Could the contraceptive pill reduce risk of ovarian cancer?

University of South Australia

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It’s a little pill with big responsibilities. But despite its primary role to prevent pregnancy, the contraceptive pill (or ‘the Pill’) could also help reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, according to new research from the University of South Australia.

 

Screening for risk factors of ovarian cancer using artificial intelligence, UniSA researchers found that the oral contraceptive pill reduced the risk of ovarian cancer by 26% among women who had ever used the Pill, and by 43% for women who had used the Pill after the age of 45.

 

The study also identified some biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer risk, including several characteristics of red blood cells and certain liver enzymes in the blood, with lower body weight and shorter stature associating with a lower risk of ovarian cancer.

 

Researchers also found that women who had given birth to two or more children had a 39% reduced risk of developing ovarian cancer compared to those who had not had children.

 

Ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February, the findings have potential to support early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

 

In Australia, ovarian cancer is the tenth most common cancer in women and the sixth most common cause of death from cancer in women. 

 

In 2023, 1786 females were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Australia; the same year, 1050 females died of the disease.

 

UniSA researcher Dr Amanda Lumsden says understanding risks and preventative factors for ovarian cancer is key for improved treatment and outcomes.

 

“Ovarian cancer is notoriously diagnosed at a late stage, with about 70% of cases only identified when they are significantly advanced,” Dr Lumsden says.

 

“Late detection contributes to a survival rate of less than 30% over five years, in comparison to more than 90% for ovarian cancers that are caught early. That’s why it’s so important to identify risk factors.

 

“In this research, we found that women who had used the oral contraceptive pill had a lower risk of ovarian cancer. And those who had last used the Pill in their mid-40s, had an even lower level of risk.

 

“This poses the question as to whether interventions that reduce the number of ovulations could be used as a potential target for prevention strategies for ovarian cancer.”

 

Supported by the MRFF, the study used artificial intelligence to assess the data of 221,732 females (aged 37-73 at baseline) in the UK Biobank.

 

Machine learning specialist, UniSA’s Dr Iqbal Madakkatel, says the study shows how artificial intelligence can help to identify risk factors that may otherwise have gone undetected.

 

“We included information from almost 3000 diverse characteristics related to health, medication use, diet and lifestyle, physical measures, metabolic, and hormonal factors, each measured at the start of the study,” Dr Madakkatel says.

 

“It was particularly interesting that some blood measures – which were measured on average 12.6 years before diagnoses – were predictive of ovarian cancer risk, because it suggests we may be able to develop tests to identify women at risk at a very early stage.”

 

Project Lead, Professor Elina Hyppönen, says that identifying risk factors for ovarian cancer could help to improve survival rates through prevention and earlier detection.

 

“It is exciting that our data-driven analyses have uncovered key risk factors for ovarian cancer that can be acted upon,” Prof Hyppönen says.

 

“It is possible that by using the contraceptive pill to reduce ovulations or by reducing harmful adiposity, we may be able to lower to risk of ovarian cancer. But more research is needed to establish the best approaches to prevention, as well as the ways in which we can identify women most at risk.”

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Contacts for interview:  Dr Amanda Lumsden E: Amanda.Lumsden@unisa.edu.au

Professor Elina Hyppönen: E: Elina.Hypponen@unisa.edu.au
Media contact: Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182 489 E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au

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Journal

International Journal of Gynecological Cancer

DOI

10.1136/ijgc-2024-005424 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Large-scale analysis to identify risk factors for ovarian cancer

 

Can ocean-floor mining oversights help us regulate space debris and mining on the Moon?

Guest editorial by Joseph N Pelton, Nishith Mishra, and Martina Elia Vitoloni

Frontiers

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Mining ocean resources needed for electric cars and other devices is currently a hot issue of dispute. Final resolution of how or whether the seabed should be expl18oited is pending. Outcomes in this contentious area could create precedents that could impact decisions about mining the moon.

These precedents might shape the how and why of mining the Moon and shape the future and the sustainability of space activities of human beings. But this is only one possible precedent that could reshape the future of space.

Pending international discussions on space traffic management, space debris removal, and limiting so-called space junk in Earth orbit could help to stop space debris orbiting the Moon and Mars. This essay by the authors is a plea that we learn from our mistakes and create a more sustainable way forward in outer space.

Lessons we should learn from space debris management

This mounting problem in Earth orbit represents yet another area where precedents for the future of space may well be established. Many countries now back what is called space traffic management and active debris control. This has been recommended in the findings at the recent UN ‘Summit on the Future.’ Without action by the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS), however, there is the potential danger of rendering entire orbits unusable. These dangers are now aggravated through the deployment of so-called satellite mega-constellations- or constellations of thousands of satellites in Earth orbits.

