Risk of longer-term endocrine and metabolic conditions in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Coast Guard cohort study - five years of follow-up.

Introduction: Long-term endocrine and metabolic health risks associated with oil spill cleanup exposures are largely unknown, despite the endocrine-disrupting potential of crude oil and oil dispersant constituents. We aimed to investigate risks of longer-term endocrine and metabolic conditions among U.S.

Severe asthma exacerbations associated with unconventional natural gas development activity in area of concentrated development.

Introduction: Residential proximity to unconventional natural gas development (UNGD) has been shown to be associated with asthma exacerbations, but there is limited evidence regarding whether exacerbations are associated with a particular distance or phase of well activity.

Objective: To study the impact of proximity to UNGD activity by well phase and buffer distance.

Methods: We included asthma patients 5-90 years old with a primary diagnosis of asthma and at least one order for medications prescribed for asthma residing in one of eight Southwestern Pennsylvania counties between 2011 and 2020.

Cumulative Exposure to Unconventional Natural Gas Development and the Risk of Childhood Cancer: A Registry-Based Case-Control Study.

The rapid growth of unconventional natural gas development (UNGD), also known as hydraulic fracturing, has raised concerns of potential exposures to hazardous chemicals. Few studies have examined the risk of childhood cancer from exposure to UNGD. A case-control study included 498 children diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, central nervous system neoplasms, and malignant bone tumors during the period 2010-2019 identified through the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry.

Case-control study of environmental toxins and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis involving the national ALS registry.

Objective: Neurotoxic chemicals are suggested in the etiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We examined the association of environmental and occupational risk factors including persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and ALS risk among cases from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National ALS Registry and age, sex, and county-matched controls.

Methods: Participants completed a risk factor survey and provided a blood sample for OCP measurement.

Exposure to ambient air toxicants and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): A matched case control study.

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder with few risk factors identified and no known cure. Gene-environment interaction is hypothesized especially for sporadic ALS cases (90-95%) which are of unknown etiology. We aimed to investigate risk factors for ALS including exposure to ambient air toxics.

Risk of longer-term neurological conditions in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort Study - Five years of follow-up.

Background: Long-term neurological health risks associated with oil spill cleanup exposures are largely unknown. We aimed to investigate risks of longer-term neurological conditions among U.S.

Neuropsychological Assessment of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Cognitive impairment in older adults is a major public concern for Kazakhstan's aging population. We aimed to (1) administer a neuropsychological test battery (NTB) in domains relevant to aging-associated cognitive impairment in a sample of adults aged 60+ without dementia in Almaty, Kazakhstan; (2) investigate the associations between demographic factors and test performance; and (3) provide information on the distribution of NTB scores as preliminary local normative data relevant for this population. A cross-sectional evaluation of 276 participants aged 60+ in Almaty, Kazakhstan, was conducted using cognitive instruments including tests of memory, attention, language, executive functions, visuospatial abilities, and processing speed.

Long-term air pollution and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mortality in the Women's Health Initiative cohort.

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder with no cure. Although the etiology of sporadic ALS is largely unknown, environmental exposures may affect ALS risk.

Objective: We investigated relationships between exposure to long-term ambient particulate matter (PM) and gaseous air pollution (AP) and ALS mortality.

Effect of HCV or HIV infection on mortality among hospitalized persons who used opioids, 2000-2010.

Mortality due to opioid misuse and overdose has increased substantially in the United States over the past two decades. The study objective was to describe the causes of death among persons with opioid-related hospitalizations and examine survival by Hepatitis C virus (HCV) or HIV. Opioid-related hospitalization records in Pennsylvania from 2000 to 2010 were linked to death registry files to assess cause of death, and survival from first hospital discharge date to death date, or December 31, 2010.

Ambient fine particulate matter exposure and incident mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

Background/objective: Poor air quality is implicated as a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia. Few studies have examined these associations longitudinally in well-characterized population-based cohorts with standardized annual assessment of both mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. We investigated the association between estimated ambient fine particulate matter (PM ) and risk of incident MCI and dementia in a post-industrial region known for historically poor air quality.

Recruitment of population-based controls for ALS cases from the National ALS Registry.

In 2010, the United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) created the National ALS Registry (Registry) to examine the epidemiology of ALS and potential risk factors. We are currently recruiting population-based controls for an epidemiologic case-control study to examine ALS environmental risk factors using this Registry. To date, we have recruited 181 non-diseased, population-based controls for comparison to Registry cases ( = 280).

Lagged Association of Ambient Outdoor Air Pollutants with Asthma-Related Emergency Department Visits within the Pittsburgh Region.

Asthma affects millions of people globally and is especially concerning in populations living with poor air quality. This study examines the association of ambient outdoor air pollutants on asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits in children and adults throughout the Pittsburgh region. A time-stratified case-crossover design is used to analyze the lagged effects of fine particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants, e.

Opioid-related hospitalizations in Pennsylvania: A latent class analysis.

Background: Opioid abuse is associated with substantial morbidity and often results in hospitalization. Despite this, patient-level factors associated with opioid-related hospitalizations are not well understood.

Methods: We used the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council dataset (2000-2014) to identify opioid-related hospitalizations using primary and/or secondary ICD-9-CM hospital discharge codes for opioid use disorder (OUD), opioid poisoning, and heroin poisoning.

Maternal Obesity, Birth Size, and Risk of Childhood Cancer Development.

Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to in utero and early-life exposures. Thus, a mother's exposures before and during pregnancy could have important consequences for her child's health, including cancer development. We examined whether birth certificate-derived maternal anthropometric characteristics were associated with increased risk of subsequent childhood cancer development, accounting for established maternal and infant risk factors.

Healthy Air, Healthy Brains: Advancing Air Pollution Policy to Protect Children's Health.

Evidence is growing on the adverse neurodevelopmental effects of exposure to combustion-related air pollution. Project TENDR (Targeting Environmental Neurodevelopmental Risks), a unique collaboration of leading scientists, health professionals, and children's and environmental health advocates, has identified combustion-related air pollutants as critical targets for action to protect healthy brain development. We present policy recommendations for maintaining and strengthening federal environmental health protections, advancing state and local actions, and supporting scientific research to inform effective strategies for reducing children's exposures to combustion-related air pollution.

Residential Exposure to PM and Ozone and Progression of Subclinical Atherosclerosis Among Women Transitioning Through Menopause: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation.

This article aims to examine the association between long-term ambient air pollution and progression of subclinical atherosclerosis with 2-year follow-up among midlife women from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Carotid duplex ultrasonography was performed in participants from a SWAN ancillary study carried out at the Pittsburgh and Chicago sites. Mean and maximum carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and plaque burden were assessed throughout the common, bulb, and internal carotid artery.

Prediagnostic plasma branched-chain amino acids and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objective: To assess whether prediagnostic levels of plasma branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) risk.

Methods: We included participants from 5 large cohort studies-The Nurses' Health Study, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition, the Multiethnic Cohort Study, and the Women's Health Initiative-and identified 275 individuals who developed ALS during follow-up. Two controls were randomly selected for each case, matched on cohort, age, sex, fasting status, and time of blood draw.

Five-year exposure to PM and ozone and subclinical atherosclerosis in late midlife women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation.

Introduction: Effects of more than one-year exposure to air pollution on atherosclerosis is seldom studied. This paper aims to examine the association between five-year exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM), ozone (O) and atherosclerosis observed about seven years later in late midlife women.

A multicity study of air pollution and cardiorespiratory emergency department visits: Comparing approaches for combining estimates across cities.

Determining how associations between ambient air pollution and health vary by specific outcome is important for developing public health interventions. We estimated associations between twelve ambient air pollutants of both primary (e.g.

Characterization of the concentration-response curve for ambient ozone and acute respiratory morbidity in 5 US cities.

Although short-term exposure to ambient ozone (O) can cause poor respiratory health outcomes, the shape of the concentration-response (C-R) between O and respiratory morbidity has not been widely investigated. We estimated the effect of daily O on emergency department (ED) visits for selected respiratory outcomes in 5 US cities under various model assumptions and assessed model fit. Population-weighted average 8-h maximum O concentrations were estimated in each city.

Association Between Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Particulate Matter in the Contiguous United States, 1999-2004.

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy harm both maternal and infant health and have been linked to ambient particulate matter. However, existing studies are restricted to a local scale and remain inconsistent. A large-scale study is required to enrich the epidemiological evidence and explore the potential sources of the inconsistency.

Systemic inflammatory markers associated with cardiovascular disease and acute and chronic exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution (PM) among US NHANES adults with metabolic syndrome.

Background: There has been no investigation to date of adults with metabolic syndrome examining the association of short and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) air pollution with cardiovascular-disease related inflammatory marker (WBC and CRP) levels in a nationally representative sample. The goal of this study is to assess the susceptibility of adults with metabolic syndrome to PM exposure as suggested by increased cardiovascular-disease related inflammatory marker levels.

Methods: A cross sectional analysis of adult National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants (2000-2008) was carried out with linkage of CDC WONDER meteorological data and downscaler modeled USEPA air pollution data for census tracts in the continental United States.

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Vestibular Schwannomas and Quality of Life Evaluation.

Background: Further investigation is needed to look at the impact of vestibular schwannoma (VS) on the health-related quality of life (QOL) of participants who undergo Gamma Knife® radiosurgery (GKRS).

Objectives: Investigators compared the QOL for VS participants to reported US population norms in order to evaluate disease burden and long-term QOL several years after GKRS.

Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed participants to assess hearing status, tinnitus, imbalance, vertigo, as well as the Short-Form 36-item Health Questionnaire (SF-36).

Pesticide exposure and liver cancer: a review.

Purpose: To review the epidemiologic literature examining pesticide exposure and liver cancer incidence.

Methods: A search of the MEDLINE and Embase databases was conducted in October 2015. Eligibility criteria included examining hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or primary liver cancer, pesticides as an exposure of interest, and individual-level incidence.