A field study to estimate inhalation rates for use in a particle inhalation rate exposure metric.

Particle inhalation rate (PIR) is an air pollution exposure metric that relies on age-, sex-, and physical activity-specific estimates of minute respiratory volume (MRV; L/min-kg) to account for personal inhalation patterns. United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)-generated MRV estimates derive primarily from relatively homogenous populations without substantial cardiorespiratory challenges. To determine if these MRV estimates are relevant to populations in generally poor cardiorespiratory health (e.

Relationship of Time-Activity-Adjusted Particle Number Concentration with Blood Pressure.

Emerging evidence suggests long-term exposure to ultrafine particulate matter (UFP, aerodynamic diameter < 0.1 µm) is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. We investigated whether annual average UFP exposure was associated with measured systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), and hypertension prevalence among 409 adults participating in the cross-sectional Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health (CAFEH) study.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Association between Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Exposures and Cholera in Case-Control Studies.

Case-control studies are conducted to identify cholera transmission routes. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) exposures can facilitate cholera transmission (risk factors) or interrupt transmission (protective factors). To our knowledge, the association between WASH exposures and cholera from case-control studies has not been systematically analyzed.

Longitudinal associations of long-term exposure to ultrafine particles with blood pressure and systemic inflammation in Puerto Rican adults.

Background: Few longitudinal studies have examined the association between ultrafine particulate matter (UFP, particles < 0.1 μm aerodynamic diameter) exposure and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. We used data from 791 adults participating in the longitudinal Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (Massachusetts, USA) between 2004 and 2015 to assess whether UFP exposure was associated with blood pressure and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP, a biomarker of systemic inflammation).

Association of Long-Term Near-Highway Exposure to Ultrafine Particles with Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes and Hypertension.

Ultrafine particle (UFP) concentrations are elevated near busy roadways, however, their effects on prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and hypertension are not well understood. To investigate these associations, data on demographics, diseases, medication use, and time of activities were collected by in-home surveys for 704 participants in three pairs of near-highway and urban background neighborhoods in and near Boston (MA, USA). Body mass index (BMI) was measured for a subset of 435 participants.

Health Effects and Environmental Justice Concerns of Exposure to Uranium in Drinking Water.

We discuss the recent epidemiologic literature regarding health effects of uranium exposure in drinking water focusing on the chemical characteristics of uranium. While there is strong toxicologic evidence for renal and reproductive effects as well as DNA damage, the epidemiologic evidence for these effects in people exposed to uranium in drinking water is limited. Further, epidemiologic evidence is lacking for cardiovascular and oncogenic effects.

Quantification of neurosteroids during pregnancy using selective ion monitoring mass spectrometry.

Analytical techniques used to quantify neurosteroids in biological samples are often compromised by non-specificity and limited dynamic range which can result in erroneous results. A relatively rapid and inexpensive gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed to simultaneously measure nine neurosteroids, including allopregnanolone, estradiol, and progesterone, as well as 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 in plasma samples collected from adult women subjects during and after pregnancy. Sample preparation involved solid-phase extraction and derivatization, followed by automated injection on a GC equipped with a mass selective detector (MSD) operated in single ion monitoring (SIM) mode to yield a run time of less than 11min.

Evidence for the healthy immigrant effect in older Chinese immigrants: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Previous work has found that first-generation immigrants to developed nations tend to have better health than individuals born in the host country. We examined the evidence for the healthy immigrant effect and convergence of health status between Chinese immigrants (n = 147) and U.S.

Asthma associations in children attending a museum of science.

We explored the relative strength of environmental and social factors associated with pediatric asthma in middle class families and considered the efficacy of recruitment for an educational study at a science museum. Eligibility criteria were having a child aged 4-12 and English fluency. Our questionnaire included information on demographics, home environment, medical history, and environmental toxicant exposures.

Characterizing the low wage immigrant workforce: a comparative analysis of the health disparities among selected occupations in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Background: This study estimates job-related risks among common low wage occupations (cleaning, construction, food service, cashier/baggers, and factory workers) held by predominantly Haitian, El Salvadorian, and Brazilian immigrants living or working in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey on immigrant occupational health was conducted between 2006 and 2009 and logistic regression was used to assess the job-related risks among the most common low wage occupations.

Results: Construction workers reported significantly higher health risks, and lower access to occupational health services than the other occupations.

Highway proximity associations with blood markers of inflammation: evidence for a role for IL-1β.

Cardiovascular disease is known to be associated with proximity to major roadways and highways. Thus, blood samples from 20 near highway and 20 urban background residents were analyzed for presence of cytokines and other biomarkers. Near-highway participants displayed significantly lower socioeconomic status (SES) and significantly higher occupational vehicle exhaust exposure and higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels.

Occupational health and safety experiences among self-identified immigrant workers living or working in Somerville, MA by ethnicity, years in the US, and English proficiency.

In this community based research initiative, we employed a survey instrument predominately developed and administered by Teen Educators to assess occupational health risks for Haitian, Salvadoran, and Brazilian immigrants (n = 405) in Somerville, MA, USA. We demonstrate that a combined analysis of ethnicity, years in the US, and English proficiency better characterized the occupational experience of immigrant workers than considering these variables individually. While years in the US (negatively) and English proficiency (positively) explained the occurrence of health risks, the country of origin identified the most vulnerable populations in the community.

