Long-Term Air Pollution Exposure and Severity of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Data from the IPF-PRO Registry.

Rationale: While exposure to air pollution is a known risk factor for adverse pulmonary outcomes, its impact in individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is less well understood.

Objective: To investigate the effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on disease severity and progression in patients with IPF and to determine whether genomic factors, such as MUC5B promoter polymorphism or telomere length, modify these associations.

Methods: We performed analyses at enrollment and after one year of follow-up in the IPF-PRO Registry, a prospective observational registry that enrolled individuals with IPF at 46 US sites from June 2014 to October 2018.

Associations of pulmonary microvascular blood volume with per cent emphysema and CT emphysema subtypes in the community: the MESA Lung study.

Background: Pulmonary microvasculature alterations are implicated in emphysema pathogenesis, but the association between pulmonary microvascular blood volume (PMBV) and emphysema has not been directly assessed at scale, and prior studies have used non-specific measures of emphysema.

Methods: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Lung Study invited participants recruited from the community without renal impairment to undergo contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT. Pulmonary blood volume was calculated by material decomposition; PMBV was defined as blood volume in the peripheral 2 cm of the lung.

Estimating ambient air pollutant concentrations outside and inside homes in the Subpopulations and Intermediate outcomes in COPD air pollution (SPIROMICS air) cohort.

Background: Valid, high-resolution estimates of population-level exposure to air pollutants are necessary for accurate estimation of the association between air pollution and the occurrence or exacerbation of adverse health outcomes such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Objectives: We produced fine-scale individual-level estimates of ambient concentrations of multiple air pollutants (fine particulate matter [PM], NO, NO, and O) at residences of participants in the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcomes in COPD Air Pollution (SPIROMICS Air) study, located in seven regions in the US. For PM, we additionally integrated modeled estimates of particulate infiltration based on home characteristics and measured total indoor concentrations to provide comprehensive estimates of exposure levels.

Air Pollution Exposure and Interstitial Lung Features in SPIROMICS Participants with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

It is unknown whether air pollution is associated with radiographic features of interstitial lung disease in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To determine whether air pollution increases the prevalence of interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) or percent high-attenuation areas (HAA) on computed tomography (CT) in individuals with a heavy smoking history and COPD. We performed a cross-sectional study of SPIROMICS (Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study), focused on current or former smokers with COPD.

Airway tree caliber heterogeneity and airflow obstruction among older adults.

Smaller mean airway tree caliber is associated with airflow obstruction and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We investigated whether airway tree caliber heterogeneity was associated with airflow obstruction and COPD. Two community-based cohorts (MESA Lung, CanCOLD) and a longitudinal case-control study of COPD (SPIROMICS) performed spirometry and computed tomography measurements of airway lumen diameters at standard anatomical locations (trachea-to-subsegments) and total lung volume.

Airway Tree Caliber and Susceptibility to Pollution-associated Emphysema: MESA Air and Lung Studies.

Airway tree morphology varies in the general population and may modify the distribution and uptake of inhaled pollutants. We hypothesized that smaller airway caliber would be associated with emphysema progression and would increase susceptibility to air pollutant-associated emphysema progression. MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) is a general population cohort of adults 45-84 years old from six U.

Indoor Pollution and Lung Function Decline in Current and Former Smokers: SPIROMICS AIR.

Indoor pollutants have been associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease morbidity, but it is unclear whether they contribute to disease progression. We aimed to determine whether indoor particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO) are associated with lung function decline among current and former smokers. Of the 2,382 subjects with a history of smoking in SPIROMICS AIR, 1,208 participants had complete information to estimate indoor PM and NO, using individual-based prediction models, in relation to measured spirometry at two or more clinic visits.

Associations Between Insurance, Race and Ethnicity, and COVID-19 Hospitalization, Beyond Underlying Health Conditions: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: People of lower socioeconomic position (SEP) and people of color (POC) experience higher risks of severe COVID-19, but understanding of these associations beyond the effect of underlying health conditions (UHCs) is limited. Moreover, few studies have focused on young adults, who have had the highest incidence of COVID-19 during much of the pandemic.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data from the University of Washington Medicine healthcare system.

The Emerging Spectrum of Respiratory Diseases in the U.S. Cannabis Industry.

While the cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing job markets in the United States and globally, relatively little is known about the occupational hazards that cannabis production workers face. Based on the closely related hemp industry and preliminary studies from recreational cannabis grow facilities, there is concern for significant respiratory exposures to bioaerosols containing microbial and plant allergens, chemicals such as pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and other irritant gases. Components of the cannabis plant have also recently been identified as allergenic and capable of inducing an immunoglobulin E-mediated response.

