scholarly journals Differential susceptibility according to gender in the association between air pollution and mortality from respiratory diseases

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1827-1836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcio Sacramento de Oliveira ◽  
Antônio Ponce de Leon ◽  
Inês Echenique Mattos ◽  
Sérgio Koifman
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Generalized Additive Models ◽  
Differential Susceptibility ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Increase In Risk

This study analyzed the association between air pollution and deaths from respiratory diseases, considering differential susceptibility according to gender. The authors used daily deaths from respiratory diseases (ICD-10, J00-J99), PM10, SO2, and O3 levels, and meteorological indicators in Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, from January 2002 to December 2006. The association was estimated by Poisson regression using generalized additive models, where the increase in risk of deaths from PM10 to lag 1 was 10.01% (95%CI: 1.81-18.88%) in the total female population and 10.04% (95%CI: 0.90-20.02%) in elderly women. The increase in risk of deaths from PM10 to lag 9 was 8.25% in the total male population (95%CI: 0.86-16.18%) and 10.80% (95%CI: 2.18-20.15%) in elderly men. For exposure to SO2 and O3, the risk was significant in the total male population and the elderly, respectively. The results emphasize the need for further studies, focusing on modification of the effects of air pollution on health.

scholarly journals Impacts of Dual-Income Household Rate on Suicide Mortalities in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5670
Author(s):  
Misaki Nakamoto ◽  
Takatoshi Nakagawa ◽  
Masahiko Murata ◽  
Motohiro Okada
Keyword(s):  
Family Health ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Health Economy ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Income Household ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Dual Income ◽  
Work Family

To explore impact of enhancing social advancement of females in Japan, this study determined the effects of the dual-income household rate on suicide mortalities disaggregated by attributes of gender, age, and motives between 2009 and 2017 in Japan. This study analysed impact of dual-income household rate, other household-related factors (savings, liabilities and yearly incomes per household, minors and elderly rate per household), and social/employment factors (complete unemployment rate, employment rate, temporary male and female employment rates and certification rate of long-term care insurance) on suicide mortalities disaggregated by attributes of gender, age, and motives using hierarchical linear-regression model. Dual-income household rate was significantly/negatively related to suicide mortality of the working-age female population, but significantly/positively related to that of the elderly female population. Suicide mortalities of the working-age male population and the elderly male population were significantly/positively related to dual-income household rate. Male suicide mortalities caused by family-, health-, economy- and employment-related motives were significantly/positively related to dual-income household rate; however, the dual-income household rate was significantly/positively related to female suicide mortalities caused by family-, health-, economy- and school-related motives, but significantly/negatively related to suicide mortalities caused by romance-related motives. Dual-income households suppress social-isolation and develop economical/psychological independence of females, leading to reduced suicide mortality in working-age females. However, elderly and school-age populations, who are supported by the working-age female, suffer from isolation. Working-age males also suffer from inability to adapt from the traditional concept of work–life and work–family balances to the novel work–family balance concept adapted to dual-income households. These results suggest occurrence of new social/family problems in the 21st century due to vulnerability of traditional Japanese culture and life–working–family balance concepts as well as novel sociofamilial disturbances induced by declining birth rate and ageing population in Japan.

Environmental and geographical effects on fog occurrence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Hunova ◽  
Marek Brabec ◽  
Marek Malý ◽  
Alexandru Dumitrescu ◽  
Jan Geletič
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Tensor Product ◽  
Generalized Additive Models ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Low Rank ◽  
Seasonal Component ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
The Individual

