Harmful Environmental Factors Research Articles

Peculiarities of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis on the background of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (a clinical case report)

Objective – familiarization of practitioners with the peculiarities of pulmonary multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDRT) in a patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) resulted from a long exposure to environmental factors at the workplace.Materials and methods. The article deals with a clinical case of own observation of pulmonary MDRT development in a patient with IPF. The patient was hospitalized in the Pulmonary Tuberculosis Department No 3 (Department of Resistant Tuberculosis) of the Clinical Site of Phthisiology and Pulmonology Department of Zaporizhizhia State Medical Univercity in the CI “Zaporizhzhia Regional Tuberculosis Clinical Dispensary”.The results of our own observations. Patient: male, 41 years, no medical history of tuberculosis. His work was associated with a harmful environmental factor within 7 years: dust in the workplace (refueling and repair of powder-type fire extinguishers). After 3 weeks of inpatient treatment, the patient died. The presented clinical case demonstrates the complexity of a life-time IPF diagnosis, which progression provoked the development of an equally serious disease, such as multi-resistant disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis and the prescription of antimycobacterial therapy. The cause of death was a progressive pulmonary fibrosis, and as a result, a progressively worsening pulmonary heart disease.Conclusions. Practitioners should be especially vigilant and attentive while dealing with a patient having a history of harmful environmental factors exposure that may cause IPF development. It must be borne in mind that IPF may be asymptomatic for a long time resulting in increased risk for developing tuberculosis. This case confirms the literature data that the development of pulmonary MDRT in patients with untreated IPF leads to a rapid fatal outcome in the vast majority of cases (in this case it was 3 weeks).

The longitudinal association between natural outdoor environments and mortality in 9218 older men from Perth, Western Australia

Background/AimNatural outdoor environments may mitigate harmful environmental factors associated with city living. We studied the longitudinal relationship between natural (‘green and blue’) outdoor environments and mortality in a cohort of older men residing in Perth, Western Australia. MethodsWe studied a cohort of 9218 men aged 65 years and older from the Health In Men Study. Participants were recruited in 1996–99 and followed until 2014, during which 5889 deaths were observed. Time-varying residential surrounding greenness based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and the number and size of parks, natural space and waterbodies were defined to characterize the natural outdoor environment. All-cause non-accidental and cause-specific mortality was ascertained with the Western Australian Data Linkage System. The association of the natural outdoor environment with mortality was examined using Cox regression analysis. ResultsAfter adjusting for age, men living in the highest quartile of cumulative average surrounding greenness had a 9% lower rate of all-cause non-accidental mortality (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.84, 0.98; p = .013) compared with those in the lowest quartile. This association was no longer present after adjustment for other risk factors, especially level of education. Living within 500 m of one (vs. no) natural space was associated with decreased mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio 0.93; 95% CI 0.86, 1.00; p = .046), but no association with mortality was found for two or more natural spaces compared to none and for parks. Associations between waterbodies and mortality were inconsistent, showing non-linear beneficial and harmful associations. ConclusionsIn this longitudinal study of older men residing in Perth, we observed evidence suggestive of an association between access to natural spaces and decreased mortality. Associations between surrounding greenness and mortality seemed to be confounded by level of education, and associations with waterbodies were complex and need to be studied further.

Stress Response System in the Fish Skin-Welfare Measures Revisited.

The skin of vertebrates acts as a biological barrier defending the organism against many harmful environmental factors. It is well established that the main stress hormone cortisol, together with antioxidants such as melatonin (Mel) and its biologically active metabolites set up a local stress response system in the mammalian skin. Recently, our research group has shown that in fish there are basic conditions for the functioning of a cutaneous stress response system (CSRS) similar to that in mammals, where Mel with its biologically active metabolite AFMK (N1-acetyl-N2-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine) and cortisol act together to protect organism against unfavorable environment. Since aquaculture is making an increasing contribution to the global economy and new laws are demanding people to respect the welfare requirements of animals there has been increasing interest in indicators of fish well-being in aquaculture. This article addresses the problem of on-farm assessment of fish welfare and proposes the CSRS as a new source of information on the welfare status of farmed fish.

