10% of cancer cases in Europe caused by pollution, says groundbreaking new study
10% of cancer cases in Europe caused by pollution, says groundbreaking new study
10 per cent of cancer cases in Europe are caused by air pollution, according to a new study published today.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) recently reviewed the latest scientific evidence on pollution, second-hand smoke, radon, asbestos and other chemicals, as well as ultraviolet radiation (UV rays). It found that exposure to these pollutants likely contributes to nearly 2.7 million new patients diagnosed in the EU each year.
It’s the first time the EEA has found links between cancer and the environment. The report, called 'Beating cancer - the role of Europe’s environment', estimates that environmental and occupational risks are behind around 10 per cent of cancer cases in Europe.
Causing 1.3 million deaths per year across the European Union, cancer takes a huge toll on our society. The economic costs are also enormous, estimated at around €178 billion in 2018 alone.
The good news is that the report also says these risks are preventable - if the EU takes urgent action.
“Cutting pollution through the EU’s Zero Pollution Action Plan and the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability as well as strong implementation of other existing EU policies would go a long way to reduce cancer cases and deaths. This would be an effective investment in our citizens’ wellbeing,” says Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director.
The EU’s Zero Pollution Action Plan is set to be achieved by 2050 - targeting air, water and soil pollution. The three main goals include improving air quality to reduce the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution, improving water quality by reducing waste, plastic litter at sea and microplastics released into the environment, and improving soil by reducing nutrient losses and chemical pesticide use by 50 per cent.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for the Environment, Fisheries and Oceans, agrees that this is the best tool the EU has at its disposal to minimise further harm to human health.
“The EEA report highlights that too many cancer cases have an underlying environmental cause. We can act now to cut pollution and prevent deaths. With the Zero Pollution ambition of the European Green Deal we can deliver cost-effective cancer prevention benefits by reducing exposure to harmful pollutants. What is better for the environment is also better for us.”
What exactly are the environmental risks of developing cancer?
The risks to human health can be broken down into different categories, according to the EEA.
Air pollution (both indoor and outdoor) alone is linked to around 1 per cent of all cancer cases in Europe, and causes around 2 per cent of all cancer deaths. For lung cancers alone, this rises to 9 per cent of deaths. Recent studies have detected associations between long-term exposure to particulate matter, a key air pollutant, and leukaemia in adults and children.
Radon and ultraviolet radiation also contribute significantly to cancer in Europe. Radon is a colourless, odourless gas. It is formed by the radioactive decay of the small amounts of uranium that occur naturally in rock and soil. People can be exposed to radon by breathing in air that comes through cracks and gaps in buildings and homes.
Indoor exposure to radon is linked to up to 2 per cent of all cancer cases and one in ten lung cancer cases in Europe. Natural ultraviolet radiation may be responsible for up to 4 per cent of European cancer cases. In particular, the rising cases of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer.
Exposure to secondhand smoke may increase the overall risk for all cancers by up to 16 per cent in people who have themselves never been smokers. Around 31 per cent of Europeans are exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke at home, at work, out and about, in educational institutions or in public settings.
Lastly, certain chemicals used in European workplaces and released into the environment are carcinogenic and contribute to causing cancer. These include lead, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, acrylamide, pesticides, Bisphenol A and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS).
All forms of asbestos are well-known carcinogens, associated with mesothelioma and lung cancers, as well as laryngeal and ovarian cancers. While the EU banned asbestos in 2005, it is still present in many buildings and infrastructure, leading to workers involved in renovation and demolition work being exposed to it.
What is the EU doing to address this serious risk?
The EU’s Zero Pollution Action Plan is trying to reduce air and water pollution in the coming years.
The bloc has taken some tough measures on air pollution already, implementing the National Emissions reduction Commitments (NEC) Directive and the Ambient Air Quality Directive, which sets air quality standards for Europe.
The Chemical Strategy for Sustainability aims to ban the most harmful chemicals in products, including those that cause cancer, and to encourage the use of chemicals that are safe and sustainable.
