Among cancer survivors, LGBTQ+ individuals report higher prevalence of chronic health conditions, disabilities, other limitations

Transgender or gender non-conforming cancer survivors had higher odds of most conditions compared to cisgender cancer survivors

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Bottom Line: Cancer survivors who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or anything other than straight and cisgender (LGBTQ+) experience more chronic health conditions, disabilities, and other physical and cognitive limitations than non-LGBTQ+ cancer survivors; however, the prevalence of most conditions was highest among transgender or gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals.

Journal in Which the Study was Published: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

Author: Austin R. Waters, MSPH, a doctoral candidate in health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and a predoctoral fellow at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Background: Prior research shows cancer survivors are more likely to have chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, COPD, and heart disease compared to those who have never been diagnosed with cancer. Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ individuals, who represent about 7.1% of the U.S. population, have been found to face health disparities due to stigma and other social determinants of health. But few national samples that differentiate between cisgender and transgender identities have been used to study disparities among LGBTQ+ cancer survivors for chronic health conditions, according to Waters.

“Thinking about how LGBTQ+ cancer survivors’ health compares to non-LGBTQ+ cancer survivors’ is an important question because it begins to disentangle the driving forces behind inequities,” Waters said. “Notably, our analysis revealed that even when controlling for factors such as smoking status and income—factors known to be associated with poor health—LGBTQ+ cancer survivors continued to have higher odds of most chronic health conditions and other limitations.”

How the Study was Conducted: Waters and colleagues used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a phone survey system managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, collected in 2020, 2021, or 2022 from 23 states that administered questionnaires about sexual orientation and gender identity as well as cancer survivorship. Of 40,990 cancer survivors, 1,715 were LGBTQ+, including 638 lesbian or gay individuals, 551 bisexuals, and 458 who identified as another non-heterosexual sexual orientation, such as queer, pansexual, or asexual. Of the 114 TGNC cancer survivors, 38 identified as transgender men, 43 as transgender women, and 33 as gender non-conforming. Overall, the LGBTQ+ cancer survivors were significantly more racially and ethnically diverse, had a lower household income, and were younger both at the time of the survey and at diagnosis of their cancer.

Participants were asked to reply “yes” or “no” if they were “ever told” they had chronic health conditions such as angina or heart disease, asthma, COPD, depressive disorder, kidney disease, stroke, or diabetes as well as disabilities and physical limitations such as hearing disability, vision disability, difficulty walking, difficulty dressing, or difficulty running errands, or cognitive limitations such as serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions due to any physical, mental, or emotional condition. Waters and colleagues compared results between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ cancer survivors. They also broke the results down by examining TGNC and cisgender lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) cancer survivors in comparison to non-LGBTQ+ cancer survivors and controlled for factors including age, race and ethnicity, smoking status, and education and household income.  

Results: When adjusted for age, race and ethnicity, smoking status, and education and household income, LGBTQ+ cancer survivors overall had higher odds ratios of reporting asthma, depressive disorder, kidney disease, stroke, diabetes, vision disabilities, cognitive limitations, difficulty walking, difficulty dressing, and difficulty running errands compared to non-LGBTQ+ cancer survivors. The odds for TGNC cancer survivors, however, were substantially higher for most outcomes compared to non-TGNC survivors, with increased odds ranging from 2.34 to 6.03. The lone exception was depressive disorder. When adjusted for age, TGNC survivors also had a higher prevalence of most health conditions compared to LGB survivors except for depressive disorder as well as cognitive limitations.

Author’s Comments: “Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals are some of the most marginalized people in the LGBTQ+ community and are known to experience barriers to healthcare discrimination, more exclusion, more violence, and other factors than LGB individuals,” Waters said. “Our study highlights the challenges TGNC cancer survivors face and the need for TGNC individuals, as well as all other LGBTQ+ cancer survivors, to be prioritized in care across the continuum.”

Waters said future studies will begin to explore how some of these outcomes, such as depression and cognitive limitations, interplay with financial well-being and the ability to work after cancer to identify ways to better support LGBTQ+ survivors throughout the care process.

