Potential causal links of long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its chemical components with the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma recurrence: A 10-year cohort study in South China.

There is a lack of evidence from cohort studies on the causal association of long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and its chemical components with the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) recurrence. Based on a 10-year prospective cohort of 1184 newly diagnosed NPC patients, we comprehensively evaluated the potential causal links of ambient PM2.5 and its chemical components including black carbon (BC), organic matter (OM), sulfate (SO4 2-), nitrate (NO3 -), and ammonium (NH4 +) with the recurrence risk of NPC using a marginal structural Cox model adjusted with inverse probability weighting. We observed 291 NPC patients experiencing recurrence during the 10-year follow-up and estimated a 33% increased risk of NPC recurrence (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.74) following each interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 exposure. Each IQR increment in BC, NH4 +, OM, NO3 -, and SO4 2- was associated with HRs of 1.36 (95%CI: 1.13-1.65), 1.35 (95%CI: 1.07-1.70), 1.33 (95%CI: 1.11-1.59), 1.32 (95%CI: 1.06-1.64), 1.31 (95%CI: 1.08-1.57). The elderly, patients with no family history of cancer, no smoking history, no drinking history, and those with severe conditions may exhibit a greater likelihood of NPC recurrence following exposure to PM2.5 and its chemical components. Additionally, the effect estimates of the five components are greater among patients who were exposed to high concentration than in the full cohort of patients. Our study provides solid evidence for a potential relationship between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its components and the risk of NPC recurrence.

Progress in using cross-linking technologies to increase the thermal stability of colloidal delivery systems.

In recent years, crosslinking technology has been found and widely used in food, textile, pharmaceutical, bioengineering and other fields. Crosslinking is a reaction in which two or more molecules bond to each other to form a stable three-dimensional network structure to improve the strength, heat resistance and other properties of substances. The researchers found that the cross-linking technology has a significant effect on improving the thermal stability of the colloidal delivery system. In this paper, crosslinking techniques that can be used to improve the thermal stability of colloidal delivery systems are reviewed, including enzyme-, ion-, chemical-, and combined cross-linking. Initially, the underlying mechanisms of these crosslinking technologies is reviewed. Then, the impacts of crosslinking on the heat-stability of colloidal delivery systems are discussed. Finally, the application of crosslinked delivery systems in improving the thermal stability of probiotics, polyphenols, pigments, and nutrients in foods and food packaging materials is introduced. The ability of proteins and polysaccharides to form heat-stable colloidal delivery systems can be improved by crosslinking. Nevertheless, more research is required to establish the impact of different crosslinking on the thermal stability of a broader range of different delivery systems, as well as to ensure their safety and efficacy.

Recent advances in enzymatic modification techniques to improve the quality of flour-based fried foods.

Flour-based fried foods are among the most commonly consumed foods worldwide. However, the sensory attributes and nutritional value of fried foods are inconsistent and unstable. Therefore, the creation of fried foods with desirable sensory attributes and good nutritional value remains a major challenge for the development of the fried food industry. The quality of flour-based fried foods can sometimes be improved by physical methods and the addition of chemical modifiers. However, enzyme modification is widely accepted by consumers due to its unique advantages of specificity, mild processing conditions and high safety. Therefore, it is important to elucidate the effects of enzyme treatments on the sensory attributes (color, flavor and texture), oil absorption and digestibility of flour-based fried foods. This paper reviews recent research progress in utilizing enzyme modification to improve the quality of flour-based fried foods. This paper begins with the effects of common enzymes on the physicochemical properties (rheological property, retrogradation property and specific volume) of dough. Based on the analysis of the mechanism of formation of sensory attributes and nutritional properties, it focuses on the application of amylase, protease, transglutaminase, and lipase in the regulation of sensory attributes and nutritional properties of flour-based fried foods.

Joint effects of heat-humidity compound events on drowning mortality in Southern China.

