Background and Objectives: Measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) concentration is currently used as a non-invasive biomarker to assess airway inflammation. Many factors can influence the FeNO level. However, there have been no reports concerning factors attributed to FeNO levels in different age groups of children, especially those with high FeNO values. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the influence of selected factors on nitric oxide concentration in exhaled air in children aged 8–9 attending class 3 of public primary schools in Krakow with high FeNO values ≥ 20 ppb. Materials and Methods: The population-based study covered all third-grade pupils attending primary schools in the city of Krakow. Five thousand, four hundred and sixty children participated in the first screening stage, conducted from October 2017 to January 2018. Then, 792 participants with an FeNO level ≥ 20 ppb were selected. Finally, those selected pupils were invited to participate in the second stage, diagnostic, in April 2018. Four hundred and fifty-four children completed the diagnostic stage of the study, and their data was included in the presented analysis. Results and Conclusions: Significantly higher FeNO levels were observed in children diagnosed with the following diseases: asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and allergy (p < 0.05). In addition, it was observed that a higher FeNO concentration characterised children taking antihistamines compared to children not taking those medications (p = 0.008). In multivariate models, we observed that regardless of sex, age, BMI value, home smoking, and whether they were taking medications, children who had allergic rhinitis, or atopic dermatitis, or allergies had significantly higher FeNO levels. The strongest relationship was noted with allergic diseases. The results of our study may be of importance to clinicians when interpreting FeNO results, for example, when making a therapeutic decision.

The consequences of air pollution pose one of the most serious threats to human health, and especially impact children from large agglomerations. The measurement of nitric oxide concentration in exhaled air (FeNO) is a valuable biomarker in detecting and monitoring airway inflammation. However, only a few studies have assessed the relationship between FeNO and the level of air pollution. The study aims to estimate the concentration of FeNO in the population of children aged 8–9 attending the third grade of public primary schools in Krakow, as well as to determine the relationship between FeNO concentration and dust and gaseous air pollutants. The research included 4580 children aged 8–9 years who had two FeNO measurements in the winter–autumn and spring–summer periods. The degree of air pollution was obtained from the Regional Inspectorate of Environmental Protection in Krakow. The concentration of pollutants was obtained from three measurement stations located in different parts of the city. The FeNO results were related to air pollution parameters. The study showed weak but significant relationships between FeNO and air pollution parameters. The most significant positive correlations were found for CO8h (r = 0.1491, p < 0.001), C₆H₆ (r = 0.1420, p < 0.001), PM₁₀ (r = 0.1054, p < 0.001) and PM_2.5 (r = 0.1112, p < 0.001). We suggest that particulate and gaseous air pollutants impact FeNO concentration in children aged 8–9 years. More research is needed to assess the impact of air pollution on FeNO concentration in children. The results of such studies could help to explain the increase in the number of allergic and respiratory diseases seen in children in recent decades.

Obesity is one of the factors leading to the development of atherosclerosis. This metabolic disorder is associated with an increased production of reactive oxygen species, which affect the oxidative stress levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate oxidative/antioxidative status and to investigate the correlation between redox markers and anthropometric parameters and body composition in adult patients after myocardial infarction and in individuals without a cardiovascular event in the past. Descriptive data on socio-demographic, clinical, and anthropometric features and blood samples were collected and categorized into two equal groups: after myocardial infarction (study group (SG), n = 80) and without a cardiovascular event (control group (CG), n = 80). The oxidative/antioxidative status was assessed in plasma on the basis of total oxidative/capacitive status (PerOx), total antioxidative status/capacity (ImAnOx), and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). The oxLDL was significantly higher in the CG group compared to the SG group (p = 0.02). No significant differences were found with regard to PerOx and ImAnOx values between the groups studied. A significant positive correlation between PerOx and percentage of adipose tissue (FM%) and body adiposity index (BAI) was found in the two studied groups. ImAnOx significantly positively correlated with visceral adiposity indexes(VAIs) in SG and FM% in CG. OxLDL negatively correlated with body mass index and waist to hip circumference ratio in CG. The total oxidative/antioxidative status is related to the amount of adipose tissue and the BAIs of the subjects. It was observed that it correlates more frequently with the visceral distribution of body fat.

Obciążenie chorobami związanymi z zanieczyszczeniem powietrza ma poważne znaczenie dla zdrowia ludzi na całym świecie. Wpływ zanieczyszczenia powietrza na organizm człowieka zawiera bardzo szerokie spektrum objawów od najłagodniejszych aż do zgonu. Dzieci, zwłaszcza najmłodsze, ze względu na okres rozwojowy oraz związaną z tym niedojrzałość, są w większym stopniu niż dorośli narażone na wnikanie, koncentrację i toksyczne skutki zanieczyszczeń powietrza w drogach oddechowych. Pomiar stężenie tlenku azotu w wydychanym powietrzu (FeNO) jest cenną i prostą metodą diagnostyczną dostarczającą istotnych informacji o procesach chorobowych toczących się w układzie oddechowym. Jest uznanym biomarkerem oraz wyznacznikiem ilościowym w wykrywaniu oraz monitorowaniu stanu zapalnego górnych i dolnych dróg oddechowych, zwłaszcza zapalenia eozynofilowego, astmy oraz alergicznego nieżytu nosa. Celem pracy jest przedstawienie pomiaru stężenie tlenku azotu w wydychanym powietrzu (FeNO) jako prostej metody przydatnej w ocenie stanu pacjenta pediatrycznego oraz ukazanie wpływu zanieczyszczeń powietrza na poziom FeNO na podstawie dostępnej literatury. Wiele prac badawczych wykazało związek pomiędzy poziomem FeNO a zanieczyszczeniem powietrza. Potrzebne są dalsze badania oceniające wpływ gazowych i pyłowych zanieczyszczeń powietrza na poziom FeNO.