Science Says

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder following Alzheimer's disease. Clinically, PD is characterized by resting tremor, hypermyotonia, postural instability, and bradykinesia. In this review, we summarized the biological correlations between vitamins and PD as well as the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Additionally, we elaborated the therapeutic potentials of vitamins for PD.

Zhao X et al. (2019) Benefits of Vitamins in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2019: 9426867. doi: 10.1155/2019/9426867.

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited..

Sections of the Introduction and Conclusion are presented in the Podcast. Access the full-text article here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6402202/

The incidence of type 2 diabetes is rising, coinciding with the global obesity epidemic observed among both adults and children during the last three decades. The causal association between a high adult body mass index (BMI) and increased risk of type 2 diabetes is well established,and prevention of obesity remains among the most important measures to reduce the burden of type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine the role of change in body mass index (BMI) during puberty, independent of childhood overweight, for risk of adult type 2 diabetes in men.

Ohlsson C et al. (2019) BMI Change During Puberty Is an Important Determinant of Adult Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 104(5): 1823–1832. doi: 10.1210/jc.2018-01339.

This article has been published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Sections of the Abstract and Introduction are presented in the Podcast. Access the full-text article here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6456008/

With increases in marijuana use and legalization efforts, it is imperative to establish its impact on the developing brain. Therefore, we investigated whether exposure to marijuana alters brain derived neurotropic-factor (BDNF), given its critical role in brain development and plasticity. We then examined whether onset age of cannabis use was associated with more severe changes.

Miguez MJ et al. (2019) Marijuana use among adolescents is associated with deleterious alterations in mature BDNF. AIMS Public Health 6(1): 4–14.: doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2019.1.4.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

Sections of the Abstract and Introduction are presented in the Podcast. Access the full-text article here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6433615/

It is estimated that around 700,000 people die annually from drug-resistant infections,with experts predicting an alarming possible increase to 10 million deaths each year by 2050 and major future challenges to the way we practice medicine and surgery. Globally, there has been much emphasis on a ‘One Health’ approach that involves connecting the health of humans, animals, and the environment to tackle AMR. This is driving much needed antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) activities in animal production sectors. However, we have yet to achieve and establish joined-up approaches within human health. This paper, therefore, focuses on an analysis of multisectoral AMS in human health. AMS remains a cornerstone for addressing AMR with numerous initiatives implemented with varying degrees of success.

Mcleod M et al. (2019) A whole-health-economy approach to antimicrobial stewardship: Analysis of current models and future direction. PLoS Med 16(3): e1002774. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002774.

Link to the full-text article: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002774

Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, known as encephalomyelitis, is a dangerous condition that can be caused by a wide range of pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, and other medical conditions including autoimmunity or drug intoxications. This study showed that metabolomics may be useful in improving diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the central nervous system by enhancing understanding of their unique effects on metabolism.

French CD et al. (2018) NMR metabolomics of cerebrospinal fluid differentiates inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 12(12): e0007045. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007045.

The ability to produce timely and accurate flu forecasts in the United States can significantly impact public health. In this paper, we perform a controlled experiment, taking into account data backfill, to improve clarity on the benefits and limitations of augmenting an already good flu forecasting model with internet-based nowcasts.

Osthus D et al. (2019) Even a good influenza forecasting model can benefit from internet-based nowcasts, but those benefits are limited. PLoS Comput Biol 15(2):e1006599. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006599.

Pharmacogenetics studies have identified several allelic variants with the potential to reduce toxicity and improve treatment outcome. The present study was designed to determine if such findings are reproducible in a heterogenous population of patients with lung cancer undergoing therapy with paclitaxel.

Sissung TM et al. (2019) Reproducibility of pharmacogenetics findings for paclitaxel in a heterogeneous population of patients with lung cancer. PLoS One 14(2): e0212097. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212097.

To the extent that outcomes are mediated through negative perceptions of generics (the nocebo effect), observational studies comparing brand-name and generic drugs are susceptible to bias favoring the brand-name drugs. We used authorized generic (AG) products, which are identical in composition and appearance to brand-name products but are marketed as generics.

Desai RJ et al. (2019) Comparative effectiveness of generic and brand-name medication use: A database study of US health insurance claims. PLoS Med. 16(3): e1002763. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002763.

Shark attacks are a global phenomenon that attracts widespread attention and publicity, often with negative outcomes for shark populations. Our objective was to quantify increase or decrease in annual probability of shark attacks at the country and regional level, and describe spatial variability in fatal outcomes and relative risk of different water-based activities to shark attack.

Midway RS et al. (2019) Trends in global shark attacks. PLoS One 14(2): e0211049. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211049.

There is an increased need to understand how e-cigarette flavors may contribute to e-cigarette uptake and use among youth. We examined the relationship between perceived ease of flavored e-cigarette use and e-cigarette use susceptibility and progression among a nationally representative sample of U.S. youth never tobacco users.

Chen-Sankey JC et al. (2019) Perceived ease of flavored e-cigarette use and e-cigarette use progression among youth never tobacco users. PLoS One 14(2): e0212353. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212353.