Air pollution associated with incidence and progression trajectory of chronic lung diseases: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: No prior study has examined the effects of air pollution on the progression from healthy to chronic lung disease, subsequent chronic lung multimorbidity and further to death. METHODS: We used data from the UK Biobank of 265 506 adults free of chronic lung disease at recruitment. Chronic lung multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of at least two chronic lung diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. The concentrations of air pollutants were estimated using land-use regression models. Multistate models were applied to assess the effect of air pollution on the progression of chronic lung multimorbidity. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 11.9 years, 13 863 participants developed at least one chronic lung disease, 1055 developed chronic lung multimorbidity and 12 772 died. We observed differential associations of air pollution with different trajectories of chronic lung multimorbidity. Fine particulate matter showed the strongest association with all five transitions, with HRs (95% CI) per 5 µg/m3 increase of 1.31 (1.22 to 1.42) and 1.27 (1.01 to 1.57) for transitions from healthy to incident chronic lung disease and from incident chronic lung disease to chronic lung multimorbidity, and 1.32 (1.21 to 1.45), 1.24 (1.01 to 1.53) and 1.91 (1.14 to 3.20) for mortality risk from healthy, incident chronic lung disease and chronic lung multimorbidity, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study provides the first evidence that ambient air pollution could affect the progression from free of chronic lung disease to incident chronic lung disease, chronic lung multimorbidity and death.

Investigation of simple, objective, and effective indicators for predicting acute paraquat poisoning outcomes.

Initial symptoms of paraquat (PQ) toxicity are often not obvious, and the lack of advanced testing equipment and medical conditions in the primary hospital make it difficult to provide early diagnosis and timely treatment. To explore simple, objective, and effective indicators of prognosis for primary clinicians, we retrospectively analyzed acute PQ poisoning in 190 patients admitted to our hospital from 2008 to 2017. Based on their condition at the time of discharge, patients were categorized into either the survival group (n = 71) or the mortality group (n = 119). Age, PQ ingested amount, urinary PQ, urinary protein, white blood cell (WBC), and serum creatinine (Cr) were the key factors associated with the prognosis for PQ poisoning. We identified specific diagnostic thresholds for these key indicators of PQ poisoning: PQ ingested amount (36.50 mL), urinary PQ (semiquantitative result "++"), urinary protein (semiquantitative result "±"), WBC (16.50 × 109/L), and serum Cr (102.10 µmol/L). Combining these five indicators to identify poisoning outcomes was considered objective, accurate, and convenient. When the combined score was <1, the predicted probability of patient death was 6%. When the combined score was ≥3, the predicted probability of patient death was 96%. These findings provide metrics to assist primary clinicians in predicting outcomes of acute PQ poisoning at earlier stages, a basis for administering treatment.

Ambient PM1 air pollution, blood pressure, and hypertension: Insights from the 33 Communities Chinese Health Study.

No evidence exists concerning the association between blood pressure and ambient particles with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 1.0 µm (PM1), a major component of PM2.5 (≤ 2.5 µm) particles, and potentially causing more hazardous health effects than PM2.5. We aimed to examine the associations of blood pressure in adults with both PM1 and PM2.5 in China. In 2009, we randomly selected 24,845 participants aged 18-74 years from 33 communities in China. Using a standardized mercuric-column sphygmomanometer, we measured blood pressure. Long-term exposure (2006-08) to PM1 and PM2.5 were estimated using a spatial statistical model. Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate the associations between air pollutants and blood pressure and hypertension prevalence, controlling for multiple covariates. A 10-µg/m3 increase in PM1 was significantly associated with an increase of 0.57 (95% CI 0.31-0.83) mmHg in systolic blood pressure (SBP), 0.19 (95% CI 0.03-0.35) mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and a 5% (OR=1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.10) increase in odds for hypertension. Similar associations were detected for PM2.5. Furthermore, PM1-2.5 showed no association with blood pressure or hypertension. In summary, both PM1 and PM2.5 exposures were associated with elevated blood pressure levels and hypertension prevalence in Chinese adults. In addition, most of the pro-hypertensive effects of PM2.5 may come from PM1. Further longitudinal designed studies are warranted to validate our findings.

Impact on lung function among children exposed to home new surface materials: The seven Northeastern Cities Study in China.

