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Environmental Research May 2024Prolonged exposure to air pollution has been linked to adverse respiratory health, yet the evidence concerning its association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease...
BACKGROUND
Prolonged exposure to air pollution has been linked to adverse respiratory health, yet the evidence concerning its association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is inconsistent. The evidence of a greenness effect on chronic respiratory diseases is limited.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM and PM), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O) and greenness (as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index - NDVI) and incidence of self-reported chronic bronchitis or COPD (CB/COPD).
METHODS
We analyzed data from 5355 adults from 7 centers participating in the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study. Mean exposures to air pollution and greenness were assessed at available residential addresses in 1990, 2000 and 2010 using air dispersion models and satellite data, respectively. Poisson regression with log person-time as an offset was employed to analyze the association between air pollution, greenness, and CB/COPD incidence, adjusting for confounders.
RESULTS
Overall, there were 328 incident cases of CB/COPD during 2010-2023. Despite wide statistical uncertainty, we found a trend for a positive association between NO exposure and CB/COPD incidence, with incidence rate ratios (IRRs) per 10 μg/m³ difference ranging between 1.13 (95% CI: 0.90-1.41) in 1990 and 1.18 (95% CI: 0.96-1.45) in 2000. O showed a tendency for inverse association with CB/COPD incidence (IRR from 0.84 (95% CI: 0.66-1.07) in 2000 to 0.88 (95% CI: 0.69-1.14) in 2010. No consistent association was found between PM, BC and greenness with CB/COPD incidence across different exposure time windows.
CONCLUSION
Consistent with prior research, our study suggests that individuals exposed to higher concentrations of NO may face an elevated risk of developing COPD, although evidence remains inconclusive. Greenness was not associated with CB/COPD incidence, while O showed a tendency for an inverse association with the outcome.
PubMed: 38821462
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119240 -
The Lancet. Oncology Jun 2024The health-care industry is a substantial contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the specific environmental impact of radiotherapy, a cornerstone of cancer...
BACKGROUND
The health-care industry is a substantial contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the specific environmental impact of radiotherapy, a cornerstone of cancer treatment, remains under-explored. We aimed to quantify the emissions associated with the delivery of radiotherapy in the USA and propose a framework for reducing the environmental impact of oncology care.
METHODS
In this multi-institutional retrospective analysis and simulation study, we conducted a lifecycle assessment of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for ten anatomical disease sites, adhering to the International Organization for Standardization's standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. We analysed retrospective data from Jan 1, 2017, to Oct 1, 2023, encompassing patient and staff travel, medical supplies, and equipment and building energy use associated with the use of EBRT at four academic institutions in the USA. The primary objective was to measure the environmental impacts across ten categories: greenhouse gases (expressed as kg of carbon dioxide equivalents [COe]), ozone depletion, smog formation, acidification, eutrophication, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic potential, respiratory effects, fossil fuel depletion, and ecotoxicity. Human health effects secondary to these environmental impacts were also estimated as disability-adjusted life years. We also assessed the potential benefits of hypofractionated regimens for breast and genitourinary (ie, prostate and bladder) cancers on US greenhouse gas emissions using an analytic model based on the 2014 US National Cancer Database for fractionation patterns and patient commute distances.
FINDINGS
We estimated that the mean greenhouse gas emissions associated with a standard 25-fraction EBRT course were 4310 kg COe (SD 2910), which corresponded to 0·0035 disability-adjusted life years per treatment course. Transit and building energy usage accounted for 25·73% (1110 kg COe) and 73·95% of (3190 kg COe) of total greenhouse gas emissions, respectively, whereas supplies contributed only 0·32% (14 kg COe). Across the other environmental impact categories, most of the environmental impact also stemmed from patient transit and energy use within facilities, with little environmental impact contributed by supplies used. Hypofractionated treatment simulations suggested a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions-by up to 42% for breast and 77% for genitourinary cancer-and environmental impacts more broadly.
