PMID: 

Environ Pollut. 2019 Nov 29:113690. Epub 2019 Nov 29. PMID: 31818625

Abstract Title: 

Associations of annual ambient PMcomponents with DNAm PhenoAge acceleration in elderly men: The Normative Aging Study.

Abstract: 

Current studies indicate that long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM) is related with global mortality, yet no studies have explored relationships of PMand its species with DNAm PhenoAge acceleration (DNAmPhenoAccel), a new epigenetic biomarker of phenotypic age. We identified which PMspecies had association with DNAmPhenoAccel in a one-year exposure window in a longitudinal cohort. We collected whole blood samples from 683 elderly men in the Normative Aging Study between 1999 and 2013 (n = 1254 visits). DNAm PhenoAge was calculated using 513 CpGs retrieved from the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. Daily concentrations of PMspecies were measured at a fixed air-quality monitoring site and one-year moving averages were computed. Linear mixed-effect (LME) regression and Bayesian kernel machine (BKM) regression were used to estimate the associations. The covariates included chronological age, body mass index (BMI), cigarette pack years, smoking status, estimated cell types, batch effects etc. Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate at a 5% false positive threshold was used to adjust for multiple comparison. During the study period, the mean DNAm PhenoAge and chronological age in our subjects were 68 and 73 years old, respectively. Using LME model, only lead and calcium were significantly associated with DNAmPhenoAccel. For example, an interquartile range (IQR, 0.0011 μg/m) increase in lead was associated with a 1.29-year [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.47, 2.11] increase in DNAmPhenoAccel. Using BKM model, we selected PM, lead, and silicon to be predictors for DNAmPhenoAccel. A subsequent LME model showed that only lead had significant effect on DNAmPhenoAccel: 1.45-year (95% CI: 0.46, 2.46) increase in DNAmPhenoAccel following an IQR increase in one-year lead. This is the first study that investigates long-term effects of PMcomponents on DNAmPhenoAccel. The results demonstrate that lead and calcium contained in PMwas robustly associated with DNAmPhenoAccel.

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PMID: 

Epigenetics. 2019 Dec 10:1-12. Epub 2019 Dec 10. PMID: 31822152

Abstract Title: 

Long-term ambient fine particulate matter and DNA methylation in inflammation pathways: results from the Sister Study.

Abstract: 

Although underlying mechanisms of long-term exposure to air pollution and cardiovascular disease remain obscure, effects might partially act through changes in DNA methylation. We examined the associations between long-term ambient fine particulate matter (PM) and methylation, considering both a global measure and methylation at several specific inflammation-related loci, in two random sub-cohorts selected from a nationwide prospective study of US women. In one sub-cohort we measured; in the other, we measured methylation at three candidates CpG loci related to inflammatory pathways [() and()]. Annual average contemporaneous ambient PMconcentrations were estimated for the current residence. We used both classical least-squares and quantile regression models to estimate the long-term effects. The women in sub-cohorts 1 (n = 491) and 2 (n = 882) had mean ages of 55.8 and 56.7, respectively. Neither modelling approach showed an association between long-term PMandmethylation or between PMand either of the two CpG sites in. Using linear regression, there was an estimated change of -6.5% (95% confidence interval CI: -13.34%, 0.35%) in mean methylation ofper 5µg/mincrease in PM. Quantile regression showed that the downward shift was mainly in the lower half of the distribution of DNA methylation. Long-term residence in regions with higher ambient PMmay be associated with increased TNF-α through a reduction in methylation, particularly in the lower tail. Epigenetic markers and quantile regression might provide insight into mechanisms underlying the relationship between air pollution and cardiovascular disease.

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PMID: 

Environ Res. 2019 Nov 14:108924. Epub 2019 Nov 14. PMID: 31831155

Abstract Title: 

Fine particulate air pollution and human mortality: 25+ years of cohort studies.

Abstract: 

Much of the key epidemiological evidence that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution (PM) contributes to increased risk of mortality comes from survival studies of cohorts of individuals. Although the first two of these studies, published in the mid-1990s, were highly controversial, much has changed in the last 25 + years. The objectives of this paper are to succinctly compile and summarize the findings of these cohort studies using meta-analytic tools and to address several of the key controversies. Independent reanalysis and substantial extended analysis of the original cohort studies have been conductedand many additional studies using a wide variety of cohorts, including cohorts constructed from public data and leveraging natural experiments have been published. Meta-analytic estimates of the mean of the distribution of effects from cohort studies that are currently available, provide substantial evidence of adverse air pollution associations with all-cause, cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer mortality.

