International Journal of Environmental Health Research最新文献

The Mezquital Valley is considered the granary of Hidalgo state, which is located in Mexico, and is inhabited by the indigenous Hñähñu people. In the Alto Mezquital subregion, small-scale subsistence farmers practice both rainfed and irrigated agriculture. The presence and concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in soils from selected agricultural fields were assessed using solid-phase matrix microextraction and gas chromatography. Physicochemical soil characterization was carried out to correlate their effect with the presence of organochlorine compounds. According to the results, DDT and its metabolites (p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDD) were detected in the analyzed soils, suggesting their historical and recent application, even though DDT is banned in Mexico. A positive correlation was found between organochlorine pesticide levels and clay content, indicating that this soil characteristic could influence the retention of these compounds in the soils of the Alto Mezquital. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of conducting studies to assess the adverse environmental and human health impact of DDT and its metabolites.

Coffee parchment, an abundant by-product of coffee processing, is rich in bioactive compounds and represents a nutraceutical resource. This study investigates the differential effects of aqueous and hydro-methanolic coffee parchment extracts on visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) metabolism and oxidative status in an obesity rat model. Dried coffee parchment was used to prepare aqueous extracts using distilled water and ultrasonic treatment, and hydro-methanolic extracts using water/methanol mixture. Male Wistar rats were fed a cafeteria diet to induce obesity, and then treated with aqueous or hydro-methanolic extracts (100 mg/kg/day). SAT and VAT depots were analyzed for lipids, lipogenic/lipolytic enzymes, and redox markers. Coffee parchment supplementation reduced VAT mass, increased SAT mass, improved insulin sensitivity, and restored antioxidant capacity in obese rats. In VAT, both extracts decreased lipids, with enzyme modulation. In SAT, extracts promoted lipid storage via increased lipogenic enzymes with reduced lipolysis. The aqueous extract exerted stronger effects on VAT lipid reduction and subcutaneous fat preservation. In conclusion, parchment polyphenols modulate adipose tissue distribution, shifting lipid storage from metabolically harmful VAT to SAT, while improving systemic metabolic and oxidative status. These findings highlight the potential of coffee parchment as a sustainable functional ingredient for obesity management.

CVS prevalence was found to be 76.9%. Females had higher odds of CVS (OR = 1.834, p = 0.028). Each one-unit increase in screen time was associated with higher odds of CVS (OR = 1.340, p = 0.030). Each one-unit increase in screen distance was associated with higher odds of CVS (OR = 2.153, p = 0.004). Each one-unit increase in room illumination was associated with lower odds of CVS (OR = 0.555, p = 0.015). Those who used at least one protective measure had lower odds of CVS (OR = 0.403, p = 0.006). There was no statistically significant relationship between CVS and academic year, screen brightness, or posture.

These findings highlight the need for spreading awareness and promoting targeted interventions to improve eye health.

Kino, a reddish exudate from Corymbia terminalis traditionally used in Indigenous Australian medicine, was evaluated for its biological activity in vitro using HaCaT human keratinocytes. Methanolic kino extracts were tested for effects on cytocompatibility, migration, and inflammatory response. Morphological and CyQUANT^Ⓡ assays showed dose-dependent suppression of keratinocyte proliferation, while MTT assays indicated preserved metabolic activity. Real-time cell analysis (RTCA) revealed enhanced keratinocyte migration at sub-toxic concentrations (0.8-1.6 μg/mL), suggesting a stimulatory effect on motility. Cytokine profiling demonstrated significant downregulation of IL-8 and biphasic modulation of IL-6. At higher extract concentrations (200 μg/mL), marked anti-inflammatory effects were observed. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX-1/COX-2) was observed, although 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibition remained minimal. These findings indicate that C. terminalis-derived kino extracts possess anti-inflammatory and cytoregulatory properties, supporting their potential therapeutic relevance. Further research is recommended to isolate active constituents and elucidate mechanisms of action.

Studies examining mortality risk related to long-term ozone (O₃) exposure, and the associated concentration response function, have yielded inconsistent results. In addition to different exposure metrics and averaging periods across studies, co-pollutant interactions and population characteristics varying with O₃ exposure level increase the complexity of estimating independent O₃ effects. We conducted a case-control study of Medicare beneficiaries, matching on O₃ exposure decile, to examine all-cause mortality risk along the entire U.S. annual average O₃ distribution during 2015-2016. We calculated odds ratios stratified by decile and examined demographic and co-pollutant characteristics within these deciles. Correlations between O₃, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) were highly variable within deciles and across O₃ exposure metrics. Beneficiary- and zip code-level characteristics, including socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity, varied across O₃ and co-pollutant exposure combinations. Risk estimates for O₃ were generally null, but sensitive to stratification by demographic characteristics and co-pollutant concentrations including Medicaid-eligibility, age, sex, urbanicity, and PM_2.5 and NO₂ exposure levels. PM_2.5 was consistently associated with mortality within most O₃ exposure deciles. Whether our results reflect synergistic effects between O₃ and PM_2.5 and/or residual confounding of SES or co-pollutants, they may explain, at least in part, variability observed in previous studies.