INTERPRETATION
This comprehensive lifecycle assessment of EBRT delineates the environmental and secondary health impacts of radiotherapy, and underscores the urgent need for sustainable practices in oncology. The findings serve as a reference for future decarbonisation efforts in cancer care and show the potential environmental benefits of modifying treatment protocols (when clinical equipoise exists). They also highlight strategic opportunities to mitigate the ecological footprint in an era of escalating climate change and increasing cancer prevalence.
FUNDING
Mount Zion Health Fund.
Topics: Humans; Retrospective Studies; Neoplasms; United States; Greenhouse Gases; Radiotherapy; Environment; Computer Simulation
PubMed: 38821084
DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(24)00148-7 -
PloS One 2024Based on the background of urbanization in China, we used the dynamic spatial panel Durbin model to study the driving mechanism of ozone pollution empirically. We also...
Based on the background of urbanization in China, we used the dynamic spatial panel Durbin model to study the driving mechanism of ozone pollution empirically. We also analyzed the spatial distribution of ozone driving factors using the GTWR. The results show that: i) The average annual increase of ozone concentration in ambient air in China from 2015 to 2019 was 1.68μg/m3, and 8.39μg/m3 elevated the year 2019 compared with 2015. ii) The Moran's I value of ozone in ambient air was 0.027 in 2015 and 0.209 in 2019, showing the spatial distribution characteristics of "east heavy and west light" and "south low and north high". iii) Per capita GDP industrial structure, population density, land expansion, and urbanization rate have significant spillover effects on ozone concentration, and the regional spillover effect is greater than the local effect. R&D intensity and education level have a significant negative impact on ozone concentration. iv) There is a decreasing trend in the inhibitory effect of educational attainment and R&D intensity on ozone concentration, and an increasing trend in the promotional effect of population urbanization rate, land expansion, and economic development on ozone concentration. Empirical results suggest a twofold policy meaning: i) to explore the causes behind the distribution of ozone from the new perspective of urbanization, and to further the atmospheric environmental protection system and ii) to eliminate the adverse impacts of ozone pollution on nature and harmonious social development.
Topics: Ozone; Urbanization; China; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Humans; Spatio-Temporal Analysis; Environmental Monitoring
PubMed: 38820439
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300185 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Jun 2024The oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere represents the quintessential transformation of a planetary surface by microbial processes. In turn, atmospheric oxygenation...
The oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere represents the quintessential transformation of a planetary surface by microbial processes. In turn, atmospheric oxygenation transformed metabolic evolution; molecular clock models indicate the diversification and ecological expansion of respiratory metabolisms in the several hundred million years following atmospheric oxygenation. Across this same interval, the geological record preserves C enrichment in some carbonate rocks, called the Lomagundi-Jatuli excursion (LJE). By combining data from geologic and genomic records, a self-consistent metabolic evolution model emerges for the LJE. First, fermentation and methanogenesis were major processes remineralizing organic carbon before atmospheric oxygenation. Once an ozone layer formed, shallow water and exposed environments were shielded from UVB/C radiation, allowing the expansion of cyanobacterial primary productivity. High primary productivity and methanogenesis led to preferential removal of C into organic carbon and CH. Extreme and variable C enrichments in carbonates were caused by C-depleted CH loss to the atmosphere. Through time, aerobic respiration diversified and became ecologically widespread, as did other new metabolisms. Respiration displaced fermentation and methanogenesis as the dominant organic matter remineralization processes. As CH loss slowed, dissolved inorganic carbon in shallow environments was no longer highly C enriched. Thus, the loss of extreme C enrichments in carbonates marks the establishment of a new microbial mat ecosystem structure, one dominated by respiratory processes distributed along steep redox gradients. These gradients allowed the exchange of metabolic by-products among metabolically diverse organisms, providing novel metabolic opportunities. Thus, the microbially induced oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere led to the transformation of microbial ecosystems, an archetypal example of planetary microbiology.IMPORTANCEThe oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere represents the most extensive known chemical transformation of a planetary surface by microbial processes. In turn, atmospheric oxygenation transformed metabolic evolution by providing oxidants independent of the sites of photosynthesis. Thus, the evolutionary changes during this interval and their effects on planetary-scale biogeochemical cycles are fundamental to our understanding of the interdependencies among genomes, organisms, ecosystems, elemental cycles, and Earth's surface chemistry through time.
