Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine最新文献

Background: Recent studies have provided compelling evidence that exposure to brominated flame retardants (BFRs) can adversely affect human health. We aim to explore the potential impact of BFRs on adiposity and central obesity.

Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) cycles conducted between 2009 and 2014 was used to study the connections between variables. After filtering, we analyzed a sample of 4,110 adults aged 20 years and above. Our goal was to examine the potential association between BFRs and consequences and investigate the part played by oxidative stress and inflammatory markers as intermediaries. To achieve this, we used advanced statistical methods such as weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, quantile-based g-computation (QGC), and the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR).

Results: The findings showed that among the examined chemicals, exposure to PBDE85 (weight: 41%), PBDE100 (24%), and PBB153 (23%) may be the dominant contributors to general obesity risk. Upon controlling for all variables that could impact the results, it was found that the QGC outcomes indicated a positive correlation between exposure to mixtures of brominated flame retardants and the occurrence of abdominal obesity (OR = 1.187, 95% CI: 1.056-1.334, p = 0.004). Significant contributions were made by PBDE85 (52%), PBB153 (27%), and PBDE100 (21%). Mediation analysis shows that lymphatic cells (LC) and albumin (ALB) partially mediate the link between brominated flame retardants and obesity. The results of BKMR are generally consistent with those of WQS and QGC.

Conclusion: At a population level, our research has revealed a noteworthy correlation between BFRs and obesity. However, further investigation is required through prospective cohort studies and in-depth mechanistic exploratory studies.

Background: Long screen time hours may be associated with behavioral problems in children. To better understand the relationship between children's behavioral problems and screen time, it the associated risk factors must be subdivided based on the purpose underlying screen use. This study examined the relationship between screen time based on intended usage and behavioral problems in Japan.

Methods: This study included 3,332 children aged between 7-17 years from the Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health. From October 2020 to October 2021, the children and their parents answered questionnaires on the children's screen use duration (never used, <30 min, ≥30 min & <1 hour, ≥1 h & <2 h, ≥2 h) based on seven intended usage categories: watching television/video, video gaming, reading books/comics, sending/receiving e-mail/messages, browsing/posting on social networking services, studying for classes/homework, drawing/editing pictures/photos/videos, along with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between screen time, purpose of children's screen use, and behavioral problems across the 13 SDQ total scores.

Results: The mean ± standard deviation age of the participants was 12.4 ± 2.4-years-old, 487 (14.6%) children were determined to have behavioral problems, and the duration of screen time increased with their age. The children's primary purposes for screen use were watching television/video, video gaming, sending/receiving e-mail/messages, and browsing/posting on social networking services. Children who reported playing video games for ≥2 hours on weekdays had higher odds of problematic total difficulties scores than never user (Odds Ratio: 2.10, 95% confidence interval: 1.45-3.06).

Conclusion: Long video gaming screen time is associated with behavioral issues, hyperactivity/inattention, and prosocial behaviors in children. Conversely, watching television and videos for 30 min-1 h per day, using e-mail or messaging, and using social networking services were significantly association with reduced odds ratio for peer relationship problems as compared to children who never engaged in these activities. Longitudinal follow-up is needed to further examine screen time and problem behaviors.

Background: Growing up with a sibling with a chronic health problem or a disability requiring assistance can affect the lives of the family members in various ways. Previous studies documented health problems among siblings of children with a chronic health problem or a disability. However, these studies are limited in that they tend to rely on small convenience samples of children with specific illnesses/disabilities. This study aims to investigate mental health and self-rated health status of siblings of such children using data from a population study in Japan.

Methods: We used data from the 2016 wave of Japan's Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions. The analytic sample included 16,510 adolescents aged 15-19 years who were living with a sibling with or without care needs. The outcomes were psychological distress as defined by K6 score of 13 or higher and poor self-rated health. We examined these health outcomes of adolescents who have a sibling with care needs to relative to adolescents with a sibling without such needs via logistic regression.

Results: Adolescents who live with a sibling with care needs were more likely to have psychological distress (Odds Ratio (OR) 2.47; 95% Confidence Interval (CI), 1.46-4.17) and poor self-rated health (OR 2.21; 95% CI, 1.30-3.75). These associations were more pronounced in post-high school age (18-19 years old) group than in high school age (15-18 years old) group.