BACKGROUND: Several previous studies have examined the association of ambient temperature with drowning. However, no study has investigated the effects of heat-humidity compound events on drowning mortality. METHODS: The drowning mortality data and meteorological data during the five hottest months (May to September) were collected from 46 cities in Southern China (2013-2018 in Guangdong, Hunan and Zhejiang provinces). Distributed lag non-linear model was first conducted to examine the association between heat-humidity compound events and drowning mortality at city level. Then, meta-analysis was employed to pool the city-specific exposure-response associations. Finally, we analysed the additive interaction of heat and humidity on drowning mortality. RESULTS: Compared with wet-non-hot days, dry-hot days had greater effects (excess rate (ER)=32.34%, 95% CI: 24.64 to 40.50) on drowning mortality than wet-hot days (ER=14.38%, 95%CI: 6.80 to 22.50). During dry-hot days, males (ER=42.40%, 95% CI: 31.92 to 53.72), adolescents aged 0-14 years (ER=45.00%, 95% CI: 21.98 to 72.35) and urban city (ER=36.91%, 95% CI: 23.87 to 51.32) showed higher drowning mortality risk than their counterparts. For wet-hot days, males, adolescents and urban city had higher ERs than their counterparts. Attributable fraction (AF) of drowning attributed to dry-hot days was 23.83% (95% CI: 21.67 to 26.99) which was significantly higher than that for wet-hot days (11.32%, 95% CI: 9.64 to 13.48%). We also observed that high temperature and low humidity had an additive interaction on drowning mortality. CONCLUSION: We found that dry-hot days had greater drowning mortality risk and burden than wet-hot days, and high temperature and low humidity might have synergy on drowning mortality.

Trajectories network analysis of chronic diseases among middle-aged and older adults: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

BACKGROUND: Given the increased risk of chronic diseases and comorbidity among middle-aged and older adults in China, it is pivotal to identify the disease trajectory of developing chronic multimorbidity and address the temporal correlation among chronic diseases. METHOD: The data of 15895 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS 2011 - 2018) were analyzed in the current study. Binomial tests and the conditional logistic regression model were conducted to estimate the associations among 14 chronic diseases, and the disease trajectory network analysis was adopted to visualize the relationships. RESULTS: The analysis showed that hypertension is the most prevalent disease among the 14 chronic conditions, with the highest cumulative incidence among all chronic diseases. In the disease trajectory network, arthritis was found to be the starting point, and digestive diseases, hypertension, heart diseases, and dyslipidemia were at the center, while memory-related disease (MRD), stroke, and diabetes were at the periphery of the network. CONCLUSIONS: With the chronic disease trajectory network analysis, we found that arthritis was prone to the occurrence and development of various other diseases. In addition, patients of heart diseases/hypertension/digestive disease/dyslipidemia were under higher risk of developing other chronic conditions. For patients with multimorbidity, early prevention can preclude them from developing into poorer conditions, such as stroke, MRD, and diabetes. By identifying the trajectory network of chronic disease, the results provided critical insights for developing early prevention and individualized support services to reduce disease burden and improve patients' quality of life.

Unveiling causal connections: Long-term particulate matter exposure and type 2 diabetes mellitus mortality in Southern China.

Evidence of the potential causal links between long-term exposure to particulate matters (PM, i.e., PM1, PM2.5, and PM1-2.5) and T2DM mortality based on large cohorts is limited. In contrast, the existing evidence usually suffers from inherent bias with the traditional association assessment. A prospective cohort of 580,757 participants in the southern region of China were recruited during 2009 and 2015 and followed up through December 2020. PM exposure at each residential address was estimated by linking to the well-established high-resolution simulation dataset. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using time-varying marginal structural Cox models, an established causal inference approach, after adjusting for potential confounders. During follow-up, a total of 717 subjects died from T2DM. For every 1 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5, the adjusted HRs and 95% confidence interval (CI) for T2DM mortality was 1.036 (1.019-1.053). Similarly, for every 1 µg/m3 increase in PM1 and PM1-2.5, the adjusted HRs and 95% CIs were 1.032 (1.003-1.062) and 1.085 (1.054-1.116), respectively. Additionally, we observed a generally more pronounced impact among individuals with lower levels of education or lower residential greenness which as measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). We identified substantial interactions between NDVI and PM1 (P-interaction = 0.003), NDVI and PM2.5 (P-interaction = 0.019), as well as education levels and PM1 (P-interaction = 0.049). The study emphasizes the need to consider environmental and socio-economic factors in strategies to reduce T2DM mortality. We found that PM1, PM2.5, and PM1-2.5 heighten the peril of T2DM mortality, with education and green space exposure roles in modifying it.

