Association between Chinese cooking oil fumes and sleep quality among a middle-aged Chinese population

Interior decorative volatile organic compounds exposure induces sleep disorders through aberrant branched chain amino acid transaminase 2 mediated glutamatergic signaling resulting from a neuroinflammatory cascade

Air pollution has been recognized as a contributing factor to sleep disorders (SD), which have been correlated with an elevated susceptibility to a variety of human diseases. Nevertheless, research has not definitively established a connection between SD and interior decorative volatile organic compounds (ID-VOCs), a significant indoor air pollutant. In this study, we employed a mouse model exposed to ID-VOCs to explore the impacts of ID-VOCs exposure on sleep patterns and the potential underlying mechanism. Of the 23 key compositions of ID-VOCs identified, aromatic hydrocarbons were found to be the most prevalent. Exposure to ID-VOCs in mice resulted in SD, characterized by prolonged wake fullness and decreased sleep during the light period. ID-VOCs exposure triggered neuroinflammatory responses in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), with microglia activation leading to the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1α (IL-1α), and complement component 1q (C1q), ultimately inducing A1 astrocytes. Consequently, the upregulation of branched chain amino acid transaminase 2 (BCAT2) in A1 astrocytes resulted in elevated extracellular glutamate and disruption of the wake-sleep transition mechanism, which might be the toxicological mechanism of SD caused by ID-VOCs.

Correlation between the non-use of cooking oil fume extractors and bone mineral density in population aged 45 years and older in China: a cross-sectional study

Introduction

The correlation between the non-use of cooking oil fumes (COFs) extractors and bone mineral density (BMD) have not been clarified. Consequently, this study attempted to explore the impact of non-use COFs extractors on BMD in population aged 45 years and older based on a cross-sectional study.

Methods

This study was a cross-sectional study within the framework of an ongoing prospective population-based cohort study in China. The multivariate linear regression models were used to evaluate the correlation between the non-use of fume extractors in family cooking and total lumbar spine (LS), femoral neck (FN), total hip BMD and levels of bone metabolism markers.

Results

A total of 3433 participants were included in the final analyses, of which 2607 (75.93%) participants used fume extractors. The results of models indicated that there were significant correlations of the non-use of fume extractors on total LS BMD (β = -0.024, 95% CI, -0.036, -0.012, p < 0.001), PINP (β = 4.363, 95% CI, 2.371, 6.356, p < 0.001) and ALP (β = 4.555, 95% CI, 2.593, 6.517, p < 0.001) levels.

Conclusions

This study verified that the use of fume extractors is an efficacious measure to prevent LS bone loss. For the sake of public bone health, people should install a fume extractor in the kitchen and use it routinely when cooking.

The association between polluted fuel use and self-reported insomnia symptoms among middle-aged and elderly Indian adults: a cross-sectional study based on LASI, wave 1

BACKGROUND

Insomnia predisposes the aging population to reduced quality of life and poor mental and physical health. Evidence of the association between polluted fuel use and insomnia symptoms is limited and is non-existent for the Indian population. Our study aimed to explore the link between polluted fuel use and insomnia symptoms in middle-aged and older (≥ 45 years) Indian populations.

METHODS

We utilized data from nationally representative Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) Wave 1. Participants with complete information on fuel use, insomnia symptoms, and covariates were included. Insomnia symptoms were indicated by the presence of at least one of three symptoms: difficulty in initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty in maintaining sleep (DMS), or early morning awakening (EMA), ≥ 5 times/week. Survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the association between polluted fuel use and insomnia symptoms. We also assessed the interaction of association in subgroups of age, gender, BMI, drinking, and smoking status.

RESULTS

Sixty thousand five hundred fifteen participants met the eligibility criteria. Twenty-eight thousand two hundred thirty-six (weighted percentage 48.04%) used polluted fuel and 5461 (weighted percentage 9.90%) reported insomnia symptoms. After full adjustment, polluted fuel use was associated with insomnia symptoms (OR 1.16; 95%CI 1.08-1.24) and was linked with DIS, DMS, and EMA (OR 1.14; 95%CI 1.05-1.24, OR 1.12; 95%CI 1.03-1.22, and OR 1.15; 95%CI 1.06-1.25, respectively). No significant interactions for polluted fuel use and insomnia symptoms were observed for analyses stratified by age, sex, BMI, drinking, or smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

Polluted fuel use was positively related to insomnia symptoms among middle-aged and older Indians. Suggestions are offered within this article for further studies to confirm our results, to explore underlying mechanisms, and to inform intervention strategies.

Effects of leisure activities and general health on the survival of older people: a cohort study in China

Objective

This study aimed to examine the influence of physical and cognitive leisure activities on the survival of older adults in China, while also exploring the potential mediating and moderating effects of general health.

Methods

This study utilized the China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) datasets spanning from 2008 to 2018, and 10,347 eligible participants were included. The primary study outcome was all-cause mortality, and independent variables included physical leisure activities (PLA), cognitive leisure activities (CLA), and self-rated general health. Three sets of covariates were adjusted, including socio-demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and health status.

Results

The longest survival time was the older people participating in PLA & CLA (mean = 50.31 months), while those participating in neither exhibited the lowest (mean = 29.60 months). Significant differences in survival status were observed in different types of leisure activities participation (Log-rank test, Chi-square = 576.80, p < 0.001). Cox regression indicated that PLA (HR = 0.705, 95% CI: 0.651-0.764), CLA (HR = 0.872, 95% CI: 0.816-0.933), and the both PLA & CLA (HR = 0.700, 95% CI: 0.656-0.747) were protective factors for the survival. Additionally, general health significantly moderated the relationship between PLA and reduced mortality risk (Coefficient = -0.089, p = 0.042). While CLA indirectly influenced the survival through general health (Coefficient = -0.023, p < 0.001). For the older people participating in PLA and CLA, general health played mediating (Coefficient = -0.031, p < 0.001) and moderating (Coefficient = -0.026, p = 0.013) role in the relationship between leisure activities and survival.

Conclusion

Leisure activities and self-rated general health were important predictors of survival of the older adults, and general health exhibited a mediator and moderator in the relationship between leisure activities and survival status.

