The Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) study was one of the most comprehensive investigations of indoor environmental quality in which a standardized protocol was used to measure bioaerosols in 100 typical US office buildings. The information on the indoor and outdoor concentrations of airborne bacteria in different climate zones during the heating and cooling seasons has expanded the baseline data available for interpretation of measurements from building investigations. With suggested refinements, the BASE protocol may serve as a guide for future studies of bioaerosol concentrations, building characteristics, and occupant perceptions of the indoor environment.
Alterations in cardiac autonomic control, assessed by changes in heart
rate variability (HRV), provide one plausible mechanistic explanation
for consistent associations between exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) and
increased risks of cardiovascular mortality. Decreased
HRV has been linked with exposures to PM10 (PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm) and with fine particles (PM
with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) originating
primarily from combustion sources. However, little is known about
the relationship between HRV and coarse particles [PM with
aerodynamic diameter 10–2.5 μm (PM10–2.5)], which typically result from entrainment of dust and soil or
from mechanical abrasive processes in industry and transportation. We
measured several HRV variables in 19 nonsmoking older adults with coronary
artery disease residing in the Coachella Valley, California, a desert
resort and retirement area in which ambient PM10 consists predominantly of PM10–2.5. Study subjects wore Holter monitors for 24 hr once per week for up to 12 weeks
during spring 2000. Pollutant concentrations were assessed at
nearby fixed-site monitors. We used mixed models that controlled for
individual-specific effects to examine relationships between air pollutants
and several HRV metrics. Decrements in several measures of HRV
were consistently associated with both PM10 and PM10–2.5; however, there was little relationship of HRV variables with PM2.5 concentrations. The magnitude of the associations (~ 1–4% decrease
in HRV per 10-μg/m3 increase in PM10 or PM10–2.5) was comparable with those observed in several other studies of PM. Elevated
levels of ambient PM10–2.5 may adversely affect HRV in older subjects with coronary artery disease.
Shock is a risk factor for operative mortality. Misdiagnosis and treatment of MAA as low back pain, co-existing connective-tissue disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, and Salmonella serogroup C-associated bacteremia are risk factors for aneurysm-related death. Endovascular repair should be considered as an alternative option to the open repair of MAA.
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