Tag Archives: Pathways

Discover the unusual pathways microplastics can enter your body

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Studies have shown the alarming extent of microplastics traveling through our bodies.

Scientists have discovered tiny plastic particles in various parts of the human body, such as the lungs, testicles, placenta, and even breast milk. The ingestion and inhalation of microplastics can lead to allergic reactions, inflammation, and an increased risk of certain diseases. You can find more information here.

There are concerns about the possibility of absorbing plastic through the skin when washing synthetic clothing, as it emits microplastics that are smaller than 5 mm. Research is ongoing to determine if there are any risks associated with skin contact with plastic fibers. While the skin is a natural barrier that protects us from the outside world, there is evidence suggesting that some chemical additives in certain products can be absorbed into the skin. Learn more here.

It is generally believed that microplastics cannot penetrate the outermost layer of the skin – Credit: Svetlozar Hristov

While microplastics can get trapped in hair follicles and wrinkles, they are not thought to be able to reach other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Some flame retardants in various products have been shown to pass through the skin barrier and enter the bloodstream, albeit in low levels. Find out more here.

This article addresses the question posed by Natalie Reid from London: Can plastics and chemicals be absorbed through the skin?

If you have any inquiries, please contact us at: questions@sciencefocus.comor reach out to us via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (remember to include your name and location).

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Cocaine seems to exploit brain pathways that prioritize food and water.

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Diagram of the human brain reward pathway

Fernando da Cunha/Science Photo Library

Continued use of drugs such as cocaine and morphine is thought to affect the way the brain prioritizes the body’s basic needs, but we are only now understanding how this happens.

When people repeatedly misuse drugs, they can experience long-term behavioral changes, where they choose to take drugs instead of doing what they need to do, such as eating or drinking.

A brain pathway called the mesolimbic reward system is thought to be involved in this process, but few studies have directly compared the system’s response to drug intake and its response when its innate needs are not met.

now, bowen tan from Rockefeller University in New York and colleagues showed that the same neurons are activated in these two situations. They revealed this using sophisticated microscopy equipment that can track the activity of individual neurons in the brains of mice in a state of withdrawal after repeated exposure to these drugs.

“There has long been a debate in this field about whether there are specialized cell types that encode only drug value and specialized cell types that encode only natural reward value,” Tan said. To tell. “What we saw is that these drugs of abuse typically activate the same set of neurons as natural rewards.”

The researchers also observed that after giving mice cocaine or morphine, their food and water intake decreased, while the neural responses needed to satisfy basic needs were disrupted.

“What’s really remarkable about this finding is that the strong neural responses to food and water are almost replaced by responses to drugs,” he says. Jeremy Day At the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “[This suggests] Drug rewards can override the way the brain converts desire states into behaviors that satisfy those desires.”

Tan and his team also identified a gene called.Rev which appears to be necessary for the drug to have this effect. Rev Because it is part of a cell signaling pathway that is also found in humans, future research could explore how inhibiting this pathway could be used as a treatment for substance misuse, he said. To tell.

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Source: www.newscientist.com