Impacts of ambient air quality on acute asthma hospital admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Oxford City, UK: a time-series study.

Objectives: The study aims to investigate the short-term associations between exposure to ambient air pollution (nitrogen dioxide (NO), particulate matter pollution-particles with diameter<2.5 µm (PM) and PM) and incidence of asthma hospital admissions among adults, in Oxford, UK.

Design: Retrospective time-series study.

Impact assessment of a raw coal ban on maternal and child health outcomes in Ulaanbaatar: a protocol for an interrupted time series study.

Introduction: Despite a decade of policy actions, Ulaanbaatar's residents continue to be exposed to extreme levels of air pollution, a major public health concern, especially for vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children. In May 2019, the Mongolian government implemented a raw coal ban (RCB), prohibiting distribution and use of raw coal in households and small businesses in Ulaanbaatar. Here, we present the protocol for an interrupted time series (ITS; a strong quasi-experimental study design for public health interventions) that aims to assess the effectiveness of this coal ban policy on environmental (air quality) and health (maternal and child) outcomes.

Persistence of social isolation and mortality: 10-year follow-up of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort study.

Although social isolation has been associated with higher mortality risk, the associations of persistence of social isolation with mortality are unclear. We investigated the prospective associations of intermittent and persistent social isolation with all-cause and cause-specific mortality, considering the social contact types (face-to-face and non-face-to-face). 30,518 participants were recruited in 2003-2008 initially and 18,104 participants with re-assessed social isolation information in 2008-2012 were followed up to Dec 2019 in Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS).

Prevalence of atrial fibrillation in Northern Sri Lanka: a study protocol for a cross-sectional household survey.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia globally. It is associated with a fivefold risk in stroke, but early diagnosis and effective treatment can reduce this risk. AF is often underdiagnosed, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) where screening for AF is not always feasible or considered common practice in primary care settings.

Association of Hand Grip Strength with Mild Cognitive Impairment in Middle-Aged and Older People in Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Background: Lower hand grip strength has been linked to cognitive impairment, but studies in older Chinese are limited. We examined the association of hand grip strength with cognitive function in a large sample of older Chinese. Methods: 6806 participants aged 50+ years from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS) were included.

Investigating Cooking Activity Patterns and Perceptions of Air Quality Interventions among Women in Urban Rwanda.

Household air pollution (HAP) from biomass cooking with traditional stoves is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) worldwide. Air quality interventions such as improved cookstoves (ICS) may mitigate HAP-related impacts; however, poor understanding of contextual socio-cultural factors such as local cooking practices have limited their widespread adoption. Policymakers and stakeholders require an understanding of local cooking practices to inform effective HAP interventions which meet end-user needs.

Early policy actions and emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia: experiences and challenges.

Country-led control measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, have been diverse. Originating in Wuhan, China, in December, 2019, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. In recognition of the severity of the outbreak, and having the longest shared border with China, the Government of Mongolia activated the State Emergency Committee in January, 2020, on the basis of the 2017 Disaster Protection Law.

Effects of tea consumption on renal function in a metropolitan Chinese population: the Guangzhou biobank cohort study.

Objective: Green tea consumption has been associated with many prophylactic health benefits. This study examined for the first time associations between tea consumption and renal function in a Chinese population.

Design And Methods: Cross-sectional baseline data including demographics, and lifestyle and weekly consumption of green, black, and oolong tea were analyzed from 12,428 ambulatory subjects aged 50 to 85 years (67.

A single nucleotide polymorphism of interleukin-6 gene is related to plasma adrenomedullin levels.

Objective: Elevated plasma adrenomedullin (ADM) levels are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene encoding ADM (ADM) are associated with plasma ADM levels. The presence of a nuclear factor for interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression binding site in the promoter region of the ADM gene suggests a possible relationship between the expression of the ADM and IL-6.

Study of the effects of total flavonoids of Astragalus on atherosclerosis formation and potential mechanisms.

Astragalus mongholicus Bunge has long been used to treat cardiovascular disease in Chinese traditional medicine. However, its mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we explored potential mechanisms and protective effects of total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA) on cardiovascular disease using in vitro experiments and diet-induced atherosclerotic rabbits.

Part 4. Interaction between air pollution and respiratory viruses: time-series study of daily mortality and hospital admissions in Hong Kong.

Background: Populations in Asia are not only at risk of harm to their health through environmental degradation as a result of worsening pollution problems but also constantly threatened by recurring and emerging influenza epidemics and. pandemics. Situated in the area with the world's fastest growing economy and close to hypothetical epicenters of influenza transmission, Hong Kong offers a special opportunity for testing environmental management and public health surveillance in the region.

Association of a genetic variant in the apolipoprotein A5 gene with the metabolic syndrome in Chinese.

Objective: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the apolipoprotein A5 gene (APOA5) are associated with hypertriglyceridaemia in our population. We studied the associations of SNPs in APOA5 with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Hong Kong and Guangzhou Chinese.

Methods: We genotyped five tagging SNPs in 1330 unrelated subjects from the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study cohort with follow-up after a median interval of 6·4 years; 1952 subjects from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study-Cardiovascular Disease Subcohort were used to replicate the findings.

[Polymorphisms of vascular diseases-related genes in Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study].

Objective: To study the polymorphisms of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease genes using Taqman single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping kits.

Methods: A total of 2000 subjects were recruited from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS), and 15 SNPs were detected using Taqman SNP genotyping kits and an ABI 7900HT real time PCR system. The data were tested for the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and then compared with the data of the Chinese population from the International HapMap Project (HapMap_HCN).

The effects of air pollution on mortality in socially deprived urban areas in Hong Kong, China.

Background: Poverty is a major determinant of population health, but little is known about its role in modifying air pollution effects.

Objectives: We set out to examine whether people residing in socially deprived communities are at higher mortality risk from ambient air pollution.

Methods: This study included 209 tertiary planning units (TPUs), the smallest units for town planning in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, China.