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Tiwari I, Syer J, Spitzer D, Hodgins S, Tamrakar SR, Dhimal M, Yamamoto SS. Linking weather and health outcomes: Examining the potential influences of weather factors and particulate matter pollution on adverse pregnancy outcomes in the Kavre district, Nepal. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 256:119212. [PMID: 38797462 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) include stillbirth, preterm birth, and low birthweight (LBW). Studies exploring the impact of weather factors and air pollution on APOs are scarce in Nepal. We examined the impacts of prenatal exposure to temperature, precipitation, and air pollution (PM2.5) on APOs among women living in Kavre, Nepal. METHODS We conducted a hospital and rural health centers-based historical cohort study that included health facility birth records (n = 1716) from the Nepali fiscal year 2017/18 through 2019/20. We linked health records to temperature, precipitation, and PM2.5 data for Kavre for the six months preceding each birth. A random intercept model was used to analyze birthweight, while a composite APO variable, was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression in relation to environmental exposures. RESULTS The proportion of LBW (<2500 gm), preterm birth (babies born alive before 37 weeks of gestation), and stillbirth was 13%, 4.3%, and 1.5%, respectively, in this study. Overall, around 16% of the study participants had one or more APOs. Total precipitation (β: 0.17, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.33, p = 0.03) had a positive effect on birthweight in the wetter season. Negative effects for mean maximum (β: 33.37, 95% CI -56.68 to -10.06, p = 0.005), mean (β: 32.35, 95% CI -54.44 to -10.27, p = 0.004), and mean minimum temperature (β: 29.28, 95% CI -49.58 to -8.98, p = 0.005) on birthweight was also observed in the wetter season. CONCLUSION A positive effect of temperature (mean maximum, mean, and mean minimum) and total precipitation on birthweight was found in the wetter season. This study emphasizes the need for future research using larger cohorts to elucidate these complex relationships in Nepal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishwar Tiwari
- School of Public Health, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada.
| | - Joey Syer
- School of Public Health, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Denise Spitzer
- School of Public Health, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Stephen Hodgins
- School of Public Health, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Suman R Tamrakar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dhulikhel Hospital, Kavre, Nepal
| | - Meghnath Dhimal
- Nepal Health Research Council, Ram Shah Path, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Shelby S Yamamoto
- School of Public Health, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada
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Essers E, Granés L, Delaney S, Ballester J, Santos S, Petricola S, Yang TC, Fernández-Somoano A, Bereziartua A, Ballester F, Tardón A, Vrijheid M, Lertxundi A, McEachan RRC, El Marroun H, Tiemeier H, Iñiguez C, Guxens M. Ambient air temperature exposure and foetal size and growth in three European birth cohorts. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 186:108619. [PMID: 38603813 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Ambient air temperature may affect birth outcomes adversely, but little is known about their impact on foetal growth throughout pregnancy. We evaluated the association between temperature exposure during pregnancy and foetal size and growth in three European birth cohorts. METHODS We studied 23,408 pregnant women from the English Born in Bradford cohort, Dutch Generation R Study, and Spanish INMA Project. Using the UrbClimTM model, weekly ambient air temperature exposure at 100x100m resolution at the mothers' residences during pregnancy was calculated. Estimated foetal weight, head circumference, and femur length at mid and late pregnancy and weight, head circumference, and length at birth were converted into standard deviation scores (SDS). Foetal growth from mid to late pregnancy was calculated (grams or centimetres/week). Cohort/region-specific distributed lag non-linear models were combined using a random-effects meta-analysis and results presented in reference to the median percentile of temperature (14 °C). RESULTS Weekly temperatures ranged from -5.6 (Bradford) to 30.3 °C (INMA-Sabadell). Cold and heat exposure during weeks 1-28 were associated with a smaller and larger head circumference in late pregnancy, respectively (e.g., for 9.5 °C: -1.6 SDS [95 %CI -2.0; -0.4] and for 20.0 °C: 1.8 SDS [0.7; 2.9]). A susceptibility period from weeks 1-7 was identified for cold exposure and a smaller head circumference at late pregnancy. Cold exposure was associated with a slower head circumference growth from mid to late pregnancy (for 5.5 °C: -0.1 cm/week [-0.2; -0.04]), with a susceptibility period from weeks 4-12. No associations that survived multiple testing correction were found for other foetal or any birth outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Cumulative exposure to cold and heat during pregnancy was associated with changes in foetal head circumference throughout gestation, with susceptibility periods for cold during the first pregnancy trimester. No associations were found at birth, suggesting potential recovery. Future research should replicate this study across different climatic regions including varying temperature profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esmée Essers
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Laura Granés
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Scott Delaney
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | | | - Susana Santos
- Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal
| | - Sami Petricola
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Tiffany C Yang
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, UK
| | - Ana Fernández-Somoano
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; IUOPA-Department of Medicine, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Ainhoa Bereziartua
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain; Group of Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development, IIS Biogipuzkoa, Donostia-San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa, Spain
| | - Ferran Ballester
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Nursing, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain; Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO- Universitat Jaume I- Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Adonina Tardón
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; IUOPA-Department of Medicine, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Oviedo, Spain
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Aitana Lertxundi
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Oviedo, Spain; Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
| | - Rosemary R C McEachan
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, UK
| | - Hanan El Marroun
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Carmen Iñiguez
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Statistics and Operational Research, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Mònica Guxens
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
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Kayyal-Tarabeia I, Michael Y, Lensky IM, Levy I, Blank M, Agay-Shay K. Residential greenness and lower breast and prostate cancer incidence: Evidence from a retrospective cohort study of 977,644 participants from Israel. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 918:170631. [PMID: 38309370 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is limited evidence on the associations between residential greenness and cancer incidence in longitudinal studies. OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to evaluate the associations between weighted mean residential greenness exposure and cancer incidence. METHODS This is a registry based retrospective cohort study of 977,644 participants. The residential greenness exposure was estimated for every participant, as the weighted mean residential greenness exposure. This was based on the mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the residential small geographic area and the duration of the residence in this area. Cancer incidence cases included consecutive newly diagnosed cases of primary cancer. Analyses were conducted for all cancer sites, lung cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and melanoma-skin cancer. Cox regression models were used to evaluate the crude and adjusted associations (hazards ratios (HR) and its 95 % confidence intervals (CIs)) between tertiles of residential greenness and cancer incidence. Further adjusted models to nitrogen oxides (NOx) were estimated. RESULTS After adjustment to covariates, exposure to the highest tertile of residential greenness, compared to the lowest, were associated with lower risk for all cancer sites (HR = 0.88, 95 % CI: 0.86-0.90), breast cancer (HR = 0.85, 95 % CI: 0.80-0.89) and prostate cancer (HR = 0.85, 95 % CI: 0.79-0.91). In addition, lower risk were observed for the middle tertile of exposure and all cancer sites (HR = 0.88, 95 % CI: 0.86-0.90), breast cancer (HR = 0.88, 95 % CI: 0.84-0.92) and prostate cancer (HR = 0.83, 95 % CI: 0.79-0.89). There was no evidence for mediation by air pollution (NOx). DISCUSSION Residential greenness demonstrated beneficial associations with lower risk for all cancers, breast and prostate cancers. If our observations will be replicated, it may present a useful avenue for public-health intervention to reduce cancer burden through the provision of greenness exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inass Kayyal-Tarabeia
- The Health & Environment Research (HER) Lab, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, Safed, Israel.
