A new study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine found that CUD diagnoses rose substantially across all age, race/ethnicity, and comorbidity subgroups nationwide from 2000 to 2022. These diagnoses were consistently higher among people living with HIV, compared to people living without HIV, and people over 65 experienced the greatest relative increase. 

Researchers have detailed the physics behind a phenomenon that allows them to create spin in liquid droplets using ultrasound waves, which concentrates solid particles suspended in the liquid. The discovery will allow researchers to engineer technologies that make use of the technique to develop applications in fields such as biomedical testing and drug development.

Changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) during adolescence play an important role in the association between air pollution exposure and insulin resistance, according to a new study led by USC investigators. The study,  published in JAMA Network Open, found that children who were exposed to higher levels of traffic-related air pollution—specifically nitrogen oxides—tended to have a higher BMI by age 13, and experienced rapid weight gain from adolescence to young adulthood. This, in turn, was linked to higher levels of insulin resistance in their mid-20s. Researchers estimated that 42% of the relationship between early pollution exposure and insulin resistance can be explained by accelerated BMI growth trajectories—which describes how an individual’s BMI changes over time—and further contributes to insulin resistance, a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The study included data from Meta-Air2, an ongoing substudy of the Southern California’s Children’s Health Study (CHS) and featured 282 participants enrolled in kindergarten or first grade in 2003, who were actively followed up until 2014. The study’s researchers initiated a follow-up study in 2023 where participants, now young adults, provided blood samples for metabolic biomarker testing.