A Low-Cost, Open-Source 3D Printer for Multimaterial and High-Throughput Direct Ink Writing of Soft and Living Materials.

Direct ink writing is a 3D printing method that is compatible with a wide range of structural, elastomeric, electronic, and living materials, and it continues to expand its uses into physics, engineering, and biology laboratories. However, the large footprint, closed hardware and software ecosystems, and expense of commercial systems often hamper widespread adoption. This work introduces a compact, low-cost, multimaterial, and high-throughput direct ink writing 3D printer platform with detailed assembly files and instructions provided freely online.

The joint effect of long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants on non-accidental and cause-specific mortality: A longitudinal cohort study.

The long-term joint impacts of fine particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and ozone (O) on mortality are inconclusive. To bridge this research gap, we included 283,568 adults from the Taiwan MJ cohort between 2005 and 2016 and linked with the mortality data until 31 May 2019. Participants' annual average exposures to PM, NO, and O were estimated using satellite-based spatial-temporal models.

Exposure to Neighborhood Greenness and Hypertension Incidence in Adults: A Longitudinal Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Background: There are few studies on the health effects of long-term exposure to neighborhood greenness in a longitudinal setting, especially in Asian countries with high population densities.

Objectives: This study investigates the association between long-term exposure to neighborhood greenness and hypertension among adults in Taiwan.

Methods: We selected 125,537 participants ( of age) without hypertension from Taiwan who had joined the standard medical examination program between 2001 and 2016.

A Visual, In-Expensive, and Wireless Capillary Rheometer for Characterizing Wholly-Cellular Bioinks.

Rheological measurements with in situ visualization can elucidate the microstructural origin of complex flow behaviors of an ink. However, existing commercial rheometers suffer from high costs, the need for dedicated facilities for microfabrication, a lack of design flexibility, and cabling that complicates operation in sterile or enclosed environments. To address these limitations, a low-cost ($300) visual, in-expensive and wireless rheometer (VIEWR) using 3D-printed and off-the-shelf components is presented.

Isolated systolic or diastolic hypertension and mortality risk in young adults using the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association blood pressure guideline: a longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Little is known regarding the health effects of different hypertension phenotypes including isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), and systolic and diastolic hypertension (SDH) defined by the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guideline among young adults. We conducted this longitudinal study using time-varying analyses to evaluate the relationship between cardiovascular/all-natural mortality risk and different hypertension phenotypes in young adults.

Methods: A total of 284 597 young adults (aged 18-39 years) were recruited between 1996 and 2016.

Social vulnerability amplifies the disparate impact of mobility on COVID-19 transmissibility across the United States.

Although human mobility is considered critical for the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) both locally and globally, the extent to which such an association is impacted by social vulnerability remains unclear. Here, using multisource epidemiological and socioeconomic data of US counties, we develop a COVID-19 pandemic vulnerability index (CPVI) to quantify their levels of social vulnerability and examine how social vulnerability moderated the influence of mobility on disease transmissibility (represented by the effective reproduction number, ) during the US summer epidemic wave of 2020. We find that counties in the top CPVI quintile suffered almost double in regard to COVID-19 transmission (45.

Large-Scale Production of Wholly Cellular Bioinks via the Optimization of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Aggregate Culture in Automated Bioreactors.

Combining the sustainable culture of billions of human cells and the bioprinting of wholly cellular bioinks offers a pathway toward organ-scale tissue engineering. Traditional 2D culture methods are not inherently scalable due to cost, space, and handling constraints. Here, the suspension culture of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived aggregates (hAs) is optimized using an automated 250 mL stirred tank bioreactor system.

Associations between long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants and age at menopause: a longitudinal cohort study.

Background: To investigate the associations between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and age at menopause and the risk of early menopause in two Asian cohorts.

Methods: A total of 53,167 female adults were enrolled from two ongoing cohorts, one each in Taiwan and Hong Kong, between 2003 and 2018, yielding 200,000 person-years of follow-up. We performed a Cox regression model with time-dependent covariates to investigate associations between air pollution and menopause.

Cardiovascular Mortality, Habitual Exercise, and Particulate Matter 2.5 Exposure: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Introduction: Habitual exercise may amplify the respiratory uptake of air pollutants in the lung, exacerbating the adverse effects of air pollution. However, it is unclear whether this can reduce the health benefits of habitual exercise (referred to as leisure-time exercise). Thus, the combined effects of habitual exercise and chronic exposure to ambient fine particulate matter 2.

Multi-pollutant air pollution and renal health in Asian children and adolescents: An 18-year longitudinal study.

Background: Few studies have examined the effects of multi-pollutant air pollution on renal health, especially in children and adolescents. This study investigated the association between long-term ambient air pollution exposure and renal health in Asian children and adolescents.

Methods: This study included 10,942 children and adolescents from Taiwan and Hong Kong between 2000 and 2017.

Life-course exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and hypertension in adulthood: a longitudinal cohort study.

