Opioid use can trigger deafness

Opioid use, particularly in high doses, can cause deafness, according to Rutgers researchers. The study, published in The Journal of Medical Toxicology, reviewed records from the New Jersey Poison Control Center, based at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, from 1999 to 2018 to determine the association between opioid use and degrees of hearing loss. Researchers…

Protein produced by the nervous system may help treatments for inflammatory diseases

A Rutgers-led team may have found the key to treating inflammatory diseases like asthma, allergies, chronic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a study published in the journal Nature Immunology, researchers discovered that neuromedin B (NMB), a protein produced by the nervous system, was responsible for preventing overactive immune responses and damaging inflammation.…

COVID-19 hospitalizations analysis shows disparities across racial and ethnic groups

Adding to mounting evidence of COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on some U.S. communities, a new analysis of hospitalization rates from the University of Minnesota shows Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaskan Native populations in the United States are significantly more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than whites. Published today in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers…

Drexel study: Measuring social networks of young adults with autism

As many have recently discovered, social connections are vital to a person’s wellbeing. While social isolation is a core challenge associated with autism, researchers from Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute have laid the groundwork to show how interpersonal relationships, and the resources they provide, could impact autistic youth’s adult outcomes. “Many autistic young…