We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the associations between recent home renovation exposure and lung function in children. We randomly recruited 7326 school children residing in 24 districts from seven cities in northeastern China. We collected information about home renovations from parents using a questionnaire and lung function measurements from children using spirometer recordings gathered by trained professionals and expressed as the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), and peak expiratory flow (PEF). We identified higher odds of diminished lung function among these with home renovation in the previous 2 years compared to those without home renovation in the previous 2 years, for FVC (odds ratios [ORs] = 1.84 [95%CI: 1.58, 2.15]; FEV1: ORs = 2.82 [95%CI: 2.36, 3.36]; PEF: ORs = 1.51 [95%CI: 1.24, 1.83]; and MMEF: ORs = 1.90 [95%CI: 1.60, 2.24]). The associations were stronger among children exposed to new polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring compared to children exposed to other surface materials. Our results were consistent throughout the analysis of each type of renovation materials. In conclusion, recent home renovation exposure was associated with poor lung function among children. Strategies to protect home owners and their families from respiratory hazards during and after renovation are required.

Consumption of fruit and vegetables might mitigate the adverse effects of ambient PM2.5 on lung function among adults.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the effects of ambient PM2.5 on lung function is limited among adults and the effect modification by dietary fruit and vegetables remains largely unknown. METHODS: We interviewed 29,032 participants aged 50 years and older from the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health. Annual average PM2.5 levels were estimated for each community using satellite data. We applied multi-level linear regressions to examine the association between ambient PM2.5 and lung function (forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1-sec (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, peak expiratory flow (PEF), and forced expiratory flow between 25th and 75th percentiles of FVC (FEF25-75)). RESULTS: We found that ambient PM2.5 was associated with lower lung functions. Each 10µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 corresponded to reductions of 123.58ml in FVC (95% CI: -185.21, -61.95), 126.64ml in FEV1 (95% CI: -186.04, -67.23) and 178.93ml/s FEV25-75 (95% CI: -249.20, -108.66). Lower effect estimates were observed among those with higher consumption of fruit and vegetables. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that exposure to ambient PM2.5 might be one risk factor of reduced lung function in adults and that higher consumption of fruit and vegetables may mitigate this effect.

Overweight modifies the association between long-term ambient air pollution and prehypertension in Chinese adults: the 33 Communities Chinese Health Study.

BACKGROUND: Research regarding the interaction of ambient air pollution and overweight on prehypertension is scarce. We aimed to test whether overweight modifies the association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and prehypertension in Chinese adults. METHODS: A total of 16,188 Chinese adults, aged 18-74 years old, from 33 communities in 3 Northeastern Chinese cities were evaluated. Three-year average levels of particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm (PM10), sulfur dioxides (SO2), nitrogen dioxides (NO2), and ozone (O3) were calculated at monitoring stations. Generalized additive models and 2-level regression analyses were applied. RESULTS: We observed significant interactions between air pollutants and overweight on prehypertension and blood pressure. The associations of PM10, SO2, NO2, and O3 with prehypertension were significant among overweight participants (Prevalence Rate Ratios (PRRs) per interquartile range (IQR) of air pollutants: 1.14-1.20), but not among normal weight participants (PRRs: 0.98-1.04). PM10, SO2, and O3 were significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP), and the magnitudes of these associations were higher among overweight adults (increases in SBP per IQR of air pollutants: 1.82-4.53 mmHg) than those among normal weight adults (increases in SBP: 0.42-0.61 mmHg). For diastolic blood pressure (DBP), significant associations were mainly observed in overweight participants (increases in DBP: 0.80-1.63 mmHg). Further stratified analyses showed that all these interactions were stronger in women, the older, and participants living in areas with lower income levels or higher population density. CONCLUSIONS: Being overweight may enhance the effects of ambient air pollution on prehypertension and blood pressure in Chinese adults.

