Air Pollution and Temperature in Seizures and Epilepsy: A Scoping Review of Epidemiological Studies.

Purpose Of The Review: Seizures and epilepsy can be debilitating neurological conditions and have few known causes. Emerging evidence has highlighted the potential contribution of environmental exposures to the etiology of these conditions, possibly manifesting via neuroinflammation and increased oxidative stress in the brain. We conducted a scoping review of epidemiological literature linking air pollution and temperature exposures with incidence and acute aggravation of seizures and epilepsy.

Gender and violent crime modify associations between greenspace and cardiovascular disease mortality in Philadelphia, PA.

Few studies have explored variability of associations between greenspace and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality according to demographic or neighborhood contextual factors. We estimated overall and sex-stratified associations between greenspace and CVD mortality rates in Philadelphia, PA, and quantified effect modification of the sex-stratified associations by neighborhood violent crime rates. Sex- and age-stratified census tract CVD mortality rates (years 2008-2015) were linked with proportion tree canopy cover, grass/shrub cover, and total vegetation cover, and proportion of adult residents reporting access to a park.

Methodologic Strategies for Quantifying Associations of Historical and Contemporary Mortgage Discrimination on Population Health Equity: A Systematic Review.

Background: Mortgage discrimination refers to the systematic withholding of home mortgages from minoritized groups. In recent years, there has been an increase in empirical research investigating associations of historical and contemporary mortgage discrimination on contemporary  outcomes. Investigators have used a variety of measurement methods and approaches, which may have implications for results and interpretation.

Time Series Analysis: Associations Between Temperature and Primary Care Utilization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Introduction: Earth's temperature has risen by an average of 0.11°F per decade since 1850 and experts predict continued global warming. Studies have shown that exposure to extreme temperatures is associated with adverse health outcomes.

Everyday discrimination and satisfaction with nature experiences.

Introduction: There is growing interest in creating public green spaces to promote health. Yet, discussions about these efforts often overlook how experiences of chronic discrimination-which may manifest as racism, sexism, or homophobia, and more-could undermine satisfaction with nature experiences.

Methods: Using data from the 2018 wave of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) General Social Survey (GSS), we quantified associations of frequency of everyday discrimination, operationalized using the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS, the primary independent variable), with respondents' perceptions of nature experiences and with their reported time spent in nature.

Mandated Rest Breaks and Occupational Injuries and Illnesses in Dallas County, Texas Construction Workers: A Quasi-Experimental, Comparative Interrupted Time Series Study.

Objective: We estimated associations of a rest break ordinance, implemented for construction workers in Dallas, Texas in 2016, with workplace injuries and illnesses.

Methods: We used workers' compensation claims data to compare changes in rates of injuries and illnesses among Dallas County, Texas construction (ie, "treated") workers with changes in untreated workers, before (2013-2015) and after (2016-2018) a rest break ordinance was implemented.

Results: Immediately after the ordinance was implemented, rates of injuries/illnesses among treated workers were modestly lower than in comparison workers (rate ratio comparing postmandate vs premandate rates, treated vs comparison workers: 0.

Outdoor aeroallergen impacts on asthma exacerbation among sensitized and nonsensitized Philadelphia children.

Background: Outdoor aeroallergens, such as pollens and molds, are known triggers of asthma exacerbation; however, few studies have examined children's aeroallergen response based on sensitization.

Objective: Our aim was to compare the relative impact of aeroallergen levels on asthma exacerbation between pediatric patients with asthma who tested positive or negative for sensitization to particular allergens.

Methods: A case-crossover design study was conducted to examine associations between outdoor aeroallergen levels and asthma exacerbation events among children living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who were treated within a large pediatric care network.

Surviving indoor heat stress in United States: A comprehensive review exploring the impact of overheating on the thermal comfort, health, and social economic factors of occupants.

In the face of escalating global climate change and the increasing frequency of extreme heat events, the mitigation of building overheating has become an urgent priority. This comprehensive review converges insights from building science and public health domains to offer a thorough understanding of the multifaceted impacts of indoor overheating on occupants. The paper addresses a significant research gap by offering a holistic exploration of indoor overheating of residential buildings and its consequences, with a specific focus on the United States, an economically diverse nation that has been underrepresented in the literature.

Do respiratory virus infections modify associations of asthma exacerbation with aeroallergens or fine particulate matter? A time series study in Philadelphia PA.

Respiratory virus infections are related to over 80% of childhood asthma exacerbations. They enhance pro-inflammatory mediator release, especially for sensitized individuals exposed to pollens/molds. Using a time-series study design, we investigated possible effect modification by respiratory virus infections of the associations between aeroallergens/PM and asthma exacerbation rates.

Greenness and excess deaths from heat in 323 Latin American cities: Do associations vary according to climate zone or green space configuration?

Green vegetation may protect against heat-related death by improving thermal comfort. Few studies have investigated associations of green vegetation with heat-related mortality in Latin America or whether associations are modified by the spatial configuration of green vegetation. We used data from 323 Latin American cities and meta-regression models to estimate associations between city-level greenness, quantified using population-weighted normalized difference vegetation index values and modeled as three-level categorical terms, and excess deaths from heat (heat excess death fractions [heat EDFs]).

Does Urban Greenspace Reduce Mortality Inequalities Based on Poverty, Race, or Both in Philadelphia, PA?

