Air pollution and lung function among susceptible adult subjects: a panel study

BACKGROUND: Adverse health effects at relatively low levels of ambient air pollution have consistently been reported in the last years. We conducted a time-series panel study of subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and ischemic heart disease (IHD) to evaluate whether daily levels of air pollutants have a measurable impact on the lung function of adult subjects with pre-existing lung or heart diseases. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with COPD, asthma, or IHD underwent repeated lung function tests by supervised spirometry in two one-month surveys. Daily samples of coarse (PM(10–2.5)) and fine (PM(2.5)) particulate matter were collected by means of dichotomous samplers, and the dust was gravimetrically analyzed. The particulate content of selected metals (cadmium, chrome, iron, nickel, lead, platinum, vanadium, and zinc) was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O(3)), and sulphur dioxide (SO(2)) were obtained from the regional air-quality monitoring network. The relationships between concentrations of air pollutants and lung function parameters were analyzed by generalized estimating equations (GEE) for panel data. RESULTS: Decrements in lung function indices (FVC and/or FEV(1)) associated with increasing concentrations of PM(2.5), NO(2 )and some metals (especially zinc and iron) were observed in COPD cases. Among the asthmatics, NO(2 )was associated with a decrease in FEV(1). No association between average ambient concentrations of any air pollutant and lung function was observed among IHD cases. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the short-term negative impact of exposure to air pollutants on respiratory volume and flow is limited to individuals with already impaired respiratory function. The fine fraction of ambient PM seems responsible for the observed effects among COPD cases, with zinc and iron having a potential role via oxidative stress. The respiratory function of the relatively young and mild asthmatics included in this study seems to worsen when ambient levels of NO(2 )increase

Susceptibility to ozone-induced airway inflammation is associated with decreased levels of surfactant protein D

BACKGROUND: Ozone (O(3)), a common air pollutant, induces exacerbation of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pulmonary surfactant protein (SP)-D modulates immune and inflammatory responses in the lung. We have shown previously that SP-D plays a protective role in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation. Here we studied the role and regulation of SP-D in O(3)-induced inflammatory changes in the lung. METHODS: To evaluate the effects of O(3 )exposure in mouse strains with genetically different expression levels of SP-D we exposed Balb/c, C57BL/6 and SP-D knockout mice to O(3 )or air. BAL cellular and cytokine content and SP-D levels were evaluated and compared between the different strains. The kinetics of SP-D production and inflammatory parameters were studied at 0, 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hrs after O(3 )exposure. The effect of IL-6, an O(3)-inducible cytokine, on the expression of SP-D was investigated in vitro using a primary alveolar type II cell culture. RESULTS: Ozone-exposed Balb/c mice demonstrated significantly enhanced acute inflammatory changes including recruitment of inflammatory cells and release of KC and IL-12p70 when compared with age- and sex-matched C57BL/6 mice. On the other hand, C57BL/6 mice had significantly higher levels of SP-D and released more IL-10 and IL-6. Increase in SP-D production coincided with the resolution of inflammatory changes. Mice deficient in SP-D had significantly higher numbers of inflammatory cells when compared to controls supporting the notion that SP-D has an anti-inflammatory function in our model of O(3 )exposure. IL-6, which was highly up-regulated in O(3 )exposed mice, was capable of inducing the expression of SP-D in vitro in a dose dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that IL-6 contributes to the up-regulation of SP-D after acute O(3 )exposure and elevation of SP-D in the lung is associated with the resolution of inflammation. Absence or low levels of SP-D predispose to enhanced inflammatory changes following acute oxidative stress

Phylogenetic Relationships of the Marine Haplosclerida (Phylum Porifera) Employing Ribosomal (28S rRNA) and Mitochondrial (cox1, nad1) Gene Sequence Data

The systematics of the poriferan Order Haplosclerida (Class Demospongiae) has been under scrutiny for a number of years without resolution. Molecular data suggests that the order needs revision at all taxonomic levels. Here, we provide a comprehensive view of the phylogenetic relationships of the marine Haplosclerida using many species from across the order, and three gene regions. Gene trees generated using 28S rRNA, nad1 and cox1 gene data, under maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches, are highly congruent and suggest the presence of four clades. Clade A is comprised primarily of species of Haliclona and Callyspongia, and clade B is comprised of H. simulans and H. vansoesti (Family Chalinidae), Amphimedon queenslandica (Family Niphatidae) and Tabulocalyx (Family Phloeodictyidae), Clade C is comprised primarily of members of the Families Petrosiidae and Niphatidae, while Clade D is comprised of Aka species. The polyphletic nature of the suborders, families and genera described in other studies is also found here

Cytotoxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles and multiwalled carbon nanotubes to lung, kidney and liver cells

International audienceThe development of nanotechnologies may lead to considerable release of nanomaterials in the environment, potentially toxic for human health. Nanotoxicology is thus attracting attention of public and governments worldwide. Our research is focused on cellular response to nanomaterials, exemplified by three complementary models which characterize the whole body: A549 cells are taken as model for lungs, directly exposed by inhalation of nanomaterials. HepG2 and NRK-52E cells are taken as models for kidneys and liver, which would be exposed after translocation of nanomaterials through biological barriers, i.e. lung and digestive epithelia. These cells are exposed to TiO2, Al2O3 and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) either purified or containing Fe impurities and either long or shortened by a physical treatment. The influence of size, specific surface and chemical composition are taken into account. Cell viability was quantified. For A549 and HepG2 cells, cytotoxicity can be classified from least to most toxic as follows: Al2O3, TiO2 < MWCNT. On NRK-52E cells, a maximum of 25% of cell death was observed, whatever the nanomaterial

