Personal and Ambient Air Pollution is Associated with Increased Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Children with Asthma

BACKGROUND: Research has shown associations between pediatric asthma outcomes and airborne particulate matter (PM). The importance of particle components remains to be determined. METHODS: We followed a panel of 45 schoolchildren with persistent asthma living in Southern California. Subjects were monitored over 10 days with offline fractional exhaled nitric oxide (Fe(NO)), a biomarker of airway inflammation. Personal active sampler exposures included continuous particulate matter < 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM(2.5)), 24-hr PM(2.5) elemental and organic carbon (EC, OC), and 24-hr nitrogen dioxide. Ambient exposures included PM(2.5), PM(2.5) EC and OC, and NO(2). Data were analyzed with mixed models controlling for personal temperature, humidity and 10-day period. RESULTS: The strongest positive associations were between Fe(NO) and 2-day average pollutant concentrations. Per interquartile range pollutant increase, these were: for 24 μg/m(3) personal PM(2.5), 1.1 ppb Fe(NO) [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.1–1.9]; for 0.6 μg/m(3) personal EC, 0.7 ppb Fe(NO) (95% CI, 0.3–1.1); for 17 ppb personal NO(2), 1.6 ppb Fe(NO) (95% CI, 0.4–2.8). Larger associations were found for ambient EC and smaller associations for ambient NO(2). Ambient PM(2.5) and personal and ambient OC were significant only in subjects taking inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) alone. Subjects taking both ICS and antileukotrienes showed no significant associations. Distributed lag models showed personal PM(2.5) in the preceding 5 hr was associated with Fe(NO). In two-pollutant models, the most robust associations were for personal and ambient EC and NO(2), and for personal but not ambient PM(2.5). CONCLUSION: PM associations with airway inflammation in asthmatics may be missed using ambient particle mass, which may not sufficiently represent causal pollutant components from fossil fuel combustion

MSU Xtreme: Minnesota State University, Mankato\u27s Entry into the Clean Snowmobile Challenge 2001

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Automotive Engineering Technology program formed a team to enter the Clean Snowmobile Challenge 2001. Selections for the organization’s machine included a 2001 Polaris Edge Chassis specially outfitted with a 2000 500 cc two-stroke Polaris engine. Modifications to the snowmobile were made specifically for Clean Snowmobile Challenge 2001 events. Acceleration, emissions, cold start, noise, fuel economy/range, handling/drivability, hill climb, and static display made up the list of events featured in the competition. MSU Xtreme has modified the snowmobile in every area with special emphasis on emissions and handling. Testing and analysis of the sled’s systems brought the team to its resulting design. The technical paper describes the results of those tests, explains the team design procedures, and presents all modifications made to the snowmobile

Racial and ethnic differences in older adults' willingness to be contacted about Alzheimer's disease research participation.

IntroductionWe sought to examine the association of race/ethnicity with willingness to engage in studies that involve procedures typical of Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials and determine whether any observed differences could be explained by research attitudes.MethodsWe studied 2749 adults aged ≥50 years who enrolled in a community-based recruitment registry.ResultsCompared to non-Hispanic (NH) whites (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;2393, 87%), Hispanics (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;191, 7%), NH Asians (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;129, 5%) and NH blacks (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;36, 1%) were 44%, 46%, and 64% less willing, respectively, to be contacted for studies that have requirements typical of AD prevention trials, namely: cognitive testing, brain imaging, blood draws, and investigational medications. Mediation by research attitudes was explored, but did not explain the observed differences.DiscussionOur findings suggest that ethnoracial minorities are less willing to engage in studies that are typical of AD prevention trials. Future work should focus on understanding the factors that drive these differences

Attitudes toward Potential Participant Registries.