Dose-response association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with self-reported trouble sleeping in adults: evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Previous epidemiological evidence from large population-based studies on the association between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) exposure and the risk of sleep disorders is inadequate. To comprehensively examine the relationship between independent and combined PAHs and trouble sleeping, we analyzed data from 8194 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) cycles. Multivariate adjusted logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were applied to assess the relationship between PAH exposure and the risk of trouble sleeping. Bayesian kernel machine regression and weighted quantile sum regression models were used to estimate the combined association of urinary PAHs with trouble sleeping. In the single-exposure analyses, compared with the lowest level, the respective adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for trouble sleeping among subjects from the highest quartile were 1.34 (95% CI, 1.15, 1.56), 1.23 (95% CI, 1.05, 1.44), 1.31 (95% CI, 1.11, 1.54), 1.35 (95% CI, 1.15, 1.58), and 1.29 (95% CI, 1.08, 1.53) for 1-hydroxynaphthalene (1-NAP), 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-NAP), 3-hydroxyfluorene (3-FLU), 2-hydroxyfluorene(2-FLU), and 1-hydroxypyrene(1-PYR). An overall positive correlation between the PAH mixture and trouble sleeping was observed when the mixture was at the 50th percentile or higher. The current study reveals that PAH metabolites (1-NAP, 2-NAP, 3-FLU, 2-FLU, and 1-PYR) may be detrimental to trouble sleeping. PAH mixture exposure was positively associated with trouble sleeping. The results suggested the potential impacts of PAHs and expressed concerns regarding the potential impact of PAHs on health. More intensive research and monitoring of environmental pollutants in the future will contribute to preventing environmental hazards.

Associations of cooking fuel types and daily cooking duration with sleep quality in rural adults: Effect modification of kitchen ventilation

BACKGROUND

Associations of combined different cooking fuel types and cooking duration with sleep quality were scarcely reported. This study aimed to explore the associations of exposure to household air pollution (HAP) from different cooking fuel types and cooking duration with sleep quality and examine the effect modification of kitchen ventilation on these associations.

METHODS

A total of 28,135 eligible participants were obtained from the Henan rural cohort study. Sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and participants with a PSQI score > 5 were identified as having poor sleep quality. A questionnaire was used to collect the cooking fuel types, cooking frequency, cooking duration, and kitchen ventilation. The average daily cooking duration was calculated as the cooking frequency per week multiplied by the cooking duration for each meal divided by 7.

RESULTS

Both domestic fuel use and cooking duration were positively related to poor sleep quality. The solid fuel users with a cooking duration ≥1.5 h/day had a higher prevalence of poor sleep quality (OR: 1.390, 95% CI: 1.233, 1.567), relative to those who never cooked. Notably, the estimated OR and 95% CI for poor sleep quality of clean fuel users with a cooking duration <1.5 h/day plus mechanical or natural ventilation versus those who never cooked was 1.05 (0.933, 1.187) or 1.306 (1.163, 1.466) and these associations were modified by kitchen ventilation.

CONCLUSION

Positive associations of combined different cooking fuel types and cooking duration with the prevalence of poor sleep quality were attenuated by kitchen ventilation, implying that installing mechanical ventilation may be an effective measure to improve sleep quality in low- and middle-income countries. These results need to be confirmed by future studies, which measure HAP more accurately using personal monitoring devices or behavior diaries.

The Chemical Composition Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of Cooking Fume Condensates from Residential Kitchens in Different Regions of China

The aim of this study was to explore the similarities and differences of volatile organic pollutants (VOCs) in cooking fumes (COF) of residential buildings in different regions of China, as well as to evaluate their potential health risks. COF condensates were collected from 10 representative cities in China and analyzed by a GC-MS method. Their effects on α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase (AchE), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities were then detected to evaluate potential health risks. A total of 174 kinds of VOCs, including aldehydes, esters, hydrocarbons, alcohols, and carboxylic acid, were identified. There were 59 identical compounds in the northern and southern regions, and 56 common compounds in spicy and non-spicy regions. Health risk assessment results showed that COF condensate could inhibit the activity of α-glucosidase to varying degrees (61.73-129.25%), suggesting that it had a potential risk of causing hypoglycemia. Daily and 3 and 6 month intakes of COF in minors, adults, and the elderly had both activated and inhibited effects on AchE. The activated effect in the southern and spicy areas was higher than that in northern and non-spicy areas, revealing that different regions and dietary habits had different effects on the risk of neurological diseases caused by changes in AchE activity. For minors, adults, and the elderly, COF had different degrees of activation of LDH at different exposure times and regions. Activation in the northern and non-spicy areas was higher than that in southern and spicy areas, suggesting that the health risks caused by changes in LDH activity levels were significantly increased.

Enhanced commercial cooking inventories from the city scale through normalized emission factor dataset and big data

Cooking emission inventories always have poor spatial resolutions when applying with traditional methods, making their impacts on ambient air and human health remain obscure. In this study, we created a systematic dataset of cooking emission factors (CEFs) and applied it with a new data source, cooking-related point of interest (POI) data, to build up highly spatial resolved cooking emission inventories from the city scale. Averaged CEFs of six particulate and gaseous species (PM, OC, EC, NMHC, OVOCs, VOCs) were 5.92 ± 6.28, 4.10 ± 5.50, 0.05 ± 0.05, 22.54 ± 20.48, 1.56 ± 1.44, and 7.94 ± 6.27 g/h normalized in every cook stove, respectively. A three-field CEF index containing activity and emission factor species was created to identify and further build a connection with cooking-related POI data. A total of 95,034 cooking point sources were extracted from Beijing, as a study city. In downtown areas, four POI types were overlapped in the central part of the city and radiated into eight distinct directions from south to north. Estimated PM/VOC emissions caused by cooking activities in Beijing were 4.81/9.85 t per day. A 3D emission map showed an extremely unbalanced emission density in the Beijing region. Emission hotspots were seen in Central Business District (CBD), Sanlitun, and Wangjing in Chaoyang District and Willow and Zhongguancun in Haidian District. PM/VOC emissions could be as high as 16.6/42.0 kg/d in the searching radius of 2 km. For PM, the total emissions were 417.4, 389.0, 466.9, and 443.0 t between Q1 and Q4 2019 in Beijing, respectively. The proposed methodology is transferrable to other Chinese cities for deriving enhanced commercial cooking inventories and potentially highlighting the further importance of cooking emissions on air quality and human health.

Association of ambient air pollution exposure and its variability with subjective sleep quality in China: A multilevel modeling analysis

Growing epidemiological evidence has shown that exposure to ambient air pollution contributes to poor sleep quality. However, whether variability in air pollution exposure affects sleep quality remains unclear. Based on a large sample in China, this study linked individual air pollutant exposure levels and temporal variability with subjective sleep quality. Town-level data on daily air pollution concentration for 30 days prior to the survey date were collected, and the monthly mean value, standard deviations, number of heavily polluted days, and trajectory for six common pollutants were calculated to measure air pollution exposure and its variations. Sleep quality was subjectively assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and a PSQI score above 5 indicated overall poor sleep quality. Multilevel and negative control models were used. Both air pollution exposure and variability contributed to poor sleep quality. A one-point increase in the one-month mean concentration of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters of ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5) and ≤10 μm (PM₁₀) led to 0.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002-1.006) and 0.3% (95% CI: 1.001-1.004) increases in the likelihoods of overall poor sleep quality (PSQI score >5), respectively; the odds ratios of a heavy pollution day with PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were 2.2% (95% CI: 1.012-1.032) and 2.2% (95% CI: 1.012-1.032), respectively. Although the mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide met the national standard, they contributed to the likelihood of overall poor sleep quality (PSQI score >5). A trajectory of air pollution exposure with maximum variability was associated with a higher likelihood of overall poor sleep quality (PSQI score >5). Subjective measures of sleep latency, duration, and efficiency (derived from PSQI) were affected in most cases. Thus, sleep health improvements should account for air pollution exposure and its variations in China under relatively high air pollution levels.