| | - Yaron Michael
- The Health & Environment Research (HER) Lab, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, Safed, Israel; Department of Soil & Water Sciences, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Itamar M Lensky
- Department of Geography and Environment, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
| | - Ilan Levy
- Air Quality and Climate Change Division, Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, Jerusalem 34033, Israel.
| | - Michael Blank
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Cancer Biology, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, Israel.
| | - Keren Agay-Shay
- The Health & Environment Research (HER) Lab, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, Safed, Israel.
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Laporta J, Khatib H, Zachut M. Review: Phenotypic and molecular evidence of inter- and trans-generational effects of heat stress in livestock mammals and humans. Animal 2024:101121. [PMID: 38531705 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2024.101121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Internal and external factors can change an individual's phenotype. A significant external threat to humans and livestock is environmental heat load, a combination of high ambient temperatures and humidity. A heat stress response occurs when an endothermal animal is exposed to a heat load that challenges its' thermoregulation capacity. With the ongoing climate change trends, the incidence of chronically elevated temperatures causing heat stress is expected to rise, posing an even greater risk to the health and survival of all species. Heat stress is generally related to adverse effects on food intake, health, and performance in mammal livestock species and humans. Evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies of humans and livestock demonstrated that exposing pregnant females to heat stress affects the phenotype of the newborn in various ways. For instance, in utero heat stress is related to lower BW at birth and changes in metabolic and immune functions in the newborn. In cows, the effects of heat stress on the performance of the offspring last for three or four generations, suggesting intergenerational effects. The molecular mechanism orchestrating these effects of heat stress may be epigenetic regulation, as various epigenetic mechanisms control genome reprogramming. Epigenetic modifications are attached to DNA and histone proteins and can influence how specific genes are expressed, resulting in phenotypic changes. Epigenetic modifications can be triggered in response to environmental heat stress without altering the DNA sequence. Heat stress insults during critical periods of organ development (i.e., fetal exposure) can trigger epigenetic modifications that impact health and productivity across generations. Thus, epigenetic changes caused by extreme temperatures can be passed down to the offspring if the mother is exposed to the insult during pregnancy. Understanding the phenotypic and molecular consequences of maternal heat stress, including the carry-over lingering effects on the resulting progeny, is necessary to develop effective mitigation strategies and gain translational knowledge about the fundamental processes leading to intergenerational and transgenerational inheritance. This review examines the phenotypic and molecular evidence of how maternal exposure to extreme heat can affect future generations in several species, including humans, swine, sheep, goats, and cattle. The current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in intergenerational and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance will also be presented and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Laporta
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
| | - H Khatib
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - M Zachut
- Department of Ruminant Science, Institute of Animal Science, Volcani Institute, Rishon LeZion 7505101, Israel
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Guo Y, Xie Y, Wei X, Guo C, Chen P, Wang Y, Mu Y, Shi X, Zhu J, Liang J, Liu Q. Disparities of Heatwave-Related Preterm Birth in Climate Types - China, 2012-2019. China CDC Wkly 2023; 5:1094-1100. [PMID: 38125913 PMCID: PMC10728556 DOI: 10.46234/ccdcw2023.205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
What is already known about this topic? An association between prenatal heatwave exposure and the risk of preterm birth was found. However, the disparities in heatwave-related preterm birth across different climate types have not been examined. What is added by this report? This nationwide case-crossover study investigated the association between heatwave exposure and preterm birth across different Köppen-Geiger climate types. Among pregnant women residing in the arid-desert-cold climate type, exposure to compound heatwaves was found to be associated with a significantly higher risk of preterm birth {adjusted odds ratios (AORs) ranged from 1.55 [95% confidence interval ( CI): 1.21-1.97] to 2.11 (95% CI: 1.35-3.31)}. In contrast, among pregnant women residing in the tropical monsoonal climate type, exposure to daytime-only heatwaves was associated with an increased risk of preterm birth [AORs ranged from 1.25 (95% CI: 1.03-1.51) to 1.37 (95% CI: 1.05-1.77)]. What are the implications for public health practice? Specific interventions should be implemented in China to mitigate the risk of preterm birth related to heatwaves, particularly for pregnant women residing in arid-desert-cold and tropical monsoonal climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafei Guo
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yanxia Xie
- National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance of China, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xiaohui Wei
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Chenran Guo
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Peiran Chen
- National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance of China, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yanping Wang
- National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance of China, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yi Mu
- National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance of China, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xiaoming Shi
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Zhu
- National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance of China, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Juan Liang
- National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance of China, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Qiyong Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China
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Leung M. Invited Perspective: Climate Change and Reproductive Health-the Perils of Oversimplification. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:121307. [PMID: 38149877 PMCID: PMC10752218 DOI: 10.1289/ehp13725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Leung
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Noghanibehambari H, Bagheri H, Salari M, Tavassoli N, Javid R, Toranji M. Breathing in the future: prenatal exposure to air pollution and infants' health outcomes in the USA. Public Health 2023; 225:198-205. [PMID: 37939461 PMCID: PMC10842113 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the impact of air pollution on birth outcomes in the USA over several decades. STUDY DESIGN Approximately 70 million birth records were assessed for the years 1980-2020. This study focussed on seven measures of birth outcomes, including birth weight, low birth weight, very low birth weight, full-term birth weight, foetal growth, gestational age and very premature birth. METHODS An instrumental variable identification strategy was used that exploited within county-month and within month-year of birth variations in exposure to precipitation-induced changes in air pollution. RESULTS Air pollution was found to have negative and large effects on a wide range of birth outcomes. The study findings suggest that a one-standard-deviation increase in ozone was associated with a 6.4% and 12.8% increase (from the mean) in the proportion of low birth weight and very preterm birth infants, respectively. Further analyses suggest that these effects were heterogeneous across trimesters of pregnancy and reveal larger impacts during the second and third trimesters. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the ordinary least square estimates of previous studies considerably underestimate the true effects of pollution on birth outcomes. Policies that aim to improve the health capital of future generations should allocate more resources and initiatives to improving environmental air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Noghanibehambari
- Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | - H Bagheri
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
| | - M Salari
- Department of Accounting, Finance, and Economics, California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA 90747, USA.
