• $2.4 million from the National Institute on Aging will support work by Bradford Hill to investigate how aging leads to reduced blood flow to the heart in older individuals. Hill will study these changes and how this dysfunction could be prevented or corrected. The work may lead to opportunities to prevent age-dependent decline in exercise capacity and promote healthy aging.
• $3.4 million from the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute was awarded for a clinical trial to test whether treatment with the nutritional supplement carnosine improves symptoms and progression in peripheral artery disease in which narrowing of arteries reduces blood flow to arms or legs. Aruni Bhatnagar, Shahid Baba and Amit Dwivedi will conduct the trial.
• $4.67 million from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will support the Green Heart Louisville Project, which studies how an increase in the number of trees and shrubs affects heart health. The team, led by Bhatnagar, recently reported results from their work that began in 2018 in South Louisville. The new award will allow the team to continue to gather data on community health for the next five years as the planted trees continue to grow.
• $ 0.8 million from the Department of Defense was awarded to Daniel Conklin for a two-year project to investigate the role of inhaled agents in Gulf War Illness (GWI), a chronic condition affecting 25-32% of Gulf War veterans. GWI involves chronic pain, muscle fatigue, cognitive impairment, migraines and stroke. Conklin will investigate whether inhalation of volatile organic compounds and particulate matter from burning oil wells, burn pits, contaminated sand and chemical and biological weapons may have led to repeated local and systemic inflammation, causing the condition.

This most recent funding adds to the $11.6 in grants awarded to institute researchers announced earlier this year.

Perhaps early 20s? Maybe even 16?

“The average chronic smoker begins smoking at 13.7 years old,” says Daniel Conklin, PhD. “And if you know anything about averages, that’s … not good.”

Conklin, a professor of medicine at the University of Louisville, specializes in cardiovascular research and what environmental pollutants do to our bodies. At this month’s Beer with a Scientist, Conklin will discuss smoking and what we do (and don’t) know about the harm caused by electronic cigarettes.

“Essentially, we’re trying to separate fact from fiction. We’re currently part of an American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation Center to investigate emerging tobacco products and their potential to cause harm to the cardiovascular system,” Conklin said. “We’re trying to figure out the best way to regulate these products.”

Scientists have known that conventional tobacco products are associated with cardiovascular disease risk since the 1960s, Conklin said. However, with new technology comes a new generation of health risks and the emerging science showing what vaping does to the body may shock you.

Conklin’s talk will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, at , 8023 Catherine Lane. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.