“While interventions like LGBTQ+-specific prehabilitation or LGBTQ+ patient navigators may minimize some inequities, ultimately societal and policy changes such as non-discrimination laws, affordable housing, and affordable health care are needed to completely address such disparities,” he said.

Study Limitations: Limitations of this study include a smaller sample of LGBTQ+ individuals in BRFSS compared to national samples, which could indicate that participants were not comfortable disclosing information about sexual orientation or gender identity or that LGBTQ+ individuals were less likely to respond to BRFSS. Additionally, cancer survivorship and sexual and gender identity survey modules are optional for states, which means the experiences of cancer survivors in states that did not elect to include this information are not reflected. The cross-sectional design of the study could have also resulted in a cohort of healthier cancer survivors with less severe disease or treatment. Further, potential recall errors are possible due to the self-reported status of cancer and chronic conditions. The study also lacks information about cancer treatments and pack-years for smokers, which may have further explained the findings.

Funding & Disclosures: Funding for the study was provided by the Cancer Care Quality Training Program at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute. Waters declares no conflicts of interest.

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JOURNAL

Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention

DOI

10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-24-0166 

ARTICLE TITLE

Chronic Health Conditions, Disability, and Physical and Cognitive Limitations Among LGBTQ+ Cancer Survivors

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

20-Jun-2024

COI STATEMENT

Funding for the study was provided by the Cancer Care Quality Training Program at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute. Waters declares no conflicts of interest.

 KOREAN AIR POLLUTION STUDY

Study forecasts 110,000 premature deaths by 2050 due to PM2.5 and aging

POHANG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (POSTECH)

 

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GRAPH DEPICTING PROJECTED PREMATURE DEATHS FROM PM2.5 (2020-2050) ACROSS DIFFERENT CONCENTRATION SCENARIOS

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CREDIT: POSTECH

A new study from the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) indicates that fine particulate matter, which is less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5), is increasingly impacting the rapidly aging Korean population. Due to this population aging, PM2.5-related premature deaths are projected to be more than three times higher by 2050 than they are today if PM2.5 exposure persists.

 

A research team of Professor Hyung Joo Lee and MSc student Na Rae Kim from the Division of Environmental Science and Engineering at POSTECH has projected the number of deaths by 2050 based on the combined effects of PM2.5 and the aging population. They also suggested the concentration of PM2.5 needed to maintain the current PM2.5-related health burden. The study was recently published in the online edition of “Environmental Research”, an international journal in the environmental field.

 

Particles come in various categories based on their size, including total suspended particles (TSP), PM10, and PM2.5. Among these, PM2.5, the smallest particles, can penetrate deep into the lungs and contribute to a range of health issues. The elderly, those aged 65 and above, are particularly susceptible. As Korea's population ages rapidly, researchers anticipate a growing health burden.

 

Professor Hyung Joo Lee’s team initially calculated the average concentration of PM2.5 over a three-year span using data from 2019 to 2021. They incorporated data from both pre- and post-pandemic periods to ensure an accurate assessment of PM2.5's impact, mitigating substantial pandemic-related effects. From 2019 to 2021, the average PM2.5 concentration in Korea stood at approximately 20 µg/m³, surpassing the Ministry of Environment's annual air quality standard of 15 µg/m³ and significantly exceeding the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended level of 5 µg/m³. Additionally, the team utilized projected population data, revealing a surge in the elderly population from 16 percent in 2020 to an estimated 40 percent by 2050.

 

Based on these findings, the team constructed scenarios to forecast mortality attributable to PM2.5. Their analysis revealed that if concentrations of PM2.5 persist at the average level of 20 µg/m³ observed over the past three years, the projected number of deaths by 2050 could soar to approximately 110,000, more than tripling the 34,000 deaths in 2020. Even if PM2.5 concentrations were reduced to the Ministry of Environment's annual standard of 15 µg/m³, an estimated 84,000 deaths would still occur by 2050.

