Prevalence of urolithiasis in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the pooled prevalence, as well as the spatial and temporal distribution, of urolithiasis among subjects in China.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive search of both Chinese and English databases to retrieve literature pertaining to the prevalence of urolithiasis in the indigenous Chinese population. A random-effects meta-analysis model was employed to calculate the pooled prevalence of urolithiasis. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on factors such as time, region, gender, and sample size. Prevalence and spatial distribution maps were created based on provinces and latitude/longitude coordinates.

RESULTS

A total of 46 studies conducted in 22 provinces across China were included in this meta-analysis and the pooled prevalence of urolithiasis, kidney stones, ureteric calculi, urethral and bladder stones were 8.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6-11.1%), 7.8% (95% CI 5.8-10.0%), 3.2% (95% CI 0.6-5.7%), 0.5% (95% CI 0.1-0.9%). Most of the urolithiasis prevalence screening in China was concentrated between 100° E and 120° E, with higher rates observed in low latitude areas. Subgroup analysis of kidney stones revealed that Guangdong (12.7%) and Guangxi (10.3%) had the highest prevalence, with the eastern developed area exhibiting higher rates compared to the west. The prevalence in males was higher than in females (odds ratio 1.67, 95% CI 1.46-1.92), although the gender gap has significantly reduced since 2006. Moreover, a greater sample size is associated with a decreased prevalence of urolithiasis.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of urolithiasis is increasing in China, and there are noteworthy regional or provincial disparities in occurrence. It is worth noting that the current number of screening studies in some areas is insufficient. Additional investigations with appropriate sample sizes should be supplemented in time.

Spatiotemporal trends in neonatal, infant, and child mortality (1990-2019) based on Bayesian spatiotemporal modeling

Background

Neonatal mortality rate (NMR), infant mortality rate (IMR), and child mortality rate (CMR) show a huge difference across countries, which has been posing challenges for public health policies and medical resource allocation.

Methods

Bayesian spatiotemporal model is applied to assess the detailed spatiotemporal evolution of NMR, IMR, and CMR from a global perspective. Panel data from 185 countries from 1990 to 2019 are collected.

Results

The continuously decreasing trend of NMR, IMR, and CMR indicated a great improvement in neonatal, infant, and child mortality worldwide. Further, huge differences in the NMR, IMR, and CMR still exist across countries. In addition, the gap of NMR, IMR, and CMR across the countries presented a widening trend from the perspective of dispersion degree and kernel densities. The spatiotemporal heterogeneities demonstrated that the decline degree among these three indicators could be observed as CMR > IMR > NMR. Countries such as Brazil, Sweden, Libya, Myanmar, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Greece, and Zimbabwe showed the highest values of b_1i , indicating a weaker downward trend compared to the overall downward trend in the world.

Conclusions

This study revealed the spatiotemporal patterns and trends in the levels and improvement of NMR, IMR, and CMR across countries. Further, NMR, IMR, and CMR show a continuously decreasing trend, but the differences in improvement degree present a widening trend across countries. This study provides further implications for policy in newborns, infants, and children's health to reduce health inequality worldwide.

Global, Regional, and National Burdens of Ischemic Heart Disease Attributable to Smoking From 1990 to 2019

Background This study was conducted to estimate the distribution of and changes in the global disease burden of ischemic heart disease attributable to smoking between 1990 and 2019. Methods and Results Data used in this study come from the GBD 2019 (Global Burden of Disease Study 2019). Age-standardized rates and estimated annual percentage change of age-standardized rates were used to describe this burden and its changing trend. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between the sociodemographic index and changing trend. From 1990 to 2019, the burden of ischemic heart disease attributable to smoking has shown a downward trend globally; estimated annual percentage changes of age-standardized mortality rates and age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years rates were -2.012 (95% CI, -2.068 to -1.956) and -1.907 (95% CI, -1.975 to -1.838). Nineteen countries experienced an increase in disease burden, and the changes in 17 countries were not statistically significant. In addition, this burden was higher in men and older age groups. Estimated annual percentage change of the age-standardized rates of this burden were negatively correlated with the sociodemographic index. Conclusions Although the burden of ischemic heart disease attributable to smoking has decreased in >80% of countries or regions in the past 30 years, it has remained a significant issue in low- and middle-income countries, particularly among men and elderly populations. Therefore, active tobacco control measures, focusing on key populations, are required to reduce the associated burden of ischemic heart disease, especially in those countries or regions with increasing prevalence and disease burden.

