Article
Environmental Sciences
Jian Cheng, Hung Chak Ho, Chris Webster, Hong Su, Haifeng Pan, Hao Zheng, Zhiwei Xu
Summary: This study revealed that exposure to lower-than-standard particulate matter air pollution could shorten life expectancy and incur massive mortality burden among residents in Hong Kong, China.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Lijun Wang, Jianjiu Chen, Lok Tung Leung, Zhi-Ming Mai, Sai Yin Ho, Tai Hing Lam, Man Ping Wang
Summary: The study found that former and current use of HTPs was associated with persistent respiratory symptoms among youth, especially among those who never or formerly smoked cigarettes. Respiratory symptoms were more prevalent in ever exclusive HTP users and ever dual users compared to ever exclusive cigarette users. These findings suggest that using HTPs instead of cigarettes may not reduce health risks.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pin Wang, Hang Wai Tong, Tsz Cheung Lee, William B. Goggins
Summary: This study projected mortality rates in Hong Kong under different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) using annual data from 1976 to 2018. The results showed that under RCPs 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5, there would be net increases in mortality rates due to an excess of hot days outweighing the decrease in cold days. Higher mortality rates were projected for individuals over 75 years old and for cardiovascular deaths. Human adaptation measures might not be sufficient to offset the adverse impact of climate change. Better public adaptation strategies are needed to cope with the health impacts of climate change in Hong Kong.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pin Wang, William B. Goggins, Yuan Shi, Xuyi Zhang, Chao Ren, Kevin Ka-Lun Lau
Summary: Higher frontal area density (FAD) is significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality and asthma mortality, indicating the impact of urban air ventilation on health outcomes. Better urban ventilation can help disperse pollutants and moderate temperature, highlighting the importance of considering ventilation in urban planning. Further research on urban ventilation and health outcomes in different settings is needed.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Peter Brimblecombe
Summary: Over the past quarter century, Hong Kong's secondary inorganic aerosol has changed, with primary air pollutants decreasing while secondary pollutants show an overall decline. An increase in the NO3-:SO42- ratio is attributed to automotive sources. Insufficient NH3 to neutralize acid from aerosols leaves free acid in the atmosphere.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Masna Rai, Massimo Stafoggia, Francesca de'Donato, Matteo Scortichini, Sofia Zafeiratou, Liliana Vazquez Fernandez, Siqi Zhang, Klea Katsouyanni, Evangelia Samoli, Shilpa Rao, Eric Lavigne, Yuming Guo, Haidong Kan, Samuel Osorio, Jan Kysely, Ales Urban, Hans Orru, Marek Maasikmets, Jouni J. K. Jaakkola, Niilo Ryti, Mathilde Pascal, Masahiro Hashizume, Chris Fook Sheng Ng, Barrak Alahmad, Magali Hurtado Diaz, Cesar De la Cruz Valencia, Baltazar Nuness, Joana Madureira, Noah Scovronick, Rebecca M. Garland, Ho Kim, Whanhee Lee, Aurelio Tobias, Carmen Iniguez, Bertil Forsberg, Christofer Astrom, Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera, Martina S. Ragettli, Yue-Liang Leon Guo, Shih-Chun Pan, Shanshan Li, Antonio Gasparrini, Francesco Sera, Pierre Masselot, Joel Schwartz, Antonella Zanobetti, Michelle L. Bell, Alexandra Schneider, Susanne Breitner
Summary: A study conducted in 482 locations across 24 countries found that heat has an impact on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, and air pollution exacerbates this effect. The effect on respiratory mortality is stronger than on cardiovascular mortality. Therefore, it is crucial to implement mitigation measures based on the new WHO Air Quality Guidelines to improve health and promote sustainable development.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ting Zhang, Bo Huang, Yizhen Yan, Yinyi Lin, Hung Wong, Samuel Yeung-shan Wong, Roger Yat-Nork Chung