The cost of a pediatric neurocritical care program for traumatic brain injury: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Inpatient care for children with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) is expensive, with inpatient charges averaging over $70,000 per case (Hospital Inpatient, Children Only, National Statistics. Diagnoses- clinical classification software (CCS) principal diagnosis category 85 coma, stupor, and brain damage, and 233 intracranial injury. Diagnoses by Aggregate charges [ https://hcupnet.ahrq.gov/#setup ]). This ranks sTBI in the top quartile of pediatric conditions with the greatest inpatient costs (Hospital Inpatient, Children Only, National Statistics. Diagnoses- clinical classification software (CCS) principal diagnosis category 85 coma, stupor, and brain damage, and 233 intracranial injury. Diagnoses by Aggregate charges [ https://hcupnet.ahrq.gov/#setup ]). The Brain Trauma Foundation developed sTBI intensive care guidelines in 2003, with revisions in 2012 (Kochanek, Carney, et. al. PCCM 3:S1-S2, 2012). These guidelines have been widely disseminated, and are associated with improved health outcomes (Pineda, Leonard. et. al. LN 12:45-52, 2013), yet research on the cost of associated hospital care is limited. The objective of this study was to assess the costs of providing hospital care to sTBI patients through a guideline-based Pediatric Neurocritical Care Program (PNCP) implemented at St. Louis Children's Hospital, a pediatric academic medical center in the Midwest United States. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. We used multi-level regression to estimate pre-/post-implementation effects of the PNCP program on inflation adjusted total cost of in-hospital sTBI care. The study population included 58 pediatric patient discharges in the pre-PNCP implementation group (July 15, 1999 - September 17, 2005), and 59 post-implementation patient discharges (September 18, 2005 - January 15, 2012). RESULTS: Implementation of the PNCP was associated with a non-significant difference in the cost of care between the pre- and post-implementation periods (eß = 1.028, p = 0.687). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the PNCP to support delivery of guideline-based care for children with sTBI did not change the total per-patient cost of in-hospital care. A key strength of this study was its use of hospital cost data rather than charges. Future research should consider the longitudinal post-hospitalization costs of this approach to sTBI care.

Ambient PM2.5 and Stroke: Effect Modifiers and Population Attributable Risk in Six Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Short-term exposure to ambient fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) has been linked to increased stroke. Few studies, however, have examined the effects of long-term exposure. METHODS: A total of 45 625 participants were interviewed and included in this study, the participants came from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health, a prospective cohort in 6 low- and middle-income countries. Ambient PM2.5 levels were estimated for participants' communities using satellite data. A multilevel logistic regression model was used to examine the association between long-term PM2.5 exposure and stroke. Potential effect modification by physical activity and consumption of fruit and vegetables was assessed. RESULTS: The odds of stroke were 1.13 (95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.22) for each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5. This effect remained after adjustment for confounding factors including age, sex, smoking, and indoor air pollution (adjusted odds ratio=1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.21). Further stratified analyses suggested that participants with higher levels of physical activity had greater odds of stroke, whereas those with higher consumption of fruit and vegetables had lower odds of stroke. These effects remained robust in sensitivity analyses. We further estimated that 6.55% (95% confidence interval, 1.97%-12.01%) of the stroke cases could be attributable to ambient PM2.5 in the study population. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that ambient PM2.5 may increase the risk of stroke and may be responsible for the astounding stroke burden in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, greater physical activity may enhance, whereas greater consumption of fruit and vegetables may mitigate the effect.

Oregon's experiment in health care delivery and payment reform: coordinated care organizations replacing managed care.

To control Medicaid costs, improve quality, and drive community engagement, the Oregon Health Authority introduced a new system of coordinated care organizations (CCOs). While CCOs resemble traditional Medicaid managed care, they have differences that have been deliberately designed to improve care coordination, increase accountability, and incorporate greater community governance. Reforms include global budgets integrating medical, behavioral, and oral health care and public health functions; risk-adjusted payments rewarding outcomes and evidence-based practice; increased transparency; and greater community engagement. The CCO model faces several implementation challenges. If successful, it will provide improved health care delivery, better health outcomes, and overall savings.

Oregon's coordinated care organizations: a promising and practical reform model.

Continuing its path of Medicaid program innovation, Oregon recently embarked on a major reform that gives regional coordinated care organizations (CCOs) global budgets and accountability for the physical, behavioral, and dental care of the state's Medicaid beneficiaries (Howard et al. 2014). There are some who maintain that the state's bold reform initiative is overly aggressive in scope and unrealistically optimistic in schedule and may prove to be a costly debacle to the state of Oregon. We argue that the Oregon CCO model is not only bold in its aims and timetable but also realistically achievable.

