Exposure to particulate matter: a brief review with a focus on cardiovascular effects, children, and research conducted in Turkey

Exposure to environmental particulate matter (PM), outdoor air pollution in particular, has long been associated with adverse health effects. Today, PM has widely been accepted as a systemic toxicant showing adverse effects beyond the lungs. There are numerous studies, from those in vitro to epidemiological ones, suggesting various direct and indirect PM toxicity mechanisms associated with cardiovascular risks, including inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, changes in blood pressure, autonomic regulation of heart rate, suppression of endothelium-dependent vasodilation, thrombogenesis, myocardial infarction, and fibrinolysis. In addition to these and other health risks, considerations about air quality standards should include individual differences, lifestyle, and vulnerable populations such as children. Urban air pollution has been a major environmental issue for Turkey, and this review will also address current situation, research, and measures taken in our country.

Wideband and High-Gain Wearable Antenna Array with Specific Absorption Rate Suppression

In this paper, a wideband and high-gain antenna array with specific absorption rate suppression is presented. By adopting the wideband monopole antenna array and the uniplanar compact electromagnetic band gap (UC-EBG) structure, the proposed wearable antenna array can realize a high gain of 11.8–13.6 dBi within the operating band of 4.5–6.5 GHz. The sidelobe level of the proposed wearable antenna array is less than −12 dB, and the cross polarization in the main radiation direction is less than −35 dB. Benefiting from the UC-EBG design, the specific absorption rate is suppressed effectively, guaranteeing the safety of the proposed antenna array to the human body. The proposed antenna array is processed and tested, and the measurement results show good agreement with the simulation results.

Keishibukuryogan, a Traditional Japanese Medicine, Inhibits Platelet Aggregation in Guinea Pig Whole Blood

Effects of keishibukuryogan (KBG) on platelet aggregation were investigated. To ensure the specificity of KBG, tokishakuyakusan (TSS) and kamisyoyosan (KSS), which are known to have platelet aggregation-inhibiting effects, and rikkunshito (RKT) and shakuyakukanzoto (SKT), which are considered to be devoid of such effects, were used for comparison. The platelet aggregation of each test drug was measured by the screen filtration pressure method using whole blood of guinea pigs and expressed as a collagen-induced pressure rate (%) or a collagen concentration required for 50% increase in the pressure rate (PATI value). KBG suppressed the collagen-induced whole blood pressure rate increase and increased the PATI value, like TSS and KSS. Neither RKT nor SKT showed these effects. The Moutan cortex and Cinnamomi cortex, the constituent crude drugs of KBG, showed KBG-like pressure rate suppression and PATI-increasing effects. Furthermore, paeonol, a representative component of Moutan cortex, and aspirin which is known to have platelet aggregation-inhibiting activity (COX-1 inhibitor) also showed similar effects. These results suggest that the platelet aggregation-inhibiting activity of the constituent crude drugs Moutan cortex and Cinnamomi cortex is involved in the improving effects of KBG on impaired microcirculation and that paeonol plays a role in these effects.