Child attachment in adjusting the species-general contingency between environmental adversities and fast life history strategies

Extrinsic mortality risks calibrating fast life history (LH) represent a species-general principle that applies to almost all animals including humans. However, empirical research also finds exceptions to the LH principle. The present study proposes a maternal socialization hypothesis, whereby we argue that the more human-relevant attachment system adds to the LH principle by up- and down-regulating environmental harshness and unpredictability and their calibration of LH strategies. Based on a longitudinal sample of 259 rural Chinese adolescents and their primary caregivers, the results support the statistical moderating effect of caregiver–child attachment on the relation between childhood environmental adversities (harshness and unpredictability) and LH strategies. Our theorizing and findings point to an additional mechanism likely involved in the organization and possibly the slowdown of human LH.

Timing and Weather Offer Alternative Mitigation Strategies for Lowering Bat Mortality at Wind Energy Facilities in Ontario

Relatively high mortality of migratory bats at wind energy facilities has prompted research to understand the underlying spatial and temporal factors, with the goal of developing more effective mitigation approaches. We examined acoustic recordings of echolocation calls at 12 sites and post-construction carcass survey data collected at 10 wind energy facilities in Ontario, Canada, to quantify the degree to which timing and regional-scale weather predict bat activity and mortality. Rain and low temperatures consistently predicted low mortality and activity of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and three species of migratory tree bats: hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), eastern red bat (L. borealis), and silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans). Bat activity occurred in waves with distinct peaks through the season; regardless of seasonal timing, most activities occurred in the first half of the night. We conclude that wind energy facilities could adopt a novel and more effective curtailment strategy based on weather and seasonal and nocturnal timing that would minimize mortality risks for bats while increasing the opportunities for power generation, relative to the mitigation strategy of increasing cut-in wind speed to 5.5 m/s.

Mortality trends and lengths of stay among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Ontario and Québec (Canada): a population-based cohort study of the first three epidemic waves

BackgroundEpidemic waves of COVID-19 strained hospital resources. We describe temporal trends in mortality risk and length of stay in intensive cares units (ICUs) among COVID-19 patients hospitalized through the first three epidemic waves in Canada.MethodsWe used population-based provincial hospitalization data from Ontario and Québec to examine mortality risk and lengths of ICU stay. For each province, adjusted estimates were obtained using marginal standardization of logistic regression models, adjusting for patient-level characteristics and hospital-level determinants.ResultsUsing all hospitalizations from Ontario (N=26,541) and Québec (N=23,857), we found that unadjusted in-hospital mortality risks peaked at 31% in the first wave and was lowest at the end of the third wave at 6-7%. This general trend remained after controlling for confounders. The odds of in-hospital mortality in the highest hospital occupancy quintile was 1.2 (95%CI: 1.0-1.4; Ontario) and 1.6 (95%CI: 1.3-1.9; Québec) times that of the lowest quintile. Variants of concerns were associated with an increased in-hospital mortality. Length of ICU stay decreased over time from a mean of 16 days (SD=18) to 15 days (SD=15) in the third wave but were consistently higher in Ontario than Québec by 3-6 days.ConclusionIn-hospital mortality risks and lengths of ICU stay declined over time in both provinces, despite changing patient demographics, suggesting that new therapeutics and treatment, as well as improved clinical protocols, could have contributed to this reduction. Continuous population-based monitoring of patient outcomes in an evolving epidemic is necessary for health system preparedness and response.

