Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (627 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The application of heat to raise the temperature of the environment, ambient or local, or the systems for accomplishing this effect. It is distinguished from HEAT, the physical property and principle of physics.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Environment, Controlled
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 5,490 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Heating” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 824 of them (15.0%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 2,402 records.
Reviews account for 254 records (4.6%) and meta-analyses for 27. Randomized controlled trials number 171 (3.1%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 2,402 |
| 2000-2009 | 1,076 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,188 |
| 2020 onward | 824 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 254 | 4.6% |
| Meta-analyses | 27 | 0.5% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 171 | 3.1% |
Method: PubMed query "Heating"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in public health and nutrition
Population and nutrition studies mostly observe what people eat, breathe or are exposed to and then look for links with health, which shows association and not proof of cause. Self-reported diet is imprecise, people who eat or live differently also differ in other ways, and effects measured across a population may not apply to one person. Check the study design, how exposure was measured, what else was accounted for and the size of the effect, not only whether it was statistically significant.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor air pollution from biomass fuel smoke is a major health concern in the developing world | 2008 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 320 | cc by PMID 18639310 · DOI · PMC2568866 |
| Successful cryopreservation of coral larvae using vitrification and laser warming | 2018 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 60 | cc by PMID 30356142 · DOI · PMC6200823 |
| Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) in intensive care unit | 2020 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 48 | cc by PMID 32375844 · DOI · PMC7201115 |
| Outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease Linked to Newly Installed Residential Water Heaters, the Netherlands, 2022-2023 | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 0 | cc by PMID 42228406 · DOI · PMC13322443 |
Indoor air pollution from biomass fuel smoke is a major health concern in the developing world [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- One-third of the world's population burn organic material such as wood, dung or charcoal (biomass fuel) for cooking, heating and lighting.
- Closing excerpt
- This review summarises the available information on biomass fuel use and health, highlighting the current gaps in knowledge.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (92 words)
One-third of the world's population burn organic material such as wood, dung or charcoal (biomass fuel) for cooking, heating and lighting. This form of energy usage is associated with high levels of indoor air pollution and an increase in the incidence of respiratory infections, including pneumonia, tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, low birthweight, cataracts, cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality both in adults and children. The mechanisms behind these associations are not fully understood. This review summarises the available information on biomass fuel use and health, highlighting the current gaps in knowledge.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 18639310 · DOI · PMC2568866
Successful cryopreservation of coral larvae using vitrification and laser warming [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Climate change has increased the incidence of coral bleaching events, resulting in the loss of ecosystem function and biodiversity on reefs around the world.
- Closing excerpt
- This technology will enable biobanking of coral larvae to secure biodiversity, and, if managed in a high-throughput manner where millions of larvae in a species are frozen at one time, could become an invaluable research and conservation tool to help restore and diversify wild reef habitats.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (198 words)
Climate change has increased the incidence of coral bleaching events, resulting in the loss of ecosystem function and biodiversity on reefs around the world. As reef degradation accelerates, the need for innovative restoration tools has become acute. Despite past successes with ultra-low temperature storage of coral sperm to conserve genetic diversity, cryopreservation of larvae has remained elusive due to their large volume, membrane complexity, and sensitivity to chilling injury. Here we show for the first time that coral larvae can survive cryopreservation and resume swimming after warming. Vitrification in a 3.5 M cryoprotectant solution (10% v/v propylene glycol, 5% v/v dimethyl sulfoxide, and 1 M trehalose in phosphate buffered saline) followed by warming at a rate of approximately 4,500,000 °C/min with an infrared laser resulted in up to 43% survival of Fungia scutaria larvae on day 2 post-fertilization. Surviving larvae swam and continued to develop for at least 12 hours after laser-warming. This technology will enable biobanking of coral larvae to secure biodiversity, and, if managed in a high-throughput manner where millions of larvae in a species are frozen at one time, could become an invaluable research and conservation tool to help restore and diversify wild reef habitats.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30356142 · DOI · PMC6200823
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) in intensive care unit [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The aim of this review is to describe variation in standards and guidelines on 'heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC)' system maintenance in the intensive care units, across the world, which is required to maintain good 'indoor air quality' as an important non-pharmacological strategy in preventing hospital-acquired infections.