Long-Term Exposure to Ambient PM2.5 and Age-Related Cataracts among Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Evidence from Two National Cohort Studies.

Cataract is one key cause of visual disability and blindness. Ambient particulate matter is more likely to increase cataract risk due to eye continuous exposure to the environment. However, less is known about whether long-term exposure to particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is related to age-related cataracts. We conducted a population-based study among 22,298 adults from two multicenter cohort studies [China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) and Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS)]. The associations between PM2.5 and age-related cataracts were analyzed by Cox proportional hazard regression models, which were also stratified according to demographic characteristics. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) model was used to explore the dose-response relationships between PM2.5 and age-related cataracts. The population attributable fraction (PAF) was calculated to assess the burden of age-related cataracts that can be attributed to PM2.5. In the final analysis, 1897 participants reported age-related cataracts during follow-up. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with age-related cataracts, with HRs of 1.165 (1.130, 1.201), 1.138 (1.103, 1.173), and 1.091 (1.057, 1.126) for per 10 µg/m3 increase at one-, two-, and three-year before the end of follow-up, respectively. Furthermore, associations between PM2.5 and age-related cataracts were also demonstrated in RCS models. The PAF of age-related cataracts to PM2.5 in the total participants was 24.63%. Our research found that long-term exposure to PM2.5 may increase the risk of age-related cataracts, and age-related cataracts should be considered as an important public health issue due to air pollution.

Potential causal links between long-term ambient particulate matter exposure and cardiovascular mortality: New evidence from a large community-based cohort in South China.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality is associated with long-term particulate matter (PM) exposure. However, evidence from large, highly-exposed population cohort and observational-data-based causal inference approaches remains limited. AIMS: We examined the potential causal links between PM exposure and the CVD mortality in South China. METHODS: 580,757 participants were recruited during 2009-2015 and followed up through 2020. Satellite-based annual concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and PMcoarse (i.e., PM10 - PM2.5) at 1 km2 spatial resolution were estimated and assigned to each participant. Marginal structural Cox models with time-varying covariates, adjusted using inverse probability weighting, were developed to evaluate the association between prolonged PM exposure and CVD mortality. RESULTS: For overall CVD mortality, the hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval for each 1 µg/m3 increase in the annual average concentration of PM2.5, PM10, and PMcoarse were 1.033 (1.028-1.037), 1.028 (1.024-1.032), and 1.022 (1.012-1.033), respectively. All three PMs were linked to a higher mortality risk for myocardial infarction and ischemic heart disease (IHD). The mortality risk of chronic IHD and hypertension was linked to PM2.5 and PM10. Significant association between PMcoarse and other heart disease mortality was also observed. The older, women, less-educated participants, or inactive participants exhibited particularly higher susceptibility. Participants who were generally exposed to PM10 concentrations below 70 µg/m3 were more vulnerable to PM2.5-, PM10- and PMcoarse-CVD mortality risks. CONCLUSION: This large cohort study provides evidence for the potential causal links between increased CVD mortality and ambient PM exposure, as well as socio-demographics linked to the highest vulnerability.

Synergistic effect of energy and industrial structures on carbon emissions in China.

