NPCC4: Concepts and tools for envisioning New York City's futures.

This chapter of the New York City Panel on Climate Change 4 (NPCC4) report discusses the many intersecting social, ecological, and technological-infrastructure dimensions of New York City (NYC) and their interactions that are critical to address in order to transition to and secure a climate-adapted future for all New Yorkers. The authors provide an assessment of current approaches to "future visioning and scenarios" across community and city-level initiatives and examine diverse dimensions of the NYC urban system to reduce risk and vulnerability and enable a future-adapted NYC. Methods for the integration of community and stakeholder ideas about what would make NYC thrive with scientific and technical information on the possibilities presented by different policies and actions are discussed.

NPCC4: Climate change, energy, and energy insecurity in New York City.

This chapter of the New York City Panel on Climate Change 4 (NPCC4) report provides an overview of energy trends in New York City and the State of New York, as well as accompanying challenges and barriers to the energy transition-with implications for human health and wellbeing. The link between energy trends and their impact on health and wellbeing is brought to the fore by the concept of "energy insecurity," an important addition to the NPCC4 assessment.

Airway stem cell reconstitution by the transplantation of primary or pluripotent stem cell-derived basal cells.

Life-long reconstitution of a tissue's resident stem cell compartment with engrafted cells has the potential to durably replenish organ function. Here, we demonstrate the engraftment of the airway epithelial stem cell compartment via intra-airway transplantation of mouse or human primary and pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived airway basal cells (BCs). Murine primary or PSC-derived BCs transplanted into polidocanol-injured syngeneic recipients give rise for at least two years to progeny that stably display the morphologic, molecular, and functional phenotypes of airway epithelia.

Generation of Airway Epithelial Cell Air-Liquid Interface Cultures from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Diseases of the conducting airway such as asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF), primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), and viral respiratory infections are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In vitro platforms using human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) have been instrumental to our understanding of the airway epithelium in health and disease. Access to HBECs from individuals with rare genetic diseases or rare mutations is a bottleneck in lung research.

Multi-modal profiling of human fetal liver hematopoietic stem cells reveals the molecular signature of engraftment.

The human hematopoietic stem cell harbors remarkable regenerative potential that can be harnessed therapeutically. During early development, hematopoietic stem cells in the fetal liver undergo active expansion while simultaneously retaining robust engraftment capacity, yet the underlying molecular program responsible for their efficient engraftment remains unclear. Here, we profile 26,407 fetal liver cells at both the transcriptional and protein level including ~7,000 highly enriched and functional fetal liver hematopoietic stem cells to establish a detailed molecular signature of engraftment potential.

Potential health benefits of sustained air quality improvements in New York City: A simulation based on air pollution levels during the COVID-19 shutdown.

New York City (NYC) experienced a sharp decline in air pollution during the COVID-19 shutdown period (March 15, 2020 to May 15, 2020)-albeit at high social and economic costs. It provided a unique opportunity to simulate a scenario in which the city-wide air quality improvement during the shutdown were sustained over the five-year period, 2021 through 2025, allowing us to estimate the potential public health benefits to children and adults and their associated economic benefits. We focused on fine particulate matter (PM) and modeled potential future health benefits to children and adults.

Derivation of Airway Basal Stem Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

The derivation of tissue-specific stem cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) would have broad reaching implications for regenerative medicine. Here, we report the directed differentiation of human iPSCs into airway basal cells ("iBCs"), a population resembling the stem cell of the airway epithelium. Using a dual fluorescent reporter system (NKX2-1;TP63), we track and purify these cells as they first emerge as developmentally immature NKX2-1 lung progenitors and subsequently augment a TP63 program during proximal airway epithelial patterning.

qRT-PCR Platforms for Diagnosing and Reporting SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Human Samples.

The protocols herein outline the use of qRT-PCR to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA in patient samples. In order to cope with potential fluctuations in supply chain and testing demands and to enable expedient adaptation of reagents and assays on hand, we include details for three parallel methodologies (one- and two-step singleplex and one-step multiplex assays). The diagnostic platforms described can be easily adapted by basic science research laboratories for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing with relatively short turnaround time.

Rapid Implementation of a SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostic Quantitative Real-Time PCR Test with Emergency Use Authorization at a Large Academic Safety Net Hospital.

Background: Significant delays in the rapid development and distribution of diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection have prevented adequate public health management of the disease, impacting the timely mapping of viral spread and the conservation of personal protective equipment. Furthermore, vulnerable populations, such as those served by the Boston Medical Center (BMC), the largest safety net hospital in New England, represent a high-risk group across multiple dimensions, including a higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions and substance use disorders, lower health maintenance, unstable housing, and a propensity for rapid community spread, highlighting the urgent need for expedient and reliable in-house testing.

Methods: We developed a SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic medium-throughput qRT-PCR assay with rapid turnaround time and utilized this Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified assay for testing nasopharyngeal swab samples from BMC patients, with emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Expression of Amyloidogenic Transthyretin Drives Hepatic Proteostasis Remodeling in an Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model of Systemic Amyloid Disease.

The systemic amyloidoses are diverse disorders in which misfolded proteins are secreted by effector organs and deposited as proteotoxic aggregates at downstream tissues. Although well described clinically, the contribution of synthesizing organs to amyloid disease pathogenesis is unknown. Here, we utilize hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR amyloidosis) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to define the contribution of hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) to the proteotoxicity of secreted transthyretin (TTR).

