Publications
588 results found
Steyn M, Zitouni K, Kelly FJ, et al., 2019, Sex Differences in Glutathione Peroxidase Activity and Central Obesity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at High Risk of Cardio-Renal Disease, Antioxidants, Vol: 8, Pages: 629-629
<jats:p>Women with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) have an increased susceptibility of developing cardio-renal disease compared to men, the reasons and the mechanisms of this vulnerability are unclear. Since oxidative stress plays a key role in the development of cardio-renal disease, we investigated the relationship between sex, plasma antioxidants status (glutathione peroxidase (GPx-3 activity), vitamin E and selenium), and adiposity in patients with T2DM at high risk of cardio-renal disease. Women compared to men had higher GPx-3 activity (p = 0.02), bio-impedance (p ≤ 0.0001), and an increase in waist circumference in relation to recommended cut off-points (p = 0.0001). Waist circumference and BMI were negatively correlated with GPx-3 activity (p ≤ 0.05 and p ≤ 0.01, respectively) and selenium concentration (p ≤ 0.01 and p ≤ 0.02, respectively). In multiple regression analysis, waist circumference and sex were independent predictors of GPx-3 activity (p ≤ 0.05 and p ≤ 0.05, respectively). The data suggest that increased central fat deposits are associated with reduced plasma antioxidants which could contribute to the future risk of cardio-renal disease. The increased GPx-3 activity in women could represent a preserved response to the disproportionate increase in visceral fat. Future studies should be aimed at evaluating if the modulation of GPx-3 activity reduces cardio-renal risk in men and women with T2DM.</jats:p>
Yan L, Carter E, Fu Y, et al., 2019, Study protocol: the INTERMAP China Prospective (ICP) study, Wellcome Open Research, Vol: 4, ISSN: 2398-502X
Background: Unfavourable blood pressure (BP) level is an established risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), while the exact underlying reasons for unfavourable BP are poorly understood. The INTERMAP China Prospective (ICP) Study is a prospective cohort to investigate the relationship of environmental and nutritional risk factors with key indicators of vascular function including BP, arterial stiffness, and carotid-intima media thickness.Methods: A total of 839 Chinese participants aged 40-59 years from three diverse regions of China were enrolled in INTERMAP in 1997/98; data collection included repeated BP measurements, 24-hour urine specimens, and 24-hour dietary recalls. In 2015/16, 574 of these 839 persons were re-enrolled along with 208 new participants aged 40-59 years that were randomly selected from the same study villages. Participant’s environmental and dietary exposures and health outcomes were assessed in this open cohort study, including BP, 24-hour dietary recalls, personal exposures to air pollution, grip strength, arterial stiffness, carotid-media thickness and plaques, cognitive function, and sleep patterns. Serum and plasma specimens were collected with 24-hour urine specimens.Discussion: Winter and summer assessments of a comprehensive set of vascular indicators and their environmental and nutritional risk factors were conducted with high precision. We will leverage advances in exposome research to identify biomarkers of exposure to environmental and nutritional risk factors and improve our understanding of the mechanisms and pathways of their hazardous cardiovascular effects. The ICP Study is observational by design, thus subject to several biases including selection bias (e.g., loss to follow-up), information bias (e.g., measurement error), and confounding that we sought to mitigate through our study design and measurements. However, extensive efforts will apply to minimize those limitations (continuous observer training, re
Kelly F, Chung YS, samet JM, 2019, Our change of Co-Editor-in-Chief and the journal's prospects, Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, Vol: 12, Pages: 1139-1140, ISSN: 1873-9318
Chatzidiakou L, Krause A, Popoola OAM, et al., 2019, Characterising low-cost sensors in highly portable platforms to quantify personal exposure in diverse environments, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Vol: 12, Pages: 4643-4657, ISSN: 1867-1381
The inaccurate quantification of personal exposure to air pollution introduces error and bias in health estimations, severely limiting causal inference in epidemiological research worldwide. Rapid advancements in affordable, miniaturised air pollution sensor technologies offer the potential to address this limitation by capturing the high variability of personal exposure during daily life in large-scale studies with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. However, concerns remain regarding the suitability of novel sensing technologies for scientific and policy purposes. In this paper we characterise the performance of a portable personal air quality monitor (PAM) that integrates multiple miniaturised sensors for nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM) measurements along with temperature, relative humidity, acceleration, noise and GPS sensors. Overall, the air pollution sensors showed high reproducibility (mean R¯¯¯2=0.93, min–max: 0.80–1.00) and excellent agreement with standard instrumentation (mean R¯¯¯2=0.82, min–max: 0.54–0.99) in outdoor, indoor and commuting microenvironments across seasons and different geographical settings. An important outcome of this study is that the error of the PAM is significantly smaller than the error introduced when estimating personal exposure based on sparsely distributed outdoor fixed monitoring stations. Hence, novel sensing technologies such as the ones demonstrated here can revolutionise health studies by providing highly resolved reliable exposure metrics at a large scale to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the effects of air pollution on health.
