Wildfire Air Pollution and Rates of Cardiovascular Events and Mortality in Northern California in 2018.

Background: We examined the association between acute cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and wildfire air pollution in California in 2018.

Methods: The study included adult (≥18 years) members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California, an integrated health care system. Outcomes included CVD events (hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or stroke, and CVD death) and death from any cause.

Association of Long-term Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution With Cardiovascular Events in California.

Importance: Long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) is a known risk factor for cardiovascular events, but controversy remains as to whether the current National Ambient Air Quality Standard (12 μg/m3 for 1-year mean PM2.5) is sufficiently protective.

Joint associations between neighborhood walkability, greenness, and particulate air pollution on cardiovascular mortality among adults with a history of stroke or acute myocardial infarction.

Unlabelled: Fine particulate matter (PM) is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Neighborhood walkability and greenness may also be associated with CVD, but there is limited evidence on their joint or interacting effects with PM.

Methods: Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the risk of CVD mortality among adults with a history of acute myocardial infarction and/or stroke living in Northern California.

Quantifying cancer risk from exposures to medical imaging in the Risk of Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer Associated with Medical Imaging (RIC) Study: research methods and cohort profile.

Purpose: The Risk of Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer Associated with Medical Imaging (RIC) Study is quantifying the association between cumulative radiation exposure from fetal and/or childhood medical imaging and subsequent cancer risk. This manuscript describes the study cohorts and research methods.

Methods: The RIC Study is a longitudinal study of children in two retrospective cohorts from 6 U.

Particulate Air Pollution and Risk of Cardiovascular Events Among Adults With a History of Stroke or Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background Previous studies have found associations between fine particulate matter <2.5 µm in diameter (PM) and increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among populations with no CVD history. Less is understood about susceptibility of adults with a history of CVD and subsequent PM-related CVD events and whether current regulation levels for PM are protective for this population.

Particulate Matter and Cardiovascular Risk in Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and may be more susceptible to air pollution exposure. However, no study has examined the association between long-term fine particulate matter exposure (≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) and risk of cardiovascular events in this potentially vulnerable population.

History of Early Childhood Infections and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Risk Among Children in a US Integrated Health-Care System.

Surrogate measures of infectious exposures have been consistently associated with lower childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) risk. However, recent reports have suggested that physician-diagnosed early-life infections increase ALL risk, thereby raising the possibility that stronger responses to infections might promote risk. We examined whether medically diagnosed infections were related to childhood ALL risk in an integrated health-care system in the United States.

Trends in Medical Imaging During Pregnancy in the United States and Ontario, Canada, 1996 to 2016.

Importance: The use of medical imaging has sharply increased over the last 2 decades. Imaging rates during pregnancy have not been quantified in a large, multisite study setting.

Objective: To evaluate patterns of medical imaging during pregnancy.

Postlicensure safety surveillance of congenital anomaly and miscarriage among pregnancies exposed to quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine.

Limited safety data are available on inadvertent exposure to quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (4vHPV) during pregnancy. We conducted a descriptive observational postlicensure safety surveillance study in Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Northern California to assess congenital anomaly and miscarriage among pregnancies exposed to 4vHPV. Using electronic medical records, we identified women who received a dose of 4vHPV between August 2006 and March 2008 within 30 days preconception or any time during a possible pregnancy.

Safety of quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine administered routinely to females.

Objective: To assess the safety of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4) in females following routine administration.

Design: In a cohort of vaccinated females, we compared the risk of emergency department visits and hospitalizations during the interval soon after vaccination with risk during a comparison interval more remote from vaccination.

Setting: Kaiser Permanente in California.