title: Investigating air pollution and atherosclerosis in humans: concepts and outlook.
abstract: Although ambient particulate matter contributes to atherosclerosis in animal models, its role in atherogenesis in humans needs to be established. This article discusses concepts, study design, and choice of health outcomes to efficiently investigate the atherogenic role of ambient air pollution, with an emphasis on early preclinical biomarkers of atherosclerosis that are unaffected by short-term exposure to air pollution (eg, carotid intima-media thickness [CIMT] and functional performance of the vessel). Air pollution studies using these end points are summarized. The CIMT is currently the most frequently used outcome in this field (6 studies). The continuous nature of CIMT, the lack of short-term variation, its relationship to atherosclerotic changes in the artery wall, its predictive value for coronary heart disease, and the noninvasiveness of the assessment make it a useful candidate for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies investigating the role of air pollution in atherogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland. nino.kuenzli@unibas.ch
authors.forename: Nino
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Künzli
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: von Klot
authors.forename: Damiano
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baldassarre
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Basagana
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Breton
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dratva
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elosua
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: de Faire
authors.forename: Kateryna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fuks
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Groot
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marrugat
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Penell
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seissler
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D035843:Biomedical Research; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011634:Public Health; D012107:Research Design; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D052638:Particulate Matter