Search

Application of crop residues and chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer is a conventional practice for achieving high yield in a rice system. However, the fallacious combination of N fertilizers with crop straw not only significantly reduces the N use efficiencies (NUEs) but also leads to serious environmental problems. The present study employed five treatments including no N fertilization and no straw incorporation (ck), N fertilization incorporation only (S0), N fertilization with 40% straw (S40), N fertilization with 60% straw (S60), and N fertilization with 100% straw (S100) to improve N use efficiency as well as reduced Cd distribution in rice. The crop yields were largely enhanced by fertilization ranging from 13 to 52% over the straw addition treatments. Compared with ck, N fertilizer input significantly decreased soil pH, while DOC contents were raised in response to straw amendment, reaching the highest in S60 and S100 treatments, respectively. Moreover, straw addition substantially impacted the Cd accumulation and altered the bacterial community structure. The soil NH4+-N concentration under S0 performed the maximum in yellow soil, while the minimum in black soil compared to straw-incorporated pots. In addition, the soil NO3−-N concentration in straw-incorporated plots tended to be higher than that in straw-removed plots in both soils, indicating that crop straw triggering the N mineralization was associated with native soil N condition. Furthermore, the NUE increased with 15 N uptake in the plant, and the residual 15 N in soil was increased by 26.8% with straw addition across four straw application rates. Overall, our study highlights the trade-offs between straw incorporation with N fertilizer in eliminating potential Cd toxicity, increasing fertilizer-N use efficiencies and help to provide a feasible agricultural management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw residues, as one of the conservation farming practices, are being strongly encouraged in China, including some cadmium-polluted areas. Nowadays, a portion of this plant residue is promoted to be removed for reducing excess metal(loid) in the soil and to be used for bioenergy production. Nevertheless, the possible influences of contaminated straw or the burial of its derived biochars on Cd accumulation in soil and data based on health risk assessment associated with different status and extent of soil contamination were relatively unknown. Thus it is important to provide a more systematical understanding of contaminated straw burial at specific contamination zones, which may provide useful guidance for straw utilization. In this study, we harvested two genotypes of rice straw from 6 contaminated levels among three soil types to comprehensively study the total Cd contents in straws and its derived biochars and correlate the sets of straw characteristics and Cd contents in three different contamination zones. The total Cd concentration in straws grew at a steady rate relatively with increasing soil Cd contamination levels, compared to those in biochars which performed more fluctuate due to the strong burning. According to correlational analyses, three-way ANOVA showed that the moisture, ash, volatile and fixed carbon were all significantly affected by straw CdTotal contents (p < 0.001). Such relationships were attributed to guide straw removal portions for gasification. Meanwhile, there was a significant correlation between straw Cd concentration and soil types (p < 0.001), confirming that it might be worth determining soil remediation by straw removal according to site-specific farmland conditions. This work will help to assess efforts toward predicting Cd concentration in the paddy soils related to kinds of contamination status and would also give useful guidance to make sustainable management strategies for crop straws in polluted regions. Novelty statement This work provided data on how much rice straw is needed to remove to ensure the minimal amount to control soil contamination and reduce costs according to site-specific conditions and soil Cd contamination status. It also explains the correlations between straw characteristics related to bioenergy use and soil conditions which would give guidance to balance using crop straw for increased bioenergy production and the need to also protect, preserve, and enhance soil resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks the third major cause of cancer-associated mortality globally. Numerous studies have attempted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of HCC using various biomarkers. In the present study, two expression profiles datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE76427 and GSE84402) and data associated with liver cancer samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were downloaded for integrated analysis. Five differentially expressed genes (DEGs) exhibiting high expression, including ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2C (UBE2C), topoisomerase II α, pituitary tumor transforming gene 1, glypican-3 and polycomb-repressive complex 1, were selected and considered as candidate genes. Enrichment analysis demonstrated that these genes were associated with Gene Ontology terms of cellular components and molecular functions, including regulation of apoptosis, stabilization of p53 and Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) (APC/C:Cdc20)-mediated degradation of Securin. The expression profiles of these genes in HCC, other human malignancies and different human HCC cell lines