The Concentration of Benzo[a]pyrene in Food Cooked by Air Fryer and Oven: A Comparison Study.

The air fryer utilizes heated air rather than hot oil to achieve frying, eliminating the need for cooking oil, rendering it a healthier cooking method than traditional frying and baking. However, there is limited evidence supporting that the air fryer could effectively reduce the level of food-derived carcinogen. In this study, we compared the concentration of Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a typical carcinogen, in beef patties cooked using an air fryer and an oven, under different cooking conditions, including temperatures (140 °C, 160 °C, 180 °C, and 200 °C), times (9, 14, and 19 min), and oil added or not. The adjusted linear regression analysis revealed that the BaP concentration in beef cooked in the air fryer was 22.667 (95% CI: 15.984, 29.349) ng/kg lower than that in beef cooked in the oven. Regarding the air fryer, the BaP concentration in beef cooked without oil brushing was below the detection limit, and it was significantly lower than in beef cooked with oil brushing (p < 0.001). Therefore, cooking beef in the air fryer can effectively reduce BaP concentration, particularly due to the advantage of oil-free cooking, suggesting that the air fryer represents a superior option for individuals preparing meat at high temperatures.

Extreme temperature events and dementia mortality in Chinese adults: a population-based, case-crossover study.

BACKGROUND: The effect of exposure to extreme temperature events (ETEs) on dementia mortality remains largely unknown. We aimed to quantify the association of ETE exposure with dementia mortality. METHODS: We conducted a population-based, case-crossover study among 57 791 dementia deaths in Jiangsu province, China, during 2015-20. Daily mean temperatures were extracted from a validated grid dataset at each subject's residential address, and grid-specific exposures to heat wave and cold spell were assessed with a combination of their intensity and duration. We applied conditional logistic regression models to investigate cumulative and lag effects for ETE exposures. RESULTS: Exposure to ETE with each of all 24 definitions was associated with an increased odds of dementia mortality, which was higher when exposed to heat wave. Exposure to heat wave (daily mean temperature ≥95th percentile, duration ≥3 days (d); P95_3d) and cold spell (≤5th percentile, duration ≥3 d; P5_3d) was associated with a 75% (95% CI: 61%, 90%) and 30% (19%, 43%) increase in odds of dementia mortality, respectively. Definitions with higher intensity were generally associated with a higher odds of dementia mortality. We estimated that 6.14% of dementia deaths were attributable to exposure to heat wave (P90_2d) and cold spell (P10_2d). No effect modifications were observed by sex or age, except that the association for heat wave was stronger among women. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to both heat wave and cold spell was associated with an increased odds of dementia mortality. Our findings highlight that reducing individual ETE exposures may be helpful in preventing deaths from dementia, especially among women in summer.

Microplastics in the Lung Tissues Associated with Blood Test Index.

Microplastics (MPs) have received a lot of attention and have been detected in multiple environmental matrices as a new environmental hazard, but studies on human internal exposure to MPs are limited. Here, we collected lung tissue samples from 12 nonsmoking patients to evaluate the characteristics of MPs in human lung tissues using an Agilent 8700 laser infrared imaging spectrometer and scanning electron microscopy. We detected 108 MPs covering 12 types in the lung tissue samples, with a median concentration of 2.19 particles/g. Most of the MPs (88.89%) were sized between 20 to 100 µm. Polypropylene accounts for 34.26% of the MPs in the lung tissues, followed by polyethylene terephthalate (21.30%) and polystyrene (8.33%). Compared with males and those living far from a major road (≥300 m), females and those living near the main road (<300 m) had higher levels of MPs in lung tissues, which positively correlated with platelet (PLT), thrombocytocrit, fibrinogen (FIB), and negatively related with direct bilirubin (DB). These findings help confirm the presence in the respiratory system and suggest the potential sources and health effects of inhaled MPs.

New Evidence of Microplastics in the Lower Respiratory Tract: Inhalation through Smoking.