Conclusion: The presence of a child with care needs in the household was associated with spillover psychological distress and poorer subjective health among siblings. Providing support for children/adolescents with care needs may have additional benefits in terms of well-being of their siblings.

Background: Difficulty awakening is a common concern among adolescents and contributes to school absenteeism. Although cross-sectional studies suggest that commuting times, internet usage, and sleep disturbances are associated with school attendance problems, few have specifically focused on adolescents. We aimed to examine the factors contributing to school absenteeism due to difficulty awakening in Japanese high school students.

Methods: In this longitudinal cohort study, data were prospectively collected between 2016 and 2018 from 54 high schools in a prefecture of Western Japan. Tenth-grade students (n = 6,121) without tardiness (n = 5,812) or absences (n = 5,946) at baseline were recruited. The outcome of interest was school absenteeism due to difficulty awakening, which included both tardiness and absences (≥2 days/month). Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the associations between commuting time and lifestyle factors after adjusting for confounders.

Results: The incidence rates of tardiness and absences due to difficulty awakening were 19.3 and 9.6 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. Common risk factors for absenteeism included prolonged internet usage (≥5 h) and dissatisfaction with school. Protective factors for school tardiness included study time and participation in extracurricular sports activities (both ≥2 h). Long commuting time (≥1 h) was associated with a higher risk of school absences.

Conclusions: Long commuting times, prolonged internet usage, and poor school satisfaction increased the risk of school absenteeism due to difficulty awakening. Promoting academic engagement and extracurricular activities may help reduce absenteeism. Interventions that increase school satisfaction, such as providing learning opportunities outside of school, supporting extracurricular activities, and improving the school environment, may be effective prevention strategies.

Background: Although the global COVID-19 mortality rate is decreasing, COVID-19 remains an infectious disease with a high mortality rate, especially in older adults and individuals with comorbidities. In Japan, mask-wearing has been left to individual discretion since March 13, 2023, but remains a key protective measure. This study aimed to identify factors influencing individual mask-wearing behavior in post COVID-19 era, with a focus on risk factors for severe COVID-19.

Methods: Data from 33,000 participants, obtained from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey 2023, were used, which was conducted from September 25 to November 17, 2023. Participants were randomly selected from approximately 2.2 million panelists from a nationwide Japanese Internet research company, with sampling adjusted by age, sex, and living area to match the population distribution in Japan. The association between wearing a mask and risk factors for severe COVID-19 (age, sex, smoking, COVID-19 vaccination, history of COVID-19, body mass index (BMI), and comorbid conditions) was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: In total, 28,481 individuals were included, of whom 18,371 (64.5%) answered that they wore masks. After adjusting for confounders, older age (adjusted relative risk [RR], 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.45-1.55 for "75-83" years), no history of COVID-19 (adjusted RR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.04-1.08), low BMI (adjusted RR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.07), and increased number of comorbid conditions (adjusted RR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.05-1.18 for three or more) were significant positive factors for wearing a mask. In contrast, men (adjusted RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.87-0.90), no COVID-19 vaccination (adjusted RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.76-0.81), and current smoking history (adjusted RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-0.99) were significant negative factors.

Conclusion: We demonstrated that mask-wearing behavior differed based on individual risk factors for severe COVID-19, with some risk factors negatively influencing mask use in Japan. It may be necessary to recommend mask-wearing for these individuals, especially during situations such as COVID-19 epidemic season or the onset of epidemics, considering individual mask-wearing behavior.

Background: Previous studies have shown that old age and cold temperatures are risk factors for bathing-related accidents (BRAs) in Japan. The differences between outdoor and indoor temperatures are believed to depend on the housing type (detached houses or apartment buildings). This study aimed to investigate the associations between age, temperature, and BRAs according to housing type in Japan.

Methods: We included cases in which patients were transported by ambulance from domestic bathrooms between April 2016 and March 2022 in Nagoya city. Age-specific BRA incidence rates measured by 5-year age groups, temperature-specific age-adjusted standardized incidence rates (SIRs) for BRA calculated by temperature quintile groups, and the BRA risk regarding temperature based on a time-stratified case-crossover (CCO) design were compared between detached houses and apartment buildings.