Environmental Noise and Effects on Sleep: An Update to the WHO Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Nighttime noise carries a significant disease burden. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published guidelines for the regulation of environmental noise based on a review of evidence published up to the year 2015 on the effects of environmental noise on sleep.

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review and meta-analysis will update the WHO evidence review on the effects of environmental noise on sleep disturbance to include more recent studies.

METHODS

Investigations of self-reported sleep among residents exposed to environmental traffic noise at home were identified using Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO. Awakenings, falling asleep, and sleep disturbance were the three outcomes included. Extracted data were used to derive exposure-response relationships for the probability of being highly sleep disturbed by nighttime noise [average outdoor A-weighted noise level (Lnight) 2300-0700 hours] for aircraft, road, and rail traffic noise, individually. The overall quality of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) criteria.

RESULTS

Eleven studies (n=109,070 responses) were included in addition to 25 studies (n=64,090 responses) from the original WHO analysis. When sleep disturbance questions specifically mentioned noise as the source of disturbance, there was moderate quality of evidence for the probability of being highly sleep disturbed per 10-dB increase in Lnight for aircraft [odds ratio (OR)=2.18; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.01, 2.36], road (OR=2.52; 95% CI: 2.28, 2.79), and railway (OR=2.97; 95% CI: 2.57, 3.43) noise. When noise was not mentioned, there was low to very low quality of evidence for being sleep disturbed per 10-dB increase in Lnight for aircraft (OR=1.52; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.93), road (OR=1.14; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.21), and railway (OR=1.17; 95% CI: 0.91, 1.49) noise. Compared with the original WHO review, the exposure-response relationships closely agreed at low (40 dB Lnight) levels for all traffic types but indicated greater disturbance by aircraft traffic at high noise levels. Sleep disturbance was not significantly different between European and non-European studies.

DISCUSSION

Available evidence suggests that transportation noise is negatively associated with self-reported sleep. Sleep disturbance in this updated meta-analysis was comparable to the original WHO review at low nighttime noise levels. These low levels correspond to the recent WHO noise limit recommendations for nighttime noise, and so these findings do not suggest these WHO recommendations need revisiting. Deviations from the WHO review in this updated analysis suggest that populations exposed to high levels of aircraft noise may be at greater risk of sleep disturbance than determined previously. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10197.

Assessing the cooking oil fume exposure impacts on Chinese women health: an influential mechanism analysis

Oil fume is always considered as a major source of indoor air pollution. This article aims to examine the effects of cooking oil fume as environmental pollution on the health of Chinese women by using the data obtained from China Labor force Dynamic Survey (CLDS). In order to estimate the effect of environmental pollution on the human health, we utilize probit model approach and baseline regression method. The results showed that oil fume has a significant negative impact on the health indicators of "physical pain, health impact on work and injury." By conducting endogeneity analysis, our results show the robustness and indicate that oil fume has a robust effect on the women health. Heterogeneity analysis show that heavier oil fume has a negative impact on the subjective health of middle-aged and young women, while it has  a significant negative impact on the objective health of middle-aged women. Analysis of the impact mechanism reveal that heavier oil fumes will reduce women's sleep quality and will lead to the poorer health. Based on our study findings, this study proposes policy recommendations from the perspectives of the use of smoke extraction equipment, cooking methods, and sleep quality to reduce the negative impact of cooking fumes on women's health.

Association of sleep characteristics and respiratory symptoms at a smelting factory

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance including insomnia and poor sleep quality has been shown to be a major health determinant in occupational settings. Specific occupational exposures to hazards in most workplaces can lead to various health problems, especially sleep problems. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate sleep characteristics, and their relationships with work-related exposures, demographics, and other related variables in workers of a smelting factory. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on workers in a 40-year smelting factory located in the East of Tehran Province. A total of 200 male participants were included in the study. Among them, 51 workers were from the production process staff and the rest were office workers. Their shifts were from 6 AM to 5 PM. All participants were asked about demographic characteristics and exposure to respiratory pollutants. All participants answered validated Persian versions of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS: The means (SD) of age and BMI were 39.1 (8.9) years and 26.8 (4.5) kg/m2, respectively. Among all participants, 51 (25.5%) experienced exposure to a respiratory pollutant. Among all workers, 96 (48%) experienced poor sleep quality and 87 (43.5%) and 10 (5%) had subthreshold and clinical insomnia, respectively. The mean (SD) night sleep duration was 6.4 (0.96) hours. Data analysis illustrated a significant positive relationship between exposure to respiratory pollutants and insomnia (p-value = 0.03). Howewer, this association between sleep quality and exposure to repiratory pollutants was not significant (p-value = 0.25). Further analysis with binominal regression showed participants with exposure to respiratory pollutants were more susceptible to clinical insomnia (p-value = 0.02, exp(B) = 0.213), and after regressing out the effect of smoking, participants with exposure to respiratory pollutants remained susceptible to clinical insomnia. A lower night sleep duration was observed among participants with exposure to inhalational material (p-value = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Occupational exposures to hazardous material, including inhalational exposures, could cause sleep disturbance, which warrants more attention paid by sleep specialists.

Effects of household cooking with clean energy on the risk for hypertension among women in Beijing

Outdoor air pollution and indoor burning of biomass fuel can cause high blood pressure. However, little is known about the effects of cooking with clean energy on hypertension. We thus explored whether cooking with clean energy is associated with the risk for hypertension. The study used baseline data from 12,349 women from a large population-based cohort study in Beijing, China. Information on cooking habits, health status, and other characteristics was collected by questionnaire and physical examination. Fasting blood samples were collected to measure total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and homocysteine (HCY). An index of cooking exposure was constructed. Log-binomial regression models were used to estimate the association between cooking exposure and risk for hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension was 26.7%. Any cooking exposure at all was associated with an increased risk for hypertension with an adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) of 2.27 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.01, 2.57). The risk for hypertension increased with increases in cooking frequency, time spent cooking, and the cooking index, all showing a dose-effect relationship (P < 0.001). An increased risk for hypertension was associated with both cooking using mainly electricity (aPR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.41, 2.17) and cooking using mainly natural gas (aPR: 2.30, 95% CI: 2.03, 2.60). The cooking index was positively correlated with plasma concentrations of TC, TG, LDL-C, and HCY and negatively correlated with HDL-C. Abnormal levels of all these biomarkers were associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension after adjustment for confounding factors. Cooking with clean energy, mainly cooking habit, may contribute to an increased risk for hypertension among female residents of Beijing. Abnormal metabolism of lipids or HCY may be an important mechanism involved in the development of cooking-related hypertension.

