https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/710 2026-04-05T17:22:26Z 2026-04-05T17:22:26Z Byun, Garam Choi, Yongsoo Lee, Jong-Tae Bell, Michelle L. https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/270694 2025-06-10T01:17:34Z 2025-07-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Effects of Prenatal Exposure to PM2.5 Chemical Components on Adverse Birth Outcomes and Under-5 Mortality in South Korea Authors: Byun, Garam; Choi, Yongsoo; Lee, Jong-Tae; Bell, Michelle L. Abstract: Background: Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth outcomes. However, limited evidence exists on the effects of specific PM2.5 components. We investigated the association of prenatal exposure to PM2.5 and its components with birth outcomes and mortality at age <5 years in four metropolitan cities in South Korea. Methods: We obtained data from Statistic Korea linking birth records for 2013–2015 to death records under age 5 years. Data for PM2.5 and 10 of its components were collected from four monitoring stations. We calculated exposures during pregnancy and each trimester for a total of 324,566 births. We used logistic regression to estimate the associations between exposure and risk of preterm birth (PTB) (<37 weeks), low birth weight (<2.5 kg), small for gestational age (birth weight <10th percentile for the same gestational age), and under-5 mortality. Results: An interquartile range (8.7 µg/m3) increase in exposure to PM2.5 during the entire pregnancy was associated with increased odds of PTB (odds ratio [OR] = 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11, 1.23). We observed no association with low birth weight, small for gestational age, or under-5 mortality for the entire pregnancy exposure. Elemental carbon and secondary inorganic aerosols showed higher effect estimates for PTB than did other components. Conclusions: In urban populations of South Korea, exposure to PM2.5 during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of PTB. Different components showed varying associations with adverse birth outcomes. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s)

2025-07-01T00:00:00Z Byun, Garam Choi, Yongsoo Foo, Damien Stewart, Rory Song, Yimeng Son, Ji-Young Heo, Seulkee Ning, Xuejuan Clark, Cassandra Kim, Honghyok Michelle Choi, Hayon Kim, Sera Kim, Soo-Yeon Burrows, Kate Lee, Jong-Tae Deziel, Nicole C. Bell, Michelle L. https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/201056 2025-02-14T05:30:55Z 2024-12-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Effects of ambient temperature on mental and neurological conditions in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis Authors: Byun, Garam; Choi, Yongsoo; Foo, Damien; Stewart, Rory; Song, Yimeng; Son, Ji-Young; Heo, Seulkee; Ning, Xuejuan; Clark, Cassandra; Kim, Honghyok; Michelle Choi, Hayon; Kim, Sera; Kim, Soo-Yeon; Burrows, Kate; Lee, Jong-Tae; Deziel, Nicole C.; Bell, Michelle L. Abstract: Background: Emerging research has suggested a link between ambient temperature and mental and neurological conditions such as depression and dementia. This systematic review aims to summarize the epidemiological evidence on the effects of ambient temperature on mental and neurological conditions in older adults, who may be more vulnerable to temperature-related health effects compared to younger individuals. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Ovid/Embase, Web of Science, and Ovid/PsycINFO on July 17, 2023, and updated on July 31, 2024. We included epidemiological studies investigating the association between ambient temperature exposures and numerous mental and neurological conditions in populations aged 60 years and older. Exclusions were made for studies on indoor or controlled exposure, suicide, substance abuse, those not published as peer-reviewed journal articles, or those not written in English. The risk of bias of included studies was assessed using a tool developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Qualitative synthesis was performed on all eligible studies, and random-effects meta-analyses were conducted on groups of at least four studies sharing similar study design, exposure metric, and health outcome. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) framework modified by the WHO. Results: From 16,786 screened articles, 76 studies were deemed eligible, primarily from mainland China and North America. There was notable heterogeneity in study variables and methodologies. The most commonly used exposure metrics were daily absolute temperature and heat waves, and time-series and case-crossover analyses were the most frequently employed study designs. Meta-analysis of four studies on the effect of a 1 °C increase in temperature on hospital admissions/visits for mental disorders showed a pooled risk ratio (RR) of 1.014 (95 % Confidence Interval, CI: 1.001, 1.026). Comparing heat wave days to non-heat wave days, pooled effect estimates showed increased risk in hospital admissions/visits (RR: 1.269; 95 % CI: 1.030, 1.564; six studies) and mortality related to mental disorders (RR: 1.266; 95 % CI: 0.956, 1.678; four studies). Despite the limited number of studies on cold exposures, they consistently reported that lower temperatures were associated with an increased risk of various mental and neurological conditions. Conclusions: This review presents epidemiological evidence of the adverse impacts of ambient temperature exposures, such as high temperatures and heat waves, on mental and neurological conditions among the older adult population, with overall moderate certainty. The findings highlight the need for greater attention to the mental and neurological health of older adults in the context of climate change and population aging. Registration number (PROSPERO ID): CRD42023428137. © 2024

