The Role of Traffic-Related Air Pollution on Neurodegenerative Diseases in Older People: An Epidemiological Perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Rachel Tham ◽  
Tamara Schikowski

Traffic-related air pollution is ubiquitous and almost impossible to avoid. It is important to understand the role that traffic-related air pollution may play in neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, particularly among older populations and at-risk groups. There is a growing interest in this area among the environmental epidemiology literature and the body of evidence identifying this role is emerging and strengthening. This review focuses on the principal components of traffic-related air pollutants (particulate matter and nitrogen oxides) and the epidemiological evidence of their contribution to common neurodegenerative diseases. All studies reported are currently observational in nature and there are mixed findings depending on the study design, assessment of traffic-related air pollutant levels, assessment of the neurodegenerative disease outcome, time period of assessment, and the role of confounding environmental factors and at-risk genetic characteristics. All current studies have been conducted in income-rich countries where traffic-related air pollution levels are relatively low. Additional longer-term studies are needed to confirm the levels of risk, consider other contributing environmental factors and to be conducted in settings where air pollution exposures are higher and at-risk populations reside and work. Better understanding of these relationships will help inform the development of preventive measures and reduce chronic cognitive and physical health burdens (cost, quality of life) at personal and societal levels.

Author(s):  
Rachel Tham ◽  
Tamara Schikowski

Traffic-related air pollution is ubiquitous and almost impossible to avoid. It is important to understand the role that traffic-related air pollution may play in neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, particularly among older populations and at-risk groups. There is a growing interest in this area among the environmental epidemiology literature and the body of evidence identifying this role is emerging and strengthening. This review focuses on the principal components of traffic-related air pollutants (particulate matter and nitrogen oxides) and the epidemiological evidence of their contribution to common neurodegenerative diseases. All studies reported are currently observational in nature and there are mixed findings depending on the study design, assessment of traffic-related air pollutant levels, assessment of the neurodegenerative disease outcome, time period of assessment, and the role of confounding environmental factors and at-risk genetic characteristics. All current studies have been conducted in income-rich countries where traffic-related air pollution levels are relatively low. Additional longer-term studies are needed to confirm the levels of risk, consider other contributing environmental factors and to be conducted in settings where air pollution exposures are higher and at-risk populations reside and work. Better understanding of these relationships will help inform the development of preventive measures and reduce chronic cognitive and physical health burdens (cost, quality of life) at personal and societal levels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-383
Author(s):  
Vasily N. Afonyushkin ◽  
N. A. Donchenko ◽  
Ju. N. Kozlova ◽  
N. A. Davidova ◽  
V. Yu. Koptev ◽  
...  

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a widely represented species of bacteria possessing of a pathogenic potential. This infectious agent is causing wound infections, fibrotic cystitis, fibrosing pneumonia, bacterial sepsis, etc. The microorganism is highly resistant to antiseptics, disinfectants, immune system responses of the body. The responses of a quorum sense of this kind of bacteria ensure the inclusion of many pathogenicity factors. The analysis of the scientific literature made it possible to formulate four questions concerning the role of biofilms for the adaptation of P. aeruginosa to adverse environmental factors: Is another person appears to be predominantly of a source an etiological agent or the source of P. aeruginosa infection in the environment? Does the formation of biofilms influence on the antibiotic resistance? How the antagonistic activity of microorganisms is realized in biofilm form? What is the main function of biofilms in the functioning of bacteria? A hypothesis has been put forward the effect of biofilms on the increase of antibiotic resistance of bacteria and, in particular, P. aeruginosa to be secondary in charcter. It is more likely a biofilmboth to fulfill the function of storing nutrients and provide topical competition in the face of food scarcity. In connection with the incompatibility of the molecular radii of most antibiotics and pores in biofilm, biofilm is doubtful to be capable of performing a barrier function for protecting against antibiotics. However, with respect to antibodies and immunocompetent cells, the barrier function is beyond doubt. The biofilm is more likely to fulfill the function of storing nutrients and providing topical competition in conditions of scarcity of food resources.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 78-82
Author(s):  
Т. F. Golubova ◽  
А. I. Kreslov

Climate is an active, powerful factor that can have a powerful therapeutic effect. Climatotherapy is prescribed for the purpose of General strengthening effects on the body, to stimulate its defenses, increase non-specific resistance, especially in chronic or sluggish pathological processes. The effect of climate therapy is manifested in the body's responses to environmental factors, the main condition of which is the use of physiologically based methods of dosing climate procedures. The bioclimatic station (BCS) of the resort of Yevpatoria carries out meteorological observations of medical orientation and their dosing. The creation of a modern center of climatotherapy, as a scientific-clinical Department of medical climatology on the basis of the BCS will allow to organize a single service on introduction of modern methods of climatotherapy in Evpatoria and the Republic of Crimea, improve the quality of the holiday of climateprotection and effectiveness of climatotherapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayaz M. Belkozhayev ◽  
Minnatallah Al-Yozbaki ◽  
Alex George ◽  
Raigul Ye Niyazova ◽  
Kamalidin O. Sharipov ◽  
...  

