A European aerosol phenomenology - 9: Light absorption properties of carbonaceous aerosol particles across surface Europe.

Carbonaceous aerosols (CA), composed of black carbon (BC) and organic matter (OM), significantly impact the climate. Light absorption properties of CA, particularly of BC and brown carbon (BrC), are crucial due to their contribution to global and regional warming. We present the absorption properties of BC (b) and BrC (b) inferred using Aethalometer data from 44 European sites covering different environments (traffic (TR), urban (UB), suburban (SUB), regional background (RB) and mountain (M)).

Local radiation enhances systemic CAR T-cell efficacy by augmenting antigen crosspresentation and T-cell infiltration.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD19 (CART-19) represents a significant advance in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory CD19+ B-cell lymphomas. However, a significant portion of patients either relapse or fail to respond. Moreover, many patients have symptomatic disease, requiring bridging radiation therapy (RT) during the period of CAR T-cell manufacturing.

Associations between fine particulate matter, gene expression, and promoter methylation in human bronchial epithelial cells exposed within a classroom under air-liquid interface.

Associations between indoor air pollution from fine particulate matter (PM with aerodynamic diameter d < 2.5 μm) and human health are poorly understood. Here, we analyse the concentration-response curves for fine and ultrafine PM, the gene expression, and the methylation patterns in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) exposed at the air-liquid interface (ALI) within a classroom in downtown Rome.

Redox-activity and in vitro effects of regional atmospheric aerosol pollution: Seasonal differences and correlation between oxidative potential and in vitro toxicity of PM.

Particulate Matter (PM) is a complex and heterogeneous mixture of atmospheric particles recognized as a threat to human health. Oxidative Potential (OP) measurement is a promising and integrative method for estimating PM-induced health impacts since it is recognized as more closely associated with adverse health effects than ordinarily used PM mass concentrations. OP measurements could be introduced in the air quality monitoring, along with the parameters currently evaluated.

Exposure to urban nanoparticles at low PM[Formula: see text] concentrations as a source of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Exposures to fine particulate matter (PM[Formula: see text]) have been associated with health impacts, but the understanding of the PM[Formula: see text] concentration-response (PM[Formula: see text]-CR) relationships, especially at low PM[Formula: see text], remains incomplete. Here, we present novel data using a methodology to mimic lung exposure to ambient air (2[Formula: see text] 60 [Formula: see text]g m[Formula: see text]), with minimized sampling artifacts for nanoparticles. A reference model (Air Liquid Interface cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells, BEAS-2B) was used for aerosol exposure.

Parkin Deficiency Suppresses Antigen Presentation to Promote Tumor Immune Evasion and Immunotherapy Resistance.

Unlabelled: Parkin is an E3 ubiquitin ligase, which plays a key role in the development of Parkinson disease. Parkin defects also occur in numerous cancers, and a growing body of evidence indicates that Parkin functions as a tumor suppressor that impedes a number of cellular processes involved in tumorigenesis. Here, we generated murine and human models that closely mimic the advanced-stage tumors where Parkin deficiencies are found to provide deeper insights into the tumor suppressive functions of Parkin.

The variability of mass concentrations and source apportionment analysis of equivalent black carbon across urban Europe.

This study analyzed the variability of equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentrations and their sources in urban Europe to provide insights into the use of eBC as an advanced air quality (AQ) parameter for AQ standards. This study compiled eBC mass concentration datasets covering the period between 2006 and 2022 from 50 measurement stations, including 23 urban background (UB), 18 traffic (TR), 7 suburban (SUB), and 2 regional background (RB) sites. The results highlighted the need for the harmonization of eBC measurements to allow for direct comparisons between eBC mass concentrations measured across urban Europe.

Development of Exhaustion and Acquisition of Regulatory Function by Infiltrating CD8+CD28- T Lymphocytes Dictate Clinical Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a poor clinical outcome despite the presence of a rich CD8+ T cell tumor infiltrate in the majority of patients. This may be due to alterations of tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Here, we performed a characterization of HNSCC infiltrating CD8+ T cells in a cohort of 30 patients.

Combination of vasculature targeting, hypofractionated radiotherapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitor elicits potent antitumor immune response and blocks tumor progression.

Background: Tumor endothelial marker 1 (TEM1) is a protein expressed in the tumor-associated endothelium and/or stroma of various types of cancer. We previously demonstrated that immunization with a plasmid-DNA vaccine targeting TEM1 reduced tumor progression in three murine cancer models. Radiation therapy (RT) is an established cancer modality used in more than 50% of patients with solid tumors.

Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Hospitals and Nursing Homes.

The first case of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the novel contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 [...

Size resolved aerosol respiratory doses in a Mediterranean urban area: From PM to ultrafine particles.

In the framework of the 2017 "carbonaceous aerosol in Rome and Environs" (CARE) experiment, particle number size distributions have been continuously measured on February 2017 in downtown Rome. These data have been used to estimate, through MPPD model, size and time resolved particle mass, surface area and number doses deposited into the respiratory system. Dosimetry estimates are presented for PM, PM, PM and Ultrafine Particles (UFPs), in relation to the aerosol sources peculiar to the Mediterranean basin and to the atmospheric conditions.

Levels of Urinary Biomarkers of Oxidatively Generated Damage to DNA and RNA in Different Groups of Workers Compared to General Population.

