Apheresis May Sweep Microplastics From Veins
These particles can originate from the breakdown of larger plastic items or be intentionally manufactured for use in products, such as cosmetics, synthetic fabrics, and pharmaceuticals. Recent studies suggest that the human brain may contain up to a teaspoon of microplastics and nanoplastics, with the tiniest fragments primarily composed of polyethylene, the same material commonly used in plastic bags and food packaging.
These particles have been detected in areas such as the walls of blood vessels in the brain and within immune cells. However, it remains unclear whether microplastics contribute to the progression of neurological diseases or whether these conditions render the brain more susceptible to particle infiltration. In animal studies involving fish and rodents, prolonged exposure to nanoplastics has been linked to memory impairment, brain inflammation, and alterations in synaptic protein levels.
Beyond the brain, microplastics have been found in human feces, arterial plaques, and even the placenta. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine linked the presence of microplastics in the arteries to a heightened risk for heart attack, stroke, and overall mortality.
Therapeutic Apheresis
According to a preliminary study published in Brain Medicine by researchers at Technische Universität Dresden in Dresden, Germany, therapeutic apheresis, a medical procedure that filters tiny particles from the blood, may help remove microplastics from the human body. The technique can capture particles as small as 200 nanometers, which is approximately 5000 times smaller than a millimeter.
In this study, the researchers evaluated the procedure in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. They analyzed the waste fluid discarded during apheresis using a specialized infrared spectroscopy technique.
The analysis detected substances that matched the chemical signatures of polyamide and polyurethane, two common types of industrial plastics. This suggests that microplastics may have been successfully removed from the blood of patients during the procedure.
Notably, this study did not measure the total amount of microplastics removed or compare their levels in patients before and after apheresis. What has been demonstrated so far is the presence of microplastics in the waste material discarded by the device — an observation that suggests, but does not yet confirm, the effective removal of these substances from the human body.
Researchers have cautioned that the detected materials may reflect chemical structures common to proteins, meaning that further analysis is required to verify the exact nature of the removed particles. Nonetheless, the findings offer hope to researchers seeking to address the growing accumulation of microplastics in the human body.
The authors recommended conducting studies with larger groups and quantitative analyses comparing the levels of microplastics in the blood before and after the procedures. The authors concluded that 'such analyses will help determine particle removal from blood and tissues and assess correlations with symptom improvement in conditions like myalgia encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.'
Alternative Approaches
Currently, evidence that microplastics are effectively removed from the human body after ingestion is limited.
A 2011 study examined bisphenol A (BPA) levels in blood, sweat, and urine samples from 20 individuals. In 16 cases, BPA appeared only in sweat, suggesting that induced perspiration may help eliminate certain compounds from the body. However, more studies are needed to assess its long-term safety and efficacy.
'That is why we focus on reducing exposure to microplastics in the first place,' said Nicholas Fabiano, MD, a psychiatry resident at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and co-author of a related article in Brain Medicine .
The challenge of this research began with tracking the effects of microplastic particles. 'From a clinical perspective, it is very difficult to establish a direct link between exposure to microplastics and adverse health outcomes,' said Fabiano.
To address this, he advocated the creation of new tools to measure dietary risks, such as a dietary microplastic index. 'We propose the development of a Dietary Microplastic Index that could be integrated with existing dietary risk assessment tools to estimate microplastic exposure based on the types of food consumed,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Brain-eating amoebas are rare. But hot weather increases the risk.
Hot temperatures send many of us straight to the nearest source of water to cool off, whether that's a pool, beach, lake or backyard splash pad. But if you've heard reports about a so-called 'brain-eating' amoeba that lives in fresh water, you might be questioning how safe it really is to go for that dip.
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
New Wearable Algorithm Improves Fitness Tracking in Obesity
A new algorithm enabled smartwatch fitness trackers to more accurately estimate energy expenditure by individuals with obesity. In two studies conducted in a total of 52 people for 1838 minutes in a lab and 14,045 minutes in a 'free-living' situation, the algorithm performed mostly as well or better than 11 'gold-standard' algorithms designed by other researchers using research-grade devices, achieving over 95% accuracy in people with obesity in real-world situations. The algorithm bridges an important gap in fitness technology — that most wearable devices are using algorithms validated mainly in people without obesity, said Nabil Alshurafa, PhD, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, in Chicago. Alshurafa was motivated to create the algorithm after attending an exercise class with his mother-in-law, who had obesity. His mother-in-law worked hard, but her effort barely showed on the leaderboard. He realized that most current fitness trackers use activity-monitoring algorithms developed for people without obesity. 'Commercial devices calibrate their accelerometer-to-calorie models using data mostly from people with normal BMI, using algorithms that rely on 'average' gait and metabolism,' he told Medscape Medical News. 'But people with obesity are known to exhibit differences in walking gait, speed, resting energy expenditure, and physical function. When you feed 'average' motion to kcal [kilocalories] mappings for people with different gait patterns, the math does not always line up.' This may be particularly true for people with obesity who wear fitness trackers throughout the day on their hip, rather than their wrist, because of differences in gait patterns and other body movements. The study was published online in Scientific Reports . The anonymized dataset and code and documentation are publicly available for use by other researchers. 