There are different modalities of intercellular communication governed by cellular homeostasis. In this review, we will explore one of these forms of communication called extracellular vesicles (EVs). These vesicles are released by all cells in the body and are heterogeneous in nature. The primary function of EVs is to share information through their cargo consisting of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids (mRNA, miRNA, dsDNA etc.) with other cells, which have a direct consequence on their microenvironment. We will focus on the role of EVs of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the nervous system and how these participate in intercellular communication to maintain physiological function and provide neuroprotection. However, deregulation of this same communication system could play a role in several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, prion disease and Huntington’s disease. The release of EVs from a cell provides crucial information to what is happening inside the cell and thus could be used in diagnostics and therapy. We will discuss and explore new avenues for the clinical applications of using engineered MSC-EVs and their potential therapeutic benefit in treating neurodegenerative diseases.


Author(s):  
Maria-Viola Martikainen ◽  
Päivi Aakko-Saksa ◽  
Lenie van den Broek ◽  
Flemming R. Cassee ◽  
Roxana O. Carare ◽  
...  

The adverse effects of air pollutants on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are unquestionable. However, in recent years, indications of effects beyond these organ systems have become more evident. Traffic-related air pollution has been linked with neurological diseases, exacerbated cognitive dysfunction, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, the exact air pollutant compositions and exposure scenarios leading to these adverse health effects are not known. Although several components of air pollution may be at play, recent experimental studies point to a key role of ultrafine particles (UFPs). While the importance of UFPs has been recognized, almost nothing is known about the smallest fraction of UFPs, and only >23 nm emissions are regulated in the EU. Moreover, the role of the semivolatile fraction of the emissions has been neglected. The Transport-Derived Ultrafines and the Brain Effects (TUBE) project will increase knowledge on harmful ultrafine air pollutants, as well as semivolatile compounds related to adverse health effects. By including all the major current combustion and emission control technologies, the TUBE project aims to provide new information on the adverse health effects of current traffic, as well as information for decision makers to develop more effective emission legislation. Most importantly, the TUBE project will include adverse health effects beyond the respiratory system; TUBE will assess how air pollution affects the brain and how air pollution particles might be removed from the brain. The purpose of this report is to describe the TUBE project, its background, and its goals.


When we talk about the vital role of oxygen, we forget that the vital role of oxygen is to interact with glucose in the cells catalyzed by many enzymes to generate energy. The main source to generate energy in cells is from glucose, enough glucose is as vital as enough oxygen. Poor blood circulation may come from the blocking points in the vessels or from low blood pressure or low blood glucose. In the body, all the billions of cells of all body systems need the energy to have normal functions; which is mainly generated from metabolizing glucose. When the cells hunger for glucose, it can start to use structure stored glucose or stored lipids or polysaccharides or structure lipid or structure protein. To take stored glucose, the body needs good blood circulation and right body temperature. The people with chronic illness often have hormonal imbalanced – which need glucose as the main source of energy also, and poor blood circulation and disorder of thermoregulation. If we do not stop these disorders, these people may have metabolic disorders or metabolic diseases. The main energy source for the cells is from the catabolism of glucose. So any problem for glycemia and oxygen saturation will make the billions of cells of the body are out of balance. During practice Vietnamese Qi gong combining with traditional medicine, the author realizes that in just ten minutes, just by removing trigger point and balancing metabolic reactions, we can deal easily most of the symptoms of fatigue, nerve pain, chronic illness, diabetes, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s diseases, Vestibular disorder, and Neurodegenerative Diseases.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (22) ◽  
pp. 6-10
Author(s):  
S. N. Shcherbo ◽  
D. S. Shcherbo ◽  
A. L. Tishchenko ◽  
M. I. Savina ◽  
T. I. Turkina

The review addresses issues related to genetic predisposition and resistance to infectious diseases. Genetic factors largely determine the susceptibility of the body to various diseases, including infectious ones. A genetic predisposition to tuberculosis, salmonellosis, viral hepatitis, tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease, HIV and others is shown. Knowledge of molecular genetic biomarkers is necessary for identifying risk groups, conducting predictive measures, in particular vaccination. The main influence is given to the genes of the main histocompatibility complex; the role of mitochondrial DNA in susceptibility to HIV infection is shown.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 13921-13940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Liang ◽  
Tong Zhu ◽  
Yanhua Fang ◽  
Yingruo Li ◽  
Yiqun Han ◽  
...  

