Interfacial solvation-structure regulation for stable Li metal anode by a desolvation coating technique.

Rechargeable lithium (Li) metal batteries face challenges in achieving stable cycling due to the instability of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). The Li-ion solvation structure and its desolvation process are crucial for the formation of a stable SEI on Li metal anodes and improving Li plating/stripping kinetics. This research introduces an interfacial desolvation coating technique to actively modulate the Li-ion solvation structure at the Li metal interface and regulate the participation of the electrolyte solvent in SEI formation. Through experimental investigations conducted using a carbonate electrolyte with limited compatibility to Li metal, the optimized desolvation coating layer, composed of 12-crown-4 ether-modified silica materials, selectively displaces strongly coordinating solvents while simultaneously enriching weakly coordinating fluorinated solvents at the Li metal/electrolyte interface. This selective desolvation and enrichment effect reduce solvent participation to SEI and thus facilitate the formation of a LiF-dominant SEI with greatly reduced organic species on the Li metal surface, as conclusively verified through various characterization techniques including XPS, quantitative NMR, operando NMR, cryo-TEM, EELS, and EDS. The interfacial desolvation coating technique enables excellent rate cycling stability (i.e., 1C) of the Li metal anode and prolonged cycling life of the Li||LiCoO2 pouch cell in the conventional carbonate electrolyte (E/C 2.6 g/Ah), with 80% capacity retention after 333 cycles.

Sulfonic Acid-Functionalized Graphdiyne for Effective Li-S Battery Separators.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries enable a promising high-energy-storage system while facing practical challenges regarding lithium dendrites and lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) shuttling. Herein, a fascinating SO3H-functionalized graphdiyne (SOGDY) was developed by grafting SO3H onto GDY to modify the separator in Li-S batteries. It realizes structure-retained material transformation, that is, SOGDY retains the crystalline all-carbon network and uniform subnanopores from the initial GDY. The abundant SO3H and uniform pores create a rapid Li+ transport relay station, benefit rapid Li+ transport and even lithium deposition, and prevent lithium dendrite growth. The spatial obstruction and strong polar adsorption sites from SO3H effectively inhibit LiPS shuttling. Additionally, SOGDY establishes a fast electron-transfer pathway to facilitate the LiPS conversion. The SOGDY/PP separator exhibited steady cycling at 1 mA cm-2 over 3500 h in the Li∥Li symmetric battery and achieved outstanding low-temperature and high-rate performance in the Li-S battery with a high initial specific capacity of 804.5 mA h g-1 and a final capacity of 504.9 mA h g-1 after 500 cycles at 3 C and -10 °C. This work demonstrates that introducing a stable all-carbon network and uniform functionalized nanopores is an effective strategy to modify the Li-S battery separator.

An Ion-Pumping Quasi-Solid Electrolyte Enabled by Electrokinetic Effects for Stable Aqueous Zinc Metal Batteries.

The practical application of aqueous zinc (Zn) metal batteries (ZMBs) is hindered by the complicated hydrogen evolution, passivation reactions, and dendrite growth of Zn metal anodes. Here, an ion-pumping quasi-solid electrolyte (IPQSE) with high Zn2+ transport kinetics enabled by the electrokinetic phenomena to realize high-performance quasi-solid state Zn metal batteries (QSSZMBs) is reported. The IPQSE is prepared through the in situ ring-opening polymerization of tetramethylolmethane-tri-ß-aziridinylpropionate in the aqueous electrolyte. The porous polymer framework with high zeta potential provides the IPQSE with an electrokinetic ion-pumping feature enabled by the electrokinetic effects (electro-osmosis and electrokinetic surface conduction), which significantly accelerates the Zn2+ transport, reduces the concentration polarization and overcomes the diffusion-limited current. Moreover, the Zn2+ affinity of the polymer and hydrogen bonding interactions in the IPQSE changes the Zn2+ coordination environment and reduces the amount of free H2O, which lowers the H2O activity and inhibits H2O-induced side reactions. Consequently, the highly reversible and stable Zn metal anodes are achieved. The assembled QSSZMBs based on the IPQSE display excellent cycling stability with high capacity retention and Coulombic efficiency. The high-performance quasi-solid state Zn metal pouch cells are demonstrated, showing great promise for the practical application of the IPQSE.

Long-term ambient ozone, omega-3 fatty acid, genetic susceptibility, and risk of mental disorders among middle-aged and older adults in UK biobank.