<p>Fog is a very complex phenomenon (Gultepe et al., 2007). In some areas it can contribute substantially to hydrological and chemical inputs and is therefore of high environmental relevance (Blas et al., 2010). Fog formation is affected by numerous factors, such as meteorology, air pollution, terrain (geomorphology), and land-use.</p><p>In our earlier studies we addressed the role of meteorology and air pollution on fog occurrence (Hůnová et al., 2018) and long-term trends in fog occurrence in Central Europe (Hůnová et al., 2020). This study builds on earlier model identification of year-to-year and seasonal components in fog occurrence and brings an analysis of the deformation of the above components due to the individual explanatory variables. The aim of this study was to indicate the geographical and environmental factors affecting the fog occurrence.</p><p>       We have examined the data on fog occurrence from 56 meteorological stations of various types from Romania reflecting different environments and geographical areas. We used long-term records from the 1981–2017 period. </p><p>       We considered both the individual explanatory variables and their interactions. With respect to geographical factors, we accounted for the altitude and landform. With respect to environmental factors,   we accounted for proximity of large water bodies, and proximity of forests. Geographical data from Copernicus pan-European (e.g. CORINE land cover, high resolution layers) and local (e.g. Urban Atlas) projects were used. Elevation data from EU-DEM v1.1 were source for morphometric analysis (Copernicus, 2020).</p><p>        We applied a generalized additive model, GAM (Wood, 2017; Hastie & Tibshirani, 1990) to address nonlinear trend shapes in a formalized and unified way. In particular, we employed penalized spline approach with cross-validated penalty coefficient estimation. To explore possible deformations of annual and seasonal components with various covariates of interest, we used (penalized) tensor product splines to model (two-way) interactions parsimoniously, Wood (2006).</p><p>       The fog occurrence showed significant decrease over the period under review. In general the selected explanatory variables significantly affected the fog occurrence and their effect was non-linear. Our results indicated that, the geographical and environmental variables affected primarily the seasonal component of the model. Of the factors which were accounted for, it was mainly the altitude showing the clear effect on seasonal component deformation (Hůnová et al., in press).</p><p>      </p><p> </p><p>References:</p><p>Blas, M, Polkowska, Z., Sobik, M., et al. (2010). Atmos. Res. 95, 455–469.</p><p>Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (2020). Accessed online at: https://land.copernicus.eu/.</p><p>Gultepe, I., Tardif, R., Michaelidis, S.C., Cermak, J., Bott, A. et al. (2007). Pure Appl Geophys, 164, 1121-1159.</p><p>Hastie, T.J., Tibshirani, R.J. (1990). Generalized Additive Models. Boca Raton, Chapman & Hall/CRC.</p><p>Hůnová, I., Brabec, M., Malý, M., Dumitrescu, A., Geletič, J. (in press) Sci. Total Environ. 144359.</p><p>Hůnová, I., Brabec, M., Malý, M., Valeriánová, A. (2018) Sci. Total Environ. 636, 1490–1499.</p><p>Hůnová, I., Brabec, M., Malý, M., Valeriánová, A. (2020) Sci. Total Environ. 711, 135018.</p><p>Wood, S.N. (2006) Low rank scale invariant tensor product smooths for generalized additive mixed models. Biometrics 62(4):1025-1036</p><p>Wood, S.N. (2017). Generalized Additive Models: An Introduction with R (2nd ed). Boca Raton, Chapman & Hall/CRC.</p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Recent trends in HIV prevalence in a remote setting of southern India: Insights into arranging HIV control policies

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 838-843
Author(s):  
Ramalingam Sekar ◽  
Murugesan Amudhan ◽  
Moorthy Sivashankar ◽  
Manoharan Mythreyee
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Hiv Prevalence ◽  
Southern India ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Study Characteristics ◽  
Integrated Counseling

Introduction: Constant vigilance of the dynamics of HIV prevalence is important in estimating, regulating, and implementing prevention programs. The objective of this study was to investigate the trend in the prevalence of HIV infection over six years among specific demographic groups in the remote district of southern India. Methodology: All high-risk attendees of the Integrated Counseling and Testing Centre, Government Theni Medical College between April 2005 and December 2010 were included in this study. Characteristics including age, sex, place of residence, literacy, and HIV sero-status were collected as per the guidelines of the National AIDS Control Organization. Results: A total of 50,043 data sets were analyzed; 3,282 (6.6%) tested positive for HIV infection. The prevalence of HIV infection among the ≤ 25 age group was significantly lower as compared to the elderly (4.4% vs. 6.9%; odds ratio 0.62; 95% confidence interval 0.55–0.71; p < 0.01). There was a decline in HIV prevalence among both age groups (Ptrend < 0.01 for ≤ 25 year-old; – 82.3% and Ptrend < 0.01 for > 25-year old, – 14.2%), males (Ptrend < 0.01; – 50.9%), the urban population (Ptrend < 0.01; – 45.9%), and illiterates (Ptrend < 0.01; – 68%). The trend of HIV prevalence among females (Ptrend = 0.48; +9.1%), the rural population (Ptrend = 0.95; – 7.1%), and literate population (Ptrend = 0.44; +28%) was statistically insignificant. Conclusion: HIV prevalence is stable in the female population, while it is decreasing in male population, indicating that current interventions must be strengthened to reduce HIV prevalence among females.

scholarly journals Atmospheric Pollution and Hospitalization for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases in the City of Manaus from 2008 to 2012

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Sacramento ◽  
Lourdes C. Martins ◽  
Marcos A. Arbex ◽  
Ysabely de A. P. Pamplona
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Time Series Study ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Temperature And Humidity ◽  
The City ◽  
Series Study

