Acute exposure to diesel affects inflammation and vascular function.

Background: Diesel exhaust fumes represent one of the most common toxic pollutants. The prolonged effects of acute exposure to this pollutant on inflammatory status and vascular properties are unknown.

Methods: During a 2-h session, 40 healthy subjects were exposed to diesel exhaust fumes and/or filtered air.

Indoor Air Quality Evaluation Using Mechanical Ventilation and Portable Air Purifiers in an Academic Dentistry Clinic during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is mainly transmitted through droplets without overlooking other sources of transmission, rendered attention on the air quality in indoor areas and more specifically in healthcare settings. The improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ) is ensured by frequent changes of the air that must be carried out in healthcare areas and with assistance from special devices that undertake the filtration of the air and its purification through special filters and lamps. In this research, the performance of air purifiers is assessed in terms of the limitation of PM, PM, VOCs and CO in a postgraduate clinic of the Dentistry School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in parallel with mechanical ventilation.

The association of air pollutants exposure with subclinical inflammation and carotid atherosclerosis.

Background: Air pollution is a well-described environmental factor with evidence suggesting a firm association with cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of exposure to gaseous air pollutants on atherosclerosis burden.

Methods: 1955 inhabitants of the Corinthia region, aged 40 years or older, underwent clinical and biochemical assessment as well as carotid ultrasonography to evaluate carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and plaque burden.

Impact of a green roof system on indoor fungal aerosol in a primary school in Greece.

A primary school was investigated for airborne fungi by a culture-based method, in classrooms underneath a green roof in comparison to conventional concrete roofs. A portable Burkard sampler was used for the collection of air samples onto petri dishes with 2% Malt Extract Agar. The fungal aerosol mean concentration was 71 CFU m (range 17-176 CFU m, median 51) in the classroom directly under the green roof, significantly lower than 192-228 CFU m (range 0-1090 CFU m, median 69) under the concrete roofs and 188-412 CFU m (range 0-2183 CFU m, median 771) in ground floor classrooms.

Hierarchically Porous Cu-, Co-, and Mn-Doped Platelet-Like ZnO Nanostructures and Their Photocatalytic Performance for Indoor Air Quality Control.

Several parameters, including specific surface area, morphology, crystal size, and dopant concentration, play a significant role in improving the photocatalytic performance of ZnO. However, it is still unclear which of these parameters play a significant role in enhancing the photocatalytic activity. Herein, undoped and Mn-, Co-, and Cu-doped platelet-like zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were synthesized via a facile microwave synthetic route, and their ultraviolet (UV) and visible-light-induced photocatalytic activities, by monitoring the gaseous acetaldehyde (CHCHO) degradation, were systematically investigated.