INTRODUCTION: Both maternal depression problems during pregnancy and prenatal exposure to air pollution have been associated with changes in the brain as well as worse mood and anxiety in the offspring in adulthood. However, it is not clear whether these effects are independent or whether and how they might interact and impact the brain age and mental health of the young adult offspring. METHODS: A total of 202 mother-child dyads from a prenatal birth cohort were assessed for maternal depression during pregnancy through self-report questionnaires administered in the early 90s, exposure to air pollutants (Sulfur dioxide [SO2], nitrogen oxides [NOx], and suspended particle matter [SPM]) during each trimester based on maternal address and air quality data, mental health of the young adult offspring (28-30 years of age; 52% men, all of European ancestry) using self-report questionnaires for depression (Beck Depression Inventory), mood dysregulation (Profile of Mood States), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), and psychotic symptoms (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire), and brain age, estimated from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and previously published neuroanatomical age prediction model using cortical thickness maps. The brain age gap estimate (BrainAGE) was computed by subtracting structural brain age from chronological age. Trajectories of exposure to air pollution during pregnancy were assessed using Growth Mixture Modeling. The interactions of prenatal depression and prenatal exposure to air pollutants on adult mental health and BrainAGE were assessed using hierarchical linear regression. RESULTS: We revealed two distinct trajectories of exposure to air pollution during pregnancy: "early exposure," characterized by high exposure during the first trimester, followed by a steady decrease, and "late exposure," characterized by low exposure during the first trimester, followed by a steady increase in the exposure during the subsequent trimesters. Maternal depression during the first half of pregnancy interacted with NOX exposure trajectory, predicting mood dysregulation and schizotypal symptoms in young adults. In addition, maternal depression during the second half of pregnancy interacted with both NOx and SO2 exposure trajectories, respectively, and predicted BrainAGE in young adults. In those with early exposure to NOx, maternal depression during pregnancy was associated with worse mental health and accelerated brain aging in young adulthood. In contrast, in those with early exposure to SO2, maternal depression during pregnancy was associated with slower brain aging in young adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the first evidence of the combined effects of prenatal exposure to air pollution and maternal depression on mental health outcomes and brain age in young adult offspring. Moreover, they point out the importance of the timing and trajectory of the exposure during prenatal development.
- MeSH
- deprese * chemicky indukované MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- duševní zdraví MeSH
- kohortové studie MeSH
- látky znečišťující vzduch škodlivé účinky toxicita MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
- mozek * účinky léků růst a vývoj diagnostické zobrazování MeSH
- stárnutí MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- znečištění ovzduší * škodlivé účinky MeSH
- zpožděný efekt prenatální expozice * chemicky indukované psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
BACKGROUND: The impact of the urban environment on human health is a contemporary subject of environmental research. Air pollution is often considered a leading environmental driver. However, a plethora of other factors within the urban exposome may be involved. At the same time, the resolution of spatial data is also an important facet to consider. Generally, systematic tools for accurate health risk assessment in the urban environment are missing or are not implemented. METHODS: The long-term impact of air quality (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, benzene, and SO2) on respiratory and cardiovascular health was assessed with a log-linear model. We used the most accurate health data in high city scale spatial resolution over the period 2010 to 2018. Selected external exposome parameters were also included in the analysis. RESULTS: Statistically significant associations between air pollution and the health of the urban population were found. The strongest association was between benzene and the incidence of bronchitis in the adult population [RR 1.552 95% CI (1.415-1.704) per 0.5 μg/m3 change in benzene concentration]. A similar relation was observed between NO2 and the same health condition [RR 1.483 95% CI (1.227-1.792) per 8.9 μg/m3 of change in NO2]. Other weaker associations were also found between asthma in children and PMs, NO2, or benzene. Cardiovascular-related hospitalizations in the general population were linked with NO2 [RR 1.218 95% CI (1.119-1.325) per 9.7 μg/m3 change in NO2]. The remaining pollutants were slightly less but still significantly associated with cardiovascular-related hospitalizations. CONCLUSION: Our findings are mostly highly statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001) and are in line with current literature on the adverse effects of air pollution on the human population. The results highlight the need for continual improvements in air quality. We propose the implementation of this approach as a systematic tool for the investigation of possible health risks over a long period of time. However, further research involving other variables is an essential step toward understanding the complex urban exposome and its implications for human health. An increase in data spatial resolution is especially important in this respect as well as for improving city health risk management.
