Exposure to Household Air Pollution from Biomass Cookstoves and Blood Pressure Among Women in Rural Honduras: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Growing evidence links household air pollution exposure from biomass cookstoves with elevated blood pressure. We assessed cross‐sectional associations of 24‐hour mean concentrations of personal and kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and stove type with blood pressure, adjusting for confounders, among 147 women using traditional or cleaner‐burning Justa stoves in Honduras. We investigated effect modification by age and body mass index. Traditional stove users had mean (standard deviation) personal and kitchen 24‐hour PM2.5 concentrations of 126 μg/m3 (77) and 360 μg/m3 (374), while Justa stove users’ exposures were 66 μg/m3 (38) and 137 μg/m3(194), respectively. BC concentrations were similarly lower among Justa stove users. Adjusted mean systolic blood pressure was 2.5 mm Hg higher (95% CI, 0.7‐4.3) per unit increase in natural log‐transformed kitchen PM2.5 concentration; results were stronger among women of 40 years or older (5.2 mm Hg increase, 95% CI, 2.3‐8.1). Adjusted odds of borderline high and high blood pressure (categorized) were also elevated (odds ratio = 1.5, 95% CI, 1.0‐2.3). Some results included null values and are suggestive. Results suggest that reduced household air pollution, even when concentrations exceed air quality guidelines, may help lower cardiovascular disease risk, particularly among older subgroups

Exposure to Household Air Pollution from Biomass-Burning Cookstoves and HbA1c and Diabetic Status Among Honduran Women

Household air pollution from biomass cookstoves is estimated to be responsible for more than two and a half million premature deaths annually, primarily in low and middle‐income countries where cardiometabolic disorders, such as Type II Diabetes, are increasing. Growing evidence supports a link between ambient air pollution and diabetes, but evidence for household air pollution is limited. This cross‐sectional study of 142 women (72 with traditional stoves and 70 with cleaner‐burning Justa stoves) in rural Honduras evaluated the association of exposure to household air pollution (stove type, 24‐hour average kitchen and personal fine particulate matter [PM2.5] mass and black carbon) with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and diabetic status based on HbA1c levels. The prevalence ratio (PR) per interquartile range increase in pollution concentration indicated higher prevalence of prediabetes/diabetes (vs normal HbA1c) for all pollutant measures (eg, PR per 84 μg/m3 increase in personal PM2.5, 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11‐2.01). Results for HbA1c as a continuous variable were generally in the hypothesized direction. These results provide some evidence linking household air pollution with the prevalence of prediabetes/diabetes, and, if confirmed, suggest that the global public health impact of household air pollution may be broader than currently estimated

Exposure to Household Air Pollution from Biomass Cookstoves and Levels of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) among Honduran Women

Household air pollution is estimated to be responsible for nearly three million premature deaths annually. Measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) may improve the limited understanding of the association of household air pollution and airway inflammation. We evaluated the cross-sectional association of FeNO with exposure to household air pollution (24-h average kitchen and personal fine particulate matter and black carbon; stove type) among 139 women in rural Honduras using traditional stoves or cleaner-burning Justastoves. We additionally evaluated interaction by age. Results were generally consistent with a null association; we did not observe a consistent pattern for interaction by age. Evidence from ambient and household air pollution regarding FeNO is inconsistent, and may be attributable to differing study populations, exposures, and FeNO measurement procedures (e.g., the flow rate used to measure FeNO)

Exposure to household air pollution from biomass cookstoves and blood pressure among women in rural Honduras: A crossâ sectional study

Growing evidence links household air pollution exposure from biomass cookstoves with elevated blood pressure. We assessed crossâ sectional associations of 24â hour mean concentrations of personal and kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and stove type with blood pressure, adjusting for confounders, among 147 women using traditional or cleanerâ burning Justa stoves in Honduras. We investigated effect modification by age and body mass index. Traditional stove users had mean (standard deviation) personal and kitchen 24â hour PM2.5 concentrations of 126 μg/m3 (77) and 360 μg/m3 (374), while Justa stove usersâ exposures were 66 μg/m3 (38) and 137 μg/m3 (194), respectively. BC concentrations were similarly lower among Justa stove users. Adjusted mean systolic blood pressure was 2.5 mm Hg higher (95% CI, 0.7â 4.3) per unit increase in natural logâ transformed kitchen PM2.5 concentration; results were stronger among women of 40 years or older (5.2 mm Hg increase, 95% CI, 2.3â 8.1). Adjusted odds of borderline high and high blood pressure (categorized) were also elevated (odds ratio = 1.5, 95% CI, 1.0â 2.3). Some results included null values and are suggestive. Results suggest that reduced household air pollution, even when concentrations exceed air quality guidelines, may help lower cardiovascular disease risk, particularly among older subgroups.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146816/1/ina12507.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146816/2/ina12507_am.pd

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Multivalent 9-O-Acetylated-sialic acid glycoclusters as potent inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 infection

The recent emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants illustrates the urgent need to better understand the molecular details of the virus binding to its host cell and to develop anti-viral strategies. While many studies focused on the role of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor in the infection, others suggest the important role of cell attachment factors such as glycans. Here, we use atomic force microscopy to study these early binding events with the focus on the role of sialic acids (SA). We show that SARS-CoV-2 binds specifically to 9-O-acetylated-SA with a moderate affinity, supporting its role as an attachment factor during virus landing to cell host surfaces. For therapeutic purposes and based on this finding, we have designed novel blocking molecules with various topologies and carrying a controlled number of SA residues, enhancing affinity through a multivalent effect. Inhibition assays show that the AcSA-derived glycoclusters are potent inhibitors of cell binding and infectivity, offering new perspectives in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Exposure to Household Air Pollution from Biomass Cookstoves and Self-Reported Symptoms among Women in Rural Honduras

Household air pollution from combustion of solid fuels is an important risk factor for morbidity and mortality, causing an estimated 2.6 million premature deaths globally in 2016. Self-reported health symptoms are a meaningful measure of quality of life, however, few studies have evaluated symptoms and quantitative measures of exposure to household air pollution. We assessed the cross-sectional association of self-reported symptoms and exposures to household air pollution among women in rural Honduras using stove type (traditional [n = 76]; cleaner-burning Justa [n = 74]) and 24-hour average personal and kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations. The odds of prevalent symptoms were higher among women using traditional stoves vs Justa stoves (e.g. headache: odds ratio = 2.23; 95% confidence interval = 1.13–4.39). Associations between symptoms and measured PM2.5 were generally consistent with the null. These results add to the evidence suggesting reduced exposures and better health-related quality of life among women using cleaner-burning biomass stoves