Grants and Fellowships | 2014

38 Small Research Grants The Association of Air Pollution and Blood Glucose Levels Among Patients with Diabetes in the Negev Region Studies suggest that diabetes mellitus is affected directly by air pollution, in addition to being an effect modifier for air pollution associated diseases. In turn, air pollution, which is known to increase inflammatory response, can induce insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. In this study, we aim to evaluate the temporal and spatial associations of particulate matter (PM 10 , PM 2.5 ) and blood glucose (BG) level variations, among patients with diabetes in southern Israel. We retrieved daily data on air pollutants and meteorological variables for the period of 2001-2012 from the local monitoring station in Beer Sheva that records data every 20 minutes. Our preliminary results show significant increase of 0.44% (95%CI: 0.26%-0.59%) and 0.36% (95%CI: 0.24%-0.55%) in blood glucose, associated with an inter-quartile range increase in three day averaged SO 2 and NO 2 , respectively. We are currently working on refining exposure estimates by using a novel satellite-based technique. With broad spatial coverage, satellites now allow us to predict daily PM levels at a 1x1 km spatial resolution, which greatly enhances our ability to estimate subject-specific exposures. These models allow for a better exposure assessment and thus reduce exposure error. Victor Novack 1 | Itai Kloog 2 Idit F. Liberty 1 Maayan Yitshak Sade 1, 2 1. Soroka University Medical Center 2. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 2013- Monocytes and Macrophages as Integrators of Environmental Particles Exposure and Adipose-Derived Factors: Relevance to Adipose Inflammation in Obesity Accumulating evidence supports a potential connection between environmental pollutants (EPs) and obesity and/or type-2-diabetes (T2DM). EPs constitute an independent predictor for T2DM, and obesity predisposes to deleterious metabolic effects of pollutants. We hypothesized a mediatory role for macrophages in EP's-induced adipocyte dysfunction. Macrophages were treated with water extracts of standard diesel engine particles with high/low content of organic compounds (SRM-1650/2975, respectively), and cultured adipocytes were then exposed to this conditioned-medium. SRM2975 increased dose-dependently the secretion of TNF α from macrophages, with no effect on IL-10. Furthermore, it attenuated adipocyte insulin signaling. These results support a biological path for obesity-induced sensitivity to the metabolic disrupting effects of EP exposure. Assaf Rudich 1 | Yinon Rudich 2 James Schauer 3 1. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 2. Weizmann Institute of Science 3. University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA 2013-