were validated using GSE14520, GSE3500 and TCGA data. The results confirmed the upregulation of UBE2C in tissues from patients with HCC or other human malignancies and human liver cancer cell lines, compared with the expression levels in the corresponding adjacent non-tumor tissues and cell lines, respectively. Patients with HCC who exhibited an increased messenger RNA level of UBE2C exhibited a significantly shorter survival time. The results of the present study suggest that the overexpression of UBE2C may be used as a novel prognostic biomarker of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to be efficacy to attenuating cardiovascular inflammation; however, there are many limitations to stem cell treatment. Present study was to prove MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) could alleviating inflammatory cardiomyopathy by improving the inflammatory microenvironment of myocardium, especially by regulating the activity of macrophages. Mice were intraperitoneal injected of doxorubicin (DOX) to establish a dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) model, and then received intravenous injection of either MSC-Exos or PBS as control. Mice receiving MSC-Exos showed improved cardiac function via echocardiography and attenuated cardiac dilation via HE staining, as well as reduced cardiomyocytes apoptosis. Expression levels of inflammatory factors were reduced. And there was a significant decrease of the inflammatory cells infiltration in the MSC-Exos treatment group comparing to the PBS group. Meanwhile, MSC-Exos could remarkably attenuate the pro-inflammatory macrophages amount in both blood and heart, which was proved that MSC-Exos relied on the JAK2-STAT6 pathway mediating macrophages activation. MSC-Exos improved the inflammatory microenvironment of dilated cardiomyopathy by regulating the polarization of the macrophage, which may hold promise for dilated cardiomyopathy clinical therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several literatures have examined the risk of chronic respiratory diseases in association with short-term ambient PM 2.5 exposure in China. However, little evidence has examined the chronic impacts of PM 2.5 exposure on morbidity of chronic respiratory diseases in cohorts from high pollution countries. Our study aims to investigate the associations. Based on a retrospective cohort among adults in northern China, a Cox regression model with time-varying PM 2.5 exposure and a concentration-response (C-R) curve model were performed to access the relationships between incidence of chronic respiratory diseases and long-term PM 2.5 exposure during a mean follow-up time of 9.8 years. Individual annual average PM 2.5 estimates were obtained from a satellite-based model with high resolution. The incident date of a chronic respiratory disease was identified according to self-reported physician diagnosis time and/or intake of medication for treatment. Among 38,047 urban subjects analyzed in all-cause chronic respiratory disease cohort, 482 developed new cases. In CB (38,369), asthma (38,783), and COPD (38,921) cohorts, the onsets were 276, 89, and 14, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for morbidity of all-cause chronic respiratory disease, CB, asthma, and COPD were 1.15 (1.01, 1.31), 1.20 (1.00, 1.42), 0.76 (0.55, 1.04), and 0.66 (0.29, 1.47) with each 10 μg/m3 increment in PM 2.5 , respectively. Stronger effect estimates were suggested in alcohol drinkers across stratified analyses. Additionally, the shape of C-R curve showed an increasing linear relationship before 75.00 μg/m3 concentrations of PM 2.5 for new-onset all-cause chronic respiratory disease, and leveled off at higher levels. These findings indicated that long-term exposure to high-level PM 2.5 increased the risks of incident chronic respiratory diseases in China. Further evidence of C-R curves is warranted to clarify the associations of adverse chronic respiratory outcomes involving air pollution. • The first cohort study of PM 2.5 and incidence of chronic respiratory diseases in China. • PM 2.5 estimate was derived from the satellite-based data at 1-km spatial resolution. • C-R curve was performed for all-cause chronic respiratory disease linked to PM 2.5. • Long-term high PM 2.5 exposure increased morbidity of chronic respiratory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the comprehensive effect on crop production and quality, soil acidification, and Cd accumulation and distribution for wheat-rice rotation under N fertilization and continuous straw return is important for proper contaminated agricultural soil management. A 2-year paddy field experiment was conducted to study the effects of above factors change in the Zhejiang province, China. Fertilization treatments included: conventional N fertilizer application (N3), 20% reduction of N application (N2), 40% reduction of N application (N1), combined with three portions of straw incorporation: all straws retention (N3), half of the straws into the fields (S2), 20% straws retention(S1). The N1 treatments significantly decreased crop yields compared to N2 and N3 treatments. Except for C2-wheat, soil pH generally decreased with increasing N fertilizer input in the order of N1>N2>N3, regardless of how many straws was amended. Moreover, we found that straw addition plus N fertilization had a intersystem impacts on Cd accumulation, distribution and availability. Although total Cd had different trends among 4 experimental seasons, when the N reduced 20% applied, the DTPA-Cd contents were lowest among 3 out of four experimental seasons, except for that of C2-wheat, where N2 treatments ranked the second lower contents. For most seasons, Cd contents in straws were higher than soils and lowest in grains, and S2N2 treatment performed an intermediate value among all treatments. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that S2 or N2 treatments or S2N2 reduced the potential risk of plant diseases and pests with lower disease index, disease cluster rate. Notably, the relative outbreak of pests was remarkably suppressed under S2 treatments, especially S2N2. Thus, these findings demonstrated that in wheat-rice rotation reducing 20% N fertilization with 50% straw returning may be a win-win practice in this region for the equilibrium between agricultural productivity, quality and low Cd polluted risk. [Display omitted] • 20% reducing N fertilizer maintains crop yield and alleviates soil acidification. • C:N ratio between straw and nitrogen enable cadmium accumulation and distribution. • High straw or nitrogen input raises potential risk of rice diseases/pests outbreak. • More comprehensive assessment of straw return with N fertilizer reduction is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This is a national-wide study conducted across the rural Chinese population. • The OR of PM 2.5 for diabetic retinopathy was 1.41 (1.27, 1.57). • The effect of PM 2.5 was stronger in participants with alcohol consumption. • A satellite-based spatiotemporal model was used to estimate PM 2.5 levels. While the relationship between ambient air pollution and diabetes mellitus has recently been reported, data on the association between fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and diabetic complications are limited, especially in microvascular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. To investigate the associations between long-term exposure to PM 2.5 and the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in adult diabetic patients in rural China. The study population was based on the Rural Epidemiology for Glaucoma in China (REG-China), a national cross-sectional survey conducted in rural China. This analysis selected diabetic patients with or without diabetic retinopathy. A satellite-based spatiotemporal model was used to estimate personal PM 2.5 exposure. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the effect of long-term PM 2.5 exposure on diabetic retinopathy. The analysis included 3111 diabetic participants, 329 of whom were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. The median level of exposure to PM 2.5 from 2000 to2016 was 59.9 μg/m3. For each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM 2.5 , the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for diabetic retinopathy was 1.41 (1.27, 1.57). In subgroup analyses, the effect of PM 2.5 on diabetic retinopathy was significantly stronger in participants who self-reported alcohol consumption. These findings suggest that long-term exposure to high PM 2.5 was associated with the risk of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence is still limited for the role of long-term PM 2.5 exposure in cerebrovascular diseases among residents in high pollution regions. The study is aimed to investigate the long-term effects of PM 2.5 exposure on stroke mortality, and further explore the effect modification of temperature variation on the PM 2.5 -mortality association in northern China. Based on a cohort data with an average follow-up of 9.8 years among 38,435 urban adults, high-resolution estimates of PM 2.5 derived from a satellite-based model were assigned to each participant. A Cox regression model with time-varying exposures and strata of geographic regions was employed to assess the risks of stroke mortality associated with PM 2.5 , after adjusting for individual risk factors. The cross-product term of PM 2.5 exposure and annual temperature range was further added into the regression model to test whether the long-term temperature variation would modify the association of PM 2.5 with stroke mortality. Among the study participants, the annual mean level of PM 2.5 concentration was 66.3 μg/m3 ranging from 39.0 μg/m3 to 100.6 μg/m3. For each 10 μg/m3 increment in PM 2.5 , the hazard ratio (HR) was 1.31 (95% CI: 1.04–1.65) for stroke mortality after multivariable adjustment. In addition, the HRs of PM 2.5 decreased gradually as the increase of annual temperature range with the HRs of 1.95 (95% CI: 1.36–2.81), 1.53 (95% CI: 1.06–2.22), and 1.11 (95% CI: 0.75–1.63) in the low, middle, and high group of annual temperature range, respectively. The findings provided further evidence of long-term PM 2.5 exposure on stroke mortality in high-exposure settings such as northern China, and also highlighted the view that assessing the adverse health effects of air pollution might not ignore the role of temperature variations in the context of climate change. [Display omitted] • The cohort data was combined with satellite-based PM 2.5 at 1-km spatial resolution. • High levels of PM 2.5 exposure increased risk of stroke mortality in northern China. • The stroke mortality-PM 2.5 association was modified by annual temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient air pollution has recently been related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a disease that has caused an economic and health burden worldwide. Evidence of an association between air pollution and T2DM was reported in the United States and Europe. However, few studies have focused on the association with high levels of air pollutants in a developing country. We conducted a 12-year cohort study to assess the incidence and mortality of T2DM associated with long-term exposure to PM 10 , SO 2 , and NO 2. A retrospective cohort with participants from four cities in northern China was conducted to assess mortality and incidence of T2DM from 1998 to 2009. Incidence of T2DM was self-reported, and incident intake of an antidiabetic drug or injection of insulin simultaneously and mortality of T2DM was obtained from a family member and double checked against death certificates provided from the local center for disease control and prevention. Individual pollution exposures were the mean concentrations of pollutants estimated from the local environmental monitoring centers over the survival years. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using Cox regression models after adjusting for potential confounding factors. A total of 39 054 participants were recruited into the mortality cohort, among which 59 subjects died from T2DM; 38 529 participants were analyzed in the incidence cohort, and 1213 developed new cases of T2DM. For each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM 10 , SO 2 , and NO 2 , the adjusted HRs and 95% confidence interval (CI) for diabetic incidence were 1.831 (1.778, 1.886), 1.287 (1.256, 1.318), and 1.472 (1.419, 1.528), respectively. Similar results can be observed in the analysis of diabetic mortality with HRs (95% CI) up to 2.260 (1.732, 2.950), 1.130 (1.042, 1.225), and 1.525 (1.280, 1.816), respectively. Our results suggested that long-term exposure to high levels of PM 10 , SO 2 , and NO 2 increase risk of incident and mortality of T2DM in China. Image 1 • A longitudinal study in China to study the effect of air pollution on diabetes. • PM 10 , SO 2 , and NO 2 were positively associated with diabetes incidence and mortality. • Novel finding: SO 2 is a risk factor of diabetes incidence and mortality in China. • PM 10 contributed the most to the outcomes of diabetes, followed by NO 2 and SO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The associations between particulate matter (PM) exposure, psychosocial stress and blood cell parameters are bringing novel insights to characterize the early damage of multiple diseases. Based on two studies conducted in three Chinses cities using cross-sectional (Beijing, 425 participants) and panel study (Tianjin and Shanghai, 92 participants with 361 repeated measurements) designs, this study explored the associations between short-term exposure to ambient PM and blood cell parameters, and the effect modification by psychosocial stress. Increasing PM 2.5 exposure was significantly associated with decreases in red blood cell (RBC) count and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and increases in mean corpuscular volume (MCV), platelets count (PLT) and platelet hematocrit (PCT) in both studies. For instance, a 10 μg/m3 increment in PM 2.5 concentration was associated with a 1.04% (95%CI: 0.16%, 1.92%) increase in PLT (4-d) and a 1.09% (95%CI: 0.31%, 1.87%) increase in PCT (4-d) in the cross-sectional study, and a 0.64% (95%CI: 0.06%, 1.22%) increase in PLT (1-d) and a 0.72% (95%CI: 0.33%, 1.11%) increase in PCT (1-d) in the panel study, respectively. In addition, stronger increases in MCV, PLT, and PCT associated with PM 2.5 exposure were found in higher psychosocial stress group compared to lower psychosocial stress group (p for interaction <0.10), indicating that blood cell parameters of individuals with higher psychosocial stress might be more susceptible to the early damages of PM 2.5 exposure. • We evaluated the association of PM2.5 and blood cell parameters in two studies. • Short-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with altered blood cell parameters. • Higher psychosocial stress potentiates the effect of PM2.5 on blood cell parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have shown that exposures to ambient particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) and stress are associated with adverse cardiovascular health effects.Objectives: To investigate the potential modifying effect of trait anxiety on the association between short-term exposures to PM2.5 and HRV variables.Methods: A panel of 92 middle-aged and elderly adults in Tianjin and Shanghai were recruited for repeated follow-ups with measurements of 24-h personal exposures to air pollutants and Holter ECG monitoring. Heart rate variability (HRV) variables calculated over 5-minute segments during the 24 h, including low frequency power (LF), high frequency power (HF), standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN) and root mean square of successive differences (rMSSD), were included in the analysis. The Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to investigate the long-term general anxiety level of the participants. Generalized linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze the association between exposure factors and HRV variables, and potential effect modification by trait anxiety.Results: Data on 87 participants were included in final analysis after exclusions. Higher exposure to PM2.5 was associated with lower levels of LF, HF, SDNN and rMSSD, and the largest decreases in LF, HF, SDNN and rMSSD were found at 3-h moving average. Trait anxiety significantly modified the associations of PM2.5 with LF, HF, SDNN and rMSSD, with stronger inverse associations found in high trait anxiety group than in low trait anxiety group. For an IQR (27.3 μg/m³) increase in PM2.5 at 3-h moving average, there were decreases of 3.50% (95% CI: -4.46%, -2.54%) and 