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Biology

Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds – University of Florida

Climate change is reshaping forests differently across the United States, according to a new analysis of U.S. Forest Service data. With rising temperatures, escalating droughts, wildfires, and disease outbreaks taking a toll on trees, researchers warn that forests across the American West are bearing the brunt of the consequences.

The study, led by UF Biology researchersJ. Aaron Hoganand Jeremy W. Lichsteinwas published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study reveals a pronounced regional imbalance in forest productivity, a key barometer of forest health that gauges tree growth and biomass accumulation. Over the past two decades, the Western U.S., grappling with more severe climate change impacts, has exhibited a notable slowdown in productivity, while the Eastern U.S., experiencing milder climate effects, has seen slightly accelerated growth.

Forests play a critical role in regulating the Earths climate, acting as carbon sinks that sequester approximately 25% of human carbon emissions annually. However, their ability to store carbon hinges on the delicate balance between the positive and negative effects of climate change. The study, using national-scale forest inventory data, models trends from 1999 to 2020, analyzing 113,806 measurements in non-plantation forests.

We are witnessing changes in forest functioning as forest ecosystems respond to global change drivers, such as carbon-dioxide-fertilization and climate change, said Hogan. It is the future balance of these drivers which will determine the functioning of forests in the coming years to decades.

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Lauren Barnett January 17, 2024

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Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds - University of Florida

Biology

Pacific kelp forests are far older that we thought – EurekAlert

image:

An X-rayreconstruction of a 32-million-year-old fossil kelp holdfast colored to show the base(orange),holdfast (yellow) and the bivalve shell to which it attached (blue).

Credit: Dula Parkinson/Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The unique underwater kelp forests that line the Pacific Coast support a varied ecosystem that was thought to have evolved along with the kelp over the past 14 million years.

But a new study shows that kelp flourished off the Northwest Coast more than 32 million years ago, long before the appearance of modern groups of marine mammals, sea urchins, birds and bivalves that today call the forests home.

The much greater age of these coastal kelp forests, which today are a rich ecosystem supporting otters, sea lions, seals, and many birds, fish and crustaceans, means that they likely were a main source of food for an ancient, now-extinct mammal called a desmostylian. The hippopotamus-sized grazer is thought to be related to today's sea cows, manatees and their terrestrial relatives, the elephants.

"People initially said, We don't think the kelps were there before 14 million years ago because the organisms associated with the modern kelp forest were not there yet," said paleobotanist Cindy Looy, professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley. "Now, we show the kelps were there, it's just that all the organisms that you expect to be associated with them were not. Which is not that strange, because you first need the foundation for the whole system before everything else can show up."

Evidence for the greater antiquity of kelp forests, reported this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, comes from newly discovered fossils of the kelps holdfast the root-like part of the kelp that anchors it to rocks or rock-bound organisms on the seafloor. The stipe, or stem, attaches to the holdfast and supports the blades, which typically float in the water, thanks to air bladders.

Looy's colleague, Steffen Kiel, dated these fossilized holdfasts, which still grasp clams and envelop barnacles and snails, to 32.1 million years ago, in the middle of the Cenozoic Era, which stretches from 66 million years ago to the present. The oldest previously known kelp fossil, consisting of one air bladder and a blade similar to that of today's bull kelp, dates from 14 million years ago and is in the collection of the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP).

"Our holdfasts provide good evidence for kelp being the food source for an enigmatic group of marine mammals, the desmostylia," said Kiel, lead author of the paper and a senior curator at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. "This is the only order of Cenozoic mammals that actually went extinct during the Cenozoic. Kelp had long been suggested as a food source for these hippo-sized marine mammals, but actual evidence was lacking. Our holdfasts indicate that kelp is a likely candidate."

According to Kiel and Looy, who is the senior author of the paper and UCMP curator of paleobotany, these early kelp forests were likely not as complex as the forests that evolved by about 14 million years ago. Fossils from the late Cenozoic along the Pacific Coast indicate an abundance of bivalves clams, oysters and mussels birds and sea mammals, including sirenians related to manatees and extinct, bear-like predecessors of the sea otter, called Kolponomos. Such diversity is not found in the fossil record from 32 million years ago.

"Another implication is that the fossil record has, once again, shown that the evolution of life in this case, of kelp forests was more complex than estimated from biological data alone," Kiel said. "The fossil record shows that numerous animals appeared in, and disappeared from, kelp forests during the past 32 million years, and that the kelp forest ecosystems that we know today have only evolved during the past few million years."

