Fine particulate air pollution and hospital admissions for congestive heart failure: a case-crossover study in Taipei

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine whether there was an association between fine particles (PM_2.5) levels and hospital admissions for congestive heart failure (CHF) in Taipei, Taiwan. Hospital admissions for CHF and ambient air pollution data for Taipei were obtained for the period 2006–2010. The relative risk of hospital admissions was estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the week, seasonality and long-term time trends. For the single pollutant model (without adjustment for other pollutants), increased CHF admissions were significantly associated with PM_2.5 both on warm days (>23?°C) and cool days (<23?°C), with an interquartile range increase associated with a 13% (95% CI?=?9–17%) and 3% (95% CI?=?0–7%) increase in CHF admissions, respectively. In the two-pollutant models, PM_2.5 remained significant after the inclusion of SO₂ or O₃ both on warm and cool days. This study provides evidence that higher levels of PM_2.5 increase the risk of hospital admissions for CHF.     

大气污染物对呼吸系统疾病入院影响的病例交叉研究

目的 研究不同浓度细颗粒物（PM_2.5）、可吸入颗粒物（PM₁₀）、二氧化氮（NO₂）、二氧化硫（SO₂）四种大气污染物对东营市东营区呼吸系统疾病（肺炎、慢性阻塞型肺病、肺结核）日入院人数的影响,为制定干预措施提供依据。方法 收集东营区2015年1月1日—2017年12月31日每日大气污染物浓度及呼吸系统疾病入院数据,采用泊松回归分析将分布滞后非线性模型与双向时间分层病例交叉设计相结合,分别计算四种污染物对三种呼吸系统疾病入院作用的RR值。结果 在排除气象因素、星期几效应等混杂因素的影响后,PM_2.5、PM₁₀、NO₂、SO₂日平均浓度每升高10 μg/m³,对肺炎入院影响的最大RR值为1.252（1.090~1.438）、1.094（1.021~1.173）、1.462（1.179~1.814）和1.275（1.079~1.505）,滞后3 d、6 d、4 d和6 d;对慢性阻塞型肺病入院作用最大RR为1.478（1.245~1.754）、1.156（1.046~1.279）、1.774（1.297~2.428）和1.215（1.011~1.461）,滞后4 d、5 d、4 d和0 d;对肺结核病入院作用最大RR值为2.423（1.618~3.630）、1.629（1.288~2.059）、1.892（1.220~2.935）和1.939（1.453~2.590）,滞后3 d、0 d、0 d和5 d。结论 大气污染物浓度短时间内升高可使东营区呼吸系统疾病患者人数增加,不同污染物作用强度和滞后效应并不相同。     

Infectious Disease in a Warming World: How Weather Influenced West Nile Virus in the United States (2001–2005)

Background

The effects of weather on West Nile virus (WNV) mosquito populations in the United States have been widely reported, but few studies assess their overall impact on transmission to humans.

Objectives

We investigated meteorologic conditions associated with reported human WNV cases in the United States.

Methods

We conducted a case–crossover study to assess 16,298 human WNV cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2001 to 2005. The primary outcome measures were the incidence rate ratio of disease occurrence associated with mean weekly maximum temperature, cumulative weekly temperature, mean weekly dew point temperature, cumulative weekly precipitation, and the presence of ≥ 1 day of heavy rainfall (≥ 50 mm) during the month prior to symptom onset.

Results

Increasing weekly maximum temperature and weekly cumulative temperature were similarly and significantly associated with a 35–83% higher incidence of reported WNV infection over the next month. An increase in mean weekly dew point temperature was significantly associated with a 9–38% higher incidence over the subsequent 3 weeks. The presence of at least 1 day of heavy rainfall within a week was associated with a 29–66% higher incidence during the same week and over the subsequent 2 weeks. A 20-mm increase in cumulative weekly precipitation was significantly associated with a 4–8% increase in incidence of reported WNV infection over the subsequent 2 weeks.

Conclusions

Warmer temperatures, elevated humidity, and heavy precipitation increased the rate of human WNV infection in the United States independent of season and each others’ effects.     

Winter Season Temperature Drops and Sulfur Dioxide Levels Affect on Exacerbation of Refractory Asthma in South Korea: A Time-Trend Controlled Case-Crossover Study Using Soonchunhyang Asthma Cohort Data

Objective. According to the American Thoracic Society, approximately 5% of all asthmatics have refractory asthma (RA); these patients fail to recover lost lung function even after long-term treatment with high doses of medications. Methods. Using a time-trend controlled case-crossover study design, we calculated odds ratios to evaluate whether exposure to ambient air pollutants and certain meteorological conditions on the day of admission (Lag 0) and up to 3 days before admission (Lag1 through Lag 3) were associated with acute RA exacerbation. Results were obtained after controlling for the effects of seasonality, smoking, and allergen sensitivity; we stratified our data into four seasons with respect to the median temperature of each month and further stratified them according to self-reported smoking status and skin-prick test results. Results. In our study, RA patients (n = 82), living in metropolitan city of Seoul and Kyunggi Province, accounted for 3.7% of all asthmatics (n = 2298) registered in our asthma cohort between 2005 and 2009. In winter, a 1°C decrease in ambient temperature and a 1 ppb increase in sulfur dioxide concentration on the day of Lag 1 were associated with 14.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9–26.7) and 19.7% (95% CI: 3.3–38.7) increases in the risk of RA exacerbation among nonsmokers, respectively. Similar associations were obtained on the day of Lag 2. The association remained unchanged after excluding patients sensitive to Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. Conclusions. Exposure to temperature drops and increased sulfur dioxide concentrations are positively associated with the occurrence of acute RA exacerbation during winter with 1 or 2 day lags.     

