5, and presence of bioaerosol components in settled dust. To explore possible mechanisms, we investigated inflammation markers in terms of CRP and leukocyte counts, as well as expression levels of surface adhesion molecules on circulating monocytes by flow cytometry, because monocyte activation with attachment to the endothelium is an important event in the atherosclerotic process (Libby et al., 2002). The study protocol was approved by The Committees on Health

Research Ethics in the Capital Region of Denmark (file no H-4-2010-102), in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants gave written informed consent prior to enrolment in the study. We recruited participants click here from the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB) (Avlund et al., 2014). A total of 80 (22 couples and 36 singles) non-smoking volunteers participated in the study. They had been living in Copenhagen for more than 6 months,

in residences within distances of not more than 500 m from major roads (> 10,000 vehicles per day). Two participants with very high MEK inhibitor CRP levels were excluded from the data analysis due to recent infections treated with antibiotics. The characteristics of the 78 participants are presented in Table 1. The mean age was 55 years with a range from 41 to 68 years, and the average body mass index (BMI) was 25 kg/m2 with a range from 17 to 37 kg/m2. Thirteen participants were taking vasoactive medications (angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, or Org 27569 β-adrenoreceptor blockers), and 2 participants were also taking statins. The study had a cross-sectional design with exposure monitoring for a 2-day period (on average 45 h) prior to the assessment of health outcomes. The participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their health, lifestyle and time–activity, including use of candles and cooking, and with detailed inquiry about their housing and indoor climate. Measurements of MVF and lung function, and the collection

of blood samples were carried out at the end of the 2-day indoor air monitoring period. The study lasted from late October 2011 to mid-February 2012. Data from the measurements of indoor PNC has been reported earlier (Bekö et al., 2013). In brief, indoor PNC was monitored for about 48 h with Philips NanoTracer1000 (Philips Aerasense, Eindhoven, Netherlands) particle counters, which operated continuously with a time resolution of 16 s. The instrument detected the number concentration and mean diameter in the size range of particles between 10 and 300 nm in mobility diameter. We have shown a reasonable agreement between the NanoTracer and a stationary Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (Bekö et al., 2013). In each residence one instrument was placed at a height between 0.5 and 1.5 m above floor level in the living room (Bekö et al., 2013). The average PNC over the whole measured period in each residence was used in the analyses.