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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: 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.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: 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.
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).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCadmium 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaternal 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).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Dev Orig Health Dis
August 2021
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).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPer- 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF