Impacts of air pollution, temperature, and relative humidity on leukocyte distribution: An epigenetic perspective

Coarse particulate air pollution and mortality in a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cohort

RATIONALE

The association between ambient coarse particulate matter (PM2.5-10) and mortality in multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients has not yet been studied. The modifying effects of temperature and humidity on this association are completely unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effects of long-term PM2.5-10 exposures, and their modifications by temperature and humidity on mortality among MDR-TB patients.

METHODS

A Chinese cohort of 3469 MDR-TB patients was followed up from diagnosis until death, loss to follow-up, or the study's end, averaging 2567 days per patient. PM2.5-10 concentrations were derived from the difference between PM10 and PM2.5. Cox proportional hazard models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) per 3.74 μg/m3 (interquartile range, IQR) exposure to PM2.5-10 and all-cause mortality for the full cohort and individuals at distinct long-term and short-term temperature and humidity levels, adjusting for other air pollutants and potential covariates. Exposure-response relationships were quantified using smoothed splines.

RESULTS

Hazard ratios of 1.733 (95% CI, 1.407, 2.135) and 1.427 (1.114, 1.827) were observed for mortality in association with PM2.5-10 exposures for the full cohort under both long-term and short-term exposures to temperature and humidity. Modifying effects by temperature and humidity were heterogenous across sexes, age, treatment history, and surrounding environment measured by greenness and nighttime light levels. Nonlinear exposure-response curves suggestes a cumulative risk of PM2.5-10-related mortality starting from a low exposure concentration around 15 μg/m3.

CONCLUSION

Long-term exposure to PM2.5-10 poses significant harm among MDR-TB patients, with effects modified by temperature and humidity. Immediate surveillance of PM2.5-10 is crucial to mitigate the progression of MDR-TB severity, particularly due to co-exposures to air pollution and adverse weather conditions.

Dynamic alterations in physiological and biochemical indicators of Cirrhinus mrigala hatchlings: A sublethal exposure of triclosan

Triclosan (TCS), a biocide used in various day-to-day products, has been associated with several toxic effects in aquatic organisms. In the present study, biochemical and hematological alterations were evaluated after 14 d (sublethal) exposure of tap water (control), acetone (solvent control), 5, 10, 20, and 50 μg/L (environmentally relevant concentrations) TCS to the embryos/hatchlings of Cirrhinus mrigala, a major freshwater carp distributed in tropic and sub-tropical areas of Asia. A concentration-dependent increase in the content of urea and protein carbonyl, while a decrease in the total protein, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, and bilirubin was observed after the exposure. Hematological analysis revealed a decrease in the total erythrocyte count, hemoglobin, and partial pressure of oxygen, while there was an increase in the total leucocyte count, carbon dioxide, and partial pressure of carbon dioxide and serum electrolytes. Comet assay demonstrates a concentration-dependent increase in tail length, tail moment, olive tail moment, and percent tail DNA. An amino acid analyzer showed a TCS-dose-dependent increase in various amino acids. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis revealed different proteins ranging from 6.5 to 200 kDa, demonstrating TCS-induced upregulation. Fourier transform infrared spectra analysis exhibited a decline in peak area percents with an increase in the concentration of TCS in water. Curve fitting of amide I (1,700-1600 cm-1) showed a decline in α-helix and turns and an increase in β-sheets. Nuclear magnetic resonance study also revealed concentration-dependent alterations in the metabolites after 14 d exposure. TCS caused alterations in the biomolecules and heamatological parameters of fish, raising the possibility that small amounts of TCS may change the species richness in natural aquatic habitats. In addition, consuming TCS-contaminated fish may have detrimental effects on human health. Consequently, there is a need for the proper utilisation and disposal of this hazardous compound in legitimate quantities.

Impact of climate change on immune responses and barrier defense

Climate change is not just jeopardizing the health of our planet but is also increasingly affecting our immune health. There is an expanding body of evidence that climate-related exposures such as air pollution, heat, wildfires, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss significantly disrupt the functioning of the human immune system. These exposures manifest in a broad range of stimuli, including antigens, allergens, heat stress, pollutants, microbiota changes, and other toxic substances. Such exposures pose a direct and indirect threat to our body's primary line of defense, the epithelial barrier, affecting its physical integrity and functional efficacy. Furthermore, these climate-related environmental stressors can hyperstimulate the innate immune system and influence adaptive immunity-notably, in terms of developing and preserving immune tolerance. The loss or failure of immune tolerance can instigate a wide spectrum of noncommunicable diseases such as autoimmune conditions, allergy, respiratory illnesses, metabolic diseases, obesity, and others. As new evidence unfolds, there is a need for additional research in climate change and immunology that covers diverse environments in different global settings and uses modern biologic and epidemiologic tools.

Epigenome-wide association study on ambient PM2.5 exposure in Han Chinese, the NSPT study

Ambient PM2.5 exposure has been recognized as a major health risk and related to aging, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurologic diseases, and cancer. However, underlying mechanism of epigenetic alteration and regulated pathways still remained unclear. The study on methylome effect of PM2.5 exposure was quite limited in Chinese population, and cohort-based study was absent. The study included blood-derived DNA methylation for 3365 Chinese participants from the NSPT cohort. We estimated individual PM2.5 exposure level of short-medium-, medium- and long-term, based on a validated prediction model. We preformed epigenome-wide association studies to estimate the links between PM2.5 exposure and DNA methylation change, as well as stratification and sensitive analysis to examined the robustness of the association models. A systematic review was conducted to obtain the previously published CpGs and examined for replication. We also conducted comparison on the DNA methylation variation corresponding to different time windows. We further conducted gene function analysis and pathway enrichment analysis to reveal related biological response. We identified a total of 177 CpGs and 107 DMRs associated with short-medium-term PM2.5 exposure, at a strict genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10-8). The effect sizes on most CpGs tended to cease with the exposure of extended time scale. Associated markers and aligned genes were related to aging, immunity, inflammation and carcinogenesis. Enriched pathways were mostly involved in cell cycle and cell division, signal transduction, inflammatory pathway. Our study is the first EWAS on PM2.5 exposure conducted in large-scale Han Chinese cohort and identified associated DNA methylation change on CpGs and regions, as well as related gene functions and pathways.

Exposure to ambient temperature and heat index in relation to DNA methylation age: A population-based study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND

Climate change caused an increase in ambient temperature in the past decades. Exposure to high ambient temperature could result in biological aging, but relevant studies in a warm environment were lacking. We aimed to study the exposure effects of ambient temperature and heat index (HI) in relation to age acceleration in Taiwan, a subtropical island in Asia.

METHODS

The study included 2,084 participants from Taiwan Biobank. Daily temperature and relative humidity data were collected from weather monitoring stations. Individual residential exposure was estimated by ordinary kriging. Moving averages of ambient temperature and HI from 1 to 180 days prior to enrollment were calculated to estimate the exposure effects in multiple time periods. Age acceleration was defined as the difference between DNA methylation age and chronological age. DNA methylation age was calculated by the Horvath's, Hannum's, Weidner's, ELOVL2, FHL2, phenotypic (Pheno), Skin & blood, and GrimAge2 (Grim2) DNA methylation age algorithms. Multivariable linear regression models, generalized additive models (GAMs), and distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) were conducted to estimate the effects of ambient temperature and HI exposures in relation to age acceleration.

RESULTS

Exposure to high ambient temperature and HI were associated with increased age acceleration, and the associations were stronger in prolonged exposure. The heat stress days with maximum HI in caution (80-90°F), extreme caution (90-103°F), danger (103-124°F), and extreme danger (>124°F) were also associated with increased age acceleration, especially in the extreme danger days. Each extreme danger day was associated with 571.38 (95 % CI: 42.63-1100.13), 528.02 (95 % CI: 36.16-1019.87), 43.9 (95 % CI: 0.28-87.52), 16.82 (95 % CI: 2.36-31.28) and 15.52 (95 % CI: 2.17-28.88) days increase in the Horvath's, Hannum's, Weidner's, Pheno, and Skin & blood age acceleration, respectively.

CONCLUSION

High ambient temperature and HI may accelerate biological aging.

Application of exponential smoothing method and SARIMA model in predicting the number of admissions in a third-class hospital in Zhejiang Province

OBJECTIVE

To establish the exponential smoothing prediction model and SARIMA model to predict the number of inpatients in a third-class hospital in Zhejiang Province, and evaluate the prediction effect of the two models, and select the best number prediction model.

