1 298 161 AIR POLLUTION AND AIRWAY DISEASE. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL RESEARCH CONTINUES TO SUPPORT A LINK BETWEEN URBAN AIR POLLUTION AND AN INCREASED INCIDENCE AND/OR SEVERITY OF AIRWAY DISEASE. DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS OF OZONE (O(3)), NITROGEN DIOXIDE (NO(2)) AND PARTICULATE MATTER (PM), AS WELL AS TRAFFIC-RELATED POLLUTION AS A WHOLE, ON RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS AND FUNCTION ARE WELL DOCUMENTED. NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE STRONG EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION AND EXACERBATION OF ASTHMA AND RESPIRATORY MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), BUT RECENT STUDIES, PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS, HAVE SUGGESTED A ROLE FOR POLLUTANTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH ASTHMA AND COPD. SIMILARLY, WHILE PREVALENCE AND SEVERITY OF ATOPIC CONDITIONS APPEAR TO BE MORE COMMON IN URBAN COMPARED WITH RURAL COMMUNITIES, EVIDENCE IS EMERGING THAT TRAFFIC-RELATED POLLUTANTS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGY. FURTHERMORE, NUMEROUS EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES SUGGEST AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO NO(2) , O(3) , PM AND COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF BIOMASS FUELS AND AN INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO AND MORBIDITY FROM RESPIRATORY INFECTION. GIVEN THE CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTION THAT TRAFFIC EMISSIONS MAKE TO URBAN AIR POLLUTION RESEARCHERS HAVE SOUGHT TO CHARACTERIZE THE RELATIVE TOXICITY OF TRAFFIC-RELATED PM POLLUTANTS. RECENT ADVANCES IN MECHANISMS IMPLICATED IN THE ASSOCIATION OF AIR POLLUTANTS AND AIRWAY DISEASE INCLUDE EPIGENETIC ALTERATION OF GENES BY COMBUSTION-RELATED POLLUTANTS AND HOW POLYMORPHISMS IN GENES INVOLVED IN ANTIOXIDANT PATHWAYS AND AIRWAY INFLAMMATION CAN MODIFY RESPONSES TO AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURES. OTHER INTERESTING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS RELATED TO INCREASED HOST SUSCEPTIBILITY INCLUDE A POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN CHRONIC PM EXPOSURE DURING CHILDHOOD AND VULNERABILITY TO COPD IN ADULTHOOD, AND THAT INFANTS SUBJECTED TO HIGHER PRENATAL LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION MAY BE AT GREATER RISK OF DEVELOPING RESPIRATORY CONDITIONS. WHILE THE CHARACTERIZATION OF POLLUTANT COMPONENTS AND SOURCES PROMISE TO GUIDE POLLUTION CONTROL STRATEGIES, THE IDENTIFICATION OF SUSCEPTIBLE SUBPOPULATIONS WILL BE NECESSARY IF TARGETED THERAPY/PREVENTION OF POLLUTION-INDUCED RESPIRATORY DISEASES IS TO BE DEVELOPED. 2011 2 299 52 AIR POLLUTION AND DNA METHYLATION: EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE IN HUMANS. AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE IS ESTIMATED TO CONTRIBUTE TO APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILLION EARLY DEATHS EVERY YEAR WORLDWIDE AND MORE THAN 3% OF DISABILITY-ADJUSTED LIFE YEARS LOST. AIR POLLUTION HAS NUMEROUS HARMFUL EFFECTS ON HEALTH AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND MORBIDITY OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, METABOLIC DISORDERS, AND A NUMBER OF LUNG PATHOLOGIES, INCLUDING ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). EMERGING DATA INDICATE THAT AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE MODULATES THE EPIGENETIC MARK, DNA METHYLATION (DNAM), AND THAT THESE CHANGES MIGHT IN TURN INFLUENCE INFLAMMATION, DISEASE DEVELOPMENT, AND EXACERBATION RISK. SEVERAL TRAFFIC-RELATED AIR POLLUTION (TRAP) COMPONENTS, INCLUDING PARTICULATE MATTER (PM), BLACK CARBON (BC), OZONE (O(3)), NITROGEN OXIDES (NO(X)), AND POLYAROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS), HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN DNAM; TYPICALLY LOWERING DNAM AFTER EXPOSURE. EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON DNAM HAVE BEEN OBSERVED ACROSS THE HUMAN LIFESPAN, BUT IT IS NOT YET CLEAR WHETHER EARLY LIFE DEVELOPMENTAL SENSITIVITY OR THE ACCUMULATION OF EXPOSURES HAVE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON HEALTH. AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE-ASSOCIATED DNAM PATTERNS ARE OFTEN CORRELATED WITH LONG-TERM NEGATIVE RESPIRATORY HEALTH OUTCOMES, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF LUNG DISEASES, A FOCUS IN THIS REVIEW. RECENTLY, INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS EXERCISE AND B VITAMINS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON DNAM AND HEALTH. ULTIMATELY, IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE OF HOW EXPOSURE-INDUCED CHANGE IN DNAM IMPACTS HEALTH, BOTH ACUTELY AND CHRONICALLY, MAY ENABLE PREVENTATIVE AND REMEDIAL STRATEGIES TO REDUCE MORBIDITY IN POLLUTED ENVIRONMENTS. 