It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Monday, June 10, 2024
Optimism wards off procrastination
Believing that the future will not be more stressful than the present could help procrastinators achieve more
UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
IMAGE:
THE ORIGINAL PURE PROCRASTINATION SCALE WAS DEVELOPED IN A CANADIAN STUDY IN 2010, WITH THE JAPANESE VERSION FOLLOWING IN 2022. PROCRASTINATION CAN BE ROUGHLY DEFINED AS VOLUNTARILY PUTTING OFF AN ACTION, EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW IT MEANS YOU’LL BE WORSE OFF LATER.
People with an optimistic outlook on the future are less likely to be severe procrastinators, according to new research at the University of Tokyo. While procrastinators often admonish themselves for their “bad habit,” it turns out that their worries for the future are more to blame. Through a survey of nearly 300 young people, researchers found that those who had a positive view about their stress levels decreasing in the future, compared to the past or present, were less likely to experience severe procrastination. Views on personal well-being didn’t appear to have an effect. Improving people’s outlook and readiness for the future could help them overcome procrastination and achieve a less stressful lifestyle.
How many times have you made a “to do” list, and although the most important task is at the top, you seem to be working your way up from the bottom or distracted by something else entirely? While we might chide ourselves for procrastinating, sometimes the more we try to overcome it, the more stressed we feel and the cycle continues. That is how it was for graduate student Saya Kashiwakura from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo, so she decided to investigate why.
“I have struggled with procrastination since childhood. I would clean my room when I needed to study for a test and prioritize aikido practice over my postgraduate research. This habit of putting off important tasks has been a constant challenge,” said Kashiwakura. “I wanted to change my behavior, as I realized that I was not confronting the future impact of my actions.”
This inspired Kashiwakura to examine the relationship between procrastination and the procrastinator's perspective on time, particularly their view of the future. When she began researching procrastination, she was surprised to discover that many more people suffer from it than she had imagined and found it reassuring her problems were not unique.
Previous research has shown that a feature of procrastination is disregard for the future or difficulty linking present actions with future outcomes. However, the reasons for this have been unclear. Kashiwakura and co-author Professor Kazuo Hiraki, also from UTokyo, proposed that it might be because severe procrastinators have a more pessimistic outlook.
The researchers surveyed 296 participants in Japan in their 20s for their views on stress and well-being, and importantly how these changed over time. This included asking about their experiences from 10 years in the past through to the present, and their expectations for 10 years in the future. From the results, participants were clustered into one of four groups (for example, if they thought their situation would improve or would stay the same), and then each group was divided into severe, middle and low procrastinators.
“Our research showed that optimistic people — those who believe that stress does not increase as we move into the future — are less likely to have severe procrastination habits,” explained Kashiwakura. “This finding helped me adopt a more light-hearted perspective on the future, leading to a more direct view and reduced procrastination.”
It was not only the level of stress people experienced, but how their perception of it changed over the 20-year time period discussed, which influenced their procrastination habits. Surprisingly, a relationship wasn’t found between procrastination and negative views on well-being, such as one’s attitude towards oneself, or not yet finding purpose and goals in life.
Using these results, the team wants to develop ways to help people nurture a more optimistic mindset and overcome procrastination. “We hope our findings will be particularly useful in the education sector. We believe that students will achieve better outcomes and experience greater well-being when they can comprehend their procrastination tendencies scientifically, and actively work on improving them, rather than blaming themselves,” said Kashiwakura.
“Thoughts can change with just a few minutes of watching a video or be shaped by years of accumulation. Our next step is to investigate which approach is appropriate this time, and how we can develop the ‘right’ mindset to lead a happier and more fulfilling life.”
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Paper Title
Saya Kashiwakura and Kazuo Hiraki. Future optimism group based on the chronological stress view is less likely to be severe procrastinators.Scientific Reports. 30 May 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61277-y
Press contact: Mrs. Nicola Burghall (she/her) Public Relations Group, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan press-releases.adm@gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp
About the University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo is Japan’s leading university and one of the world’s top research universities. The vast research output of some 6,000 researchers is published in the world’s top journals across the arts and sciences. Our vibrant student body of around 15,000 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students includes over 4,000 international students. Find out more at www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/ or follow us on X at @UTokyo_News_en.
