From air pollution to cardiovascular diseases: the emerging role of epigenetics

Associations between exposure to air pollutants and in vitro fertilization outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

We have undertaken a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between maternal exposure to air pollutants and outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Studies were identified through a comprehensive online search. After standardizing all air pollution concentrations to 10 μg/m3, we analyzed the levels of six air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, CO, and SO2) by applying a random effects model. A total of five articles met inclusion criteria upon final reviewing. Exposure to PM10, NO2, and CO was linked to the risk of ectopic pregnancy, while exposure to O3 was found to have a reverse association with biochemical pregnancy. Additionally, our analysis indicated a negative association between exposure to PM10, NO2, CO, and SO2 and live birth rates, as well as between NO2 exposure and intrauterine pregnancy. Our study emphasized the relationship between exposure to ambient air pollution and negative effects on pregnancy outcomes for women undergoing IVF.

Short-term effects of nitrogen dioxide on inpatient acute myocardial infarction in Lanzhou, China

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) represents a deleterious effect on acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but few relevant studies have been conducted in China. We aim to evaluate the acute effects of NO2 exposure on hospitalization for AMI in Lanzhou, China. In this study, we applied a distributional lag nonlinear model (DLNM) to assess the association between NO2 exposure and AMI hospitalization. We explored the sensitivity of various groups through stratified analysis by gender, age, and season. The daily average concentration of NO2 is 47.50 ± 17.38 µg/m3. We observed a significant exposure-response relationship between NO2 concentration and AMI hospitalization. The single pollutant model analysis shows that NO2 is positively correlated with AMI hospitalization at lag1, lag01, lag02, and lag03. The greatest lag effect estimate occurs at lag01, where a 10 µg/m3 increase in NO2 concentrations is significantly associated with a relative risk (RR) of hospitalization due to AMI of 1.027 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.013, 1.042]. The results of the stratified analysis by gender, age, and season indicate that males, those aged ≥65 years, and the cold season are more sensitive to the deleterious effects caused by NO2 exposure. Short-term exposure to NO2 can enhance the risk of AMI hospitalization in urban Lanzhou.Implications: Exposure to particulate matter can lead to an increased incidence of AMI. Our study once again shows that NO2 exposure increases the risk of AMI hospital admission. AMI is a common and expensive fatal condition. Reducing NO2 exposure will benefit cardiovascular health and save on healthcare costs.

Air pollution and pregnancy

Increased fossil fuel usage and extreme climate change events have led to global increases in greenhouse gases and particulate matter with 99% of the world's population now breathing polluted air that exceeds the World Health Organization's recommended limits. Pregnant women and neonates with exposure to high levels of air pollutants are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes such as maternal hypertensive disorders, postpartum depression, placental abruption, low birth weight, preterm birth, infant mortality, and adverse lung and respiratory effects. While the exact mechanism by which air pollution exerts adverse health effects is unknown, oxidative stress as well as epigenetic and immune mechanisms are thought to play roles. Comprehensive, global efforts are urgently required to tackle the health challenges posed by air pollution through policies and action for reducing air pollution as well as finding ways to protect the health of vulnerable populations in the face of increasing air pollution.

Air Pollution: Role of Extracellular Vesicles-Derived Non-Coding RNAs in Environmental Stress Response

Air pollution has increased over the years, causing a negative impact on society due to the many health-related problems it can contribute to. Although the type and extent of air pollutants are known, the molecular mechanisms underlying the induction of negative effects on the human body remain unclear. Emerging evidence suggests the crucial involvement of different molecular mediators in inflammation and oxidative stress in air pollution-induced disorders. Among these, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) carried by extracellular vesicles (EVs) may play an essential role in gene regulation of the cell stress response in pollutant-induced multiorgan disorders. This review highlights EV-transported ncRNAs' roles in physiological and pathological conditions, such as the development of cancer and respiratory, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases following exposure to various environmental stressors.

