Sensitisation to Ambrosia in Switzerland: a public health threat on the wait (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Ambrosia artemisiifolia (short name = Ambrosia common ragweed) pollen is a potent allergen and has recently been found in Switzerland, spreading from the southwest of the country. The aim
HMOX1 and GST variants modify attenuation of FEF25-75% decline due to PM10 reduction (Publications)
Reduced exposure to particulate matter with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 microm (PM(10)) attenuated age-related lung function decline in our cohort, particularly in the small airways. We h
Traffic-related air pollution correlates with adult-onset asthma among never-smokers (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Traffic-related pollution is associated with asthma onset in children. Its effect on adult-onset asthma is poorly investigated. OBJECTIVE: We used the SAPALDIA cohort study to investigate
Development of land use regression models for nitrogen dioxide, ultrafine particles, lung deposited surface area, and four other markers of... (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Land Use Regression (LUR) is a popular method to explain and predict spatial contrasts in air pollution concentrations, but LUR models for ultrafine particles, such as particle number conc
Reduced exposure to PM10 and attenuated age-related decline in lung function (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Air pollution has been associated with impaired health, including reduced lung function in adults. Moving to cleaner areas has been shown to attenuate adverse effects of air pollution on l
Premature atrial contractions in the general population: frequency and risk factors (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Premature atrial contractions (PACs) are independent predictors of atrial fibrillation, stroke and death. However, little is known about PAC frequency in the general population and its ass
Land use regression models for crustal and traffic-related PM2.5 constituents in four areas of the SAPALDIA study (Publications)
Many studies have documented adverse health effects of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), but there is still limited knowledge regarding the causal relationship between specific so
Common SIRT1 variants modify the effect of abdominal adipose tissue on aging-related lung function decline (Publications)
Lung function is an independent predictor of mortality and serves as an aging marker in never smokers. The protein sirtuin-1 of gene SIRT1 has profound anti-inflammatory effects and regulates metaboli
A genome-wide meta-analysis of genetic variants associated with allergic rhinitis and grass sensitization and their interaction with birth order (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic disorder associated with IgE sensitization to grass. The underlying genetic variants have not been studied comprehensively. There
Differences in indoor versus outdoor concentrations of ultrafine particles, PM2.5, PMabsorbance and NO2 in Swiss homes (Publications)
Indoor air quality is a growing concern as we spend the majority of time indoors and as new buildings are increasingly airtight for energy saving purposes. For a better understanding of residential in