Winter Temperature Inversions and Emergency Department Visits for Asthma in Salt Lake County, Utah, 2003�C2008

Background: Winter temperature inversions—layers of air in which temperature increases with altitude—trap air pollutants and lead to higher pollutant concentrations. Previous studies have evaluated associations between pollutants and emergency department (ED) visits for asthma, but none have considered inversions as independent risk factors for ED visits for asthma.Objective: We aimed to assess associations between winter inversions and ED visits for asthma in Salt Lake County, Utah.Methods: We obtained electronic records of ED visits for asthma and data on inversions, weather, and air pollutants for Salt Lake County, Utah, during the winters of 2003 through 2004 to 2007 through 2008. We identified 3,425 ED visits using a primary diagnosis of asthma. We used a time-stratified case-crossover design, and conditional logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate rate ratios of ED visits for asthma in relation to inversions during a 4-day lag period and prolonged inversions. We evaluated interactions between inversions and weather and pollutants.Results: After adjusting for dew point and mean temperatures, the OR for ED visits for asthma associated with inversions 0–3 days before the visit compared with no inversions during the lag period was 1.14 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.30). The OR for each 1-day increase in the number of inversion days during the lag period was 1.03 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.07). Associations were only apparent when PM₁₀ and maximum and mean temperatures were above median levels.Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that winter inversions are associated with increased rates of ED visits for asthma.     

Air pollution and emergency room visits for cardiac arrhythmia in a subtropical city: Taipei,Taiwan

This study was undertaken to determine whether there was an association between air pollutant levels and emergency room (ER) visits for cardiac arrhythmia in Taipei, Taiwan. ER visits for cardiac arrhythmia and ambient air pollution data for Taipei were obtained for the period 2000–2006. The relative risk of ER visits was estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the week, seasonality, and long-term time trends. In the single-pollutant model, on warm days (≥23°C), statistically significant positive associations were found for all pollutants except SO₂. On cool days (<23°C), all pollutants were also significantly associated with the number of ER visits for cardiac arrhythmia, except SO₂. For the two-pollutant model, results for O₃ and NO₂ remained statistically significant on both warm and cool days. This study provides evidence that higher levels of ambient air pollutants increase the risk of ER visits for cardiac arrhythmia.     

Short-Term Effects of Nitrogen Dioxide on Mortality and Susceptibility Factors in 10 Italian Cities: The EpiAir Study

Background: Several studies have shown an association between nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and mortality. In Italy, the EpiAir multicentric study, “Air Pollution and Health: Epidemiological Surveillance and Primary Prevention,” investigated short-term health effects of air pollution, including NO₂.Objectives: To study the individual susceptibility, we evaluated the association between NO₂ and cause-specific mortality, investigating individual sociodemographic features and chronic/acute medical conditions as potential effect modifiers.Methods: We considered 276,205 natural deaths of persons > 35 years of age, resident in 10 Italian cities, and deceased between 2001 and 2005. We chose a time-stratified case-crossover analysis to evaluate the short-term effects of NO₂ on natural, cardiac, cerebrovascular, and respiratory mortality. For each subject, we collected information on sociodemographic features and hospital admissions in the previous 2 years. Fixed monitors provided daily concentrations of NO₂, particulate matter ≤ 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀) and ozone (O₃).Results: We found statistically significant associations with a 10-μg/m³ increase of NO₂ for natural mortality [2.09% for lag 0–5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.96–3.24], for cardiac mortality (2.63% for lag 0–5; 95% CI, 1.53–3.75), and for respiratory mortality (3.48% for lag 1–5; 95% CI, 0.75–6.29). These associations were independent from those of PM₁₀ and O₃. Stronger associations were estimated for subjects with at least one hospital admission in the 2 previous years and for subjects with three or more specific chronic conditions. Some cardiovascular conditions (i.e., ischemic heart disease, pulmonary circulation impairment, heart conduction disorders, heart failure) and diabetes appeared to confer a strong susceptibility to air pollution.Conclusions: Our results suggest significant and likely independent effects of NO₂ on natural, cardiac, and respiratory mortality, particularly among subjects with specific cardiovascular preexisting chronic conditions and diabetes.     

Chemical Antidotes for Radiation Injury

Trypsin-inhibiting activity in sera of mice of two inbred strains, AHeJ and P/J, was determined. The mean activities in both groups were identical, namely 0.77 mg of trypsin inhibited by 1 ml of serum. This finding is at variance with an earlier report.     

大气污染物短期效应对上海市浦东新区居民肺癌死亡影响的病例交叉研究

目的 分析大气污染物与浦东新区居民每日肺癌死亡人数的相关性,为制定针对肺癌病人的保护措施提供依据。方法 采集浦东新区2005年1月1日至2019年12月31日之间的每日大气污染物浓度、气象因素以及居民肺癌死亡资料,利用时间分层-病例交叉设计并结合分布滞后非线性模型,探讨大气污染物短期暴露对浦东新区居民肺癌死亡的影响。结果 大气污染物(PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂)浓度与浦东新区居民肺癌死亡风险呈正相关。PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂浓度对居民肺癌死亡风险的影响均在累积8 d(Lag 0～7)最强。PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂浓度上升10 μg/m³累积8 d(Lag 0～7)居民肺癌死亡风险分别上升1.09%(95%CI:0.35%～1.83%), 3.78%(95%CI:1.98%～5.61%)与2.76%(95%CI:1.10%～4.44%)。女性人群肺癌死亡对PM₁₀与NO₂的影响不敏感(P>0.05)。大气污染物对高龄人群与低文化水平人群肺癌死亡效应较强,人群间效应差异不显著。结论 大气污染物短期暴露可以升高浦东新区居民肺癌死亡风险,以累积8 d(Lag 0～7)效应最强。