Researchers are proposing using artificial intelligence technology to help diagnose autism spectrum disorder.

In a exact article published in Scientific Reports, researchers from Brazil, France and Germany reportedly used magnetic resonance imaging to train a machine learning algorithm. 

The work – in which the "quantitative diagnostic method" is proposed – was based on brain imaging data for 500 people, with more than 240 that had been diagnosed with autism. 

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Machine learning techniques were applied to the data.

"We began developing our methodology by collecting functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI] and electroencephalogram [EEG] data," Francisco Rodrigues, the last author of the article and a professor at the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science, explained in a statement. 

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"We compared maps of people with and without ASD and found that diagnosis was possible using this methodology," he added.

The machine learning algorithm was fed with the maps, and the system was able to determine which brain alterations were associated with autism with above 95% mean accuracy. 

While previous research proposes methods for diagnosing autism based on machine learning, the article notes it often uses a single statistical parameter that is not brain network organization. 

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Analyzing the fMRI data showed changes in certain brain regions associated with cognitive, emotional, learning and memory processes, and the cortical networks of autism patients showed more segregation, less distribution of information and less connectivity compared to controls.

"Until a few years ago, little was known about the alterations that lead to the symptoms of ASD. Now, however, brain alterations in ASD patients are known to be associated with certain behaviors, although anatomical research shows that the alterations are hard to see, making diagnosis of mild ASD much harder. Our study is an important step in the development of novel methodologies that can help us obtain a deeper understanding of this neurodivergence," Rodrigues said.

The methodology is under development and will take years to implement, according to the São Paulo Research Foundation, which supported the research.

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About one in 36 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Diagnosing the developmental disability can be difficult because there is no medical test, like a blood test, to do so. 

Strawberries are already known for being one of the healthiest, nutrient-dense fruits, chock full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. However, according to a new study, strawberry consumption may also be linked with improved brain function and lowered blood pressure.

The study, which was conducted by San Diego State University and funded by the California Strawberry Commission, presented the findings at the American Society of Nutrition's 2023 Nutrition conference last month. The sampling of participants, described as a group of about "35 healthy older adults," consumed 26 grams of a freeze-dried strawberry powder—or the equivalent of about two cups of fresh strawberries—daily for eight weeks.

Researchers primarily measured cognition based on neurological and behavioral function, as well as cardiometabolic health assessed by blood pressure and waist circumference.

What they found was that cognitive processing speed increased moderately among participants who consumed the strawberry powder. Strawberry consumption also reduced systolic blood pressure, reduced waist circumference, and increased total-antioxidant capacity.

"Prior to conducting our clinical study, some of the similar effects were shown in animal studies and some human studies, but different populations and different designs," Dr. Shirin Hooshmand, San Diego State University associate professor and co-author of the study, told Good Housekeeping. "Following strawberry consumption daily for eight weeks, cognitive processing speed increased by 5.2 percent, systolic blood pressure decreased by 3.6 percent, and total antioxidant capacity significantly increased by 10.2 percent."

The new research only reinforces that strawberries are a nutritional powerhouse. At just under 50 calories, one cup of the fruit boasts three grams of fiber and only about 11 grams of carbs.

A one-cup serving of strawberries also pack in 85 milligrams of vitamin C, which meets about 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of 75 milligrams per day for women and 90 per day for men. As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps boost immune function, benefits healthy skin, and can also reduce the risk of several chronic diseases.

And with plenty of ways to incorporate strawberries into food and beverage recipes, there's never been a better time to eat (or drink) up to your health.

Puzzles, chess and writing journals may be more than pure amusements to pass the time. These brain activities could help reduce the risk of dementia. 

According to a exact study in JAMA Network Open, activities related to adult literacy, such as taking classes, using a computer or writing journals, as well as active mental tasks like games, cards, or crossword puzzles, were related to a reduced dementia risk over 10 years.

A new study finds that daily discipline rates in middle school escalate quickly in the first days of school and fluctuate throughout the year in predictable ways — often dipping ahead of breaks.

