Mothers can pass on allergies to babies in the womb

10/11/2020 0 Comments read Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 10.11.20 (SciDev.Net): Mothers can pass on allergies to offspring while they are developing in the womb and that is one reason why babies exhibit allergies early in life, according to a Singapore preclinical study.

Findings from the research published 30 October in Science show that the key antibody, immunoglobulin E (IgE), responsible for triggering allergic reactions, can enter the foetus from the mother’s body through the placenta. Once inside the foetus, it binds with foetal mast cells which are immune cells responsible for causing allergic reactions, such as runny noses and asthma.

Globally, 10—30 per cent of the population is affected by allergies and this number continues to increase. The sensitisation rates for allergies in school children are close to 40—50 per cent, according to the World Allergy Organization White Book on Allergy 2013 update.

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Waste to wealth with new generation nanocatalyst

05/11/2020 0 Comments read Health & Science

Asha Shravan cooking in Khejarli Village near Jodhpur in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 05.11.2020 (SciDev.Net): Researchers have developed a new and cheaper method of recycling used cooking oil and agricultural waste into biodiesel, which also has the potential to efficiently convert food scraps, micro-plastics and old tyres into valuable molecules used in medicines, fertilisers and biodegradable packaging.

The findings of the research, an international collaboration led by RMIT University in Melbourne (Australia) published 26 October in Nature Catalysis, point to the multifunctional properties of the new and more efficient catalyst, a highly porous, micron-sized ceramic sponge that contains different specialised active components that accelerate chemical reactions. Molecules enter the sponge through large pores, where they undergo the first chemical reaction, and then pass into smaller pores to undergo the second reaction with the help of nanoparticles.

“Biodiesel is currently manufactured using soluble catalysts (substances that accelerate chemical reactions). These are difficult to recover (for reuse) from the fuel product, can corrode engines and are rapidly ‘poisoned’ by contaminants present in the oil feedstocks,” says Adam Lee, co-lead investigator and professor of sustainable chemistry at RMIT University.

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Air pollution a co-factor in COVID-19 mortality

03/11/2020 0 Comments read Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 03.11.2020 (SciDev.Net): Long-term exposure to air pollution generated by human activity is linked to about 27 per cent of COVID-19 related deaths in East Asia, and 15 per cent mortality in South Asia and worldwide. These deaths could be largely prevented by adopting air quality regulations, says a new study.

Published in Cardiovascular Research on 27 October, the study estimates for each country the proportion of deaths from coronavirus that could be attributed to anthropogenic pollution.

Ninety-one per cent of the world’s population lives in places where air quality exceeds the World Health Organisation guideline limits. Around 2.3 billion people in the Asia Pacific region, which has some of the highest recorded levels of air pollution, are exposed to air pollution levels several times the WHO guideline for safe air.

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