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Nature Oct 2023Aphids transmit viruses and are destructive crop pests. Plants that have been attacked by aphids release volatile compounds to elicit airborne defence (AD) in...
Aphids transmit viruses and are destructive crop pests. Plants that have been attacked by aphids release volatile compounds to elicit airborne defence (AD) in neighbouring plants. However, the mechanism underlying AD is unclear. Here we reveal that methyl-salicylate (MeSA), salicylic acid-binding protein-2 (SABP2), the transcription factor NAC2 and salicylic acid-carboxylmethyltransferase-1 (SAMT1) form a signalling circuit to mediate AD against aphids and viruses. Airborne MeSA is perceived and converted into salicylic acid by SABP2 in neighbouring plants. Salicylic acid then causes a signal transduction cascade to activate the NAC2-SAMT1 module for MeSA biosynthesis to induce plant anti-aphid immunity and reduce virus transmission. To counteract this, some aphid-transmitted viruses encode helicase-containing proteins to suppress AD by interacting with NAC2 to subcellularly relocalize and destabilize NAC2. As a consequence, plants become less repellent to aphids, and more suitable for aphid survival, infestation and viral transmission. Our findings uncover the mechanistic basis of AD and an aphid-virus co-evolutionary mutualism, demonstrating AD as a potential bioinspired strategy to control aphids and viruses.
Topics: Air; Aphids; Host Microbial Interactions; Plant Diseases; Plant Proteins; Plants; Salicylic Acid; Signal Transduction; Symbiosis; Nicotiana; Viral Proteins; Animals
PubMed: 37704724
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06533-3 -
The Canadian Journal of Cardiology Sep 2023Air pollution is commonly defined as the contamination of the air we breathe by any chemical, physical, or biological agent that is potentially threatening to human and... (Review)
Review
Air pollution is commonly defined as the contamination of the air we breathe by any chemical, physical, or biological agent that is potentially threatening to human and ecosystem health. The common pollutants known to be disease-causing are particulate matter, ground-level ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Although the association between increasing concentrations of these pollutants and cardiovascular disease is now accepted, the association of air pollution and arrhythmias is less well established. In this review we provide an in-depth discussion of the association of acute and chronic air pollution exposure and arrhythmia incidence, morbidity, and mortality, and the purported pathophysiological mechanisms. Increases in concentrations of air pollutants have multiple proarrhythmic mechanisms including systemic inflammation (via increases in reactive oxygen species, tumour necrosis factor, and direct effects from translocated particulate matter), structural remodelling (via an increased risk of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction or by affecting the cell-to-cell coupling and gap junction function), and mitochondrial and autonomic dysfunction. Furthermore, we describe the associations of air pollution and arrhythmias. There is a strong correlation of acute and chronic air pollutant exposure and the incidence of atrial fibrillation. Acute increases in air pollution increase the risk of emergency room visits and hospital admissions for atrial fibrillation and the risk of stroke and mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation. Similarly, there is a strong correlation of increases of air pollutants and the risk of ventricular arrhythmias, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and sudden cardiac death.
Topics: Humans; Atrial Fibrillation; Ecosystem; Air Pollution; Air Pollutants; Particulate Matter; Ozone; Nitrogen Dioxide; Environmental Exposure
PubMed: 37023893
DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2023.03.023 -
Journal of Voice : Official Journal of... Sep 2023While many occupations are at risk for vocal health issues much of the current research has focused on teachers. The prevalence of hoarseness among nurses has not...
While many occupations are at risk for vocal health issues much of the current research has focused on teachers. The prevalence of hoarseness among nurses has not received much attention. The aim of this study was to determine the current prevalence of hoarseness among nurses and also to identify potential environmental risk factors from their working environment. The health data was collected from Finnish healthcare workers. Our findings are based on 13,560 health questionnaires which were statistically analyzed. Our results suggest that the one-year period prevalence of hoarseness was 30% and all the environmental problems which we evaluated (draft, room temperature too high, variable room temperature, room temperature too low, dry air, stuffy indoor air, moist air/ high humidity, inadequate ventilation, smell of mold or cellar, sewer odor, other unpleasant odors, tobacco smoke, noise and detectable dust or dirt) had an increasing effect on hoarseness. In conclusion, clear associations were found between environmental problems and hoarseness in nurses. Furthermore, efforts should be made to repair defective ventilation systems, remediate indoor air problems due to moisture damage and improve overall maintenance to protect the vocal health of nurses.
Topics: Humans; Air Pollution, Indoor; Hoarseness; Humidity; Ventilation; Nurses
PubMed: 34016510
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.03.030 -
Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology... Apr 2024Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease characterized by respiratory symptoms, variable airflow obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and airway... (Review)
Review
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease characterized by respiratory symptoms, variable airflow obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and airway inflammation. Exposure to air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of asthma development and exacerbation. This review aims to comprehensively summarize recent data on the impact of air pollution on asthma development and exacerbation. Specifically, we reviewed the effects of air pollution on the pathogenic pathways of asthma, including type 2 and non-type 2 inflammatory responses, and airway epithelial barrier dysfunction. Air pollution promotes the release of epithelial cytokines, driving T2 responses, and induces oxidative stress and the production of proinflammatory cytokines. The enhanced type 2 inflammation, furthered by air pollution-induced dysfunction of the airway epithelial barrier, may be associated with the exacerbation of asthma. Disruption of the T17/regulatory T cell balance by air pollutants is also related to asthma exacerbation. As the effects of air pollution exposure may accumulate over time, with potentially stronger impacts in the development of asthma during certain sensitive life periods, we also reviewed the effects of air pollution on asthma across the lifespan. Future research is needed to better characterize the sensitive period contributing to the development of air pollution-induced asthma and to map air pollution-associated epigenetic biomarkers contributing to the epigenetic ages onto asthma-related genes.
