BACKGROUND:Little information exists regarding the effect of interaction of obesity and long-term air pollution exposure on children’s blood pressure and hypertension in areas with high levels of air ...pollution. The aim of this study is to assess effect modification by obesity on the association between exposure and blood pressure in Chinese children.
METHODS:We studied 9,354 Chinese children, ages 5–17 years old, from 24 elementary schools and 24 middle schools in the Seven Northeastern Cities during 2012–2013. Four-year average concentrations of particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm (PM10), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxides, and ozone (O3) were measured at the monitoring stations in the 24 districts. We used generalized additive models and two-level logistic regression models to examine the health effects.
RESULTS:Consistent interactions were found between exposure and obesity on blood pressure and hypertension. The association between exposure and hypertension was consistently larger for overweight/obese children than for children with normal-weight, with odds ratios for hypertension ranging from 1.16 per 46.3μg/m for O3 (95% confidence interval CI = 1.12, 1.20) to 2.91 per 30.6μg/m for PM10 (95% CI = 2.32, 3.64), and estimated increases in mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure ranging from 0.57 mmHg (95% CI = 0.36, 0.78) and 0.63 mmHg (95% CI = 0.46, 0.81) per 46.3 μg/m for O3 to 4.04 mmHg (95% CI = 3.00, 5.09) and 2.02 mmHg (95% CI = 1.14, 2.89) per 23.4 μg/m for sulfur dioxide.
CONCLUSIONS:Obesity amplifies the association of long-term air pollution exposure with blood pressure and hypertension in Chinese children.
•Few studies have explored the effects of air pollution on metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children.•We studied 9,897 Chinese children in a national cross-sectional study.•Long-term exposures to PM2.5, ...PM10, and NO2 were positively associated with MetS.•PM1 and NO2 were related to elevated risk of fasting blood glucose and abdominal obesity.
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) rapidly increased over the past decades. However, little evidence exists about the effects of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution on MetS in children and adolescents.
This study aims to assess the association between long-term ambient air pollution and the prevalence of MetS in a large population of Chinese children and adolescents.
In 2013, a total of 9,897 children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years were recruited from seven provinces/municipalities in China. MetS was defined based on the recommendation by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Satellite based spatio-temporal models were used to estimate exposure to ambient air pollution (including particles with diameters ≤1.0 µm (PM1), ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5), and ≤10 µm (PM10), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)). Individual exposure was calculated according to 94 schools addresses. After adjustment for a range of covariates, generalized linear mixed-effects models were utilized to evaluate the associations between air pollutants and the prevalence of MetS and its components. In addition, several stratified analyses were examined according to sex, weight status, outdoor physical activity time, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) intake.
The prevalence of MetS was 2.8%. The odds ratio of MetS associated with a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM1, PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 was 1.20 (95%CI: 0.99, 1.46), 1.31 (95%CI: 1.05, 1.64), 1.32 (95%CI: 1.08, 1.62), and 1.33 (95%CI: 1.03, 1.72), respectively. Regarding the MetS components, we observed associations between all pollutants and abdominal obesity. In addition, long-term PM1 and NO2 exposures were associated with the prevalence of elevated fasting blood glucose. Stratified analyses detected that the associations between air pollutants and the prevalence of MetS were stronger in boys (Pinteraction < 0.05).
We found that long-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 were positively associated with the prevalence of MetS in children and adolescents. Our findings may have certain public health implications for some comprehensive strategy of environment improvement and lifestyles changes in order to reduce the burden of non-communicable disease.