Occupational health outcomes among self-identified immigrant workers living and working in Somerville, Massachusetts 2006-2009.

This study examines the burden of occupational health risks among a convenience sample of three immigrant worker populations (Brazilian, Haitian, and El Salvadoran) in Somerville, Massachusetts. In this community based research initiative (n = 346), logistic regression is used to analyze immigrant occupational health survey data collected from 2006 to 2009. In this study, injuries at work were significantly associated with lower English proficiency (OR = 1.

Effective control of Schistosoma haematobium infection in a Ghanaian community following installation of a water recreation area.

Background: Urogenital schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma haematobium was endemic in Adasawase, Ghana in 2007. Transmission was reported to be primarily through recreational water contact.

Methods: We designed a water recreation area (WRA) to prevent transmission to school-aged children.

Air pollution and anemia as risk factors for pneumonia in Ecuadorian children: a retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Ambient air pollution and malnutrition, particularly anemia, are risk factors for pneumonia, a leading cause of death in children under five. We simultaneously assessed these risk factors in Quito, Ecuador.

Methods: In 2005, we studied two socioeconomically similar neighborhoods in Quito: Lucha de los Pobres (LP) and Jaime Roldos (JR).

Methodological lessons and pilot data on the effect of proximity of homes and schools to highways on pediatric asthma and lung function.

Purpose: Numerous studies have found that either living or attending school near highways or exposure to pollutants associated with heavy motor vehicle traffic are associated with a high prevalence of asthma and reduced lung function. Yet, few investigations have assessed school and home exposure in the same study.

Methods: We recruited children aged 5-19 years from a pediatric clinic in an urban center (Boston Chinatown) for many of whom housing and school were located immediately adjacent to two major highways.

Association of environment and place of birth with asthma in Chinese immigrant children.

Despite the advances in perinatal and neonatal care and use of newer potent antibiotics, the incidence of neonatal sepsis remains high and the outcome is still severe. For years, investigators have sought a test or panel of tests able to identify septic neonates accurately and rapidly in order to obtain an early diagnosis and develop a specific effective treatment for a successful outcome. In addition to the standard procedures (blood, CSF, and urine cultures, chest x-ray), such panels have included a combination of total and differential cell counts, total immature neutrophil counts, immature to total neutrophil ratio, platelet counts, and levels of acute-phase reactants and cytokines.

Lessons for primary prevention of asthma: foreign-born children have less association of SES and pests with asthma diagnosis.

There are no proven interventions for primary prevention of asthma. As asthma prevalence varies globally, comparing asthma in native and foreign-born children might provide insights. We pooled data from five cross sectional asthma surveys (N = 962).

Developing methods to compare low-education community-based and university-based survey teams.

We compared the quality of low-education community-based survey teams to college educated graduate students. Our approach was to develop methods, conduct a pilot survey, and report lessons. Community and university teams conducted surveys from non-overlapping random samples of addresses at a public housing development in Boston, Massachusetts.

Community-level data suggest that asthma prevalence varies between U.S. and foreign-born black subpopulations.

For Mexican and Chinese immigrants it has been reported that foreign born children have a lower prevalence of asthma than U.S.-born children.

Native and foreign born as predictors of pediatric asthma in an Asian immigrant population: a cross sectional survey.

Background: Asthma prevalence is lower in less developed countries and among some recent immigrant populations in the US, but the reasons for this are not clear. One possibility is that early childhood infections are protective against asthma.

Methods: We surveyed Asian immigrant children (n = 204; age 4-18) to assess the relationship between asthma and native or foreign place of birth.

A Comparison of knowledge about asthma between Asians and non-Asians at two pediatric clinics.

Little is known about the relative knowledge of asthma in recent immigrant Asian populations in the United States (US). To comparatively assess asthma knowledge for Asian and non-Asian populations, 333 parents and children were surveyed at two geographically close urban clinics that had a large percentage of Asian patients, most of whom were Chinese. The Asian respondents scored lower compared to the non-Asian respondents on 4 of the 6 knowledge questions (p < 0.

Exposure to fuel-oil ash and welding emissions during the overhaul of an oil-fired boiler.

The health effects of exposure to vanadium in fuel-oil ash are not well described at levels ranging from 10 to 500 microg/m(3). As part of a larger occupational epidemiologic study that assessed these effects during the overhaul of a large oil-fired boiler, this study was designed to quantify boilermakers' exposures to fuel-oil ash particles, metals, and welding gases, and to identify determinants of these exposures. Personal exposure measurements were conducted on 18 boilermakers and 11 utility workers (referents) before and during a 3-week overhaul.

Urinary metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon biomarkers in boilermakers exposed to metal fume and residual oil fly ash.

Background: Boilermakers are occupationally exposed to known carcinogens.

Methods: The association of urinary 1-hydroxy-pyrene (1-OHP), a biomarker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure, with biomarkers of metal exposure (vanadium, chromium, manganese, nickel, copper, and lead) in boilermakers exposed to metal fume from welding and dust particulates from residual oil fly ash (ROFA) was examined. A repeated measures cohort study was conducted during the overhaul of an oil-fired boiler.