Inferring Reasons

The fossil remains of the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, have intrigued paleontologists for more than two centuries. How such large creatures, which weighted in some cases as much as a piloted hang glider and had wingspans from 8 to 12 meters. Solved the problems of powered flight, and exactly what these creatures were reptiles or birds are among the questions scientists have puzzled over. Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls, pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their wings suggests that they did not evolve into the class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a wing like membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws. In birds the second fingure is the principle strut of the wing, which consists primarily of feathers. If the pterosaur walked or remained stationary, the fourth finger, and with it the wing, could only turn upward in an extended inverted V shape along side of the animal‟s body. The pterosaurs resembled both birds and bats in their overall structure and proportions. This is not surprising because the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents a saving in weight. In the birds, however, these bones are reinforced more massively by internal struts.

It can be inferred from the passage that the scientists now generally agree that:

A recent experimental study showed for the first time that pulmonary exposure to the Particulate Matter (PM) within diesel exhaust enhances atherogenesis. The human blood vessel endothelium is a sensitive target for air pollutants. The interactions of the inflammation and coagulation systerms are of the main mechanisms involved in impairment of endothelial function and eventually cardiovascular diseases. The effect of air pollution on inflammation, oxidative stress and cardiovascular risk factors has been demonstrated not only in older adults, but also in young adults as well as in children and adolescents. The inflammation process stimulates the coagulation system and result in increased secrection of Tissue Factor (TF). Endothelial function has key roles in anticoagulant and fibrinolytic systems. In vitro studies have demonstrated significant decrease in endogenous anticoagulation activity, Thrombo Modulin (TM), endothelial protein C receptor antigen and culture of endothelial cells during the inflammation process. A growing body of evidence suggests that the effects of air pollution on the inflammation and the coagulation systems may have a role in endothelial dysfunction and in turn in the progression of cardiovascular diseases. Findings of experimental studies suggest that exposure to air pollution may result in increase in TF and decrease in TM. Atherogenesis starts from the fetal life through interrelations of traditional risk factors with inflammatory, immune and endothelial biomarkers. Air pollution has various harmful effects on this process from early life. Studying the effects of environmental factors on early stages of atherosclerosis in early life can help identify the underlying mechanisms.

Choose the option for the human system mechanisms whose interactions eventually result into cardiovascular diseases due to air pollution?