PM-hypertension association were well documented in adults, while the effects of life-course exposure to PM on adulthood hypertension remained unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations between life-course exposure to ambient PM and incident hypertension in adulthood in Asia. We included 4272 participants with 17,814 medical visits from two open cohorts in Taiwan and Hong Kong between 2000 and 2018.

Habitual Exercise, Air Pollution, and Pneumonia Mortality: A Longitudinal Cohort Study of Approximately 0.4 Million Adults.

In this study, we aimed to examine the combined associations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and habitual exercise with pneumonia mortality.

Habitual exercise, chronic exposure to fine particulate matter and high-sensitivity C reactive protein in Asian adults.

Objectives: Exercise may increase the inhaled amount of air pollutants and exacerbate the adverse health effects. We investigated the combined effects of chronic exposure to fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM) and habitual exercise on C reactive protein (CRP), a sensitive marker of inflammation.

Economic Value of Vaccines to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed significant costs on economies. Safe and effective vaccines are a key tool to control the pandemic; however, vaccination programs can be costly. Are the benefits they bestow worth the costs they incur? The relative value of COVID-19 vaccines has not been widely assessed.

Chronic fine particulate matter exposure, habitual exercise, and dyslipidemia: A longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Physical activity may increase the intake of air pollutants due to a higher ventilation rate, which may exacerbate the adverse health effects. This study investigated the combined effects of habitual exercise and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) on the incidence of dyslipidemia in a large longitudinal cohort in Taiwan.

Methods: A total of 121,948 adults (≥18 years) who received at least two medical examinations from 2001 to 2016 were recruited, yielding 407,821 medical examination records.

Total and differential white blood cell count and cause-specific mortality in 436 750 Taiwanese adults.

Background And Aims: White blood cell (WBC) count is an easily obtainable biomarker of systematic inflammation. Our study aimed to investigate the associations of differential WBC count with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a general Asian population.

Methods And Results: Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the associations of WBC count with mortality separately for men and women, with adjustment for multiple variables including age, smoking, and other lifestyle factors.

Long-term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter and Mortality A Longitudinal Cohort Study of 400,459 Adults.

Background: Cohort studies on the association between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and mortality have been well established for America and Europe, but limited and inconsistent in Asia with much higher air pollution. This study aims to investigate the associations between ambient PM2.

Combined effects of chronic PM2.5 exposure and habitual exercise on cancer mortality: a longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Exercise may increase the inhalation and deposition of air pollutants, which may counteract its beneficial effects. We thus examined the combined effects of chronic exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and habitual exercise on the risk of death from cancer in Taiwan.

Effects of air pollution and habitual exercise on the risk of death: a longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Exercise may exacerbate the adverse health effects of air pollution by increasing the inhalation of air pollutants. We investigated the combined effects of long-term exposure to fine particle matter (PM) and habitual exercise on deaths from natural causes in Taiwan.

Methods: We recruited 384 130 adults (aged ≥ 18 yr) with 842 394 medical examination records between 2001 and 2016, and followed all participants until May 31, 2019.

Reduced ambient PM better lung function, and decreased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Several studies reported that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) was associated with an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It remains unclear whether reduced PM can decrease the risk of COPD development.

Objective: To investigate the associations of dynamic changes (including deterioration and improvement) in long-term exposure to ambient PM with changes in lung function and the incidence of COPD.

Combined effects of chronic PM exposure and habitual exercise on renal function and chronic kidney disease: A longitudinal cohort study.

Background: We investigated the combined effects of chronic PM exposure and habitual exercise on the decline of renal function and the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a large cohort in Taiwan.

Methods: The present data analysis included a total of 108,615 participants aged 18 years or above who were recruited between 2001 and 2016. All participants underwent at least two medical examinations.

Associations of Reduced Ambient PM2.5 Level With Lower Plasma Glucose Concentration and Decreased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Adults: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

It remains unknown whether reduced air pollution levels can prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study, we investigated the associations between dynamic changes in long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter, defined as particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.

Mortality risk attributable to classification of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and reduced lung function: A 21-year longitudinal cohort study.

Aim: The mortality risk attributable to the classifications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unclear. We investigated the associations of mortality with COPD classifications and reduced lung function in a large longitudinal cohort in Taiwan.

Methods: A total of 388,401 adults (≥25 years of age) were recruited between 1996 and 2016 underwent 834,491 medical examinations including spirometry.

Reduced Ambient PM Was Associated with a Decreased Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Many countries have dedicated to the mitigation of air pollution in the past several decades. However, evidence of beneficial effects of air quality improvement on chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains limited. We thus investigated the effects of dynamic changes (including deterioration and improvement) in air quality on the incidence of CKD in a longitudinal study in Taiwan.

Habitual exercise is associated with reduced risk of diabetes regardless of air pollution: a longitudinal cohort study.

Aims/hypothesis: Physical activity may increase a person's inhalation of air pollutants and exacerbate the adverse health effects. This study aimed to investigate the combined associations of chronic exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM) and habitual physical activity with the incidence of type 2 diabetes in Taiwan.