METHODS

The data of hospital admissions from January 2019 to September 2022 were selected to establish the exponential smoothing prediction model and the SARIMA model respectively. Then compare the fitting parameters of different models: R2_adjusted, R2, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE)、Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE)、Mean Absolute Error(MAE) and standardized BIC to select the best model. Finally, the established model was used to predict the number of hospital admissions from October to December 2022, and the prediction effect of the average relative error judgment model was compared.

RESULTS

The best fitting exponential smoothing prediction model was Winters Addition model, whose R2_adjusted was 0.533, R2 was 0.817, MAPE was 6.133, MAE was 447.341. The best SARIMA model is SARIMA(2,2,2)(0,1,1)12 model, whose R2_adjusted is 0.449, R2 is 0.199, MAPE is 8.240, MAE is 718.965. The Winters addition model and SARIMA(2,2,2)(0,1,1)12 model were used to predict the number of hospital admissions in October-December 2022, respectively. The results showed that the average relative error was 0.038 and 0.015, respectively. The SARIMA(2,2,2)(0,1,1)12 model had a good prediction effect.

CONCLUSION

Both models can better fit the number of admissions, and SARIMA model has better prediction effect.

The role of peripheral immunity in ALS: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Systemic inflammation has been proposed as a relevant mechanism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Still, comprehensive data on ALS patients' innate and adaptive immune responses and their effect on the clinical phenotype are lacking. Here, we investigate systemic immunity in a population-based ALS cohort using readily available hematological indexes.

METHODS

We collected clinical data and the complete blood count (CBC) at diagnosis in ALS patients from the Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta Register for ALS (PARALS) from 2007 to 2019. Leukocytes populations, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic-immune-inflammation index (SII), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were derived from CBC. All variables were analyzed for association with clinical features in the entire cohort and then in sex- and age-based subgroups.

RESULTS

Neutrophils (P = 0.001) and markers of increased innate immunity (NLR, P = 0.008 and SII, P = 0.006) were associated with a faster disease progression. Similarly, elevated innate immunity correlated with worse pulmonary function and shorter survival. The prognosis in women also correlated with low lymphocytes (P = 0.045) and a decreased LMR (P = 0.013). ALS patients with cognitive impairment exhibited lower monocytes (P = 0.0415).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The dysregulation of the systemic immune system plays a multifaceted role in ALS. More specifically, an elevated innate immune response is associated with faster progression and reduced survival. Conversely, ALS patients with cognitive impairment showed a reduction in monocyte count. Additionally, immune response varied according to sex and age, thus suggesting that involved immune pathways are patient specific. Further studies will help translate those findings into clinical practice or targeted treatments.

Association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and outpatient visits for pulpitis in Hefei, China: a time series study

Evidence suggests a possible association between ambient air pollutants and oral diseases. Nevertheless, information regarding the relationship between air pollutants and pulpitis is scarce and inconclusive. In view of this, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between short-term exposure to air pollution and outpatient visits for pulpitis. Daily data on outpatient visits for pulpitis, air pollutants, and meteorological data in Hefei, China, was collected from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2021. The association between exposure to air pollutants and pulpitis outpatient visits was evaluated using distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) and a generalized linear model (GLM). Furthermore, stratified analyses were performed by gender, age and season. A total of 93,324 records of outpatient visits for pulpitis were included in this study. The results showed that exposure to NO₂, PM_2.5, and CO were positively correlated with an increased risk of pulpitis outpatient visits. Each 10 μg/m³ increase in NO₂ and PM_2.5 concentration, at lag 0-2 day, was associated with a 2.4% (relative risk (RR) = 1.024, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.014-1.035) and 0.5% (RR = 1.005, 95% CI: 1.000-1.010) increase in pulpitis outpatient visits, respectively. With a 1 mg/m³ increase in CO concentration, the risk of pulpitis outpatient visits increased by 9.1% (RR = 1.091, 95% CI: 1.031-1.154, lag 0-1 day). Intriguingly, exposure to O₃ was associated with a decreased risk of pulpitis outpatient visits (RR = 0.990, 95% CI: 0.984-0.995, lag 0-5 day). Subgroup analysis revealed that in the warm season, exposure to PM_2.5, O₃, and CO was related with a significantly higher outpatient risk of pulpitis than in the cold season. Additionally, the influence of PM_2.5 and CO exposure at age < 65 years was significantly stronger than at age ≥ 65 years. In conclusion, exposure to ambient NO₂, PM_2.5, and CO is associated with an increase in pulpitis outpatient visits in Hefei, China. Conversely, exposure to O₃ reduces the risk of outpatient visits for pulpitis. Age and season are effect modifiers of these associations.

Urban particulate air pollution linked to dyslipidemia by modification innate immune cells

Air particulate matter (PM) is an essential risk factor for lipid metabolism disorders. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this cross-sectional study, 216 healthcare workers were recruited to estimate the associations among the daily exposure dose (DED) of air PM, innate immune cells, and plasma lipid levels. All participants were divided into two groups according to the air particulate combined DED (DED-PMC). The peripheral white blood cell counts, lymphocyte counts, and monocyte counts and percentages were higher in the higher-exposure group (HEG) than in the lower-exposure group (LEG), whereas the percentage of natural-killer cells was lower in the HEG than in the LEG. The plasma concentrations of the total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, and apolipoprotein B were higher in the HEG than in the LEG, whereas the HDL-C and apolipoprotein A1 were lower in the HEG than in the LEG. A dose-effect analysis indicated that when the DED of the air PM increased, there were increased peripheral monocyte counts and percentages, a decreased NK cell percentage, elevated plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, and apolipoprotein B, and reduced plasma levels of HDL-C and apolipoprotein A1. In addition, the modification of the innate immune cells was accompanied by alterations in the plasma lipid levels in a dose-dependent manner. Mediation effect analysis suggested innate immune cells were the potential mediators for the associations among air PM exposure on abnormal lipid metabolism. These results indicated that chronic exposure to air PM may disturb lipid metabolism by altering the distribution of innate immune cells in the peripheral blood, ultimately advancing cardiovascular disease risk.

Associations between Short-Term Air Pollution Exposure and the Peripheral Leukocyte Distribution in the Adult Male Population in Beijing, China

The inflammatory effects of air pollution exposure may account for increased public health risk. However, evidence regarding the effects of air pollution on peripheral blood leukocytes in the population is inconsistent. We investigated the association between the short-term effects of ambient air pollution and the peripheral blood leukocyte distribution in adult men in Beijing, China. From January 2015 to December 2019, a total of 11,035 men aged 22-45 years in Beijing were included in the study. Their peripheral blood routine parameters were measured. The ambient pollution monitoring parameters (particulate matter ≤ 10 µm (PM₁₀), PM_2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O₃)) were collected daily. The potential association between ambient air pollution exposure and peripheral blood leukocyte count and classification was analyzed with generalized additive models (GAMs). After adjusting for confounding factors, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, O₃, and CO were significantly correlated with changes to at least one peripheral leukocyte subtype. Short-term and cumulative air pollutant exposure dramatically increased the participants' peripheral blood neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte numbers and decreased eosinophils and basophils. Our results demonstrated that air pollution induced inflammation in the participants. The peripheral leukocyte count and classification can be utilized to evaluate the inflammation induced by air pollution in the exposed male population.

Increased allergic and asthmatic risks in children residing in industrial areas by surveying the pre-inflammatory (IgE, IL-4 and IL-13) biomarkers

Toxic metal(loid)s can lead to high damages on human. This work was conducted to investigate the levels of metal(loid)s in PM2.5 and a total of 123 male children's (aged 6-9 years) blood chosen from different areas in Ahvaz and their association with the pre-inflammatory (Immunoglobulin E and cytokines: IgE, IL-4 and IL-13) responses in serum cells. Six metal(loid)s (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel and lead) in three regions including industrial (Padad), vehicle traffic (Golestan) and reference (Kianpars) areas were studied. Results showed the concentrations of As, Cr, Cd, Ni and Hg in the ambient air of industrial area (Padad) (P < 0.001), and Pb in vehicle traffic area (Golestan) were higher (p < 0.001). Moreover, the mean levels of IgE (mean = 146.44 pg/200landa, P < 0.003), IL-4 (mean = 548.23 pg/200landa, P < 0.001) and IL-13 (mean = 53.21 pg/200landa, P < 0.001) in Padad were higher than Golestan and Kianpars. Our results suggest that living in industrial areas leads to accelerated synthesis of IgE, IL-4 and IL-13 in blood. The spatial distribution of children's serum IgE, IL-4 and IL-13 concentrations showed an abnormal increase of 240 to 400 pg/200landa for IgE, 950 to 1400 pg/200landa for IL-4 and 90 to 128 pg/200landa for IL-13. Our results indicate children in the industrial area are prone to asthma, allergy, miRNA mutation, and other chronic diseases.

