Aggregator

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Business Insider: There is some microplastics in normal, healthy arteries," Dr. Ross Clark, a University of New Mexico medical researcher who led the study, told Business Insider before he presented his findings at the meeting of the American Heart Association in Baltimore on Tuesday. "But the amount that's there when they become diseased -- and become diseased with symptoms -- is really, really different," Clark said. Clark and his team measured microplastics and nanoplastics in the dangerous, fatty plaque that can build up in arteries, block blood flow, and cause strokes or heart attacks. Compared to the walls of healthy plaque-free arteries, plaque buildup had 16 times more plastic -- just in the people who didn't have symptoms. In people who had experienced stroke, mini-stroke, or vision loss, the plaque had 51 times more plastic. [...] To investigate why, Clark studied samples from 48 people's carotid arteries -- the pair of superhighways in your neck that channel blood to your brain. The difference in plastic quantities surprised him, but his team found another concerning trend, too. Cells in the plaque with lots of plastic showed different gene activity than those with low plastic. In the high-plastic environment, one group of immune cells had switched off a gene that's associated with turning off inflammation. Clark's team also found genetic differences in a group of stem cells thought to help prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing inflammation and stabilizing plaque. "Could it be that microplastics are somehow altering their gene expression?" Clark said. He added that there's "lots more research needed to fully establish that, but at least it gives us a hint as to where to look." Ross, who specializes in the genetic mechanisms behind disease, agreed that more research is needed, but added that she thinks "these plastics are doing something with these plaques." Tracking microplastics in the human body is a new scientific endeavor as of the last couple years. It's not perfect. Clark's team heated the plaque samples to more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit to vaporize plastic polymers and break them down into smaller organic molecules, which can be identified and measured by their mass and other properties. Unfortunately, the lipids in plaque can break down into chemicals that look very similar to polyethylene, the most common plastic found in everything from plastic bags to car parts. "Because we know about this problem, we've taken a lot of steps to remove those lipids and confirm their removal, so that we're sure we're measuring polyethylene," Clark said. Still, he added, "it's a big limitation, and it should be acknowledged that these types of methodologies are continuously improving." "Almost all of what we know about microplastics in the human body, no matter where you look, can be summed up as: It's there, and we need to study further as to what it's doing, if anything," Clark said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Free parking in Wickford is set to return after councillors vote through alternative funding at a heated area committee meeting.

The new jacket is on sale now in all Primark stores

Raymond McCourt, 59, murdered Khalil Mahmood, a newsagent, by shooting him in the head in 1993 - the public have been advised not to approach him.

A bungling drug dealer has been jailed amid a major police operation after being nabbed by cops while running away in his untied dressing gown.

Shane Warne's eldest child Brooke appears to have given Elizabeth Hurley's new romance with Billy Ray Cyrus her seal of approval.

Barack infamously attended both Jimmy Carter's funeral and Trump's inauguration, which took place just weeks apart in January, solo.

Former policewoman Nerys Lloyd, 39, organised the weekend paddleboard outing on the Cleddau River in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, which ended in tragedy.

Joshua Bainbridge was responding to yelling at a rural property in Victoria, Australia when he witness Stuart Lee, 65, pouring petrol over his father, Colin, 66, on March 14, 2023.

China is considering building a nuclear plant on the moon to power the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) it is planning with Russia, a presentation by a senior official

The Israeli government has forced its representatives around the world to rescind condolences for the passing of Pope Francis. 

The Liberal Democrats have called for stricter measures to be put into place when it comes to 'headphone dodgers', as they believe most passengers are too frightened to speak out.

The CVE system nearly dying shows that someone has lost the plot

Opinion  We almost lost the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database system, but that's only the tip of the iceberg of what President Trump and company are doing to US cybersecurity efforts.…

Five years removed from the onset of the Covid pandemic, Google is demanding that some remote employees return to the office if they want to keep their jobs and avoid being part of broader cost cuts at the company. CNBC reports: Several units within Google have told remote staffers that their roles may be at risk if they don't start showing up at the closest office for a hybrid work schedule, according to internal documents viewed by CNBC. Some of those employees were previously approved for remote work.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Lithuania's capital Vilnius on Wednesday presented an evacuation plan in case of war, as the NATO member revealed its anxieties that Russia could target it next after its invasion of Ukraine.

The ailing Pontiff was pictured as he took 'one last ride' in St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday, after making a brief appearance on the balcony of the Basilica to greet well wishers.

A police staff member faces a misconduct case following a probe into the handling of a 999 call with Bartlomiej Kuczynski, who said he had a knife an hour before stabbing his daughters and their aunt.

Amanda Blake, originally from Hawarden in Flintshire, moved to Australia in 2011 to work in the hospitality industry.

Police have released CCTV of a man and woman as they hunt the alleged attackers who visited the retailers on Week Street in Maidstone.

The mother of Mammoth and An Invisible Sign star Sophie Nyweide revealed details of her daughter's death and the sad journey of her final days in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail.