Pesticides from golf courses influence prevalence of Parkinson’s disease: JAMA

A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) among the local population may be influenced by pesticides used on golf courses.

Pesticide exposure is one of the environmental risk factors that has been associated with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease. It is yet unknown how golf course pesticide exposure affects the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, this study was set to determine whether living close to golf courses is linked to a higher incidence of Parkinson’s disease and to look at drinking water pollution as a possible exposure source using data on groundwater vulnerability and municipal well sites.

Patients with incident Parkinson’s disease and matched controls from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, which ran from 1991 to 2015, were included in this case-control research. Living in water service areas with a golf course, living in water service areas in groundwater-vulnerable areas, living in water service areas with shallow municipal wells, living in water service areas with a municipal well on a golf course, and living in water service areas with a golf course were all considered. Sex, age, race and ethnicity, index year, median household income, and urban/rural categorization were all taken into account in all models.

There were 5,113 matched controls (median [IQR] age, 72 [65-79] years; 3043 male [59.5%]; 4504 White [88.1%]) and 419 incident PD patients (median [IQR] age, 73 [65-80] years; 257 male [61.3%]). Living within one mile of a golf course was linked to a 126% higher chance of having Parkinson’s disease (PD) than living more than 6 miles away from one (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.26; 95% CI, 1.09-4.70), even after controlling for patient demographics and neighborhood variables.

The risks of Parkinson’s disease (PD) were nearly twice for those who lived in water service regions with golf courses (1.96; 95% CI, 1.20-3.23) and 49% higher for those who lived in areas with private wells (1.49; 95% CI, 1.05-2.13). Furthermore, the risks of getting Parkinson’s disease (PD) were 82% higher for residents of water service areas with a golf course in sensitive groundwater regions than for residents of nonvulnerable groundwater regions (a1.82; 95% CI, 1.09-3.03).

Overall, those who lived closer to golf courses had a higher chance of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD) than those who lived farther away. People who lived in sensitive groundwater locations and in water service areas with golf courses had the associations with the highest likelihood increases.

Source:

Krzyzanowski, B., Mullan, A. F., Dorsey, E. R., Chirag, S. S., Turcano, P., Camerucci, E., Bower, J. H., & Savica, R. (2025). Proximity to golf courses and risk of Parkinson disease. JAMA Network Open, 8(5), e259198. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.9198

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A dental floss that can measure stress, reveals research

Chronic stress can lead to increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, decreased immune function, depression, and anxiety. Unfortunately, the tools we use to monitor stress are often imprecise or expensive, relying on self-reporting questionnaires and psychiatric evaluations.

Now a Tufts interdisciplinary engineer and his team have devised a simple device using specially designed floss that can easily and accurately measure cortisol, a stress hormone, in real time.

“It started in a collaboration with several departments across Tufts, examining how stress and other cognitive states affect problem solving and learning,” said Sameer Sonkusale, professor of electrical and computer engineering. “We didn’t want measurement to create an additional source of stress, so we thought, can we make a sensing device that becomes part of your day-to-day routine? Cortisol is a stress marker found in saliva, so flossing seemed like a natural fit to take a daily sample.”

Their design of a saliva-sensing dental floss looks just like a common floss pick, with the string stretched across two prongs extending from a flat plastic handle, all about the size of your index finger. The saliva is picked up by capillary action through a very narrow channel in the floss. The fluid is drawn into the pick handle and an attached tab, where it spreads across electrodes that detect the cortisol.

Cortisol recognition on the electrodes is accomplished with a remarkable technology developed almost 30 years ago called electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymers (eMIPs). They work similarly to the way you might make a plaster cast of your hand. A polymer is formed around a template molecule, in this case cortisol, which is later removed to leave behind binding sites. These sites have a physical and chemical shape “memory” of the target molecule so they can bind free-floating molecules that are coming in.