These escalations are most acutely felt by Black students, the data shows. By November, the Black student discipline rate is 10 times higher than it was at the beginning of the year and 50 times higher than the white student rate at the beginning of the year.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrated that discipline dipped ahead of breaks, including Thanksgiving, winter break and spring break, and then it escalated rapidly in the days after the break. Researchers also translated the data affecting Black students into sound to convey how the constant barrage of discipline might feel to them.

There was no sustained “cool-down” effect in the days after breaks, which surprised author Sean Darling-Hammond, assistant professor of biostatistics, community health sciences and education policy at UCLA.

“It indicated just how pernicious, pervasive and stable this escalation that occurs is,” he said. “Once you get to November, this is your new baseline of discipline.”

Racial disparities that show up in the first 10 or 20 days can predict the disparities that will persist all year. Researchers considered factors such as income and gender, and it looked at both suspensions and lower-level disciplinary rates. But the data consistently showed that Black students were far more likely to be disciplined than any other group.

“Teachers’ perception of students change very quickly at the beginning of the year, and that’s very different for students of different races,” said Darling-Hammond.

He said the findings point to the need for professional development on discipline to come early in the year.

“Teachers are coming into the year with every intention of being fair and equitable in how they respond to students, but something is hijacking their ability to do that,” he said. “If we can start to understand exactly what that is when it happens, we can design interventions that are more responsive.”

One trend didn’t show up in the data: annual standardized testing didn’t have any effect on discipline rates.

Researchers chose to focus on middle school-aged children because there is a “giant jump” in discipline between elementary school and middle school, said Darling-Hammond. Focusing on this precarious time could potentially help students avoid trajectories that are an “on-ramp to the school-to-prison pipeline.”

California has been trying to reduce suspensions and expulsions for several years by hiring more counselors, addressing the underlying cause of students’ misbehavior and encouraging restorative justice programs. In 2019, California banned suspensions in elementary and middle schools for willful defiance, defined as disrupting school activities or defying school authorities. Until the pandemic, schools were showing progress in reducing suspensions, which tend to primarily involve Black students and students with disabilities.

The study looked at four years of data from a single school district whose name and location were not revealed by researchers, due to a data-sharing agreement with the district. Darling-Hammond noted that is one of the top 30 largest school districts in the country. This data set from the 2015-16 school year to the 2018-19 included the daily discipline rates for 46,964 students in 61 middle schools that served sixth through eighth graders.

The school district was chosen for study because of the “extraordinarily rare” granular data set that the school district collected on discipline, said Darling-Hammond. It included the demographics of students involved, including race, gender, economic status and whether the student was an English learner or special education student. It included the reason for the disciplinary action and the outcome, which ranged from a verbal warning to suspension.

But researchers said that the school district in question was also a useful one to study because it included demographics similar to many other American school districts. It included both urban and suburban schools, and its racial demographics are close to the demographics of the United States: 5% Asian, 18% Black, 17% Hispanic and 55% White. The median income is $54,000 and 58% are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch.

The district began to implement “restorative practices” and “positive behavioral interventions and supports” practices during the 2015-16 school year. This showed up in the data that showed an overall reduction in discipline, but it showed consistently wide racial disparities.

“This isn’t a story of ‘nothing works,'” said Darling-Hammond. “This is a story about how what we’re doing could work a lot better if we are attending to the dynamics of what’s happening in school and when it’s happening.”

The study was co-authored by Jennifer L. Eberhardt, professor of organizational behavior and psychology at Stanford, Jason A. Okonofua, assistant professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and Michael Ruiz, researcher at UC Berkeley.

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

• A new study suggests that taking vitamin D supplements may help protect older adults from major cardiovascular events, like heart attacks.

• The study is relatively small and researchers and outside medical professionals alike emphasize the need for further research in order to clarify vitamin D's ability to contribute to heart health in this way.

• Experts agree that lifestyle factors, like diet and exercise, are still the primary ways individuals can focus on prevention of heart attacks and other cardiovascular-related events.