BACKGROUND: Evidence linking ozone to depression and anxiety disorders remains sparse and results are heterogeneous. It remains unknown whether omega-3 fatty acid, or genetic susceptibility of mental disorders modify the impacts of ozone. The aim is to assess the associations of ambient ozone with depression and anxiety, and further explore the potential modification effects of omega-3 fatty acid and genetic susceptibility. METHODS: In total of 257,534 participants were enrolled from 2006 to 2010 and followed up to 2016. Depression and anxiety were assessed using mental health questionnaires, primary care records and hospital admission records. The annual average concentrations of ozone were calculated and linked to individuals by home address. Dietary intake and plasma concentration were selected to reflect levels of omega-3 fatty acid. Polygenetic risk scores were selected to reflect genetic susceptibility. We examined the associations of ozone and incident mental disorders, and potential modification of omega-3 fatty acid and genetic susceptibility. RESULTS: Incidences of depression (N = 6957) and anxiety (N = 6944) was associated with increase of ozone. Higher levels of omega-3 fatty acid might attenuate the ozone related depression risk. However, the modification effects of genetic susceptibility were not found. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term exposure to ambient ozone increase the risk of mental disorders among the middle aged and older adults, and omega-3 fatty acid could reduce the adverse effects of ozone on mental health. Higher intake of omega-3 fatty acid is a potential strategy to prevent the risks caused by ozone on public mental health.

Could the association between ozone and arterial stiffness be modified by fish oil supplementation?

BACKGROUND: Arterial stiffness (AS) is an important predicting factor for cardiovascular disease. However, no epidemiological studies have ever explored the mediating role of biomarkers in the association between ozone and AS, nor weather fish oil modified such association. METHODS: Study participants were drawn from the UK biobank, and a total of 95,699 middle-aged and older adults were included in this study. Ozone was obtained from Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model matched to residential addresses, fish oil from self-reported intake, and arterial stiffness was based on device measurements. First, we applied a double robust approach to explore the association between ozone or fish oil intake and arterial stiffness, adjusting for potential confounders at the individual and regional levels. Then, how triglycerides, apolipoprotein B (Apo B)/apolipoprotein A (ApoA) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Non-HDL-C) mediate the relationship between ozone and AS. Last, the modifying role of fish oil was further explored by stratified analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 55 years; annual average ozone exposure was associated with ASI (beta:0.189 [95%CI: 0.146 to 0.233], P < 0.001), and compared to participants who did not consume fish oil, fish oil users had a lower ASI (beta: 0.061 [95%CI: -0.111 to -0.010], P = 0.016). The relationship between ozone exposure and AS was mediated by triglycerides, ApoB/ApoA, and Non-HDL-C with mediation proportions ranging from 10.90% to 18.30%. Stratified analysis showed lower estimates on the ozone-AS relationship in fish oil users (P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: Ozone exposure was associated with higher levels of arterial stiffness, in contrast to fish oil consumption, which showed a protective association. The association between ozone exposure and arterial stiffness was partially mediated by some biomarkers. In the general population, fish oil consumption might provide protection against ozone-related AS.

Risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases attributed to satellite-based PM2.5 over 2017-2022 in Sanandaj, an area of Iran.

The risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases attributed to satellite-based PM2.5 has been less investigated. In this study, the attributable risk was estimated in an area of Iran. The predicted air PM2.5 using satellite data and a two-stage regression model was used as the predictor of the diseases. The dose-response linkage between the bias-corrected predictor employing a strong statistical approach and the outcomes was evaluated using the distributed lag nonlinear model. We considered two distinct scenarios of PM2.5 for the risk estimation. Alongside the risk, the attributable risk and number were estimated for different levels of PM2.5 by age and gender categories. The cumulative influence of PM2.5 particles on respiratory illnesses was statistically significant at 13-16 µg/m3 relative to the reference value (median), mostly apparent in the middle delays. The cumulative relative risk of 90th and 95th percentiles were 2.03 (CI 95%: 1.28, 3.19) and 2.25 (CI 95%: 1.28, 3.96), respectively. Nearly 600 cases of the diseases were attributable to the non-optimum values of the pollutant during 2017-2022, of which more than 400 cases were attributed to high values range. The predictor's influence on cardiovascular illnesses was along with uncertainty, indicating that additional research into their relationship is needed. The bias-corrected PM2.5 played an essential role in the prediction of respiratory illnesses, and it may likely be employed as a trigger for a preventative strategy.

