A low vitamin B6 level has negative effects on brain performance. A research team from Würzburg University Medicine has now found a way to delay the degradation of the vitamin.

Vitamin B6 is important for brain metabolism. Accordingly, in various mental illnesses, a low vitamin B6 level is associated with impaired memory and learning abilities, with a depressive mood, and even with genuine depression. In older people, too little vitamin B6 is linked to memory loss and dementia.

Although some of these observations were made decades ago, the exact role of vitamin B6 in mental illness is still largely unclear. What is clear, however, is that an increased intake of vitamin B6 alone, for example in the form of dietary supplements, is insufficient to prevent or treat disorders of brain function.

With success: "In our experiments, we identified a natural substance that can inhibit pyridoxal phosphatase and thus slow down the degradation of vitamin B6," explains the pharmacologist. The working group was actually able to increase vitamin B6 levels in nerve cells that are involved in learning and memory processes. The name of this natural substance: 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone.

Today’s fossil energy system is incredibly inefficient: almost two-thirds of all primary energy is wasted in energy production, transportation, and use, before fossil fuel has done any work or produced any benefit. That means over $4.6 trillion per year, almost 5% of global GDP and 40% of what we spend on energy, goes up in smoke due to fossil inefficiency. Literally.

Summary

Today’s energy system is incredibly inefficient. We waste almost 400 exajoule (EJ) of all energy going into our energy system (two-thirds of total), worth over $4.5 trillion, or almost 5% of global GDP — all before any value is created with energy.

The main culprit is the widespread use of fossil fuels. The majority of energy losses are driven by the inherent inefficiencies of producing and delivering fossil fuels (177 EJ per year), transportation (19 EJ per year), and use (183 EJ per year).

The standout waste is from fossil fuel power plants and Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs). These two technologies combined are responsible for almost half the energy waste globally.

Fossil inefficiency is fossil fragility. Inefficient energy use is vulnerable to more efficient alternatives, as competition by more efficient solutions can deliver more or better services, more conveniently, at lower cost.

We have seen this before. Fossil fuel technologies themselves rose to prominence a century ago through competing on efficiency, pushing out less efficient technology and fuels along the way.

It is happening again. Both more efficient end-use and new clean supply technologies – solar, wind, heat pumps, electric vehicles, and many more – all undercut fossil fuels where they are at their weakest: rampant inefficiency.

Fracking entails cracking layers of earth with pressurized, chemical-laden liquid to access stores of oil and gas thousands of feet underground. Many of the chemicals used in that liquid, like benzene and formaldehyde, are carcinogenic, and the extraction itself can stir up radium and other heavy metals in the shale’s subsurface, creating radioactive waste that can contaminate watersheds.

The companies that drill in the region and officials who support the industry have long insisted that fracking is safe and well-regulated. But many residents, who have seen unfamiliar sicknesses invade their community over the past 20 years, now feel misled.

Some of the health risks associated with fracking, such as asthma, pre-term births and heart problems, have been established for years. However, cancer is both rare and slow to progress, which means that it can take many years to produce a meaningful study connecting it to relatively novel environmental hazards, like fracking.

But research linking proximity to unconventional wells and developing certain types of cancer is gradually emerging.

Cool new cutting-edge biomedical research:

Microrobots made of green algae carrying nanoparticles coated with red blood cell membranes can move through the lungs to carry chemo drugs directly to tumors, potentially improving lung cancer treatment

Study in mice found that more of the drugs accumulated in the tumor this way than with directly delivering the drugs or using nanoparticles that couldn't swim.

Making & Administering Pharmaceuticals

THE FOUR STANDARD INGREDIENTS OF ANCIENT ROMAN PHARMACEUTICALS WERE OIL, VINEGAR, WINE, & HONEY.