Results: We observed 4,848 ambulance dispatches owing to BRAs (3,083 in detached houses and 1,765 in apartment buildings; SIR for detached houses compared to apartment buildings: 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33-1.43). The ratio of detached houses to apartment buildings in the age-specific BRA incidence was almost the same in middle-aged people, but it significantly increased from the age of 70 years onward (incidence rate ratio for the 70-74-years age group: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.43-2.11). Temperature-specific SIR for detached houses compared to apartment buildings was not significantly different in the hottest temperature quintile but increased significantly in the other colder temperature quintiles (SIR in coldest quintile: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.47-1.66). BRA risk based on CCO design increased significantly with a decrease in temperature in detached houses (risk ratio [RR] for 3 °C: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.05-1.47), but not in apartment buildings (RR for 3 °C: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.86-1.34).

Conclusions: Detached houses had higher BRA incidence rates than apartments. Older age and lower temperatures, which are risk factors for BRAs, were more prevalent in detached houses than in apartment buildings. Thus, public health measures that focus on detached houses are necessary for preventing BRAs in Japan.

Background: To date, results on relationship between CYP3A4 gene polymorphism were limited and inconclusive, and no study focused on the influence of CYP3A4 gene-obesity interaction on breast cancer risk, especially in Chinese women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CYP3A4 gene, the SNP-SNP and gene-environment interactions on the susceptibility to breast cancer in Chinese women.

Methods: Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between four SNPs of CYP3A4 gene and the risk of breast cancer. Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) was used to screen the best SNP-SNP and gene-abdominal obesity interaction combinations among four SNPs and abdominal obesity. Haplotype examination among 4 SNPs was conducted using the SHEsis web-based platform.

Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that carriers of rs2242480- T allele have significantly higher breast cancer risk, than those with rs2242480- CC genotype, adjusted OR (95%CI) was 1.68 (1.23-2.16) and 2.03 (1.53-2.58) for participants with CT genotype and TT genotype under additive model. We did not find any notable interactions between the four SNPs within the CYP3A4 gene. GMDR model found a significant association in a two-locus model involving rs2242480 and obesity, with a p-value of 0.018. Stratified analysis found that breast cancer risk was the highest in obese participants with rs2242480- CT or TT genotype, compared to those non-obese participants with rs2242480- CC genotype, OR (95%CI) was 3.02 (1.83-4.25). We found that all haplotype combinations were not correlated with breast cancer risk.

Conclusions: We found that the T allele of rs2242480 within the CYP3A4 gene and interaction between rs2242480 and obesity were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. However, the results of this study were only applicable to the Han ethnic group and cannot be generalized to other ethnic groups in China, and more SNPs of CYP3A4 gene should been enrolled in the analysis in the future, to verify the results obtained in this study.

Background: Many factors are associated with the development and progression of liver fat and fibrosis; however, genetics and the gut microbiota are representative factors. Moreover, recent studies have indicated a link between host genes and the gut microbiota. This study investigated the effect of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 (C > G), which has been reported to be most involved in the onset and progression of fatty liver, on liver fat and fibrosis in a cohort study related to gut microbiota in a non-fatty liver population.

Methods: This cohort study included 214 participants from the health check-up project in 2018 and 2022 who had non-fatty liver with controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values <248 dB/m by FibroScan and were non-drinkers. Changes in CAP values and liver stiffness measurement (LSM), liver-related items, and gut microbiota from 2018 to 2022 were investigated separately for PNPLA3 rs738409 CC, CG, and GG genotypes.

Results: Baseline values showed no difference among the PNPLA3 rs738409 genotypes for any of the measurement items. From 2018 to 2022, the PNPLA3 rs738409 CG and GG genotype groups showed a significant increase in CAP and body mass index; no significant change was observed in the CC genotype group. LSM increased in all genotypes, but the rate of increase was highest in the GG genotype, followed by the CG and CC genotypes. Fasting blood glucose levels increased in all genotypes; however, HOMA-IR (Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance) increased significantly only in the GG genotype. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels significantly increased in all genotypes, whereas triglycerides did not show any significant changes in any genotype. As for the gut microbiota, the relative abundance of Feacalibacterium in the PNPLA3 rs738409 GG genotype decreased by 2% over 4 years, more than 2-fold compared to CC and GG genotypes. Blautia increased significantly in the CC group.

