Can Incorrect Analysis of Time-Dependent Exposure Explain Associations between PM2.5 Exposure and Risk of Dementia?

Background: Epidemiological studies have reported positive associations between long-term exposure to particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5) and risk of Alzheimer's disease and other clinical dementia.

Is the cholesterol-perfluoroalkyl substance association confounded by dietary fiber intake?: a Bayesian analysis of NHANES data with adjustment for measurement error in fiber intake.

Background: Serum concentrations of total cholesterol and related lipid measures have been associated with serum concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in humans, even among those with only background-level exposure to PFAS. Fiber is known to decrease serum cholesterol and a recent report based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that PFAS and fiber are inversely associated. We hypothesized that confounding by dietary fiber may account for some of the association between cholesterol and PFAS.

Cross-sectional Study of Workers Employed at a Copper Smelter-Effects of Long-term Exposures to Copper on Lung Function and Chronic Inflammation.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of exposure to copper-containing dust on lung function and inflammatory endpoints among workers of a German copper plant, effects rarely studied before.

Methods: One hundred four copper-exposed smelter workers and 70 referent workers from the precious metal and lead facilities were included, with different metal exposures in both groups due to the different process materials. Body plethysmography, exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements, and blood sampling were conducted in all workers.

Underground salt and potash workers exposed to nitrogen oxides and diesel exhaust: assessment of specific effect biomarkers.

Purpose: Occupational exposure limits (OEL) for nitrogen oxides (NO, NO) and diesel exhaust (EC-DPM) were reassessed by the German authorities in 2016/2017. We performed a clinical cross-sectional study among salt and potash underground workers exposed to these substances at relatively high levels to examine possible indicators of acute effects on workers' health.

Methods: We measured post- versus pre-shift differences in cardiovascular, inflammatory, immune, and respiratory effect biomarkers and assessed their associations with personal exposures measured during the same shift.

Household air pollution from wood-burning cookstoves and C-reactive protein among women in rural Honduras.

Household air pollution from solid fuel combustion was estimated to cause 2.31 million deaths worldwide in 2019; cardiovascular disease is a substantial contributor to the global burden. We evaluated the cross-sectional association between household air pollution (24-h gravimetric kitchen and personal particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC)) and C-reactive protein (CRP) measured in dried blood spots among 107 women in rural Honduras using wood-burning traditional or Justa (an engineered combustion chamber) stoves.

A Health Surveillance Study of Workers Employed at a Copper Smelter-Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Copper on Lung Function Using Spirometric Data.

Objective: Significantly lower permissible occupational exposure limits for copper dust are being discussed in Europe and other jurisdictions. However, little data are published on exposures in occupational settings and copper-specific effects in humans. Hence, a health surveillance study was performed among workers employed at a copper smelter between 1972 and 2018.

Diet, Secondhand Smoke, and Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) Levels among Singapore Chinese Adults.

The combination of poor diet and exposure to secondhand smoke may increase hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, but few studies have explored this interaction. We explored an interaction among 574 never-smoking adults from the Singapore Chinese Health Study. At baseline (age 59 ± 8 years), intakes of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin E and fiber were estimated using a modified food frequency questionnaire.

C-reactive protein from dried blood spots: Application to household air pollution field studies.

Household air pollution (HAP) is estimated to be an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but little clinical evidence exists and collecting biomarkers of disease risk is difficult in low-resource settings. Among 54 Nicaraguan women with woodburning cookstoves, we evaluated cross-sectional associations between 48-hour measures of HAP (eg, fine particulate matter, PM ) and C-reactive protein (CRP) via dried blood spots; secondary analyses included seven additional biomarkers of systemic injury and inflammation. We conducted sub-studies to calculate the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) in biomarkers collected over four consecutive days in Nicaragua and to assess the validity of measuring biomarkers in dried blood by calculating the correlation with paired venous-drawn samples in Colorado.

Exposure to household air pollution from biomass cookstoves and self-reported symptoms among women in rural Honduras.

Household air pollution from combustion of solid fuels is an important risk factor for morbidity and mortality, causing an estimated 2.6 million premature deaths globally in 2016. Self-reported health symptoms are a meaningful measure of quality of life, however, few studies have evaluated symptoms and quantitative measures of exposure to household air pollution.

Household air pollution from biomass-burning cookstoves and metabolic syndrome, blood lipid concentrations, and waist circumference in Honduran women: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels affects nearly 3 billion people worldwide and is responsible for an estimated 2.5 million premature deaths and 77 million disability-adjusted life years annually. Investigating the effect of household air pollution on indicators of cardiometabolic disease, such as metabolic syndrome, can help clarify the pathways between this widespread exposure and cardiovascular diseases, which are increasing in low- and middle-income countries.

Exposure to Household Air Pollution from Biomass Cookstoves and Levels of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) among Honduran Women.

Household air pollution is estimated to be responsible for nearly three million premature deaths annually. Measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) may improve the limited understanding of the association of household air pollution and airway inflammation. We evaluated the cross-sectional association of FeNO with exposure to household air pollution (24-h average kitchen and personal fine particulate matter and black carbon; stove type) among 139 women in rural Honduras using traditional stoves or cleaner-burning stoves.

Assessing the Likelihood and Magnitude of a Population Health Benefit Following the Market Introduction of a Modified-Risk Tobacco Product: Enhancements to the Dynamic Population Modeler, DPM(+1).

Researchers and those responsible for evaluating and implementing policies intended to reduce population harm must assess the potential for both intended and unintended consequences associated with those policies. Such assessments should be based on the combined dimensions of magnitude, and thus likelihood, of shifts in exposure patterns needed to produce a population benefit or harm, and magnitude of the expected population benefit or harm. In response to this assessment need, we provide a conceptual description of the dynamic population modeler, DPM(+1), as well as illustrative analyses that estimate the effects on all-cause mortality, life expectancy, and quality of life-adjusted life expectancy if exposure patterns in the population shift from a higher risk product (e.

Associations between thoracic radiographic changes and severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension diagnosed in 60 dogs via Doppler echocardiography: A retrospective study.

Doppler echocardiography is a noninvasive method for estimating and grading pulmonary arterial hypertension. No current literature associates significance of radiographic findings with severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension. We hypothesized that the number and conspicuity of radiographic findings suggestive of pulmonary arterial hypertension would be greater based on the severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

REPEATABILITY AND RELIABILITY OF GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE DETERMINATION VIA GAMMA CAMERA UPTAKE OF TC-99M-DTPA IN CATS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE.

Measurement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) via gamma camera uptake of 99mTc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid is a standard method for quantifying renal function. Aims of this retrospective, observer agreement study were to determine intra- and interobserver variation in GFR values for cats with chronic kidney disease and to determine whether renal insufficiency classification changed between observers. Guideline cut-points were established for the difference in repeated GFRs to differentiate changes caused by therapeutic effect vs.

A dynamic population model for estimating all-cause mortality due to lifetime exposure history.

We developed a comprehensive, flexible dynamic model that estimates all-cause mortality for a hypothetical cohort. All model input is user-specified. In the base case, members of the cohort may be exposed to a high risk product as they age.

Color and power Doppler ultrasonography for characterization of splenic masses in dogs.

Benign and malignant splenic masses can appear similar on B-mode imaging, making ultrasound sensitive but not specific in their diagnosis. Our goal was to characterize color and/or power Doppler characteristics of vasculature within and adjacent to a splenic mass, which would distinguish benign vs. malignant lesions.

Menstrual cycle characteristics and reproductive hormone levels in women exposed to atrazine in drinking water.

Atrazine is the most commonly used herbicide in the U.S. and a wide-spread groundwater contaminant.

Early detection of neuropathophysiology using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in asymptomatic cats with feline immunodeficiency viral infection.

HIV infection results in a highly prevalent syndrome of cognitive and motor disorders designated as HIV-associated dementia (HAD). Neurologic dysfunction resembling HAD has been documented in cats infected with strain PPR of the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), whereas another highly pathogenic strain (C36) has not been known to cause neurologic signs. Animals experimentally infected with equivalent doses of FIV-C36 or FIV-PPR, and uninfected controls were evaluated by magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (DW-MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) at 17.

A baseline evaluation of traditional cook stove smoke exposures and indicators of cardiovascular and respiratory health among Nicaraguan women.

Biomass-derived indoor air pollution has been associated with increased risks of respiratory diseases; however, relatively few studies have examined the cardiovascular effects of biomass burning. We measured 48-hour indoor fine particulate matter and indoor and personal carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations in 124 households using open-fire cook stoves in Nicaragua. We also examined the cross-sectional relationship of air pollution and health.

Epidemiological studies of formaldehyde exposure and risk of leukemia and nasopharyngeal cancer: a meta-analysis.

The authors conducted meta-analyses of the epidemiological literature on formaldehyde exposure and risk of leukemia and risk of nasopharyngeal cancer. The authors abstracted study results and confounder information from cohort and case-control studies, and used quantile plots and regression models to evaluate heterogeneity and possible publication bias. No evidence of serious heterogeneity or publication bias was seen.

Indoor air pollution, cookstove quality, and housing characteristics in two Honduran communities.

Elevated indoor air pollution exposures associated with the burning of biomass fuels in developing countries are well established. Improved cookstoves have the potential to substantially reduce these exposures. However, few studies have quantitatively evaluated exposure reductions associated with the introduction of improved stoves, likely due to the cost and time-intensive nature of such evaluations.

Impact of improved cookstoves on indoor air pollution and adverse health effects among Honduran women.

Elevated indoor air pollution levels due to the burning of biomass in developing countries are well established. Few studies have quantitatively assessed air pollution levels of improved cookstoves and examined these measures in relation to health effects. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 79 Honduran women cooking with traditional or improved cookstoves.

Reliability of retrospectively assessed categorical menstrual cycle length data.

Purpose: Prospective diaries have been shown to be more reliable than retrospective questionnaires for the assessment of menstrual cycle length collected as continuous data. We investigated the reliability of retrospectively collected categorical cycle length data.

Methods: In 2005, 67 women from Illinois and Vermont completed a menstrual diary and retrospective questionnaire.

Resveratrol reduces radiation-induced chromosome aberration frequencies in mouse bone marrow cells.

Resveratrol, a polyphenol compound with reported antioxidant and anticarcinogenic effects, a wide range of molecular targets, and toxicity only at extreme doses, has received considerable attention. We evaluated the radioprotective effect of orally administered resveratrol on the frequencies of chromosome aberrations in irradiated mouse bone marrow cells. CBA/CaJ mice were divided into four groups: (1) no treatment, (2) resveratrol only, (3) radiation only, and (4) resveratrol and radiation.