Danger Dust

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease associated with long-term damage and disabilities. The disease is characterized by joint inflammation and multiorgan adversities.

Common risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis include older age, family history and genetics, smoking, and occupational exposure to respirable silica dust. The study highlights that smoking can interact with pesticide exposure, modifying the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in certain cases. Pesticides used in farming can also increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

INTRODUCTION

Many treatments for inflammatory or autoimmune disorders cause systemic immunosuppression, leading to severe and chronic toxicities. If immunity could be suppressed locally, only in targeted tissues or transplants, this could provide a way to overcome these systemic toxicities to treat diverse inflammatory diseases.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate that it is feasible to engineer bespoke synthetic suppressor T cells that generate locally targeted immune suppression, such as locally blocking CAR T cell attack. These engineered suppressor T cells could be tailored to generate targeted immune suppression in diverse disease contexts, including cancer NOT gates (protection of cross-reactive normal tissues), transplant rejection, and autoimmune disease. Synthetic reconstitution of complex immune signaling allows us to dissect the molecular requirements for immune suppression and design effective therapeutic cell programs.

The staggering and unexplained deaths of over 300 African elephants in early 2020 — one of the largest mass mortality events of wild mammals in recent history — was most likely due to toxins in water that proliferated due to climate extremes, according to a fresh analysis of a decade's worth of satellite data.

The respiratory bugs that surge every winter, from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to whooping cough, hit us with nasty coughs, fevers and chills—and they can also create the perfect opportunity for deadly pneumonia.

Often misunderstood as a single sinister ailment (one your parents have ominously warned that you’d catch if you forgot your coat), pneumonia actually describes a lung infection that can be caused by any of about 30 different pathogens. It is among the leading causes of death in people older than age 70 or under age 5. And it can be fatal in anyone with a compromised immune system or other disorders that put them at high risk.

• Fuel produced from sugarcane in Brazil has become a strategic option for decarbonizing the aviation sector.

• But companies operating in this business have been linked to recent reports of labor abuses on sugarcane farms, a new report from Repórter Brasil shows. The rise in reports of labor abuses is partly attributed to the growing outsourcing of labor for planting.

• Workers hired via subcontractors lived in poor conditions without basic amenities, traveled long hours to reach the sugarcarne fields, and paid for their safety equipment.

• While certifications needed to access the fuel market are meant to protect workers, experts says certifiers are not doing enough to ensure fair working conditions and pay.

Summary of Key Recommendations for Health and Social Care Professionals from NICE 2021 Guideline for ME/CFS

1. Awareness of impact

Disease complexity

Professionals should recognise that ME/CFS “is a complex, chronic medical condition affecting multiple body systems and its pathophysiology is still being investigated”. Furthermore, they should acknowledge the broad and debilitating effects of ME/CFS on activities of daily living, family life, social life, work, education, and emotional wellbeing. Even seemingly minimal activities, have potential to trigger post-exertional malaise (PEM), and the condition fluctuates, involving “flare-ups and relapses even if symptoms are well managed”.

Stigma and Isolation

Professionals should acknowledge that individuals with ME/CFS “may have experienced prejudice and disbelief and could feel stigmatised by people (including family, friends, health and social care professionals, and teachers) who do not understand their illness.”

NICE recognises that individuals may not be seen at their worst, as their condition may make it difficult to seek help when most symptomatic, e.g., cognitive difficulties impacting communication.

Conclusion

Taken together, our results are the first to demonstrate that despite an extended recovery period, exposure to glyphosate elicits long-lasting pathological consequences. As glyphosate use continues to rise, more research is needed to elucidate the impact of this herbicide and its metabolites on the human brain, and their potential to contribute to dysfunctions observed in neurodegenerative diseases.

In total, we recorded 114 bee species (2360 individuals), including 35 endangered species. High flowering plant species richness positively affected bee abundance and richness. Large quarry area was important for determining the presence of endangered bee species. High levels of woody vegetation cover had a negative effect on bee abundance and richness. Bee abundance and richness can increase with quarry age, but only at sites with moderate woody vegetation cover.

In Singapore, one brewery has used treated wastewater to make craft beer since 2018. This is a prime example of how innovative water management can reshape perceptions and demonstrate the feasibility of recycled water.

There are currently two approaches to recycle wastewater into drinking (or potable) water.

Indirect potable recycling (IPR) adds highly treated wastewater to ground water supplies, rivers or reservoirs. This offers longer-term environmental buffering and mixing of the water. In San Diego, the Pure Water recyling programme aims to provide half of the city’s water by 2035. In Austin, the GoPurple on-site water recycling initiative will save 22 million litres of drinking water a day by 2040.

Direct potable recycling (DPR) adds highly treated wastewater directly to the distribution system. In Windhoek, Namibia, the Gammams wastewater treatment plant has been producing scientifically validated, high-quality drinking water since the early 1960s. But there are fewer examples of this “toilet-to-tap” approach globally.

