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Recent technological advancements in testing and monitoring instrumentation have greatly contributed to the progress in cancer treatment by surgical, chemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic interventions. However, the mortality rate still remains high, calling for the development of new treatment strategies with higher efficacy. Extensive efforts driven in this direction have included broadening of early cancer screening and applying innovative theranostic nanotechnologies. They have been supported by platforms introduced to enable the detection and monitoring of cancer biomarkers, inhibitors, and other agents, able to slow down cancer progression and prevent metastasis. Despite of the well-recognized principles of the immune checkpoint blockade, the efficacy of immunotherapy achieved so far does not meet the well-founded expectations. For a successful cancer treatment, highly sensitive, robust, and inexpensive multiplex biosensors have to be designed to aid in the biomarkers monitoring and in the development of new inhibitors. In this review, we provide an overview of the efforts undertaken to aid in the development and monitoring of anticancer immunotherapy, based on the programmed cell-death immune checkpoint (PD-1/PDL-1) blockade, by designing biosensors for the detection of relevant cancer biomarkers and their inhibitors screening. This review also emphasizes alternative targets made by exosomes carrying PD-L1 overexpressed in cancer cells and passed into the excreted exosomes. Evaluated are also novel targeted drug delivery nanocarriers, providing simultaneous biosensing, thereby contributing to the emerging immune checkpoint cancer therapy. On the basis of the current trends and the emerging technologies, future perspectives of cancer diagnostics and treatment monitoring using biosensing platforms are projected. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of biosensors for cancer biomarkers has recently been expanding rapidly, offering promising biomedical applications of these sensors as highly sensitive, selective, and inexpensive bioanalytical tools that can provide alternative methodology to that afforded by the advanced hyphenated-instrumental techniques. In this review, we focus particularly on the detection of a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) family, protein survivin (Sur), a ubiquitous re-organizer of the cell life cycle with the ability to inhibit the apoptosis and induce an enhanced proliferation leading to the unimpeded cancer growth and metastasis. Herein, we critically evaluate the progress in the development of novel biosensing systems and biosensors for the detection of two survivin (Sur) biomarkers: the Sur protein and its messenger RNA (Sur mRNA), including immunosensors, electrochemical piezo- and impedance-sensors, electrochemi-luminescence biosensors, genosensors based on oligonucleotide molecular beacons (MBs) with fluorescent or electrochemical transduction, as well as the microfluidic and related analytical platforms based on solution chemistry. The in-situ applications of survivin biomarkers' detection technologies to equip nanocarriers of the controlled drug delivery systems with MB-based fluorescence imaging capability, apoptosis control, and mitigation of the acquired drug resistance are also presented and critically evaluated. Finally, we turn the attention to the application of biosensors for the analysis of Sur biomarkers in exosomes and circulating tumor cells for a non-invasive liquid biopsy. The prospect of a widespread screening for early cancers, based on inexpensive point-of-care testing using biosensors and multiplex biosensor arrays, as a means of reducing the high cancer fatality rate, is discussed. • Progress in the development of biosensors for cancer biomarker survivin (Sur) is reviewed. • The utility of biosensing platforms for the detection of Sur protein and Sur mRNA in early cancer screening is discussed. • Immunosensor and genosensor designs in microfluidic, electrochemical, luminescence and piezometric arrangements are reviewed. • Due to strong expression of Sur in all cancer types, biosensors for Sur markers can serve in cancer diagnostics and grading. • Biosensors for Sur detection in exosomes and circulating tumor cells is a promising alternative for cancer screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The atrium can be used as an element of a mechanical ventilation system. • IES-VE was used to estimate possibility of using atrium to provide thermal comfort. • In buildings, artificial lighting should be regulated in daylight function. • <10% of the hours beyond thermal comfort were obtained during academic year. • Using the atrium as a heat buffer 22%primary energy was obtained. The form, attractiveness, functionality, and exterior appearance of buildings have been important considerations in architecture for centuries. Large common spaces, sharing of daylight, and the use of large glazing are also important. Combining many of these factors, buildings with atriums form a focal point, create a social meeting place, and contribute to the attractiveness of the building by providing a large open interior space. In cold and moderate climates, the atrium roof is important as the climate is often not conducive to outdoor activities. Using an IES-VE simulation, variants of a building in which the atrium was an independent element of the building or integrated into the ventilation system as a passive heater were analyzed. Additionally, two lighting systems were analyzed: on/off time-dependent control and daylight-dependent