Publications by authors named "John Ji"

Nitrate is abundant in natural foods, especially plant-based foods, having the potential to enhance muscle function. However, its relationship with sarcopenia in the context of daily diet remains unexplored. This cohort study investigated the associations between dietary nitrate intake and sarcopenia, as well as related symptoms, using data including 28,229 participants with a mean follow-up of 9.

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Background: We aimed to assess associations between black carbon (BC) and non-accidental mortality among advance-aged adults in China.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in 22 provinces of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. We calculated concentrations of 3-year average BC, fine particulate matter (PM2.

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Article Synopsis
  • Environmental contaminants (ECs) are linked to dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease, yet the exact relationships and mechanisms are not fully understood.
  • A study followed 76 healthy older adults in China to examine the effects of exposure to 80 ECs on dyslipidemia markers and utilized a multi-omics approach for a comprehensive analysis.
  • Results identified eight ECs—such as 1-naphthalene and chromium—that are significantly associated with various dyslipidemia markers, suggesting a potential impact on cardiovascular health.
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  • This study examines the health and environmental impacts of plant-based diets (PBDs) and planetary-health diets (PHDs) using data from over 9,300 adults in China, focusing on dietary habits and mortality from 1997 to 2015.
  • Findings show that while PBDs had positive environmental effects, they did not correlate with lower mortality risk; conversely, higher scores on the PHD were linked to reduced mortality risk despite higher environmental impacts.
  • This research highlights the complexities of dietary patterns, suggesting that while PBDs are good for the environment, they may not improve health outcomes, whereas PHDs need careful consideration due to their ecological costs.
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Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a promising tool for monitoring the spread of COVID-19, as SARS-CoV-2 can be shed in the faeces of infected individuals, even in the absence of symptoms. This study aimed to optimize a prediction model for estimating COVID-19 infection rates based on SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater, and reveal the infection trends and variant diversification in Shenzhen, China following the lifting of a strict COVID-19 strategy. Faecal samples (n = 4337) from 1204 SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals hospitalized in a designated hospital were analysed to obtain Omicron variant-specific faecal shedding dynamics.

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Background: Exposure to air pollution has been associated with increased risks of cardiopulmonary diseases, cancer, and mortality, whereas residing near green spaces may reduce the risks. However, limited research explores their combined effect on oxidative stress.

Methods: A total of 251 participants with multi-time measurements were included in the longitudinal-designed study.

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Background: Mental health in the elderly has multiple determinants, and studies indicate household and family composition, economic status, and family support are key factors. However, these are difficult to modify, and better lifestyle for the elderly can be a possible intervention. The current study examined the mediating role of lifestyle in the association between these three types of the household and family composition (living alone, living with a spouse, and living with children) and mental health in older adults.

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Background: Green space is an important part of the human living environment, with many epidemiological studies estimating its impact on human health. However, no study has quantitatively assessed the credibility of the existing evidence, impeding their translations into policy decisions and hindering researchers from identifying new research gaps. This overview aims to evaluate and rank such evidence credibility.

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There has been widespread concern about the health hazards of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which may be the risk factor for hyperuricemia with evidence still insufficient in the general population in China. Here, we conducted a nationwide study involving 9,580 adults aged 18 years or older from 2017 to 2018, measured serum concentrations of uric acid and PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, 6:2 Cl-PFESA, PFNA, PFHxS) in participants, to assess the associations of individual PFAS with hyperuricemia, and estimated a joint effect of PFAS mixtures. We found positive associations of higher serum PFAS with elevated odds of hyperuricemia in Chinese adults, with the greatest contribution from PFOA (69.

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Background: Urban living is linked to better health outcomes due to a combination of enhanced access to healthcare, transportation, and human development opportunities. However, spatial inequalities lead to disparities, resulting in urban health advantages and penalties. Understanding the relationship between health and urban development is needed to generate empirical evidence in promoting healthy aging populations.

