Long-term nitrogen dioxide exposure and cause-specific mortality in the U.S. Medicare population.

Background: Since 1971, the annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for nitrogen dioxide (NO) has remained at 53 ppb, the impact of long-term NO exposure on mortality is poorly understood.

Objectives: We examined associations between long-term NO exposure (12-month moving average of NO) below the annual NAAQS and cause-specific mortality among the older adults in the U.S.

Ambient and household air pollution on early-life determinants of stunting-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Stunting is an important risk factor for early growth and health implications throughout the life course, yet until recently, studies have rarely focused on populations exposed to high levels of particulate matter pollution or on developing countries most vulnerable to stunting and its associated health and developmental impacts. We systematically searched for epidemiologic studies published up to 15 August 2020 that examined the association between ambient and household particulate exposure and postnatal stunting (height-for-age z-score) and prenatal determinants (small for gestational age or SGA, or equivalent) of stunting. We conducted the literature search in PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases in August 2020, using keywords including, but not limited to, "particulate matter," "indoor/household air pollution," and "adverse birth outcomes," to identify relevant articles.

Respirable Particulate Constituents and Risk of Cause-Specific Mortality in the Hong Kong Population.

Emerging studies examined the associations of particulate matter constituents with nonaccidental and cardiorespiratory diseases, but few have investigated more specific causes of cardiorespiratory diseases or other system diseases, especially in Asia. We estimated the association between respirable particulate matter (PM) constituents and a spectrum of deaths using a quasi-Poisson time-series model in Hong Kong. Positive associations were identified between cause-specific deaths and elemental carbon, organic carbon (OC), nitrate, and potassium ion (K), but only the associations for OC and K were robust in the two-constituent models adjusting for other constituents.

Close proximity to roadway and urbanicity associated with mental ill-health in older adults.

Evidence for the association between built environment and mental ill health, especially in older population where mental ill health is common, remains inconclusive. We examined the association of roadway distance and urbanicity, measured as percentage of urban land use within 1 km from participants' residence, with mental ill-health in a longitudinal study of community-dwelling older adults in the United States between 2005 and 2006 and 2011-2012. We evaluated perceived stress, depression and anxiety symptoms using the Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - anxiety subscale, respectively.

Blood pressure and pulmonary health effects of ozone and black carbon exposure in young adult runners.

Physical activity has been shown to promote health and well-being, however, exercising in environments with high level of air pollution might increase the risk of cardio-respiratory impairments. In this crossover study, we constructed linear mixed models to investigate the impact of short-term exposure to black carbon (BC) and ozone on blood pressure and pulmonary functions among 30 healthy adult runners after 30-minute run on a clean and polluted route on separate days in August 2015 in Hong Kong. Runners were on average 20.

Impact of long-term temporal trends in fine particulate matter (PM) on associations of annual PM exposure and mortality: An analysis of over 20 million Medicare beneficiaries.

Decreasing ambient fine particulate matter (PM) concentrations over time together with increasing life expectancy raise concerns about temporal confounding of associations between PM and mortality. To address this issue, we examined PM-associated mortality risk ratios (MRRs) estimated for approximately 20,000,000 US Medicare beneficiaries, who lived within six miles of an Environmental Protection Agency air quality monitoring site, between December 2000 and December 2012. We assessed temporal confounding by examining whether PM-associated MRRs vary by study period length.

Short-term effects of fine and coarse particles on deaths in Hong Kong elderly population: An analysis of mortality displacement.

Background: While numerous studies worldwide have evaluated the short-term associations of fine and coarse particulate matter (PM) air pollution with mortality and morbidity, these studies may be susceptible to short-term harvesting effect. We aimed to investigate the short-term association between mortality and PM with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM) and those between 2.

Association of neighborhood greenness with self-perceived stress, depression and anxiety symptoms in older U.S adults.

Background: Neighborhood environment, such as green vegetation, has been shown to play a role in coping with stress and mental ill health. Yet, epidemiological evidence of the association between greenness and mental health is inconsistent.

Methods: We examined whether living in green space is associated with self-perceived stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms in a nationally representative, longitudinal sample of community-dwelling older adults (N = 4118; aged 57-85 years) in the United States.

Personal exposure to fine particles (PM) and respiratory inflammation of common residents in Hong Kong.

Background: Given the lack of research on the personal exposure to fine particles (PM) in Hong Kong, we examined the association between short-term personal exposure to PM and their constituents and inflammation in exhaled breath in a sample of healthy adult residents.

Method: Forty-six participants underwent personal PM monitoring for averagely 6 days to obtain 276 samples. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a biomarker of inflammation in exhaled breath, was measured at the end of each 24-h personal monitoring.

Associations of long-term fine particulate matter exposure with prevalent hypertension and increased blood pressure in older Americans.

Background: Hypertension is a highly prevalent cardiovascular risk factor. It is possible that air pollution, also an established cardiovascular risk factor, may contribute to cardiovascular disease through increasing blood pressure. Previous studies evaluating associations between air pollution and blood pressure have had mixed results.

Associations between long-term exposure to air pollution, glycosylated hemoglobin and diabetes.

Background: Air pollution exposures have been shown to adversely impact health through a number of biological pathways associated with glucose metabolism. However, few studies have evaluated the associations between air pollution and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Further, no studies have evaluated these associations in US populations or investigated whether associations differ in diabetic as compared to non-diabetic populations.

Long-Term PM2.5 Exposure and Respiratory, Cancer, and Cardiovascular Mortality in Older US Adults.

The impact of chronic exposure to fine particulate matter (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5)) on respiratory disease and lung cancer mortality is poorly understood.