| | - N Tavassoli
- Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA.
| | - R Javid
- School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - M Toranji
- Department of Economics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
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Nyadanu SD, Tessema GA, Mullins B, Chai K, Yitshak-Sade M, Pereira G. Critical Windows of Maternal Exposure to Biothermal Stress and Birth Weight for Gestational Age in Western Australia. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:127017. [PMID: 38149876 PMCID: PMC10752220 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is limited and inconsistent evidence on the risk of ambient temperature on small for gestational age (SGA) and there are no known related studies for large for gestational age (LGA). In addition, previous studies used temperature rather than a biothermal metric. OBJECTIVES Our aim was to examine the associations and critical susceptible windows of maternal exposure to a biothermal metric [Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)] and the hazards of SGA and LGA. METHODS We linked 385,337 singleton term births between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2015 in Western Australia to daily spatiotemporal UTCI. Distributed lag nonlinear models with Cox regression and multiple models were used to investigate maternal exposure to UTCI from 12 weeks preconception to birth and the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of SGA and LGA. RESULTS Relative to the median exposure, weekly and monthly specific exposures showed potential critical windows of susceptibility for SGA and LGA at extreme exposures, especially during late gestational periods. Monthly exposure showed strong positive associations from the 6th to the 10th gestational months with the highest hazard of 13% for SGA (HR = 1.13 ; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.14) and 7% for LGA (HR = 1.07 ; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.11) at the 10th month for the 1st UTCI centile. Entire pregnancy exposures showed the strongest hazards of 11% for SGA (HR = 1.11 ; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.18) and 3% for LGA (HR = 1.03 ; 95% CI: 0.95, 1.11) at the 99th UTCI centile. By trimesters, the highest hazards were found during the second and first trimesters for SGA and LGA, respectively, at the 99th UTCI centile. Based on estimated interaction effects, male births, mothers who were non-Caucasian, smokers, ≥ 35 years of age, and rural residents were most vulnerable. CONCLUSIONS Both weekly and monthly specific extreme biothermal stress exposures showed potential critical susceptible windows of SGA and LGA during late gestational periods with disproportionate sociodemographic vulnerabilities. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12660.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvester Dodzi Nyadanu
- Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
- Education, Culture, and Health Opportunities (ECHO) Ghana, ECHO Research Group International, Aflao, Ghana
| | - Gizachew A. Tessema
- Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Ben Mullins
- Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Kevin Chai
- Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Maayan Yitshak-Sade
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Gavin Pereira
- Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
- enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health Impact Assessment, Faculty of Health Science, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
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Wulayin M, Zhu Z, Wang H, Chen X, Zhang X, Benmarhnia T, Luo J, Liang Q, Chen W, Lin H, Liu Y, Shi C, Xu R, Huang C, Wang Q. The mediation of the placenta on the association between maternal ambient temperature exposure and birth weight. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 901:165912. [PMID: 37527722 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Studies have indicated that exposure to low and high temperatures during pregnancy negatively affects fetal development. The placenta plays vital functions in fetal development and could also be impacted by suboptimal temperatures. However, whether the placenta mediates the association between suboptimal temperature and birth weight is unknown. Our study aims to evaluate the association between ambient temperature and birth weight as well as the mediation effect of the placenta. A prospective birth cohort study was conducted during 2017-2020 in Guangzhou, China (n = 3349 participants). We defined extreme temperature exposure during the whole pregnancy by using different thresholds, including low temperatures (< 25th, < 15th, < 10th, < 5th percentiles), and high temperatures (> 75th, > 85th, > 90th, > 95th percentiles). Three different approaches (generalized linear model, inverse probability weighting, and doubly robust model) were applied to estimate the effects of low/high temperatures on birth weight and placental indicators, including placental weight, placental volume, and placental-to-birth weight ratio (PFR), respectively. We observed that both low and high ambient temperatures during the whole pregnancy were associated with lower birth weight and negative changes in placental indicators. The estimated lower mean birth weight ranged from -158 g (95 % CI: -192 g, -123 g) to -363 g (95 % CI: -424 g, -301 g) for low temperatures and from -97 g (95 % CI: -135 g, -59 g) to -664 g (95 % CI: -742 g, -585 g) for high temperatures. In mediation analyses, placental weight mediated 28.79 % to 40.47 % and 48.22 % to 54.38 % of the association of low and high temperatures with birth weight, respectively. The findings suggest that placental weight may mediate the association between ambient temperature exposure and birth weight.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zhenghong Zhu
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huailin Wang
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Chen
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoxin Zhang
- Hangzhou Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tarik Benmarhnia
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jiajun Luo
- Institute for Population and Precision Health, the University of Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Qianhong Liang
- Guangzhou Panyu Maternal Child Health Hospital, Guangzhou Panyu District He Xian Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weiyi Chen
- Guangzhou Panyu Maternal Child Health Hospital, Guangzhou Panyu District He Xian Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hualiang Lin
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuewei Liu
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunxiang Shi
- Meteorological Data Laboratory, National Meteorological Information Center, Beijing, China
| | - Ruijun Xu
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cunrui Huang
- Wanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Qiong Wang
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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10
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Ritz BR. A Long Way from Steubenville: Environmental Epidemiology in a Rapidly Changing World. Am J Epidemiol 2023; 192:1811-1819. [PMID: 35166328 PMCID: PMC11043788 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwac031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
This commentary focuses on research that has long been at the core of environmental epidemiology: studies of the health effects of air pollution. It highlights publications in the American Journal of Epidemiology going back more than 50 years that have contributed to the debate about the validity of this research and its meaning for public policy. Technological advances have greatly expanded the toolbox of environmental epidemiologists in terms of measuring and analyzing complex exposures in large populations. Yet, discussions about biases in estimating air pollution health effects have always been and remain intense. Epidemiologists have brought new methodologies and concepts to this research, alleviating some but not all concerns. Here, the focus is on seminal epidemiologic work that established valid links between air pollution exposures and health outcomes and generated data for environmental policies and prevention. With this commentary, I hope to inspire epidemiologists to address many more of the burning environmental health questions-wildfires included-with a similar scientific doggedness. The rapidly changing conditions of our planet are challenging us to innovate and offer solutions, albeit perhaps a little bit faster this time around.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate R Ritz
- Correspondence to Dr. Beate Ritz, Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, 650 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772 (e-mail: )
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11