3.50% (95% CI: -4.49%, -2.50%) in the high trait anxiety group, and decreases of 0.81% (95% CI: -1.22%, -0.40%) and 0.65% (95% CI: -1.07%, -0.23%) in the low trait anxiety group in HF and rMSSD, respectively (both p for interaction<0.01).Conclusion: Our study suggests that trait anxiety could modify the association of short-term exposure to PM2.5 with HRV variables, indicating that higher trait anxiety may increase the cardiac susceptibility to air pollution in the study participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A growing body of evidence has confirmed the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ocular diseases, but little is known on the effect of long-term PM2.5 exposure on glaucoma.Methods: A national cross-sectional study of the Rural Epidemiology for Glaucoma was conducted in 10 provinces of China, and 33,701 adults aged 40 years or more were included. A satellite-based model at 1-km resolution level was used to estimate PM2.5 concentrations which were assigned to each participant according to geocoded home addresses. Logistic regression model was performed to investigate associations of long-term PM2.5 exposure with glaucoma and its subtypes.Results: Estimated PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 28.0 to 96.4 μg/m3. For each 10 μg/m3 increment in PM2.5, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were 1.07 (95% CI: 1.00-1.15) and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.02-1.26) for glaucoma and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG), respectively. A positive but non-significant association (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.92-1.18) was detected between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and odds of primary open-angle glaucoma. The middle aged residents and non-smokers were more sensitive to the adverse effects of PM2.5.Conclusions: Long-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with glaucoma and PACG in Chinese adults, which provided new insights on adverse ophthalmic effect of PM2.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence regarding the effects of ambient air pollution on new stage 1 hypertension defined by the 2017 ACC/AHA Hypertension Guideline remains sparse. To investigate the association of long-term exposure to ambient PM 2.5 with stage 1 hypertension and to explore the mediating and modifying effects of PM 2.5 on cardiovascular disease (CVD). A total of 32,135 participants aged 18–80 years were recruited in 2017. The three-year (2014–2016) average PM 2.5 concentrations were assessed by a spatial statistical model. Blood pressure (BP) was divided into four categories according to the 2017 ACC/AHA Hypertension Guideline: normal BP (SBP<120 mmHg and DBP<80 mmHg), elevated BP (SBP 120–129 mmHg and DBP<80 mmHg), stage 1 hypertension (SBP 130–139 mmHg or DBP 80–89 mmHg), and stage 2 hypertension (SBP≥140 mmHg or DBP≥90 mmHg or taking antihypertensive medications). The associations of PM 2.5 with BP categories were estimated by two-level generalized linear mixed models. Analyses stratified by age, mediation and interaction analyses of PM 2.5 and stage 1 hypertension with CVD were performed. We detected a positive significant association between long-term exposure to PM 2.5 and stage 1 hypertension. Compared to normal BP, the OR was 1.05 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.08) per 10 μg/m3 increase in PM 2.5. The association was stronger than that of elevated BP but weaker than that of stage 2 hypertension. Stage 1 hypertension only partially mediated the association between PM 2.5 and CVD, and the mediation proportions ranged from 1.55% to 11.00%. However, it modified the association between PM 2.5 and CVD, which was greater in participants with stage 1 hypertension (OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.43, 1.93) than in participants with normal BP (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.57), with P interaction <0.001. In the analysis stratified by age, the above associations were age-specific, and significant associations were only observed in the young and middle-aged (<60 years) groups. Long-term exposure to ambient PM 2.5 was significantly associated with stage 1 hypertension. This earlier stage of hypertension may be a trigger BP range for adverse effects of air pollution in the development of hypertension and CVD, especially in young and middle-aged individuals. [Display omitted] • Evidence regarding the effects of ambient air pollution on new stage 1 hypertension remains sparse. • Long-term exposure to ambient PM 2.5 was significantly associated with stage 1 hypertension. • Stage 1 hypertension may be a trigger for adverse effects of PM 2.5 in CVD development in young and middle-aged groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate matter with diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ) has been identified as a significant air pollutant contributing to premature mortality. Nevertheless, the specific compositions within PM 2.5 that play the most crucial role remain unclear, especially in areas with high pollution concentrations. This study aims to investigate the individual and joint mortality risks associated with PM 2.5 inorganic chemical compositions and identify primary contributors. In 1998, we conducted a prospective cohort study in four northern Chinese cities (Tianjin, Shenyang, Taiyuan, and Rizhao). Satellite-based machine learning models calculated PM 2.5 inorganic chemical compositions, including sulfate (SO 4 2- ), nitrate (NO 3 - ), ammonium (NH 4 + ), and chloride (Cl - ). A time-varying Cox proportional hazards model was applied to analyze associations between these compositions and cardiorespiratory mortality, encompassing nonaccidental causes, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), nonmalignant respiratory diseases (RDs), and lung cancer. The quantile-based g-computation model evaluated joint exposure effects and relative contributions of the compositions. Stratified analysis was used to identify vulnerable subpopulations. During 785,807 person-years of follow-up, 5812 (15.5%) deaths occurred from nonaccidental causes, including 2932 (7.8%) from all CVDs, 479 (1.3%) from nonmalignant RDs, and 552 (1.4%) from lung cancer. Every interquartile range (IQR) increase in SO 4 2- was associated with mortality from nonaccidental causes (hazard ratio: 1.860; 95% confidence interval: 1.809, 1.911), CVDs (1.909; 1.836, 1.985), nonmalignant RDs (2.178; 1.975, 2.403), and lung cancer (1.773; 1.624, 1.937). In the joint exposure model, a simultaneous rise of one IQR in all four compositions increased the risk of cardiorespiratory mortality by at least 36.3%, with long-term exposure to SO 4 2- contributing the most to nonaccidental and cardiopulmonary deaths. Individuals with higher incomes and lower education levels were found to be more vulnerable. Long-term exposure to higher levels of PM 2.5 inorganic compositions was associated with significantly increased cardiopulmonary mortality, with SO 4 2- potentially being the primary contributor. These findings offer insights into how PM 2.5 sources impact health, aiding the development of more effective governance measures., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Co-published by Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and American Chemical Society.)

Previous studies have shown that exposure to black carbon (BC, a tracer of traffic-related air pollution) and psychosocial stress are both associated with adverse cardiac effects, but whether psychosocial stress could modify the cardiac effects of BC is unclear. To investigate the potential modifying effect of psychosocial stress on the associations between acute exposure to BC and typical cardiac health variables, real-time personal 24 h measurements were conducted in a repeated-measure study among adults with elevated blood pressure (high-risk group) and a panel study among normal adults (low-risk group) in China. Measured cardiac health variables included ST-segment depression events, heart rate, and heart rate variability (HRV) variables. Perceived Stress Scale, State Anxiety Inventory and Self-rating Depression Scale were used to assess the recent psychosocial stress status of the participants, and a composite stress index was established based on these scales. Generalized linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze the associations between BC exposure and cardiac health variables and potential effect modification by psychosocial stress. A total of 97 24 h measurements among 97 participants in the repeated-measure study and 202 24 h measurements among 87 participants in the panel study were included in the final analysis. Acute BC exposure was significantly associated with increased ST-segment depression events and heart rate and decreases in HRV in both studies. The marginal effects of acute BC exposure on most cardiac health variables generally tended to be amplified under higher vs low levels of psychosocial stress in both studies, with the composite stress index apparently modifying the associations of BC exposure with most ST-segment depression events and HRV variables. These findings suggest that psychosocial stress may increase the participants' cardiac susceptibility to BC exposure, which could be helpful for the identification of susceptible individuals in the context of traffic-related air pollution., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Co-published by Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and American Chemical Society.)

Introduction: High intake of dietary fiber is associated with lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Dietary fiber, functions as a prebiotic, has a significant impact on intestinal bacteria composition and diversity. The intestinal flora and metabolites generated by fermentation of dietary fiber not only affect the health of intestine but also play a role in many extra-intestinal diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis. However, the role and the mechanism by which a high fiber diet contributes to the development of myocardial infarction is still unclear., Methods and Results: Here we used an in vivo mouse model to investigate whether dietary fiber intake could protect against myocardial infarction. Our study demonstrated high fiber diet significantly improved cardiac function, reduced infarct size and prevented adverse remodeling following myocardial infarction. The protective effects of high fiber diet had a strong relation with its attenuation of inflammation. Moreover, we observed that high fiber diet could modulate the composition of intestinal flora and differentially impacted metabolites production, including the biosynthesis of bile acids and linoleic acid metabolism., Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this study provided mechanistic insights into the curative effect of dietary fiber on myocardial infarction with a specific emphasis on the potential role of microbiota-metabolism-immunity interactions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhao, Cheng, Lu, Shan, Zhang, Sun, Kang, Xie and Xu.)