Cognitive impacts of ambient air pollution in the National Social Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) cohort.

Background: Pathways through which air pollution may impact cognitive function are poorly understood, particularly with regard to whether and how air pollution interacts with social and emotional factors to influence cognitive health.

Objective: To examine the association between air pollutant exposures and cognitive outcomes among older adults participating in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) cohort study.

Methods: Measures of cognitive function, social connectedness, and physical and mental health were obtained for each NSHAP participant starting with Wave 1 of the study in 2005.

Erectile dysfunction and exposure to ambient Air pollution in a nationally representative cohort of older Men.

Background: Little is known about the association between air pollution and erectile dysfunction (ED), a disorder occurring in 64% of men over the age of 70, and to date, no studies have been published. To address this significant knowledge gap, we explored the relationship between ED and air pollution in a group of older men who were part of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a nationally representative cohort study of older Americans.

Methods: We obtained incident ED status and participant data for 412 men (age 57-85).

Anemia prevalence and hemoglobin levels are associated with long-term exposure to air pollution in an older population.

Background: Anemia, a highly prevalent disorder in elderly populations, is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, including increased mortality, impaired functional status and cognitive disorders. Approximately two-thirds of anemia in American elderly is caused by chronic inflammation or is unexplained. A potential contributing factor may include air pollution exposures, which have been shown to increase systemic inflammation and affect erythropoiesis.

Nitrogen dioxide pollution exposure is associated with olfactory dysfunction in older U.S. adults.

Background: Olfactory dysfunction has profound effects on quality of life, physical and social function, and mortality itself. Nitrogen dioxide (NO ) is a pervasive air pollutant that is associated with respiratory diseases. Given the olfactory nerve's anatomic exposure to airborne pollutants, we investigated the relationship between NO exposure and olfactory dysfunction.

Association of Ambient Air Pollution with Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Older Adults: Results from the NSHAP Study.

Background: Ambient fine particulate matter (PM) is among the most prevalent sources of environmentally induced inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are implicated in the pathogenesis of most mental disorders. Evidence, however, concerning the impact of PM on mental health is just emerging.

Objective: We examined the association between PM and current level of depressive and anxiety symptoms using a nationally representative probability sample ( = 4,008) of older, community-dwelling individuals living across the United States (the National Social Life, Health and Aging project).

Understanding Walking Behavior among University Students Using Theory of Planned Behavior.

Walking has been shown to improve physical and mental well-being, yet insufficient walking among university students has been increasingly reported. This study aimed to understand walking behavior of university students using theory of planned behavior (TPB). We recruited 169 undergraduate students by university mass email of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and first administered a salient belief elicitation survey, which was used to design the TPB questionnaire, to a subset of the study sample.

Carbon monoxide and stroke: A time series study of ambient air pollution and emergency hospitalizations.

Background: Recent experimental and clinical studies suggested that exogenous carbon monoxide (CO) at low concentrations may have beneficial neuroprotective effects under certain circumstances. However, population-based epidemiological studies of environmentally relevant CO exposure generated mixed findings. The present study aimed to examine the short-term association of ambient CO with emergency stroke hospitalizations.

Prospective Study of Ambient Particulate Matter Exposure and Risk of Pulmonary Embolism in the Nurses' Health Study Cohort.

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the most serious manifestation of venous thromboembolism and a leading cause of sudden death. Several studies have suggested associations of venous thromboembolism with short-term particulate matter (PM) exposure; evidence on long-term PM and traffic exposure is mixed.

Objectives: We examined the association of long-term exposure to PM2.

Air pollution and mortality: effect modification by personal characteristics and specific cause of death in a case-only study.

Short-term effects of air pollution on mortality have been well documented in the literature worldwide. Less is known about which subpopulations are more vulnerable to air pollution. We conducted a case-only study in Hong Kong to examine the potential effect modification by personal characteristics and specific causes of death.

Differential distributed lag patterns of source-specific particulate matter on respiratory emergency hospitalizations.

While different emission sources and formation processes generate mixtures of particulate matter (PM) with different physicochemical compositions that may differentially affect PM toxicity, evidence of associations between PM sources and respiratory events is scarce. We estimated PM10 sources contributed from 19 chemical constituents by positive matrix factorization, and examined association of short-term sources exposure with emergency respiratory hospitalizations using generalized additive models for single- and distributed lag periods. PM10 contributions from eight sources were identified.

Ambient carbon monoxide and the risk of hospitalization due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Data from recent experimental and clinical studies have indicated that lower concentrations of inhaled carbon monoxide might have beneficial antiinflammatory effects. Inhaled carbon monoxide has the potential to be a therapeutic agent for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). However, population-based epidemiologic studies of environmentally relevant carbon monoxide exposure have generated mixed findings.

Coarse particulate matter associated with increased risk of emergency hospital admissions for pneumonia in Hong Kong.

Background: Epidemiological research on the effects of coarse particles (PMc, particulate matter between 2.5 and 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter) on respiratory morbidity is sparse and inconclusive. Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of lung caused by infections, which may be triggered and exacerbated by PMc exposure.

Short-term associations of cause-specific emergency hospitalizations and particulate matter chemical components in Hong Kong.

Despite an increasing number of recent studies, the overall epidemiologic evidence associating specific particulate matter chemical components with health outcomes has been mixed. The links between components and hospitalizations have rarely been examined in Asia. We estimated associations between exposures to 18 chemical components of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM10) and daily emergency cardiorespiratory hospitalizations in Hong Kong, China, between 2001 and 2007.