Plant, animal, and mineral ingredients were ground and mixed using basic tools like mortar and pestle. They could then be combined into an almost infinite array of ointments, lozenges, pills, and suppositories. Medicinal draughts and teas could be drunk or sopped up with pieces of bread. Washes and rinses were often used to treat wounds and afflictions of the ears or eyes. Another common method of administering medicine involved burning ingredients and fumigating bodily orifices with the smoke.

The other ingredients of Roman medications included a spectrum of beneficial, neutral, and actively harmful substances. Plants and their derivatives were the most widely used class of ingredients. Ash and metals, especially lead and copper oxides, were also commonly employed. Roman medications also sometimes included blood, excrement, urine, insects, and animal parts. Blistering beetles, which contain the potentially fatal chemical cantharidin, were applied to chemically burn off warts and consumed to induce erections.

While we are currently watching a pathetic party-political war being played out on our TV screens and social media platforms during the general election, we are also under attack.

You would be quite right to think I am referring to the last 14 years of austerity that has led to the decimation of our NHS or perhaps the destruction of our local and primary care services. I mean, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that this has something to do with our disgusting water companies that have been allowed to release tonnes of sewage into our rivers, lakes, and beaches. But this battle isn’t on our beaches… this is an attack from E-coli, and it’s becoming an outbreak.

Unlike the pantomime that is our general election, this bacteria isn’t messing around. And whoever claims to be able to save the UK, it is ultimately the decisions of past governments that has left the UK in the state it is currently in.

So where does that leave us?

Well, we know to wash our hands often and drink plenty of water… just maybe not tap water…

Ethylene oxide (“EtO”) is an industrially made volatile organic compound and a known human carcinogen. There are few reliable reports of ambient EtO concentrations around production and end-use facilities, however, despite major exposure concerns. 

It is noteworthy that across a region colloquially termed “Cancer Alley,” a large majority (∼68%, per Figure 2b) of the total facility-level air pollutant-related hazard is attributed solely to ethylene oxide, based on EPA RSEI estimates.

We identified EtO plumes up to 11.4 km away from likely sources based on wind direction analysis.

Ten kilometers is the distance used by the EPA to define “fenceline communities.”  The spatial range of plume impacts could even be higher than the upper range that we observed; Yacovitch et al. describe the potential transport of emissions from a source 35 km away.

The results indicated that both human and animal kidneys are 'remodeled' by the conditions in space, with specific kidney tubules responsible for fine tuning calcium and salt balance showing signs of shrinkage after less than a month in space. Researchers say the likely cause of this is microgravity rather than GCR, though further research is required to determine if the interaction of microgravity and GCR can accelerate or worsen these structural changes.

The primary reason that kidney stones develop during space missions had previously been assumed to be solely due to microgravity-induced bone loss that leads to a build-up of calcium in the urine. Rather, the UCL team's findings indicated that the way the kidneys process salts is fundamentally altered by space flight and likely a primary contributor to kidney stone formation.

Perhaps the most alarming finding, at least for any astronaut considering a three-year round trip to Mars, is that the kidneys of mice exposed to radiation simulating GCR for 2.5 years experienced permanent damage and loss of function.

The authors say that though the results identify serious obstacles to a Mars mission, it is necessary to identify problems before solutions can be developed.

When the team added analysis of slides from squamous cell lung cancer to the HPL system, it was capable of correctly distinguishing between their features with 99% accuracy.

Once the algorithm had identified patterns in the samples, the researchers used it to analyze links between the phenotypes it had classified and the clinical outcomes stored in the database, including how long patients lived after having cancer surgery.

The algorithm discovered that certain phenotypes, such as tumor cells which are less invasive, or lots of inflammatory cells attacking the tumor, were more common in patients who lived longer after treatment. Others, like aggressive tumor cells forming solid masses, or regions where the immune system was excluded, were more closely associated with the recurrence of tumors.

Scientists Develop Groundbreaking "Living Bioelectronics" for Skin Healing and Medical Treatment Transformation.