Future optimism group based on the chronological stress view is less likely to be severe procrastinators
The risk of suffering school bullying triples in children with autistic spectrum disorders
A URV research project has studied the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in school-age children and how these conditions affect their social relationships
UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI
IMAGE:
PAULA MORALES-HIDALGO, FINA CANALS, NÚRIA VOLTAS AND CARMEN HERNÁNDEZ, MEMBERS OF THE NUTRITION AND MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH TEAM, URV.
CREDIT: NUTRITION AND MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH TEAM, URV
A research team from the URV’s Nutrition and Mental Health group has studied the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in schoolchildren in the Tarragona region. The research, which also determined the extent to which these disorders affect children’s social relationships, collected data on 7,000 pupils, of whom 700 were studied in detail. The results determined that 1.5% of the children had ASD, while 5% were diagnosed with ADHD. This study, known as EPINED, has discovered that the risk of suffering from abuse, isolation or social exclusion can triple in those children who suffer from one of these disorders.
In the first part of the study, Núria Voltas, Fina Canals, Paula Morales and Carmen Hernández, researchers from the Department of Psychology, determined the prevalence – the number of cases diagnosed at a given time and in a given environment – of autistic spectrum disorders and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in children in the Tarragona area. To do so, they screened more than 7,000 children in two age groups, namely pupils in the fourth year of Infant Education and pupils in the fifth year of Primary Education (PE) from a representative sample of the whole province. By means of tests answered by teachers and families, they were able to identify those cases with signs of presenting either of the two disorders. From the screening, a sample of 700 children was selected, including a control group to evaluate the correct functioning of the methodology.
After conducting interviews with the children and their families and studying all the cases individually, the researchers determined that, of the children in the sample, 1.5% had ASD and 5% had ADHD. “We also assessed other children with difficulties but who fell outside the diagnosis because they did not have all the symptoms. If we include them, we can say that 3.5% of children had some symptom of ASD”, asserted the researchers.
A research team from the URV’s Nutrition and Mental Health group has studied the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in schoolchildren in the Tarragona region. The research, which also determined the extent to which these disorders affect children’s social relationships, collected data on 7,000 pupils, of whom 700 were studied in detail. The results determined that 1.5% of the children had ASD, while 5% were diagnosed with ADHD. This study, known as EPINED, has discovered that the risk of suffering from abuse, isolation or social exclusion can triple in those children who suffer from one of these disorders.
In the first part of the study, Núria Voltas, Fina Canals, Paula Morales and Carmen Hernández, researchers from the Department of Psychology, determined the prevalence – the number of cases diagnosed at a given time and in a given environment – of autistic spectrum disorders and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in children in the Tarragona area. To do so, they screened more than 7,000 children in two age groups, namely pupils in the fourth year of Infant Education and pupils in the fifth year of Primary Education (PE) from a representative sample of the whole province. By means of tests answered by teachers and families, they were able to identify those cases with signs of presenting either of the two disorders. From the screening, a sample of 700 children was selected, including a control group to evaluate the correct functioning of the methodology.
After conducting interviews with the children and their families and studying all the cases individually, the researchers determined that, of the children in the sample, 1.5% had ASD and 5% had ADHD. “We also assessed other children with difficulties but who fell outside the diagnosis because they did not have all the symptoms. If we include them, we can say that 3.5% of children had some symptom of ASD”, asserted the researchers.
A research team from the URV’s Nutrition and Mental Health group has studied the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in schoolchildren in the Tarragona region. The research, which also determined the extent to which these disorders affect children’s social relationships, collected data on 7,000 pupils, of whom 700 were studied in detail. The results determined that 1.5% of the children had ASD, while 5% were diagnosed with ADHD. This study, known as EPINED, has discovered that the risk of suffering from abuse, isolation or social exclusion can triple in those children who suffer from one of these disorders.
