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Air pollution link to clogged arteries
July 26, 2007Should we be watching our exposure to airborne pollution as well as our cholesterol levels" Research now indicates that air pollution has a role to play in atherosclerosis (artery hardening), which can contribute to heart attacks or strokes. Findings published in the open access journal, Genome Biology, show how the fats that clog arteries work together with air pollution particles, triggering the genes behind inflammation.
A research team drawn from medical and environmental engineering disciplines at the Universities of California, Los Angeles, investigated the relationship between oxidized phospholipids found in the low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, the 'bad' fats that clog arteries, and diesel exhaust particles. They exposed cells that line human blood vessels (microvascular endothelial cells) to both exhaust particles and oxidised phospholipids, and measured the effect on genes by using microarray expression profiling. This allowed the identification of gene modules containing a high number of co-expressed genes. These modules appear to be activated by a combination of phospholipids and diesel particles and are linked to vascular inflammation pathways. To confirm these findings, the team exposed mice with high cholesterol levels to the pollutant diesel particles, and saw some of the same gene modules upregulated.
The American Cancer Society has reported a six percent increase in cardiopulmonary deaths for every 10 ìg/m3 rise in particulates. Exactly how airborne pollutant particles cause cardiovascular injury is poorly understood. But it is known that these particles are generally coated with a number of chemicals such as organic hydrocarbons, transition metals, sulfates and nitrates. Organic hydrocarbons and transition metals inflame airways by generating reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress when combined with oxidised phospholipids in the arteries. This can lead to vascular inflammation, which can in turn lead to increased lesions in the clogged arteries, potentially giving rise to blood clots that trigger heart attack or stroke.
These findings bring us closer to understanding the impact our environment has on our health.
BioMed Central
These findings bring us closer to understanding the impact our environment has on our health.
BioMed Central
Air Pollution Current Events and Air Pollution News RSSPinning down the fleeting Internet: Web crawler archives historical data for easy searching
The Internet contains vast amounts of information, much of it unorganized. But what you see online at any given moment is just a snapshot of the Web as a whole -- many pages change rapidly or disappear completely, and the old data gets lost forever.
Smokers see decline in ability to smell, rise in laryngitis, and upper airway issues
As Americans prepare for a day without cigarettes and tobacco products as part of the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout (R) (November 20), new research gives them more reasons to extend that break to a lifetime.
Lichens function as indicators of nitrogen pollution in forests
Scientists have found lichens can give insight into nitrogen air pollution effects on Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino mountain ecosystems, and protecting them provides safeguards for less sensitive species.
Pollution, everyday allergens, may be sources of laryngitis
Everyday exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, allergens, and air pollution may be the root of chronic cases of laryngitis, says new research presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in Chicago, IL.
Fuel Emissions From Marine Vessels Remain a Global Concern
Marine vessels are no longer resting in a safe harbor. The forecast for clear skies and smooth sailing for oceanic vessels has been impeded by worldwide concerns of their significant contributions to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that impact the Earth's climate.
Tracking Down the Menace in Mexico City Smog
A new report by scientists who are part of the international MILAGRO Campaign indicates that some of the most harmful air pollution in Mexico City may not come from motor vehicles but instead originates with industrial sources - and that the culprit may be garbage incineration.
Dirty air brings rain -- then again, maybe not
An international team of scientists, headed by Prof. Daniel Rosenfeld of the Institute of Earth Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has come up with a surprising finding to the disputed issue of whether air pollution increases or decreases rainfall. The conclusion: both can be true, depending on local environmental conditions.
Global survey highlights need for cancer prevention campaigns to correct misbeliefs
Many people hold mistaken beliefs about what causes cancer, tending to inflate the threat from environmental factors that have relatively little impact while minimizing the hazards of behaviours well established as cancer risk factors, according to the first global survey on the topic.
Many U.S. Public Schools in 'Air Pollution Danger Zone'
One in three U.S. public schools are in the "air pollution danger zone," according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC).
Newly detected air pollutant mimics damaging effects of cigarette smoke
A previously unrecognized group of air pollutants could have effects remarkably similar to harmful substances found in tobacco smoke, Louisiana scientists are reporting in a study scheduled for presentation today at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.
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