Adverse effects of air pollution-derived fine particulate matter on cardiovascular homeostasis and disease

In vitro toxicity of fine and coarse particulate matter on the skin, ocular and lung microphysiological cell-culture systems

Particulate matter (PM) has been associated with adverse effects on human health, causing allergies, skin and eye irritation and corrosion, respiratory tract irritation, headaches, bronchoconstriction, cardiopulmonary diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, reproductive problems, premature deaths, and epigenetic changes that lead to a wide variety of cancers, among other health conditions. The air quality in the Medellín - Colombia presents fluctuations that oscillate between the maximum permissible levels established at the national level and by the WHO, which represents a latent risk to people's health. Although important efforts have been made to quantify the different levels of pollution and administrative measures have been established to mitigate air pollution, little research work has been done to establish the relationship between these levels of pollutants and the effects on biological systems. The objective of the present research was to make a morphological and chemical characterization of particulate matter (PM) captured with a commercial air filter and a electrospun nanofiber membrane and evaluate the cytotoxicity of the each PM extracts in monolayer and co-culture models which recreate microphysiological systems of lung, skin and cornea and propose the possible cellular interactions that lead the cytotoxic response of the chemical compounds found in particulate matter in cities. The morphology and elemental chemical characterization were done with scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM - EDS). For the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons detection was made with a chromatographic method accoupled to mass spectrometer. Finally, the cytotoxicity was made in monolayers of A549, HEK001, and SIRC cell lines and microphysiological systems consisting of two-cell layer construct to resemble the interaction between fibroblast and epithelial cells that comprises naturally the corneal, skin and lung tissue. We performed three different cocultures models with BALB/3T3 clone A31 as a feeder layer, using porous Transwell® inserts in the in-contact and non-contact way. Monolayer and co-culture models were exposed to coarse and fine PM (1, 2, and 5 mg/mL) and the cell viability was evaluated at 24 h using an MTT assay. The electrospun nanofibers membranes demonstrates higher efficiency to capture PM with different sizes and high concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and other chemical compounds responsible of many human diseases. Cytotoxic effects of MP were observed in all models at higher concentration; however, models exposed to fine PM exhibited a significant reduction in cell viability compared to those exposed to coarse PM. In addition, multilayer models are more resistant to PM exposure than monolayer models. Furthermore, the study indicated that, depending on the seeding strategy, different results might be observed: the non-contact model showed higher resistance to PM exposure than in-contact for SIRC and HEK001, but A549 monolayers showed the highest viability response. This study demonstrates the usefulness of applying co-culture models to assess environmental pollutant toxicity, in addition to being a potential alternative method to animal testing for risk assessment.

Hazard, Distribution and Exposure of Particulate Pollution from Indoor and Outdoor Environments

Air is an essential natural resource for life [...].

Organ-on-chip systems as a model for nanomedicine

Nanomedicine is giving rise to increasing numbers of successful drugs, including cancer treatments, molecular imaging agents, and novel vaccine formulations. However, traditionally available model systems offer limited clinical translation and, compared to the number of preclinical studies, the approval rate of nanoparticles (NPs) for clinical use remains disappointingly low. A new paradigm of modeling biological systems on microfluidic chips has emerged in the last decade and is being gradually adopted by the nanomedicine community. These systems mimic tissues, organs, and diseases like cancer, on devices with small physical footprints and complex geometries. In this review, we report studies that used organ-on-chip approaches to study the interactions of NPs with biological systems. We present examples of NP toxicity studies, studies using biological NPs such as viruses, as well as modeling biological barriers and cancer on chip. Organ-on-chip systems present an exciting opportunity and can provide a renewed direction for the nanomedicine community.

Short-term exposure to some heavy metals carried with PM10 and cardiovascular system biomarkers during dust storm

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of short-term exposure to heavy metals (HM) extracted from PM₁₀ on CB in workers' population in an outdoor space located in southern Iran during a dust storm. At first, 44 healthy and non-smoking workers were selected. Then PM₁₀ and Blood samples were collected before and after the dust storm. Finally, HMs associated with PM₁₀ measured by ICP-MS and its effect on the CB, including fibrinogen, CRP, TNF-α, and BP were estimated by ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and Odd Ratio (OR) in SPSS23. Based on the results, the concentration of PM₁₀ and extracted HM such as Cr, As, and Cd was higher than the WHO/EPA standards in dust storms they increased the CB and BP remarkably. Moreover, the level of fibrinogen, blood pressure (BP) and TNF-α in dust storms were higher than in normal conditions (p < 0.05, OR > 3). In addition, As and Cd decreased fibrinogen concentration and systolic BP, respectively. Whereas, TNF-α was associated with concentration of Pb (R = - 0.85) on normal days. Consequently, the HM on PM₁₀ such as As, interferes with the level of investigated CB. These results considered a potential risk for the residents in the southern regions of Iran.

Smoke analysis of a new surgical system that applies low-temperature plasma

Background

The high-frequency electrotome (ES), which is widely used in surgical procedures, generates surgical smoke that is potentially hazardous to operating personnel. Previous research shows that the PlasmaBlade (PB) may be able to overcome this problem. The present study set out to analyze potentially hazardous surgical smoke generated during electrosurgery by the ES, the PB, and. a new surgical system that applies low-temperature plasma, the NTS-100.

Methods

In vitro and in vivo healthy porcine models were used to compare volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM) in smoke generated by the NTS-100, the PB, and the conventional ES when cutting liver, muscle, and skin and subcutaneous tissues. The detected indexes included the VOCs in surgical smoke, the concentration and percentage of each part, the PM2.5 concentration, the mass of particles, and the diameter distribution of particles.

Results

The smoke generated by the NTS-100 contained fewer hazardous components than that generated by the ES (P<0.05) and a comparable amount to that generated by the PB (P>0.05). The PM2.5 concentration and mass of particles in the smoke generated by the NTS-100 were lower than those with the ES (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively) and similar to those with the PB (P>0.05). The NTS-100 generated larger particles than did the ES and the PB (P<0.05).

Conclusions

Surgical smoke contains harmful VOCs and PM, but the NTS-100 generated less hazardous surgical smoke than did the conventional ES and performed comparably to the PB. Therefore, using the NTS-100 may reduce the potential hazard of surgical smoke to operating room personnel.