Polysaccharides from fermented coix seed modulates circulating nitrogen and immune function by altering gut microbiota

Coix lachryma-jobi L. seed is an important food item in Asia with culinary and medicinal values. The effects of non-fermented coix seed (NFC), fermented coix seed with Lactobacillus plantarum NCU137 (FC) and polysaccharides from NFC, FC (FCP) on mice circulating nitrogen and immune disorder induced by high relative humidity (RH, 90 ± 2%) exposure were compared. All the treatments reduced circulating nitrogen (BUN and ammonia) might via increasing excretion of fecal nitrogen induced by altering gut microbiota. In comparison, FC and FCP restored erythrocyte morphology by promoting erythrocyte Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase activity more effectively, and immune function was modulated by reducing plasma IgM and IFN-γ levels, up-regulating IL-4 and IL-6 levels. Herein, these results indicated that FCP, as the main active ingredient in FC, modulated circulating nitrogen through altering gut microbiota, and restored immune homeostasis by regulating Th1/Th2 cytokines in mice receiving high RH exposure.

Ambient particulate air pollution, blood cell parameters, and effect modification by psychosocial stress: Findings from two studies in three major Chinese cities

The associations between particulate matter (PM) exposure, psychosocial stress and blood cell parameters are bringing novel insights to characterize the early damage of multiple diseases. Based on two studies conducted in three Chinses cities using cross-sectional (Beijing, 425 participants) and panel study (Tianjin and Shanghai, 92 participants with 361 repeated measurements) designs, this study explored the associations between short-term exposure to ambient PM and blood cell parameters, and the effect modification by psychosocial stress. Increasing PM_2.5 exposure was significantly associated with decreases in red blood cell (RBC) count and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and increases in mean corpuscular volume (MCV), platelets count (PLT) and platelet hematocrit (PCT) in both studies. For instance, a 10 μg/m³ increment in PM_2.5 concentration was associated with a 1.04% (95%CI: 0.16%, 1.92%) increase in PLT (4-d) and a 1.09% (95%CI: 0.31%, 1.87%) increase in PCT (4-d) in the cross-sectional study, and a 0.64% (95%CI: 0.06%, 1.22%) increase in PLT (1-d) and a 0.72% (95%CI: 0.33%, 1.11%) increase in PCT (1-d) in the panel study, respectively. In addition, stronger increases in MCV, PLT, and PCT associated with PM_2.5 exposure were found in higher psychosocial stress group compared to lower psychosocial stress group (p for interaction <0.10), indicating that blood cell parameters of individuals with higher psychosocial stress might be more susceptible to the early damages of PM_2.5 exposure.

'Omics in environmental epidemiological studies of chemical exposures: A systematic evidence map

BACKGROUND

Systematic evidence maps are increasingly used to develop chemical risk assessments. These maps can provide an overview of available studies and relevant study information to be used for various research objectives and applications. Environmental epidemiological studies that examine the impact of chemical exposures on various 'omic profiles in human populations provide relevant mechanistic information and can be used for benchmark dose modeling to derive potential human health reference values.

OBJECTIVES

To create a systematic evidence map of environmental epidemiological studies examining environmental contaminant exposures with 'omics in order to characterize the extent of available studies for future research needs.

METHODS

Systematic review methods were used to search and screen the literature and included the use of machine learning methods to facilitate screening studies. The Populations, Exposures, Comparators and Outcomes (PECO) criteria were developed to identify and screen relevant studies. Studies that met the PECO criteria after full-text review were summarized with information such as study population, study design, sample size, exposure measurement, and 'omics analysis.

RESULTS

Over 10,000 studies were identified from scientific databases. Screening processes were used to identify 84 studies considered PECO-relevant after full-text review. Various contaminants (e.g. phthalate, benzene, arsenic, etc.) were investigated in epidemiological studies that used one or more of the four 'omics of interest: epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics . The epidemiological study designs that were used to explore single or integrated 'omic research questions with contaminant exposures were cohort studies, controlled trials, cross-sectional, and case-control studies. An interactive web-based systematic evidence map was created to display more study-related information.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic evidence map is a novel tool to visually characterize the available environmental epidemiological studies investigating contaminants and biological effects using 'omics technology and serves as a resource for investigators and allows for a range of applications in chemical research and risk assessment needs.

Association between meteorological factors and hospital admissions for uveitis in Hefei, China: a time-series study

Meteorological variables are regarded as risk factors for inflammatory diseases, but their associations with uveitis, one of the leading causes accounting for blindness worldwide with an estimated prevalence of 38-714 cases/100,000 person-years, have not been thoroughly investigated. The present study explored the short-term association between meteorological variables and hospital admissions for uveitis in Hefei City, China. Daily data on uveitis hospital admissions and meteorological variables including mean temperature (MT) (°C), diurnal temperature range (DTR) (°C), and relative humidity (RH) (%), from 2014 to 2020, were collected. A time-series study using generalized linear model combined with distributed lag non-linear model was applied. Totally, 1911 admissions for uveitis including 894 first admissions and 1017 readmissions were reported during the study period. The associations of high percentile of MT (75th, 24.5℃) and low percentile of DTR (25th, 5.4℃) with uveitis admissions were observed to be statistically significant from lag9 (RR = 1.041, 95%CI: 1.002-1.081) to lag11 (RR = 1.053, 95%CI: 1.003-1.104) and lag4 (RR = 1.053, 95%CI: 1.019-1.088) to lag5 (RR = 1.052, 95%CI: 1.020-1.085), respectively. Moreover, a significant association between low percentile of RH (1th, 44%) and uveitis admissions appeared at lag0-8 (RR = 1.869, 95%CI: 1.017-3.434) and lasted until lag0-13 (RR = 2.539, 95%CI: 1.102-5.850) in the cumulative lag structure. Subgroup analyses indicated that males and the young seemed to be more sensitive to high MT exposure, while females appeared to be more vulnerable to low DTR exposure. Interestingly, both the young and the elderly are susceptible to low DTR and low RH exposure. Furthermore, high MT and low DTR exposure were associated with increased risk of first admission for uveitis. In summary, exposure to high-value of MT and low-value of DTR and RH may increase the hospital admissions for uveitis, especially for the status of first admission.

Short-term effect of meteorological factors on the risk of rheumatoid arthritis hospital admissions: A distributed lag non-linear analysis in Hefei, China

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, mainly characterized by erosional arthritis. The proportion of adults suffering from RA is about 0.5%-1%. There have been reports on the association of rainfall and traffic-related air pollutants with RA hospitalization rates. However, there have been no studies on the association of diurnal temperature range (DTR) and relative humidity (RH) with RA hospitalization rates. This study aimed to examine the short-term association of DTR, RH and other meteorological factors with the hospital admission rate of RA patients, while excluding the interference of PM_2.5, SO₂, NO₂, CO and O₃ atmospheric pollutants. We collected daily RA occupancy rate and meteorological factor data in Hefei city from 2015 to 2018 and used the generalized additive model (GAM) combined with the distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) for time series analysis, and further stratified analysis by gender and age. Single-day and cumulative-day risk estimates of RA admissions were expressed as relative risk (RR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI). For the cumulative-day lag model, high RH was statistically significant after cumulative lag 0-8 days, and the effect gradually increases. Stratified analysis shows that females seem to be more susceptible to high or extremely high DTR and RH exposure, and extremely high DTR exposure may increase the risk of RA admission in all populations. In conclusion, this study found that high DTR and high RH exposure increased the risk of hospitalization in RA patients and provided clues to the potential association between other meteorological factors and RA.

The selected epigenetic effects of phthalates: DBP, BBP and their metabolites: MBP, MBzP on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (In Vitro)

Phthalates are classified as non-genotoxic carcinogens. These compounds do not cause direct DNA damage but may induce indirect DNA lesions leading to cancer development. In the presented paper we have studied the effect of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), and their metabolites, such as mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP) and monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) on selected epigenetic parameters in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The cells were incubated with tested phthalates at 0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 μg/mL for 24 h. Next, global DNA methylation, methylation in the promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes (P16, TP53) and proto-oncogenes (BCL2, CCND1) were assessed as well as the expression profile of the indicated genes was analysed. The obtained results have revealed significant reduction of global DNA methylation level in PBMCs exposed to BBP, MBP and MBzP. Phthalates changed methylation pattern of the tested genes, decreased expression of P16 and TP53 genes and increased the expression of BCL2 and CCND1. In conclusion, our results have shown that the examined phthalates disturbed the processes of methylation and expression of tumor suppressor genes (P16, TP53) and protooncogenes (BCL2, CCND1) in human PBMCs.