Energy structure and industrial structure are two crucial economic factors affecting carbon emissions. However, current research often examines them separately, neglecting the potential additional synergistic effect between them. Leveraging the coupling concept from physics, we objectively quantify these synergistic effect and investigate influencing factors on CO2 intensity from a novel perspective of the synergy by combining a coupling coordination model with econometric model of generalized method of moments (GMM) with a panel dataset from China spanning 2007 to 2019. Our estimates indicate that (1) synergy of energy and industrial structures significantly reduces carbon intensity, which is stable after a series of robust check. (2) the reduced effect of synergy can be enlarged by enhancing environmental regulation and green innovation. (3) the inhibiting effect of synergy is significant, mainly occurs in regions with abundant energy resource endowments. Correspondingly, we recommend several policy implications for China and other developing countries.

Interaction of maternal medication use with ambient heat exposure on congenital heart defects in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study.

BACKGROUND: Maternal exposure to weather-related extreme heat events (EHEs) has been associated with congenital heart defects (CHDs) in offspring. Certain medications may affect an individual's physiologic responses to EHEs. We evaluated whether thermoregulation-related medications modified associations between maternal EHE exposure and CHDs. METHODS: We linked geocoded residence data from the U.S. National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a population-based case-control study, to summertime EHE exposures. An EHE was defined using the 90th percentile of daily maximum temperature (EHE90) for each of six climate regions during postconceptional weeks 3-8. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between EHE90 and the risk of CHDs were estimated by strata of maternal thermoregulation-related medication use and climate region. Interaction effects were evaluated on multiplicative and additive scales. RESULTS: Over 45% of participants reported thermoregulation-related medication use during the critical period of cardiogenesis. Overall, these medications did not significantly modify the association between EHEs and CHDs. Still, medications that alter central thermoregulation increased aORs (95% CI) of EHE90 from 0.73 (0.41, 1.30) among non-users to 5.09 (1.20, 21.67) among users in the Southwest region, U.S. This effect modification was statistically significant on the multiplicative (P = 0.03) and additive scales, with an interaction contrast ratio (95% CI) of 1.64 (0.26, 3.02). CONCLUSION: No significant interaction was found for the maternal use of thermoregulation-related medications with EHEs on CHDs in general, while medications altering central thermoregulation significantly modified the association between EHEs and CHDs in Southwest U.S. This finding deserves further research.

Curcumin Ameliorates the Experimental Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy through Promotion of NGF Expression in Rats.

Increasing evidence suggested that inhibiting the apoptosis of Schwann cells (SCs) and promoting nerve growth factor (NGF) expression in sciatic nerves play key roles in preventing the onset of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Curcumin, a primary bioactive substance in turmeric with multiple characteristics, has been shown to have many therapeutic effects in a variety of diseases. However, curcumin is poorly studied in the DPN models. We aimed to explore the therapeutic benefits and underlying mechanism of curcumin in high fat/sugar diets joint streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DPN rat models. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into five groups (6 rats per group), control group, DPN group, Curcumin groups (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg). Curcumin was administered intragastrically once per day for 4 continuous weeks. Body weight (BW) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were monitored in all groups. The mechanical withdraw threshold (MWT) was measured. We also assessed neuropathic change by testing nerve conductance velocity (NCV) in sciatic nerves. TEM was applied to observe the sciatic nerves ultrastructure. The SCs apoptosis in sciatic nerves was stained using TUNEL kit. NGF contents in sciatic nerves and serum were detected using western blotting and ELISA analysis. The results showed curcumin had no obvious effect on the BW and FBG change. Curcumin (100 and 150 mg/kg) attenuated the MWT, NCV, and sciatic nerves ultrastructure in DPN rats. Curcumin (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg) reduced SCs apoptosis in sciatic nerves. In addition, curcumin at 150 mg/kg had the best efficacy in increasing protein expression of NGF in sciatic nerves and serum NGF level. Our work demonstrated that curcumin has neuroprotective effects for the treatment of DPN.