While past research suggests that urban greenspace is associated with weaker income-based mortality inequities, little is known about associations with racial inequities, which may be distinct owing to historical and contemporary forms of racism. We quantified the extent to which different measures of greenspace modified socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequities in all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. For every residential census tract in Philadelphia, PA (N = 376), we linked counts of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (years 2008-2015) with measures of greenspace (proportion tree canopy or grass/shrub cover, proportion residents reporting park access, and the normalized difference vegetation index measure of overall greenness) and American Community Survey-based measures of sociodemographic composition (proportion of residents living in poverty, proportion identifying as non-Hispanic Black, and the index of concentration at the extremes (ICE) representing racialized economic deprivation).

High ambient temperatures associations with children and young adult injury emergency department visits in NYC.

Injury is a significant health burden for children and young adult and may be an increasing concern in a warming climate. Research reveals many impacts to children's health associated with hot weather and heatwave events, including a growing literature on the association between high ambient temperature and injury, which may vary by intent such as injury resulting from violence. However, little is known about how this association varies across different types of injury and subgroups of young people.

Exposure to pesticides and risk of Hodgkin lymphoma in an international consortium of agricultural cohorts (AGRICOH).

Purpose: Some pesticides may increase the risk of certain lymphoid malignancies, but few studies have examined Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). In this exploratory study, we examined associations between agricultural use of 22 individual active ingredients and 13 chemical groups and HL incidence.

Methods: We used data from three agricultural cohorts participating in the AGRICOH consortium: the French Agriculture and Cancer Cohort (2005-2009), Cancer in the Norwegian Agricultural Population (1993-2011), and the US Agricultural Health Study (1993-2011).

Evaluation of evidence for interaction between PM2.5 and aeroallergens on childhood asthma exacerbation in Philadelphia, PA, 2011 to 2016.

Fine particulate matter (PM) and aeroallergens (i.e., pollen, molds) are known triggers of asthma exacerbation.

Temperature and mental health-related emergency department and hospital encounters among children, adolescents and young adults.

Aims: We examine the association between high ambient temperature and acute mental health-related healthcare encounters in New York City for children, adolescents and young adults.

Methods: This case-crossover study included emergency department (ED) visits and hospital encounters with a primary diagnosis of any mental health disorder during warm-season months (June-August) in New York City from 2005 to 2011 from patients of three age groups (6-11, 12-17 and 18-25 years). Using a distributed lag non-linear model over 0-5 lag days, by fitting a conditional logistic regression for each age group, we calculated the cumulative odds ratios of mental health encounters associated with an elevated temperature.

Associations of greenspace use and proximity with self-reported physical and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic affected individual's mental and physical health. The aim of this study was to estimate associations between greenspace use and proximity with perceived mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed metropolitan Philadelphia residents, October 20-December 1, 2020, about walking time to the nearest greenspace from their home, frequency of greenspace use in the past 30 days, change in frequency of greenspace use during the COVID-19 pandemic, and perceived physical and mental health outcomes.

Modification of temperature-related human mortality by area-level socioeconomic and demographic characteristics in Latin American cities.

Background: In Latin America, where climate change and rapid urbanization converge, non-optimal ambient temperatures contribute to excess mortality. However, little is known about area-level characteristics that confer vulnerability to temperature-related mortality.

Objectives: Explore city-level socioeconomic and demographic characteristics associated with temperature-related mortality in Latin American cities.

Herbicide use in farming and other jobs in relation to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) risk.

Objectives: Given mixed evidence for carcinogenicity of current-use herbicides, we studied the relationship between occupational herbicide use and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in a large, pooled study.

Methods: We pooled data from 10 case-control studies participating in the International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium, including 9229 cases and 9626 controls from North America, the European Union and Australia. Herbicide use was coded from self-report or by expert assessment in the individual studies, for herbicide groups (eg, phenoxy herbicides) and active ingredients (eg, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), glyphosate).

Reduction in socioeconomic inequalities in self-reported mental health conditions with increasing greenspace exposure.

Mental health conditions represent a tremendous global public health burden, yet social inequalities in incidence and prevalence exist. Improving access to quality neighborhood amenities, such as parks and greenspace, may improve mental health. Using data from over 11,000 responses to a 2015 and 2018 population survey in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, we fit a series of multivariable generalized linear regression models to examine whether higher greenspace exposure and perceived park access was associated with more narrow poverty, education, employment, and race/ethnicity-based inequalities in mental health.

City-level impact of extreme temperatures and mortality in Latin America.

Climate change and urbanization are rapidly increasing human exposure to extreme ambient temperatures, yet few studies have examined temperature and mortality in Latin America. We conducted a nonlinear, distributed-lag, longitudinal analysis of daily ambient temperatures and mortality among 326 Latin American cities between 2002 and 2015. We observed 15,431,532 deaths among ≈2.

Does Living near Trees and Other Vegetation Affect the Contemporaneous Odds of Asthma Exacerbation among Pediatric Asthma Patients?

Vegetation may influence asthma exacerbation through effects on aeroallergens, localized climates, air pollution, or children's behaviors and stress levels. We investigated the association between residential vegetation and asthma exacerbation by conducting a matched case-control study based on electronic health records of asthma patients, from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Our study included 17,639 exacerbation case events and 34,681 controls selected from non-exacerbation clinical visits for asthma, matched to cases by age, sex, race/ethnicity, public payment source, and residential proximity to the CHOP main campus ED and hospital.

Associations between high ambient temperatures and asthma exacerbation among children in Philadelphia, PA: a time series analysis.

Objectives: High ambient temperatures may contribute to acute asthma exacerbation, a leading cause of morbidity in children. We quantified associations between hot-season ambient temperatures and asthma exacerbation in children ages 0-18 years in Philadelphia, PA.

Methods: We created a time series of daily counts of clinical encounters for asthma exacerbation at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia linked with daily meteorological data, June-August of 2011-2016.