BACKGROUND: Previous evidence showed that ambient air pollution and cardiovascular mortality are related. However, there is a lack of evidence towards the modification effect of long-term lifestyle on the association between short-term ambient air pollution and death from cardiovascular events. METHOD: A total of 14,609 death from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were identified among the China Kadoorie Biobank participants from 2013 to 2018. Ambient air pollution exposure including particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5), SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃ from the same period were obtained from space-time model reconstructions based on remote sensing data. Case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression was applied to estimate the effect of short-term exposure to air pollutants on MACE mortality. RESULTS: We found MACE mortality was significantly associated with PM_2.5 (relative percent increase 2.91% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.32-4.53), NO₂ (5.37% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.56-9.33), SO₂ (6.82% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 2.99-10.80), and CO (2.24% per 0.1 mg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.02-3.48). Stratified analyses indicated that drinking was associated with elevated risk of MACE mortality with NO₂ and SO₂ exposure; physical inactivity was associated with higher risk of death from MACE when exposed to PM_2.5; and people who had balanced diet had lower risk of MACE mortality when exposed to CO and NO₂. CONCLUSIONS The study results showed that short-term exposure to ambient PM_2.5, NO₂, SO₂, and CO would aggravate the risk of cardiovascular mortality, yet healthy lifestyle conduct might mitigate such negative impact to some extent.
Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Middle Aged ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Life Style ; Aged ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Cross-Over Studies ; East Asian People

Objective:To explore the prospective association between physical activity level and mor-tality risk in Chinese adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods:Based on the China Kadoorie Biobank(CKB)who had COPD at the baseline survey,this study employed the Cox proportional hazards regression model to estimate the prospective associations between the overall physical activity,different intensities(low-level,moderate-to-vigorous-level),and types(occupational,non-occupational)of physical activity level and the risks of all-cause and cause-specific mortality,such as vascular diseases,cancer,and respiratory diseases.Based on the quintiles of physical activity level,par-ticipants were divided into five groups(Q1-Q5),with the lowest quintile group(Q1)as the reference group.Hazard ratio(HR)and 95％confidence interval(95％CI)were calculated for the remaining.In our study,we also performed sensitivity and subgroup analyses,including age,gender,self-rated health status,severity of COPD,etc.Results:Among 33 588 COPD patients at the baseline survey,8 314(22.2％)deaths were documented during an average follow-up of(11.1±3.1)years.Negative linear associations between the overall physical activity level and mortality risk from all-cause,vascular,and respiratory diseases were observed(P trend for linear correlation being＜0.001,0.002,＜0.001).Compared with the lowest quintile group of total physical activity(Q1),the hazard ratios(HR)and 95％confidence intervals(CI)for all-cause mortality,vascular disease mortality,and respiratory disease mortality in the highest quintile group(Q5)were 0.77(0.70,0.85),0.77(0.65,0.91),and 0.58(0.48,0.71),respectively.The low-level and moderate-to-vigorous-level physical activity were nega-tively associated with all-cause mortality in the COPD patients(P trend for linear correlation:0.002,＜0.001,respectively).Compared with the lowest quintile group of low-intensity and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity(Q1),the HRs(95％CI)for all-cause mortality in the highest quintile group(Q5)were 0.89(0.82,0.97)and 0.79(0.72,0.87),respectively.The occupational and non-occupational physical activity were also found to have a linear inverse association with all-cause mortality risk among the COPD patients(P trend＜0.001 and 0.015,respectively).Compared with the lowest quintile group of occupational and non-occupational physical activity(Q1),the HR(95％CI)for all-cause mortality in the highest quintile group(Q5)were 0.69(0.61,0.78)and 0.91(0.84,0.98),respectively.The associations between overall physical activity and all-cause mortality risk were stronger for patients aged 60 and above,female,and who reported poor health status(P for interaction:0.028,0.012,0.010).The protective effect of total physical activity was also applicable to the COPD patients of varying severity.Conclusion:Physical activity could reduce the mortality risk in a dose-response relationship among COPD patients,regardless of its intensity and type,especially among indi-viduals aged 60 and above,females,and those with poor self-report health status.

Objective To investigate the value of carotid ultrasonographic lesion indices in predicting coronary artery stenosis in patients with essential hypertension,and to analyze their correlation with the degree of coronary artery stenosis.Methods A total of 4 691 patients diagnosed with essential hypertension who visited our cardiac center between January 2020 and September 2023 were included in this study.All the patients underwent carotid ultrasound exam and coronary angiography.Their baseline clinical data were collected,and the severity of coronary artery stenosis was quantified using the Gensini score.Carotid ultrasound parameters,including resistance index(RI),pulsatility index(PI),intima-media thickness(IMT),intimal thickening,plaque formation and luminal stenosis,were evaluated in detail.To control for potential confounders,six multivariate Logistic regression models were constructed to analyze the stratified data on carotid artery lesions.Results Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations of PI,RI and IMT with the Gensini score of coronary artery stenosis in hypertensive patients(left PI:r=0.041,P=0.005;right PI:r=0.035,P=0.017;left RI:r=0.119,P＜0.001;right RI:r=0.032,P=0.027;IMT:r=0.043,P=0.003).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that carotid plaque formation and stenosis were significantly associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease(CAD)in hypertensive patients(P＜0.001),while intimal thickening was associated with a significantly decreased risk of CAD(P=0.009).Model 2 adjusted for sex,age,educational level,smoking history,systolic blood pressure,and other variables,while Model 3 further adjusted for blood parameters,including white blood cell count,creatinine,and lipid profiles.Stratified analysis of carotid artery lesions showed that intimal thickening combined with plaque formation(Model 5)and plaque formation combined with stenosis(Model 6)were significantly associated with an increased risk of CAD(P＜0.001).In contrast,the difference in patients with only intimal thickening(Model 4)was not statistically significant(P=0.127).Conclusion Carotid ultrasound lesion characteristics are strongly associated with the risk of coronary artery stenosis in patients with essential hypertension,and carotid artery lesions can be used as a useful tool to assess the risk of coronary artery disease in hypertensive patients.

Objective To investigate the prognosis of patients with negative sentinel lymph nodes(SLN)after neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)for breast cancer who are exempt from axillary lymph node dissection(ALND)and evaluate its safety in clinical treatment.Methods Clinical data of 2,163 patients initially diagnosed with breast cancer and having negative SLNs after NAC were se-lected from the SEER database from 2018 to 2021.Among them,373 patients underwent only SLN biopsy(SLNB group),and 1,790 patients underwent ALND(ALND group).Propensity score matching(PSM)was used to control for confounding factors,and the Kaplan-Meier method was em-ployed to analyze the overall survival rate.Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify prognostic factors influencing the exemption from ALND in patients with negative SLNs after NAC for breast cancer.Results Before PSM,significant differences were observed be-tween the two groups in terms of clinical tumor stage,molecular subtype,estrogen receptor(ER)sta-tus,progesterone receptor(PR)status,human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER-2)status,efficacy of NAC,and breast surgery method(P＜0.05).After PSM,363 patients were included in each group.Univariate Cox regression analysis after PSM revealed that age,clinical tumor stage,and ER status were associated with overall survival(OS)of patients(P＜0.05).There was no sig-nificant difference in OS between patients who underwent SLNB and those who underwent ALND(P＞0.05).Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that age and clinical tumor stage were independent factors influencing OS in patients with negative SLNs after NAC.Survival curve analysis after PSM showed no statistically significant difference in overall survival rate between the SLNB and ALND groups(P=0.278).Conclusion Exemption from ALND in patients with negative SLNs af-ter NAC is feasible and does not affect the overall survival rate of patients.

Objective To investigate the underlying mechanisms of vitamin D treatment improves early-stage renal damage in hypertensive mice.Methods From December 2022 to December 2023,peripheral blood samples were collected from 20 hypertensive patients with early-stage renal injury and healthy controls.ELISA was used to detect interleukin-6(IL?6),C?reactive protein(CRP)and reactive oxygen species(ROS).RT?qPCR and Western blot were utilized to measure the expression of Klotho and disulfidptosis?related proteins[glucose transporter 1(GLUT1),glucose transporter 3(GLUT3)and solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11)].A mouse model of hypertension with early?stage renal damage was established and treated with vitamin D.Kidney tissue samples were collected for HE staining and ELISA to assess inflammatory factors,and RT?qPCR and Western blot were used to examine the expression of Klotho and disulfidptosis?related proteins.Results Compared to the control group,the level of IL?6,CRP and ROS was significantly increased in the hypertensive patients with early?stage renal damage(P<0.05).The expression of GLUT1 and GLUT3 was significantly increased,while the expression of Klotho and SLC7A11 was significantly decreased(P<0.05).In the mouse model of hypertension with early?stage renal dam?age,HE staining showed that the level of inflammatory factors in the model group was significantly higher than that in control group.Vitamin D suppressed the level of inflammatory factors,increased the expression of Klotho and SLC7A11 and inhibited the expression of GLUT1 and GLUT3 in the model group(P<0.05).Conclusions Vitamin D treatment effectively improves inflammatory response in hypertensive mice with early renal injury.