control (using dimming profiles for artificial lighting). Integrating the atrium into the HVAC system reduced the primary energy consumption for air heating by 17–22%. Using regulated lighting lowered the number of overheating hours. Factoring when the building was used (academic year), the atrium variants met thermal comfort requirements for 90% of its useful time, which did not occur when the atrium was not integrated. Therefore, integrating an atrium with an HVAC system can reduce energy consumption while providing thermal comfort to users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Wall-type heat recovery units are solution for improving ventilation in refurbishment. • Assessment of air stream mixing by visualization and CO 2 measurements was conducted. • The risk of air mixing when using wall-type heat recovery units is low. • The analysis of the annual energy demand for residential buildings was conducted. • Wall-type heat recovery units are helpful in achieving low energy buildings. In the cold and moderate climates the energy demand for heating of fresh ventilation air is crucial. The mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery are used to decrease the peak power of the heating system and to save the energy. In a case of wall-type heat recovery units there is a doubt about the possibility of mixing fresh and exhausted air in the combined intake-outtake device. In this paper experimental investigations were conducted to assess their hygienic safety. The original set-up containing test chamber and the equipment for CO 2 concentration measuring has been used. Visualization of airflows mixing with the usage of smoke is presented. The results show that the risk of the exhausted air return to the building is low. At the same time the ventilating efficiency of such systems is high. The analysis of the annual energy demand for the sample single-family and multi-family buildings has been conducted to present the possible energy benefits of usage such devices. Concluding, the wall-type heat recovery units should be considered as hygienic safe and helpful devices in achieving the standard of low energy buildings in a case of existing and refurbished ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Progress in the development of cellulose paper-based biosensors (PBB) is reviewed. • Nanomaterial-enhanced performance of paper-based devices is analysed. • Advances in microfluidic paper-based devices (μPADs) are evaluated. • Utilization of PBBs and μPADs for cancer biomarkers detection is assessed. A remarkable progress in the development of portable paper-based biosensors (PBBs) and microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) has recently been achieved. In these devices, a paper formed of microfibers of cellulose, a carbohydrate biopolymer, offers both an ample space in its micropores for analytical reagents storage and a capillary force to drive liquid samples to a dedicated reaction zone for instantaneous detection of the desired analytes. Owing to the low cost and ultra-high sensitivity, these novel devices have become a promising alternative to traditional advanced analytical instruments and offer great potential for applications in medical emergencies, health diagnostics at points-of-care, and broad early-cancer screening. In this review, we focus particularly on recent important achievements in utilization of cellulose and its modifications in portable sensing devices for biomedical applications. The progress in functionalization of cellulose papers with antibodies, nucleic acids and nanomaterials in PBBs and μPADs, is discussed and critically evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new approach to designing a ventilation system for an indoor pool was proposed. • A heat pump with double condenser was found to be the best solution. • Decentralization results in a decrease in the energy consumption of fans by 36%. • Decentralization causes a decrease in heat required for heating the air by 17%. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the evaluation of air quality in the residential and office rooms has been significantly developed in recent decades, the issues associated with securing the air quality requirements in nurseries are still not well recognised. This study presents the results of tests regarding the physical and microbiological properties of air in selected rooms of a nursery, including the alternatively variable way of rooms ventilation. The experiment was conducted in four different rooms from the 20th of November 2017 to the 16th of April 2018. The constant measurements of basic parameters of physical air quality in rooms and outside as well as the measurements of microbiological and particulate matter contaminations were conducted in the chosen days of the analysis. The results have confirmed the unsatisfactory air quality in the rooms dedicated to small children. Modernisation of the ventilation system, from a natural one to the supply-exhaust ventilation, has lead to an improvement of physical property of the air, but it did not significantly improve its microbiological quality. Our research indicates that the controlled air flow, method of cleaning the premise and health condition of the children may have a great influence on the physical and microbiological quality of the air. • Building's indoor air is the habitat of numerous bacteria and microscopic fungi. • Source of microorganisms may be people and the external environment. • A quality of indoor air depends on the type of ventilation system. • Contamination can be reduced by the use of supply-exhaust ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]