 

Further investigation by the team concluded that reducing PM2.5 concentrations to approximately 6 µg/m³ would be necessary to maintain the mortality levels of 2020 by 2050. Despite an overall decline in population, the proportion of older individuals, who are particularly susceptible to PM2.5, is expanding rapidly. Consequently, in order to mitigate the death toll and public health burden, reductions in PM2.5 concentrations would need to significantly surpass current policy measures.

 

Professor Hyung Joo Lee of POSTECH remarked, “With rapidly aging populations, the number of people vulnerable to PM2.5-related health outcomes is increasing, and as a result, PM2.5 is posing a significant threat to public health.” He added, “To sustain the current PM2.5 health burdens by 2050, we must reduce PM2.5 concentrations to approximately 40% of the annual standard." He emphasized, “Though achieving these reductions may prove challenging in the short term, it's crucial to urgently ramp up efforts to combat PM2.5 with more stringent regulatory actions than are currently in practice.”

 

The research was conducted with the support from the Ministry of Environment, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and the Ministry of Science and ICT.

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JOURNAL

Environmental Research

DOI

10.1016/j.envres.2024.119032 

ARTICLE TITLE

Ambient PM2.5 exposure and rapid population aging: A double threat to public health in the Republic of Korea

 

Surge in fatal opioid overdoses in Ontario shelters, report finds

INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL EVALUATIVE SCIENCES

Researchers from the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) at St. Michael’s Hospital and Public Health Ontario analyzed health data from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario and ICES, and found that there were 210 accidental opioid-related toxicity deaths within shelters between January 2018 to May 2022, with the number of deaths more than tripling during the study period (48 before the pandemic versus 162 during the pandemic). 

Statistics Canada data shows that the annual number of emergency beds in Ontario grew by only 15% (6,764 to 7,767) between 2018 and 2022. 

“People who use Ontario’s shelter system are not only facing housing instability, but also have complex healthcare needs and unique barriers to accessing treatment and harm reduction programs,” says lead author Bisola Hamzat, an epidemiologist with the ODPRN. “This report underscores the disproportionate impact of the opioid crisis on this population.” 

Trends in shelters differed from rest of Ontario 

When exploring the circumstances surrounding the overdose and death, the data showed that someone was present and able to intervene for only 1 in 10 opioid-related toxicity deaths within shelters, which is lower than in Ontario overall (approximately 1 in 4). However, naloxone was administered most of the time when someone could intervene within shelters. 

In the week before death, nearly half of people who died within a shelter had contact with the healthcare system, and in the five years prior to death, almost 80% had a hospital visit related for a mental health diagnosis, which is much higher than 56% of people in Ontario overall. 

Several factors remained consistent with the rest of Ontario, including the rise of multiple substances contributing to death (such as benzodiazepines and stimulants), a greater tendency toward smoking and inhalation of drugs, and fentanyl from the unregulated drug supply being the most common driver of deaths. 

In a secondary analysis of hotels and motels, the researchers found that opioid-related overdose deaths followed similar patterns to those in shelters but began to decline toward the end of the study period in 2022. The researchers say that the rise in deaths was likely influenced by the rapid expansion of temporary hotel-based shelters early in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Urgent need for improved response to crisis 

“Our report highlights the need for improved and expanded harm reduction approaches, overdose response, as well as staff training and supports within shelters,” says co-lead author Tara Gomes, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital and ICES, and a principal investigator of the ODPRN.  

“Additionally, improved connection to community-based healthcare, treatment programs, and mental health supports are needed for people experiencing homelessness and housing instability, in combination with efforts to address upstream factors such as more accessible housing, income and employment supports, and community-based social supports across the province.” 

“The report highlights what we have witnessed the last few years in Timmins. It demonstrates the need for comprehensive support across the spectrum of care for unhoused community members, and of the importance of shelter design and management to ensure services are accessible and safe for people who use drugs. An increase in deaths in the Timmins shelter system over the past two years serves as a stark reminder of this importance,” says Jason Sereda, President, Board of Directors: DIY Community Health Timmins. 