- MeSH
- benzen analýza MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- látky znečišťující vzduch * škodlivé účinky analýza MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- oxid dusičitý analýza MeSH
- velkoměsta epidemiologie MeSH
- znečištění ovzduší * škodlivé účinky analýza MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- velkoměsta epidemiologie MeSH
Piglet coccidiosis due to Cystoisospora suis is a major cause of diarrhea and poor growth worldwide. It can effectively be controlled by application of toltrazuril (TZ), and oral formulations have been licensed for many years. Recently, the first parenteral formulation containing TZ in combination with iron (gleptoferron) was registered in the EU for the prevention of coccidiosis and iron deficiency anemia, conditions in suckling piglets requiring routine preventive measures. This study evaluated the absorption and distribution of TZ and its main metabolite, toltrazuril sulfone (TZ-SO2), in blood and intestinal tissues after single oral (20 mg/kg) or single intramuscular (45 mg/piglet) application of TZ. Fifty-six piglets were randomly allocated to the two treatment groups. Animals were sacrificed 1-, 5-, 13-, and 24-days post-treatment and TZ and TZ-SO2 levels were determined in blood, jejunal tissue, ileal tissue, and mixed jejunal and ileal content (IC) by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Intramuscular application resulted in significantly higher and more sustained concentrations of both compounds in plasma, intestinal tissue, and IC. Higher concentrations after oral dosing were only observed one day after application of TZ in jejunum and IC. Toltrazuril was quickly metabolized to TZ-SO2 with maximum concentrations on day 13 for both applications. Remarkably, TZ and TZ-SO2 accumulated in the jejunum, the primary predilection site of C. suis, independently of the administration route, which is key to their antiparasitic effect.
- MeSH
- aplikace orální MeSH
- ileum metabolismus MeSH
- injekce intramuskulární MeSH
- jejunum metabolismus MeSH
- kokcidiostatika aplikace a dávkování metabolismus farmakokinetika MeSH
- kokcidióza prevence a kontrola veterinární MeSH
- nemoci prasat prevence a kontrola MeSH
- prasata MeSH
- střevní sliznice metabolismus MeSH
- sulfony aplikace a dávkování metabolismus farmakokinetika MeSH
- tělesná hmotnost účinky léků MeSH
- triaziny aplikace a dávkování metabolismus farmakokinetika MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Tumor oxygenation and vascularization are important parameters that determine the aggressiveness of the tumor and its resistance to cancer therapies. We introduce dual-modality ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging (US-PAI) for the direct, non-invasive real-time in vivo evaluation of oxygenation and vascularization of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) of B-cell mantle cell lymphomas. The different optical properties of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin make it possible to determine oxygen saturation (sO2) in tissues using PAI. High-frequency color Doppler imaging enables the visualization of blood flow with high resolution. Tumor oxygenation and vascularization were studied in vivo during the growth of three different subcutaneously implanted patient-derived xenograft (PDX) lymphomas (VFN-M1, VFN-M2 and VFN-M5 R1). Similar values of sO2 (sO2 Vital), determined from US-PAI volumetric analysis, were obtained in small and large VFN-M1 tumors ranging from 37.9 ± 2.2 to 40.5 ± 6.0 sO2 Vital (%) and 37.5 ± 4.0 to 35.7 ± 4.6 sO2 Vital (%) for small and large VFN-M2 PDXs. In contrast, the higher sO2 Vital values ranging from 57.1 ± 4.8 to 40.8 ± 5.7 sO2 Vital (%) (small to large) of VFN-M5 R1 tumors corresponds with the higher aggressiveness of that PDX model. The different tumor percentage vascularization (assessed as micro-vessel areas) of VFN-M1, VFN-M2 and VFN-M5 R1 obtained by color Doppler (2.8 ± 0.1%, 3.8 ± 0.8% and 10.3 ± 2.7%) in large-stage tumors clearly corresponds with their diverse growth and aggressiveness. The data obtained by color Doppler were validated by histology. In conclusion, US-PAI rapidly and accurately provided relevant and reproducible information on tissue oxygenation in PDX tumors in real time without the need for a contrast agent.
- MeSH
- hemoglobiny metabolismus MeSH
- hypoxie buňky MeSH
- kyslík metabolismus MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- lymfom z plášťových buněk diagnostické zobrazování patologie patofyziologie MeSH
- mikrocévy diagnostické zobrazování MeSH
- mikrovaskulární denzita MeSH
- multimodální zobrazování MeSH
- myši MeSH
- optoakustické techniky * MeSH
- oxyhemoglobiny metabolismus MeSH
- patologická angiogeneze diagnostické zobrazování MeSH
- transplantace nádorů MeSH
- tumor burden MeSH
- ultrasonografie dopplerovská barevná * MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- myši MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Thirty years ago, Northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic was one of the most air polluted areas in Europe. After political changes, the Czech government put forward a research program to determine if air pollution is really affecting human health. This program, later called the "Teplice Program", was initiated in collaboration with scientists from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). This cooperation made possible the use of methods on the contemporary level. The very high concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter of 10 micrometers or less (PM10), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in the air showed, for the first time, the impact of air pollutants on the health of the population in mining districts: adverse pregnancy outcomes, the impact of air pollution on sperm morphology, learning disabilities in children, and respiratory morbidity in preschool children. A surprising result came from the distribution of the sources of pollution: 70% of PM10 pollution came from local heating and not from power plants as expected. Thanks to this result, the Czech government supported changes in local heating from brown coal to natural gas. This change substantially decreased SO2 and PM10 pollution and affected mortality, especially cardiovascular mortality.
