18 research outputs found
Association of Exposure to Wildfire Air Pollution With Exacerbations of Atopic Dermatitis and Itch Among Older Adults.
This cross-sectional study evaluates the association of exposure to wildfire air pollution with exacerbations of atopic dermatitis and itch among adults aged 65 years or older
Association of Wildfire Air Pollution With Clinic Visits for Psoriasis
This cross-sectional study examines whether clinic visits and online search interest for psoriasis were associated with wildfire air pollution after a delayed lag period
Association of Wildfire Air Pollution and Health Care Use for Atopic Dermatitis and Itch.
IMPORTANCE: Air pollution is a worldwide public health issue that has been exacerbated by recent wildfires, but the relationship between wildfire-associated air pollution and inflammatory skin diseases is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess the associations between wildfire-associated air pollution and clinic visits for atopic dermatitis (AD) or itch and prescribed medications for AD management. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional time-series study assessed the associations of air pollution resulting from the California Camp Fire in November 2018 and 8049 dermatology clinic visits (4147 patients) at an academic tertiary care hospital system in San Francisco, 175 miles from the wildfire source. Participants included pediatric and adult patients with AD or itch from before, during, and after the time of the fire (October 2018 through February 2019), compared with those with visits in the same time frame of 2015 and 2016, when no large wildfires were near San Francisco. Data analysis was conducted from November 1, 2019, to May 30, 2020. EXPOSURES: Wildfire-associated air pollution was characterized using 3 metrics: fire status, concentration of particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), and satellite-based smoke plume density scores. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Weekly clinic visit counts for AD or itch were the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes were weekly numbers of topical and systemic medications prescribed for AD in adults. RESULTS: Visits corresponding to a total of 4147 patients (mean [SD] age, 44.6 [21.1] years; 2322 [56%] female) were analyzed. The rates of visits for AD during the Camp Fire for pediatric patients were 1.49 (95% CI, 1.07-2.07) and for adult patients were 1.15 (95% CI, 1.02-1.30) times the rate for nonfire weeks at lag 0, adjusted for temperature, relative humidity, patient age, and total patient volume at the clinics for pediatric patients. The adjusted rate ratios for itch clinic visits during the wildfire weeks were 1.82 (95% CI, 1.20-2.78) for the pediatric patients and 1.29 (95% CI, 0.96-1.75) for adult patients. A 10-μg/m3 increase in weekly mean PM2.5 concentration was associated with a 7.7% (95% CI, 1.9%-13.7%) increase in weekly pediatric itch clinic visits. The adjusted rate ratio for prescribed systemic medications in adults during the Camp Fire at lag 0 was 1.45 (95% CI, 1.03-2.05). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This cross-sectional study found that short-term exposure to air pollution due to the wildfire was associated with increased health care use for patients with AD and itch. These results may provide a better understanding of the association between poor air quality and skin health and guide health care professionals' counseling of patients with skin disease and public health practice
Epigenome-wide association study and epigenetic age acceleration associated with cigarette smoking among Costa Rican adults
Smoking-associated DNA methylation (DNAm) signatures are reproducible among studies of mostly European descent, with mixed evidence if smoking accelerates epigenetic aging and its relationship to longevity. We evaluated smoking-associated DNAm signatures in the Costa Rican Study on Longevity and Healthy Aging (CRELES), including participants from the high longevity region of Nicoya. We measured genome-wide DNAm in leukocytes, tested Epigenetic Age Acceleration (EAA) from five clocks and estimates of telomere length (DNAmTL), and examined effect modification by the high longevity region. 489 participants had a mean (SD) age of 79.4 (10.8) years, and 18% were from Nicoya. Overall, 7.6% reported currently smoking, 35% were former smokers, and 57.4% never smoked. 46 CpGs and five regions (e.g. AHRR, SCARNA6/SNORD39, SNORA20, and F2RL3) were differentially methylated for current smokers. Former smokers had increased Horvath’s EAA (1.69-years; 95% CI 0.72, 2.67), Hannum’s EAA (0.77-years; 95% CI 0.01, 1.52), GrimAge (2.34-years; 95% CI1.66, 3.02), extrinsic EAA (1.27-years; 95% CI 0.34, 2.21), intrinsic EAA (1.03-years; 95% CI 0.12, 1.94) and shorter DNAmTL (− 0.04-kb; 95% CI − 0.08, − 0.01) relative to non-smokers. There was no evidence of effect modification among residents of Nicoya. Our findings recapitulate previously reported and novel smoking-associated DNAm changes in a Latino cohort