Gabapentin Enacarbil Extended-Release Versus Placebo: A Likely Responder Reanalysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: We reanalyzed a multisite 26-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of 600 mg twice-a-day Gabapentin Enacarbil Extended-Release (GE-XR), a gabapentin prodrug, designed to evaluate safety and efficacy for treating alcohol use disorder. In the original analysis (n = 338), published in 2019, GE-XR did not differ from placebo. Our aim is to advance precision medicine by identifying likely responders to GE-XR from the trial data and to determine for likely responders if GE-XR is causally superior to placebo. METHODS: The primary outcome measure in the reanalysis is the reduction from baseline of the number of heavy drinking days (ΔHDD). Baseline features including measures of alcohol use, anxiety, depression, mood states, sleep, and impulsivity were used in a random forest (RF) model to predict ΔHDD to treatment with GE-XR based on those assigned to GE-XR. The resulting RF model was used to obtain predicted outcomes for those randomized to GE-XR and counterfactually to those randomized to placebo. Likely responders to GE-XR were defined as those predicted to have a reduction of 14 days or more. Tests of causal superiority of GE-XR to placebo were obtained for likely responders and for the whole sample. RESULTS: For likely responders, GE-XR was causally superior to placebo (p < 0.0033), while for the whole sample, there was no difference. Likely responders exhibited improved outcomes for the related outcomes of percent HDD and drinks per week. Compared with unlikely responders, at baseline likely responders had higher HDDs; lower levels of anxiety, depression, and general mood disturbances; and higher levels of cognitive and motor impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS: There are substantial causal benefits of treatment with GE-XR for a subset of patients predicted to be likely responders. The likely responder statistical paradigm is a promising approach for analyzing randomized clinical trials to advance personalized treatment.

SNP-SNP and SNP-environment interactions of potentially functional HOTAIR SNPs modify the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.

HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) has been widely regarded as a functional lncRNA contributing to multiple cancers. However, few studies have examined the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HOTAIR on the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, three potentially functional HOTAIR SNPs (rs17105613, rs12427129, and rs3816153) were selected using bioinformatic tools. A case-control study including 1262 cases and 1559 controls was conducted to explore the association of HOTAIR SNPs with the risk of HCC in a Southern Chinese population. We found that SNPs rs12427129 and rs3816153 were associated with the risk of HCC in dominant genetic models (CC: CT + TT, adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.57-0.90 and GG: GT + TT, adjusted OR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.08-1.57). Additionally, SNP-environment interactions for rs12427129, rs3816153, and HBsAg status were found to enhance the risk of HCC, with FDR-P as an additive interaction equal to 0.0006 and 0.0144, respectively. In multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analysis, the three-factor model (HBsAg status, rs12427129 and rs3816153) yielded the highest test accuracy of 77.74% (permutation P < 0.001). Interestingly, the effect of rs12427129 and rs3816153 on the risk of HCC could be modified by HBsAg status, while the rs12427129 CT/TT genotype could antagonize the detrimental effect of rs3816153 GT/TT genotype on HCC. Our findings suggest that rs12427129 and rs3816153, including their SNP-SNP and SNP-environment interaction with HBsAg status, potentially play important roles on the susceptibility to HCC.

The effects of excess degree-hours on mortality in Guangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies that examined the association between temperature and mortality relied on mean temperature, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, humidex, and daily temperature variability, not accounting for variations in hourly temperature throughout the day. We proposed an indicator, excess degree-hours, to examine the association between temperature and mortality. METHODS: A distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was used to determine the hot (27.8 °C) and cold (24.3 °C) threshold. Hourly temperature in Guangzhou, China were summarized with extreme heat expressed as sum of degree-hours >27.8 °C and extreme cold as sum of degree-hours <24.3 °C within one day from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015. We then estimated the associations of daily mortality with hot and cold degree-hours in both hot and cold season. We also calculated the mortality burden of excess degree-hours. RESULTS: An interquartile range (IQR) increase of hot degree-hours was associated with 2.11% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.25%, 2.98%), 3.74% (95% CI: 0.71%, 6.86%), and 2.63% (95% CI: 0.70%, 4.59%) increments in non-injury related death, respiratory mortality, and cardiovascular mortality, respectively. While the corresponding excess risk for an IQR increase of cold degree-hours was 2.42% (95% CI: 1.97%, 2.88%), 3.16% (95% CI: 2.57%, 3.76%), and 2.93% (95% CI: 1.98%, 3.88%). The estimated mortality burdens for hot and cold degree-hours were 1366,2465, respectively. CONCLUSION: The excess degree-hours reduced to a single indication in duration and intensity is an approach and shows a different perspective and significant extreme weather effects on human health.

