Inhalable Constituents of Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke: Chemical Characterization and Health Impact Considerations

Tobacco smoke residues lingering in the indoor environment, also termed thirdhand smoke (THS), can be a source of long-term exposure to harmful pollutants. THS composition is affected by chemical transformations and by air–surface partitioning over time scales of minutes to months. This study identified and quantified airborne THS pollutants available for respiratory exposure, identified potential environmental tracers, and estimated health impacts to nonsmokers. In a ventilated 18 m3 laboratory chamber, six cigarettes were machine-smoked, and levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) and 58 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored during an aging period of 18 h. Results were compared with field measurements taken in a smoker’s home 8 h after the last cigarette had been smoked. Initial chamber levels of individual VOCs in freshly emitted secondhand smoke (SHS) were in the range of 1–300 μg m–3. The commonly used SHS tracers 3-ethenylpyridine (3-EP) and nicotine were no longer present in the gas phase after 2 h, likely due mostly to sorption to surfaces. By contrast, other VOCs persisted in the gas phase for at least 18 h, particularly furans, carbonyls, and nitriles. The concentration ratio of acetonitrile to 3-EP increased substantially with aging. This ratio may provide a useful metric for differentiating freshly emitted (SHS) from aged smoke (THS). Among the 29 VOCs detected in the smoker’s home at moderate to high concentrations, 18 compounds were also detected in simultaneously sampled outdoor air, but acetonitrile, 2-methyl furan, and 2,5-dimethyl furan appeared to be specific to cigarette smoke. The levels of acrolein, methacrolein, and acrylonitrile exceeded concentrations considered harmful by the State of California. An initial exposure and impact assessment was conducted for a subset of pollutants by computing disability-adjusted life years lost, using available toxicological and epidemiological information. Exposure to PM2.5 contributed to more than 90% of the predicted harm. Acrolein, furan, acrylonitrile, and 1,3-butadiene were considered to be the most harmful VOCs. Depending on which criteria are used to establish the separation between SHS and THS, 5–60% of the predicted health damage could be attributed to THS exposure. Benefits and limitations of this approach are discussed

The Oak 1989

Glassboro State College yearbook for the Class of 1989. 248 pages. Contents: GSC Student Life p. 1, Seniors p. 18, Clubs and Organizations p. 76, Sports p. 113, Campus Life p. 140, Faculty p. 154, Oak Staff p. 238.https://rdw.rowan.edu/yearbooks/1049/thumbnail.jp

Genetic variants in TLR2 and TLR4 are associated with markers of monocyte activation: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities MRI Study

Markers of monocyte activation play a critical role in atherosclerosis, but little is known about the genetic influences on cellular levels. Therefore, we investigated the influence of genetic variants in monocyte differentiation antigen (CD14), toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4), toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) on monocyte surface receptor levels. The study sample consisted of 1,817 members of a biracial cohort of adults from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Carotid MRI Study. Monocyte receptors were measured using flow cytometry on fasting whole blood samples. TLR2 rs1816702 genotype was significantly associated with CD14+/TLR2+ percent of positive cells (%) and median fluorescence intensity (MFI) in whites but not in blacks (p < 0.001). Specifically, the presence of the minor T-allele was associated with increased receptor levels. In blacks, TLR4 rs5030719 was significantly associated with CD14+/TLR4+ monocytes (MFI) with mean ± SE intensities of 16.7 ± 0.05 and 16.0 ± 0.14 for GG and GT/TT genotypes, respectively (p < 0.001). Variants in TLR2 and TLR4 were associated with monocyte receptor levels of TLR2 and TLR4, respectively, in a biracial cohort of adults. To our knowledge, this is the first study to look at associations between variants in the toll-like receptor family and toll-like receptor levels on monocytes

Adiponectin and leptin levels in migraineurs in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate adiponectin and leptin levels in older men and women with migraine. METHODS: Fasting total and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin and leptin levels were evaluated in a case-cohort study of nondiabetic older migraine and nonmigraine control participants from the ongoing, longitudinal, general population, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study at visit 1 (1987-1989). A standardized headache questionnaire was completed at visit 3 (1993-1995). Logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, race, center, body mass index, and fasting glucose were used to evaluate the association of each adipocytokine with migraine. RESULTS: Of the 981 participants, the mean age at baseline was 52.8 years (SE 0.3); 131 fulfilled migraine criteria. Crude, mean total adiponectin levels were greater in men and women with migraine (8.1 µg/mL, SE 0.5) as compared to those without migraine (7.0 µg/mL, SE 0.2) (p = 0.031). After adjustments, the odds of migraine were increased by 88% with each SD increase in total adiponectin in men (odds ratio [OR] 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15, 3.01; p = 0.011), but not in women (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.80, 1.37; p = 0.728; p interaction = 0.029). Similar results were demonstrated for HMW adiponectin. Crude and adjusted leptin levels were not associated with migraine. CONCLUSIONS: Although crude, total adiponectin levels were higher in older men and women with migraine than controls, after adjustments, the prevalence of migraine was significantly associated with total adiponectin only in older men, suggesting the association may be confounded or absent in older women. Leptin was not associated with migraine in older men or women