To investigate the relation of smoking and microplastic inhalation, we conducted a prospective study combining population-based and experimental work. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples from 17 smokers and 15 nonsmokers were collected in Zhuhai City, China. We simulated an active smoking model to explore the contribution of smoking to inhaled microplastics. The characteristics of microplastics in BALF samples and cigarette smoke were determined using laser direct infrared spectroscopy. We compared the differences between smokers and nonsmokers as well as between cigarette smoke and control groups. Microplastics were identified positive in all BALF samples. Smokers had higher concentrations of total microplastics (25.86 particles/g), polyurethane (11.34 particles/g), and silicone (1.15 particles/g) than nonsmokers. In the cigarette smoking simulation model, higher concentrations of total microplastics (9.99 particles/L), polyurethane (4.66 particles/L), and silicone (2.78 particles/L) were present in the cigarette smoke than those in the control group. We confirmed and extended the evidence on the presence of microplastics in the lower respiratory tract. These findings also provide new evidence on the relation between cigarette smoking and microplastic inhalation.

Evidence of Microplastics in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid among Never-Smokers: A Prospective Case Series.

Microplastics (MPs) are abundant in air, but evidence of their deposition in the respiratory tract is limited. We conducted a prospective case series to investigate the deposition of microplastics in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and determine the internal dose of MPs via inhalation. Eighteen never-smokers aged 32-74 years who underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy with BALF were recruited from Zhuhai, China. Control samples were obtained by performing the same procedure using isotonic saline instead of BALF. Laser direct infrared spectroscopy combined with scanning electron microscopy detected the presence and characteristics of MPs and quantitatively analyzed the microplastic in BALF and control samples. Concentrations of total and specific MPs in BALF and control samples were compared using the Wilcox test. Thirteen types of MPs were observed in 18 BALF samples. Polyethylene (PE, 86.1%) was the most abundant in BALF, followed by poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET, 7.5%) and polypropylene (PP, 1.9%). Compared with the control samples, BALF had significantly higher concentrations of PE (median [IQR] of BALF: 0.38 [8.05] N/g), PET (0.26 [0.54] N/g), polyurethane (0.16 [0.24] N/g), PP (0.16 [0.11] N/g), and total MPs (0.91 [6.58] N/g). The presence of MPs in BALF provides novel evidence that MPs penetrate deep into the respiratory tract.

Short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and pneumonia hospital admission among patients with COPD: a time-stratified case-crossover study.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is a major contributor to hospital admission for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, evidence for acute effects of ambient air pollution exposure on pneumonia hospital admission among patients with COPD is scarce. We aimed to examine the association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and pneumonia hospital admission among patients with COPD. METHODS: We enrolled COPD cases aged ≥ 60 years old and further filtered those who were admitted into hospitals from pneumonia during 2016-2019 in Guangdong province, China for main analysis. A time-stratified case-crossover design was applied to investigate the association and conditional logistic regression model was used for data analysis. We performed inverse distance weighting method to estimate daily individual-level exposure on particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3) based on personal residential addresses. RESULTS: We included 6473 pneumonia hospital admissions during the study period. Each interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 (lag 2; IQR, 22.1 µg/m3), SO2 (lag 03; IQR, 4.2 µg/m3), NO2 (lag 03; IQR, 21.4 µg/m3), and O3 (lag 04; IQR, 57.9 µg/m3) was associated with an odds ratio in pneumonia hospital admission of 1.043 (95% CI: 1.004-1.083), 1.081 (95% CI: 1.026-1.140), 1.045 (95% CI: 1.005-1.088), and 1.080 (95% CI: 1.018-1.147), respectively. Non-linear trends for PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 were observed in the study. Sex, age at hospital admission, and season at hospital admission did not modify the associations. CONCLUSIONS: We found significantly positive associations of short-term exposure to PM2.5, SO2, NO2, and O3 with pneumonia hospital admission among COPD patients. It provides new insight for comprehensive pneumonia prevention and treatment among COPD patients.