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Mehta M, Basu R, Ghosh R. Adverse effects of temperature on perinatal and pregnancy outcomes: methodological challenges and knowledge gaps. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1185836. [PMID: 38026314 PMCID: PMC10646498 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1185836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence linking temperature with adverse perinatal and pregnancy outcomes is emerging. We searched for literature published until 30 January 2023 in PubMed, Web of Science, and reference lists of articles focusing on the outcomes that were most studied like preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. A review of the literature reveals important gaps in knowledge and several methodological challenges. One important gap is the lack of knowledge of how core body temperature modulates under extreme ambient temperature exposure during pregnancy. We do not know the magnitude of non-modulation of body temperature during pregnancy that is clinically significant, i.e., when the body starts triggering physiologic counterbalances. Furthermore, few studies are conducted in places where extreme temperature conditions are more frequently encountered, such as in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Little is also known about specific cost-effective interventions that can be implemented in vulnerable communities to reduce adverse outcomes. As the threat of global warming looms large, effective interventions are critically necessary to mitigate its effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maitry Mehta
- Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Rupa Basu
- California Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Oakland, CA, United States
| | - Rakesh Ghosh
- Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, United States
- Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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12
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Ruan T, Yue Y, Lu W, Zhou R, Xiong T, Jiang Y, Ying J, Tang J, Shi J, Wang H, Xiao G, Li J, Qu Y, Mu D. Association between low ambient temperature during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Chin Med J (Engl) 2023; 136:2307-2315. [PMID: 36805588 PMCID: PMC10538931 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000002361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Extreme temperature events, including extreme cold, are becoming more frequent worldwide, which might be harmful to pregnant women and cause adverse birth outcomes. We aimed to investigate the association between exposure to low ambient temperature in pregnant women and adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth, and to summarize the evidence herein. METHODS Relevant studies were searched in PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase electronic databases until November 2021. Studies involving low ambient temperature, preterm birth, birth weight, and stillbirth were included. The guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses were followed to conduct this study risk of bias and methods for data synthesis. RESULTS A total of 34 studies were included. First, pregnant women exposed to low ambient temperature had an increased risk of preterm birth (risk ratio [RR] 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.13). Subgroup analyses revealed that exposure during late pregnancy was more likely to induce preterm birth. In addition, only pregnant women exposed to <1st percentile of the mean temperature suffered increased risk of preterm birth. Moreover, pregnant women living in medium or hot areas were more prone to have preterm births than those in cold areas when exposed to low ambient temperatures. Asians and Blacks were more susceptible to low ambient temperatures than Caucasians. Second, pregnant women exposed to low ambient temperature had an increased risk of low birth weight (RR 1.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.12). Third, pregnant women had an increased risk of stillbirth while exposed to low ambient temperature during the entire pregnancy (RR 4.63; 95% CI 3.99-5.38). CONCLUSIONS Exposure to low ambient temperature during pregnancy increases the risk of adverse birth outcomes. Pregnant women should avoid exposure to extremely low ambient temperature (<1st percentile of the mean temperature), especially in their late pregnancy. This study could provide clues for preventing adverse outcomes from meteorological factors. REGISTRATION No. CRD42021259776 at PROSPERO ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiechao Ruan
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yan Yue
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Wenting Lu
- Department of General Practice, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Ruixi Zhou
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Tao Xiong
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yin Jiang
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Junjie Ying
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jun Tang
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jing Shi
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Hua Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Guoguang Xiao
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jinhui Li
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yi Qu
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Dezhi Mu
- Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
- Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of the Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
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13
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Yu G, Yang L, Liu M, Wang C, Shen X, Fan L, Zhang J. Extreme Temperature Exposure and Risks of Preterm Birth Subtypes Based on a Nationwide Survey in China. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:87009. [PMID: 37585350 PMCID: PMC10431497 DOI: 10.1289/ehp10831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have reported that ambient temperature may affect perinatal outcomes. However, whether extreme temperature affects the risk of preterm birth (PTB) remains controversial. Studies on the associations of extreme temperature with PTB subtypes are lacking. OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate the associations of extreme climate events with the risks of PTB and its subtypes, discerning possible modifiers. METHODS Data on all singleton deliveries were obtained from the China Labor and Delivery Survey (CLDS), a nationwide investigation implemented in 2015 and 2016. PTB was defined as gestational weeks < 37 and then categorized as early (24-34 wk) and late PTBs (35-36 wk), and clinical subtypes [spontaneous PTB, preterm premature rupture of the fetal membranes (PPROM), iatrogenic PTB]. Ambient temperature data were provided by the China National Weather Data Sharing System. Five heat indexes and five cold indexes were used to define heat waves and cold spells. Generalized linear mixed models with a random term by hospital unit were used to assess the associations of short-term prenatal extreme temperature exposure. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was applied to assess the nonlinear associations of low- or high-temperature exposure at the whole and different trimesters of pregnancy with the risk of PTB. Stratified analyses were conducted to assess the possible modification by geographic region and fetal sex. RESULTS A total of 70,818 singleton births from 96 hospitals in China were included, among which 4,965 (7.01%) were PTBs. Exposure to extreme cold events 1 wk before delivery was associated with an increased PTB risk, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] of 1.07 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.10) and 1.06 (1.04, 1.09) for the total days when the daily average temperature below the fifth percentile (fifth-days) and the 10th percentile (10th-days), 1.18 (1.04, 1.34) for the cold spells when the daily average temperature below the fifth percentile for two consecutive days (fifth-2D), 1.09 (1.03, 1.16) and 1.12 (1.06, 1.19) for the cold spells when the daily average temperature below the 10th percentile for three and two consecutive days (10th-3D and 10th-2D), respectively. Results of extreme temperature exposure during 2 weeks before delivery showed similarly significant associations. The association between cold spells and PTB tended to be stronger for late PTB than for early PTB. Cold spells were mainly associated with spontaneous PTB and late PPROM. A stratified analysis indicated that pregnant women in western and northern regions tended to be more sensitive to cold spells, and pregnant women with a female fetus appeared to be at a higher risk of PTB when exposed to cold spells. Pregnant women in late pregnancy were more susceptible to extreme temperatures. No significant or stable association was found between heat waves and preterm birth. DISCUSSION Exposure to cold spells was associated with an increased risk of PTB, especially late, spontaneous PTB and PPROM. The associations appeared to be more pronounced in the north and west regions and in pregnancies with female fetuses. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10831.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqi Yu
