In our 2023 Health Guide, we shared some of the most exciting recent health findings from Michigan researchers. Check out some of these results.
Surprise! The internet is full of lies!
This may come as a big shock, but people who get their health news from lesser-known social media and websites believe more misinformation than people who rely on more traditional, mainstream media, according to a study on health habits. average in the United States, Singapore and Turkey.
Researchers from the University of Michigan and scientists from both other countries polled more than 3,600 people about their views on vaccines, genetically modified foods and alternative medicine.
Respondents who sought information from traditional news outlets were less likely to fall into misconceptions about health issues, perhaps due to editorial differences in scrutiny between news, social and alternative media, says researcher and UM communications professor Scott Campbell.
Long live nano-foam padding!
More flexible pads for football helmets, tested in Michigan State University laboratories, may offer players greater protection against concussions and brain injuries, according to a study published in the journal Question. The material, reusable liquid nanofoam, has been shown to be more durable and effective than standard foam pads currently in use, says MSU engineer Weiyi Lu, the lead author.
The nanofoam was able to mitigate continuous multiple impacts without damage; the results were identical from test 1 to test 10, Lu says.
Stop the bad bacteria
Michigan State University researchers say they have identified a new way to inhibit the production of proteins believed to play a role in causing Alzheimer’s disease, tetanus, botulism and food poisoning, among other ailments.
The results, published in the journal and Lifethey’re the result of work led by MSU biochemistry and molecular biology professor Lee Kroos, who says of the laborious research, It was like putting together a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle without knowing what it looked like.
Seniors super satisfied with elective surgery
According to the National Poll on Healthy Aging, two-thirds of Americans between the ages of 50 and 80 reported feeling very satisfied after elective procedures such as knee replacements, gallbladder removal, and cataract surgery that address nonlife-threatening issues. life, according to the National Poll on Healthy Aging, a product of the University of Michigans Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation in collaboration with Michigan Medicine and AARP.
Of people who enjoy excellent or very good health, 79% are satisfied with the outcome of the intervention, against 53% of people in moderate or poor health. Of the approximately 2,100 people surveyed across the country, 30 percent had considered having or have had an elective procedure in the past five years.
Crowdfunding pays but shames
Hundreds of thousands of cash-strapped cancer patients turn to sites like GoFundMe to fund life-saving treatments every year, but young people who have to do so find the process humiliating, according to a survey published in the Cancer Survival Journal.
GoFundMe is home to approximately 250,000 medical fundraisers who collectively raise more than $650 million each year, yet only about half reach their goals. The process has become awkward but necessary as health care costs rise, and University of Michigan postdoctoral nursing researcher and student Lauren V. Ghazal says young cancer patients are in an especially vulnerable position because they are starting to achieve financial independence and find professional employment as cancer derails. their plans.
Current aging requires planning
Nearly 90 percent of Americans between the ages of 50 and 80 say it’s very or somewhat important for them to live in their own homes when they’re older and infirm, but only 15 percent have given much thought to how to make that happen, according to the results of a survey by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Health Policy and Innovation.
The National Poll on Healthy Aging, which surveyed 2,277 adults in early 2022, also found that 48% of those living alone have no one to provide care, and only 19% of respondents are very confident of be able to afford to pay someone. run errands and help them.
Predict the next pandemic
Michigan State University researchers have received $2.7 million from the National Institutes of Health to further develop artificial intelligence algorithms that can predict how viruses will evolve. The teams’ models have already made accurate predictions about new variants of COVID-19.
What we’re doing is making our predictions more accurate and timely, says Guowei Wei, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at MSU. And now our work is not only for COVID but also for many other viral infections.
These algorithms could one day help with the creation of more effective vaccines and universal medicines against a variety of viral diseases, such as influenza, COVID, HIV and Ebola, even as they evolve.
Rethinking the age of sperm
Most infertility studies estimate the likelihood of a pregnancy based in part on the age of the intended parents, but new research at Wayne State University finds that the epigenetic age of the male contributor may produce more accurate predictions.
In the study, published in the journal Human reproduction, lead author J. Richard Pilsner, WSU director of molecular genetics and infertility, says a formula that takes into account genetic and environmental factors is better at assessing the true biological age of cells. (Smokers, for example, have sperm cells with significantly higher epigenetic ages.)
The ability to capture the biological age of sperm may provide a new platform to better assess male contributions to reproductive success, especially among infertile couples, Pilsner says. Knowing whether sperm is epigenetically old would allow couples to realize their likelihood of achieving pregnancy during natural intercourse.
Down to the bone
Two bone density experiments by University of Michigan engineers have been launched (literally!) on the International Space Station. The study results could provide insight into both osteoporosis, which affects an estimated 10 million Americans, and the bone health of astronauts.
The researchers hypothesize that when bone cells are not exposed to gravity, they become less stiff, causing osteoporosis-like changes, and that they can prevent such changes by mechanically compressing bone cells to mimic gravity. If the hypothesis is correct, we could soon see astronauts wearing compression spacesuits to prevent bone loss. For non-astronauts, the information gathered could lead to better diagnosis and treatment for bone decay.
Repair the medical supply chain
Wayne State University researchers are leading a $3.88 million national effort to build a better medical supply market that could prevent shortages that caught the country flat-footed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the 2020.
The effort involves creating an online system called Rx Product Marketplace Orchestrator that will be able to efficiently match fluctuating consumer demands with manufacturers, says lead researcher Kyoung-Yun Kim of WSU’s Smart Manufacturing Demonstration Center. WSU shares the Department of Commerce grant with collaborators at Oregon State University and Iowa State University.
Prevent dementia
Addressing mental disorders early in life could be an important way to prevent neurodegenerative diseases later, according to a study by researchers at the University of Michigan, Duke University and the University of Auckland. The analysis focused on a 30-year observation of approximately 1.7 million New Zealanders and was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
The lead author, the UM psychologist.
Left-right brain pingpong
A University of Michigan psychology lab has identified key features of a brain rhythm that help the left and right hemispheres of the brain communicate better, according to a study in the journal Cell reports. Researchers call this rhythm splines, because brain waves resemble the interlocking teeth of gears. Spline rhythms are like the left and right brains playing very fast and very precise pingpong, says lead author and professor Omar Ahmed.
[It] it represents a fundamentally different way for the left brain and the right brain to talk to each other. Splines occur during REM sleep and running, becoming even more precise at higher running speeds. This is likely to help the left brain and right brain calculate more cohesively and quickly when an animal is moving faster and needs to make quicker decisions, says Megha Ghosh, a UM doctoral student.
The researchers also found that the spline rhythms are strongest in the retrosplenial cortex, which is one of the earliest brain regions to be altered in people with Alzheimer’s disease, a finding that could soon help doctors identify the disease in its early stages.
This story is part of the 2023 Health Guide. Read more in our digital edition.
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