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This study investigated the association between air pollutants and asthma prevalence in male and female Japanese adults. In this retrospective cross-sectional analysis, annual mean exposure levels of air pollutants, specifically nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter with a median aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), were assessed at a local monitoring site. Multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted for genetic and/or lifestyle factors, were used to explore the association between air pollutants and asthma, with stratification by sex. A total of 1,497 participants aged ≥40 years were included. Their mean age was 65.9 ± 12.4 years, with 847 being women. Overall, 91 participants were diagnosed with asthma. In the multivariable model, ambient exposure levels of NO2 and PM2.5 were significantly associated with asthma in women but not in men. This study highlights sex as a significant determinant of the link between air pollutants and asthma exacerbation, particularly among female Japanese adults.

Background and Aim: There are few long-term studies of respiratory health effects of landscape fires, despite increasing frequency and intensity due to climate change. We investigated the association between exposure to coal mine fire PM 2.5 and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) concentration 7.5 years later., Methods: Adult residents of Morwell, who were exposed to the 2014 Hazelwood mine fire over 6 weeks, and unexposed residents of Sale, participated in the Hazelwood Health Study Respiratory Stream in 2021, including measurements of FeNO concentration, a marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Individual exposure to coal mine fire PM 2.5 was modelled and mapped to time-location diaries. The effect of exposure to PM 2.5 on log-transformed FeNO in exhaled breath was investigated using multivariate linear regression models in the entire sample and stratified by potentially vulnerable subgroups., Results: A total of 326 adults (mean age: 57 years) had FeNO measured. The median FeNO level (interquartile range [IQR]) was 17.5 [15.0] ppb, and individual daily exposure to coal mine fire PM 2.5 was 7.2 [13.8] µg/m 3 . We did not identify evidence of association between coal mine fire PM 2.5 exposure and FeNO in the general adult sample, nor in various potentially vulnerable subgroups. The point estimates were consistently close to zero in the total sample and subgroups., Conclusion: Despite previous short-term impacts on FeNO and respiratory health outcomes in the medium term, we found no evidence that PM 2.5 from the Hazelwood coal mine fire was associated with any long-term impact on eosinophilic airway inflammation measured by FeNO levels., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and aim: There are few long-term studies of respiratory health effects of landscape fires, despite increasing frequency and intensity due to climate change. We investigated the association between exposure to coal mine fire PM2.5 and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) concentration 7.5 years later. Methods: Adult residents of Morwell, who were exposed to the 2014 Hazelwood mine fire over 6 weeks, and unexposed residents of Sale, participated in the Hazelwood Health Study Respiratory Stream in 2021, including measurements of FeNO concentration, a marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Individual exposure to coal mine fire PM2.5 was modelled and mapped to time-location diaries. The effect of exposure to PM2.5 on log-transformed FeNO in exhaled breath was investigated using multivariate linear regression models in the entire sample and stratified by potentially vulnerable subgroups. Results: A total of 326 adults (mean age: 57 years) had FeNO measured. The median FeNO level (interquartile range [IQR]) was 17.5 [15.0] ppb, and individual daily exposure to coal mine fire PM2.5 was 7.2 [13.8] µg/m3. We did not identify evidence of association between coal mine fire PM2.5 exposure and FeNO in the general adult sample, nor in various potentially vulnerable subgroups. The point estimates were consistently close to zero in the total sample and subgroups. Conclusion: Despite previous short-term impacts on FeNO and respiratory health outcomes in the medium term, we found no evidence that PM2.5 from the Hazelwood coal mine fire was associated with any long-term impact on eosinophilic airway inflammation measured by FeNO levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: air pollution; aldo-keto reductase; atopic dermatitis; particulate matter; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons EN air pollution aldo-keto reductase atopic dermatitis particulate matter polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 1372 1375 4 05/03/23 20230501 NES 230501 The pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) involves an impairment of the skin barrier by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. While some studies found a significant association between PM exposure and AD symptoms, in particular in children, other studies reported null associations.[[1]] This data inconsistency in airborne PM exposure-related AD may depend on interindividual genetic susceptibilities.[3] A gene that is highly expressed in lesional AD skin[4] and upregulated in PAH-exposed keratinocytes in an aryl hydrocarbon receptor-dependent manner[5] encodes aldo-keto reductase (AKR)1C3. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Abnormal weights, eg, obesity, has shown a strong modifying effect on the association between air pollution exposure and lung function impairment in adults.Research Question: How might weight status modify the effects of long-term air pollution exposure on adolescents' lung function, particularly in areas with pollution levels much lower than the current European Union (EU) air quality standards?Study Design and Methods: In this observational study, we investigated 2,224 adolescents from the German Infant Study on the Influence of Nutrition Intervention Plus Environmental and Genetic Influences on Allergy Development and the Influence of Life Style Factors on the Development of the Immune System and Allergies in East and West Germany birth cohorts. Lung function was measured at age 15 years. Underweight, normal weight, and overweight or obese were defined using percentiles of BMI. Average concentrations of air pollution were modelled at residential addresses at four exposure windows between 0 and 15 years. Multivariate linear regression models were fitted by weight group on lung function with exposure at each window or cumulative exposure since birth.Results: The median air pollution concentrations were half to two-thirds of the EU standards. Significant associations were observed only for individuals who were underweight and overweight or obese. For example, per interquartile range increase in nitrogen dioxide at the 15-year exposure window, FEV1 declined by -2.9% (95% CI, -5.2% to -0.5%) for the underweight group and -3.4% (95% CI, -5.4% to -1.2%) for the overweight or obese group. Similarly, longer exposure to moderate-level air pollution since birth was associated significantly with lung function impairment for groups with abnormal weight.Interpretation: Exposure to low to moderate levels of air pollution was associated with lung function impairment for adolescents with abnormal weight. Longer exposure aggravated the adverse effect. Whether a critical exposure window since birth exists warrants further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Air pollution exposure is associated with reduced lung function and increased cardio-pulmonary mortality (CPM).Objectives: We analyzed the potential mediating effect of reduced lung function on the association between air pollution exposure and CPM.Methods: We used data from the German SALIA cohort including 2527 elderly women (aged 51-56 years at baseline 1985-1994) with 22-year follow-up to CPM. Exposures to PM10, PM2.5, PM2.5 absorbance, NO2 and NOx were assessed by land-use regression modelling and back-extrapolated to estimate exposures at baseline. Lung function (FVC, FEV1) was measured by spirometry and transformed to GLI z-scores. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards and causal proportional hazards mediation analysis models were fitted.Results: The survival analysis showed that reduced lung function (z-scores of FVC or FEV1 below 5% predicted) reflected significantly lower survival probability from CPM (p < 0.0001). Longterm exposures to NOx and NO2 were associated with increased risks of CPM (eg. HR = 1.215; 95%CI: 1.017-1.452 for IQR increase in NOx and HR = 1.209; 95%CI: 1.011-1.445 for IQR increase in NO2) after adjusting for reduced lung function and additional covariates. The associations of PM2.5 absorbance and CPM remained significant in models adjusted for FEV1/FVC, but the associations with PM10 and PM2.5 were not significant. The mediation analysis showed significant indirect effects of NO2 and NOx on CPM mediated through reduced FEV1 and FVC. The largest indirect effects were found for exposures to NO2 (HR = 1.037; 95%CI: 1.005-1.070) and NOx (HR = 1.028; 95%CI: 1.004-1.052) mediated through reduced FVC. The mediated proportion effect ranged from 13.9% to 19.6% in fully adjusted models.Discussion: This study provides insights into the mechanism of reduced lung function in association between long-term air pollution exposure and CPM. The mediated effect was substantial for exposure to nitrogen oxides (NOx and NO2), but less pronounced for PM10 and PM2.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]