The eMIP molds are versatile, so one can create dental floss sensors that detect other molecules that can be found in saliva, such as estrogen for fertility tracking, glucose for diabetes monitoring, or markers for cancer. There is also potential for detecting multiple biomarkers in saliva at the same time, for more accurate monitoring of stress, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other conditions.

“The eMIP approach is a game changer,” said Sonkusale. “Biosensors have typically been developed using antibodies or other receptors that pick up the molecule of interest. Once a marker is found, a lot of work has to go into bioengineering the receiving molecule attached to the sensor. eMIP does not rely on a lot of investment in making antibodies or receptors. If you discover a new marker for stress or any other disease or condition, you can just create a polymer cast in a very short period of time.”

Accuracy of the cortisol sensors is comparable to the best-performing sensors on the market or in development. Bringing this device into the home and in the hands of individuals without need for training will make it possible to fold stress monitoring into many aspects of health care. Currently Sonkusale and his colleagues are creating a startup to try and bring the product to market.

He points out that while the dental floss sensor is quantitatively highly accurate, the practice of tracking markers in saliva is best for monitoring, not for the initial diagnosis of a condition. That’s in part because saliva markers can still have variations between individuals.

“For diagnostics, blood is still the gold standard, but once you are diagnosed and put on medication, if you need to track, say, a cardiovascular condition over time to see if your heart health is improving, then monitoring with the sensor can be easy and allows for timely interventions when needed,” he says.

Reference:

Atul Sharma, Saliva-Sensing Dental Floss: An Innovative Tool for Assessing Stress via On-Demand Salivary Cortisol Measurement with Molecularly Imprinted Polymer and Thread Microfluidics Integration, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, DOI:10.1021/acsami.5c02988 

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Invasive Strategy Offers No Added Benefit in Low-Risk SCAD Patients and Raises Bleeding Risk: Study Finds

China: A recent risk-stratification-based study has brought new insight into managing stable coronary artery disease (SCAD), highlighting that an invasive approach may not offer universal benefits over conservative treatment—except in patients identified as moderate-to-high risk.

In patients with SCAD, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) did not significantly reduce ischemic events compared to conservative management and was associated with an increased risk of bleeding (hazard ratio 1.59), the researchers reported in BMC Medicine. However, among those classified as moderate-to-high risk, PCI was linked to a 33% reduction in ischemic events and a 27% decrease in all-cause mortality without an accompanying rise in bleeding risk. These findings suggest that risk stratification could be crucial in guiding optimal treatment strategies for SCAD.

The long-term benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with stable coronary artery disease, as compared to conservative management, have remained a topic of ongoing debate. To address this uncertainty, Zizhao Qi, Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China, and colleagues aimed to assess the impact of an initial invasive strategy versus a conservative approach on long-term clinical outcomes in SCAD patients, using risk stratification to identify which subgroups may benefit most from each treatment pathway.

For this purpose, the researchers conducted a sub-analysis of the multicenter, observational OPT-CAD (Optimal antiPlatelet Therapy for Chinese patients with Coronary Artery Disease) study. They compared clinical outcomes in SCAD patients who were initially managed with either PCI (invasive strategy) or conservative treatment, based on their risk levels determined by the OPT-CAD score.

The primary outcome was the occurrence of ischemic events over five years, including cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality and major bleeding events, defined as BARC types 2, 3, or 5.

The study led to the following findings:

  • The study included 1767 patients (58.0%) in the conservative group and 1278 patients (42.0%) in the invasive group.
  • Overall, the invasive strategy did not lower the risk of ischemic events compared to the conservative approach.
  • However, it was linked to a higher risk of BARC type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding (adjusted HR 1.59).
  • In the low-risk subset (N = 2030), outcomes were similar, with no added benefit from the invasive strategy.
  • In the moderate-to-high-risk subset (N = 1015), the invasive approach significantly reduced the risk of ischemic events (HR 0.67).
  • A trend toward reduced all-cause mortality was also observed in this group (HR 0.73).
  • No increased risk of bleeding was noted in moderate-to-high-risk patients receiving invasive treatment.

