Publications by authors named "Zhuohui Zhao"

Antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs) and pathogens pose a global health challenge, particularly for vulnerable children. However, limited knowledge is on their existence in home environments where children spend majority of time, even less on urban-rural differences. We collected settled dust from children's homes in urban(n = 31) and rural (n = 34) areas of Shanghai, China, and analyzed microbiomes, ARGs and pathogens through metagenomic sequencing.

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Anthropogenic heat (AH) exerts a substantial influence on the local urban climate and intensifies the urban heat island (UHI) effect. However, the impact of AH exposure on respiratory allergy symptoms in preschool children has not been investigated. This study conducted a cross-sectional study of 39088 Chinese preschool children to investigate the associations between multisource AH exposure (building heat, industrial heat, metabolic heat, transportation heat, and total heat) and the risks of respiratory allergy symptoms (wheezing, night-cough, and rhinitis).

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Exposure to air pollution has been linked to higher risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, evidence from twin pregnancies is limited, and differences between natural conception (NC) and medically assisted reproduction (MAR) remain unexplored. This study enrolled 935 twin pairs in Wuxi, China, from 2017 to 2022.

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This systematic review addressed critical knowledge gaps regarding the spatiotemporal patterns and human exposure to indoor gaseous pollutants (CO, SO₂, NO₂, O₃) in Chinese civil buildings (residences, schools, offices) from 2000 to 2021. A total of 108 field measurement studies revealed divergent temporal trends: a decline in indoor CO, SO, and NO concentrations over the past two decades in China, alongside a rise in indoor O concentrations. The highest CO (8.

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Rhinitis is one of the most common respiratory diseases, influenced by various environmental factors such as green space, air pollution and indoor microbiomes. However, their interactions and combined effects have not been reported. We recruited 1121 preschool children from day care centers in a northern city of China.

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Background: The concept "one airway, one disease" for childhood rhinitis and asthma has been challenged in recent years. This study aimed to evaluate associations of environmental exposures with alone and co-morbid symptoms of rhinitis and asthma and identify critical risk factor.

Methods: 5828 children aged 3-6 years in Shanghai were surveyed in 2019.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how the nasal microbiome differs between children with allergic rhinitis (AR) and healthy controls, looking at various sample types (nasal, dermal, oral, dust).
  • It finds that the diversity of dust microorganisms is lower in AR children, and significant differences in bacterial composition exist in the nasal, skin, and dust samples compared to controls, with specific bacterial species being more abundant in AR children.
  • The analysis reveals that Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus are more prevalent in AR children’s nasal cavities, with higher transfer rates of S. epidermidis from the nasal cavity to skin and dust compared to healthy subjects.
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Background: Previous studies indicated that exposure to VOCs was linked to increased systemic inflammation levels. However, the dose-response relationships between urine VOCs metabolites and systemic inflammation have not been established, and the key metabolite of the toxic compounds has not been identified.

Methods: We used data in 7007 US adults in the NHANES cycles (2011-2018) across 8 years.

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Background: Previous studies found that urinary phthalates (PAEs) metabolites may be associated with increased serum uric acid concentration and hyperuricemia risk. However, no population-based study has investigated the underlying biological mechanisms.

Methods: This nationwide cross-sectional study analyzed the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2018.

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PM exposure has been found to cause gut dysbiosis and impair glucose homeostasis in human and animals, yet their underlying biological connection remain unclear. In the present study, we aim to investigate the biological significance of gut microbiota in PM-induced glucose metabolic abnormalities. Our results showed that microbiota depletion by antibiotics treatment significantly alleviated PM-induced glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, as indicated by the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, glucose-induced insulin secretion, insulin tolerance test, insulin-induced phosphorylation levels of Akt and GSK-3β in insulin sensitive tissues.

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Objective: The aim was to evaluate and optimize the performance of sensor monitors in measuring PM and PM under typical emission scenarios both indoors and outdoors.

Method: Parallel measurements and comparisons of PM and PM were carried out between sensor monitors and standard instruments in typical indoor (2 months) and outdoor environments (1 year) in Shanghai, respectively. The optimized validation model was determined by comparing six machining learning models, adjusting for meteorological and related factors.

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The impact of early life exposure to residential greenness on childhood rhinitis and its interaction with particulate matter (PM) of different size fractions remain inconsistent. Herein, we recruited 40,486 preschool children from randomly selected daycare centers in 7 cities in China from 2019 to 2020, and estimated exposure to residential greenness by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with a 500 m buffer. Exposure to ambient PM (PM, PM and PM) was evaluated using a satellite-based prediction model (daily, at a resolution of 1 km × 1 km).

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Previous studies indicated per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were related to uric acid and hyperuricemia risk, but evidence for the exposure-response (E-R) curves and combined effect of PFAS mixture is limited. Moreover, the potential mediation effect of kidney function was not assessed. Hence, we conducted a national cross-sectional study involving 13,979 US adults in NHANES 2003-2018 to examine the associations of serum PFAS with uric acid and hyperuricemia risk, and the mediation effects of kidney function.

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Nitrogen dioxide (NO) is a prevalent air pollutant in urban areas, originating from outdoor sources, household gas consumption, and secondhand smoke. The limited evaluation of the disease burden attributable to NO, encompassing different health effects and contributions from various sources, impedes our understanding from a public health perspective. Based on modeled NO exposure concentrations, their exposure-response relationships with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes mellitus, and baseline disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), we estimated that 1,675 (655-2,624) thousand DALYs were attributable to NO in urban China in 2019 [138 (54-216) billion Chinese yuan (CNY) economic losses].

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Background: Few studies focus on the associations of green space composition and configuration with children's allergic rhinitis (AR).

Methods: A multi-center population-based cross-sectional study was performed in 7 cities in mainland of China between 2019 and 2020, recruiting 36,867 preschool children. Information on the current AR symptoms and demographics were collected by questionnaire.

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Indoor microorganisms impact asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR), but the associated microbial taxa often vary extensively due to climate and geographical variations. To provide more consistent environmental assessments, new perspectives on microbial exposure for asthma and AR are needed. Home dust from 97 cases (32 asthma alone, 37 AR alone, 28 comorbidity) and 52 age- and gender-matched controls in Shanghai, China, were analyzed using high-throughput shotgun metagenomic sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

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Previous studies have reported the association between particulate matter (PM) and childhood allergic rhinitis (AR). However, it is unclear whether food allergy (FA) modifies the PM-AR association. We aimed at evaluating the effect of the modification of FA on PM-AR association in preschool children.

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Background: Airborne particulate matter pollution has been linked to occurrence of childhood allergic rhinitis (AR). However, the relationships between exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤1 μm (PM) during early life (in utero and first year of life) and the onset of childhood AR remain largely unknown. This study aims to investigate potential associations of in utero and first-year exposures to size-segregated PMs, including PM, PM, PM, PM, and PM, with childhood AR.

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Previous studies have shown significant associations between home environmental factors and childhood eczema. However, few studies have compared how associations differ in different regions. This study investigated associations between home environmental factors and childhood eczema ever, and related symptoms including itchy rash (IR) and being awakened by itchy rash at night (awake by IR) in 4 cities located in different regions of China, based on cross-sectional investigations during 2010-2012.

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Background: High-level exposure to indoor air pollutants (IAPs) and their corresponding adverse health effects have become a public concern in China in the past 10 years. However, neither national nor provincial level burden of disease attributable to multiple IAPs has been reported for China. This is the first study to estimate and rank the annual burden of disease and the financial costs attributable to targeted residential IAPs at the national and provincial level in China from 2000 to 2017.

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Maintaining a diverse and well-balanced nasal and oral microbiota is vital for human health. However, the impact of indoor microbiome and metabolites on nasal and oral microbiota remains largely unknown. Fifty-six children in Shanghai were surveyed to complete a questionnaire about their personal and environmental characteristics.

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Background: The urban ambient air quality has been largely improved in the past decade. It is unknown whether childhood asthma prevalence is still increasing in ever top-ranking city of Shanghai, whether the improved air quality is beneficial for children's asthma and what time window of exposure plays critical roles.

Methods: Using a repeat cross-sectional design, we analyzed the association between early life exposure to particles and wheezing/asthma in each individual and combined surveys in 2011 and 2019, respectively, in 11,825 preschool children in Shanghai.

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Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated links between short-term ozone exposure to various adverse health outcomes, but some ozone-induced pathological mechanisms remain unclear. To fill this knowledge gap, we enrolled 36 healthy young adults living in high-ozone areas and performed an untargeted metabolomic analysis in serum collected before, during, and after their travel to a low-ozone scenic area. Reviewing the literature, we found 16 metabolites significantly associated with ozone, pointing to neurological health, type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk, and cardiovascular health.

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Background: Pneumonia is a common disease worldwide in preschool children. Despite its large population size, China has had no comprehensive study of the national prevalence, risk factors, and management of pneumonia among preschool children. We therefore investigated the prevalence of pneumonia among preschool children in Chinese seven representative cities, and explore the possible risk factors of pneumonia on children, with a view to calling the world's attention to childhood pneumonia to reduce the prevalence of childhood pneumonia.

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