scholarly journals Relationships Between Short-Term Exposure to an Indoor Environment and Dry Eye (DE) Symptoms

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria A. Idarraga ◽  
Juan S. Guerrero ◽  
Samantha G. Mosle ◽  
Frank Miralles ◽  
Anat Galor ◽  
...  

Air composition influences Dry Eye (DE) symptoms as demonstrated by studies that have linked the outdoor environment to DE. However, there is insufficient data on the effect of short-term exposure to indoor environments on DE symptoms. We conducted a prospective experimental research, in which an older building served as an experimental site, and a newer building served as the control site. Indoor air quality was monitored in both buildings. One-hundred-and-ninety-four randomly selected individuals were interviewed in the afternoon exiting the buildings and de-identified responses were recorded. Self-reported DE symptoms were modeled with respect to experimental and control buildings, adjusting for potential confounders. The experimental site had 2-fold higher concentration of airborne particulate matter (24,436 vs. 12,213 ≥ 0.5 µm/ft3) and microbial colonies (1066 vs. 400/m3), as compared to the control building. DE symptoms were reported by 37.5% of individuals exiting the experimental and 28.4% exiting the control building. In the univariate analysis, subjects exiting the experimental building were 2.21× more likely to report worsening of DE symptoms since morning compared to the control building (p < 0.05). When adjusting for confounders, including a history of eye allergy, subjects from the experimental building were 13.3× more likely to report worsening of their DE symptoms (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that short-term exposure to adverse indoor environmental conditions, specifically air pollution and bioaerosols, has an acutely negative impact on DE symptoms.

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryuhei Sato ◽  
Peijun Gui ◽  
Kumiko Ito ◽  
Masahiro Kohzuki ◽  
Satoru Ebihara

Background: Previous studies have reported a relationship between particulate air pollution and respiratory symptoms or decline in lung function, but information about acute effects of short-term exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) on cough and pulmonary function is scarce. Objective: To investigate the effect of short-term exposure to high concentrations of PM on the cough reflex threshold, urge-to-cough, pulmonary function, and cough-related quality of life in a group of healthy non-resident volunteers visiting Beijing, China. Methods: Seventeen healthy residents of Sendai, Japan, who planned to attend a meeting in Beijing, were recruited. We checked local air quality and measured cough reflex thresholds, urge-to-cough, pulmonary function, and Leicester Cough Questionnaire-acute (LCQ-acute) scores in the volunteers before, during, and after their trip to Beijing. Results: The PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in Beijing were significantly higher than those in Japan on the measurement days. Cough reflex thresholds, expressed as nebulized citric acid concentrations required to induce ≥ 2 and ≥ 5 coughs, were significantly lower during the stay in Beijing than before or after the visit. Vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC were significantly lower during the stay in Beijing than before the trip. Similarly, the urge-to-cough threshold was significantly lower during the stay in Beijing than after the trip, as was the total LCQ-acute score. Conclusion: We tentatively concluded that short-term exposure to high PM concentrations may have adverse effects on cough reflex and urge-to-cough thresholds, pulmonary function, and cough-related quality of life.


Author(s):  
Lucia Mason ◽  
Angelica Ronconi ◽  
Sara Scrimin ◽  
Francesca Pazzaglia

AbstractThere is growing interest recently in the outdoor environment surrounding schools where students spent time during breaks, in-school activities, and after-school programs. Several reviews have examined the impact of long-term exposures to nearby nature on students’ academic achievement, but none has focused on the effects of short-term contacts with nature on students’ cognitive performance. The aim of this review is to understand the context in which short-term passive exposures to greenness occur, how cognitive performance is measured, and the conditions under which cognitive benefits emerge at various educational levels. We reviewed 14 studies in the extant literature that report investigations involving students at different educational levels, from elementary school to university, in a short exposure to nature lasting from 10 to 90 min during a study day. The review shows that in 12 out of the 14 studies, across educational levels, cognitive benefits emerge in terms of directed attention restoration from mental fatigue due to contact with nature. A no-cost opportunity to sustain students’ cognition is a break in a green environment after mentally demanding activities.


