scholarly journals Latent Toxoplasma gondii infections are associated with elevated biomarkers of inflammation and vascular injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey I. Egorov ◽  
Reagan R. Converse ◽  
Shannon M. Griffin ◽  
Jennifer N. Styles ◽  
Elizabeth Sams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Vascular Injury ◽  
Adhesion Molecule ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Seroprevalence Rate ◽  
Latent Infections ◽  
Amyloid A ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Diseases

Abstract Background Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that infects cats as definitive hosts and other warm-blooded animals including humans as intermediate hosts. It forms infectious cysts in the brain, muscle and other tissues establishing life-long latent infection. Approximately 10% of the US population is infected. While latent infections are largely asymptomatic, they are associated with neurological deficits and elevated risks of neuropsychiatric diseases. Methods This cross-sectional epidemiological study investigated associations of T. gondii infections with biomarkers of inflammation and vascular injury: soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum amyloid A (SAA). Serum samples from 694 adults in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina metropolitan area were tested for IgG antibody response to T. gondii, and for the above biomarkers using commercially available assays. Results T. gondii seroprevalence rate in this sample was 9.7%. Seropositivity was significantly associated with 11% (95% confidence limits 4, 20%) greater median levels of VCAM-1 (p = 0.003), and marginally significantly with 9% (1, 17%), and 36% (1, 83%) greater median levels of ICAM-1, and CRP, respectively (p = 0.04 for each) after adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral covariates, while the 23% (− 7, 64%) adjusted effect on SAA was not statistically significant (p = 0.15). Conclusions Latent infections with T. gondii are associated with elevated biomarkers of chronic inflammation and vascular injury that are also known to be affected by ambient air pollution.

STATISTICAL METHODS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF AIR POLLUTION OF JHANSI CITY, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. S. CHAUHAN ◽  
BHANUMATI SINGH ◽  
SHREE GANESH ◽  
JAMSHED ZAIDI
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The Status

Studies on air pollution in large cities of India showed that ambient air pollution concentrations are at such levels where serious health effects are possible. This paper presents overview on the status of air quality index (AQI) of Jhansi city by using multivariate statistical techniques. This base line data can help governmental and non-governmental organizations for the management of air pollution.

Key Aspects of Assessing Effectiveness and Efficiency of Implementation of the Federal Clean Air Project on the Example of the Comprehensive Emission Reduction Action Plan in Nizhny Tagil

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-60
Author(s):  
SV Yarushin ◽  
DV Kuzmin ◽  
AA Shevchik ◽  
TM Tsepilova ◽  
VB Gurvich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Industrial Enterprises ◽  
Clean Air ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: Key issues of assessing effectiveness and economic efficiency of implementing the Federal Clean Air Project by public health criteria are considered based on the example of the Comprehensive Emission Reduction Action Plan realized in the city of Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk Region. Materials and methods: We elaborated method approaches and reviewed practical aspects of evaluating measures taken in 2018–2019 at key urban industrial enterprises accounting for 95 % of stationary source emissions. Results: Summary calculations of ambient air pollution and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic inhalation health risks including residual risks, evaluation of the impact of air quality on urban mortality and morbidity rates, economic assessment of prevented morbidity and premature mortality cases have enabled us not only to estimate health effects but also to develop guidelines for development and implementation of actions aimed at enhancing effectiveness and efficiency of industrial emission reduction in terms of health promotion of the local population. Conclusions: We substantiate proposals for the necessity and sufficiency of taking remedial actions ensuring achievement of acceptable health risk levels as targets of the Comprehensive Emission Reduction Action Plan in Nizhny Tagil until 2024 and beyond.

scholarly journals Differential Effect of Ambient Air Pollution Exposure on Risk of Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia

Hypertension ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 384-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie J. Nobles ◽  
Andrew Williams ◽  
Marion Ouidir ◽  
Seth Sherman ◽  
Pauline Mendola
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Differential Effect ◽  
Gestational Hypertension ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Air Pollution Exposure ◽  
Pollution Exposure

scholarly journals Deployment, Calibration, and Cross-Validation of Low-Cost Electrochemical Sensors for Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, and Ozone for an Epidemiological Study

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4214
Author(s):  
Christopher Zuidema ◽  
Cooper S. Schumacher ◽  
Elena Austin ◽  
Graeme Carvlin ◽  
Timothy V. Larson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Exposure Assessment ◽  
Epidemiological Study ◽  
Electrochemical Sensors ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Calibration Models ◽  
Study Participants

We designed and built a network of monitors for ambient air pollution equipped with low-cost gas sensors to be used to supplement regulatory agency monitoring for exposure assessment within a large epidemiological study. This paper describes the development of a series of hourly and daily field calibration models for Alphasense sensors for carbon monoxide (CO; CO-B4), nitric oxide (NO; NO-B4), nitrogen dioxide (NO2; NO2-B43F), and oxidizing gases (OX-B431)—which refers to ozone (O3) and NO2. The monitor network was deployed in the Puget Sound region of Washington, USA, from May 2017 to March 2019. Monitors were rotated throughout the region, including at two Puget Sound Clean Air Agency monitoring sites for calibration purposes, and over 100 residences, including the homes of epidemiological study participants, with the goal of improving long-term pollutant exposure predictions at participant locations. Calibration models improved when accounting for individual sensor performance, ambient temperature and humidity, and concentrations of co-pollutants as measured by other low-cost sensors in the monitors. Predictions from the final daily models for CO and NO performed the best considering agreement with regulatory monitors in cross-validated root-mean-square error (RMSE) and R2 measures (CO: RMSE = 18 ppb, R2 = 0.97; NO: RMSE = 2 ppb, R2 = 0.97). Performance measures for NO2 and O3 were somewhat lower (NO2: RMSE = 3 ppb, R2 = 0.79; O3: RMSE = 4 ppb, R2 = 0.81). These high levels of calibration performance add confidence that low-cost sensor measurements collected at the homes of epidemiological study participants can be integrated into spatiotemporal models of pollutant concentrations, improving exposure assessment for epidemiological inference.

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