In the first part of the study, Núria Voltas, Fina Canals, Paula Morales and Carmen Hernández, researchers from the Department of Psychology, determined the prevalence – the number of cases diagnosed at a given time and in a given environment – of autistic spectrum disorders and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in children in the Tarragona area. To do so, they screened more than 7,000 children in two age groups, namely pupils in the fourth year of Infant Education and pupils in the fifth year of Primary Education (PE) from a representative sample of the whole province. By means of tests answered by teachers and families, they were able to identify those cases with signs of presenting either of the two disorders. From the screening, a sample of 700 children was selected, including a control group to evaluate the correct functioning of the methodology.
After conducting interviews with the children and their families and studying all the cases individually, the researchers determined that, of the children in the sample, 1.5% had ASD and 5% had ADHD. “We also assessed other children with difficulties but who fell outside the diagnosis because they did not have all the symptoms. If we include them, we can say that 3.5% of children had some symptom of ASD”, asserted the researchers.
Another aim of the research was to determine whether and to what extent infants diagnosed with any of these disorders feel socially disadvantaged. The researchers found that 35% of primary school children with ADHD reported experiencing some form of bullying, isolation or social exclusion. “This phenomenon is aggravated in children with combined ADHD, i.e. with all the typical symptoms: attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsivity,” explained Núria Voltas.
The researchers also found that 58% schoolchildren with ASD, who are characterised by behavioural problems and difficulties in social interaction and communication, felt displaced and excluded. “Children with ASD want to relate to others but don’t know how to; in the case of ADHD, they are so muted and intense that the disorder influences their relationship with others”, explains Fina Canals. These characteristics mean that their behaviour can be perceived as “strange” or “annoying” by their peers. For schoolchildren without any type of diagnosed disorder, the index of perceived harassment, isolation or social exclusion stands at 18%.
The research also revealed that in cases with both disorders, i.e. those with comorbid disorders, there was a stronger feeling of social isolation. These results do not refer to children with ASD and ADHD in the fourth year of Infant Education as they are not mature enough to answer the tests on their perception of victimisation by bullying.
“Bullying has long-lasting consequences and increases the feeling of fear towards social relationships; having ASD or ADHD and feeling victimised increases emotional problems”, says Fina Canals. When these people grow up and enter adolescence and adulthood, they present “very high rates of mental health disorders” and a “high risk of suicide”. For this reason, the authors of the research call for anti-bullying programmes to include specific measures for at-risk groups.
Another aim of the research was to determine whether and to what extent infants diagnosed with any of these disorders feel socially disadvantaged. The researchers found that 35% of primary school children with ADHD reported experiencing some form of bullying, isolation or social exclusion. “This phenomenon is aggravated in children with combined ADHD, i.e. with all the typical symptoms: attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsivity,” explained Núria Voltas.
The researchers also found that 58% schoolchildren with ASD, who are characterised by behavioural problems and difficulties in social interaction and communication, felt displaced and excluded. “Children with ASD want to relate to others but don’t know how to; in the case of ADHD, they are so muted and intense that the disorder influences their relationship with others”, explains Fina Canals. These characteristics mean that their behaviour can be perceived as “strange” or “annoying” by their peers. For schoolchildren without any type of diagnosed disorder, the index of perceived harassment, isolation or social exclusion stands at 18%.
The research also revealed that in cases with both disorders, i.e. those with comorbid disorders, there was a stronger feeling of social isolation. These results do not refer to children with ASD and ADHD in the fourth year of Infant Education as they are not mature enough to answer the tests on their perception of victimisation by bullying.
“Bullying has long-lasting consequences and increases the feeling of fear towards social relationships; having ASD or ADHD and feeling victimised increases emotional problems”, says Fina Canals. When these people grow up and enter adolescence and adulthood, they present “very high rates of mental health disorders” and a “high risk of suicide”. For this reason, the authors of the research call for anti-bullying programmes to include specific measures for at-risk groups.
Another aim of the research was to determine whether and to what extent infants diagnosed with any of these disorders feel socially disadvantaged. The researchers found that 35% of primary school children with ADHD reported experiencing some form of bullying, isolation or social exclusion. “This phenomenon is aggravated in children with combined ADHD, i.e. with all the typical symptoms: attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsivity,” explained Núria Voltas.