Objective:To describe the prevalence of preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) in participants from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) and explore the influencing factors.Methods:The CKB project conducted the baseline survey, the first and the second resurvey in 2004-2008, 2008, and 2013-2014, respectively. Based on the lung function tests, the participants were categorized into three groups: regular, PRISm, and airflow obstruction. The prevalence of PRISm was reported by gender, age, and region at the baseline survey. The secular trend in the prevalence of PRISm was described during the three surveys. Finally, we used the multiple logistic regression model to examine the factors related to PRISm in the baseline survey.Results:After standardization for gender, age, and region according to the sixth national census data in 2010, the overall prevalence of PRISm and airflow obstruction among the 434 760 participants at baseline was 24.8% and 6.1%, respectively. The prevalence of PRISm was higher in rural (25.4%) than that in urban areas (24.3%). Of the 10 study regions, Gansu had the highest prevalence of PRISm (56.0%), while Henan had the lowest (15.4%). After standardization for gender, age, and region according to the baseline population, the prevalence of PRISm decreased from 24.9% at baseline to 15.7% in the second resurvey, and the prevalence of airflow obstruction increased from 5.9% to 21.4%. Unmarried status, current smoking, using solid fuels for cooking, low body weight, being overweight, obesity, and central obesity were associated with an increased risk of PRISm. In contrast, higher education attainments, increased household income, and maintaining a specific degree of physical activity were associated with a reduced risk of PRISm.Conclusions:The prevalence of PRISm was high in adults aged 40 years and above in China, and it varied by sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

Objective:To explore the impacts of smoking on the need for respiratory support and mortality in patients hospitalized with pneumonia.Methods:A total of 24 367 patients hospitalized with pneumonia from 2009 to 2017 in the China Kadoorie Biobank, were included. Smoking status was self-reported, and data regarding respiratory support during hospitalization and mortality during follow-up were obtained from medical claims and death registries, respectively. OR, HR, and 95% CI were calculated and adjusted for potential confounders using logistic regression models and Cox proportional hazards regression models, respectively. Results:Among males, current smokers or those who quit smoking due to illness had higher risks of requiring respiratory support ( OR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.03-1.29), 1-year mortality ( HR=1.66, 95% CI: 1.32-2.08), and 5-year mortality ( HR=1.32, 95% CI: 1.13-1.54) following pneumonia hospitalization compared to nonsmokers. Male smokers who started smoking at a younger age or with longer smoking duration had the highest mortality risks (trend test both P<0.05). Female current smokers or those who quit smoking due to illness had higher risks of 1-year mortality ( HR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.17-2.23) and 5-year mortality ( HR=1.33, 95% CI: 1.06-1.67). We found no statistically significant difference in 90-day mortality between current smokers/those who quit smoking due to illness and nonsmokers. Conclusions:Smoking was associated with higher risks of requiring respiratory support and mortality in patients hospitalized with pneumonia, especially among males and heavy smokers. These findings highlight the need for targeted strategies to promote smoking cessation in patients hospitalized with pneumonia.