- MeSH
- látky znečišťující vzduch * analýza MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pevné částice analýza MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- zdraví MeSH
- znečištění ovzduší * analýza MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Evropa MeSH
Implementation of strict policies for mitigating climate change has a direct impact on public health as far as the external health costs of electricity generation can be reduced, thanks to the reduction of emission of typical pollutants by switching to cleaner low carbon fuels and achieving energy efficiency improvements. Renewables have lower external health costs due to the lower life cycle emission of typical air pollutants linked to electricity generation, such as SO2, NOx, particulate matter, NH3, or NMVOC (Non-methane volatile organic compounds), which all appear to have serious negative effects on human health. Our case study performed in the Baltic States analyzed the dynamics of external health costs in parallel with the dynamics of the main health indicators in these countries: life expectancy at birth, mortality rates, healthy life years, self-perceived health, and illness indicators. We employed the data for external health costs retrieved from the CASES database, as well as the health statistics data compiled from the EUROSTAT database. The time range of the study was 2010-2018 due to the availability of consistent health indicators for the EU Member States. Our results show that the decrease of external health costs had a positive impact on the increase of the self-perceived good health and reduction of long-standing illness as well as the decrease of infant death rate. Our conclusions might be useful for other countries as well as for understanding the additional benefits of climate change mitigation policies and tracking their positive health impacts. The cooperation initiatives on clean energy and climate change mitigation between countries like One Belt One Road initiative by the Chinese government can also yield additional benefits linked to the public health improvements.
- MeSH
- elektřina * MeSH
- látky znečišťující vzduch analýza MeSH
- náklady na zdravotní péči MeSH
- pevné částice analýza MeSH
- znečištění ovzduší analýza MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- pobaltské republiky MeSH
Podle výsledků několika etap šetření respiračního zdraví českých dětí prováděných v rámci Systému monitorování zdravotního stavu obyvatelstva ČR v minulých dvou dekádách je v Moravskoslezském kraji (MSK) prevalence respiračních alergií, opakovaných zánětů dýchacích cest i nespecifických respiračních symptomů vyšší, než je republikový průměr. Vzhledem ke zvýšenému znečištění ovzduší ve velké části tohoto kraje bylo naším cílem potvrdit předpoklad, že prevalence alergických onemocnění a respiračních obtíží dětí souvisí s prostorově variabilní kvalitou ovzduší. K tomu byla použita metoda shlukové analýzy (rozdělení kraje na oblasti lišící se charakterem dlouhodobého znečištění ovzduší) a mnohonásobné logistické regrese (porovnání prevalence respiračních onemocnění mezi těmito oblastmi). V dalším kroku byla plošným modelováním pomocí generalizovaného aditivního modelu odhadnuta pravděpodobná prevalence respiračních alergií/onemocnění/symptomů. Podkladem pro analýzy bylo dotazníkové šetření, provedené v 18 městech MSK v roce 2015, kterého se zúčastnilo více než 7 000 dětí ve věku 5, 9, 13 a 17 let. Dlouhodobá expozice znečištěnému ovzduší byla hodnocena na základě map průměrných koncentrací suspendovaných prachových částic PM10,,SO2 a oxidu dusičitého za období 2009-2013. Výsledky potvrdily předpoklad, že prevalence sledovaných respiračních onemocnění je, s výjimkou diagnostikovaného astmatu, ovlivněna prostorově variabilní kvalitou ovzduší, a přispěly k odhadu výskytu sledovaných respiračních alergií a onemocnění dětí v MS kraji.
