Geohealth最新文献

The association between ambient ozone (O₃) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) onset is unclear, particularly for younger patients and AMI subtypes. This study examined the short-term association of O₃ with AMI onset in patients aged 18–55 years and explored differences by AMI subtypes and patient characteristics. We analyzed 2,322 AMI patients admitted to 103 US hospitals (2008–2012). Daily maximum 8-hr O₃ concentrations estimated using a spatiotemporal deep learning approach were assigned to participants' home addresses. We used a time-stratified case-crossover design with conditional logistic regression to assess the association between O₃ and AMI, adjusting for fine particulate matter, air temperature, and relative humidity. We conducted stratified analyses to examine associations for AMI subtypes and effect modification by sociodemographic status, lifestyle factors, and medical history. An interquartile range (16.6 ppb) increase in O₃ concentrations was associated with an increased AMI risk at lag 4 days (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08–1.34) and lag 5 days (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.00–1.24). The association was more pronounced for non-ST-segment elevation AMI and type 2 AMI compared with ST-segment elevation AMI and type 1 AMI, respectively. Stronger O₃-AMI associations were observed in non-Hispanic Blacks than in non-Hispanic Whites. Our study provides evidence that short-term O₃ exposure is associated with increased AMI risk in younger patients, with varying associations across AMI subtypes. The effect modification by race/ethnicity highlights the need for population-specific intervention strategies.

Understanding how the environment shapes our mental and cognitive health is imperative to support efforts that promote healthy and sustainable living conditions. The etiology of mental health conditions remains often unclear, and social factors have received more scrutiny than natural or built environments. We present a conceptual framework illustrating the emerging intersection between the environment and neuropsychological health, intended to structure and guide research and funding, as well as public health and environmental initiatives. We conducted a scoping review of reviews of existing evidence on the impacts of the environment on mental and cognitive health. We found that an extensive body of work was focused on chemical hazards and the built environment and their associations with neurological and mental health, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, dementia, and mood. We identified emerging areas of research intersecting environmental factors such as air, water, light, and green space with schizophrenia and behavioral health. Our analysis of the intersections between the environment and mental and cognitive health allows for the identification of knowledge clusters and gaps, contextualizing needs and opportunities for future research and funding strategies. These significant connections showcase the importance of understanding the relationships between the environment and mental and cognitive health. With this work, we assert that the protection of the environment and its integration into healthcare can bring cascading benefits and synergies to mental and cognitive health and well-being and address the social and economic burden of the mental health crises.

The challenges of human space exploration produce some of humanity's greatest technological and scientific advances, not excluding innovations in medicine. The microgravity environment causes a host of physiological changes, and exposure to dust on the Moon caused considerable pulmonary distress to astronauts during the Apollo missions. As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other organizations prepare for long-duration exploration missions to Mars, the hazards and consequences of the Martian surface need to be accounted for. This review investigates how substances analogous to hazardous components of Martian dust have caused disease in people on Earth. Because of its small grain size, dust on Mars is more likely to cause lung irritation, absorb into the bloodstream, and lead to diseases in astronauts. Toxic components of martian dust include perchlorates, silica, nanophase iron oxides, and gypsum in addition to trace amounts of toxic metals whose abundances are debated: chromium, beryllium, arsenic, and cadmium. Predicted effects of dust exposure ranges from asymptomatic to life-threatening, with many substances being carcinogenic and most damage impacting the pulmonary system. The longer transit time for astronauts to return home makes the operations of performing emergency medical treatment more difficult and increases both the likelihood and consequences of developing chronic disease. Exposure mitigation needs to be prioritized; however, supplements may be taken to prevent disease from breakthrough exposures, and treatment regimens could lessen morbidity and mortality. Treatments and equipment need to be carefully considered and transported with the astronauts to be prepared for all possible scenarios.

