<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
Clinical diagnosis of current asthma: predictive value of respiratory symptoms in the SAPALDIA study. Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases... (Publications)
Bronchial asthma is a very common disease which often remains underdiagnosed. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of the most common respiratory symptoms and to explore the bes
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
Glutathione S-transferase polymorphisms, passive smoking, obesity, and heart rate variability in nonsmokers (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Disturbances of heart rate variability (HRV) may represent one pathway by which second-hand smoke (SHS) and air pollutants affect cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The mechanisms are
Ten-year follow-up of cluster-based asthma phenotypes in adults: a pooled analysis of three cohorts (Publications)
Rationale: The temporal stability of adult asthma phenotypes identified using clustering methods has never been addressed. Longitudinal cluster-based methods may provide novel insights in the study of
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
Natural-cause mortality and long-term exposure to particle components: an analysis of 19 European cohorts within the multi-center ESCAPE project (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Studies have shown associations between mortality and long-term exposure to particulate matter air pollution. Few cohort studies have estimated the effects of the elemental composition of
Transportation noise and blood pressure in a population-based sample of adults (Publications)
Background: There is some evidence for an association between traffic noise and ischemic heart disease, however associations with blood pressure have been inconsistent and little is known about health