- Closing excerpt
- In summary, there is a need of universal standards for HVAC system with a specific mention on the type of ICU, which should be incorporated into existing infection control practice guidelines.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (188 words)
The aim of this review is to describe variation in standards and guidelines on 'heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC)' system maintenance in the intensive care units, across the world, which is required to maintain good 'indoor air quality' as an important non-pharmacological strategy in preventing hospital-acquired infections. An online search and review of standards and guidelines published by various societies including American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health Estates and Facilities Division, Health Technical Memorandum 2025 (HTM) and Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) along with various national expert committee consensus statements, regional and hospital-based protocols available in a public domain were retrieved. Selected publications and textbooks describing HVAC structural aspects were also reviewed, and we described the basic structural details of HVAC system as well as variations in the practised standards of HVAC system in the ICU, worldwide. In summary, there is a need of universal standards for HVAC system with a specific mention on the type of ICU, which should be incorporated into existing infection control practice guidelines.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 32375844 · DOI · PMC7201115
Outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease Linked to Newly Installed Residential Water Heaters, the Netherlands, 2022-2023 [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- During 2022-2023, two small Legionnaires' disease (LD) clusters (2 and 4 cases) occurred in 2 residential apartment buildings in the Netherlands.
- Closing excerpt
- pneumophila transmission sources.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (149 words)
During 2022-2023, two small Legionnaires' disease (LD) clusters (2 and 4 cases) occurred in 2 residential apartment buildings in the Netherlands. All case-patients recently installed a new brand A water heater. Environmental sampling revealed Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 sequence type 37 in the hot water system of each case-patient's apartment, matching 1 clinical isolate. We conducted a case-control study to evaluate whether brand A water heaters were linked to cases in the 2 clusters. We identified 23 LD case-patients, 21 of whom had a brand A water heater installed <6 months before illness onset. Four cases had a genotypic match between clinical and environmental isolates; none of 31 control-patients had recently installed a water heater. Analyses showed that LD cases were strongly associated with new brand A water heaters (OR 542 [95% CI 24.76-11,854.03]); the manufacturer implemented control measures. Residential water heaters could serve as L. pneumophila transmission sources.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42228406 · DOI · PMC13322443
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Targeted drug delivery by thermally responsive polymers [5]
- Research article Radiofrequency energy-induced heating during MR procedures: a review [6]
- Research article Household air pollution from domestic combustion of solid fuels and health [7]
- Research article Active body surface warming systems for preventing complications caused by inadvertent perioperative hypothermia in adults [8]
- Research article The toxicology of inhaled woodsmoke [9]
- Research article MRI-Related Heating of Implants and Devices: A Review [10]
References
- Fullerton DG, Bruce N, Gordon SB. Indoor air pollution from biomass fuel smoke is a major health concern in the developing world. . 2008. PMID 18639310 · DOI · PMC2568866
- Daly J, Zuchowicz N, Nuñez Lendo CI, Khosla K, Lager C, Henley EM, et al.. Successful cryopreservation of coral larvae using vitrification and laser warming. . 2018. PMID 30356142 · DOI · PMC6200823
- Saran S, Gurjar M, Baronia A, Sivapurapu V, Ghosh PS, Raju GM, et al.. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) in intensive care unit. . 2020. PMID 32375844 · DOI · PMC7201115
- Reukers DFM, Euser SM, Bartels AA, Keet MG, Boot M, Ruijs WLM, et al.. Outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease Linked to Newly Installed Residential Water Heaters, the Netherlands, 2022-2023. . 2026. PMID 42228406 · DOI · PMC13322443
- Chilkoti A, Dreher MR, Meyer DE, Raucher D. Targeted drug delivery by thermally responsive polymers. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2002. PMID 12204595 · DOI
- Shellock FG. Radiofrequency energy-induced heating during MR procedures: a review. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2000. PMID 10931562 · DOI
- Balmes JR. Household air pollution from domestic combustion of solid fuels and health. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2019. PMID 31176380 · DOI
- Madrid E, Urrútia G, Roqué i Figuls M, Pardo-Hernandez H, Campos JM, Paniagua P, et al.. Active body surface warming systems for preventing complications caused by inadvertent perioperative hypothermia in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016. PMID 27098439 · DOI · PMC8687605
- Zelikoff JT, Chen LC, Cohen MD, Schlesinger RB. The toxicology of inhaled woodsmoke. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2002. PMID 12162869 · DOI
- Winter L, Seifert F, Zilberti L, Murbach M, Ittermann B. MRI-Related Heating of Implants and Devices: A Review. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2021. PMID 32458559 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.