Moreover, the current count of tracked objects greater than 10 cm is 40,500 space debris objects, while there are more than 1,1 million space debris objects larger than 1 cm. Every time there is a major collision in orbit the debris created ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 new elements. Some of the potential for mitigation of this issue lies in collision avoidance capabilities, AI, on-orbit servicing and active debris removal. However, the ongoing deployment of mega-constellation launched by various nations contributes to the saturation of orbits, exacerbating the problem.

There is an ongoing discourse within UN COPUOS for directly addressing space debris. Among the topics under discussion is the potential for a global approach to space traffic management. A consortium of space agencies including NASA, JAXA, Roscosmos, and ESA, among others, has also contemplated how this might be accomplished.

Today the COPUOS guidelines are the recommended approach, but they are not mandatory and there are no enforcement mechanisms. This inclination towards soft-law documents over binding regulatory and legal approaches stems from states’ reluctance to restrict their freedom of use. Some countries have resisted a space traffic management approach and mandatory procedures, calling such an approach ‘premature’. A legal vacuum has contributed to a worrisome trend.

Dire need for legal regulation

In 2020, NASA drafted the Artemis Accords, a soft-law document companion to the Artemis mission to return to the Moon. Later, the US called for input from other countries. Section 12 of the accords explicitly calls on signatories to limit space debris in the pursuit of the lunar exploration project. Such protective action would help fulfill the obligation contained in Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty which requires that:

“… States parties to the treaty shall pursue studies of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, and conduct exploration of them so as to avoid their harmful contamination and also adverse changes in the environment of the Earth resulting from the introduction of extraterrestrial matter and, where necessary, shall adopt appropriate measures for this purpose …” 

In this sense, the preoccupation for mitigating space debris is no longer restricted to Earth orbit, but to lunar orbit as well.

Leading space-faring nations, including the U.S., India, China, Russia, Japan, and the ESA, have launched satellites to map the Moon. There are plans to send a significant amount of materials to the Moon from Earth, but no plans for subsequent ‘clean up’. As examples, there are ambitious plans to launch a number of satellites to orbit the Moon as well. Additionally, China in collaboration with Russia will likely deploy a space station. ESA has examined a program known as ‘Moonlight’, aimed at deploying a very small constellation of five satellites for telecommunications and navigation. A range of alternative concepts have been advanced, some of which are particularly unconventional. One proposal involves the placement of a captured asteroid in lunar orbit so it might be deployed as a defensive strategy against an impending ‘killer asteroid’.

These proposals for the placement of satellites, space stations, and even asteroids in lunar orbits have not addressed and included with it proposals for removal of these objects from lunar orbit. Humanity’s plans for lunar settlements, mining of the Moon’s resources and other security and military activities in and around Moon orbits do not include provisions for the clean-up and disposal of space objects.

The pollution of Earth, the presence of space debris in Earth orbits, and the planned mining of the ocean floor have not adequately demonstrated the adverse consequences that follow. We need to recognize the pollution of the Moon and its orbits, and then Mars, will entail. We advocate for the need for binding rules to safeguard Earth orbits, plus the orbits of Moon and Mars from space debris contamination. The need today is towards effective action to keep outer space orbital resources safe and sustainable, and for any mining operations be governed by equitable and effective international regulation.

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Journal

Frontiers in Space Technologies

DOI

10.3389/frspt.2024.1499486 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Mining the Ocean Floor vs Mining the Moon: What can we learn from our past experiences?

Article Publication Date

3-Feb-2025

COI Statement

Author JP founded ACES worldwide. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

 

Alcohol-related deaths up 18% during pandemic

Canadian Medical Association Journal

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Alcohol-related deaths increased 18% during the pandemic, as did hospitalizations related to alcohol use, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241146.

In the early part of the pandemic, retail alcohol sales volume in Canada increased by 2% (2020/21 v. 2019), the highest increase in 10 years, despite few international visitors. More than 1 in 4 people (26%) reported drinking more, and 18% reported heavy drinking (defined as ≥ 5 drinks for men, ≥ 4 for women in a single sitting). 

To understand the effect of changing patterns of alcohol use during the pandemic, researchers looked at deaths and hospitalizations between 2016 and 2022, comparing a prepandemic period and a pandemic period. They found that deaths from alcohol use increased about 18% over the 3-year period, with higher increases mainly in 2020 and 2021 (about 24%), resulting in 1600 more deaths than expected. Alcohol-related hospitalizations also increased 8% over the pandemic period studied, with higher increases (about 14%) in 2020/21.