Possible genetically determined mechanisms of arterial hypertension in tobacco smoking

Te increase in the prevalence of arterial hypertension (AH) in populations, ineffective treatment, the need for risk stratifcation, prevention, early diagnosis and successful treatment, actualize genomic studies to develop a personalized therapeutic approach to AH. Te review investigates the possible genetically determined mechanisms of the development of hypertension and endothelial dysfunction caused by polymorphism of the genes of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and enzymes of phases I and II of the xenobiotics detoxifcation system. Te probable interaction of both systems under the influence of harmful environmental factors, including tobacco smoking, and in the gestational period is discussed. It is proposed to study AH candidate genes in the xenobiotics detoxifcation system, the carriage of different variants of which can determine the sensitivity or resistance to antihypertensive pharmacotherapy, which can be useful for developing of the personalized tactics of managing patients with AH.

Effect of Fermented Fish Oil on Fine Particulate Matter-Induced Skin Aging.

Skin is exposed to various harmful environmental factors such as air pollution, which includes different types of particulate matter (PM). Atmospheric PM has harmful effects on humans through increasing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which have been reported to promote skin aging via the induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which in turn can cause the degradation of collagen. In this study, we investigated the effect of fermented fish oil (FFO) derived from mackerel on fine PM (particles with a diameter < 2.5 µm: PM2.5)-induced skin aging in human keratinocytes. We found that FFO inhibited the PM2.5-induced generation of intracellular ROS and MMPs, including MMP-1, MMP-2, and MMP-9. In addition, FFO significantly abrogated the elevation of intracellular Ca2+ levels in PM2.5-treated cells and was also found to block the PM2.5-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase/activator protein 1 (MAPK/AP-1) pathway. In conclusion, FFO has an anti-aging effect on PM2.5-induced aging in human keratinocytes.

Effects of ectoine on animals and humans

Some species of soil bacteria and most organisms living in extreme environments such as salt lakes or coal or salt mines have effective protective mechanisms that enable them to function under adverse conditions. A common way to protect against harmful environmental factors is the production and accumulation of substances with an osmoprotective effect. One of such substances is ectoine, or 1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2-methyl-4- -pyrimidine-carboxylic acid of an amphoteric nature. The effect of ectoin, mainly based on the binding of water molecules, has found wide application in the protection of macromolecules and cells. This work is a review of the use of this amino acid in human and veterinary medicine.

КОМПЛЕКСНЫЙ ПОДХОД К ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЮ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ ПРОДУКЦИИ ЖИВОТНОВОДСТВА В УСЛОВИЯХ ТЕХНОГЕННОГО ПРЕССИНГА

In the conditions of increasing anthropogenic pressure on the environment, the issues of developing and applying effective means and methods for preventing the admission and cumulation of xenobiotics in the organism of animals and the products obtained become of high importance. At the same time, it is necessary to solve such issues as deficiencies of micro and macro elements in soils, feed and the body, the effect of oxidative stress, immune deficiency and other problems that are closely interrelated with the effect of ecotoxicants on the body. The solution of practical problems of preserving animal health and producing safe products in ecologically unfavorable regions consists in the development of an integrated livestock breeding system, which allows minimizing the migration of a particular ecotoxicant in the trophic chain soil-feed-animal-production and compensating for negative processes developing in the body of animals as a result of exposure of harmful environmental factors, mineral and vitamin deficiencies and imbalances in rations, chronic effects of stress factors, immunodeficiency, etc. The article presents a set of measures to ensure the production of safe products in the conduct of animal husbandry in regions with high anthropogenic load, the main attention is paid to the development of compositions of sorption-detoxifying agents and private technologies of their application

Current Perspectives on Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Of the ~129,079 new cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and 72,987 associated deaths estimated for 2018, the majority will be geographically localized to South East Asia, and likely to show an upward trend annually. It is thought that disparities in dietary habits, lifestyle, and exposures to harmful environmental factors are likely the root cause of NPC incidence rates to differ geographically. Genetic differences due to ethnicity and the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) are likely contributing factors. Pertinently, NPC is associated with poor prognosis which is largely attributed to lack of awareness of the salient symptoms of NPC. These include nose hemorrhage and headaches and coupled with detection and the limited therapeutic options. Treatment options include radiotherapy or chemotherapy or combination of both. Surgical excision is generally the last option considered for advanced and metastatic disease, given the close proximity of nasopharynx to brain stem cell area, major blood vessels, and nerves. To improve outcome of NPC patients, novel cellular and in vivo systems are needed to allow an understanding of the underling molecular events causal for NPC pathogenesis and for identifying novel therapeutic targets and effective therapies. While challenges and gaps in current NPC research are noted, some advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapies targeting EBV NPCs are discussed in this chapter, which may offer improvements in outcome of NPC patients.

