The year of the lung: outdoor air pollution and lung health (Publications)
With reference to the Year of the Lung, current knowledge of the respiratory effects of current ambient air pollution is reviewed. Acute respiratory effects are well established. Studies such as SAPAL
Current allergic asthma and rhinitis: diagnostic efficiency of three commonly used atopic markers (IgE, skin prick tests, and Phadiatop). Results from... (Publications)
Total serum IgE, Phadiatop, and the skin prick test (SPT) are commonly used to diagnose atopic diseases. However, no large study has ever been done to test their diagnostic efficiency. We studied the
Associations between lung function and estimated average exposure to NO2 in eight areas of Switzerland (Publications)
In this paper, we present results from the SAPALDIA study (Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults) regarding associations between lung function [forced vital capacity (FVC) and force
<em>SERPINA1</em> gene variants in individuals from the general population with reduced {alpha}1-antitrypsin concentrations (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Individuals with severe deficiency in serum alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) concentrations are at high risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), whereas those carrying the
An automated, interactive analysis system for ultrasound sequences of the common carotid artery (Publications)
Structural parameters of the common carotid artery (CCA) have shown to correlate with the risk of cardiovascular disease, but their precise measurement is challenging. We developed an automatic detect
Exposure to motor vehicle traffic and allergic sensitization. The Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA) Team (Publications)
We examined the association between the presence of an allergic sensitization and seasonal allergic diseases or symptoms and the exposure to road traffic in Basel, Switzerland. Traffic counts at the d
Genome-wide association studies identify CHRNA5/3 and HTR4 in the development of airflow obstruction (Publications)
RATIONALE: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified loci influencing lung function, but fewer genes influencing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are known. OBJECTIVES: Perfor
The influence of HIV on the evolution of <em>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</em> (Publications)
HIV significantly affects the immunological environment during tuberculosis co-infection, and therefore may influence the selective landscape upon which M. tuberculosis evolves. To test this hypothesi
Efficacy and safety of praziquantel against light infections of <em>Opisthorchis viverrini</em>: a randomised parallel single blind dose-ranging trial (Publications)
BACKGROUND: The liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini, highly prevalent in Southeast Asia, is an important public health burden, including a risk factor for developing an aggressive bile duct cancer, cho
Genome-wide interaction analysis of air pollution exposure and childhood asthma with functional follow-up (Publications)
RATIONALE: The evidence supporting an association between traffic-related air pollution exposure and incident childhood asthma is inconsistent, and may depend on genetic factors. OBJECTIVES: To identi