increase correlating with a 0.04 mg/L rise (p<0.01). For PM2.5, a 5 μg/m³ increase was found to be associated with a 0.07 mg/L increase in cystatin C (p<0.01).

The first trimester showed associations with BC but not with PM2.5. Sensitivity analyses indicated that adjusting for additional covariates did not significantly alter effect estimates. Notably, the third trimester (beyond week 27) was identified as the most significant exposure window.

Higher exposures to PM2.5 and BC during the entire pregnancy and specifically in the third trimester increased the risk of higher cord blood cystatin C levels, with a 0.5 μg/m³ increase in BC linked to a 37% higher risk and a 5 μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 associated with an 80% higher risk.

The study is strengthened by its large, representative sample of well-characterized newborns and mothers with a prospective follow-up and high-resolution spatial air pollution model for fetal exposure estimation. However, the study lacks the use of additional markers to assess kidney function, such as creatinine.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the study shows that exposure to PM2.5 and BC during pregnancy, especially beyond week 27, is significantly linked to elevated cord blood cystatin C levels in newborns. This indicates the negative impact of particulate air pollution on kidney function since birth.

Therefore, monitoring early life exposure to particulate air pollution may be crucial for improving kidney health later in life. These findings warrant further research and aim to inform public health policy for improved outcomes in newborns.

Journal reference:

• Rasking, Leen et al., (2024) Newborn glomerular function and gestational particulate air pollution. eBioMedicine, Volume 107, 105253. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105253. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(24)00289-5/fulltext

Written by

Dr. Sushama R. Chaphalkar

Dr. Sushama R. Chaphalkar is a senior researcher and academician based in Pune, India. She holds a PhD in Microbiology and comes with vast experience in research and education in Biotechnology. In her illustrious career spanning three decades and a half, she held prominent leadership positions in academia and industry. As the Founder-Director of a renowned Biotechnology institute, she worked extensively on high-end research projects of industrial significance, fostering a stronger bond between industry and academia.  

Science is rewriting the history of horse domestication

As they spread, horses reshaped ecology, social structures and economies at a never-before-seen scale.

Perspective by William Taylor
September 1, 2024 

THE CONVERSATION

Across human history, no animal has had a deeper impact on human societies than the horse. But when and how people domesticated horses have posed an ongoing scientific mystery.

Half a million years ago or more, early human ancestors hunted horses with wooden spears, the very first weapons, and used their bones for early tools. During the late Paleolithic era, as far back as 30,000 years ago or more, ancient artists chose wild horses as their muse: Horses are the most commonly depicted animal in Eurasian cave art.

Following their first domestication, horses became the foundation of herding life in the grasslands of Inner Asia, and key leaps forward in technology such as the chariot, saddle and stirrup helped make horses the primary means of locomotion for travel, communication, agriculture and warfare across much of the ancient world. With the aid of ocean voyages, these animals eventually reached the shores of every major landmass — even Antarctica, briefly.

Archaeologists William Taylor (left), and Aidan Marler (right) investigate an ancient horse jaw bone in western Mongolia. (Yancen Diemberger)

As they spread, horses reshaped ecology, social structures and economies at a never-before-seen scale. Ultimately, only industrial mechanization supplanted their near-universal role in society.

Because of their tremendous impact in shaping our collective human story, figuring out when, why and how horses became domesticated is a key step toward understanding the world we live in now.

Doing so has proved to be surprisingly challenging. In my new book, “Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human History,” I draw together new archaeological evidence that is revising what scientists like me thought we knew about this story.

A domestication hypothesis

Over the years, almost every time and place on Earth has been suggested as a possible origin point for horse domestication, from Europe tens of thousands of years ago to places such as Saudi Arabia, Anatolia, China or even the Americas.

By far the most dominant model for horse domestication, though, has been the Indo-European hypothesis, also known as the “Kurgan hypothesis.” It argues that, sometime in the fourth millennium B.C. or before, residents of the steppes of western Asia and the Black Sea known as the Yamnaya, who built large burial mounds called kurgans, hopped astride horses. The newfound mobility of these early riders, the story goes, helped catalyze huge migrations across the continent, distributing ancestral Indo-European languages and cultures across Eurasia.