Building alternative payment models in health care.

Introduction: Global interest is growing in new value-based models of financing, delivering, and paying for health care services that could produce higher-quality and lower cost outcomes for patients and for society. However, research indicates evidence gaps in knowledge related to alternative payment models (APMs) in early experimentation phases or those contracted between private insurers and their health care provider-partners. The aim of this research was to understand and update the literature related to learning how industry experts design and implement APMs, including specific elements of their models and their choice of stakeholders to be involved in the design and contractual details. Methods: A literature review was conducted to guide the research focus and to select themes. The sample was selected using snowball sampling to identify subject matter experts (SMEs). Researchers conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with SMEs in the US, the Netherlands, and Germany in September and October 2021. Interviews were transcribed and using Braun and Clarke's six-phase approach to thematic analysis, researchers independently read, reviewed, and coded participants' responses related to APM design and implementation and subsequently reviewed each other's codes and themes for consistency. Results: Participants represented diverse perspectives of the payer, provider, consulting, and government areas of the health care sector. We found design considerations had five overarching themes: (1) population and scope of care and services, (2) benchmarking, metrics, data, and technology; (3) finance, APM type, risk adjustment, incentives, and influencing provider behavior, (4) provider partnerships and the role of physicians, and (5) leadership and regulatory issues. Discussion: This study confirmed several of the core components of APM model designs and implementations found in the literature and brought insights on additional aspects not previously emphasized, particularly the role of physicians (especially in leadership) and practice transformation/care processes necessary for providers to thrive under APM models. Importantly, researchers found significant concerns relevant for policymakers about regulations relating to health data sharing, rigid price-setting, and inter-organizational data communication that greatly inhibit the ability to experiment with APMs and those models' abilities to succeed long-term.

Air Pollution Metabolomic Signatures and Chronic Respiratory Diseases Risk: A Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Although evidence has documented the associations of ambient air pollution with chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and lung function, the underlying metabolic mechanisms remain largely unclear. RESEARCH QUESTION: How does the metabolomic signature for air pollution relate to CRD risk, respiratory symptoms, and lung function? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We retrieved 171,132 participants free of COPD and asthma at baseline from the UK Biobank, who had data on air pollution and metabolomics. Exposures to air pollutants (particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 µm [PM2.5], particulate matter with a diameter ≤ 10 µm, nitrogen oxide [NOX], and NO2) were assessed for 4 years before baseline considering residential address histories. We used 10-fold cross-validation elastic net regression to identify air pollution-associated metabolites. Multivariable Cox models were used to assess the associations between metabolomic signatures and CRD risk. Mediation and pathway analysis were conducted to explore the metabolic mechanism underlying the associations. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12.51 years, 8,951 and 5,980 incident COPD and asthma cases were recorded. In multivariable Cox regressions, air pollution was positively associated with CRD risk (eg, hazard ratio per interquartile range increment in PM2.5, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.06-1.13). We identified 103, 86, 85, and 90 metabolites in response to PM2.5, particulate matter with a diameter ≤ 10 µm, NOX, and NO2 exposure, respectively. The metabolomic signatures showed significant associations with CRD risk (hazard ratio per SD increment in PM2.5 metabolomic signature, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.09-1.14). Mediation analysis showed that peripheral inflammatory and erythrocyte-related markers mediated the effects of metabolomic signatures on CRD risk. We identified 14 and 12 perturbed metabolic pathways (energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism pathways, etc) for PM2.5 and NOX metabolomic signatures. INTERPRETATION: Our study identifies metabolomic signatures for air pollution exposure. The metabolomic signatures showed significant associations with CRD risk, and inflammatory- and erythrocyte-related markers partly mediated the metabolomic signatures-CRD links.

Use of Palliative Care Among Adults With Newly Diagnosed Heart Failure: Insights From a US National Insured Patient Sample.