“The 1596 excess deaths and 7142 excess hospitalizations fully attributable to alcohol we observed in Canada during the pandemic period that we studied speak to the substantial harms of increased alcohol consumption that can occur given circumstances and availability, and speak to the need for robust interventions,” writes Dr. Yipu Shi, Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, with coauthors.

There were regional variations, with the highest increases in deaths in the Prairie provinces (28%) and in British Columbia (24%), excess rates 3 times higher than in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, and 6–7 times higher than in Quebec. Hospitalizations were also higher in the Prairies and especially in the territories. Younger adults had the highest increases in both excess deaths (age 25–44 yr) and hospitalizations (age 15–44 yr).

Deaths and hospitalizations were largely due to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). As increases in hospitalizations were 3 times higher in females, the authors suggest this could be an early warning of future liver-related disease in this group.

These findings echo those from other countries, including the United States, which had a 29% increase in alcohol-related deaths (2020/21), and Europe (18%).

Increased alcohol consumption may have been driven by stress, boredom, deteriorating mental health, and other factors, including easier access to alcohol.

“Our findings highlight the importance of timely interventions to prevent high-risk drinking from developing into AUD or ALD. A comprehensive approach to preventing and managing high-risk drinking, AUD, and ALD in the aftermath of the pandemic should comprise both public health and clinical management interventions,” the authors conclude.

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Journal

Canadian Medical Association Journal

DOI

10.1503/cmaj.241146 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Mortality and hospitalizations fully attributable to alcohol use before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

Article Publication Date

3-Feb-2025

 

Electricity prices across Europe to stabilise if 2030 targets for renewable energy are met, study suggests

NOT FOSSIL FUELS OR NUCLEAR

University of Cambridge

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Hitting the current national 2030 quotas for solar and wind energy could reduce the volatility of electricity markets by an average of 20% across 29 European countries, according to a new study from the University of Cambridge.  

The intensity of spikes in power prices are predicted to fall in every country by the end of the decade if commitments to green energy are met, as natural gas dependency is cut.  

The UK and Ireland would be the biggest beneficiaries, with 44% and 43% reductions in the severity of electricity price spikes by 2030, compared with last year.

Germany could experience a 31% decline in electricity price volatility, with the Netherlands and Belgium seeing price spikes ease by 38% and 33% respectively.

The simulations conducted for the new study show that scaling up renewable energy minimises the market impact of fluctuations in natural gas price – increasing stability even when considering the reliance of renewable technologies on weather.

Some EU leaders and energy ministers have called for renewables targets on grounds of energy security as well as decarbonisation, particularly since Putin’s war on Ukraine stemmed the flow of Russian gas.

The study, published in the journal Nature Energy, calculates in detail how such aims would affect the volatility of wholesale electricity prices in energy markets across Europe.

“The volatility of energy prices is a major cause of damage to national economies,” said Laura Diaz Anadon, the University of Cambridge’s Professor of Climate Change Policy.

“Consumers are still reeling from sharp increases in electricity prices brought about by natural gas shortages following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Anadon. “We show that hitting renewables targets reduce the likelihood of such price spikes in the future.”

Daniel Navia, a researcher with the University’s Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (CEENRG), said: “Meeting renewable energy targets is not only good for carbon neutrality, but we can see it is a boost to economic resilience”

“We had probably underestimated how costly energy price shocks are to our societies, and the last crisis has been a stark reminder.”

The Cambridge researchers used the University’s high performance computing facilities to model a wide range of factors – from fluctuations in weather patterns and energy demands to fuel capacity – to map the current and future grids of all 27 EU nations plus the UK and Switzerland.

They assessed electricity markets in 2030 based on the commitments to renewables as stated in each nation’s national energy and climate plan.

“The UK in particular is projected to see major benefits to its energy market stability from renewables,” said Anadon. “The UK has struggled with its exposure to gas prices due to a lack of energy storage and limited connections to the European grid. This has led to more hours where electricity prices are set by natural gas.”

The research also suggests that wholesale prices of electricity could fall by over a quarter on average across all countries in the study by decade’s end if they stick to current national renewables targets.

Again, populations in the UK and Ireland stand to gain significantly, with electricity prices predicted to fall by around 45% by 2030, compared with the current situation.

Several of the Nordic nations could see over 60% reductions in electricity costs by 2030, while in Germany the price is predicted to fall by 34%, with Belgium seeing a similar drop of 31%. The study suggests the Netherlands could see the price of electricity fall by 41%.

