Air pollution, a cardiovascular risk factor, might exert its effects through the microcirculation. Fundus photography allows study of the retinal vasculature in vivo. Short-term PM10 exposure is associated with changes in retinal blood vessels, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Expression of MIR21, MIR222 and MIR146A, gene regulators involved in oxidative stress and inflammatory pro...

BACKGROUND Exposure to air pollution is associated with a short-term increase in mortality, and this field has begun to focus on health impact assessment. OBJECTIVES Our aim was to estimate the impact of PM10 on mortality within 2 days from the exposure in the Italian region of Lombardy for the year 2007, at the municipality level, examining exposure entailed by daily intermunicipality commut...

Studies have shown that exposure to ambient particulate matter is related to an increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality. The present study was designed to measure the effect of repeated exposure to urban air particles (PM10) on the rate of production and release of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from the bone marrow into the peripheral blood. Rabbits exposed to PM10 (5 mg) twice a...

BACKGROUND Coarse particulate matter (P10-2.5) is primarily mechanically generated and includes crustal material, brake and tire wear, and biological particles. PM10-2.5 is associated with pulmonary disease, which can lead to right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. Although RV characteristics have been associated with combustion-related pollutants, relationships with PM10-2.5 remain unknown. OBJE...

The chemical composition of particles varies with space and time and depends on emission sources, atmospheric chemistry and weather conditions. Evidence suggesting that particles differ in toxicity depending on their chemical composition is growing. This in vitro study investigated the biological effects of PM10 in relation to PM-associated chemicals. PM10 was sampled in ambient air at an urban...

During the winters of 1986-1987 through 1991-1992, rainfall throughout much of Northern California was subnormal, resulting in intermittent accumulation of air pollution, much of which was attributable to residential wood combustion (RWC). This investigation examined whether there was a relationship between ambient air pollution in Santa Clara County, California and emergency room visits for as...

The potential impacts of climate-induced changes in air pollution levels and its impacts on population health were investigated. The IPCC scenario (SRES A2) was used to analyse the effects of climate on future PM10 concentrations over Portugal and their impact on short-term population exposure and mortality. The air quality modelling system has been applied with high spatial resolution looking ...

Almond harvest accounts for a significant amount of PM10 emissions in California each harvest season. This paper addresses the adjustment of sweeper depth and its effect on PM10 emissions from sweeping and pickup operations. Ambient total suspended particulate (TSP) and PM10 sampling was conducted during harvest with alternating control (proper sweeper setting) and experimental treatment (sweep...

BACKGROUND Asian dust storms can be transported across eastern Asia. In vitro, Asian dust particle-induced inflammation and enhancement of the allergic reaction have been observed. However, the fibrotic effects of Asian dust particles are not clear. Production of transforming growth factor β(1) (TGF-β(1)) and fibronectin were investigated in the bronchial epithelial cells after exposure to Asia...

It has been suggested that ultrafine particles in urban air may cause the health effects associated with thoracic particles (PM10). We therefore compared the effects of daily variations in particles of different sizes on peak expiratory flow (PEF) during a 57-day follow-up of 39 asthmatic children aged 7-12 years. The main source of particulate air pollution in the area was traffic. In addition...