A new study has found a worrying link between high levels of air pollution and osteoporosis.
The risk of osteoporosis increases with age, and it is particularly common in postmenopausal women.
In a study recently published in The Lancet medical journal , data was collected on a diverse group of 9,041 postmenopausal women over a period of 6 years.
Using home addresses to estimate the amounts of nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and PM10 particulate matter, the researchers found that as pollution rose, bone mineral density decreased throughout the body, including in the neck, spine and hip.
"Our findings confirm that poor air quality may be a risk factor for bone loss, regardless of socioeconomic or demographic factors," says biomedical scientist Didier Prada, of Columbia University in New York.
The study sheds light on the relationship between nitrogen and the backbone. A 10 percent increase in this type of pollution over three years was associated with an average annual loss of 1.22 percent in bone mineral density in the spine, double the amount caused by normal aging.
According to the researchers, this is due to the death of bone cells caused by mechanisms including oxidative stress, in which toxic molecules in the environment cause damage to the body.
Although the study was intended for postmenopausal women, it also included a wide range of ethnic groups, locations, lifestyles, and socioeconomic backgrounds, raising the possibility that pollution levels may be the underlying cause of a large proportion of recent human bone density loss.
Source: The Lancet medical journal
A Russian cream of spider and silkworm proteins to treat and rejuvenate the skin
A source at the National Technology Initiative platform said, "A startup company for students from Petersburg has designed a cream of spider web proteins to treat and rejuvenate the skin."
The source added: “SilkIns, a startup out of the research ITMO University in Petersburg, has designed proteins from the spider’s web that are added to creams used to treat wounds and remove skin blemishes and acne by stimulating processes within cells, all within one to two weeks.
According to the source, in the basis of the new medicinal preparation, a protein obtained from the silk of tarantula spiders and silkworms. These insects give a special, distinct substance from which, upon correct treatment, a heterogeneous mixture can be obtained, which is used to prepare the cream later.
And the source confirms that the new therapeutic product helps to accelerate the renewal of facial skin cells, and it also treats wounds and burns, removes age spots, and renews skin color within two weeks.
Source: Novosti