Summary: This cross-sectional study found negative associations between street-view greenness and traditional greenness metrics with sitting time. The associations between street-view greenness and sitting time were moderated by objective air pollution and mediated by ozone. Additionally, the associations varied by demographics and socioeconomic status. This study emphasizes the importance of street-level greenness planning for health promotion and reducing sitting time.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Man Xu, Ping Hu, Ruoling Chen, Bing Liu, Hongying Chen, Jian Hou, Li Ke, Jiao Huang, Hairong Ren, Hui Hu
Summary: The study found that long-term exposure to high concentrations of air pollution in Hong Kong may be associated with an increase in the number of notified tuberculosis cases. Nonlinear relationships were identified between PM10, PM2.5, and CO concentrations and tuberculosis notifications, with concentrations above specific percentiles leading to an increase in notification rates.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thayer Alshaabi, David R. Dewhurst, James P. Bagrow, Peter S. Dodds, Christopher M. Danforth
Summary: Human mortality is partly influenced by various socioeconomic factors that differ spatially and temporally. The use of spatially-distributed variables can reduce uncertainty in mortality rate predictions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoliang Wang, Lung-Wen Antony Chen, Kin-Fai Ho, Chi Sing Chan, Zhuozhi Zhang, Shun-Cheng Lee, Judith C. Chow, John G. Watson
Summary: The study found that emissions of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and PM2.5 decreased by over 40% from 2003 to 2015 in Hong Kong. However, motorcycles and LPG-fueled public light buses emitted disproportionately high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) and NMHC, indicating the need for additional emission controls. Additionally, fuel economy improvements did not lead to expected reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, underscoring the need for more aggressive CO2 reductions, especially from heavy-duty vehicles.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tao Huang, Yuanjian Yang, Ewan James O'Connor, Simone Lolli, Jim Haywood, Martin Osborne, Jack Chin-Ho Cheng, Jianping Guo, Steve Hung-Lam Yim
Summary: This study comprehensively analyzed the impact of a weak typhoon on variations in PM and O-3 concentrations in Hong Kong using a network of Doppler LiDAR and back trajectory analysis. The results revealed the important role of TAP in increasing surface PM and O-3 concentrations, as well as the critical role of local O-3 photochemical processes in O-3 differences.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chuangxin Wu, Yaqiong Yan, Xi Chen, Jie Gong, Yan Guo, Yuanyuan Zhao, Niannian Yang, Juan Dai, Faxue Zhang, Hao Xiang
Summary: This study found a positive association between short-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 and T2DM mortality, with gaseous pollutants having a greater impact than particulate matter. Females and elderly individuals aged 65 and above were found to be more susceptible to the effects of air pollution exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yi Tong Guo, William Bernard Goggins, Emily Ying Yang Chan, Kin Fai Ho
Summary: This study examines the impact of individual socioeconomic status on the association between ambient temperature and hospitalizations, and finds that individual SES is an important modifier of high temperature-hospitalization associations among the elderly in Hong Kong.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Lap Ah Tse, Feng Wang, Martin Chi-sang Wong, Joseph Siu-kei Au, Ignatius Tak-sun Yu
Summary: A risk prediction model for lung cancer among male general population in Hong Kong was developed, including factors such as smoking, family history, residential radon exposure. The model showed moderate discrimination with an AUC of 0.735.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jie Ban, Wenjing Su, Yu Zhong, Cheng Liu, Tiantian Li
Summary: This study reveals that low-level ambient formaldehyde is associated with daily nonaccidental, circulatory, and respiratory mortality. The findings suggest a potential threshold concentration for significant impact and emphasize the importance of timely pollution regulation and health protection.