'More Inclusive and Reliable' Researchers in Alshurafa's lab developed and tested the open-source, dominant-wrist algorithm specifically tuned for people with obesity. The algorithm estimated metabolic equivalent of task (MET) values per minute from commercial smartwatch sensor data and compared them to actigraphy-based energy estimates in people with obesity. In an in-lab study, 27 participants performed activities of varying intensities while wearing a smartwatch and a metabolic cart — a mask that measures the volume of oxygen the wearer inhales and the volume of carbon dioxide the wearer exhales to calculate their energy burn in kcals and their resting metabolic rate. The activities included, among others, typing on a computer, lying still on the floor doing nothing, walking slowly on a treadmill, doing pushups against a door, and following along with an aerobics video. Each activity was performed for 5 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of rest. The researchers compared the fitness tracker results against the metabolic cart results. Another 25 participants wore a smartwatch and a body camera for 2 days in a free-living study. The body camera enabled the researchers to visually confirm when the algorithm over- or under-estimated kcals. The in-lab analysis included 2189 minutes of data and the free-living analysis included 14,045 minutes of data. Compared to the metabolic cart, the new algorithm achieved lower root mean square error across various sliding windows (analyses of continuous and overlapping data streams). In the free-living study, the algorithm's estimates fell within ±1.96 SDs of the best actigraphy-based estimates for 95.03% of minutes. 'Our proposed method accurately estimated METs compared to 11 algorithms primarily validated in nonobese populations, suggesting that commercial wrist-worn devices can provide more inclusive and reliable [energy expenditure] measures using our algorithm,' the authors wrote. Challenges Ahead More work needs to be done before apps for iOS and android driven by the new algorithm are available for use later this year, Alshurafa said. Because the model is tuned for users with obesity, 'we need a reliable way to obtain BMI or body composition, and possibly ways of turning on and off the algorithm over time or perhaps modifying the algorithm as people's fitness level changes.' 'Because we've optimized for the dominant hand, we'll need clear user guidance, and possibly user-interface prompts, to drive this cultural shift in watch placement,' he said. To ensure accuracy across diverse users, activities, and wear styles, the team will conduct field testing and pool anonymized data. 'Power, size, and regulatory requirements may force trade-offs, so we'll work closely with device manufacturers on adaptive calibration routines and streamlined firmware,' Alshurafa said. 'But the real priority is training and tailoring our systems on truly diverse data and being transparent about who's represented in that data. Too many commercial devices skip this, leading users to assume they work universally when their models actually have limitations.' For now, clinicians should be aware that the app has only been validated so far in individuals with obesity wearing their tracker on the dominant wrist and use outside that population or on the nondominant wrist may yield less accurate calorie estimates, he added. 'Beyond those parameters, though, the algorithm is ready for deployment and offers a powerful new tool for personalized activity monitoring.' Mir Ali, MD, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, agreed that an algorithm that more accurately reflects exercise and energy expenditure of patients with obesity would be helpful, and that 'any improvements' would likely be beneficial for patients and clinicians. That said, 'a larger study comparing the new algorithm vs currently available devices would provide more validation,' Ali, who was not involved in the study, told Medscape Medical News . In addition, 'research elucidating exercise goals and calorie expenditure for obese patients could be helpful to better counsel patients on what is the optimal goal for weight loss,' he said. Ali noted that 'trackers for heart disease and pulmonary problems may be useful to help patients attain cardio-pulmonary improvement' — and indeed, Alshurafa's team will be looking at ways to tailor fitness trackers for diabetes and hypertension going forward. This study is based on work supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Alshurafa and Ali declared no competing interests.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NASA Wants to Bring Livestreams to Netflix
Starting in summer 2025, Netflix will expand its offerings with an unusual collaboration: The U.S. space agency NASA will bring its livestream program NASA+ to the streaming platform. With a new partnership, NASA is taking another step to make its content accessible to a global audience: Starting in summer 2025, NASA+'s live programming will also be available on Netflix. The partnership with Netflix expands this offering with additional reach–especially on devices where the NASA app was previously unavailable. The NASA+ livestreams will soon appear on the regular Netflix interface, right alongside series and movies. Users will be able to stream real-time broadcasts of missions, spacewalks, and spectacular views of Earth from 400 kilometers above. Rocket launches will also be regularly available live. There is no additional cost for users; the offering is included in all Netflix subscriptions and is ad-free. NASA aims to strengthen interest in science and space exploration through this partnership. 'Our mission is to tell the story of space exploration to the widest possible audience,' explains Rebecca Sirmons, General Manager of NASA+. The partnership with Netflix is a step into a 'golden era of innovation and discovery,' Sirmons adds. For years, the agency has relied on audiovisual content to showcase its work. The new presence on Netflix is intended to elevate this approach to a new level. For Netflix, the collaboration with NASA also means an expansion of its live offerings. The streaming service has increasingly invested in live formats such as sports broadcasts and show events in recent months. The NASA+ livestreams fit into this strategy and simultaneously open up a new thematic field. Also read: Netflix Reveals All New Releases for July Another advantage of the Netflix integration is broader device availability. While the NASA app is available on platforms like iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV, it has been missing on gaming consoles and certain smart TVs. By integrating with Netflix, users of such devices can access NASA content without additional app installation or registration. Specific launch dates and program details for NASA+ livestreams on Netflix will be announced in the coming weeks. Netflix mentions only that NASA+ content will be available by the end of the summer. Until then, access to NASA+ remains available through the agency's website and official apps. However, the partnership with Netflix already marks a significant step in making space exploration more visible to a global audience. The post NASA Wants to Bring Livestreams to Netflix appeared first on TECHBOOK.