- Ministry of Education – Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ling Yang
- Hainan Women and Children’s Medical Center, Hainan, China
| | - Ming Liu
- Department of Obstetrics, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Cuiping Wang
- Ministry of Education – Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoli Shen
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Public Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Lichun Fan
- Hainan Women and Children’s Medical Center, Hainan, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Ministry of Education – Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Public Health, Shanghai, China
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14
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Li X, Jing MA, Cheng Y, Feng L, Wang S, Dong G. The relationship between extreme ambient temperature and small for gestational age: A cohort study of 1,436,480 singleton term births in China. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023:116412. [PMID: 37315757 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Studies have shown that exposure to extreme ambient temperature can contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes, however, results across studies have been inconsistent. We aimed to evaluate the relationships between trimester-specific extreme temperature exposures and fetal growth restriction indicated by small for gestational age (SGA) in term pregnancies, and to assess whether and to what extent this relationship varies between different geographic regions. We linked 1,436,480 singleton term newborns (2014-2016) in Hubei Province, China, with a sub-district-level temperature exposures estimated by a generalized additive spatio-temporal model. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were employed to estimate the effects of extreme cold (temperature ≤5th percentile) and heat exposures (temperature >95th percentile) on term SGA in three different geographic regions, while adjusting for the effects of maternal age, infant sex, the frequency of health checks, parity, educational level, season of birth, area-level income, and PM2.5 exposure. We also stratified our analyses by infant sex, maternal age, urban‒rural type, income categories and PM2.5 exposure for robustness analyses. We found that both cold (OR:1.32, 95% CI: 1.25-1.39) and heat (OR:1.17, 95% CI: 1.13-1.22) exposures during the third trimester significantly increased the risk of SGA in the East region. Only extreme heat exposure (OR:1.29, 95% CI: 1.21-1.37) during the third trimester was significantly related to SGA in the Middle region. Our findings suggest that extreme ambient temperature exposure during pregnancy can lead to fetal growth restriction. Governments and public health institutions should pay more attention to environmental stresses during gestation, especially in the late stage of the pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Remote Sensing of Environment and Digital Cities, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing. 100875, China.
| | - M A Jing
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Remote Sensing of Environment and Digital Cities, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing. 100875, China.
| | - Yang Cheng
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Remote Sensing of Environment and Digital Cities, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing. 100875, China
| | - Ling Feng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095, Jiefang Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Shaoshuai Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095, Jiefang Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Guanpeng Dong
- Key Research Institute of Yellow River Civilization and Sustainable Development, Henan University, 85, Minglun Street, Kaifeng, 475001, China; Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology for the Middle and Lower Yellow River Regions, Henan University, 85, Minglun Street, Kaifeng, 475001, China.
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15
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Zhang J, Bai S, Lin S, Cui L, Zhao X, Du S, Wang Z. Maternal apparent temperature during pregnancy on the risk of offspring asthma and wheezing: effect, critical window, and modifiers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:62924-62937. [PMID: 36952159 PMCID: PMC10034250 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26234-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to explore the impact of maternal AT during pregnancy on childhood asthma and wheezing, as well as the potential effect modifiers in this association. A cross-sectional study was implemented from December 2018 to March 2019 in Jinan to investigate the prevalence of childhood asthma and wheezing among aged 18 months to 3 years. Then, we conducted a case-control study based on population to explore the association between prenatal different AT exposure levels and childhood asthma and wheezing. The association was assessed by generalized additive models and logistic regression models, and stratified analyses were performed to explore potential effect modifiers. A total of 12,384 vaccinated children participated in screening for asthma and wheezing, 236 cases were screened, as well as 1445 controls were randomized. After adjusting for the covariates, childhood asthma and wheezing were significantly associated with cold exposure in the first trimester, with OR 1.731 (95% CI: 1.117-2.628), and cold exposure and heat exposure in the third trimester, with ORs 1.610 (95% CI: 1.030-2.473) and 2.039 (95% CI: 1.343-3.048). In the third trimester, enhanced impacts were found among girls, children whose distance of residence was close to the nearest main traffic road, and children whose parents have asthma. The study indicates that exposure to extreme AT during the first and third trimesters could increase the risk of childhood asthma and wheezing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiatao Zhang
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuoxin Bai
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Shaoqian Lin
- Jinan Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Liangliang Cui
- Jinan Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaodong Zhao
- Jinan Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Du
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiping Wang
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China.
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Zhao S, Xu J, Li W, Lu Y, Huang L, Xu H, Shi M, Wang Y, Zhu Q, Xu Q. High-temperature exposure and risk of spontaneous abortion during early pregnancy: a case-control study in Nanjing, China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:29807-29813. [PMID: 36418820 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24315-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
As one of the most common complications of early pregnancy, spontaneous abortion is associated with environmental factors, but reports estimating the effect of ambient temperature on spontaneous abortion are still inconclusive. Herein, a case-control study (1002 cases and 2004 controls) in Nanjing, China, from 2017 to 2021 was conducted to evaluate the association between temperature exposure and the risk of spontaneous abortion by using distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM). As a result, daily mean temperature exposure and early spontaneous abortion showed a nonlinear relationship in 14-day lag periods. Moreover, taking the median temperature (17 °C) as a reference, gradually increased positive effects of high temperature on spontaneous abortion could be found during the 4 days prior to hospitalization, and the highest odds ratio (OR) of 2.07 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.36, 3.16) at extremely hot temperature (33 °C) was observed at 1 lag day. The results suggested that high-temperature exposure in short times during early pregnancy might increase the risk of SAB. Thus, our findings highlight the potential risk of short-term high-temperature exposure during early pregnancy, and more evidence was given for the effects of climate change on maternal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangshuang Zhao
- Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China
| | - Jie Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China
| | - Wen Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China
| | - Yingying Lu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China
| | - Linxiang Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China
| | - Haoyi Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China
| | - Mingxia Shi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Prenatal Diagnosis, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Qiaoying Zhu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China
| | - Qing Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China.