Long-term ozone exposure and associated cause-specific mortality risks with adjusted metrics by cohort studies: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDLong-term ozone (O3) exposure could lead to a series of non-communicable diseases and increase the mortality risks. However, cohort-based studies were still rather rare, and inconsistent exposure metrics might impair the credibility of epidemiological evidence synthetisation. To provide more accurate meta-estimation, this review updated the systematic review with inclusion of recent studies and summarised the quantitative associations between O3 exposure and cause-specific mortality risks based on unified exposure metrics.METHODSResearch articles reporting relative risks between incremental long-term O3 exposure and causes of mortality covering all-cause, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, ischaemic heart diseases, ischaemic stroke, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular diseases, and lung cancer, estimated from cohort studies were identified through systematic searches in MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science. Cross-metric conversion factors were estimated linearly by decadal of observations during 1990-2019. DerSimonian and Laird random effect meta-regression was applied to pool the relative risks.RESULTSA total of 20 studies involving 97,766,404 participants were included in the systematic review. After linearly adjusting the inconsistent O3 exposure metrics into congruity, the pooled relative risks (RR) associated with every 10 nmol mol-1 (ppbV) incremental O3 exposure, by mean of warm-season daily maximum 8-hour average metric, was: 1.010 with 95% confidence interval (CI) ranging 1.005–1.015 for all-cause mortality; 1.027 (95% CI: 1.004–1.049) for respiratory mortality; 1.061 (95% CI: 1.006– 1.119) for COPD mortality; 1.028 (95% CI: 1.001–1.058) for cardiovascular mortality; and 1.102 (95% CI: 1.046–1.162) for congestive heart failure mortality. Positive but insignificant mortality risk associations were found for ischaemic heart diseases, stroke, pneumonia, and lung cancer.DISCUSSIONSThis review covered up-to-date studies, expanded the O3-exposure associated mortality causes into wider range of categories, and firstly highlighted the issue of inconsistency in O3 exposure metrics. Non-intercept linear regression-based cross-metric RR conversion was another innovation, but limitation lay in the observation reliance, indicating further calibration with more credible observations available. Large uncertainties in the multi-study pooled RRs would inspire more future studies to corroborate or contradict the results from this review.CONCLUSIONSAdjustment for exposure metrics laid more solid foundation for multi-study meta-analysis, the results of which revealed unneglectable cardiopulmonary hazards from long-term O3 exposure.REGISTRATIONThe review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021270637).FUNDINGThis study is mainly funded by UK Natural Environment Research Council, UK National Centre for Atmospheric Science, Australian Research Council and Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.HighlightsUpdated evidence for O3-mortality associations from 20 cohorts has been provided.Adjusted various O3exposure metrics can provide more accurate risk estimations.Long-term O3-exposure was associated with increased mortality from all-causes, respiratory disease, COPD, cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure.

Widening or narrowing income inequalities in myocardial infarction? Time trends in life years free of myocardial infarction and after incidence

Background Despite substantial improvements in prevention and therapy, myocardial infarction (MI) remains a frequent health event, causing high mortality and serious health impairments. Previous research lacks evidence on how social inequalities in incidence and mortality risks developed over time, and on how these developments affect the lifespan free of MI and after MI in different social subgroups. This study investigates income inequalities in MI-free life years and life years after MI and whether these inequalities widened or narrowed over time. Methods The analyses are based on claims data of a large German health insurance provider insuring approximately 2.8 million individuals in the federal state Lower Saxony. Trends in income inequalities in incidence and mortality were assessed for all subjects aged 60 years and older by comparing the time periods 2006–2008 and 2015–2017 using multistate survival models. Trends in the number of life years free of MI and after MI were calculated separately for income groups by applying multistate life table analyses. Results MI incidence and mortality risks decreased over time, but declines were strongest among men and women in the higher-income group. While life years free of MI increased in men and women with higher incomes, no MI-free life years were gained in the low-income group. Among men, life years after MI increased irrespective of income group. Conclusions Income inequalities in the lifespan spent free of MI and after MI widened over time. In particular, men with low incomes are disadvantaged, as life years spent after MI increased, but no life years free of MI were gained.

The Relationship Between Metabolic Health and Mortality Among Older Hispanics in the US and Mexico

Studies consistently show that Hispanics, especially first-generation Mexican immigrants, face lower mortality risks in mid-to-late life than US-born non-Hispanic whites. This extended lifespan defies expectations given Hispanics’ disadvantaged socioeconomic status relative to whites and thus is referred to as the Hispanic paradox. However, it remains an open question as to whether the Hispanic paradox in mortality mirrors a lower chronic disease burden. To address this gap, this study will combine and leverage two harmonized longitudinal population-based data sources of late-middle-aged and older adults in the United States and Mexico; the Health and Retirement Study and the Mexican Health and Aging Study. First, I evaluate differences in the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and mortality risk for older adults living in Mexico, first-generation Mexican immigrants to the US, US-born Mexican Americans, and US-born whites. Second, I explore the extent to which the proportion of deaths attributable to MetS in each of these groups can be explained by differences in socioeconomic and health/behavioral characteristics. This study uses Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the mortality risks of MetS across groups, as well as the associated population attributable fractions (PAFs) to investigate potential differences within a decomposition framework. Developing this detailed understanding of metabolic health and the associated mortality risks across multiple generations of older Mexican immigrants may help us identify modifiable lifestyle and behavioral factors to better manage these conditions and alleviate possible complications as current and future generations of Mexican immigrants age in the US.