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An insight into nanocellulose as soft condensed matter: Challenge and future prospective toward environmental sustainability

Tan K, Heo S, Foo M, Chew IM, Yoo C

Sci Total Environ, 2019 Feb 10;650(Pt 1):1309-1326.
PMID: 30308818 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.402

Nanocellulose, a structural polysaccharide that has caught tremendous interests nowadays due to its renewability, inherent biocompatibility and biodegradability, abundance in resource, and environmental friendly nature. They are promising green nanomaterials derived from cellulosic biomass that can be disintegrated into cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) or cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), relying on their sensitivity to hydrolysis at the axial spacing of disordered domains. Owing to their unique mesoscopic characteristics at nanoscale, nanocellulose has been widely researched and incorporated as a reinforcement material in composite materials. The world has been consuming the natural resources at a much higher speed than the environment could regenerate. Today, as an uprising candidate in soft condensed matter physics, a growing interest was received owing to its unique self-assembly behaviour and quantum size effect in the formation of three-dimensional nanostructured material, could be utilised to address an increasing concern over global warming and environmental conservation. In spite of an emerging pool of knowledge on the nanocellulose downstream application, that was lacking of cross-disciplinary study of its role as a soft condensed matter for food, water and energy applications toward environmental sustainability. Here we aim to provide an insight for the latest development of cellulose nanotechnology arises from its fascinating physical and chemical characteristic for the interest of different technology holders.
Rethinking of the future sustainable paradigm roadmap for plastic waste management: A multi-nation scale outlook compendium

Loy ACM, Lim JY, How BS, Yiin CL, Lock SSM, Lim LG, et al.

Sci Total Environ, 2023 Jul 10;881:163458.
PMID: 37068680 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163458

The myriad consumption of plastic regularly, environmental impact and health disquietude of humans are at high risk. Along the line, international cooperation on a global scale is epitomized to mitigate the environmental threats from plastic usage, not limited to implementing international cooperation strategies and policies. Here, this study aims to provide explicit insight into possible cooperation strategies between countries on the post-treatment and management of plastic. First, a thorough cradle-to-grave assessment in terms of economic, environmental, and energy requirements is conducted on the entire life cycle across different types of plastic polymers in 6 main countries, namely the United States of America, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. Subsequently, P-graph is introduced to identify the integrative plastic waste treatment scheme that minimizes the economic, environmental, and energy criteria (1000 sets of solutions are found). Furthermore, TOPSIS analysis is also being adapted to search for a propitious solution with optimal balance between the dominant configuration of economic, environmental, and energy nexus. The most sustainable configuration (i.e., integrated downcycle and reuse routes in a closed loop system except in South Korea, which proposed another alternative to treat the plastic waste using landfill given the cheaper cost) is reported with 4.08 × 108 USD/yr, 1.76× 108 kg CO2/yr, and 2.73 × 109 MJ/yr respectively. To attain a high precision result, Monte-Carlo simulation is introduced (10,000 attempts) to search for possible uncertainties, and lastly, a potential global plastic waste management scheme is proposed via the PESTLE approach.
Fulltext Utilization, Reimbursement, and Barriers to Accessing Sequencing Tests for Cancer Care in the Asia-Pacific Region: KSMO Initiatives to Address Cancer Care Inequity

Pitiyarachchi O, Tan AC, Thambamroong T, Velasco R, Uehara Y, Lee D, et al.

Cancer Res Treat, 2026 Oct;58(4):1025-1036.
PMID: 41414805 DOI: 10.4143/crt.2025.896

PURPOSE: The Asia-Pacific region is marked by healthcare diversity and economic disparity.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: To understand the utilization and reimbursement practices of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and other sequencing methods relevant to oncology clinical practice in the region, a semi-structured survey was undertaken of respondents from 11 countries represented by the Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) 2024 Young Oncologist Forum alumni.
RESULTS: While 79% of respondents reported access to NGS at their institution, full government reimbursement was uncommon and varied by test type and clinical setting. Japan and South Korea offered the most comprehensive public coverage, including for circulating tumor DNA-based liquid biopsy. Lower- and upper-middle-income countries, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and India, reported no government reimbursement, thus relying on user-pay methods or private insurance payments. One marked barrier to NGS reimbursement was the prohibitive cost of tests (100%), followed by a limited budget to fund testing (78.6%), and then by policy or regulatory restrictions (50.0%). On a similar note, insurance coverage (92.9%) and patient income (85.7%) were key concerns regarding access and equity to tests. Test reimbursement (or lack thereof) and cost were cited almost universally as the most elevated concerns by the respondents.
CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrated a wide disparity in access, funding and reimbursement of sequencing tests across the region. Addressing cost, improving reimbursement mechanisms, and building infrastructure capacity will be critical for the equitable integration of NGS into routine cancer care in the Asia-Pacific.

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