Jul 30, 2025 07:30 PM
US nitrous oxide deaths spike by more than 500%, study finds
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1093070
INTRO: Nitrous oxide deaths in the United States spiked by more than 500% between 2010 and 2023, a new study indicates.
Andrew Yockey, University of Mississippi assistant professor of public health, and Rachel Hoopsick, assistant professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, completed a first-of-its-kind study of nitrous oxide-related fatalities. The researchers published their findings in JAMA Network Open.
“This is not local to one area; it’s everywhere,” Yockey said. “And it absolutely deserves national surveillance. The numbers are still small right now, but they’re growing and they’re growing fast. How long do we have to wait before we consider this a problem?”
Nitrous oxide, commonly referred to as "laughing gas" or "whippets," is often used medically or in some food preparation. But it’s also being increasingly misused as a recreational inhalant.
Hoopsick and Yockey studied 14 years of CDC WONDER data and found that nitrous oxide-related deaths were relatively low in 2010 with 23 deaths, but climbed to 156 in 2023, a 578% relative increase over time.
“What’s especially concerning is how accessible and deceptively safe nitrous oxide seems,” Hoopsick said. “It’s legal, easy to buy and often viewed as harmless. But frequent or high-volume use can lead to serious neurological damage, psychiatric symptoms or even death.
“We’re particularly worried about young people experimenting without understanding the risks. The rise in harm calls for not only prevention, but also stronger harm-reduction strategies.”
The reason for the drastic increase in misuse is not clear, but Yockey said it coincides with the availability of nitrous oxide canisters sold online and other places... (MORE - details, no ads)
‘One and done’: A single shot at birth may shield children from HIV for years, study finds
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1092632
INTRO: A new study in Nature shows that delivering a single injection of gene therapy at birth may offer years-long protection against HIV, tapping into a critical window in early life that could reshape the fight against pediatric infections in high-risk regions.
This study is among the first to show that the first weeks of life, when the immune system is naturally more tolerant, may be the optimal window for delivering gene therapies that would otherwise be rejected at older ages.
“Nearly 300 children are infected with HIV each day,” said first author Amir Ardeshir, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center, who conducted the study alongside fellow researchers at the California National Primate Research Center. “This approach could help protect newborns in high-risk areas during the most vulnerable period of their lives.”
In the study, nonhuman primates received a gene therapy that programs cells to continuously produce HIV-fighting antibodies. Timing proved critical to the one-time treatment offering long-term protection.
Those that received the treatment within their first month of life were protected from infection for at least three years with no need for a booster, potentially signifying coverage into adolescence in humans. In contrast, those treated at 8-12 weeks showed a more developed, less tolerant immune system that did not accept the treatment as effectively.
“This is a one-and-done treatment that fits the critical time when these mothers with HIV in resource-limited areas are most likely to see a doctor,” Ardeshir said. “As long as the treatment is delivered close to birth, the baby’s immune system will accept it and believe it’s part of itself.”
More than 100,000 children acquire HIV annually, primarily through mother-to-child transmission after birth from breastfeeding. Antiretroviral treatments have shown success in suppressing the virus and limiting transmission, however adherence to treatment and access to doctors both decline after childbirth, particularly in areas with limited access to healthcare.,, (MORE - details, no ads)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1093070
INTRO: Nitrous oxide deaths in the United States spiked by more than 500% between 2010 and 2023, a new study indicates.
Andrew Yockey, University of Mississippi assistant professor of public health, and Rachel Hoopsick, assistant professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, completed a first-of-its-kind study of nitrous oxide-related fatalities. The researchers published their findings in JAMA Network Open.
“This is not local to one area; it’s everywhere,” Yockey said. “And it absolutely deserves national surveillance. The numbers are still small right now, but they’re growing and they’re growing fast. How long do we have to wait before we consider this a problem?”
Nitrous oxide, commonly referred to as "laughing gas" or "whippets," is often used medically or in some food preparation. But it’s also being increasingly misused as a recreational inhalant.
Hoopsick and Yockey studied 14 years of CDC WONDER data and found that nitrous oxide-related deaths were relatively low in 2010 with 23 deaths, but climbed to 156 in 2023, a 578% relative increase over time.
“What’s especially concerning is how accessible and deceptively safe nitrous oxide seems,” Hoopsick said. “It’s legal, easy to buy and often viewed as harmless. But frequent or high-volume use can lead to serious neurological damage, psychiatric symptoms or even death.
“We’re particularly worried about young people experimenting without understanding the risks. The rise in harm calls for not only prevention, but also stronger harm-reduction strategies.”
The reason for the drastic increase in misuse is not clear, but Yockey said it coincides with the availability of nitrous oxide canisters sold online and other places... (MORE - details, no ads)
‘One and done’: A single shot at birth may shield children from HIV for years, study finds
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1092632
INTRO: A new study in Nature shows that delivering a single injection of gene therapy at birth may offer years-long protection against HIV, tapping into a critical window in early life that could reshape the fight against pediatric infections in high-risk regions.
This study is among the first to show that the first weeks of life, when the immune system is naturally more tolerant, may be the optimal window for delivering gene therapies that would otherwise be rejected at older ages.
“Nearly 300 children are infected with HIV each day,” said first author Amir Ardeshir, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center, who conducted the study alongside fellow researchers at the California National Primate Research Center. “This approach could help protect newborns in high-risk areas during the most vulnerable period of their lives.”
In the study, nonhuman primates received a gene therapy that programs cells to continuously produce HIV-fighting antibodies. Timing proved critical to the one-time treatment offering long-term protection.
Those that received the treatment within their first month of life were protected from infection for at least three years with no need for a booster, potentially signifying coverage into adolescence in humans. In contrast, those treated at 8-12 weeks showed a more developed, less tolerant immune system that did not accept the treatment as effectively.
“This is a one-and-done treatment that fits the critical time when these mothers with HIV in resource-limited areas are most likely to see a doctor,” Ardeshir said. “As long as the treatment is delivered close to birth, the baby’s immune system will accept it and believe it’s part of itself.”
More than 100,000 children acquire HIV annually, primarily through mother-to-child transmission after birth from breastfeeding. Antiretroviral treatments have shown success in suppressing the virus and limiting transmission, however adherence to treatment and access to doctors both decline after childbirth, particularly in areas with limited access to healthcare.,, (MORE - details, no ads)