Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40678270›Full record

ArticleCommunications earth & environment2025

Global warming risks dehydrating and inflaming human airways.

David A Edwards, Aurélie Edwards, Dan Li, Linying Wang, Kian Fan Chung, Deen Bhatta, Andreas Bilstein, Justin Hanes, Indika Endirisinghe, Britt Burton Freeman and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications earth & environment, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. 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.

David A EdwardsCenter for Nanomedicine, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, United States.
Aurélie EdwardsDepartment of Bioengineering, Boston University, Boston, United States.
Dan LiDepartment of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, United States.
Linying WangDepartment of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, United States.
Kian Fan ChungNational Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Deen BhattaSensory Cloud Inc., Boston, United States.
Andreas BilsteinSensory Cloud Inc., Boston, United States.
Justin HanesCenter for Nanomedicine, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, United States.
Indika EndirisingheDepartment of Nutrition Science, Illinois Institute Technology, Chicago, United States.
Britt Burton FreemanDepartment of Nutrition Science, Illinois Institute Technology, Chicago, United States.
Mark GutaySchool of Medicine, University North Carolina, Raleigh-Durham, United States.
Alessandra Livraghi-ButricoSchool of Medicine, University North Carolina, Raleigh-Durham, United States.
Brian ButtonSchool of Medicine, University North Carolina, Raleigh-Durham, United States.

Funding

Vector CoreP30DK065988 · NIDDK · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Scott H Randell · 2004 to 2026
$26.5M
Project 4: Biophysical and structural characterization of airway submucosal gland mucus in health and diseaseP01HL164320 · NHLBI · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Richard Charles Boucher, Michael Rubinstein · 2022 to 2026
$13.9M
The role of mucus and pulmonary surface interactions in lung defenseR01HL125280 · NHLBI · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI BUTTON, BRIAN M · 2015 to 2023
$3.1M
NHLBI NIH HHS P01 HL164320NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL125280NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK065988
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Global warming increases water evaporation rates from planetary ecosystems. Here, we show that evaporation rates encountered during human breathing in dehydrating atmospheres promotes airway inflammation and potentially exacerbates lung diseases. Continuum mathematical analysis predicts that water evaporation thins airway mucus layers and compresses epithelial cells during tidal breathing. Experiments using human tracheal-bronchial cells confirm that exposure to air with progressive degrees of dryness (relative humidities of 95%, 60% and 30% at 37°C) causes the mucus layer to progressively thin (by 5%, 35%, and 58%). Associated compression of epithelial cells elevates secretion of inflammatory cytokines (

Identifiers

PMID40678270
PMCPMC12269886

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.