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Chen X, Chen S, Zhu Z, Luo J, Wang H, Wulayin M, Huang C, Zhao W, Wang Q. Identifying the critical windows and joint effects of temperature and PM 2.5 exposure on small for gestational age. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 173:107832. [PMID: 36822007 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The potential critical windows for extreme ambient temperature, air pollution exposure and small for gestational age (SGA) are still unclear, and no study has explored their joint effects on SGA. In a national multi-center prospective cohort, we included 179,761 pairs of mother-infant from 16 counties of 8 provinces in China during 2014-2018. Daily averaged temperature and PM2.5 concentration were matched to the maternal residential address to estimate personal exposure. Extreme temperature exposures were categorized by a series of percentile in each meteorological and geographic division for the entire pregnancy, each trimester and gestational week (GA-week). Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) and distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNMs) were used to estimate the whole pregnancy-, trimester-specific, and weekly-specific associations of extreme temperature and PM2.5 exposures with SGA. Combined effects were evaluated with the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and proportion attributable to interaction (AP). We observed that by referring to temperature at the 41st - 50th percentile, heat (>90th percentile) exposure during 13th - 29th GA-weeks was associated with SGA; odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) was 1.16 (1.06, 1.28). For cold (<=10th percentile), inverse associations were observed during the 1st - 8th GA-weeks. PM2.5 exposure during the 2nd - 5th and 19th - 27th GA-weeks was associated with SGA, with the strongest association in the 2nd GA-week (OR = 1.0017, 95 %CI: 1.0001, 1.0034, for a 10 μg/m3 increase). No interactive effects between ambient temperature and PM2.5 on SGA were observed. Our findings suggest the weekly susceptibility windows for heat and PM2.5 exposure were primarily the gestational weeks within the 2nd trimester, therefore, corresponding protective measures should be conveyed to pregnant women during routine prenatal visits to reduce exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Chen
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sidi Chen
- National Center for Women and Children's Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenghong Zhu
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiajun Luo
- Institute for Population and Precision Health, the University of Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Huailin Wang
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Cunrui Huang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- National Center for Women and Children's Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
| | - Qiong Wang
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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Chen J, Guo L, Liu H, Jin L, Meng W, Fang J, Zhao L, Zeng XW, Yang BY, Wang Q, Guo X, Deng F, Dong GH, Shang X, Wu S. Modification effects of ambient temperature on associations of ambient ozone exposure before and during pregnancy with adverse birth outcomes: A multicity study in China. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 172:107791. [PMID: 36739855 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies suggest that both ambient ozone (O3) and temperature were associated with increased risks of adverse birth outcomes. However, very few studies explored their interaction effects, especially for small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA). OBJECTIVES To estimate the modification effects of ambient temperature on associations of ambient O3 exposure before and during pregnancy with preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), SGA and LGA based on multicity birth cohorts. METHODS A total of 56,905 singleton pregnant women from three birth cohorts conducted in Tianjin, Beijing and Maoming, China, were included in the study. Maximum daily 8-h average O3 concentrations of each pregnant woman from the preconception period to delivery for every day were estimated by matching their home addresses with the Tracking Air Pollution in China (TAP) datasets. We first applied the Cox proportional-hazards regression model to evaluate the city-specific effects of O3 exposure before and during pregnancy on adverse birth outcomes at different temperature levels with adjustment for potential confounders, and then a meta-analysis across three birth cohorts was conducted to calculate the pooled associations. RESULTS In pooled analysis, significant modification effects of ambient temperature on associations of ambient O3 with PTB, LBW and LGA were observed (Pinteraction < 0.05). For a 10 μg/m3 increase in ambient O3 exposure at high temperature level (> 75th percentile), the risk of LBW increased by 28 % (HR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.13-1.46) during the second trimester and the risk of LGA increased by 116% (HR: 2.16, 95%CI: 1.16-4.00) during the entire pregnancy, while the null or weaker association was observed at corresponding low (≤ 25th percentile) and medium (> 25th and ≤ 75th percentile) temperature levels. CONCLUSION This multicity study added new evidence that ambient high temperature may enhance the potential effects of ambient O3 on adverse birth outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Chen
- Institute of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Disaster Medicine Technology, Tianjin, China; Wenzhou Safety (Emergency) Institute, Tianjin University, Wenzhou, China; Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Liqiong Guo
- Institute of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Disaster Medicine Technology, Tianjin, China; Wenzhou Safety (Emergency) Institute, Tianjin University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Huimeng Liu
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Lei Jin
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenying Meng
- Tongzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Junkai Fang
- Tianjin Healthcare Affair Center, Tianjin, China
| | - Lei Zhao
- Institute of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Disaster Medicine Technology, Tianjin, China; Wenzhou Safety (Emergency) Institute, Tianjin University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Wen Zeng
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bo-Yi Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinbiao Guo
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Furong Deng
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Guang-Hui Dong
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuejun Shang
- Department of Andrology, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Shaowei Wu
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China; Key Laboratory for Disease Prevention and Control and Health Promotion of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases in Ministry of Health, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
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19
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Tao J, Zheng H, Ho HC, Wang X, Hossain MZ, Bai Z, Wang N, Su H, Xu Z, Cheng J. Urban-rural disparity in heatwave effects on diabetes mortality in eastern China: A case-crossover analysis in 2016-2019. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160026. [PMID: 36356755 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Diabetics are sensitive to high ambient temperature due to impaired thermoregulation. However, available evidence on the impact of prolonged high temperature (i.e., heatwave) on diabetes deaths is limited and whether urban and rural areas differ in heatwave vulnerability remains unknown so far. A time-stratified case-crossover analysis was employed to estimate the association between heatwaves and diabetes deaths in 1486 districts (509 urban and 977 rural areas) of eastern China (Jiangsu Province), 2016-2019. For each decedent, residential heatwave exposure was measured by matching daily mean temperatures to the geocoded residential address. We adopted nine-tiered heatwave definitions incorporating intensity and duration. Stratified analyses by decedents' characteristics (gender, age, and education) were also conducted. During the study period, there were 18,685 deaths from diabetes (urban proportion: 36.95 %, p-value for urban-rural difference < 0.05). Heatwaves were associated with an increased risk of diabetes deaths, with greater and longer-lasting effects in rural areas than urban areas [e.g., rural odds ratio (OR): 1.19 (95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.14, 1.25) vs. urban OR: 1.09 (95 % CI: 1.05, 1.12)]. Risk of diabetes deaths increased with the intensity of heatwaves in rural areas (p-value for trend <0.01), but not in urban areas. Stratified analyses in rural areas suggested that females and less-educated people were more vulnerable to heatwave-related diabetes deaths. Our findings revealed the urban-rural disparity in the risk of diabetes deaths associated with heatwaves. Rural diabetics should be made aware of the increased death risk posed by heatwaves in the context of warming climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwen Tao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Disease, Hefei, China
| | - Hao Zheng
- Department of Environmental Health, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, China
| | - Hung Chak Ho
- Department of Anaesthesiology, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiling Wang
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200231, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Meteorology and Health, Shanghai Meteorological Service, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Mohammad Zahid Hossain
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Zhongliang Bai
- Department of Health Services Management, School of Health Services Management, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Ning Wang
- National Center for Chronic and Non-communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Su
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Disease, Hefei, China
| | - Zhiwei Xu
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia.