“In patients with stable coronary artery disease, an initial invasive strategy did not provide additional clinical benefit over conservative management and was associated with a higher risk of bleeding,” the researchers noted. “However, among those classified as moderate-to-high risk based on the OPT-CAD score, the invasive approach was linked to a reduction in ischemic events without an increased risk of bleeding”

“These findings underscore the potential utility of the OPT-CAD score in guiding personalized treatment decisions for patients with SCAD,” they concluded.

Reference:

Qi, Z., Qiu, M., Xu, Y. et al. Comparative outcomes of invasive versus conservative strategy in stable coronary artery disease patients: a risk-stratification-based hypothesis-generative study. BMC Med 23, 199 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04020-2

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Striking the Balance: Cervical Collar Adjustments for Optimized Intubation, finds study

Recent study conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare cervical spine motion during videolaryngoscopic intubation in patients wearing a cervical collar. The research aimed to evaluate the difference in cervical spine motion between applying only the posterior piece and applying both the anterior and posterior pieces of the cervical collar during intubation. A total of 102 patients were divided into posterior-only and anterior-posterior groups, and cervical spine motion was measured at different segments. The results showed that the differences in mean cervical spine motion between the two groups were approximately 1.2°, 1.0°, and -0.3° at different cervical spine segments.

Intubation Performance Comparison

The study observed that applying only the posterior piece of the cervical collar led to shorter intubation times compared to using both pieces. Despite this difference in intubation times, no significant variations were found in other intubation performance measures or associated complications between the two groups. Interestingly, the study found that the absence of the anterior piece did not significantly impact the cervical spine motion during intubation, contrary to expectations that it could increase motion due to altered lifting forces.

Advantages of Videolaryngoscopy

Moreover, the research highlighted that videolaryngoscopy offers advantages over direct laryngoscopy in terms of intubation success rate, time, glottic view, and cervical spine motion reduction. The study emphasized the importance of using videolaryngoscopes, especially in patients with cervical spine instability, to minimize potential complications like spinal cord injury due to excessive neck extension during intubation. The paper also discussed the limitations of the study, such as not measuring lifting forces during intubation and the need for continuous fluoroscopy to capture the maximum spine motion. The findings suggest that the decision to remove the anterior piece of the cervical collar for videolaryngoscopic intubation should consider individual patient needs and potential benefits in challenging intubation conditions.

Conclusion of the Study

In conclusion, the study’s results indicated that removing the anterior piece of the cervical collar did not significantly affect cervical spine motion during intubation but resulted in shorter intubation times. These findings provide valuable insights for clinicians when considering the removal of the anterior piece to address difficult intubation scenarios in patients wearing a cervical collar.

Key Points

– Conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing cervical spine motion during videolaryngoscopic intubation in patients wearing a cervical collar.

– Evaluated the difference in cervical spine motion between applying only the posterior piece and applying both anterior and posterior pieces of the cervical collar during intubation. – Found differences in mean cervical spine motion between the groups at approximately 1.2°, 1.0°, and -0.3° at different cervical spine segments.

– Applying only the posterior piece of the cervical collar led to shorter intubation times compared to using both pieces without significant variations in other intubation performance measures or complications.

– Highlighted that videolaryngoscopy offers advantages over direct laryngoscopy in terms of intubation success rate, time, glottic view, and reduction of cervical spine motion, especially important in patients with cervical spine instability.

– Results suggest that the decision to remove the anterior piece of the cervical collar for videolaryngoscopic intubation should be individualized based on patient needs and potential benefits in challenging intubation conditions.

Reference –

Woo-Young Jo et al. (2024). Cervical Spine Motion During Videolaryngoscopic Intubation Using A Macintosh-Style Blade With And Without The Anterior Piece Of A Cervical Collar: A Randomized Controlled Trial. *Canadian Journal Of Anaesthesia*, 72, 142 – 151. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-024-02849-4.