The Effect of Noise Stress on Adult Male Rat Sperm Parameters and the Protective Effect of Hydroalcoholic Cinnamomum verum Extract: An Experimental Study

Background: Noise is one of the harmful environmental factors and an inevitable phenomenon in workplaces. Noise stress can lead to endocrine and reproductive system disorders. Objectives: This experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of noise stress on sperm parameters and the protective effect of hydroalcoholic Cinnamomum verum extract in adult rats. Methods: A total of 32 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 8). Group 1 was treated with distilled water (control), Group 2 was treated with 75 mg kg-1 hydroalcoholic C. verum extract, Group 3 was exposed to noise (100 dB) for the eighth/day, and Group 4 was exposed to noise and treated with 75 mg kg-1 hydroalcoholic C. verum extract by gavage. After 50 days, the rats were anesthetized, blood samples were collected, and the cauda epididymis was removed to examine sperm parameters. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. Results: In Group 3, noise stress significantly decreased the levels of sex hormones (LH, FSH, and testosterone), sperm viability, and the percentage of morphologically normal sperm compared to the control group. In Group 2, the levels of sex hormones and sperm parameters increased significantly compared to the control group. Comparison of the results of Groups 3 and 4 showed the protective effect of C. verum extract on the levels of sex hormones and sperm viability. Conclusions: It is recommended to investigate the action mechanism of C. verum effect on the male reproductive system of animal models and humans who work in noisy environments.

Genomic Susceptibility Analysis for Atopy Disease Using Cord Blood DNA in a Small Cohort

Atopic disease is caused by a complex combination of environmental factors and genetic factors, and studies on influence of exposure to various environmental factors on atopic diseases are continuously reported. However, the exact cause of atopic dermatitis is not yet known. Our study was conducted to analyse the association of SNPs with the development of atopic disease in a small cohort. Samples were collected from the Mothers’ and Children’s Environmental Health (MOCEH) study and 192 cord blood DNA samples were used to identify incidence of atopy due to influence of exposure to environmental factors. Genetic elements were analysed using a precision medicine research (PMR) array designed with various SNPs for personalized medicine. Case-control analysis of atopy disease revealed 253 significant variants (p<0.0001) and SNPs on five genes (CARD11, ZNF365, KIF3A, DMRTA1, and SFMBT1) were variants identified in previous atopic studies. These results are important to confirm the genetic mutation that may lead to the onset of foetal atopy due to maternal exposure to harmful environmental factors. Our results also suggest that a small-scale genome-wide association analysis is beneficial to confirm specific variants as direct factors in the development of atopy.

PERSPECTIVES OF ORGANIZATIONAL-LEGAL AND METHODOLOGICAL MEASURES IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Environmental quality management requires the compliance with a number of conditions, such as the use of criteria for the reliable assessment of the health effects of harmful environmental factors (eg., hygienic standards, risk indices) and the optimization of factors of the laboratory control, including chemicals. The A.N. Sysin Research Institute of Human Ecology and Environmental Health (now part of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks”) of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has corrected domestic hygienic standards of chemicals in the water of water bodies in accordance with international recommendations, and standards of substances in ambient air - according to time characteristics and MPC values. Unified standards in water for substances belonging to the same structural class and not differing in the mechanism of action are justified, hygienic standards for a mixture of substances in atmospheric air have been established according to the criterion “obsession of the smell”. The developing methods of predicting the toxicity of substances make it possible to improve the planning of experiments in selecting doses and indices of the state of the organism. On more than 50 territories of the Russian Federation, a health risk assessment under the influence of chemical environmental factors was implemented. At the same time, an adequate assessment and control of environmental pollution are hindered by a number of circumstances, first of all, the lack of an optimal monitoring system and imperfection of its organization. Studies have shown the number of control indices from a few units to several tens, while hundreds of components that are not provided with regulations are identified. This is due to the lack of modern equipment and analytical methods. The solution to the problem lies in the systematic application of the methodology for selecting priority indices for monitoring. At the same time, an attempt to replace the assessment of the hazard of substances’ harmful effects on the body using generalized indices, for example, a unified “interagency index”, is untenable. The developed recommendations are aimed at improving the organization and methodology of environmental quality management.