Article
Statistics & Probability
Peipei Du, Peihua Cao, Xiaodong Yan, Daihai He, Xiaotong Zhang, Weixiang Chen, Jiawei Luo, Ziqian Zeng, Yaolong Chen, Lin Yang, Shu Yang, Xixi Feng
Summary: The difference in age structure and aging population level is a significant factor in the variation of COVID-19's case fatality rate (CFR) in different regions. To eliminate the impact of age on CFR estimation, this study used a nonlinear logistic model and maximum likelihood method to fit the age-fatality curves of COVID-19 in various countries and regions. The standardized mortality ratio was calculated from these curves and it was discovered that the risk of COVID-19 death was moderate in Wuhan and even lower in non-Hubei regions compared to other areas. There might be an unknown phenomenon in high-endemic regions that contributes to the disparity of CFRs among different regions within a country. Based on age-fatality rate curves, the study estimated unknown rates in severely affected cities like Wuhan and New York, finding that the total unknown rates were 81.6% and 81.2% respectively. Additionally, it was observed that the unknown rates varied significantly by age.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED STATISTICS
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Mingyang Yuan, Minshan Lu, Yixin Guo, Kin Bong Hubert Lam, Jinhua Lu, Jianrong He, Songying Shen, Dongmei Wei, G. Neil Thomas, Kar Keung Cheng, Xiu Qiu
Summary: Introducing infant formula at 4-6 months for full-term infants is associated with better growth and reduced risk of overweight at ages 1 and 3 years.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Ying Yue Huang, Wei Sen Zhang, Chao Qiang Jiang, Feng Zhu, Ya Li Jin, Kar Keung Cheng, Tai Hing Lam, Lin Xu
Summary: We have shown for the first time using MR and conventional multivariable linear regression that higher BMI causes vitamin D deficiency in Chinese. Our findings emphasize the importance of weight control and suggest that vitamin D supplementation may be needed in individuals with overweight or obesity.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Ce Sun, Wei Sen Zhang, Chao Qiang Jiang, Ya Li Jin, Xue Qing Deng, G. Neil Thomas, Jean Woo, Kar Keung Cheng, Tai Hing Lam, Lin Xu
Summary: Using data from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study, the association between whole grain and refined grain intake with all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease mortality was examined. The study found that higher whole grain intake was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality, while higher refined grain intake was associated with lower cancer mortality but higher cardiovascular disease mortality.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Tony Bush, Suzanne Bartington, Francis D. Pope, Ajit Singh, G. Neil Thomas, Brian Stacey, George Economides, Ruth Anderson, Stuart Cole, Pedro Abreu, Felix C. P. Leach
Summary: The emergency responses to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant changes in travel behaviors and economic activities, affecting urban air quality. This study utilized high-spatial resolution data from a network of low-cost air quality sensors in Oxford, UK to monitor the impacts of multiple COVID-19 public health restrictions on particulate matter concentrations. The findings demonstrated the potential of low-cost sensor technology in identifying localized changes in pollutant concentrations and highlighted the need for additional measures to reduce PM10 and PM2.5 levels in order to meet health guidelines and legislative targets.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Katherine Phillips, Jonathan M. Hazlehurst, Christelle Sheppard, Srikanth Bellary, Wasim Hanif, Muhammad Ali Karamat, Francesca L. Crowe, Anna Stone, G. Neil Thomas, Javeria Peracha, Anthony Fenton, Christopher Sainsbury, Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar, Indranil Dasgupta
Summary: This study aimed to determine differences in the management of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) relevant to patient sex, ethnicity and socio-economic group in UK primary care. The study found that a low proportion of people with DKD are managed in accordance with national guidelines, and there are differences based on gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic factors. Addressing these disparities could reduce the human and societal cost of managing DKD.
Article
Psychiatry
Jiao Wang, Wei Sen Zhang, Chao Qiang Jiang, Feng Zhu, Ya Li Jin, Graham Neil Thomas, Kar Keung Cheng, Tai Hing Lam, Lin Xu
Summary: Although social isolation has been associated with higher mortality risk, the associations of persistence of social isolation with mortality are unclear. Our study investigated the prospective associations of intermittent and persistent social isolation with all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kelvin Okoth, G. Neil Thomas, Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar, Nicola J. Adderley
Summary: This study investigated the incidence and prevalence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and estimated the risk of cardiometabolic outcomes among women with PID compared to those without PID. The results showed that women with PID had a higher risk of cardiometabolic diseases compared to women without PID.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Emma Dickinson-Craig, Jargalsaikhan Badarch, Suzanne Bartington, Karla Hemming, Rasiah Thayakaran, Rosie Day, Francis Pope, Bataa Chuluunbaatar, Damdindorj Boldbaatar, Chimedsuren Ochir, David Warburton, Graham Neil Thomas, Semira Manaseki-Holland
Summary: Despite a decade of policy actions, Ulaanbaatar's residents continue to be exposed to extreme levels of air pollution, which is a major public health concern. The Mongolian government implemented a raw coal ban in May 2019 to address this issue. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the coal ban policy on air quality and maternal and child health outcomes.
