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Short-term exposure to air pollution has previously been studied in relation to certain neurological disorders, but there is still a lack of convincing data linking air pollution to epileptic seizures. The study's goal was to investigate how exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) affected the number of patients seeking assistance at the Wuhan Emergency Medical Center due to epileptic seizures. We gathered data on medical emergency calls (MECs), daily ambient air pollution concentrations (SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, CO, and O3), and meteorological variables in Wuhan, China, spanning from January 1, 2017, to November 30, 2019. To investigate the potential influence of ambient nitrogen dioxide on MECs for epileptic seizures, we carried out a time-series investigation using the general additive model (GAM). Additionally, analyses stratified by season, age, and gender were performed. A total of 8989 records of MECs for epileptic seizures were enrolled in our study during the period. Statistical analysis indicates that a rise of 10 μg/m3 in NO2 concentration is linked to a 0.17% increase in daily MECs for epileptic seizures (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02%, 0.32%). Furthermore, people aged 14–59 years were more susceptible(2.25%, P < 0.05). The short-term effects of NO2 exposure on daily MECs for epileptic seizures were stronger in warm seasons than in cool seasons (0.55% vs. -0.10%, P < 0.0001). Our findings suggests that short-term exposure to ambient NO2 was positively correlated with daily MECs for epileptic seizures in Wuhan, China. Additionally, we observed that these associations were stronger in patients aged above 14 but under 60 years and the warmer seasons (from April to September). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests a possible association between ambient air pollutants and oral diseases. Nevertheless, information regarding the relationship between air pollutants and pulpitis is scarce and inconclusive. In view of this, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between short-term exposure to air pollution and outpatient visits for pulpitis. Daily data on outpatient visits for pulpitis, air pollutants, and meteorological data in Hefei, China, was collected from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2021. The association between exposure to air pollutants and pulpitis outpatient visits was evaluated using distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) and a generalized linear model (GLM). Furthermore, stratified analyses were performed by gender, age and season. A total of 93,324 records of outpatient visits for pulpitis were included in this study. The results showed that exposure to NO2, PM2.5, and CO were positively correlated with an increased risk of pulpitis outpatient visits. Each 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 and PM2.5 concentration, at lag 0–2 day, was associated with a 2.4% (relative risk (RR) = 1.024, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.014–1.035) and 0.5% (RR = 1.005, 95% CI: 1.000–1.010) increase in pulpitis outpatient visits, respectively. With a 1 mg/m3 increase in CO concentration, the risk of pulpitis outpatient visits increased by 9.1% (RR = 1.091, 95% CI: 1.031–1.154, lag 0–1 day). Intriguingly, exposure to O3 was associated with a decreased risk of pulpitis outpatient visits (RR = 0.990, 95% CI: 0.984–0.995, lag 0–5 day). Subgroup analysis revealed that in the warm season, exposure to PM2.5, O3, and CO was related with a significantly higher outpatient risk of pulpitis than in the cold season. Additionally, the influence of PM2.5 and CO exposure at age < 65 years was significantly stronger than at age ≥ 65 years. In conclusion, exposure to ambient NO2, PM2.5, and CO is associated with an increase in pulpitis outpatient visits in Hefei, China. Conversely, exposure to O3 reduces the risk of outpatient visits for pulpitis. Age and season are effect modifiers of these associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The associations of air pollution and meteorological factors with the outpatient visits of urticaria remain poorly studied. This study aimed to assess the association between air pollution, meteorological factors, and daily outpatient visits for urticaria in Shijiazhuang, China, during 2014–2019. Daily recordings of air pollutant concentrations, meteorological data, and outpatient visits data for urticaria were collected during the 6 years. Descriptive research methods were used to describe the distribution characteristics and demographic features of urticaria. A combination of the generalized linear regression model (GLM) and distribution lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to evaluate the lag association between environmental factors and daily outpatient visits for urticaria. Stratified analyses by gender (male; female) and age (< 18 years; 18–39 years; > 39 years) were further conducted. The dose–response relationship between daily urticaria visits and CO, NO2, O3, temperature, and relative humidity was nonlinear. High concentrations of CO, NO2, O3, and high temperatures increased the risk of urticaria outpatient visits. The maximum cumulative association of high concentrations of CO, NO2, and O3 was lag 0–14 days (CO: RR = 1.10, 95%CI: 1.06, 1.31; NO2: RR = 1.09, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.08; O3: RR = 1.16, 95%CI: 1.08, 1.25), and high temperatures was lag 0–7 days (RR = 1.27, 95%CI: 1.14, 1.41). Low concentrations of NO2, O3, and high humidity, on the other hand, act as protective factors for urticaria outpatient. The maximum cumulative association of low concentrations of NO2 was the 0-day lag (RR = 0.97, 95%CI: 0.95, 0.99), O3 was lag 0–5 days (RR = 0.94, 95%CI: 0.88, 0.99), and high humidity was lag 0–10 days (RR = 0.93, 95%CI: 0.89, 0.98). Stratified analyses showed that the risk of urticaria outpatient visits was higher for the males and in the < 18 years age group. In conclusion, we found that the development of urticaria in Shijiazhuang has a distinct seasonal and cyclical nature. Air pollutants and meteorological factors had varying degrees of influence on the risk of urticaria outpatient visits. This study provides indirect evidence for a link between air pollution, meteorological factors, and urticaria outpatient visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Data reporting the number of births given by women resident in Vienna for each week between 1999 and 2019, and the duration (in weeks) of their pregnancies, were used to estimate the week of conception. When preliminary examinations detected cyclical patterns for births and conceptions, a series of Poisson regressions for births and conceptions were performed to assess whether these cycles could be associated with lunar or solar phases. Methods: To that end 2 sine-cosine functions, 1 with a wavelength of 1 year (365.25 days) and 1 with a wavelength of 29.529 days, the latter resembling the average length of a lunar cycle, were constructed. In addition, also average weekly temperatures were included in the models. Results: Same week temperature was a strong non-linear predictor for both births and conceptions. Extreme temperatures, especially hot temperatures, increased the number of births while the numbers of successful conceptions were decreased by extreme temperatures. Regarding annual variation in conceptions, the lowest values were found in May and the highest in late autumn and early winter. Therefore, the highest numbers of births are observed in the summer. As per lunar variations, the highest numbers of conceptions occurred at the full moon and the highest numbers of births at the waxing crescent to first quarter moon. Discussion: The latter results should be treated with caution, as they are not hypothesis driven. Furthermore, literature reports on this topic are conflicting. Nevertheless, these findings will be useful in further analyses examining air pollution effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has attracted more and more attention. Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to air pollutants is associated with IBD, yet the results are inconsistent and study about daily exposure is few. This study evaluated the association between daily air pollution and IBD in Hefei, China. Daily IBD admission data were obtained from two hospitals in Hefei from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019. Daily concentrations of major air pollutants were provided by the Hefei Environmental Protection Bureau. Meteorological data were collected from China Meteorological Data Network. Distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) considering both the lag effects of exposure factors and nonlinear relationship of exposure-reaction was used to assess the effect of daily air pollutants exposure on IBD admission. During the study period, totally 886 cases of IBD were recruited, including 313 cases of ulcerative colitis (UC) and 573 cases of Crohn's disease (CD). The findings showed PM2.5, O3, and CO exposure significantly increased the risk of IBD. Mean concentrations of PM2.5, O3, and CO in Hefei were 43.85ug/m3, 100.78ug/m3, and 0.76 mg/m3, respectively. Each increase of 10 mg/m3 in PM2.5/O3 and 0.1 mg/m3 in CO increased the risk of IBD. The strongest effects of these three pollutants on IBD were observed in lag2-lag3 (RR = 1.037, 95% CI: 1.005–1.070%), lag3 (RR = 1.020, 95% CI: 1.002–1.038%), and lag2 (RR = 1.036, 95% CI: 1.003–1.071%), respectively. In warm seasons, PM2.5, O3, and CO had a stronger effect increased the risk of IBD, which were observed in lag2 (RR = 1.104, 95% CI: 1.032–1.181%), lag2 and lag5 (RR = 1.023, 95% CI: 1.002–1.044%; RR = 1.036, 95% CI: 1.004–1.069%), and lag2 (RR = 1.071, 95% CI: 1.012–1.133%), respectively. Air pollutant (PM2.5, O3, and CO) exposure could increase the risk of IBD, while the most susceptibility seasons for the exposure were mainly in warm seasons. The results of this study suggest that air pollutants increase the risk of IBD patients in Hefei, China, providing a basis for developing countries to improve effective prevention of IBD, and a potential opportunity to avoid part of the risk of the onset or recurrence of IBD. This study contributes to the knowledge of the association between air pollution and IBD, but the associations need to be verified by further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies demonstrated that short-term exposure to gaseous pollutants (nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3)) had a greater adverse effect on cardiovascular disease. However, little evidence exists regarding the synergy between gaseous pollutants and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, we aimed to estimate the effect of individual gaseous pollutants on hospital admissions for CVD and to explore the possible synergistic effects between gaseous pollutants. Daily hospitalization counts for