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Expectant Management Outperforms LMWH in Umbilical Artery Thrombosis, Study Finds

China: A recent study published in Frontiers in Medicine has cast doubt on the therapeutic value of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in managing umbilical artery thrombosis (UAT) during pregnancy, suggesting that expectant management may be more beneficial in improving maternal and fetal outcomes.

Umbilical artery thrombosis is a rare but potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication caused by clot formation that obstructs blood flow through the umbilical artery. This can severely limit the fetus’s oxygen and nutrient supply, increasing the risk of fetal distress, growth restriction, or stillbirth. Due to its rarity, there is no clear consensus on standardized treatment. Diagnosis usually involves a Doppler ultrasound and pathological confirmation, and management aims to prolong gestation and improve outcomes. While LMWH is sometimes used, its benefits over expectant management remain unclear.

Against the above background, Peng Zhao, Department of Obstetrics, Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China, and colleagues conducted the study to evaluate the therapeutic value of LMWH in managing UAT during pregnancy.

For this purpose, the researchers conducted a retrospective study spanning from January 2013 to December 2023 involving singleton pregnant women diagnosed with umbilical artery thrombosis. The participants were divided into two groups: the experimental group received low-molecular-weight heparin as part of anticoagulation therapy during pregnancy, while the expectant group received standard prenatal care without targeted intervention for UAT.

The study revealed the following findings:

  • Birth weight was significantly higher in the expectant group than in the experimental group (2434.40 ± 770.20 g vs. 1874.46 ± 717.83 g).
  • The incidence of births before 34 weeks was significantly lower in the expectant group compared to the experimental group (42.24% vs. 82.75%).
  • Gestational age at birth was higher in the expectant group than in the experimental group (35.32 ± 3.89 weeks vs. 33.59 ± 4.17 weeks), though this difference was not statistically significant.
  • Multi-factor ANOVA showed a statistically significant effect of anticoagulation therapy on birth weight (F = 4.479).
  • Gestational age at birth also had a statistically significant effect on birth weight (F = 179.110).
  • The relationship between birth weight, anticoagulation therapy, and gestational age at birth was represented by the following equation:
  • Birth weight = −3314.782 – 256.106 × (anticoagulation therapy: 1 if yes, 0 if no) + 161.858 × gestational age at birth.

The study offers important insights into managing umbilical artery thrombosis, indicating that expectant therapy may provide substantial advantages over experimental treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin.

“These findings hold potential value for guiding clinical decision-making and highlight the need for further research to refine treatment strategies for this rare but serious pregnancy complication,” the authors concluded.

Reference:

Zhao, P., Lu, Y., Liu, S., Zhang, L., Chen, C., & Yang, X. (2025). Evaluating the efficacy of low-molecular-weight heparin in managing umbilical artery thrombosis during pregnancy: Does it offer therapeutic benefits? Frontiers in Medicine, 12, 1540685. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1540685

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Semaglutide Use Tied to Slightly Increased nAMD Risk in Older Diabetic Patients: JAMA

Canada: A recent observational cohort study from Canada revealed that older diabetic patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists—primarily semaglutide—had a small but increased risk of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). The absolute risk remained low, at 0.2% over 3 years among users versus 0.1% in non-users, highlighting the need for further research on this drug class.

The study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, was led by Reut Shor from the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto. It analyzed the long-term ocular safety of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), medications increasingly prescribed for managing diabetes and obesity. Despite their growing popularity, data on their prolonged impact on eye health have been limited.

To investigate this potential concern, the researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 139,002 older adults with diabetes, drawn from administrative health databases in Ontario. The data, covering three years from January 2020 to November 2023, were sourced from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Patients included in the study were aged 66 years or older, had a diagnosis of diabetes, and had not been previously diagnosed with nAMD. The team matched 46,334 GLP-1 RA users to 92,668 non-users, ensuring comparable demographics and comorbidities using propensity score matching.

The primary objective was to assess the incidence and timing of new nAMD diagnoses among those exposed to GLP-1 RAs for at least six months.