Etiopathogenesis of twacha vicar: a review

Twacha or skin is the largest organ in the human body enveloping the whole body. The thickness of skin varies according to the part of the body it covers. Since, skin is the barrier separating the internal tissues and organs from the external environment; it is more prone to various types of hazards. The skin is affected potentially due to two main reasons. First, that it is exposed to the harmful environmental factors and secondly due to the degenerative and neoplastic changes occurring within its own various cell types which is the reason for majority of skin diseases. As it is generally seen that the most common reason for manifestation of skin diseases is faulty dietary habits.

P-136 - Complex mix of psidium guajava. L as a protector of medicines used in the treatment of gastric ulcer

Metabolic reactions that favor the production of free radicals generate oxidative stress and chain reactions, which result in illnesses such as gastritis, cancer, arthritis, etc.* Gastric ulcer is deemed as an inflammatory pathology related to an infection by H. pylori, whose treatment includes tetracycline and omeprazole. Furthermore, the hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is released in the lymphocytes as immune response to inflammatory processes through in situ oxidation reactions. HOCl has been proven to degrade these medicines* and the treatment does not consider external factors that cause health problems (harmful lifestyles, stress, and environmental factors). In this context, we propose an alternative treatment to gastric ulcer based on spectroscopic and chromatographic results including the species Psidium Guajava L as gastric protector for combined treatment. This species has antioxidant properties, associated to ascorbic acid, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds*; anti-inflammatory properties thanks to flavonoids; analgesic properties due to triterpenes; and antibacterial properties because of tannins. **

Development for children's environmental health in South Africa: Past gains and future opportunities

ABSTRACTIn poorly resourced countries children may face multiple health risks associated with environmental hazards and under-development. It is estimated that exposure to harmful environmental factors (e.g. air pollution, poor water quality and harmful chemicals) accounts for 33% of the global burden of disease, with the highest burden being borne by children. While accelerated housing and settlement development over the past two decades has benefitted hundreds of thousands of young children in South Africa, large numbers continue to face major environmental threats to their health, some of which have hitherto been neglected. Such children are likely to be particularly vulnerable to the unfolding ramifications of climate change. In this light greater urgency and momentum is needed to improve living conditions and other socio-environmental determinants of children's health in South Africa and other under-resourced countries. Children should be a central focus for policy and development as our global society strives to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

АНАЛІЗ ОСОБЛИВОСТЕЙ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОГО КРОВОТОКУ У ДОСЛІДЖУВАНИХ, ЩО ЗАЗНАЮТЬ ХРОНІЧНОГО ВПЛИВУ НЕГАТИВНИХ ФАКТОРІВ СЕРЕДОВИЩА НА ВИРОБНИЦТВІ