Several literatures have examined the risk of chronic respiratory diseases in association with short-term ambient PM 2.5 exposure in China. However, little evidence has examined the chronic impacts of PM 2.5 exposure on morbidity of chronic respiratory diseases in cohorts from high pollution countries. Our study aims to investigate the associations. Based on a retrospective cohort among adults in northern China, a Cox regression model with time-varying PM 2.5 exposure and a concentration-response (C-R) curve model were performed to access the relationships between incidence of chronic respiratory diseases and long-term PM 2.5 exposure during a mean follow-up time of 9.8 years. Individual annual average PM 2.5 estimates were obtained from a satellite-based model with high resolution. The incident date of a chronic respiratory disease was identified according to self-reported physician diagnosis time and/or intake of medication for treatment. Among 38,047 urban subjects analyzed in all-cause chronic respiratory disease cohort, 482 developed new cases. In CB (38,369), asthma (38,783), and COPD (38,921) cohorts, the onsets were 276, 89, and 14, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for morbidity of all-cause chronic respiratory disease, CB, asthma, and COPD were 1.15 (1.01, 1.31), 1.20 (1.00, 1.42), 0.76 (0.55, 1.04), and 0.66 (0.29, 1.47) with each 10 μg/m 3 increment in PM 2.5 , respectively. Stronger effect estimates were suggested in alcohol drinkers across stratified analyses. Additionally, the shape of C-R curve showed an increasing linear relationship before 75.00 μg/m 3 concentrations of PM 2.5 for new-onset all-cause chronic respiratory disease, and leveled off at higher levels. These findings indicated that long-term exposure to high-level PM 2.5 increased the risks of incident chronic respiratory diseases in China. Further evidence of C-R curves is warranted to clarify the associations of adverse chronic respiratory outcomes involving air pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Inhibition of sympathetic activity and renin-angiotensin system with renal denervation (RDN) was proved to be effective in managing refractory hypertension, and improving left ventricular (LV) performance in chronic heart failure. The inhibition of sustained sympathetic activation prevents or delays the development of cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction that occurs after myocardial infarction and ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. The translational efficiency of RDN remains to be defined in preclinical animal studies., Objectives: This study investigated the therapeutic role of RDN in adverse remodeling and intramyocardial inflammation in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury., Methods: Herein, 15 minipigs were subjected to 90-min percutaneous occlusion of the left anterior descending artery followed by reperfusion. Eight animals received simultaneous RDN using catheter-based radiofrequency ablation (MI/R-RDN). Cardiac function and infarct volume were measured in vivo , followed by histological and biochemical analyses., Results: The infarct volume in I/R-RDN pigs reduced at 30 days postreperfusion, compared to I/R-Sham animals. The levels of catecholamine and cytokines in the serum, kidney cortex, the border, and infarcted regions of the heart were significantly reduced in I/R-RDN group. Moreover, the gene expression of collagen and the protein expression of adrenergic receptor beta 1 in heart were also decreased in I/R-RDN mice. Additionally, RDN therapy alleviated myocardial oxidative stress., Conclusion: RDN is an effective therapeutic strategy for counteracting postreperfusion myocardial injury and dysfunction, and the application of RDN holds promising prospects in clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Qi, Gu, Dai, Shan, Li, Gong, Chang, Hao, Duan, Xu, Hu, Mu, Zhang, Lu, Wang, Wu, Li, Kang and Xu.)

