Health benefits from the rapid reduction in ambient exposure to air pollutants after China's clean air actions: progress in efficacy and geographic equality.

Clean air actions (CAAs) in China have been linked to considerable benefits in public health. However, whether the beneficial effects of CAAs are equally distributed geographically is unknown. Using high-resolution maps of the distributions of major air pollutants (fine particulate matter [PM2.5] and ozone [O3]) and population, we aimed to track spatiotemporal changes in health impacts from, and geographic inequality embedded in, the reduced exposures to PM2.5 and O3 from 2013 to 2020. We used a method established by the Global Burden of Diseases Study. By analyzing the changes in loss of life expectancy (LLE) attributable to PM2.5 and O3, we calculated the gain of life expectancy (GLE) to quantify the health benefits of the air-quality improvement. Finally, we assessed the geographic inequality embedded in the GLE using the Gini index (GI). Based on risk assessments of PM2.5 and O3, during the first stage of CAAs (2013 to 2017), the mean GLE was 1.87 months. Half of the sum of the GLE was disproportionally distributed in about one quarter of the population exposed (GI 0.44). During the second stage of CAAs (2017 to 2020), the mean GLE increased to 3.94 months and geographic inequality decreased (GI 0.18). According to our assessments, CAAs were enhanced, from the first to second stages, in terms of not only preventing premature mortality but also ameliorating health inequalities. The enhancements were related to increased sensitivity to the health effects of air pollution and synergic control of PM2.5 and O3 levels. Our findings will contribute to optimizing future CAAs.

Preliminary Techno-Economic Assessment of Animal Cell-Based Meat.

Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) or laboratory-grown meat has been increasing; however, the economic viability of these potential products has not been thoroughly vetted. Recent studies suggest monoclonal antibody production technology can be adapted for the industrialization of ACBM production. This study provides a scenario-based assessment of the projected cost per kilogram of ACBM produced in the United States based on cellular metabolic requirements and process/chemical engineering conventions. A sensitivity analysis of the model identified the nine most influential cost factors for ACBM production out of 67 initial parameters. The results indicate that technological performance will need to approach technical limits for ACBM to achieve profitably as a commodity. However, the model also suggests that low-volume high-value specialty products could be viable based on current technology.

Potential Clinical Applications and Future Prospect of Wireless and Mobile Electroencephalography on the Assessment of Cognitive Impairment.

Electroencephalography (EEG) systems have been used for assessing cognitive function in dementia for several decades. Studies have demonstrated that EEG in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is generally characterized by significant and specific increases in delta and theta power, a decrease in alpha power, and a decrease in the coherence of the fast bands between different brain areas linked by long corticocortical fibers. Posterior EEG characteristics in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) allowed discrimination of DLB from AD and controls with high accuracy. Traditional EEG systems require a long application time and discomfort, which limited its use in dementia patients. Alternative tools for assessing cognition may be simple, low-cost, and mobile medical devices such as wireless and mobile EEG (wmEEG) sensor platforms with flexible electronics and stretchable electrode sheets that could be compatible with long-term EEG monitoring even in dementia patients. In this study, we review the utility of EEG in reflecting cognitive function and the prospects for clinical application of wmEEG monitoring for detecting early dementia and discriminating subtypes of dementia effectively and objectively assessing longitudinal cognitive changes. Repeated and longitudinal documentation of EEG using wmEEG will contribute to detection of specific sleep/wake EEG patterns for patients with sleep and wake-related problems related to dementia.