Sleep disruption and its contributing factors in Chinese survivors of childhood cancer: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study provided information about sleep disruption, particularly its prevalence and severity among Hong Kong Chinese childhood cancer survivors. Additionally, we identified the factors influencing sleep disruption and explored how fatigue, depressive symptoms and physical activity (PA) affect sleep disruption.

METHODS

402 survivors 6-18 years old and 50 age- and gender-matched healthy counterparts were assessed for depressive symptoms, fatigue, PA and subjective sleep quality. Demographic and clinical information were collected. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify any factors contributing to poor sleep.

RESULTS

Mean scores of depressive symptoms, fatigue for children and that for adolescents, and PA in survivors were 16.1 (SD=11.1), 24.6 (SD=10.3), 27.7 (SD=7.8) and 3.08 (SD=2.9), respectively. 44.8% of the survivors were poor sleepers, which was more that in healthy counterparts. The three most common sleep problem were prolonged sleep latency (31.9%), daytime dysfunction (23.4%) and sleep disturbance (22.9%). The time since last treatment (children: AOR=0.54, 95%CI=0.30-0.96, p=.04; adolescents: AOR=0.80, 95%CI=0.70-0.92, p<.01) and PA levels (children: AOR=0.46, 95%CI=0.260-0.82, p=.01; adolescents: AOR=0.70, 95%CI=0.49-0.98, p=.04) were negatively associated with sleep disruption, while depressive symptoms (children: AOR=1.31, 95%CI=1.04-1.64, p=.02; adolescents: AOR=1.07, 95%CI=1.01-1.13, p=.03), fatigue (children: AOR=1.15, 95% CI=1.00-1.31, p=.04; adolescents: AOR=1.08, 95%CI=1.02-1.15, p=.01), number of treatment received (children:AOR=16.56, 95% CI=1.27-216.82, p=.03; adolescents: AOR=7.30, 95%CI=2.36-22.56, p<.01) and co-sleeping (children: AOR=29.19, 95%CI=1.65-511.57, p=.02; adolescents: AOR=4.63, 95%CI=1.22-17.61, p=.02) were positively associated with sleep disruption.

CONCLUSION

PA made the largest contribution to reduce sleep disruption. It is crucial to advocate for the adoption and maintenance of PA in survivorship. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A survey of bedroom ventilation types and the subjective sleep quality associated with them in Danish housing

We performed a survey of the types of bedroom ventilation in Danish dwellings (January-February 2020) and the associated subjective sleep quality. Five hundred and seventeen people responded. Their median age was 33 years old and 55.4% of them were males. We used an online questionnaire and collected information on the type of bedroom ventilation, bedroom airing behaviour by the respondents, the bedroom environment, building surroundings and location, and sleep disturbance caused by stuffy air, noise, and the thermal environment. Subjective sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); its median among respondents was >5 indicating reduced sleep quality. 35.4% of the bedrooms had mechanical, 24.6% exhaust, and 40.0% natural ventilation. Sleeping in a bedroom with mechanical ventilation tended to reduce sleep disturbance. The absence of mechanical ventilation and the presence of carpet in the bedroom were all associated with stuffy air causing sleep disturbance, which was the second most sleep disturbing factor. PSQI increased significantly with increased sleep disturbance. People who reported that their sleep was disturbed by stuffy air or "too warm" conditions opened windows frequently during the day or night, but no association was found between PSQI and bedroom airing behaviours. Our results are valid for the heating season and the survey would have to be repeated in the non-heating season to permit generalization of the findings. The results present associations and are qualitative, so field measurements are necessary to validate the present observations and provide further explanations.

Sex Difference in the Association Between Eating Away From Home and the Risk of High Serum Uric Acid in South China

Background: The prevalence of high serum uric acid is increasingly rising in recent years, and diet behavior is perceived to be associated with it. This study aimed to explore the relationship between eating away from home (EAFH) and the risk of high serum uric acid in adults in South China.

Methods: The data utilized in this study were from Guangdong Nutrition and Health Survey (NHS) 2015. Serum uric acid concentration was detected. EAFH in the past week was investigated. We defined EAFH as food consumption away from home. Dietary data were collected by 24-h recalls on 3 consecutive days. A generalized linear mixed-effects model was applied to compute the odds ratio (OR) and its corresponding 95% CI.

Results: A total of 3,489 individuals were included in this study. A 1.27-fold OR (95% CI: 1.05–1.52, P = 0.012) of high serum uric acid was identified in adults with EAFH in comparison with those without EAFH. With respect to men, a 1.66-fold OR (95% CI: 1.3–2.1, P < 0.001) of high serum uric acid was observed. We also observed that men with EAFH had higher intakes of red meat, poultry, vegetable, carbohydrate, protein, fat, and total energy, while a lower grain intake than those without EAFH. However, there was a lack of significant association between EAFH and the odds ratio of high serum uric acid in women. Women with EAFH did not have higher consumptions of red meat, vegetable, fish, fat, and water than those without EAFH.

Conclusions: This study found that EAFH was associated with an increased odds ratio of high serum uric acid in men, but not in women.

Placental weight mediates association between prenatal exposure to cooking oil fumes and preterm birth

Background: There are some reports on association between maternal prenatal cooking oil fume (COF) exposure and preterm birth (PTB), but its mechanism remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aims to assess whether placental weight mediates their associations.Method: We enrolled 619 pregnant women delivering PTB newborns as cases and 1701 delivering full-term appropriate for gestational age newborns as controls. They were inquired with a self-reported questionnaire about prenatal COF exposure, socio-demographics and obstetric characteristics at Women and Children's Hospitals of Shenzhen and Foshan. After controlling for the potential confounders, a series of logistic and linear regressions were conducted to assess associations among COF exposure, placental weight and PTB, and the mediation of placental weight in the association between COF exposure and PTB.Results: Maternal prenatal COF exposure was significantly associated with PTB and the frequency of prenatal COF exposure was negatively associated with placental weight. Compared with mother who never cooked, those cooking occasionally, sometimes or often increased the risk of PTB, and similarly, those cooking between half to an hour was also showed a higher risk of PTB. Typical Chinese cooking methods including stir-frying, pan-frying and deep-frying were also associated with PTB. Different oil types mainly used, including peanut oil, corn oil and animal oil were associated with PTB as well. Mediation analysis illustrated that placental weight partially mediated 13.60% (95% CI = 10.62-33.20%) of the effects on the association between the frequency of maternal prenatal COF exposure and PTB.Conclusion: Maternal cooking during pregnancy and the frequency of prenatal COF exposure might increase the risk of PTB, in which placenta might play mediation role.