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a common environmental endocrine disrupting chemical that may induce male reproductive disorders. Exposure to DEHP at a prepubertal stage could lead to ...prepubertal testicular injury, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we exposed Sprague-Dawley rats to 0, 250, and 500 mg DEHP per kg body weight per day at the prepuberty stage from postnatal day 22 (PND 22) to PND 35 by oral gavage. Testicular injury and oxidative stress were evaluated, and the levels of 6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification and expression of modulator genes for RNA methylation were measured in testes. Furthermore, m6A modification of the important antioxidant transcription factor Nrf2 was analyzed using methylated RNA immunoprecipitation qPCR. Our results show that DEHP worsened testicular histology, decreased testosterone concentrations, downregulated expression of spermatogenesis inducers, enhanced oxidative stress, inhibited the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant pathway, and increased apoptosis in testes. Additionally, DEHP increased global levels of m6A RNA modification and altered the expression of two important RNA methylation modulator genes, FTO and YTHDC2. Moreover, m6A modification of Nrf2 mRNA increased upon DEHP exposure. Overall, these findings link oxidative stress imbalance with epigenetic effects of DEHP toxicity and provide insight into the testicular toxicity of DEHP from the new perspective of m6A modification.
Prepubertal exposure to DEHP results in increased global m6A RNA modification due to the abnormal expression of related modulator genes in prepubertal testes. The m6A modification of Nrf2 mRNA was increased. As a result, Nrf2 protein levels were reduced, thus affecting the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant system and leading to aggravated oxidative stress and testicular injury. Display omitted
•DEHP induces prepubertal testicular injury associated with oxidative stress.•DEHP inhibits Nrf2-mediated antioxidant signaling pathway in prepubertal testes.•DEHP increases the global RNA m6A modification in prepubertal testes.•DEHP alters the expression of m6A methylation modulators in prepubertal testes.•DEHP increases the m6A modification of Nrf2 mRNA in prepubertal testes.
Increased m6A RNA modification is associated with inhibition of the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant response in DEHP-induced testicular injury in prepubertal rats.
•Few studies have examined association between greenness and metabolic syndrome.•We explored the topic in 15,477 Chinese urban dwellers.•Higher greenness levels were associated with lower odds of ...metabolic syndrome.•Stronger association was observed in people aged 65 years or younger and those with higher household income.•Air pollution partly mediated the greenness-metabolic syndrome association.
Residing in greener areas has several health benefits, but no study to date has examined the effects of greenness on metabolic syndrome (MetS). We aimed to assess associations between residential greenness and MetS prevalence in China, and to explore whether air pollution and physical activity mediated any observed associations.
We analyzed data from 15,477 adults who participated in the 33 Communities Chinese Health Study during 2009. We defined MetS according to standard guidelines for Chinese populations. Residential greenness was estimated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and the Vegetation Continuous Field (VCF). We used generalized linear mixed models to assess the associations between greenness and MetS, and mediation analyses to explore potential mechanisms underlying the associations.
Higher greenness levels were associated with lower odds of MetS e.g., for every interquartile range increase of NDVI500-m, SAVI500-m, and VCF500-m, the adjusted odds ratio of MetS was 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.70–0.93), 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.69–0.93), and 0.91 (95% confidence interval: 0.83–1.00), respectively. The direction and the magnitude of the associations persisted in several sensitivity analyses. Stratified analyses showed that age and household income modified the associations, with greater effect estimates observed in participants younger than 65 years old or those with higher household income. Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone mediated 2.1–20.3% of the associations between greenness and MetS; no evidence of mediation was observed for physical activity.
Our findings suggest a beneficial association for residential greenness and MetS in Chinese urban dwellers, especially for participants younger than 65 years old and those with higher household income. Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm, nitrogen dioxide and ozone, but not physical activity, may only partially mediate the association.
Concentrations of ambient air pollution and pollutants in China have changed considerably during the last decade. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of current ambient air pollution on ...the health of kindergarten children.
We studied 6730 Chinese children (age, 3-7 years) from 50 kindergartens in 7 cities of Northeast China in 2009. Parents or guardians completed questionnaires that asked about the children's histories of respiratory symptoms and risk factors. Three-year concentrations of particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxides (NO2) were calculated at monitoring stations in 25 study districts. A 2-stage regression approach was used in data analyses.
The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was higher among children living near a busy road, those living near chimneys or a factory, those having a coal-burning device, those living with smokers, and those living in a home that had been recently renovated. Among girls, PM10 was associated with persistent cough (odds ratio ORPM10 = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.18-1.77), persistent phlegm (ORPM10 = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.02-1.81), and wheezing (ORPM10 = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04-1.65). NO2 concentration was associated with increased prevalence of allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.96; 95% CI, 1.27-3.02) among girls. In contrast, associations of respiratory symptoms with concentrations of PM10, SO2, and NO2 were not statistically significant among boys.