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Article Synopsis
  • Recent research shows a strong connection between extreme temperature events (like heatwaves and cold spells) and fine particulate matter (PM) exposure with increased cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) risk among adults in China.
  • The study analyzed data from over 64,000 individuals and found that higher temperatures and PM levels significantly raised the odds of developing CMM, with the risk increasing by 17.9% for every 10 μg/m³ rise in PM concentration.
  • Notably, the interaction between heatwaves and PM pollution further elevated the risk of CMM, highlighting the importance of considering both factors together in health assessments.
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What Is Already Known About This Topic?: Antimony (Sb) has been identified as a new neurotoxicant that impacts neurological functions in animal studies. However, its effects on the human population remain unknown.

What Is Added By This Report?: The study reveals that there is an association between exposure to Sb and a higher incidence of cognitive impairment in older adults.

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Background: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) has endocrine-disrupting properties and may affect blood pressure. Endogenous hormones also play a crucial role in the progression of hypertension. However, their interaction with hypertension remains to be explored.

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The impact of early life exposure to residential greenness on childhood rhinitis and its interaction with particulate matter (PM) of different size fractions remain inconsistent. Herein, we recruited 40,486 preschool children from randomly selected daycare centers in 7 cities in China from 2019 to 2020, and estimated exposure to residential greenness by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with a 500 m buffer. Exposure to ambient PM (PM, PM and PM) was evaluated using a satellite-based prediction model (daily, at a resolution of 1 km × 1 km).

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Heat exposure is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (PTB), with previous work suggesting that maternal blood pressure may play a role in these associations. Here we conducted a cohort study of 197,080 singleton live births across 8 provinces in China from 2015 to 2018. The study first estimated the associations between heat exposure, maternal hypertension and clinical subtypes of PTB, and then quantified the role of maternal hypertension in heat and PTB using mediation analyses.

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Article Synopsis
  • Heat exposure during pregnancy may elevate the risk of preterm birth (PTB) through various mechanisms, including effects on the fetus, an area that has not been extensively researched.
  • This study aimed to investigate how fetal heart rate (FHR) mediates the relationship between maternal heat exposure and PTB incidence in a large cohort of over 162,000 births in China between 2015 and 2018.
  • Results showed that heat exposure significantly raised PTB risk, particularly in the third trimester, and elevated FHR levels, indicating that FHR may serve as an important physiological marker in understanding heat-related risks during pregnancy.
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From the onset of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, there are concerns regarding the disease spread and environmental pollution of biohazard since studies on genetic engineering flourish and numerous genetic materials were used such as the nucleic acid test of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). In this work, we studied genetic material pollution in an institute during a development cycle of plasmid, one of typical genetic materials, with typical laboratory settings. The pollution source, transmission routes, and pollution levels in laboratory environment were examined.

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The updated climate models provide projections at a fine scale, allowing us to estimate health risks due to future warming after accounting for spatial heterogeneity. Here, we utilized an ensemble of high-resolution (25 km) climate simulations and nationwide mortality data from 306 Chinese cities to estimate death anomalies attributable to future warming. Historical estimation (1986-2014) reveals that about 15.

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Aging populations are susceptible to heat-related mortality because of physiological factors and comorbidities. However, the understanding of individual vulnerabilities in the aging population is incomplete. In the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, we assessed daily heatwave exposure individually for 13,527 participants (median age = 89 years) and 3,249 summer mortalities during follow-up from 2008 to 2018.

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Background: Sarcopenic obesity, a clinical and functional condition characterized by the coexistence of obesity and sarcopenia, has not been investigated in relation to dementia risk and its onset.

Methods: We included 208,867 participants from UK biobank, who aged 60 to 69 years at baseline. Dementia diagnoses were identified using hospital records and death register data.

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Importance: In China, parental labor migration often leaves children behind and is potentially adversely associated with children's health. However, the association between parental migration and aggression among their offspring remains largely underexplored.

Objective: To investigate the associations of parental labor migration with total and subtypes of aggression among their offspring as well as potential sex differences therein.

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