A novel uromodulin mutation in autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease: a pedigree-based study and literature review.

Autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease caused by mutations in uromodulin gene (ADTKD-UMOD) is a spectrum of hereditary renal disorders, characterized by early-onset hyperuricemia, gout and progressive nephropathy. This study presented a novel UMOD mutation in an ADTKD pedigree and reviewed studies in Chinese population. The index patient is a 16-year-old girl with hypertension, hyperuricemia and normal serum creatinine level. Four affected and six unaffected members were available for genetic screen. The mutation analysis was performed by next-generation sequencing and direct sequencing. A literature research was conducted to review Chinese ADTKD-UMOD cases. MEDLINE and Chinese Biomedicine Databases were searched with 'uromodulin', 'juvenile gout' and their related terms. Genetic sequencing revealed a de novo mutation within exon 3 (Cys223Gly), which was co-segregating with phenotype in this pedigree. In the review, four studies and our study involving a total of 67 ADTKD patients from 11 families were identified. Of these patients, 27 were confirmed to carry UMOD mutations. Mutations occurred in exon 3 were commonly observed, while mutations within exon 4, 5 and 9 occurred less frequently in Chinese ADTKD-UMOD cases. Among these cases, median age of symptom onset was 26.5 years, median age of end-stage renal diseases (ESRD) or death by ESRD was 41.9 years without renal replacement treatment. Phenotype caused by mutations in D8C domain seemed to be severe than those in GPI domain. Compared with patients of other race, Chinese ADTKD-UMOD patients advanced more aggressively to ESRD.

Extravascular red blood cells and hemoglobin promote tumor growth and therapeutic resistance as endogenous danger signals.

Hemorrhage is a common clinical manifestation in patients with cancer. Intratumor hemorrhage has been demonstrated to be a poor prognostic factor for cancer patients. In this study, we investigated the role of RBCs and hemoglobin (Hb) in the process of tumor progression and therapeutical response. RBCs and Hb potently promoted tumor cell proliferation and syngenic tumor growth. RBCs and Hb activated the reactive oxygen species-NF-κB pathway in both tumor cells and macrophages. RBCs and Hb also induced chemoresistance mediated, in part, by upregulating ABCB1 gene expression. Tumor growth induced by RBCs was accompanied by an inflammatory signature, increased tumor vasculature, and influx of M2 macrophages. In both the peritoneal cavity and tumor microenvironment, extravascular RBCs rapidly recruited monocyte-macrophages into the lesion sites. In addition, RBCs and Hb increased several nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors' expression and induced IL-1ß release. Our results provide novel insights into the protumor function of RBCs and Hb as endogenous danger signals, which can promote tumor cell proliferation, macrophage recruitment, and polarization. Hemorrhage may represent a useful prognostic factor for cancer patients because of its role in tumor promotion and chemoresistance.

Teacher respiratory health symptoms in relation to school and home environment.

PURPOSE: Few studies have evaluated teachers' respiratory health, especially its relationship with school/home environment, and school policies. This study assessed asthma and smoking prevalence among teachers in Romania, teacher's perception and knowledge of the school environment, policies and asthma management, and how school and home environment affected asthma, allergy, and respiratory infection symptoms. METHODS: This cross-sectional study obtained information from 104 Romanian teachers utilizing teacher questionnaire data for Romania only, as part of the Schools Indoor Pollution and Health: Observatory Network in Europe (SINPHONIE) study, a multicenter European research project conducted between 2010 and 2012. The SINPHONIE questionnaire collected comprehensive information on school and home environment, respiratory symptoms, smoking, and school policies. We used unconditional logistic regression analysis to examine environment-outcome relationships while controlling for socio-demographics and co-exposures. RESULTS: Our results showed the prevalence of asthma-like symptoms and smoking among teachers in Romania was higher than in other SINPHONIE schools and among US teachers. Factors statistically associated with asthma, allergy, and respiratory infection (all p < 0.05) include perception of health related to poor air quality in school, inappropriate cleaning of ventilation systems, dwelling proximity to busy traffic, and multiple school/home exposures. We also found lack of asthma management and environmental policies in the investigated Romanian schools. CONCLUSION: We concluded that multiple school and home environmental factors were related to respiratory and allergic symptoms. High asthma burden and smoking are important public health problems in Romania. Future studies including larger sample size and exposure measurements are needed to confirm our findings.

