Effects of particulate matter on the pulmonary and vascular system: time course in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

"Competing interests The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests."

"AcknowledgementsThis research has been done within the framework of two European projects entitled 'Health effects from motor engine exhaust and ambient pollution (HEPMEAP; QLRT-1999-01582)' and 'Chemical and biological characterization of ambient air coarse, fine, and ultrafine particles for human health risk assessment in Europe (PAMCHAR; QLK4-CT-2001-00423)'. Both projects have been funded by the EC_FP5 Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources Programme. We kindly thank Renaud Vincent of the Environmental Health Centre, Ottawa, Canada for providing EHC-93, and Prof. Gurmukh Singh from VA Medical Centre and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine for providing the anti-CC16 serum. We also thank Rodger Duffin from the Institut für umweltmedizinische forschung gGmbH in Düsseldorf, Germany for performing the MPO measurement. Furthermore, the authors wish to acknowledge Mrs JP Vermeulen for her histotechnical assistance and Ingeborg M. Kooter for critically reading the manuscript. This study has been presented in part at the AAAR PM Meeting in 2003."