The low carriage prevalence of pneumococcus among community-dwelling older people: A cross-sectional study in Japan

BackgroundThe carriage prevalence of pneumococcus among community-dwelling older adults is not fully understood, especially in superaged societies. Our purpose was to elucidate the carriage prevalence of pneumococcus in the upper respiratory tract among Japanese community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of generally healthy community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years in Nagasaki city, Japan. Demographic and clinical data and nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal and saliva samples were collected from February 21st, 2018, to December 17th, 2018. The specimens were tested by culture and molecular methods.ResultsAmong a total of 504 enrolled participants, none were positive for pneumococcus by culture, and 22 were positive by PCR. The overall carriage prevalence was 4.4% (95% CI: 2.8–6.5%). The prevalence was highest in saliva samples, followed by oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal samples. No demographic characteristics were associated with carriage prevalence, including age (4.7% among participants aged 65–74 years and 4.1% among those 75 years and older). Among the pneumococcal-positive participants, 18.2% were PCV13-covered serotypes.ConclusionsOur data suggest a low carriage prevalence of S. pneumoniae among community-dwelling older people in Japan.     

Fine particulate matter and body weight status among older adults in China: Impacts and pathways

BackgroundPopulation ageing and air pollution have become two major public health concerns in China. Longitudinal evidence on the body weight impacts of air pollution among older adults is rare. This study aims to investigate the impacts of ambient particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5) on weight status of older adults in China and the potential behavioral and metabolic pathways through which PM_2.5 influences weight status.MethodsThe longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (body mass index—BMI, n = 9053; waist/height ratio—WHR, n = 9064) were linked to the air pollution data at the city-level with a rural-urban distinction. We used mixed-effects linear models to evaluate the impacts of PM_2.5 on individual weight status and multiple mediation analysis to examine potential pathways.ResultsAfter adjusting for relevant socioeconomic and city-level risk factors, significant and robust positive impacts of PM_2.5 on BMI (0.025, 95%CI: 0.018, 0.031) and WHR*100 (0.058, 95%CI: 0.044, 0.072) were found among older adults in China. The PM_2.5-weight status relationship among older adults may be mediated through metabolic and inflammatory dysfunction pathways particularly HbA1c and C-reactive protein (CRP). As PM_2.5 deteriorates, the detrimental impacts tend to be more severe for rural-urban migrants and rural residents, compared to their urban counterparts. The worsening rural PM_2.5 profiles in some areas, such as the northern parts of the Central and the Eastern, may leave them particularly vulnerable to air pollution.ConclusionsPM_2.5 has an independent and significant detrimental impact on weight status including BMI and WHR of older adults in China, especially among rural adults and rural-urban migrants. PM_2.5 may affect weight status of older adults through biomarkers such as HbA1c and CRP. More research is needed to confirm our findings.