While the study’s authors caution that trends in electricity prices depend on factors that are “impossible to predict”, they say their results are in line with recent outputs by institutions such as the International Energy Agency.

In fact, Navia and Anadon say their modelling may even underestimate the potential for electricity price stability across Europe, as the projections were calculated using data from 1990-2021 – before the energy crisis created by Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

“It makes sense to think about renewables as a security investment, and if we lose the momentum towards green energy, we are clearly harming the climate, but we also exposing ourselves to unknowable risks down the line,” said Anadon. 

The new study also charts the effects on electricity prices if countries overshoot on renewables. If Europe exceeds its renewable energy goals by 30%, electricity prices could become 50% less sensitive to natural gas, compared to just meeting renewables targets.

However, the study suggests there are tipping points where renewables cause the price of power to fall so far that it stops providing sufficient return on investment, and the green energy industries may stall. 

Added Navia: “If we are to fully utilise solar and wind as a security tool, Europe might have to rethink how its energy markets are designed, and what incentives it can offer the private sector to maintain the societal insurance value it gets from renewable energy.”

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Journal

Nature Energy

DOI

10.1038/s41560-025-01704-0 

Article Title

Power price stability and the insurance value of renewable technologies

Mapping the yerba mate genome reveals surprising facts about the evolution of caffeine

Yerba mate genome reveals surprising facts about caffeine’s evolution and offers potential future agricultural opportunities

European Molecular Biology Laboratory

Yerba mate, along with tea and coffee, is one of the world’s most popular caffeinated beverages. Widely consumed in South America, this remarkable plant is rich in diverse, bioactive compounds that contribute many health benefits.

An international group of researchers has mapped the yerba mate genome, providing insights into the biosynthesis of caffeine in yerba mate. This new information provides opportunities for creating plant varieties with new characteristics.

The work, led by the University of Buenos Aires, involved scientists from EMBL Hamburg and several institutes in Argentina, Brazil, and United States.

Evolution of caffeine in yerba mate

To uncover key aspects of yerba mate’s genetic makeup, the scientists employed genome analysis. It revealed surprising facts about the plant’s biochemistry and its evolutionary history – in particular, the evolution of caffeine biosynthesis.

“I discovered that an ancestor of yerba had duplicated its genome approximately 50 million years ago,” said Federico Vignale, the study’s first author and an EMBL Hamburg postdoc. “This ancestral duplication may have been key in the evolution of its metabolic complexity, allowing it to synthesise a wide range of bioactive compounds, such as terpenes, flavonoids, phenols, and xanthines, known for their antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and nervous system stimulant properties. Of all these compounds, my interest focused on caffeine.”

Caffeine is produced by several unrelated plant species, such as yerba mate and coffee, through similar metabolic pathways for its biosynthesis. Yet, the scientists discovered that the genes involved in these pathways evolved independently.

“We came to understand in detail that the genes do not have a common ancestor, but come from separate origins, and that both yerba mate and coffee came to have caffeine biosynthesis by evolving along convergent pathways,” said Adrián Turjanski, the project leader and a researcher at the Institute of Biological Chemistry in the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires (IQUIBICEN, UBA-CONICET).
The parallel evolution of caffeine synthesis in yerba mate and coffee led scientists to suspect it plays a crucial role in plant survival, potentially functioning as a defence mechanism.

Through detailed structural, experimental, and bioinformatic analysis, the scientists identified which pathways led to a specificity in caffeine biosynthesis that was different from the coffee plant.

Paving the way for next-generation yerba mate

The findings not only revealed yerba mate’s evolutionary history, but they might also open opportunities to advance how it is cultivated.

“By reading the genome you would know how to intervene and modify the plant,” Turjanski said. “One could propose making it richer in certain characteristics, for example, a decaffeinated yerba mate, or one that is better adapted to other lands, and thus expand its cultivation.”

The team stressed that it is in this context that the foundation for this kind of work has been laid, so other groups working specifically with yerba mate can carry out new studies and, in turn, the industry can create new strains that either assist growers or satisfy user’s tastes.

For Vignale, the cultural significance of yerba mate in South America goes beyond its scientific implications, adding a deeply personal dimension to this research.

“Yerba mate, for me, represents the most beautiful thing about the culture of my home country, Argentina – a drink that unites us, accompanies us, and is present in every moment of our lives,” he said. “That's why I didn't hesitate for a second to accept the challenge. Sequencing the yerba mate genome felt, in a way, like sequencing Messi's genome.”


