CONCLUSIONS: Inhalational exposure (IE) history assessment is important and may guide chronic rhinosinusitis disease management. Combined exposure status was the most significant factor across differential gene expression analyse IE history was associated with pro-inflammatory transcriptome changes and worse clinical outcomes.

Authorities have long proved the utility of bioindicators in monitoring the state of environmental pollution. Some biological indicators can measure environmental pollutant levels, and many tree species have been tested for suitability for monitoring purposes. The differences in morphological characteristics in the trees have demonstrated the effects of human activities on different materials. Measuring bark and wood biomass from contaminated sites was identified and directly compared with those from a clean site or areas characterized by distinct contamination sources. However, preliminary results demonstrate the approach\'s potential in the realization of strategies for disease control and promoting health to reduce environmental and health inequalities in at-risk urban areas. Picea orientalis L. and Cedrus atlantica Endl., especially their bark, can be regarded as a more robust storage of Cu (37.95 mg/kg) and Mn (188.25 mg/kg) than Pinus pinaster, Cupressus arizonica, and Pseudotsuga menziesii, which and is therefore a better bioindicator for Cu and Mn pollution. Considering the total concentrations as a result of the study, the pollution is thought to be caused by environmental problems and traffic in the region. The deposition of Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn elements was found P. menziesii (60, 443, 58, and 258 mg/kg) and P. orientalis (76, 1684, 41, and 378 mg/kg) and seems to reflect atmospheric quite clearly compared to P. pinaster, C. arizonica, and C. atlantica. Ni and Zn concentrations have significantly increased since 1983, and P. menziesii and P. orientalis can be potentially valuable bioindicators for emphasizing polluted fields.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the association of ambient air pollution (particulate matter, PM2.5) exposure with medically attended acute respiratory illness among infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).
METHODS: Single center, retrospective cohort study of preterm infants with BPD in Metropolitan Philadelphia. Multivariable logistic regression quantified associations of annual mean PM2.5 exposure (per μg/m3) at the census block group level with medically attended acute respiratory illness, defined as emergency department (ED) visits or hospital readmissions within a year after first hospital discharge adjusting for age at neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge, year, sex, race, insurance, BPD severity, and census tract deprivation. As a secondary analysis, we examined whether BPD severity modified the associations.
RESULTS: Of the 378 infants included in the analysis, 189 were non-Hispanic Black and 235 were publicly insured. Census block PM2.5 level was not significantly associated with medically attended acute respiratory illnesses, ED visits, or hospital readmissions in the full study cohort. We observed significant effect modification by BPD grade; each 1 µg/m3 higher annual PM2.5 exposure was medically attended acute respiratory illness (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.65, 95% CI: 1.06-2.63) among infants with Grade 1 BPD but not among infants with grade 3 BPD (aOR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.47-1.48) (interaction p = .024).
CONCLUSIONS: Cumulative PM2.5 exposure in the year after NICU discharge was not significantly associated with medically attended acute respiratory illness among infants with BPD. However, infants with Grade 1 BPD had significantly higher odds with higher exposures. If replicated, these findings could inform anticipatory guidance for families of these infants to avoid outdoor activities during high pollution days after NICU discharge.

UNASSIGNED: We evaluated studies that used the World Health Organization\'s (WHO) AirQ and AirQ+ tools for air pollution (AP) health risk assessment (HRA) and provided best practice suggestions for future assessments.
UNASSIGNED: We performed a comprehensive review of studies using WHO\'s AirQ and AirQ+ tools, searching several databases for relevant articles, reports, and theses from inception to Dec 31, 2022.
UNASSIGNED: We identified 286 studies that met our criteria. The studies were conducted in 69 countries, with most (57%) in Iran, followed by Italy and India (∼8% each). We found that many studies inadequately report air pollution exposure data, its quality, and validity. The decisions concerning the analysed population size, health outcomes of interest, baseline incidence, concentration-response functions, relative risk values, and counterfactual values are often not justified, sufficiently. Many studies lack an uncertainty assessment.