2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (S1) ◽  
pp. 163-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warren B Kindzierski ◽  
Scott Sembaluk

Passive monitoring techniques were used to measure 7-day average concentrations of SO2 in indoor–outdoor air in two Alberta communities, Boyle (population 860) and Sherwood Park (population 42 000). Sampling occurred during a 5-week period in late fall, a time of year when SO2 is less reactive in the outdoor environment. Outdoor levels of SO2 at 12 homes in Boyle (median 4.3 µg/m3, range 3.7–5.6 µg/m3) were two times lower than those at 13 homes in Sherwood Park (median 9.9 µg/m3, range 8.2–13 µg/m3). Slightly higher indoor SO2 levels were measured in Sherwood Park homes (median 1.4 µg/m3, range 0.9–5.2 µg/m3) than in Boyle homes (median 0.5 µg/m3, range 0.2–2.3 µg/m3). These results are consistent with the characteristics of the two communities involved in this study. Sherwood Park has many more SO2-related emission sources than in Boyle (i.e., increased vehicle traffic and industrial emissions). Indoor and outdoor SO2 levels measured in both communities were [Formula: see text]13 µg/m3. These levels are considered low compared with benchmark levels intended for protection of people: 365 µg/m3 averaged over 24 h (short-term exposure) or 80 µg/m3 averaged over 1 year (long-term exposure). The median indoor–outdoor SO2 concentration ratio was 0.13 for both communities.Key words: air quality, indoor, outdoor, passive monitoring, sulphur dioxide.


2019 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 00075
Author(s):  
Izabela Sówka ◽  
Alicja Nych ◽  
Dominik Kobus ◽  
Yarolsav Bezyk ◽  
Maciej Zathey

The aim of this research was the analysis of air quality in selected Polish cities in 2008-2018 combined with health assessment based on the methodology and software of World Health Organization (AirQ +) as well as an analysis of main directions of activities aimed at improving air quality in Polish cities. The results of calculations and spatial analysis of exposure indicate the year 2010 as the one with the highest concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5, as well as Małopolskie and Śląskie Voivodships (agglomerations: Upper Silesia, Krakow and Rybnik-Jastrzębska) as the two most threatened by negative impact on human life and health. In a detailed analysis of the Wrocław agglomeration, for 2017, the estimated number of deaths of adults caused by short-term exposure to PM2.5 with a limiting concentration above 10 μg/m3 (in accordance with WHO guidelines on air quality) was over 130 people, and the estimated number of patients hospitalized because of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases due to the above exposure was 160 and 80 cases, respectively. The analysis showed more than 80 cases of asthma attacks in children with asthma caused by short-term exposure and three death cases in infants due to long-term exposure to PM10.


Author(s):  
Tangtian He ◽  
Ling Jin ◽  
Xiangdong Li

AbstractAirborne particulate matter (PM) pollution, as a leading environmental health risk, causes millions of premature deaths globally every year. Lower respiratory infection (LRI) is a sensitive response to short-term exposure to outdoor PM pollution. The airborne transmission of etiological agents of LRI, as an important pathway for infection and morbidity, bridges the public health issues of air quality and pathogen infectivity, virulence, resistance, and others. Enormous efforts are underway to identify common pathogens and substances that are etiological agents for LRI and to understand the underlying toxicological and clinical basis of health effects by identifying mechanistic pathways. Seasonal variations and geographical disparities in the survival and infectivity of LRI pathogens are unsolved mysteries. Weather conditions in geographical areas may have a key effect, but also potentially connect LRI with short-term increases in ambient air PM pollution. Statistical associations show that short-term elevations in fine and coarse PM lead to increases in respiratory infections, but the causative agents could be chemical or microbiological and be present individually or in mixtures, and the interactions between chemical and microbiological agents remain undefined. Further investigations on high-resolution monitoring of airborne pathogens in relation to PM pollution for an integrated exposure–response assessment and mechanistic study are warranted. Improving our understanding of the spatiotemporal features of pathogenic bioaerosols and air pollutants and translating scientific evidence into effective policies is vital to reducing the health risks and devastating death toll from PM pollution. Graphical abstract


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 637-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wonyoung Yang ◽  
Hyeun Jun Moon