Wright SL, Levermore JM, Kelly FJ, 2019, Raman Spectral Imaging for the Detection of Inhalable Microplastics in Ambient Particulate Matter Samples, Environmental Science & Technology, Vol: 53, Pages: 8947-8956, ISSN: 0013-936X
Rivas I, Fussell J, Kelly F, et al., 2019, Indoor sources of air pollutants, Indoor Air Pollution, Editors: Harrison, Hester, Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
People spend an average of 90% of their time in indoor environments.There is a long list of indoor sources that can contribute to increasedpollutant concentrations, some of them related to human activities(e.g. people’s movement, cooking, cleaning, smoking), but also tosurface chemistry reactions with human skin and building and furnituresurfaces. The result of all these emissions is a heterogeneouscocktail of pollutants with varying degrees of toxicity, which makesindoor air quality a complex system. Good characterization of thesources that affect indoor air pollution levels is of major importance forquantifying (and reducing) the associated health risks. This chapterreviews some of the more significant indoor sources that can be foundin the most common non-occupational indoor environments.
Shi Z, Vu T, Kotthaus S, et al., 2019, Introduction to the special issue "In-depth study of air pollution sources and processes within Beijing and its surrounding region (APHH-Beijing)", Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol: 19, Pages: 7519-7546, ISSN: 1680-7316
The Atmospheric Pollution and Human Health in a Chinese Megacity (APHH-Beijing) programme is an international collaborative project focusing on understanding the sources, processes and health effects of air pollution in the Beijing megacity. APHH-Beijing brings together leading China and UK research groups, state-of-the-art infrastructure and air quality models to work on four research themes: (1) sources and emissions of air pollutants; (2) atmospheric processes affecting urban air pollution; (3) air pollution exposure and health impacts; and (4) interventions and solutions. Themes 1 and 2 are closely integrated and support Theme 3, while Themes 1–3 provide scientific data for Theme 4 to develop cost-effective air pollution mitigation solutions. This paper provides an introduction to (i) the rationale of the APHH-Beijing programme and (ii) the measurement and modelling activities performed as part of it. In addition, this paper introduces the meteorology and air quality conditions during two joint intensive field campaigns – a core integration activity in APHH-Beijing. The coordinated campaigns provided observations of the atmospheric chemistry and physics at two sites: (i) the Institute of Atmospheric Physics in central Beijing and (ii) Pinggu in rural Beijing during 10 November–10 December 2016 (winter) and 21 May–22 June 2017 (summer). The campaigns were complemented by numerical modelling and automatic air quality and low-cost sensor observations in the Beijing megacity. In summary, the paper provides background information on the APHH-Beijing programme and sets the scene for more focused papers addressing specific aspects, processes and effects of air pollution in Beijing.