Low ambient temperature as a novel risk factor of oral diseases: A time-series study

BACKGROUND

The seasonal variation of oral diseases has been observed in life, but the influences of oral diseases associated with non-optimal ambient temperature were unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether non-optimum ambient temperature is associated with increased risks of oral diseases.

METHODS

We conducted a time series study based on outpatient data from the Shanghai Health Information Center, containing all public hospitals in Shanghai from 2016 to 2019. Generalized additive models with distributed lagged nonlinear models were applied to fit the data.

RESULT

A total of 3,882,636 outpatient cases of oral diseases were collected. Low temperature (<7 °C) posed increased risks for oral diseases. Daily temperature above 7 °C had no effect on oral diseases. The excess risks were present on the lag 1 day and lasted till lag 7 day. Relative to referent temperatures, the cumulative risks of total oral diseases, pulpitis, periodontitis, gum pain, stomatitis, and glossitis at extreme low temperature (-3 °C, 1st percentile) over lag 0-7 day were 1.92 (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.40, 2.63), 2.40 (95% CI: 1.78, 3.25), 1.62 (95% CI: 1.15, 2.29), 1.75 (95% CI: 1.08, 2.83), 1.81 (95% CI: 1.30, 2.53), and 2.22 (95% CI: 1.23, 3.99). These associations were larger in patients who were above age 60.

CONCLUSION

This study provided novel epidemiological evidence that low ambient temperature may increase the risks of oral diseases. The temperature thresholds for eight oral diseases range from 3 to 7 °C. The excess risks could last for 7 days and were larger in older patients.

Short-term ozone exposure and metabolic status in metabolically healthy obese and normal-weight young adults: A viewpoint of inflammatory pathways

Unhealthy metabolic status increases risks of cardiovascular and other diseases. This study aims to explore whether there is a link between O₃ and metabolic health indicators through a viewpoint of inflammatory pathways. 49 metabolically healthy normal-weight (MH-NW) and 39 metabolically healthy obese (MHO) young adults aged 18-26 years were recruited from a panel study with three visits. O₃ exposure were estimated based on fixed-site environmental monitoring data and time-activity diary for each participant. Compared to MH-NW people, MHO people were more susceptible to the adverse effects on metabolic status, including blood pressure, glucose, and lipid indicators when exposed to O₃. For instance, O₃ exposure was associated with significant decreases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and increases in C-peptide and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) among MHO people, while only weaker changes in HDL-C and LDL-C among MH-NW people. Mediation analyses indicated that leptin mediated the metabolic health effects in both groups, while eosinophils and MCP-1 were also important mediating factors for the MHO people. Although both with a metabolically healthy status, compared to normal-weight people, obese people might be more susceptible to the negative effects of O₃ on metabolic status, possibly through inflammatory indicators such as leptin, eosinophils, and MCP-1.

Short-term exposure to high relative humidity increases blood urea and influences colonic urea-nitrogen metabolism by altering the gut microbiota

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Plasma urea was increased along with erythrocyte Na⁺/K⁺ -ATPase activity reduced and abnormal erythrocyte morphologies appeared during 14-day high relative humidity (90 ± 2%) exposure.

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Shortly after 12-h and 24-h exposures, urea influx and ammonia level were increased in the colon of mice, respectively.

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Colonic urea-nitrogen metabolism was influenced by the increased levels of ammonia, amino acids and short-chain fatty acids during 14-day exposure.

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Gut bacteria related to urease production, amino acids metabolism and SCFAs production was enriched during the exposure.

Introduction

Colonic urea-nitrogen metabolites have been implicated in the pathogenesis of certain diseases which can be affected by environmental factors.

Objectives

We aimed to explore the influence of ambient humidity on colonic urea-nitrogen metabolism.

Methods

Blood biochemical indexes, metabolites of intestinal tract, and gut microbiota composition of mice (n = 10/group) exposed to high relative humidity (RH, 90 ± 2%) were analyzed during the 14-day exposure.

Results

After 12-h exposure, plasma blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level increased along with a decrease in the activity of erythrocyte Na⁺/K⁺ -ATPase. Moreover, abnormal erythrocyte morphologies appeared after 3 days of exposure. The colonic BUN and ammonia levels increased significantly after the 12-h and 24-h exposure, respectively. The colonic level of amino acids, partly synthesized by gut microbiota using ammonia as the nitrogen source, was significantly higher on the 7th day. Furthermore, the level of fecal short-chain fatty acids was significantly higher after 3-day exposure and the level of branched-chain fatty acids increased on the 14th day. Overall, gut microbiota composition was continuously altered during exposure, facilitating the preferential proliferation of urea-nitrogen metabolism bacteria.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that short-term high RH exposure influences colonic urea-nitrogen metabolism by increasing the influx of colonic urea and altering gut microbiota, which might further impact the host health outcomes.

Early life exposure to air pollution and cell-mediated immune responses in preschoolers

BACKGROUND

Exposure to air pollution has been linked with altered immune function in adults, but little is known about its effects on early life. This study aimed to investigate the effects of exposure to air pollution during prenatal and postnatal windows on cell-mediated immune function in preschoolers.

METHODS

Pre-school aged children (2.9 ± 0.5 y old, n = 391) were recruited from a mother-child cohort study in Wuhan, China. We used a spatial-temporal land use regression (LUR) model to estimate exposures of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5) and ≤10 μm (PM₁₀), and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) during the specific trimesters of pregnancy and the first two postnatal years. We measured peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets and plasma cytokines as indicators of cellular immune function. We used multiple informant models to examine the associations of prenatal and postnatal exposures to air pollution with cell-mediated immune function.

RESULTS

Prenatal exposures to PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ during early pregnancy were negatively associated with %CD3⁺ and %CD3⁺CD8⁺ cells, and during late pregnancy were positively associated with %CD3⁺ cells. Postnatal exposures to these air pollutants during 1-y or 2-y childhood were positively associated with IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and TNF-α. We also observed that the associations of prenatal or postnatal air pollution exposures with cellular immune responses varied by child's sex.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that exposure to air pollution during different critical windows of early life may differentially alter cellular immune responses, and these effects appear to be sex-specific.

Effect of ambient air PM2.5-bound heavy metals on blood metal(loid)s and children's asthma and allergy pro-inflammatory (IgE, IL-4 and IL-13) biomarkers

BACKGROUND

We investigated the concentrations of metals in fine particulate matter PM_2.5 in the outdoor air around the home sites of 123 male children from Ahvaz, average age 7.56, along with their blood samples to measure pro-inflammatory responses (Immunoglobulin E and cytokines: IgE, IL-4 and IL-13).

METHODS

We measured 6 metals (As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni and Pb) in three Ahvaz's regions including industrial (Padad), vehicle traffic (Golestan) and control (Kianpars).

RESULTS

The higher concentrations of metals in the Padad as the industrial ambient air i.e., arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury and nickel coincided with the higher concentrations of those metals in exposed children (P < 0.05) versus the controls. Children in Golestan, the high traffic air pollution area had the highest lead concentrations (p < 0.05). Also a significant association was shown in Padad between blood arsenic and IgE (β = 26.59, P < 0.001), IL-4 (β = 172.1, P < 0.001) and IL-13 (β = 14.84, P < 0.001), blood chromium and IgE (β = 10.38, P < 0.001), IL-4 (β = 75.27, P < 0.001) and IL-13 (β = 5.27, P < 0.001) and blood mercury and IgE (β = 13.11, P < 0.001), IL-4 (β = 108.09, P < 0.001) and IL-13 (β = 7.96, P < 0.001) and blood lead and IgE(β = 0.92, P = 0.025), IL-4(β = 7.16, P < 0.001) and IL-13(β = 0.58, P = 0.003). However, no significant relation was found for Cadmium, Nickel in blood with IgE, IL-4 and IL-13 levels. Moreover, children from industrial areas showed significantly higher concentrations of IgE (mean = 146.44 pg/200landa, P < 0.001), IL-4 (mean = 548.23 pg/200landa, P < 0.001) and IL-13 (mean = 52.93 pg/200landa, P < 0.001) versus Golestan and Kianpars.

CONCLUSION

Children residing in an industrial area with high concentrations of metals in PM_2.5 had high metals in blood and high production of IgE, IL-4 and IL-13, reflecting an immune dysregulation and brisk inflammatory responses.