Repeated surveys of respiratory health among Czech children conducted by the National Institute of Public Health in the past two decades revealed a higher prevalence of respiratory allergies, recurrent respiratory infections and non-specific respiratory symptoms in the Moravian-Silesian Region (MS Region) than the national average levels. In view of the substantial pollution of large areas in that region, our aim was to examine how the prevalence of allergic diseases and respiratory symptoms in children is related to spatially variable air quality. Cluster analysis (division of the region into areas differring by the characteristics of long-term air pollution) and multiple logistic regressions (comparing the respiratory diseases prevalence among regions) were used for this purpose. In the next step, the probable prevalence of respiratory allergies/disease/symptomes was spatially modelled using the generalized additive model. The data source for the analysis was a questionnaire survey conducted in 18 MS Region cities in 2015, involving more than 7,000 children aged 5, 9, 13 and 17 years. Long-term exposure to particulate matter PM10, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide was assessed on the basis of average concentration maps for the period 2009-2013. The results confirmed the assumption that the prevalence of the surveyed respiratory diseases, with the exception of diagnosed asthma, was influenced by the spatially variable air quality and contributed to the estimation of the occurrence of respiratory allergies and other diseases in children in the MS Region.
The chemical composition of emissions from old-type (an overfire boiler, a boiler with down-draft combustion) and modern-type (an automatic and a gasification boiler) boilers was compared. The boilers were operated with different fuels (brown and hard coal, wet and dry wood, wood pellets and brown coal briquettes) with reduced output (40-60%). The emissions were characterized by the contents of gaseous components (NOx, SO2, CO, CO2, OGC); and particulate organic compounds (alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, saccharides), including organic markers (monosaccharide anhydrides, diterpenoids, methoxyphenols, hopanes), which are used for source apportionment of particulate matter in ambient air. In general, emissions of the products of incomplete combustion (CO, particles, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) were higher from the combustion of solid fuels in old-type boilers than from that in modern-type boilers. The modern-type (especially automatic) boilers were the most environmentally friendly. The highest concentrations of particulate matter (81.6-89.4 g kg-1) and particulate organic compounds (sum of PAHs: 225-275 mg kg-1) including organic markers were found in emissions from old-type (overfire) boilers, especially with the combustion of brown and hard coal. Characteristic ratios of selected organic compounds/markers applied for source identification were calculated. Computed characteristic ratios for monosaccharide anhydrides (biomass combustion) agreed with values in the literature. Homohopane indexes, frequently used for identification of coal combustion, and other characteristic ratios for PAHs, were different from the literature data. In our opinion, characteristic ratios for PAHs are not suitable for use in source apportionment.
Environmental health is among the priority areas of public health, and the current professional communities are intensively engaged with it. The main objective of the study is to quantify regional disparities of preventable mortality in Slovakia and to study the extent of the influence of selected environmental factors on changes in the development of its values. A cross-sectional linear regression model is used to quantify effects of environmental factors on the preventable mortality. Also, cluster analysis is used to identify regions with similar levels of air pollution. Environmental factors were selected based on the study of the World Health Organization. From the point of view of the influence of environmental factors on preventable mortality in the case of men, statistically significant connection to sewerage, SO2 production, and production of particulate matter was demonstrated. In the case of women, equally important factors showed connection to sewerage and SO2. The results of this study point to significant regional disparities in preventable mortality and a different degree of impact of environmental factors. Preventable mortality is above the Slovak average in most of the least-developed districts. Even in this group, there are significant differences.
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- lineární modely MeSH
- mortalita * MeSH
- pevné částice toxicita MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- Světová zdravotnická organizace MeSH
- veřejné zdravotnictví MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Slovenská republika MeSH
This study describes the main mechanisms that take part in the mercury homogeneous oxidation pathway in presence of some of the main reactive compounds formed during waste incineration processes (O2, HCl, SO2 and NO). Series of model, synthetic dry flue gases were used to elucidate the effects of HCl, SO2, NO and their proportions in the gas on mercury behaviour. Three samples of fly ash collected from a MSWI facility were characterized and evaluated both for Hg heterogeneous oxidation and Hg removal in a laboratory scale device. The results obtained in this study showed that homogeneous mercury oxidation in the models MSWI and coal combustion flue gas atmospheres was 52 ± 5% and 25%, respectively. SO2, NO and HCl have a synergetic effect in Hg oxidation in presence of oxygen, but the main differences found are mainly caused by the strong influence of HCl and the likely inhibitory oxidation effects of SO2. Surface area together with carbon and chloride content of the fly ashes were correlated with their capacity for Hg-heterogeneous oxidation and adsorption. The sample of fly ash with relatively high content of unburnt carbon and chlorine, and with BET surface (2.42 m2/g) was able to remove up to 100% of Hg0 (g) during 300 min. The results obtained in this study provide a complete overview of the behaviour of mercury during MSWI processes and may help to clarify the fate/behaviour of mercury in a filter (e.g. electrostatic precipitator) providing a deeper knowledge about the impacts of fly ash properties on mercury fate in waste incineration.
- MeSH
- látky znečišťující vzduch * MeSH
- oxidace-redukce MeSH
- plyny MeSH
- popel uhelný * MeSH
- rtuť chemie MeSH
- spalování odpadů MeSH
- uhlí MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