Newbury JB, Arseneault L, Beevers S, et al., 2019, Association of Air Pollution Exposure With Psychotic Experiences During Adolescence, JAMA Psychiatry, Vol: 76, Pages: 614-614, ISSN: 2168-622X
Yan L, Carter E, Fu Y, et al., 2019, Abstract P226: Changes of blood pressure and urinary sodium over 18 years in rural China: results from the INTERMAP China Prospective Study, Scientific Sessions of the American-Heart-Association on Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health, Publisher: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, ISSN: 0009-7322
Kelly FJ, Fussell JC, 2019, Improving indoor air quality, health and performance within environments where people live, travel, learn and work, Atmospheric Environment, Vol: 200, Pages: 90-109, ISSN: 1352-2310
In today's 'indoor generation', most human activities take place within an enclosed space, characterised by a chemically diverse and complex air quality. Although source control is the universally preferred approach to reduce contaminants, this is becoming increasingly insufficient, technically unfeasible or economically unviable. The provision of adequate ventilation is also being challenged by invariably poor outdoor air quality and our quest for a low carbon economy. Whilst the former directly adds to the burden of indoor air pollution, both factors attract mitigation measures that are leading to efforts to seal off indoor spaces, which can increase exposure to endogenous indoor air pollutants, heighten health risks and curtail concentration, learning and productivity. Research to date on the role of air purification technologies in key indoor microenvironments demonstrates that air filtration produces clear reductions in indoor pollution concentrations. To confirm the optimistic modelled health/performance benefits associated with air purification further research is required, evaluating longer term interventions particularly in vulnerable populations, employing real-time sensors to quantitatively assess complete exposure profiles and optimizing technologies/strategies to remove specific indoor air pollutants (eg infiltrated versus endogenous particles, gases, chemically transformed organics) within the unique spaces where people live, learn, work and travel.
Kelly FJ, 2019, Urban air quality and health: two steps forward, one step back, European Respiratory Journal, Vol: 53, ISSN: 0903-1936
Roberts S, Arseneault L, Barratt B, et al., 2019, Exploration of NO2 and PM2.5 air pollution and mental health problems using high-resolution data in London-based children from a UK longitudinal cohort study, Psychiatry Research, Vol: 272, Pages: 8-17, ISSN: 0165-1781
Mudway IS, Dundas I, Wood HE, et al., 2019, Impact of London's low emission zone on air quality and children's respiratory health: a sequential annual cross-sectional study, The Lancet Public Health, Vol: 4, Pages: e28-e40, ISSN: 2468-2667
Abbasi S, Keshavarzi B, Moore F, et al., 2019, Distribution and potential health impacts of microplastics and microrubbers in air and street dusts from Asaluyeh County, Iran, Environmental Pollution, Vol: 244, Pages: 153-164, ISSN: 0269-7491
Liang L, Cai Y, Barratt B, et al., 2019, Associations between daily air quality and hospitalisations for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Beijing, 2013-17: an ecological analysis, Lancet Planet Health, Vol: 3, Pages: e270-e279, ISSN: 2542-5196
BACKGROUND: Air pollution in Beijing has been improving through implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (2013-17), but its implications for respiratory morbidity have not been directly investigated. We aimed to assess the potential effects of air-quality improvements on respiratory health by investigating the number of cases of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) advanced by air pollution each year. METHODS: Daily city-wide concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, PMcoarse (particulate matter >2.5-10 mum diameter), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3) in 2013-17 were averaged from 35 monitoring stations across Beijing. A generalised additive Poisson time-series model was applied to estimate the relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs for hospitalisation for acute exacerbation of COPD associated with pollutant concentrations. FINDINGS: From Jan 18, 2013, to Dec 31, 2017, 161 613 hospitalisations for acute exacerbation of COPD were recorded. Mean ambient concentrations of SO2 decreased by 68% and PM2.5 decreased by 33% over this 5-year period. For each IQR increase in pollutant concentration, RRs for same-day hospitalisation for acute exacerbation of COPD were 1.029 (95% CI 1.023-1.035) for PM10, 1.028 (1.021-1.034) for PM2.5, 1.018 (1.013-1.022) for PMcoarse, 1.036 (1.028-1.044) for NO2, 1.019 (1.013-1.024) for SO2, 1.024 (1.018-1.029) for CO, and 1.027 (1.010-1.044) for O3 in the warm season (May to October). Women and patients aged 65 years or older were more susceptible to the effects of these pollutants on hospitalisation risk than were men and patients younger than 65 years. In 2013, there were 12 679 acute exacerbations of COPD cases that were advanced by PM2.5 pollution above the expected number of cases if daily PM2.5 concentrations had not exceeded the WHO target (25 mug/m(3)), whereas the respective figure in 2017 was 7377 cases. INTERPRETATION: Despite improveme
