Association of ambient ozone exposure with early cardiovascular damage among general urban adults: A repeated-measures cohort study in China.

Longitudinal evidence of long-term ozone exposure on heart rate variability (HRV, an early indicator of cardiovascular damage) is lacking and the potential mechanism remains largely unclear. Our objectives were to evaluate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of ozone exposure with HRV alteration, and the potential roles of protein carbonyl (PC, biomarker of oxidative protein damage) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in this association. This repeated-measures prospective study included 4138 participants with 6617 observations from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort.

Exposure to acrylamide and increased risk of depression mediated by inflammation, oxidative stress, and alkaline phosphatase: Evidence from a nationally representative population-based study.

Background: The health risk associated with acrylamide exposure has emerged as a significant issue of public health, attracting global attention. However, epidemiologic evidence on whether and how daily acrylamide exposure increases depression risk of the general population is unclear.

Methods: The study included 3991 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Respiratory Toxicology of Graphene-Based Nanomaterials: A Review.

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) consist of a single or few layers of graphene sheets or modified graphene including pristine graphene, graphene nanosheets (GNS), graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), as well as graphene modified with various functional groups or chemicals (e.g., hydroxyl, carboxyl, and polyethylene glycol), which are frequently used in industrial and biomedical applications owing to their exceptional physicochemical properties.

Differential expression profile of microRNAs in the lung tissues of coal workers with pneumoconiosis and patients with silicosis.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the microRNA (miRNA) profile of the lung tissues from coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) and silicosis and to analyze the changes in downstream genes, biological processes, and signaling pathways based on the differently expressed miRNAs. Lung tissues from three CWP patients, eight silicosis patients, and four healthy controls were collected and analyzed for their miRNA profiles using Affymetrix® GeneChip® miRNA Arrays. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were identified between the different groups.

Characteristics of Diagnosed and Death Cases of Pneumoconiosis in Hubei Province, China, 1949-2019.

Objective: This study aims to summarize the characteristics of diagnosed pneumoconiosis and pneumoconiosis death in the Hubei Province of China, between the years 1949 and 2019, and provide clues for the scientific prevention of pneumoconiosis.

Methods: We recruited 23,069 pneumoconiosis cases in Hubei Province, China, from 1949 to 2019. Basic information and occupational surveillance information were obtained from the Hubei Occupational Diseases and Health Risk Factors Information Surveillance System.

Association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and dementia mortality in Chinese adults.

Background: Short-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of mortality from a variety of causes, but its effects on mortality from dementia remain largely unknown.

Objectives: To investigate the association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and dementia mortality, and quantitatively assess the excess mortality.

Methods: In this time-stratified case-crossover study, 47,108 dementia deaths were identified in Jiangsu province, China during 2015-2019.

Short-Term Effects of Low-Level Ambient Air NO on the Risk of Incident Stroke in Enshi City, China.

Previous studies found that exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO) was associated with an increased risk of incident stroke, but few studies have been conducted for relatively low NO pollution areas. In this study, the short-term effects of NO on the risk of incident stroke in a relatively low-pollution area, Enshi city of Hubei Province, China, were investigated through time-series analysis. Daily air-pollution data, meteorological data, and stroke incidence data of residents in Enshi city from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2018 were collected.

Association of body mass index with serum anti-Müllerian hormone and inhibin B levels among 8323 women attending a reproductive medical center: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: To assess the association of body mass index (BMI) with serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and inhibin B (InB) levels among women attending a reproductive medical center.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 8323 women (96.4% were Han race) without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) from the reproductive medical center of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China for assisted reproductive technology treatment between January 2016 and May 2018.

The clinical study of CBCT imaging technology in the restoration of upper anterior teeth of the elderly.

Objective: To evaluate and analyze the clinical effect of CBCT imaging technology on the restoration of upper anterior teeth of the elderly.

Methods: 36 elderly patients with upper anterior teeth loss in our hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were selected for implant restoration. Patients were equally randomized into a curved tomographic restoration group (TR group) and a CBCT restoration group (CR group).

Blood volatile organic aromatic compounds concentrations across adulthood in relation to total and cause specific mortality: A prospective cohort study.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the relationship between blood volatile organic aromatic compounds (VOACs) across adulthood and mortality.

Methods: A total of 16,968 participants from the National health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES 1988-1994 and 1999-2014) were included in the present study. Cox proportional hazards models were used to explore the associations between VOACs and total or cause-specific mortality.

Sources of 24-h personal exposure to PM-bound metals: results from a panel study in Wuhan, China.

Atmospheric PM-bound metals have been widely addressed, but research on the exposure levels and sources of personal PM-bound metals among urban community residents is limited. The aim of this study is to explore the exposure levels and sources of 24-h personal PM-bound metals among community inhabitants in Wuhan, China. We conducted a penal study of 216 observations with measurements of 16 metals bounded to 24-h personal PM samples in April-May, 2014, 2017.

Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Mortality From Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Short-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been linked to occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI); however, only a limited number of studies investigated its association with death from MI, and the results remain inconsistent.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the association of short-term exposure to air pollution across a wide range of concentrations with MI mortality.

Methods: A time-stratified case-crossover study was conducted to investigate 151,608 MI death cases in Hubei province (China) from 2013 to 2018.

Exogenous Clara cell protein 16 attenuates silica particles-induced inflammation in THP-1 macrophages by down-regulating NF-κB and caspase-1 activation.

