Autoimmune Diseases Linked to the Black Plague

The Black Death was an unimaginable pandemic that swept through Europe in the mid-1300s, resulting in catastrophic and severe mortality of the global population at the time. The seven-year plague was responsible for up to 200 million deaths, a significantly more significant impact than the current coronavirus pandemic responsible for around less than 6.6 million deaths. Researchers studying gene mutations and modern human DNA recently discovered links between historic Black Death survivors and autoimmune diseases currently affecting millions of people.  

The significance of the Black Death’s impact at the time also coincides with a much smaller global population of around 392 million people, explaining why the plague had such an enormous impact and required centuries for the world to recover from the devastation. The plague was responsible for removing 30 to 60 percent of the European population at the time, meaning many modern humans of European descent originated from the remaining survivors. 

The enormity of the plague’s impact shaped humanity’s evolution, forcing the selection of survivable traits, which the researchers could observe in skeletal remains and descendants of the survivors. DNA analyses from the skeletons of plague survivors discovered genetic mutations that may have been the reason for greater individual survivability. The DNA study published in Nature found a series of mutations around the ERAP2 gene, equating to a 40 percent greater chance of surviving the plague for sampled individuals. 

The ERAP2 gene is responsible for generating proteins that divide and disperse invading microbes to immune system defenses, allowing it to recognize and neutralize invaders effectively. Survivors of the plague had mutations creating a high-functioning version of the gene, allowing their immune systems to overcome any infections by the deadly disease better. These plague-resistant mutations are still prevalent in today’s modern society as they were passed down through generations. However, modern-day humans may be inadvertently affected by those same high-functioning qualities of the mutations.

The massive impact the Black Death had on earlier human populations has continued to affect modern-day society, implicating descendants of survivors with damaging health consequences. Scientists discovered the increased protein production from the high-functioning gene can be linked to various autoimmune disorders like the damaging inflammatory bowel disease called Chrons. Increased protein production by the specific genes consequently has a negative implication forcing the body to damage itself in response to minor microbial invasions or even the lack thereof. The correlation of the plague’s evolutionary impact to modern autoimmune diseases is baffling but will potentially lead to discoveries regarding these diseases’ origins and treatment. 

Human DNA studies are incredibly complex as they attempt to understand many factors like mutations, environmental pressure, survivability, and inheritance. Similar consequences caused by the Black Death are improbable in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Future descendants of covid survivors will not likely need to address mutation complications because of the low significant impact on global populations and the disease’s inability to impact humans over a diverse age spectrum. Coronavirus-19 statistically has the most significant impact on older people, with deaths over 65 accounting for more than 75 percent globally.

Increasing Shipping Tolls to Inflate Medical Supply Costs in 2023

Increasing transit tolls for passage through the Suez Canal may result in increased costs associated with healthcare, medical products, and various other consumer industries. The Suez Canal will increase its toll rates for ships using the maritime route connecting Europe to Asia. Expected increases will begin in January of 2023, raising vessel toll rates by 15% for freighters and 10% for dry cargo and cruise ships. Amidst the ongoing pandemic conditions still affecting many regions of the world, access to affordable healthcare and medical products will inevitably succumb to increases as almost 90% of global trade is facilitated through the vital canal. 

The geographic significance of the Suez Canal places it centrally between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Before its development essential commodities, medicine, and health supplies had to make the arduous journey around Africa’s Cape Horn. Bypassing the southern route for the Suez Canal can reduce shipping time by more than seven days and save substantial money. The decision for the increased toll rates for this vital shipping route arose as higher than average rates of vessel traffic returned amid pandemic recovery, technological advancement in vessel utilization, and continued impacts facing congested shipping ports globally. 

The Suez Canal is often described as the artery at the heart of global trade because a majority of trade is facilitated through the canal that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. The canal observed more than 12% of all global trade and 30% of global container traffic each year. These large shipping containers utilize the much faster route to rapidly deliver critical commercial goods, energy, medicine, and industrial components. 

As the coronavirus spread globally in early 2020, catastrophic maritime operation reductions in many ports forced freighters to opt for longer routes affecting their deliveries. The massive redirection of freighters during this time congested areas like the Suez, inadvertently forcing ships into smaller ports not designed to accommodate such a large influx of activity. The effects left medical professionals and the public without access to vital medications, tools, and equipment during a worldwide pandemic. The results of the congestion are still unraveling today, reinforced by the recent canal blockage by a cargo freighter in early 2021. The ship got stuck traversing the canal, blocking any passage by other vessels in the queue. Without an active channel to transport the ships, a gridlock of more than 100 vessels piled up on both sides of the canal, further contributing to the already delayed global trade industry. 