Introduction. Air pollution has been identified as a serious public health problem in the world’s major metropolises. Recent studies have shown that airborne particle concentrations are associated with a wide range of effects on human health, including increased hospital admissions for respiratory disease, enhanced asthma episodes, decreased lung function, and increased mortality. Objective. To relate the levels of air pollution and hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in the city of Manaus in Brazil from 2008 to 2012. Method. This is an ecological time-series study among children (under 5 years of age) and elderly (above 60 years of age). Data on the daily number of hospitalizations for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, pollutants (PM2.5), temperature, and humidity were used. Poisson generalized additive models were used to estimate the association between variables. Increases in hospitalizations for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases were estimated for the interquartile range (IQR) daily mean level of each variable studied, with a confidence interval of 95%. Results. Respiratory diseases and children: −0.40% (95% CI: −1.11, 0.30), 0.59% (95% CI: −0.35, 1.52), and 0.47% (95% CI: −3.28, 4.21) for PM2.5, temperature, and humidity, respectively. Respiratory diseases and elderly: 0.19% (95% CI: −0.93, 1.31), −0.10% (95% CI: −1.85, 1.65), and −6.17% (95% CI: −13.08, 0.74) for PM2.5, temperature, and humidity, respectively. Cardiovascular diseases and elderly: −0.18% (95% CI: −0.86, 0.50), −0.04% (95% CI: −1.10, 1.03), and −3.37% (95% CI: −7.59, 0.85) for PM2.5, temperature, and humidity, respectively. Conclusions. The time-series study found no significant association between PM2.5, temperature, humidity, and hospitalization, unlike the evidences provided by the present academic literature. Since there is no air quality monitoring network in Manaus and the option available in the present study was to reproduce some information obtained from remote sensing, there is a need for implementation of ground monitoring stations for health and environmental studies in the region.

scholarly journals Benefits of improved air quality on ageing lungs: impacts of genetics and obesity

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 1801780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anke Hüls ◽  
Dorothee Sugiri ◽  
Michael J. Abramson ◽  
Barbara Hoffmann ◽  
Holger Schwender ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Lung Function ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Forced Expiratory Volume ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Risk Alleles ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Z Scores

IntroductionThe beneficial effect of improving air quality on lung function in the elderly remains unclear. We examined associations between decline in air pollutants and lung function, and effect modifications by genetics and body mass index (BMI), in elderly German women.MethodsData were analysed from the prospective SALIA (Study on the influence of Air pollution on Lung function, Inflammation and Aging) study (n=601). Spirometry was conducted at baseline (1985–1994; age 55 years), in 2007–2010 and in 2012–2013. Air pollution concentrations at home addresses were determined for each time-point using land-use regression models. Global Lung Initiative 2012 z-scores were calculated. Weighted genetic risk scores (GRSs) were determined from lung function-related risk alleles and used to investigate interactions with improved air quality. Multiple linear mixed models were fitted.ResultsAir pollution levels decreased substantially during the study period. Reduction of air pollution was associated with an increase in z-scores for forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and the FEV1/forced vital capacity ratio. For a decrease of 10 µg·m−3 in nitrogen dioxide (NO2), the z-score for FEV1 increased by 0.14 (95% CI 0.01–0.26). However, with an increasing number of lung function-related risk alleles, the benefit from improved air quality decreased (GRS×NO2 interaction: p=0.029). Interactions with BMI were not significant.ConclusionsReduction of air pollution is associated with a relative improvement of lung function in elderly women, but also depends on their genetic make-up.

Air Pollution and Emergency Room Visits Due to Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases in the Elderly: An Ecological Time-Series Study in S??o Paulo, Brazil

2002 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 622-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lourdes Concei????o Martins ◽  
Maria Ros??rio Dias de Oliveira Latorre ◽  
Paulo Hil??rio Nascimento Saldiva ◽  
Alf??sio Lu??s Ferreira Braga
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Emergency Room ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Emergency Room Visits ◽  
Time Series Study ◽  
Series Study

scholarly journals Cervical cancer screening in young and elderly women of the Xingu Indigenous Park: evaluation of the recommended screening age group in Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neila Maria de Góis Speck ◽  
Juliana da Silva Pinheiro ◽  
Erica Ribeiro Pereira ◽  
Douglas Rodrigues ◽  
Gustavo Rubino de Azevedo Focchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Ministry Of Health ◽  
Indigenous Youth ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Gynecological Disease ◽  
Age Range

Objective To analyze the occurrence of atypia in the cytology/histology examinations of young women under the age of 25 years and of elderly women aged over 64 years, in the Xingu Indigenous Park and to evaluate, in a subjective manner, if the age range for screening established by the Ministry of Health and the Instituto Nacional de Câncer is appropriate for this population. Methods The Xingu/UNIFESP Project, in partnership with the Center for Gynecological Disease Prevention, develops programs to prevent cervical cancer. The exploratory, retrospective and descriptive study of cytological and histopathological examinations of young (12-24 years) and elderly (aged 64 and over) women of the Xingu Indigenous Park, between 2005 and 2011. Results There was low occurrence of cytological atypia in the elderly female population, but there were occasional high-grade lesions in the indigenous youth. Conclusion Interrupting screening at the limit age of 64 years, as established by the Ministry of Health and the Instituto Nacional de Câncer is justified. However, screening of young women should begin at an earlier age.

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