2024-12-01T00:00:00Z Kim, Yejin Oh, Jieun Kim, Sooyeong Kim, Ayoung Park, Jinah Ahn, Seoyeong Kang, Cinoo Kim, Sera Lee, Hyung Joo Lee, Jong Tae Lee, Whanhee https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/199229 2024-11-19T01:01:10Z 2024-11-15T00:00:00Z

Title: Relationship between short-term ozone exposure, cause-specific mortality, and high-risk populations: A nationwide, time-stratified, case-crossover study Authors: Kim, Yejin; Oh, Jieun; Kim, Sooyeong; Kim, Ayoung; Park, Jinah; Ahn, Seoyeong; Kang, Cinoo; Kim, Sera; Lee, Hyung Joo; Lee, Jong Tae; Lee, Whanhee Abstract: Background: Previous s tudies reported that short-term exposure to ground-level ozone is associated with mortality risk. However, due to the limited monitored areas, existing studies were limited in assessing the nationwide risk and suggesting specific vulnerable populations to the ozone-mortality risk. Methods: We performed a nationwide time-stratified case-crossover study to evaluate the association between short-term ozone and cause-specific mortality in South Korea (2015-2019). A machine learning-ensemble prediction model (a test R2 2 > 0.96) was used to assess the short-term ozone exposure. Stratification analysis was conducted to examine the high-risk populations, and the excess mortality due to non-compliance with the WHO guideline was also assessed. Results: For all-cause mortality (1,343,077 cases), the risk associated with ozone (lag0- 1) was weakly identified (odd ratio: 1.005 with 95% CI: 0.997-1.014), and the risk was prominent in mortality with circulatory system diseases. In addition, based on the point estimates, the ozone-mortality risk was higher in people aged less than 65y, and this pattern was also observed in circulatory system disease deaths and urban areas. Conclusions: This study provides national estimates of mortality risks associated with short-term ozone. Results showed that the benefits of stricter air quality standards could be greater in vulnerable populations.

2024-11-15T00:00:00Z Gwak, Eunseon Shin, Ji-Won Kim, Sun-Young Lee, Jong Tae Jeon, Ok Hee Choe, Seung-Ah https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/199212 2024-11-19T01:01:06Z 2024-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Exposure to ambient air pollution mixture and senescence-associated secretory phenotype proteins among middle-aged and older women Authors: Gwak, Eunseon; Shin, Ji-Won; Kim, Sun-Young; Lee, Jong Tae; Jeon, Ok Hee; Choe, Seung-Ah Abstract: Our study aimed to investigate the impact of environmental exposures, such as ambient air pollutants, on systemic inflammation and cellular senescence in middle-aged and older women. We utilized epidemiological data linked with exposure data of six air pollutants (particulate matters [PM10, PM2.5], sulphur dioxide [SO2], nitrogen dioxide [NO2], carbon monoxide [CO], and ozone [O3]) and blood samples of 380 peri- and postmenopausal women participants of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. We measured blood highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and age-related 27 circulatory senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASP) produced by senescent cells. We employed single exposure models to explore the general pattern of association between air pollution exposure and proteomic markers. Using quantile g-computation models, we assessed the association of six air pollutant mixtures with hsCRP and SASP proteins. In single-exposure, singleperiod models, nine out of the 27 SASP proteins including IFN-gamma (beta = 0.04, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.07 per interquartile range-increase), IL-8 (0.15, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.20), and MIP1 alpha (0.11, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.18) were positively associated with the average level of O3 over one week. Among the age-related SASP proteins, IFN-gamma (0.11, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.20) and IL-8 (0.22, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.39) were positively associated with exposure to air pollutant mixture over one week. The MIP1 beta was higher with an increasing one-month average concentration of the air pollutant mixture (0.11, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.21). The IL-8 showed consistently positive association with the ambient air pollutant mixture for the exposure periods ranging from one week to one year. O3 predominantly showed positive weights in the associations between air pollutant mixtures and IL-8. These findings underscore the potential of proteomic indicators as markers for biological aging attributed to short-term air pollution exposure.

2024-11-01T00:00:00Z