| | - Jian Cheng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Disease, Hefei, China.
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20
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Zhang H, Zhang X, Feng D, Gao Z, Gong Y, Zhang J, Song S, Yu Z, Huang C. Interaction effects of night-time temperature and PM 2.5 on preterm birth in Huai River Basin, China. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 171:107729. [PMID: 36623379 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Nocturnal temperature is observed increasing with global warming. However, evidence on night-time non-optimal temperature on the risk of preterm birth (PTB) is limited, and the potential interactions with air pollution on PTB has not been well clarified. We therefore conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study to evaluate the effect of night-time temperature extremes on the risk of PTB and its interaction with air pollution. Records of 196,780 singleton births from 4 counties in Huai River Basin (2013-2018) were obtained. Gridded data on night-time temperature were collected from a high-quality Chinese Air Quality Reanalysis dataset. We used a multivariate logistic regression to evaluate the effects of night-time heat and cold exposure on the risk of PTB as well as its subtypes. Potential interactions between night-time temperature extremes and fine particulate matter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) were examined using the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI). We found that the risk of PTB was positively associated with third trimester night-time extremely heat and cold exposure, with adjusted OR of 1.898 (95 %CI: 1.655-2.177) and 2.044 (95 %CI: 1.786-2.339). Similar effects were observed for PTB subtypes, moderately PTB (mPTB) and very PTB (vPTB). Synergistic effects (RERI greater than 0) of each trimester night-time temperature extremes exposure and PM2.5 on PTB were observed. We identified consistent positive interactions between night-time temperature extremes and PM2.5 on mPTB. No significant interaction of night-time temperature extremes and PM2.5 on vPTB was found. In conclusion, this large retrospective cohort study found that third trimester night-time heat and cold exposure significantly increased the risk of PTB and its subtypes. There is a synergistic effect between night-time temperature extremes and high PM2.5 levels on PTB and mPTB. In the context of climate warming, our results add new evidence to the current understanding of night-time non-optimal temperature exposure on PTB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanhuan Zhang
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiaoan Zhang
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Demin Feng
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhan Gao
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yuting Gong
- School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Junxi Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Prevention & Henan Key Laboratory of Population Defects Prevention, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Shuaixing Song
- School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zengli Yu
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Prevention & Henan Key Laboratory of Population Defects Prevention, Zhengzhou, China.
| | - Cunrui Huang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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21
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Leung M, Laden F, Coull BA, Modest AM, Hacker MR, Wylie BJ, Iyer HS, Hart JE, Wei Y, Schwartz J, Weisskopf MG, Papatheodorou S. Ambient temperature during pregnancy and fetal growth in Eastern Massachusetts, USA. Int J Epidemiol 2022:6887251. [PMID: 36495569 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyac228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Left unabated, rising temperatures pose an escalating threat to human health. The potential effects of hot temperatures on fetal health have been under-explored. Here, we examined the association between prenatal ambient temperature exposure and fetal growth measures in a Massachusetts-based pregnancy cohort.
Methods
We used ultrasound measurements of biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), femur length and abdominal circumference (AC), in addition to birthweight (BW), from 9446 births at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center from 2011 to 2016. Ultrasound scans were classified into three distinct gestational periods: 16–23 weeks, 24–31 weeks, 32+ weeks; and z-scores were created for each fetal growth measure using the INTERGROWTH-21st standards. We fitted distributed lag models to estimate the time-varying association between weekly temperature and fetal growth, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, seasonal and long-term trends, humidity and particulate matter (PM2.5).
Results
Higher ambient temperature was associated with smaller fetal growth measures. The critical window of exposure appeared to be Weeks 1–20 for ultrasound parameters, and high temperatures throughout pregnancy were important for BW. Associations were strongest for head parameters (BPD and HC) in early to mid-pregnancy, AC late in pregnancy and BW. For example, a 5ºC higher cumulative temperature exposure was associated with a lower mean AC z-score of -0.26 (95% CI: -0.48, -0.04) among 24–31-Week scans, and a lower mean BW z-score of -0.32 (95% CI: -0.51, -0.12).
