The Effect of Environmentally Friendly Wallpaper and Flooring Material on Indoor Air Quality and Atopic Dermatitis: A Pilot Study

Background

Formaldehyde (FA) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are considered among the main causes of atopic aggravation. Their main sources include wallpapers, paints, adhesives, and flooring materials.

Objective

To assess the effects of environmentally friendly wallpaper and flooring material on indoor air quality and atopic dermatitis severity.

Methods

Thirty patients with atopic dermatitis were enrolled in this study. To improve air quality, the wallpaper and flooring in the homes of the subjects were replaced with plant- or silica-based materials. The indoor air concentration of FA and the total VOCs (TVOCs) were measured before remodeling and 2, 6, and 10 weeks thereafter. Pruritus and the severity of atopic eczema were evaluated by using a questionnaire and the eczema area and severity index (EASI) score before and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after remodeling. The subjects were instructed to continue their therapy for atopic dermatitis.

Results

The houses of 24 subjects were remodeled; all subjects completed the study. The concentration of FA in ambient air significantly decreased within 2 weeks after remodeling. The TVOC level showed a decrease at week 2 but increased again at weeks 6 and 10. The reduction of pruritus and EASI score was statistically significant in patients whose baseline EASI score was >3.

Conclusion

Replacing the wallpaper and flooring of houses with environmentally friendly material reduced FA in ambient air and improved pruritus and the severity of atopic eczema. The improvement of pruritus and eczema was statistically significant in patients whose baseline EASI score was >3.     

The burden of disease from indoor air pollution in developing countries: comparison of estimates

Four different methods have been applied to estimate the burden of disease due to indoor air pollution from household solid fuel use in developing countries (LDCs). The largest number of estimates involves applying exposure-response information from urban ambient air pollution studies to estimate indoor exposure concentrations of particulate air pollution. Another approach is to construct child survival curves using the results of large-scale household surveys, as has been done for India. A third approach involves cross-national analyses of child survival and household fuel use. The fourth method, referred to as the 'fuel-based' approach, which is explored in more depth here, involves applying relative risk estimates from epidemiological studies that use exposure surrogates, such as fuel type, to estimates of household solid fuel use to determine population attributable fractions by disease and age group. With this method and conservative assumptions about relative risks, 4-5 percent of the global LDC totals for both deaths and DALYs (disability adjusted life years) from acute respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis, asthma, lung cancer, ischaemic heart disease, and blindness can be attributed to solid fuel use in developing countries. Acute respiratory infections in children under five years of age are the largest single category of deaths (64%) and DALYs (81%) from indoor air pollution, apparently being responsible globally for about 1.2 million premature deaths annually in the early 1990s.     

Clinicopathological analysis of 719 pediatric and adolescents’ ocular tumors and tumor-like lesions: a retrospective study from 2000 to 2018 in China

AIM: To introduce a new surgical technique, air-bubble technique for the management of posterior capsule rupture (PCR) and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the technique. METHODS: A retrospective case series analysis of 24 eyes of 24 patients, in which the air bubble technique was used for the management of PCR, was performed. Once PCR occured, a dispersive ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) was injected into the tear. And small volumes (0.2-0.3 mL) of air bubbles were injected beneath the OVD. The air bubble served as a physical barrier and supported the posterior capsule. RESULTS: After surgery, none of the patients had serious complications during the follow-up period of 1y. Extension of the PCR size occured in only 2 cases, and additional OVD injection was required only in 3 cases. Air bubbles imparted great stability to the nuclear pieces and the posterior capsule. CONCLUSION: The air-bubble technique may be considered a safe and effective procedure for managing a PCR. It may be of value to the inexperienced cataract surgeon.     

Smoky coal,tobacco smoking,and lung cancer risk in Xuanwei,China

Objectives

Lung cancer rates in Xuanwei are the highest in China. In-home use of smoky coal has been associated with lung cancer risk, and the association of smoking and lung cancer risk strengthened after stove improvement. Here, we explored the differential association of tobacco use and lung cancer risk by the intensity, duration, and type of coal used.

Materials and methods

We conducted a population-based case-control study of 260 male lung cancer cases and 260 age-matched male controls. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for tobacco use was calculated by conditional logistic regression.