Pleiotropic Outcomes of Glyphosate Exposure: From Organ Damage to Effects on Inflammation, Cancer, Reproduction and Development

Glyphosate is widely used worldwide as a potent herbicide. Due to its ubiquitous use, it is detectable in air, water and foodstuffs and can accumulate in human biological fluids and tissues representing a severe human health risk. In plants, glyphosate acts as an inhibitor of the shikimate pathway, which is absent in vertebrates. Due to this, international scientific authorities have long-considered glyphosate as a compound that has no or weak toxicity in humans. However, increasing evidence has highlighted the toxicity of glyphosate and its formulations in animals and human cells and tissues. Thus, despite the extension of the authorization of the use of glyphosate in Europe until 2022, several countries have begun to take precautionary measures to reduce its diffusion. Glyphosate has been detected in urine, blood and maternal milk and has been found to induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and several cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in vitro and in animal models directly or indirectly through its metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). This review aims to summarize the more relevant findings on the biological effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of glyphosate, with a particular focus on glyphosate's potential to induce inflammation, DNA damage and alterations in gene expression profiles as well as adverse effects on reproduction and development.

Influence of air pollutants on varicella among adults

Little attention has been paid to the relationship between air pollutants and varicella among adults. We used data collected in Qingdao, China from 2014 to 2019. A combination of quasi-Poisson generalized linear model (GLM) and distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was applied to evaluate the association between exposure to air pollutants and varicella. And the effects of exposure to extremely high concentration (at 97.5th percentile) and low concentration (at 2.5th percentile) of air pollutants on varicella were also calculated. The level II of GB3095-2012 was used as the reference. A 10 μg/m³ increase of PM_2.5 was significantly associated with an increased risk of varicella (lag day: 4, 5 and 6). The negative associations were found for NO₂ per 10 μg/m³ increase from lag 15 to 19 day. The high PM_2.5 concentration (135 μg/m³) was significantly associated with the increased risk of varicella (lag day: 6, 7). For NO₂, the negative association was found at high concentration (75 μg/m³) on lag 15 to 20 day; and the positive relationship was shown at low concentration (10 μg/m³) on lag 15 to 20 day. Exposure to PM_2.5 and NO₂ were significantly associated with the risk of varicella among adults.

Short-term exposure to PM2.5 components and renal health: Findings from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study

There is little evidence on the short-term impact of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) on renal health, and the potential interactions and various influences of PM_2.5 components on renal health have not been examined. We investigated whether short-term (≤28 days) ambient PM_2.5 and 15 PM_2.5 components were associated with serum uric acid (SUA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and odds of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) using both mixed-effect and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models in the Normative Aging Study. This analysis included 2466 study visits from 808 older males enrolled during 1998-2016 with available data. BKMR showed positive relationships of PM_2.5 mixture with SUA and odds of CKD, and an inverse relationship with eGFR. In the 28-day exposure window, an interquartile range (IQR) increase in vanadium was associated with a 0.244-mg/dL higher SUA. IQR increases in sulfur and lead were associated with a 1.281- and 1.008-mL/min/1.73 m² decrease in eGFR, respectively. The same change in sulfur was also associated with a 39% higher odds of CKD. Our findings provide solid evidence supporting short-term adverse effects of PM_2.5 on renal health and further highlight that components from oil combustion and regional pollution may be major contributors.

Long-term residential exposure to air pollution is associated with hair cortisol concentration and differential leucocyte count in Flemish adolescent boys

BACKGROUND

Exposure to air pollution and traffic noise are associated with adverse health outcomes in adolescents. Chronic endocrine stress and systemic inflammation have been hypothesized to underlie the adverse health effects. Simultaneous assessment of inflammation and chronic endocrine stress in epidemiological studies is lacking. The aim of the study was to investigate biomarkers of chronic endocrine stress and inflammation in relation to long-term residential exposure to air pollution and traffic noise in adolescents.

METHODS

In Flemish adolescents (14-15 years), we determined hair cortisol concentration (HCC) as a chronic stress biomarker in 3-cm scalp-near hair sections (n = 395), and leucocyte and leucocyte subtype counts (neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes) as inflammatory biomarkers in peripheral blood (n = 385). Daily particulate matter (PM_2.5, PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and black carbon (BC) concentrations were modelled at the residential address and averaged over 3-month and 1-year periods prior to sampling. Residential traffic noise level was estimated and classified in 5 dB intervals. Sex-specific associations between residential exposures and effect biomarkers were studied using linear regression models, adjusted for a priori selected covariates.

RESULTS

In boys, HCC increased with a factor 1.30 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.54) for an increase in 1-year mean NO₂ from the 25th to 75th percentile (p75/p25), after adjustment for age, BMI, personal and neighborhood socioeconomic status. The corresponding estimate for PM₁₀ was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.51). Total leucocyte count in boys, adjusted for the aforementioned covariates and recent health complaints, was positively associated with PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂ and BC. In particular, the neutrophil count increased with a factor 1.11 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.19) for a (p75/p25)-factor increase in 1-year mean BC, corresponding estimates for PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and NO₂ were 1.10 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.19), 1.10 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.20) and 1.08 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.16). Lymphocyte count increased with a factor 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.10) for a (p75/p25)-factor increase in 1-year mean NO₂. Similar results were observed for 3-month mean exposures. Results were robust to adjustment for recent air pollution exposure. In girls, air pollutants were not associated with HCC or differential leucocyte count. Residential traffic noise level was not associated with HCC or leucocyte counts in boys nor girls.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term residential exposure to air pollutants was positively associated with chronic endocrine stress and inflammation in adolescent boys, not in girls. This study may contribute to a better understanding of the early pathophysiological changes that may underlie adverse health effects of air pollution exposure in adolescents.

Ambient air pollution and posttransplant outcomes among kidney transplant recipients

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ), a common form of air pollution which can induce systemic inflammatory response, is a risk factor for adverse health outcomes. Kidney transplant (KT) recipients are likely vulnerable to PM2.5 due to comorbidity and chronic immunosuppression. We sought to quantify the association between PM2.5 and post-KT outcomes. For adult KT recipients (1/1/2010-12/31/2016) in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, we estimated annual zip-code level PM2.5 concentrations at the time of KT using NASA's SEDAC Global PM2.5 Grids. We determined the associations between PM2.5 and delayed graft function (DGF) and 1-year acute rejection using logistic regression and death-censored graft failure (DCGF) and mortality using Cox proportional hazard models. All models were adjusted for sociodemographics, recipient, transplant, and ZIP code level confounders. Among 87 233 KT recipients, PM2.5 was associated with increased odds of DGF (OR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.48-1.71) and 1-year acute rejection (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.17-1.46) and increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.07-1.23) but not DCGF (HR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.97-1.51). In conclusion, PM2.5 was associated with higher odds of DGF and 1-year acute rejection and elevated risk of mortality among KT recipients. Our study highlights the importance of considering environmental exposure as risk factors for post-KT outcomes.

Ambient temperature and genome-wide DNA methylation: A twin and family study in Australia

Little is known about the association between ambient temperature and DNA methylation, which is a potential biological process through which ambient temperature affects health. This study aimed to evaluate the association between ambient temperature and DNA methylation across human genome. We included 479 Australian women, including 132 twin pairs and 215 sisters of these twins. Blood-derived DNA methylation was measured using the HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array. Data on average ambient temperature during eight different exposure windows [lag0d (the blood draw day), lag0-7d (the current day and previous seven days prior to blood draw), lag0-14d, lag0-21d, lag0-28d, lag0-90d, lag0-180d, and lag0-365d)] was linked to each participant's home address. For each cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG), we evaluated the association between its methylation level and temperature using generalized estimating equations (GEE), adjusting for important covariates. We used comb-p and DMRcate to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs). We identified 31 CpGs at which blood DNA methylation were significantly associated with ambient temperature with false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.05. There were 82 significant DMRs identified by both comb-p (Sidak p-value < 0.01) and DMRcate (FDR < 0.01). Most of these CpGs and DMRs only showed association with temperature during one specific exposure window. These CpGs and DMRs were mapped to 85 genes. These related genes have been related to many human chronic diseases or phenotypes (e.g., diabetes, arthritis, breast cancer, depression, asthma, body height) in previous studies. The signals of short-term windows (lag0d and lag0-21d) showed enrichment in biological processes related to cell adhesion. In conclusion, short-, medium-, and long-term exposures to ambient temperature were all associated with blood DNA methylation, but the target genomic loci varied by exposure window. These differential methylation signals may serve as potential biomarkers to understand the health impacts of temperature.

Effects of noise and low-concentration carbon monoxide exposure on rat immunity

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the immunotoxicity and effects of noise and/or low-concentration carbon monoxide (CO) exposure on immune organs and immune functions in rats.

