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Updated: Aug 21, 2025

Measuring Carbon Content in Airway Macrophages Exposed to Carbon-Containing Particulate Matters
Published on: July 12, 2024
The role of gene-ambient air pollution interactions in paediatric asthma
Jelte Kelchtermans1,2,3, Hakon Hakonarson4,2,3
1Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA kelchtermj@chop.edu.
Abstract:
Globally, asthma prevention and treatment remain a challenge. Ambient air pollution (AAP) is an environmental risk factor of special interest in asthma research. AAP is poorly defined and has been subdivided either by the origin of the air pollution or by the specific bioactive compounds. The link between AAP exposure and asthma exacerbations is well established and has been extensively reviewed. In this narrative review, we discuss the specific genetic variants that have been associated with increased AAP sensitivity and impact in paediatric asthma. We highlight the relative importance of variants associated with genes with a role in oxidant defences and the nuclear factor-κB pathway supporting a potential central role for these pathways in AAP sensitivity.
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