While water sounds have been used for soundscape improvement, little is known about their applicability in indoor environments. In order to investigate the effects of indoor water sounds on noise perception, a simple indoor water fountain system was used to produce water sounds over three different types of indoor intrusive noise (traffic noise, higher frequency dominated noise of a chair scraping the floor above, lower frequency dominated impact noise of a man running on the floor above) and speech in a test laboratory. Intrusive noise perception (annoyance and pleasantness) and speech recognition (KS-MWL-A) were assessed with three water sound levels (40, 50, 60 dBA) at two exposure times (immediate and 50 min) of water sounds by 54 participants. Short-term exposure to indoor water sounds improved the pleasantness of intrusive noise without increasing annoyance except lower frequency dominated impact noise. The increase in exposure time to indoor water sounds did not affect intrusive noise perception and speech recognition. The water to noise ratio significantly affected annoyance and pleasantness of traffic noise only; however, the level of water sounds did not significantly affect intrusive noise perception. Indoor water sounds can be used to improve intrusive noise perception except lower frequency dominated floor impact noise with no adverse effects on speech recognition dependent upon the speech to water sound ratio. Practical application: This simple indoor water fountain can be directly applied to small offices or rooms to improve intrusive noise perception. When the simple fountain produces water sounds in a room, pleasantness of traffic noise throughout window openings or higher frequency dominated noise such as chair scraping noise can be improved without increment of annoyance and decrement of speech recognition. Short-term exposure to indoor water sounds is effective to increase pleasantness of the intrusive noises.


1976 ◽  
Vol 36 (01) ◽  
pp. 221-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles A. Schiffer ◽  
Caroline L. Whitaker ◽  
Morton Schmukler ◽  
Joseph Aisner ◽  
Steven L. Hilbert

SummaryAlthough dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been used extensively as a cryopreservative for platelets there are few studies dealing with the effect of DMSO on platelet function. Using techniques similar to those employed in platelet cryopreservation platelets were incubated with final concentrations of 2-10% DMSO at 25° C. After exposure to 5 and 10% DMSO platelets remained discoid and electron micrographs revealed no structural abnormalities. There was no significant change in platelet count. In terms of injury to platelet membranes, there was no increased availability of platelet factor-3 or leakage of nucleotides, 5 hydroxytryptamine (5HT) or glycosidases with final DMSO concentrations of 2.5, 5 and 10% DMSO. Thrombin stimulated nucleotide and 5HT release was reduced by 10% DMSO. Impairment of thrombin induced glycosidase release was noted at lower DMSO concentrations and was dose related. Similarly, aggregation to ADP was progressively impaired at DMSO concentrations from 1-5% and was dose related. After the platelets exposed to DMSO were washed, however, aggregation and release returned to control values. Platelet aggregation by epinephrine was also inhibited by DMSO and this could not be corrected by washing the platelets. DMSO-plasma solutions are hypertonic but only minimal increases in platelet volume (at 10% DMSO) could be detected. Shrinkage of platelets was seen with hypertonic solutions of sodium chloride or sucrose suggesting that the rapid transmembrane passage of DMSO prevented significant shifts of water. These studies demonstrate that there are minimal irreversible alterations in in vitro platelet function after short-term exposure to DMSO.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Febriyeni Febriyeni

<pre>Chronic Energy Deficiency is a situation where the nutritional status someone is on the Less Good Condition. Among the 22 health centers in the district of Lima Puluh Kota, CED highest coverage at the health center are Banja Laweh Namely Case 17 (16.50%) of 103 pregnant mothers. Preliminary Survey of 10 pregnant women at health centers Banja Laweh, note 4 people (40%) of them suffered CED. Based on the findings of interviews stating Not pregnant women know the importance of the size upper arm circumference on Against her pregnancy, in addition to pregnant women consume no food Diversified, because lust Eating Less and Economics not sufficient. Objectives for review determine factors related to the occurrence of Chronic energy deficiency on pregnant women. Methods descriptive analytic with cross sectional approach. Data collection is done on Date in January-February 2017. CASE is a whole population of pregnant women in the region are working Health Center Banja Laweh Year 2017, amounted to 55 people, with sampling total sampling. Operating data analysis using univariate and bivariate statistical test Chi Square. Results of univariate analysis 87,3% of respondents experienced Genesis not CED, (60,0%) High Knowledge, (56,4%) Economy High, and 61,8% of Eating Well. Bivariate analysis known Relationship of Knowledge (p = 0.013 and OR = 12,000, Economics (p = 0.035 and OR = 10,000), and Diet (p = 0.019 and OR = 13,200) with the Genesis CED pregnant women. Can be concluded that the factors related to the occurrence of CED pregnant women is Science, Economics and the Diet. Expected to conduct monitoring of the health center and Supervision of pregnant women at risk Against The Genesis CED, so the negative impact of the CED can be addressed early on.</pre>


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document