Use of oral moist tobacco (snus) in puberty and its association with asthma in the population-based RHINESSA study.

Objectives: To investigate the association of early snus use initiation (≤15 years of age) with asthma and asthma symptoms.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort.

Setting: Study centres in Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Estonia, from 2016 to 2019.

Pregnancy outcomes as related to in utero exposure to air pollution and greenness: The Life-GAP Project.

Background: Lower birth weight and preterm birth may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes later in life. We examined whether maternal exposure to air pollution and greenness during pregnancy is associated with offspring birth weight and preterm birth.

Methods: We analyzed data on 4286 singleton births from 2358 mothers from Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, a prospective questionnaire-based cohort study (1990-2010).

Associations of long-term exposure to air pollution and greenness with incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Northern Europe: The Life-GAP project.

Background: Prolonged exposure to air pollution has been linked to adverse respiratory health, yet the evidence concerning its association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is inconsistent. The evidence of a greenness effect on chronic respiratory diseases is limited.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM and PM), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O) and greenness (as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index - NDVI) and incidence of self-reported chronic bronchitis or COPD (CB/COPD).

Muscle Strength and Male Sexual Function.

Sexual dysfunction, in particular erectile dysfunction, is a common complaint among aging men. Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking are shown to be independent risk factors for erectile dysfunction, while cardiorespiratory fitness is shown to be protective. Less is known about the role of muscle strength in male sexual function.

Microbiome-based risk prediction in incident heart failure: a community challenge.

Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem. Early identification of at-risk individuals could allow for interventions that reduce morbidity or mortality. The community-based FINRISK Microbiome DREAM challenge (synapse.

Long-term exposure to low-level air pollution and greenness and mortality in Northern Europe. The Life-GAP project.

Background: Air pollution has been linked to mortality, but there are few studies examining the association with different exposure time windows spanning across several decades. The evidence for the effects of green space and mortality is contradictory.

Objective: We investigated all-cause mortality in relation to exposure to particulate matter (PM and PM), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O) and greenness (normalized difference vegetation index - NDVI) across different exposure time windows.

Periodontitis is associated with airflow obstruction in the Malmö Offspring Dental Study.

Aim: To investigate the association between periodontitis and lung function in the Malmö Offspring Dental Study.

Materials And Methods: In all 1001 individuals (49.9% female, mean age: 44.

Advancing microbiome research with machine learning: key findings from the ML4Microbiome COST action.

The rapid development of machine learning (ML) techniques has opened up the data-dense field of microbiome research for novel therapeutic, diagnostic, and prognostic applications targeting a wide range of disorders, which could substantially improve healthcare practices in the era of precision medicine. However, several challenges must be addressed to exploit the benefits of ML in this field fully. In particular, there is a need to establish "gold standard" protocols for conducting ML analysis experiments and improve interactions between microbiome researchers and ML experts.

Indoor Airborne Microbiome and Endotoxin: Meteorological Events and Occupant Characteristics Are Important Determinants.

Airborne bacteria and endotoxin may affect asthma and allergies. However, there is limited understanding of the environmental determinants that influence them. This study investigated the airborne microbiomes in the homes of 1038 participants from five cities in Northern Europe: Aarhus, Bergen, Reykjavik, Tartu, and Uppsala.

Oral bacterial composition associated with lung function and lung inflammation in a community-based Norwegian population.

Background: The oral cavity is the gateway to the bacteria community in the lung. Disruption of the symbiotic balance of the oral microbiota has been associated with respiratory diseases. However, little is known about the relationship between oral bacteria and respiratory outcomes in the general population.

Association between lipid-A-producing oral bacteria of different potency and fractional exhaled nitric oxide in a Norwegian population-based adult cohort.

Background: Lipid A is the primary immunostimulatory part of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecule. The inflammatory response of LPS varies and depends upon the number of acyl chains and phosphate groups in lipid A which is specific for a bacterial species or strain. Traditional LPS quantification assays cannot distinguish between the acylation degree of lipid A molecules, and therefore little is known about how bacteria with different inflammation-inducing potencies affect fractional exhaled nitric oxide (F).

Food hypersensitivity: an examination of factors influencing symptoms and temporal changes in the prevalence of sensitization in an adult sample.

Background/objectives: Food hypersensitivity (FHS) is common, but little is known about the factors associated with severe reactions, age of onset and whether sensitization persists. This study examines the factors associated with self-reported severe food reactions, onset age and the changes in prevalence of sensitization to foods over time in an adult sample.

Subjects/methods: We used data from adults taking part in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) III (2010-2014) who provided information on food hypersensitivity, including symptoms, suspected culprit food and onset age (n = 4865).

The impact of gingivitis reduction on lung function: a randomized trial under intensified oral hygiene.