But what’s the actual evidence supporting the Kurgan hypothesis for the first horse domestication? Many of the most important clues come from the bones and teeth of ancient animals, via a discipline known as archaeozoology. Over the past 20 years, archaeozoological data seemed to converge on the idea that horses were first domesticated in sites of the Botai culture in Kazakhstan, where scientists found large quantities of horse bones at sites dating to the fourth millennium B.C.

Other kinds of circumstantial evidence had already started to pile up. Archaeologists discovered evidence of what looked like fence post holes that could have been part of ancient corrals. They also found ceramic fragments with fatty horse residues that, based on isotope measurements, seem to have been deposited in the summer months, a time when milk could be collected from domestic horses.

The scientific smoking gun for early horse domestication, though, was a set of changes found on some Botai horse teeth and jawbones. Like the teeth of many modern and ancient ridden horses, the Botai horse teeth appeared to have been worn down by a bridle mouthpiece, or bit.

Together, the data pointed strongly to the idea of horse domestication in northern Kazakhstan around 3500 B.C. — not quite the Yamnaya homeland, but close enough geographically to keep the basic Kurgan hypothesis intact.

There were some aspects of the Botai story, though, that never quite lined up.

From the outset, several studies showed that the mix of horse remains found at Botai was unlike that found in most later pastoral cultures: Botai is evenly split between male and female horses, mostly of a healthy reproductive age. Killing off healthy, breeding-age animals like this on a regular basis would devastate a breeding herd. But this demographic blend is common among animals that have been hunted. Some Botai horses even have projectile points embedded in their ribs, showing they died through hunting rather than a controlled slaughter.

These unresolved loose ends loomed over a basic consensus linking the Botai culture to horse domestication.

New tools, new questions

In recent years, as archaeological and scientific tools have rapidly improved, key assumptions about the cultures of Botai, Yamnaya and the early chapters of the human-horse story have been overturned.

In 2018, nuclear genomic sequencing revealed that Botai horses were not the ancestors of domestic horses but of Przewalski’s horse, a wild relative and denizen of the steppe that has never been domesticated, at least not in recorded history.

Next, when my colleagues and I reconsidered skeletal features linked to horse riding at Botai, we saw that similar issues are also visible in ice age wild horses from North America, which had certainly never been ridden. Even though horse riding can cause recognizable changes to the teeth and bones of the jaw, we argued that the small issues seen on Botai horses can reasonably be linked to natural variation or life history

This finding reopened the question: Was there horse transport at Botai at all?

Leaving the Kurgan hypothesis in the past

Over the past few years, trying to make sense of the archaeological record around horse domestication has become an ever more contradictory affair.

For example, in 2023, archaeologists noted that human hip and leg skeletal problems found in Yamnaya and early Eastern European burials looked like problems found in mounted riders, consistent with the Kurgan hypothesis. But such problems can also be caused by other kinds of animal transport, including the cattle carts found in Yamnaya-era sites.

So how should archaeologists make sense of these conflicting signals?

A clearer picture may be closer than we think. A detailed genomic study of early Eurasian horses, published in June in the journal Nature, shows that Yamnaya horses were not ancestors of the first clearly domestic horses, known as the DOM2 lineage. And Yamnaya horses showed no genetic evidence of close control over reproduction, such as changes linked with inbreeding.

Instead, the first DOM2 horses appear just before 2000 B.C., long after the Yamnaya migrations and just before the first burials of horses and chariots also show up in the archaeological record.

For now, all lines of evidence seem to converge on the idea that horse domestication probably took place in the Black Sea steppes, but much later than the Kurgan hypothesis requires. Instead, human control of horses took off just before the explosive spread of horses and chariots across Eurasia during the early second millennium B.C.

There’s still more to be settled, of course. In the latest study, the authors point to funny patterns in the Botai data, especially fluctuations in genetic estimates for generation time — essentially, how long it takes on average for a population of animals to produce offspring. Might these suggest that Botai people still raised those wild Przewalski’s horses in captivity, but only for meat, without a role in transportation? Perhaps. Future research will let us know for sure.

Either way, out of these conflicting signals, one consideration has become clear: The earliest chapters of the human-horse story are ready for a retelling.

The writer is an assistant professor and curator of archaeology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. This article was produced in collaboration with theconversation.com.