Topics: Humans; Air Pollution; Asthma; Air Pollutants; Inflammation; Cytokines; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
PubMed: 38253122
DOI: 10.1016/j.anai.2024.01.017 -
Current Allergy and Asthma Reports Aug 2023Atopic dermatitis (AD) remains a dermatological disease that imposes a significant burden on society. Air pollution has previously been linked to both the onset and... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Atopic dermatitis (AD) remains a dermatological disease that imposes a significant burden on society. Air pollution has previously been linked to both the onset and severity of atopic dermatitis. As air pollution remains a critical environmental factor impacting human health, this review seeks to provide an overview of the relationship between different air pollutants and AD.
RECENT FINDINGS
AD can develop from multiple causes that can be broadly grouped into epidermal barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation. Air pollution imposes significant health risks and includes a wide variety of pollutant types. AD has been linked to outdoor air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOC), gaseous compounds, and heavy metals. Exposure to indoor pollutants such as tobacco smoke and fungal molds has also been associated with an increased incidence of AD. While different pollutants impact distinct molecular pathways in the cell, they mostly converge on ROS product, DNA damage, and dysregulated T-cell activity and cytokine production. The presented review suggests a strengthening tie between air pollution and AD. It points to opportunities for further studies to clarify, as well as potential therapeutic opportunities that leverage the mechanistic relationships between air pollution and AD.
Topics: Humans; Dermatitis, Atopic; Air Pollution; Air Pollutants; Environmental Pollutants; Particulate Matter
PubMed: 37233850
DOI: 10.1007/s11882-023-01095-w -
Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North... Feb 2024Air pollution is a risk factor for asthma and respiratory infection. Avoidance of air pollution is the best approach to mitigating the impacts of pollution. Personal... (Review)
Review
Air pollution is a risk factor for asthma and respiratory infection. Avoidance of air pollution is the best approach to mitigating the impacts of pollution. Personal preventive strategies are possible, but policy interventions are the most effective ways to prevent pollution and its effect on asthma and respiratory infection.
Topics: Humans; Air Pollutants; Particulate Matter; Environmental Exposure; Air Pollution; Asthma; Respiratory Tract Infections
PubMed: 37973257
DOI: 10.1016/j.iac.2023.07.004 -
Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America Apr 2024This review article highlights air pollution as a critical global health concern with emphasis on its effects and role in the development and exacerbation of upper... (Review)
Review
This review article highlights air pollution as a critical global health concern with emphasis on its effects and role in the development and exacerbation of upper airway and lower airway disease with a focus on allergic rhinitis and asthma. This review underscores the World Health Organization's recognition of air pollution as the biggest environmental threat to human health. It discusses the various components and categories of air pollutants and the evidence-based effects they have on asthma and allergic rhinitis, ranging from pathogenesis to exacerbation of these conditions across various age groups in different geographic locations.
Topics: Humans; Air Pollution; Asthma; Rhinitis, Allergic; Air Pollutants; Nose
PubMed: 37985273
DOI: 10.1016/j.otc.2023.10.005 -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Dec 2023In everyday life during terrestrial locomotion our body interacts with two media opposing the forward movement of the body: the ground and the air. Whereas the work done...
In everyday life during terrestrial locomotion our body interacts with two media opposing the forward movement of the body: the ground and the air. Whereas the work done to overcome the ground reaction force has been extensively studied, the work done to overcome still air resistance has been only indirectly estimated by means of theoretical studies and by measurements of the force exerted on puppets simulating the geometry of the human body. In this study, we directly measured the force exerted by still air resistance on eight male subjects during walking and running on an instrumented treadmill with a belt moving at the same speed of a flow of laminar air facing the subject. Overall, the coefficient of proportionality between drag and velocity squared () was smaller during running than walking. During running decreased progressively with increasing average velocity up to an apparently constant, velocity independent value, similar to that predicted in the literature using indirect methods. A predictive equation to estimate drag as a function of the speed and the height of the running subject is provided.
Topics: Humans; Male; Biomechanical Phenomena; Gait; Locomotion; Mechanical Phenomena; Running; Walking; Air
PubMed: 38087922
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1763 -
Revue Des Maladies Respiratoires Sep 2023The environment of an asthmatic patient can contain numerous sources of pollutants that degrade the quality of indoor air and have major repercussions on the occurrence... (Review)
Review
The environment of an asthmatic patient can contain numerous sources of pollutants that degrade the quality of indoor air and have major repercussions on the occurrence and control of asthma. Assessment and improvement of the quality of indoor air should be assigned a major role in pneumology and allergology consultations. Characterization of an asthmatic's environment entails a search for biological pollutants with mite allergens, mildew, and allergens resulting from the proximity of pets. It is important to evaluate the chemical pollution represented by exposure to volatile organic compounds, which are increasingly present in our lodgings. Active or second-hand smoking must in all circumstances be sought out and quantified. Assessment of the environment is mediated by several methods, of which the application depends not only on the pollutant sought out, but also on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which has an essential role in quantification of biological pollutants. Attempts at expulsion of the different indoor environment pollutants is mediated by indoor environment advisors, whose efforts are aimed at obtaining reliable evaluation and control of indoor air. Implemented as a form of tertiary prevention, their methods are conducive to improved asthma control, in adults as well as children.
Topics: Child; Adult; Humans; Allergens; Air Pollution, Indoor; Environmental Pollutants; Asthma; Air Pollutants
PubMed: 37391338
DOI: 10.1016/j.rmr.2023.06.001