The value of fossil hunting amateurs

The fossils were discovered by James Goedert, an amateur fossil collector who has worked with Kiel in the past. When Goedert broke open four stone nodules he found along the beach near Jansen Creek on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, he saw what looked like the holdfasts of kelp and other macroalgae common along the coast today.

Kiel, who specializes in invertebrate evolution, agreed and subsequently dated the rocks based on the ratio of strontium isotopes. He also analyzed oxygen isotope levels in the bivalve shells to determine that the holdfasts lived in slightly warmer water than today, at the upper range of temperatures found in modern kelp forests.

Looy reached out to co-author Dula Parkinson, a staff scientist with the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, for help obtaining a 3D X-ray scan of one of the holdfast fossils using Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Tomographic Microscopy (SRXTM). When she reviewed the detailed X-ray slices through the fossil, she was amazed to see a barnacle, a snail, a mussel and tiny, single-celled foraminifera hidden within the holdfast, in addition to the bivalve on which it sat.

Looy noted, however, that the diversity of invertebrates found within the 32-million-year-old fossilized holdfast was not as high as would be found inside a kelp holdfast today.

"The holdfasts are definitely not as rich as they would be if you would go to a kelp ecosystem right now," Looy said. "The diversifying of organisms living in these ecosystems hadn't started yet."

Kiel and Looy plan further studies of the fossils to see what they reveal about the evolution of the kelp ecosystem in the North Pacific and how that relates to changes in the ocean-climate system.

Other co-authors of the paper are Rosemary Romero, a specialist in algae who obtained her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 2018 and is now an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife; paleobotanist Michael Krings at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt in Munich, Germany; and former UC Berkeley undergraduate Tony Huynh. Goedert is a research associate at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Animals

Early Oligocene kelp holdfasts and stepwise evolution of the kelp ecosystem in the North Pacific

16-Jan-2024

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Pacific kelp forests are far older that we thought - EurekAlert

Biology

Ants evade harmful food by active abandonment | Communications Biology – Nature.com

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Ants evade harmful food by active abandonment | Communications Biology - Nature.com

Biology

Key moment in the evolution of life on Earth captured in fossils – EurekAlert

image:

The Welsh countryside near the Coed Cochion Quarry, where the fossils were found.

Credit: Curtin University

Curtin-led research has for the first time precisely dated some of the oldest fossils of complex multicellular life in the world, helping to track a pivotal moment in the history of Earth when the seas began teeming with new lifeforms - after four billion years of containing only single-celled microbes.

Lead author PhD student Anthony Clarke, from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group within Curtins School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said to determine the age of the fossils, researchers used volcanic ash layers like bookmarks in the geological sequence.

Located in the Coed Cochion Quarry in Wales, which contains the richest occurrence of shallow marine life in Britain, we used outfall from an ancient volcano that blanketed the animals as a time marker to accurately date the fossils to 565 million years, accurate down to 0.1 per cent, Mr Clarke said.

With similar Ediacaran fossils found at sites around the world including in Australia, dating the fossils identifies them as being part of an ancient living community that developed as Earth thawed out from a global ice age.

These creatures would in some ways resemble modern day marine species such as jellyfish, yet in other ways be bizarre and unfamiliar. Some appear fern-like, others like cabbages, whereas others resembled sea pens.

Study co-author Professor Chris Kirkland, also from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at Curtin, said the fossils are named after the Ediacara Hills in South Australias Flinders Ranges, where they were first discovered, leading to the first new geological period established in over a century.

These Welsh fossils appear directly comparable to the famous fossils of Ediacara in South Australia, Professor Kirkland said.

The fossils, including creatures like the disc-shaped Aspidella terranovica, showcase some of the earliest evidence of large-scale multicellular organisms, marking a transformative moment in Earths biological history.

Ediacaran fossils record the response of life to the thaw out from a global glaciation, which shows the deep connection between geological processes and biology.

Our study underscores the importance of understanding these ancient ecosystems in order to unravel the mysteries of Earths past and shape our comprehension of lifes evolution.

Available online here once published, the full research paper, UPb zircon-rutile dating of the Llangynog Inlier, Wales: constraints on an Ediacaran shallow 1 marine fossil assemblage from East Avalonia will appear in the.Journal of the Geological Society (JGS), which is owned and published by the Geological Society of London. JGS publishes topical, innovative and interdisciplinary research with global reach across the full range of Earth and planetary sciences.

