PMID: 

Environ Int. 2020 Mar ;136:105498. Epub 2020 Jan 25. PMID: 31991238

Abstract Title: 

The impact of ambient ozone pollution on pneumonia: A nationwide time-series analysis.

Abstract: 

Few large multicity studies have assessed acute effect of tropospheric ozone pollution on pneumonia risk. We aimed to examine the relation between day-to-day changes in ozone concentrations and hospital admissions for pneumonia in China. We conducted a national time-series study in 184 major Chinese cities from 2014 to 2017. City-specific relation between ozone concentrations and pneumonia admissions was evaluated using an over-dispersed generalized additive model. Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to pool the city-specific estimates. Two-pollutant models were fitted to test the robustness of the relations. We also investigated potential effect modifiers. Overall, we observed increased admissions for pneumonia associated with ozone exposure. The national-average estimates per 10-μg/mincrease in ozone were 0.14% (95% CI: 0.03%-0.25%) at lag 0 day in the whole year, 0.30% (95% CI: 0.17%-0.43%) at lag 0 day in the warm season, and 0.20% (95% CI: 0.05%-0.34%) at lag 1 day in the cool season. Two-pollutant models indicated that the ozone effects were not confounded by PM, SO, NOor CO. The association between ozone and pneumonia was stronger in the elderly. Ozone levels and gross domestic product per capita reduced the effects of ozone, and smoking enhanced the effects of ozone. In conclusion, we estimated an increase in daily pneumonia admissions associated with ozone exposure in China. As the first national study in China to report acute effect of ozone on pneumonia hospitalizations, our findings are incredibly meaningful in terms of both ozone pollution related policy development and pneumonia prevention.

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PMID: 

Environ Int. 2020 Mar ;136:105483. Epub 2020 Jan 27. PMID: 31999972

Abstract Title: 

Associations of ambient air pollutant exposure with seminal plasma MDA, sperm mtDNA copy number, and mtDNA integrity.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: Current available evidence regarding the detrimental effects of low-level ambient air pollution on conventional semen parameters is inconclusive. In nonreproductive systems, air pollutant exposure has been demonstrated to induce oxidative stress (OS), which is a crucial mechanism that mediates sperm damage and male infertility. Thus, it may be essential to investigate the effects of air pollution on sperm quality in terms of the perspectives of OS and relative molecular damage.OBJECTIVES: We assessed the associations of major air pollutant exposure to oxidative stress-mediated alterations in semen, including seminal plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), sperm mtDNA copy number, and integrity.METHODS: The present study used data gathered from 516 young men participating in the Male Reproductive Health in Chongqing College student (MARCHS) cohort study during the follow-up stage in 2014 (n = 427 on the old campus, which is located in an urban area and has worse air quality, and n = 89 on the new campus, which is not urban and has better air quality). Data regarding major air pollutant exposure during 0-90, 0-9, 10-14 and 70-90 days before each semen examination (corresponding to the entire and three key periods of sperm development, respectively) were collected. The Mann-Whitney U nonparametric test was employed to compare distributions of major air pollutants and to explore differences in MDA, mtDNA copy number, and mtDNA integrity between the two campuses. A linearregression model was used as multivariable analysis to investigate associations of major air pollutant exposure with these biomarkers of oxidative damage to sperm and to adjust for potential confounders.RESULTS: During all four key periods of sperm development, compared with college students on the new campus, college students on the old campus were exposed to higher levels of PM10, PM2.5, NO, and CO, and had higher air quality index (AQI) values, indicating that these participants suffered from worse air quality. The levels of seminal plasma MDA in college students on the old campus were higher than those for the new campus (2.0 nmol/ml; 0.7, 3.6 vs. 1.6 nmol/ml; 0.4, 3.4, p 

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PMID: 

Free Radic Biol Med. 2020 Jan 30. Epub 2020 Jan 30. PMID: 32007522

Abstract Title: 

Air pollution and its effects on the immune system.

Abstract: 

A well-functioning immune system is vital for a healthy body. Inadequate and excessive immune responses underlie diverse pathologies such as serious infections, metastatic malignancies and auto-immune conditions. Therefore, understanding the effects of ambient pollutants on the immune system is vital to understanding how pollution causes disease, and how that pathology could be abrogated. The immune system itself consists of multiple types of immune cell that act together to generate (or fail to generate) immune responses and in this article we review evidence of how air pollutants can affect different immune cell types such as particle-clearing macrophages, inflammatory neutrophils, dendritic cells that orchestrate adaptive immune responses and lymphocytes that enact those responses. Common themes that emerge are of the capacity of air pollutants to stimulate pro-inflammatory immune responses across multiple classes of immune cell. Air pollution can enhance T helper lymphocyte type 2 (Th2) and T helper lymphocyte type 17 (Th17) adaptive immune responses, as seen in allergy and asthma, and dysregulate anti-viral immune responses. The clinical effects of air pollution, in particular the known association between elevated ambient pollution and exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are consistent with these identified immunological mechanisms. Further to this, as inhaled air pollution deposits primarily on the respiratory mucosa this review focuses on mechanisms of respiratory disease. However, as discussed in the article, air pollution also affects the wider immune system for example in the neonate and gastrointestinal tract. Whilst the many identified actions of air pollution on the immune system are notably diverse, immunological research does suggest potential strategies to ameliorate such effects, for example with vitamin D supplementation. An in-depth understanding of the immunological effects of ambient pollutants should hopefully yield new ideas on how to reduce the adverse health effects of air pollution.

