Path-breaking target therapies for lung cancer and a far-sighted health policy to support clinical and cost effectiveness

Science of The Total Environment

2020

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566

568

This study has two goals. The first is to explain the geo-environmental determinants of the accelerated diffusion of COVID-19 in Italy that is generating a high level of deaths. The second is to suggest a strategy to cope with future epidemic threats having accelerated viral infectivity in society. Using data on N=55 Italian province capitals, and data of infected individuals at as of April 7 th , 2020, results reveal that the accelerate and vast diffusion of COVID-19 in North Italy has a high association with air pollution of cities measured with days exceeding the limits set for PM10 (particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter) or ozone in previous years. In particular, hinterland cities with average higher number of days exceeding the limits set for PM10 (and a low intensity of wind speed) have a very high number of infected people on 7 th April, 2020 (arithmetic mean about 2,200 infected, with average polluted days greater than 80), than coastal cities also having days of exceeding the limits set for PM10 or ozone but with high intensity of wind speed (arithmetic mean about 944.70 infected individuals, with about 60 average polluted days); moreover, cities having more than 100 days of air pollution (exceeding the limits set for PM10), they have a very high average number of infected people (about 3,350 infected individuals, 7 th April 2020), whereas cities having less than 100 days of air pollution, they have a lower average number of infected individuals (about 1014). The findings here also suggest that to minimize the impact of future epidemics similar to COVID-19, the max number of days per year in which Italian provincial capitals can exceed the limits set for PM10 or for ozone, considering their meteorological conditions, is about 48 days. Moreover, results here reveal that the explanatory variable of air pollution in cities under study seems to be a more important predictor in the initial phase of diffusion (on 17 th March 2020, b1 = 1.27, p<0.001) than interpersonal contacts (b2 = 0.31, p<0.05). In the second phase of maturity of the transmission dynamics of COVID-19, air pollution reduces intensity (on 7 th April, 2020 with b'1 = .81, p<0.001) also because of indirect effect of lockdown, whereas coefficient of transmission by interpersonal contacts has stability (b'2 = 0.31, p<0.01). This result reveals that accelerated transmissions dynamics of COVID-19 is due to mainly to the mechanism of "air pollution-to-human transmission" rather than "human-to-human transmission". Overall, then, transmission dynamics of viral infectivity, such as COVID-19, is due to systemic causes: general factors that are the same for all regions (e.g., biological characteristics of virus, incubation period, etc.) and specific factors which are different for each region (e.g., complex interaction between air pollution, meteorological conditions and biological characteristics of viral infectivity) and health level of individuals (habits, immune system, age, sex, etc.). Lessons learned for COVID-19 in the case study o...

Section: Air Pollution Immune System and Genetic Damagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors determining the diffusion of COVID-19 and suggested strategy to prevent future accelerated viral infectivity similar to COVID

Science of The Total Environment

2020

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566

568

“…Lewtas (2007) shows in human studies that exposures to combustion emissions and ambient fine particulate air pollution are associated with genetic damages. Long-term epidemiologic studies report an increased risk of all causes of mortality, cardiopulmonary mortality, and lung cancer mortality associated with increasing exposures to air pollution (cf., Coccia, 2012Coccia, , 2014Coccia and Wang, 2015). Although there is substantial evidence that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may be causative agents in cancer and reproductive effects, an increasing number of studiesinvestigating cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular effectsshows potential causative agents from air pollution combustion sources.…”

Section: Air Pollution Immune System and Genetic Damagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two mechanisms for accelerated diffusion of COVID-19 outbreaks in regions with high intensity of population and polluting industrialization: the air pollution-to-human and human-to-human transmission dynamics

