Differential DNA methylation and PM species in a 450K epigenome-wide association study.

Although there is growing evidence that exposure to ambient particulate matter is associated with global DNA methylation and gene-specific methylation, little is known regarding epigenome-wide changes in DNA methylation in relation to particles and, especially, particle components. Using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip, we examined the relationship between one-year moving averages of PM species (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Na, Ni, S, Si, V, and Zn) and DNA methylation at 484,613 CpG probes in a longitudinal cohort that included 646 subjects. Bonferroni correction was applied to adjust for multiple comparisons.

Traffic-derived particulate matter exposure and histone H3 modification: A repeated measures study.

Background: Airborne particulate matter (PM) may induce epigenetic changes that potentially lead to chronic diseases. Histone modifications regulate gene expression by influencing chromatin structure that can change gene expression status. We evaluated whether traffic-derived PM exposure is associated with four types of environmentally inducible global histone H3 modifications.

Residential proximity to major roadways, fine particulate matter, and adiposity: The framingham heart study.

Objective: Higher traffic-related air pollution has been associated with higher body mass index (BMI) among children. However, few studies have assessed the associations among adults.

Methods: Participants (N = 2,372) from the Framingham Offspring and Third Generation cohorts who underwent multidetector-computed tomography scans (2002-2005) were included.

Spatiotemporal analysis of traffic emissions in over 5000 municipal districts in Brazil.

Unlabelled: Exposure to traffic emission is harmful to human health. Emission inventories are essential to public health policies aiming at protecting human health, especially in areas with incomplete or nonexistent air pollution monitoring networks. In Brazil, for example, only 1.

High Concentrations of Ozone Air Pollution on Mount Everest: Health Implications for Sherpa Communities and Mountaineers.

Unlabelled: Semple, John L., G.W.

Mapping distance-decay of cardiorespiratory disease risk related to neighborhood environments.

Neighborhood characteristics affect an individual's quality of life. Although several studies have examined the relationship between neighborhood environments and human health, we are unaware of studies that have examined the distance-decay of this effect and then presented the risk results spatially. Our study is unique in that is explores the health effects in a less developed country compared to most studies that have focused on developed countries.

Use of visual range measurements to predict fine particulate matter exposures in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan.

Unlabelled: Military personnel deployed to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan were exposed to high levels of ambient particulate matter (PM). However, quantitative ambient exposure data for conducting health studies are limited due to a lack of PM monitoring stations. Since visual range (VR) is proportional to particle light extinction, VR can serve as a surrogate for PM (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.

Developing particle emission inventories using remote sensing (PEIRS).

Unlabelled: Information regarding the magnitude and distribution of PM emissions is crucial in establishing effective PM regulations and assessing the associated risk to human health and the ecosystem. At present, emission data is obtained from measured or estimated emission factors of various source types. Collecting such information for every known source is costly and time-consuming.

PM(10) episodes in Greece: Local sources versus long-range transport-observations and model simulations.

Unlabelled: Periods of abnormally high concentrations of atmospheric pollutants, defined as air pollution episodes, can cause adverse health effects. Southern European countries experience high particulate matter (PM) levels originating from local and distant sources. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and nature of extreme PM (PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm) pollution episodes in Greece.

A novel calibration approach using satellite and visibility observations to estimate fine particulate matter exposures in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan.

Unlabelled: In order to study effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) it was previously necessary to have access to a comprehensive air monitoring network. However, there are locations in the world where PM levels are above generally accepted exposure standards but lack a monitoring infrastructure. This is true in Iraq and other locations in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan where U.

School Environmental Intervention to Reduce Particulate Pollutant Exposures for Children with Asthma.

Background: Home-based interventions to improve indoor air quality have demonstrated benefits for asthma morbidity, yet little is known about the effect of environmental interventions in the school setting.

Objective: We piloted the feasibility and effectiveness of a classroom-based air cleaner intervention to reduce particulate pollutants in classrooms of children with asthma.

Methods: In this pilot randomized controlled trial, we assessed the effect of air cleaners on indoor air particulate pollutant concentrations in 18 classrooms (9 control, 9 intervention) in 3 urban elementary schools.

Trends and spatial patterns of fine-resolution aerosol optical depth-derived PM emissions in the Northeast United States from 2002 to 2013.

Unlabelled: Clarifying the trends in quantity, location, and causes of PM (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) emission changes is critical for evaluating and improving emission control strategies and reduce the risk posed to human health. According to the National Emissions Inventory (NEI) released by the U.

Modeling indoor particulate exposures in inner-city school classrooms.

Outdoor air pollution penetrates buildings and contributes to total indoor exposures. We investigated the relationship of indoor to outdoor particulate matter in inner-city school classrooms. The School Inner City Asthma Study investigates the effect of classroom-based environmental exposures on students with asthma in the northeast United States.