Association between household solid fuel use for cooking and sleep disturbance in rural China: findings from the China Kadoorie Biobank data

BACKGROUND

Solid fuel use for cooking is a main source of household air pollution, particularly in rural China. Evidence on the association between household air pollution and sleep quality remains limited. This study aimed to examine the association between household solid fuels used for cooking and sleep disturbance.

METHODS

The data of 283,170 adults from baseline survey of the China Kadoorie Biobank Study were included. Detailed information about exposure to solid fuels used for cooking were collected. Sleep disturbance was indicated as any of the three sleep disorders, including disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep, disorders of early morning awakening, and daytime dysfunction. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between sleep disturbance and level of exposure to household solid fuels used for cooking.

RESULTS

About 18% of participants reported sleep disturbance. Fully adjusted analysis indicated exposure to household solid fuels used for cooking was significantly associated with sleep disturbance. Compared to those with 0-3 years exposure (first tertile) to solid fuels used for cooking, the participants with 3-26 years exposure (second tertile) and >26 years exposure (third tertile) had greater odds of having sleep disturbance at 1.16 (95% CI: 1.12-1.19) and 1.33 (95% CI: 1.29-1.37) times, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of household solid fuels is associated with prevalence of sleep disturbance; the longer duration of exposure to solid fuels use for cooking, the higher is the prevalence of sleep disturbance. Further study is warranted to examine the underlying mechanisms of the association.

Solid fuels use for cooking and sleep health in adults aged 45 years and older in China

Outdoor air pollution has been linked to poor sleep health, but limited studies have investigated the relationship between solid cooking fuels and sleep health in adults. Therefore, we analyzed data from the China Health and Retirement Survey (CHARLS), a national survey of about 17,000 residents aged over 45. Participants were restricted to those who participated in CHARLS 2011, 2013 and 2015 (n = 8,668). Sleep health was indicated by self-reported average sleep hours at night and the numbers of unrested days/week in CHARLS 2015. We analyzed cooking fuel types reported and assessed the duration of solid fuels usage as consistent (indicated use in all three surveys or 6 + years) or inconsistent use (indicated use in one or two surveys or 1-4 years). We found consistent use of solid fuels was associated with a shorter sleep duration (OR = 1.17 95% CI 1.01, 1.35 for ≤ 6 h vs. 7-9 h/day) and higher frequencies of feeling unrested (OR = 1.32 95% CI 1.12, 1.55 for ≥ 5 days/week vs. none) compared with cleaner fuels use. The associations for inconsistent solid fuels use and sleep health were in the similar direction but smaller in magnitude. Further research is needed to confirm our findings and evaluate the exposure impact of specific fuel types to inform intervention strategies.

Environmental exposures and sleep outcomes: A review of evidence, potential mechanisms, and implications

Environmental exposures and poor sleep outcomes are known to have consequential effects on human health. This integrative review first seeks to present and synthesize existing literature investigating the relationship between exposure to various environmental factors and sleep health. We then present potential mechanisms of action as well as implications for policy and future research for each environmental exposure. Broadly, although studies are still emerging, empirical evidence has begun to show a positive association between adverse effects of heavy metal, noise pollution, light pollution, second-hand smoke, and air pollution exposures and various sleep problems. Specifically, these negative sleep outcomes range from subjective sleep manifestations, such as general sleep quality, sleep duration, daytime dysfunction, and daytime sleepiness, as well as objective sleep measures, including difficulties with sleep onset and maintenance, sleep stage or circadian rhythm interference, sleep arousal, REM activity, and sleep disordered breathing. However, the association between light exposure and sleep is less clear. Potential toxicological mechanisms are thought to include the direct effect of various environmental toxicants on the nervous, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Nevertheless, future research is required to tease out the exact pathways of action to explain the associations between each environmental factor and sleep, to inform possible therapies to negate the detrimental effects, and to increase efforts in decreasing exposure to these harmful environmental factors to improve health.

Objectively measured association between air pollution and physical activity, sedentary behavior in college students in Beijing

The purpose of this study is to examine the association between hourly air pollution on hourly physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) among college students in Beijing, China. The secondary aim was to examine such associations varied at specific time. A total of 340 participants were recruited from the Tsinghua University, in Beijing, China. Accelerometers provided PA measures, including moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), walking steps, energy expenditure and sedentary time for 7 consecutive days. Corresponding air pollution data by the Beijing Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau in the closed site (Wan Liu site) in Tsinghua University were collected including average hourly air quality index (AQI) and PM_2.5 (μg/m³). Associations were estimated using linear individual fixed-effect regressions. We also conducted an air pollution risk perception survey among 2307 freshmen (76.6% males) who were enrolled in Tsinghua in 2016, and the survey was done in May 22-26, 2017. A one level increase in hourly air quality index (AQI) was associated with a reduction in 1-h PA by 0.083 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.137, -0.029) minutes of MVPA, 8.8 (95% CI = -15.0, -2.6) walking steps, 0.65 (95% CI = -1.03, -0.27) kcals of energy expenditure. A 10 μg/m³ increase in air pollution concentration in hourly PM_2.5 was associated with a reduction in 1-h PA by 0.021 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.033, -0.010) minutes of MVPA, 2.2 (95% CI = -3.5, -0.9) walking steps, 0.170 (95% CI = -0.250, -0.089) kcals of energy expenditure an increase in 1-h sedentary behavior 0.045 (0.005, 0.0845). At specific time, stronger negative associations of AQI and PM_2.5 air pollution with PA at 8 a.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Similarly, stronger positive associations of 1 h AQI and PM_2.5 air pollution with SB at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 7 p.m. A total of 94.9% participants (n = 2235) responded "yes" to air pollution change activities in the survey, which may partially explain PA change. Air pollution may discourage physical activity and increases sedentary behavior among freshman students living in Beijing, China. This is preliminary study. The impact of air pollution on physical activity and sedentary behavior at a specific time may be different.