On radon, the Basic Safety Standards Directive has introduced legally binding requirements to prevent exposure to natural radiation sources - in a revised version of the legislation. Set out in 2013, it mandated EU Member States to establish national radon action plans by 2018, which are still in force today.
Other EU actions include coordinating European efforts to tackle second-hand smoking and raising awareness of the dangers of UV rays, for instance staying safe in the sun and avoiding sunbeds and tanning booths.
What can you do to avoid air pollution?
It might sound obvious, but spending time away (or living away) from cities is a simple step you can take to limit the amount of pollution you inhale.
While cars and transport play a big part, it’s also the emissions linked to the built environment that cause increased particulate matter in the air. For instance, the heating of buildings, construction and the traffic related to it.
According to Statista, the most polluted cities in Europe are Sarajevo, Skopje, Zagreb, Belgrade and Athens. The least polluted cities are currently Helsinki, Reykjavik and Zurich.
With remote work on the rise ever since the COVID pandemic, and the mental benefits that arise from spending time in nature, there has never been a more opportune time to set up camp in a more rural area.
In terms of keeping track of pollution, there are websites you can use to forecast what the day is looking like. In Europe, you can use the EEA’s European Health Quality Index and in the UK, DEFRA (Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs) has its own search bar tool where you can type in your location for more details.
Avoid exercising outdoors when pollution levels are high. In general, always avoid exercising near high-traffic areas.
Walking, biking or carpooling are great ways to ensure you’re not contributing to air pollution yourself when travelling around. And if you try and leave for work earlier than normal, you’ll steer clear of the fumes generated during rush-hour.
Lastly, try to use less energy in your home.
Turn the lights off when you’re not in the room, have shorter showers and turn off your central heating during the summer. Generating electricity creates air pollution, so by reducing your energy use, you can help improve local air quality and curb greenhouse gas emissions too.
Reference@ EuroNews:
Bladder cancer: How to identify the signs of tumours in your urine
Bladder cancer: How to identify the signs of tumours in your urine
As with many cancers, if you can spot the early warning signs of a tumorous growth in your bladder, you stand a very good chance of an early diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.
Those who catch the disease early see a 95 per cent surivival rate in their first year, with half of all diagnosed patients living for ten years or more after the cancer is found - making bladder cancer one of the more survivable of the nearly 200 cancers the human body can produce.
Previously, without early detection, bladder cancer was one of the most deadly. Due to greater public awareness of the cancer's symptoms, primarily blood in your urine, death rates related to the disease have almost halved in the last 30 years, despite it being the eighth most diagnosed cancer in the country.
Once a doctor becomes concerned that a symptom could be caused by bladder cancer, a test can be done on urine to detect the disease, or a cystoscopy can be used to see inside of the urinary tract and bladder to look for tumorous growths.
Bladder cancer: How to identify the signs of tumours in your urine
Haematuria - Blood in your pee
Though not the only warning sign, finding blood in your urine is a major sign that you should make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.
Called haematuria, bloody urine can take many forms. Sometimes pinkish, bright red, brownish, or just lightly streaked with blood, having any blood in your urine can be an indicator of issues with your bladder.
Though it does not necessarily mean that you have bladder cancer, it could be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI) or other health issues.
The American Cancer Society says: "These symptoms are more likely to be caused by a urinary tract infection (UTI), bladder stones, an overactive bladder, or an enlarged prostate (in men). Still, it’s important to have them checked by a doctor so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed."
However, of those with bladder cancer, 80 per cent reported seeing blood in their urine. This is because bladder cancer causes cells to grow in the inner lining of the bladder. These cells can gather together and form tumors in the bladder lining, which can cause bleeding.
Other key bladder cancer warning signs
- Urinating more frequently than normalFeeling a very sudden and immediate urge to urinateA burning sensation when you urinatePain in your lower abdomen, sometimes in your stomach or backFeeling a very sudden and immediate urge to urinate
-
- A burning sensation when you urinate
- Pain in your lower abdomen, sometimes in your stomach or back
- Feeling tired and unwell
- Loss of appetite
- Bone pain
While the majority of bladder cancer patients are diagnosed with primary bladder cancer, mainly affecting the cells lining the bladder, sometimes these cancers can metastasise, or spread to other cells outside of the bladder.