Multi-Messenger Astronomy with Extremely Large Telescopes

The field of time-domain astrophysics has entered the era of Multi-messenger Astronomy (MMA). One key science goal for the next decade (and beyond) will be to characterize gravitational wave (GW) and neutrino sources using the next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). These studies will have a broad impact across astrophysics, informing our knowledge of the production and enrichment history of the heaviest chemical elements, constrain the dense matter equation of state, provide independent constraints on cosmology, increase our understanding of particle acceleration in shocks and jets, and study the lives of black holes in the universe. Future GW detectors will greatly improve their sensitivity during the coming decade, as will near-infrared telescopes capable of independently finding kilonovae from neutron star mergers. However, the electromagnetic counterparts to high-frequency (LIGO/Virgo band) GW sources will be distant and faint and thus demand ELT capabilities for characterization. ELTs will be important and necessary contributors to an advanced and complete multi-messenger network.Comment: White paper submitted to the Astro2020 Decadal Surve

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Gene Polymorphisms, CRP Levels, and Risk of Incident Coronary Heart Disease in Two Nested Case-Control Studies

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute phase reactant and marker of inflammation, has been shown to predict risk of incident cardiovascular events. However, few studies have comprehensively examined six common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRP gene, haplotypes, and plasma CRP levels with risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods and Findings: We conducted parallel nested case-control studies within two ongoing, prospective cohort studies of U.S. women (Nurses' Health Study) and men (Health Professionals Follow-up Study). Blood samples were available in a subset of 32,826 women and 18,225 men for biomarker and DNA analyses. During 8 and 6 years of follow-up, 249 women and 266 men developed incident nonfatal myocardial infarction or fatal CHD, and controls (498 women, 531 men) were matched 2:1 on age, smoking, and date of blood draw from participants free of cardiovascular disease at the time the case was diagnosed. Among both women and men, minor alleles were significantly associated with higher CRP levels for SNPs 1919A greater than T and 4741G greater than C, but associated with lower CRP levels for SNPs 2667G greater than C and 3872C greater than T. SNP 2667G greater than C was individually associated with increased risk of CHD in both women [OR 1.57 (95% CI 1.01–2.44); p = 0.047] and men [1.93 (95% CI 1.30–2.88); p = 0.001]. Two of the five common haplotypes were associated with lower CRP levels, and Haplotype 4 which included minor alleles for 2667 and 3872 was associated with significantly lower CRP levels and an elevated risk of CHD. The remaining SNPs or haplotypes were not associated with CHD in both populations. Conclusions: Common variation in the CRP gene was significantly associated with plasma CRP levels; however, the association between common SNPs and CRP levels did not correspond to a predicted change in CHD risk. The underlying inflammatory processes which predict coronary events cannot be captured solely by variation in the CRP gene

Total zinc intake may modify the glucose-raising effect of a zinc transporter (SLC30A8) variant: a 14-cohort meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Many genetic variants have been associated with glucose homeostasis and type 2 diabetes in genome-wide association studies. Zinc is an essential micronutrient that is important for β-cell function and glucose homeostasis. We tested the hypothesis that zinc intake could influence the glucose-raising effect of specific variants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a 14-cohort meta-analysis to assess the interaction of 20 genetic variants known to be related to glycemic traits and zinc metabolism with dietary zinc intake (food sources) and a 5-cohort meta-analysis to assess the interaction with total zinc intake (food sources and supplements) on fasting glucose levels among individuals of European ancestry without diabetes. RESULTS: We observed a significant association of total zinc intake with lower fasting glucose levels (β-coefficient ± SE per 1 mg/day of zinc intake: -0.0012 ± 0.0003 mmol/L, summary P value = 0.0003), while the association of dietary zinc intake was not significant. We identified a nominally significant interaction between total zinc intake and the SLC30A8 rs11558471 variant on fasting glucose levels (β-coefficient ± SE per A allele for 1 mg/day of greater total zinc intake: -0.0017 ± 0.0006 mmol/L, summary interaction P value = 0.005); this result suggests a stronger inverse association between total zinc intake and fasting glucose in individuals carrying the glucose-raising A allele compared with individuals who do not carry it. None of the other interaction tests were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that higher total zinc intake may attenuate the glucose-raising effect of the rs11558471 SLC30A8 (zinc transporter) variant. Our findings also support evidence for the association of higher total zinc intake with lower fasting glucose levels