Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33428721›Full record

ArticleEuropean heart journal2021

A leucopoietic-arterial axis underlying the link between ambient air pollution and cardiovascular disease in humans.

Shady Abohashem, Michael T Osborne, Tawseef Dar, Nicki Naddaf, Taimur Abbasi, Ahmed Ghoneem, Azar Radfar, Tomas Patrich, Blake Oberfeld, Brian Tung and 3 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European heart journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed
3.6field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

37 citing papers in PubMed, 63 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Association between PMEuropean journal of pediatrics · 2026
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  6. Inflammaging and Cardiovascular Risk in Old Women.High blood pressure & cardiovascular prevention : the official journal of the Italian Society of Hypertension · 2026
    Review
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  19. Effects of PMFrontiers in public health · 2024
    Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Shady AbohashemCardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 5E, Boston, MA 02114-2750, USA.
Michael T OsborneCardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 5E, Boston, MA 02114-2750, USA.
Tawseef DarCardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 5E, Boston, MA 02114-2750, USA.
Nicki NaddafCardiovascular Imaging Research Center, Departments of Medicine and Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Taimur AbbasiCardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 5E, Boston, MA 02114-2750, USA.
Ahmed GhoneemCardiovascular Imaging Research Center, Departments of Medicine and Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Azar RadfarCardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 5E, Boston, MA 02114-2750, USA.
Tomas PatrichCardiovascular Imaging Research Center, Departments of Medicine and Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Blake OberfeldCardiovascular Imaging Research Center, Departments of Medicine and Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Brian TungCardiovascular Imaging Research Center, Departments of Medicine and Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Zahi A FayadBioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10029, USA.
Sanjay RajagopalanDepartment of Cardiovascular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Ahmed TawakolCardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Yawkey 5E, Boston, MA 02114-2750, USA.
Harvard University · USMassachusetts General Hospital · USCase Western Reserve University · USIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · US

Funding

Translational imaging and nanomedicine in inflammatory atherosclerosisP01HL131478 · NHLBI · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · PI Mandy Maria Theresia van Leent · 2017 to 2026
$24.3M
Institutional Career Development CoreKL2TR002542 · NCATS · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI BREDELLA, MIRIAM ANTOINETTE, RUTKOVE, SEWARD B. · 2018 to 2022
$8.7M
Effect of Low Dose Methotrexate on Arterial Inflammation in HIVR01HL122177 · NHLBI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI TAWAKOL, AHMED A · 2014 to 2017
$1.2M
The Effect of Mindfulness on Vascular Inflammation in Stable Coronary Disease: A Multi-System PET/MRI StudyK23HL151909 · NHLBI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI OSBORNE, MICHAEL THOMAS · 2021 to 2025
$997k
NCATS NIH HHS KL2 TR002542NHLBI NIH HHS K23 HL151909NHLBI NIH HHS P01 HL131478NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL122177
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsAir pollution [i.e. particulate matter with diameter <2.5 μm (PM2.5)] is a risk factor for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). While PM2.5 promotes leucopoiesis and atherosclerotic inflammation in experimental models, it is unknown whether this occurs in humans. We tested in humans (a) whether PM2.5 associates with higher leucopoietic tissue activity and arterial inflammation (ArtI), (ii) whether these associations persist after accounting for the effects of potential confounders including socioeconomics, traffic noise, and risk factors, and (iii) whether these tissue effects mediate the association between air pollution and MACE. METHODS AND

resultsIndividuals (N = 503) without cardiovascular disease (CVD) or active malignancy underwent 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography. Major adverse cardiovascular event was adjudicated over 5 years of follow-up. Leucopoietic tissue activity (in bone marrow and spleen) as well as ArtI were measured. Annual PM2.5 levels were assessed at each individual's home address. At baseline, higher PM2.5 associated with increased leucopoietic activity [standardized (95% CI): 0.129 (0.042, 0.215), P = 0.004] as well as ArtI [0.088 (0.006, 0.171), P = 0.036] after adjusting for CVD risk factors. Over a median 4.1 years, 40 individuals experienced MACE. PM2.5 exposure associated with MACE [Cox HR (95% CI): 1.404 (1.135, 1.737), P = 0.002], remaining significant after adjustment for CVD risk factors and other potential confounders. Mediation analysis demonstrated that increased leucopoietic activity and ArtI serially mediate the link between PM2.5 exposure and MACE.

conclusionsHigher air pollution exposure associates with heightened leucopoietic activity and ArtI and independently predicts MACE through a biological pathway that includes higher leucopoietic activity and ArtI in series.

Indexed as

Air PollutantsAir PollutionCardiovascular DiseasesEnvironmental ExposureHumansParticulate MatterRisk FactorsAir PollutantsParticulate Matter18F-FDG-PET/CTAir pollutionArterial inflammationCardiovascular diseaseLeucopoietic activity

Identifiers

PMID33428721
PMCPMC7882372
OpenAlexW3118357501

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.