Toward a national emission inventory for the catering industry in China

Catering oil fumes are a major hazard to human health. In particular, the typical Chinese cooking style is characterised by a high temperature frying process that produces high levels of cooking oil fumes. However, limited data relating to this sector mean that national emission inventory data specific to the catering service industry do not exist. To address above deficiency and thus to establish the inventory of a city, or a province, or even a country, a door-to-door survey campaign was launched in the Chinese cities of Heze and Linfen to determine the structure of local catering industries. Data revealed that the number of catering businesses per 10⁴ people was 17 ± 4. Of these, 3.0 ± 1.4, 15.0 ± 1.4, and 82.0 ± 0.0% were classified as large, medium, and small enterprises, respectively. Furthermore, the installation rates of fume purifiers were 74 ± 13, 66 ± 9, and 51 ± 14% for large, medium, and small enterprises, respectively, with net removal efficiencies of 63 ± 11, 50 ± 7, and 31 ± 8%, respectively. This information was extrapolated across all provincial regions of China to construct a provincial and national emission inventory. In 2017, China's national catering industry released approximately 34 kt of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 38 kt of particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5), 48 kt of particulate matter with a diameter less than 10 μm (PM₁₀), 1 kt of black carbon (BC), and 27 kt of organic carbon (OC). A significant correlation was observed between vegetable oil consumption and emissions (e.g., for VOCs, y = 14.94 x + 76.50, R² = 0.87, where y is VOCs emissions and x is vegetable oil consumption), indirectly corroborating the rationality of the inventory. Moreover, this correlation provides the potential for a dynamic inventory based on vegetable oil consumption. Future studies are proposed to address more influential factors to improve the reliability of the national inventory and refer to big data, rather than door-to-door investigation, to identify the amount of catering service businesses in a region.

In vivo respiratory toxicology of cooking oil fumes: Evidence, mechanisms and prevention

BACKGROUND

As cooking is an essential part of people's daily life, cooking oil fumes (COF) has been recognized as one of the major indoor air pollutant. Mounting epidemiological evidence has indicated that COF exposure is significantly associated with an increased risk of various health effects including lung cancer, but toxicological studies are very limited.

OBJECTIVES

We conduct a systematic study to provide toxicological evidence of COF exposure on the lungs, to examine the underlying toxicological mechanism, and to suggest intervention measures to mitigate this toxicity.

METHODS

A total 96 female rats were randomly divided into control groups, COF exposure groups (0.2, 2, 20 mg/kg) and vitamin E protection groups, receiving appropriate treatment for 30 days. First we measured airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) followed by a lung histological analysis to investigate the toxicological effects of COF. We next analyzed the biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis to examine the underlying toxicological mechanism, and finally we investigated the protective effects of vitamin E against the toxicity of COF.

RESULTS

AHR measurement indicated that the airway resistance increased with the COF dose and the lung histological assay showed narrowing of the airway lumen, which provided evidence of the toxicological effects of COF. The biomarkers of oxidative stress (ROS and MDA), pro-inflammation (TNF-α and IL-1β), and apoptosis (NF-κB and Caspase-3) were all significantly increased with COF dose. We observed that above toxicological effects and biomarker levels induced by COF were significantly ameliorated after administration of VE.

CONCLUSION

The toxicity of cooking oil fumes on the lungs is clear from the evidence and mechanism, and can be ameliorated by vitamin E. We suggested that oxidative stress may be primarily responsible for the observed cooking oil fumes-induced toxicity.

How Is Indoor Air Quality during Sleep? A Review of Field Studies

This review aimed to provide an overview of the characterisation of indoor air quality (IAQ) during the sleeping period, based only on real life conditions’ studies where, at least, one air pollutant was considered. Despite the consensual complexity of indoor air, when focusing on sleeping environments, the available scientific literature is still scarce and falls to provide a multipollutants’ characterisation of the air breathed during sleep. This review, following PRISMA’s approach, identified a total of 22 studies that provided insights of how IAQ is during the sleeping period in real life conditions. Most of studies focused on carbon dioxide (77%), followed by particles (PM2.5, PM10 and ultrafines) and only 18% of the studies focused on pollutants such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde. Despite the high heterogeneity between studies (regarding the geographical area, type of surrounding environments, season of the year, type of dwelling, bedrooms’ ventilation, number of occupants), several air pollutants showed exceedances of the limit values established by guidelines or legislation, indicating that an effort should be made in order to minimise human exposure to air pollutants. For instance, when considering the air quality guideline of World Health Organisation of 10 µg·m−3 for PM2.5, 86% of studies that focused this pollutant registered levels above this threshold. Considering that people spend one third of their day sleeping, exposure during this period may have a significant impact on the daily integrated human exposure, due to the higher amount of exposure time, even if this environment is characterised by lower pollutants’ levels. Improving the current knowledge of air pollutants levels during sleep in different settings, as well as in different countries, will allow to improve the accuracy of exposure assessments and will also allow to understand their main drivers and how to tackle them.

Association between household fuel use and sleep quality in the oldest-old: Evidence from a propensity-score matched case-control study in Hainan, China

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Emerging evidence has documented that poor sleep quality associated with adverse effects with physical, psychological and neurological disorders, which impeded healthy aging. There is limited knowledge regarding the association of household air pollution (HAP) from solid fuel use with sleep quality, particularly among the population at advanced ages. The aim of this study is to investigate this association in oldest-old (≥80 years) populations.

METHODS

China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study was conducted in the 18 cities and counties of Hainan Province from 2015 to 2017. A total of 1725 individuals aged 80 years and older were included in the study. We used the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) to measure individuals' sleep quality with a score of PSQI >8 indicating poor sleep quality. Solid fuel users were defined as those who primarily use coal, biomass charcoal, wood or straw for cooking in their daily life. The propensity score matching (PSM) was adopted and logistic regressions were performed based on the matched sample to estimate the association between the two factors. We adjusted for a wide range of covariates, including demographic, socioeconomic, health-related, and environmental factors.

RESULTS

After matching, a total of 1616 participants (mean [SD] age, 94.5 [9.5] years; 72.5% women) were included in the final analysis. About 50.9% of the participants used solid fuel for cooking. The average global PSQI score was 8.26 (SD = 3.3), 49.0% of them were detected as poor sleep quality with a global PSQI score >8. We found significantly higher risk of having poor sleep quality among those who were currently solid fuel users than among clean fuel users, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.43 (95% CI: 1.14-1.80), adjusting for a wide range of confounders. The associations were more pronounced in those who did not use any ventilation (compared to those who used either mechanical or natural cooking ventilation; 1.79 [1.30-2.47] vs. 1.27 [1.01-1.53], P for interaction = 0.016) and in those who were frequent cooking at home (compared to those who never cooked; 1.65 [1.21-2.26] vs. 1.18 [0.93-1.40], P for interaction = 0.025).

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to HAP from solid fuel combustion increases the risk of poor sleep quality at oldest-old ages. Our findings point to the need of reducing HAP from polluted fuel combustion and implementing cooking ventilation as a public health priority for healthy aging initiatives.