Journal of the Geological Society

Imaging analysis

Animals

UPb zircon-rutile dating of the Llangynog Inlier, Wales: constraints on an Ediacaran shallow 1 marine fossil assemblage from East Avalonia

15-Jan-2024

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Key moment in the evolution of life on Earth captured in fossils - EurekAlert

Biology

Temporally Multiplexed Imaging (TMI) – A Breakthrough Technique in Cell Biology Research – Medriva

The world of cell biology is abuzz with a groundbreaking technique that is set to revolutionize the study of cellular processes Temporally Multiplexed Imaging (TMI). A recent study published in Cell uses TMI to visualize multiple signaling dynamics within a cell using a conventional microscope. This technique surpasses previous methods by allowing the imaging of multiple reporters without requiring specific hardware.

TMI is a novel imaging technique that allows for high-throughput imaging of cellular dynamics. Unlike traditional imaging techniques that focus on one specific process or component at a time, TMI enables simultaneous imaging of multiple cellular processes by temporally separating the signals from different fluorophores. This means that scientists can study several different proteins or cellular processes at the same time, in the same cell.

Traditional imaging techniques often require specialized hardware and can only capture one process at a time. This can be limiting, especially when studying complex cellular processes that involve multiple components or occur simultaneously. TMI, on the other hand, does not require specific hardware and allows for the simultaneous study of multiple processes.

Moreover, TMI can provide high-speed, high-resolution imaging of dynamic cellular processes. This characteristic of TMI is particularly beneficial in studying cell behavior and interactions in real-time, providing valuable insights into cell function and behavior that were previously impossible to obtain.

The advent of TMI has the potential to significantly impact the field of cell biology. The ability to observe multiple cellular processes in real-time opens up new possibilities for understanding cell behavior, tracking protein organization and movement, and studying response to stimuli. This could potentially lead to breakthroughs in understanding disease mechanisms, drug development, and more.

Moreover, TMIs high-speed and high-resolution capabilities make it ideal for studying dynamic cellular processes. This could be particularly beneficial in fields such as neurobiology, where understanding the dynamic interactions between neurons is crucial.

In conclusion, TMI is a promising new technique in cell biology research. Its ability to capture dynamic cellular processes in real time, without the need for specific hardware, makes it a versatile tool for scientists. As we continue to uncover its full potential, we can expect TMI to pave the way for significant advancements in our understanding of cellular processes and mechanisms.

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Temporally Multiplexed Imaging (TMI) - A Breakthrough Technique in Cell Biology Research - Medriva

Biology

A biological signature of desire helps explain the selective nature of pair bonds – News-Medical.Net

Hop in the car to meet your lover for dinner and a flood of dopamine-; the same hormone underlying cravings for sugar, nicotine and cocaine -; likely infuses your brain's reward center, motivating you to brave the traffic to keep that unique bond alive. But if that dinner is with a mere work acquaintance, that flood might look more like a trickle, suggests new research by University of Colorado Boulder neuroscientists.

What we have found, essentially, is a biological signature of desire that helps us explain why we want to be with some people more than other people."

Zoe Donaldson, senior author, associate professor of behavioral neuroscience at CU Boulder

The study, published Jan. 12 in the journal Current Biology, centers around prairie voles, which have the distinction of being among the 3% to 5% of mammals that form monogamous pair bonds.

Like humans, these fuzzy, wide-eyed rodents tend to couple up long-term, share a home, raise offspring together, and experience something akin to grief when they lose their partner.

By studying them, Donaldson seeks to gain new insight into what goes on inside the human brain to make intimate relationships possible and how we get over it, neurochemically speaking, when those bonds are severed.

The new study gets at both questions, showing for the first time that the neurotransmitter dopamine plays a critical role in keeping love alive.

"As humans, our entire social world is basically defined by different degrees of selective desire to interact with different people, whether it's your romantic partner or your close friends," said Donaldson. "This research suggests that certain people leave a unique chemical imprint on our brain that drives us to maintain these bonds over time."

For the study, Donaldson and her colleagues used state-of-the art neuroimaging technology to measure, in real time, what happens in the brain as a vole tries to get to its partner. In one scenario, the vole had to press a lever to open a door to the room where her partner was. In another, she had to climb over a fence for that reunion.