Meandered and muddled: a systematic review on the impact of air pollution on ocular health

From the years 1970-2023, a systematic overview of the diverse consequences of particulate matter on eye health and a disease classification according to acute, chronic, and genetic are presented using the PubMed, Research Gate, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases. Various studies on medical aspects correlate with the eye and health. However, from an application perspective, there is limited research on the ocular surface and air pollution. The main objective of the study is to uncover the relationship between eye health and air pollution, particularly particulate matter, along with other external factors acting as aggravators. The secondary goal of the work is to examine the existing models for mimicking human eyes. The study is followed by a questionnaire survey in a workshop, in which the exposure-based investigation was tagged based on their activity. This paper establishes a relationship between particulate matter and its influence on human health, leading to numerous eye diseases like dry eyes, conjunctivitis, myopia, glaucoma, and trachoma. The results of the questionnaire survey indicate that about 68% of the people working in the workshop are symptomatic with tears, blurred vision, and mood swings, while 32% of the people were asymptomatic. Although there are approaches for conducting experiments, the evaluation is not well defined; empirical and numerical solutions for particle deposition on the eye are needed. There prevails a broad gap in the arena of ocular deposition modeling.

Ambient Air Pollution and Stroke: An Updated Review

Despite recent advances in treatment and prevention, stroke remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. There is a critical need to identify novel modifiable risk factors for disease, including environmental agents. A body of evidence has accumulated suggesting that elevated levels of ambient air pollutants may not only trigger cerebrovascular events in susceptible people (short-term exposures) but also increase the risk of future events (long-term average exposures). This review assesses the updated evidence for both short and long-term exposure to ambient air pollution as a risk factor for stroke incidence and outcomes. It discusses the potential pathophysiologic mechanisms and makes recommendations to mitigate exposure on a personal and community level. The evidence indicates that reduction in air pollutant concentrations represent a significant population-level opportunity to reduce risk of cerebrovascular disease.

Life-course exposure to air pollution and biological ageing in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

BACKGROUND

Exposure to air pollution is associated with a range of diseases. Biomarkers derived from DNA methylation (DNAm) offer potential mechanistic insights into human health differences, connecting disease pathogenesis and biological ageing. However, little is known about sensitive periods during the life course where air pollution might have a stronger impact on DNAm, or whether effects accumulate over time. We examined associations between air pollution exposure across the life course and DNAm-based markers of biological ageing.

METHODS

Data were derived from the Scotland-based Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Participants' residential history was linked to annual levels of fine particle (PM_2.5), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and ozone (O₃) around 1935, 1950, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2001; pollutant concentrations were estimated using the EMEP4UK atmospheric chemistry transport model. Blood samples were obtained between ages of 70 and 80 years, and Horvath DNAmAge, Hannum DNAmAge, DNAmPhenoAge, DNAmGrimAge, and DNAm telomere length (DNAmTL) were computed. We applied the structured life-course modelling approach: least angle regression identified best-fit life-course models for a composite measure of air pollution (air quality index [AQI]), and mixed-effects regression estimated selected models for AQI and single pollutants.

RESULTS

We included 525 individuals with 1782 observations. In the total sample, increased air pollution around 1970 was associated with higher epigenetic age (AQI: b = 0.322 year, 95 %CI: 0.088, 0.555) measured with Horvath DNAmAge in late adulthood. We found shorter DNAmTL among males with higher air pollution around 1980 (AQI: b = -0.015 kilobase, 95 %CI: -0.027, -0.004) and among females with higher exposure around 1935 (AQI: b = -0.017 kilobase, 95 %CI: -0.028, -0.006). Findings were more consistent for the pollutants PM_2.5, SO₂ and NO₂.

DISCUSSION

We tested the life-course relationship between air pollution and DNAm-based biomarkers. Air pollution around birth and in young-to-middle adulthood is linked to accelerated epigenetic ageing and telomere-associated ageing in later life.

Combinatorial approaches for novel cardiovascular drug discovery: a review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

In this article, authors report an inclusive discussion about the combinatorial approach for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and for counteracting the cardiovascular risk factors. The mentioned strategy was demonstrated to be useful for improving the efficacy of pharmacological treatments and in CVDs showed superior efficacy with respect to the classical monotherapeutic approach.

AREAS COVERED

According to this topic, authors analyzed the combinatorial treatments that are available on the market, highlighting clinical studies that demonstrated the efficacy of combinatorial drug strategies to cure CVDs and related risk factors. Furthermore, the review gives an outlook on the future perspective of this therapeutic option, highlighting novel drug targets and disease models that could help the future cardiovascular drug discovery.

