Impaired insulin sensitivity could be an intermediate step that links exposure to air pollution to the development of type 2 diabetes. However, longitudinal associations of air pollution with insulin sensitivity remain unclear. Our study investigated the associations of long-term air pollution exposure with the degree and rate of change of insulin sensitivity. In this longitudinal study, we analysed data from the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) cohort from Augsburg, Germany, which recruited participants aged 25-74 years in the survey between 1999 and 2001 (KORA S4), with two follow-up examinations in 2006-08 (KORA F4) and 2013-14 (KORA FF4). Serum concentrations of fasting insulin and glucose, and homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, a surrogate measure of insulin sensitivity) and β-cell function (HOMA-B, a surrogate marker for fasting insulin secretion) were assessed at up to three visits between 1999 and 2014. Annual average air pollutant concentratiions were positively associated with the annual rate of change in HOMA-IR, HOMA-B, and fasting insulin. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/cloperastine-fendizoate.html Neither the level nor the rate of change of fasting glucose were associated with air pollution exposure. Our study indicates that long-term air pollution exposure could contribute to the development of insulin resistance, which is one of the key factors in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Maternal exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM ) is associated with pregnancy loss (ie, stillbirth and miscarriage). South Asia has the highest burden of pregnancy loss globally and is one of the most PM polluted regions in the world. However, knowledge of the relevant exposure-response function for mothers is insufficient. In this epidemiological case-control study, we collected data from Demographic and Health Surveys from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh for the period 1998-2016 for women who reported at least one pregnancy loss and one or more livebirths. We assessed ambient exposure during gestation with satellite-based PM measurements for the period. To derive the exposure-response function, we did a self-compared case-control study in which each case of pregnancy loss was compared with a successful livebirth control or controls by the same mother. Using the estimated exposure-response function, we quantified pregnancy losses attributable to PM in the region for the period 2000-16 using a2) of the total annual pregnancy loss burden in south Asia for this period. However, our estimates could be biased because of the limitations of the data (eg, misclassification of induced and spontaneous pregnancy losses). Our findings add to epidemiological evidence of the association between pregnancy loss and PM . Suboptimal air quality contributes to a considerable fraction of total pregnancy loss in south Asia. Controlling PM pollution will promote maternal health in south Asia. Chinese Natural Science Foundation and Ministry of Science and Technology of China. Chinese Natural Science Foundation and Ministry of Science and Technology of China.Mastocytosis is a rare myeloid neoplasm characterized by uncontrolled expansion of mast cells, driven in >80% of affected individuals by acquisition of the KIT D816V mutation. To explore the hypothesis that inherited variation predisposes to mastocytosis, we performed a two-stage genome-wide association study, analyzing 1,035 individuals with KIT D816V positive disease and 17,960 healthy control individuals from five European populations. After quality control, we tested 592,007 SNPs at stage 1 and 75 SNPs at stage 2 for association by using logistic regression and performed a fixed effects meta-analysis to combine evidence across the two stages. From the meta-analysis, we identified three intergenic SNPs associated with mastocytosis that achieved genome-wide significance without heterogeneity between cohorts rs4616402 (pmeta = 1.37 × 10-15, OR = 1.52), rs4662380 (pmeta = 2.11 × 10-12, OR = 1.46), and rs13077541 (pmeta = 2.10 × 10-9, OR = 1.33). Expression quantitative trait analyses demonstrated that rs4616402 is associated with the expression of CEBPA (peQTL = 2.3 × 10-14), a gene encoding a transcription factor known to play a critical role in myelopoiesis. The role of the other two SNPs is less clear rs4662380 is associated with expression of the long non-coding RNA gene TEX41 (peQTL = 2.55 × 10-11), whereas rs13077541 is associated with the expression of TBL1XR1, which encodes transducin (β)-like 1 X-linked receptor 1 (peQTL = 5.70 × 10-8). In individuals with available data and non-advanced disease, rs4616402 was associated with age at presentation (p = 0.009; beta = 4.41; n = 422). Additional focused analysis identified suggestive associations between mastocytosis and genetic variation at TERT, TPSAB1/TPSB2, and IL13. These findings demonstrate that multiple germline variants predispose to KIT D816V positive mastocytosis and provide novel avenues for functional investigation.Melanomas represent 3% of all skin cancers but 65% of skin cancer deaths. Metastatic melanoma constitutes about 5% of all secondary malignancies of the lung, yet only 2% of patients with thoracic metastases have pleural effusions. We report the case of an 80-year-old patient with right-sided pleural effusion and a history of cutaneous melanoma over the left leg. Thoracoscopy revealed numerous clusters of pink and black masses arising from the visceral and parietal pleura along with the diaphragmatic surface. Biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic cutaneous melanoma.Tracheomalacia in Straight Back Syndrome (SBS) results from chronic compression of the trachea and the mainstem bronchi mainly due to decreased mediastinal diameter. Mainstay of correction is the increase of mediastinal space and the restoration of the tracheal lumen and stability. Due to the great variability of the manifestation of this disease, invidualized approaches are required. We describe our approach in a 36 year old woman with SBS associated severe tracheobronchomalacia with reconstruction of the proximal aorta, brachiocephalic artery, sternoplasty and anterior tracheopexy which resulted in successful treatment of the condition.