Aging is one of the major non-reversible risk factors for several chronic diseases, including cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and it is a key cause of multimorbidity, disability, and frailty (decreased physical activity, fatigue, and weight loss). The underlying cellular mechanisms are complex and consist of multifactorial processes, such as telomere shortening, chronic low-grade inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, accumulation of senescent cells, and reduced autophagy. In this review, we focused on the molecular mechanisms and translational aspects of cardiovascular aging-related inflammation, i.e., inflammaging.

The existence of viable human pathogens in bioaerosols which can cause infection or affect human health has been the subject of little research. In this study, data provided by 10 tropospheric aircraft surveys over Japan in 2014 confirm the existence of a vast diversity of microbial species up to 3,000 m height, which can be dispersed above the planetary boundary layer over distances of up to 2,000 km, thanks to strong winds from an area covered with massive cereal croplands in Northeast (NE) Asia. Microbes attached to aerosols reveal the presence of diverse bacterial and fungal taxa, including potential human pathogens, originating from sewage, pesticides, or fertilizers. Over 266 different fungal and 305 bacterial genera appeared in the 10 aircraft transects. Actinobacteria, Bacillota, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes phyla dominated the bacteria composition and, for fungi, Ascomycota prevailed over Basidiomycota. Among the pathogenic species identified, human pathogens include bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Prevotella melaninogenica, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Cutibacterium acnes, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium botulinum, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Shigella sonnei, Haemophillus parainfluenzae and Acinetobacter baumannii and health-relevant fungi such as Malassezia restricta , Malassezia globosa , Candida parapsilosis and Candida zeylanoides, Sarocladium kiliense, Cladosporium halotolerans, and Cladosporium herbarum . Diversity estimates were similar at heights and surface when entrainment of air from high altitudes occurred. Natural antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) cultured from air samples were found indicating long-distance spread of ARB and microbial viability. This would represent a novel way to disperse both viable human pathogens and resistance genes among distant geographical regions.

Mounting evidence confirms the compartmentalized structure of evolutionarily conserved 3′–5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling, which allows for simultaneous participation in a wide variety of physiological functions and ensures specificity, selectivity and signal strength. One important player in cAMP signaling is soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC). The intracellular localization of sAC allows for the formation of unique intracellular cAMP microdomains that control various physiological and pathological processes. This review is focused on the functional role of sAC-produced cAMP. In particular, we examine the role of sAC-cAMP in different cellular compartments, such as cytosol, nucleus and mitochondria.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is influenced by a wide range of chemical, biological and physical agents that can negatively impact physical, immunological and mental health. Adverse health effects depend on the type and concentration of pollutants, duration of exposure, and individual susceptibility. The availability of data on IAQ is limited, as are standardized approaches for evaluating its health impact. This expert review aims to describe the most important indoor air determinants affecting health, and present the IDEAL cluster, which comprises seven EU‐funded scientific projects on the topic of IAQ and human health. Across the IDEAL projects, knowledge is generated on exposure to a wide range of indoor air pollutants, including well‐known hazards and more explorative chemical and microbiological determinants. The projects will also contribute to the implementation of low‐cost and/or real‐time sensors on IAQ, as well as advanced chemical and microbiological analyses, and evaluate various interventions to improve IAQ. Several of them focus on particularly vulnerable groups. Raising public awareness and implementing measures to reduce pollutant levels are essential for safeguarding health, particularly in urban areas with elevated pollution levels.

Air quality monitoring typically overlooks the biological composition of airborne particles, despite its relevance to human health. This study evaluated the feasibility of using filters from high-volume air samplers, widely employed in air quality networks, to analyze bioaerosol content through shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We developed a DNA extraction method for ultra-low biomass samples and assessed the impact of sampling duration, particle size selection, and filter material on microbial diversity. Our findings show that prolonged continuous sampling reduces species detection, while larger particle size selectors capture a broader range of microbial content, particularly fungi. Comparisons with a dedicated bioaerosol sampler confirmed that these filters can yield comparable results. This work demonstrates that existing air quality infrastructure can be leveraged for airborne microbiome monitoring, offering a practical and cost-effective approach to integrate biological data into routine assessments and support a more comprehensive understanding of air quality and its implications for public health.