Notices by Auscandoc (auscandoc@med-mastodon.com)

Scientists make surprise finding on what causes #Huntington’s disease - National | Globalnews.ca https://globalnews.ca/news/10964360/huntington-disease-cause-new-study/ “The genetic mutation linked to Huntington’s has long been known, but scientists haven’t understood how people could have the mutation from birth, but not develop any problems until later in life.” (1/4)

Air pollution and #braindamage: what the science says https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00053-y “Study after study has shown that higher levels of #airpollution are correlated with increased risks of #dementia, as well as higher rates of #depression, #anxiety and #psychosis. Researchers have also found links to neurodevelopmental conditions, such as #autism, and #cognitivedeficits in children”

“The WHO estimates that 99% of the world’s population is exposed to pollution above recommended levels, with many cities in low- and middle-income countries having particularly bad #airquality. But it’s not just megacities, such as Mexico City and Delhi, where people face risks. “Even low-level exposure that people think is safe enough for public health is doing something at the brain level,”

“A 2023 analysis of more than 389,000 participants in the UK Biobank showed that long-term exposure to airborne particulate matter, nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide correlated with higher levels of depression and anxiety..

Last month, a 16-year study of more than 200,000 residents in Scotland found that higher cumulative nitrogen dioxide exposure was associated with increased hospital admissions for mental-health and behavioural disorders”

“Meanwhile, studies in France, the United States and China have documented that in regions where air quality has improved, there are decreased rates of dementia, cognitive decline and depression in older populations7.

Observational studies have also linked air pollution to structural changes in the brain, such as reduced hippocampal volume, that are consistent with heightened dementia risk in older adults”

Contrasts. Rules for thee…

B.C. restarts temporary mask requirements for healthcare settings https://cheknews.ca/b-c-restarts-temporary-mask-requirements-for-healthcare-settings-1232890/ “The B.C. government has reintroduced temporary #mask requirements for many #healthcare settings due to cold and flu season.

The #maskmandate is in effect for all #healthcareworkers, volunteers, contractors, patients and visitors in areas where people are “actively receiving care,”

5 things we know and still don't know about #COVID, 5 years after it appeared - Victoria Times Colonist https://www.timescolonist.com/health/5-things-we-know-and-still-dont-know-about-covid-5-years-after-it-appeared-10022329 “Five years ago, a cluster of people in Wuhan, China, fell sick with a virus never before seen in the world.

The virus is still with us, though humanity has built up immunity through vaccinations and infections. It's less deadly than it was in the pandemic's early days…. But the virus is evolving, meaning scientists must track it closely.”

Masking Fear - Wearing a #Mask -Alberta Views https://albertaviews.ca/masking-fear/ “most exasperating are the jokes and eyerolls from colleagues and family members, who seem to take my mask as a personal affront or insult. These friends and relations bug me—jokingly, but incessantly—to take it off, or tease me for what they perceive as my neurosis. I had one Senate colleague make fun of me for masking—only to tell me, in his next breath, that he was just getting over his fourth case of #COVID.”

India now outpaces China in green investments as #renewables surge | https://theprogressplaybook.com/2024/12/06/india-now-outpaces-china-in-green-investments-as-renewables-surge/ “#India has outpaced #China as a destination for clean technology funding in recent months, as efforts to boost domestic green manufacturing help attract investors.

Deals worth about $2.4 billion were completed in the third quarter, more than four times the value of those in China The momentum is being driven by India’s push to build out local clean energy capacity to limit reliance on China, “

Privatization of #Canadianhealthcare is touted as innovation—it isn’t. https://canadahealthwatch.ca/2024/02/15/privatization-of-canadian-healthcare-is-touted-as-innovation-it-isnt “According to health policy researcher Andrew Longhurst, data from Alberta demonstrates that increased #privatization of surgeries has not reduced #publichospital wait times, that it has actually diverted scarce health human resources from the public system, and has led to a 6% decline in surgical volumes across the province.”

@astro_jcm It’s always the chess move that catches me.

Repurposing EV batteries for the power grid is now a big industry | The Progress Playbook https://theprogressplaybook.com/2024/11/12/repurposing-ev-batteries-for-the-power-grid-is-now-a-big-industry/ “Canada-based #MomentEnergy plans to start work on an #EVbattery repurposing ‘gigafactory’ in early 2025 after securing $20.3 million from the US Department of Energy. (1/2)

#PublicHealth just got a lot more difficult. https://insidemedicine.substack.com/p/public-health-just-got-a-lot-more “Turning away from science should be seen as anti-American, since so much of the progress that humanity has made in medicine and health came from work done right here the States. Apparently, that’s not the way a lot of people see it. I would like to understand why that is, because I do not.” #InsideMedicine

Report: 90% of Canadians plan to spend U.S. election day rocking back and forth while moaning softly - The Beaverton https://www.thebeaverton.com/2016/11/report-90-canadians-spend-us-election-day-rocking-back-forth-moaning-softly/ “ A recent survey has revealed that 9 out of every 10 Canadians will spend the entirety of November 5 experiencing a moderate to severe panic attack, manifesting itself in curling into a ball and mumbling ‘this isn’t happening’ over and over again.” #USElection

Public opinion alone won’t save democracy | Science https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads7371 “even though voters typically express support for democratic norms in the abstract, they will often support candidates who violate those norms.” #bcpoli

Hurricane misinformation is just one piece of America’s rumor habit - The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/10/18/misinformation-social-media-hurricane-fema/

“#misinformation including about recent hurricanes is not only the work of irresponsible politicians, anti-government attitudes or #SocialMedia sites with little regard for the truth. It’s also more evidence that misinformation is a natural outgrowth of our human anxieties, turbocharged by online connections. (1/5)

@WarnerCrocker Have to admit I left it long ago.

So many excellent thoughts in this piece. “But let’s not forget that, despite the whinging of a small but loud minority, the #COVID19 #VaccineMandate was always sound policy.

The safety of patients should always take precedent over the whims of workers, and B.C. did a much better job of protecting its vulnerable citizens than Ontario or Quebec, which abandoned their provincial mandates shamefully early.” https://med-mastodon.com/@picardonhealth/112877027795801323

“The courts have also backed this view. In May, the B.C. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit by 15 unvaccinated workers who challenged the mandates. Justice Simon Coval said that while the rules may have violated the constitutional rights of some workers, that was reasonable because the 👉law was designed to protect the rights of vulnerable patients who had no choice but to be treated by these workers.”👈