The study revealed the following findings:

  • Patients using GLP-1 receptor agonists had more than double the risk of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) compared to non-users.
  • The crude hazard ratio for nAMD development was 2.11.
  • The adjusted hazard ratio remained high at 2.21.
  • Despite the relative risk increase, the absolute difference in nAMD incidence was only 0.1%.
  • These findings highlight potential safety concerns, especially for older individuals already at higher risk for age-related eye disorders.
  • Although the number of new nAMD cases was small, the observed statistical association calls for further investigation.

“This study highlights a possible link between systemic GLP-1 RA use and retinal changes leading to nAMD. As these medications become more common in chronic disease management, their long-term effects on the eye must be better understood,” the authors noted.

The study authors also stressed the need for balanced clinical judgment. The benefits of GLP-1 RAs in glucose regulation and weight control are well-established, and abrupt discontinuation is not advised. However, clinicians may consider monitoring for early signs of retinal changes in high-risk patients, particularly older adults with a family history of macular degeneration.

The authors concluded, “While the increased risk of nAMD remains relatively low in absolute terms, the findings underscore the importance of vigilant, personalized care when prescribing GLP-1 RAs. Additional studies are needed to explore the biological mechanisms underlying this association and determine whether specific patient populations are more vulnerable to ocular side effects.”

Reference:

Shor R, Mihalache A, Noori A, et al. Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists and Risk of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online June 05, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2025.1455

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Depression linked to increased risk of dementia in both mid and later life, finds new study

A new study has found that depression is linked to an increased risk of dementia in both mid and later life.

The new research, which is published in eClinicalMedicine, was led by Jacob Brain and Maha Alshahrani from the Institute of Mental Health and School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, University of Adelaide and the Dementia Centre of Excellence at Curtin University in Australia.

Mr Brain said: “Our study shows that depression is linked to an increased risk of dementia in both midlife and late life. This highlights the importance of recognising and treating depression across the life course, not just for mental health, but also as part of a broader strategy to protect brain health. Public health efforts need to place greater emphasis on preventative brain health, including scaling up access to effective mental health care.”

Dementia affects over 57 million people globally. There is currently no cure, so identifying and treating the factors to reduce the risk, such as depression, is an important public health priority.

The potential links between depression and dementia are complex and may include chronic inflammation, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation, vascular changes, alterations to neurotrophic factors and neurotransmitter imbalances. Shared genetic and behavioural related changes may also increase the risks.

Previous studies have shown that people with depression are more likely to develop dementia later in life, but there’s been a lot of debate about when depression matters most, whether it’s depression that starts in midlife – in your 40s or 50s, or depression that appears later in life – in your 60s or beyond.

This new research brings together all the existing evidence and adds new analysis to examine this timing in more detail.

“Our findings raise the possibility that depression late in life may not just be a risk factor, but it could also be an early warning sign of dementia beginning to develop. By clarifying this timing, our work helps guide future research, treatment, and prevention strategies,” says Mr Brain.

The team carried out an umbrella review and meta-analysis. They firstly gathered and reviewed all the best available data from systematic reviews with meta-analyses (a statistical method that combines results from multiple studies to provide a more reliable overall estimate), that had already looked at the link between depression and dementia.

They then went a step further by extracting and re-analysing data from the individual studies within those reviews, plus they added in newer studies that were missed in the earlier work.

Mr Brain adds: “We specifically focused on the timing of when depression was measured, whether it was measured in midlife or in later life, and calculated how much it increased the risk of developing dementia. This essentially allowed us to provide a more accurate and up-to-date picture of how depression at different life stages is linked to dementia risk.”

Reference:

Brain, Jacob et al., Temporal dynamics in the association between depression and dementia: an umbrella review and meta-analysis, EClinicalMedicine, DOI:10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103266.

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Trichomonas vaginalis infection not associated with preterm labor, BMC study

A new study published in the recent issue of BMC Research Notes journal showed no independent correlation between Trichomonas vaginalis and preterm labor (PTL).