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PMID: 

Environ Int. 2020 Mar ;136:105475. Epub 2020 Jan 31. PMID: 32007923

Abstract Title: 

Investigation of the chemical components of ambient fine particulate matter (PM) associated with in vitro cellular responses to oxidative stress and inflammation.

Abstract: 

Fine particulate matter (PM) poses a significant risk to human health worldwide, by promoting oxidative stress and inflammation; however, the components responsible for these effects have not been fully evaluated. In this study, we investigated the cellular response of a macrophage cell line exposed to PMextracts in vitro. We obtained a dataset of chemical components of PMand determined those associated with the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and secretion of inflammatory cytokines through an orthogonal partial least-squares (OPLS) regression. The results indicated that after water extracts exposure, both ROS and interleukin (IL)-1β levels were positively correlated with transition metals. In cells exposed to dichloromethane extracts, IL-1β secretion was significantly correlated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); meanwhile, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α secretion was negatively associated with secondary nitratedPAHs, suggesting that atmospheric nitration process might modify the biological effects of PMcomponents. We also performed source apportionment using a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model to explore the relative influence of different sources of components on cells. It was found that components from vehicle emissions promoted both ROS and TNF-α, while IL-1β secretion was induced mainly by those from coal combustion. This study provides information regarding PMcomponents having biological effects, and the sources thereof, which could inform effective measures for controlling this type of air pollution.

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PMID: 

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 01 31 ;17(3). Epub 2020 Jan 31. PMID: 32023829

Abstract Title: 

Analysis of Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Cardiovascular Disease Using Bayesian Spatio-temporal Models.

Abstract: 

There has been an increasing number of clinical and epidemiologic research projects providing supporting evidence that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution contributes to the exacerbation of cardiovascular disease. However, few studies consider measurement error and spatial effects in the estimate of underlying air pollution levels, and less is known about the influence of baseline air pollution levels on cardiovascular disease. We used hospital admissions data for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) collected from an inland, heavily polluted city and a coastal city in Shandong Province, China. Bayesian spatio-temporal models were applied to obtain the underlying pollution level in each city, then generalized additive models were adopted to assess the health effects. The total cardiovascular disease hospitalizations were significantly increased in the inland city by 0.401% (0.029, 0.775), 0.316% (0.086, 0.547), 0.903% (0.252, 1.559), and 2.647% (1.607, 3.697) per 10μg/mincrease in PM, PM, SO, and NOrespectively. The total cardiovascular diseases hospitalizations were increased by 6.568% (3.636, 9.584) per 10μg/mincrease in the level of NO. Although the air pollution overall had a more significant adverse impact on cardiovascular disease hospital admissions in the heavily polluted inland city, the short-term increases in air pollution levels in the less polluted coastal areas led to excessive exacerbations of cardiovascular disease.

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PMID: 

Environ Pollut. 2020 Jan 27 ;260:114077. Epub 2020 Jan 27. PMID: 32041030

Abstract Title: 

Association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and obesity in a Chinese rural population: The Henan Rural Cohort Study.

Abstract: 

Association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and obesity remains inconclusive, and the evidence from rural areas was limited. Thus, this study aimed to assess the association between ambient air pollution and obesity based on different anthropometric indices in Chinese rural adults, and further to compare the effect sizes of different air pollution types. A total of 38,824 participants (aged 18-79 years) were recruited from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. Logistic and multivariable linear regression model were used to examine the association between ambient air pollution exposure (including particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 1.0 μm (PM),≤2.5 μm (PM), and≤10 μm (PM), and nitrogen dioxide (NO)) and obesity as well as obese anthropometric indices (including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body fat percentage (BFP), and visceral fat index (VFI)). The potential effect modifications were also examined. Positive associations were found between long-term exposure to PM, PM, PMand NOand obesity regardless of how obesity was defined (false discovery rate (FDR) 

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PMID: 

Chemosphere. 2020 Feb 3 ;248:126103. Epub 2020 Feb 3. PMID: 32041074

Abstract Title: 

Association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and excessive daytime sleepiness in Chinese rural population: The Henan Rural Cohort Study.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: Excessive daytime sleepiness is associated with many adverse consequences, including cardiovascular diseases and mortality. Although exposure to air pollution has been suggested in connection with excessive daytime sleepiness, evidence in China is scarce. The study aimed to explore the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and excessive daytime sleepiness in rural China.METHODS: A lot of 27935 participants (60% females) from the Henan Rural Cohort Study were included in this analysis. A satellite-based spatiotemporal model estimated a 3-year average air pollution exposure to NO(nitrogen dioxide), PM(particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters not more than 1 μm) and PM(particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters not more than 2.5 μm) at the home address of participants before the baseline survey. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval between long-term air pollution and excessive daytime sleepiness.RESULTS: The average concentrations of NO, PMand PMduring three years preceding baseline survey were 38.22 μg/m³, 56.29 μg/m³ and 72.30 μg/m³. Exposure to NO, PMand PMwere all associated with excessive daytime sleepiness. Each 1 μg/m³ increment of NO, PMand PMwere related to a 20% (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.13-1.27), 10% (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.05-1.16) and 17% (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.10-1.23) increase of the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness.CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that long-term exposure to NO, PMand PMwere all associated with excessive daytime sleepiness. The impact of air pollution should be considered when treating individuals with excessive daytime sleepiness.