Article
Substance Abuse
Ying Yao, Derek Yee Tak Cheung, Tzu Tsun Luk, Tai Hing Lam, Yongda Socrates Wu, Man Ping Wang
Summary: Smoking behaviors have changed due to the perceived risk of COVID-19 infection. More smokers have reduced smoking on the streets than at home. The perceived increased susceptibility to COVID-19 due to smoking is associated with smoking reduction at home but not on the streets.
TOBACCO INDUCED DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Powsiga Uruthirakumar, Rajendra Surenthirakumaran, Tiffany Gooden, Gregory Y. H. Lip, G. Neil Thomas, David Moore, Krishnarajah C. Nirantharakumar, Balachandran Kumarendran, Kumaran Subaschandran, Shribavan Kaneshamoorthy, Vethanayagam Antony Sheron, Mahesan Guruparan
Summary: This systematic review aims to update the findings of a previous review conducted in 2006 and evaluate the impact of all rate and rhythm control strategies on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). By searching multiple databases and clinical trial registries, relevant randomized controlled trials will be screened, data extracted, and quality assessed. The results of this review will provide comparisons of the impact of different strategies on the QoL of AF patients and will be crucial for optimizing the overall wellbeing of these patients.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessandra C. Goulart, Ana C. Varella, Tiffany E. Gooden, Gregory Y. H. Lip, Kate Jolly, G. Neil Thomas, Paulo A. Lotufo, Sheila Greenfield, Rodrigo D. Olmos, Isabela M. Bensenor, Semira Manaseki-Holland
Summary: In this study, we investigated the patient care pathways and drivers, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient pathways for atrial fibrillation in Brazil. The findings suggest that lack of public awareness and underdeveloped primary healthcare contribute to delayed diagnosis, which has negative effects on clinical outcomes and healthcare costs.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Yanji Zhao, Zian Zhuang, Lin Yang, Daihai He
Summary: This study examines the relationship between immigration groups and cancer mortality in Hong Kong. It reveals that immigrants, for each type of cancer and gender, are at a higher mortality risk compared to locals. The study also highlights the significant fluctuations in mortality rates for different types of cancers among different immigration groups, influenced by age, period, and birth cohort effects. The projections suggest decreasing or plateauing trends in mortality rates for most immigration groups, except for male immigrants with colon and pancreatic cancers, which show increasing trends.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Junling Gao, Xiaxia Yu, Guanghui Cao, Xiaoming He, Pingde Zhang, Joseph Walline, Yuanxi Wang, Xingjuan Yu, Jun Xu, Thuan-Quoc Thach, Yong Liu
Summary: There is a significant gap in the knowledge and practices of emergency physicians in China regarding tetanus immunization. The promotion of the 2018 Chinese tetanus guidelines is urgently needed to improve physicians' knowledge and competence in tetanus prophylaxis.
Article
Immunology
Yan Li, Mengqi Li, Lin Yang, Daniel Bressington, Sau-Fong Leung, Yao-Jie Xie, Jing Qin, Alex Molasiotis, Angela Leung
Summary: The emergence of new coronavirus variants and waning immunity from COVID-19 vaccines highlight the importance of regular vaccination. Vaccine hesitancy is a major global health threat, yet little is known about the hesitancy towards regular COVID-19 vaccination. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and determinants of hesitancy for regular COVID-19 vaccination.