EXPERT OPINION

The use of specifically designed and increasingly rational and effective drug combination therapies can therefore be considered the evolution of polypharmacy in cardiometabolic and CVDs. This approach can allow to intervene on multiple etiopathogenetic mechanisms of the disease or to act simultaneously on different pathologies/risk factors, using the combinations most suitable from a pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological perspective, thus finding the most appropriate therapeutic option.

Epigenetic age stratifies the risk of blood pressure elevation related to short-term PM2.5 exposure in older adults

BACKGROUND

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is a prominent risk factor for cardiovascular aging in older adults and causes mild syndromes or other comorbidities in otherwise healthy older adults. Accordingly, a precise tool for PM_2.5 exposure risk stratification is urgently needed. We aimed to address this need by comparing the performances of seven types of epigenetic age and chronological age to classify the effects of short-term PM_2.5 exposure on blood pressure (BP), a typical clinical surrogate marker of cardiovascular aging.

METHODS

We conducted a panel study of the Chinese healthy adults aged 60-69 years through five monthly visits. Personal PM_2.5 exposures were measured using wearable monitoring devices for three consecutive days, and DNA methylation was determined by the Illumina MethylationEPIC BeadChip using blood samples collected at each visit. Systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure and pulse pressure were measured by the electronic BP monitor. Linear mixed models with interaction terms between PM_2.5 and different ages were used to assess their potential usefulness for stratification.

RESULTS

DNAmPhenoAge, Skin & blood clock, DNAmGrimAge acceleration, and DunedinPoAm had significant modifying effects on the relationship between PM_2.5 and BP. For instance, a 10-μg/m³ increase in the 72-h moving mean PM_2.5 was significantly associated with 0.30% (95% CI: 0.10%, 0.51%) and -0.07% (95% CI: -0.32%, 0.18%) increases in systolic BP at higher and lower DNAmPhenoAge acceleration, respectively. Joint models further revealed that using a combination of epigenetic ages could more precisely stratify the effect of PM_2.5 on BP.

CONCLUSIONS

Our research indicates that epigenetic age may be a useful tool for evaluating the effect of short-term PM_2.5 exposure on cardiovascular aging status.

Epigenetics: a new warrior against cardiovascular calcification, a forerunner in modern lifestyle diseases

Arterial and aortic valve calcifications are the most prevalent pathophysiological conditions among all the reported cases of cardiovascular calcifications. It increases with several risk factors like age, hypertension, external stimuli, mechanical forces, lipid deposition, malfunction of genes and signaling pathways, enhancement of naturally occurring calcium inhibitors, and many others. Modern-day lifestyle is affected by numerous environmental factors and harmful toxins that impair our health rather than providing benefits. Applying the combinatorial approach or targeting the exact mechanism could be a new strategy for drug designing or attenuating the severity of calcification. Most of the non-communicable diseases are life-threatening; thus, altering the phenotype and not the genotype may reveal the gateway for fighting with upcoming hurdles. Overall, this review summarizes the reason behind the generation of arterial and aortic valve calcification and its related signaling pathways and also the detrimental effects of calcification. In addition, the individual process of epigenetics and how the implementation of this process becomes a novel approach for diminishing the harmful effect of calcification are discussed. Noteworthy, as epigenetics is linked with genetics and environmental factors necessitates further clinical trials for complete and in-depth understanding and application of this strategy in a more specific and prudent manner.

Climate Change in the Provenance Regions of Romania over the Last 70 Years: Implications for Forest Management

