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Stojsavljević A, Lakićević N, Pavlović S. Does Lead Have a Connection to Autism? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. TOXICS 2023; 11:753. [PMID: 37755763 PMCID: PMC10536388 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11090753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Environmental pollutants, particularly toxic trace metals with neurotoxic potential, have been related to the genesis of autism. One of these metals that stands out, in particular, is lead (Pb). We conducted an in-depth systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies on Pb levels in biological materials retrieved from autistic children (cases) and neurotypical children (controls) in this work. A systematic review was conducted after the careful selection of published studies according to established criteria to gain a broad insight into the higher or lower levels of Pb in the biological materials of cases and controls, and the findings were then strengthened by a meta-analysis. The meta-analysis included 17 studies (hair), 13 studies (whole blood), and 8 studies (urine). The overall number of controls/cases was 869/915 (hair), 670/755 (whole blood), and 344/373 (urine). This meta-analysis showed significantly higher Pb levels in all three types of biological material in cases than in controls, suggesting a higher body Pb burden in autistic children. Thus, environmental Pb exposure could be related to the genesis of autism. Since no level of Pb can be considered safe, the data from this study undoubtedly point to the importance of regularly monitoring Pb levels in autistic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandar Stojsavljević
- Innovative Centre, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 12–16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Novak Lakićević
- Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Clinic for Neurosurgery, Ljubljanska bb, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro;
| | - Slađan Pavlović
- Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia;
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Nakhaee S, Amirabadizadeh A, Farnia V, Ali Azadi N, Mansouri B, Radmehr F. Association Between Biological Lead Concentrations and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Children: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Biol Trace Elem Res 2023; 201:1567-1581. [PMID: 35499802 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-022-03265-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Studies have been conducted in different countries of the world to illustrate a link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and lead (Pb) in different specimens such as hair, blood, and urine. Therefore, we carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the association between Pb concentration in biological samples (blood, urine, and hair) and ASD in children through case-control and cross-sectional studies. In this systematic review, PubMed, Web of Sciences, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant studies from January 2000 to February 2022. A random-effects model was used to pool the results. The effect sizes were standardized mean differences (proxied by Hedges' g) followed by a 95% confidence interval. Pooling data under the random effect model from blood and hair studies showed a significant difference between the children in the ASD group and the control group in blood lead level (Hedges' g: 1.21, 95% CI: 0.33-2.09, P = 0.01) and hair level (Hedges' g: 2.20, 95% CI: 0.56-3.85, P = 0.01). For urine studies, pooling data under the random effect model from eight studies indicated no significant difference between the children in the ASD group and control group in urinary lead level (Hedges' g: - 0.34, 95% CI: - 1.14,0.45, P = 0.40). Moreover, the funnel plot and the results of the Egger test for the blood and urine samples showed no publication bias, while, for the hair samples, the funnel plot illustrated the existence of publication bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samaneh Nakhaee
- Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center (MTDRC), Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
| | - Alireza Amirabadizadeh
- Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 9717113163, Iran
| | - Vahid Farnia
- Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Research Institute for Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Nemam Ali Azadi
- Biostatistics Department, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Borhan Mansouri
- Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Research Institute for Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
| | - Farnaz Radmehr
- Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Research Institute for Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
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Shin K, Lim G, Hong YS, Kim S, Hwang S, Lee J, Sin S, Cho A, Kim Y, Gautam R, Jo J, Acharya M, Maharjan A, Lee D, K C PB, Kim C, Heo Y, Kim HA. Exposure to lead on expression levels of brain immunoglobulins, inflammatory cytokines, and brain-derived neurotropic factor in fetal and postnatal mice with autism-like characteristics. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2021; 84:891-900. [PMID: 34187350 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2021.1945985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders, and their incidence is increasing worldwide. Increased exposure to environmental metal lead (Pb) has been proposed as a risk factor associated with ASD. In the present study, BTBR T+ tf/J (BTBR) mice with ASD-like behavioral characteristics and control FVB mice were exposed gestationally and/or neonatally to Pb, and compared with highly social FVB mice to investigate neuroimmunological abnormalities. IgG1 and IgG2a levels in fetal brains from BTBR dams exposed to Pb (BTBR-Pb) were significantly higher than those of BTBR-controls (BTBR-C). However, this change did not occur in FVB mice exposed to Pb. The IgG1:IgG2a ratio was higher in both fetal and postnatal brains of BTBR mice compared to FVB animals regardless of Pb exposure. The IL-4:IFN-γ ratio was elevated in BTBR-Pb relative to BTBR-C mice, but this ratio was not markedly affected following Pb exposure in FVB animals. These findings suggest the potential for a Pb-driven predominant TH2-like reactivity profile in brain microenvironment present in BTBR mice. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor was decreased in fetal and postnatal BTBR-Pb brains relative to BTBR-C brains but not in FVB-Pb relative to FVB-C mice. Taken together, data demonstrate that Pb exposure might contribute to developmental brain abnormalities associated with ASD, particularly in individuals with genetic susceptibility to ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- KyeongMin Shin