In an extraordinary leap forward for medical science, researchers from the University of Chicago have announced the development of “living bioelectronics,” a pioneering technology that integrates living cells with electronic components. This groundbreaking innovation promises to revolutionize medical diagnostics and treatment, offering a new frontier in the seamless fusion of biology and electronics.

The core of this new technology is the “Active Biointegrated Living Electronics” (ABLE) platform, which combines sensors, bacterial cells, and a hydrogel composite. This intricate assembly forms a seamless interface between electronic devices and biological tissues, capable of monitoring and actively healing skin conditions such as psoriasis.

A multinational registry has documented diagnostic details related to autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, autoimmune myositis, mixed connective tissue disease, psoriasis, and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis among individuals with silicosis.

Autoimmune diseases affect approximately 1/10 individuals, and their burden continues to increase over time at varying rates across individual diseases .

In order to prevent autoimmune diseases induced by silica exposure, it is crucial to minimize or eliminate this exposure altogether. In a comprehensive review addressing the prevention of rheumatoid arthritis, 11 strategies are discussed to reduce the disease risk.

Among these strategies, one noteworthy recommendation is the avoidance of silica exposure. It is noted that 40% of rheumatoid arthritis cases are attributable to exposure to potentially modifiable factors .

Silica-exposed current smokers were observed to have a more than sevenfold increase in the risk of antibodies to citrullinated peptides (ACPA)-positive RA, exceeding the risk expected from the separate effects of silica exposure and smoking, suggesting that an interaction between these exposures contributes to development of ACPA-positive RA

Early detection of silicosis and autoimmune diseases should prioritize mitigating the risk of silica exposure, which serves as the initial trigger for the immunological cascade. This cascade first leads to silicosis and subsequently increases the susceptibility to autoimmune diseases

The current study is a long-term follow-up of a cohort of Vermont granite workers who were working in the industry at some time during 1979–1987, and most of their exposure levels ranged from 0.01–0.10 mg/m3 of respirable crystalline silica. Some of the workers participated in the 1983 radiographic study and their prior radiographic findings were available to assess the progression of any classifiable lung abnormalities found at that time. The goal of this study was to obtain direct evidence about the lifetime risk of silicosis among workers with lengthy exposure to respirable crystalline silica at levels ≤ 0.10 mg/m3

This study provides direct evidence that granite workers with long-term exposure to ≤0.10 mg/m3 respirable crystalline silica are at risk of developing silicosis, particularly if they are employed as stone cutters and carvers.

Although many of the detected cases had simple silicosis with a profusion category of 1 or 2, corresponding to low or moderate radiographic severity, they had an increased prevalence of dyspnea compared to workers with similar smoking histories and no classifiable parenchymal abnormalities.

These results reinforce the importance of regulating and monitoring occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica and justify the periodic radiographic screening of all exposed employees to identify early parenchymal changes indicative of silicosis.

Our study included everyone in Sweden who had been diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 20 to 60 years between 2007 and 2017. For each person with lymphoma, three random people of the same sex and age but without lymphoma were identified (the “controls” used for comparison).

The size of the tattoos did not seem to matter. What did matter was time - how long participants had had their tattoos. The risk seemed to be higher for new tattoos (received within two years) and for older tattoos (received more than ten years ago).

There is clearly a need to delve deeper to understand the health implications of tattoos. Right now, my colleagues and I are completing parallel studies on two types of skin cancer and are about to start new research to find out if there is an increased risk of immune-system-related conditions, such as thyroid disease and sarcoidosis.

How a toxic fungus became the koji mold that brings us soy sauce

Nearly 9,000 years ago, around the time that humans were first domesticating corn and pigs, some people in China were taming fungi.

One such fungus, the mold Aspergillus oryzae, would go on to become a culinary superstar. Through fermentation of raw ingredients like soybeans or rice, A. oryzae helps to bring us soy sauce, sake and several other traditional Asian foods. It does so by breaking down proteins and starches so that other microbes can finish off the fermentations.

