Publications by authors named "Melissa Eliot"

Background: Limited evidence suggests that antimony induces vascular inflammation and oxidative stress and may play a role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, few studies have examined whether environmental antimony from sources other than tobacco smoking is related with CVD risk. The general population may be exposed through air, drinking water, and food that contains antimony from natural and anthropogenic sources, such as mining, coal combustion, and manufacturing.

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  • Ambient particulate matter (PM) air pollution is a major global health risk, linked to millions of deaths and cardiovascular disease, but its specific connection to stroke is not well-established.
  • A study involving over 155,000 postmenopausal women evaluated the impact of long-term exposure to different PM sizes and nitrogen dioxide (NO) on stroke incidence and cerebrovascular deaths over 15 years.
  • Results indicated a significant increase in cerebrovascular events with higher PM exposure, showing a hazard ratio of 2.14 for those in the highest quartile compared to the lowest, although the association was consistent across different types of stroke.
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  • The study examines the socioeconomic effects of biological and targeted drugs on Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis, focusing on their impact on both paid workers (PWs) and home workers (HWs).
  • Data was collected from the CorEvitas RA Japan Registry, analyzing medication persistence, treatment outcomes, health care utilization, and overall costs over a year.
  • Results showed that while direct costs rose after treatment, indirect costs from loss of productivity decreased, leading to an overall increase in socioeconomic impact for both patient groups.
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Background: Studies of the association between aircraft noise and hypertension are complicated by inadequate control for potential confounders and a lack of longitudinal assessments, and existing evidence is inconclusive.

Objectives: We evaluated the association between long-term aircraft noise exposure and risk of hypertension among post-menopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trials, an ongoing prospective U.S.

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Background: Hospitalizations involving opioid use disorder (OUD) have been increasing among Medicare beneficiaries of all ages. With rising OUD-related acute care use comes the need to understand where post-acute care is provided and the capacities for OUD treatment in those settings. Our objective was to describe hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries with OUD, their post-acute care locations, and all-cause mortality and readmissions stratified by post-acute care location.

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Background: There is considerable evidence for the importance of the DNA methylome in metabolic health, for example, a robust methylation signature has been associated with body mass index (BMI). However, visceral fat (VF) mass accumulation is a greater risk factor for metabolic disease than BMI alone. In this study, we dissect the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) methylome signature relevant to metabolic health by focusing on VF as the major risk factor of metabolic disease.

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  • - Early life exposure to phthalates may impact cognitive abilities, but it's unclear if this affects racial differences in children's IQ.
  • - A study in Cincinnati tracked 253 mother-child pairs and found Black children scored an average of 7 points lower in IQ than White children, partially linked to higher phthalate levels.
  • - While some phthalate exposure was higher in Black children, only monoethyl phthalate (MEP) showed a partial connection to the IQ gap, indicating that phthalates may not be a major factor in racial disparities in intelligence.
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  • DNA methylation changes may link prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with future health issues; however, no previous long-term studies have tackled this connection.
  • This research utilized the HOME Study to assess the impact of maternal PFAS levels on DNA methylation at birth and during adolescence, involving measurement of various PFAS compounds and analysis of methylation patterns.
  • The results revealed significant associations between PFAS exposure and DNA methylation at numerous specific sites, with potential connections to health risks like cancer and cardiovascular diseases, while patterns remained consistent across different ages.
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Background: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which include monocytic (mMDSCs) and granulocytic (gMDSCs) cells, are an immunosuppressive, heterogeneous population of cells upregulated in cancer and other pathologic conditions, in addition to normal conditions of stress. The origin of MDSCs is debated, and the regulatory pattern responsible for gMDSC differentiation remains unknown. Since DNA methylation (DNAm) contributes to lineage differentiation, we have investigated whether it contributes to the acquisition of the gMDSC phenotype.

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Objectives: Quantify the relationship between increasing influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) community viral activity and cardiorespiratory rehospitalizations among older adults discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).

Design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting And Participants: Adults aged ≥65 years who were hospitalized and then discharged to a US SNF between 2012 and 2015.

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  • The study investigates the relationship between DNA methylation-derived systemic inflammation (mdSI) indices and oropharyngeal cancer risk and survival rates.
  • Higher levels of the methylation-derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (mdNLR) indicate an increased risk of developing oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), while higher levels of methylation-derived lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (mdLMR) are linked to better survival outcomes.
  • The findings suggest that mdLMR could serve as an independent prognostic factor for OPSCC, emphasizing the importance of mdSI indices in understanding cancer risks and outcomes.
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Background: Epidemiologic studies suggest cadmium exposure is associated with cardiovascular disease risk, including heart failure. However, prior findings may be influenced by tobacco smoking, a dominant source of cadmium exposure and risk factor for heart failure. The present study leverages up to 20 years of follow-up in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort to examine the relationship between urinary cadmium and incident heart failure among people who never smoked.

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  • Triclosan, an antimicrobial chemical found in personal care products, may be linked to lower birth weight, but previous studies show mixed results on this association.
  • This research conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of triclosan exposure during pregnancy on infant birth weight and to understand variations across different studies.
  • The findings suggest that higher triclosan levels are correlated with reduced birth weight, especially in studies where higher concentrations were detected, indicating that the effects may vary depending on the amount of exposure and the methodology used in the studies.
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Importance: Older adults residing in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are at a high risk of being infected with respiratory viruses, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Although these infections commonly have many cardiorespiratory sequelae, the national burden of influenza- and RSV-attributable cardiorespiratory events remains unknown for the multimorbid and vulnerable LTCF population.

