Numerical Investigation of Airborne Infection Risk in an Elevator Cabin under Different Ventilation Designs

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via virus-laden aerosols in enclosed spaces poses a significant concern. Elevators, commonly utilized enclosed spaces in modern tall buildings, present a challenge as the impact of varying heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems on virus transmission within these cabins remains unclear. In this study, we employ computational modeling to examine aerosol transmission within an elevator cabin outfitted with diverse HVAC systems. Using a transport equation, we model aerosol concentration and assess infection risk distribution across passengers' breathing zones. We calculate particle removal efficiency for each HVAC design and introduce a suppression effect criterion to evaluate the effectiveness of the HVAC systems. Our findings reveal that mixing ventilation, featuring both inlet and outlet at the ceiling, proves most efficient in reducing particle spread, achieving a maximum removal efficiency of 79.40% during the exposure time. Conversely, the stratum ventilation model attains a mere removal efficiency of 3.97%. These results underscore the importance of careful HVAC system selection in mitigating the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission within elevator cabins.Comment: 38 pages, 14 figure

Reducing Virus Transmission from Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Systems of Urban Subways

Aerosols carrying the virus inside enclosed spaces is an important mode of transmission for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as supported by growing evidence. Urban subways are one of the most frequented enclosed spaces. The subway is a utilitarian and low-cost transit system in modern society. However, studies are yet to demonstrate patterns of viral transmission in subway heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. To fill this gap, we performed a computational investigation of the airflow (and associated aerosol transmission) in an urban subway cabin equipped with an HVAC system. We employed a transport equation for aerosol concentration, which was added to the basic buoyant solver to resolve the aerosol transmission inside the subway cabin. This was achieved by considering the thermal, turbulent, and induced ventilation flow effects. Using the probability of encountering aerosols on sampling surfaces crossing the passenger breathing zones, we detected the highest infection risk zones inside the urban subway under different settings. We proposed a novel HVAC system that can impede aerosol spread, both vertically and horizontally, inside the cabin. In the conventional model, the maximum probability of encountering aerosols from the breathing of infected individuals near the fresh-air ducts was equal to 51.2%. This decreased to 3.5% in the proposed HVAC model. Overall, using the proposed HVAC system for urban subways led to a decrease in the mean value of the probability of encountering the aerosol by approximately 84% compared with that of the conventional system

COVID-19 pandemic and patients with cancer: The protocol of a Clinical Oncology center in Tehran, Iran

AimTo provide recommendations for the management of patients with cancer in the COVID-19 era.BackgroundThe current global pandemic of COVID-19 has severely impacted global healthcare systems. Several groups of people are considered high-risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection, including patients with cancer. Therefore, protocols for the better management of these patients during this viral pandemic are necessary. So far, several protocols have been presented regarding the management of patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, none of them points to a developing country with limited logistics and facilities.MethodsIn this review, we have provided a summary of recommendations on the management of patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic based on our experience in Shohada-e Tajrish Hospital, Iran.ResultsWe recommend that patients with cancer should be managed in an individualized manner during the COVID-19 pandemic.ConclusionsOur recommendation provides a guide for oncology centers of developing countries for better management of cancer

The energy-pollution-health nexus: A panel data analysis of low- and middle-income Asian nations

An energy resource as a production input plays a major role in various economic sectors, including commodity production, transportation, and electricity generation. However, increased energy consumption may lead to more air pollution, resulting in negative health impacts in a society. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between energy consumption and health issues (e.g., tracheal, bronchial and lung cancer, respiratory diseases, prevalence of undernourishment, death ratio due to exposure to both outdoor and household air pollution) using generalized method of moments estimation technique for data from 18 Asian countries (both low- and middle-income) over the period 1991−2018. It is found that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per capita in low- and middle-income Asian nations result in the positive prevalence of lung and respiratory diseases. With regard to fossil fuel consumption, the findings demonstrate that this variable increases the risk of lung and respiratory diseases. In addition, the results demonstrate the significant effect of CO2 emissions and fossil fuel consumption on undernourishment and death ratio. Furthermore, we find that gross domestic product per capita and health care expenditure may help reduce undernourishment and death ratio. The conclusion recommends conducting rapid energy transition programs, improving energy efficiency, and reducing energy intensity in low- and middle-income Asian countries, in order to strengthen their national health security