But A. oryzae wasn’t always so obliging. The wild version of the mold makes potent toxins that can poison the consumer and lead to cancer in the liver and other organs. Plus, it’s a destructive agricultural pest that causes millions of dollars in damage each year to crops like peanuts and corn.

More than 50,000 people have died prematurely in California over a decade due to exposure to toxic particles in wildfire smoke, according to a new study.

Wildfires create smoke containing PM2.5, tiny particles roughly one-thirtieth of a human hair that can embed themselves deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream. The particles have been linked to numerous health conditions and premature death. Previous research has found that the wildfire smoke is exposing millions of people in the US to the harmful pollutant.

In a study published in Science Advances this week, researchers used a new epidemiological model to examine the impacts of wildfire PM2.5 exposure between 2008-2018: a period that includes some of the state’s most destructive and deadly fire seasons. There were at least 52,480 premature deaths attributed to exposure to the inhalable particulate matter from wildfires.

Eight of the 9 affected horses had gross pathological, histopathological, and radiographic evidence of both systemic osteoporosis and pulmonary silicosis. Silicon and oxygen were the predominant elements found in crystals from lung tissue of 7 affected horses and tracheobronchial lymph node tissue from 9 affected horses; cytotoxic silica dioxide (SiO2) crystals (including quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite) were identified in both lung (6 affected horses) and tracheobronchial lymph nodes (8 affected horses).

In conclusion, it may be said that this Point of Care kit may be employed for semi-quantitative estimation of CC16 in human serum samples for the selective population (having a history of occupational silica dust exposure). The inverse relationship between serum CC16 levels and the severity of silicosis has already been evidenced in the previous studies performed by ICMR-NIOH

The individuals exhibiting three bands in LFA (CC16 concentration > 9 ng/ml) need not go for X-ray. This can significantly decrease the risk of X-ray exposure to the individuals. Hence, this assay would be useful for early detection of silicosis for various purposes such as notification to the local authority, secondary prevention and financial compensation as per guidelines of the country.

Erasmus syndrome is the association of silica exposure and subsequent development of systemic sclerosis. 

Here we discuss five cases that presented with progressive shortness of breath, arthralgia, skin tightening, and Raynaud's phenomenon. History of exposure to silica dust was present in all cases, and further serological (Anti-Scl-70 antibody positive), radiological, and histopathological (skin biopsy) investigations confirmed the diagnosis of systemic sclerosis. Hence the diagnosis of Erasmus syndrome was made.

Therefore, careful screening should be done in patients of silicosis with systemic symptoms to rule out any associated connective tissue disorder. Timely diagnosis and early intervention can prevent the patients from developing life-threatening complications and improved quality of life.

A little-known pathogen named the Oropouche virus is on the move in South America, alarming scientists and public health experts. Brazil has reported 5530 cases so far this year, compared with 836 in all of 2023. Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru have seen upticks as well. Although the virus has traditionally been endemic in the Amazon Basin, it is now sickening people far from the rainforest. In May, Cuba reported its first cases.

Most cases of Oropouche fever are mild, with symptoms such as headache, body pains, nausea, and rash—but the virus can also cause brain inflammation and neurological problems, including vertigo and lethargy. And even a mild epidemic could overwhelm the continent’s health systems.

 “What worries us most is the expansion of a disease that was practically restricted to the Amazon, which has a very low-density population, to areas with greater population density.”

No sensor can monitor how many infectious aerosols are swirling around us in real time. But carbon dioxide, or CO2, can act as a convenient proxy. People exhale it when they breathe, and in spaces that aren’t well ventilated, the gas accumulates. High CO2 concentrations can provide a warning sign that a lot of the air you’re inhaling is coming out of other people’s respiratory tracts.