The spontaneous commencement of uterine contractions followed by progressive cervical alterations and descent of the presenting parts after the fetal viability threshold, which is typically regarded as occurring between 22 and 24 weeks of gestation, but before 37 full weeks of gestation is known as preterm labor (PTL).

40%-60% of all perinatal fatalities and 50% of children under five who suffer from long-term neurological damage are caused by preterm delivery. Nearly one million of the more than 13 million prematurely born babies in 2020 pass away as a result of preterm birth problems, with more than 60% of these deaths taking place in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Trichomonas vaginalis is the causative agent of trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral STD, affecting an estimated 143 million individuals globally. Preterm delivery, low birth weight, perinatal morbidity, and prelabour rupture of membranes (PROM) are among the negative outcomes linked to T. vaginalis infections during pregnancy, according to the results of observational studies and meta-analyses.

Data on the effects of Trichomonas vaginalis infection on PTL, particularly in sub-Saharan African women, are still few, nevertheless. Using a molecular-based quick antigen detection approach to identify T. vaginalis infection, this study ascertained the correlation between PTL and T. vaginalis infection in pregnant women in Lagos, Southwest, Nigeria.

Between April and December 2019, parturients treated in the labor wards of three hospitals in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, participated in this multicenter analytical cross-sectional study. Between April and December 2019, 105 pregnant women with PTL and an equivalent number of women who experienced term labor had high vaginal swab samples taken.

The antigen of T. vaginalis T. vaginalis was found in the vaginal samples using a rapid assay. To account for all possible factors in the relationship between PTL and T. vaginalis infection, multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were employed. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The individuals with PTL had a considerably greater frequency of T. vaginalis infection than those with term labor. There was no correlation between T. vaginalis infection and PTL after controlling for age, parity, economic and educational level, atypical vaginal discharge, and the incidence of prelabor rupture of membranes.

Overall, to further investigate the effects of coinfections or interactions among other local or systemic pathogens and T. vaginalis infection on the occurrence of PTL, this study recommend future adequately powered longitudinal studies.

Source:

Sunmonu, O. H., Okunade, K. S., & Adegbola, O. (2025). Association between Trichomonas vaginalis infection and spontaneous preterm labour in Lagos, Nigeria: an analytical cross-sectional study. BMC Research Notes, 18(1), 142. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-025-07196-1

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Reduced Solar Radiation Associated with Increased Use of Systemic or Phototherapy in Psoriasis: Study

A new study published in the journal of Photodermatology, Photoimmunology and Photomedicine showed that people with psoriasis are more likely to receive systemic treatment or phototherapy when there is less ambient sun exposure.

Seasonal variations in the severity of psoriasis, with it getting worse in the winter and getting better in the summer, point to the potential benefits of ambient sun radiation. Furthermore, “climate therapy,” which involves purposeful exposure to sunshine, lessens the severity of psoriasis. Remarkably, Okun and Okun’s research of psoriasis clinical trial participants revealed no connection between the degree of psoriasis and the amount of UV light present at the study locations.

Additionally, studies discovered no significant link when they analyzed the prevalence of psoriasis in existing research by the mean country latitude. Tus, Brad Woodie and colleagues evaluated the relationship between the severity of psoriasis therapy and yearly local sun radiation using a representative sample of the US.

For their study, the research team analyzed de-identified participant data from the ‘All of Us’ Research Program, version 7 of the National Institutes of Health. Information that has previously been gathered between 2017 and 2022 was incorporated in this program. The group aimed to reduce the number of study participants who could need systemic immunosuppressive treatments for unrelated illnesses.

For this, they excluded those who had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, atopic dermatitis, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or uveitis. Overall, they found a total of 7,748 patients who had been diagnosed with psoriasis.

Nearly, 1,028 of the 5,179 psoriasis research participants got phototherapy or systemic treatment. A higher likelihood of obtaining systemic treatment or phototherapy was linked to a lower GHI in the participants’ ZIP code. Higher probabilities of systemic treatment or phototherapy were also linked to feminine sex and obesity. Lower probabilities of systemic treatment or phototherapy were linked to age beyond 75. This study found no correlation between treatment intensity and race, ethnicity, or deprivation index.

