No abstract

Precipitation extremes are among the most serious consequences of climate change around the world. The observed and projected frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation in some regions will greatly influence the social economy. The frequency of extreme precipitation and the population and economic exposure were quantified for a base period (1986-2005) and future periods (2016-2035 and 2046-2065) based on bias corrected projections of daily precipitation from five global climatic models forced with three representative concentration pathways (RCPs) and projections of population and gross domestic product (GDP) in the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). The RCP8.5-SSP3 scenario produces the highest global population exposure for 2046-2065, with nearly 30% of the global population (2.97 × 10 9 persons) exposed to precipitation extremes >10 days/a. The RCP2.6-SSP1 scenario produces the highest global GDP exposure for 2046-2065, with a 5.56-fold increase relative to the base period, of up to (2.29 ± 0.20) × 10 15 purchasing power parity $-days. Socioeconomic effects are the primary contributor to the exposure changes at the global and continental scales. Population and GDP effects account for 64-77% and 78-91% of the total exposure change, respectively. The inequality of exposure indicates that more attention should be given to Asia and Africa due to their rapid increases in population and GDP. However, due to their dense populations and high GDPs, European countries, that is, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands, should also commit to effective adaptation measures. Plain Language Summary The risk of precipitation extremes is likely to increase with climate change. Socioeconomic exposure is the key component for assessing the risk of such events. The projections of five global climate models (GCMs), forced with three representative concentration pathways (RCPs) and projections of population and gross domestic product (GDP) in shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), were used to quantify socioeconomic exposure to precipitation extremes for a base period (1986-2005) and future periods (2016-2035 and 2046-2065). The exposure of the global population for 2046-2065 is highest under the RCP8.5-SSP3 scenario, and the global GDP exposure for 2046-2065 is highest under the RCP2.6-SSP1 scenario. Socioeconomic effects (population and GDP effects) play the main roles in the changes in exposure at both global and continental scales. Asia and Africa should be given more attention due to their rapid increases in population and GDP. However, due to their dense populations and high GDPs, European countries should also commit to effective adaptation measures.

The association between dietary fat intake during pregnancy and the risk of developing preeclampsia has been examined in many epidemiological studies, but the results remain inconsistent. The aim of this study was to clarify this association in pregnant Chinese women. After conducting 1:1 matching, 440 pairs consisting of pregnant women with preeclampsia and hospital-based, healthy pregnant women matched by gestational week (± 1 week) and age (± 3 years) were recruited. A 79-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire administered during face-to-face interviews was used to estimate the participants’ dietary intake of fatty acids. We found that the intakes of arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were inversely associated with the risk of developing preeclampsia. Compared with the lowest quartile intake, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of the highest quartile intake were 0.42 (0.26–0.68, p-trend < 0.001) for EPA, 0.52 (0.3–0.83, p-trend = 0.005) for DHA, and 0.41 (0.19–0.88, p-trend = 0.007) for AA. However, we did not observe any significant associations between the intake of total fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, and mono-unsaturated fatty acids and the risk of developing preeclampsia. Our results showed that the dietary intake of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (i.e., EPA, DHA, and AA) may protect pregnant Chinese women against the development of preeclampsia.