The researchers also found that 58% schoolchildren with ASD, who are characterised by behavioural problems and difficulties in social interaction and communication, felt displaced and excluded. “Children with ASD want to relate to others but don’t know how to; in the case of ADHD, they are so muted and intense that the disorder influences their relationship with others”, explains Fina Canals. These characteristics mean that their behaviour can be perceived as “strange” or “annoying” by their peers. For schoolchildren without any type of diagnosed disorder, the index of perceived harassment, isolation or social exclusion stands at 18%.
The research also revealed that in cases with both disorders, i.e. those with comorbid disorders, there was a stronger feeling of social isolation. These results do not refer to children with ASD and ADHD in the fourth year of Infant Education as they are not mature enough to answer the tests on their perception of victimisation by bullying.
“Bullying has long-lasting consequences and increases the feeling of fear towards social relationships; having ASD or ADHD and feeling victimised increases emotional problems”, says Fina Canals. When these people grow up and enter adolescence and adulthood, they present “very high rates of mental health disorders” and a “high risk of suicide”. For this reason, the authors of the research call for anti-bullying programmes to include specific measures for at-risk groups.
Another aim of the research was to determine whether and to what extent infants diagnosed with any of these disorders feel socially disadvantaged. The researchers found that 35% of primary school children with ADHD reported experiencing some form of bullying, isolation or social exclusion. “This phenomenon is aggravated in children with combined ADHD, i.e. with all the typical symptoms: attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsivity,” explained Núria Voltas.
The researchers also found that 58% schoolchildren with ASD, who are characterised by behavioural problems and difficulties in social interaction and communication, felt displaced and excluded. “Children with ASD want to relate to others but don’t know how to; in the case of ADHD, they are so muted and intense that the disorder influences their relationship with others”, explains Fina Canals. These characteristics mean that their behaviour can be perceived as “strange” or “annoying” by their peers. For schoolchildren without any type of diagnosed disorder, the index of perceived harassment, isolation or social exclusion stands at 18%.
The research also revealed that in cases with both disorders, i.e. those with comorbid disorders, there was a stronger feeling of social isolation. These results do not refer to children with ASD and ADHD in the fourth year of Infant Education as they are not mature enough to answer the tests on their perception of victimisation by bullying.
“Bullying has long-lasting consequences and increases the feeling of fear towards social relationships; having ASD or ADHD and feeling victimised increases emotional problems”, says Fina Canals. When these people grow up and enter adolescence and adulthood, they present “very high rates of mental health disorders” and a “high risk of suicide”. For this reason, the authors of the research call for anti-bullying programmes to include specific measures for at-risk groups.
Self-perceived bullying victimization in pre-adolescents on the autism spectrum: EPINED study
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
10-Jun-2024
Planetary Health Diet associated with lower risk of premature death, lower environmental impact
HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Key takeaways:
People whose diets most closely adhered to the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) had 30% lower risk of premature death compared to those with the lowest adherence.
Every major cause of death, including cancer, heart disease, and lung disease, was lower with greater adherence to this dietary pattern.
Diets adhering to the PHD pattern had substantially lower environmental impact, including 29% lower greenhouse gas emissions and 51% less land use.
Boston, MA—People who eat a healthy, sustainable diet may substantially lower their risk of premature death in addition to their environmental impact, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It is the first large study to directly evaluate the impacts of adherence to recommendations in the landmark 2019 EAT-Lancet report. The researchers have named the dietary pattern outlined in the report—which emphasizes a variety of minimally processed plant foods but allows for modest consumption of meat and dairy foods—the Planetary Health Diet (PHD).
The study will be published online June 10 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Climate change has our planet on track for ecological disaster, and our food system plays a major role,” said corresponding author Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition. “Shifting how we eat can help slow the process of climate change. And what’s healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for humans.”
While other studies have found that diets emphasizing plant-based foods over animal-sourced foods could have benefits for human and planetary health, most have used one-time dietary assessments, which produce weaker results than looking at diets over a long period of time.
