Current Affairs: Passage of the Day - 19 April 2024 | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Moderate level of fine particle pollution is associated with a 56 per cent higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, new research in the US has found.
Previous studies have shown that fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, can cause inflammation in the brain, which is "a known mechanism by which Parkinson's disease could develop," according to lead researcher Brittany Krzyzanowski from Barrow Neurological Institute, Arizona.
The researchers also found that the relationship between air pollution and Parkinson's disease was not the same in every part of the country and that it varied in strength by region. They have published their findings in the journal Neurology.
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system characterised by tremors and impaired muscular coordination.
In this study, the researchers identified nearly 90,000 people with the neurological disease from the US's Medicare dataset of about 22 million people. Those identified were then geocoded to the neighbourhood of their residence, which enabled the researchers to calculate the rates of the disease within each region.
The average annual concentrations of fine particulate matter in these specific regions were also calculated.
Thus, the researchers at Barrow were able to identify an association between a person's previous exposure to fine particulate matter and their later risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
They found that the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley was a Parkinson's disease hotspot, along with other US states including central North Dakota, parts of Texas, Kansas, eastern Michigan, and parts of Florida.
Further, people living in the western half of the US were found to be at a reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease compared with the rest of the nation.
"Regional differences in Parkinson's disease might reflect regional differences in the composition of the particulate matter. Some areas may have particulate matter containing more toxic components compared to other areas," said Krzyzanowski.
Although the authors had not explored the different sources of air pollution, Krzyzanowski noted there was relatively high road network density in the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley and the rust belt makes up part of this region as well.
"This means that the pollution in these areas may contain more combustion particles from traffic and heavy metals from manufacturing which have been linked to cell death in the part of the brain involved in Parkinson's disease," said the lead researcher.
The researchers said that such population-based geographic studies had the potential to reveal important insight into the role of environmental toxins in the development and progression of Parkinson's.
"These same methods can be applied to explore other neurological health outcomes as well," said Krzyzanowski.
The team hopes that the study findings will help enforce stricter policies aimed at lowering air pollution levels and decreasing the risk for Parkinson’s disease, and other associated illnesses.
[Excerpt from India Today “link between air pollution and Parkinson's disease” Dated 1/11/23]
Q1: What percentage higher is the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease for individuals in areas with median air pollution levels compared to those in areas with the lowest levels?
(a) 46%
(b) 56%
(c) 66%
(d) 76%

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Q2: Which region emerged as a hotspot for Parkinson’s disease in the study?
(a) Western U.S.
(b) Mississippi-Ohio River Valley
(c) Central North Dakota
(d) Eastern Michigan

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Q3: What has fine particulate matter been previously linked to, which is considered a known mechanism for the development of Parkinson’s disease?
(a) Cardiovascular disease
(b) Respiratory issues
(c) Brain inflammation
(d) Skin disorders

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Q4: Which part of the U.S. was found to be at a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to the rest of the nation?
(a) Midwest
(b) Northeast
(c) West
(d) South

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Q5: What was the dataset size used in the study to identify individuals with Parkinson’s disease?
(a) 90,000
(b) 22 million
(c) 112,000
(d) 45 million

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Q6: Which factor did the study not specifically explore regarding air pollution?
(a) Geographic patterns
(b) Road network density
(c) Sources of pollution
(d) Population-based approach

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Q7: What potential components from air pollution have been associated with cell death in brain regions linked to Parkinson’s disease?
(a) Nitrogen oxides
(b) Carbon monoxide
(c) Combustion particles from traffic
(d) Ozone

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Q8: What approach did researchers use to calculate Parkinson’s disease rates within each region and determine associations with fine particulate matter exposure?
(a) Clinical trial analysis
(b) Experimental design
(c) Population-based geographic approach
(d) Randomized controlled trial

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