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The discovery of plastic in arterial plaques marks a significant milestone in the understanding of how pollutants are affecting human health. Researchers found microplastics—tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size—embedded in more than half of the arterial plaques they examined. These particles, which can originate from a variety of sources including household plastics, packaging, and industrial waste, are now being implicated in the development and progression of heart disease.

The presence of plastic in arteries raises serious concerns about the long-term impacts of environmental pollution on human health. Microplastics have been found in various organs and tissues throughout the body, from the lungs to the liver, but their presence in the cardiovascular system was not fully understood until now.

Sensors being installed this month along the rim of Erebus could help researchers understand the threat the wildly active volcano poses to McMurdo and New Zealand’s Scott Base next door. And a planned field campaign this month to Waesche will explore the possibility that climate change could reawaken ice-bound volcanoes, whose hot, eruptive bursts could in turn accelerate ice loss in a new, dangerous feedback. “It’s an interesting hazard,” says Matthew Zimmerer, a geochronologist at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT).

OP: @[email protected]

Formaldehyde threatens everyone as it pollutes the air we all breathe and leaks from products long after they enter our homes. It is virtually everywhere.

In a world flush with hazardous air pollutants, there is one that causes far more cancer than any other, one that is so widespread that nobody in the United States is safe from it.

It is a chemical so pervasive that a new analysis by ProPublica found it exposes everyone to elevated risks of developing cancer no matter where they live. And perhaps most worrisome, it often poses the greatest risk in the one place people feel safest: inside their homes.

As the backbone of American commerce, formaldehyde is a workhorse in major sectors of the economy, preserving bodies in funeral homes, binding particleboards in furniture and serving as a building block in plastic. The risk isn’t just to the workers using it; formaldehyde threatens everyone as it pollutes the air we all breathe and leaks from products long after they enter our homes. It is virtually everywhere.

Mycobacterial species in nature are found in abundance in sphagnum peat bogs where they compete for nutrients with a variety of microorganisms including fungi. We screened a collection of fungi isolated from sphagnum bogs by co-culture with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to look for inducible expression of antitubercular agents and identified 5 fungi that produced cidal antitubercular agents upon exposure to live Mtb.

Whole genome sequencing of these fungi followed by fungal RNAseq after Mtb exposure allowed us to identify biosynthetic gene clusters induced by co-culture. Three of these fungi induced expression of patulin, one induced citrinin expression and one induced the production of nidulalin A. The biosynthetic gene clusters for patulin and citrinin have been previously described but the genes involved in nidulalin A production have not been described before.

All 3 of these potent electrophiles react with thiols and treatment of Mtb cells with these agents followed by Mtb RNAseq showed that these natural products all induce profound thiol stress suggesting a rapid depletion of mycothiol.

The induction of thiol-reactive mycotoxins through 3 different systems in response to exposure to Mtb suggests that fungi have identified this as a highly vulnerable target in a similar microenvironment to that of the caseous human lesion.

Overall, our results suggest that to eradicate the most difficult to kill Mtb that exist within hypoxic, caseous lesions and cavity walls, compounds that target thiol homeostasis have the potential to have significant impact. Improving the clearance of these bacilli has a high likelihood of reducing the overall treatment duration for TB patients.

Engineered stone, used to make things like kitchen benchtops, was banned in Australia due to the number of stonemasons being diagnosed with silicosis.

Now as former stonemasons seek compensation, one man's claim could prove a test case as to liability of manufacturers and suppliers. Angelique Donnellan reports.

READ MORE: Caesarstone alleged to be hiding behind Israel's war in Gaza to slow silicosis compensation claim

The Rising Threat of Silicosis

Silicosis is caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dust produced in construction, coal mining, and other industries. The prognosis is poor, with gradually worsening lung function leading to respiratory failure. The disease also makes patients more vulnerable to infection in the lungs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, autoimmune disease, and lung cancer.

In recent years, a resurgence of silicosis has been reported in engineered countertop workers. Engineered stone countertops are made from quartz aggregate held together with a resin binder. They contain substantially more crystalline silica than natural stone versions. Workers who cut, shape, grind, and polish these countertops may be exposed to significant amounts of silica dust.

Challenges in Diagnosing Silicosis

Primary clinicians recognized silicosis at the initial encounter in only four of 21 cases (19%), while radiologists recognized it in seven of 21 cases (33%). Alternative diagnoses, such as infection, were initially suggested in most cases. Nearly half of the patients (48%) had atypical imaging features.

“Silicosis may present with atypical features that may catch radiologists off guard in practice regions where silicosis is not traditionally diagnosed, which can lead to delays in diagnosis,” Dr. Lateef said.

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"Long COVID is hitting up to an estimated 20% of Australians 3 months after they contracted COVID — mostly women, but also men and children. In the current COVID wave, that means a lot of people coming down sick for a long time"

"Long COVID is keeping people from their jobs and their lives, and as COVID cases continue, it is unclear whether the rate of new long COVID cases is increasing faster than the old cases recover."

Source:

https://archive.md/b18Km

Digital mining involves the use of digital technologies to make mining operations more efficient, safer, and sustainable. This industry emerged about a decade ago and has developed quickly over the past few years. This uptick is the result of recent advances in sensor technology, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning.