Targeted Anti-Mitochondrial Therapy: The Future of Oncology

Like living organisms, cancer cells require energy to survive and interact with their environment. Mitochondria are the main organelles for energy production and cellular metabolism. Recently, investigators demonstrated that cancer cells can hijack mitochondria from immune cells. This behavior sheds light on a pivotal piece in the cancer puzzle, the dependence on the normal cells. This article illustrates the benefits of new functional mitochondria for cancer cells that urge them to hijack mitochondria. It describes how functional mitochondria help cancer cells’ survival in the harsh tumor microenvironment, immune evasion, progression, and treatment resistance. Recent evidence has put forward the pivotal role of mitochondria in the metabolism of cancer stem cells (CSCs), the tumor components responsible for cancer recurrence and metastasis. This theory highlights the mitochondria in cancer biology and explains how targeting mitochondria may improve oncological outcomes

Exploring TSGA10 Function: A Crosstalk or Controlling Mechanism in the Signaling Pathway of Carcinogenesis?

Simple Summary: This research aims to explore the role of the TSGA10 protein in cancer development, specifically in how it might influence the growth and spread of cancer cells. Scientists are particularly interested in TSGA10 because it is found in both normal reproductive tissues and cancer cells, yet seems to slow down cancer progression. The key question is why cancer cells would produce a protein that could hinder their own survival. To investigate this, the authors propose several hypotheses about how TSGA10 might be involved in carcinogenesis. They will analyze both published and unpublished studies and data to understand how TSGA10 functions at different stages of cancer. By uncovering these mechanisms, this research could lead to new targeted therapies that use TSGA10 to combat cancer more effectively, offering fresh insights and potential breakthroughs in cancer treatment. Abstract: Cancer-specific antigens have been a significant area of focus in cancer treatment since their discovery in the mid-twentieth century. Cancer germline antigens are a class of antigens specifically overexpressed in germline tissues and cancer cells. Among these, TSGA10 (testis-specific gene antigen 10) is of great interest because of its crucial impact on cancer progression. Early studies explored TSGA10 expression in a variety of cancer types. More recent studies revealed that TSGA10 can suppress tumor progression by blocking cancer cell metabolism, angiogenesis, and metastasis. An open question regarding the TSGA10 is why cancer cells must express a protein that prevents their progression. To answer this question, we conducted a comprehensive review to engage the TSGA10 in the context of the current understanding of “malignant transformation”. This review demonstrated that TSGA10 expression level in cancer cells depends on the cancer stage across malignant transformation. In addition, we evaluated how TSGA10 expression can prevent the “cancer hallmarks”. Given this information, TSGA10 can be of great interest in developing effective targeted anti-cancer therapies.Unfunde

Ciliated, Mitochondria-Rich Postmitotic Cells are Immune-privileged, and Mimic Immunosuppressive Microenvironment of Tumor-Initiating Stem Cells: From Molecular Anatomy to Molecular Pathway