Ozone pollution and hospital admissions for cardiovascular events.

AIMS: The available literature on morbidity risk of cardiovascular diseases associated with ambient ozone pollution is still limited. This study examined the potential acute effects of exposure to ambient ozone pollution on hospital admissions of cardiovascular events in China. METHODS AND RESULTS: A two-stage multi-city time-series study approach was used to explore the associations of exposure to ambient ozone with daily hospital admissions (n = 6 444 441) for cardiovascular events in 70 Chinese cities of prefecture-level or above during 2015-17. A 10 µg/m3 increment in 2-day average daily 8 h maximum ozone concentrations was associated with admission risk increases of 0.46% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28%, 0.64%] in coronary heart disease, 0.45% (95% CI: 0.13%, 0.77%) in angina pectoris, 0.75% (95% CI: 0.38%, 1.13%) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 0.70% (95% CI: 0.41%, 1.00%) in acute coronary syndrome, 0.50% (95% CI: 0.24%, 0.77%) in heart failure, 0.40% (95% CI: 0.23%, 0.58%) in stroke and 0.41% (95% CI: 0.22%, 0.60%) in ischemic stroke, respectively. The excess admission risks for these cardiovascular events associated with high ozone pollution days (with 2-day average 8-h maximum concentrations ≥100 µg/m3 vs. < 70 µg/m3) ranged from 3.38% (95% CI: 1.73%, 5.06%) for stroke to 6.52% (95% CI: 2.92%, 10.24%) for AMI. CONCLUSION: Ambient ozone was associated with increased hospital admission risk for cardiovascular events. Greater admission risks for cardiovascular events were observed under high ozone pollution days. These results provide evidence for the harmful cardiovascular effects of ambient ozone and call for special attention on the control of high ozone pollution.

Network Security Prediction of Industrial Control Based on Projection Equalization Optimization Algorithm.

This paper predicts the network security posture of an ICS, focusing on the reliability of Industrial Control Systems (ICSs). Evidence reasoning (ER) and belief rule base (BRB) techniques are employed to establish an ICS network security posture prediction model, ensuring the secure operation and prediction of the ICS. This model first integrates various information from the ICS to determine its network security posture value. Subsequently, through ER iteration, information fusion occurs and serves as an input for the BRB prediction model, which necessitates initial parameter setting by relevant experts. External factors may influence the experts' predictions; therefore, this paper proposes the Projection Equalization Optimization (P-EO) algorithm. This optimization algorithm updates the initial parameters to enhance the prediction of the ICS network security posture through the model. Finally, industrial datasets are used as experimental data to improve the credibility of the prediction experiments and validate the model's predictive performance in the ICS. Compared with other methods, this paper's prediction model demonstrates a superior prediction accuracy. By further comparing with other algorithms, this paper has a certain advantage when using less historical data to make predictions.

Estimation of PM2.5 using high-resolution satellite data and its mortality risk in an area of Iran.

Satellite-based exposure of fine particulate matters has been seldom used as a predictor of mortality. PM2.5 was predicted using Aerosol Optical Depths (AOD) through a two-stage regression model. The predicted PM2.5 was corrected for the bias using two approaches. We estimated the impact by two different scenarios of PM2.5 in the model. We statistically found different distributions of the predicted PM2.5 over the region. Compared to the reference value (5 µg/m3), 90th and 95th percentiles had significant adverse effect on total mortality (RR 90th percentile:1.45; CI 95%: 1.08-1.95 and RR 95th percentile:1.53; CI 95%: 1.11-2.1). Nearly 1050 deaths were attributed to any range of the air pollution (unhealthy range), of which more than half were attributed to high concentration range. Given the adverse effect of extreme values compared to the both scenarios, more efforts are suggested to define local-specific reference values and preventive strategies.