Meanwhile a tiny fiber-optic sensor tracked activity, millisecond by millisecond, in the animal's nucleus accumbens, a brain region responsible for motivating humans to seek rewarding things, from water and food to drugs of abuse. (Human neuroimaging studies have shown it is the nucleus accumbens that lights up when we hold our partner's hand).

Each time the sensor detects a spurt of dopamine, it "lights up like a glow stick," explained first-author Anne Pierce, who worked on the study as a graduate student in Donaldson's lab. When the voles pushed the lever or climbed over the wall to see their life partner, the fiber "lit up like a rave," she said. And the party continued as they snuggled and sniffed one another.

In contrast, when a random vole is on the other side of that door or wall, the glow stick dims.

"This suggests that not only is dopamine really important for motivating us to seek out our partner, but there's actually more dopamine coursing through our reward center when we are with our partner than when we are with a stranger," said Pierce.

In another experiment, the vole couple was kept apart for four weeks-;an eternity in the life of a rodent -; and long enough for voles in the wild to find another partner.

When reunited, they remembered one another, but their signature dopamine surge had almost vanished. In essence, that fingerprint of desire was gone. As far as their brains were concerned, their former partner was indistinguishable from any other vole.

"We think of this as sort of a reset within the brain that allows the animal to now go on and potentially form a new bond," Donaldson said.

This could be good news for humans who have undergone a painful break-up, or even lost a spouse, suggesting that the brain has an inherent mechanism to protect us from endless unrequited love.

The authors stress that more research is necessary to determine how well results in voles translate to their bigger-brained, two-legged counterparts. But they believe their work could ultimately have important implications for people who either have trouble forming close relationships or those who struggle to get over loss a condition known as Prolonged Grief Disorder.

"The hope is that by understanding what healthy bonds look like within the brain, we can begin to identify new therapies to help the many people with mental illnesses that affect their social world," said Donaldson.

Source:

Journal reference:

Pierce, F. B., et al. (2024) Nucleus accumbens dopamine release reflects the selective nature of pair bonds. Current Biology. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.041.

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A biological signature of desire helps explain the selective nature of pair bonds - News-Medical.Net

Endocrinology

Dr. Marcus D. Goncalves Inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation – Weill Cornell Medicine Newsroom

Dr. Marcus D. Goncalves, the Ralph L. Nachman, M.D. Research Scholar and an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) for 2024.

The ASCI is one of the nations oldest nonprofit medical honor societies and focuses on the unique role of physician-scientists in research, clinical care and medical education. It is comprised of more than 3,000 physician-scientists representing all medical specialties in the upper ranks. ASCI members are leaders in their fields in translating laboratory findings into clinical advancements. Dr. Goncalves is among 100 new members elected this year and will be officially inducted at the organizations annual meeting in April.

Its a high honor for me to be included in this group, said Dr. Goncalves, who is also an assistant professor of biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medicine. Im very grateful to the selection committee and the people who nominated me because ASCI membership represents a significant milestone in my career and has been a dream of mine ever since I was an MD-PhD student.

Dr. Goncalves clinical research encompasses the intersection between endocrinology and cancer biology, with his lab focusing on the effects of diet and cancer on the host tissues that regulate systemic nutrient metabolism. We investigate how cancer impacts systemic metabolism and, on the contrary, how systemic hormones and metabolites can promote or slow tumor growth, he said.

A particular focus of Dr. Goncalves research is cachexia, a debilitating wasting syndrome that involves muscle and fat loss and often occurs in people with advanced cancer. He is co-leader of the Cancer Cachexia Action Network (CANCAN), which was established in 2022 and funded through a Cancer Grand Challenges award from the National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK, and seeks to explore the underlying mechanisms of cachexia in cancer. The team consists of clinicians, patient advocates and scientists with expertise in cancer, metabolism, immunology and more from 14 institutions across the United States and the U.K.

With cachexia, some people may lose weight because theyre not eating. Others, with high metabolism, may lose weight despite eating more than they need, Dr. Goncalves said. In either case, weight loss from cachexia increases the risk of death and leads to poor outcomes in terms of treatment response. Theres no known mechanism for why cachexia develops or how to treat it, he said. My goal and our research teams goal is to try and identify the different subtypes of people who are experiencing cancer-related weight loss and develop targeted treatments for the condition.