Previous studies have reported that around 33 million people in the United States are food insecure, potentially leading to several health outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the geospatial variation of food insecurity and its association with adverse human health outcomes at the state resolution in the United States. The adverse human health outcomes include diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Data sets on diabetes and cardiovascular diseases were compiled from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder database on chronic conditions. The food insecurity data was accessed from the USDA, which compiles the responses to household surveys from the Census Bureau. Mixed-effects regression models were used in this study to analyze the relationships between food insecurity and diabetes, and food insecurity and cardiovascular diseases. The incidence rate ratio was also estimated with 95% confidence intervals for both diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, comparing high food insecurity profiles to low food insecurity profiles. Food insecurity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases showed significantly higher rates in the southern part of the United States relative to other regions. Food insecurity showed significant associations with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a p-value < 0.001. The 95% confidence interval of the incidence rate ratio was estimated as [1.198 1.234] for diabetes incidence and [1.033 1.091] for cardiovascular diseases, indicating a significant increase in both health outcomes while moving from a low food insecurity to a high food insecurity profile.

Nebraska's age-adjusted incidence rates for childhood cancers are among the highest in the US. Previous studies indicated associations between agrichemical exposures (atrazine and nitrates) and pediatric cancer rate, assuming single pollutant exposure. We evaluated the joint association between the agricultural mixture and pediatric cancer. Agrichemical exposures at a county scale were quantified using the USGS Pesticide National Synthesis Project for frequently applied pesticides from 1992 to 2014 in 93 Nebraska counties. Outcomes were quantified using pediatric cancer diagnosed among children <20 years of age (1992–2014) from the Nebraska cancer registry. We adjusted for social vulnerability factors such as race, income, employment, and access to care. The associations between 32 agrichemicals and cancer subtypes were assessed using the Generalized Weighted Quantile Sum Regression (gWQS) model. The model was fit assuming a Poisson distribution and using the pediatric population as an offset-term and social vulnerability factors as covariates. We observed a statistically significant positive association between the 32 agrichemicals and overall pediatric cancer and subtypes. The strength of associations was slightly stronger among brain and CNS cancers (β = 0.36, CI = 0.14, 0.57) compared to overall cancer (β = 0.30, CI = 0.16, 0.44) and leukemia (β = 0.23, CI = 0.09, 0.38). Dicamba, glyphosate, paraquat, quizalofop, triasulfuron, and tefluthrin largely contributed to the joint association. These findings may explain the joint associations of the agrichemical mixture on childhood cancer. Alternative biomarker-based approaches to measuring human exposure are worth investigating for chemicals of concern, particularly in counties with high agrichemical and cancer rates.

Climate and infectious diseases each present critical challenges on a warming planet, as does the influence of climate on disease. Both are governed by nonlinear feedbacks, which drive multi-annual cycles in disease outbreaks and weather patterns. Although climate and weather can influence infectious disease transmission and have spawned rich literature, the interaction between the independent feedbacks of these two systems remains less explored. Here, we demonstrate the potential for long-lasting impacts of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events on disease dynamics using two approaches: interannual perturbations of a generic SIRS model to represent ENSO forcing, and detailed analysis of realistic specific humidity data in an SIRS model with endemic coronavirus (HCoV-HKU1) parameters. Our findings reveal the importance of considering nonlinear feedbacks in susceptible population dynamics for predicting and managing disease risks associated with ENSO-related weather variations.

Extensive lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic caused a remarkable decline in human activities that have influenced urban climate, especially air quality and urban heat islands. However, the impact of such changes on local climate based on long term ground-level observations has hitherto not been investigated. Using air pollution measurements for the four major Canadian metropolitan areas (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary), we find that PM_2.5 markedly decreased during and after lockdowns with peak reduction ranging between 42% and 53% relative to the 2000–2019 reference period. Moreover, we show a substantial decline in canopy urban heat island intensity during lockdown and in the post lockdowns periods with peak reduction ranging between 0.7°C and 1.6°C in comparison with the 20-year preceding period. The results of this study may provide insights for local policymakers to define the regulation strategies to facilitate air quality improvement in urban areas.

