ZFP423 Coordinates Notch and Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling, Selectively Up-regulating Hes5 Gene Expression

Zinc finger protein 423 encodes a 30 Zn-finger transcription factor involved in cerebellar and olfactory development. ZFP423 is a known interactor of SMAD1-SMAD4 and of Collier/Olf-1/EBF proteins, and acts as a modifier of retinoic acid-induced differentiation. In the present article, we show that ZFP423 interacts with the Notch1 intracellular domain in mammalian cell lines and in Xenopus neurula embryos, to activate the expression of the Notch1 target Hes5/ESR1. This effect is antagonized by EBF transcription factors, both in cultured cells and in Xenopus embryos, and amplified in vitro by BMP4, suggesting that ZFP423 acts to integrate BMP and Notch signaling, selectively promoting their convergence onto the Hes5 gene promoter

Association between Asthma Control and Exposure to Greenness and Other Outdoor and Indoor Environmental Factors: A Longitudinal Study on a Cohort of Asthmatic Children

Achieving and maintaining asthma control (AC) is the main goal of asthma management. Indoor and outdoor environmental factors may play an important role on AC. The aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the association between AC and exposure to greenness and other outdoor or indoor environmental factors in a cohort of asthmatic children. This study involved 179 asthmatic children (5–16 years). Parents were interviewed through a modified version of the SIDRIA questionnaire. AC was assessed at each visit. Exposure to greenness was measured using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). A logistic regression model was applied for assessing risk factors for uncontrolled asthma (UA). Low NDVI exposure was a risk factor for UA (OR: 2.662, 95% CI (1.043–6.799)); children exposed to passive smoke during pregnancy had a higher risk of UA than those non-exposed to passive smoke during pregnancy (OR: 3.816, 95% CI (1.114–13.064)); and a unit increase in the crowding index was associated with an increased risk of UA (OR: 3.376, 95% CI (1.294–8.808)). In conclusion, the current study provided a comprehensive assessment of urban-related environmental exposures on asthma control in children, using multiple indicators of greenness and other outdoor or indoor environmental factors

Spatial variability of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehydeand residential exposure of children in the industrial area of Viadana, Northern Italy

Chipboard production is a source of ambient air pollution. We assessed the spatial variability of outdoor pollutants and residentialexposure of children living in proximity to the largest chipboard industry in Italy and evaluated the reliability of exposureestimates obtained from a number of available models. We obtained passive sampling data on NO2and formaldehyde collectedby the Environmental Protection Agency of Lombardy region at 25 sites in the municipality of Viadana during 10 weeks (2017-2018) and compared NO2measurements with average weekly concentrations from continuous monitors. We compared interpo-lated NO2and formaldehyde surfaces with previous maps for 2010. We assessed the relationship between residential proximity tothe industry and pollutant exposures assigned using these maps, as well as other available countrywide/continental models basedon routine data on NO2, PM10, andPM2.5. The correlation between NO2concentrations from continuous and passive samplingwas high (Pearson'sr= 0.89), although passive sampling underestimated NO2especially during winter. For both 2010 and 2017-2018, we observed higher NO2and formaldehyde concentrations in the south of Viadana, with hot-spots in proximity to theindustry. PM10and PM2.5exposures were higher for children at 3.5 km to theindustry, whereas NO2exposure was higher at 1-1.7 km to the industry. Road and population densities were also higher close tothe industry. Findings from a variety of exposure models suggest that children living in proximity to the chipboard industry inViadana are more exposed to air pollution and that exposure gradients are relatively stable over time

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy and childhood autistic traits in four European population-based cohort studies : the ESCAPE project