Objective: To estimate the incidence of cardiorespiratory hospitalizations that were attributable to influenza and RSV among LTCF residents and to quantify the economic burden of these hospitalizations on the US health care system by estimating their associated cost and length of stay.

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  • Maternal exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) during crucial stages of pregnancy is linked to reduced infant birthweight, highlighting a sensitive period for fetal development.
  • The study analyzed placental RNA-sequencing data and identified specific gene coexpression networks impacted by maternal PM exposure, particularly those related to amino acid transport and cellular respiration.
  • Overall, the research underscores the need to further explore how placental changes due to air pollution affect health outcomes for developing fetuses.
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Background: Between 1962 and 1971, the US Air Force sprayed Agent Orange across Vietnam, exposing many soldiers to this dioxin-containing herbicide. Several negative health outcomes have been linked to Agent Orange exposure, but data is lacking on the effects this chemical has on the genome. Therefore, we sought to characterize the impact of Agent Orange exposure on DNA methylation in the whole blood and adipose tissue of veterans enrolled in the Air Force Health Study (AFHS).

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  • The study aimed to measure how observable characteristics affect influenza vaccination rates among nursing home residents of different races (White, Black, and Hispanic).
  • It utilized data from over 1.6 million U.S. nursing home residents aged 65 and older to analyze vaccination rates, finding significant disparities based on race and length of stay.
  • The research indicated that disparities could be reduced by addressing characteristics related to nursing home quality and racial composition, but also suggested that other unmeasured factors may play a crucial role in these disparities.
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  • Linear regression is commonly used to analyze the relationship between chemical exposure and neurodevelopment, but this study explores how these associations vary across different levels of neurodevelopmental outcomes, particularly for those at the extremes.
  • Using quantile regression, researchers assessed the impact of gestational phthalate exposure on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)-related behaviors in children by combining data from two studies, the EARLI Study and the HOME Study, focusing on urine samples from pregnant mothers and caregiver reports of children's behaviors.
  • Findings revealed that in the EARLI Study, most associations were either negative or non-existent; however, in the HOME Study, stronger positive associations between certain phthalate levels and ASD behaviors were found among children with more severe ASD-related
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Cadmium exposure has been associated with cardiovascular disease. Cigarette smoking is a key source of cadmium exposure and thus a potential confounder in observational studies of environmental cadmium and cardiovascular disease that include tobacco smokers. We leveraged up to 20 years of follow-up in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort to test the hypothesis that cadmium exposure is associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among people who never smoked.

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Maternal nutrition during gestation has been investigated for its role in child neurodevelopment. However, little is known about the potential impact of gestational caffeine exposure on child autistic behaviors. Here, we assess the relation between maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and children's behavioral traits related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

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  • Gestational exposure to PFAS, particularly PFOA, is linked to altered BMI trajectories in children, resulting in lower early childhood BMI but increased BMI by age 12.
  • The study analyzed data from 345 mother-child pairs in Cincinnati, assessing various PFAS concentrations and their effects on children's BMI from infancy to age 12.
  • While higher PFOA concentrations influenced BMI patterns significantly, other PFAS like PFOS and PFHxS showed consistent lower BMI across all developmental stages without impacting BMI trajectories.
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  • The study investigates the influence of delivery hospital on the relationship between ambient air pollution and pregnancy outcomes in New York City, revealing it as a significant confounding factor.
  • After analyzing data from 238,960 births (2008-2010), researchers found that adjusting for delivery hospital significantly weakened the connection between air pollution exposure and birth weight, gestational hypertension, and other pregnancy complications.
  • Results indicate that hospitals differ in how they handle patients based on their exposure to air pollution, with larger hospitals and those managing more complex cases experiencing worse outcomes such as lower birth weights and higher rates of preterm births.
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  • This study investigates the relationship between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and gestational weight gain (GWG) in pregnant women, using serum samples from a cohort in Cincinnati, Ohio (2003-2006).
  • The results show that higher serum levels of certain PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA) are linked to slight increases in GWG and weight gain rate, particularly in women with a pre-pregnancy BMI of 25 or higher.
  • Overall, while small increases in weight gain were observed, the associations for combined PFAS exposure and weight z-scores were minimal, suggesting a nuanced relationship that may warrant further investigation.
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Adipocytokines, which are secreted during fetal development by both mothers and fetuses, may influence fetal lung development, but little human data are available. We used data from the HOME Study to investigate the associations of cord blood adipocytokine concentrations with children's lung forced expiratory volume (FEV1; N = 160) and their risk of wheeze (N = 281). We measured umbilical cord serum adipocytokine concentrations using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and FEV1 using a portable spirometer at ages 4 and 5 to calculate the percent predicted FEV1 (%FEV1).

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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of persistent chemicals used as industrial surfactants, fire-fighting foams, and textile treatments. Early childhood exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) may affect the immune system to increase the risk of allergic and respiratory diseases. However, there are substantial gaps in our knowledge about the relationship between PFAS and immune-mediated outcomes such as asthma in children.

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