2019 3 360 34 AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION AND BIOMARKERS OF HEALTH EFFECT. RECENTLY, THE AIR POLLUTION SITUATION OF OUR COUNTRY IS VERY SERIOUS ALONG WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION. STUDIES INDICATE THAT THE EXPOSURE OF AIR POLLUTION CAN CAUSE A RISE OF INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY OF MANY DISEASES, SUCH AS CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), ASTHMA, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, AND SO ON. HOWEVER, THERE IS NOW GROWING EVIDENCE SHOWING THAT SIGNIFICANT AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY BIOMARKERS IN VARIOUS SYSTEMS OF THE BODY. IN ORDER TO BETTER PREVENT AND CONTROL THE DAMAGE EFFECT OF AIR POLLUTION, THIS ARTICLE SUMMARIZES COMPREHENSIVELY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES ABOUT THE BAD EFFECTS ON THE BIOMARKERS OF RESPIRATORY SYSTEM, CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC SYSTEM EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION. 2017 4 3106 43 GENOMICS AND THE RESPIRATORY EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE. ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS FROM AIR POLLUTANTS REMAIN IMPORTANT, DESPITE IMPROVEMENT IN AIR QUALITY IN THE PAST FEW DECADES. THE EXACT MECHANISMS OF LUNG INJURY FROM EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTANTS ARE NOT YET FULLY UNDERSTOOD. STUDYING THE GENOME (E.G. SINGLE-NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISMS (SNP) ), EPIGENOME (E.G. METHYLATION OF GENES), TRANSCRIPTOME (MRNA EXPRESSION) AND MICRORNAOME (MICRORNA EXPRESSION) HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTANTS. GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES OF SNP HAVE DETECTED SNP ASSOCIATED WITH RESPIRATORY PHENOTYPES; HOWEVER, TO DATE, ONLY CANDIDATE GENE STUDIES OF AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE HAVE BEEN PERFORMED. CHANGES IN EPIGENETIC PROCESSES, SUCH DNA METHYLATION THAT LEADS TO GENE SILENCING WITHOUT ALTERING THE DNA SEQUENCE, OCCUR WITH AIR POLLUTANT EXPOSURE, ESPECIALLY GLOBAL AND GENE-SPECIFIC METHYLATION CHANGES. RESPIRATORY CELL LINE AND ANIMAL MODELS DEMONSTRATE DISTINCT GENE EXPRESSION SIGNATURES IN THE TRANSCRIPTOME, ARISING FROM EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE MATTER OR OZONE. PARTICULATE MATTER AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS ALTER EXPRESSION OF MICRORNA, WHICH ARE SHORT NON-CODING RNA THAT REGULATE GENE EXPRESSION. WHILE IT IS CLEARLY IMPORTANT TO CONTAIN RISING LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION, STRATEGIES ALSO NEED TO BE DEVELOPED TO MINIMIZE THE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTANT EXPOSURE ON THE LUNG, ESPECIALLY FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE AND FOR PEOPLE AT RISK OF FUTURE LUNG DISEASE. CAREFUL STUDY OF GENOMIC RESPONSES WILL IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MECHANISMS OF LUNG INJURY FROM AIR POLLUTION AND ENABLE FUTURE CLINICAL TESTING OF INTERVENTIONS AGAINST THE TOXIC EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTANTS. 2012 5 1324 38 DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA) METHYLATION IN CHILDREN EXPOSED TO AIR POLLUTION: A POSSIBLE MECHANISM UNDERLYING RESPIRATORY HEALTH EFFECTS DEVELOPMENT. AIR POLLUTION IS A SUBSTANTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT TO CHILDREN AND ACTS AS ACUTE AND CHRONIC DISEASE RISK FACTORS ALIKE. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE PREVIOUSLY EVALUATED EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS CONCERNING ITS EXPOSURE ACROSS VARIOUS LIFE STAGES. HOWEVER, FINDINGS ON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AS THE CONSEQUENCES OF AIR POLLUTION DURING CHILDHOOD ARE RATHER MINIMAL. THIS REVIEW EVALUATED HIGHLY RELEVANT STUDIES IN THE FIELD TO ANALYZE THE EXISTING LITERATURE REGARDING EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION, WITH A FOCUS ON EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS DURING CHILDHOOD AND THEIR CONNECTIONS WITH RESPIRATORY HEALTH EFFECTS. THE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED USING READILY AVAILABLE ELECTRONIC DATABASES (PUBMED AND SCIENCEDIRECT) TO SCREEN FOR CHILDREN'S STUDIES ON EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS FOLLOWING EITHER PRE- OR POST-NATAL EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTANTS. STUDIES RELEVANT ENOUGH AND MATCHED THE PREDETERMINED CRITERIA WERE CHOSEN TO BE REVIEWED. NON-ENGLISH ARTICLES AND STUDIES THAT DID NOT REPORT BOTH AIR MONITORING AND EPIGENETIC OUTCOMES IN THE SAME ARTICLE WERE EXCLUDED. THE REVIEW FOUND THAT EPIGENETIC CHANGES HAVE BEEN LINKED WITH EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTANTS DURING EARLY LIFE WITH EVIDENCE AND REPORTS OF HOW THEY MAY DEREGULATE THE EPIGENOME BALANCE, THUS INDUCING DISEASE PROGRESSION IN THE FUTURE. EPIGENETIC STUDIES EVOLVE AS A PROMISING NEW APPROACH IN DECIPHERING THE UNDERLYING IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA) DUE TO LINKS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN SOME OF THESE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND ILLNESSES. 2021 6 5254 52 PROGRAMMING OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH IN CHILDHOOD: INFLUENCE OF OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: THIS OVERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS RECENT EXPERIMENTAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE PROGRAMMING EFFECTS OF OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURES DURING EARLY DEVELOPMENT ON LUNG FUNCTION AND CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISORDERS, SUCH AS ASTHMA AND RELATED ALLERGIC DISORDERS. RECENT FINDINGS: AIR POLLUTANTS MAY IMPACT ANATOMY AND/OR PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING OF THE LUNG AND INTERRELATED SYSTEMS. PROGRAMMING EFFECTS MAY RESULT FROM POLLUTANT-INDUCED SHIFTS IN A NUMBER OF MOLECULAR, CELLULAR, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STATES AND THEIR INTERACTING SYSTEMS. SPECIFIC KEY REGULATORY SYSTEMS SUSCEPTIBLE TO PROGRAMMING MAY INFLUENCE LUNG DEVELOPMENT AND VULNERABILITY TO RESPIRATORY DISEASES, INCLUDING BOTH CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL COMPONENTS OF NEUROENDOCRINE PATHWAYS AND AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) FUNCTIONING WHICH, IN TURN, INFLUENCE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. STARTING IN UTERO, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, INCLUDING AIR POLLUTANTS, MAY PERMANENTLY ORGANIZE THESE SYSTEMS TOWARD TRAJECTORIES OF ENHANCED PEDIATRIC (E.G., ASTHMA, ALLERGY) AS WELL AS ADULT DISEASE RISK (E.G., CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE). EVIDENCE SUPPORTS A CENTRAL ROLE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN THE TOXIC EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH SUGGESTS XENOBIOTIC METABOLISM AND SUBCELLULAR COMPONENTS, SUCH AS MITOCHONDRIA ARE TARGETS OF AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION AND PLAY A ROLE IN ASTHMA AND ALLERGY PROGRAMMING. MECHANISMS OPERATING AT THE LEVEL OF THE PLACENTA ARE BEING ELUCIDATED. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS MAY BE AT THE ROOTS OF ADAPTIVE DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING. SUMMARY: OPTIMAL COORDINATED FUNCTIONING OF MANY COMPLEX PROCESSES AND THEIR NETWORKS OF INTERACTION ARE NECESSARY FOR NORMAL LUNG DEVELOPMENT AND THE MAINTENANCE OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH. OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION MAY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN EARLY PROGRAMMING OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH AND IS POTENTIALLY AMENABLE TO INTERVENTION. 2013 7 6781 62 [BREATHING: AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION AND HEALTH - PART III]. THE THIRD PART OF THE DGP STATEMENT INTRODUCES THE CURRENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE ON LESS STUDIED HEALTH OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION: THE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON METABOLISM LEADING TO IMPAIRED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE AND DIABETES AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS AND DELAYED COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN CHILDREN. FURTHERMORE, PRENATAL EXPOSURE AND ADVERSE EFFECTS ON MOTHER AND CHILD ARE ADDRESSED. FINALLY, THE CURRENTLY DISCUSSED BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING VARIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION ARE DESCRIBED.DIFFERING, BUT OFTEN COMPLEMENTARY BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS CREATE THE BASIS FOR THE DIVERSE HEALTH OUTCOMES CAUSED BY AIR POLLUTION. OXIDATIVE STRESS AND A SUBCLINICAL INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE LUNGS AND ON A SYSTEMIC LEVEL ("LOW-GRADE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION") ARE CONSIDERED TO BE KEY MECHANISMS. THEY PROMOTE SECONDARY ALTERATIONS IN THE BODY, SUCH AS VASCULAR OR METABOLIC PROCESSES, AND MAY ALSO RESULT IN THE CURRENTLY STUDIED EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA OR NEUROINFLAMMATION. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE OF SOLUBLE PARTICULATE MATTER AND THE ROLE OF ULTRAFINE PARTICLES TRANSLOCATED ACROSS BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES INTO BLOOD VESSEL AND TRANSPORTED VIA THE CIRCULATION TO SECONDARY TARGET ORGANS, SUCH AS LIVER, BRAIN OR THE FETUS, ARE INTENSIVELY DISCUSSED.DIABETES IS ONE OF THE LEADING CHRONIC DISEASES WORLDWIDE, WITH A PREVALENCE OF ALMOST 14 % IN GERMANY. ALTHOUGH LIFESTYLE FACTORS ARE THE MAIN CAUSES, CURRENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION MAY ADDITIONALLY INCREASE THE RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FOR A CAUSAL ROLE OF AIR POLLUTION IS PROVIDED BY STUDIES ADDRESSING THE REGULATION OF THE BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN METABOLICALLY HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS, INSULIN SENSITIVITY, OR PREGNANCY-RELATED DIABETES. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES PROVIDE FURTHER SUPPORT FOR PLAUSIBLE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS. HOWEVER, PROSPECTIVE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO GAIN MORE EVIDENCE, TAKING MULTIPLE LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS GREEN SPACE AND NOISE, AND AN IMPROVED INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT INTO ACCOUNT.THE AGING POPULATION HAS AN INCREASED RISK OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. FIRST STUDIES POINT TOWARDS A CONTRIBUTION OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION, SPECIFICALLY BY PARTICULATE MATTER. SEVERAL STUDIES REPORT ITS ASSOCIATION WITH DECREASED NEUROCOGNITIVE CAPACITY OR AN INCREASED PREVALENCE OF DEMENTIA OR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN ADULTS. HOWEVER, THE STUDIES ARE INHOMOGENEOUS REGARDING DESIGN, EXPOSURE AND OUTCOME, LEADING TO INCONSISTENT RESULTS. WITH RESPECT TO THE INFLUENCE ON NEUROCOGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN, FIRST STUDIES SUGGEST AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF AIR POLLUTION, E. G. AT SCHOOL, AND DELAYED COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT.EVEN THOUGH THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL ENDPOINTS DURING PREGNANCY IS STILL HETEROGENEOUS, THE STUDIES GENERALLY POINT TOWARDS AN ADVERSE IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON THE MATERNAL AND FETAL ORGANISMS. THE STRONGEST EVIDENCE EXISTS FOR LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, WITH SMALL EFFECT SIZES OF ONLY SOME GRAMS, AND FOR A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF REDUCED BIRTH WEIGHT (< 2500 G). AN INCREASED RISK FOR GESTATIONAL HYPERTENSION AND PREECLAMPSIA UNDERSCORES THE POSSIBLE IMPACT OF EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION ON THE MATERNAL ORGANISM. HOWEVER, THE CURRENT BODY OF EVIDENCE DOES NOT YET ALLOW A FINAL CONCLUSION ON THE INFLUENCE OF INTRAUTERINE EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION REGARDING EARLY CHILDHOOD LUNG FUNCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGIES, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT IT IS HARD TO DISTINGUISH IN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES BETWEEN THE EFFECTS OF PRE- AND POSTNATAL EXPOSURE. 2019 8 5174 43 PREDICTIVE AND PROGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES DUE TO PARTICULATE MATTER EXPOSURE. AIR POLLUTION IS GETTING SEVERE AND CONCERNS ABOUT ITS TOXICITY EFFECTS ON AIRWAY AND LUNG DISEASE ARE ALSO INCREASING. PARTICULATE MATTER (PM) IS MAJOR COMPONENT OF AIR POLLUTANT. IT CAUSES RESPIRATORY DISEASES, SUCH AS ASTHMA, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE, LUNG CANCER, AND SO ON. PM PARTICLES ENTER THE AIRWAY AND LUNG BY INHALATION, CAUSING DAMAGES TO THEM. ESPECIALLY, PM(2.5) CAN PENETRATE INTO THE ALVEOLUS AND PASS TO THE SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION. IT CAN AFFECT THE CARDIOPULMONARY SYSTEM AND CAUSE CARDIOPULMONARY DISORDERS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE FOCUSED ON PM-INDUCING TOXICITY MECHANISMS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF OXIDATIVE STRESS, INFLAMMATION, AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES. WE ALSO REVIEWED ITS CORRELATION WITH RESPIRATORY DISEASES. IN ADDITION, WE REVIEWED BIOMARKERS RELATED TO PM-INDUCED RESPIRATORY DISEASES. THESE BIOMARKERS MIGHT BE USED FOR DISEASE PREDICTION AND EARLY DIAGNOSIS. WITH RECENT TREND OF USING GENOMIC ANALYSIS TOOLS IN THE FIELD OF TOXICOGENOMICS, RESPIRATORY DISEASE BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH PM WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY INVESTIGATED. EFFECTIVE BIOMARKERS DERIVED FROM EARLIER STUDIES AND FURTHER STUDIES MIGHT BE UTILIZED TO REDUCE RESPIRATORY DISEASES. 2017 9 5434 38 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES IN CHILDREN AND ADULT LUNG DISEASE: THE CASE FOR OUTDOOR EXPOSURES. THERE IS A GROWING UNDERSTANDING THAT CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES IN ADULTS HAVE THEIR ORIGINS IN EARLY LIFE. ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES OCCURRING IN VULNERABLE PERIODS DURING LUNG GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE FETAL PERIOD AND IN EARLY CHILDHOOD THAT ALTER LUNG STRUCTURE AND LIMIT THE GROWTH IN LUNG FUNCTION MAY HAVE LIFELONG CONSEQUENCES. EVIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT EXPOSURE TO THE AMBIENT ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING AIR POLLUTANTS, PERSISTENT TOXIC SUBSTANCES, WATER POLLUTANTS AND RESPIRATORY VIRAL INFECTIONS, CAN INHIBIT LUNG FUNCTION GROWTH AND PREDISPOSE TO CHRONIC NON-MALIGNANT LUNG DISEASES. THESE EXPOSURES GENERALLY INTERACT WITH A GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, AND GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS AND EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA ARE ATTRACTING CONSIDERABLE STUDY. AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW AMBIENT EXPOSURES IMPACT ON NORMAL LUNG GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT WILL AID IN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES OF ADULTS DEVELOP AND MAY LEAD TO NEW PREVENTATIVE STRATEGIES. 2010 10 2849 31 FROM AIR POLLUTION TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES: THE EMERGING ROLE OF EPIGENETICS. THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION AND A WIDE-RANGING SPECTRUM OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC DISORDERS-INCLUDING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES-IS WIDELY ACKNOWLEDGED. EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS TRIGGERS HARMFUL MECHANISMS SUCH AS OXIDATIVE STRESS AND SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, WHICH LEAD TO INCREASED INCIDENCE OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION, STROKE, AND HEART FAILURE. SUSTAINED EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN RECENT YEARS TO DISCOVER HOW ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES AFFECT HUMAN HEALTH THROUGH EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA, SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND NON-CODING RNA-MEDIATED GENE REGULATION. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE CURRENT EVIDENCES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE, EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS AND CARDIOVASCULAR IMPACT, IN VIEW OF PRESENT IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES. 2020 11 6876 51 [PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO ATMOSPHERIC AIR POLLUTION AND MORTALITY FROM RESPIRATORY CAUSES]. DIFFERENT DESIGNS CAN BE USED TO ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RESPIRATORY MORTALITY AND LONG TERM EXPOSURE TO ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES (COHORT, PREVALENCE STUDY) DEMONSTRATE THE REALITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP AND TOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES EXPLAIN IT. COHORT STUDIES HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING ABLE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT MANY CONFOUNDING FACTORS AND THUS AVOID BIASES (WHICH IS NOT THE CASE WITH PREVALENCE STUDIES), BUT REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT HUMAN AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES. THEY WERE FIRST ADOPTED IN THE US, BUT ARE NOW MORE OFTEN APPLIED IN EUROPE. THE RESULTS ARE RELATIVELY CONSISTENT, AS THEY ALL SHOW A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AN INCREASE IN PARTICULATE POLLUTION AND CARDIOPULMONARY MORTALITY. MORTALITY FROM LUNG CANCER IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH LONG TERM EXPOSITION TO PARTICLES AND SOMETIMES TO OZONE OR NITROGEN OXIDES. CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES AND SUDDEN DEATH OF YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE ALSO BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICULATE POLLUTION. THE RELATIONSHIPS ARE MORE POWERFUL FOR LONG TERM THAN SHORT TERM EXPOSURE BUT ARE ALSO LINEAR AND WITHOUT THRESHOLD. IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN THESE EFFECTS (TODAY THE CAUSALITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP IS CERTAIN) THERE ARE MANY POSSIBLE FACTORS, PARTICULARLY REGARDING PARTICULATE EXPOSURES: AN INCREASE IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK BIOMARKERS (FIBRINOGEN, WHITE BLOOD CELLS, AND PLATELETS), ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION OF LUNG TISSUES INCREASED BY ACUTE EXPOSURE, ETC. MORE AND MORE STUDIES ADDRESS THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GENE AND ENVIRONMENT AND EVEN EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA WHICH COULD BE RESPONSIBLE OF THESE EFFECTS. PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT COULD BE QUANTIFIED. THE EUROPEAN E&H SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM APHEIS, FOR EXAMPLE, ESTIMATED THAT IF PM2.5 LEVELS REMAINED BELOW 15 MICROG/M(3), A 30 YEAR OLD PERSON COULD SEE HIS LIFE EXPECTANCY INCREASED BY 1 MONTH TO 2 YEARS, DEPENDING ON THE STUDIED CITY. FINALLY, MORTALITY IS NOT THE ONLY RELEVANT INDICATOR FOR HEALTH EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION. ISAAC STUDIES ADDRESS ASTHMA, ALLERGIC RHINITIS AND ECZEMA AMONG CHILDREN. 2009 12 363 52 AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION: HEALTH HAZARDS TO CHILDREN. AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION IS PRODUCED BY SOURCES INCLUDING VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS, HYDRAULIC FRACTURING, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AND FOREST FIRES. IT CONSISTS OF PRIMARY POLLUTANTS GENERATED BY COMBUSTION AND SECONDARY POLLUTANTS FORMED IN THE ATMOSPHERE FROM PRECURSOR GASES. AIR POLLUTION CAUSES AND EXACERBATES CLIMATE CHANGE, AND CLIMATE CHANGE WORSENS HEALTH EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION. INFANTS AND CHILDREN ARE UNIQUELY SENSITIVE TO AIR POLLUTION, BECAUSE THEIR ORGANS ARE DEVELOPING AND THEY HAVE HIGHER AIR PER BODY WEIGHT INTAKE. HEALTH EFFECTS LINKED TO AIR POLLUTION INCLUDE NOT ONLY EXACERBATIONS OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES BUT ALSO REDUCED LUNG FUNCTION DEVELOPMENT AND INCREASED ASTHMA INCIDENCE. ADDITIONAL OUTCOMES OF CONCERN INCLUDE PRETERM BIRTH, LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS, IQ LOSS, PEDIATRIC CANCERS, AND INCREASED RISKS FOR ADULT CHRONIC DISEASES. THESE EFFECTS ARE MEDIATED BY OXIDATIVE STRESS, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN. NATURAL EXPERIMENTS DEMONSTRATE THAT WITH INITIATIVES SUCH AS INCREASED USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, BOTH AIR QUALITY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVE. SIMILARLY, THE CLEAN AIR ACT HAS IMPROVED AIR QUALITY, ALTHOUGH EXPOSURE INEQUITIES PERSIST. OTHER EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING AIR POLLUTION INCLUDE ENDING RELIANCE ON COAL, OIL, AND GAS; REGULATING INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS; REDUCING EXPOSURE WITH ATTENTION TO PROXIMITY OF RESIDENCES, SCHOOLS, AND CHILD CARE FACILITIES TO TRAFFIC; AND A GREATER AWARENESS OF THE AIR QUALITY INDEX. THIS POLICY REVIEWS BOTH SHORT- AND LONG-TERM HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO DEVELOPMENTAL EXPOSURES. IT EXAMINES INDIVIDUAL, COMMUNITY, AND LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE AIR POLLUTION. 2021 13 303 43 AIR POLLUTION STRESS AND THE AGING PHENOTYPE: THE TELOMERE CONNECTION. AGING IS A COMPLEX PHYSIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON. THE QUESTION WHY SOME SUBJECTS GROW OLD WHILE REMAINING FREE FROM DISEASE WHEREAS OTHERS PREMATURELY DIE REMAINS LARGELY UNANSWERED. WE FOCUS HERE ON THE ROLE OF AIR POLLUTION IN BIOLOGICAL AGING. HALLMARKS OF AGING CAN BE GROUPED INTO THREE MAIN CATEGORIES: GENOMIC INSTABILITY, TELOMERE ATTRITION, AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS LEADING TO ALTERED MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND CELLULAR SENESCENCE. AT BIRTH, THE INITIAL TELOMERE LENGTH OF A PERSON IS LARGELY DETERMINED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. TELOMERE LENGTH SHORTENS WITH EACH CELL DIVISION AND EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION AS WELL AS LOW RESIDENTIAL GREENS SPACE EXPOSURE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SHORTER TELOMERE LENGTH. RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT THE ESTIMATED EFFECTS OF PARTICULATE AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE ON THE TELOMERE MITOCHONDRIAL AXIS OF AGING MAY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION. THE EXPOSOME ENCOMPASSES ALL EXPOSURES OVER AN ENTIRE LIFE. AS TELOMERES CAN BE CONSIDERED AS THE CELLULAR MEMORIES OF EXPOSURE TO OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION, TELOMERE MAINTENANCE MAY BE A PROXY FOR ASSESSING THE "EXPOSOME". IF TELOMERES ARE CAUSALLY RELATED TO THE AGING PHENOTYPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL AIR POLLUTION IS AN IMPORTANT DETERMINANT OF TELOMERE LENGTH, THIS MIGHT PROVIDE NEW AVENUES FOR FUTURE PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES. 2016 14 361 48 AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION AND THROMBOSIS. AIR POLLUTION IS A GROWING PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN OF GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE. ACUTE AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE IS KNOWN TO IMPAIR CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION, EXACERBATE DISEASE AND INCREASE CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY. SEVERAL PLAUSIBLE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED FOR THESE ASSOCIATIONS, HOWEVER, AT PRESENT, THE PATHWAYS ARE INCOMPLETE. A SEMINAL REVIEW BY THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION (2010) CONCLUDED THAT THE THROMBOTIC EFFECTS OF PARTICULATE AIR POLLUTION LIKELY CONTRIBUTED TO THEIR EFFECTS ON CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY. THE AIM OF THE CURRENT REVIEW IS TO APPRAISE THE NEWLY ACCUMULATED SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE (2009-2016) ON CONTRIBUTION OF HAEMOSTASIS AND THROMBOSIS TOWARDS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE INDUCED BY EXPOSURE TO BOTH PARTICULATE AND GASEOUS POLLUTANTS.SEVENTY FOUR PUBLICATIONS WERE REVIEWED IN-DEPTH. THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT ACUTE EXPOSURE TO FINE PARTICULATE MATTER (PM(2.5)) INDUCES A SHIFT IN THE HAEMOSTATIC BALANCE TOWARDS A PRO-THROMBOTIC/PRO-COAGULATIVE STATE. INSUFFICIENT DATA WAS AVAILABLE TO ASCERTAIN IF A SIMILAR RELATIONSHIP EXISTS FOR GASEOUS POLLUTANTS, AND VERY FEW STUDIES HAVE ADDRESSED LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION. PLATELET ACTIVATION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, INTERPLAY BETWEEN INTERLEUKIN-6 AND TISSUE FACTOR, ALL APPEAR TO BE POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT MECHANISMS IN POLLUTION-MEDIATED THROMBOSIS, TOGETHER WITH AN EMERGING ROLE FOR CIRCULATING MICROVESICLES AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES.OVERALL, THE RECENT LITERATURE SUPPORTS, AND ARGUABLY STRENGTHENS, THE CONTENTION THAT AIR POLLUTION CONTRIBUTES TO CARDIOVASCULAR MORBIDITY BY PROMOTING HAEMOSTASIS. THE VOLUME AND DIVERSITY OF THE EVIDENCE HIGHLIGHTS THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC MECHANISMS BY WHICH AIR POLLUTION PROMOTES THROMBOSIS; MULTIPLE PATHWAYS ARE PLAUSIBLE AND IT IS MOST LIKELY THEY ACT IN CONCERT. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD ADDRESS THE ROLE GASEOUS POLLUTANTS PLAY IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION MIXTURE AND DIRECT COMPARISON OF POTENTIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE GROUPS TO HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. 2018 15 4317 36 MICRORNAS AS REGULATORS OF AIRBORNE POLLUTION-INDUCED LUNG INFLAMMATION AND CARCINOGENESIS. THE INCREASING INCIDENCE OF PULMONARY INFLAMMATION AND LUNG CANCER, AS WELL AS EXACERBATION OF PRE-EXISTING CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES BY EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS, E.G., PARTICULATE MATTER AND CIGARETTE SMOKE, IS BECOMING A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN IN THE WORLD. HOWEVER, THE EXACT MECHANISMS OF PULMONARY INJURY FROM EXPOSURE TO THESE AIRBORNE INSULTS HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY ELUCIDATED. NEVERTHELESS, ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT MICRORNAS (MIRNAS) MAY PLAY A UNIQUE ROLE IN THE REGULATION OF AIRBORNE AGENT-INDUCED LUNG INFLAMMATION AND CARCINOGENESIS. SINCE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE HERITABLE AND REVERSIBLE, THIS MAY PROVIDE A NEW INSIGHT INTO THE RELATIONSHIP OF MIRNAS AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION-RELATED LUNG DISORDERS. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO UPDATE OUR EXISTING KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS ALTERING MIRNA PROFILES IN THE LUNG, SPECIFICALLY FOR CIGARETTE SMOKE AND AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER, AND THE POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL ROLES OF MIRNAS IN THE INITIATION OF PULMONARY INFLAMMATION AND LUNG CANCER, AS WELL AS THE REGULATION OF UNDERLYING GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THESE ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS. 2015 16 642 43 BIOMARKERS OF PARTICULATE MATTER EXPOSURE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: IN RECENT YEARS, AMBIENT PARTICULATE MATTER (PM) EXPOSURE HAS BEEN STRONGLY LINKED WITH HEALTH EFFECTS. ELEVATED LEVELS OF PM IN POLLUTED AIR HAVE BEEN CORRELATED WITH THE ONSET AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE BIOMARKERS THAT COULD REFLECT THE EFFECTS OF PM EXPOSURE IN PATIENTS WITH COPD. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF STUDIES PUBLISHED ON BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH PM EXPOSURE IN PATIENTS WITH COPD BETWEEN JANUARY 01, 2012 AND JUNE 30, 2022 IN PUBMED/MEDLINE, EMBASE, AND COCHRANE DATABASES. STUDIES THAT INCLUDED DATA ON BIOMARKERS WITH COPD EXPOSED PM WERE ELIGIBLE FOR INCLUSION. BIOMARKERS WERE CLASSIFIED INTO 4 GROUPS ACCORDING TO THEIR MECHANISMS. RESULTS: OF THE 105 STUDIES IDENTIFIED, 22 WERE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY. NEARLY 50 BIOMARKERS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED IN THE STUDIES INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW, AND THE MOST STUDIED IN RELATION TO PM ARE SEVERAL INTERLEUKINS. VARIOUS MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY WHICH PM INDUCES AND AGGRAVATES COPD. SIX STUDIES RELATED TO OXIDATIVE STRESS, ONE RELATED TO DIRECT EFFECT OF INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEMS, 16 ASSOCIATED WITH GENETIC REGULATION OF INFLAMMATION, AND TWO RELATED TO EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF PHYSIOLOGY AND SUSCEPTIBILITY WERE FOUND. BIOMARKERS RELATED TO THESE MECHANISMS WERE DETECTED IN SERUM, SPUTUM, URINE, EXHALED BREATH CONCENTRATION (EBC), AND SHOWED VARIOUS CORRELATIONS WITH PM IN COPD. CONCLUSIONS: VARIOUS BIOMARKERS HAVE SHOWN POTENTIAL IN PREDICTING THE EXTENT OF PM EXPOSURE IN COPD PATIENTS. FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ESTABLISH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REGULATION TO REDUCE AIRBORNE PM, WHICH COULD BE USED TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESPIRATORY DISEASES. 2023 17 6683 54 UV RADIATION AND AIR POLLUTION AS DRIVERS OF MAJOR AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS. AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES COMPRISE A VERY HETEROGENEOUS GROUP OF DISORDERS CHARACTERIZED BY DISRUPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES AGAINST SELF-ANTIGENS, CHRONIC MORBIDITY AND INCREASED MORTALITY. THE INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF MAJOR AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS ARE PARTICULARLY HIGH IN THE WESTERN WORLD, AT NORTHERN LATITUDES, AND IN INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES. THIS STUDY WILL MAINLY FOCUS ON FIVE MAJOR AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS, NAMELY TYPE 1 DIABETES, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, AND AUTOIMMUNE THYROID DISORDERS. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS A PROTECTIVE ROLE OF SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE ON THE ETIOLOGY OF MAJOR AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS MEDIATED BY THE ENDOGENOUS PRODUCTION OF VITAMIN D AND NITRIC OXIDE. A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE SHOWS HOW THE RISE OF ANTHROPOGENIC AIR POLLUTANTS IS TEMPORALLY ASSOCIATED WITH DRAMATIC INCREASES IN INCIDENCE OF THESE CONDITIONS. THE SCATTERING CAUSED BY AMBIENT PARTICULATE MATTER AND THE PRESENCE OF TROPOSPHERIC OZONE CAN REDUCE THE ENDOGENOUS PRODUCTION OF VITAMIN D AND NITRIC OXIDE, WHICH ARE IMPLICATED IN MAINTAINING THE IMMUNE HOMEOSTASIS. AIR POLLUTANTS HAVE DIRECT DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS ON THE HUMAN BODY AND ARE DEEMED RESPONSIBLE OF AN INCREASINGLY HIGHER PORTION OF THE ANNUAL BURDEN OF HUMAN MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. AIR POLLUTION CONTRIBUTES IN SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, ACTIVATES OXIDATIVE PATHWAYS, INDUCES EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, AND MODULATES THE FUNCTION AND PHENOTYPE OF DENDRITIC CELLS, TREGS, AND T-CELLS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE PROVIDE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS REGARDING THE ROLE OF UV-MEDIATED EFFECTS IN IMMUNITY AND HOW ANTHROPIC-DERIVED AIR POLLUTION MAY AFFECT MAJOR AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS THROUGH DIRECT AND INDIRECT MECHANISMS. 