UNASSIGNED: Our review found a number of common shortcomings in the published assessments. We suggest better practices and urge future studies to focus on the quality of input data, its reporting, and associated uncertainties.

UNASSIGNED: Since its emergence in late 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to a global health crisis, affecting millions and reshaping societies and economies worldwide. Investigating the determinants of SARS-CoV-2 diffusion and their spatiotemporal dynamics at high spatial resolution is critical for public health and policymaking.
UNASSIGNED: This study analyses 194,682 georeferenced SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR tests from March 2020 and April 2022 in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. We characterized five distinct pandemic periods using metrics of spatial and temporal clustering like inverse Shannon entropy, the Hoover index, Lloyd\'s index of mean crowding, and the modified space-time DBSCAN algorithm. We assessed the demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors contributing to cluster persistence during each period using eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), to consider non-linear and spatial effects.
UNASSIGNED: Our findings reveal important variations in the spatial and temporal clustering of cases. Notably, areas with flatter epidemics had higher total attack rate. Air pollution emerged as a factor showing a consistent positive association with higher cluster persistence, substantiated by both immission models and, to a lesser extent, tropospheric NO2 estimations. Factors including population density, testing rates, and geographical coordinates, also showed important positive associations with higher cluster persistence. The socioeconomic index showed no significant contribution to cluster persistence, suggesting its limited role in the observed dynamics, which warrants further research.
UNASSIGNED: Overall, the determinants of cluster persistence remained across the study periods. These findings highlight the need for effective air quality management strategies to mitigate air pollution\'s adverse impacts on public health, particularly in the context of respiratory viral diseases like COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Disposable face masks are a primary protective measure against the adverse health effects of exposure to infectious and toxic aerosols such as airborne viruses and particulate air pollutants. While the fit of high efficiency respirators is regulated in occupational settings, relatively little is known about the fitted filtration efficiencies of ear loop style face masks worn by the public.
METHODS: We measured the variation in fitted filtration efficiency (FFE) of four commonly worn disposable face masks, in a cohort of healthy adult participants (N = 100, 50% female, 50% male, average age = 32.3 ± 9.2 years, average BMI = 25.5 ± 3.4) using the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration Quantitative Fit Test, for an N95 (respirator), KN95, surgical, and KF94 masks. The latter three ear loop style masks were additionally tested in a clip-modified condition, tightened using a plastic clip to centrally fasten loops in the back of the head.
RESULTS: The findings show that sex is a major determinant of the FFE of KN95, surgical, and KF94 masks. On average, males had an 11% higher FFE relative to females, at baseline testing. We show that a simple modification using an ear loop clip, results in improvements in the average FFE for females but provides comparatively minor changes for males. On average, females had a 20% increased FFE when a clip was worn behind the head, relative to a 6% increase for males.
CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of a disposable face mask as protection against air contaminants depends on the efficiency of the mask materials and how well it fits the wearer. We report that the sex of the wearer is a major determinant of the baseline fitted filtration efficiency (FFE) of commonly available ear loop style face masks. In addition, we show that a simple fit modifier, an ear loop clip fastened behind the head, substantially improves baseline FFE for females but produces only minor changes for males. These findings have significant public health implications for the use of face masks as a protective intervention against inhalational exposure to airborne contaminants.

