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Emaho Strategies — Science Communication Consulting

  • Featured,  Global Threats,  Health,  Science

    Measles outbreak in Samoa: potential effects on COVID-19

    November 8, 2020 / 12 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio Measles—one of the world’s most contagious diseases—induces immune amnesia, an anomaly of the immune system that results in increased susceptibility to infections by other pathogens. Not surprisingly, there are concerns globally about populations that have recently experienced measles outbreaks. These populations could be at elevated risk of developing more severe COVID-19 illness, resulting in increased mortality.    The emergence of the current COVID-19 pandemic in the first months of 2020 occurred closely after a global resurgence of measles. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by November 2019, measles case numbers had tripled compared with the same period in the previous year. Measles spreads easily when an infected…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Unsafe Medical Care: Global Burden and Policy Needs

    October 31, 2013

    Sustainability in Action: Family Farming

    November 28, 2013

    The Great Acceleration

    May 5, 2013
  • Air Pollution,  Featured,  Toxic Exposure

    Childhood Asthma and Traffic-Related Air Pollution

    October 15, 2019 / 19 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio “I explain it to people like you are breathing through a coffee stirrer straw, and you just can’t get enough breath. The attacks can happen so quickly and out of nowhere, so I feel like I’m really not in control of my own body. Not being able to breathe in and out the way my body is designed to do is quite scary” says one of the 19 million adults who currently have asthma in the US. Asthma is a chronic disorder that causes swelling and inflammation in the lungs—the airways narrow and produce extra mucus, making breathing difficult and causing coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing,…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Global Education

    May 12, 2013

    The Global Tide of Disease Mongering

    May 27, 2013

    Air Pollution: The Most Widespread Environmental Carcinogen

    October 19, 2013
  • Featured,  Health,  Science,  Urbanization

    Nature, Health, and Things in Between

    November 7, 2015 / 33 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio A decade ago, Richard Louv — author of the bestsellers Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle — coined the term “nature-deficit disorder” to describe the increasing disconnection between children and the natural world. Such disconnection negatively affects health and spiritual well-being. The concept, which was later extended to adults, provides the basis for a working framework to reshape our lives. Louv argues that by tapping into the restorative powers of nature, we can boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities, and economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds. Although results from several studies point out the deleterious health…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Benzene, Leukemia and Lymphoma

    August 5, 2013

    Tasmanian Devils: Contagious Cancer Drives the Risk of Extinction

    December 5, 2014

    Change of Mind: The Influence of Hurricanes

    September 21, 2013
  • Featured,  Health,  Science,  Toxic Exposure,  Uncategorized

    E-Cigarettes and Vaping May Cause Lung Damage and Impaired Immune Responses

    February 14, 2015 / 8 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio A few months ago, Oxford Dictionaries announced “vape” as its international Word of the Year 2014 – language research conducted by their editors revealed that its use in 2014 had more than doubled compared to 2013 (and increased by 30-fold since 2012), mostly because of the rapidly growing popularity of electronic cigarettes and the expanding debate over their safety. Although e-cigarettes are portrayed as devices that can help adult smokers quit while providing a safe alternative to tobacco smoking, mounting evidence shows that these devices may cause considerable harm. Indeed, about two weeks ago, California health officials said that e-cigarettes represent a rising public-health risk that threaten…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Global Pollution: Top Ten Toxic Threats in 2013

    November 5, 2013

    Global Education: How Simple Can It Be?

    April 21, 2013

    Flame Retardants in Honey?

    December 19, 2013
  • Featured,  Health,  Science

    From Old to Young: Rejuvenating Effects of Fasting on the Immune System

    June 7, 2014 / 3 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio The beneficial effects of prolonged fasting — fasting that lasts 48–120 hours — have been known for several years. One of these effects is the enhancement of the cellular resistance to toxins in both experimental animals and humans. Now, results from a new study (Prolonged Fasting Reduces IGF-1/PKA to Promote Hematopoietic-Stem-Cell-Based Regeneration and Reverse Immunosuppression) published in the journal Cell Stem Cell (June 5, 2014), show that  cycles of prolonged fasting protect against damage to the immune system and induce its regeneration, shifting hematopoietic stem cells from an inactive state to a state of self-renewal. Stem cells are cells that have the ability to divide and develop into many different…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Autism and Air Pollution Go Together

    June 18, 2013

    Do Sea Turtles Eat Plastic Marine Debris? Yes!