A common factor across chronic liver diseases is oxidative stress, which exacerbates disease pathology irrespective of the underlying causes. Exercise training (ET) and antioxidant-enriched supplements (AES) have emerged as recognized strategies for managing and preventing metabolic disorders, including those affecting liver health. This study conducted an in silico analysis to identify switchable hub genes implicated in environmentally driven fatty liver disease, which were subsequently validated by qPCR. Notably, dysregulation of key genes, including Il1-β, Fabp1, PPAR-γ, Cpt2, and Lxr, was observed in the air pollution (APE) group. Both ET and AES demonstrated regulatory effects on gene expression profiles before and after APE. Furthermore, our findings indicated that the expression levels of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) Neat1 and H19 were significantly enhanced in the APE group. Notably, both ET and AES were shown to modulate the expression levels of these lncRNAs, further supporting the therapeutic potential of these interventions. Overall, our results suggest that APE alters the expression of mRNAs and lncRNAs, contributing to increased inflammation and metabolic disorders, while ET and AES offer promising strategies for the management and prevention of environmentally driven fatty liver disease.

Pakistan has the highest child diarrhoea mortality in South Asia, but the impact of household air pollution from polluting cooking fuels remains understudied. This study explores the association between exposure to such fuels and the odds of diarrhoea in children under five, using PDHS 2017-18 data. Diarrhoea prevalence was based on maternal self-reports of episodes in the past two weeks. Household air pollution exposure was measured using the household's primary cooking fuel. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied, adjusting for socioeconomic, child, maternal, nutritional, and water, sanitation, and hygiene factors. Among 11,947 children included, diarrhoea was reported in 2107 (17.6%). In the fully adjusted model, exposure to polluting cooking fuels was associated with higher odds of diarrhoea (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03-1.25, P-value = 0.013). Fuel-specific analysis showed that children in households using animal dung had the highest odds of diarrhoea (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.06-1.84, P-value = 0.015). Subgroup analyses showed the strongest association among infants under 1 year, children with stunting, and those born to uneducated mothers. This study found that cooking with solid fuels increases childhood diarrhoea in Pakistan. Transitioning to clean fuels is crucial for public health in Pakistan and similar countries to reduce this burden.

Total PM_2.5 mass has been shown to be associated with mumps. However, the individual and joint associations of PM_2.5 components with mumps and the importance of each PM_2.5 component remain unclear. To our knowledge, this ecological study is the first to investigate the associations of PM_2.5 components with mumps. We collected the monthly mumps incidence in Northwest China from 2013 to 2019 to investigate the individual and joint effects of PM_2.5 components on mumps using geographical probes, quantile g-computation (qgcomp), and Bayesian kernel-machine regression (BKMR) models. We found that sulfate (SO₄^2-) and black carbon (BC) were associated with mumps, and SO₄^2- (weight: 0.143) and organic matter (OM) (weight: 0.857) were positively correlated to mumps according to the qgcomp results. BKMR revealed that BC and OM were the dominant factors for the increasing monthly mumps incidence. The joint associations of PM_2.5 components with mumps were positive at the high concentrations, and the single-pollutant models suggested that the individual associations of BC and OM with mumps were positive. Our evidence emphasizes that targeted control of anthropogenic sources of PM_2.5 components (especially BC and OM) can help mitigate the monthly mumps incidence.

Lead is a toxic heavy metal that poses significant health risks, which include neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This review examines the effects of lead neurotoxicity on synaptic pathways which are relatively unexplored and their potential role in the development of ASD. Lead exposure occurs through various environmental sources, including contaminated water, soil, paint, and industrial appliances. Once absorbed, lead accumulates in soft tissues and bones, causes prolonged neurological damage, especially in children. ASD is characterised by impaired communication, repetitive behaviours, and cognitive challenges, with increasing evidence linking environmental factors like heavy metal exposure to its onset. Synaptic signalling disruption is a key aspect of ASD and lead interferes with the synaptic pathways by inhibiting calcium influx, leading to cognitive impairments and memory issues. This review is an overview of the previously reported findings that explains the role of lead in reducing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) function, disrupting the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pathway, and impairing Wnt, GABAergic and dopaminergic signalling pathways. These alterations result in cognitive decline, impaired synaptic plasticity and increased ASD symptoms. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of lead exposure on neurodevelopment.

Urban stormwater management failures lead to floodingg. Potentially toxic elements (PTE) are commonly found in floods exposing population and ecosystems. Flooding is a persistent problem in the city of Hermosillo, Sonora thus PTE concentrations were determined, including threats to receiving ecosystems and population. The PTE concentrations were determined by MP-AES and compared to national and international guidelines. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks were evaluated for adults and children following the EPA protocols. Al, Fe and Zn showed the highest concentrations. The concentrations exceeded consulted guideline criteria. PTE groups were identified relating to their sources and origin: (1) Fe, Mn, Ti and Al, (2) Cu, Cd and Cr, (3) Pb, Ni and Zn. Non-carcinogenic health effects and cancer risk were observed in the analyzed floodwater indicating that management measures should be taken to protect the flood-affected population.