Election into the ASCI, which is based on outstanding scholarly achievement, will provide Dr. Goncalves with the opportunity to engage with other physician-scientists who are conducting innovative research in a variety of medical specialties. Its an honor to be elected to the ASCI at this stage of my career, he said, and it validates the work weve been doing.

Originally posted here:

Dr. Marcus D. Goncalves Inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation - Weill Cornell Medicine Newsroom

Endocrinology

Alpha Lipoic Acid for Diabetic Neuropathy: Does It Work? – diaTribe Foundation

Alpha-lipoic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid naturally found in food. Some studies suggest that supplementing with ALA may play a role in treating diabetic neuropathy.

You already know how important diet is for keeping a lid on diabetes symptoms and glucose levels.

If you live with diabetic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage resulting from diabetes, certain natural compounds found in foods may help slow progression and relieve symptoms.

One is called alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), and some studies suggest it may play a role in treating neuropathy. Additionally, as an antioxidant, it may be beneficial for keeping your cells and organs like your brain and liver healthy.

What does research say so far about ALA? Lets find out.

ALA is an antioxidant found in foods like broccoli, spinach, and red meat. Your bodys cells also make it in small amounts.

Antioxidants are thought to protect cells against damage that, over time, can lead to chronic diseases making them crucial components of your immune system. Fruit, vegetables, and nuts are a few examples of foods rich in antioxidants. ALA is one antioxidant that early research has found may be beneficial if you have diabetes.

ALA is considered more of a supplemental therapy that may have effects on diabetic neuropathy, says Dr. Maamoun Salam, an associate professor of endocrinology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. It also has some glucose-lowering effects.

Alpha-lipoic acid is not to be confused with alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid your body does not make. Same initials, different compounds.

When you have chronically high blood sugar, it can damage nerves and the small blood vessels that nourish your nerves. Thats how diabetic neuropathy is developed.

ALA may help neuropathy in multiple ways. On its own, its an effective antioxidant. Taking an ALA dietary supplement can also boost vitamin C and E levels, which in turn can increase your bodys supply of glutathione, another antioxidant. Together, these two antioxidants may clear free radicals molecules that can cause cell damage more efficiently.

Thats particularly important when you have diabetes as people with the condition either produce more free radicals, clear them slower, or both. Fewer free radicals may mean less nerve damage and milder diabetic neuropathy symptoms.

Dr. Salam points to a trio of trials of ALA in people with diabetes that showed improvements in pain, numbness, and paresthesia. However, he notes, the sample sizes were small and the study durations short, so its difficult to conclude whether ALA is effective for diabetic neuropathy.

For people with diabetes, ALA may also extend beyond diabetic neuropathy treatment and aid blood sugar management.

Researchers suggest ALA works by binding to certain insulin receptors in liver cells. The compound has been called an insulin-mimetic agent, meaning it mimics the effects of insulin. Though research is limited to animal studies, the increase in the antioxidant glutathione that results from ALA supplementation may play a role in glucose management.

All cells in the body naturally produce some ALA. You can get more through foods such as:

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Organ meats like liver

Red meat

Rice bran

Tomatoes

Spinach

Yeast

You can also get it from dietary supplements, though its important to note these are expensive. Since ALA is both water- and fat-soluble, you dont need to take it with food like you would with a purely fat-soluble compound such as vitamin D.

ALA is a dietary supplement and therefore does not require the same level of evidence and rigorous scientific testing as a pharmaceutical medicine. Similar to other dietary supplements, it only needs to be considered safe and effective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be sold.

ALA is not generally found in tablets or capsules greater than 600 mg because studies suggest that higher doses are not more effective. Side effects can include:

Rare cases have been reported in which ALA appears to have induced insulin autoimmune syndrome, a rare type of hypoglycemia caused by too many insulin autoantibodies.

Sometimes I will offer it as add-on therapy for those who do not wish to switch to another approved agent or increase the dose of an agent they are using because they want to avoid side effects, said Salam.

Speak to a healthcare professional before trying dietary supplements like ALA. Supplements are no substitute for being mindful about diet, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and taking any and all prescription medications as directed.

Learn more about treatments for diabetic neuropathy here:

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Alpha Lipoic Acid for Diabetic Neuropathy: Does It Work? - diaTribe Foundation

Anesthesiology

Anesthesiologist arrested for alleged sexual assaults in Putnam County – News 12 Westchester

Jan 03, 2024, 5:24pmUpdated 5d ago

A Putnam County anesthesiologist has been arrested and accused of using anesthesia to sexually assault a woman several times over the course of a month.

