Background:The effects of near-road pollution on lung function in China have not been well studied. We aimed to investigate the effects of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution on lung function, airway inflammation, and respiratory symptoms.Methods:We enrolled 1003 residents aged 57.96 ± 8.99 years living in the Shichahai Community in Beijing. Distances between home addresses and the nearest major roads were measured to calculate home-road distance. We used the distance categories 1, 2, and 3, representing <100 m, 100–200 m, and >200 m, respectively, as the dose indicator for traffic-related air pollution exposure. Lung function, exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH, and interleukin 6 levels were measured. As a follow-up, 398 participants had a second lung function assessment about 3 years later, and lung function decline was also examined as an outcome. We used regression analysis to assess the impacts of home-road distance on lung function and respiratory symptoms. As the EBC biomarker data were not normally distributed, we performed correlation analysis between home-road distance categories and EBC biomarkers.Results:Participants living a shorter distance from major roads had lower percentage of predicted value of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1% −1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.20 to −2.89). The odds ratio for chronic cough was 2.54 (95% CI: 1.57–4.10) for category 1 and 1.97 (95% CI: 1.16–3.37) for category 2, compared with category 3. EBC pH was positively correlated with road distance (rank correlation coefficient of Spearman [rs] = 0.176, P < 0.001).Conclusions:Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution in people who live near major roads in Beijing is associated with lower lung function, airway acidification, and a higher prevalence of chronic cough. EBC pH is a potential useful biomarker for evaluating air pollution exposure.

Effects of laryngoscope-assisted and cotton ball wiping methods on the prevention of oral and pulmonary infection in patients receiving mechanical ventilation were compared to explore the influence of the two methods on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT). In total, 152 patients who underwent mechanical ventilation in the ICU of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from May 2005 to January 2018 were assigned and equally divided into two groups: 76 patients who had their oropharynxes scrubbed and rinsed by an electric toothbrush under direct vision by the use of a laryngoscope were selected as the laryngoscope group, and 76 patients who received the conventional cotton ball wiping method and the flushing method for oropharyngeal cleaning were assigned in the cotton ball group. Detection of serum hs-CRP and PCT levels in a 2-ml sample of fasting venous blood was performed on both groups of patients before hospitalization, and on the 5th and 10th day of hospitalization. The incidence rate of oral infection and ventilator-associated pneumonia, as well as the length of the cleaning time were recorded. The incidence rate of oral infection and ventilator-associated pneumonia in the laryngoscope group was statistically much lower than that in the cotton ball group (P<0.05). Before the experiment, there was no significant difference in the hs-CRP and PCT levels between the two groups (P>0.050), whereas the laryngoscope group had significantly lower hs-CRP and PCT levels at the 5th and 10th day of hospitalization than those in the cotton ball group (P<0.05). The hs-CRP and PCT levels at the three time-points in the same group were statistically different (P<0.05). In conclusion, oropharyngeal scrub and rinse by an electric toothbrush assisted by a laryngoscope, can not only better prevent oral infection and reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, but it also has shorter cleaning time and results in lower levels of inflammatory factors, which make this method beneficial in the clinic.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text