Background: Prenatal exposure to air pollutants has been suggested as a possible etiologic factor for the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder. Objectives: We aimed to assess whether prenatal air pollution exposure is associated with childhood autistic traits in the general population. Methods: Ours was a collaborative study of four European population-based birth/child cohorts— CATSS (Sweden), Generation R (the Netherlands), GASPII (Italy), and INMA (Spain). Nitrogen oxides (NO2, NOx) and particulate matter (PM) with diameters of ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), ≤ 10 μm (PM10), and between 2.5 and 10 μm (PMcoarse), and PM2.5 absorbance were estimated for birth addresses by land-use regression models based on monitoring campaigns performed between 2008 and 2011. Levels were extrapolated back in time to exact pregnancy periods. We quantitatively assessed autistic traits when the child was between 4 and 10 years of age. Children were classified with autistic traits within the borderline/clinical range and within the clinical range using validated cut-offs. Adjusted cohort-specific effect estimates were combined using random-effects meta-analysis. Results: A total of 8,079 children were included. Prenatal air pollution exposure was not associated with autistic traits within the borderline/clinical range (odds ratio = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.81, 1.10 per each 10‑μg/m3 increase in NO2 pregnancy levels). Similar results were observed in the different cohorts, for the other pollutants, and in assessments of children with autistic traits within the clinical range or children with autistic traits as a quantitative score. Conclusions: Prenatal exposure to NO2 and PM was not associated with autistic traits in children from 4 to 10 years of age in four European population-based birth/child cohort studies.NonePublishe

Health impact assessment of waste management facilities in three European countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Policies on waste disposal in Europe are heterogeneous and rapidly changing, with potential health implications that are largely unknown. We conducted a health impact assessment of landfilling and incineration in three European countries: Italy, Slovakia and England.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 49 (Italy), 2 (Slovakia), and 11 (England) incinerators were operating in 2001 while for landfills the figures were 619, 121 and 232, respectively. The study population consisted of residents living within 3 km of an incinerator and 2 km of a landfill. Excess risk estimates from epidemiological studies were used, combined with air pollution dispersion modelling for particulate matter (PM₁₀) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). For incinerators, we estimated attributable cancer incidence and years of life lost (YoLL), while for landfills we estimated attributable cases of congenital anomalies and low birth weight infants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>About 1,000,000, 16,000, and 1,200,000 subjects lived close to incinerators in Italy, Slovakia and England, respectively. The additional contribution to NO₂levels within a 3 km radius was 0.23, 0.15, and 0.14 μg/m³, respectively. Lower values were found for PM₁₀. Assuming that the incinerators continue to operate until 2020, we are moderately confident that the annual number of cancer cases due to exposure in 2001-2020 will reach 11, 0, and 7 in 2020 and then decline to 0 in the three countries in 2050. We are moderately confident that by 2050, the attributable impact on the 2001 cohort of residents will be 3,621 (Italy), 37 (Slovakia) and 3,966 (England) YoLL. The total exposed population to landfills was 1,350,000, 329,000, and 1,425,000 subjects, respectively. We are moderately confident that the annual additional cases of congenital anomalies up to 2030 will be approximately 2, 2, and 3 whereas there will be 42, 13, and 59 additional low-birth weight newborns, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The current health impacts of landfilling and incineration can be characterized as moderate when compared to other sources of environmental pollution, e.g. traffic or industrial emissions, that have an impact on public health. There are several uncertainties and critical assumptions in the assessment model, but it provides insight into the relative health impact attributable to waste management.</p

Особливості державного регулювання інвестиційно-інноваційної діяльності, в сфері екології

BACKGROUND: Particulate matter (PM) air pollution is a human lung carcinogen; however, the components responsible have not been identified. We assessed the associations between PM components and lung cancer incidence. METHODS: We used data from 14 cohort studies in eight European countries. We geocoded baseline addresses and assessed air pollution with land-use regression models for eight elements (Cu, Fe, K, Ni, S, Si, V and Zn) in size fractions of PM2.5 and PM10. We used Cox regression models with adjustment for potential confounders for cohort-specific analyses and random effect models for meta-analysis. RESULTS: The 245,782 cohort members contributed 3,229,220 person-years at risk. During follow-up (mean, 13.1 years), 1878 incident cases of lung cancer were diagnosed. In the meta-analyses, elevated hazard ratios (HRs) for lung cancer were associated with all elements except V; none was statistically significant. In analyses restricted to participants who did not change residence during follow-up, statistically significant associations were found for PM2.5 Cu (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.01-1.53 per 5 ng/m(3)), PM10 Zn (1.28; 1.02-1.59 per 20 ng/m(3)), PM10 S (1.58; 1.03-2.44 per 200 ng/m(3)), PM10 Ni (1.59; 1.12-2.26 per 2 ng/m(3)) and PM10 K (1.17; 1.02-1.33 per 100 ng/m(3)). In two-pollutant models, associations between PM10 and PM2.5 and lung cancer were largely explained by PM2.5 S. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the association between PM in air pollution and lung cancer can be attributed to various PM components and sources. PM containing S and Ni might be particularly important