Recent works have demonstrated that particulate matter (PM) and specific meteorological conditions played an important role in the airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV. These studies suggest that these parameters could influence the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. In the present investigation, we sought to investigate the association between air pollution, meteorological data, and the Lombardy region COVID-19 outbreak caused by SARS-CoV-2. We considered the number of detected infected people at the regional and provincial scale from February to March 2020. Air pollution data were collected over the Lombardy region, nominally, sulphur dioxide, ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen monoxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and suspended particulate matter measuring less than 10 μm (PM10) and less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5). Meteorological data have been collected over the same region for temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. In this work, we evaluated the combined impact of environmental pollutants and climate conditions on the COVID-19 outbreak. The analysis evidenced a positive correlation between spatial distribution of COVID-19 infection cases with high concentrations of suspended particulate matter and a negative relationship with ozone. Moreover, suspended particulate matter concentration peaks in February correlated positively with infection peaks according to the virus incubation period. The obtained results suggested that seasonal weather conditions and concentration of air pollutants seemed to influence COVID-19 epidemics in Lombardy region.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031226 | DOI Listing |
Arch Gerontol Geriatr
January 2025
Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, 12 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117549, Singapore. Electronic address:
Background: Both air pollution and low socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with worse cognitive function. The extent to which low SES may compound the adverse effect of air pollution on cognitive function remains unclear.
Methods: 7,087 older adults aged 65 and above were included from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and followed up in 4 waves during 2008-2018.
J Thorac Dis
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Interventional Pulmonology of Zhejiang Province, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Background: It has been proposed that repeated exposure of bronchial epithelial cells to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) could disrupt airway epithelial integrity and lead to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and ultimately airway remodeling. The molecular mechanisms underlying PM-related bronchial epithelial EMT have not yet been elucidated. The aim of this research is to clarify the molecular mechanism of EMT upon PM exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Technol Lett
January 2025
PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.
Oxidative potential (OP) is increasingly recognized as a more health-relevant metric than particulate matter (PM) mass concentration because of its response to varying chemical compositions. Given the limited research on the OP of complex combustion aerosols, the effects of aging processes on their OP remain underexplored. We used online instruments to track the evolution of OP [via dithiothreitol (DTT) assays] during the aging of wood burning and coal combustion emissions by hydroxyl-radical-driven photooxidation and dark ozonolysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
January 2025
Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Introduction: Collagen is essential for maintaining lung structure and function and its remodeling has been associated with respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the cellular mechanisms driving collagen remodeling and the functional implications of this process in the pathophysiology of pulmonary diseases remain poorly understood.
Methods: To address this question, we employed ; mice with specific depletion of Lyve-1 macrophages and assessed the content, types and organization of collagen in lung compartments at steady state and after chronic exposure to cigarette smoke (CS).
Front Pharmacol
January 2025
Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Introduction: Exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM) is associated with adverse respiratory outcomes, including alterations to lung morphology and function. These associations were reported even at concentrations lower than the current annual limit of PM.
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