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Air pollution and the fetal origin of disease: A systematic review of the molecular signatures of air pollution exposure in human placenta KU Leuven

Leen J Luyten, Nelly D Saenen, Bram G Janssen, Karen Vrijens, Michelle Plusquin, Harry A Roels, Florence Debacq-Chainiaux, Tim Nawrot
BACKGROUND: Fetal development is a crucial window of susceptibility in which exposure-related alterations can be induced on the molecular level, leading to potential changes in metabolism and development. The placenta serves as a gatekeeper between mother and fetus, and is in contact with environmental stressors throughout pregnancy. This makes the placenta as a temporary organ an informative non-invasive matrix suitable to investigate ...

Cardiorespiratory effects of physical activity and urban air pollution in Europe Hasselt University

Michelle LAEREMANS
Each year, five million premature deaths are due to a lack of physical activity. Active mobility (i.e. walking and cycling as a means of transport) has been introduced as an accessible solution to increase daily physical activity levels because it may be easier to integrate into daily routines compared to sports and exercise. The PASTA project (Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches) studied the benefits and risks of active ...

Concern over health effects of air pollution is associated to NO2 in seven European cities Hasselt University

Evi DONS, Michelle LAEREMANS, Esther Anaya-Boig, Ione Avila-Palencia, Christian Brand, Audrey de Nazelle, Mailin Gaupp-Berghausen, Thomas Gotschi, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Juan Pablo Orjuela, et al.
Subjective perception of air pollution is important and can have impacts on health in its own rights, can lead to protective behaviour, or it can be leveraged to engage citizens and stakeholders in support of cleaner air policies. The aim of the current analysis was to examine associations between level of concern over health effects of air pollution and personal and environmental factors. In seven European cities, 7622 adult participants were ...

Cardiovascular effects of air pollution Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Jean-François Argacha

Air pollution is composed of particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and ozone. PM is classified according to size into coarse particles (PM 10), fine particles (PM 2.5) and ultrafine particles. We aim to provide an original review of the scientific evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies examining the cardiovascular effects of outdoor air pollution. Pooled ...

Immune biomarkers link air pollution exposure to blood pressure in adolescents KU Leuven

Mary Prunicki, Nicholas Cauwenberghs, Jennifer Arthur Ataam, Hesam Movassagh, Juyong Brian Kim, Tatiana Kouznetsova, Joseph C Wu, Holden Maecker, Francois Haddad, Kari Nadeau, et al.
BACKGROUND: Childhood exposure to air pollution contributes to cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Immune and oxidative stress disturbances might mediate the effects of air pollution on the cardiovascular system, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood in adolescents. Therefore, we aimed to identify immune biomarkers linking air pollution exposure and blood pressure levels in adolescents. METHODS: We randomly recruited 100 ...

Comparison of associations between mortality and air pollution exposure estimated with a hybrid, a land-use regression and a dispersion model Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Jochem O. Klompmaker, Nicole Janssen, Zorana J. Andersen, Richard Atkinson, Mariska Bauwelinck, Jie Chen, Kees de Hoogh, Danny Houthuijs, Klea Katsouyanni, Marten Marra, et al.

Introduction: To characterize air pollution exposure at a fine spatial scale, different exposure assessment methods have been applied. Comparison of associations with health from different exposure methods are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations of air pollution based on hybrid, land-use regression (LUR) and dispersion models with natural cause and cause-specific mortality.

Methods: We followed a Dutch national ...

Changing places to study short-term effects of air pollution on cardiovascular health: a panel study KU Leuven

Hans Scheers, Tim Nawrot, Benoit Nemery de Bellevaux, Lidia Casas Ruiz
BACKGROUND: Short-term exposure to ambient air pollution triggers acute cardiovascular events. Here, we evaluate the association of exposure to ambient air pollution with two intermediate cardiovascular endpoints: blood pressure and carotid stiffness. METHODS: In a one-year panel study, we included 20 healthy volunteers (10 male-female couples aged 59-75 years) with air pollution and health parameters measured every two months at their region of ...

DNA methylation and exposure to ambient air pollution in two prospective cohorts Hasselt University

Michelle PLUSQUIN, Florence Guida, Silvia Polidoro, Roel Vermeulen, Ole Raaschou-Nielsen, Gianluca Campanella, Gerard Hoek, Soterios A. Kyrtopoulos, Panagiotis Georgiadis, Alessio Naccarati, et al.
Long-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with several adverse health effects including cardiovascular, respiratory diseases and cancers. However, underlying molecular alterations remain to be further investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of long-term exposure to air pollutants on (a) average DNA methylation at functional regions and, (b) individual differentially methylated CpG sites. An assumption is ...

Air pollution and ST-elevation myocardial infarction: A case-crossover study of the Belgian STEMI registry 2009-2013 University of Antwerp KU Leuven Vrije Universiteit Brussel

J. F. Argacha, P. Collart, A. Wauters, P. Kayaert, S. Lochy, D. Schoors, J. Sonck, T. de Vos, M. Forton, O. Brasseur, et al.
Background: Previous studies have shown that air pollution particulate matter (PM) is associated with an increased risk for myocardial infarction. The effects of air pollution on the risk of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), in particular the role of gaseous air pollutants such as NO2 and O-3 and the susceptibility of specific populations, are still under debate. Methods: All patients entered in the Belgian prospective STEMI registry ...