The researchers used health data from more than 200,000 women and men enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Participants were free of major chronic diseases at the start of the study and completed dietary questionnaires every four years for up to 34 years. Participants’ diets were scored based on intake of 15 food groups—including whole grains, vegetables, poultry, and nuts—to quantify adherence to the PHD.
The study found that the risk of premature death was 30% lower in the top 10% of participants most closely adhering to PHD compared to those in the lowest 10%. Every major cause of death, including cancer, heart disease, and lung disease, was lower with greater adherence to this dietary pattern.
In addition, the researchers found that those with the highest adherence to the PHD had a substantially lower environmental impact than those with the lowest adherence, including 29% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 21% lower fertilizer needs, and 51% lower cropland use.
The researchers noted that land use reduction is particularly important as a facilitator of re-forestation, which is seen as an effective way to further reduce levels of greenhouse gases that are driving climate change.
“Our study is noteworthy given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has refused to consider the environmental impacts of dietary choices, and any reference to the environmental effects of diet will not be allowed in the upcoming revision of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines,” said Willett. “The findings show just how linked human and planetary health are. Eating healthfully boosts environmental sustainability—which in turn is essential for the health and wellbeing of every person on earth.”
Other Harvard Chan School authors included Linh Bui, Fenglei Wang, Qi Sun, Frank Hu, Kyu Ha Lee, and Marta Guasch-Ferre.
The study was funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants UM1 CA186107, P01 CA87969, R01 HL034594, U01 CA176726, U01 CA167552, R01 HL035464, R01 DK120870, and R01 DK126698.
“Planetary Health Diet Index and risk of total and cause specific mortality in three prospective cohorts,” Linh P. Bui, Tung T. Pham, Fenglei Wang, Boyang Chai, Qi Sun, Frank B. Hu, Kyu Ha Lee, Marta Guasch-Ferre, Walter C. Willett, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 10, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.03.019
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory to people’s lives—not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 faculty members at Harvard Chan School teach 1,000-plus full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as America’s oldest professional training program in public health.
Planetary Health Diet Index and risk of total and cause specific mortality in three prospective cohorts
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
10-Jun-2024
Alarming trends call for action to define the future role of food in nation’s health
New public opinion poll and expert analysis reflect crucial need to make healthy food accessible to avert projected crisis in cardiovascular disease incidence, costs
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
CHICAGO, June 10, 2024 — The cost of nutritious food and the lack of access to it are of significant concern to U.S. consumers. That’s according to a new national poll of public attitudes on food and nutrition conducted by Zogby Analytics on behalf of Research!America and the American Heart Association. Nearly 7 in 10 (68%) respondents recognize healthy eating habits as an important factor in improving a person’s chance for a long and healthy life. Yet more than half (53%) say the United States is not making enough progress for nutritious food to be more accessible and affordable.
The polling results are included in an expert analysis of U.S. health and the future of food that outlines steep challenges to improving nutrition security, caused by systemic factors that can make it more difficult for people to access healthy food. The report, released today by Deloitte, the American Heart Association and Research!America, details the urgent challenges to creating a food system that effectively integrates nutritious food into health care for the prevention, treatment and care of cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions.
These findings were announced at The Drake Hotel in Chicago, the birthplace exactly 100 years ago of the American Heart Association, the world’s leading public health organization focused on heart and brain health for all.
“Efforts led by the American Heart Association have cut death rates from heart disease by half in the past 100 years, but as we look to our second century of existence, the trends are ominous,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. “We are committed to averting a crisis of unparalleled health and economic burdens due to cardiovascular disease and obesity in the coming decades.”
According to stark projections published June 4 in the Association’s flagship peer-reviewed journal Circulation, obesity, if left unaddressed, will be a significant driver of sharp increases in cardiovascular disease that are anticipated by 2050:
More than 6 in 10 (61%) U.S. adults are projected to have some form of cardiovascular disease by 2050 – up from about half of all adults currently.
Obesity rates will increase nearly 40% in adults. from 43.6% to 60.6%, and by more than 60% in children, from 20.6% to 33% by 2050.
The highest growth of obesity prevalence is expected to be among adults 20-44 and 45-64 years old. In children, a steep growth of obesity is projected in all age groups.
