Air pollution, children's academic achievement and the potential mediating role of preterm birth

The modification effect of concentration on the correlation between ambient ozone and psoriasis: a hospital-based time-series study

The effects of short-term ambient ozone (O3) exposure on health outcomes have received growing concerns, but its effects on psoriasis is still unclear. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of short-term exposure to O3 on psoriasis, and to find out potential modifiers. A hospital-based time-series study with outpatient visit data of psoriasis was performed in Chongqing, the largest metropolitan in Southeast China. General additive models combined quasi-Poisson regression were implied to reveal the association between short-term exposure to O3 and psoriasis. Moreover, the potential modifiers were found out through subgroup analyses. Totally, 23,921 psoriasis outpatient visits were included. For the whole patient population, no significant association between exposure to O3 and outpatient visits for psoriasis was observed. Interestingly, the stratified analyses based on concentrations showed that low concentration of O3 (below the recommended limitation of 100 μg/m3 by WHO and China), rather than high concentration of O3, was negatively associated with psoriasis outpatient visits at various lag days, and the greatest decrease was observed at lag03 (-2.05%; 95%CI: -3.55%, -0.53%). Moreover, stronger associations were observed in cool seasons, patients aged 40 or above, and males. Additionally, the negative associations of low-concentration O3 on psoriasis outpatient visits were still robust in sensitivity analyses. Our study discovered that low-concentrations of O3, rather than high concentrations of O3, can be associated with decreased outpatient visits for psoriasis, especially for males, population aged 40 and above, and in cool seasons.

The impact of prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter and its components on maternal and neonatal thyroid function and birth weight: a prospective cohort study

Maternal and child health has garnered considerable attention recently. The effects of prenatal exposure to PM2.5 and its components on thyroid function in both mothers and fetuses, as well as on offspring birth weight, remain unexplored. This study involved 446 mother-infant pairs from a cohort study in Ma'anshan, China, during 2021-2022. Air pollution data were obtained from the Tracking Air Pollution (TAP) project. Thyroid hormone levels (FT3, FT4, and TSH) were measured in maternal blood samples taken at various pregnancy stages and in cord blood. We employed multiple analytical methods to evaluate the effects of PM2.5 and its components on maternal thyroid function and birth weight z-score (BWz). The GLR analysis reveals that the effect of PM2.5 and its components on BWz differs according to the pregnancy stage and the specific pollutant involved. During the late pregnancy, increased exposure to PM2.5 and specific components (for instance,NO 3 _ and SO 4 2 - ) was correlated with elevated maternal FT4 levels (p < 0.05) and reduced BWz (p < 0.05). QgC results illustrated a notable negative correlation between heightened PM2.5 exposure and BWz in late pregnancy. BKMR analysis confirmed that overall exposure to PM2.5 and its components negatively impacted BWz during the third trimester. Mediation analysis showed that changes in maternal FT4 levels accounted for approximately 8.52%, 8.05%, and 8.13% of the negative effects on BWz from exposure to NH 4 + , NO 3 _ and SO 4 2 - , respectively (p < 0.05). In healthy pregnancies, exposure to PM2.5 and its components during the late pregnancy is linked to alterations in maternal thyroid hormone levels, potentially leading to reduced birth weight. Maternal FT4 levels may mediate the connection between PM2.5 components exposure and reduced the weight of offspring.

Lifetime exposure to air pollution and academic achievement: A nationwide cohort study in Denmark

Recent research suggests a link between air pollution and cognitive development in children, and studies on air pollution and academic achievement are emerging. We conducted a nationwide cohort study in Denmark to explore the associations between lifetime exposure to air pollution and academic performance in 9th grade. The study encompassed 785,312 children born in Denmark between 1989 and 2005, all of whom completed 9th-grade exit examinations. Using linear mixed models with a random intercept for each school, we assessed the relationship between 16 years of exposure to PM2.5, PM10, and gaseous pollutants and Grade Point Averages (GPA) in exit examinations, covering subjects such as Danish literature, Danish writing, English, mathematics, and natural sciences. The study revealed that a 5 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 and PM10 was associated with a decrease of 0.99 (95 % Confidence Intervals: -1.05, -0.92) and 0.46 (-0.50, -0.41) in GPA, respectively. Notably, these negative associations were more pronounced in mathematics and natural sciences compared to language-related subjects. Additionally, girls and children with non-Danish mothers were found to be particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of air pollution exposure. These results underscore the potential long-term consequences of air pollution on academic achievement, emphasizing the significance of interventions that foster healthier environments for children's cognitive development.