Cancer whose major problems are metastasis, treatment resistance, and recurrence is the leading cause of death worldwide. Tumor-initiating stem cells (TiSCs) are a subset of the tumor population responsible for tumor resistance and relapse. Understanding the characteristics and shared features between tumor-initiating stem cells (TiSCs) and long-lived postmitotic cells may hold a key to better understanding the biology of cancer. Postmitotic cells have exited the cell cycle and are transitioned into a non-dividing and terminally differentiated state with a specialized function within a tissue. Conversely, a cancer cell with TiSC feature can divide and produce a variety of progenies, and is responsible for disease progression, tumor resistance to therapy and immune system and disease relapse. Surprisingly, our comprehensive evaluation of TiSCs suggests common features with long-lived post-mitotic cells. They are similar in structure (primary cilia, high mitochondrial content, and being protected by a barrier), metabolism (autophagy and senescence), and function (immunoescape and/or immune-privileged by a blood barrier). In-depth exploration showed how mitochondrial metabolism contributes to these shared features, including high energy demands arising from ciliary and microtubular functionality, increased metabolic activity, and movement. These findings can assist in decoding the remaining properties which offer insights into the biology of TiSCs, with potential implications for enhancing cancer treatment strategies and patient prognosis

Nanodelivery systems: An efficient and target‐specific approach for drug‐resistant cancers

Abstract Background Cancer treatment is still a global health challenge. Nowadays, chemotherapy is widely applied for treating cancer and reducing its burden. However, its application might be in accordance with various adverse effects by exposing the healthy tissues and multidrug resistance (MDR), leading to disease relapse or metastasis. In addition, due to tumor heterogeneity and the varied pharmacokinetic features of prescribed drugs, combination therapy has only shown modestly improved results in MDR malignancies. Nanotechnology has been explored as a potential tool for cancer treatment, due to the efficiency of nanoparticles to function as a vehicle for drug delivery. Methods With this viewpoint, functionalized nanosystems have been investigated as a potential strategy to overcome drug resistance. Results This approach aims to improve the efficacy of anticancer medicines while decreasing their associated side effects through a range of mechanisms, such as bypassing drug efflux, controlling drug release, and disrupting metabolism. This review discusses the MDR mechanisms contributing to therapeutic failure, the most cutting‐edge approaches used in nanomedicine to create and assess nanocarriers, and designed nanomedicine to counteract MDR with emphasis on recent developments, their potential, and limitations. Conclusions Studies have shown that nanoparticle‐mediated drug delivery confers distinct benefits over traditional pharmaceuticals, including improved biocompatibility, stability, permeability, retention effect, and targeting capabilities

Economic burden of neurological disorders in an aging society (Japan): A panel data analysis

Japan's aging population poses a variety of problems, one of which is the increase in neurological disorders. In this study, we propose a framework quantifying the decline in gross domestic product (GDP) resulting from the reduction of labor from two neurological disorders, Alzheimer's disease and strokes. Using panel data from Japanese prefectures between 2001 and 2012, this analysis first estimates the hours of labor lost due to the prevalence of or the informal care associated with the two diseases. This measure gives us an approximation of the total loss of GDP per prefecture due to these neurological disorders. Our findings show that the loss has been decreasing, but remains higher than that estimated using accounting methods. This evolution might be explained by higher values for capital and total factor productivity. In addition, it appears that the GDP of urban prefectures and prefectures relying heavily on tourism are less affected by the labor shortage. The study confirms the importance of investments in research and development (R&D) and capital stock to soften the effects of labor shortages. Nevertheless, given the aging trend in Japan and many other G20 economies, increasing R&D and private capital stock may not prove sustainable in the future

Application of artificial intelligence (AI) to control COVID-19 pandemic: Current status and future prospects

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the everyday livelihood of people has been monumental and unparalleled. Although the pandemic has vastly affected the global healthcare system, it has also been a platform to promote and develop pioneering applications based on autonomic artificial intelligence (AI) technology with therapeutic significance in combating the pandemic. Artificial intelligence has successfully demonstrated that it can reduce the probability of human-to-human infectivity of the virus through evaluation, analysis, and triangulation of existing data on the infectivity and spread of the virus. This review talks about the applications and significance of modern robotic and automated systems that may assist in spreading a pandemic. In addition, this study discusses intelligent wearable devices and how they could be helpful throughout the COVID-19 pandemic