An effective preserving strategy for strawberries by constructing pectin/starch coatings reinforced with functionalized eggshell fillers.

Food waste occurs frequently worldwide, though hunger and malnutrition issues have received global attention. Short-term spoilage of perishable foods causes a significant proportion of food waste. Developing simple, green, and low-cost strategies to preserve the freshness of perishable foods is important to address this issue and improving food safety. By using strawberries as the model perishable fruit, this study reported a pectin/carboxy methyl starch sodium (PC) based coating using epigallocatechin gallate-loaded eggshell powder (ES@EGCG) as the functional fillers. In comparison to PC coating, the PC-ES@EGCG coating displayed much-enhanced performance, such as enhanced mechanical (2 folds) and barrier (water vapor & oxygen) properties. This composite coating reduced the weight loss of strawberries from over 60% to around 30% after 7-day storage. Coated strawberries exhibit better freshness retention, which achieves the purpose of preserving strawberries during storage. This study provided a cost-effective and eco-friendly coating strategy for reducing food waste.

The joint effects of mixture exposure to multiple meteorological factors on step count: A panel study in China.

The public health burden of increasing extreme weather events has been well documented. However, the influence of meteorological factors on physical activity remains limited. Existing mixture effect methods cannot handle cumulative lag effects. Therefore, we developed quantile g-computation Distributed lag non-linear model (QG-DLNM) by embedding a DLNM into quantile g-computation to allow for the concurrent consideration of both cumulated lag effects and mixture effects. We gathered repeated measurement data from Henan Province in China to investigate both the individual impact of meteorological factor on step counts using a DLNM, and the joint effect using the QG-DLNM. We projected future step counts linked to changes in temperature and relative humidity driven by climate change under three scenarios from the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. Our findings indicate there are inversed U-shaped associations for temperature, wind speed, and mixture exposure with step counts, peaking at 11.6 °C in temperature, 2.7 m/s in wind speed, and 30th percentile in mixture exposure. However, there are negative associations between relative humidity and rainfall with step counts. Additionally, relative humidity possesses the highest weights in the joint effect (49% contribution). Compared to 2022s, future step counts are projected to decrease due to temperature changes, while increase due to relative humidity changes. However, when considering both future temperature and humidity changes driven by climate change, the projections indicate a decrease in step counts. Our findings may suggest Chinese physical activity will be negatively influenced by global warming.

Review of formation mechanisms and quality regulation of chewiness in staple foods: Rice, noodles, potatoes and bread.

Staple foods serve as vital nutrient sources for the human body, and chewiness is an essential aspect of food texture. Age, specific preferences, and diminished eating functions have broadened the chewiness requirements for staple foods. Therefore, comprehending the formation mechanism of chewiness in staple foods and exploring approaches to modulate it becomes imperative. This article reviewed the formation mechanisms and quality control methods for chewiness in several of the most common staple foods (rice, noodles, potatoes and bread). It initially summarized the chewiness formation mechanisms under three distinct thermal processing methods: water medium, oil medium, and air medium processing. Subsequently, proposed some effective approaches for regulating chewiness based on mechanistic changes. Optimizing raw material composition, controlling processing conditions, and adopting innovative processing techniques can be utilized. Nonetheless, the precise adjustment of staple foods' chewiness remains a challenge due to their diversity and technical study limitations. Hence, further in-depth exploration of chewiness across different staple foods is warranted.