Disentangling Source Profiles and Time Trends of Halogenated Flame Retardants in the Great Lakes

Thirty-five polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and eight other alternative flame retardants were measured in air samples (vapor plus particles) collected at six sites near the North American Great Lakes between 2005 and 2019 as part of the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN). These data were analyzed using a multiple linear regression model to determine spatial and temporal trends. Overall, the levels of flame retardants remain significantly higher in urban sites compared to rural and remote sites except for pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), hexabromobenzene (HBB), and total Dechlorane Plus (ΣDP). Here, we report the first findings of decreasing levels of ΣDP at Sturgeon Point, New York. The atmospheric levels of total PBDEs remain unchanged over time near Lakes Michigan and Superior and declined near Lakes Erie and Ontario, with rate constants at the latter two lakes revealing halving times of approximately 7 to 14 years. This work presents results from the first investigation of PBDE source apportionment in the Great Lakes atmosphere. Source apportionment by use of positive matrix factorization (PMF) identified two legacy commercial technical mixtures (i.e., penta-BDE and deca-BDE mixes) and elucidated a factor representing ambient degradation. Our results show that weathered local sources of technical commercial mixtures, and their photolysis contribute most to the total PBDE burden in the Great Lakes atmosphere.

Organotins Remain a Serious Threat to the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary

Marine mammals often accumulate high levels of environmental contaminants, even those that are globally regulated regarding usage, raising concerns about their health status. Here, we conducted the first investigation of tissue distribution, spatiotemporal trends, and potential risks of six organotin compounds (OTs) in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (n = 101) from the northern South China Sea during 2003-2021. We detected the highest level of hepatic triphenyltin in these humpback dolphins compared with the results reported in cetaceans globally, and the liver accumulated the highest OT concentrations than other analyzed tissues. Despite the downward trend of butyltins in humpback dolphins after the global ban on the use of OTs as antifouling paints, levels of phenyltins have continued to increase over the past 20 years, suggesting that the other applications of phenyltins in South China remain prevalent. In vitro and in vivo analyses revealed that tissue-relevant doses of OTs could induce agonistic effects on the dolphin peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ as a master regulator of lipid homeostasis and altered the dolphin fatty acid profiles. Our results highlight the lipid-disrupting effects of current OT exposure in humpback dolphins and emphasize the need for further efforts to eliminate OT contamination in South China.

Global Burden of Respiratory Diseases Attributable to Ambient Particulate Matter Pollution: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Exposure to ambient particulate matter pollution (APMP) is a global health issue that directly affects the human respiratory system. Thus, we estimated the spatiotemporal trends in the burden of APMP-related respiratory diseases from 1990 to 2019.

Methods: Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, data on the burden of APMP-related respiratory diseases were analyzed by age, sex, cause, and location. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to analyze the temporal trends in the burden of different respiratory diseases over the 30 years.