2023 18 754 51 CARDIOVASCULAR ADAPTATIONS TO PARTICLE INHALATION EXPOSURE: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF THE TOXICOLOGY. AMBIENT AIR, OCCUPATIONAL SETTINGS, AND THE USE AND DISTRIBUTION OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS ALL SERVE AS CONDUITS FOR TOXICANT EXPOSURE THROUGH INHALATION. WHILE THE PULMONARY SYSTEM REMAINS A PRIMARY TARGET FOLLOWING INHALATION EXPOSURE, CARDIOVASCULAR IMPLICATIONS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY CULPABLE FOR INCREASED MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DYSFUNCTION RESULTING FROM ACUTE OR CHRONIC INHALATION EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE MATTER HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED, BUT THE MECHANISMS DRIVING THE RESULTING DISTURBANCES REMAIN ELUSIVE. IN THE CURRENT REVIEW, WE AIM TO SUMMARIZE THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT ARE DIRECTLY LINKED TO CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO A VARIETY OF INHALED TOXICANTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW IS TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM FOLLOWING PARTICLE INHALATION EXPOSURE AND TO HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS THAT EXIST ACROSS MULTIPLE EXPOSURE PARADIGMS. WE ATTEMPT TO INTEGRATE THESE MOLECULAR SIGNATURES IN AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE DIRECTION FOR FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS. THIS REVIEW ALSO CHARACTERIZES HOW MOLECULAR RESPONSES ARE MODIFIED IN AT-RISK POPULATIONS, SPECIFICALLY THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE DURING CRITICAL WINDOWS OF DEVELOPMENT. MATERNAL EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE MATTER DURING GESTATION CAN LEAD TO FETAL EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING, RESULTING IN LONG-TERM DEFICITS TO THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM. IN BOTH DIRECT AND INDIRECT (GESTATIONAL) EXPOSURES, CONNECTING THE BIOCHEMICAL MECHANISMS WITH FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS OUTLINES PATHWAYS THAT CAN BE TARGETED FOR FUTURE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION. ULTIMATELY, FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS INTEGRATING "OMICS"-BASED APPROACHES WILL BETTER ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISMS THAT ARE ALTERED BY XENOBIOTIC INHALATION EXPOSURE, IDENTIFY BIOMARKERS, AND GUIDE IN CLINICAL DECISION MAKING. 2020 19 396 41 AN UPDATE ON EPIGENETICS AND CHILDHOOD RESPIRATORY DISEASES. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, DEFINED AS CHANGES IN PHENOTYPE OR GENE EXPRESSION CAUSED BY MECHANISMS OTHER THAN CHANGES IN THE UNDERLYING DNA SEQUENCE, HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO CONSTITUTE A LINK BETWEEN GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT COMPLEX DISEASES. RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT DNA METHYLATION, ONE OF THE KEY EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, IS ALTERED IN CHILDREN EXPOSED TO AIR POLLUTANTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE EARLY IN LIFE. SEVERAL CANDIDATE GENE STUDIES ON EPIGENETICS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED TO DATE, BUT IT IS ONLY RECENTLY THAT GLOBAL METHYLATION ANALYSES HAVE BEEN PERFORMED FOR RESPIRATORY DISORDERS SUCH AS ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. HOWEVER, LARGE-SCALE STUDIES WITH ADEQUATE POWER ARE YET TO BE PRESENTED IN CHILDREN, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL USE REMAIN TO BE EVALUATED. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE THE RECENT ADVANCES IN EPIGENETICS AND RESPIRATORY DISORDERS IN CHILDREN, WITH A MAIN FOCUS ON METHODOLOGICAL CHALLENGES AND ANALYSES RELATED TO PHENOTYPE AND EXPOSURE USING GLOBAL METHYLATION APPROACHES. 2014 20 625 40 BIOLOGICAL AGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS FOR DEMENTIA AND STROKE: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS. SINCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIBIOTICS AND VACCINATION, AS WELL AS MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS IN PUBLIC HYGIENE, THE MAIN RISK FACTORS FOR MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY ARE AGE AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, BOTH OF WHICH CAN INTERACT WITH GENETIC PREDISPOSITIONS. AS THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE POPULATION INCREASES, THE PREVALENCE AND COSTS OF CHRONIC DISEASES, ESPECIALLY NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, ARE RAPIDLY INCREASING. THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF AGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS, DEVELOP CHRONICALLY OVER RELATIVELY LONG PERIODS OF TIME, IN CONTRAST TO THE RELATIVELY RAPID DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES OR ACCIDENTS. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST IS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS MAY BE MEDIATED BY ACCELERATION OF BIOLOGICAL AGE. THIS HYPOTHESIS IS SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE THAT DIETARY RESTRICTION, WHICH UNIVERSALLY DELAYS AGE-RELATED DISEASES, ALSO AMELIORATES DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. CONVERSELY, BOTH AGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCUMULATION OF SOMATIC MUTATIONS IN MITOTIC CELLS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS THAT ARE A MEASURE OF "BIOLOGICAL AGE", A BETTER PREDICTOR OF AGE-RELATED MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY THAN CHRONOLOGICAL AGE. HERE WE REVIEW EVIDENCE THAT ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS SUCH AS SMOKING AND AIR POLLUTION MAY ALSO DRIVE NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, BY THE ACCELERATION OF BIOLOGICAL AGE, MEDIATED BY CUMULATIVE AND PERSISTENT EPIGENETIC EFFECTS AS WELL AS SOMATIC MUTATIONS. ELUCIDATION OF SUCH MECHANISMS COULD PLAUSIBLY ALLOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERVENTIONS WHICH DELAY DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF BOTH AGING AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS. 2022