-
The NHS describes this advanced bladder cancer as: "When the cancerous cells spread beyond the lining, into the surrounding bladder muscle, it's referred to as muscle-invasive bladder cancer (or invasive bladder cancer). This is less common, but has a higher chance of spreading to other parts of the body."
This could cause other symptoms related to other cancers, but feeling pain in your bones could be a sign that the cancerous cells have spread.
If you experience any of these symptoms it is important you speak to your doctor as soon as possible. Even if you do not have visible blood in your urine, tests can be done to find microscopic blood and detect potentially cancerous growths.
Reference: Mirror: William Morgan
Machine-learning algorithms can help distinguish acute cholangitis and alcohol-associated hepatitis
Machine-learning algorithms can help distinguish acute cholangitis and alcohol-associated hepatitis
Acute cholangitis is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection that often is associated with gallstones. Symptoms include fever, jaundice, right upper quadrant pain, and elevated liver enzymes.
While these may seem like distinctive, telltale symptoms, unfortunately, they are similar to those of a much different condition: alcohol-associated hepatitis. This challenges emergency department staff and other health care professionals who need to diagnose and treat patients with liver enzyme abnormalities and systemic inflammatory responses.
New Mayo Clinic research finds that machine-learning algorithms can help health care staff distinguish the two conditions. In an article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers show how algorithms may be effective predictive tools using a few simple variables and routinely available structured clinical information.
This study was motivated by seeing many medical providers in the emergency department or ICU struggle to distinguish acute cholangitis and alcohol-associated hepatitis, which are very different conditions that can present similarly."
Joseph Ahn, M.D., third-year gastroenterology and hepatology fellow, Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Dr. Ahn is first author of the study.
"We developed and trained machine-learning algorithms to distinguish the two conditions using some of the routinely available lab values that all of these patients should have," Dr. Ahn says. "The machine-learning algorithms demonstrated excellent performances for discriminating the two conditions, with over 93% accuracy."
The researchers analyzed electronic health records of 459 patients older than age 18 who were admitted to Mayo Clinic in Rochester between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2019. The patients were diagnosed with acute cholangitis or alcohol-associated hepatitis.
Ten routinely available laboratory values were collected at the time of admission. After removal of patients whose data were incomplete, 260 patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis and 194 with acute cholangitis remained. These data were used to train eight machine-learning algorithms.
The researchers also externally validated the results using a cohort of ICU patients who were seen at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston between 2001 and 2012. The algorithms also outperformed physicians who participated in an online survey, which is described in the article.
"The study highlights the potential for machine-learning algorithms to assist in clinical decision-making in cases of uncertainty," says Dr. Ahn. "There are many instances of gastroenterologists receiving consults for urgent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients who initially deny a history of alcohol use but later turn out to have alcohol-associated hepatitis. In some situations, the inability to obtain a reliable history from patients with altered mental status or lack of access to imaging modalities in underserved areas may force providers to make the determination based on a limited amount of objective data."
If the machine-learning algorithms can be made easily accessible with an online calculator or smartphone app, they may help health care staff who are urgently presented with an acutely ill patient with abnormal liver enzymes, according to the study.
"For patients, this would lead to improved diagnostic accuracy and reduce the number of additional tests or inappropriate ordering of invasive procedures, which may delay the correct diagnosis or subject patients to the risk of unnecessary complications," Dr. Ahn says.
Mayo Clinic
Ahn, J.C., et al. (2022) Machine Learning Techniques Differentiate Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis From Acute Cholangitis in Patients With Systemic Inflammation and Elevated Liver Enzymes. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.01.028.
Reference: Medical Life Centre: Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc
Researchers use AI to detect new family of genes in gut bacteria
c
Researchers use AI to detect new family of genes in gut bacteria
Using artificial intelligence, UT Southwestern researchers have discovered a new family of sensing genes in enteric bacteria that are linked by structure and probably function, but not genetic sequence. The findings, published in PNAS, offer a new way of identifying the role of genes in unrelated species and could lead to new ways to fight intestinal bacterial infections.