More than 150 million people (close to half of the nation’s population) will have a poor diet – the most prevalent factor affecting health conditions such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes.
Obesity is also a major factor in the public’s perceptions of health in the U.S., according to the public opinion survey. A resounding 94% of respondents believe that obesity is either a somewhat (41%) or very (53%) serious concern.
More than 3 in 4 respondents (77%) said they would like to eat a healthier diet. However, respondents reported significant barriers to achieving that, including:
The cost of healthy food (60%): Many find it challenging to afford nutritious options.
Stress eating (42%): Emotional factors play a role in dietary choices.
Lack of preparation time (33%): Busy schedules hinder meal preparation.
Lack of knowledge (32%): Understanding what foods are healthy and how to prepare them remains a challenge.
“The results show significant differences in how historically underrepresented groups rank the barriers to healthy eating,” said Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America, a nonprofit medical and research advocacy alliance. “Nearly 7 in 10 Asian American (66%) and Hispanic (68%) respondents said the cost of healthy food was their biggest barrier to healthy eating. Black respondents were more likely to cite gaps in knowledge about healthy food (38%) and difficulty accessing stores that carry a selection of nutrient-dense foods (25%) as barriers to healthy eating.”
The U.S. Health and the Future of Food report implicates food and nutrition insecurity (the inability to attain adequate calories and nutrition to support health), ultra-processed foods and the lack of resilient and adaptive food and agricultural systems as major contributors to poor diets. As cited in the report, approximately 1 in 7 people in the U.S. faced food insecurity in 2022 – a total of 44 million people, including 13 million children, marking the highest rates since 2014.
“The impact of food insecurity is felt disproportionately in rural (90%) and southern (80%) U.S. counties, but food and nutrition insecurity exist across the U.S.,” said James Cascone, partner, Deloitte Sustainability, Climate & Equity strategic growth offering and the Future of Food leader for the Americas. “Factors including consumer preferences, cultural norms and unhealthy food marketing, compounded by social inequities and food and nutrition insecurity, impede access to healthy foods. The resulting decline in diet quality significantly raises the risk of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease.”
Nearly 60% of the U.S. diet is comprised of ultra-processed foods that are high in refined grains, calories, sodium, sugar and saturated fat, and are more often selected by consumers over nutritionally healthier alternatives, according to statistics cited in the report. The report calls for stakeholders including health care professionals, food industries, policymakers and others to drive innovations that enable food systems to bolster health outcomes.
“Healthy, nutritious food not only leads to better overall health – it can be a critical tool to treat, manage and prevent chronic disease,” said Kevin Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., American Heart Association volunteer, scientific lead for the Association’s food is medicine initiative Health Care by Food™ and founding director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School. “Cross-sector collaboration and research-backed innovation in public and private sector programs are needed to stem the combined tidal wave of obesity and nutrition insecurity, threatening the health of millions of people in the U.S. now and for decades to come.”
The Association’s Health Care by Food™ initiative is investing in research, advocacy and education to integrate cost-effective food is medicine approaches into the health care system. Initial pilot studies funded by the Association are underway to help strengthen the evidence base by demonstrating the effectiveness of healthy food interventions applied within the health care system.
The Association also is driving greater understanding of the components of specific foods and their role in human health in collaboration with the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI). PTFI was established by multiple academic disciplines along with the technology, philanthropy and nonprofit sectors five years ago to better understand food biodiversity by building a unique database of the global food supply to inform dietary recommendations and agricultural practices to enhance both human and planetary health.
Brown noted that additional health and nutrition solutions are needed to prevent projected increases in cardiovascular disease incidence and cost.
“We must make bold moves to change the troubling trajectory of cardiovascular disease. That is why the American Heart Association will soon launch a novel, longitudinal direct-to-patient registry of individuals living with overweight and obesity and those prescribed treatment for weight management,” Brown said. “Building on our decades of experience in patient registries and inspired by the Framingham Heart Study, this groundbreaking registry will provide seminal research to improve understanding of the causes and treatments for obesity, and how obesity is managed by health care professionals.”