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PMID: 

J Cardiol. 2019 Dec 13. Epub 2019 Dec 13. PMID: 31839460

Abstract Title: 

Long-term fine particulate matter exposure and cardiovascular mortality in the general population: a nationwide cohort study.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: Although eastern Asian countries are exposed to high levels of air pollution, the impact of long-term exposures to fine particulate matter (PM) air pollution on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality is not well identified. We assessed the relationship between long-term PMexposure and all-cause/cardiovascular mortalities.METHODS: We included 436,933 subjects who received national health examinations from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-based National Sample Cohort. We matched subjects' residential-address areas with hourly-measurements of PMconcentration data. We estimated the risk of mortality with average PMexposure during the study period using a Cox proportional-hazards model.RESULTS: During 1,683,271 person·years, all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities were observed in 6432 and 1603 subjects (382 and 95 per 100,000 person·years, respectively). An increase in 10 μg/min PMwas associated with increases in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities by 3.4 % [2.7-4.1] and 4.7 % [3.6-5.8], respectively (each p 

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PMID: 

Environ Int. 2019 Dec 13 ;135:105338. Epub 2019 Dec 13. PMID: 31841806

Abstract Title: 

Effects of fine particulate matter (PM) on ovarian function and embryo quality in mice.

Abstract: 

Fine particulate matter (PM) has an adverse effect on reproductive function, in particular causing reduced male reproductive function, but relatively few studies have directly targeted its effects on female reproduction. To investigate the effects of PMexposure on female reproduction, we exposed female mice to PMby intratracheal instillation for 28 days, and evaluated apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells and oocytes and the quality embryos after insemination. Our results showed increased numbers of apoptotic granulosa cells and oocytes after exposure to elevated concentrations of PM, which had adverse effects on female fertility via compromising embryo development and quality. We conclude that PMinduced apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells and oocytes leading to disrupted embryo development and female fertility in mice.

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PMID: 

Environ Geochem Health. 2019 Dec 16. Epub 2019 Dec 16. PMID: 31845018

Abstract Title: 

Inorganic particulate matter modulates non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae growth: a link between chronic bacterial infection and geogenic particles.

Abstract: 

Australian Aboriginal populations have unacceptably high rates of bronchiectasis. This disease burden is associated with high rates of detection of pathogenic bacteria, particularly non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). While there is evidence to suggest that exposure to inorganic particulate matter (PM) is associated with worse respiratory infections, no studies have considered the direct effect of this PM on bacterial growth. Nine clinical isolates of pathogenic NTHi were used for this study. Isolates were exposed to two common iron oxides, haematite (FeO) or magnetite (FeO), or quartz (SiO), as the main constituents of environmental inorganic PM. NTHi isolates were exposed to PM with varying levels of heme to identify whether the response to PM was altered by iron availability. The maximal rate of growth and maximum supported growth were assessed. We observed that inorganic PM was able to modify the maximal growth of selected NTHi isolates. Magnetite and quartz were able to increase maximal growth, while haematite could both increase and suppress the maximal growth. However, these effects varied depending on iron availability and on the bacterial isolate. Our data suggest that inorganic PM may directly alter the growth of pathogenic NTHi. This observation may partly explain the link between exposure to high levels of crustal PM and chronic bacterial infection in Australian Aboriginals.

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PMID: 

Curr Med Sci. 2019 Dec ;39(6):1019-1028. Epub 2019 Dec 16. PMID: 31845236

Abstract Title: 

Adverse Effects of Exposure to Fine Particulate Matters and Ozone on Gestational Hypertension.

Abstract: 

Gestational hypertension (GH) is a common complication during pregnancy. GH is regarded as a potential public health challenge for pregnant women and infants. Limited evidence has linked ambient air pollution to an increased GH risk. However, most of the studies were conducted in developed countries, with inconsistent results obtained. The present study was performed to explore whether exposure to particulate matters with an aerodynamic diameter< 2.5 (PM) and ozone (O) was related to elevated odds of GH in a Chinese population. This population-based cohort study involved 38 115 pregnant women in Wuhan, China. All information was collected from the Wuhan Maternal and Child Health Management Information System, using standardized quality control. The daily air pollutant data for PMand Owere obtained from the 20 monitoring stations of the Wuhan Environmental Monitoring Center during 2014. The nearest monitor approach was applied to individual exposure assessment of PMand Ofor each participant. After adjusting for major confounders and other air pollutants, a 10µg/mincrease in PMand Oconcentrations was found to correlate to a 1.14-fold [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.09, 1.20] and a 1.05-fold (95% CI: 1.02, 1.07) increase in GH risk, respectively. Additionally, stronger relationships between GH risk and PMand Oexposure were observed in women who conceived in winter and summer, respectively. These findings suggest that air pollutants may contribute to the development of GH.

