Impact of air pollutants on hospital visits for pediatric asthma in Fuzhou city, southeast China.

Rapid social development in China has resulted in severe air pollution and adverse impacts on people's health. Although studies have been conducted on the relationship between exposure to air pollutants and asthma exacerbation, most studies were performed in relatively heavily polluted areas, while little is known about the effect of air pollutants in less polluted areas. We assessed the effects of air pollutants on the risk of asthma-related outpatient and emergency visits of infants and children aged from 0 to 13 years during 2018 to 2020 in Fuzhou city, southeast China. Data of six air pollutants: sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxides (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), daily maximum 8-h average ozone (O3-8 h), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm (PM10), and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), were obtained from the Environmental Protection Administration of Fuzhou. Data of temperature, humidity, and wind speed were provided by the Meteorological Bureau of Fuzhou. Results revealed that on lag day 6, NO2, SO2, and CO were positively associated with the number of outpatient and emergency visits. Among the pollutants, SO2 had the highest effects on both outpatient visits (RR = 1.672, 95%CI 1.545, 1.809) and emergency visits (RR = 1.495, 95%CI 1.241, 1.800), and its effect on outpatient visits was stronger in children aged 0-4 years than in those aged 5-13 years (RR = 2.331 vs. 1.439). In conclusion, SO2 contributes substantially to the adverse effects of air pollutants on pediatric respiratory health in Fuzhou. Younger children were more affected by air pollution than their older counterparts.

Serum Uric Acid and Cardiovascular or All-Cause Mortality in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Studies have shown inconsistent associations between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We conducted this meta-analysis to determine whether SUA levels were associated with cardiovascular or all-cause mortality in PD patients. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Database, and trial registry databases were systematically searched up to April 11, 2021. Cohort studies of SUA levels and cardiovascular or all-cause mortality in PD patients were obtained. Random effect models were used to calculate the pooled adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the pooled results. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses were performed to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Funnel plots, Begg's tests, and Egger's tests were conducted to evaluate potential publication bias. The GRADE approach was used to rate the certainty of evidence. This study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021268739. Results: Seven studies covering 18,113 PD patients were included. Compared with the middle SUA levels, high SUA levels increased the risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.74, 95%CI: 1.26-2.40, I 2 = 34.8%, τ2 = 0.03), low SUA levels were not statistically significant with the risk of all-cause or cardiovascular mortality (HR = 1.04, 95%CI: 0.84-1.29, I 2 = 43.8%, τ2 = 0.03; HR = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.65-1.23, I 2 = 36.3%, τ2 = 0.04; respectively). Compared with the low SUA levels, high SUA levels were not statistically associated with an increased risk of all-cause or cardiovascular mortality (HR = 1.19, 95%CI: 0.59-2.40, I 2 = 88.2%, τ2 = 0.44; HR = 1.22, 95%CI: 0.39-3.85, I 2 = 89.3%, τ2 = 0.92; respectively). Conclusion: Compared with middle SUA levels, high SUA levels are associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in PD patients. SUA levels may not be associated with cardiovascular mortality. More high-level studies, especially randomized controlled trials, are needed to determine the association between SUA levels and cardiovascular or all-cause mortality in PD patients. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021268739, identifier: CRD42021268739.