After the 2021 blockage was cleared and signs of the pandemic began relaxing, maritime shipping rapidly increased past former heights as countries attempted to account for the economic losses of the last few years. This rapid traffic influx forced the canal to support the passage of more than 50 vessels per day. Additional advancements in vessel utilization has greatly improved larger freighter’s overall performance, extending their transport range and volume. The canal managers are worried that without adequate funding to support the growing daily use of the route, more accidents like the blockage of 2021 will occur and contribute to future stock shortages, delays, and restricted access to healthcare tools.  

It is highly likely the health industries will face price inflation as the cost of consumer goods increase to match shipping costs. More than $1 trillion USD worth of global commerce industry goods pass through the canal each year. Potential welfare effects may impact less developed regions as healthcare costs also increase to afford inflated medical supply costs. Additional revenue generated by the 2023 toll increases is expected to reinforce the canal, prevent future blockages, and maintain increasing influxes of global traffic. Whatever changes American consumers face regarding the toll increases, the associated costs will still be more affordable than any commodity delivered via longer alternative shipping routes.

EPA Designates Forever Chemicals as Hazardous Substances

Synthetic human-made chemicals called PFAS have been rapidly infiltrating many of the world’s vital water supplies, damaging Earth’s environment in the process. These per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are incredibly difficult to break down, often lasting for thousands of years, even contaminating rainfall in certain regions. With increasing knowledge over the last few decades, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to submit an official proposal to classify many of these chemicals as hazardous substances, influencing many additional federal protocols associated with their use and disposal. The decision also comes as new research has been exploring better ways for PFAS management and disposal. 

Many PFAS are common household products like cooking pans, oils, cleaning supplies, and abrasives. PFAS chemicals often produce coatings and products that can repel water, oil, heat, and grease. The chemicals are dangerous because they break down slowly and have been observed leaching into water and soil, leaving trace amounts detectable in the blood of humans and animals. 

Recent studies about the effects of exposure to PFAS suggest earlier assumptions were incredibly limited concerning the risks and knowledge of dangerous exposure levels. Prolonged exposure can result in reproductive complications, heart issues, respiratory disease, cancer, and immunosuppressant responses in communities. PFAS causes various complications as they primarily settle in the body’s blood, kidneys, and liver. These chemicals have been in the commercial market since the 1940s, and previous studies suggest they are present in more than 98 percent of the US population. 

The EPA’s submitted proposal will list at least two of these harmful PFAS as hazardous substances, encouraging effective waste management at facilities that handle these chemicals, with much more likely to be added later. The Federal Drug Administration and many chemical manufacturers have already voluntarily phased out the use of these chemicals, especially in commodities that deal directly with food products. However, the unfortunate reality still suggests more than 70 percent of imported products still contain remnants of older PFAS. Since these chemicals are so slow to break down, they easily contaminate products transported into air, dust, food, ground soil, and water.  

The EPA’s decision to begin managing PFAS use and disposal has had to navigate complicated relationships with the prominent chemical industry leaders, but at the neglect of community and environmental health. Critics of the EPA’s new proposal claim the action is a little too late, without any real repercussions or plans to mitigate the damages from the prolonged incorporation of these harmful chemicals in American communities. The other misfall of the EPA’s new proposal is that it fails to address any future solutions, only acknowledging current problems and only a few harmful PFAS. 

There is little acknowledgment in the proposal to develop plans for future mitigation as these hazardous chemicals continue to leach into the environment and are already waning vital resources of fresh water. Although the proposal may lack future mitigation efforts, chemical scientists have been researching how to dispose of these chemicals effectively, and there may still be some good news. 

Scientists have discovered that effective use of heat in contaminated water can initiate a chemical reaction to break down the strong PFAS bonds, removing them from the water without any remaining byproducts. This new information means water processing plants can effectively remove the harmful PFAS from water without releasing any byproducts into the environment, gradually diminishing their communal effects globally.

Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Polarizing Employee Health Risks in America

A new study published by Hinge Health, State of MSK 2022, recently investigated the alarming percentage of American employees experiencing musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and currently seeking treatment. The published study surveyed more than 252 million American citizens, defying the alarming statistic that every 1 in 2 Americans experiences some form of chronic MSK. 

Industries, where employees are constantly exposed to MSK diagnoses include software businesses, utility management, retail, transportation, hospitality, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, education, and more. The most afflicted industries often require employees to conduct hard manual labor or remain inactive in sedentary positions for long periods of the day.