[Personal nitrogen oxides exposure levels and related influencing factors in adults over 35 years old in Tianjin and Shanghai].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate personal exposures to nitrogen oxides (NOX) and nitrogen di-oxide (NO2) and the influence of baseline personal characteristics, living environment and daily activity patterns of the participants on the exposures among adults over 35 in Tianjin and Shanghai. METHODS: In this panel study, 91 healthy nonsmoking adults aged over 35 from Tianjin and Shanghai participated in our study. The study was conducted in summer and winter. The participants were followed for three times with an interval of at least two weeks. Only participants in Shanghai were followed once in winter because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-seven participants completed follow-up visits in both seasons. We measured their 24 h personal exposures to NOX and NO2and collected their baseline and time-activity information through questionnaire/diary. The linear mixed model was used to analyze the associations between potential influencing factors and personal NOX and NO2 exposure levels. RESULTS: There were 349 follow-up visits with valid 24 h personal NO2 and NOX exposure measurements in the two cities. The ave-rage 24 h personal exposures to NO2 and NOX (volume fraction) in Tianjin participants were 18.0×10-9 and 26.2×10-9 in summer, and 31.0×10-9 and 54.9×10-9 in winter, respectively; and the average 24 h personal exposures to NO2 and NOX in Shanghai participants were 38.7×10-9 and 100.0×10-9 in summer, and 45.5×10-9 and 139.2×10-9 in winter, respectively. The results of univariate regression analysis showed that their personal NOX exposure levels were significantly associated with city, season, gender, average daily cooking times, and ambient NO2 concentrations measured at fixed-site monitoring stations. In addition to the above factors, the personal NOX exposure levels were also significantly associated with educational level and the personal NO2 exposure levels were also significantly associated with passive smoking, average daily home time, cooking energy type, residential distance from main traffic road, and use of kitchen ventilators. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the personal exposure levels of NO2 and NOX were significantly lower in Tianjin than that in Shanghai, were significantly lower in summer than that in winter, and were significantly and positively associated with ambient NO2 concentrations measured at fixed-site monitoring stations. In addition, personal NOX exposure levels were significantly lower in females than in males, and personal NO2 exposure levels were significantly positively associated with average daily cooking times and significantly inversely associated with average daily home time. For every interquartile range (IQR) increase (12.7×10-9) in ambient NO2, the personal NO2 exposure levels increased by 27.5% (95%CI: 17.0%-38.9%), and personal NOX exposure levels increased by 16.1% (95%CI: 7.1%-25.8%). CONCLUSION: Season, city and ambient NO2 concentrations are significant influencing factors of personal exposure levels of NO2and NOX. At the same time, the personal exposures levels of NO2are also affected by lifestyle factors. Our study provides scientific evidence for making precise air pollution control decisions and reducing the exposure levels of NOX in the population.

Optimal Prescription for Superior Outcomes: A Comparative Analysis of Inter-Individual Variability in Adaptations to Small-Sided Games and Short Sprint Interval Training in Young Basketball Players.

This study compared the inter-individual variability in adaptive responses to six weeks of small-sided games (SSG) and short sprint interval training (sSIT) in young basketball players. Thirty well-trained young athletes (age: 16.4 ± 0.6 years; stature: 190 ± 8.4 cm; weight: 84.1 ± 8.2 kg) voluntarily participated and were randomly assigned to SSG (3 sets of 5 min 3v3 on full length (28 m) and half-width (7.5 m) court, with 2 minutes of passive recovery in-between), sSIT (3 sets of 12 × 5 s sprinting with 20 s recovery between efforts and 2 min of rest between sets), or CON (routine basketball-specific technical and tactical drills) groups, each of ten. Before and after the training period, participants underwent a series of laboratory- and field-based measurements to evaluate their maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2max), first and second ventilatory threshold (VT1 and VT2), oxygen pulse, peak and average power output (PPO and APO), linear speed, change of direction (COD), countermovement jump (CMJ), and vertical jump (VJ). Both SSG and sSIT sufficiently stimulated adaptive mechanisms involved in enhancement of the mentioned variables (p < 0.05). However, sSIT resulted in lower residuals in percent changes in V̇O2max (p = 0.02), O2pulse (p = 0.005), VT1 (p = 0.001), PPO (p = 0.03), and linear speed (p = 0.01) across athletes compared to the SSG. Moreover, sSIT resulted in more responders than SSG in V̇O2max (p = 0.02, φ = 0.500), O2pulse (p = 0.003, φ = 0.655), VT1 (p = 0.003, φ = 0.655), VT2 (p = 0.05, φ = 0.436), and linear speed (p = 0.05, φ = 0.420). Our results indicate that sSIT creates a more consistent level of mechanical and physiological stimulus than SSG, potentially leading to more similar adaptations across team members.

Modulating the Inner Helmholtz Plane towards Stable Solid Electrolyte Interphase by Anion-π Interactions for High-Performance Anode-Free Lithium Metal Batteries.