Epigenome-Wide Association Study and Epigenetic Age Acceleration Associated with Cigarette Smoking among Costa Rican Adults
Smoking-associated DNA methylation (DNAm) signatures are reproducible among studies of mostly European descent, with mixed evidence if smoking accelerates epigenetic aging and its relationship to longevity. We evaluated smoking-associated DNAm signatures in the Costa Rican Study on Longevity and Healthy Aging (CRELES), including participants from the high longevity region of Nicoya. We measured genome-wide DNAm in leukocytes, tested Epigenetic Age Acceleration (EAA) from five clocks and estimates of telomere length (DNAmTL), and examined effect modification by the high longevity region. 489 participants had a mean (SD) age of 79.4 (10.8) years, and 18% were from Nicoya. Overall, 7.6% reported currently smoking, 35% were former smokers, and 57.4% never smoked. 46 CpGs and five regions (e.g. AHRR, SCARNA6/SNORD39, SNORA20, and F2RL3) were differentially methylated for current smokers. Former smokers had increased Horvath’s EAA (1.69-years; 95% CI 0.72, 2.67), Hannum’s EAA (0.77-years; 95% CI 0.01, 1.52), GrimAge (2.34-years; 95% CI1.66, 3.02), extrinsic EAA (1.27-years; 95% CI 0.34, 2.21), intrinsic EAA (1.03-years; 95% CI 0.12, 1.94) and shorter DNAmTL (− 0.04-kb; 95% CI − 0.08, − 0.01) relative to non-smokers. There was no evidence of effect modification among residents of Nicoya. Our findings recapitulate previously reported and novel smoking-associated DNAm changes in a Latino cohort.UC Berkeley Center on the Economics and Demography of Aging/[]//Estados UnidosUnited States National Institutes of Health/[]//Estados UnidosUCR::VicerrectorÃa de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Medicina::Escuela de TecnologÃas en SaludUCR::VicerrectorÃa de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Centro Centroamericano de Población (CCP
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Differences in the Estimation of Wildfire-Associated Air Pollution by Satellite Mapping of Smoke Plumes and Ground-Level Monitoring.
Wildfires, which are becoming more frequent and intense in many countries, pose serious threats to human health. To determine health impacts and provide public health messaging, satellite-based smoke plume data are sometimes used as a proxy for directly measured particulate matter levels. We collected data on particulate matter <2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) concentration from 16 ground-level monitoring stations in the San Francisco Bay Area and smoke plume density from satellite imagery for the 2017-2018 California wildfire seasons. We tested for trends and calculated bootstrapped differences in the median PM2.5 concentrations by plume density category on a 0-3 scale. The median PM2.5 concentrations for categories 0, 1, 2, and 3 were 16, 22, 25, and 63 μg/m3, respectively, and there was much variability in PM2.5 concentrations within each category. A case study of the Camp Fire illustrates that in San Francisco, PM2.5 concentrations reached their maximum many days after the peak for plume density scores. We found that air pollution characterization by satellite imagery did not precisely align with ground-level PM2.5 concentrations. Public health practitioners should recognize the need to combine multiple sources of data regarding smoke patterns when developing public guidance to limit the health effects of wildfire smoke
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Differences in the Estimation of Wildfire-Associated Air Pollution by Satellite Mapping of Smoke Plumes and Ground-Level Monitoring.
Wildfires, which are becoming more frequent and intense in many countries, pose serious threats to human health. To determine health impacts and provide public health messaging, satellite-based smoke plume data are sometimes used as a proxy for directly measured particulate matter levels. We collected data on particulate matter <2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) concentration from 16 ground-level monitoring stations in the San Francisco Bay Area and smoke plume density from satellite imagery for the 2017-2018 California wildfire seasons. We tested for trends and calculated bootstrapped differences in the median PM2.5 concentrations by plume density category on a 0-3 scale. The median PM2.5 concentrations for categories 0, 1, 2, and 3 were 16, 22, 25, and 63 μg/m3, respectively, and there was much variability in PM2.5 concentrations within each category. A case study of the Camp Fire illustrates that in San Francisco, PM2.5 concentrations reached their maximum many days after the peak for plume density scores. We found that air pollution characterization by satellite imagery did not precisely align with ground-level PM2.5 concentrations. Public health practitioners should recognize the need to combine multiple sources of data regarding smoke patterns when developing public guidance to limit the health effects of wildfire smoke