Pinto RC, Karaman I, Fussell JC, et al., 2019, Applications of Metabolic Phenotyping in Epidemiology, HANDBOOK OF METABOLIC PHENOTYPING, Editors: Lindon, Nicholson, Holmes, Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV, Pages: 491-534, ISBN: 978-0-12-812293-8
Krauskopf J, Caiment F, van Veldhoven K, et al., 2018, Short-term exposure to ambient motor vehicle emissions perturb the human circulating miRNA genome, 54th Congress of the European-Societies-of-Toxicology (EUROTOX) - Toxicology Out of the Box, Publisher: Elsevier, Pages: S85-S85, ISSN: 0378-4274
Soltani N, Keshavarzi B, Sorooshian A, et al., 2018, Oxidative potential (OP) and mineralogy of iron ore particulate matter at the Gol-E-Gohar Mining and Industrial Facility (Iran), Environmental Geochemistry and Health, Vol: 40, Pages: 1785-1802, ISSN: 0269-4042
Newbury J, Arseneault L, Odgers C, et al., 2018, Elevated exposure to air pollution is associated with the emergence of psychotic experiences during adolescence, IEPA 11th International Conference on Early Intervention in Mental Health, Publisher: Wiley, Pages: 91-92, ISSN: 1751-7885
Carey IM, Anderson HR, Atkinson RW, et al., 2018, Are noise and air pollution related to the incidence of dementia? A cohort study in London, England, BMJ Open, Vol: 8, ISSN: 2044-6055
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the incidence of dementia is related to residential levels of air and noise pollution in London. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using primary care data. SETTING: 75 Greater London practices. PARTICIPANTS: 130 978 adults aged 50-79 years registered with their general practices on 1 January 2005, with no recorded history of dementia or care home residence. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: A first recorded diagnosis of dementia and, where specified, subgroups of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia during 2005-2013. The average annual concentrations during 2004 of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter with a median aerodynamic diameter </=2.5 microm (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) were estimated at 20x20 m resolution from dispersion models. Traffic intensity, distance from major road and night-time noise levels (Lnight) were estimated at the postcode level. All exposure measures were linked anonymously to clinical data via residential postcode. HRs from Cox models were adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, smoking and body mass index, with further adjustments explored for area deprivation and comorbidity. RESULTS: 2181 subjects (1.7%) received an incident diagnosis of dementia (39% mentioning Alzheimer's disease, 29% vascular dementia). There was a positive exposure response relationship between dementia and all measures of air pollution except O3, which was not readily explained by further adjustment. Adults living in areas with the highest fifth of NO2 concentration (>41.5 microg/m(3)) versus the lowest fifth (<31.9 microg/m(3)) were at a higher risk of dementia (HR=1.40, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.74). Increases in dementia risk were also observed with PM2.5, PM2.5 specifically from primary traffic sources only and Lnight, but only NO2 and PM2.5 remained statistically significant in multipollutant models. Associations were more consistent for Alzheimer's disease than vascular dementia. CONCLUSIONS: We have found evidence of a
Pfeffer PE, Lu H, Mann EH, et al., 2018, Effects of vitamin D on inflammatory and oxidative stress responses of human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to particulate matter, PLOS ONE, Vol: 13, Pages: e0200040-e0200040
Tremper AH, Font A, Priestman M, et al., 2018, Field and laboratory evaluation of a high time resolution x-ray fluorescence instrument for determining the elemental composition of ambient aerosols, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Vol: 11, Pages: 3541-3557, ISSN: 1867-1381
Measuring the chemical composition of airborne particulate matter (PM) can provide valuable information on the concentration of regulated toxic metals, support modelling approaches for source detection and assist in the identification and validation of abatement techniques. Undertaking these at a high time resolution (1 h or less) enables receptor modelling techniques to be more robustly linked to emission processes. This study describes a comprehensive laboratory and field evaluation of a high time resolution x-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument (CES XACT 625) for a range of elements (As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cl, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Pt, S, Sb, Se, Si, Sr, Ti, V and Zn) against alternative techniques: high time resolution mass measurements, high time resolution ion chromatography, aerosol mass spectrometry, and