CVD were collected from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2015. We also collected daily time series on gaseous pollutants from the Environment of the People's Republic of China, including NO2, SO2, and O3. We used distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNMs) to assess the association of individual gaseous pollutants on CVD hospitalization, after controlling for seasonality, day of the week, public holidays, and weather variables. Then, we explored the variability across age and sex groups. In addition, we analyzed the synergistic effects between gaseous pollutants on CVD. Extremely low NO2 and SO2 increase the risk of CVD in all subgroup at lag 7 days. The greatest effect of high concentration of SO2 was observed in male and the elderly (≥ 65 years) at lag 3 days. Greater effects of high concentration of O3 were more pronounced in the young (< 65 years) and female at lag 3 days, while the effect of low concentration of O3 was greater in male and the young (< 65 years) at lag 0 day. We found a synergistic effect between NO2 and SO2 for CVD, as well as between SO2 and O3. The synergistic effects of NO2 and SO2 on CVD were stronger in the elderly (≥ 65) and female. The female was sensitive to synergistic effects of SO2-O3 and NO2-O3. Interestingly, we found that there was a risk of CVD in the susceptible population even for gaseous pollutant concentrations below the National Environmental Quality Standard. The synergy between NO2 and SO2 was significantly associated with cardiovascular disease hospitalization in the elderly (≥ 65). This study provides evidence for the synergistic effect of gaseous pollutants on hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some studies suggested that 24-h temperature change (TC24) was one of the potential risk factors for human health. However, evidence of the short-term effect of TC24 on outpatient and emergency department (O&ED) visits and hospitalizations for cause-specific cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is still limited. The aim of this study is to explore the short-term effects of TC24 on O&ED visits and hospitalizations for CVDs in northwest China which is an area with large temperature variation. The O&ED visits records for CVDs of 3 general hospitals and the inpatient records for CVDs of 4 general hospitals were collected from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2016, in Jinchang City, northwest China. Meteorological and air pollution data were also obtained during the same study period from local meteorological monitoring station and environmental monitoring station, respectively. A generalized additive model (GAM) with Poisson regression was employed to analyze the effects of TC24 on O&ED visits and hospitalizations for CVDs. V-shaped relationship were found between TC24 and O&ED visits and hospitalizations for CVDs, including total CVD, hypertension, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. Stratified analysis showed that men and patients over 65 years old were more susceptible to temperature changes. The estimates in non-heating months were higher than in full year. TC24 can affect the O&ED visits and hospitalizations for CVDs in this study. This study provides useful data for policy makers to better prepare local responses to the impact of changes in temperature on population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence witnesses the negative influence of air pollution on human health, but the relationship between air pollution and premature babies has been inconsistent. In this study, the association between weekly average concentration of air pollutants and preterm birth (PTB) was conducted in Xuzhou, a heavy industry city, in China. We constructed a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM), an ecological study, to access the associations between ambient air pollutants and PTB in this study. Totally, 5408 premature babies were included, and the weekly average levels of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, O3, and CO were 61.24, 110.21, 22.55, 40.55, 104.45, and 1.04 mg/m3, respectively. We found that PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 significantly increased the risk of PTB, and the susceptibility windows of these contaminants were the second trimester and third trimester (from 12 to 29 weeks). Every 10 μg/m3 increase of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2, the greatest relative risk (RR) values and 95% confidence interval (CI) on PTB were 1.0075 [95% CI, 1.0019–1.0131], 1.0053 [95% CI, 1.0014–1.0092], 1.0203 [95% CI, 1.0030–1.0379], and 1.0170 [95% CI, 1.0052–1.0289] in lag 16th, 18th, 19th, and 20th gestational weeks, respectively. No significant influence of O3 and CO were found on preterm birth. Subgroup analysis showed that the risk of premature delivery was higher for younger pregnant women and in warm season. This finding shows that prenatal exposure to ambient air pollutants is associated with preterm birth, and there existed an exposure window period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is still unclear about the association between ambient air pollution and attack risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in South China. This study assessed the effects of short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants on hospital admission of AMI in Guangzhou, South China. Materials and methods: We obtained the information on 19,622 hospital admissions of AMI from the