Effect of motor vehicle pollution on lung function, fractional exhaled nitric oxide and cognitive function among school adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Motor vehicle emission is a major cause of environmental pollution, which threatens human health. This study aimed to investigate the effect of motor vehicle pollution on lung function, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and cognitive function among students studying in a school located in a traffic-polluted area. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, students were recruited based on their apparent healthy status, same age, gender, height, weight, ethnicity, and homogenous educational, socio-economic status, and living backgrounds. Initially, 200 students, 100 from school-1 located in motor vehicle polluted area (exposed group) and 100 from school-2, located away from motor vehicle polluted area (control group) were recruited. After clinical history, 68 students were selected, 34 from school-1 and 34 from school-2. These students were exposed to motor vehicle pollution for 6 h a day, 5 days a week for a total period of 2 years. Lung function test parameters were recorded using a Spirometer, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) was measured by Niox Mino, and cognitive function was recorded using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). RESULTS: The lung function test parameters, Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) (p=0.03); Forced Expiratory Volume in First Second (FEV1) (p=0.02); and cognitive function parameter motor screening task (MOT) mean latency (p=0.04) were decreased among the students who were studying in school situated in traffic-polluted area compared to those students who were studying in school which was located away from the traffic-polluted area. However, no significant difference was noted in FeNO between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Motor vehicle pollution showed an association with decreased respiratory and cognitive functions among students studying in schools located in traffic-polluted areas. Environmental protection organizations must establish standards to minimize motor vehicle pollutants and develop strategies to control vehicle emission to reduce pollution and disease burden.

High performance liquid chromatographic method for the separation and quantification of some psychotherapeutic benzodiazepines optimized by the modified simplex procedure.

An accurate high performance liquid chromatography method for the separation and quantification of a solution mixture of nitrazepam, diazepam and medazepam and medazepam was developed. The modified simplex program has been utilized for the optimization of the chemical and chromatographic parameters using the chromatographic response function as the quality criterion and a photodiode array as a detector. The separation was achieved in 2 min using a 20 cm long, 4.6 mm diameter Lichrosorb C18 reverse phase column. A 5 mul solution mixture containing 10 ppm of each drug was injected into a mobile phase containing 89:11 v/v acetonitrile: acetate buffer and a flow rate of 3.44 ml min(-1) was found to be optimal. The method was found to be suitable for the determination of these compounds in proprietary drugs without suffering interferences.