Background: Periodontal disease and lung function impairment were found to be associated with low-grade systemic or local inflammation, and it might be that gingival/periodontal inflammation triggers lung function due to systemic inflammation or the transfer of oral bacteria or its components to the lung. A recent observational study in non-smoking subjects showed that lung volumes and flow rates were significantly reduced by 71-185 ml for severe gingivitis regardless of the adjustment for potential confounders. The result did not show any confounding by smoking, and the association between gingivitis and lower lung function was not modified by systemic inflammation.

Optimization of bacterial DNA and endotoxin extraction from settled airborne dust.

Collecting and obtaining sufficient amount of airborne particles for multiple microbial component assessments can be challenging. A passive dust sampling device, the electrostatic dust fall collector (EDC) has been established for assessing airborne exposures including endotoxin and glucans. Recently, with advances in next-generation sequencing techniques, EDCs were used to collect microbial cells for DNA sequencing analysis to promote the study of airborne bacterial and fungal communities.

Cow Farmers' Homes Host More Diverse Airborne Bacterial Communities Than Pig Farmers' Homes and Suburban Homes.

Living on a farm has been linked to a lower risk of immunoregulatory disorders, such as asthma, allergy, and inflammatory bowel disease. It is hypothesized that a decrease in the diversity and composition of indoor microbial communities is a sensible explanation for the upsurge in immunoregulatory diseases, with airborne bacteria contributing to this protective effect. However, the composition of this potentially beneficial microbial community in various farm and suburban indoor environments is still to be characterized.

Cohort profile: the multigeneration Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, Spain and Australia (RHINESSA) cohort.

Purpose: The Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, Spain and Australia (RHINESSA) cohort was established to (1) investigate how exposures before conception and in previous generations influence health and disease, particularly allergies and respiratory health, (2) identify susceptible time windows and (3) explore underlying mechanisms. The ultimate aim is to facilitate efficient intervention strategies targeting multiple generations.

Participants: RHINESSA includes study participants of multiple generations from ten study centres in Norway (1), Denmark (1), Sweden (3), Iceland (1), Estonia (1), Spain (2) and Australia (1).

Exposure to Antibacterial Chemicals Is Associated With Altered Composition of Oral Microbiome.

Antimicrobial chemicals are used as preservatives in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in the products. Unintentional exposure in humans to such chemicals is well documented, but whether they also interfere with human oral microbiome composition is largely unexplored. In this study, we explored whether the oral bacterial composition is affected by exposure to antibacterial and environmental chemicals.

Association of oral bacteria with oral hygiene habits and self-reported gingival bleeding.

Aim: To describe associations of gingival bacterial composition and diversity with self-reported gingival bleeding and oral hygiene habits in a Norwegian regional-based population.

Materials And Methods: We examined the microbiome composition of the gingival fluid (16S amplicon sequencing) in 484 adult participants (47% females; median age 28 years) in the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, Spain and Australia (RHINESSA) study in Bergen, Norway. We explored bacterial diversity and abundance differences by the community periodontal index score, self-reported frequency of gingival bleeding, and oral hygiene habits.

Premature menopause and autoimmune primary ovarian insufficiency in two international multi-center cohorts.

Objective: To investigate markers of premature menopause (<40 years) and specifically the prevalence of autoimmune primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) in European women.

Design: Postmenopausal women were categorized according to age at menopause and self-reported reason for menopause in a cross-sectional analysis of 6870 women.

Methods: Variables associated with the timing of menopause and hormone measurements of 17β-estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone were explored using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

Ascaris exposure and its association with lung function, asthma, and DNA methylation in Northern Europe.

Background: Ascaris infections, with a worldwide prevalence above 10%, can cause respiratory pathology. However, long-term effects on lung function in humans are largely unknown.

Objective: We investigated the associations of Ascaris exposure with lung function, asthma, and DNA methylation.

The Exposome Approach in Allergies and Lung Diseases: Is It Time to Define a Preconception Exposome?

Emerging research suggests environmental exposures before conception may adversely affect allergies and lung diseases in future generations. Most studies are limited as they have focused on single exposures, not considering that these diseases have a multifactorial origin in which environmental and lifestyle factors are likely to interact. Traditional exposure assessment methods fail to capture the interactions among environmental exposures and their impact on fundamental biological processes, as well as individual and temporal factors.

Lifelong exposure to residential greenspace and the premenstrual syndrome: A population-based study of Northern European women.

Background: The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) causes clinically relevant psychological and physical symptoms in up to 20% of women of reproductive age. To date, no studies have investigated the relationship between PMS and residential surrounding greenspace, although a green living environment has been reported to have beneficial associations with overall and reproductive health.

Objective: To investigate whether lifelong exposure to residential surrounding greenspace is associated with PMS and whether such an association is mediated by BMI, air pollution or physical activity.

Maternal preconception occupational exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants and offspring asthma.

Background: Emerging research suggests health effects in offspring after parental chemical exposures before conception. Many future mothers are exposed to potent chemicals at work, but potential offspring health effects are hardly investigated.

Objective: We sought to investigate childhood asthma in relation to mother's occupational exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants before conception.