BACKGROUND: Despite the known benefits for individuals with heart failure (HF), incomplete data suggest a low use of palliative care (PC) for HF in the United States. We aimed to investigate the national PC use for adults with HF by determining when they received their first PC consultation (PCC) and the associations with clinical factors following diagnosis of HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a national all-payer electronic health record database to identify adults (aged ≥18 years) with newly diagnosed HF between 2011 and 2018. The proportion of those who received PCC within 5 years following a diagnosis of HF, and associations of time to first PCC with patient characteristics and HF-specific clinical markers were determined. We followed 127 712 patients for a median of 792 days, of whom 18.3% received PCC in 5 years. Shorter time to receive PCC was associated with diagnoses of HF in 2016 to 2018 (compared with 2010-2015: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.421 [95% CI, 1.370-1.475]), advanced HF (aHR, 2.065 [95% CI, 1.940-2.198]), cardiogenic shock (aHR, 2.587 [95% CI, 2.414-2.773]), implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (aHR, 5.718 [95% CI, 5.327-6.138]), and visits at academic medical centers (aHR, 1.439 [95% CI, 1.381-1.500]). CONCLUSIONS: Despite an expanded definition of PC and recommendations by professional societies, PC for HF remains low in the United States. Racial and geographic variations in access and use of PC exist for patients with HF. Future studies should interrogate the mechanisms of PC underusage, especially before advanced stages, and address barriers to PC services across the health care system.

Reflections on Managing the Performance of Value-Based Healthcare: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Value-based healthcare (VBHC), which can be viewed as a strategy to organize and improve healthcare services, has far-reaching organizational and managerial consequences. It is common managerial practice to support the execution of a strategy by monitoring the ensuing activities. Such monitoring provides feedback and guidance on the execution of these activities to the management of an organization and helps to realize organizational strategies. Monitoring of activities is commonly done by performance management systems. Given the rising attention in the literature and in practice for VBHC, we ask to what extent VBHC is supported by performance management systems in practice, and how we can explain what we find to support further successful implementation of VBHC. METHODS: In our scoping review of financial and performance management at the organization or unit-level of healthcare organizations that apply value-based approaches, we identified 1267 unique papers in Embase, Medline, OVID, and Web of Science. After the (double-blinded) title and abstract screening, 398 full-text articles were assessed for further analysis. RESULTS: Our review reveals only eleven original papers discussing specifically the integration of VBHC and performance management systems. Almost all the featured applications in these papers focus on a specific project or medical specialty. Only one paper exemplifies how VBHC has been integrated with the performance management systems of a medical institution, and no paper provides a clear link with strategy execution. We ask why this is the case and propose several explanations by studying the extant performance management literature. We see these explanations as issues for further reflection for VBHC practitioners and researchers. CONCLUSION: We conclude that one of the reasons for the absence of papers integrating VBHC and performance management systems is formed by the tensions that exist between striving for "the best care" or even for providing "all care that is viably possible" and pursuing greater (financial) efficiency. Implementing VBHC as an important organizational strategy and explicating this strategy in the performance management systems requires that these tensions need to be brought into the fore. When this is not done, we believe that VBHC adoptions that are fully integrated with performance management systems will remain limited in practice.

Dietary Diversity and Inflammatory Diet Associated with All-Cause Mortality and Incidence and Mortality of Type 2 Diabetes: Two Prospective Cohort Studies.

A higher dietary diversity score (DDS) and a lower energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) may be associated with lower risks of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and mortality. This cohort study aimed to investigate the associations of DDS and E-DII with all-cause mortality, incidence of T2D, and mortality of T2D, as well as the joint effects of these two dietary factors. A total of 181,360 participants without all types of diabetes at baseline from the UK Biobank and 42,139 participants from the US NHANES were included. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the associations of DDS and E-DII with outcomes. In the UK Biobank data, 8338 deaths, 3416 incident T2D cases, and 353 T2D deaths occurred during a median follow-up of 12.5 years. In the US NHANES data, 6803 all-cause deaths and 248 T2D-specific deaths were recorded during a median follow-up of 9.6 years. We observed that higher DDS and lower E-DII were significantly associated with lower risks of total mortality and incident T2D. Compared with low DDS, the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of high DDS were 0.69 (0.64, 0.74) for all-cause mortality, 0.79 (0.70, 0.88) for incident T2D in the UK Biobank, and 0.69 (0.61, 0.78) for all-cause mortality in the US NHANES. Compared with participants in tertile 3 of E-DII, those in tertile 1 had a lower risk of overall death [HR 0.86 (95% CI: 0.81, 0.91) in UK Biobank; 0.83 (0.77, 0.88) in US NHANES] and incident T2D [0.86 (0.79, 0.94)] in UK Biobank. No evidence was observed of the interactive effects of DDS and E-DII on either all-cause mortality or the incidence and mortality of T2D. There was no significant association found between any exposure and T2D mortality in this study. In conclusion, our results revealed that higher DDS and lower E-DII were associated with both total mortality and incident T2D in UK and US adults.