Collaboration across continents

The project was led by the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires in collaboration with scientists from EMBL Hamburg, as well as IQUIBICEN-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, and Universidad Nacional del Nordeste in Argentina; Instituto Tecnológico Vale in Brazil; and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Western Michigan University, and University of California Davis in the United States.

To uncover the caffeine biosynthetic pathway in yerba mate, EMBL Hamburg provided key insights through structural modelling and molecular docking. The expertise provided by Vignale and his colleague Lucas Defelipe, members of EMBL Hamburg’s García Alai Team, played a crucial role in this process.

“This experience taught me the true value of interdisciplinary work and to grow together with scientists from different specialties,” Vignale said.

Vignale’s first interaction with EMBL was through CABANA, a project run by an international consortium of Latin American organisations and EMBL-EBI. Funded by the UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund, it aimed to strengthen bioinformatics capacity across Latin America and supported research to address challenges faced by developing countries. The CABANA project itself aimed to tackle three global challenges: communicable disease, sustainable food production, and protection of biodiversity.

Vignale added, “the CABANA project has not only strengthened my bioinformatics skills, which were essential for carrying out this research, but it also provided the necessary funding to complete the study.”


This article has been adapted from a press release by the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires. Find the original story here.

Journal

eLife

DOI

10.7554/eLife.104759

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) genome provides new insights into convergent evolution of caffeine biosynthesis

 

Improved treatment timing reduces honey bee losses to Varroa mites

Honey bee mortality can be significantly reduced by ensuring that treatments for the parasitic Varroa mite occur within specific timeframes, a new study reveals

University of Exeter

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image: 

Varroa mite Varroa destructor.

view more 

Credit: Fera Science

Honey bee mortality can be significantly reduced by ensuring that treatments for the parasitic Varroa mite occur within specific timeframes, a new study reveals.

The mites—belonging to the species Varroa destructor—feed on the larvae of bees and can destroy colonies if not treated at key points to reduce or remove infestations.

But researchers have found that more than a third of beekeepers surveyed in England and Wales deviate from recommended treatment guidelines, including application windows.

Crucially, they found that beekeepers who mistimed Varroa mite treatments experienced exacerbated colony losses, with the effect occurring across a wide range of medications.

“The main finding here was that a major cause of honeybee mortality could, in theory, be quite easy to reduce,” said Dr Thomas O’Shea-Wheller, lead author of the study, from the University of Exeter.

“We talk a lot about honey bee colony losses in terms of novel diseases and emerging threats, but this is actually something that's been under our nose the whole time.”

The researchers used the National Bee Unit’s BeeBase—a register of beekeepers across England and Wales—to analyse data from 4,339 beekeepers across 37 counties, encompassing a total of 18,700 colonies from 2016 to 2020.

They looked at the range of Varroa treatments that beekeepers were using, how they were applying those treatments, and what influence this had on colony survival and honey yield.

They found that colony losses were predicted not just by the type of Varroa treatment that a beekeeper used, but also by their level of adherence to the recommended treatment regimen.

“Although beekeepers are frequently treating for Varroa, a considerable proportion are missing key time points and thus experiencing higher losses than expected,” said Dr O’Shea-Wheller.

Explaining why timing is so important in administering Varroa treatments, Dr O’Shea-Wheller said: “Mite numbers build up across the season in a kind of exponential curve. You have to target this at key junctures in order to achieve effective control.

“If you miss these, and apply a treatment too early or too late, then it will fail to properly supress the mite population and growth will continue unchecked. Missing the recommended treatment window is, I think, the largest cause of poor prognostic outcomes and associated colony mortality.”

Dr O’Shea-Wheller warned that deviating from recommended Varroa treatment guidelines could also lead to the mites developing increased resistance.

“Varroa has been the primary cause of honey bee mortality for some years, and it seems that we’re in a sort of arms race as the mites become increasingly resistant to acaricides. Like with antibiotics, it’s important to use Varroa treatments precisely as directed, because mistiming, overdosing, or underdosing can all increase the chances of the mites developing resistance.”

The paper, published in the journal Entomologia Generalis, is entitled: “A large-scale study of Varroa destructor treatment adherence in apiculture”.

Ends

Varroa mite Varroa destructor.

Varroa mite Varroa destructor

Credit

Fera Science

Journal

Entomologia Generalis

DOI

10.1127/entomologia/2024/2758 

Article Title

A large-scale study of Varroa destructor treatment adherence in apiculture

Article Publication Date

3-Feb-2025