Impact evaluation of environmental factors on respiratory function of asthma patients living in urban territory * Lyudmila V. Veremchuk a, 1 , Konstantinos Tsarouhas b, **, 1 , Tatyana I. Vitkina a , Elena E. Mineeva a , Tatyana A. Gvozdenko a , Marina V. Antonyuk a , Valeri N. Rakitskii c , Karolina A. Sidletskaya a , Aristidis M. Tsatsakis d, e, * , Kirill S. Golokhvast a, d, f a Research Institute of Medical Climatology and Rehabilitation Treatment (Vladivostok Branch of Far Eastern Scientific Center of Physiology and Pathology of Respiration), 73g Russkaya Street, Vladivostok, 690105, Russia b Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Larissa, 41110, Terma Mezourlo, Larissa, Greece c Federal Scientific Center of Hygiene, F.F. Erisman, 2, Semashko Street, Mytishchi, Moscow Region 141014, Russia d Far Eastern Federal University, SEC Nanotechnology, Ajax Settlement, Russkiy Island, Vladivostok, 690922, Russia e Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, GR-71003, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete, Greece f Pacific Geographical Institute, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 7 Radio Street, Vladivostok, 690041, Russia article info Article history: Received 19 September 2017 Received in revised form 30 December 2017 Accepted 31 December 2017 Keywords: Air pollution Snow precipitates Asthma Toxic metals abstract Background: Environmental pollution, local climatic conditions and their association with the prevalence and exacerbation of asthma are topics of intense current medical investigation. Materials and methods: Air pollution in the area of Vladivostock was estimated both by the index of emission volumes of "air gaseous components" (nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide) in urban atmosphere and by mass spectrometric analysis of pre- cipitates in snow samples. A total of 172 local asthma patients (101 controlled-asthma patientseCAP and 71 non-controlled asthma patients e nCAP) were evaluated with the use of spirometry and body plethysmography. Airway obstruction reversibility was evaluated with the use of an inhaled broncho- dilator. Using discriminant analysis the association of environmental parameters with clinical indices of asthma patients is explored and thresholds of impact are established. Results: CAP presented high sensitivity to large-size suspended air particles and to several of the studied climatic parameters. Discriminant analysis showed high values of Wilks’ lambda index (a ¼ 0.69e0.81), which implies limited influence of environmental factors on the respiratory parameters of CAP. nCAP were more sensitive and susceptible to the majority of the environmental factors studied, including air suspended toxic metals particles (Cr, Zn and Ni). Air suspended particles showed higher tendency for pathogenicity in nCAP population than in the CAP, with a wider range of particle sizes being involved. Dust fractions ranging from 0 to 1 mm and from 50 to 100 mm were additionally implicated compared to CAP group. Considerably lowest thresholds levels of impact are calculated for nCAP. © 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd. 1. Introduction The prevalence of respiratory diseases in urban environments is constantly growing and is largely determined by the high levels of technogenic air pollution (Golokhvast et al., 2015). It is believed that asthma occurs mainly among residents of industrialized re- gions world-wide and its prevalence is influenced by climatic changes, the degree of environmental pollution and even lifestyle habits (To et al., 2013; Villeneuve et al., 2007). At the same time it is found that asthma is less frequent in developing countries. How- ever, there are only limited data on environmental factors * This paper has been recommended for acceptance by David Carpenter. * Corresponding author. Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete, GR-71003, Greece. ** Corresponding author. Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Lar- issa,Terma Mezourlo, Larissa, GR-41110, Greece. E-mail addresses: veremchuk_lv@mail.ru (L.V. Veremchuk), ktsarouhas@uhl.gr (K. Tsarouhas), tash30@mail.ru (T.I. Vitkina), vfdnz@mail.ru (E.E. Mineeva), tagvozdenko@mail.ru (T.A. Gvozdenko), antonyukm@mail.ru (M.V. Antonyuk), vtox@yandex.ru (V.N. Rakitskii), d-karolina-a@mail.ru (K.A. Sidletskaya), tsatsaka@uoc.gr (A.M. Tsatsakis), golokhvast.ks@dvfu.ru (K.S. Golokhvast). 1 L.V. Veremchuk and K. Tsarouhas contributed equally. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Environmental Pollution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/envpol https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.12.122 0269-7491/© 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Environmental Pollution 235 (2018) 489e496