About
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and psychiatric disorders account for most deaths globally and are the main drivers of morbidity, disability, and health-care costs. Although the aetiology of CVDs and psychiatric disorders is still mostly elusive, the environmental-genetic interaction effects may be a cause of the diseases. Currently, there has been an increasing interest in the association between environmental exposures (especially air pollution) and the risk of CVDs and psychiatric disorders across the lifetime span. However, little is known about the potential role of genetic susceptibility in the relationship of environmental exposures with adverse health conditions. Exploring the modification effect of genetic susceptibility can help to identify individuals who are more susceptible to the detrimental effects of environmental exposures. In addition, most patients with CVDs and psychiatric disorders need to take medications to slow down the disease progression. Given that the oxidative stress or inflammation may be involved in the potential mechanism of health effects of air pollutants, subjects taking anti-inflammatory medications or disease-specific medications may be protected against adverse effects of airborne agents and may show smaller responses to air pollutants. Further examing the potential role of medications in exposure-response relationship might help to inform more specific pollution management strategies.
Our project is expected to last 36 months, and the causal evidence generated from the study will inform strategies and policies towards minimising exposures from health inhibiting urban environments, especially harmful air pollutants. The evidence will also inform strategies for pollution management and medication in major cities around the world.
15 Publications
Pub ID | Title | Author(s) | Year | Journal |
10621 | Air pollutants, genetic factors, and risk of chronic kidney disease: Findings from the UK Biobank | Jianing Wang (+3) | 2022 | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
8917 | Air pollutants, genetic susceptibility, and abdominal aortic aneurysm risk: a prospective study | Yudiyang Ma (+7) | 2024 | European Heart Journal |
10256 | Air pollution, alcohol consumption, and the risk of elevated liver enzyme levels: a cross-sectional study in the UK Biobank | Run Liu (+5) | 2023 | Environmental Science and Pollution Research |
10188 | Ambient air pollution, genetic risk and telomere length in UK biobank | Linxi Tang (+4) | 2023 | Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology |
8601 | Associations of residential greenness with bone mineral density and osteoporosis: the modifying effect of genetic susceptibility | Tingting Tan (+5) | 2024 | Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases |
11271 | Effects of residential greenness and genetic predisposition on hemoglobin A1c and type 2 diabetes: Gene-environment interaction analysis from a nationwide study | Jixuan Ma (+3) | 2023 | Environmental Research |
9080 | Genetic Susceptibility Modifies Relationships Between Air Pollutants and Stroke Risk: A Large Cohort Study | Yudiyang Ma (+9) | 2023 | Stroke |
11114 | Genetic susceptibility and lifestyle modify the association of long-term air pollution exposure on major depressive disorder: a prospective study in UK Biobank | Dankang Li (+5) | 2023 | BMC Medicine |
9337 | HLA-C*07:01 and HLA-DQB1*02:01 protect against white matter hyperintensities and deterioration of cognitive function: A population-based cohort study | Yaqing Gao (+7) | 2023 | Brain Behavior and Immunity |
9134 | Long-Term Exposure to Low Concentrations of Ambient Benzene and Mortality in a National English Cohort. | Jianing Wang (+6) | 2024 | American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine |
11103 | Long-term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollutants and Increased Risk of Pneumonia in the UK Biobank | Jianing Wang (+6) | 2023 | CHEST Journal |
10202 | Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution, genetic susceptibility, and the incidence of bipolar disorder: A prospective cohort study | Dankang Li (+7) | 2023 | Psychiatry Research |
9056 | Residential greenness and incident idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: A prospective study | Linxi Tang (+6) | 2023 | Environmental Research |
8358 | The association between telomere length and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a prospective study | Linxi Tang (+5) | 2023 | BMC Medicine |
9281 | The association of residential greenness, genetic susceptibility and telomere length: A cross-sectional study | Linxi Tang (+4) | 2023 | Landscape and Urban Planning |