2020

Preprint

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What is COVID-19? Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is viral infection that generates a severe acute respiratory syndrome with serious pneumonia that may result in progressive respiratory failure and death. What are the goals of this investigation? This study explains the geo-environmental determinants of the accelerated diffusion of COVID-19 in Italy that is generating a high level of deaths and suggests general lessons learned for a strategy to cope with future epidemics similar to COVID-19 to reduce viral infectivity and negative impacts in economic systems and society. What are the results of this study? The main results are: o The accelerate and vast diffusion of COVID-19 in North Italy has a high association with air pollution. o Hinterland cities have average days of exceeding the limits set for PM10 (particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter) equal to 80 days, and an average number of infected more than 2,000 individuals as of April 1st, 2020, coastal cities have days of exceeding the limits set for PM10 equal to 60 days and have about 700 infected in average. o Cities that average number of 125 days exceeding the limits set for PM10, last year, they have an average number of infected individual higher than 3,200 units, whereas cities having less than 100 days (average number of 48 days) exceeding the limits set for PM10, they have an average number of about 900 infected individuals. o The results reveal that accelerated transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in specific environments is due to two mechanisms given by: air pollution-to-human transmission and human-to-human transmission; in particular, the mechanisms of air pollution-to-human transmission play a critical role rather than human-to-human transmission. o The finding here suggests that to minimize future epidemic similar to COVID-19, the max number of days per year in which cities can exceed the limits set for PM10 or for ozone, considering their meteorological condition, is less than 50 days. After this critical threshold, the analytical output here suggests that environmental inconsistencies because of the combination between air pollution and meteorological conditions (with high moisture%, low wind speed and fog) trigger a take-off of viral infectivity (accelerated epidemic diffusion) with damages for health of population, economy and society. What is a socioeconomic strategy to prevent future epidemics similar to COVID-19? Considering the complex interaction between air pollution, meteorological conditions and biological characteristics of viral infectivity, lessons learned for COVID-19 have to be applied for a proactive socioeconomic strategy to cope with future epidemics, especially an environmental policy based on reduction of air pollution mainly in hinterland zones of countries, having low wind speed, high percentage of moisture and fog that create an environment that can damage immune system of people and foster a fast transmission of viral infectivity similar to the COVID-19. This study must conclude that a strategy to prevent future epidemics similar to COVID 19 has also to be designed in environmental and sustainability science and not only in terms of biology.

“…On the basis of the argument presented in this paper, we can therefore conclude that -in average-terrorism is also associated with high growth rates of population, combined with poverty, high income inequality and subsistence stress in society, ceteris paribus. These problematic socioeconomic factors can disrupt the stability of socie-2 Terrorism may be also decline in the future because of improved enforcement technologies generated by converging innovations between research scientific fields, vital role of public research laboratories and a possible rising wealth of nations that reduce drivers of terrorism and/or prevent terrorist actions (for new technology and convergence of research fields, see, Calabrese et al, 2005;Cavallo et al, 2014Cavallo et al, , 2015Coccia 2006Coccia , 2010Coccia , 2010aCoccia , 2010bCoccia , 2012Coccia , 2012aCoccia , 2012bCoccia , 2012cCoccia , 2013Coccia , 2013aCoccia , 2014aCoccia , 2014bCoccia , 2015Coccia , 2016Coccia , 2017aCoccia , 2017bCoccia and Finardi, 2012;Wang, 2015, 2016; for the role of public research laboratories see Coccia, 2001Coccia, , 2008Coccia and Cadario, 2014;Coccia and Rolfo, 2009). ties/communities, generate relative deprivation and lead to terrorism as a result (cf., Butler, 2015).…”

Section: Concluding Observations and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Theory of General Causes of Terrorism - High Population Growth, Income Inequality and Relative Deprivation

2018

AOP

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This paper has two goals. The first is to analyze the possible association between demographic factors and effects of terrorist attacks in society. The second is to detect possible socioeconomic and psychosocial risk factors. These topics are basic in social sciences because terrorism is growing both in rich and in developing nations (Devezas & Santos, 2006; Root causes, 2015;Li & Schaub, 2004;Norris et al., 2013; Reardon, Abstract.A fundamental problem in psychosocial sciences is how to explain the root causes of terrorism. The vast literature has analyzed several determinants of terrorism. However, the precise role of demographic factors for the evolution of terrorism is hardly known. Statistical evidence here reveals that fatalities for incidents of terrorism are associated with growth rates of population. This finding seems to suggest that terrorism thrives -in average-in specific regions with high growth rates of population that may generate income inequality, subsistence stress and relative deprivation of people. In addition, geospatial analysis here reveals that countries with high association between fatalities from terrorist incidents and population growth are mainly in Africa and Middle East. Overall, then, the study here can clarify and generalize whenever possible, one of the causes of terrorism, which seems to be due to sociodemographic factors combined with psychosocial risk factors. Finally, the study suggests socioeconomic policies directed to reduce this critical problem in society.