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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia affecting millions of people worldwide and will continue to affect millions more with population aging on the rise. AD causality is multifactorial. Known causal factors include genetic predisposition, age, and sex. Environmental toxins such as air pollution (AP) have also been implicated in AD causation. Exposure to AP can lead to chronic oxidative stress (OS), which is involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Whereas AP plays a role in AD pathology, the epidemiological evidence for this association is limited. Given the significant prevalence of AP exposure combined with increased population aging, epidemiological evidence for this link is important to consider. In this paper, we examine the existing evidence supporting the relationship between AP, OS, and AD and provide recommendations for future research on the population level, which will provide evidence in support of public health interventions.

The town of Fallon within Churchill County, Nevada exhibited an unusually high incidence of childhood leukemia during the years 1997–2003. We examined the temporal and spatial patterning of the leukemia case homes in comparison to the distribution of the general population at risk, other cancer incidence, and features of land use. Leukemia cases were predominantly diagnosed during the early to mid summer, exhibiting a seasonal bias. Leukemia cases lived outside of the “developed/urban” area of Fallon, predominantly in the “agriculture/pasture” region of Churchill County, circumscribing downtown Fallon. This pattern was different from the distribution of the underlying population (p-value < 0.01) and different from the distribution of other cancers, which were evenly distributed when compared to the population (p-value = 0.74). The unusual space-time patterning of childhood leukemia is consistent with the involvement of an infectious disease. A possible mode of transmission for such an infectious disease is by means of a vector, and mosquitoes are abundant in Churchill County outside of the urban area of Fallon. This region harbors a US Navy base, and a temporally concordant increase in military wide childhood leukemia rates suggests the base a possible source of the virus. Taken together, our current understanding of the etiology of childhood leukemia, the rural structure combined with temporal and geospatial patterning of these leukemia cases, and the high degree of population mixing in Fallon, suggest a possible infectious cause.

LGB and students not sure of their sexual identity with greater exposure to ACEs have disproportionately high levels of suicide ideation and attempts. Trauma-informed interventions for these populations are warranted.

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