METHODS

Male Wistar rats exposed to 98 dB(A) white noise and/or 100 ppm CO 4 h/d for 30 d were used to determine the pathological changes in the thymus and spleen, and variations in leukocyte counts, inflammatory factors, and immunoglobulin (Ig) concentrations.

RESULTS

The boundaries of the cortex and medulla of the thymus were unclear following noise and combined exposure. The pathological changes in spleen after CO and combined exposure included blurred boundaries of red-pulp and white-pulp, disappearance of normal splenic nodules and neutrophil infiltration. After exposure to noise and in combination, leukocyte and lymphocyte counts decreased significantly. After exposure to low-concentration CO and in combination, serum IgM and IgG levels decreased significantly, but the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ levels increased significantly. Eosinophils and IgA levels decreased significantly following exposure to noise and/or low concentration of CO, while the level of interleukin-1 increased significantly. Monocytes increased significantly only under noise or CO exposure, but not under combined exposure.

CONCLUSIONS

Noise and/or low-concentration CO exposure may suppress innate and adaptive immune functions and induce inflammatory responses. Noise exposure mainly affected the innate immune function of rats, whereas low-concentration CO exposure mainly affected adaptive immune functions. Combined exposure presented higher immunotoxicity than noise or CO alone, suggesting that exposure to noise and low-concentration CO in the living and working environments can affect the immune system.

Role of atmospheric particulate matter exposure in COVID-19 and other health risks in human: A review

Due to intense industrialization and urbanization, air pollution has become a serious global concern as a hazard to human health. Epidemiological studies found that exposure to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) causes severe health problems in human and significant damage to the physiological systems. In recent days, PM exposure could be related as a carrier for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus transmission and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Hence, it is important to understand the adverse effects of PM in human health. This review aims to provide insights on the detrimental effects of PM in various human health problems including respiratory, circulatory, nervous, and immune system along with their possible toxicity mechanisms. Overall, this review highlights the potential relationship of PM with several life-limiting human diseases and their significance for better management strategies.

The Association Pattern between Ambient Temperature Change and Leukocyte Counts

Ambient temperature change is one of the risk factors of human health. Moreover, links between white blood cell counts (WBC) and diseases have been revealed in the literature. Still, we do not know of any association between ambient temperature change and WBC counts. The aim of our study is to investigate the relationship between ambient temperature change and WBC counts. We conducted this two-year population-based observational study in Kaohsiung city, recruiting voluntary community participants. Total WBC and differential counts, demographic data and health hazard habits were collected and matched with the meteorological data of air-quality monitoring stations with participants’ study dates and addresses. Generalized additive models (GAM) with penalized smoothing spline functions were performed for the trend of temperature changes and WBC counts. There were 9278 participants (45.3% male, aged 54.3 ± 5.9 years-old) included in analysis. Compared with stable weather conditions, the WBC counts were statistically higher when the one-day lag temperature changed over 2 degrees Celsius, regardless of whether colder or hotter. We found a V-shaped pattern association between WBC counts and temperature changes in GAM. The ambient temperature change was associated with WBC counts, and might imply an impact on systematic inflammation response.

Short-term air pollution, cognitive performance and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study

Air pollution, especially the fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), may impair cognitive performance^1-3, but its short-term impact remains poorly understood. We investigated the short-term associations of PM_2.5 with the cognitive performances of 954 white males measured as the global cognitive function (GCF) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, and further explored whether taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could modify their relationships. Higher short-term exposure to PM_2.5 demonstrated non-linear negative associations with cognitive function. Compared with the lowest quartile of the 28-day average PM_2.5 concentration, the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th quartiles were associated with 0.378-, 0.376-, and 0.499-unit decreases in GCF score, 0.484-, 0.315-, and 0.414-unit decreases in MMSE score, and 69%, 45%, and 63% greater odds of low MMSE scores (≤25), respectively. Such adverse effects were attenuated among NSAIDs users compared to non-users. This study elucidates the short-term impacts of air pollution on cognition and warrants further investigations on the modifying effects of NSAIDs.

High Ambient Temperature Aggravates Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis Symptoms

Whether ambient temperature influences immune responses leading to uveitis is unknown. We thus tested whether ambient temperature affects the symptoms of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in mice and investigated possible mechanisms. C57BL/6 mice were kept at a normal (22°C) or high temperature (30°C) housing conditions for 2 weeks and were then immunized with human interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP651–670) peptide to induce EAU. Histological changes were monitored to evaluate the severity of uveitis. Frequency of Th1 cells and Th17 cells was measured by flow cytometry (FCM). The expression of IFN-γ and IL-17A mRNA was measured by real-time qPCR. The generation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Differential metabolites in the plasma of the mice kept in the aforementioned two ambient temperatures were measured via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QQQ/MS). The differential metabolites identified were used to evaluate their effects on differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells and generation of NETs in vitro. The results showed that EAU mice kept at high temperature experienced a more severe histopathological manifestation of uveitis than mice kept at a normal temperature. A significantly increased frequency of Th1 and Th17 cells in association with an upregulated expression of IFN-γ and IL-17A mRNA was observed in the splenic lymphocytes and retinas of EAU mice in high temperature. The expression of NETs as evidenced by myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase (NE), was significantly elevated in serum and supernatants of neutrophils from EAU mice kept at high temperature compared to the normal temperature group. The metabolites in the plasma from EAU mice, fumaric acid and succinic acid, were markedly increased in the high temperature group and could induce the generation of NETs via the NADPH oxidase-dependent pathway, but did not influence the frequency of Th1 and Th17 cells. Our findings suggest that an increased ambient temperature is a risk factor for the development of uveitis. This is associated with the induction of Th1 and Th17 cells as well as the generation of NETs which could be mediated by the NADPH oxidase-dependent pathway.

Physical activity attenuated the association of air pollutants with telomere length in rural Chinese adults

BACKGROUND

Exposure to air pollutants (nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matters (PMs)) or physical inactivity is linked to telomere length (TL) shortening. However, there is a lack of research on combined effects of either NO₂ or PMs and physical activity (PA) on TL. This study aimed to explore the joint associations of air pollutants (NO₂ or PMs) and PA with relative TL in rural Chinese adults.

METHODS

This study was conducted among 2704 participants aged 18-79 years in rural China. Concentrations of NO₂ and PMs (PM with an aerodynamics diameter ≤ 1.0 μm (PM₁), ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5) or ≤10 μm (PM₁₀)) were estimated using random forest models incorporated with satellites data, meteorological data, and land use information. Relative TL of each participant was measured by a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Linear regression models were applied to examine the independent associations between PA, NO₂ or PMs and relative TL. Interaction plots were used to depict the altered associations between NO₂, PM₁, PM_2.5, or PM₁₀ and relative TL along with increasing PA levels.

RESULTS

Each 1 μg/m³ increment in NO₂, PM₁, PM_2.5, or PM₁₀ was associated with a 0.038 (95% confidence intervals (CI): -0.044, -0.033), 0.036 (95% CI: -0.041, -0.031), 0.052 (95% CI: -0.059, -0.045), or 0.022 (95% CI: -0.025, -0.019) decrease in relative TL among all participants; similar findings were observed among normal glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) participants as well as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. PA at certain levels counteracted the association of air pollutants (NO₂, PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀) with relative TL among IFG participants or T2DM patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term exposure to NO₂ and PMs was associated with relative TL shortening and these effects may be counteracted by PA at certain levels in IFG participants or T2DM patients.

Hallmarks of environmental insults

Environmental insults impair human health around the world. Contaminated air, water, soil, food, and occupational and household settings expose humans of all ages to a plethora of chemicals and environmental stressors. We propose eight hallmarks of environmental insults that jointly underpin the damaging impact of environmental exposures during the lifespan. Specifically, they include oxidative stress and inflammation, genomic alterations and mutations, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction, endocrine disruption, altered intercellular communication, altered microbiome communities, and impaired nervous system function. They provide a framework to understand why complex mixtures of environmental exposures induce severe health effects even at relatively modest concentrations.

The selected epigenetic effects of aminomethylphosphonic acid, a primary metabolite of glyphosate on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (in vitro)

Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) is a primary metabolite of glyphosate and amino-polyphosphonate. We have determined the effect of AMPA on selected epigenetic parameters and major cell cycle drivers in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The cells were incubated with AMPA at 0.5, 10 and 250 μM for 24 h. The performed analysis included: global DNA methylation by colorimetric measurement of 5-methylcytosine in DNA, methylation in the promoter regions of selected tumor suppressor genes (P16, P21, TP53) and proto-oncogenes (BCL2, CCND1) as well as the expression profile of the indicated genes by Real-Time PCR assays. The obtained results have revealed significant reduction of global DNA methylation level in PBMCs exposed to AMPA. Investigated xenobiotic changed methylation pattern of the P21 and TP53 suppressor gene promoters, but in case of other analyzed genes: P16, BCL2 and CCND1 no statistically significant changes have been noted. Gene profiling have shown that AMPA only changed the expression of CCND1. Summing up, our results have revealed a small potential disturbance in methylation processes and the absence of changes in expression of tested tumor suppressor genes (P16, P21, TP53) and protooncogenes (BCL2) in human PBMCs exposed to AMPA.

