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ABSTRACT: Background
Short-duration exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) air pollution is associated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction and prolonged ventricular repolarization. However, associations with sub-chronic exposures to coarser particulates are relatively poorly characterized as are molecular mechanisms underlying their potential relationships with cardiovascular disease.Materials and methods
We estimated associations between monthly mean concentrations of PM < 10 μm and 2.5-10 μm in diameter (PM10; PM2.5-10) with time-domain measures of heart rate variability (HRV) and QT interval duration (QT) among U.S. women and men in the Women's Health Initiative and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (nHRV = 82,107; nQT = 76,711). Then we examined mediation of the PM-HRV and PM-QT associations by DNA methylation (DNAm) at three Cytosine-phosphate-Guanine (CpG) sites (cg19004594, cg24102420, cg12124767) with known sensitivity to monthly mean PM concentrations in a subset of the participants (nHRV = 7,169; nQT = 6,895). After multiply imputing missing PM, electrocardiographic and covariable data, we estimated associations using attrition-weighted, linear, mixed, longitudinal models adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, meteorological, and clinical characteristics. We assessed mediation by estimating the proportions of PM-HRV and PM-QT associations mediated by DNAm.Results
We found little evidence of PM-HRV association, PM-QT association, or mediation by DNAm.Conclusions
The findings suggest that among racially/ethnically and environmentally diverse U.S. populations, sub-chronic exposures to coarser particulates may not exert appreciable, epigenetically mediated effects on cardiac autonomic function or ventricular repolarization. Further investigation in better-powered studies is warranted, with additional focus on shorter duration exposures to finer particulates and non-electrocardiographic outcomes among relatively susceptible populations.
SUBMITTER: Gondalia R
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8179344 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Gondalia Rahul R Baldassari Antoine A Holliday Katelyn M KM Justice Anne E AE Stewart James D JD Liao Duanping D Yanosky Jeff D JD Engel Stephanie M SM Sheps David D Jordahl Kristina M KM Bhatti Parveen P Horvath Steve S Assimes Themistocles L TL Demerath Ellen W EW Guan Weihua W Fornage Myriam M Bressler Jan J North Kari E KE Conneely Karen N KN Li Yun Y Hou Lifang L Baccarelli Andrea A AA Whitsel Eric A EA
Environmental research 20210422
<h4>Background</h4>Short-duration exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) air pollution is associated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction and prolonged ventricular repolarization. However, associations with sub-chronic exposures to coarser particulates are relatively poorly characterized as are molecular mechanisms underlying their potential relationships with cardiovascular disease.<h4>Materials and methods</h4>We estimated associations between monthly mean concentrations of PM < 10 μm and 2 ...[more]