Topics: Earth, Planet; Atmosphere; Carbon Isotopes; Oxygen; Methane; Bacteria; Cyanobacteria
PubMed: 38819147
DOI: 10.1128/aem.00093-24 -
International Journal of Public Health 2024[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605959.].
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605959.].
PubMed: 38818229
DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2024.1607320 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2024Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat as the silent pandemic. Because of the use of antimicrobials in aquaculture systems, fish farms...
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat as the silent pandemic. Because of the use of antimicrobials in aquaculture systems, fish farms may be potential reservoirs for the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Treatments with disinfectants have been promoted to reduce the use of antibiotics; however, the effect of these types of treatments on AMR or ARGs is not well known. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of low dose ozone treatments (0.15 mg/L) on ARG dynamics in pond water using metagenomic shotgun sequencing analysis. The results suggested that ozone disinfection can increase the relative abundance of acquired ARGs and intrinsic efflux mediated ARGs found in the resistance nodulation cell division (RND) family. Notably, a co-occurrence of efflux and non-efflux ARGs within the same bacterial genera was also observed, with most of these genera dominating the bacterial population following ozone treatments. These findings suggest that ozone treatments may selectively favor the survival of bacterial genera harboring efflux ARGs, which may also have non-efflux ARGs. This study underscores the importance of considering the potential impacts of disinfection practices on AMR gene dissemination particularly in aquaculture settings where disinfectants are frequently used at low levels. Future endeavors should prioritize the evaluation of these strategies, as they may be associated with an increased risk of AMR in aquatic environments.
PubMed: 38812692
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1393266 -
Medical Science Monitor : International... May 2024BACKGROUND Exposure to air pollution (AP) during pregnancy is associated with pre-labor rupture of membranes (PROM). However, there is limited research on this topic,...
BACKGROUND Exposure to air pollution (AP) during pregnancy is associated with pre-labor rupture of membranes (PROM). However, there is limited research on this topic, and the sensitive exposure windows remain unclear. The present study assessed the association between AP exposure and the risk of PROM, as well as seeking to identify the sensitive time windows. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study analyzed 4276 pregnant women's data from Tongling Maternal and Child Health Hospital from 2020 to 2022. We obtained air pollution data, including particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM₂․₅), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤10 μm (PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and ozone (O₃), from the Tongling Ecology and Environment Bureau. Demographic information was extracted from medical records. We employed a distributed lag model to identify the sensitive exposure windows of prenatal AP affecting the risk of PROM. We conducted a sensitivity analysis based on pre-pregnancy BMI. RESULTS We found a significant association between prenatal exposure to AP and increased PROM risk after adjusting for confounders, and the critical exposure windows of AP were the 6th to 7th months of pregnancy. In the underweight group, an increase of 10 µg/m³ in PM₂․₅ was associated with a risk of PROM, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.48 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.89). Similarly, a 10 µg/m³ increase in PM₁₀ was associated with a risk of PROM, with an OR of 1.45 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.77). CONCLUSIONS Prenatal exposure to AP, particularly during months 6-7 of pregnancy, is associated with an increased risk of PROM. This study extends and strengthens the evidence on the association between prenatal exposure to AP and the risk of PROM, specifically identifying the critical exposure windows.
Topics: Humans; Female; Pregnancy; China; Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture; Maternal Exposure; Air Pollution; Particulate Matter; Adult; Retrospective Studies; Air Pollutants; Risk Factors; Ozone; Nitrogen Dioxide
PubMed: 38812259
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.943601 -
Environmental Research May 2024Understanding and managing the health effects of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO) requires high resolution spatiotemporal exposure maps. Here, we developed a multi-stage...