"We identified similarities in these proteins in reverse of how it's usually done. Instead of using sequence, Lisa looked for matches in their structure," said Kim Orth, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, who co-led the study with Lisa Kinch, Ph.D., a bioinformatics specialist in the Department of Molecular Biology.
Dr. Orth's lab has long focused on studying how marine and estuary bacteria cause infections. In 2016, Dr. Orth and her colleagues used biophysics to characterize the structure of two proteins called VtrA and VtrC complex that work in concert in a bacterial species known as Vibrio parahaemolyticus. She and her team then discovered the VtrA/VtrC complex in V. parahaemolyticus—which is often the cause of food poisoning from contaminated shellfish—senses bile from the bacterial cell surface, sending a signal to launch a chemical cascade that prompts this microbe to invade the intestinal cells of its human host.
Although VtrA shares some structural features with a protein called ToxR found in a related bacteria called Vibrio cholerae that causes cholera, it was unclear whether a homolog for VtrC also existed in this or any other bacteria.
"We had never seen anything like VtrC," said Dr. Kinch. "But, we thought, other proteins like it must exist."
Without any known genes with sequence identities similar to VtrC, the researchers turned to software released just two years ago called AlphaFold. This artificial intelligence program can accurately predict the structure of some proteins based on the genetic sequence that codes for them—information that previously was only gleaned through laborious work in the laboratory.
AlphaFold showed that a protein called ToxS in V. cholerae is very similar in structure to VtrC, even though the two proteins did not share any recognizable portions of their genetic sequences. When the researchers searched for proteins with similar structural features in other organisms, they found homologs for VtrC in several other enteric bacteria species responsible for human disease, including Yersinia pestis (which causes the bubonic plague) and Burkholderia pseudomallei (which causes a tropical infection called melioidosis). Each of these VtrC homologs appears to work in concert with proteins structurally similar to VtrA, suggesting that their roles could be the same as those in V. parahaemolyticus.
Dr. Orth said these structural similarities could eventually lead to pharmaceuticals that treat conditions caused by different infectious organisms that rely on similar pathogenic strategies.
Articles - Most Read
- Home
- LIVER DIS-EASE AND GALL BLADDER DIS-EASE
- Contacts
- African Wholistics - Medicines, Machines and Ignorance
- African Wholistics -The Overlooked Revolution
- African Holistics - Seduced by Ignorance and Research
- The Children of the Sun-3
- Kidney Stones-African Holistic Health
- The Serpent and the RainBow-The Jaguar - 2
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-3
- 'Tortured' and shackled pupils freed from Nigerian Islamic school
- King Leopold's Ghost - Introduction
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-4
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-2
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-5
- African Wholistics - Medicine
- Menopause
- The Black Pharaohs Nubian Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt
- The Mystery System
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-6
Who's On Line?
We have 68 guests and no members online
Ad Agency Remote
Articles - Latest
- The Male G Spot Is Real—and It's the Secret to an Unbelievable Orgasm
- Herbs for Parasitic Infections
- Vaginal Care - From Pubes to Lubes: 8 Ways to Keep Your Vagina Happy
- 5 Negative Side Effects Of Anal Sex
- Your Herbs and Spices Might Contain Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead
- Struggling COVID-19 Vaccines From AstraZeneca, BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna Cut Incidence Of Arterial Thromboses That Cause Heart Attacks, Strokes, British Study Shows
- Cartilage comfort - Natural Solutions
- Stop Overthinking Now: 18 Ways to Control Your Mind Again
- Groundbreaking method profiles gene activity in the living brain
- Top 5 health benefits of quinoa
- Chromolaena odorata - Jackanna Bush
- Quickly Drain You Lymph System Using Theses Simple Techniques to Boost Immunity and Remove Toxins
- Doctors from Nigeria 'facing exploitation' in UK
- Amaranth, callaloo, bayam, chauli
- 9 Impressive Benefits of Horsetail
- Collagen The Age-Defying Secret Of The Stars + Popular Products in 2025
- Sarcopenia With Aging
- How to Travel as a Senior (20 Simple Tips)
- Everything you need to know about mangosteen