However, while technology improves, old problems persist. Large-scale mining causes massive deforestation in regions like the Amazon. It also threatens and displaces communities, as in the case of Brazil’s Xikrin and Kayapó people. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the mining of cobalt, copper and coltan (all crucial for modern technology) contaminates local water supplies and puts workers – including children – in danger.

A balancing act

It’s time for mining companies that are serious about sustainability to shift their focus. Rather than simply looking to make immediate profits, they need to consider environmental and social impacts – and the role digital technology can play.

Asbestos is a Greek word meaning "inextinguishable" or "indestructible". It is a naturally occurring silicate mineral consisting of magnesium, calcium and iron. It is composed of strong fibres, which are either silky in texture with curly fibres or straight with needle-like fibres.

The Ancient Egyptians embalmed pharaohs with it and made clothing containing asbestos fibres to improve durability. Ancient Scandinavian peoples mixed it in pottery and sealed cracks in their log huts with it. The Persians imported 'stone wool' from India and they thought that this material was made from the hair of a small rat-like animal, which lived in fire and died by water.

When the Persians burned the bodies of their dead, they first wrapped them in linen called linum vivum, woven from the stone asbestos. Put into the fire, this cloth wouldn't burn, and so the ashes were preserved and kept safe to be put into the sepulcher.

Both Strabo and Pliny mentioned the sickness that seemed to follow those who worked with asbestos. It was recommended never to buy asbestos quarry slaves as they often "died young". Lung ailments were a common problem to anyone who worked with asbestos fibres. Pliny even made reference to the use of a transparent bladder skin as a respirator to avoid inhalation of the dust by slaves.

“A New Cigarette Filter…made of asbestos”

In 1952, using the popular new medium of television, the P. Lorillard Tobacco Company sponsored “scientific” demonstrations to show the efficacy and implied health benefits of its KENT Micronite filter. The campaign also featured advertisements in medical journals. Although the ads did not disclose the composition of “Micronite,” the material that Lorillard touted as “so safe, so effective it has been selected to help filter the air in hospital operating rooms” and that was used “to purify the air in atomic energy plants of microscopic impurities” was asbestos

Due to its high insulation capacity, and high resistance to fire and corrosion, asbestos was widely used in industry until its ban in 2005.

Asbestos is only dangerous to health when its fibres are inhaled. Asbestos fibers can be inhaled in the form of dust after active handling or as a result of degrading asbestos material. Workers who come into contact with asbestos are, therefore, particularly at risk.

It can take up to 30 years for the first symptoms of a disease caused by asbestos to appear. According to the EU occupational diseases statistics gathered by Eurostat, 78% of recognised cases of occupational cancer in the EU are related to asbestos.

78% of occupational cancer cases are related to asbestos

In conclusion, with respect to work‐related disease and potential compensation, it is essential to recognize silica exposure as a risk factor for developing AAV such as MPA. Our case emphasizes the importance of primary physicians identifying this relationship in addition to taking a thorough occupational history.

For pregnant women, exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) was associated with altered immune responses that can lead to adverse birth outcomes

This study represents a substantial step forward in understanding the biological pathways through which PM2.5 exposure affects pregnancy, maternal health, and fetal development. Its advanced methodology represents a significant innovation for how we study immune responses to environmental exposures.

Critically, we found that immune performance in young individuals is more sensitive to high temperatures compared to other age groups. Coupled with evidence of rising temperatures in the region, our results offer insight into how climate change will affect the immune system of wild mammals.

Long-term research is also necessary to identify and quantify the effects of heat-compromised immune performance on individual fitness outcomes, as this could be a mechanism by which climate could increase extinction risk in diverse taxa. As temperatures continue to increase at faster rates, we expect species will continue to experience more diverse and severe physiological effects due to our changing—and increasingly challenging—climate.

Air pollution goes beyond New Delhi

The recently opened clinic has already become a lifeline for those grappling with pollution-induced diseases, including bronchitis and breathing difficulties.

Doctors in this and other hospitals report cases of breathlessness, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They say there are more patients than last year.

The elderly and those with heart conditions are particularly susceptible, experiencing heightened symptoms and requiring hospitalization.

A dust extraction specialist has launched a campaign to highlight the dangers of dust inhalation – as it calculates that common construction jobs such as drilling and floor grinding can see individuals ingest the equivalent of more than a pint of dust across the course of a 40 year career.

With respirable crystalline silica a major cause of silicosis – a chronic lung condition that kills up to 1,000 people a year in the UK – Dustcontrol UK has launched a campaign to underline just how big a risk common construction jobs can pose to workers’ health.

The ‘Dust to dust’ campaign highlights that, by failing to take the right precautions, workers run the risk of inhaling a level of respirable dust that can prove fatal. And to help those working in construction visualise the dangers, the firm has calculated the amount of dust that can potentially be ingested in a lifetime to be the equivalent of 1.28 imperial pints of respirable dust or 0.68 imperial pints of respirable crystalline silica specifically.