The new initiative will help set the stage for fundamentally shaping public health guidelines related to nutrition and obesity. Brown called on others to embrace these types of innovative and comprehensive approaches to improving the nation’s health.
“Collaborative efforts from public and private entities are imperative to advance health and nutrition approaches that could shape the course of public health in the next century,” Brown said. “We invite stakeholders from across the health and nutrition sectors to join us in this fight to ensure that every person has access to nutritious food that leads to better health.”
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Compressed titanium and sulfur nanoribbons can transmit electricity without energy loss, scientists find
UNIVERSITY OF SHARJAH
IMAGE:
(A) TEMPERATURE-PRESSURE PHASE DIAGRAM OF TIS3. (B) PHOTOGRAPH AND SEM IMAGE OF QUASI-1D MICROSTRUCTURE.
When compressed, nanoribbons of titanium and sulfur can change properties dramatically turning into materials with the ability to conduct electricity without losing energy, according to a study published in the journal Nano Letters.
The authors have made the discovery during their painstaking search for new materials that can transmit electricity without loss of energy, a hot topic that has for long haunted the scientific community.
“Our research focuses on one such promising material: TiS3 nanoribbons, which are tiny, ribbon-like structures made of titanium and sulfur. In their natural state, TiS3 nanoribbons act as insulators, meaning they do not conduct electricity well,” says Mahmoud Rabie Abdel-Hafez, an associate professor at University of Sharjah’s Department of Applied Physics and Astronomy.
“However, we discovered that by applying pressure to these nanoribbons, we could change their electrical properties dramatically,” adds Abdel-Hafez, who is the study’s main author.
The scientists exposed TiS3 to gradual pressure. As they increased the pressure, they found that the TiS3 system underwent a series of transitions, from being insulators to becoming metals and superconductors, for the first time.
TiS3 materials are known to work as good insulators, but it is the first-time scientists discover that under pressure they can function as superconductors, paving the way for the development of superconducting materials.
“Superconductors are special because they can conduct electricity with zero energy loss, which is incredibly valuable for technological applications,” says Abdel-Hafez. “[But] imagine a world where electrical power could be transmitted without any energy being wasted as heat. This would revolutionize how we use and distribute electricity, making everything from power grids to electronic devices far more efficient.”
It is exactly this potential which the authors tout as a breakthrough: the potential of TiS3 to turn into materials causing no waste when transmitting electricity. By carefully controlling the pressure applied to these materials, the authors identified the exact points where they changed from one state to another.
“This is significant because understanding these transitions helps us learn how to manipulate other materials in similar ways, bringing us closer to discovering or designing new superconductors that can operate at higher temperatures and more practical conditions,” notes Abdel-Hafez .
The study shows that TiS3 has the potential to become such materials when subjected to the right conditions. By gradually increasing the pressure on the investigated materials, the authors observed that they transitioned from being insulators (poor conductors) to metals (good conductors) and finally to superconductors (perfect conductors with no energy loss).
Discovering that TiS3 materials can become superconductors under pressure is certain to help scientists understand more about the conditions required for superconductivity. This knowledge is crucial for developing new materials that might be superconductors at higher, more practical temperatures, the authors maintain.
"This research not only enhances our understanding of superconductivity but also demonstrates the power of international collaboration in achieving groundbreaking scientific results," affirms Sweden’s Uppsala University Professor of Physics and Astronomy, a co-author
The project is part of University of Sharjah’s research quest to develop materials that can transmit electricity without energy loss, offering new insights into how pressure can transform the electrical properties of TiS3 nanoribbons.
The study is a joint endeavor in which scientists from Sweden, China and Russia took part. “This advancement not only pushes the boundaries of material science but also holds the promise of groundbreaking applications in various fields, including energy transmission and electronic devices,” says Abdel-Hafez.
On the method adopted to conduct the study, the authors write that they pursued “experimental and theoretical approaches to comprehensively explore the high-pressure behavior of the electronic properties of TiS3, a quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) semiconductor, across various temperature ranges.
“Through high-pressure electrical resistance and magnetic measurements at elevated pressures, we uncover a distinctive sequence of phase transitions within TiS3, encompassing a transformation from an insulating state at ambient pressure to the emergence of an incipient superconducting state above 70 GPa.”