The report, “Opioid-related toxicity deaths within Ontario shelters: circumstances of death and prior medication & healthcare use” was published on the ODPRN website. 

About St. Michael’s 

St. Michael’s Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital’s recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael’s Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. 

 

About the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network 

Established in 2008, the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) is a research program based out of St. Michael’s Hospital that brings together researchers, people with lived experience, clinicians, and policy-makers to generate evidence to inform effective drug policy development in Ontario. 
 
About Unity Health Toronto 

Unity Health Toronto, comprised of Providence Healthcare, St. Joseph’s Health Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital, works to advance the health of everyone in our urban communities and beyond. Our health network serves patients, residents and clients across the full spectrum of care, spanning primary care, secondary community care, tertiary and quaternary care services to post-acute through rehabilitation, palliative care and long-term care, while investing in world-class research and education. 

 

About Public Heath Ontario 

Public Health Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to protecting and promoting the health of all Ontarians and reducing inequities in health. Public Health Ontario links public health practitioners, front-line health workers and researchers to the best scientific intelligence and knowledge from around the world. For the latest PHO news, follow us on Twitter: @publichealthON. 

 

About ICES 

ICES is an independent, not-for-profit research and analytics institute that uses population-based health information to produce knowledge on a broad range of healthcare issues. ICES leads cutting-edge studies and analyses evaluating healthcare policy, delivery, and population outcomes. ICES knowledge is highly regarded in Canada and abroad and is widely used by government, hospitals, planners, and practitioners to make decisions about healthcare delivery and to develop policy. For the latest ICES news, follow us on X, formerly Twitter: @ICESOntario 

 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Opioid-Related Toxicity Deaths Within Ontario Shelters: Circumstances of Death and Prior Medication & Healthcare Use

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

18-Jun-2024

SPACE

First of its kind detection made in striking new Webb image

NASA/GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

 

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IN THIS IMAGE OF THE SERPENS NEBULA FROM NASA’S JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE, ASTRONOMERS FOUND A GROUPING OF ALIGNED PROTOSTELLAR OUTFLOWS WITHIN ONE SMALL REGION (THE TOP LEFT CORNER). SERPENS IS A REFLECTION NEBULA, WHICH MEANS IT’S A CLOUD OF GAS AND DUST THAT DOES NOT CREATE ITS OWN LIGHT, BUT INSTEAD SHINES BY REFLECTING THE LIGHT FROM STARS CLOSE TO OR WITHIN THE NEBULA.

 

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CREDIT: NASA, ESA, CSA, K. PONTOPPIDAN (NASA’S JET PROPULSION LABORATORY) AND J. GREEN (SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE).

For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to directly image has been captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). In this stunning image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northern area (seen at the upper left) of this young, nearby star-forming region.

Astronomers found an intriguing group of protostellar outflows, formed when jets of gas spewing from newborn stars collide with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. Typically these objects have varied orientations within one region. Here, however, they are slanted in the same direction, to the same degree, like sleet pouring down during a storm.

 

The discovery of these aligned objects, made possible due to Webb’s exquisite spatial resolution and sensitivity in near-infrared wavelengths, is providing information into the fundamentals of how stars are born.

“Astronomers have long assumed that as clouds collapse to form stars, the stars will tend to spin in the same direction,” said principal investigator Klaus Pontoppidan, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “However, this has not been seen so directly before. These aligned, elongated structures are a historical record of the fundamental way that stars are born.”

So just how does the alignment of the stellar jets relate to the rotation of the star? As an interstellar gas cloud crashes in on itself to form a star, it spins more rapidly. The only way for the gas to continue moving inward is for some of the spin (known as angular momentum) to be removed. A disk of material forms around the young star to transport material down, like a whirlpool around a drain. The swirling magnetic fields in the inner disk launch some of the material into twin jets that shoot outward in opposite directions, perpendicular to the disk of material.