Association of long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants with prolonged sleep latency: The Henan Rural Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Prolonged sleep latency is associated with far-reaching public health consequences. Although evidence about the effect of air pollution on sleep problem has been shown, the effect on sleep latency remained unknown. The study aimed to analyze the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and prolonged sleep latency in rural China.

METHODS

In all, 27935 participants were included in the study from Henan Rural Cohort Study. A satellite-based spatiotemporal model was used to evaluate the 3-year average concentration of air pollutants at the home address of participants before the baseline survey. Air pollutants included NO₂ (nitrogen dioxide), PM₁ (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤1 μm), PM_2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 2.5 μm), and PM₁₀ (particulate matter with aerodynamic diametes ≤ 10 μm). A logistic regression model was conducted to assess the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) between air pollutants and prolonged sleep latency.

RESULTS

There were 5825 (20.85%) participants with prolonged sleep latency. The average concentration of NO₂, PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ were 38.22 (2.54) μg/m³, 56.29 (1.75) μg/m³, 72.30 (1.87) μg/m³, and 130.01 (4.58) μg/m³. The odds ratio (95%CI) of prolonged sleep latency with an IQR increase of NO₂, PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ were 1.59 (1.33-1.90), 1.23 (1.13-1.33), 1.28 (1.13-1.45) and 1.43 (1.22-1.67). The stratified analysis showed the effect of air pollutants was stronger among those with stroke.

CONCLUSION

Long-term exposure to NO₂, PM₁, PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were associated with prolonged sleep latency. The adverse impact of air pollution should be considered when treating sleep problems.

Assessment of kitchen emissions using a backpropagation neural network model based on urinary hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Kitchen emissions are mixed indoor air pollutants with adverse health effects, but the large-scale assessment is limited by costly equipment and survey methods. This study aimed to discuss the application of backpropagation (BP) neural network models in the assessment of kitchen emissions based on the exposure marker. A total of 3686 participants were recruited for the kitchen survey, and their sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). After excluding the confounders, 365 participants were selected to assess their urinary hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) concentrations by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Two BP neural network models were then set up using the survey and detection data from the 365 participants and used to predict the total urinary OH-PAHs concentrations of all participants. The total urinary OH-PAHs and 1-hydroxy-naphthalene (1-OHNap) concentrations were significantly higher among the 365 participants with poor sleep quality (global PSQI score > 5; P < 0.05). Results from internal and external validation showed that our model has high credibility (model 2). Further, the participants with higher predicted total urinary OH-PAHs concentrations were associated with the global PSQI score of >5 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.284, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.082-1.525 for participants with predicted total urinary OH-PAHs concentrations of over 1.897 μg/mmol creatinine in model 1, and OR = 1.467, 95% CI = 1.240-1.735 for participants with predicted total urinary OH-PAHs concentrations of over 2.253 μg/mmol creatinine in model 2) after adjusting for the confounders. Findings suggest that the BP neural network model is suitable for assessing kitchen emissions, and the urinary OH-PAHs concentrations can be taken as the model outlay.

Air pollution exposure and adverse sleep health across the life course: A systematic review

An increasing number of epidemiological studies have examined air pollution as a possible contributor to adverse sleep health, but results are mixed. The aims of this systematic review are to investigate and summarize the associations between exposures to air pollutants and various sleep measures across the lifespan. PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycInfo were searched through October 2019 to identify original data-based research examining direct epidemiological associations between ambient and indoor air pollution exposures and various sleep health measures, including sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep disturbances, and daytime sleepiness. Twenty-two articles from 2010 to 2019 were selected for inclusion in this review, including a wide range of study populations (from early childhood to elderly) and locations (10 Asian, 4 North American, 3 European, 5 other). Due to variation in both exposure and outcome assessments, conducting a meta-analysis was not plausible. Twenty-one studies reported a generally positive association between exposure and poor sleep quality. While most studies focused on ambient air pollutants, five assessed the specific effect of indoor exposure. In children and adolescents, increased exposure to both ambient and indoor pollutants is associated with increased respiratory sleep problems and a variety of additional adverse sleep outcomes. In adults, air pollution exposure was most notably related to sleep disordered breathing. Existing literature generally shows a negative relationship between exposures to air pollution and sleep health in populations across different age groups, countries, and measures. While many associations between air pollution and sleep outcomes have been investigated, the mixed study methods and use of subjective air pollution and sleep measures result in a wide range of specific associations. Plausible toxicological mechanisms remain inconclusive. Future studies utilizing objective sleep measures and controlling for all air pollution exposures and individual encounters may help ameliorate variability in the results reported by current published literature.

Dampness and mold at home and at work and onset of insomnia symptoms, snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness

AIM

To investigate whether exposure to dampness and mold at home and at work induce sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness among adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Associations between onset of sleep disturbances and dampness, mold and mold odor at home and at work were investigated in a cohort of 11,318 adults from the population in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia. The participants answered a questionnaire at baseline and 10 years later, with questions on sleep disturbances, including difficulty initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS), early morning awakening (EMA), insomnia symptoms, snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Multiple logistic regression models were applied to estimate associations adjusting for potential confounders including gender, age, smoking habit at baseline, change of smoking habit from baseline to follow up, BMI at baseline, change of BMI from baseline to follow up, education level at follow up, allergic rhinitis at baseline, doctor diagnosed asthma at baseline and chronic bronchitis at baseline.

RESULTS

Baseline floor dampness, visible mold and mold odor at home increased onset of DIS, DMS, EMA, insomnia symptoms and snoring during follow up (OR 1.29-1.87). Any sign of dampness at baseline increased onset of DIS (OR 1.28, 95%CI 1.06-1.55), DMS (OR 1.17, 95%CI 1.02-1.34) and insomnia symptoms (OR 1.18, 95%CI 1.03-1.36). Dampness at home during follow up increased onset of DIS, DMS, EMA, insomnia symptoms and EDS (OR 1.17-1.36). Dampness at work during follow up increased onset of DIS, EMA, insomnia symptoms and EDS (OR 1.16-1.34). Combined dampness at home and at work during follow up increased the risk of onset of DIS, DMS, EMA, insomnia symptoms and EDS (OR 1.29-1.74).

CONCLUSIONS

Dampness and mold at home and at work can increase the development of insomnia symptoms, snoring and EDS among adults.

Association between prenatal exposure to cooking oil fumes and full-term low birth weight is mediated by placental weight

OBJECTIVE

Evidence regarding the association between prenatal exposure to cooking oil fumes (COF) and full-term low birth weight (FTLBW) is still controversial, and the mechanism remains unclear. This study thus aims to explore the association of prenatal COF exposure with off-spring FT-LBW as well as the mediating role of placenta in their association.

