International Comparison of Intercity Differences in Premature Deaths: Pyll-Rates in Canada, Finland and Russia 2010

Background: Potential years of life lost (PYLL) rate describes the number of years lost due to pre-ventable premature death in a population. This is equal to the loss of human capital. Cause-specific PYLL-rates provide information for public health policy. Methods: PYLL-rate is calculated as an absolute difference between the age at death and the assumed length of life. Causes of preventable deaths are defined and classified according to International Classification of Diseases version 10 (ICD-10) as determined by World Health Organization. PYLL rate is age-standardized and expressed per 100,000 persons. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) standard of 70 years was applied as the expected length of life in Saint Petersburg (Russia), Edmonton (Canada), and Helsinki (Finland). Results: There were very big differences in PYLL rates of all causes of death between the countries compared. Total PYLL-rates were the lowest in Helsinki, slightly higher in Edmonton, and the highest in Saint Petersburg. The intercity differences in the total of PYLL-rates were considerably smaller among women than men. In each city, the three most prevalent causes of premature death were injuries, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Magnitudes of these causes varied between the three cities. Conclusions: PYLL rate provides comparable and sensitive information about the health related well-being of a population concerning all preventable causes of death as well as cause-specific premature deaths. The study demonstrates that the reduction of cause-specific PYLL-rates is possible. It provides supplementary information for planning of health policies and evaluation of effectiveness of past interventions. Results demonstrate that these actions need to differ between countries and localities.

Assessing Heat-related Mortality Risks in Beijing,China

Objective To obtain the exposure-response relationship for temperature and mortality, and assess the risk of heat-related premature death. Methods A statistical model was developed using a Poisson generalized linear regression model with Beijing mortality and temperature data from October 1st, 2006 to September 30th, 2008. We calculated the exposure-response relationship for temperature and mortality in the central city, and inner suburban and outer suburban regions. Based on this relationship, a health risk model was used to assess the risk of heat-related premature death in the summer （June to August） of 2009. Results The population in the outer suburbs had the highest temperature-related mortality risk. People in the central city had a mid-range risk, while people in the inner suburbs had the lowest risk. Risk assessment predicted that the number of heat-related premature deaths in the summer of 2009 was 1581. The city areas of Chaoyang and Haidian districts had the highest number of premature deaths. The number of premature deaths in the southern areas of Beijing （Fangshan, Fengtai, Daxing, and Tongzhou districts） was in the mid-range. Conclusion Ambient temperature significantly affects human mortality in Beijing. People in the city and outer suburban area have a higher temperature-related mortality risk than people in the inner suburban area. This may be explained by a temperature-related vulnerability. Key words： Temperature; Mortality; Premature death; Health risk; Generalized linear regression model; Climate change

Assessing the premature death due to ambient particulate matter in China＇s urban areas from 2004 to 2013

The Environmental Burden of Disease （EBD） approach for outdoor air pollution has been used to calculate premature deaths and average potential years of life lost attributable to air pollution in China over the past 10 years with differences between the North and the South of the country being analyzed.The results indicate that： （1） Between 2004 and 2013, annual premature deaths attributable to outdoor air pollution in China ranged from 350000 to 520000. In 2013, deaths resulting from air pollution in China represented 9.9% of the country＇s total deaths. （2） In 2004, the average life expectancy of the Chinese population and the number of potential years of life lost （PYLL） attributable to air pollutionwas 69.6 and 1.85 years respectively as compared to 74.4 and 0.67 years respectively in 2013. （3） The number of the PYLL attributable to air pollution in the northern regions of China is found to be larger than that of the southern regions. The PYLL figures of the northern and southern regions in 2004 were 2.3 and 1.8 years, respectively, with a difference of 0.5 years, as compared to 1.4 and 0.7 years respectively with a difference of 0.7 years in 2013.

Single base substitution in Os CDC48 is responsible for premature senescence and death phenotype in rice

A premature senescence and death 128 （psd128） mutant was isolated from an ethyl methane sulfonate-induced rice IR64 mutant bank. The premature senescence phenotype appeared at the six-leaf stage and the plant died at the early heading stage, psd128 exhibited impaired chloroplast develop- ment with significantly reduced photosynthetic ability, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, root vigor, soluble protein content and increased malonaldehyde content. Furthermore, the expression of senescence-related genes was significantly altered in psd128. The mutant trait was controlled by a single recessive nuclear gene. Using map- based strategy, the mutation Oryza sativa cell division cycle 48 （OsCDC48） was isolated and predicted to encode a putative AAA-type ATPase with 809 amino-acid residuals. A single base substitution at position C2347T in psd128 resulted in a premature stop codon. Functional complementation could rescue the mutant phenotype. In addition, RNA interference resulted in the premature senescence and death phenotype. OsCDC48 was expressed constitutively in the root, stem, leaf and panicle. Subcellular analysis indicated that OsCDC48：YFP fusion proteins were located both in the cytoplasm and nucleus. OsCDC48 was highly conserved with more than 90% identity in the protein levels among plant species. Our results indicated that the impaired function of OsCDC48 was responsible for the premature senescence and death phenotype.

Trends in cancer mortality in China from 2004 to 2018:A nationwide longitudinal study

Background:The long-term trend in cancer death in a rapidly developing country provides information for cancer prophylaxis.Here,we aimed to identify the trends in cancer mortality in China during the 2004-2018 period.Methods:Using raw data from the national mortality surveillance system of China,we assessed the mortalities of all cancer and site-specific cancers during the 2004-2018 period.The participants were divided into three age groups:≥65 years,40-64 years,and≤39 years.Changing trends in cancer death by gender,residency,and tumor location were estimated using fitting joinpoint models to log-transformed crude mortality rates(CMRs)and age-standardizedmortality rates(ASMRs).Results:Cancer death accounted for 24% of all-cause of death in China during 2014-2018.The CMR of all cancer was 150.0 per 100,000 persons.Cancer was the leading cause of death in the population<65 years.The six major cancer types(lung/bronchus cancer,liver cancer,stomach cancer,esophagus cancer,colorectal cancer,and pancreas cancer)accounted for 75.85% of all cancer deaths.The CMR of all cancer increased while the ASMR decreased during 2014-2018(P<0.001).Lung/bronchus cancer and liver cancer were the leading causes of cancer death in the population<65 years,accounting for 45.31%(CMR)and 44.35%(ASMR)of all cancer death,respectively.The ASMR of liver cancer was higher in the 40-64 years population than in the≥65 years population,in contrast to the other five major cancers.The ASMRs of liver cancer,stomach cancer,and esophagus cancer decreased although they were higher in rural residents than in urban residents;the ASMRs of lung/bronchus cancer,colorectal cancer,and pancreas cancer increased in rural residents although they were higher in urban residents than in rural residents during 2014-2018.Conclusion:Although the ASMR of all cancer decreased in China during 2004-2018,lung/bronchus cancer and liver cancer remained the leading causes of cancer-related premature death.Lung/bronchus cancer,colorectal cancer,and pancreas cancer increased in rural residents.