Effects of increased humidity on physiological responses, thermal comfort, perceived air quality, and Sick Building Syndrome symptoms at elevated indoor temperatures for subjects in a hot-humid climate.

Recently, studies suggest that the average indoor temperature is typically >30°C and that the maximum temperature can reach 37.5°C in hot-humid areas. However, the effects caused by increasing the humidity at high indoor temperatures are not clear. In this study, twelve female and twelve male subjects were exposed to different operative temperature (26.6, 30.6, and 37.4°C) and relative humidity (50% and 70%) in a climate chamber. Data concerning thermal sensation, perceived air quality, and Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) were collected during 190-min-long exposure to each thermal condition. Heart rate, respiration rate, respiratory ventilation rate, mean skin temperature, and eardrum temperature were measured. It was found that increasing the relative humidity from 50% to 70% at 26 and 30°C had no significant effects on the physiological responses, thermal comfort, perceived air quality, or SBS symptoms of the subjects. However, when the temperature was elevated to 37°C, the heart rate, respiration rate, respiratory ventilation rate, mean skin temperature, and eardrum temperature increased significantly as a result of the increase in the relative humidity from 50% to 70%. The subjects felt hotter and more uncomfortable, and they found indoor air quality was more difficult to accept. The subjects are acclimatized to hot environments and more tolerant to heat. Therefore, the results are applicable to the acclimated people living in hot-humid climate.

Novel l-Cysteine Incomplete Degradation Method for Preparation of Procyanidin B2-3'-O-Gallate and Exploration of its in Vitro Anti-inflammatory Activity and in Vivo Tissue Distribution.

In this study, an effective method for preparation of bioactive galloylated procyanidin B2-3'-O-gallate (B2-3'-G) was first developed by incomplete depolymerization of grape seed polymeric procyanidins (PPCs) using l-cysteine (Cys) in the presence of citric acid. The structure-activity relationship of B2-3'-G was further evaluated in vitro through establishing lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 cells. The results suggested that the better protective effects of B2-3'-G against inflammation were attributed to its polymerization degree and the introduction of the galloyl group, compared to its four corresponding structural units. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the B2-3'-G prototype was distributed in plasma, small intestine, liver, lung, and brain. Remarkably, B2-3'-G was able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and appeared to play an important role in improving brain health. Furthermore, a total of 18 metabolites were identified in tissues. Potential metabolic pathways, including reduction, methylation, hydration, desaturation, glucuronide conjugation, and sulfation, were suggested.