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - GyeongDong Lim
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Seoub Hong
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dong-A University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - SoNam Kim
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - SoRyeon Hwang
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - JaeHee Lee
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - SoJung Sin
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - AhRang Cho
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - YeonGyeong Kim
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Ravi Gautam
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - JiHun Jo
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Manju Acharya
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Anju Maharjan
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - DaEun Lee
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Pramod B K C
- Graduate School Department of Toxicology, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - ChangYul Kim
- Graduate School Department of Toxicology, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Heo
- Department Occupational Health, College of Bio and Medical Sciences, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School Department of Toxicology, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyoung-Ah Kim
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Heidari S, Mostafaei S, Razazian N, Rajati M, Saeedi A, Rajati F. Correlation between lead exposure and cognitive function in 12-year-old children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:43064-43073. [PMID: 34129165 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-14712-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Lead exposure as a toxic material especially in children can be recognized as a harmful factor for cognitive function system. This meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the lead exposure effect on cognitive function among 6979 children less than 12 years. The 16 studies were divided into two clusters according to "duration of exposure" and "dose" using k-means partitioning clustering algorithm. Then, subgroup analysis has been performed based on the clustered studies. According to the results of the k-means clustering, dose and duration of exposure were significant factors between all considered variables. A stronger negative significant pooled correlation was observed in higher dose and duration cluster in comparison with another cluster including lower dose and duration (r = - 0.29, P-value < 0.001 vs. r = - 0.08, P-value < 0.001). Overall, a negative significant correlation was observed between lead exposure and cognitive function test score (r = - 0.22, P-value < 0.001). This study confirms the negative effect of lead on cognitive function in children, but needed further investigations to achieve the safe dose and duration of the lead exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serve Heidari
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shayan Mostafaei
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Epidemiology of Biostatistics Unit, Rheumatology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nazanin Razazian
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine Imam Reza Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Mojgan Rajati
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Motazedi Hospital Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Anahita Saeedi
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Fatemeh Rajati
- Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
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Meng Y, Tang C, Yu J, Meng S, Zhang W. Exposure to lead increases the risk of meningioma and brain cancer: A meta-analysis. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2020; 60:126474. [PMID: 32146339 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2020.126474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To analyze the relationship between environmental lead exposure and various types of brain tumors. METHODS Search databases PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) as of July 1, 2019. Stata 15.0 software was used for analysis. RESULTS In the case control, lead exposure was associated with gliomas and meningiomas 0.82 (95 % CI: 0.69, 0.95) and 1.06 (95 % CI: 0.65, 1.46). In the cohort study, lead exposure was associated with brain cancer and meningiomas 1.07 (95 % CI: 0.95, 1.19) and 1.06 (95 % CI: 0.94, 1.17). The risk of childhood brain tumors associated with parental lead exposure was 1.17 (95 % CI: 0.99, 1.34). CONCLUSIONS Lead may be a risk factor for meningiomas and brain cancers. However, the glioma results suggest that lead may be a protective factor, which needs to be further studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Meng
- School of Medicine, College of Arts & Science of Jianghan University, Wuhan 430000, China.
| | - Caoli Tang
- School of Health Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China.
| | - Jun Yu
- School of Health Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China.
| | - Shiyao Meng
- School of Geodesy and Geomatics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China.
| | - Wanying Zhang
- School of Medicine, College of Arts & Science of Jianghan University, Wuhan 430000, China.
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