Paul Giacopelli, 59, was arraigned in Southeast Town Court Saturday on four counts of first-degree sexual abuse and four counts of second-degree assault.

Investigators with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office told News 12 the assaults happened during December and that all the charges relate to multiple assaults of the same woman.

Giacopelli works for Northwell Health and has privileges at Putnam County Hospital Center in Carmel. He is a New York Medical College graduate and is certified to practice by the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Putnam County Sheriff Kevin McConville said in a release that investigators on Dec. 29 interviewed a female victim who told them she was given anesthesia without her knowledge and then sexually assaulted. The next day, Giacopelli was interviewed and then arrested. Officials said the victim and Giacopelli know each other.

Giacopelli made bail Tuesday, officials said.

News 12 went to Giacopelli's most recent address in Brewster and called several numbers associated with him seeking a response to the allegations but has not heard back from Giacopelli.

Northwell Health issued a statement late Wednesday stating in part that Giacopelli "was immediately relieved of all patient care duties pending further investigation. We will cooperate with the appropriate authorities as they conduct their investigation."

Investigators are asking anyone who might have information on these incidents or other possible incidents to call their office immediately at 845-808-4377.

Giacopelli is due back in Southeast Town Court on Jan. 11.

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Anesthesiologist arrested for alleged sexual assaults in Putnam County - News 12 Westchester

Family Medicine

Five Questions to Consider to Maintain Your 2024 Health Goals – McLaren Health Care

January 05, 2024

Author: McLaren Flint

The new year brings about peoples collective resolutions, aiming to improve an aspect of their individual lives.

One of the most popular resolutions is health.

Countless people have resolved to better themselves and their overall general health through increased exercise, more conscious food choices, and the avoidance of some bad habits.

While you are setting your goals and cementing your commitment to them, set yourself up for lasting success by considering these five questions, and discussing them with your primary care provider.

What is the current state of your health?

Knowing your vital stats (such as blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, body mass index, etc.) is a great way to establish a baseline. This will allow you to create specific goals and track your progress.

What would you like to do?

Do you want to lose weight or body fat? Improve your diet? A persons general health is a vague subject. Increase your chances for success by clearly defining what youd like to improve upon.

Don't try to make big changes right away, said Heather Werlinger, certified family medicine nurse practitioner at McLaren Flint-Community Medical Center. Start with one small change. For instance, if you are trying to lose weight, instead of trying to rearrange your entire normal diet and exercise routine, start by reducing your portion size. Instead of eating out for lunch, start packing a lunch. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs. After you have implemented these changes for 3-4 weeks and they become a habit, then add more. This will help to make long term change by creating healthy habits.

What is your plan for achieving this goal?

Will you start exercising more or adjust your diet? Choose a path that best fits your routine and personality to create healthy habits that will create lasting success.

Keep a journal to track your progress, said Werlinger. Get your family involved so you can do it together. Make regular appointments with your health care provider so they can help keep you on track. I love it when patients come in and we can celebrate removing a blood pressure medication because they have lost weight.

Are your expectations realistic?

Its easy to say youll run 10 miles a day, but will you stick to it day in and day out? Is it even possible to lose 30 pounds in 30 days? Unrealistic expectations will ultimately lead to discouragement, prompting the abandonment of goals and any resolve to achieve them. Consult your doctor to set realistic expectations and reasonable timelines.

Joyce John, certified nurse practitioner at McLaren-Flint Grand Blanc Community Medical Center says being specific when setting goals and setting well defined goals that are concrete rather than broad, can help keep your expectations realistic. For example, instead of choosing a broad goal of "I want to exercise more, a more specific goal would be to walk 20 minutes a day. Its important to set reasonable, realistic, and attainable goals to prevent discouragement.

What is your motivation?

The steps taken to improve your general health are positive life changes, but what is your true motivation? Are you doing this for your family? To feel physically better? To feel mentally better? Know why youre striving after these goals, and remind yourself of it often.

It is all about creating healthy habits, said Werlinger. If you make small changes slowly, they eventually add up to bigchanges. Remember, you didn't get where you are overnight, you are not going to fix it overnight.

If you are in need of a primary care provider, visit us online at mclaren.org/primarycare.

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Five Questions to Consider to Maintain Your 2024 Health Goals - McLaren Health Care