Introduction. The problem of the public health of Ukraine in our country is acute and requires a moderate rise. There are steady tendencies in the increased incidence and the disease dissemination in Ukraine. Currently, the particular scientific researches proved that the bad state of the environment, air, ground and water pollution and the influence of the other negative factors of environment on the human body can be the reasons of the increased incidence, cardiovascular disease in particular. Purpose. The main purpose of the research was to study the dependence of the parameters of the central blood flow and the type of body structure of the workers of the agro-industrial sector and industrial enterprises that undergo chronic effects of a complex of harmful environmental factors. Methods. In the lens of the experiment, 90 people were participants, male aged from 21 to 35 years old. For the purpose of the study all the participants were divided into 3 groups: 1) the population live at least in an ecologically pure zone; 2) the residents of the agrarian districts of the Volyn Region, which are seized in the agricultural area and positively correlated with fertilizers and pesticides; 3) people who work at the enterprises in Lutsk. Proportionality of development and structure of the body of the subjects were studied by calculating the Pignet (IP) index. The study of the central hemodynamic was carried out with the help of the “Askold” (“Kyiv”, 1998), with the use of the method of tetrapolarity reographism by Kubicek. The reograms recording was carried out at the time of the spontaneous respiration and the duration of the inhomogeneous exhalation. Results. Correlation analysis of the indicators of central blood flow and anthropometric indicators showed that in the control group there is a high level of direct dependence of practically all of the studied parameters of the central blood flow from the Pignet index. Thus, in particular, the value of the minute volume of blood flow (r = 0.49), volume of ejection rate (r = 0.31), myocardial capacity (r = 0.34), shock index (r = 0.32) and cardiac index (r = 0.47) is directly proportional to the given index, and the index of the total peripheral resistance (r = -0.41) reveals an inverse relationship. The grounding of the division of the subjects studied into groups, taking into account the index of their constitution (Pignet index), was manifested in the fact that most of the studied parameters were characterized by a significant number of statistically significant correlation relations with this indicator. Such a feature of the obtained results made it possible to analyze the parameters of the cardio-respiratory system of people who have been exposed to harmful factors in the workplace for a long time, taking into account the groups allocated on graduations, which are based on the value of the Pignet index. Analysis of the central blood flow characteristics among the participants of the research, who have chronic effects of negative environmental factors in the workplace (both agro-industrial and industrial) revealed significant differences between the given groups and the group of people from relatively environmentally pure zones in terms of the impact volume of the bloodstream and the capacity of the myocardium . However, the lack of significant differences in the values of the minute volume of blood and energy consumption by the myocardium may indicate a certain compensatory change due to the strengthening of regulatory mechanisms that provide the necessary level of blood supply to the tissues of the body and the absence of organic lesions as the structures of the cardiovascular system, and regulatory circuits of the nervous and endocrine systems that provide a regulation link. Conclusion. People who exposed to negative environmental factors in the workplace, absolute anthropometric indices (age, height, weight, chest) and integral indices (Pignet index) did not differ from those in the control group. The largest number of statistically significant correlation relationships was found in the control group of the participants between functional parameters of the cardiovascular system and the Pignet index, while among people, who have adverse working conditions, such relationships are practically absent. People undergo chronic effects of negative environmental factors in the workplace (both agro-industrial and industrial), there were significant differences in comparison with the group of people from relatively environmentally pure regions in terms of the impact volume of blood flow and the capacity of the myocardium, but these changes have compensatory character. Taking into account the type of body structure of the participants showed that the greatest number of differences between the experimental groups and control was found among mesomorphic people: significant differences are noted in the indicators of myocardial capacity and specific peripheral resistance.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure at Home and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels in Three-to-Five-Year-Old Children.

Exposure to harmful environmental factors is particularly detrimental to younger children. We investigated the relationship between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in pre-schoolers at home and the level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a predictive factor for cardiovascular disease. This study was conducted in 2014 and was based on the data of preschool children from the Korean Environmental Health Survey in Children and Adolescents (2012 to 2014), a nationally representative sample. Of 577 children, aged three to five years, 482 were eventually selected for the analysis after excluding those with missing variables, or whose hs-CRP level exceeded the reference value. The proportion of pre-school children exposed to ETS at home was 14.8%. The odd ratios (OR)s of hs-CRP > 1mg/L were 4.90 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.04–23.17) and 11.66 (95% CI = 1.90–71.65) in the groups exposed to ETS 3–4 times and ≥5 times daily, respectively, compared to the non-exposed group. The risk of elevated levels of hs-CRP showed an increasing trend proportionally to the increase in ETS exposure frequency (p for trend = 0.03). Anti-smoking educational programs for parents and guardians may be helpful to reduce ETS exposure at home.

Advantage of Animal Models with Metabolic Flexibility for Space Research Beyond Low Earth Orbit

As the world's space agencies and commercial entities continue to expand beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), novel approaches to carry out biomedical experiments with animals are required to address the challenge of adaptation to space flight and new planetary environments. The extended time and distance of space travel along with reduced involvement of Earth-based mission support increases the cumulative impact of the risks encountered in space. To respond to these challenges, it becomes increasingly important to develop the capability to manage an organism's self-regulatory control system, which would enable survival in extraterrestrial environments. To significantly reduce the risk to animals on future long duration space missions, we propose the use of metabolically flexible animal models as pathfinders, which are capable of tolerating the environmental extremes exhibited in spaceflight, including altered gravity, exposure to space radiation, chemically reactive planetary environments and temperature extremes. In this report we survey several of the pivotal metabolic flexibility studies and discuss the importance of utilizing animal models with metabolic flexibility with particular attention given to the ability to suppress the organism's metabolism in spaceflight experiments beyond LEO. The presented analysis demonstrates the adjuvant benefits of these factors to minimize damage caused by exposure to spaceflight and extreme planetary environments. Examples of microorganisms and animal models with dormancy capabilities suitable for space research are considered in the context of their survivability under hostile or deadly environments outside of Earth. Potential steps toward implementation of metabolic control technology in spaceflight architecture and its benefits for animal experiments and manned space exploration missions are discussed.