To evaluate the modification of allergic dermatitis on the association between PM exposure and allergic rhinitis in preschool children. This cross-sectional study was based on a questionnaire conducted between June 2019 and June 2020 to caregivers of children aged 3 to 6 years in the kindergartens of 7 Chinese cities to collect information on allergic rhinitis and allergic dermatitis. A mature machine learning-based space-time extremely randomized trees model was applied to estimate early-life, prenatal, and first-year exposure of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 at 1 km×1 km resolution. A combination of multilevel logistic regression and restricted cubic spline functions was used to quantitatively assess whether allergic dermatitis modifies the associations between size-specific PM exposure and the risk of childhood allergic rhinitis. The results showed that out of 28 408 children, 14 803 (52.1%) were boys and 13 605 (47.9%) were girls; the age of children ranged from 3.1 to 6.8 years, with a mean age of (4.9±0.9) years, of which 3 586 (12.6%) were diagnosed with allergic rhinitis. Among all children, 17 832 (62.8%) were breastfed for more than 6 months and 769 (2.7%) had parental history of atopy. A total of 21 548 children (75.9%) had a mother with an educational level of university or above and 7 338 (29.6%) had passive household cigarette smoke exposure. The adjusted ORs for childhood allergic rhinitis among the children with allergic dermatitis as per interquartile range (IQR) increase in early-life PM1(9.8 μg/m3), PM2.5 (14.9 μg/m3) and PM10 (37.7 μg/m3) were significantly higher than the corresponding ORs among the children without allergic dermatitis [OR: 1.45, 95%CI (1.26, 1.66) vs. 1.33, 95%CI (1.20, 1.47), for PM1; OR: 1.38, 95%CI (1.23, 1.56) vs. 1.32, 95%CI (1.21, 1.45), for PM2.5; OR: 1.56, 95%CI (1.31, 1.86) vs. 1.46, 95%CI (1.28, 1.67), for PM10]. The interactions between allergic dermatitis and size-specific PM exposure on childhood allergic rhinitis were statistically significant (Z value=19.4, all P for interaction<0.001). The similar patterns were observed for both prenatal and first-year size-specific PM exposure and the results of the dose-response relationship were consistent with those of the logistic regression. In conclusion, allergic dermatitis, as an important part of the allergic disease progression, may modify the association between ambient PM exposure and the risk of childhood allergic rhinitis. Children with allergic dermatitis should pay more attention to minimize outdoor air pollutants exposure to prevent the further progression of allergic diseases.
本研究评估特应性皮炎在颗粒物暴露与学龄前儿童过敏性鼻炎发生风险关联中的效应修饰作用。采用横断面研究的设计，通过问卷调查的方式于2019年6月至2020年6月在中国7个城市的幼儿园收集了共计28 408名3~6岁学龄前儿童有关过敏性鼻炎和特应性皮炎的信息。运用一种成熟的基于机器学习的时空模型以1 km的空间分辨率水平估算不同城市儿童生命早期、孕期和出生后第1年PM1、PM2.5和PM10暴露水平。采用多水平logistic回归和暴露反应关系相结合的方法定量评估特应性皮炎作为效应修饰因子是否会改变不同粒径颗粒物暴露与儿童过敏性鼻炎发生风险的关联。结果显示，在28 408名儿童中，男孩为14 803名（52.1%），女孩为13 605名（47.9%）；年龄范围是3.1~6.8岁、（4.9±0.9）岁，其中患过敏性鼻炎的儿童为3 586名（12.6%）。在总人群中，母乳喂养持续时间大于6个月的儿童为17 832名（62.8%），父母有过敏史的为769名（2.7%）。母亲教育水平为大学及以上的儿童为21 548名（75.9%）。有被动吸烟暴露的儿童为7 338名（29.6%）。生命早期PM1（9.8 μg/m3）、PM2.5（14.9 μg/m3）和PM10（37.7 μg/m3）每增加一个四分位区间（IQR）浓度，儿童过敏性鼻炎调整后的OR值在特应性皮炎儿童中高于无特应性皮炎儿童中对应的OR值［PM1：OR=1.45，95%CI（1.26，1.66）vs. OR=1.33，95%CI（1.20，1.47）；PM2.5：OR=1.38，95%CI（1.23，1.56）vs. OR=1.32，95%CI（1.21，1.45）；PM10：OR=1.56，95%CI（1.31，1.86）vs. OR=1.46，95%CI（1.28，1.67）］。特应性皮炎与不同粒径PM暴露对儿童过敏性鼻炎的交互作用差异有显著的统计学意义（Z值=19.4，交互作用P值均<0.001）。在孕期和出生后第1年也观察到了类似的结果，且剂量反应关系的结果与logistic回归的结果具有一致性。综上，作为过敏性疾病进程重要环节的特应性皮炎可能会修饰大气颗粒物暴露与儿童过敏性鼻炎发生风险的关联。提示患特应性皮炎的儿童更应重视减少室外空气污染物的暴露，防止过敏性疾病的发生和进一步发展。.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies have reported associations between air pollutants and brain imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs); however, whether this relationship is causal remains uncertain.
