Saliva cortisol and exposure to aircraft noise in six European countries

BACKGROUND: Several studies show an association between exposure to aircraft or road traffic noise and cardiovascular effects, which may be mediated by a noise-induced release of stress hormones. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess saliva cortisol concentration in relation to exposure to aircraft noise. METHOD: A multicenter cross-sectional study, HYENA (Hypertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports), comprising 4,861 persons was carried out in six European countries. In a subgroup of 439 study participants, selected to enhance the contrast in exposure to aircraft noise, saliva cortisol was assessed three times (morning, lunch, and evening) during 1 day. RESULTS: We observed an elevation of 6.07 nmol/L [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.32-9.81 nmol/L] in morning saliva cortisol level in women exposed to aircraft noise at an average 24-hr sound level (L(Aeq,24h)) > 60 dB, compared with women exposed to L(Aeq,24h) < or = 50 dB, corresponding to an increase of 34%. Employment status appeared to modify the response. We found no association between noise exposure and saliva cortisol levels in men. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that exposure to aircraft noise increases morning saliva cortisol levels in women, which could be of relevance for noise-related cardiovascular effects

Investigating the relation between Stochastic Differentiation, Homeostasis and Clonal Expansion in Intestinal Crypts via Multiscale Modeling

Colorectal tumors originate and develop within intestinal crypts. Even though some of the essential phenomena that characterize crypt structure and dynamics have been effectively described in the past, the relation between the differentiation process and the overall crypt homeostasis is still only partially understood. We here investigate this relation and other important biological phenomena by introducing a novel multiscale model that combines a morphological description of the crypt with a gene regulation model: the emergent dynamical behavior of the underlying gene regulatory network drives cell growth and differentiation processes, linking the two distinct spatio-temporal levels. The model relies on a few a priori assumptions, yet accounting for several key processes related to crypt functioning, such as: dynamic gene activation patterns, stochastic differentiation, signaling pathways ruling cell adhesion properties, cell displacement, cell growth, mitosis, apoptosis and the presence of biological noise. We show that this modeling approach captures the major dynamical phenomena that characterize the regular physiology of crypts, such as cell sorting, coordinate migration, dynamic turnover, stem cell niche correct positioning and clonal expansion. All in all, the model suggests that the process of stochastic differentiation might be sufficient to drive the crypt to homeostasis, under certain crypt configurations. Besides, our approach allows to make precise quantitative inferences that, when possible, were matched to the current biological knowledge and it permits to investigate the role of gene-level perturbations, with reference to cancer development. We also remark the theoretical framework is general and may be applied to different tissues, organs or organisms

Silver steps (PASSI d’Argento): setting up a national surveillance system of the population aged over 64. The results of the national experimental survey with a focus on physical activity

The surveillance system “PASSI d’Argento” (PDA) is promoted by the Ministry of Health and the Re - gions with the CNESPS technical-scientific support at the National Institute of Health. It has been de - signed with the purpose of making available useful information to decision makers for policies aimed at improving the quality of life of the population aged over 64. It is inspired to the WHO Active Ageing strategy, that foresees participation to the social life, health, economic and social protection as key fac - tors for healthy ageing 1 . PDA testing started in 2008 and lasted two years, thanks to commitment of Regions, Local Health Authorities and Municipalities, under Umbria Region coordination. It included two surveys in 16 regions, with a standardised and validated questionnaire that was administered by specifically trained interviewers and by means of either telephone or face-to-face interview. The sample was randomly selected by the list of residents of the Local Health Unit, aged over 64, not hospitalised and stratified by age and sex. One of the aspects that were studied was physical activity. It has been measured by PASE (Physical Activity for Elderly People) that estimates the activities over the last week in leisure, household and occupational activities. PASE questionnaire is a useful tool in epidemiological studies that permit to estimate the intensity of the physical activities; it promises to be a simple tool easy to use in clinical environment too. PDA has shown to be able to monitor health and social aspects of ageing in a systematic, sustainable, repeatable and comparable way, allowing intervention for the population over 64, aimed at improving their quality of life, according to an evidence-based decision making approach and an efficient use of resources

Medication use in relation to noise from aircraft and road traffic in six European countries: results of the HYENA study.

OBJECTIVES: Studies on the health effects of aircraft and road traffic noise exposure suggest excess risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and the use of sedatives and hypnotics. Our aim was to assess the use of medication in relation to noise from aircraft and road traffic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study measured the use of prescribed antihypertensives, antacids, anxiolytics, hypnotics, antidepressants and antasthmatics in 4,861 persons living near seven airports in six European countries (UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, and Greece). Exposure was assessed using models with 1 dB resolution (5 dB for UK road traffic noise) and spatial resolution of 250×250 m for aircraft and 10×10 m for road traffic noise. Data were analysed using multilevel logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: We found marked differences between countries in the effect of aircraft noise on antihypertensive use; for night-time aircraft noise, a 10 dB increase in exposure was associated with ORs of 1.34 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.57) for the UK and 1.19 (1.02 to 1.38) for the Netherlands but no significant associations were found for other countries. For day-time aircraft noise, excess risks were found for the UK (OR 1.35; CI: 1.13 to 1.60) but a risk deficit for Italy (OR 0.82; CI: 0.71 to 0.96). There was an excess risk of taking anxiolytic medication in relation to aircraft noise (OR 1.28; CI: 1.04 to 1.57 for daytime and OR 1.27; CI: 1.01 to 1.59 for night-time) which held across countries. We also found an association between exposure to 24hr road traffic noise and the use of antacids by men (OR 1.39; CI 1.11 to 1.74). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest an effect of aircraft noise on the use of antihypertensive medication, but this effect did not hold for all countries. Results were more consistent across countries for the increased use of anxiolytics in relation to aircraft noise