The recent climate change scenarios show significant increases in temperature and extreme drought events in Southern and Eastern Europe by the end of the 21st century, which will have a serious impact on forest growth and adaptation, and important consequences for forest management. The system of provenance regions, according to the OECD Scheme and EU Directive, was thought to encourage the use of the local seed sources, under the concept ‘local is the best’. However, climate is changing faster than some species or populations can adapt or migrate, which raises some uncertainties with respect to the future performance of local populations. In Romania, as in other countries, the delimitation of provenance regions is based on geographical, ecological and vegetation criteria. The aim of this study is to evaluate: (1) the climate change that has occurred at the level of the provenance regions; (2) which regions will be most vulnerable to climate change; (3) which forest types will be the most vulnerable in a certain region; and (4) changes in the climatic envelope of forest species. Several climatic parameters and an ecoclimatic indices have been calculated and analyzed at the level of provenance regions, subregions and ecological sectors (forest types) in Romania, during the period 1951–2020. The results highlight a general shift towards warmer and drier conditions in the last 30 years, the mean annual temperature increasing with 0.3–1.1 °C across the provenance subregions. The De Martonne aridity index for the vegetation season shows that 86% of the ecological sectors fell into the arid and semiarid categories, which indicates a very high degree of vulnerability for forest species. On the Lang rainfall index, forest steppe climatic conditions occurred in all pure or mixed pedunculate oak forests, thermophile oak species, meadow forests, poplar and willow, Turkey oak and Hungarian oak forests. The Ellenberg coefficient highlights that the warming process is more evident along the altitude and the degree of vulnerability increase at lower altitude or at the edge of species distribution. The climate envelopes of many forest species have already shifted to another ecosystem’s climate. This paper presents the importance of re-delineation the provenance regions for the production and deployment of forest reproductive materials according to the climate change occurred in the last decades, as a fundamental tool for an adaptive forest management.

Acetyltransferase p300 Is a Putative Epidrug Target for Amelioration of Cellular Aging-Related Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of accelerated as well as chronological aging-related human morbidity and mortality worldwide. Genetic, immunologic, unhealthy lifestyles including daily consumption of high-carb/high-fat fast food, lack of exercise, drug addiction, cigarette smoke, alcoholism, and exposure to environmental pollutants like particulate matter (PM)-induced stresses contribute profoundly to accelerated and chronological cardiovascular aging and associated life threatening diseases. All these stressors alter gene expression epigenetically either through activation or repression of gene transcription via alteration of chromatin remodeling enzymes and chromatin landscape by DNA methylation or histone methylation or histone acetylation. Acetyltransferase p300, a major epigenetic writer of acetylation on histones and transcription factors, contributes significantly to modifications of chromatin landscape of genes involved in cellular aging and cardiovascular diseases. In this review, the key findings those implicate acetyltransferase p300 as a major contributor to cellular senescence or aging related cardiovascular pathologies including vascular dysfunction, cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial infarction, cardiac fibrosis, systolic/diastolic dysfunction, and aortic valve calcification are discussed. The efficacy of natural or synthetic small molecule inhibitor targeting acetyltransferase p300 in amelioration of stress-induced dysregulated gene expression, cellular aging, and cardiovascular disease in preclinical study is also discussed.

Effects of PM10 and Weather on Respiratory and Cardiovascular Diseases in the Ciuc Basin (Romanian Carpathians)

This study presents the PM10 concentration, respiratory and cardiovascular disease hospital admissions evolution in the Ciuc basin for a period of 9 years (2008–2016), taking into consideration different meteorological conditions: boundary layer, lifting condensation level, temperature-humidity index, and wind chill equivalent chart index. The PM10 and hospital admissions evolution showed a very fluctuated hourly, weekly, monthly, yearly tendency. The PM10 concentration in winter (34.72 μg/m3) was 82% higher than the multiannual average (19.00 μg/m3), and almost three times higher than in summer (11.71 μg/m3). During the winter, PM10 concentration increased by an average of 9.36 μg/m3 due to the increased household heating. Climatological parameters have a demonstrable effect on the PM10 concentration variation. Children, the elderly and men are more sensitive to air pollution, the calculated relative risk for men was (RR = 1.45), and for women (RR = 1.37), respectively. A moderate correlation (0.51) was found between PM10 and pneumonia (P), while a relatively weak correlation (0.39) was demonstrated in the case of PM10 and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI). Furthermore, except thermal humidity index (THI), strong negative correlations were observed between the multiannual monthly mean PM10 and the meteorological data. The PM10 followed a moderate negative correlation with the boundary layer (−0.61). In the case of URTI and P, the highest number of hospital admissions occurred with a 5 to 7-day lag, while the 10 μg/m3 PM10 increase resulted in a 2.04% and 8.28% morbidity increase. For lung cancer (LC) and cardiovascular diseases (AMI, IHD, CCP), a maximum delay of 5–6 months was found. Three-month delay and an average growth of 1.51% was observed in the case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Overall, these findings revealed that PM10 was and it is responsible for one-third of the diseases.