Taking vitamin D supplements may help reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events (like heart attacks) for older adults, according to a new study.

The trial, which was based out of Australia, assessed 21,315 people who ranged from 60 to 84 years old. They randomly gave one group of 10,662 participants one capsule of 60,000 IU vitamin D, while a placebo was given to 10,653 participants.

The supplements and the placebo were taken orally by participants at the beginning of each month for up to 5 years, with the clinical trial starting in 2014 and concluding in 2020.

Researchers excluded people from the trial with a history of hypercalcemia, or high calcium levels, overactive thyroid, or hyperparathyroidism, kidney stones, osteomalacia, or "soft bones," sarcoidosis, which is an inflammatory disease, or who were already taking more than 500 IU per day of vitamin D supplements.

Study author Rachel Neale, PhD, told Health that there have been plenty of observational studies suggesting that the concentration of 25 hodroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D—the molecule that is measured to determine vitamin D status—in the bloodstream is "inversely associated with health outcomes."

The opposite has been examined less.

While the largest clinical trial of its kind, the researchers acknowledge that the study was relatively small, and more work needs to be done to understand the effectiveness of these kinds of supplements, especially in people who are taking statins or other medications to manage cardiovascular disease.

Neale, who also serves as the deputy coordinator of the Population Health Department at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, noted that the association between vitamin D and cardiovascular health risk may not be causal.

"Randomized controlled trials are needed to determine whether supplementing people with vitamin D would Improve health outcomes," she said.

Taking Vitamin D Supplements Could Protect Your Heart

Over the course of the trial, 1,336 of the participants experienced a major cardiovascular event—this was evenly divided between the placebo and vitamin D supplement groups.

The research team found that 6.6% of those in the placebo group and 6% in the supplement group experienced a cardiovascular event during those five years.

Those in the vitamin D supplement group seemed better protected from these heart disease events; this group experienced a rate of major cardiovascular events that was 9% lower compared to what was seen in the placebo group.

This comes out to about 5.8 fewer cardiovascular events per 1,000 participants. The heart attack and coronary rates were 19% and 11% lower, respectively, in the vitamin D group. That being said, the rate of stroke showed no difference between the placebo and supplement groups.

Related: 26 Symptoms of Low Vitamin D You Need to Know About

How Vitamin D Impacts the Heart

When asked what is known about vitamin D and its impact on heart health, Boback Ziaeian, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in the Division of Cardiology, told Health that there are many studies out there on vitamin D "that span basic sciences, observational research, and clinical trials."

That being said, it's only very recently that we've started seeing large randomized trials like this one that focus on vitamin D supplements as a mechanism to prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, and even dementia.

"These trials have all largely been negative for their primary endpoint design. The exact Australian study is the first large study to suggest a possible benefit and that is very uncertain," said Ziaeian, who is unaffiliated with this clinical trial.

Essentially, more needs to be examined here.

Neale said that there are a number of different potential mechanisms inherent in vitamin D that could be beneficial for your heart.

She mentioned that vitamin D "can influence the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which influences blood volume and vascular resistance." She also noted that vitamin D can also lower inflammation and "reduce cardiac remodeling."

"People have hyped Vitamin D for a long time, but blood levels are heavily confounded by other lifestyle factors like how much time someone spends outdoors or not having other chronic diseases," Ziaeian said.

"So, overall, there's no good evidence that supplementing people with vitamin D does anything beneficial for their health unless they cannot produce it, such as patients with severe kidney disease."

What Future Studies Need to Clarify

Ziaeian said that he doesn't believe we will see a future where vitamin D supplementation will be part of a prescription from your doctor.

"Looking at the literature overall, I think it is very unlikely that we would find many benefits for any vitamin supplementation that for vitamins we normally ingest with normal food intake or that our body produces," he said.

Neale said that "uncertainty in the evidence may not ever be completely resolved." She said this leaves medical providers in a "somewhat difficult position" when it comes to prescribing vitamin D supplements, outside of treating vitamin D deficiency.

"I would emphasize that even if our findings do indicate a real effect of vitamin D, it is not a magic bullet," she said. "Diet and exercise will play a much more important role."

Related: 12 Foods That Are Good Sources of Vitamin D

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Read the original article on Health.

A SCOBY may look pretty gross, but new research suggests the bacteria and yeast glob could help Type 2 diabetics lower their blood sugar levels.

The study found participants who consumed 8 ounces of kombucha for four weeks saw their blood sugar levels decrease from 164 to 116 milligrams per deciliter.

Scientists from Georgetown University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the nonprofit MedStar Health reported the findings Tuesday in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal.

Kombucha, a fermented, sweetened black tea drink produced from a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, has long been touted as healthy, based on claims it enhances immunity and energy levels, reduces food cravings and alleviates gut inflammation.

“Some laboratory and rodent studies of kombucha have shown promise, and one small study in people without diabetes showed kombucha lowered blood sugar,” study co-author Dr. Dan Merenstein, a professor at Georgetown’s School of Health, said in a statement.

“But to our knowledge, this is the first clinical trial examining effects of kombucha in people with diabetes,” he continued. “A lot more research needs to be done, but this is very promising.”

In the study, one group drank the kombucha while another downed a placebo beverage.

No one was told which drink they were receiving.

After a two-month period to “wash out” the biological effects of the beverages, the mixtures were swapped between the groups, who were directed to drink their new concoction for four weeks.

The placebo beverage didn’t seem to have any effect on blood sugar levels.

The American Diabetes Association advises that fasting blood sugar levels should be between 80 to 130 milligrams per deciliter.

Participants drank kombucha produced by Craft Kombucha, a commercial manufacturer in the D.C. area.

The study authors noted different brands of kombucha have slightly varying microbial mixtures.

“However, the major bacteria and yeasts are highly reproducible and likely to be functionally similar between brands and batches, which was reassuring for our trial,” said Dr. Robert Hutkins, the study’s senior author.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 37 million Americans have diabetes, and 90% to 95% of them have Type 2 diabetes.

Approximately 96 million American adults — more than 1 in 3 — have prediabetes.

“Diabetes itself is the eighth leading cause of death in the US as well as being a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure,” lead study author Dr. Chagai Mendelson said.

Mendelson said further studies are needed to assess kombucha’s effect on diabetes.

“We hope that a much larger trial, using the lessons we learned in this trial, could be undertaken to provide a more definitive answer to the effectiveness of kombucha in reducing blood glucose levels, and hence prevent or help treat Type 2 diabetes,” he added.

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Adding a blue-light filter to your eyeglasses may not ease eye strain from computer work, protect the retina or help with sleep at night, according to a new review of existing research.

“We found there may be no short-term advantages with using blue-light filtering spectacle lenses to reduce visual fatigue associated with computer use,” said senior author Laura Downie in a statement. Downie is an associate professor of optometry and vision sciences and director of the anterior eye, clinical trials and research translation unit at the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia.

“It is also currently unclear whether these lenses affect vision quality or sleep-related outcomes, and no conclusions could be drawn about any potential effects on retinal health in the longer term,” Downie said. “People should be aware of these findings when deciding whether to purchase these spectacles.”

In reality, it’s not the blue-light emission from our devices that is causing eye strain for most people, said ophthalmologist Dr. Craig See, a cornea specialist at Cole Eye Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

“Most people have computer vision syndrome, which is related to sitting at a computer screen for a long period of time,” said See, who was not involved in the study.

Symptoms of computer vision syndrome include dry eyes, watery eyes, blurry vision, light sensitivity, burning or itchy eyes, and difficulty concentrating and keeping your eyes open, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Eye strain from presbyopia, which is the gradual loss with age of the ability of the eye to focus on nearby objects, can contribute, as can neck and shoulder pain, See said.

“I don’t typically recommend blue-light filters to my patients,” See said. “There’s no reason to think that blue-light filtering is harmful, other than the cost associated with adding it to your glasses. The takeaway here is that it may not be doing as much as we were hoping.”