Guangzhou Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease Event Surveillance System during the years from 2014 to 2017. Daily concentrations of air pollution data on particulate matter < 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) were available from the Daily Quality Report of the Guangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau during the study period. The effects of air pollution exposure on the risk of AMI hospital admission were assessed using Poisson generalized additive models. Risk estimates were reported as the percent increase in daily hospital admissions of AMI for an interquartile range (IQR) increment in air pollution concentrations. Results: On average, there were 13 hospital admissions of AMI each day. After controlling for the pollutants, including PM2.5, SO2, and O3, and other time-varying factors, a 21.26-μg/m3 increment in the 2-day moving average of same-day and previous-day NO2 concentrations was statistically linked to an increase of 6.38% [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33%, 11.67%] of AMI hospital admissions. Additionally, per IQR increment in the 2-day moving average exposure of same-day and previous-day NO2 pollutant levels was linked to a 7.85% (95% CI: 1.19%, 14.95%) increase of AMI hospital admissions among people aged above 65 years old. An effect modification of risk by gender was found, suggesting that females were more susceptible to the exposure to NO2 pollutant. Conclusions: A statistical association between NO2 exposure and AMI attack risk is identified, which can provide insight into the planning of clinical services for AMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work presents the results of short-term health effects assessment of particulate matter (PM) in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The influence of three PM fractions, PM10 (particles of aerodynamic diameter < 10 μm), PM2.5 (particles of aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 μm), and PMc (coarse fraction of diameter between 2.5 and 10 μm), modeled by the CALMET/CALPUFF system, has been studied in the period of 2013–2014. Six population health endpoints; daily counts of all-cause (ALL), cardiovascular (CV), and respiratory (RS) death cases; and ALL, CV, and RS hospital admissions were investigated with the use of statistical time series analysis via nonparametric generalized additive model (GAM) approach. The results show that PM2.5 increases the relative risk (RR) of ALL premature deaths by 0.7% per 10 μg/m3, as well as of CV mortality by 0.9%. PM10 exposures reveal the largest influence on mortality in a 2-day lag: 0.3% for all causes and 0.4% for CV causes, while for RS causes only in the elderly group (above 65 years, 1.4%) and for males (2.1%). The risk of hospitalizations increases with elevated PMc levels by 2.5%, 2.1%, and 4.6% for ALL, CV, and RS hospital admissions, respectively. The results suggest that the research on PM impact on health should concentrate more on attempts to assign specific health outcomes to PM originating from different types of sources, characterized by different granulation, as well as physical and chemical properties of emitted particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimethylformamide (DMF) is a broad solvent used in the production of synthetic leather. Decades of year's research have been focused on workers in leather factories suffering from the release of DMF. However, little attention was paid on general population. Here, we examined the relationship between consistent DMF exposure and annual hospitalizations of local residents in Longwan, China, in 2008. We found a positive correlation with a relative risk (RR) increase of 1.110 for total hospitalizations. When the data were stratified by sex, we observed a higher correlation for female hospitalizations than for male hospitalizations, with RR values of 1.55 and 1.084, respectively. This might be attributed to the differences in genotypes of oxidant enzyme between gender. The significance of the correlations did not disappear after we excluded the extreme value of DMF or adjusted for SO, NO, and PM. Population living near the leather factory has experienced almost constant DMF exposure, and real concern should be raised regarding such exposure. Governments should take responsibility for the protection of not only occupational workers but also residents, especially women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the association between weekly lottery sales and number of suicide deaths in Taiwan. Methods: All suicides aged 15+ years during 2004-2006 in Taiwan were included. Poisson autoregression time series models investigated associations of weekly numbers with contemporaneous and recent sales from two national lotteries in operation. Adjustments were made for seasonal fluctuation, temperature, monthly unemployment and autocorrelation. Results: In fully adjusted models, suicide deaths were negatively correlated with sales of tickets for a low-prize, low-cost lottery system. However, they were correlated positively with recent sales for a higher-cost, larger-prize system. Both correlations were stronger for male than female suicide numbers but differed in terms of age groups most strongly implicated. Conclusions: Associations between lottery sales and suicide numbers differed according to the nature of the lottery. A low-prize, low-publicity system appeared to be more benign than a high-prize, high-publicity one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]