Anode-free lithium (Li) metal batteries (AFLBs) featured high energy density are viewed as the viable future energy storage technology. However, the irregular Li deposition and unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on anode current collectors reduce their cycling performance. Here, we propose a concept of anion-recognition electrodes enabled by anion-π interactions to regulate the inner Helmholtz plane (IHP) and electrolyte solvation chemistry for high-performance AFLBs. By engineering the electrodes with electron-deficient aromatic-π systems that possess high permanent quadrupole moment (Qzz ), the anion-π interactions can be generated to concentrate the anions on the electrode surface and tune the IHP structure to construct a stable anion-derived SEI layer, thus achieving highly reversible Li plating/stripping process. Through designing various current collectors with different Qzz values, the intimate correlations among the surface charge of the electrode, competitive adsorption of the IHP, and SEI structures are demonstrated. Particularly, the modified carbon cloth current collector with a high Qzz value (+35.1) delivers a high average Li stripping/plating Coulombic efficiency of 99.1% over 230 cycles in the carbonated electrolyte, enabling a long lifespan and high capacity retention of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2-based AFLBs with a commercial-level areal capacity (4.1 mA h cm-2).

Synthesis of Crystalline Phosphine-Graphdiyne with Self-Adaptive p-π Conjugation.

"Dynamic" behavior materials with high surface activity and the ability of chemical bond conversion are the frontier materials in the field of renewable energy. The outstanding feature of these materials is that they have adaptive electronic properties that external stimuli can adjust. An original discovery in a new crystalline two-dimensional phosphine-graphdiyne (P-GDY) material is described here. Although the p-π conjugation of most trivalent phosphorus π-systems is insignificant because of the pyramidal configuration, the lone pair electrons of phosphorus atoms participate strongly in the delocalization under the influence of the interlayer van der Waals forces in P-GDY. Due to the dynamically reversible nature of noncovalent interactions (p-π conjugation), P-GDY exhibits a specific adaptive behavior and realizes the responsive reversible transport of a lithium ion by regulating p-π interactions. Our findings would provide the potential to develop a new family of responsive materials with tunable structures.

Parents' willingness to vaccinate themselves and their children with the booster vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: A cross-sectional study in Puyang city, China.

We aimed to investigate the hesitancy and willingness of parents to vaccinate themselves and their children with a booster dose against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and related factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Puyang city, China. The information was collected, including demographic characteristics, willingness to receive a booster dose of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, and attitudes and concerns toward COVID-19 and vaccines. Vaccine hesitancy was assessed in individuals completing the first two doses and booster eligible, while vaccine willingness was assessed in those completing the first two doses and not yet booster eligible. Among the participants completing two primary doses while not meeting the booster criteria, 95.4% (1465/1536) and 95.0% (1385/1458) had a willingness to a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for themselves and their children, respectively. Among the participants who met the booster criteria, 40.3% had vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy and unwillingness tended to occur in people who were younger, less educated, less healthy, and with unsureness of vaccines' efficacy and adverse events (AE). The younger age of children, children in poorer health, and concern about the efficacy and AE of vaccines contributed to the participants' unwillingness to vaccinate their children. We observed a high willingness to the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine both for the parents and their children, regardless of the eligibility to a booster dose. However, 40% of people had delayed vaccination behaviors. The promotion of scientific knowledge of vaccines' effectiveness and safety is needed, especially for people in poor health and parents with young children. Timely disclosure of AE caused by COVID-19 vaccines and proper aiding offered to people encountering AE are suggested.

Outdoor light at night, genetic predisposition and type 2 diabetes mellitus: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: According to animal and human epidemiologic studies, exposure to outdoor light at night (LAN) may cause circadian disruption, which may disturb sleep quality and lead to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: We followed 283,374 persons from 2006 through 2020. Outdoor LAN exposure was estimated using satellite data for individual address with 500 m2 scale buffer during follow-up. Incidence of T2DM was confirmed by hospital inpatient records. We identified potential confounders by a directed acyclic graph, including demographic, genetic, individual and regional level socioeconomic status, and environmental risk factors, and calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) through time-varying Cox proportional hazard model. Furthermore, we examined the association of outdoor LAN with a defined health sleep scores and moderation of genetic predisposition and shift work on the relationship of outdoor LAN and incident T2DM. RESULTS: We identified 7,775 incident T2DM cases over 3,027,505 person-years. Higher outdoor LAN exposures were significantly associated with higher risk of T2DM. The estimated HR for incident T2DM with an interquartile range (IQR: 11.22 nW/cm2/sr) increase in outdoor LAN was 1.05 (95%CI: 1.01, 1.09) in the fully adjusted model. Participants who lived in the highest quarter of outdoor LAN area were more likely to develop T2DM (HR: 1.14,95%CI: 1.02, 1.27). Besides, those who were exposed to higher levels of outdoor LAN had poorer sleep quality. No moderation role of PRS on outdoor LAN-induced T2DM observed both on the multiplicated and additive scale. The hazards of outdoor LAN were observed in those who never owned a night shift work. CONCLUSION: Although further work is required to clarify potential mechanisms, our findings indicate that exposure to residential outdoor LAN may contribute to T2DM risk and low sleep quality.

