Chlorine disinfectant is no more effective than water at killing off hospital superbug, new study shows
Nov 2023, phys.org
The study examined spore response of three different strains of C. diff to three clinical in-use concentrations of sodium hypochlorite. The spores were then spiked onto surgical scrubs and patient gowns, examined using scanning electron microscopes to establish if there were any morphological changes to the outer spore coat.
The chlorine chemicals are no more effective at damaging the spores when used as a surface disinfectant - than using water with no additives.
via University of Plymouth: Clostridioides difficile spores tolerate disinfection with Sodium hypochlorite disinfectant and remain viable within surgical scrubs and gown fabrics, Microbiology (2023). DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001418
Plastic pollution from cigarette butts likely costs $26 billion/year
Nov 2023, phys.org
Cigarette filters are the most common item of rubbish collected on the planet. They are also made of single-use plastic.
The total figure reflects cost estimates of cleanup and disposal (adjusted for inflation) of the total plastic generated by filtered cigarette sales potentially ending up as waste in the sea, landfills, or in the environment.
The estimated annual global economic cost of cigarette plastics waste is around $26 billion, made up of $20.7 billion in marine ecosystem damage and $5 billion in waste management costs, adding up to an adjusted $186 billion over 10 years.
The pollution estimates don't account for the toxic metals and chemicals in cigarette butts that accrue over time, making them more harmful than general plastic waste.
Find the source yourself but I'm pretty sure cigarette butts were fake ever since they started, as a way for the industry to evade responsibility for the public health danger caused by their products, and they were originally made of asbestos (made of asbestos).
via the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control in Thailand: Deborah K Sy, Tobacco industry accountability for marine pollution: country and global estimates, Tobacco Control (2023). DOI: 10.1136/tc-2022-057795
The silver bullet that wasn't: Glyphosate's declining weed control over 25 years
Dec 202,3 phys.org
Although glyphosate provided superior weed control in the early years, most of the weeds in the dataset showed signs of adaptation to the chemical in just two to three years. Within a decade, weeds were up to 31.6% less responsive to glyphosate, with further linear declines as time went on.
via University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Christopher Landau et al, The silver bullet that wasn't: Rapid agronomic weed adaptations to glyphosate in North America, PNAS Nexus (2023). DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad338
Scientists use high-tech brain stimulation to make people more hypnotizable
Jan 2024, phys.org
Don't tell
Approximately two-thirds of adults are at least somewhat hypnotizable, and 15% are considered highly hypnotizable, meaning they score 9 or 10 on a standard 10-point measure of hypnotizability.
Researchers found that highly hypnotizable people had stronger functional connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is involved in information processing and decision making; and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, involved in detecting stimuli.
"It made sense that people who naturally coordinate activity between these two regions would be able to concentrate more intently," Spiegel said. "It's because you're coordinating what you are focusing on with the system that distracts you."
Then they looked at whether neurostimulation could change hypnotizability. They found 80 participants with fibromyalgia, excluded those who were already highly hypnotizable, and gave half transcranial magnetic stimulation, where the exact locations depended on the unique structure and activity of each person's brain. They showed a statistically significant increase in hypnotizability, and that effect wore off an hour later.
via Stanford University Medical Center: Stanford Hypnosis Integrated with Functional Connectivity-targeted Transcranial Stimulation (SHIFT): a preregistered randomized controlled trial, Nature Mental Health DOI: 10.1038/s44220-023-00184-z
Eye signage in surgical theater areas has potential to decrease incivility
Jan 2024, phys.org
We knew this, just a reminder - a picture of eyes made people behave better; it's the perception of being "watched," even though the eyes were not real, that changed people's behavior.
via University of South Australia: Cheri Ostroff et al, Eyes on incivility in surgical teams: Teamwork, well-being, and an intervention, PLOS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295271
