Higher CO2 Levels Have a Concerning Effect on Viruses Floating Through The Air

Posted on May 10, 2024 Updated on May 5, 2024

Virus containing droplets were suspended in the CELEBS experimental device for different durations before infectivity was tested. (Allen Haddrell/University of Bristol)

Keeping CO₂ levels low reduces infectious airborne viral loads, new research suggests. While the study focused on the pathogen behind COVID-19, it has clear implications for reducing the risk of transmitting viruses in spaces where ventilation is limited.

“Opening a window may be more powerful than originally thought,” says University of Bristol chemist Allen Haddrell, “especially in crowded and poorly ventilated rooms, as fresh air will have a lower concentration of CO₂, causing the virus to become inactivated much faster.”

By measuring SARS-CoV-2 capacity to remain infectious while aerosolized in droplets under different environmental conditions, Haddrell and colleagues discovered the virus’s stability is directly impacted by CO₂levels in the air. They used a new technique called Controlled Electrodynamic Levitation and Extraction of Bioaerosol onto a Substrate (CELEBS), which measures the impact of temperature, relative humidity, and different gas concentrations on suspended virus particles.

Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations are currently around 400 parts per million (ppm). Crowd enough people in a closed room, however, concentrations can soar to around 3,000 ppm. The team found the number of viral particles that can remain infectious under these elevated concentrations can be 10 times higher than what would be found in outdoor air.

“The high pH of exhaled droplets containing the SARS-CoV-2 virus is likely a major driver of the loss of infectiousness,” explains Haddrell. “CO₂ behaves as an acid when it interacts with droplets. This causes the pH of the droplets to become less alkaline, resulting in the virus within them being inactivated at a slower rate.”

What’s more, highly crowded environments in poorly ventilated spaces can exceed 5,000 ppm of CO₂.

“This relationship sheds important light on why super spreader events may occur under certain conditions,” notes Haddrell.

Interestingly, different strains of SARS-CoV-2 had different patterns of stability in the air. After only 5 minutes viable viral particle concentrations were 1.7 times higher for Omicron (BA.2) than for Delta. This suggests there may be a lot of variability between viral particle types.

So while more research is required to confirm the relationships between CO₂ and other types of viruses, the researchers suspect this could explain why many respiratory viruses have seasonality. During colder weather people are likely to spend more time indoors experiencing greater exposure to air with higher levels of CO₂.

The amount of CO₂ in our outdoor air is also increasing thanks to global warming. Recent projections predict concentrations could exceed 700 ppm by the end of the century.

“[This study] also highlights the importance of our global net zero goals because the research indicates even slightly raised levels of CO₂ , which are increasing in the atmosphere with the onset of climate change, can significantly improve the rate of virus survival and the risk of it spreading,” Haddrell adds.

“These findings can serve as a scientific basis for the design of mitigation strategies that could save lives in any future pandemic,” concludes University of Bristol physical chemist Jonathan Reid.

This research was published in Nature Communications.

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IPC and CSIR-IMTech forge strategic partnership to advance research in microbiology

Posted on May 7, 2024 Updated on May 5, 2024

Aimed at driving innovation and progress in the field of microbiology, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) and the CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTech), Chandigarh, have joined forces towards advancing microbiological research and development for the betterment of public health. This partnership marks a significant milestone in the journey towards harnessing the potential of microbiology to address pressing healthcare challenges. By pooling their expertise and resources, IPC and IMTech are poised to unlock new avenues of discovery and innovation in this critical field. Through close collaboration, IPC and IMTech aim to explore cutting-edge technologies and methodologies that hold the promise of transforming healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. By fostering an environment of cooperation and knowledge exchange, this partnership seeks to accelerate the pace of microbiological research and propel India to the forefront of global innovation. According to Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, secretary-cum-scientific director, IPC, “This significant partnership underscores the mutual recognition of the critical role played by both institutions in the realm of microbiology and public health. By formalizing their commitment to cooperation, IPC and IMTech pave the way for an unprecedented synergy in research, development, and innovation.” He further added that the MoU signifies a strategic alliance aimed at leveraging collective expertise and resources to drive advancements in the field of microbiology. Through collaborative efforts, IPC and IMTech aim to spearhead the development of future technologies that hold the potential to revolutionize healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Central to this partnership is the exchange of technical and scientific knowledge, fostering an environment conducive to innovation and progress. By pooling their respective strengths and resources, IPC and IMTech seek to address pressing challenges and seize emerging opportunities in microbiological research and development. Moreover, this collaboration is poised to facilitate the exchange of skills and best practices, nurturing talent and expertise in the field of microbiology. By investing in human capital development, IPC and IMTech aim to empower future generations of researchers and professionals, driving sustained growth and excellence in the domain. “As both institutions embark on this collaborative journey, they reaffirm their shared commitment to advancing public health and well-being. Through concerted efforts and collective endeavors, IPC and IMTech aspire to make meaningful contributions towards addressing healthcare challenges and improving the quality of life for communities across the nation,” said Dr. Sanjeev Khosla, director, CSIR-IMTech, Chandigarh. He further added that the signing of this MoU heralds a new era of partnership and innovation in microbiology, setting the stage for transformative advancements and breakthroughs. With a shared vision and a commitment to excellence, IPC and IMTech are poised to redefine the boundaries of microbiological research and shape the future of healthcare in India and beyond.