Response of bacterial communities to cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms in Lake Taihu, China

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms are prevalent around the world, influencing aquatic organisms and altering the physico-chemical properties in freshwater systems. However, the response of bacterial communities to toxic cyanobacterial blooms and associated microcystins (MC) remain poorly understood even though global concentrations of MC have increased dramatically in the past few decades. To address this issue, the dynamics of bacterial community composition (BCC) in the water column and how BCC is influenced by both harmful cyanobacterial blooms and environmental factors were investigated on a monthly basis from August 2013 to July 2014 in Lake Taihu, China. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) revealed that seasonal variation in BCC was significant, and that the succession of BCC greatly depends on changes in environmental conditions. Redundancy analysis (RDA) results showed that the overall variation of BCC was explained mainly by dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), and Microcystis. The alpha biodiversity of the bacterial community was different among months with the highest diversity in February and the lowest diversity in October. Furthermore, significant negative relationships were found between alpha biodiversity indices and Microcystis abundance as well as with intracellular MC concentrations, indicating that Microcystis and associated MC may influence the bacterial community structure by reducing its biodiversity. This study shows that potential associations exist between toxic cyanobacterial blooms and bacterial communities but more investigations are needed to obtain a mechanistic understanding of their complex relationships.

Surviving With Smog and Smoke: Precision Interventions?

Despite continuous efforts of regional governmental agencies, air pollution remains a major threat to public health worldwide. In January 2017, a severe episode of smog similar to the Great Smog of 1952 occurred in London. The longest episode of Chinese haze also developed in Beijing, during which levels of particulate matter< 2.5 μm rose to 500 μg/m3. European smog and Chinese haze are associated with large numbers of premature deaths each year, at 400,000 and 1.2 million, respectively, primarily from respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and ischemic heart diseases. In addition to air pollution, some are exposed to other harmful environmental factors, such as secondhand smoke. For countries with large populations of smokers, such as China, India, the United States, and Russia, surviving both smog and smoke is a serious problem. With novel genomic and epigenomic studies revealing air pollution- and smoking-induced mutational signatures and epigenetic editing in diseases such as lung cancer, it has become feasible to develop precision strategies for early intervention in the disease-causing pathways driven by the specific mutations or epigenetic regulations, or both. New therapies guided by gene-drug interactions and genomic biomarkers may also be developed. We discuss both perspectives regarding the urgent need to manage the toxic effects of smog and smoke for the benefit of global health and the novel concept of precision intervention to protect the exposed individuals when exposure to smog and secondhand smoke cannot be voluntarily avoided or easily modified.

Transcriptomics, NF-κB Pathway, and Their Potential Spaceflight-Related Health Consequences.

In space, living organisms are exposed to multiple stress factors including microgravity and space radiation. For humans, these harmful environmental factors have been known to cause negative health impacts such as bone loss and immune dysfunction. Understanding the mechanisms by which spaceflight impacts human health at the molecular level is critical not only for accurately assessing the risks associated with spaceflight, but also for developing effective countermeasures. Over the years, a number of studies have been conducted under real or simulated space conditions. RNA and protein levels in cellular and animal models have been targeted in order to identify pathways affected by spaceflight. Of the many pathways responsive to the space environment, the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) network appears to commonly be affected across many different cell types under the true or simulated spaceflight conditions. NF-κB is of particular interest, as it is associated with many of the spaceflight-related health consequences. This review intends to summarize the transcriptomics studies that identified NF-κB as a responsive pathway to ground-based simulated microgravity or the true spaceflight condition. These studies were carried out using either human cell or animal models. In addition, the review summarizes the studies that focused specifically on NF-κB pathway in specific cell types or organ tissues as related to the known spaceflight-related health risks including immune dysfunction, bone loss, muscle atrophy, central nerve system (CNS) dysfunction, and risks associated with space radiation. Whether the NF-κB pathway is activated or inhibited in space is dependent on the cell type, but the potential health impact appeared to be always negative. It is argued that more studies on NF-κB should be conducted to fully understand this particular pathway for the benefit of crew health in space.