Ambient air pollution associated with incidence and progression trajectory of cardiometabolic diseases: A multi-state analysis of a prospective cohort.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on the association between ambient air pollution and cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) focused on a single disease, without considering cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) and the progression trajectory of CMDs. METHODS: Based on the UK Biobank cohort, we included 372,530 participants aged 37-73 years at baseline (2006-2010) with follow-up until September 2021. Incident CMDs cases were identified based on self-reported information and multiple health-related records in the UK Biobank. CMM was defined as the occurrence of at least two CMDs, including ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Exposure to ambient air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5), ≤10 µm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were estimated at participants' geocoded residential addresses based on the high-resolution (1 × 1 km) pollution data from 2001 to 2021 provided by UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Multi-state models with adjustment for potential confounders were used to examine the impact of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution on transitions from healthy to first CMD (FCMD), subsequently to CMM, and further to death. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12.6 years, 40,112 participants developed at least one CMD, 3896 developed CMM, and 21,739 died. Among the four pollutants, PM2.5 showed the strongest associations with all transitions from healthy to FCMD, to CMM, and then to death [hazard ratios (95 % confidence intervals) per interquartile range (IQR) increment: 1.62 (1.60, 1.64) and 1.68 (1.61, 1.76) for transitions from healthy to FCMD and from FCMD to CMM, and 1.62 (1.59, 1.66), 1.67 (1.61, 1.73), and 1.52 (1.38, 1.67) for death risk from healthy, FCMD, and CMM, respectively]. After dividing FCMDs into three specific CMDs, we found that ambient air pollution had differential impacts on disease-specific transitions within the same transition phase. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that there is potential for air pollution mitigation in contributing to the prevention of the development and progression of CMDs.

Ambient gaseous pollutants and emergency ambulance calls for all-cause and cause-specific diseases in China: a multicity time-series study.

Much attention has been paid to the health effects of ambient particulate matter pollution; the effects of gaseous air pollutants have not been well studied. Emergency ambulance calls (EACs) may provide a better indicator of the acute health effects than the widely used health indicators, such as mortality and hospital admission. We estimated the short-term associations between gaseous air pollutants [nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3)] and EACs for all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases in seven Chinese cities from 2014 to 2019. We used generalized additive models and random-effects meta-analysis to examine the city-specific and pooled associations. Stratified analyses were conducted by age, sex, and season. A total of 1,626,017 EACs were observed for all-cause EACs, including 230,537 from cardiovascular diseases, and 96,483 from respiratory diseases. Statistically significant associations were observed between NO2 and EACs for all-cause diseases, while the effects of SO2 were positive, but not statistically significant in most models. No significant relationship was found between O3 and EACs. Specifically, each 10 µg/m3 increase in the 2-day moving average concentration of NO2 was associated with a 1.07% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.40%, 1.76%], 0.76% (95% CI: 0.19%, 1.34%) and 0.06% (95% CI: -1.57%, 1.73%) increase in EACs due to all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, respectively. Stratified analysis showed a larger effect of NO2 on all-cause EACs in the cold season [excess relative risk (ERR): 0.33% (95% CI: 0.05%, 0.60%) for warm season, ERR: 0.77% (95% CI: 0.31%, 1.23%) for cold season]. Our study indicates that acute exposures to NO2 might be an important trigger of the emergent occurrence of all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and this effect should be of particular concern in the cold season. Further policy development for controlling gaseous air pollution is warranted to reduce the emergent occurrence of cardiopulmonary diseases.