Exercising in Midlife May ‘Reverse’ Years of Inactivity, Large Study Finds

Posted on May 6, 2024 Updated on May 5, 2024

As the world’s aging population grows, and dementia, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis reach epidemic levels, people of all ages want to know how they can live healthier, not just longer, lives.

For women in their 40s and 50s, it’s not too late to take action. A study that tracked more than 11,000 women in Australia has found that midlife is a crucial time to meet physical activity guidelines of at least 150 minutes a week.

Women in the study who said they maintained those guidelines consistently over the next 15 years had better physical health scores than those women who did not.

Even participants who did not exercise regularly before middle age benefited from the new routine. In fact, at the final follow-up study, this group’s physical test scores were virtually the same as the group of women who regularly exercised before their 50s – three percentage points ahead of women who never or rarely met the exercise guidelines.

Future studies are needed to see if these physical benefits also extend to men in mid-life, but there is good reason to suspect they might.

“Our findings suggest that to maintain good physical health-related quality of life at around age 70, one may be able to “make up” for not being active earlier by becoming active in the mid-50s,” write the research team, led by scientists at the University of Sydney.

“This finding supports public health initiatives for messaging around “turning back the clock” in midlife through lifestyle changes such as physical activity.”

Interestingly, women in the study who only started exercising consistently in their 60s did not see the same benefits as those who started in their 50s. Lead author and epidemiologist, Binh Nguyen, and her colleagues suspect that is because there “had not been sufficient accumulation of physical activity for the health benefits to be evident by around age 70.”

Regular exercise is hardly a new prescription for middle-aged folk, or people of any age, really. Numerous large population studies have linked physical activity to a lower risk of death, yet surprisingly, few long-term studies have tracked the health effects of exercise as a person ages.

The new study tracked 47- to 52-year-old women in Australia from 1998 to 2019, with intermittent check-ups for mental and physical health occurring every three years.

Participants reported their own physical activity, which may not reflect reality. However, even when controlling for socioeconomic, dietary, and other physical and mental health factors, a “small but meaningful” benefit emerged.

To put three percentage points in context, the researchers in Australia explain that osteoarthritis usually results in a 10-point difference in a person’s physical functioning scores compared to those without it.

A recent meta-analysis suggests even just one point difference on this physical activity test can lower the risk of mortality in the general population.

“Combined with existing evidence, this study contributes to growing evidence of the benefits of maintaining or adopting an active lifestyle in mid-age,” the researchers conclude.

The study was published in PLOS Medicine.

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Indian medical care providers explore HCX platforms to reduce administrative tasks in insurance claims

Posted on May 6, 2024 Updated on May 5, 2024

Indian medical care providers are exploring Health Exchange (HCX) platforms for reducing administrative tasks in insurance claims. It maximises cloud computing, allowing access in real-time, and secure information related to insurance claims. It enables seamless interoperability of health claim data between different systems, whilst safeguarding sensitive medical information at all costs.

Gaurav Gupta, co-founder & CEO, CarePay said, India follows a decentralized approach when it comes to the penetration of health insurance as merely 37% of its population are covered under the present schemes while nearly 400 million have zero access to health insurance.

Amidst the growing discrepancies in the decentralized healthcare insurance industry which is plagued by non-digitised and non-standardised processes, the interlude of the health claims exchange platform represents a revolution in healthcare. Moving beyond merely being another digital lending platform, HCX is a community-driven initiative in alignment with the government’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, aiming to offer universal health coverage via the aid of HCX data exchange, he added.