Comparative validation of an epigenetic mortality risk score with three aging biomarkers for predicting mortality risks among older adult males

BACKGROUND

A 'mortality risk score' (MS) based on ten prominent mortality-related cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites was previously associated with all-cause mortality, but has not been verified externally. We aimed to validate the association of MS with mortality and to compare MS with three aging biomarkers: telomere length (TL), DNA methylation age (DNAmAge) and phenotypic age (DNAmPhenoAge) to explore whether MS can serve as a reliable measure of biological aging and mortality.

METHODS

Among 534 males aged 55-85 years from the US Normative Aging Study, the MS, DNAmAge and DNAmPhenoAge were derived from blood DNA methylation profiles from the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip, and TL was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

RESULTS

A total of 147 participants died during a median follow-up of 9.4 years. The MS showed strong associations with all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality. After controlling for all potential covariates, participants with high MS (>5 CpG sites with aberrant methylation) had almost 4-fold all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 3.84, 95% confidence interval: 1.92-7.67) compared with participants with a low MS (0-1 CpG site with aberrant methylation). Similar patterns were observed with respect to CVD and cancer mortality. MS was associated with TL and DNAmPhenoAge acceleration but not with DNAmAge acceleration. Although the MS and DNAmPhenoAge acceleration were independently associated with all-cause mortality, the former exhibited a higher predictive accuracy of mortality than the latter.

CONCLUSIONS

MS has the potential to be a prominent predictor of mortality that could enhance survival prediction in clinical settings.

Association of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio With Pulmonary Function in a 30-Year Longitudinal Study of US Veterans

IMPORTANCE

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a critical public health burden. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an inflammation biomarker, has been associated with COPD morbidity and mortality; however, its associations with lung function decline and COPD development are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the associations of NLR with lung function decline and COPD risks.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This longitudinal cohort study included white male veterans in the US with more than 30 years of follow-up to investigate the associations of NLR with lung function, COPD, and hypomethylation of cg05575921, the top DNA methylation marker of lung function changes in response to tobacco smoking. This study included 7466 visits from 1549 participants, each examined up to 13 times between 1982 and 2018. A subgroup of 1411 participants without COPD at baseline were selected to analyze the association of NLR with incident COPD. Data were analyzed from September 2019 to January 2020.

EXPOSURES

The primary exposure was NLR, which was estimated using automated whole blood cell counts based on a blood sample collected at each visit. The methylation level of cg05575921 was measured in blood DNA from a subgroup of 1228 visits.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The outcomes of interest were lung function, measured as forced respiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) in liters, forced vital capacity (FVC) in liters, percentage of FVC exhaled in the first second (FEV1/FVC), and maximal midexpiratory flow rate (MMEF) in liters per minute and COPD status, defined as meeting the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases stage II (or higher) criteria. Both outcomes were measured as each visit.

RESULTS

Among 1549 included men (mean [SD] age, 68.3 [9.3] years) with 7466 visits from 1982 to 2018, a 1-unit increase in NLR was associated with statistically significant mean (SE) decreases of 0.021 (0.004) L in FEV1, 0.016 (0.005) L in FVC, 0.290% (0.005) L in FVC, 0.290% (0.065%) in FEV1/FVC, and 3.65 (0.916) L/min MMEF. Changes in NLR up to approximately 10 years were associated with corresponding longitudinal changes in lung function. Furthermore, this increase in NLR was associated with 9% higher odds of COPD (odds ratio, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.03-1.15]) for all visits and 27% higher risk of incident COPD (odds ratio, 1.07 [95% CI, 1.07-1.51]) for participants without COPD at baseline. Additionally, a 1-unit increase in NLR was associated with a mean (SE) decrease of 0.0048 (0.0021 in cg05575921 hypomethylation, which may mediate the adverse association of NLR-related inflammation on lung function.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

These findings suggest that NLR may be a clinically relevant biomarker associated with high risk of lung function impairment and COPD alone or in combination with DNA methylation profiles.

The association between ambient temperature and clinical visits for inflammation-related diseases in rural areas in China

BACKGROUND

The association between temperature and mortality has been widely reported. However, it remains largely unclear whether inflammation-related diseases, caused by excessive or inappropriate inflammatory reaction, may be affected by ambient temperature, particularly in low-income areas.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the association between ambient temperature and clinical visits for inflammation-related diseases in rural villages in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, during 2012─2015.

METHODS

Daily data on inflammation-related diseases and weather conditions were collected from 258 villages in Haiyuan (161 villages) and Yanchi (97 villages) counties during 2012─2015. A Quasi-Poisson regression with distributed lag non-linear model was used to examine the association between temperature and clinical visits for inflammation-related diseases. Stratified analyses were performed by types of diseases including arthritis, gastroenteritis, and gynecological inflammations.

RESULTS

During the study period, there were 724,788 and 288,965 clinical visits for inflammation-related diseases in Haiyuan and Yanchi, respectively. Both exposure to low (RR: 2.045, 95% CI: 1.690, 2.474) and high temperatures (RR: 1.244, 95% CI: 1.107, 1.399) were associated with increased risk of total inflammation-related visits in Haiyuan county. Low temperatures were associated with increased risks of all types of inflammation-related diseases in Yanchi county (RR: 4.344, 95% CI: 2.887, 6.535), while high temperatures only affected gastroenteritis (RR: 1.274, 95% CI: 1.040, 1.561). Moderate temperatures explained approximately 26% and 33% of clinical visits due to inflammation-related diseases in Haiyuan and Yanchi, respectively, with the burden attributable to cold exposure higher than hot exposure. The reference temperature values ranged from 17 to 19 in Haiyuan, and 12 to 14 in Yanchi for all types of clinical visits.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings add additional evidence for the adverse effect of suboptimal ambient temperature and provide useful information for public health programs targeting people living in rural villages.

Quantification of the pace of biological aging in humans through a blood test, the DunedinPoAm DNA methylation algorithm

Biological aging is the gradual, progressive decline in system integrity that occurs with advancing chronological age, causing morbidity and disability. Measurements of the pace of aging are needed as surrogate endpoints in trials of therapies designed to prevent disease by slowing biological aging. We report a blood-DNA-methylation measure that is sensitive to variation in pace of biological aging among individuals born the same year. We first modeled change-over-time in 18 biomarkers tracking organ-system integrity across 12 years of follow-up in n = 954 members of the Dunedin Study born in 1972-1973. Rates of change in each biomarker over ages 26-38 years were composited to form a measure of aging-related decline, termed Pace-of-Aging. Elastic-net regression was used to develop a DNA-methylation predictor of Pace-of-Aging, called DunedinPoAm for Dunedin(P)ace(o)f(A)ging(m)ethylation. Validation analysis in cohort studies and the CALERIE trial provide proof-of-principle for DunedinPoAm as a single-time-point measure of a person's pace of biological aging.

The association between ambient particulate matters, nitrogen dioxide, and childhood scarlet fever in Hangzhou, Eastern China, 2014-2018

BACKGROUND

The emerging cases of childhood scarlet fever (SF) and worsening air pollution problems in Chinese cities suggests a potential linkage between them. However, few studies had explored this association in a large childhood population.

METHODS

We conducted a time-series analysis using the daily count of SF and the daily concentrations of particulate matters with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 (PM_2.5) and 10 (PM₁₀), as well as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in Hangzhou, China from 2014 to 2018. Distributed lag nonlinear models were used to estimate the lag effects of PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and NO₂ for a maximum lag of 10 days, which were quantified using relative risk (RR) comparing the adjusted risks at the 2.5th (extremely low effect) and 97.5th (extremely high effect) percentiles of concentration of the three air pollutants to that at the median. Stratified RRs by sex were also reported.

RESULTS

Using the median concentration as reference, for extremely high effect, the RR was the highest on lag days 5, 6, and 3 for PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ respectively. While on lag day 0, the RR of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ were 1.04 (95%CI: 0.90-1.20), 1.07 (95%CI: 0.92-1.24), and 1.08 (95%CI: 0.92-1.26) respectively, the RRs increased constantly and cumulatively to the maximum values of 1.88 (95%CI: 1.33-2.66), 1.82 (95%CI: 1.29-2.55), and 2.19 (95%CI: 1.47-3.27) for PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ respectively on lag day 10. Subgroup analyses showed that females appeared to be more vulnerable to the three pollutants than males.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides evidence that PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ exert delayed effects on SF infection.