(1) : The products of guanine oxidation in DNA and RNA excreted in urine are 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua), 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoGuo), and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo). Despite intra and inter-individual variability, it is possible to identify situations that significantly increase the levels of these compounds when comparing urinary concentrations of some workers to those of the general population. (2) : urines from gasoline pump attendants (58 from Saudi Arabia and 102 from Italy), 24 workers of a fiberglass reinforced plastics plant, 17 painters and 6 divers were analyzed by HPLC/MS-MS.

Sphingosine Kinases promote IL-17 expression in human T lymphocytes.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) has a role in many cellular processes. S1P is involved in cell growth and apoptosis, regulation of cell trafficking, production of cytokines and chemokines. The kinases SphK1 and SphK2 (SphKs) phosphorilate Sphingosine (Sph) to S1P and several phosphatases revert S1P to sphingosine, thus assuring a balanced pool that can be depleted by a Sphingosine lyase in hexadecenal compounds and aldehydes.

Targeting mitochondria in cancer: current concepts and immunotherapy approaches.

An essential advantage during eukaryotic cell evolution was the acquisition of a network of mitochondria as a source of energy for cell metabolism and contrary to conventional wisdom, functional mitochondria are essential for the cancer cell. Multiple aspects of mitochondrial biology beyond bioenergetics support transformation including mitochondrial biogenesis, fission and fusion dynamics, cell death susceptibility, oxidative stress regulation, metabolism, and signaling. In cancer, the metabolism of cells is reprogrammed for energy generation from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis and impacts cancer mitochondrial function.

Is it the time to study air pollution effects under environmental conditions? A case study to support the shift of in vitro toxicology from the bench to the field.

Air pollution and particulate matter are recognised cause of increased disease incidence in exposed population. The toxicological processes underlying air pollution associated effects have been investigated by in vivo and/or in vitro experimentation. The latter is usually performed by exposing cells cultured under submerged condition to particulate matter concentration quite far from environmental exposure expected in humans.

Direct observation of aqueous secondary organic aerosol from biomass-burning emissions.

The mechanisms leading to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) are an important subject of ongoing research for both air quality and climate. Recent laboratory experiments suggest that reactions taking place in the atmospheric liquid phase represent a potentially significant source of SOA mass. Here, we report direct ambient observations of SOA mass formation from processing of biomass-burning emissions in the aqueous phase.

Evidence of aerosols as a media for rapid daytime HONO production over China.

Current knowledge of daytime HONO sources remains incomplete. A large missing daytime HONO source has been found in many places around the world, including polluted regions in China. Conventional understanding and recent studies attributed this missing source mainly to ground surface processes or gas-phase chemistry, while assuming aerosols to be an insignificant media for HONO production.

[Air pollution in an urban area nearby the Rome-Ciampino city airport].

Objectives: to assess air pollution spatial and temporal variability in the urban area nearby the Ciampino International Airport (Rome) and to investigate the airport-related emissions contribute.

Design And Setting: the study domain was a 64 km2 area around the airport. Two fifteen-day monitoring campaigns (late spring, winter) were carried out.

Interpretation of ground-level ozone episodes with atmospheric stability index measurement.

Purpose: This paper presents a novel approach to interpret ground-level O(3) with the measured atmospheric stability index (ASI).

Methods: O(3) concentrations were monitored by automatic analysers at three types of stations: traffic site, residential site and regional background site in 2005, and the ASI was simultaneously measured by observing radon and its short-lived decay products.

Results: The observed results showed a clear annual variation of O(3) concentrations with a maximum in spring, relatively high at the regional background site over 120 ppb, and lower at the residential and traffic sites at about 70 ppb.

Evidence of reactive aromatics as a major source of peroxy acetyl nitrate over China.

We analyze the observations of near-surface peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN) and its precursors in Beijing, China in August of 2007. The levels of PAN are remarkably high (up to 14 ppbv), surpassing those measured over other urban regions in recent years. Analyses employing a 1-D version of a chemical transport model (Regional chEmical and trAnsport Model, REAM) indicate that aromatic non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) are the dominant (55-75%) PAN source.

Ambient BTX measurements in Suzhou, China.

Within the Sino-Italian environmental protection cooperation framework established in 2002, a comprehensive air quality monitoring network has been developed in urban Suzhou, a medium-sized Chinese city, in compliance with European standards (Directive 96/62/EC). This paper is among the first attempts to present a systematic and scientific analysis of benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX) pollution in China. It presents our analysis of BTX space-related and time-related measurement results.

[Application research of data assimilation in air pollution numerical prediction].

Based on an air pollution modeling system coupling with the non-hydrostatic fifth generation mesoscale meteorological model (MM5) and the regional modeling system for aerosols and deposition (REMSAD), the forecast results of NOx and SO2 in August and September 2002 in Nanjing were assimilated with the optimal interpolation method and the ensemble Kalman filter. The results show that the improvement rates of deviation mean value of NOx and SO2 after assimilated with the optimal interpolation method are 34.20% and 47.

Relationship between recovery of calf-muscle biomechanical properties and gait pattern following surgery for achilles tendon rupture.

Background: The relationship between ankle plantar flexor biomechanical properties and gait pattern following surgery for acute rupture of the Achilles tendon has not yet been fully investigated.

Methods: Forty-nine young adults (27 men and 22 women) who underwent surgical repair of a complete Achilles tendon rupture were evaluated at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months by clinical assessment, biomechanical evaluation and gait analysis.

Findings: Ankle range of motion, plantar flexor passive stiffness and concentric strength were recovered within 12 months.