Results: Globally, in 2019, APMP contributed the most to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with 695.1 thousand deaths and 15.4 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs); however, the corresponding age-standardized death and DALY rates declined from 1990 to 2019. Similarly, although age-standardized death and DALY rates since 1990 decreased by 24% and 40%, respectively, lower respiratory infections (LRIs) still had the second highest number of deaths and DALYs attributable to APMP. This was followed by tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer, which showed increased age-standardized death and DALY rates during the past 30 years and reached 3.78 deaths per 100,000 persons and 84.22 DALYs per 100,000 persons in 2019. Among children aged < 5 years, LRIs had a huge burden attributable to APMP, whereas for older people, COPD was the leading cause of death and DALYs attributable to APMP. The APMP-related burdens of LRIs and COPD were relatively higher among countries with low and low-middle socio-demographic index (SDI), while countries with high-middle SDI showed the highest burden of TBL cancer attributable to APMP.

Conclusions: APMP contributed substantially to the global burden of respiratory diseases, posing a significant threat to human health. Effective actions aimed at air pollution can potentially avoid an increase in the PM_2.5-associated disease burden, especially in highly polluted areas.

Leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum: Integration of human, animal and environmental data through a One Health approach

The aim of this study was to explore Leishmania infantum epidemiology through a One Health approach that promotes a better estimation of leishmaniasis burden and a deeper understanding of the spatial distribution of the key actors of the parasite life cycle (vectors, reservoirs and humans). We conducted a 14-year mixed retrospective and prospective study of leishmaniasis cases in an endemic area in southern Spain (Granada province), to estimate the human incidence and its association with the vector presence, cryptic leishmaniasis rates and canine leishmaniasis prevalence. We found an annual linear increase in the incidence that cannot be fully explained by active case surveillance and the improvement of PCR diagnostic techniques. 49.4% of cases were not reported to the surveillance system. Approximately half of the human cases correspond to the visceral form that occurred more frequently in men; cutaneous, mucosal and cryptic forms were also detected. Leishmaniasis is no longer a disease of young children, accounting for a quarter of immunocompetent patients and most infected people remained asymptomatic. Human and canine leishmaniasis, cryptic or symptomatic, are present in the whole province, where there is a medium/high risk of the presence of Phlebotomus perniciosus, the main vector. We found association between the incidence of human leishmaniasis and the presence of the vector, but not with the prevalence of canine leishmaniasis and cryptic human leishmaniasis. A potential hot spot was also found, where high leishmaniasis incidence may be associated to the involvement of host species other than dogs.

Antipoaching standards in onshore hydrocarbon concessions drawn from a Central African case study

Unsustainable hunting outside protected areas is threatening tropical biodiversity worldwide and requires conservationists to engage increasingly in antipoaching activities. Following the example of ecocertified logging companies, we argue that other extractive industries managing large concessions should engage in antipoaching activities as part of their environmental management plans. Onshore hydrocarbon concessions should also adopt antipoaching protocols as a standard because they represent a biodiversity threat comparable to logging. We examined the spatiotemporal patterns of small- and large-mammal poaching in an onshore oil concession in Gabon, Central Africa, with a Bayesian occupancy model based on signs of poaching collected from 2010 to 2015 on antipoaching patrols. Patrol locations were initially determined based on local intelligence and past patrol successes (adaptive management) and subsequently with a systematic sampling of the concession. We generated maps of poaching probability in the concession and determined the temporal trends of this threat over 5 years. The spatiotemporal patterns of large- and small-mammal poaching differed throughout the concession, and likely these groups will need different management strategies. By elucidating the relationship between site-specific sampling effort and detection probability, the Bayesian method allowed us to set goals for future antipoaching patrols. Our results indicate that a combination of systematic sampling and adaptive management data is necessary to infer spatiotemporal patterns with the statistical method we used. On the basis of our case study, we recommend hydrocarbon companies interested in implementing efficient antipoaching activities in their onshore concessions to lay the foundation of long-needed industry standards by: adequately measuring antipoaching effort; mixing adaptive management and balanced sampling; setting goals for antipoaching effort; pairing patrols with large-mammal monitoring; supporting antipoaching patrols across the landscape; restricting access to their concessions; performing random searches for bushmeat and mammal products at points of entry; controlling urban and agricultural expansion; supporting bushmeat alternatives; and supporting land-use planning.