Higher cardiovascular risk linked to toxic metals found in everyday life

 Even the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is so fucking incompetent that they missed the renaming of stroke to neurological disease.

(You're that out-of-date that you missed that

(stroke has been called neurological disease by the WHO since 2006)

instead of CVD? And you're still employed in the medical field?) No wonder stroke never gets solved, no one in stroke has two neurons to rub together for a spark of intelligence.

Higher cardiovascular risk linked to toxic metals found in everyday life

By American Heart Association News

(David Madison/Photographer's Choice RF via Getty Images)

Chronic exposure to low levels of lead, cadmium and arsenic – metals found in daily life – increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new science report.

The report, published Monday as an American Heart Association scientific statement, reviews evidence that links low or moderate levels of the contaminant metals to cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, (Absolutely appalling lack of knowledge!)coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease. The statement appeared in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Environmental toxicants have not been included with traditional risk factors for heart disease. But the growing field of environmental cardiology identifies exposure to these pollutants as modifiable risks. Research included in the report found higher urine levels of arsenic and blood levels of lead and cadmium were associated with 15%-85% higher risk for stroke and heart disease.

"Large population studies indicate that even low-level exposure to contaminant metals is near-universal and contributes to the burden of cardiovascular disease, especially heart attacks, stroke, disease of the arteries to the legs and premature death from cardiac causes," Dr. Gervasio A. Lamas, chair of the statement writing group, said in a news release. Lamas is chairman of medicine and chief of the Columbia University Division of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida.

Exposure typically happens involuntarily in day-to-day living. Lead can be found in old paint, water pipes, tobacco products, foods contaminated through groundwater and some kitchenware, cosmetics, electronics and industrial emissions. Cigarettes are a source of both lead and cadmium. 

Cadmium is found in nickel-cadmium batteries, pigments, plastic, ceramics and glassware, construction products and industrially produced fertilizers. Arsenic exposure is primarily through groundwater, which affects drinking water, soil and food grown in contaminated soil.

The metals can accumulate in the body and remain in bones and organs for decades, committee vice chair Dr. Ana Navas-Acien said in the news release.

"These metals interfere with essential biological functions and affect most populations on a global scale," said Navas-Acien, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.

The risk of exposure is higher for those who live closer to major roadways, industrial sources and hazardous waste sites. Risks are also higher for people living in older homes or areas where environmental regulations are poorly enforced.

"This is a global issue in which lower-income communities are disproportionately exposed to toxic metals through contaminated air, water and soil," Navas-Acien said. "Addressing metal exposure in these populations may provide a strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease disparities and advance environmental justice."

The statement suggested a multifaceted approach to reducing risks, including testing individuals for metal and public health measures such as monitoring environmental metal levels. The authors also suggested reducing metal exposure in tobacco and protecting community water systems and wells.

Currently, there is no standard medical therapy to counteract the vascular impact of contaminant metals, but Lamas said "cardiovascular health may be improved with … developing clinical interventions that remove metals or weaken their effects on the body."

An old NASA study gave spiders drugs to see how it affected their webs

Oh well, that toxicity from coffee/caffeine might be what is reducing my Alzheimers and Parkinsons risk.  I will take that chance.  And marijuana, I will take that chance also for recovery purposes. You may have a different opinion.

An old NASA study gave spiders drugs to see how it affected their webs

Alexandra Ma

21h

NASA; Business Insider

• A NASA article from 1995 shows just how toxic caffeine is to the brain.
• Researchers exposed spiders to a range of different chemicals — including caffeine, marijuana, and Benzedrine — and noted how differently they spin webs under the influence of each.
• Take a look at how the different webs look.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The scientific benefits — and disadvantages — of coffee are well-researched. But how much do we know about how the brain functions under the influence of caffeine?

An article in a 1995 issue of NASA Tech Briefs discussed work done by researchers at Marshall Space Flight Center to see how various substances — including caffeine — affect spider web patterns.

Read more: What happens to your body when you drink too much coffee

The researchers exposed spiders to a range of different chemicals, including caffeine, marijuana, and Benzedrine — a type of amphetamine — and noted how they spun their webs under the influence of each of those substances.

Spiders typically spin webs by producing silk from their silk glands with the help of their spinnerets, which are special organs that allow them to decide what type of thread they need at various points.

Spider webs have intricate patterns.

Flickr/cybershotking

The NASA researchers found that the more deformed the web looks compared to a normal web, the more toxic the chemical is.

Take a look at the full graphic here, and compare for yourself:

NASA

"It appears that one of the most telling measures of toxicity is a decrease, in comparison with a normal web, of the numbers of completed sides in the cells: the greater the toxicity, the more sides the spider fails to complete," the NASA article said.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly drinks coffee aboard the International Space Station in May 2016.

NASA/Reuters

That's not to say that caffeine is necessarily bad for our brains, though.

Earlier this month scientists found that drinking at least two cups of coffee a day could decrease the risk of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Read INSIDER's Julia Naftulin's report on the study here.

Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect that it's unclear how much we can infer about humans based on studies on spiders.

Potentially Toxic Magnetic Nanoparticle Pollution Found in Human Brains

Our researchers are going to have to identify those brains that have this since having this would contraindicate using magnetic direction of tPA to the clot.
This solution maybe from May, 2016.

