BACKGROUND Altered patterns of gene expression mediate the effects of particulate matter (PM) on human health, but mechanisms through which PM modifies gene expression are largely undetermined. OBJECTIVES We aimed at identifying short- and long-term effects of PM exposure on DNA methylation, a major genomic mechanism of gene expression control, in workers in an electric furnace steel plant wi...

Increases in the levels of environmental particulate matter with a diameter of <10 microm diameter (PM(10)) in the air are associated with a variety of adverse health effects, particularly chronic lung and cardiovascular diseases. The expression of many inflammatory genes involves the remodeling of the chromatin structure provided by histone proteins. Histone acetylation causes the unwinding of...

Santiago, Chile has the distinction of having among the worst urban air pollution problems in Latin America. As part of an atmospheric pollution reduction plan, the Santiago Regional Metropolitan government defined an environmental policy goal of using urban forests to remove particulate matter less than 10 microm (PM(10)) in the Gran Santiago area. We used cost effectiveness, or the process of...

The present study, a secondary analysis of published data, assessed (a) the influence of initial positive mood (PM) on smoking cessation and (b) whether smokers low in PM benefited from fluoxetine versus placebo for cessation. Euthymic adult smokers (N = 103) received 10 weeks of cessation treatment. Analyses showed a Time x PM interaction, indicating that higher baseline PM predicted decreased...

Varicocele is one of the most common causes of primary male infertility. Pilea microphylla (PM) is being used as folk medicine. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of PM in a rat model of varicocele. A total of 30 male Wistar rats were divided into control, sham, varicocele, accessory varicocele and PM-treated groups. After 10 weeks of varicocele induction, sperm parameters and chro...

BACKGROUND The putative effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy on the association between particulate matter (PM) air pollution and venous thromboembolism (VTE) have not been assessed in a randomized trial of hormone therapy, despite its widespread use among postmenopausal women. OBJECTIVE In this study, we examined whether hormone therapy modifies the association of PM with VTE risk. ME...

We examined the hypothesis that ambient particulate matter with a diameter of <10 microm (PM(10))-induced lung inflammation is amplified by latent adenovirus infection. Inflammatory mediator expression in response to PM(10) exposure was compared between adenovirus E1A-transfected A549 alveolar epithelial cells and cells transfected with control plasmid. Messenger RNA was measured by the RNase p...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of urban air pollution, assessed through reliable indicators of exposure, on asthma and allergies in schoolchildren. A validated dispersion model combining data on traffic conditions, topography, meteorology and background pollution was used to relate 3-yrs averaged concentrations of major urban pollutants at the sites of schools to skin prick te...

The concentration-response relationship between daily ambient inhalable particle (particulate matter less than or equal to 10 micro m; PM(10)) concentrations and daily mortality typically shows no evidence of a threshold concentration below which no relationship is observed. However, the power to assess a relationship at very low concentrations of PM(10) has been limited in studies to date. The...

BACKGROUND Proximity to traffic-related pollution has been associated with poor respiratory health in adults and children. OBJECTIVES We wished to test the hypothesis that particulate matter (PM) from high-traffic sites would display an enhanced capacity to elicit inflammation. METHODS We examined the inflammatory potential of coarse [2.5-10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM(2.5-10))] and fine...