Associations between conjunctivitis and ambient PM2.5 and physical activity: A nationwide prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no evidence of fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) altering the relationship between physical activity (PA) and the risk of conjunctivitis. METHODS: Based on the UK Biobank study, we included 308,507 participants aged 40-69 years at baseline (2006 to 2010) and prospectively followed up for conjunctivitis diagnosis till 2020. Annual concentrations of PM2.5 in 2010 were estimated for each participant using Land Use Regression models. PA levels during work and leisure time were reported via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire at baseline. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the associations of PM2.5 and PA with incident conjunctivitis, as well as their interaction at both multiplicative and additive scales. RESULTS: During the 11.6 years of follow up, we identified 4002 incident conjunctivitis cases. High-PA (≥3000 metabolic equivalent of task [MET]-mins/week) was associated with lower risk of conjunctivitis (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73-0.86) compared to low-PA (0 to <600 MET-mins/week), while every 1 µg/m3 increment in PM2.5 was associated with a 16% higher risk of conjunctivitis (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09-1.23). We did not observe statistically significant interactions between PM2.5 and PA on their associations with conjunctivitis. CONCLUSION: Habitual PA and PM2.5 exposure were oppositely related to incident conjunctivitis. The benefits of PA remain in people irrespective of exposure to air pollution.

Association of types of diabetes and insulin dependency on birth outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes rates among pregnant women in the United States have been increasing and are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. AIM: To investigate differences in birth outcomes (preterm birth, macrosomia, and neonatal death) by diabetes status. METHODS: Cross-sectional design, using linked Missouri birth and death certificates (singleton births only), 2010 to 2012 (n = 204057). Exposure was diabetes (non-diabetic, pre-pregnancy diabetes-insulin dependent (PD-I), pre-pregnancy diabetes-non-insulin dependent (PD-NI), gestational diabetes- insulin dependent (GD-I), and gestational diabetes-non-insulin dependent (GD-NI)]. Outcomes included preterm birth, macrosomia, and infant mortality. Confounders included demographic characteristics, adequacy of prenatal care, body mass index, smoking, hypertension, and previous preterm birth. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression assessed differences in outcomes by diabetes status. RESULTS: Women with PD-I, PD-NI, and GD-I remained at a significantly increased odds for preterm birth (aOR 2.87, aOR 1.77, and aOR 1.73, respectively) and having a very large baby [macrosomia] (aOR 3.01, aOR 2.12, and aOR 1.96, respectively); in reference to non-diabetic women. Women with GD-NI were at a significantly increased risk for macrosomia (aOR1.53), decreased risk for their baby to die before their first birthday (aOR 0.41) and no difference in risk for preterm birth in reference to non-diabetic women. CONCLUSION: Diabetes is associated with the poor birth outcomes. Clinical management of diabetes during pregnancy and healthy lifestyle behaviors before pregnancy can reduce the risk for diabetes and poor birth outcomes.

Ambient air pollution, lifestyle, and genetic predisposition associated with type 2 diabetes: findings from a national prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The combined effects of ambient air pollution, lifestyle, and genetic predisposition on incident Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) have not been well documented. METHODS: A total of 263,733 participants without T2D at baseline were identified from the UK Biobank. Annual concentrations of five air pollutants were estimated using Land Use Regression, while a healthy lifestyle score (HLS) was constructed using 7 major lifestyle factors, and polygenic risk score (PRS) was generated using 73 genetic variants. Cox regression was used to determine the association between air pollution and incident T2D for different HLS/PRS categories. Potential HLS/PRS interactions and population attributable fraction (PAF) were also examined. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 11.94 years, 7827 (2.97 %) incident T2D cases were identified. Association between air pollution and incident T2D was stronger among those with higher HLS/PRS in a dose-response fashion. In addition, synergistic interactions between lifestyles and air pollution were observed. Lifestyle was the leading risk factor of T2D with a weighted PAF of 25.54 % (95 % CI: 19.22 %, 27.77 %) for intermediate HLS and 24.24 % (18.24 %, 26.36 %) due to unhealthy HLS. Overall, we estimated that about 25 % of T2D cases could be attributable to air pollution and associated interactions. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between air pollution and T2D were stronger among individuals with unhealthier lifestyle on an additive interaction scale. Public health interventions that address both reduction of exposure to high levels of air pollution in addition to lifestyle changes may have more benefit on reducing T2D risk than focusing on lifestyle changes alone.