Stroke victims' new saviour...magnetic blood: Pioneering research could transform treatment of killer condition 

Or maybe this solution from March, 2015

Magnetic nanoparticles could stop blood clot-caused strokes

The objection to these here:

 Potentially Toxic Magnetic Nanoparticle Pollution Found in Human Brains

Researchers have discovered significant quantities of potentially toxic magnetic nanoparticles in human brains, sparking fears they could lead to brain diseases.
The particles, made of a form of iron called magnetite, are produced during combustion and can reach high levels in polluted areas. A study published Sep. 5 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests these pollutants can make their way into the brain when inhaled, either through the lungs or more likely directly through the olfactory bulb, where smell is processed.
In the paper, scientists examined the brains of people who lived in Mexico City and Manchester, England, and who were subject to high levels of particulate pollution during their lives. Some of the people also had Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and researchers are concerned these particles may increase the risk for such brain diseases, says Barbara Maher, a scientist at the University of Lancaster, and the study's first author.

 

"The recognition that nanoparticles of industrially-generated magnetite are able to make their way into the brain tissues is disturbing," says Joe Kirschink, a researcher at Cal Tech, who wasn't involved in the paper. In 1992, Kirschink discovered that magnetite can be naturally produced inside the brain, where it serves as-yet unknown functions. Magnetite has also been found in the neural tissues of other animals such as birds and bumblebees, where it may be involved in navigation and recognizing the Earth's magnetic fields.
A microscopic image shows magnetic nanoparticles in the human brain. Barbara Mayer
But this internally produced material is contained within cells. Spectroscopic imaging of the particles has found them to be very small and spherical, and different in appearance from naturally-produced magnetite. These externally derived nanoparticles are however likely to be toxic to the brain, Maher says. Magnetite is a particularly concerning pollutant because it forms destructive chemicals called reactive oxygen species, which lead to damage and inflammation, she notes. The fact that it’s also magnetic could cause interactions with external magnetic fields, which may cause further problems.
Magnetite is commonly produced when combustion takes place in the presence of hot iron, as is the case in vehicle engines, stoves and in other industrial processes.
The study is a continuation of work done by Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas, who has studied the effect of particulate pollution on the brains of Mexico City residents. Her research has shown that some residents of the city exposed to high levels of particulates present in the air can have Alzheimer-like changes in the brain, as young as the teenage years.
George Perry, a prominent researcher with the University of Texas at San Antonio, says that his own work has shown that there are higher levels of magnetite within amyloid plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. These appear to be internally produced. But this study, showing that magnetite can also make it into the brain from air pollution, is "some of the strongest [evidence] yet suggesting how the environment may have an impact" on the brain.
However, all researchers emphasized that it’s as yet unclear yet if the magnetite could cause or increase the risk for Alzheimer’s disease, but Maher says it should be studied in the future.

Request Reprint or Submit Correction

‘Toxic gases’ as targets for new medicines

These 'toxic gases' already have research proving helpfulness in stroke, but because we have fucking failures of stroke associations none have been written up into stroke protocols.

9 posts on carbon monoxide helping with neurogenesis, anti-inflammation and recovery.

6 posts on hydrogen sulfide helping with stroke prevention, reduction in stroke damage, protects stem cells and helps neurogenesis.

69 posts on nitric oxide for blood pressure and anti-inflammation.

You do realize how incompetent the stroke medical world has to be to not be doing anything with these to help stroke survivors?

‘Toxic gases’ as targets for new medicines

Gases once thought of only as environmental pollutants are now known to be produced by the body. They could potentially be used to develop drugs to treat diseases including heart failure and cancer.
Think of carbon monoxide (CO) and the chances are you will recall tragic stories of poisoning caused by a gas leak. Similarly, hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and nitrogen oxide (NO) were once known only for their negative impacts.
However, decades of research have revealed that while inhaling large volumes of these gases can be dangerous, they are produced in small quantities throughout the body. Not only are they not harmful in tiny doses, it turns out these gases – known as gasotransmitters – are essential to good health .
“Many diseases are caused by too much or too little of these gases,” says Andreas Papapetropoulos, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Athens. “ Understanding their role in the body could have clinical applications .”
Professor Papapetropoulos is chair of COST Action BM1005 which has been working to identify new biological actions of gasotransmitters and translate this knowledge into gasotransmitter-related drugs. This could eventually allow doctors to restore balance where there is too much or too little of these gases.
More than 250 biologists and chemists from 23 countries have been developing methods to better measure gasotransmitters in cells and have been studying the mechanism of action of NO, CO and H₂S. They have been developing and evaluating compounds that regulate the amount of gasotransmitters in the body, in collaboration with small and medium enterprises that have experience in this field.
“One area we have identified as having real potential is cardiovascular disease,” says Professor Papapetropoulos. “ H₂S protects the heart against ischemia which occurs during a heart attack. NO also lowers blood pressure, which in turn reduces the risk of stroke.”
Prompting the body to release more of these protective gases in the heart could save lives. In the digestive system however, too much H₂S is associated with colon cancer .
“Work done by network members and others has identified H₂S-producing enzymes that are present in increased numbers in cancer. H₂S inhibitors could be used to inhibit colon and breast cancer growth and this is a subject for future preclinical and clinical study,” Professor Papapetropoulos says.
More than 40 collaborative research papers have been published as a direct result of the gasotransmitters network and a wealth of knowledge, skills, expertise and reagents have been shared among participants.
The next step for this area of study is to explore how these three gasotransmitters interact with one another. With a growing network of young researchers dedicated to this field, Europe is well-placed to capitalise on a fast-growing field.
“We have made good progress in unifying this research area in Europe and we have also contributed on a global scale. This Action has helped to make Europe the pri-mary player in this field,” says Professor Papapetropoulos.
http://www.cost.eu/media/cost_stories/toxic-gases-targets-new-medicines2