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PMID: 

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Dec 17. Epub 2019 Dec 17. PMID: 31848968

Abstract Title: 

The association between high particulate matter pollution and daily cause-specific hospital admissions: a time-series study in Yichang, China.

Abstract: 

Particulate matter (PM) air pollution is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in China. In this study, we estimated the short-term effects of PM on cause-specific hospitalization in Yichang, China. Daily data for PM level, meteorological factors, and hospital admissions (total hospitalization counts = 391,960) in Yichang between 2015 and 2017 were collected. We conducted a time-series study and applied a generalized additive model to evaluate the association between every 10 μg/mincrement of PM and percent increase of hospitalization. We found positive and statistically significant associations between PM and hospital admissions for multiple outcomes, including all-cause, total respiratory, total cardiovascular diseases, and disease subcategories (hypertensive disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and the stroke subtype, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infection). Each 10 μg/mincrease in PMat Lag01 (a moving average of Lag0 to Lag1), was significantly associated with an increase of 1.31% (95% CI: 0.79%, 1.83%), 1.12% (95% CI: 0.40%, 1.84%), and 1.14% (95% CI: 0.53%, 1.75%) in hospitalizations for all-cause, CVD, and respiratory, respectively. The association for PMwith all-cause, CVD, and respiratory admissions was similar but weaker than PM. The effect on admissions persisted for up to 7 days, and peaked at Lag01. The associations between PM and all-cause hospitalizations were stronger among older individuals and in cold seasons. It is therefore important to continue implementation of emission abatement and other effective measures in Yichang and other cities in China.

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PMID: 

Environ Health Perspect. 2019 12 ;127(12):126002. Epub 2019 Dec 18. PMID: 31850801

Abstract Title: 

Air Pollution (Particulate Matter) Exposure and Associations with Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, Psychosis and Suicide Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: Particulate air pollution's physical health effects are well known, but associations between particulate matter (PM) exposure and mental illness have not yet been established. However, there is increasing interest in emerging evidence supporting a possible etiological link.OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview and synthesis of the epidemiological literature to date by investigating quantitative associations between PM and multiple adverse mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis, or suicide).METHODS: We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched Medline, PsycINFO, and EMBASE from January 1974 to September 2017 for English-language human observational studies reporting quantitative associations between exposure to PMin aerodynamic diameter (ultrafine particles) and PMandin aerodynamic diameter (and, respectively) and the above psychiatric outcomes. We extracted data, appraised study quality using a published quality assessment tool, summarized methodological approaches, and conducted meta-analyses where appropriate.RESULTS: Of 1,826 citations identified, 22 met our overall inclusion criteria, and we included 9 in our primary meta-analyses. In our meta-analysis of associations between long-term ()exposure and depression (studies), the pooled odds ratio was 1.102 perincrease (95% CI: 1.023, 1.189;). Two of the included studies investigating associations between long-termexposure and anxiety also reported statistically significant positive associations, and we found a statistically significant association between short-termexposure and suicide in meta-analysis at a 0-2 d cumulative exposure lag.DISCUSSION: Our findings support the hypothesis of an association between long-termexposure and depression, as well as supporting hypotheses of possible associations between long-termexposure and anxiety and between short-termexposure and suicide. The limited literature and methodological challenges in this field, including heterogeneous outcome definitions, exposure assessment, and residual confounding, suggest further high-quality studies are warranted to investigate potentially causal associations between air pollution and poor mental health. https://ift.tt/358qchq.

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PMID: 

Reprod Toxicol. 2019 Dec 21. Epub 2019 Dec 21. PMID: 31874190

Abstract Title: 

Maternal benzo[a]pyrene exposure is correlated with the meiotic arrest and quality deterioration of offspring oocytes in mice.

Abstract: 

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in particulate matter that has a diameter of≤2.5 µm (PM2.5). Studies have demonstrated that BaP exposure causes oocyte meiotic arrest in mice. However, whether BaP exposure also affects oocyte maturation in offspring remains unclear. To test this, female mice were administered BaP before pregnancy to generate BaP-exposed offspring. Our findings showed that BaP exposure reduced the in vitro maturation and increased the abnormalities of meiotic apparatus in offspring oocytes. In addition, BaP exposure reduced the mitochondrial content and intracellular ATP generation, induced early apoptosis, increased reactive oxidative species accumulation and the genomic DNA 5-methylcytosine (5mc) level in offspring oocytes. Along with the abovementioned defective parameters, maternal BaP exposure further compromised the embryo developmental competence of offspring oocytes. In summary, our study demonstrated that maternal BaP exposure compromised offspring oocyte maturation and quality.

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