MSK is commonly observed in full-time employees as back, neck, shoulder, and other musculoskeletal pain. These symptoms often accompany the hazards associated with sitting and working at a desk, impacting the employee over long periods. The study also analyzed the economic expenditure on MSK-related inquiries and discovered its national costs have more than doubled over the last decade. The cost to treat MSK is one of the third largest industries in the United States healthcare system, totaling more than $600 billion annually.

The Hinge study also acknowledged that the driving factor behind increasing costs is the undeniable connection between MSK and mental health treatments, as affected employees often use double the average worker’s sick days.  The average worker misses 8.2 days of work, while employees experiencing symptoms of MSK miss up to 13 days annually to deal with their treatment and mental health. The sheer absence of millions of workers for extended durations of time throughout the annual work year alone costs businesses and the greater US economy millions of dollars.

The impacts of MSK are affecting many aspects of employee health and welfare in the United States, as medical costs and health inequities continue to increase. Access to MSK-associated healthcare, medicines, and affordable treatments have continued to drive up prices, far surpassing the economic costs shared by employers to treat other ailments like heart disease ($309 billion), cancer ($243 billion), and diabetes ($188 billion). It is no surprise that medical costs, insurance, and access to treatments have all become a much larger burden on the lower and middle working class of America.

The nuances of MSK and its lack of study have also prevented many employer insurance companies from effectively covering their employee’s risk of MSK exposure and rehabilitation. The lack of understanding has only recently resulted in studies highlighting the close relation to employee mental health and welfare. Chronic pain can often intensify mental challenges resulting in increased anxiety and depression, worsening the MSK symptoms. Many health insurances fail to fill the gap in social and behavioral support needed to recuperate from mental health symptoms associated with the effects of chronic MSK in the workplace. 

Solutions recommended by the Hinge report and other health professionals suggest filling the gaps in coverage by addressing issues with physical recovery, behavioral support, and medical services. Remote care and support are ultimately important in treating the patient’s physical self-care and mental health. With digital accessibility at an all-time high, connecting patients to health professionals is easier than ever, and acquiring the kind of frequent care needed to recover from MSK complications entirely. 

California in the Dark Amidst Environmental Regulations

Californians are sweating, and in the dark as sweeping new environmental regulations, healthcare, and climate change contribute to rolling blackouts across the state. California is home to the world’s fifth-largest economy, boasting a GDP of more than 3.4 trillion USD. The state is occupied by more than 39 million people and accommodates more than 213 million people annually. 

This state has had its fair share of financial difficulties accommodating such large population sizes as global climate change continues to increase environmental pressures on the region’s resource accessibility. Many of California’s largest cities have suffered ongoing climate changes that have reduced accessible water, energy, and moderate temperatures. The majority of California’s resources are delegated to the densely populated lower two-thirds of the state, where problems were initially acknowledged more than 100 years ago when people started mass settling in the early 1900s. 

Sweeping environmental and renewable energy reforms over the last decade have put the state in a place where it can supply most of its energy needs with solar power during the day. However, the energy storage from the solar sources is insufficient to supply the large demographic at night and in the summer, leading to rolling blackouts and intermittent periods of energy shortages. These unfortunate events often happen during the summer when extremely high temperatures in the state's southern portion exacerbate high energy usage, often fueling high taxing air conditioning units in both the private and public sectors. 

The lack of adequate energy resources and continued climate change increasing environmental pressures on the region have forced lawmakers like California governor Gavin Newsom to sign bills facilitating the implementation of fossil fuel subsidies. The fossil fuel legislation contradicts many of the environmental principles California is slowly shifting toward as they move toward a green economy. The governor argues that the state’s use of fossil fuels is necessary and unavoidable as the current renewable sources do not have the facilities to accommodate the state’s needs effectively. He told reporters that these fossil fuel bills are simply buying time for the state’s residents until additional renewable storage facilities can be produced.

Proponents on the fossil fuel side of the debate argue that the governor’s new legislation proves the state needs to utilize already established oil and gas industries instead of completely switching prematurely to renewables before the industry is fully developed. Energy shortages can be extremely detrimental and even deadly, especially with summer temperatures often exceeding more than 86 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Environmental groups have also criticized the state’s decisions explaining there would have been adequate renewable storage facilities available in the state had moved faster to establish the industry amidst earlier concerns and initial environmental legislation. Many environmentalists also argue the new bills lack clearly observed limits to prevent fossil fuel expansion across the state, and reduced regulations on industry leader’s development protocols can significantly impact local environments. 

Building an electrical infrastructure will be an environmentally safe and effective method for reducing fossil fuel use. California is among the first states to lead the movement and the system’s complex logistical problems. There are many sides to the debate, but the current industry is not supplying enough energy for California residents and businesses.