Human health damage caused by particulate matter PM10 and ozone in urban environments: the case of Athens, Greece.

Studies conducted over the past decades have provided substantial evidence that both the long- and the short-term exposures to ozone and particulate matter are responsible for mortality and cardiopulmonary morbidity. This paper examines the relationship between exposure to ambient concentrations of ozone (O3) and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 µm (PM10) and public health and provides the quantification of the burden of disease from PM10 and O3-related mortality and morbidity through a Life Cycle Impact Assessment focused on the greater area of Athens, Greece. Thus, characterizations factors (CFs) for human health damage are calculated in 17 sites in Athens, in terms of the annual marginal change in the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to a marginal increase in the ambient concentrations. It is found that the PM10 intake factors range between 1.25 × 10(-6) and 2.78 × 10(-6), suggesting that 1.25-2.78 µg of PM10 are inhaled by the Athenian population per kg of PM10 in the urban atmosphere. Mortality due to chronic exposure to PM10 has a dominant contribution to years of life lost with values ranging between 6.2 × 10(-5) and 1.1 × 10(-4). On the other hand, the mortality caused by short-term exposure to O3 is weaker with the CFs ranging between 1.58 × 10(-7) years of life lost in the urban/traffic areas and 4.71 × 10(-7) years in the suburbs. Finally, it is found that 9,000 DALYs are lost on average in Athens, corresponding to 0.0018 DALYs per person. This is equal to 0.135 DALYs per person over a lifetime of approximately 75 years, assuming constant emission rates for the whole period.

Cardiovascular risk factors in adult patients with multisystem Langerhans-cell histiocytosis: evidence of glucose metabolism abnormalities.

BACKGROUND: Langerhans-cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease with features of chronic inflammation and it may also induce hypopituitarism, conditions associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. AIM: Cardiovascular and metabolic risk profile investigation in multisystem LCH patients with and without anterior pituitary deficiency. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. METHODS: Fourteen adult patients with LCH, 7 with and 7 without anterior pituitary deficiency, and 42 controls matched for age, body mass index (BMI) and smoking. Cardiovascular risk factors were estimated in all subjects: glucose and lipid profile, mathematical indices of insulin resistance (IR), blood pressure, structural arterial and functional endothelial properties (intima-media thickness, brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation). Cardiovascular risk factors were estimated in the three groups studied; the effect of disease activity and/or treatment was also determined in patients with LCH. RESULTS: Ten patients had diabetes insipidus, and 7 anterior pituitary hormone deficiencies: 8 patients had active disease and 11 had received systemic treatment. No difference was observed between the study groups in vascular parameters, in lipid profile or in blood pressure. However, the insulin resistance index GIR was decreased in patients with LCH without anterior pituitary deficiency compared to controls (P = 0.033). Three patients had impaired glucose tolerance and one diabetes mellitus type 2. These patients were older and had active disease; there was no association with hypopituitarism and/or previous treatment. CONCLUSION: Adults patients with LCH have abnormalities of glucose metabolism that tend to occur in patients with active disease, and may be a consequence of the pro-inflammatory state.

Laparoscopic resection of large adrenal ganglioneuroma.

We report on a 23-year-old woman with a right adrenal tumor 13 cm in diameter who was treated by laparoscopy. The patient was asymptomatic, and the tumor was incidentally diagnosed on abdominal ultrasonography. A subsequent computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen confirmed a 12 x 7 x 8-cm homogenous mass of the right adrenal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a solid mass measuring 13 x 7 x 7.5 cm arising from the right adrenal. Laparoscopic complete excision of the mass was accomplished through a transabdominal lateral approach. The postoperative period was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. Histology was consistent with an adrenal ganglioneuroma. Two years later, there is no evidence of recurrence on abdominal CT scan.

Interference oscillations in the angular distribution of laser-ionized electrons near ionization threshold.

We analyze the two-dimensional momentum distribution of electrons ionized by few-cycle laser pulses in the transition regime from multiphoton absorption to tunneling by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and by a classical-trajectory Monte-Carlo simulation with tunneling (CTMC-T). We find a complex two-dimensional interference pattern that resembles above threshold ionization (ATI) rings at higher energies and displays Ramsauer-Townsend-type diffraction oscillations in the angular distribution near threshold. CTMC-T calculations provide a semiclassical explanation for the dominance of selected partial waves. While the present calculation pertains to hydrogen, we find surprising qualitative agreement with recent experimental data for rare gases [A. Rudenko, J. Phys. B 37, L407 (2004)].

The ORLIstat and CArdiovascular risk profile in patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 DIAbetes (ORLICARDIA) Study.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is associated with a marked increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). AIM: To investigate the effect of orlistat plus hypocaloric diet (HCD) vs HCD alone on the cardiovascular risk profile in patients with both MetSyn (National Cholesterol Educational Program--NCEP--Adult Treatment Panel III definition) and type 2 DM. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicentre, open-label, randomized, controlled study. One hundred and twenty-six patients, free of cardiovascular disease at baseline, were included in the final analysis. Ninety-four (73%) patients were treated with orlistat (360 mg/day) and HCD for a 6-month period, while 34 (27%) were on HCD alone. Analysis of covariance was used to assess differences between the treatment groups over time. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Components of the MetSyn criteria assessed were: waist circumference; systolic and diastolic blood pressure; fasting glucose, triglycerides; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) plus body mass index; glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C); homeostasis model for assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA) index; and total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). RESULTS: By protocol, all patients had MetSyn at baseline. After a 6 month treatment period there were significant differences between the orlistat plus HCD vs the HCD-alone groups in body weight (p = 0.0001), waist circumference (p < 0.0001), fasting glucose (p < 0.0001), HbA(1C) (p < 0.0001), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.024), total cholesterol (p < 0.0001), LDL-C (p = 0.034), and HOMA index (p = 0.022), while there were no significant differences in triglycerides and HDL-C. Orlistat was well tolerated. By the end of the study, 65% of the patients on orlistat plus HCD were still meeting the MetSyn criteria and 41% had four to five MetSyn components vs 91% (p < 0.0001) and 53% (p = 0.017), respectively, of those on HCD alone. CONCLUSIONS: Orlistat plus HCD favourably modified several cardiovascular risk factors in patients with both MetSyn and type 2 DM. These effects might partly offset the excess cardiovascular risk and improve outcome in this patient population.