Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, is known as severely air-polluted city in the world due to increased coal consumption in the cold season. The health effects of air pollution in Mongolia such as mortality, morbidity and symptoms have been previously reported. However, the concept of health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), which refers to the individual’s perception of well-being, should also be included as an adverse health outcome of air pollution. Surveys on the Mongolian people living in Ulaanbaatar were performed in the warm and cold seasons. Self-completed questionnaires on the subjects’ HR-QoL, data from health checkups and pulmonary function tests by respiratory specialists were collected for Mongolian adults aged 40–79 years (n = 666). Ambient PM2.5 and PM10 were concurrently sampled and the components were analyzed to estimate the source of air pollution. In logistic regression analyses, respiratory symptoms and smoke-rich fuels were associated with reduced HR-QoL (> 50th percentile vs. ≤ 50th percentile). PM 2.5 levels were much higher in the cold season (median 86.4 μg/m3 (IQR: 58.7–121.0)) than in the warm season (12.2 μg/m3 (8.9–21.2). The receptor model revealed that the high PM2.5 concentration in the cold season could be attributed to solid fuel combustion. The difference in HR-QoL between subjects with and without ventilatory impairment was assessed after the stratification of the subjects by season and household fuel type. There were no significant differences in HR-QoL between subjects with and without ventilatory impairment regardless of household fuel type in the warm season. In contrast, subjects with ventilatory impairment who used smoke-rich fuel in the cold season had a significantly lower HR-QoL. Our study showed that air pollution in Ulaanbaatar worsened in the cold season and was estimated to be contributed by solid fuel combustion. Various aspects of HR-QoL in subjects with ventilatory impairment using smoke-rich fuels deteriorated only in the cold season while those with normal lung function did not. These results suggest that countermeasures or interventions by the policymakers to reduce coal usage would improve HR-QoL of the residents of Ulaanbaatar, especially for those with ventilatory impairment in the winter months.

Background The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between airflow obstruction and the metabolic syndrome (MS) or its components in Japanese men. Methods The study included 7,189 male subjects, aged 45-88 years, who underwent spirometric lung function tests at a medical check-up. The spirometric criteria for diagnosis of airflow obstruction were forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) <70%. The severity of airflow obstruction was defined according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guideline. Results The prevalence of airflow obstruction was 9.0% and the frequency of MS was 25.6%. In logistic regression models adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol, the risk of MS was higher in subjects with airflow obstruction of GOLD stage II-IV compared to those with normal lung function [odds radio (OR), 1.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.01-1.76)]. Of the MS components, waist circumference (OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.24-2.50) and blood pressure (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.08-1.74) were associated with airflow obstruction of GOLD stage II-IV, after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusion Airflow obstruction of GOLD stage II-IV might be associated with MS, waist circumference and blood pressure components in Japanese men.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem. Epidemiological studies of the relationship between alcohol intake and CKD are scarce in Japan. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the relationship between frequency of drinking alcohol and CKD in Japanese men. The subjects were 9,196 men (mean ± standard deviation age, 57.9 ± 5.1 years) who underwent a health check-up. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m². Frequency of alcohol drinking was obtained from questionnaire and divided into five categories: nondrinkers, once or twice a week, three or four times a week, five or six times a week, and everyday drinkers. Multivariable-adjusted [age, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, hyper-low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterolemia, smoking, and physical activity] odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using logistic regression analysis. Compared with the results for the nondrinkers, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratios of CKD were as follows: 0.76 (95% CI 0.60–0.95) for 1–2 drinks per week, 0.74 (95% CI 0.59–0.93) for 3–4 drinks per week, 0.79 (95% CI 0.64–0.97) for 5–6 drinks per week, and 0.60 (95% CI 0.51–0.71) for everyday drinkers. There was a significant inverse trend across increasing frequency of drinking alcohol (p = 0.001 for trend). An inverse association was found between frequency of drinking alcohol and CKD in apparently healthy men.

Background To date, there is very limited longitudinal data on COPD and incidence estimates in Japan. The aim of this study was to investigate the 12-year cumulative incidence of airflow obstruction (COPD) in Japanese males. Methods This study included 913 male subjects, aged 30-76 years, who underwent lung function tests at a medical check-up in 1994 (baseline), 1999, and 2006. The study group consisted of 263 persistent never smokers, 296 early quitters, 117 late quitters, and 237 persistent smokers without airflow obstruction at baseline. The 12-year cumulative incidence of airflow obstruction was estimated. The spirometric criteria for diagnosis of airflow obstruction were forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) of <0.7 and 5th percentile lower limit of normal (FEV1/FVC<LLN). Results The 12-year cumulative incidences of airflow obstruction using fixed criteria and LLN criteria were 5.3%, 7.6% in persistent never smokers, 10.5%, 10.1% in early quitters, 12.0%, 14.5% in late quitters, 13.5%, 17.3% in persistent smokers, respectively. In logistic regression models, the odds ratio (OR) of developing airflow obstruction defined using the fixed criteria and the LLN criteria increased with a history of smoking status and increasing pack-years of smoking. When using the LLN criteria to define obstruction compared with fixed criteria, higher incidence rates among aged <60 and lower incidence rates among aged ≥60 were observed. Conclusion The cumulative incidence of airflow obstruction defined using the fixed ratio and LLN criteria was strongly associated with smoking status. This study suggested that early cessation of smoking may prevent the development of airflow obstruction among smokers.