Two new Medical Center studies have uncovered an association between vaping and mental fog. Both adults and young people who vape were more likely to report difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions than their non-vaping, non-smoking peers. It also appeared that young people were more likely to experience mental fog if they started vaping before the age of 14.

While other studies have found an association between vaping and mental impairment in animals, the URMC team is the first to draw this connection in people. Led by Dongmei Li, associate professor in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at URMC, the team mined data from two major national surveys.

“Our studies add to growing evidence that vaping should not be considered a safe alternative to tobacco smoking,” says Li. The studies, published in the journals Tobacco Induced Diseases and Plos One, analyzed over 18,000 middle and high school student responses to the National Youth Tobacco Survey and more than 886,000 responses to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System phone survey from U.S. adults. Read more here.

The Humanities Center is offering a virtual opportunity to talk with this spring’s internal fellows– Michela Andreatta, assistant professor of Hebrew language and literature in the Department of Religion and Classics, and Rita Safariants, assistant professor of Russian in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures.

“As was true in the fall, we won’t be holding our regular Work-in-Progress seminars because of the extra demands that COVID has placed on everyone’s time. Nevertheless we will have at least three online events in connection with our fellows,” says Joan Shelley Rubin, the Ani and Mark Gabrellian Director of the Humanities Center.

The first opportunity is a virtual Humanities Center open house 3:30 p.m., next Tuesday, February 16, for “any affiliates to zoom in, say hello to Michela and Rita, and catch up with one another,” Rubin says.  Here’s the link.

Andreatta’s project is titled “Translating the ‘Christian’ Poet.” Safariants’ project is “Rock ‘n Roll and Soviet Cinema.”

Zinc is an essential mineral used to boost the immune system and block sunburns. In a different form, zinc can also stabilize a protein that helps to prevent most cancers, according to a Wilmot Cancer Institute study.

But don’t rush to the local pharmacy and start taking zinc to prevent cancer, cautions Darren Carpizo, the researcher who’s been investigating the mineral’s role in cancer.

“You would never be able to get zinc levels high enough in your bloodstream by orally taking the common supplements,” explains Carpizo, a professor of surgery at the Medical Center and chief of surgical oncology at Wilmot.

Zicam and other over-the-counter zinc formulations cannot cross cell membranes. A special transporter is needed for cells to absorb zinc, and this is where Carpizo’s research steps in: He and others are developing zinc-based drugs with a “chaperone” component, giving them the ability to deliver zinc directly to cancer cells. Read more here.

New research finds that caffeine consumed during pregnancy can change important brain pathways in ways that could lead to behavioral problems later in life. Researchers in the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience analyzed thousands of brain scans of nine- and ten-year-olds and revealed changes in the brain structure in children who were exposed to caffeine in utero.

“These are sort of small effects and it’s not causing horrendous psychiatric conditions, but it is causing minimal but noticeable behavioral issues that should make us consider long term effects of caffeine intake during pregnancy,” says John Foxe, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, and principal investigator of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study at the University. “I suppose the outcome of this study will be a recommendation that any caffeine during pregnancy is probably not such a good idea.”

Elevated behavioral issues, attention difficulties, and hyperactivity are all symptoms that researchers observed in these children. “What makes this unique is that we have a biological pathway that looks different when you consume caffeine through pregnancy,” says Zachary Christensen, a MD/PhD candidate in the Medical Science Training Program and first author on the paper published in the journal Neuropharmacology. “Previous studies have shown that children perform differently on IQ tests, or they have different psychopathology, but that could also be related to demographics, so it’s hard to parse that out until you have something like a biomarker. This gives us a place to start future research to try to learn exactly when the change is occurring in the brain.”

Investigators found clear changes in how the white matter tracks – which form connections between brain regions – were organized in children whose mothers reported they consumed caffeine during pregnancy. Read more here.

The School of Nursing has named its Center for Research Support in memory of former associate dean Harriet Kitzman. It will now be known as the Harriet J. Kitzman Center for Research Support in tribute to Kitzman’s 45 years of service to the School of Nursing and her significant contributions to the nursing profession. Read more here.

Lynne E. Maquat, the founding director of the Center for RNA Biology, who has been honored with the 2021 Wolf Prize in Medicine, an acclaimed international award given to outstanding scientists from around the world for achievements that benefit mankind. Maquat was selected for “fundamental discoveries in RNA biology that have the potential to better human lives.” She has spent her career deciphering the many roles that RNA plays in sickness and in health and is well known for her discovery of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay or NMD. One of the major surveillance systems in the body, NMD protects against mistakes in gene expression that lead to disease. Read more here.

Mitchell J. Wharton, an accomplished educator, researcher, and clinician, who has been named associate dean for equity and inclusion at the School of Nursing, pending approval by the Office of the Provost. Wharton will be the first male and the first person from a group underrepresented in nursing to serve at the associate dean level of senior administration. A 2013 graduate of the UR Nursing PhD program, Wharton has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the school and is a member of the Interdisciplinary Sexual Health and HIV Research group. His research scholarship focuses on identifying asset-based modalities of HIV prevention and health maintenance in marginalized populations by examining the intersections of age, race, sexual identity and behaviors, and human rights.  Read more here.

The Bridging Fellowship program is a University-wide effort to support members of the University faculties in interdisciplinary study.

Specifically, the program releases members from departmental obligations for one semester to allow them to move to another part of the University for the purpose of learning aspects of another discipline. All proposals must contain a clear account of goals for the project and how the project will benefit the academic programs of the University.

The dean of the school must approve proposals before forwarding to the provost for review and selection. Send completed application electronically, with a cover memo indicating your support, to Adele Coelho in the Office of the Provost by Friday, March 5, 2021.

The annual America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent Student Competition provides an opportunity for students from across the University to compete for a chance to present their regulatory science ideas at the FDA.

The student competition takes place virtually from 10:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, March 4. The completed entry form is due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, February 17.

Here are important links for researchers:

• The University’s COVID-19 Resource Center for important updates and guidance on working, teaching, and learning remotely
• University of Rochester Medical Center website for restrictions, resources, and news
• The University’s COVID-19 “Restart and Recovery” web page

PLEASE NOTE that the University’s COVID-19 Dashboard is updated daily and dashboard numbers may reflect additional cases confirmed later in the day. When a new case is known, the contact-tracing process begins immediately with the Monroe County Health Department, with confirmed exposures being contacted and required to quarantine. Remember:

• A temperature of 100 °F (37.8 °C) or higher
• Chills
• Muscle or body aches
• Severe fatigue
• Headache
• Congestion or runny nose
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste, smell, or appetite
• Cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea