Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

Rationale: Evidence of short-term effects of ultrafine particles (UFP) on health is still inconsistent and few multicenter studies have been conducted so far especially in Europe.

Objectives: Within the UFIREG project, we investigated the short-term effects of UFP and fine particulate matter (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm [PM]) on daily cause-specific hospital admissions in five Central and Eastern European cities using harmonized protocols for measurements and analyses.

Methods: Daily counts of cause-specific hospital admissions focusing on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases were obtained for Augsburg and Dresden (Germany), 2011-2012; Chernivtsi (Ukraine), 2013 to March 2014; and Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Prague (Czech Republic), 2012-2013. Air pollution and meteorologic data were measured at fixed monitoring sites in all cities. We analyzed city-specific associations using confounder-adjusted Poisson regression models and pooled the city-specific effect estimates using metaanalysis methods.

Measurements And Main Results: A 2,750 particles/cm increase (average interquartile range across all cities) in the 6-day average of UFP indicated a delayed and prolonged increase in the pooled relative risk of respiratory hospital admissions (3.4% [95% confidence interval, -1.7 to 8.8%]). We also found increases in the pooled relative risk of cardiovascular (exposure average of lag 2-5, 1.8% [0.1-3.4%]) and respiratory (6-d average exposure, 7.5% [4.9-10.2%]) admissions per 12.4 μg/m increase (average interquartile range) in PM.

Conclusions: Our findings indicated delayed and prolonged effects of UFP exposure on respiratory hospital admissions in Central and Eastern Europe. Cardiovascular and respiratory hospital admissions increased in association with an increase in PM. Further multicenter studies are needed using harmonized UFP measurements to draw definite conclusions on health effects of UFP.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1164/rccm.201510-2042OCDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

hospital admissions
24
admissions central
12
effects ufp
12
respiratory hospital
12
short-term effects
8
multicenter studies
8
particulate matter
8
cause-specific hospital
8
central eastern
8
cardiovascular respiratory
8

Similar Publications

Importance: Hospitals have reported growing difficulty in discharging patients in a timely manner, often citing bottlenecks in postacute care. Medicare Advantage plans, now the dominant form of Medicare coverage, may contribute to these delays due to administrative and network constraints, yet national evidence is lacking.

Objective: To quantify changes in hospital length of stay for Medicare Advantage vs traditional Medicare beneficiaries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Segmentectomies Made Easy series: robotic-assisted right S1 and S2 segmentectomy.

Multimed Man Cardiothorac Surg

September 2025

Department of Thoracic Surgery, New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Wolverhampton, UK

Three-dimensional (3D) guided robotic-assisted thoracic surgery is increasingly recognized as the pioneering approach for the most complex of pulmonary resections, offering high-definition 3D visualization, enhanced instrument augmentation and tremor-free tissue articulation. Compared with open thoracotomy, the robotic platform is associated with reduced peri-operative morbidity, shorter hospital admissions and faster patient recovery. However, sublobar resections such as segmentectomies remain anatomically and technically demanding, particularly in the context of resecting multiple segments, as showcased in this right S1 and S2 segmentectomy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The timing of elective surgery for asymptomatic congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) at birth remains controversial. We aimed to describe characteristics and outcomes of patients who underwent surgery for CPAM.

Methods: We retrospectively identified patients aged < 18 years who were hospitalized for CPAM during the neonatal period and underwent surgery between July 2010 and March 2022 using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database in Japan.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Association of Ventilatory Ratio with Acute Cor Pulmonale and Mortality in COVID-19 ARDS: A Cohort Study.

J Intensive Care Med

September 2025

Departamento de Medicina Intensiva, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

PurposeAn elevated ventilatory ratio (VR) and acute cor pulmonale (ACP) are associated with mortality in ARDS patients. The primary aim of this study was to assess the association between VR and ACP in patients with COVID-19-related ARDS (C-ARDS). The secondary objectives were to analyze the association between VR and ICU mortality, describe VR temporal behavior in survivors and non-survivors, and evaluate the association between VR and pulmonary embolism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The rise in cancer patients could lead to an increase in intensive care units (ICUs) admissions. We explored differences in treatment practices and outcomes of invasive therapies between patients with sepsis with and without cancer. Adults from 2008 to 2019 admitted to the ICU for sepsis were extracted from the databases MIMIC-IV and eICU-CRD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF