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Background: Previous studies have suggested that exposures to heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and selenium) may be associated with differences in blood pressure. However, the findings of these studies have been inconsistent. This study was performed to examine the associations between urinary heavy metal concentrations and blood pressure among residents of four Asian countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, and Vietnam)., Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 1899 adults in four Asian countries. Urinary concentrations of heavy metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A questionnaire survey was administered regarding individual characteristics. Anthropometric measurements (height and weight) were performed. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured after a short rest. Multiple linear regression models were applied to investigate associations between urinary heavy metal concentrations and blood pressure after adjustments for age, sex, and body mass index., Results: The geometric means of the urinary concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and selenium were 84.6, 0.885, 2.09, and 16.5 μg/g creatinine, respectively. The urinary arsenic concentrations were slightly higher than those typically reported in non-polluted populations, while urinary cadmium, lead, and selenium concentrations were equivalent or slightly lower. The urinary lead concentrations were positively associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but urinary selenium concentrations were negatively associated with them., Conclusions: Variations in the urinary concentrations of lead and selenium were associated with blood pressure at low levels of exposure/intake., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Arsenic exposure in postnatal life impacts the growth of children, but little is known about the effect of in-utero arsenic exposure on growth very early in childhood. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between in-utero arsenic exposure and the growth of infants from birth to 6 months of age using monthly follow-up data. A prospective cohort study was conducted in rural areas of Bangladesh with 108 mother-infant pairs. This study identified a negative association between in-utero arsenic exposure and head circumference of infants 1-6 months of age (coefficient = -1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.97, -0.42), and the effect was more pronounced in the earlier ages of 1-3 months (coefficient = -0.88, 95% CI: -1.70, -0.05). Because head circumference is considered as a surrogate of brain size, our findings suggest that in-utero arsenic exposure influences brain growth during an important developmental period.

Background: It has been suggested that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) adversely affects cardiovascular health. However, the effect modifications by individual characteristics and season have been less studied in developing countries where PM 2.5 levels are high., Objectives: To estimate the risks of cardiovascular emergency room visits in relation to daily concentrations of PM 2.5 and to assess how these associations can be modified by age, sex, and nutritional status of patients and by season., Methods: The analytic sample was 6774 adults who visited the emergency room at a cardiovascular disease (CVD) hospital in Dhaka throughout one year (n = 364 days). A time-stratified case-crossover design with conditional Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of visits while adjusting for temperature. Stratification was performed by gender, age (<65 and ≥65 years), BMI (underweight, normal weight, overweight), and season (dry summer: February to April; wet summer: May to October; dry winter: November to January)., Results: The mean concentration of PM 2.5 was 86.1 μg/m 3 . An IQR increase (103 μg/m 3 ) in PM 2.5 at lag 3 was significantly associated with a 12% (RR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.01-1.23) increase in CVD emergency room visits. No evidence of association was found for the other lags. Underweight and overweight patients showed evidence of increased risk at lag 2 (RR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.02-1.67) and lag 4 (RR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.04-1.39), respectively., Conclusion: Increases in the daily concentrations of PM 2.5 may lead to more cardiovascular emergency room visits in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Response times from ambient exposure to CVD emergency visits may differ by season and the nutritional status of susceptible individuals, necessitating further research., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)