In the Webb image, these jets are signified by bright clumpy streaks that appear red, which are shockwaves from the jet hitting surrounding gas and dust. Here, the red color represents the presence of molecular hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

“This area of the Serpens Nebula – Serpens North – only comes into clear view with Webb,” said lead author Joel Green of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. “We’re now able to catch these extremely young stars and their outflows, some of which previously appeared as just blobs or were completely invisible in optical wavelengths because of the thick dust surrounding them.”

Astronomers say there are a few forces that potentially can shift the direction of the outflows during this period of a young star’s life. One way is when binary stars spin around each other and wobble in orientation, twisting the direction of the outflows over time.

Stars of the Serpens

The Serpens Nebula, located 1,300 light-years from Earth, is only one or two million years old, which is very young in cosmic terms. It’s also home to a particularly dense cluster of newly forming stars (~100,000 years old), seen at the center of this image. Some of these stars will eventually grow to the mass of our Sun.

“Webb is a young stellar object-finding machine,” Green said. “In this field, we pick up sign posts of every single young star, down to the lowest mass stars.”

“It’s a very complete picture we’re seeing now,” added Pontoppidan.

So, throughout the region in this image, filaments and wisps of different hues represent reflected starlight from still-forming protostars within the cloud. In some areas, there is dust in front of that reflection, which appears here with an orange, diffuse shade.

This region has been home to other coincidental discoveries, including the flapping “Bat Shadow,” which earned its name when 2020 data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope revealed a star’s planet-forming disk to flap, or shift. This feature is visible at the center of the Webb image.

Future Studies

The new image, and serendipitous discovery of the aligned objects, is actually just the first step in this scientific program. The team will now use Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) to investigate the chemical make-up of the cloud.

The astronomers are interested in determining how volatile chemicals survive star and planet formation. Volatiles are compounds that sublimate, or transition from a solid directly to a gas, at a relatively low temperature – including water and carbon monoxide. They’ll then compare their findings to amounts found in protoplanetary disks of similar-type stars.

“At the most basic form, we are all made of matter that came from these volatiles. The majority of water here on Earth originated when the Sun was an infant protostar billions of years ago,” Pontoppidan said. “Looking at the abundance of these critical compounds in protostars just before their protoplanetary disks have formed could help us understand how unique the circumstances were when our own solar system formed.”

These observations were taken as part of General Observer program 1611. The team’s initial results have been accepted in the Astrophysical Journal.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world's premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).

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JOURNAL

The Astrophysical Journal

ARTICLE TITLE

Why are (almost) all the protostellar outflows aligned in Serpens Main?

Heart failure in space: scientists calculate potential health threats facing future space tourists in microgravity

Researchers used a model of the heart and lung system to simulate how microgravity could affect space tourists who might have underlying health issues such as heart conditions

FRONTIERS

 

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DR LEX VAN LOON COMBINES MATHEMATICAL MODELLING AND THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE MEDICAL DIGITAL TWINS. IMAGE: TRACEY NEARMY/ANU

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CREDIT: IMAGE: TRACEY NEARMY/ANU

[The following is a guest editorial written by Dr Lex van Loon, an assistant professor at the Australian National University and the University of Twente in the Netherlands. He is co-author of a new Frontiers in Physiology article.]

Space exploration has always captivated our imagination, offering the promise of discovering new worlds and pushing the boundaries of human capability. As commercial space travel becomes more accessible, individuals with various underlying health conditions—including heart failure—may soon be among those venturing beyond Earth’s atmosphere. This raises critical questions about the impact of space travel on humans with potential underlying health problems. My recent research, ‘Computational modeling of heart failure in microgravity transitions,’ delves into this issue, offering insights that could shape the future of space travel.

Why study heart failure in space?

The demographic of commercial space travelers is shifting, increasingly including older, wealthy individuals who may not be in optimal health. Unlike professional astronauts, these space tourists typically do not undergo rigorous health screenings or physical training. This shift necessitates a broader consideration of health conditions, such as heart failure, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses, in space mission planning.