Abstract. To control severe air pollution in China, comprehensive pollution control strategies have been implemented throughout the country in recent years. To evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, the influence of meteorological conditions on levels of air pollution needs to be determined. Using the intensive air pollution control strategies implemented during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in 2014 (APEC 2014) and the 2015 China Victory Day Parade (Victory Parade 2015) as examples, we estimated the role of meteorological conditions and pollution control strategies in reducing air pollution levels in Beijing. Atmospheric particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter  ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) samples were collected and gaseous pollutants (SO2, NO, NOx, and O3) were measured online at a site in Peking University (PKU). To determine the influence of meteorological conditions on the levels of air pollution, we first compared the air pollutant concentrations during days with stable meteorological conditions. However, there were few days with stable meteorological conditions during the Victory Parade. As such, we were unable to estimate the level of emission reduction efforts during this period. Finally, a generalized linear regression model (GLM) based only on meteorological parameters was built to predict air pollutant concentrations, which could explain more than 70 % of the variation in air pollutant concentration levels, after incorporating the nonlinear relationships between certain meteorological parameters and the concentrations of air pollutants. Evaluation of the GLM performance revealed that the GLM, even based only on meteorological parameters, could be satisfactory to estimate the contribution of meteorological conditions in reducing air pollution and, hence, the contribution of control strategies in reducing air pollution. Using the GLM, we found that the meteorological conditions and pollution control strategies contributed 30 and 28 % to the reduction of the PM2.5 concentration during APEC and 38 and 25 % during the Victory Parade, respectively, based on the assumption that the concentrations of air pollutants are only determined by meteorological conditions and emission intensities. We also estimated the contribution of meteorological conditions and control strategies in reducing the concentrations of gaseous pollutants and PM2.5 components with the GLMs, revealing the effective control of anthropogenic emissions.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Liang ◽  
Tong Zhu ◽  
Yanhua Fang ◽  
Yingruo Li ◽  
Yiqun Han ◽  
...  

Abstract. To control severe air pollution in China, comprehensive pollution control strategies have been implemented throughout the country in recent years. To evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, the influence of meteorological conditions on levels of air pollution needs to be determined. We therefore developed a generalized linear regression model (GLM) to establish the relationship between the concentrations of air pollutants and meteorological parameters. Using the intensive air pollution control strategies implemented during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in 2014 (APEC 2014) and the Victory Parade for the Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War and the World Anti-Fascist War in 2015 (Parade 2015) as examples, we estimated the role of meteorological conditions and pollution control strategies in reducing air pollution levels in Beijing. During the APEC (1 October to 31 December 2014) and Parade (1 August to 31 December 2015) sampling periods, atmospheric particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) samples were collected and gaseous pollutants (SO2, NO, NOx, and O3) were measured online at a site in Peking University (PKU). The concentrations of all pollutants except ozone decreased dramatically (by more than 20 %) during both events, compared with the levels during non-control periods. To determine the influence of meteorological conditions on the levels of air pollution, we first compared the air pollutant concentrations during days with stable meteorological conditions (i.e. when the daily average wind speed (WS) was less than 2.50 m s−1 and planetary boundary layer (PBL) height was lower than 290 m). We found that the average PM2.5 concentration during APEC decreased by 45.7 % compared with the period before APEC and by 44.4 % compared with the period after APEC. This difference was attributed to emission reduction efforts during APEC. However, there were few days with stable meteorological conditions during Parade. As such, we were unable to estimate the level of emission reduction efforts during this period. Finally, GLMs based only on meteorological parameters were built to predict air pollutant concentrations, which could explain more than 70 % of the variation in air pollutant concentration levels, after incorporating the nonlinear relationships between certain meteorological parameters and the concentrations of air pollutants. Evaluation of the GLM performance revealed that the GLM, even based only on meteorological parameters, could be satisfactory to estimate the contribution of meteorological conditions in reducing air pollution, and hence the contribution of control strategies in reducing air pollution. Using the GLM, we found that the meteorological conditions and pollution control strategies contributed 30 % and 28 % to the reduction of the PM2.5 concentration during APEC 2014, and 38 % and 25 % during Parade 2015. We also estimated the contribution of meteorological conditions and control strategies implemented during the two events in reducing the concentrations of gaseous pollutants and PM2.5 components with the GLMs, revealing the effective control of anthropogenic emissions.


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