HCX acts as a platform geared to transform the management of health insurance claims with efficiency.

With digitisation, HCX opens doors to electronic health records, which at the disposal of healthcare professionals enable them to access a patient’s comprehensive information, including insurance coverage and other essential details. Along with a seamless flow of data exchange amongst multiple systems, it improves patient experience, whilst mitigating the possibility of any discrepancies, Gupta a told Pharmabiz in an email.

Further, HCX expedites the settlement process from pre-authorization to discharge which lowers associated expenses. Simultaneously, it enables accessibility as nearly 6 out of 10 patients don’t have enough monetary capacity or insurance coverage.

Being a digital claims platform, it brings together multiple stakeholders under one unified pool, from policyholders to healthcare providers. Primarily, policyholders will get real-time updates of the claim through a simplified flow of information.

Gupta noted that it is already certain an efficient and transparent insurance claim process fosters better decision-making for individuals who pay for that policy. Besides, reduced overhead costs empower healthcare providers to focus from administrative tasks and capitalize on delivering enhanced patient care.

HCX data provides information on the borrower’s spending habits, enabling lenders to have a more holistic view of the person’s financial responsibility. It also helps FinTech and lending startups in making better credit decisions. With assessment algorithms, it opens financial access to the underserved segment of the population, he said.

Individuals can analyze their HCX data and streamline their spending making room for improved budgeting, debt reduction, and get the financial security. It helps them to look for loan options that are tailored best to their financial needs. Therefore, a Health Exchange develops a standardized health insurance framework with refined the settlement process from pre-authorization to discharge. Apart from building an open community amongst policyholders, payers, stakeholders, healthcare providers and other involved entities, the platform is focused on improving the insurance experience with informed decision-making, said Gupta.

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Common Blood Pressure Drug Increases Lifespan And Slows Aging in Animals

Posted on May 3, 2024 Updated on April 27, 2024

The hypertension drug rilmenidine has been shown to slow down aging in worms, an effect that in humans could hypothetically help us live longer and keep us healthier in our latter years.

Previous research has shown rilmenidine mimics the effects of caloric restriction on a cellular level. Reducing available energy while maintaining nutrition within the body has been shown to extend lifespans in several animal models.

Whether this translates to human biology, or is a potential risk to our health, is a topic of ongoing debate. Finding ways to achieve the same benefits without the costs of extreme calorie cutting could lead to new ways to improve health in old age.

In a study published in January, young and old Caenorhabditis elegans worms treated with the drug – which is normally used to treat high blood pressure – lived longer and presented higher measures in a variety of health markers in the same way as restricting calories, as the scientists had hoped.

“For the first time, we have been able to show in animals that rilmenidine can increase lifespan,” said molecular biogerontologist João Pedro Magalhães, from the University of Birmingham in the UK.

“We are now keen to explore if rilmenidine may have other clinical applications.”

The C. elegans worm is a favorite for studies, because many of its genes have similarities to counterparts in our genome. Yet in spite of these similarities, it is still a rather distant relation to humans.

Further tests showed that gene activity associated with caloric restriction could be seen in the kidney and liver tissues of mice treated with rilmenidine. In other words, some of the changes that caloric restriction gives in animals and thought to confer certain health benefits also appear with a hypertension drug that many people already take.

Another discovery was that a biological signaling receptor called nish-1 was crucial in the effectiveness of rilmenidine. This particular chemical structure could be targeted in future attempts to improve lifespan and slow down aging.

“We found that the lifespan-extending effects of rilmenidine were abolished when nish-1 was deleted,” the researchers explained in their paper. “Critically, rescuing the nish-1 receptor reinstated the increase in lifespan upon treatment with rilmenidine.”

Low-calorie diets are hard to follow and come with a variety of side effects, such as hair thinning, dizziness, and brittle bones. It’s early days still, but the thinking is that this hypertension drug could confer the same benefits as a low-calorie diet while being easier on the body.

What makes rilmenidine a promising candidate as an anti-aging drug is that it can be taken orally, it’s already widely prescribed, and its side effects are rare and relatively mild (they include palpitations, insomnia and drowsiness in a few cases).

There’s a long way to go yet in figuring out if rilmenidine would work as an anti-aging drug for actual humans, but the early signs in these worm and mice tests are promising. We now know much more about what rilmenidine can do, and how it operates.

“With a global aging population, the benefits of delaying aging, even if slightly, are immense,” said Magalhães.

The research was published in Aging Cell.

An earlier version of this article was published in January 2023.

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