According to Abdel-Hafez, the study paves the way for finding new superconductors the hunt for which he likened to “the search for the holy grail in materials science because these materials can conduct electricity without any energy loss. This is crucial as it could lead to incredibly efficient power transmission and numerous technological advancements.”
However, the authors note more research is needed to understand how these superconductors work and the theories behind them, topics which are still hotly debated in the literature. “In our research paper on TiS3 materials, we found that we could change their electrical properties dramatically.
“These materials have the potential to revolutionize power transmission by enabling electricity to be conducted without any energy loss. Additionally, they could advance technologies in medical imaging, electronic devices, and transportation systems such as maglev trains,” says Abdel-Hafez.
The authors are upbeat about the implications of their findings. They note, “Our findings provide compelling evidence that superconductivity at low temperatures of ∼2.9 K is a fundamental characteristic of TiS3, shedding new light on the intriguing high-pressure electronic properties of TiS3.”
JOURNAL
Nano Letters
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Experimental study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
Not applicable
ARTICLE TITLE
Compressed titanium and sulfur nanoribbons can transmit electricity without energy loss, scientists find
Clinical trial shows promising results in a two-drug combination that curbs methamphetamine use
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - LOS ANGELES HEALTH SCIENCES
A clinical trial on a two-drug therapy for methamphetamine use disorder reduced use of the highly addictive drug for up to 12 weeks after initiation of treatment, UCLA-led research suggests.
Participants in the ADAPT-2 clinical trial who received a combination of injectable naltrexone plus extended-release oral bupropion (NTX+BUPN) had a 27% increase in methamphetamine-negative urine tests, indicating reduced usage. By contrast, the placebo group had an 11% increase in negative tests.
The study will be published in the peer-reviewed journal Addiction.
“These findings have important implications for pharmacological treatment for methamphetamine use disorder. There is no FDA-approved medication for it, yet methamphetamine-involved overdoses have greatly increased over the past decade,” said Dr. Michael Li, assistant professor-in-residence of family medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study’s lead author.
Methamphetamine use has continued growing over the years around the world, increasing from 33 million people in 2010 to 34 million in 2020. Overdose deaths from the drug have jumped fivefold in the US from 2012 to 2018, and are followed by Canada and Australia in increases.
To curb the ongoing crisis, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network has supported various trials, including the ADAPT-2 trial, to test the effects of different pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine use disorder. ADAPT-2 was carried out from May 23, 2017 to July 25, 2019 across the eight trial sites that included UCLA. It included 403 participants, with 109 assigned to the drug combo group and the rest to the placebo group in the first stage.
The latest findings are the second stage of the multi-site trial. The earlier stage had demonstrated that the two-drug combination worked at six weeks, but the unanswered question was whether the intervention remained efficacious over a longer period.
In the second stage, the researchers conducted urine tests on the participants at weeks seven and 12, and again post-treatment at weeks 13 and 16 comparing the group on NTX+BUPN with the placebo group.
There is a need for further research to determine whether the drug treatment effect lasts longer than 12 weeks and yields further methamphetamine use reductions, the researchers write.
“Prior stimulant use disorder treatment trials suggest that change in use is gradual (consistent with our findings), unlikely to result in sustained abstinence in a typical 12-week trial, and dependent on treatment duration,” they write. “This warrants future clinical trials to quantify changes in MA use beyond 12 weeks and to identify the optimal duration of treatment with this medication.”
Study co-authors are Brendon Chau, Thomas Belin, and Steven Shoptaw of UCLA, and Thomas Carmody, Manish Jha, Elise Marino, and Dr. Madhukar Trivedi of the University of Texas.
The study was funded by awards from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (UG1DA020024, K01DA051329, UG1DA013035, UG1DA040316, UG1DA013727, and UG1DA015815), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under contract numbers HHSN271201500065C (Clinical Coordinating Center, the Emmes Company) and HHSN271201400028C (Data and Statistics Center, the Emmes Company), the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH126202) and the O’Donnell Clinical Neuroscience Scholar Award from the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center.