Air pollution, greenness and risk of overweight among middle-aged and older adults: A cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of obesity, but living in greener space may reduce this risk. Epidemiological evidence, however, is inconsistent. METHODS: Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2015), we conducted a nationwide cohort study of 7424 adults. We measured overweight/obesity according to body mass index. We used annual average ground-level air pollutants, including ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5), to demonstrate air pollution levels. We used the Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to measure greenness exposure. We used time-varying Cox proportional hazard regression models to analyze the connections among air pollution, greenness, and the development of overweight/obesity in middle-aged and older adults in China. We also conducted mediation analyses to examine the mediating effects of air pollution. RESULTS: We found that lower risk of overweight/obesity was associated with more greenness exposure and lower levels of air pollution. We identified that an interquartile increment in NDVI was correlated with a lower hazard ratio (HR) of becoming overweight or obese (HR = 0.806, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.754-0.862). Although a 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 and NO2 was correlated with higher risks (HR = 1.049, 95% CI = 1.022-1.075, HR = 1.376, 95% CI = 1.264-1.499). Effects of PM2.5 on being overweight or obese were stronger in men than in women. According to the mediation analysis, PM2.5 and NO2 mediated 8.85% and 19.22% of the association between greenness and being overweight or obese. CONCLUSIONS: An increased risk of being overweight or obese in middle-aged and older adults in China was associated with long-term exposure to higher levels of PM2.5 and NO2. This risk was reduced through NDVI exposure, and the associations were partially mediated by air pollutants. To verify these findings, fine-scale studies are needed.

Modification of green space on the associations between long-term road traffic noise exposure and incident intracerebral hemorrhage: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a subtype of stroke that would cause high mortality and disability. Environmental factors may play an important role in the incident risk of ICH. Evidence on how long-term road traffic noise exposure affects incident ICH is still scarce, and whether green space has a modification effect is unknown. We conducted a prospective analysis based on UK Biobank to assess the longitudinal association between road traffic noise exposure and incident ICH, and the potential modification of green space. METHODS: Algorithms based on medical records and linkage were utilized to identify ICH incident cases in the UK Biobank. The Common Noise Assessment Methods in Europe noise model was used to calculate the road traffic noise exposure at the residential level. The relationship between weighted average 24-h road traffic noise level (Lden) and incident ICH was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models, and the modification effect of green space was examined using stratified analysis with interaction terms. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 12.5 years, 1 459 incident ICH cases were ascertained in the 402 268 baseline individuals. After adjustment for potential confounders, Lden was significantly related to an elevated risk of incident ICH with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.14 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.28) for a 10 dB [A] increment. The detrimental influence of Lden on ICH remained stable after adjustment for air pollution. Furthermore, green space modified the association between Lden exposure and incident ICH (Pinteraction = 0.035), and no association was found for higher green space. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term residential road traffic noise exposure was associated with an increased risk of ICH, but only for those who live in areas with less green space, indicating that green space may alleviate the negative impacts of road traffic noise exposure on ICH.

Does PM1 exposure during pregnancy impact the gut microbiota of mothers and neonates?

BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollutant exposure can change the composition of gut microbiota at 6-months of age, but there is no epidemiological evidence on the impacts of exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤1 µm (PM1) during pregnancy on gut microbiota in mothers and neonates. We aimed to determine if gestational PM1 exposure is associated with the gut microbiota of mothers and neonates. METHODS: Leveraging a mother-infant cohort from the central region of China, we estimated the exposure concentrations of PM1 during pregnancy based on residential address records. The gut microbiota of mothers and neonates was analyzed using 16 S rRNA V3-V4 gene sequences. Functional pathway analyses of 16 S rRNA V3-V4 bacterial communities were conducted using Tax4fun. The impact of PM1 exposure on α-diversity, composition, and function of gut microbiota in mothers and neonates was evaluated using multiple linear regression, controlling for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). Permutation multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) was used to analyze the interpretation degree of PM1 on the sample differences at the OTU level using the Bray-Curtis distance algorithm. RESULTS: Gestational PM1 exposure was positively associated with the α-diversity of gut microbiota in neonates and explained 14.8% (adj. P = 0.026) of the differences in community composition among neonatal samples. In contrast, gestational PM1 exposure had no impact on the α- and ß-diversity of gut microbiota in mothers. Gestational PM1 exposure was positively associated with phylum Actinobacteria of gut microbiota in mothers, and genera Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Streptococcus, Faecalibacterium of gut microbiota in neonates. At Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway level 3, the functional analysis results showed that gestational PM1 exposure significantly down-regulated Nitrogen metabolism in mothers, as well as Two-component system and Pyruvate metabolism in neonates. While Purine metabolism, Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, Pyrimidine metabolism, and Ribosome in neonates were significantly up-regulated. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides the first evidence that exposure to PM1 has a significant impact on the gut microbiota of mothers and neonates, especially on the diversity, composition, and function of neonatal meconium microbiota, which may have important significance for maternal health management in the future.

Mediation of metabolic syndrome in the association between long-term co-exposure to road traffic noise, air pollution and incident type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have linked exposure to road traffic noise or air pollution with incident type 2 diabetes (T2D), but investigation on their co-exposure was limited and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that long-term co-exposure to road traffic noise and air pollution increases the risk of incident T2D via the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). METHODS: This prospective study included 390,834 participants in UK Biobank. Cumulative risk index (CRI), the health-based weighted levels of multiple exposures, was applied to characterize the co-exposure to 24-hour road traffic noise (Lden), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Lden was modeled by the Common Noise Assessment Methods in Europe and air pollutant levels were measured by the Land Use Regression model at participants' residential addresses. Incident T2D was ascertained through linkages to inpatient hospital records. MetS was defined by five (central obesity, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure) or six factors (C-reactive protein additionally). Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between environmental exposures and incident T2D, and mediation analyses were applied to investigate the role of MetS. RESULTS: After a median of 10.9 years of follow-up, 13,214 (3.4%) incident T2D cases were ascertained. The exposure to Lden, PM2.5, and NO2, as well as their co-exposure, were significantly associated with an elevated risk of incident T2D, with HRs of 1.03 (95%CI: 1.00, 1.05) per 3.5 dB(A) increase in Lden, 1.05 (95%CI: 1.01, 1.10) per 1.3 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5, 1.07 (95%CI: 1.02, 1.11) per 9.8 µg/m3 increase in NO2, and 1.06 (95%CI: 1.02, 1.09) per interquartile range increase in CRI. MetS significantly mediated 43.5%- 54.7% of the CRI-T2D relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term co-exposure to road traffic noise and air pollution is associated with an elevated risk of incident T2D, which may partly be mediated by MetS.

Summer heat waves and their mortality risk over a 14-year period in a western region of Iran.

Compared to previous decade, impact of heat waves (HWs) on mortality in recent years needs to be discussed in Iran. We investigated temporal change in added impact of summer HWs on mortality in eight cities of Iran. The pooled length of HWs was compared between 2015-2022 and 2008-2014 using random and fixed-effects of meta-analysis regression model. The temporal change in impact of HWs was evaluated through interaction effect between crossbasis function of HW and year in a two-stage time varying model. In order to pool the reduced coefficients of each period, multivariate meta-regression model, including city-specific temperature and temperature range as heterogenicity factors, was used. In addition to relative risk (RR), attributable fraction (AF) of HW in the two periods was also estimated in each city. In the last years, the frequency of all HWs was higher and the weak HWs were significantly longer. The only significant RR was related to the lowest and low severe HWs which was observed in the second period. In terms of AF, compared to the strong HWs, all weak HWs caused a considerable excess mortality in all cities and second period. The subgroup analysis revealed that the significant impact in the second period was mainly related to females and elderlies. The increased risk and AF due to more frequent and longer HWs (weak HWs) in the last years highlights the need for mitigation strategies in the region. Because of uncertainty in the results of severe HWs, further elaborately investigation of the HWs is need.