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Biomedical subjects

C J Hong

Publications and source records attributed to C J Hong.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Priority among air pollution factors for preventing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Shanghai.

The problems that city environmental protection planners face are how important the air pollution exposures are in relation to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in local residents and which factor should be controlled most urgently. The purpose of our study is to determine the control priority among ambient sulphur dioxide (SO2) inhalable particulates (IP) and indoor use of coal to prevent COPD in residents of the city. Ambient air pollution is mainly from SO2 and IP(< 10 nm). Indoor air pollution is mainly from the use of coal for heating and/or cooking. Distribution of ambient SO2, and IP concentrations were described using a quartic trend surface simulation. When stratified by two extreme levels of ambient SO2 and IP and types of fuel used indoors, eight local area populations in four communities with different combinations of exposure levels were selected. In each community a local area population mostly using coal and one mostly burning gas was chosen. Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD, ICD 490-493) including chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema, are a major cause of death in residents of Shanghai. The relationship between the three air pollution factors and their health effects were analyzed at the level of mortality (1978-1987, 232,459 person-years), prevalence of symptoms (12,037 persons) of COPD, lung function and non-specific immunologic function (514 women). The results show that indoor use of coal has stronger associations with health than estimated exposure to ambient SO2 or IP.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Indoor air pollution in developing countries.

Of the four principal categories of indoor pollution (combustion products, chemicals, radon and biologicals), research in developing countries has focused on combustion-generated pollutants, and principally those from solid-fuel-fired cooking and heating stoves. Such stoves are used in more than half the world's households and have been shown in many locations to produce high indoor concentrations of particulates, carbon monoxide and other combustion-related pollutants. Although the proportion of all such household stoves that are used in poorly ventilated situations is uncertain, the total population exposed to excessive concentrations is potentially high, probably several hundred million. A number of studies were carried out in the 1980s to discover the health effects of such stove exposures. The majority of such studies were done in South Asia in homes burning biomass fuels or in China with coal-burning homes, although a sprinkling of studies examining biomass-burning have been done in Oceania, Latin America and Africa. Of the health effects that might be expected from such exposures, little, if any, work seems to have been done on low birthweight and eye problems, although there are anecdotal accounts making the connection. Decreased lung function has been noted in Nepali women reporting more time spent near the stove as it has for Chinese women using coal stoves as compared to those using gas stoves. Respiratory distress symptoms have been associated with use of smoky fuels in West India, Ladakh and in several Chinese studies among different age groups, some with large population samples. Acute respiratory infection in children, one of the chief causes of infant and childhood mortality, has been associated with Nepali household-smoke exposures. Studies of chronic disease endpoints are difficult because of the need to construct exposure histories over long periods. Nevertheless, chronic obstructive lung disease has been associated with the daily time spent near the stove for Nepali women and found to be elevated among coal-stove users compared to gas-stove users in Shanghai. In contrast to early reports, there seems to be little or no risk of nasopharyngeal cancer from cookstove smoke. Several studies in China, however, have found smoke to be a strong risk factor for lung cancer among non-smoking women. In addition, severe fluorosis has been observed in several parts of China where coal fluoride levels are high.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Association analysis of the partially duplicated alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genetic variant and Alzheimer's disease.

Changes in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have been demonstrated for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Of these receptors, the alpha7 nAChRs, which are abundant on hippocampal interneurons, have been implicated in the cytotoxic role of the beta-amyloid. Increased mRNA levels of alpha7 nAChR in the peripheral lymphocytes and hippocampus of AD patients have been reported. We tested the hypothesis that the allelic variant, 2bp deletion, of the partially duplicated alpha7 nAChR gene confers susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease. The -2bp polymorphism was examined in 120 patients with AD and 98 normal controls. The distribution of the partially duplicated alpha7 nAChR genotypes (p = 0.372) and alleles (p = 0.465) did not differ significantly for AD patients and controls. This negative finding suggests that the partially duplicated alpha7 nAChR genetic polymorphism contributes no major effect to the development of AD. However, we suggest that the other genetic variation of the alpha7 nAChR gene, related to AD or the associated symptomatology, merits further investigation.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Risk of male lung cancer attributed to coal combustion indoors in Shanghai.

Lung cancer is now the leading cause of death among all male cancers in Shanghai. Besides the smoking habit, the indoor air pollution from coal combustion may also make some contribution. The purpose of our study is to explore the risk of lung cancer death in male residents who live in coal-using families. Stratified by two extreme levels of ambient sulphur dioxide (SO2) and inhalable particulate (IP) concentrations, 4 areas were chosen in the city proper: Area A (low SO2, low IP); Area B (high SO2, low IP); Area C (low SO2, high IP) and Area D (high SO2, high IP). Within each of these areas, two neighboring residential groups were chosen, one of which uses coal as fuel (group 1), with the other using coal gas or liquified petroleum gas as fuel (group 0). The percentages of smokers and the ambient environment of the two chosen groups within each area are comparable. Total person-years observed is 117,039 from 1 January 1978 to 31 December 1987 for all males in the 8 groups. The mortalities (per 100,000 person-years) of male lung cancer in the 8 groups are as follows: A0-22.33, A1-37.64; B0-27.14, B1-30.72; C0-41.77, C1-54.99; D0-49.97, D1-78.11. The result shows that male lung cancer mortality in the coal-using group is higher than that in the coal-gas-using group within each area. Mantel-Haenszel's Relative Risk (RRMH) of male lung cancer in coal-using groups is 1.44 stratified by ambient SO2 and IP and smoking levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Air Pollution, Indoor↗