Can we use fixed ambient air monitors to estimate population long-term exposure to air pollutants ? The case of spatial variability in the Genotox ER study

International audienceAssociations between average total personal exposures to PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 and concomitant outdoor concentrations were assessed within the framework of the Genotox ER study. It was carried out in four French metropolitan areas (Grenoble, Paris, Rouen, and Strasbourg) with the participation, in each site, of 60-90 nonsmoking volunteers composed of two groups of equal size (adults and children) who carried the personal Harvard Chempass multipollutant sampler during 48 h along two different seasons ("hot" and "cold"). In each center, volunteers were selected so as to live (home and work/school) in three different urban sectors contrasted in terms of air pollution (one highly exposed to traffic emissions, one influenced by local industrial sources, and a background urban environment). In parallel to personal exposure measurements, a fixed ambient air monitoring station surveyed the same pollutants in each local sector. A linear regression model was accommodated where the dependent pollutant-specific variable was the difference, for each subject, between the average ambient air concentrations over 48 h and the personal exposure over the same period. The explanatory variables were the metropolitan areas, the three urban sectors, season, and age group. While average exposures to particles were underestimated by outdoor monitors, in almost all cities, seasons, and age groups, differences were lower for NO2 and, in general, in the other direction. Relationships between average total personal exposures and ambient air levels varied across metropolitan areas and local urban sectors. These results suggest that using ambient air concentrations to assess average exposure of populations, in epidemiological studies of long-term effects or in a risk assessment setting, calls for some caution. Comparison of personal exposures to PM or NO2 with ambient air levels is inherently disturbed by indoor sources and activities patterns. Discrepancies between measurement devices and local and regional sources of pollution may also strongly influence how the ambient air concentrations relate to population exposure. Much attention should be given to the selection of the most appropriate monitoring sites according to the study objectives

Missing link in the Southern Ocean: sampling the marine benthic fauna of remote Bouvet Island

Bouvet (Bouvetøya) is a geologically young and very remote island just south of the Polar Front. Here we report samples taken during the RV ‘‘Polarstern’’ cruise ANTXXI/2 on 3 days in November 2003 and January 2004. This work was part of SCAR’s EASIZ programme and intended, by providing data on the marine fauna of this ‘‘white gap’’ in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, to contribute to identifying the role of Bouvet in the faunal exchange between the Suband high Antarctic. While this goal demands extensive molecular analysis of the material sampled (future work), a checklist of the samples and data at hand widens the faunal and environmental inventory substantially. We suggest some preliminary conclusions on the relationship of Bouvet Island’s fauna with that of other regions, such as Magellanic South America, the Antarctic Peninsula, and the high Antarctic Weddell Sea, which have been sampled previously. There seem to be different connections for individual higher taxa rather than a generally valid consistent picture

Risque, prospective et développement durable

Purpose of the studyIn addition to their daily activity i.e. health risk assessment, monitoring and research, health agencies seek to anticipate future risks to human health. The tools used routinely are watch and foresight. This article describes a project led by a consortium of agencies and research institutions in France, aiming at combining watch and foresight. Sustainable development and its health implications were chosen by the panel.MethodTo describe the implementation of sustainable development in France in the next twenty years, a foresight exercise was performed, which led to the following five scenarios: (a) priority without limits to growth; (b) from the technological dead end to social fragmentation; (c) liberalism and green technology; (d) sobriety and low technology; (e) ecological transition orchestrated by the state. In a second step, one hundred risks related “events” were identified through a watch activity and analyzed by projecting them into the future, according to the five scenarios. The events transcribed as “mini stories” were not necessarily considered in the scenarios as they frame a more global vision.ResultsThis activity evidenced a variety of views, between panel members; this advocates for a collective approach. Risks to human health identified and discussed in the panel included those related e.g. to multi-recycling, agricultural practices, new dietary patterns, green jobs frequently characterized by multiple exposures, and the effect of certain technological innovations. These risks are often common to several scenarios and show various levels of impact on health.ObjectifAu-delà de leur activité quotidienne d’évaluation de risque, de surveillance et de recherche, les agences sanitaires s’efforcent d’anticiper quels seront les risques de demain. Les outils utilisés en routine sont la veille et la prospective. Cet article décrit un projet, mené par un consortium d’agences et d’établissements de recherche, visant à combiner veille et prospective. Le thème choisi est le développement durable et ses implications en santé publique.MéthodeUn exercice de prospective a été mené, qui a permis de définir cinq scénarios possibles décrivant l’implémentation du développement durable en France dans les vingt années qui suivent : (a) priorité sans limites à la croissance ; (b) de l’impasse technologique au morcellement social ; (c) technologies vertes et libéralisme ; (d) sobriété et faible intensité technologique ; (e) transition écologique orchestrée par l’État. Dans un second temps, une centaine d’éléments de veille ont été analysés, en les projetant dans le futur, selon les cinq scénarios. Ces éléments de veille constituent des mini récits mettant en scène des risques particuliers, non nécessairement envisagés dans un scénario qui constitue une vision plus globale.RésultatsCet exercice a mis en évidence la grande variabilité de ces projections dans le futur, d’un individu à l’autre, ce qui milite pour une approche collective. Parmi les risques discutés, ceux liés au multi-recyclage, aux pratiques agricoles, aux nouveaux modes d’alimentation, aux métiers verts souvent caractérisés par des multi-expositions, et ceux dus à certaines innovations technologiques. Souvent ces risques sont communs à plusieurs scénarios mais peuvent se décliner de manière très différente