Heart failure alone affects over 100 million people globally. Traditionally, space medicine has focused on the effects of microgravity on healthy astronauts. However, the inclusion of non-professional astronauts with preexisting health conditions demands a deeper understanding of how microgravity impacts these individuals. The unique cardiovascular challenges posed by space travel could significantly affect heart failure patients, making this an essential area of study.

Furthermore, heart failure is not a uniform condition and can be broadly categorized into two types. One type involves a weakened heart that cannot pump blood effectively, while the other is characterized by the heart’s inability to relax and fill properly. These differences mean that each type of heart failure presents unique challenges and must be studied separately to understand the specific risks and required countermeasures in a microgravity environment.

The challenges of microgravity

In the microgravity environment of space, the human body undergoes significant changes. One of the most notable effects is the redistribution of bodily fluids, causing what is commonly known as ‘puffy face bird leg’ syndrome. Imagine a person with a swollen, puffy face paired with skinny, almost comically thin legs—like a bird, what’s in the name. This fluid shift results in reduced venous pooling in the legs and increased venous pressure in the upper body. For healthy individuals, the cardiovascular system can adapt to these changes, but for heart failure patients, the risks are substantially higher.

Using computational models to simulate space conditions

Given the lack of real-world data on heart failure patients in space, we turned to computational modeling to simulate the effects of microgravity. We used our previously published 21-compartment mathematical model of the cardiovascular system. By tuning the parameters of this model, we were able to predict how heart failure patients might respond during space travel with a high degree of accuracy.

Our simulations revealed that entry into microgravity increases cardiac output in all individuals. However, for heart failure patients, this increase in cardiac output is accompanied by a dangerous rise in left atrial pressure, which can lead to pulmonary edema—a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

The path forward

Our research underscores the need for comprehensive health screenings and personalized medical plans for space tourists with underlying health conditions. As commercial space travel becomes more accessible, ensuring the safety of all passengers, especially those with chronic health conditions like heart failure, is paramount.

Moreover, our findings highlight the importance of further research into the long-term effects of space travel on cardiovascular health. Future studies should focus on the prolonged exposure to microgravity and the cumulative impact of comorbidities in heart failure patients.

The role of human digital twins

One promising avenue for future research and safety in space travel is the development of human digital twins. A human digital twin is a highly detailed virtual model of an individual's physiological systems. By creating these digital replicas, we can simulate various scenarios and predict how different conditions, such as microgravity, might affect an individual's health. This approach allows for personalized risk assessments and tailored countermeasures.

For heart failure patients, a digital twin could simulate how their specific heart condition would respond to the stresses of space travel. This personalized model could help identify the most effective pre-flight preparations and in-flight interventions, thereby enhancing the safety and well-being of space tourists with heart conditions.

The dream of space travel is closer than ever, but with it comes the responsibility to understand and mitigate the health risks associated with this new frontier. Our computational modeling provides a critical step toward ensuring that space travel is safe for everyone, including those with heart failure. As we continue to push the boundaries of exploration, integrating advanced technologies like human digital twins will be crucial in protecting the health and well-being of all who venture into the final frontier.

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JOURNAL

Frontiers in Physiology

DOI

10.3389/fphys.2024.1351985 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Computational modeling of heart failure in microgravity transitions

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

21-Jun-2024

Dense, swirling winds help supermassive black holes grow

Newly uncovered process is similar to how stars and planets are born

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

 

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A SPIRALING WIND HELPS THE SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE IN GALAXY ESO320-G030 TO GROW, ASSISTED BY MAGNETIC FIELDS. IN THIS ILLUSTRATION, THE CORE OF THE GALAXY IS DOMINATED BY A ROTATING WIND OF DENSE GAS LEADING OUTWARDS FROM THE (HIDDEN) SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE AT THE GALAXY’S VERY CENTRE. COLORED LINES WITH ARROWS SHOW THE MOTIONS OF THE GAS TRACED BY LIGHT FROM MOLECULES OF HYDROGEN CYANIDE AND SEEN WITH THE ALMA TELESCOPE (BLUE INDICATED MOTION TOWARDS US AND RED AWAY).

