Issue 2 - "Update on adverse respiratory effects of indoor air pollution". Part 2): Indoor air pollution and respiratory diseases: Perspectives from Italy and some other GARD countries

OBJECTIVE

to synthesize the Italian epidemiological contribution to knowledge on indoor pollution respiratory impact, and to analyze the perspective of some GARD countries on the health effects of indoor air pollution.

RESULTS

Italian epidemiological analytical studies confirmed a strong relationship between indoor air pollution and health in general population. Environmental tobacco smoke, biomass (wood/coal) fuel for cooking/heating and indoor allergens (house dust mites, cat and dog dander, mold/damp) are the most relevant indoor pollution sources and are related to respiratory and allergic symptoms/diseases in Italy and in other GARD countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam, India, Nepal and Kyrgyzstan. Community-based global health collaborations are working to improve prevention, diagnosis and care of respiratory diseases around the world, specially in low- and middle-income countries, through research and education.

CONCLUSIONS

in the last thirty years, the scientific evidence produced on respiratory health effects of indoor air pollution has been extensive, but the necessity to empower the synergies between scientific community and local administrations remains a challenge to address in order to implement effective interventions. Based on abundant evidence of indoor pollution health effect, WHO, scientific societies, patient organizations and other members of the health community should work together to pursue the GARD vision of "a world where all people breathe freely" and encourage policy makers to increase their engagement in advocacy for clean air.

Investigation of Variations in the Human Urine Metabolome amongst European Populations: An Exploratory Search for Biomarkers of People at Risk-of-Poverty

SCOPE

According to Eurostat 2016, approximately 119 million European citizens live at-risk-of-poverty (ROP). This subpopulation is highly diverse by ethnicity, age, and culture in the different EU states, but they all have in common a low income that could represent an increased risk of nutrient deficiencies due to poor nutritional habits. This study aims to investigate the human urine metabolome in the search of common biomarkers representing dietary deficiencies amongst European populations at ROP.

METHODS AND RESULTS

2732 urine samples were collected from 1391 subjects across five different European countries, including the United Kingdom, Finland, Italy, Lithuania, and Serbia, and analyzed using ¹ H-NMR spectroscopy. The resulting urine metabolome data were explored according to study design factors including economic status, country, and gender.

CONCLUSION

Partitioning of the effects derived from the study design factors using ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis (ASCA) revealed that country and gender effects were responsible for most of the systematic variation. The effect of economic status was, as expected, much weaker than country and gender, but more pronounced in Lithuania than in other countries. Citrate and hippurate were among the most powerful ROP biomarkers. The possible relationship between these markers and nutritional deficiencies amongst the ROP population is discussed.