Airborne Benzo[a]Pyrene may contribute to divergent Pheno-Endotypes in children.

Background: Asthma represents a syndrome for which our understanding of the molecular processes underlying discrete sub-diseases (i.e., endotypes), beyond atopic asthma, is limited.

Pulmonary oxidative stress and apoptosis in mice chronically exposed to hydrothermal volcanic emissions.

Recent studies have shown that exposure to hydrothermal emissions has a negative impact on the respiratory system. Still, volcanogenic air pollution studies are still outnumbered when compared to anthropogenic studies which can result in an unknown risk to the human populations living near volcanically active areas. This study was carried out in São Miguel Island, with noneruptive volcanically active environments, such as the Furnas volcano caldera.

Improved risk communications with a Bayesian multipollutant Air Quality Health Index.

Establishing an optimal indicator to communicate health risks of multiple air pollutants to public is much important. The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) has been developed in many countries as a communication tool of multiple air pollutants related health risks. However, the current AQHI is based on the sum of the excess health risks which are typically derived from the single-pollutant statistical models.

Benzo[a]pyrene is associated with dysregulated myelo-lymphoid hematopoiesis in asthmatic children.

Background: The extent to which ambient benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) contributes to mechanistically distinct de novo asthma remains unknown.

Objectives: To identify molecular signatures and regulatory networks underlying childhood exposure to ambient B[a]P and asthma, using robust and unbiased systems biology approaches.

Methods: Clinically confirmed asthmatic (n = 191) vs.

Greater susceptibility of girls to airborne Benzo[a]pyrene for obesity-associated childhood asthma.

Background: Sexually dimorphic risk of obesity-associated asthma is posited to accelerate around puberty. Yet, the role of air pollution on the lean and obese asthmatic children has never been examined.

Objective: To compare whether a unit exposure to airborne benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is associated with altered risks of asthma across the overweight/obese (OV/OB) control, lean asthmatic, and OV/OB asthmatic children, respectively, compared to the lean controls, before and after adjusting for oxidant stress markers (i.

Gene expression profiling in healthy newborns from diverse localities of the Czech Republic.

Prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with intrauterine growth restriction and low birth weight. Gene expression changes in newborns in relation to air pollution have not been sufficiently studied. We analyzed whole genome expression in cord blood leukocytes of 202 newborns from diverse localities of the Czech Republic, differing among other factors in levels of air pollution: the district of Karvina (characterized by higher concentration of air pollutants) and Ceske Budejovice (lower air pollution levels).

Modeling Unobserved Heterogeneity in Susceptibility to Ambient Benzo[a]pyrene Concentration among Children with Allergic Asthma Using an Unsupervised Learning Algorithm.

Current studies of gene × air pollution interaction typically seek to identify unknown heritability of common complex illnesses arising from variability in the host's susceptibility to environmental pollutants of interest. Accordingly, a single component generalized linear models are often used to model the risk posed by an environmental exposure variable of interest in relation to a priori determined DNA variants. However, reducing the phenotypic heterogeneity may further optimize such approach, primarily represented by the modeled DNA variants.

Altered vulnerability to asthma at various levels of ambient Benzo[a]Pyrene by CTLA4, STAT4 and CYP2E1 polymorphisms.

Background: Within fossil- and solid-fuel dependent geographic locations, mechanisms of air pollution-induced asthma remains unknown. In particular, sources of greater genetic susceptibility to airborne carcinogen, namely, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) has never been investigated beyond that of a few well known genes.

Objectives: To deepen our understanding on how the genotypic variations within the candidate genes contribute to the variability in the children's susceptibility to ambient B[a]P on doctor-diagnosed asthma.

Linking childhood allergic asthma phenotypes with endotype through integrated systems biology: current evidence and research needs.

Asthma and other complex diseases results from a complex web of interactions involving inflammation, immunity, cell cycle, apoptosis, and metabolic perturbations across multiple organ systems. The extent to which various degrees of the age at onset, symptom severity, and the natural progression of the disease reflect multiple disease subtypes, influenced by unique process of development remains unknown. One of the most critical challenges to our understanding stems from incomplete understanding of the mechanisms.

Volatile organic compounds of possible microbial origin and their risks on childhood asthma and allergies within damp homes.

Background: Risk of indoor exposure to volatile organic compounds of purported microbial origin on childhood symptoms of wheezing, rhinitis, and/or eczema, and doctor-diagnosed asthma, rhinitis, and eczema, respectively, remain unclear.

Objective: To test hypotheses that total sum of 28 microbial volatile organic compounds (Σ26 MVOCs): 1) poses independent risk on doctor-diagnosed asthma, rhinitis, and eczema, respectively, as well as multiple symptom presentation with a minimum of the two of the above conditions (i.e.

Non-microbial sources of microbial volatile organic compounds.

Background: The question regarding the true sources of the purported microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) remains unanswered.

Objective: To identify microbial, as well as non-microbial sources of 28 compounds, which are commonly accepted as microbial VOCs (i.e.

Mold populations and dust mite allergen concentrations in house dust samples from across Puerto Rico.

Lifetime childhood asthma prevalence (LCAP) percentages in Puerto Rico Health Regions (HR) are substantially higher in northeastern vs. southwestern HR. Higher average relative humidity in the northeast might promote mold and mite exposures and possibly asthma prevalence.

Estimation of chronic personal exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Background: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) exposure from solid fuel burning represents an important public health issue for the majority of the global population. Yet, understanding of individual-level exposures remains limited.