The impact of weather changes on air quality and health in the United States in 1994-2012.

Air quality is heavily influenced by weather conditions. In this study, we assessed the impact of long-term weather changes on air quality and health in the US during 1994-2012. We quantified past weather-related increases, or 'weather penalty', in ozone (O) and fine particulate matter (PM), and thereafter estimated the associated excess deaths.

Chronic effects of temperature on mortality in the Southeastern USA using satellite-based exposure metrics.

Climate change may affect human health, particularly for elderly individuals who are vulnerable to temperature changes. While many studies have investigated the acute effects of heat, only a few have dealt with the chronic ones. We have examined the effects of seasonal temperatures on survival of the elderly in the Southeastern USA, where a large fraction of subpopulation resides.

Association between vehicular emissions and cardiorespiratory disease risk in Brazil and its variation by spatial clustering of socio-economic factors.

Many studies have suggested that socio-economic factors are strong modifiers of human vulnerability to air pollution effects. Most of these studies were performed in developed countries, specifically in the US and Europe. Only a few studies have been performed in developing countries, and analyzed small regions (city level) with no spatial disaggregation.

Fine Particulate Matter, Residential Proximity to Major Roads, and Markers of Small Vessel Disease in a Memory Study Population.

Background: Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with impaired cognitive function and vascular disease in older adults, but little is known about these associations among people with concerns about memory loss.

Objective: To examine associations between exposures to fine particulate matter and residential proximity to major roads and markers of small vessel disease.

Methods: From 2004-2010, 236 participants in the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Longitudinal Cohort participated in neuroimaging studies.

Prenatal and childhood traffic-related air pollution exposure and childhood executive function and behavior.

Background: Traffic-related air pollution exposure may influence brain development and function and thus be related to neurobehavioral problems in children, but little is known about windows of susceptibility.

Aims: Examine associations of gestational and childhood exposure to traffic-related pollution with executive function and behavior problems in children.

Methods: We studied associations of pre- and postnatal pollution exposures with neurobehavioral outcomes in 1212 children in the Project Viva pre-birth cohort followed to mid-childhood (median age 7.

A hybrid model for spatially and temporally resolved ozone exposures in the continental United States.

Unlabelled: Ground-level ozone is an important atmospheric oxidant, which exhibits considerable spatial and temporal variability in its concentration level. Existing modeling approaches for ground-level ozone include chemical transport models, land-use regression, Kriging, and data fusion of chemical transport models with monitoring data. Each of these methods has both strengths and weaknesses.

Residential Proximity to Major Roads, Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter, and Coronary Artery Calcium: The Framingham Heart Study.

Objective: Long-term exposure to traffic and particulate matter air pollution is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, potentially via atherosclerosis promotion. Prior research on associations of traffic and particulate matter with coronary artery calcium Agatston score (CAC), an atherosclerosis correlate, has yielded inconsistent findings. Given this background, we assessed whether residential proximity to major roadway or fine particulate matter were associated with CAC in a Northeastern US study.

AIR POLLUTION INFLUENCES ON EXHALED NITRIC OXIDE AMONG PEOPLE WITH TYPE II DIABETES.

Objective: In a population with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), we examined associations of short-term air pollutant exposures with pulmonary inflammation, measured as fraction of exhaled pulmonary nitric oxide (FeNO).

Methods: Sixty-nine Boston Metropolitan residents with T2DM completed up to 5 bi-weekly visits with 321 offline FeNO measurements. We measured ambient concentrations of particle mass, number and components at our stationary central site.

Estimating Causal Effects of Local Air Pollution on Daily Deaths: Effect of Low Levels.

Background: Although many time-series studies have established associations of daily pollution variations with daily deaths, there are fewer at low concentrations, or focused on locally generated pollution, which is becoming more important as regulations reduce regional transport. Causal modeling approaches are also lacking.

Objective: We used causal modeling to estimate the impact of local air pollution on mortality at low concentrations.

Role for the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and Diverse Ligands in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Migration and Tumorigenesis.

Unlabelled: Over 45,000 new cases of oral and pharyngeal cancers are diagnosed and account for over 8,000 deaths a year in the United States. An environmental chemical receptor, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), has previously been implicated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) initiation as well as in normal tissue-specific stem cell self-renewal. These previous studies inspired the hypothesis that the AhR plays a role in both the acquisition and progression of OSCC, as well as in the formation and maintenance of cancer stem-like cells.

Short-Term Exposure to Air Pollution and Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress: The Framingham Heart Study.

Background: Short-term exposure to elevated air pollution has been associated with higher risk of acute cardiovascular diseases, with systemic oxidative stress induced by air pollution hypothesized as an important underlying mechanism. However, few community-based studies have assessed this association.

Methods And Results: Two thousand thirty-five Framingham Offspring Cohort participants living within 50 km of the Harvard Boston Supersite who were not current smokers were included.