Evidence is still limited for the role of long-term PM 2.5 exposure in cerebrovascular diseases among residents in high pollution regions. The study is aimed to investigate the long-term effects of PM 2.5 exposure on stroke mortality, and further explore the effect modification of temperature variation on the PM 2.5 -mortality association in northern China. Based on a cohort data with an average follow-up of 9.8 years among 38,435 urban adults, high-resolution estimates of PM 2.5 derived from a satellite-based model were assigned to each participant. A Cox regression model with time-varying exposures and strata of geographic regions was employed to assess the risks of stroke mortality associated with PM 2.5 , after adjusting for individual risk factors. The cross-product term of PM 2.5 exposure and annual temperature range was further added into the regression model to test whether the long-term temperature variation would modify the association of PM 2.5 with stroke mortality. Among the study participants, the annual mean level of PM 2.5 concentration was 66.3 μg/m 3 ranging from 39.0 μg/m 3 to 100.6 μg/m 3 . For each 10 μg/m 3 increment in PM 2.5 , the hazard ratio (HR) was 1.31 (95% CI: 1.04-1.65) for stroke mortality after multivariable adjustment. In addition, the HRs of PM 2.5 decreased gradually as the increase of annual temperature range with the HRs of 1.95 (95% CI: 1.36-2.81), 1.53 (95% CI: 1.06-2.22), and 1.11 (95% CI: 0.75-1.63) in the low, middle, and high group of annual temperature range, respectively. The findings provided further evidence of long-term PM 2.5 exposure on stroke mortality in high-exposure settings such as northern China, and also highlighted the view that assessing the adverse health effects of air pollution might not ignore the role of temperature variations in the context of climate change., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To evaluate the contributions of elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] to the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the general Chinese community population according to different lipid profiles., Methods: We recruited individuals aged over 18 years from the baseline survey of the Cohort Study on Chronic Disease of Communities Natural Population in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei (CHCN-BTH) using a stratified, multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected through questionnaire surveys, anthropometric measures and laboratory tests. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) functions, multivariate logistic regression, sensitivity analyses and stratified analyses were used to evaluate the association between Lp(a) and CHD., Results: A total of 25,343 participants were included, with 1,364 (5.38%) identified as having CHD. Elevated Lp(a) levels were linearly related to an increased risk of CHD (P overall-association <0.0001 and P nonlinear-association =0.8468). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that subjects with Lp(a) ≥300 mg/L had a higher risk of CHD [OR (95% CI): 1.36 (1.17, 1.57)] than did individuals with Lp(a) <300 mg/L. Compared with individuals with Lp(a) <119.0 mg/L (<50th percentile), the ORs (95% CI) for CHD in the 51st-80th, 81st-95th and >95th percentiles were 1.07 (0.93, 1.23), 1.26 (1.07, 1.50) and 1.68 (1.30, 2.17), respectively (P for trend <0.0001). This association was also found among the subgroup of subjects without dyslipidemia, including those with normal total cholesterol (TC) (<6.2 mmol/L), triglycerides (TG) (<2.3 mmol/L), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (≥1.0 mmol/L) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (<4.1 mmol/L). Elevated Lp(a) and dyslipidemia significantly contributed to a higher risk of CHD with synergistic effects. Stratified analyses showed that elevated Lp(a) concentrations were significantly associated with an increased risk of CHD in the subgroups of individuals who were noncurrent drinkers, overweight individuals, individuals with hypertension, individuals who engaged in moderate physical activity, those without diabetes mellitus and individuals in Beijing and Tianjin., Conclusions: Elevated Lp(a) concentrations were linearly associated with a higher risk of CHD in the general Chinese community population, especially in normolipidemic subjects. Both dyslipidemia and elevated Lp(a) independently or synergistically contributed to the risk of CHD. Our results suggest that more attention should be paid to the levels of Lp(a) in normolipidemic subjects, which may be an early predictor of CHD., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm-20-3899). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

The mechanism underlying thrombosis in atrial fibrillation (AF) is not yet clearly understood. The apelin/APJ axis parallel and counter-regulate with the angiotensin system. The present study hypothesizes that apelin/APJ axis exert its anti-thrombus effect in normal left atrial tissue and is disrupted by up-regulated renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) signaling during AF. The specimens of left atrial appendages collected from patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis who underwent valve replacement were divided into 3 groups: sinus rhythm, AF + /thrombus - , and AF + /thrombus + . The amounts of angiotensin II receptor subtype 1 (AT1), apelin/APJ and its downstream plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were detected by western blot. The expression of apelin/APJ was significantly decreased in the AF + /thrombus + group compared with the sinus rhythm and AF + /thrombus - groups. Meanwhile the expressions of AT1 and PAI-1 were highest in the AF + /thrombus + group compared to the other two groups. Taken together, the present study reveals apelin/APJ axis might be correlated with thrombosis in patients with AF mediated by PAI-1.