established filter-based, laboratory analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).Laboratory evaluation was carried out using a novel mass-based calibration technique to independently assess the accuracy of the XRF against laboratory generated aerosols, which resulted in slopes that were not significantly different from unity. This demonstrated that generated particles can serve as an alternative calibration method for this instrument.The XACT was evaluated in three contrasting field deployments; a heavily trafficked roadside site (PM10 and PM2.5), an industrial location downwind of a nickel refinery (PM10) and an urban background location influenced by nearby industries and motorways (PM10). The XRF technique agreed well with the ICP-MS measurements of daily filter samples in all cases with a median R2 of 0.93 and a median slope of 1.07 for the elements As, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, Ti, V and Zn. Differences in the results were attributed to a combination of inlet location and sampling temperature, variable blank levels in filter paper and recovery rates from acid digestion. The XRF technique also agreed well wit
Moore E, Lewis A, hashmi M, et al., 2018, Recruitment of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) for research, npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, Vol: 28, ISSN: 2055-1010
Databases of electronic health records (EHR) are not only a valuable source of data for health research but have also recently been used as a medium through which potential study participants can be screened, located and approached to take part in research. The aim was to assess whether it is feasible and practical to screen, locate and approach patients to take part in research through the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). This is a cohort study in primary care. The CPRD anonymised EHR database was searched to screen patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to take part in a research study. The potential participants were contacted via their General Practitioner (GP) who confirmed their eligibility. Eighty two practices across Greater London were invited to the study. Twenty-six (31.7%) practices consented to participate resulting in a pre-screened list of 988 patients. Of these, 632 (63.7%) were confirmed as eligible following the GP review. Two hundred twenty seven (36%) response forms were received by the study team; 79 (34.8%) responded ‘yes’ (i.e., they wanted to be contacted by the research assistant for more information and to talk about enrolling in the study), and 148 (65.2%) declined participation. This study has shown that it is possible to use EHR databases such as CPRD to screen, locate and recruit participants for research. This method provides access to a cohort of patients while minimising input needed by GPs and allows researchers to examine healthcare usage and disease burden in more detail and in real-life settings.
Calas A, Uzu G, Kelly FJ, et al., 2018, Comparison between five acellular oxidative potential measurement assays performed with detailed chemistry on PM10 samples from the city of Chamonix (France), Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol: 18, Pages: 7863-7875, ISSN: 1680-7316
Many studies have demonstrated associations between exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) and adverse health outcomes in humans that can be explained by PM capacity to induce oxidative stress in vivo. Thus, assays have been developed to quantify the oxidative potential (OP) of PM as a more refined exposure metric than PM mass alone. Only a small number of studies have compared different acellular OP measurements for a given set of ambient PM samples. Yet, fewer studies have compared different assays over a year-long period and with detailed chemical characterization of ambient PM. In this study, we report on seasonal variations of the dithiothreitol (DTT), ascorbic acid (AA), electron spin resonance (ESR) and the respiratory tract lining fluid (RTLF, composed of the reduced glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid (ASC)) assays over a 1-year period in which 100 samples were analyzed. A detailed PM10 characterization allowed univariate and multivariate regression analyses in order to obtain further insight into groups of chemical species that drive OP measurements. Our results show that most of the OP assays were strongly intercorrelated over the sampling year but also these correlations differed when considering specific sampling periods (cold vs. warm). All acellular assays are correlated with a significant number of chemical species when considering univariate correlations, especially for the DTT assay. Evidence is also presented of a seasonal contrast over the sampling period with significantly higher OP values during winter for the DTT, AA, GSH and ASC assays, which were assigned to biomass burning species by the multiple linear regression models. The ESR assay clearly differs from the other tests as it did not show seasonal dynamics and presented weaker correlations with other assays and chemical species.
Tonne C, Milà C, Fecht D, et al., 2018, Socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in exposure to air and noise pollution in London, Environment International, Vol: 115, Pages: 170-179, ISSN: 0160-4120
BACKGROUND: Transport-related air and noise pollution, exposures linked to adverse health outcomes, varies within cities potentially resulting in exposure inequalities. Relatively little is known regarding inequalities in personal exposure to air pollution or transport-related noise. OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to quantify socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in London in 1) air pollution exposure at residence compared to personal exposure; and 2) transport-related noise at residence from different sources. METHODS: We used individual-level data from the London Travel Demand Survey (n = 45,079) between 2006 and 2010. We modeled residential (CMAQ-urban) and personal (London Hybrid Exposure Model) particulate matter <2.5 μm and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), road-traffic noise at residence (TRANEX) and identified those within 50 dB noise contours of railways and Heathrow airport. We analyzed relationships between household income, area-level income deprivation and ethnicity with air and noise pollution using quantile and logistic regression. RESULTS: We observed inverse patterns in inequalities in air pollution when estimated at residence versus personal exposure with respect to household income (categorical, 8 groups). Compared to the lowest income group (<£10,000), the highest group (>£75,000) had lower residential NO2 (-1.3 (95% CI -2.1, -0.6) μg/m3 in the 95th exposure quantile) but higher personal NO2 exposure (1.9 (95% CI 1.6, 2.3) μg/m3 in the 95th quantile), which was driven largely by transport mode and duration. Inequalities in residential exposure to NO2 with respect to area-level deprivation were larger at lower exposure quantiles (e.g. estimate for NO2 5.1 (95% CI 4.6, 5.5) at quantile 0.15 versus 1.9 (95% CI 1.1, 2.6) at quantile 0.95), reflecting low-deprivation, high residential NO2 areas in the city centre. Air pollution exposure at residence consistently overestimated personal exposure; this overestimation varied with age
Vardoulakis S, Kettle R, Cosford P, et al., 2018, Local action on outdoor air pollution to improve public health, International Journal of Public Health, Vol: 63, Pages: 557-565, ISSN: 0303-8408
ObjectivesThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, jointly with Public Health England, have developed a guideline on outdoor air pollution and its links to health. The guideline makes recommendations on local interventions that can help improve air quality and prevent a range of adverse health outcomes associated with road-traffic-related air pollution.MethodsThe guideline was based on a rigorous assessment of the scientific evidence by an independent advisory committee, with input from public health professionals and other professional groups. The process included systematics reviews of the literature, expert testimonies and stakeholder consultation.ResultsThe guideline includes recommendations for local planning, clean air zones, measures to reduce emissions from public sector transport services, smooth driving and speed reduction, active travel, and awareness raising.ConclusionsThe guideline recommends taking a number of actions in combination, because multiple interventions, each producing a small benefit, are likely to act cumulatively to produce significant change. These actions are likely to bring multiple public health benefits, in addition to air quality improvements.