Human iPSC-derived alveolar and airway epithelial cells can be cultured at air-liquid interface and express SARS-CoV-2 host factors.

Development of an anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic is hindered by the lack of physiologically relevant model systems that can recapitulate host-viral interactions in human cell types, specifically the epithelium of the lung. Here, we compare induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived alveolar and airway epithelial cells to primary lung epithelial cell controls, focusing on expression levels of genes relevant for COVID-19 disease modeling. iPSC-derived alveolar epithelial type II-like cells (iAT2s) and iPSC-derived airway epithelial lineages express key transcripts associated with lung identity in the majority of cells produced in culture.

Alternative Transcription at Venom Genes and Its Role as a Complementary Mechanism for the Generation of Venom Complexity in the Common House Spider.

The complex composition of venom, a proteinaceous secretion used by diverse animal groups for predation or defense, is typically viewed as being driven by gene duplication in conjunction with positive selection, leading to large families of diversified toxins with selective venom gland expression. Yet, the production of alternative transcripts at venom genes is often overlooked as another potentially important process that could contribute proteins to venom, and requires comprehensive datasets integrating genome and transcriptome sequences together with proteomic characterization of venom to be fully documented. In the common house spider, , we used RNA sequencing of four tissue types in conjunction with the sequenced genome to provide a comprehensive transcriptome annotation.

Building Healthy Community Environments: A Public Health Approach.

Environmental quality has a profound effect on health and the burden of disease. In the United States, the environment-related burden of disease is increasingly dominated by chronic diseases. At the local level, public health practitioners realize that many policy decisions affecting environmental quality and health transcend the authorities of traditional health department programs.

Effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-3 on physicochemical and sensory parameters of açaí and mango based smoothies and its survival following simulated gastrointestinal conditions.

The effects of the incorporation of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA3 (inoculated at 9 log CFU/mL) on physicochemical parameters, contents of sugars and organic acids, phenolic profile and sensory aspects of açaí (AS) and mango based smoothies (MS) during 28 days of refrigerate storage were assessed. The survival of L. acidophilus in AS and MS under simulated human gastrointestinal conditions during storage was also monitored.

Induced pluripotent stem cell-based mapping of β-globin expression throughout human erythropoietic development.

Robust β-globin expression in erythroid cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) increases the resolution with which red blood cell disorders such as sickle cell disease and β thalassemia can be modeled in vitro. To better quantify efforts in augmenting β-globin expression, we report the creation of a β-globin reporter iPSC line that allows for the mapping of β-globin expression throughout human erythropoietic development in real time at single-cell resolution. Coupling this tool with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) identified features that distinguish β-globin-expressing cells and allowed for the dissection of the developmental and maturational statuses of iPSC-derived erythroid lineage cells.

Awareness, Risk Perception, and Protective Behaviors for Extreme Heat and Climate Change in New York City.

Preventing heat-related illness and death requires an understanding of who is at risk and why, and options for intervention. We sought to understand the drivers of socioeconomic disparities in heat-related vulnerability in New York City (NYC), the perceived risk of heat exposure and climate change, and barriers to protective behaviors. A random digit dial telephone survey of 801 NYC adults aged 18 and older was conducted from 22 September⁻1 October, 2015.

Health Impacts of Citywide and Localized Power Outages in New York City.

Background: Previous studies investigated potential health effects of large-scale power outages, including the massive power failure that affected the northeastern United States and Ontario, Canada, in August 2003, and outages associated with major storms. However, information on localized outages is limited.

Objective: The study sought to examine potential health impacts of citywide and localized outages in New York City (NYC).

Burden and Risk Factors for Cold-Related Illness and Death in New York City.

Exposure to cold weather can cause cold-related illness and death, which are preventable. To understand the current burden, risk factors, and circumstances of exposure for illness and death directly attributed to cold, we examined hospital discharge, death certificate, and medical examiner data during the cold season from 2005 to 2014 in New York City (NYC), the largest city in the United States. On average each year, there were 180 treat-and-release emergency department visits (average annual rate of 21.

Real-time surveillance of heat-related morbidity: Relation to excess mortality associated with extreme heat.

The impact of heat on mortality is well documented but deaths tend to occur after (or lag) extreme heat events, and mortality data is generally not available for timely surveillance during extreme heat events. Recently, systems for near-real time surveillance of heat illness have been reported but have not been validated as predictors of non-external cause of deaths associated with extreme heat events. We analyzed associations between daily weather conditions, emergency medical system (EMS) calls flagged as heat-related by EMS dispatchers, emergency department (ED) visits classified as heat-related based on chief complaint text, and excess non-external cause mortality in New York City.

Levels and determinants of tree pollen in New York City.

Exposure to allergenic tree pollen is a risk factor for multiple allergic disease outcomes. Little is known about how tree pollen levels vary within cities and whether such variation affects the development or exacerbation of allergic disease. Accordingly, we collected integrated pollen samples at uniform height at 45 sites across New York City during the 2013 pollen season.

The contribution of motor vehicle emissions to ambient fine particulate matter public health impacts in New York City: a health burden assessment.

Background: On-road vehicles are an important source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in cities, but spatially varying traffic emissions and vulnerable populations make it difficult to assess impacts to inform policy and the public.

Methods: We estimated PM2.