Inhalation of silica particles leads to pulmonary inflammatory responses. Clara cell protein 16 (CC16) has been reported to played a protective role in inflammatory lung diseases. However, its role on silica particles-induced inflammation has not been fully clarified.

Different biological effects of PM from coal combustion, gasoline exhaust and urban ambient air relate to the PAH/metal compositions.

Few studies have compared the biological effects of PM from coal combustion, gasoline exhaust and urban ambient air, and the roles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals playing in the process remain unclear. In this study, PM samples from coal combustion, gasoline exhaust and urban ambient air were analyzed for 16 PAHs and 23 metals. Cytotoxic and inflammatory effects of different PM were evaluated on differentiated THP-1 and A549 cells, respectively.

Association of Exposure to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Constituents With Semen Quality Among Men Attending a Fertility Center in China.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM) exposure has been linked to decreased semen quality, but the associations between PM constituent exposures and semen quality remain unknown. We enrolled 1081 men whose partners underwent assisted reproductive technology procedures in Wuhan, China in 2014-2015, and examined their semen quality. Daily average concentrations of PM constituents including 10 metals/metalloid elements and 4 water-soluble ions were continuously determined for 1 week per month at 2 fixed monitoring stations.

Urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites and adult asthma: a case-control study.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure was reported to be associated with childhood asthma. However, the quantitative relationship between PAHs exposure and adult asthma and possible inflammatory pathways are less clear. We aimed to investigate potential associations between urinary PAHs metabolites and adult asthma.

MiRNA-Regulated Changes in Extracellular Matrix Protein Levels Associated With a Severe Decline in Lung Function Induced by Silica Dust.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the potential role of extracellular matrix (ECM) regulated by miRNAs in lung function decline.

Methods: We convened 270 silica dust exposed subjects and divided them into three groups according to lung function data. MiRNAs were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction detecting system and ECM-related proteins were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.

Inverse Association between Ambient Sulfur Dioxide Exposure and Semen Quality in Wuhan, China.

Evidence concerning the association between ambient gaseous air pollutant exposures and semen quality is sparse, and findings in previous studies remain largely inconsistent. We enrolled 1759 men and performed 2184 semen examinations at a large reproductive medical center in Wuhan, China, between 2013 and 2015. Inverse distance weighting interpolation was performed to estimate individual exposures to SO, NO, CO, and O during the entire period (lag 0-90 days) and key periods (lag 0-9, 10-14, 70-90 days) of sperm development.

Short-term effects of ambient air pollution on pediatric outpatient visits for respiratory diseases in Yichang city, China.

Previous studies have suggested that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with pediatric hospital admissions and emergency room visits for certain respiratory diseases; however, there is limited evidence on the association between short-term air pollution exposure and pediatric outpatient visits. Our aim was to quantitatively assess the short-term effects of ambient air pollution on pediatric outpatient visits for respiratory diseases. We conducted a time-series study in Yichang city, China between Jan 1, 2014 and Dec 31, 2015.

Short-term Effects of Outdoor Air Pollution on Lung Function among Female Non-smokers in China.

Short-term exposures to outdoor air pollutants have been associated with lower lung function, but the results are inconsistence. The effects of different pollutant levels on lung function changes are still unclear. We quantified the effects of outdoor air pollution exposure (NO, PM, O, and PM) on lung function among 1,694 female non-smokers from the Wuhan-Zhuhai Cohort in China by using linear mixed model.

Plasma LncRNA-ATB, a Potential Biomarker for Diagnosis of Patients with Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis: A Case-Control Study.

LncRNA-ATB (lncRNA was activated by transforming growth factor-β) has been reported to be involved in specific physiological and pathological processes in human diseases, and could serve as biomarkers for cancers. However, the role of lncRNA-ATB in coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) is still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association between lncRNA-ATB and CWP.

Sleep duration and risk of coronary heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest an association between sleep duration and risk of coronary heart disease, however, the results are controversial. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the potential dose-response relationship between sleep duration and risk of coronary heart disease.

Methods: The electronic reference databases (PubMed and Embase) were searched through January 2016 with selection criteria for relevant studies.

Exogenous Gas6 attenuates silica-induced inflammation on differentiated THP-1 macrophages.

Growth arrest specific 6 (Gas6) has been reported to be related to the modulation of innate immunity. To investigate the potential effect of Gas6 on the regulation of inflammations induced by silica, differentiated THP-1 macrophages were exposed to different concentrations of silica for 6h and 24h. Additionally, silica-activated macrophages were treated with Gas6 antibody and Gas6 respectively.

Association between Concentrations of Metals in Urine and Adult Asthma: A Case-Control Study in Wuhan, China.

Background: Several metals have been reported to be associated with childhood asthma. However, the results on relationships between metals and risk of childhood asthma are inconclusive, and the research on adult asthma in the Chinese general population is rare.

Objectives: To investigate potential associations between levels of urinary metals and adult asthma.

[Oxidative stress and mitochondrion-related cell apoptosis in human bronchial epithelial 16HBE cells induced by silica dust].

Objective: To investigate oxidative stress and mitochondria-related cell apoptosis induced by silica dust in human normal bronchial epithelial 16HBE cells.

Methods: Cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), cell apoptotic rate, the expression level of Bax and Bcl-2 mRNA were measured after 16HBE cells were exposed to 37.5, 75, 150, 300 µg/mL respirable silica dust (diameter<2 µm, d50=1 µm)for 24 h in vitro.