Biological soil crusts (or biocrust) are diminutive soil communities with ecological functions disproportionate to their size. These communities are composed of lichens, bryophytes, cyanobacteria, fungi, liverworts, and other microorganisms. Creating stabilizing matrices, these microorganisms interact with soil surface minerals thereby enhancing soil quality by redistributing nutrients and reducing erosion by containment of soil particles. Climatic stressors and anthropogenic disturbances reduce the cover, abundance, and functions of these communities leading to an increase of aeolian dust, invasive plant establishment, reduction of water retention in the environment, and overall poor soil condition. Drylands are the most degraded terrestrial ecosystems on the globe and support a disproportionately large human population. Restoration of biocrust communities in semi-arid and arid ecosystems benefits ecosystem health while decreasing dust emissions. Dust abatement can improve human health directly but also indirectly by reducing pathogenic microbe load circulating in the ambient air. We hypothesize that biocrusts not only reduce pathogen load in the air column but also inhibit the proliferation of certain pathogenic microbes in the soil. We provide a review of mechanisms by which healthy biocrusts in dryland systems may reduce soil-borne pathogens that impact human health. Ecologically sustainable mitigation strategies of biocrust restoration will not only improve soil conditions but could also reduce human exposure to soil-borne pathogens.

Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of <10 μm (PM₁₀) is a well-established health hazard. There is increasing evidence that geogenic (Earth-derived) particles can induce adverse biological effects upon inhalation, though there is high variability in particle bioreactivity that is associated with particle source and physicochemical properties. In this study, we investigated physicochemical properties and biological reactivity of volcanic ash from the April 2021 eruption of La Soufrière volcano, St. Vincent, and two desert dust samples: a standardized test dust from Arizona and an aeolian Gobi Desert dust sampled in China. We determined particle size, morphology, mineralogy, surface texture and chemistry in sub-10 μm material to investigate associations between particle physicochemical properties and observed bioreactivity. We assessed cellular responses (cytotoxic and pro-inflammatory effects) to acute particle exposures (24 hr) in monocultures at the air-liquid interface using two types of cells of the human airways: BEAS-2B bronchial epithelial cells and A549 alveolar type II epithelial cells. In acellular assays, we also assessed particle oxidative potential and the presence of microorganisms. The results showed that volcanic ash and desert dust exhibit intrinsically different particle morphology, surface textures and chemistry, and variable mineralogical content. We found that Gobi Desert dust is more bioreactive than freshly erupted volcanic ash and Arizona test dust, which is possibly linked to the presence of microorganisms (bacteria) and/or nanoscale elongated silicate minerals (potentially clay such as illite or vermiculite) on particle surfaces.

Cognitive impairment and dementia have long been recognized as growing public health threats. Studies have found that air pollution is a potential risk factor for dementia, but the literature remains inconclusive. This study aimed to evaluate the association between three major air pollutants (i.e., PM_2.5, O₃, and NO₂) and cognitive impairment among the Chinese elderly population. Study participants were selected from the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS) after 2005. We define cognitive impairment as a Chinese Mini-Mental-State Exam (CMMSE) score <24. The associations of air pollution with cognitive impairment and CMMSE score were evaluated with a logistic regression model and a linear mixed-effect model with random intercepts, respectively. A total of 3,887 participants were enrolled in this study. Of the 2,882 participants who completed at least one follow-up visit, 931 eventually developed cognitive impairment. In single-pollutant models, we found that yearly average PM_2.5 and NO₂ as well as warm season O₃, were positively associated with cognitive impairment. NO₂ remained positively associated with cognitive impairment in the multi-pollutant model. The linear mixed-effect models revealed that warm season O₃ and yearly average NO₂ were significantly associated with decreased CMMSE scores. Our research has established a positive association between cognitive impairment and air pollution in China. These findings underscore the imperative for the next iteration of China's Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan to broaden its focus to encompass gaseous air pollutants since mitigating single air pollutant is insufficient to protect the aging population.