Conclusion: The results suggest that PNPLA3 G-allele carriers of non-fatty liver develop liver fat and fibrosis due to not only obesity and insulin resistance but also the deterioration of gut microbiota, which may require a relatively long course of time, even years.

Background: There is growing evidence that the occurrence and severity of respiratory diseases in children are related to the concentration of air pollutants. Nonetheless, evidence regarding the association between short-term exposure to air pollution and outpatient visits for respiratory diseases in children remains limited. Outpatients cover a wide range of disease severity, including both severe and mild cases, some of which may need to be transferred to inpatient treatment. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the impact of short-term ambient air pollution exposure on outpatient visits for respiratory conditions in children.

Methods: This study employed data of the Second People's Hospital of Yichang from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2023, to conduct a time series analysis. The DLNM approach was integrated with a generalized additive model to examine the daily outpatient visits of pediatric patients with respiratory illnesses in hospital, alongside air pollution data obtained from monitoring stations. Adjustments were made for long-term trends, meteorological variables, and other influencing factors.

Results: A nonlinear association was identified between PM_2.5, PM₁₀, O₃, NO₂, SO₂, CO levels and the daily outpatient visits for respiratory diseases among children. All six pollutants exhibit a hysteresis impact, with varying durations ranging from 4 to 6 days. The risks associated with air pollutants differ across various categories of children's respiratory diseases; notably, O₃ and CO do not show statistical significance concerning the risk of chronic respiratory conditions. Furthermore, the results of infectious respiratory diseases were similar with those of respiratory diseases.

Conclusions: Our results indicated that short-term exposure to air pollutants may contribute to an increased incidence of outpatient visits for respiratory illnesses among children, and controlling air pollution is important to protect children's health.

Background: In response to growing concerns about the health effects of quasi-millimeter waves (qMMW) used in 5th-generation wireless systems, conservative whole-body exposure thresholds based on indirect evidence have been proposed. The guidelines define a whole-body average specific absorption rate (WBA-SAR) of 4 W/kg which causes a 1 °C increase in core temperature, as the operational threshold for adverse health effects. To address the lack of direct evidence, we recently reported that a 30-minute exposure to qMMW at 4.6 W/kg resulted in a 1 °C increase in rat core temperature. Here, we further analyzed the near-threshold stress response for the first time, using biological samples from the aforementioned and additional experiments.

Methods: A total of 59 young Sprague-Dawley rats (240-322 g) were exposed to 28 GHz for 40 minutes at WBA-SARs of 0, 3.7, and 7.2 W/kg, under normal (22.5 °C, 45-55% humidity), and heat (32 °C, 70% humidity) conditions. Rats were restrained in acrylic holders for dose control. We repeatedly measured serum and urinary biomarkers of stress response, aggregated the data, and analyzed them using a single statistical mixed model to subtract the effects of sham exposure and between-subject variation.

Results: Sham exposure induced stress responses, suggesting an effect of restraint. After the subtraction of the sham exposure effect, 28 GHz appeared to induce stress responses as evidenced by elevated serum-free corticosterone 1 or 3 days after the exposure, which was more evident in animals with a change in rectal temperature exceeding 1 °C. Urinary-free catecholamines demonstrated an inhibitory property of 28 GHz frequency exposure on the stress response as evidenced by noradrenaline on the day of exposure. Heat exposure enhanced this effect, suggesting a possible role of noradrenaline in heat dissipation by promoting cutaneous blood flow, a notion supported by the correlation between noradrenaline levels and tail surface temperature, a critical organ for heat dissipation.

Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate that qMMW whole-body exposure can alter the stress response as indicated by corticosterone and noradrenaline at near-threshold levels. Our findings may provide insight into the biological basis of the whole-body exposure thresholds in the international guidelines.