Study Reveals

• A new VCU Health study indicates alcohol-related liver disease prevalence may be twice as high as previously estimated because of underreported alcohol consumption. • The research uncovers hidden scale of liver damage, challenging prior data on this growing public health issue. • Findings highlight need for better screening and awareness amid rising alcohol use disorders in the US.

• A new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln highlights how farmers' risk attitudes significantly influence crop insurance decisions and financial results. • Led by Associate Professor Cory Walters, the research analyzes behavioral factors in agricultural economics, published March 31, 2026. • Findings underscore the need for tailored insurance products to match diverse risk profiles, potentially improving farm resilience amid climate variability.

• An NIH-funded mouse study shows chronic colitis induces long-lasting epigenetic changes in gut stem cells, boosting AP-1 transcription factor activity and tumor growth potential. • Researchers analyzed over 52,000 cells, finding damage memories persist more than 100 days after inflammation ends, heritable across new cells. • The findings from Broad Institute scientists explain how sustained inflammation elevates colorectal cancer risk through dynamic epigenome alterations.

• Peer-reviewed research in Science Advances identifies 155,000 uncounted COVID-19 deaths in 2020-2021, raising official U.S. toll from 840,000 to nearly 1 million that period. • AI analysis of mortality data shows 16% undercount, totaling 1.2 million U.S. COVID deaths over six years. • Undercounts disproportionately affect Hispanic and communities of color, often from non-hospital deaths, impacting public health policy accuracy.

• Researchers using AI analyzed death certificates and estimated 155,000 additional unrecognized COVID-19 deaths outside hospitals in 2020-2021, raising the official toll of 840,000 by 16%. • The study compared symptomology of hospital deaths with those outside care, highlighting dramatic disparities in uncounted fatalities nationwide. • This undercounting underscores ongoing challenges in pandemic mortality tracking and public health surveillance across the U.S.

• A UC Riverside-led study analyzing thousands of samples from unrelated studies found that no places in the ocean remain completely untouched by human chemical impacts. • Researchers combined consistent, high-resolution mass spectrometry methods across multiple laboratories with computational tools to create a unified dataset revealing the extent of human chemical alterations to marine environments. • The study reveals significant data gaps, with heavy concentration in North America and Europe while the Southern Hemisphere and regions like Southeast Asia, India, and Australia remain largely understudied, limiting full understanding of global ocean impacts.