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- Brown, J L, et al.
(författare)
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Lower airways inflammation in allergic rhinitics : a comparison with asthmatics and normal controls
- 2007
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 37:5, s. 688-695
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma represent a continuum of atopic disease. AR is believed to pre‐dispose an individual to asthma. Compared with asthmatics and normal controls, the inflammatory response in the lower airways of rhinitics is not fully elucidated. To test the hypothesis that the inflammatory response in the airways of subjects with AR is at a level intermediate between that in normal controls and asthmatics, we have characterized bronchial inflammation and cytokine mRNA levels in non‐asthmatic allergic rhinitics and compared it with subjects with allergic asthma and with normal controls.Methods: Endobronchial mucosal biopsies were obtained at bronchoscopy from 14 allergic rhinitics, 16 asthmatics and 21 normal controls. Biopsies were embedded into glycol methacrylate resin for immunohistochemical analysis of cellular inflammation and snap frozen for semi‐quantitative PCR analysis of cytokine mRNA levels.Results: Airway inflammation in rhinitic subjects was characterized by an increase in submucosal eosinophils, mast cells and the mRNA expression of TNF‐α, at an intermediate level between healthy and asthmatics. In addition, CD3+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in the epithelium, the endothelial expression of vascular adhesion molecule‐1 and IL‐1β mRNA were higher in the allergic rhinitics compared with both normal controls and asthmatics, whereas growth‐related oncogene α‐mRNA was decreased in AR compared with both healthy and asthmatics. Airway inflammation in the asthmatic group was characterized by higher numbers of eosinophils and mast cells, together with an increase in TNF‐α‐mRNA compared with both healthy and rhinitics. IFN‐γ mRNA was the highest in normal controls and lowest in the asthmatics.Conclusions: In individuals with AR the present data suggest an intermediate state of airway inflammation between that observed in normal individuals and subjects with clinical asthma. It is also indicated that IFN‐γ production by CD8+ T lymphocytes could be protective against the development of airway hyperresponsiveness. Further work is needed to evaluate this hypothesis.
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- Gerlofs-Nijland, Miriam E, et al.
(författare)
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Toxicity of coarse and fine particulate matter from sites with contrasting traffic profiles.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Inhalation Toxicology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0895-8378 .- 1091-7691. ; 19:13, s. 1055-69
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Residence in urban areas with much traffic has been associated with various negative health effects. However, the contribution of traffic emissions to these adverse health effects has not been fully determined. Therefore, the objective of this in vivo study is to compare the pulmonary and systemic responses of rats exposed to particulate matter (PM) obtained from various locations with contrasting traffic profiles. Samples of coarse (2.5 mu m-10 mu m) and fine (0.1 mu m-2.5 mu m) PM were simultaneously collected at nine sites across Europe with a high-volume cascade impactor. Six PM samples from various locations were selected on the basis of contrast in in vitro analysis, chemical composition, and traffic profiles. We exposed spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats to a single dose (3 mg PM/kg body weight or 10 mg PM/kg body weight) of either coarse or fine PM by intratracheal instillation. We assessed changes in biochemical markers, cell differentials, and histopathological changes in the lungs and blood 24 h postexposure. The dose-related adverse effects that both coarse and fine PM induced in the lungs and vascular system were mainly related to cytotoxicity, inflammation, and blood viscosity. We observed clear differences in the extent of these responses to PM from the various locations at equivalent dose levels. There was a trend that suggests that samples from high-traffic sites were the most toxic. It is likely that the toxicological responses of SH rats were associated with specific PM components derived from brake wear (copper and barium), tire wear (zinc), and wood smoke (potassium).
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- Johansson, Stina M., et al.
(författare)
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A(1) receptor deficiency causes increased insulin and glucagon secretion in mice
- 2007
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Ingår i: Biochemical Pharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-2952 .- 1356-1839. ; 74:11, s. 1628-1635
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adenosine influences metabolism and the adenosine receptor antagonist caffeine decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes. In this study the metabolic role of one adenosine receptor subtype, the adenosine A(1)R, was evaluated in mice lacking this receptor [A(1)R (-/-)]. The HbA1c levels and body weight were not significantly different between wild type [A(1)R (+/+)] and A(1)R (-/-) mice (3-4 months) fed normal lab chow. At rest, plasma levels of glucose, insulin and glucagon were similar in both genotypes. Following glucose injection, glucose tolerance was not appreciably altered in A(1)R (-/-) mice. Glucose injection induced sustained increases in plasma insulin and glucagon levels in A(1)R (-/-) mice, whereas A(1)R (+/+) control mice reacted with the expected transient increase in insulin and decrease in glucagon levels. Pancreas perfusion experiments showed that A(1)R (-/-) mice had a slightly higher basal insulin secretion than A(1)R (+/+) mice. The first phase insulin secretion (initiated with 16.7 mM glucose) was of the same magnitude in both genotypes, but the second phase was significantly enhanced in the A(1)R (-/-) pancreata compared with A(1)R (+/+). Insulin- and contraction-mediated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle were not significantly different between in A(1)R (-/-) and A(1)R (+/+) mice. All adenosine receptors were expressed at mRNA level in skeletal muscle in A(1)R (+/+) mice and the mRNA A(2A)R, A(2B)R and A(3)R levels were similar in A(1)R (-/-) and A(1)R (+/+) mice. In conclusion, the A(1)R minimally affects muscle glucose uptake, but is important in regulating pancreatic islet function.
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- Keskitalo, E. Carina H., 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Local consequences of applying international norms : differences in the application of forest certification in northern Sweden, northern Finland, and northwest Russia
- 2009
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Ingår i: Ecology and Society. - : Resilience Alliance Publications. - 1708-3087. ; 14:2, s. 1-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Forest certification, developed in the early 1990s, is a process in which independent assessors grant use of the certification label to producers who meet certain environmental and social criteria set for their forest products. This label was quickly seen to offer a market advantage and to signal corporate social and environmental responsibility. This paper focuses on international norms pertaining to environmental and indigenous rights, as manifested in cases of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)- and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)-compatible certification, and how these norms have been applied domestically and perceived locally in different states. Case studies are drawn from northern Sweden, northern Finland, and three regions in northwest Russia. The studies illustrate that the choice and implementation of certification type depend considerably on national infrastructure and market characteristics and result in substantial differences in the impact that international norms have at the local level.
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