Air pollution is particularly important in the development of respiratory morbidity among children. Girls may be more susceptible than boys to air pollution.
There is limited knowledge regarding the effects of air pollution on sleep disorders, particularly in children. The aim of this study is to investigate this association in Chinese children.
During ...2012-2013, 59754 children aged 2-17 years were randomly selected from 27 districts in seven northeastern Chinese cities. All participants' sleep was evaluated with the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children. Four year average concentrations of pollutants were calculated for particles with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤1 µm (PM1), ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5) from a spatial statistical model, and ≤10 µm (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and carbon monoxide (CO) from monitoring stations. To examine the effects, two-level regression analysis was used, controlling for covariates.
We observed that sleep disorder was generally associated with all air pollutants, with the highest odds among PM1 exposure for male (odds ratio OR 1.55; 95% confidence interval 95% CI 1.36-1.76) and female (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.30-1.72) children. The overall strongest association with sleep disorder symptom was exposure to PM1 and Disorders of Excessive Somnolence (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.30-1.58). PM1 and PM2.5 were strongly associated with all sleep disorder symptoms in females (ORs ranged for PM1 from 1.19 to 1.49; and PM2.5 1.18 to 1.44). The association between air pollutants and total sleep score was generally greater in female than in male children.
Our findings suggest that exposure to air pollutants increases the odds of sleep disorder in children and point to the need to make reducing exposure to air pollutants a public health priority.
In arid ecosystems, foliar water uptake (FWU) plays an important role in improving plant physiological performance. However, the structural and physiological response mechanism of FWU between male ...and female woody desert plants has not been reported. Using the dioecious desert woody plant Populus euphratica, the current study explored the structural and physiological response mechanism of male and female P. euphratica leaves to water absorption via an FWU capacity experiment based on leaf epidermal cell wall components and cell structure, osmotic adjustment, and oxidative metabolism indicators. The results showed that both male and female P. euphratica plants could absorb water through leaves. The per unit area of leaf water absorption (AFWU) and the leaf absorption speed (k) of female P. euphratica were higher than those of male P. euphratica, and the TFWU was approximately twice that of male P. euphratica. The leaf thickness (LT), palisade tissue thickness (TP) and the contents of cellulose and pectin of female were significantly larger than those of male P. euphratica. The contents of sucrose, glucose, soluble sugar, proline and peroxidase in female leaves were significantly higher than those in male leaves. Multivariate factor analysis showed that the AFWU of the leaves was strongly correlated with glucose, cellulose, TP, and catalase, and the k was strongly correlated with starch, pectin, LT, and malondialdehyde. The FWU capacity of female P. euphratica was stronger than that of male P. euphratica, which was caused by the difference in cell structure and osmotic regulatory substances. These results provide a new perspective for understanding the water utilization mechanism reproduction strategy of dioecious plants.
•The foliar water uptake capacity of dioecious plant differs between the sexes.•The foliar water uptake capacity could be affected by cell structure and components of leaves.•The relationship between foliar water uptake capacity and physiological regulation exists in Populus euphratica.•Osmotic regulation and oxidative metabolism affected FWU capacity by influencing cell wall components.
Greater levels of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known to be associated with higher uric acid which itself leads to a number of chronic diseases. However, whether this ...association varies across PFAS isomers which recently have been found to be associated with human health remains unknown.
To address this research gap, we explored isomer-specific associations between serum PFAS and uric acid in Chinese adults.
We conducted a cross-sectional study of associations between serum PFAS isomer and serum uric acid in 1612 participants from the Isomer of C8 Health Project. We used multivariable linear and logistic regression models to analyze serum isomers of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and other PFASs as continuous and categorical predictors of uric acid, adjusted for confounders. The association was also stratified by kidney function stage based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (GF-1, GF-2, GF-3a, and GF-3b/4).