METHODS

A case-control study enrolling 266 pregnant women delivering FTLBW newborns (cases) and 1420 delivering normal birth weight (NBW) newborns (controls) was conducted. Information on prenatal COF exposure, socio-demographics, and obstetric conditions were collected at the Women's and Children's Hospitals of Shenzhen and Foshan in Guangdong, China. Linear and hierarchical logistic regression models were undertaken to explore the associations among COF exposure, placenta and birth weight, as well as the mediation effect of placental weight.

RESULTS

After controlling for potential confounders, prenatal COF exposure was significantly associated with the higher risk of FT-LBW (OR = 1.31, 95% CI= 1.06-1.63) and the lower placental weight (ß = -0.12, 95% CI= -0.23 ~ -0.005). Compared with mothers who never cooked, those cooking sometimes (OR= 2.99, 95% CI= 1.48-6.04) or often (OR= 3.41, 95% CI= 1.40-8.34) showed a higher risk of FT-LBW, and likewise, those cooking for less than half an hour (OR= 2.08, 95% CI= 1.14-3.79) or cooking between half to an hour (OR= 2.48, 95% CI= 1.44-4.29) were also more likely to exhibit FT-LBW. Different cooking methods including pan-frying (OR= 2.24, 95% CI= 1.30-3.85) or deep-frying (OR= 1.78, 95% CI= 1.12-2.85) during pregnancy were associated with increased FT-LBW risks as well. The further mediation analysis illustrated that placental weight mediated 15.96% (95% CI: 12.81~28.80%) and 15.90% (95% CI= 14.62%~16.66%) of the associations of cooking during pregnancy and frequency of prenatal COF exposure, respectively, with FT-LBW.

The associations between maternal lifestyles and antenatal stress and anxiety in Chinese pregnant women: A cross-sectional study

The study aimed to investigate the associations between maternal lifestyles and antenatal stress and anxiety. 1491 pregnant women were drawn from the Guangxi birth cohort study (GBCS). A base line questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and maternal lifestyles. The Pregnancy Stress Rating Scale (PSRS) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used to assess prenatal stress and anxiety, respectively. Regression analyses identified the relationship between maternal lifestyles and prenatal stress and anxiety: (1) Hours of phone use per day was positively correlated to prenatal stress and anxiety and increased with stress and anxiety levels (all P trend < 0.05). In addition, not having baby at home was positively correlated to prenatal stress. (2) Self-reported sleep quality was negative with prenatal stress and anxiety, and decreased with stress and anxiety levels (all P trend < 0.01). Moreover, not frequent cooking was negatively correlated to prenatal stress and having pets was negatively correlated to prenatal anxiety (P < 0.05). However, having pets was not correlated to prenatal stress (P > 0.05). Our results showed that adverse lifestyles increase the risk of antenatal stress and anxiety, a regular routine and a variety of enjoyable activities decreases the risk of prenatal stress and anxiety.

Association of active/passive smoking and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene with poor sleep quality: A cross-sectional survey among Chinese male enterprise workers

INTRODUCTION

Tobacco use has been implicated as an important factor for poor sleep quality. However, in most studies, the sleep quality of smokers was only assessed though a self-reported questionnaire, without measuring any internal biomarkers that reflect the levels of tobacco exposure. We examined the association of active and passive smoking with sleep quality, assessed smoking exposure using urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HOP) as an internal biomarker, and further explored the relationship between 1-HOP and sleep quality.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Liuzhou city, Guangxi, China. A total of 1787 male enterprise workers were enrolled. The smoking attribute data were collected by self-reported questionnaire, and individual sleep quality was evaluated through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The concentration of urinary 1-HOP was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTS

Compared with non-smoking, active smoking and passive smoking were significantly associated with long sleep latency (odds ratio, OR=1.84, 95% confidence interval, CI=1.28–2.64; 1.45, 1.00–2.11, respectively), short sleep duration (OR=2.72, 95% CI=1.45–5.09; 1.94, 1.01–3.71, respectively), daytime dysfunction (OR=1.54, 95% CI=1.10–2.17; 1.44, 1.02–2.03, respectively), and overall poor sleep quality with PSQI total score >5 (OR=1.41, 95% CI=1.05–1.88; 1.34, 1.00–1.79, respectively). Compared with non-smokers, active smokers had higher urinary 1-OHP concentrations that were significant (p=0.004), while passive smokers had no significant difference in urinary 1-OHP concentration (p=0.344). The high concentration group was significantly associated with daytime dysfunction and overall poor sleep quality with PSQI total score >5 (OR = 1.73, 95% CI=1.06–2.81; 1.76, 1.18–2.63, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Both active smoking and passive smoking are risk factors for poor sleep quality among Chinese male enterprise workers. Active smokers had significantly higher levels of urinary 1-OHP than non-smokers, and high concentration of 1-OHP was associated with daytime dysfunction and overall poor sleep quality.

Environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, kitchen ventilation, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, and risk of diabetes among Chinese females

Diabetes is related to exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), inflammation in the body, and housing characters. However, associations of urinary monohydroxy-PAHs (OH-PAHs) or fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) with diabetes risk in relation to housing characters are unclear. In this study, 2645 individuals were drawn from the baseline survey of the Wuhan-Zhuhai Cohort Study. Associations of diabetes with urinary OH-PAHs or FeNO among cooking participants were estimated using logistic regression models. Among women with self-cooking meals, urinary OH-PAH levels were positively associated with diabetes risk (P < .05); the cooking women with high FeNO (≥25 ppb) had a 59% increase in the risk of diabetes (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.06, 2.38), compared with those with low FeNO (<25 ppb). The cooking women with use of kitchen exhaust fans/hoods had a 52% decrease in the risk of diabetes (OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.84), compared with those with nonuse of kitchen exhaust fans/hoods. The results indicated that the cooking women had an elevated risk of diabetes, which may be partly explained by an increase in the PAH body burden and higher inflammatory responses. Use of kitchen exhaust fan/hood can be associated with a lower risk of diabetes.

Indoor air quality of everyday use spaces dedicated to specific purposes-a review

According to literature data, some of the main factors which significantly affect the quality of the indoor environment in residential households or apartments are human activities such as cooking, smoking, cleaning, and indoor exercising. The paper presents a literature overview related to air quality in everyday use spaces dedicated to specific purposes which are integral parts of residential buildings, such as kitchens, basements, and individual garages. Some aspects of air quality in large-scale car parks, as a specific type of indoor environment, are also discussed. All those areas are characterized by relatively short time use. On the other hand, high and very high concentration levels of xenobiotics can be observed, resulting in higher exposure risk. The main compounds or group of chemical compounds are presented and discussed. The main factors influencing the type and amount of chemical pollutants present in the air of such areas are indicated.