Objective:To describe the prevalence of preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) in participants from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) and explore the influencing factors.Methods:The CKB project conducted the baseline survey, the first and the second resurvey in 2004-2008, 2008, and 2013-2014, respectively. Based on the lung function tests, the participants were categorized into three groups: regular, PRISm, and airflow obstruction. The prevalence of PRISm was reported by gender, age, and region at the baseline survey. The secular trend in the prevalence of PRISm was described during the three surveys. Finally, we used the multiple logistic regression model to examine the factors related to PRISm in the baseline survey.Results:After standardization for gender, age, and region according to the sixth national census data in 2010, the overall prevalence of PRISm and airflow obstruction among the 434 760 participants at baseline was 24.8% and 6.1%, respectively. The prevalence of PRISm was higher in rural (25.4%) than that in urban areas (24.3%). Of the 10 study regions, Gansu had the highest prevalence of PRISm (56.0%), while Henan had the lowest (15.4%). After standardization for gender, age, and region according to the baseline population, the prevalence of PRISm decreased from 24.9% at baseline to 15.7% in the second resurvey, and the prevalence of airflow obstruction increased from 5.9% to 21.4%. Unmarried status, current smoking, using solid fuels for cooking, low body weight, being overweight, obesity, and central obesity were associated with an increased risk of PRISm. In contrast, higher education attainments, increased household income, and maintaining a specific degree of physical activity were associated with a reduced risk of PRISm.Conclusions:The prevalence of PRISm was high in adults aged 40 years and above in China, and it varied by sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

Objective:To explore the impacts of smoking on the need for respiratory support and mortality in patients hospitalized with pneumonia.Methods:A total of 24 367 patients hospitalized with pneumonia from 2009 to 2017 in the China Kadoorie Biobank, were included. Smoking status was self-reported, and data regarding respiratory support during hospitalization and mortality during follow-up were obtained from medical claims and death registries, respectively. OR, HR, and 95% CI were calculated and adjusted for potential confounders using logistic regression models and Cox proportional hazards regression models, respectively. Results:Among males, current smokers or those who quit smoking due to illness had higher risks of requiring respiratory support ( OR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.03-1.29), 1-year mortality ( HR=1.66, 95% CI: 1.32-2.08), and 5-year mortality ( HR=1.32, 95% CI: 1.13-1.54) following pneumonia hospitalization compared to nonsmokers. Male smokers who started smoking at a younger age or with longer smoking duration had the highest mortality risks (trend test both P<0.05). Female current smokers or those who quit smoking due to illness had higher risks of 1-year mortality ( HR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.17-2.23) and 5-year mortality ( HR=1.33, 95% CI: 1.06-1.67). We found no statistically significant difference in 90-day mortality between current smokers/those who quit smoking due to illness and nonsmokers. Conclusions:Smoking was associated with higher risks of requiring respiratory support and mortality in patients hospitalized with pneumonia, especially among males and heavy smokers. These findings highlight the need for targeted strategies to promote smoking cessation in patients hospitalized with pneumonia.

Objective To investigate the value of carotid ultrasonographic lesion indices in predicting coronary artery stenosis in patients with essential hypertension,and to analyze their correlation with the degree of coronary artery stenosis.Methods A total of 4 691 patients diagnosed with essential hypertension who visited our cardiac center between January 2020 and September 2023 were included in this study.All the patients underwent carotid ultrasound exam and coronary angiography.Their baseline clinical data were collected,and the severity of coronary artery stenosis was quantified using the Gensini score.Carotid ultrasound parameters,including resistance index(RI),pulsatility index(PI),intima-media thickness(IMT),intimal thickening,plaque formation and luminal stenosis,were evaluated in detail.To control for potential confounders,six multivariate Logistic regression models were constructed to analyze the stratified data on carotid artery lesions.Results Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations of PI,RI and IMT with the Gensini score of coronary artery stenosis in hypertensive patients(left PI:r=0.041,P=0.005;right PI:r=0.035,P=0.017;left RI:r=0.119,P＜0.001;right RI:r=0.032,P=0.027;IMT:r=0.043,P=0.003).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that carotid plaque formation and stenosis were significantly associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease(CAD)in hypertensive patients(P＜0.001),while intimal thickening was associated with a significantly decreased risk of CAD(P=0.009).Model 2 adjusted for sex,age,educational level,smoking history,systolic blood pressure,and other variables,while Model 3 further adjusted for blood parameters,including white blood cell count,creatinine,and lipid profiles.Stratified analysis of carotid artery lesions showed that intimal thickening combined with plaque formation(Model 5)and plaque formation combined with stenosis(Model 6)were significantly associated with an increased risk of CAD(P＜0.001).In contrast,the difference in patients with only intimal thickening(Model 4)was not statistically significant(P=0.127).Conclusion Carotid ultrasound lesion characteristics are strongly associated with the risk of coronary artery stenosis in patients with essential hypertension,and carotid artery lesions can be used as a useful tool to assess the risk of coronary artery disease in hypertensive patients.