Overall, as potential markers of more severe illness, this study demonstrates that lower ambient sun radiation levels are linked to an increased likelihood of obtaining systemic therapy or phototherapy for psoriasis. The relationships between therapy and age, sex, and obesity were consistent with previous studies.

Source:

Woodie, B. R., & Fleischer, A. B., Jr. (2025). Ambient solar radiation predicts psoriasis treatment intensity. Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 41(3), e70014. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpp.70014

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Self-Employed Women have Lower Heart Attack Risk compared to Salaried Women: Study

New research finds that self-employed women have fewer risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to non-self-employed women, suggesting that the work environment may play a role in the development of risk factors that can lead to heart attacks.

While the findings also showed some positive associations between health outcomes and self-employment among white men, the researchers found women had the most favorable CVD risk profile associated with being self-employed, possibly because they are more likely than men to experience stress and time demands related to balancing responsibilities across work and home.

Self-employed men of color, by contrast, did not experience the same health benefits.

The study is one of the few to use measures obtained from lab tests and body measures, rather than relying on self-reported measures, to explore the relationship between self-employment and heart disease risk factors, said lead author Dr. Kimberly Narain, assistant professor-in-residence of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. It is also the only study to consider differences across sex and racial/ethnic minority status.

“There is a relationship between self-employment and heart disease risk factors and this relationship seems to be stronger in women relative to men,” said Narain, who is also director of health services and health optimization research at the Iris-Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center. “It is imperative to increase our understanding of how the work environment gets under our skin so we can come up with ways to ensure that everyone has access to a healthy work environment.”

The study will be published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Public Health.

Prior studies have shown links between the structure of employment and cardiovascular disease risk. Some have found better health outcomes among people in executive positions compared with those in clerical or administrative positions, which are frequently held by women and people of color. Others have found ties between job control and health benefits. For instance, high strain jobs with higher psychological demands and less autonomy have been linked with hypertension and CVD.

But many of those studies were largely dependent on self-reported measures that are not entirely reliable due to factors such as recall bias.

For this study the researchers used data from 19,400 working adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). They analyzed the association between self-employment and CVD risk factors that included elevated cholesterol, hypertension, glucose intolerance, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking, binge drinking, sub-optimal sleep duration and poor mental health. They explored these questions across sex, race and ethnicity, using biologic and physical measures that are more reliable than self-reported measures, in some contexts.

They found a number of negative associations-that is, lower rates of specific CVD risk factors– between self-employment and health outcomes. These are among the key findings.

Among white women self-employment was linked to:

• 7.4 percentage point decline in obesity

• 7.0 percentage point decline in physical inactivity

• 9.4 percentage point decline in poor sleep duration

Among women of color it was linked to:

• 6.7 percentage point decline in poor diet

• 7.3 percentage point decline in physical inactivity

• 8.1 percentage point decline in poor sleep duration

And among white men, self-employment was associated with:

• 6.5 percentage point decline in poor diet

• 5.7 percentage point decline in hypertension

The researchers did not find the same benefits among self-employed minority men, possibly because they are generally in businesses with high entry barriers and failure rates, and they may also struggle with lower financial capital and less access to mentorship that could better prepare them to maintain a successful business, the researchers write.

Due to the study’s cross-sectional nature, the researchers can’t make causal claims from their findings. Other study limitations include the possibility that unmeasured characteristics, such as personality traits and coping mechanisms, may affect individuals’ choice to be self-employed and their development of CVD risk factors. The researchers also could not distinguish between individuals who chose self-employment and those who were forced into it due to job loss or other circumstances.

Reference:

Narain, K., Markovic, D. & Escarce, J.J. A cross-sectional analysis of the association between self-employment, racial and ethnic minority status, sex and cardiovascular disease risk factors among a nationally representative sample. BMC Public Health 25, 1786 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22955-2

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