For decades, that’s how aerosol scientists and ventilation engineers have mostly thought about CO2 — as a sort of indicator for the health of indoor environments. But over the last three years, researchers in the U.K. working with next-generation bioaerosol technologies have discovered that CO2 is more than a useful bystander. In fact, it plays a critical role in determining how long viruses can stay alive in the air: The more CO2 there is, the more virus-friendly the air becomes.

It’s a revelation that is already transforming the way scientists study airborne pathogens. But on a planet where burning fossil fuels and other industrial activities inject 37 billion metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, it could also have huge implications for human health.

By increasing the CO2 in the air, we’re getting rid of a natural means by which viruses become inactivated.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC

Increasing evidence suggests an association between ambient air pollution and chronic kidney disease, however, this has not been exhaustively investigated in an occupational setting.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

In a large cohort of construction workers, we find evidence for an association between particle exposure and an increased risk of kidney disease during working age.

HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY

Our findings emphasise the need to consider kidney disease in risk assessments and warrant efforts to reduce both occupational and ambient particle exposure.

Conclusions Workers exposed to inorganic particles seem to be at elevated risk of CKD and RRT. Our results are in line with previous evidence of renal effects of ambient air pollution and warrant further efforts to reduce occupational and ambient particle exposure.

The rule finalized and published by the Mine Health and Safety Administration in April is the first of its kind to limit silica dust exposure for workers in mines, which is a leading cause of black lung disease among coal miners. Its implementation comes more than 50 years after other industries adopted similar standards to enforce exposure limits based on a wide body of evidence.

In addition to levying limits on exposure and implementing new action levels when a certain amount of silica dust is present in mines, the rule will also require mine operators and companies to offer free medical monitoring for their workers with the hope of detecting black lung and other respiratory diseases earlier.

The world's first human trial of a drug that can regenerate teeth will begin in a few months, less than a year on from news of its success in animals. This paves the way for the medicine to be commercially available as early as 2030.

The trial, which will take place at Kyoto University Hospital from September to August 2025, will treat 30 males aged 30-64 who are missing at least one molar. The intravenous treatment will be tested for its efficacy on human dentition, after it successfully grew new teeth in ferret and mouse models with no significant side effects.

A theory that can help explain why we respond poorly to modern conditions, despite the choices, safety and other benefits they bring, is evolutionary mismatch.

Mismatch happens when an evolved adaptation, either physical or psychological, becomes misaligned with the environment.

Studies have also shown that when social animals are kept in crowded spaces, they experience competitive stress which has consequences for physical health such as poorer immune functioning and reduced fertility. Like the animals in the crowding studies, humans living in crowded cities too can experience unprecedented levels of stress and tend to have fewer children.

Social media exacerbates the problems associated with social comparisons. As people typically share the best sides of themselves online, social media presents a skewed impression of reality, which can make viewers feel worse about their own. The quantification of worth through likes and followers also allows people to obsess with greater precision over where they stand in relation to others.

Regulating chemicals one-by-one has allowed the tobacco industry to skirt menthol bans by creating new additives with similar effects but unclear safety profiles

In 2020, lawmakers in California and Massachusetts banned menthol, a chemical that causes a cooling sensation, as an additive in cigarettes. 

Soon after, we learned in detail how the tobacco industry circumvented these laws by substituting menthol with other cooling chemicals in their new “nonmenthol” cigarettes and other tobacco products. 

This is the oldest trick in the book when dealing with chemicals deemed hazardous or otherwise problematic: stop using the original molecule and either find or make a substitute with the same function but for which safety data are scant or nonexistent. This allows the company to continue to produce chemicals of concern while the agencies like the Food and Drug Administration or the Environmental Protection Agency grind away to catch up to these new alternatives.

That the tobacco industry can readily do this speaks to a fatal flaw in how we regulate chemicals in this country.

This whack-a-mole plays out in all kinds of products—not just cigarettes: We ban an individual chemical that gets replaced with another that is not on a restricted substances list. We saw this same story play out for bisphenol A, a plastics precursor and endocrine disruptor that interferes with the normal production and work of the body's hormones.