Measurement error correction methods for the effects of ambient air pollution on mortality and morbidity using the UK Biobank cohort: the MELONS study.

Epidemiological cohort studies associating long-term exposure to ambient air pollution with health outcomes most often do not account for individually assigned exposure measurement error. Here, we implemented Cox proportional hazards models to explore the relationships between NO, PM and ozone exposures with the incidence of natural-cause mortality and several morbidity outcomes in 61,797 London-dwelling respondents of the UK Biobank cohort. Data from an existing personal monitoring campaign was used as an external validation dataset to estimate measurement error structures between "true" personal exposure and several surrogate (measured and modelled) estimates of assigned exposure, allowing for the application of two health effect estimate correction methodologies: regression calibration (RCAL) and simulation extrapolation (SIMEX).

The impact of measurement error in modeled ambient particles exposures on health effect estimates in multilevel analysis: A simulation study.

Unlabelled: Various spatiotemporal models have been proposed for predicting ambient particulate exposure for inclusion in epidemiological analyses. We investigated the effect of measurement error in the prediction of particulate matter with diameter <10 µm (PM) and <2.5 µm (PM) concentrations on the estimation of health effects.

Comparing the performance of air pollution models for nitrogen dioxide and ozone in the context of a multilevel epidemiological analysis.

Unlabelled: Using modeled air pollutant predictions as exposure variables in epidemiological analyses can produce bias in health effect estimation. We used statistical simulation to estimate these biases and compare different air pollution models for London.

Methods: Our simulations were based on a sample of 1,000 small geographical areas within London, United Kingdom.

Intensive care admissions and outcomes associated with short-term exposure to ambient air pollution: a time series analysis.

Purpose: Short-term exposure to outdoor air pollution has been positively associated with numerous measures of acute morbidity and mortality, most consistently as excess cardiorespiratory disease associated with fine particulate matter (PM), particularly in vulnerable populations. It is unknown if the critically ill, a vulnerable population with high levels of cardiorespiratory disease, is affected by air pollution.

Methods: We performed a time series analysis of emergency cardiorespiratory, stroke and sepsis intensive care (ICU) admissions for the years 2008-2016, using data from the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Adult Patient Database (ANZICS-APD).

Measurement error in a multi-level analysis of air pollution and health: a simulation study.

Background: Spatio-temporal models are increasingly being used to predict exposure to ambient outdoor air pollution at high spatial resolution for inclusion in epidemiological analyses of air pollution and health. Measurement error in these predictions can nevertheless have impacts on health effect estimation. Using statistical simulation we aim to investigate the effects of such error within a multi-level model analysis of long and short-term pollutant exposure and health.

Ambient air pollution and the prevalence of rhinoconjunctivitis in adolescents: a worldwide ecological analysis.

Whether exposure to outdoor air pollution increases the prevalence of rhinoconjunctivitis in children is unclear. Using data from Phase Three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in childhood (ISAAC), we investigated associations of rhinoconjunctivitis prevalence in adolescents with model-based estimates of ozone, and satellite-based estimates of fine (diameter < 2.5 μm) particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO).

Long-term Concentrations of Nitrogen Dioxide and Mortality: A Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies.

Background: Concentrations of outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have been associated with increased mortality. Hazard ratios (HRs) from cohort studies are used to assess population health impact and burden. We undertook meta-analyses to derive concentration-response functions suitable for such evaluations and assessed their sensitivity to study selection based upon cohort characteristics.

Incorporating Measurement Error from Modeled Air Pollution Exposures into Epidemiological Analyses.

Purpose Of Review: Outdoor air pollution exposures used in epidemiological studies are commonly predicted from spatiotemporal models incorporating limited measurements, temporal factors, geographic information system variables, and/or satellite data. Measurement error in these exposure estimates leads to imprecise estimation of health effects and their standard errors. We reviewed methods for measurement error correction that have been applied in epidemiological studies that use model-derived air pollution data.

Myocardial infarction, ST-elevation and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and modelled daily pollution concentrations: a case-crossover analysis of MINAP data.

Objectives: To investigate associations between daily concentrations of air pollution and myocardial infarction (MI), ST-elevation MI (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI).

Methods: Modelled daily ground-level gaseous, total and speciated particulate pollutant concentrations and ground-level daily mean temperature, all at 5 km×5 km horizontal resolution, were linked to 202 550 STEMI and 322 198 NSTEMI events recorded on the England and Wales Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) database. The study period was 2003-2010.

Childhood intermittent and persistent rhinitis prevalence and climate and vegetation: a global ecologic analysis.

Background: The effect of climate change and its effects on vegetation growth, and consequently on rhinitis, are uncertain.

Objective: To examine between- and within-country associations of climate measures and the normalized difference vegetation index with intermittent and persistent rhinitis symptoms in a global context.

Methods: Questionnaire data from 6- to 7-year-olds and 13- to 14-year-olds were collected in phase 3 of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.

Measurement error in time-series analysis: a simulation study comparing modelled and monitored data.

Background: Assessing health effects from background exposure to air pollution is often hampered by the sparseness of pollution monitoring networks. However, regional atmospheric chemistry-transport models (CTMs) can provide pollution data with national coverage at fine geographical and temporal resolution. We used statistical simulation to compare the impact on epidemiological time-series analysis of additive measurement error in sparse monitor data as opposed to geographically and temporally complete model data.

Asthma and occupation in the 1958 birth cohort.

Objective: To examine the association of adult onset asthma with lifetime exposure to occupations and occupational exposures.

Methods: We generated lifetime occupational histories for 9488 members of the British 1958 birth cohort up to age 42 years. Blind to asthma status, jobs were coded to the International Standard Classification of Occupations 1988 and an Asthma Specific Job Exposure Matrix (ASJEM) with an expert re-evaluation step.

Twenty-five years of volatile substance abuse mortality: a national mortality surveillance programme.

Aims: To investigate trends in volatile substance abuse (VSA) deaths over 25 years.

Design: A national mortality surveillance programme with standardised data collection procedures.

Setting: The UK and islands.

Satellite-based estimates of ambient air pollution and global variations in childhood asthma prevalence.

Background: The effect of ambient air pollution on global variations and trends in asthma prevalence is unclear.

Objectives: Our goal was to investigate community-level associations between asthma prevalence data from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and satellite-based estimates of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 µm (PM₂.

Job choice and the influence of prior asthma and hay fever.

Objectives: To investigate whether prior symptoms of allergic disease influence first job undertaken on leaving school.

Methods: The study included 5020 members of the 1958 British birth cohort who provided a job history (including start dates) at age 33 and for whom information on allergic disease in childhood and adolescence was reported by parents at ages 7, 11 and 16. Occupational group (high risk, low risk, reference) was based on first job and its probable asthma risk.

Bronchodilator treatment and asthma death: a new analysis of a British case-control study.

We investigated the relationship between asthma mortality and long-acting beta(2)-agonists (LABA), including interactions with age, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and social deprivation. We used a new, expanded dataset of recorded medication extracted blind from the anonymised primary care records of an earlier British case-control study. The cases were 532 asthma deaths aged < 65 occurring between 1994 and 1998 and the controls were 532 asthma admissions, matched for age, hospital, and index date (date of death/asthma admission).

Asthma onset and relapse in adult life: the British 1958 birth cohort study.

Background: Few studies have investigated adult-onset wheezing because of difficulties identifying childhood asthma or wheeze retrospectively.

Objective: To investigate risk factors for the incidence and recurrence of wheezing illness in adulthood.

Methods: British children born during 1 week in 1958 (N = 18,558) were followed up periodically.

Bronchodilator treatment and deaths from asthma: case-control study.

Objective: To investigate the association between bronchodilator treatment and death from asthma.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: 33 health authorities or health boards in Great Britain.