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PMID: 

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2019 Dec 6. Epub 2019 Dec 6. PMID: 32007333

Abstract Title: 

Impact of adherence to a Mediterranean Diet pattern on patients with first acute myocardial infarction.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The Mediterranean diet (MD) affects the risk of myocardial infarction and long-term prognosis after a coronary event. Limited data are available regarding the influence of MD on short-term prognosis. We assessed the impact of the MD adherence on in-hospital and short-term outcome in patients with first ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI).METHODS AND RESULTS: As many as 533 European patients with STEMI and no previous history of coronary artery disease were included in this analysis. Previous dietary habits of each patient were collected with a food frequency questionnaire from which we calculated the FAMI Mediterranean Diet Score (FAMI MD Score), according to the MD adherence. A blood sample was drawn to each patient within 6 h of symptoms onset. Levels of high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured. Clinical outcome at 180 days and myocardial reperfusion were assessed. Patients with higher FAMI MD Score had lower levels of hsCRP; there were no differences between IL-6 level among FAMI MD Score quintiles. There were no associations between adherence to MD and 180-day adverse events. Lower FAMI MD Score was associated with a higher risk of ineffective myocardial reperfusion after thrombolysis or percutaneous coronary intervention. Similar results were observed for daily consumption of ≥4 portions of fruit and vegetable.CONCLUSIONS: A positive effect of the Mediterranean diet, and fruit and vegetable intake was observed on hsCRP and the occurrence of effective myocardial reperfusion. These findings confirm the favorable impact of Mediterranean diet adherence not only in primary but also in secondary prevention.

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PMID: 

J Nutr. 2020 Feb 6. Epub 2020 Feb 6. PMID: 32027740

Abstract Title: 

Mediterranean Diet Increases Endothelial Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: The endothelium plays a key role in the maintenance of vascular health and represents a potential physiological target for dietary and other lifestyle interventions designed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) including stroke or coronary heart disease.OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MedDiet) on endothelial function.METHODS: Medline, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched from inception until January 2019 for studies that met the following criteria: 1) RCTs including adult participants, 2) interventions promoting the MedDiet, 3) inclusion of a control group, and 4) measurements of endothelial function. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted. Metaregression and subgroup analyses were performed to identify whether effects were modified by health status (i.e., healthy participants versus participants with existing comorbidities), type of intervention (i.e., MedDiet alone or with a cointervention), study duration, study design (i.e., parallel or crossover), BMI, and age of participants.RESULTS: Fourteen articles reporting data for 1930 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Study duration ranged from 4 wk to 2.3 y. We observed a beneficial effect of the MedDiet on endothelial function [standardized mean difference (SMD): 0.35; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.53; P 

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PMID: 

Nutr Res. 2020 Jan 13 ;75:77-84. Epub 2020 Jan 13. PMID: 32045786

Abstract Title: 

Mediterranean diet components are linked to greater endothelial function and lower inflammation in a pilot study of ethnically diverse women.

Abstract: 

The Mediterranean Diet, characterized by higher intakes of plant foods including plant proteins, monounsaturated fat, fish, and lower consumption of animal products and saturated fat, has long been associated with reduced cardiovascular risk, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these associations have not been fully elucidated. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate associations of an Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, reflective of adherence to this diet pattern and adapted for US populations, and its components, with markers of endothelial inflammation directly measured in endothelial cells harvested from a diverse sample of women (n = 25, mean ± SD age 33 ± 10.5y, 68% racial/ethnic minorities). Cardiovascular risk markers including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)-a marker of inflammation, as well as oxidative stress and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene expression-markers of endothelial function, wereevaluated in harvested endothelial cells. We hypothesized that the Mediterranean diet pattern would be associated with lower inflammation and oxidative stress and higher eNOS expression in endothelial cells. Results showed that lower oxidative stress was associated with higher plant-based protein (Exp(β) = 0.96; P = .007), overall protein (Exp(β) = 0.99; P = .007), and red and processed meat intake (Exp(β) = 0.93; P = .012). Lower NF-κB was associated with higher legume (Exp(β) = 0.79; P = .045) intake, and higher eNOS was associated with higher red and processed meat intake (Exp(β) = 1.13; P = .005). Our findings suggest potential novel mechanisms through which certain Mediterranean dietary components may influence pre-clinical vascular alterations that may be associated with cardiovascular risk through lower endothelial oxidative stress, lower inflammation, and greater endothelial functioning. These findings warrant confirmation, prospectively in a larger sample.

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