Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, particularly for cardiovascular disease. The association between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and measures of lipoprotein subfractions remains unclear. Therefore, we examined associations between long-term PM2.5 exposure and traditional and novel lipoprotein measures in a cardiac catheterization cohort in North Carolina. This cross-sectional study included 6587 patients who had visited Duke University for a cardiac catheterization between 2001 and 2010 and resided in North Carolina. We used estimates of daily PM2.5 concentrations on a 1 km-grid based on satellite measurements. PM2.5 predictions were matched to the address of each patient and averaged for the year prior to catheterization date. Serum lipids included HDL, LDL, and triglyceride-rich particle, and apolipoprotein B concentrations (HDL-P, LDL-P, TRL-P, and apoB, respectively). Linear and quantile regression models were used to estimate change in lipoprotein levels with each μg/m3 increase in annual average PM2.5. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, history of smoking, area-level education, urban/rural status, body mass index, and diabetes. For a 1-μg/m3 increment in PM2.5 exposure, we observed increases in total and small LDL-P, LDL-C, TRL-P, apoB, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. The percent change from the mean outcome level was 2.00% (95% CI: 1.38%, 2.64%) for total LDL-P and 2.25% (95% CI: 1.43%, 3.06%) for small LDL-P. Among this sample of cardiac catheterization patients residing in North Carolina, long-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with increases in several lipoprotein concentrations. This abstract does not necessarily reflect U.S. EPA policy.

Background: Epidemiologic studies have reported associations between prenatal and early postnatal air pollution exposure and autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, findings differ by pollutant and developmental window. Objectives: We examined associations between early life exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in diameter (PM_2.5) and ozone in association with ASD across multiple US regions. Methods: Our study participants included 674 children with confirmed ASD and 855 population controls from the Study to Explore Early Development, a multi-site case–control study of children born from 2003 to 2006 in the United States. We used a satellite-based model to assign air pollutant exposure averages during several critical periods of neurodevelopment: 3 months before pregnancy; each trimester of pregnancy; the entire pregnancy; and the first year of life. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for study site, maternal age, maternal education, maternal race/ethnicity, maternal smoking, and month and year of birth. Results: The air pollution–ASD associations appeared to vary by exposure time period. Ozone exposure during the third trimester was associated with ASD, with an OR of 1.2 (95% CI: 1.1, 1.4) per 6.6 ppb increase in ozone. We additionally observed a positive association with PM_2.5 exposure during the first year of life (OR = 1.3 [95% CI: 1.0, 1.6] per 1.6 µg/m³ increase in PM_2.5). Conclusions: Our study corroborates previous findings of a positive association between early life air pollution exposure and ASD, and identifies a potential critical window of exposure during the late prenatal and early postnatal periods.

Background: To examine whether neighborhood deprivation modifies the association between early life air pollution exposure and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we used resources from a multisite case–control study, the Study to Explore Early Development. Methods: Cases were 674 children with confirmed ASD born in 2003–2006; controls were 855 randomly sampled children born during the same time period and residents of the same geographic areas as cases. Air pollution was assessed by roadway proximity and particulate matter <2.5 µm (PM_2.5) exposure during pregnancy and first year of life. To characterize neighborhood deprivation, an index was created based on eight census tract-level socioeconomic status-related parameters. The continuous index was categorized into tertiles, representing low, moderate, and high deprivation. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Neighborhood deprivation modified (P _{for interaction} = 0.08) the association between PM_2.5 exposure during the first year of life and ASD, with a stronger association for those living in high (OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.20, 4.86) rather than moderate (OR=1.21, 95% CI = 0.67, 2.17) or low (OR=1.46, 95% CI = 0.80, 2.65) deprivation neighborhoods. Departure from additivity or multiplicativity was not observed for roadway proximity or exposures during pregnancy. Conclusion: These results provide suggestive evidence of interaction between neighborhood deprivation and PM_2.5 exposure during the first year of life in association with ASD.

The aim of this study was to examine changes in depression, stress and social support levels before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in women living in Mexico City. We studied 466 women enrolled in the Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment and Social Stressors (PROGRESS) study who completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) questionnaire prior (2018–2019) and during the lockdown period of the pandemic (May–November 2020). Psychosocial stress and social support for both time periods were ascertained using the Crisis in Family Systems (CRISYS) questionnaire and the Social Support Network (SSN) Scale, respectively. Associations between stress, social support and change in EDS score/depression were analyzed using generalized linear models adjusting for covariates. Higher stress (>median) during the pandemic was associated with an increase in EDS score (β: 2.13; 95% CI (1.06, 3.19), p < 0.001), and higher odds of depression (OR: 3.75; 95% CI (2.17, 6.50), p < 0.001), while social support was associated with lower odds of depression (OR: 0.56, 95% CI (0.32, 0.97), p = 0.037). Higher levels of stress during the pandemic were associated with depression. Social support may act as a buffer for the effects of psychosocial stress. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of stress associated with the pandemic on mental and overall health.