OBJECTIVES This study assessed personal exposure of pregnant women to fine particles (PM(25)) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and the relationship between pollutant concentrations in ambient and indoor air. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a group of 78 pregnant women, simultaneous 48 h measurements of personal, indoor, and outdoor exposure to PM(25) and B[a]P were carried out in the second trimester of p...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Daily variation in outdoor concentrations of inhalable particles (PM(10) <10 microm in diameter) has been associated with fatal and nonfatal stroke. Toxicological and epidemiological studies suggest that smaller, combustion-related particles are especially harmful. We therefore evaluated the effects of several particle measures including, for the first time to our knowled...

OBJECTIVES We investigated the particle mass size distribution and chemical properties of air pollution particulate matter (PM) in the urban area and its capacity to induce cytotoxicity in human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells. METHODS To characterize the mass size distributions and chemical concentrations associated with urban PM, PM samples were collected by a 10-stage Micro-Orifice Un...

Components of surfactant act as opsonins and enhance phagocytosis of bacteria; whether this process occurs with atmospheric fine particles has not been shown. We have studied the interactions of fine particles (urban PM(2.5)) and surfactant removed from normal human lungs by lavage, using a surface analysis technique. The aim was to identify which of the chemical components of brochoalveolar la...

This study investigated water-soluble ions in the sized particles (particularly nano (PM(0.01-0.056))/ultrafine (PM(0.01-0.1))) collected using MOUDI and Nano-MOUDI samplers near a busy road site and at a rural site. The analytical results demonstrate that nano and coarse particles exhibited the highest (16.3%) and lowest (8.37%) nitrate mass ratios, respectively. The mass ratio of NO(3)(-) was...

The health effects of particle inhalation including urban air pollution and tobacco smoke comprise a significant public health concern worldwide, although the mechanisms by which inhaled particles cause premature deaths remain undetermined. In this study, we assessed the physicochemical interactions of fine airborne particles (PM(2.5)) and lung lining liquid using scanning electron microscopy, ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Because pulmonary circulation is the primary vascular target of inhaled particulate matter (PM), and nitric oxide is a major vasculoprotective agent, in this study we investigated the effect of various particles on the NO-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway in pulmonary arteries. METHODS We used intrapulmonary arteries and/or endothelial cells, either expos...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells (Tregs) in protecting fine particulate matter (PM-) induced inflammatory responses, and its potential mechanisms. METHODS Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with graded concentrations (2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 µg/cm(2)) of suspension of fine particles for 24h. For coculture experiment, HUVECs were incubated alone...

Epidemiological and toxicological studies have suggested that the health effects associated with exposure to particulate matter (PM) are related to the different physicochemical properties of PM. These effects occur through the initiation of differential cellular responses including: the induction of antioxidant defenses, proinflammatory responses, and ultimately cell death. The main objective ...

background: the objective of this study was to measure the total suspended particulate (tsp), pm 10 and pm 2.5 air particulates in the selected intercity bus stations located in the central square of hamadan, to review the distribution concentration of the air particulates content and to evaluate its possible health risk to the people who spent little time of their daily time in those places. m...