    August 10, 2013

    Dante’s Fainting: A Medical Enigma from the Middle Ages

    May 15, 2015
  • Around the World,  Featured,  Health,  Science

    “Iceman” Wim Hof and the Flow Within: The Immune System Goes with It

    May 20, 2014 / 15 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio Scientists generally believe that it is not possible to voluntarily influence the autonomic nervous system, which regulates — among other physiological processes — heart rate, breathing, blood circulation and the immune response. However, results from a new study show that, using techniques developed by Wim Hof, it is indeed possible to modulate our own autonomic nervous system and, consequently, our own immune response. “Iceman” Wim Hof is internationally known for his unusual accomplishments — he ran a marathon above the Arctic circle and climbed the highest mountains on earth in only shorts, appeared on several television stations by sitting in a cylinder filled with ice cubes up to his neck, run…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Salmon Farming: The Chilean Massive Die-Off

    May 21, 2016

    Wasting Syndrome and Starfish Die-Off

    February 9, 2014

    Large Animal Extinctions and Soil Fertility

    August 13, 2013
  • Featured,  Health,  Science

    Psychological Stress in Children: Effects on the Immune Response

    March 2, 2014 / 13 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio Stress is part of life — but while a little bit of it (good stress) may keep us active and alert, and sometimes even motivate us, the long-term type (bad stress) can have negative effects on our health.  Elevated blood pressure and heart disease are just some examples of the so-called “stress-related diseases”.  In addition to good stress and bad stress, there is another type of stress — toxic stress. Professor Pat Levitt defines toxic stress as “a term used by psychologists and developmental neurobiologists to describe the kinds of experiences, particularly in childhood, that can affect brain architecture and brain chemistry. They typically are experiences that are…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Neonicotinoid Pesticides: Bad for Bees, Bad for Many Other Species

    May 6, 2015

    Quinoa: A Future Sown Thousands of Years Ago

    August 14, 2013

    Arctic Pollution

    May 15, 2013
  • Featured,  Health,  Science

    Sex Differences in the Immune Response to Vaccines

    February 11, 2014 / 16 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio Women and men respond differently to infectious microbes and vaccines – it is said, indeed, that the immune system of women is stronger than the immune system of men. Stronger or weaker, one thing is certain – men and women are not the same in terms of immune response. A few years ago, the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases published “ The Xs and Y of immune responses to viral vaccines” – a comprehensive article that clearly shows how the biological differences between sexes influence the immune response to vaccines, as for example the influenza, yellow fever and hepatitis vaccines. There are not many published studies on the…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Do Sunscreen Products Harm the Coastal Marine Ecosystem?

    August 30, 2013

    Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollutants: Links to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    April 11, 2015

    From Old to Young: Rejuvenating Effects of Fasting on the Immune System

    June 7, 2014
  • Featured,  Health,  Science

    H7N9 Influenza Virus: Ethnicity and Protection from Infection

    January 29, 2014 / 24 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio In March 2013, a new flu virus — the H7N9 — was identified in China. By early May, before retreating and disappearing, it had infected 131 people and killed 26 of them.  However, less than two weeks ago (January 17), the New York Times reported that “China is disclosing a steadily growing number of cases of H7N9 bird flu, including four more cases announced on Friday, reviving concerns among health experts that the disease may be spreading and could pose a further threat as the world’s largest annual human migration begins ahead of Chinese New Year.” The H7N9 virus is a “reassortant” — it includes combined elements from three…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Allergies in Young Children: Effects of Exposure to Multiple Air Pollutants During Prenatal and Early Life

    December 10, 2019

    Prenatal Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants: Influence on Masculine and Feminine Behavior in School-Age Children

    April 18, 2014

    Toxic Hot Spots: A Global Health Threat

    May 11, 2013
  • Conservation,  Ecosystem Threats,  Featured,  Global Threats,  Science

    The Great Global Die-Off: Frogs and Lymphocytes

    October 28, 2013 / 16 Comments

    By Roberta Attanasio Frogs and other amphibians – salamanders and caecilians – have been declining worldwide during the past few decades at an alarming rate. According to a June 2012 assessment by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), about 41 percent of amphibian species are at risk of extinction, and some are already extinct. Like many other inhabitants of our planet, amphibians have been hit hard by climate change and habitat loss – and not only. Amphibians have also been decimated by the spread of chytridiomycosis, which is defined by the IUCN as the single most devastating infectious disease of vertebrate animals. In a…

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    Roberta Attanasio

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    Lipstick and Heavy Metals

    June 3, 2013

    Preterm Birth and Exposure to Environmental Pollutants

    November 25, 2013

    Childhood Poverty: Effects on the Immune System

    October 9, 2013

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