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Objective Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of hospitalization and death among children. Compared to environmental factors, less attention in injury preventive efforts has been paid to how individual characteristics relate to the risk of injury. Using a large prospective cohort, the current study assessed the longitudinal impact of early-life temperament on the cumulative number of injuries until mid-adolescence. Methods The data came from the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC-CZ). Temperament was evaluated by mothers when children were 3 years old (N  = 3,545). The main outcome was the pediatrician-reported sum of child's injuries from age 3 to 15 (seven timepoints). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to determine classes based on temperamental dimensions and then extended to a mixture model with a distal count outcome. The covariates included maternal conflict and attachment, sex, family structure, and maternal education. Results The LPA determined the existence of three classes: shy children (8.1% of the sample; lowest activity/highest shyness), outgoing children (50.8%; highest activity/lowest shyness), and average: children (41.1%; middle values). Results from a mixture model showed that the outgoing temperament was associated with the highest longitudinal risk for injuries, as both average children (IRR = 0.89 [0.80, 0.99]), and the shy children (IRR = 0.80 [0.68, 0.95]) had lower risk. Conclusions Early childhood temperamental differences can have long-term effects on injury risk. Highly active children showed the highest risk for future injuries, suggesting that these characteristics make them more likely to be involved in novel and potentially dangerous situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate Matter (PM) air pollution is a serious concern in the northern Moravia region of the Czech Republic. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the risk of acute hospital admissions for cardiovascular (CVD) and respiratory diseases and PM2.5 concentrations using a geographic information system (GIS). The data on acute hospital admissions for cardiovascular (I00-99 according to ICD-10) and respiratory (J00-99) diseases was assigned to 77 geographical units (population of 601,299) based on the residence. The annual concentrations of PM2.5 in the period from 2013–2019 were assigned to these units according to the respective concentration iso-shapes. The Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for each concentration category and then compared with the reference category. Statistical analyses were performed using SW STATA v.15. In 2013, approx. half of the population (56%) belonged to the PM2.5 category 34–35 µg·m−3, and 4% lived in PM2.5 concentrations ≥ 38 µg·m−3. During the analysed period, the average concentrations decreased from 30.8 to 21.4 µg·m−3. A statistically significant risk of acute hospitalization for CVD causes was identified in categories ≥ 36 µg·m−3, and for respiratory causes from 34–35 µg·m−3. With increasing concentrations, the risk of both acute cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalizations increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hygiena is the property of Statni Zdravotni Ustav and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this work is to summarize the results of epidemiological studies related to the impact of long-term exposure to air pollution on health and to provide a comprehensive overview of the methodology of health risk and impact assessment. Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution is considered to be a significant determinant of health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution contributes annually to 7.6% of deaths (estimate from 2016), and to a decrease in the number of healthy life years. Based upon the results of cohort studies and meta-analyses, the relations between exposure and biological effects were estimated. To effectively manage the risks of air pollution, the World Health Organization has adopted a unified methodology for health impact estimation. The conclusions can be used to communicate about risks with the public, as well as a basis for developing action plans and research priorities at national and international levels. Those health effects are expressed using the Years of Life Lost (YLLs) due to premature deaths or life in disability (YLDs), which originate as a consequence of long-term exposure of inhabitants to air pollutants, especially to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less or equal than 2.5 μm and 10 μm (PM2.5, PM10) and to nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The relations between the exposure and consequences have been described in serious diseases of civilization, which include cerebrovascular diseases (IHD, stroke), malignant tumours of the trachea, bronchi, and lungs (LC), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The long-term exposure to pollutants in ambient air is associated with higher mortality and occurrence of respiratory and cardiopulmonary diseases. The longitudinal cross-section study focuses on the associations between long-term exposures to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic pollutants and the prevalence and incidence of such specific diseases including immunodeficiencies.Methods: The data on health status from industrial and non-industrial regions were obtained from health documentation for a 5-year period from 2007 to 2011 and represent the whole population living in polluted (1,249,323 inhabitants) and unpolluted (631,387 inhabitants) regions. The data on concentrations of PM10, PM2,5, NO2, SO2, benzene and benzo[a]pyrene were collected. The concentrations of pollutants were estimated from measured data by using dispersion models. The average population-weighted concentration of pollutants, which is representative for a defined geographic area and time period from 2007 to 2011, was calculated from the obtained data. The logistic regression and the Mantel-Haenszel χ2 test were used to determine the odds ratios (OR) and p-values for a linear trend. Moreover, the relative risks of mortality and morbidity to specific diseases were calculated according to theoretical dose-response association published by World Health Organization (WHO).Results: The probability of incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma is statistically significantly higher in the population living in the polluted region compared to the population living in the unpolluted region. The association between long-term exposure to pollutants and the prevalence of immunodeficiency with predominantly antibody defects (D80) was confirmed. The strongest association was found for exposures to particulate matter (PM2,5). The prevalence of immunodeficiency with predominantly antibody defects was also observed in both regions depending on the age of the population and statistically significant difference was only found in the group of adults (20 and over).Conclusion: These associations encourage the hypothesis, that the long-term exposure to PM2.5 might cause the activation of cellular immune response. Further research is needed to explore the correlative immunoregulatory mechanism linking PM2.5 (or other pollutants - SO2) and immune cells. Nowadays, it is also believed that these associations are important in the increase of incidence of immune inflammatory response which is proven risk factor for cardiovascular disease (atherosclerotic disease, coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death). Positive association between long-term exposure and prevalence of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease might be skewed due to important socio-economic factors (especially smoking). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hygiena is the property of Statni Zdravotni Ustav and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)