A study links smoggy urban days to an increase in food deliveries and plastic waste. A new study asserts that urban air pollution leads to more plastic waste. On smoggy days, urban workers wishing to remain indoors often have lunch delivered to their offices, and the packaging in which the food arrives adds to the plastic waste stream.
When air quality is poor, people working in offices order significantly more takeout delivery. The study rated pollution levels according to PM2.5 measurements. PM2.5 is the abbreviation for “fine particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.”
In the United States, the maximum acceptable 24-hour ambient air quality is 35 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3). The air pollution levels recorded in the studied cities considerably exceeded that threshold, and the pollution was visible to the naked eye. A new study has found higher numbers of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in older males who required hospitalization for Covid-19.
Scientists have found that being hospitalized with Covid-19, as well as being male and of older age, increases the chances of a person having high plasma levels of antibodies that can protect against the disease. This plasma, which is a component of blood, may help treat the disease in others.
The research is the first step toward confirming whether blood plasma therapy is effective in treating Covid-19. As scientists continue to search for an effective vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, treatments that can reduce the risk of death are crucial for lowering the mortality rate associated with the disease. However, to date, research has shown few treatments to be effective.
Furthermore, a major study by the World Health Organization (WHO) — currently available as a preprint — found that remdesivir, the most promising treatment for Covid-19, appears to make no significant difference to the mortality rate.
Researchers have discovered an imbalance in the amounts of fatty molecules called lipids inside the brain cells of people with Parkinson’s disease. A buildup of lipids in nerve cells may cause inflammation. Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that gets progressively worse over time.
The death of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the substantia nigra region of the brain causes the illness. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays several vital roles, including regulating motivation, reward, and movement.
However, the exact train of events leading to the death of dopamine-producing cells remains unclear.