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CREDIT: M.D. GORSKI/AARON GELLER/NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY/CIERA

By studying nearby galaxy ESO320-G030, a Northwestern University-led team of international astronomers has discovered extremely powerful rotating, magnetic winds help the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole grow.

The process is strikingly similar to the birth of new stars and planets, which are fed by swirls of gas and dust. The new discovery provides a previously unknown clue to solving the long-standing mystery of how supermassive black holes grow to weigh as much as millions or billions of stars.

“It is well-established that stars in the first stages of their evolution grow with the help of rotating winds – accelerated by magnetic fields, just like the wind in this galaxy,” said Northwestern’s Mark Gorski, who led the study. “Our observations show that supermassive black holes and tiny stars can grow by similar processes, but on very different scales.”

The study was published this spring in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

An expert on the evolution of galaxies, Gorski is a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern’s Center for Interdisciplinary and Exploratory Research in Astrophysics (CIERA). When the research began, Gorski was a postdoctoral researcher at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

Spying on the Milky Way’s neighbor

Most galaxies, including our own Milky Way, have a supermassive black hole at their centers. How these mind-bogglingly massive objects grow into super sizes has remained an unsolved mystery.

In the search for clues, Gorski and his collaborators looked to relatively nearby galaxy ESO320-G030, located just 120 million light years from Earth. ESO320-G030 is a highly active galaxy, forming stars 10 times faster than the Milky Way. The astronomers examined the galaxy using telescopes at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Observatory in Chile.

“Since this galaxy is very luminous in the infrared, telescopes can resolve striking details in its center,” said study co-author Susanne Aalto, a professor of radio astronomy at Chalmers University of Technology. “We wanted to measure light from molecules carried by winds from the galaxy’s core, hoping to trace how the winds are launched by a growing — or soon to be growing — supermassive black hole. By using ALMA, we were able to study light from behind thick layers of dust and gas.”

‘Clear evidence of a rotating wind’

To examine the dense gas that closely hovers around ESO320-G030’s central black hole, the scientists studied light from hydrogen cyanide molecules. Using Doppler effect technology, the researchers imaged fine details and trace movements in the gas, which revealed patterns suggesting the presence of a magnetized, rotating wind.

While other winds and jets typically push material away from a galaxy’s central supermassive black hole, the newly discovered wind adds another process, which instead feeds the black hole and helps it grow.

The researchers liken the matter traveling around a black hole to water circling a drain. As matter approaches the black hole, it first collects in a chaotic, spinning disk. There, magnetic fields develop and grow stronger. The magnetic fields help lift matter away from the galaxy, creating a vortex of wind. As matter is lost to the wind, the spinning disk slows, which turns the slow trickle of matter into a stream — meaning that matter flows more easily into the black hole. 

“We can see how the winds form a spiraling structure, billowing out from the galaxy’s center,” Aalto said. “When we measured the rotation, mass and velocity of the material flowing outwards, we were surprised to find that we could rule out many explanations for the power of the wind, including star formation for example. Instead, the flow outwards may be powered by the inflow of gas and seems to be held together by magnetic fields.” 

What’s next?

Next, the researchers plan to study the centers of other galaxies, searching for hidden spiraling outflows.

“In our observations we see clear evidence of a rotating wind that helps regulate the growth of the galaxy’s central black hole,” Gorski said. “Now that we know what to look for, the next step is to find out how common a phenomenon this is. And if this is a stage which all galaxies with supermassive black holes go through, what happens to them next? Far from all questions about this process are answered.”

The study, “A spectacular galactic scale magnetohydrodynamic powered wind in ESO320-G030,” was supported by the Swedish Research Council (grant number 621-2011-4143), the European Research Council and the Nordic ALMA Regional Center node based at Onsala Space Observatory.

About ALMA

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of ESO, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in Taiwan and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI).

ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA.

Spiraling wind illustration 

A spiraling wind helps the supermassive black hole in galaxy ESO320-G030 to grow, assisted by magnetic fields. In this illustration, the core of the galaxy is dominated by a rotating wind of dense gas leading outwards from the (hidden) supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s very center. The motions of the gas, traced by light from molecules of hydrogen cyanide have been measured with the ALMA telescope.

CREDIT

M.D. Gorski/Aaron Geller/Northwestern University/CIERA

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JOURNAL

Astronomy and Astrophysics

DOI

10.1051/0004-6361/202348821 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

A spectacular galactic scale magnetohydrodynamic powered wind in ESO 320-G030

Laying the foundation for lunar base construction; elucidating lunar soil-microwave interactions

Anticipating key resource for enhancing microwave heating efficiency

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: 

ILMENITE HAS A GREATER ABILITY TO ABSORB MICROWAVE AND CONVERT IT TO HEAT ENERGY THAN KLS-1.

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CREDIT: KOREA INSTITUTE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGY(KICT)

The United States’ NASA aims to construct a lunar base through the Artemis program, a manned lunar exploration initiative. However, the practical reality of what general public envision for the space base differs somewhat from well-known science fiction movies. To build a base on the Moon using abundant and diverse construction materials, significant transportation costs are involved. All these materials must be launched from Earth using rockets.

Because transporting construction materials from Earth to the Moon is costly and time-consuming, local materials must be utilized in order to establish a lunar base. One promising method for lunar base construction using local materials is microwave sintering, which solidifies lunar regolith (soil) below its melting point. Research on sintering lunar soil using lasers, solar energy, and microwaves is actively underway worldwide. Among these techniques, microwave sintering is a notable technology being developed by various institutions, including NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim Byung-suk).

The research team(Dr. Jangguen, Lee, Dr. Young-Jae, Kim, Dr. Hyunwoo, Jin) led by Dr. Hyu-Soung, Shin at the Future & Smart Construction Research Division of the KICT is currently conducting a study on microwave-sintered lunar regolith simulant bricks. This research applies sintering techniques similar to firing ceramics, raising the temperature to create solid bricks. The bricks made from lunar regolith simulant have a strength of over 20 MPa, which is comparable to concrete. Microwave heating depends on the dielectric properties of the material, so a detailed study of the dielectric characteristics of lunar regolith is necessary. Currently, there is insufficient research on how lunar regolith interacts with microwave heating at varying temperatures.

As part of microwave sintering research, the research team investigated the dielectric properties of Korean Lunar Simulant (KLS-1) and ilmenite (iron titanate) at different temperatures. Ilmenite is a mineral abundant on the lunar surface and is known to enhance the efficiency of microwave heating. However, detailed studies on the dielectric properties of ilmenite and its behavior during microwave heating have not been conducted.

The research findings indicate that lunar regolith simulant has the microwave transparent property; making it challenging to heat. However, ilmenite (iron titanate) interacts strongly with microwaves due to its unique crystal structure, allowing rapid heating to high temperatures. Additionally, the analysis of the crystal structures of lunar regolith simulant and ilmenite successfully revealed key factors contributing to the increase in mineral-microwave interactions.

Utilizing a local resource, ilmenite, as a heating element in lunar base construction by using microwave sintering means efficient and rapid production of construction materials. Dr. Young-Jae, Kim from the KICT expressed that this research is expected to be a crucial foundation for the development of microwave technology for future lunar exploration and lunar base construction.

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The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, a government-funded research institute with 41 years of extensive research experience, is at the forefront of solving national issues that are directly related to the quality of the people’s life.

This study was conducted under the KICT Research Program (project no. 20230081-001, Development of environmental simulator and advanced construction technologies over TRL6 in extreme conditions; project no. 20230144-001, Space Architecture: Development of Core Technology for the Construction of Lunar Habitation) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

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JOURNAL

Construction and Building Materials

DOI

10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.136599 

ARTICLE TITLE

Construction and Building Materials