We found positive associations between serum PFAS isomer concentrations and uric acid. Uric acid levels were greater for each log-unit increase in branched PFOA (β = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.40), linear PFOA (β = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.26), branched PFOS (β = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.17) and linear PFOS (β = 0.06, 95% CI: −0.01, 0.14) concentration. The associations between PFAS and uric acid showed an inverted ‘U' shaped pattern across kidney function stages. For example, uric acid level was greater with each log-unit increase in total-PFOA among GF-1 (β = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.37), this relationship was greater in GF-3a (β = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.89) and decreased in GF-3b/4 (β = −0.22, 95% CI: −0.83, 0.39). We also found the odds of hyperuricemia increased linearly with increasing branched PFOA in quartiles (odds ratio = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.86, 3.85 at the highest quartile).
We report novel results in which PFAS associations with uric acid varied according to isomer and adult kidney function. Besides, our findings are consistent with previous epidemiologic studies in finding a positive association between serum PFAS concentrations and serum uric acid, especially for PFOA. Our results indicate that more research is needed to more clearly assess the impact of PFAS isomers on human health, which will help to refine regulation policies for PFAS.
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•Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure in human is a global issue, particularly in developing countries.•No study explored the associations between isomeric PFASs and serum uric acid in human.•We reported novel results in which PFAS associations with uric acid varied according to isomer and adult kidney function.•The associations between PFAS and uric acid showed an inverted ‘U’ shaped pattern across kidney function stages.
•Long-term PM1 and PM2.5 exposure can lead to decreased lung function in children.•Association of PM1 with children's lung function are larger than PM2.5.•PM1 and PM2.5 are associated with children’s ...large/small airways in early/late life.
Experimental data suggests that PM1 is more toxic than PM2.5 although the epidemiologic evidence suggests that the health associations are similar. However, few objective exposure data are available to compare the associations of PM1 and PM2.5 with children lung function. Our objectives are a) to evaluate associations between long-term exposure to PM1, PM2.5 and children’s lung function, and b) to compare the associations between PM1 and PM2.5. From 2012 to 2013, we enrolled 6,740 children (7–14 years), randomly recruited from primary and middle schools located in seven cities in northeast China. We measured lung function including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF) utilizing two portable electronic spirometers. We dichotomized continuous lung function measures according the expected values for gender and age. The spatial resolution at which PM1 and PM2.5 estimated were estimated using a machine learning method and the temporal average concentrations were averaged from 2009 to 2012. A multilevel regression model was used to estimate the associations of PM1, PM2.5 exposure and lung function measures, adjusted for confounding factors. Associations with lower lung function were consistently larger for PM1 than for PM2.5. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) per interquartile range greater PM1 ranged from 1.53 for MMEF (95% confidence interval CI: 1.20–1.96) to 2.14 for FEV1 (95% CI: 1.66–2.76) and ORs for PM2.5 ranged from 1.36 for MMEF (95%CI: 1.12–1.66) to 1.82 for FEV1 (95%CI: 1.49–2.22), respectively. PM1 and PM2.5 had significant associations with FVC and FEV1 in primary school children, and on PEF and MMEF in middle school children. Long-term PM1 and PM2.5 exposure can lead to decreased lung function in children, and the associations of PM1 are stronger than PM2.5. Therefore, PM1 may be more hazardous to children’s respiratory health than PM2.5 exposure.
This paper introduces for the first time the equal intercept transformation radar chart-an improved form-to the assessment of soil environmental quality of Nanling commodity grain base. The equal ...intercept transformation radar chart, a visual graphical data analysis method, translates data from a numerical to graphical format. This visualization enables data presentation, analysis process and results stick out a mile and is capable of fully retaining information contained in data and excavating it in depth from geometry. Moreover, it overcomes pertinently the main defect of the conventional radar chart that the evaluation result depends heavily on the order of arrangement of indicators. The results indicated that the soil environmental quality at depths of 0-60 cm in the low mountain area of the Nanling commodity grain base was the second grade, while that in the hilly and plain areas were both first grade. The indicators of poor soil environmental quality in the low mountain area were exogenous Cd and endogenous As; those in the hilly area were exogenous Cd and endogenous As and Hg; and that in the plain area was exogenous Cd. The results were in line with the actual situation of the study area.
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