Urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and adult obesity among the US population: NHANES 2003-2016.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are naturally occurring environmental pollutants that may contribute to obesity in the adult population. To investigate the relationship between the urinary concentrations of PAH metabolites and adult obesity among the US population, the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES, 2003-2016) was used as a data source for this study. As many as 4464 participants in the NHANES 2003-2016 were included in the final analyses. We used logistic regression to look at the link between urinary PAH metabolites and obesity, using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The study sample comprised 4464 individuals aged ≥18 years, 2199 were male and 2265 were female. The study characteristics for four different quartiles were analyzed, and the average ages of the four urinary PAH quartiles were 49.61 ± 20.01, 46.63 ± 20.33, 44.28 ± 19.19, and 43.27 ± 17.68 years, respectively. In the quartile analysis of all participants, the third quartile was significantly associated with an increased prevalence of obesity (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.12-1.59) with p-values <.05. In addition, females, but not males, had a strong link between the second, third, and fourth quartiles of urinary PAH and a higher risk of obesity (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.00-1.61; OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.19-1.94; and OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.09-1.78). In conclusion, the study observed that urinary PAH metabolites were associated with the prevalence of obesity among the US population.

Cigarette smoking and air pollution exposure and their effects on cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has no socioeconomic, topographical, or sex limitations as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). The significant drivers of CVD are cardio-metabolic, behavioral, environmental, and social risk factors. However, some significant risk factors for CVD (e.g., a pitiable diet, tobacco smoking, and a lack of physical activities), have also been linked to an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. Lifestyles and environmental factors are known key variables in cardiovascular disease. The familiarity with smoke goes along with the contact with the environment: air pollution is considered a source of toxins that contribute to the CVD burden. The incidence of myocardial infarction increases in males and females and may lead to fatal coronary artery disease, as confirmed by epidemiological studies. Lipid modification, inflammation, and vasomotor dysfunction are integral components of atherosclerosis development and advancement. These aspects are essential for the identification of atherosclerosis in clinical investigations. This article aims to show the findings on the influence of CVD on the health of individuals and human populations, as well as possible pathology and their involvement in smoking-related cardiovascular diseases. This review also explains lifestyle and environmental factors that are known to contribute to CVD, with indications suggesting an affiliation between cigarette smoking, air pollution, and CVD.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and its effects on human health: An overeview.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of chemicals of considerable environmental significance. PAHs are chemical contaminants of fused carbon and hydrogen aromatic rings, basically white, light-yellow, or solid compounds without color. Natural sources of pollution are marginal or less significant, such as volcanic eruptions, natural forest fires, and moorland fires that trigger lightning bursts. The significant determinants of PAH pollution are anthropogenic pollution sources, classified into four groups, i.e., industrial, mobile, domestic, and agricultural pollution sources. Humans can consume PAHs via different routes, such as inhalation, dermal touch, and ingestion. The Effect of PAHs on human health is primarily based on the duration and route of exposure, the volume or concentration of PAHs to which one is exposed, and the relative toxicity of PAHs. Many PAHs are widely referred to as carcinogens, mutagens, and teratogens and thus pose a significant danger to human health and the well-being of humans. Skin, lung, pancreas, esophagus, bladder, colon, and female breast are numerous organs prone to tumor development due to long-term PAH exposure. PAH exposure may increase the risk of lung cancer as well as cardiovascular disease (CVD), including atherosclerosis, thrombosis, hypertension, and myocardial infarction (MI). Preclinical studies have found a relationship between PAH exposure, oxidative stress, and atherosclerosis. In addition, investigations have discovered a relationship between PAH exposure at work and CVD illness and mortality development. This review aims to explain PAH briefly, its transportation, its effects on human health, and a relationship between environmental exposures to PAHs and CVD risk in humans.

Association of smoking with coronary artery disease in Nepalese populations: a case control study.

There are well-known traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). Among them, smoking is one of the most prominent and modifiable risk factors. This study aims to determine the magnitude of smoking as a risk factor for CAD in the Nepalese population. A hospital-based age- and sex-matched case-control study was carried out with a total of 612 respondents. Bivariate analysis showed that the risk of developing CAD in ex-smokers and current smokers was higher (odds ratio (OR): 1.81 (confidence interval (CI): 1.21-2.7) and OR: 5.2 (CI: 3.4-7.97)), with p-values less than 0.004 and <0.00001, respectively, compared to the risk in never smokers. From stratified socio-demographic, cardio-metabolic, behavioural and psychosocial risk factor analysis, smoking was found to be associated with CAD in almost all subgroups. In the subsequent multivariate analysis, adjustment for socio-demographic, cardio-metabolic and psychosocial risk factors showed a steady increase in risk. However, further adjustment for behavioural risk factors (alcohol use and physical activity) showed that the risk was attenuated by 59% in current smokers. After adjusting for the covariates, current smokers and ex-smokers had an increased risk of CAD (OR: 6.64, 95% CI: 3.64-12.12, p < 0.00001; OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.08-3.31, p < 0.012, respectively) compared with non-smokers. In conclusion, smoking was found to increase the risk of CAD in the Nepalese population.

Association of handgrip strength with the prevalence of hypertension in a Chinese Han population.

OBJECTIVE: Handgrip strength (HGS) exercise has been reported to reduce blood pressure in both hypertensive and normotensive patients. In this study, we evaluated the association of HGS with hypertension in a Chinese Han Population. METHODS: A total of 11,151 subjects mainly consisting of a rural population were recruited with a multi-stage sampling method in Jurong city, Jiangsu Province, China. Besides hypertension and diabetes, major chronic diseases were excluded. HGS was categorized into tertiles by age and gender. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association of HGS and hypertension with the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: From low to high tertiles of HGS, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was significantly increased (74.52 ± 7.39, 74.70 ± 7.03, and 75.54 ± 7.01 mmHg, respectively; P trend = 0.001), as well as in females (P trend =0.003). The differences in DBP among the tertiles of HGS were still significant in females even after adjusting for covariates (P trend =0.048). No significant differences in systolic blood pressure (SBP) were observed among the tertiles of HGS (P>0.05). Compared to low HGS, high HGS was significantly associated with hypertension after adjustment for age and gender (adjusted OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.06-1.34; P =0.004). A stratified analysis showed that the significant association of high HGS and hypertension was also observed with the following factors even after adjusting for age and gender: female gender (adjusted OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.08-1.46; P=0.004), ages of 60-69 years (adjusted OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.06-1.57; P=0.011), and married (adjusted OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.06-1.37; P=0.005). However, no significant associations were found after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, drinking status, body mass index, physical activity level, glucose, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglyceride (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study suggest that HGS was positively correlated with DBP in a rural population, and high HGS was associated with hypertension in females; however, the association may be modified by smoking status, drinking status, body mass index, physical activity, cholesterol level, and glucose level. Further utilization of HGS exercises to intervene in the development and prognosis of hypertension should be verified in the future.