METHODS: We conducted bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to explore the causal relationships between 5 types of air pollutants (N=423,796 to 456,380 individuals) and 587 reliable IDPs (N=33,224 individuals). Two-step MR was also conducted to assess whether the identified effects are mediated through the modulation of circulating cytokines (N=8293).
RESULTS: We found genetic evidence supporting the association of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with mean intra-cellular volume fraction (ICVF) in the left uncinate fasciculus (IVW β=-0.42, 95 % CI -0.62 to -0.23, P=1.51×10-5) and mean fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left uncinate fasciculus (IVW β=-0.42, 95 % CI -0.62 to -0.21, P=4.89×10-5). In further two-step MR analyses, we did not find evidence that genetic predictions of any circulating cytokines mediated the association between NOx and IDPs.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence for the association between air pollutants and brain IDPs, emphasizing the importance of controlling air pollution to improve brain health.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution is a significant issue for a developing country like India and the air quality index (AQI) forecasting helps to predict air quality levels in advance and allows individuals to take precautionary measures to protect their health.
OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to forecast the AQI for an industrial area (SIDCUL, Haridwar City) using a time series regression model.
METHODS: Three years of existing AQI data points (post-COVID-19) were collected from the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board for the SIDCUL area of Haridwar City and tried to know the status of AQI values for the following 12 months. Trend and seasonality components were seen through the decomposition process. Further, the augmented Dickey-Fuller test was applied to check the stationarity of the series before finalizing the best-suited time series model for forecasting the AQI values.
RESULTS: With the help of autocorrelation function (ACF)/partial ACF plots, a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) (0,1,0) (1,0,0)[12] model was selected with the minimum akaike information criterion (253.143) and mean absolute percentage error (17.42%). The AQI values have also been forecasted for this industrial area (SIDCUL) for the following year.
CONCLUSIONS: The seasonal ARIMA (0,1,0) (1,0,0)[12] model may be helpful to forecast the AQI values for a nonstationary time series dataset. Research indicates that the air of the SIDCUL area will become moderately polluted and may cause breathing discomfort to asthma patients\' health. The scientists might apply this model to other polluted regions of the country so that the public and the government can take preventive measures in advance.

Objective: This systematic review aimed to investigate the epidemiological data about meteorological factors and climate change (CC) impact on asthma.Data Sources: A search was performed using three databases (Web of Science, Science Direct, and MEDLINE) for all relevant studies published from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2022.Study Selections: This systematic review complied with the PRISMA document\'s requirements, including studies related to meteorological factors and CC impact on asthma. The search included studies published in English or French language, and was based on title, abstract, and complete text. Documents not meeting inclusion requirements were excluded.Results: We identified 18 studies published in the last five years that were eligible for inclusion in this review. We found that these studies concerned European, Asian, American, and Oceanic cities. Extreme variations in temperature, humidity, wind speed, exceptional incidents like hurricanes, cold and heat waves, and seasonal shifts were strongly correlated with the worsening of asthmatic symptoms, particularly in childhood. In addition, excessive concentrations of air pollutants and aeroallergens were linked to pediatric asthma emergency hospital admissions.Conclusions: A significant association between the consequences of CC and asthma in adults particularly in children has been demonstrated. Future research should quantify the impact of global change in climate regarding the aeroallergens\' distribution in terms of geography and time. It is also necessary to research the impact of air pollution on asthmatic health, like sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and particles having an aerodynamic diameter lower than 2.5 µm (PM2.5).