In Utero Ultrafine Particulate Exposure Yields Sex- and Dose-Specific Responses to Neonatal Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection

Perspective on using non-human primates in Exposome research

The physiological and pathological changes in the human body caused by environmental pressures are collectively referred to as the Exposome. Human society is facing escalating environmental pollution, leading to a rising prevalence of associated diseases, including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, reproductive development disorders, among others. Vulnerable populations to the pathogenic effects of environmental pollution include those in the prenatal, infancy, and elderly stages of life. Conducting Exposome mechanistic research and proposing effective health interventions are urgent in addressing the current severe environmental pollution. In this review, we address the core issues and bottlenecks faced by current Exposome research, specifically focusing on the most toxic ultrafine nanoparticles. We summarize multiple research models being used in Exposome research. Especially, we discuss the limitations of rodent animal models in mimicking human physiopathological phenotypes, and prospect advantages and necessity of non-human primates in Exposome research based on their evolutionary relatedness, anatomical and physiological similarities to human. Finally, we declare the initiation of NHPE (Non-Human Primate Exposome) project for conducting Exposome research using non-human primates and provide insights into its feasibility and key areas of focus. SYNOPSIS: Non-human primate models hold unique advantages in human Exposome research.

Effect of In utero Exposure to Air Pollution on Adulthood Hospitalizations

Empirical analyses have demonstrated that individuals exposed to severe air pollution in utero have worse health outcomes during childhood. However, there is little evidence on the long-term health impacts of air pollution exposure. The objective of this paper is to estimate the effect of in utero exposure to the Great London Smog of 1952 (GLS) on five health outcomes identified through a scoping review to be those most likely affected: respiratory, circulatory, neoplasms, mental health, and nervous system conditions. We use the GLS, an extreme air pollution event in December 1952, as a quasi-natural experiment to estimate the effect of exposure to air pollution in utero on adulthood health. Data from the UK Biobank is analysed for a cohort of participants born from December 1952 to July 1956. Differences in health outcomes between adults exposed and not exposed to the GLS due to their birth dates, born inside and outside London, were explored. Our primary focus is hospitalization events between 1997 and 2020 (corresponding to ages 40 to 69), as recorded in linked administrative data from the National Health Service (NHS). Specifically, the five primary outcomes are binary variables indicating that the individual had at least one hospitalization where the main cause of hospitalization is related to respiratory, circulatory, neoplasms, mental health, or nervous system conditions. The analytical sample comprised 36,281 individuals. A positive effect on adulthood hospitalizations due to respiratory conditions was observed. If exposed to the GLS in utero, the probability of at least one respiratory health-related hospitalization between 1997 and 2020 increased by 2.58 percentage points (95% CI 0.08, 4.30, p = 0.03), a 23% increase relative to the sample mean. Small effects were found for all other outcomes, suggesting that these conditions were not affected by the GLS. We do not find heterogeneous effects by sex or childhood socioeconomic status. This study found that a 5-day pollution exposure event while in utero significantly increased respiratory-related hospitalizations at ages 40 to 69 but had no impact on hospitalizations due to circulatory, neoplasms, mental health, and nervous system conditions.