Results

Use of smoky coal was significantly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, and tobacco use was weakly and non-significantly associated with lung cancer risk. When the association was assessed by coal use, the cigarette-lung cancer risk association was null in hazardous coal users and elevated in less hazardous smoky coal users and non-smoky coal users. The risk of lung cancer per cigarette per day decreased as annual use of coal increased (>0–3 tons: OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.03–1.17; >3 tons: OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.95–1.03). Among more hazardous coal users, attenuation occured at even low levels of usage (>0–3 tons: OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.91–1.14; >3 tons: OR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.97–1.03).

Conclusion

We found evidence that smoky coal attenuated the tobacco and lung cancer risk association in males that lived in Xuanwei, particularly among users of hazardous coal where even low levels of smoky coal attenuated the association. Our results suggest that the adverse effects of tobacco may become more apparent as China's population continues to switch to cleaner fuels for the home, underscoring the urgent need for smoking cessation in China and elsewhere.     

Household air pollution and lung cancer in China:a review of studies in Xuanwei

Over half of the world＇s population is exposed to household air pollution from the burning of solid fuels at home. Household air pollution from solid fuel use is a leading risk factor for global disease and remains a major public health problem, especially in low- and mid-income countries. This is a particularly serious problem in China, where many people in rural areas still use coal for household heating and cooking. This review focuses on several decades of research carried out in Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, where household coal use is a major source of household air pollution and where studies have linked household air pollution exposure to high rates of lung cancer. We conducted a series of case-control and cohort studies in Xuanwei to characterize the lung cancer risk in this population and the factors associated with it. We found lung cancer risk to vary substantially between different coal types, with a higher risk associated with smoky （i.e., bituminous） coal use compared to smokeless （i.e., anthracite） coal use. The installation of a chimney in homes resulted in a substantial reduction in lung cancer incidence and mortality. Overall, our research underscores the need among existing coal users to improve ventilation, use the least toxic fuel, and eventually move toward the use of cleaner fuels, such as gas and electricity.     

自制糜子垫在预防压疮中的应用

目的探讨自制糜子垫在预防压疮中的效果。方法将60例具有压疮风险病人按入院次序分为对照组和实验组,每组各30例。对照组采用气垫床防压疮护理,实验组采用自制糜子垫防压疮护理。比较两组病人的不舒适感和压疮发生情况。结果实验组与对照组均无发生压疮;实验组患者不舒适感低于对照组,两组比较,P<0.05,差异具有统计学意义。结论采用自制糜子垫可有效保护受压皮肤,达到预防压疮的效果,同时提高病人的舒适度。     

两种气道湿化方法对气管切开术后患者气道湿化效果的影响

目的探讨传统气道湿化方法和根据患者痰液粘稠度采用针对性气道湿化方法对颅脑疾患患者气管切开术后气道湿化效果的影响。方法将66例颅脑疾病致气管切开患者分为实验组28例和对照组38例,对照组采用传统气道湿化方法 ,实验组在此基础上根据患者痰液粘稠度采用针对性气道湿化方法。比较两组患者气道湿化情况的差异。结果实验组患者气道湿化满意效果优于对照组,两组比较,Z=-2.280,P<0.05,差异具有统计学意义。结论对气管切开患者根据痰液粘稠度采用针对性气道湿化方法,可使气道湿化始终保持在湿化满意状态,避免了气道过度湿化及湿化不足的弊端,从而降低并发症的发生。     

空气灌肠整复小儿急性肠套叠139例分析

目的:观察间歇性空气灌肠在小儿急性肠套叠的应用效果,探讨影响其整复成功率的因素。方法:对139例应用空气灌肠整复肠套叠患儿的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果:整复成功127例,不成功12例。一次整复成功113例,二次整复成功11例,三次整复成功7例,其中6例发生肠复套4例整复成功。病程24 h、24～48 h、48 h者整复率分别为96.55%、72.22%和2/5,套头位于肝曲近侧者、横结肠中段至脾曲者和降结肠至乙状结肠者的整复率分别97.56%、87.50%和70.59%,差异均有统计学意义(P0.01)。结论:空气灌肠是小儿急性肠套叠主要的诊治方法,疗效安全、可靠,整复成功率随病程的延长、套叠程度的加深而降低。