Understanding and managing the health effects of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO) requires high resolution spatiotemporal exposure maps. Here, we developed a multi-stage multi-resolution ensemble model that predicts daily NO concentration across continental France from 2005 to 2022. Innovations of this work include the computation of daily predictions at a 200 m resolution in large urban areas and the use of a spatio-temporal blocking procedure to avoid data leakage and ensure fair performance estimation. Predictions were obtained after three cascading stages of modeling: (1) predicting NO total column density from Ozone Monitoring Instrument satellite; (2) predicting daily NO concentrations at a 1 km spatial resolution using a large set of potential predictors such as predictions obtained from stage 1, land-cover and road traffic data; and (3) predicting residuals from stage 2 models at a 200 m resolution in large urban areas. The latter two stages used a generalized additive model to ensemble predictions of three decision-tree algorithms (random forest, extreme gradient boosting and categorical boosting). Cross-validated performances of our ensemble models were overall very good, with a ten-fold cross-validated R for the 1 km model of 0.83, and of 0.69 for the 200 m model. All three basis learners participated in the ensemble predictions to various degrees depending on time and space. In sum, our multi-stage approach was able to predict daily NO concentrations with a relatively low error. Ensembling the predictions maximizes the chance of obtaining accurate values if one basis learner fails in a specific area or at a particular time, by relying on the other learners. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study aiming to predict NO concentrations in France with such a high spatiotemporal resolution, large spatial extent, and long temporal coverage. Exposure estimates are available to investigate NO health effects in epidemiological studies.
PubMed: 38810827
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119241 -
ISME Communications Jan 2024Nitrous oxide (NO), a greenhouse gas with ozone destruction potential, is mitigated by the microbial reduction to dinitrogen catalyzed by NO reductase (NosZ). Bacteria...
Nitrous oxide (NO), a greenhouse gas with ozone destruction potential, is mitigated by the microbial reduction to dinitrogen catalyzed by NO reductase (NosZ). Bacteria with NosZ activity have been studied at circumneutral pH but the microbiology of low pH NO reduction has remained elusive. Acidic (pH < 5) tropical forest soils were collected in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico, and microcosms maintained with low (0.02 mM) and high (2 mM) NO assessed NO reduction at pH 4.5 and 7.3. All microcosms consumed NO, with lag times of up to 7 months observed in microcosms with 2 mM NO. Comparative metagenome analysis revealed that dominated in circumneutral microcosms under both NO feeding regimes. At pH 4.5, dominated in high-NO, and in low-NO microcosms. Seventeen high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) recovered from the NO-reducing microcosms harbored operons, with all eight MAGs derived from acidic microcosms carrying the Clade II type and lacking nitrite reductase genes (/). Five of the eight MAGs recovered from pH 4.5 microcosms represent novel taxa indicating an unexplored NO-reducing diversity exists in acidic tropical soils. A survey of pH 3.5-5.7 soil metagenome datasets revealed that genes commonly occur, suggesting broad distribution of NO reduction potential in acidic soils.
PubMed: 38808123
DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae070 -
Medical ozone alleviates acute lung injury by enhancing phagocytosis targeting NETs AMPK/SR-A1 axis.Journal of Biomedical Research May 2024Acute lung injury (ALI) linked to sepsis has a high mortality rate, with limited treatment options available. In recent studies, medical ozone has shown promising...
Acute lung injury (ALI) linked to sepsis has a high mortality rate, with limited treatment options available. In recent studies, medical ozone has shown promising results in alleviating inflammation and infection. Here, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of medical ozone in sepsis-induced ALI using a mouse model, measuring behavioral assessments, lung function, and blood flow. Western blot was used to quantify the levels of protein. In vitro, experiments on BMDM cells examine the impact of AMPK inhibitors and agonists on phagocytic activity. Results indicate that medical ozone can enhance the survival rate, ameliorate lung injury, and improve lung function and limb microcirculation in mice with ALI. Notably, it inhibits NETs formation, a crucial player in ALI development. Medical ozone also counteracts elevated TF, MMP-9, and IL-1β levels. In ALI mice, the effects of ozone are nullified and BMDMs exhibit impaired engulfment of NETs following knockout. Under normal physiological conditions, the use of an AMPK antagonist produces similar effects to knockout, significantly inhibiting the phagocytosis of NETs by BMDMs. On the contrary, AMPK agonists enhance this phagocytic process. In conclusion, medical ozone can alleviate sepsis-induced lung injury via the AMPK/SR-A1 pathway, thereby enhancing phagocytosis of NETs by macrophages.
PubMed: 38807426
DOI: 10.7555/JBR.38.20240038