Environmental temperature and human epigenetic modifications: A systematic review

The knowledge about the effects of environmental temperature on human epigenome is a potential key to understand the health impacts of temperature and to guide acclimation under climate change. We performed a systematic review on the epidemiological studies that have evaluated the association between environmental temperature and human epigenetic modifications. We identified seven original articles on this topic published between 2009 and 2019, including six cohort studies and one cross-sectional study. They focused on DNA methylation in elderly people (blood sample) or infants (placenta sample), with sample size ranging from 306 to 1798. These studies were conducted in relatively low temperature setting (median/mean temperature: 0.8-13 °C), and linear models were used to evaluate temperature-DNA methylation association over short period (≤28 days). It has been reported that short-term ambient temperature could affect global human DNA methylation. A total of 15 candidate genes (ICAM-1, CRAT, F3, TLR-2, iNOS, ZKSCAN4, ZNF227, ZNF595, ZNF597, ZNF668, CACNA1H, AIRE, MYEOV2, NKX1-2 and CCDC15) with methylation status associated with ambient temperature have been identified. DNA methylation on ZKSCAN4, ICAM-1 partly mediated the effect of short-term cold temperature on high blood pressure and ICAM-1 protein (related to cardiovascular events), respectively. In summary, epidemiological evidence about the impacts of environment temperature on human epigenetics remains scarce and limited to short-term linear effect of cold temperature on DNA methylation in elderly people and infants. More studies are needed to broaden our understanding of temperature related epigenetic changes, especially under a changing climate.

Glyphosate affects methylation in the promoter regions of selected tumor suppressors as well as expression of major cell cycle and apoptosis drivers in PBMCs (in vitro study)

We have determined the effect of glyphosate on selected epigenetic parameters and major cell cycle drivers in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The cells were incubated with glyphosate at 0.5, 10 and 100 μM. The analysis included: global DNA methylation, methylation in the promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes (P16, P21, TP53) and proto-oncogenes (BCL2, CCND1) by the Real-Time PCR and the expression profile of the indicated genes by Real-Time PCR. The obtained results have revealed significant reduction of global DNA methylation level in PBMCs exposed to glyphosate. Tested compound changed methylation pattern of the P21 and TP53 suppressor gene promoters, but in case of other analyzed genes: P16, BCL2 and CCND1 we did not identify any statistically significant changes. Gene profiling showed that glyphosate changed the expression of genes involved in the regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis. Glyphosate decreased expression of P16 and TP53 as well as an increase in the expression of BCl2, CCND1 and P21. Summing up, our results have shown a potential disturbance in methylation processes and gene expression in human PBMCs exposed to glyphosate, but the observed changes do not prejudge about the final metabolic effects, which are depended on many other factors.

Short-term ambient particle radioactivity level and renal function in older men: Insight from the Normative Aging Study

BACKGROUND

Whole-body and thoracic ionizing radiation exposure are both associated with the development of renal dysfunction. However, whether low-level environmental radiation from air pollution affects renal function remains unknown.

OBJECTIVES

We investigated the association of particle radioactivity (PR) with renal function defined by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the Normative Aging Study.

METHODS

This longitudinal analysis included 2491 medical visits from 809 white males enrolled between 1999 and 2013. The eGFR was calculated using the CKD-EPI and MDRD equations, and CKD cases were identified as those with an eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m². Gross β activity measured by five monitors of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's RadNet monitoring network was utilized to represent PR.

RESULTS

Ambient PR levels from 1 to 28 days prior to clinical visit demonstrated robust negative associations with both forms of eGFR, but not with the increased odds of CKD. An interquartile range higher 28-day average ambient PR level was significantly associated with 0.83-mL/min/1.73 m² lower eGFR estimated by the CKD-EPI equation (95% confidence interval: -1.46, -0.20, p-value = 0.01). Controlling for PM_2.5 or black carbon in the model slightly attenuated the PR effects on eGFR. However, in individuals with the highest levels (3rd tertile) of C-reactive protein (CRP) or fibrinogen, we observed robust associations of PR with eGFR and CKD, suggesting that systemic inflammation may modify the PR-eGFR and PR-CKD relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study reveals adverse health effects of short-term low-level ambient PR on the renal function, providing evidence to guide further study of the interplay between PR, inflammation, and renal health.

The association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and the incidence of mumps in Wuhan, China: A time-series study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have estimated the association between meteorological factors and mumps outbreaks without assessing the influence of air pollution. In this research, we explored the effects of short-term exposure to air pollution on the incidence of mumps.

METHODS

Our time-series analysis was conducted using data collected in Wuhan, China from 2015 to 2017. Daily number of mumps cases was obtained from Disease Reporting System in Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Data on air pollution was obtained from 10 national air quality monitoring stations, including nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ground-level ozone (O₃), particulate matter less than or equal to 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀), and particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM_2.5). Daily meteorological data including temperature and relative humidity were obtained from Hubei Meteorological Bureau. We performed a Poisson regression in generalized additive models (GAM) to explore the association between the incidence of mumps and exposure to air pollution.

RESULTS

We observed that the effects of air pollutants were statistically significant mainly in two periods, lag 0 to lag 5 and lag 20 to lag 25, with the strongest effects appearing at lag 2 and lag 23. The cumulative effects were stronger than single-day lag effects. The stratified analysis showed the effect of pollutants during the hot season was stronger than that during the cold season, especially for NO₂ and SO₂.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that exposure to NO₂ and SO₂ was significantly associated with higher risk of developing mumps. Our findings could help deepen the understanding of how air pollution exposure affects the incidence of mumps.

Air pollution and DNA methylation: effects of exposure in humans

Air pollution exposure is estimated to contribute to approximately seven million early deaths every year worldwide and more than 3% of disability-adjusted life years lost. Air pollution has numerous harmful effects on health and contributes to the development and morbidity of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and a number of lung pathologies, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Emerging data indicate that air pollution exposure modulates the epigenetic mark, DNA methylation (DNAm), and that these changes might in turn influence inflammation, disease development, and exacerbation risk. Several traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) components, including particulate matter (PM), black carbon (BC), ozone (O₃), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), have been associated with changes in DNAm; typically lowering DNAm after exposure. Effects of air pollution on DNAm have been observed across the human lifespan, but it is not yet clear whether early life developmental sensitivity or the accumulation of exposures have the most significant effects on health. Air pollution exposure-associated DNAm patterns are often correlated with long-term negative respiratory health outcomes, including the development of lung diseases, a focus in this review. Recently, interventions such as exercise and B vitamins have been proposed to reduce the impact of air pollution on DNAm and health. Ultimately, improved knowledge of how exposure-induced change in DNAm impacts health, both acutely and chronically, may enable preventative and remedial strategies to reduce morbidity in polluted environments.

Association between long-term air pollution exposure and DNA methylation: The REGICOR study

INTRODUCTION

Limited evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms may partially mediate the adverse effects of air pollution on health. Our aims were to identify new genomic loci showing differential DNA methylation associated with long-term exposure to air pollution and to replicate loci previously identified in other studies.

METHODS

A two-stage epigenome-wide association study was designed: 630 individuals from the REGICOR study were included in the discovery and 454 participants of the EPIC-Italy study in the validation stage. DNA methylation was assessed using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. NOX, NO2, PM10, PM2.5, PMcoarse, traffic intensity and traffic load exposure were measured according to the ESCAPE protocol. A systematic review was undertaken to identify those cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpGs) associated with air pollution in previous studies and we screened for them in the discovery study.

RESULTS

In the discovery stage of the epigenome-wide association study, 81 unique CpGs were associated with air pollution (p-value <10^-5) but none of them were validated in the replication sample. Furthermore, we identified 15 CpGs in the systematic review showing differential methylation with a p-value fulfilling the Bonferroni criteria and 1673 CpGs fulfilling the false discovery rate criteria, all of which were related to PM_2.5 or NO₂. None of them was replicated in the discovery study, in which the top hits were located in an intergenic region on chromosome 1 (cg10893043, p-value = 6.79·10^-5) and in the LRRC45 and PXK genes (cg05088605, p-value = 2.15·10^-04; cg16560256, p-value = 2.23·10^-04).

CONCLUSIONS

Neither new genomic loci associated with long-term air pollution were identified, nor previously identified loci were replicated. Continued efforts to test this potential association are warranted.