Risk and protective factors for anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic and an anxiety-provoking event. There are few studies to identify potential risk and protective factors related to anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We collected information on demographic data and lifestyles by a web-based survey of 19,802 participants from 34 provinces in China during COVID-19 pandemic. Level of anxiety was evaluated using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. We used ordinal multivariable logistic regression to estimate the associations of anxiety level with potential risk and protective factors. We further developed a new score to simplify the assessment of anxiety during COVID-19 crisis. RESULTS: Among 19,802 participants, we found that those who were front-line medical personnel, suffered from chronic disease, with present symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection or contact history had 112, 93, 40 and 15% increased risk of higher anxiety level; while those with knowledge about personal protective measures or wore masks had 75 and 29% lower risk of higher anxiety level respectively. We developed a risk score by calculating the sum of single score of 17 factors. Each one increase of the risk score was associated with a 297% increase in anxiety index score. In categorical analysis, low risk (the risk score between 1 to 2), the moderate risk group (the risk score of 3) and high risk group (the risk score ≥ 4) had - 0.40 (95% CI: - 1.55, 0.76), 1.44 (95% CI: 0.27, 2.61) and 9.18 (95% CI: 8.04, 10.33) increase in anxiety index score, and 26% (95% CI: - 7, 72%), 172% (95% CI: 100, 270%), and 733% (95% CI: 516, 1026%) higher risk of anxiety respectively, when compared with the very low risk group (the risk score of 0). The AUC was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.72, 0.74) for the model fitted the developed risk score, with the cut-off point of 3.5. CONCLUSIONS: These findings revealed protective and risk factors associated with anxiety, and developed a simple method of identifying people who are at an increased risk of anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic.

[Molluscicidal effect comparison between TDS and MNSC in field].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the molluscicidal effects between "Luo-wei" (TDS), a plant molluscicide in 4 percent, and metaldehyde and niclosamide (MNSC) in the field. METHODS: A natural ecological environment with Oncomelania hupensis was selected as the test area, the test concentrations of TDS and MNSC were 2.5 g/m3 and 2 ml/m3 respectively by the immersion method; the test doses of TDS and MNSC were 3 g/m2 and 2 ml/m2 respectively by the spray method; the doses of WPN in a control group were 2 g/m3 and 2 g/m2 respectively by the two methods above-mentioned. The molluscicidal effects between TDS and MNSC were compared by using the synchronous design method and parallel comparative method. RESULTS: In the TDS group, the death rate of snails was 90.70% by immersion for 24 hours, reached to 81.40% after spraying for 7 days, and there were no significant differences among the observation time points in molluscicidal effects (P > 0.05). One day after the spraying, the death rate of snails was less in the TDS group compared with that in the MSCN group (P < 0.01), but the death rates of snails were similar in both groups 3 days after the spraying (P > 0.05). In the MSCN group, the death rate of snails was 99.17% by immersion for 24 hours, reached to 66.07% by spraying for 1 day. In the WPS group, the death rate of snails was 97.15% by immersion for 24 hours, reached to 71.43% after spraying for 1 day, and there were no significant differences (both P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: TDS has a good molluscicidal activity and stable efficacy, and the molluscicidal effect of TDS is similar to that of MSCN in the filed, but the molluscicidal sensitivity of TDS is lower than that of MSCN.

[Molluscicidal effect of plastic film mulch covering method].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the molluscicidal effect of the plastic film mulch covering method. METHODS: In the barren land with a lot of Oncomelania hupensis snails, 3 experimental groups were set up, in which respectively using 3 different methods: a simple plastic film mulch covering method, film assisted with ammonium bicarbonate, and film assisted with amine molluscicide. In the canals, two experimental groups were set up, in which respectively using 2 different methods: simple plastic film mulch covering method and film assisted with ammonium bicarbonate. In above-mentioned areas, obstacles were cleared artificially. In each experiment group, 4 observation spots were set up, and 100 living snails were pot in each spot, and then, the plastic film mulch was evenly covered. The status of the snails was observed 3, 7, 15 and 30 days after the intervention. RESULTS: In the barren land, the snail death rates of the simple plastic film group were 20.77% and 96.92% 15 days and 30 days after the intervention, respectively. The snail death rate of the film assisted with amine molluscicide group was 80.46% 3 days after the intervention. In all the experiment groups, the snail death rates were from 96.92 to 100% 30 days after the intervention. CONCLUSION: The plastic film mulch covering method has a great molluscicide effect in the hill subtype and water network type of schistosomiasis epidemic areas.