Objectives: To develop regionally adaptable chronic personal exposure model to pro-carcinogenic PAH (c-PAH) for the population in Kraków, Poland.

Intraurban and longitudinal variability of classical pollutants in Kraków, Poland, 2000-2010.

In spite of a dramatic decrease in anthropogenic emissions, ambient concentrations of major pollutants have not changed within many urban locations. To clarify the relationship between ambient air quality trend and the population exposures, we compared the intraurban versus temporal variability of the collocated measurements of five major air pollutants including particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter <10 µm (PM₁₀), < 2.5 µm (PM₂.

The integrated first year experience in the master of public health program.

Schools of Public Health historically introduced core curriculum courses in the first year of the Master of Public Health program as independent perspectives; these perspectives included epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, public health biology, health behaviors, and health policy. We performed a pilot project that integrated the core areas around diabetes as a cross-cutting public health issue to provide early exposure to the interdisciplinary nature of public health. In each core curriculum course, diabetes was explored in the curriculum and related to other core courses.

Source attribution of personal exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixture using concurrent personal, indoor, and outdoor measurements.

Objectives: Relative importance of multiple indoor and outdoor venues on personal exposure concentrations to pro-carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (c-PAHs) remains poorly understood. This is particularly challenging because many c-PAHs share sources and occur as a complex mixture. Accurate and precise apportionment of personal exposure according to exposure venues could aid in the understanding of human health effects due to a given source.

Using semiparametric-mixed model and functional linear model to detect vulnerable prenatal window to carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on fetal growth.

Prenatal exposure to carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (c-PAHs) through maternal inhalation induces higher risk for a wide range of fetotoxic effects. However, the most health-relevant dose function from chronic gestational exposure remains unclear. Whether there is a gestational window during which the human embryo/fetus is particularly vulnerable to PAHs has not been examined thoroughly.

Fetal window of vulnerability to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on proportional intrauterine growth restriction.

Background: Although the entire duration of fetal development is generally considered a highly susceptible period, it is of public health interest to determine a narrower window of heightened vulnerability to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in humans. We posited that exposure to PAHs during the first trimester impairs fetal growth more severely than a similar level of exposure during the subsequent trimesters.

Methods: In a group of healthy, non-smoking pregnant women with no known risks of adverse birth outcomes, personal exposure to eight airborne PAHs was monitored once during the second trimester for the entire cohort (n = 344), and once each trimester within a subset (n = 77).

Sources of propylene glycol and glycol ethers in air at home.

Propylene glycol and glycol ether (PGE) in indoor air have recently been associated with asthma and allergies as well as sensitization in children. In this follow-up report, sources of the PGEs in indoor air were investigated in 390 homes of pre-school age children in Sweden. Professional building inspectors examined each home for water damages, mold odour, building's structural characteristics, indoor temperature, absolute humidity and air exchange rate.

Common household chemicals and the allergy risks in pre-school age children.

Background: The risk of indoor exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on allergic airway diseases in children remains unknown.

Objective: We examined the residential concentrations of VOCs, emitted from building materials, paints, furniture, and other lifestyle practices and the risks of multiple allergic diseases as well as the IgE-sensitization in pre-school age children in Sweden.

Methods: In a case-control investigation (198 case children with asthma and allergy and 202 healthy controls), air samples were collected in the room where the child slept.

Sources of greater fetal vulnerability to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons among African Americans.

Background: This study attempted to clarify the household and mother's lifestyle factors that contribute to the greater fetal vulnerability of African-American individuals to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).

Methods: Non-smoking pregnant women with no known risks of adverse birth outcome were monitored for their personal exposure to airborne PAH. Birth outcomes were collected from the hospital medical record.

Methodological issues in studies of air pollution and reproductive health.

In the past decade there have been an increasing number of scientific studies describing possible effects of air pollution on perinatal health. These papers have mostly focused on commonly monitored air pollutants, primarily ozone (O(3)), particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), and various indices of perinatal health, including fetal growth, pregnancy duration, and infant mortality. While most published studies have found some marker of air pollution related to some types of perinatal outcomes, variability exists in the nature of the pollutants and outcomes associated.

Estimating individual-level exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons throughout the gestational period based on personal, indoor, and outdoor monitoring.

Objectives: Current understanding on health effects of long-term polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure is limited by lack of data on time-varying nature of the pollutants at an individual level. In a cohort of pregnant women in Krakow, Poland, we examined the contribution of temporal, spatial, and behavioral factors to prenatal exposure to airborne PAHs within each trimester and developed a predictive model of PAH exposure over the entire gestational period.

Methods: We monitored nonsmoking pregnant women (n = 341) for their personal exposure to pyrene and eight carcinogenic PAHs-benz[a]anthracene, chrysene/isochrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene [B(a)P], indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and benzo[g,h,i]perylene-during their second trimester for a consecutive 48-hr period.

Personal exposure to fine particles and benzo[a]pyrene. Relation with indoor and outdoor concentrations of these pollutants in Kraków.

Objectives: This study assessed personal exposure of pregnant women to fine particles (PM(25)) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and the relationship between pollutant concentrations in ambient and indoor air.

Materials And Methods: In a group of 78 pregnant women, simultaneous 48 h measurements of personal, indoor, and outdoor exposure to PM(25) and B[a]P were carried out in the second trimester of pregnancy. The results show that participants were exposed to varying concentrations of PM(25) and B[a]P, with higher exposure in the winter season.