The report, published Thursday in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, analyzed data from 17 randomized controlled clinical trials conducted in six countries that lasted from a few days to a few months. The review is part of the nonprofit Cochrane Collaboration, an independent, international network of researchers that uses some of the highest standards in evidence-based research.

The brevity of the clinical trials affected the reviewers’ ability to consider longer-term outcomes, Downie said. “Our certainty in the reported findings should be interpreted in the context of the quality of the available evidence.”

In addition, blue-light filtering lenses only filter between 10% and 25% of blue light from artificial devices such as computer screens, and that blue light is only “a thousandth of what we get from natural daylight,” said first author Dr. Sumeer Singh, a postdoctoral clinical research fellow in the anterior eye, clinical trials and research translation unit at the University of Melbourne.

“Filtering out higher levels of blue light would require the lenses to have an obvious amber tint, which would have a substantial effect on colour perception,” he said in a statement.

The review was conducted to answer an ongoing debate on whether blue-light filtering lenses have any merit in ophthalmic practice, Downie said.

“Research has shown that these lenses are frequently prescribed to patients in many parts of the world, and a range of marketing claims exist about their potential benefits, including that they may reduce eye strain associated with digital device use, Improve sleep quality and protect the retina from light-induced damage,” she said.

“Our findings do not support the prescription of blue-light filtering lenses to the general population,” Downie said. “These results are relevant to a broad range of stakeholders, including eye care professionals, patients, researchers and the broader community.”

There are a number of actions you can take to ease or prevent eye strain, See said. First, if you haven’t had your eyes checked in the last year or two, visit a specialist right away. Your eyes may have weakened, making a new prescription necessary.

“When you visit the eye doctor, go in with a measurement of how far away your face is from your computer screen, so the doctor can maximize your prescription,” See said. “You should be arm’s length from the screen. And if you’re using a laptop, consider getting a larger external display that you can plug into.”

Having a bigger screen can ease eye strain by increasing text size and may also reduce headaches and neck strain from bending over the laptop, See explained.

“If your text is difficult for you to read, it’s going to take you longer to read it,” he said. “You will be affecting your posture to do so, and you’ll be blinking even less if you’re straining to read things. Having a bigger screen can help with that.”

The eye stops blinking regularly as computer time increases, See said, so taking regular breaks from work at the computer is also important. Try using the 20-20-20 rule — every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds, which can encourage your eyes to blink at their normal rate. Better yet, get up and walk away, because constant sitting will increase neck and back strain.

If dry eyes are part of the problem, a warm compress applied to your eyes can offer relief, as can over-the-counter artificial tears. But keep the use to a minimum – many contain preservatives and should be used no more than four times a day.

“If you need them more often, you need to move to preservative-free tears, which come in a vial,” See said. “I will say if you need artificial teardrops more than four times a day, then I think it’s a good idea to see an eye doctor for your condition.”

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A new study by the Van Andel Institute is exploring how a substance made by the liver may supercharge immune cells fight to infection and disease.

According to the study, when T cells — the soldiers of the immune system — absorb ketone bodies, their function improves by reprogramming them to fight threats to the body better.

Authors of the study think ketone bodies could be an evolutionary failsafe that boosts the immune system when certain nutrients in the body are low. The study said this can happen when appetite is suppressed or during illness.

Ketone bodies are increased when glucose is low. This can be caused by exercise or during fasting.

“When you’re under a dietary regiment such as the ketogenic diet or fasting, it’s one way that our bodies boost production of these ketone bodies and so we think this might unlock a way of boosting immunity,” Dr. Rusty Jones, who worked on the study, said. 

Although the study suggests increasing ketone bodies with fasting may enhance T cell function, other studies show that fasting might suppress immune function.

Authors say that both show the complex relationship between diet and the immune system.

Going forward, scientist hope to explore how fasting and ketone body supplementation affects immune function-focusing on T cells’ ability to fight cancer.