Conclusion
Higher temperatures were associated with impaired fetal growth. This has major health implications given that extreme temperatures are more common and escalating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Leung
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Francine Laden
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anna M Modest
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michele R Hacker
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Blair J Wylie
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hari S Iyer
- Division of Population Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jaime E Hart
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yaguang Wei
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marc G Weisskopf
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
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22
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de Bont J, Stafoggia M, Nakstad B, Hajat S, Kovats S, Part C, Chersich M, Luchters S, Filippi V, Stephansson O, Ljungman P, Roos N. Associations between ambient temperature and risk of preterm birth in Sweden: A comparison of analytical approaches. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 213:113586. [PMID: 35671796 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence indicates that high temperatures are a risk factor for preterm birth. Increasing heat exposures due to climate change are therefore a concern for pregnant women. However, the large heterogeneity of study designs and statistical methods across previous studies complicate interpretation and comparisons. We investigated associations of short-term exposure to high ambient temperature with preterm birth in Sweden, applying three complementary analytical approaches. METHODS We included 560,615 singleton live births between 2014 and 2019, identified in the Swedish Pregnancy Register. We estimated weekly mean temperatures at 1-km2 spatial resolution using a spatiotemporal machine learning methodology, and assigned them at the residential addresses of the study participants. The main outcomes of the study were gestational age in weeks and subcategories of preterm birth (<37 weeks): extremely preterm birth (<28 weeks), very preterm birth (from week 28 to <32), and moderately preterm birth (from week 32 to<37). Case-crossover, quantile regression and time-to-event analyses were applied to estimate the effects of short-term exposure to increased ambient temperature during the week before birth on preterm births. Furthermore, distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNM) were applied to identify susceptibility windows of exposures throughout pregnancy in relation to preterm birth. RESULTS A total of 1924 births were extremely preterm (0.4%), 2636 very preterm (0.5%), and 23,664 moderately preterm (4.2%). Consistent across all three analytical approaches (case-crossover, quantile regression and time-to-event analyses), higher ambient temperature (95th vs 50th percentile) demonstrated increased risk of extremely preterm birth, but associations did not reach statistical significance. In DLNM models, we observed no evidence to suggest an increased effect of high temperature on preterm birth risk. Even so, a suggested trend was observed in both the quantile regression and time-to-event analyses of a higher risk of extremely preterm birth with higher temperature during the last week before birth. CONCLUSIONS In Sweden, with high quality data on exposure and outcome, a temperate climate and good quality ante-natal health care, we did not find an association between high ambient temperatures and preterm births. Results were consistent across three complementary analytical approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen de Bont
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
| | - Massimo Stafoggia
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service, ASL Roma 1, Italy
| | - Britt Nakstad
- Division Paediatric Adolescent Medicine, Inst Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department Paediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Shakoor Hajat
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK
| | - Sari Kovats
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK
| | - Chérie Part
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK
| | - Matthew Chersich
- Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
| | - Stanley Luchters
- Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research, CeSHHAR, Harare, Zimbabwe; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Belgium; Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK
| | - Veronique Filippi
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
| | - Olof Stephansson
- Clinical Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Petter Ljungman
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Department of Cardiology, Danderyd University Hospital, Sweden
| | - Nathalie Roos
- Clinical Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
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23
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Levhar M, Schonblum A, Arnon L, Michael Y, Sheelo LS, Eisner M, Hadar E, Meizner I, Wiznitzer A, Weller A, Koren L, Agay-Shay K. Residential greenness and hair cortisol levels during the first trimester of pregnancy. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 204:112378. [PMID: 34780787 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Studies have shown that increased maternal cortisol level is associated with child adverse health outcomes. Hair cortisol (HC) is suitable for assessing long-term circulating cortisol concentration. Only two previous studies reported beneficial associations between cortisol and residential greenness during pregnancy and no study focused on the first trimester. Our aim was to evaluate the association between residential greenness and first trimester HC levels among pregnant women in Israel. METHODS Women were recruited during second and third trimesters. Hair samples were collected from the scalp and retrospective HC levels during the first trimester were quantified for 217 women. HC levels were natural log transformed and outliers were excluded. Based on geocoded birth address, small area sociodemographic status (SES) and mean residential surrounding greenness were calculated using high-resolution satellite-based Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data at 100, 300 and 500-m buffers in a cross-sectional approach. In addition, longitudinal exposure to mean greenness during a week preconception and during the first trimester were calculated. Missing covariates were imputed and linearity of the associations were evaluated. Generalized linear models were used to estimate the crude and adjusted associations controlled for the relevant covariates. RESULTS After exclusion of outliers, for 211 women, crude and adjusted beneficial associations between exposure to higher mean NDVI and HC levels were observed for all the exposure measures. An increase in 1 interquartile range of greenness (100 m buffer) was associated with a statistically significant lower estimated natural log mean HC level (-0.27 95% CI: -0.44; -0.11). The associations were robust to adjustment for covariates. The findings were consistent for different buffers, for the longitudinal approach, when all observations were included in the analysis and slightly stronger associations were observed for women with addresses geocoded at the home or street level. For most of the exposure measures, stronger associations were observed among those of lower sociodemographic status. CONCLUSION Our findings that more greenness associated with reduced maternal cortisol levels measured in the hair during the first trimester, could have substantial implications for urban planners and public health professional. If our observations will be replicated, it may present a useful avenue for public-health intervention to promote health through the provision of greenness exposure during early pregnancy, specifically to disadvantage populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Levhar
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Health and Environment Research (HER) Lab, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Anat Schonblum
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Health and Environment Research (HER) Lab, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Liat Arnon
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Yaron Michael
- Department of Geography and Environment, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Liat Salzer Sheelo
- Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michal Eisner
- Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eran Hadar
- Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Israel Meizner
- Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Arnon Wiznitzer
- Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Aron Weller
- Department of Psychology & Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Keren Agay-Shay
- Health and Environment Research (HER) Lab, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel.
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24
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Family Income and Low Birth Weight in Term Infants: a Nationwide Study in Israel. Matern Child Health J 2022; 26:1820-1832. [PMID: 35129767 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-022-03379-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore the influence of income on Low Birth Weight (LBW), taking into account other socio-economic measurements. METHODS This retrospective cohort study is based on the Israel National Insurance Institute (NII) database. The study population included 58,454 women who gave birth between 2008 and 2013 to 85,605 infants. Only singleton births at term (gestational age in weeks = 37 and later) were included. Logistic regression models with a Generalized Estimating Equation approach were used in order to assess the independent effect of income and Socio-Economic Regional Index (SERI), maternal age, family status, population group and occupational status on LBW. In addition, sibling analysis was conducted to assess the influence of a change in income on birth weight (BW) among 21,998 women. RESULTS Lower income was associated with higher odds of LBW (odds ratio (OR) = 1.266; 95% CI:1.115-1.437. Immigrants from Ethiopia, Bedouins from the Negev, the youngest, the oldest, and single mothers had higher odds for LBW newborns. Compared to women whose income quartile had not changed between the most recent and the first births, for women who experienced a deterioration of three and two quartiles in family income, significantly lower birth weight was observed at the time point with lower income: 103 g (p = .049) and 71 g (p = .008), respectively. Improvement in income revealed an almost linear increase in birth weight. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE In an effort to prevent LBW associated mortality and diseases, interventions should be focused first of all on women from population groups who are disadvantaged.
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