Krauskopf J, Caiment F, van Veldhoven K, et al., 2018, The human circulating miRNome reflects multiple organ disease risks in association with short-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution, Environment International, Vol: 113, Pages: 26-34, ISSN: 0160-4120
Traffic-related air pollution is a complex mixture of particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2). PM exposure contributes to the pathogenesis of many diseases including several types of cancer, as well as pulmonary, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Also exposure to NO2 has been related to increased cardiovascular mortality. In search of an early diagnostic biomarker for improved air pollution-associated health risk assessment, recent human studies have shown that certain circulating miRNAs are altered upon exposure to traffic-related air pollutants. Here, we present for the first time a global analysis of the circulating miRNA genome in an experimental cross-over study of a human population exposed to traffic-related air pollution. By utilizing next-generation sequencing technology and detailed real-time exposure measurements we identified 54 circulating miRNAs to be dose- and pollutant species-dependently associated with PM10, PM2.5, black carbon, ultrafine particles and NO2 already after 2 h of exposure. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that these circulating miRNAs actually reflect the adverse consequences of traffic pollution-induced toxicity in target tissues including the lung, heart, kidney and brain. This study shows the strong potential of circulating miRNAs as novel biomarkers for environmental health risk assessment.
Pfeffer PE, Ho TR, Mann EH, et al., 2018, Urban particulate matter stimulation of human dendritic cells enhances priming of naive CD8 T lymphocytes.
Epidemiological studies have consistently shown associations between elevated concentrations of urban particulate matter (UPM) air pollution and exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which are both associated with viral respiratory infections. The effects of UPM on dendritic cell (DC) -stimulated CD4 T lymphocytes have been investigated previously, but little work has focused on CD8 T-lymphocyte responses despite their importance in anti-viral immunity. To address this, we examined the effects of UPM on DC-stimulated naive CD8 T-cell responses. Expression of the maturation/activation markers CD83, CCR7, CD40 and MHC class I on human myeloid DCs (mDCs) was characterized by flow cytometry after stimulation with UPMin vitro in the presence/absence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The capacity of these mDCs to stimulate naive CD8 T-lymphocyte responses in allogeneic co-culture was then assessed by measuring T-cell cytokine secretion using cytometric bead array, and proliferation and frequency of interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-producing T lymphocytes by flow cytometry. Treatment of mDCs with UPM increased expression of CD83 and CCR7, but not MHC class I. In allogeneic co-cultures, UPM treatment of mDCs enhanced CD8 T-cell proliferation and the frequency of IFN-γ<sup>+</sup> cells. The secretion of tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-13, Granzyme A and Granzyme B were also increased. GM-CSF alone, and in concert with UPM, enhanced many of these T-cell functions. The PM-induced increase in Granzyme A was confirmed in a human experimental diesel exposure study. These data demonstrate that UPM treatment of mDCs enhances priming of naive CD8 T lymphocytes and increases production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Such UPM-induced stimulation of CD8 cells may potentiate T-lymphocyte cytotoxic responses upon concurrent airway infection, increasing bystander damage to the airways.
Griffiths SD, Chappell P, Entwistle JA, et al., 2018, A study of particulate emissions during 23 major industrial fires: Implications for human health, Environment International, Vol: 112, Pages: 310-323, ISSN: 0160-4120
Gasperi J, Wright SL, Dris R, et al., 2018, Microplastics in air: Are we breathing it in?, Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, Vol: 1, Pages: 1-5, ISSN: 2468-5844
The annual production of plastic textile fibers has increased by more than 6% per year, reaching 60 million metric tons, about 16% of world plastic production. The degradation of these fibers produces fibrous microplastics (MPs). Such MPs have been observed in atmospheric fallouts, as well as in indoor and outdoor environments. Some fibrous MPs may be inhaled. Most of them are likely to be subjected to mucociliary clearance; however, some may persist in the lung causing localized biological responses, including inflammation, especially in individuals with compromised clearance mechanisms. Associated contaminants such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) could desorb and lead to genotoxicity while the plastic itself and its additives (dyes, plasticizers) could lead to health effects including reproductive toxicity, carcinogenicity and mutagenicity.
This data is extracted from the Web of Science and reproduced under a licence from Thomson Reuters. You may not copy or re-distribute this data in whole or in part without the written consent of the Science business of Thomson Reuters.