Difficult participant recruitment is a consistent barrier to successful medical research. Potential participant registries represent an increasingly common intervention to overcome this barrier. A variety of models for registries exist, but few data are available to instruct their design and implementation. To provide such data, we surveyed 110 cognitively normal research participants enrolled in a longitudinal study of aging and dementia. Seventy-four (67%) individuals participated in the study. Most (78%, CI: 0.67, 0.87) participants were likely to enroll in a registry. Willingness to participate was reduced for registries that required enrollment through the Internet using a password (26%, CI: 0.16, 0.36) or through email (38%, CI: 0.27, 0.49). Respondents acknowledged their expectations that researchers share information about their health and risk for disease and their concerns that their data could be shared with for-profit companies. We found no difference in respondent preferences for registries that shared contact information with researchers, compared to honest broker models that take extra precautions to protect registrant confidentiality (28% versus 30%; p = 0.46). Compared to those preferring a shared information model, respondents who preferred the honest broker model or who lacked model preference voiced increased concerns about sharing registrant data, especially with for-profit organizations. These results suggest that the design of potential participant registries may impact the population enrolled, and hence the population that will eventually be enrolled in clinical studies. Investigators operating registries may need to offer particular assurances about data security to maximize registry enrollment but also must carefully manage participant expectations

Using Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Results to Accelerate Alzheimer Disease Clinical Trial Recruitment

IntroductionThe apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is the strongest known genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD). APOE can be used as an enrichment strategy or inclusion criterion for AD prevention trials. Personal genomics companies market direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests, including APOE. We assessed DTC APOE testing usage among enrollees of the University of California Irvine Consent-to-Contact Registry, an online recruitment registry, and attitudes toward using this information in clinical trial recruitment.MethodsWe emailed links to an electronic survey to registry enrollees age 50 years or older. We assessed participants' use of DTC services, willingness to learn APOE status, and willingness to share genetic information. Logistic regression models assessed relationships between DTC testing usage and demographic characteristics, and with willingness to share results to assist trial recruitment.ResultsAmong 1312 responders (57% response rate), few (7%) had used DTC testing for APOE. Non-Hispanic Asian enrollees were 93% less likely to have used DTC testing, compared with non-Hispanic Whites [95% confidence interval: (0.01, 0.67)]. Willingness to share APOE information for study recruitment was &gt;90% for both users and nonusers.ConclusionsMatching participants to trials on the basis of DTC APOE information may be an effective way to streamline AD prevention trial recruitment

Repeated hospital encounters for asthma in children and exposure to traffic-related air pollution near the home.

BackgroundAggregate hospital encounters for asthma (admissions or emergency department visits) have been associated with daily regional air pollution. There are fewer data on relationships between repeated hospital encounters and traffic-related air pollution near the home.ObjectiveTo estimate the association of local traffic-generated air pollution with repeated hospital encounters for asthma in children.MethodsHospital records for 2,768 children aged 0 to 18 years (697 of whom had &gt; or = 2 encounters) were obtained for a catchment area of 2 hospitals in northern Orange County, California. Residential addresses were geocoded. A line source dispersion model was used to estimate individual seasonal exposures to local traffic-generated pollutants (nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide) longitudinally beginning with the first hospital encounter. Recurrent proportional hazards analysis was used to estimate risk of exposure to air pollution adjusting for sex, age, health insurance, census-derived poverty, race/ethnicity, residence distance to hospital, and season. The adjustment variables and census-derived median household income were tested for effect modification.ResultsAdjusted hazard ratios for interquartile range increases in nitrogen oxides (4.00 ppb) and carbon monoxide (0.056 ppm) were 1.10 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.16) and 1.07 (1.01-1.14), respectively. Associations were strongest for girls and infants but were not significantly different from other groups. Stronger associations in children from higher-income block groups (P &lt; .09 for trend) may have been due to more accurate data.ConclusionsAssociations for repeated hospital encounters suggest that locally generated air pollution near the home affects asthma severity in children. Risk may begin during infancy and continue in later childhood, when asthma diagnoses are clearer