HTAP2 multi-model estimates of premature human mortality due to intercontinental transport of air pollution and emission sectors

Liang, Ciao-Kai,West, J. Jason,Silva, Raquel A.,Bian, Huisheng,Chin, Mian,Davila, Yanko,Dentener, Frank J.,Emmons, Louisa,Flemming, Johannes,Folberth, Gerd,Henze, Daven,Im, Ulas,Jonson, Jan Eiof,Keati Copernicus GmbH 2018 Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Vol.18 No.14

<P><p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Ambient air pollution from ozone and fine particulate matter is associated with premature mortality. As emissions from one continent influence air quality over others, changes in emissions can also influence human health on other continents. We estimate global air-pollution-related premature mortality from exposure to PM<span class='inline-formula'>_2.5</span> and ozone and the avoided deaths due to 20<span class='thinspace'></span>% anthropogenic emission reductions from six source regions, North America (NAM), Europe (EUR), South Asia (SAS), East Asia (EAS), Russia-Belarus-Ukraine (RBU), and the Middle East (MDE), three global emission sectors, power and industry (PIN), ground transportation (TRN), and residential (RES), and one global domain (GLO), using an ensemble of global chemical transport model simulations coordinated by the second phase of the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollutants (TF HTAP2), and epidemiologically derived<span id='page10498'/> concentration response functions. We build on results from previous studies of TF HTAP by using improved atmospheric models driven by new estimates of 2010 anthropogenic emissions (excluding methane), with more source and receptor regions, new consideration of source sector impacts, and new epidemiological mortality functions. We estimate 290<span class='thinspace'></span>000 (95<span class='thinspace'></span>% confidence interval (CI): 30<span class='thinspace'></span>000, 600<span class='thinspace'></span>000) premature <span class='inline-formula'>O₃</span>-related deaths and 2.8 million (0.5 million, 4.6 million) PM<span class='inline-formula'>_2.5</span>-related premature deaths globally for the baseline year 2010. While 20<span class='thinspace'></span>% emission reductions from one region generally lead to more avoided deaths within the source region than outside, reducing emissions from MDE and RBU can avoid more <span class='inline-formula'>O₃</span>-related deaths outside of these regions than within, and reducing MDE emissions also avoids more PM<span class='inline-formula'>_2.5</span>-related deaths outside of MDE than within. Our findings that most avoided <span class='inline-formula'>O₃</span>-related deaths from emission reductions in NAM and EUR occur outside of those regions contrast with those of previous studies, while estimates of PM<span class='inline-formula'>_2.5</span>-related deaths from NAM, EUR, SAS, and EAS emission reductions agree well. In addition, EUR, MDE, and RBU have more avoided <span class='inline-formula'>O₃</span>-related deaths from reducing foreign emissions than from domestic reductions. For six regional emission reductions, the total avoided extra-regional mortality is estimated as 6000 (<span class='inline-formula'>−</span>3400, 15<span class='thinspace'></span>500) deaths per year and 25<span class='thinspace'></span>100 (8200, 35<span class='thinspace'></span>800) deaths per year through changes in <span class='inline-formula'>O₃</span> and PM<span class='inline-formula'>_2.5</span>, respectively. Interregional transport of air pollutants leads to more deaths through changes in PM<span class='inline-formula'>_2.5</span> than in <span class='inline-formula'>O₃</span>, even though <span class='inline-formula'>O₃</span> is transported more on interregional scales, since PM<span class='inline-formula'>_2.5</span> has a stronger influence on mortality. For NAM and EUR, our estimates of avoided mortality from regional and extra-regional emission reductions are comparable to those estimated by regional models for these same experiments. In sectoral emission reductions, TRN emissions account for the greatest fraction (26-53<span class='thinspace'></span>% of global emission reduction) of <span class='inline-formula'>O₃</span>-rela

Male Infertility Increases the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan

Chen Peng-Ciao,Chen Yu-Ju,Yang Chia-Chen,Lin Ting-Ti,Huang Chien-Chu,Chung Chi-Hsiang,Sun Chien-An,Chien Wu-Chien 대한남성과학회 2022 The World Journal of Men's Health Vol.40 No.3

Purpose: Some evidence suggests that male infertility increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the evidence in Asian populations is relatively scarce. The aim of this study is to determine whether male infertility increases the risk of CVDs. Materials and Methods: We used inpatient and outpatient data for the years 2000 to 2015 from the Taiwanese Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. We enrolled 7,016 males over 18 years old and diagnosed with male infertility. Of these, 2,326 matched our inclusion criteria and were assigned to the study group. For each infertility patient, four comparison patients were frequency-matched by age and index date to form a control cohort comprising 9,304 patients. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to estimate the association between male infertility and CVDs. Results: After a 15-year follow-up, the incidence rate of CVDs was higher in the infertility group than the control group (1,460.23 and 1,073.70 per 100,000 person-years, respectively). The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that the adjusted HR for CVDs was 1.472 for the infertility group (95% CI, 1.288–1.683; p<0.001) relative to the control group. The Kaplan–Meier analysis of the cumulative incidence of CVDs in the two groups showed that the cumulative risk curve for CVDs was significantly higher for the infertility group than the control group. Conclusions: This study shows that men with infertility have a higher risk of developing incident CVDs. In the future, healthcare providers should pay attention to these patients because of their higher health risks.

A Study on Development of Expert System for Collision Avoidance and Navigation(l) : Basic Design

Tae-Gwoen Jeong,Ciao Chen 한국항해항만학회 2008 한국항해항만학회지 Vol.32 No.7

As a method to reduce collision accidents of ships at sea, this paper suggests an expert system for collision avoidance and navigation (hereafter "ESCAN"). The ESCAN is designed and developed by using the theory and technology of expert system and based on the information provided by AlS and RADAR/ARPA system: In this paper the ESCAN is composed of four(4) components: Facts/Data Base in charge of preserving data from navigational equipment, Knowledge Base storing production rules of the ESCAN. l Inference Engine deciding which rules are satisfied by facts or objects, User System Interface for communication between users and ESCAN. The ESCAN has the function if real-time analysis and judgment of various encountering situations between own ship and targets, and is to provide navigators with appropriate plans of collision avoidance and additional advice and recommendation This paper. as a basic study, is to introduce the basic design and function of ESCAN.

Probiotic BSH Activity and Anti-Obesity Potential of Lactobacillus plantarum Strain TCI378 Isolated from Korean Kimchi

Chu-Han Huang,Cheng-Yu Ho,Ciao-Ting Chen,Hsin-Fen Hsu,Yung-Hsiang Lin 한국식품영양과학회 2019 Preventive Nutrition and Food Science Vol.24 No.4

Lactobacillus (Lab.) is a human probiotic beneficial for the prevention and improvement of disease, yet properties of different Lab. strains are diverse. To obtain a Lab. strain that possesses greater potential against gastrointestinal dysfunction, we isolated Lactobacillus plantarum TCI378 (TCI378) from naturally fermented Korean kimchi. TCI378 has shown potential as probiotic since it can survive at pH 3.0 and in the presence of 0.3% bile acid. The bile salt hydrolase activity of TCI378 was shown by formation of opaque granular white colonies on solid de Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) medium supplemented with taurodeoxycholic acid, and its cholesterol-lowering ability in MRS medium supplemented with cholesterol. The metabolites of TCI378 from liquid culture in MRS medium prevented emulsification of bile salts. Moreover, both the metabolites of TCI378 and the dead bacteria reduced oil droplet accumulation in 3T3-L1, as detected by Oil red O staining. The expressions of adipocyte-specific genes perilipin 1 and glucose transporter type 4 were suppressed by the metabolites of TCI378, indicating TCI378 may have anti-obesity effects in adipocytes. These in vitro data show the potential of the prophylactic applications of TCI378 and its metabolites for reducing fat and lowering cholesterol.