Association between any underlying health condition and COVID-19-associated hospitalization by age group, Washington State, 2020-2021: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Presence of at least one underlying health condition (UHC) is positively associated with severe COVID-19, but there is limited research examining this association by age group, particularly among young adults.

Methods: We examined age-stratified associations between any UHC and COVID-19-associated hospitalization using a retrospective cohort study of electronic health record data from the University of Washington Medicine healthcare system for adult patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test from February 29, 2020, to March 13, 2021. Any UHC was defined as documented diagnosis of at least one UHC identified by the CDC as a potential risk factor for severe COVID-19.

Toxic inhalation of sodium metabisulphite by-products from a shipping container.

Logistics workers who handle cargo containers are at risk of toxic inhalation injuries, although prevalence and severities of these injuries are not well characterized. We report on a previously healthy 37-year-old supervisor who was acutely exposed to sodium metabisulphite and its thermal degradation by-products during a routine inspection of a shipping container. The employee developed chemical pneumonitis with acute non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema and subsequent severe reactive airway dysfunction syndrome.

A Cross Sectional Study of Respiratory and Allergy Status in Dairy Workers.

Introduction: Workers on dairy farms face exposures to organic dusts and endotoxin. At the same time, a number of studies of farmers have reported a lower prevalence of asthma in farmworkers compared to persons without farm contact. The "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that early life exposures on farms could be protective against allergic disease and asthma.

Ambient Air Pollution and Stroke: An Updated Review.

Despite recent advances in treatment and prevention, stroke remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. There is a critical need to identify novel modifiable risk factors for disease, including environmental agents. A body of evidence has accumulated suggesting that elevated levels of ambient air pollutants may not only trigger cerebrovascular events in susceptible people (short-term exposures) but also increase the risk of future events (long-term average exposures).

Black carbon content in airway macrophages is associated with increased severe exacerbations and worse COPD morbidity in SPIROMICS.

Background: Airway macrophages (AM), crucial for the immune response in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are exposed to environmental particulate matter (PM), which they retain in their cytoplasm as black carbon (BC). However, whether AM BC accurately reflects environmental PM exposure, and can serve as a biomarker of COPD outcomes, is unknown.

Methods: We analyzed induced sputum from participants at 7 of 12 sites SPIROMICS sites for AM BC content, which we related to exposures and to lung function and respiratory outcomes.

Successful Treatment of Prolonged, Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 Lower Respiratory Tract Disease in a B cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patient With an Extended Course of Remdesivir and Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir.

A patient with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had persistent, progressive pneumonia with viremia after 5 months of infection despite monoclonal antibodies, intravenous (IV) remdesivir and prolonged oral steroids. Twenty days of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and 10 days of IV remdesivir led to full recovery.

Demographic, exposure and clinical characteristics in a multinational registry of engineered stone workers with silicosis.

Objectives: To investigate differences in workplace exposure, demographic and clinical findings in engineered stone (ES) workers from a multinational consortium using the Engineered Stone Silicosis Investigators (ESSI) Global Silicosis Registry.

Methods: With ethics board approval in Israel, Spain, Australia and the USA, ES workers ages 18+ with a physician diagnosis of work-related silicosis were enrolled. Demographic, occupational, radiologic, pulmonary function and silica-related comorbidity data were compared cross-sectionally among countries using analysis of variance, Fisher's exact tests and logistic regression.

Health Risks of Sarcopenic Obesity in Overweight Children and Adolescents: Data from the CHILT III Programme (Cologne).

Sarcopenic obesity is increasingly found in youth, but its health consequences remain unclear. Therefore, we studied the prevalence of sarcopenia and its association with cardiometabolic risk factors as well as muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness using data from the German Children's Health InterventionaL Trial (CHILT III) programme. In addition to anthropometric data and blood pressure, muscle and fat mass were determined with bioelectrical impedance analysis.

US Food and Drug Administration regulatory pesticide residue monitoring of human foods: 2009-2017.

Pesticides such as insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides can protect crops from insects, fungi, weeds, and other pests but must be applied following label instructions so that the pesticide residues in human and animal foods do not exceed maximum residue limits (MRLs, known in the US as pesticide tolerances). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collects and tests foods for pesticide residues to enforce compliance with tolerances and publishes annual reports on pesticide testing results. In this study, results for over 56,000 human food samples collected and analysed under the FDA pesticide residue monitoring programme between fiscal years (FY) 2009 to 2017 were reviewed to identify trends not apparent in annual reports.

Environmental Cadmium and Mortality from Influenza and Pneumonia in U.S. Adults.

Background: Environmental cadmium exposure is widespread. In humans, cadmium is poorly excreted, triggers pulmonary inflammation, reduces pulmonary function, and enhances lung injury by respiratory syncytial virus.

Objectives: We examined the association of cadmium burden with mortality related to influenza or pneumonia.