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Bauer JA, Romano ME, Jackson BP, Bellinger D, Korrick S, Karagas MR. Associations of Perinatal Metal and Metalloid Exposures with Early Child Behavioral Development Over Time in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. EXPOSURE AND HEALTH 2024; 16:135-148. [PMID: 38694196 PMCID: PMC11060719 DOI: 10.1007/s12403-023-00543-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Research on the neurodevelopmental effects of metal(loid)s has focused mainly on outcomes assessed at one time point, even though brain development progresses over time. We investigated biomarkers of perinatal exposure to metals and changes in child behavior over time. We followed 268 participants from the prospective New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study between birth and age 5 years. We measured arsenic (As), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) in toenails from 6-week-old infants. The Behavioral Symptoms Index (BSI), externalizing, and internalizing symptoms were assessed using the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 2nd edition (BASC-2) at ages 3 and 5 years. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate associations of metals with behavior change, calculated as the difference in symptom raw scores between 3 and 5 years, in addition to the associations for symptom scores at 3 and 5 years separately. Sex-specific associations were also explored using stratified models and a sex-metal interaction term. Adjusted associations of metals and change in behavior varied by exposure and outcome. Each 1 μg/g increase in ln toenail Cu was associated with improved behavior between 3 and 5 years [BSI: β = - 3.88 (95%CI: - 7.12, - 0.64); Externalizing problems: β = - 2.20 (95%CI: - 4.07, - 0.33)]. Increasing Zn was associated with increased externalizing behavior over time (β = 3.42 (95%CI: 0.60, 6.25). Sex-stratified analyses suggested more pronounced associations among boys compared to girls. Perinatal exposure to metals may alter behavioral development between ages 3 and 5 years. Findings support the need for more research on associations between metals and neurodevelopment over longer time periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia A. Bauer
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, 1 Medical Center Dr., Lebanon, Hanover, NH 03756, USA
| | - Megan E. Romano
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, 1 Medical Center Dr., Lebanon, Hanover, NH 03756, USA
| | - Brian P. Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - David Bellinger
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, 1 Medical Center Dr., Lebanon, Hanover, NH 03756, USA
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2
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Kao CS, Fan YT, Chien LC, Liao KW, Chang JH, Hsu CH, Chen YJ, Jiang CB. Effects of preterm birth and postnatal exposure to metal mixtures on neurodevelopment in children at 24 months of age. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:86856-86865. [PMID: 37410323 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28450-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
The effects of early-life metal exposure on neurodevelopment in very low birth weight preterm (VLBMP) children (with a birth weight of <1500 g and a gestational age of <37 weeks) have not been clearly established. We aimed to investigate associations of childhood exposure to multiple metals and preterm low birth weight with neurodevelopment among children at 24 months of corrected age. VLBWP children (n = 65) and normal birth weight term (NBWT) children (n = 87) were enrolled from Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taiwan between December 2011 and April 2015. Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), methylmercury (MeHg), and selenium (Se) concentrations in the hair and fingernails were analyzed as biomarkers for metal exposure. The Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, was used to determine neurodevelopment levels. VLBWP children had significantly lower scores in all development domains compared to NBWT children. We also investigated preliminary exposure levels of VLBWP children to metals as reference values for future epidemiological and clinical survey. Fingernails are a useful biomarker for metal exposure to evaluate the effects on neurological development. A multivariable regression analysis revealed that fingernail Cd concentrations were significantly negatively associated with cognition (β = -0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.17 to -0.08) and receptive language function (β = -0.43, 95% CI: -0.82 to -0.04) among VLBWP children. VLBWP children with a 10-μg/g increase in the As concentration in their nails had a 8.67-point lower composite score in cognitive ability and a 1.82-point lower score in gross-motor functions. Effects of preterm birth and postnatal exposure to Cd and As were associated with poorer cognitive, receptive language, and gross-motor abilities. VLBWP children are at risk for neurodevelopmental impairments when exposed to metals. Further large-scale studies are needed assess to the risk of neurodevelopmental impairments when vulnerable children are exposed to metal mixtures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Sian Kao
- School of Public Health, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Tzu Fan
- School of Public Health, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ling-Chu Chien
- School of Public Health, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Neuroscience Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Nutrition Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Wei Liao
- School of Food Safety, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Hsing Chang
- Mackay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Taipei, Taiwan
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Children's Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Premature Baby Foundation of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chyong-Hsin Hsu
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Children's Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Premature Baby Foundation of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Jhen Chen
- School of Public Health, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chuen-Bin Jiang
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, MacKay Children's Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
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Yim G, McGee G, Gallagher L, Baker E, Jackson BP, Calafat AM, Botelho JC, Gilbert-Diamond D, Karagas MR, Romano ME, Howe CG. Metals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances mixtures and birth outcomes in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study: Beyond single-class mixture approaches. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 329:138644. [PMID: 37031836 PMCID: PMC10208216 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
We aimed to investigate the joint, class-specific, and individual impacts of (i) PFAS, (ii) toxic metals and metalloids (referred to collectively as "metals"), and (iii) essential elements on birth outcomes in a prospective pregnancy cohort using both established and recent mixture modeling approaches. Participants included 537 mother-child pairs from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Concentrations of 6 metals and 5 PFAS were measured in maternal toenail clippings and plasma, respectively. Birth weight, birth length, and head circumference at birth were abstracted from medical records. Joint, index-wise, and individual associations of the metals and PFAS concentrations with birth outcomes were evaluated using Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) and Bayesian Multiple Index Models (BMIM). After controlling for potential confounders, the metals-PFAS mixture was associated with a larger head circumference at birth, which was driven by manganese. When using BKMR, the difference in the head circumference z-score when changing manganese from its 25th to 75th percentiles while holding all other mixture components at their medians was 0.22 standard deviations (95% posterior credible interval [CI]: -0.02, 0.46). When using BMIM, the posterior mean of index weight estimates assigned to manganese for head circumference z-score was 0.72 (95% CI: 0, 0.99). Prenatal exposure to the metals-PFAS mixture was not associated with birth weight or birth length by either BKMR or BMIM. Using both traditional and new mixture modeling approaches, prenatal exposure to manganese was associated with a larger head circumference at birth after accounting for exposure to PFAS and multiple toxic and essential metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gyeyoon Yim
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA.
| | - Glen McGee
- Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa Gallagher
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Emily Baker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Brian P Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Antonia M Calafat
- National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Julianne Cook Botelho
- National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Diane Gilbert-Diamond
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Dartmouth-Hitchcock Weight and Wellness Center, Department of Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA; Department of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Megan E Romano
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Caitlin G Howe
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
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Laue HE, Moroishi Y, Jackson BP, Palys TJ, Baker ER, Korrick SA, Madan JC, Karagas MR. Bacterial Modification of the Association Between Arsenic and Autism-Related Social Behavior Scores. EXPOSURE AND HEALTH 2023; 15:347-354. [PMID: 37840773 PMCID: PMC10569445 DOI: 10.1007/s12403-022-00494-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic is related to neurodevelopmental outcomes and is associated with the composition of the gut microbiome. Data on the modifying role of the microbiome are limited. We probed suggestive relationships between arsenic and social behaviors to quantify the modifying role of the infant gut microbiome. We followed children for whom arsenic concentrations were quantified in 6-week-old toenail clippings. Scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), which measures autism-related social behaviors, were provided by caregivers when the child was approximately 3 years of age. Metagenomic sequencing was performed on infant stools collected at 6 weeks and 1 year of age. To evaluate modification by the top ten most abundant species and functional pathways, we modeled SRS-2 total T-scores as a function of arsenic concentrations, microbiome features dichotomized at their median, and an interaction between exposure and the microbiome, adjusting for other trace elements and sociodemographic characteristics. As compared to the standardized population (SRS-2 T-scores = 50), participants in our study had lower SRS-2 scores (n = 78, mean = 44, SD = 5).The relative abundances of several functional pathways identified in 6-week stool samples modified the arsenic-SRS-2 association, including the pathways of valine and isoleucine biosynthesis; we observed no association among those with high relative abundance of each pathway [β = - 0.67 (95% CI - 1.46, 0.12)], and an adverse association [β = 1.67 (95% CI 0.3, 3.04), pinteraction= 0.05] among infants with low relative abundance. Our findings indicate the infant gut microbiome may alter neurodevelopmental susceptibility to environmental exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. Laue
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
- One Medical Center Dr, WTRB 700, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA
| | - Yuka Moroishi
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Brian P. Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Thomas J. Palys
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Emily R. Baker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Juliette C. Madan
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
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Liao Q, Tang P, Pan D, Song Y, Lei L, Liang J, Liu B, Lin M, Huang H, Mo M, Huang C, Wei M, Liu S, Huang D, Qiu X. Association of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and gestational anemia during different trimesters in Zhuang ethnic pregnancy women of Guangxi, China. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 309:136798. [PMID: 36220436 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gestational anemia is a complication of pregnancy, and a low level of hemoglobin (Hb) has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Previous studies reported that PFASs were more strongly associated with Hb than red blood cells, indicating that Hb is more susceptible to the effect of PFASs. However, the evidences regarding the effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) on gestational anemia are currently limited. Therefore, it is important to explore the effects of PFASs on anemia in Chinese pregnant women. METHODS A total of 821 pregnant women were recruited between June 2015 and April 2019 in the Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort. The concentrations of PFASs were assessed in maternal serum before 12 gestational weeks. To determine both individual and combined associations of PFASs exposure with anemia in the three stages of pregnancy, binary logistic regression, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were employed. RESULTS In single-pollutant analysis, maternal exposure to perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) and perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) were associated with anemia in the first trimester, exposure to PFHpA and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) were associated with anemia in the second trimester, and exposure to perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were associated with anemia in the third trimester. Notably, perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) had a nonlinear association with anemia in the third trimester. In multiple-pollutant analysis, a positive association of PFDoA with anemia in the first trimester and a negative association of PFBS with anemia in the second trimester were confirmed by BKMR. Exposure to PFASs mixture was not associated with anemia in all three trimesters. In WQS, there was a significantly negative association between the PFAS mixture and anemia in the second trimester. CONCLUSION Maternal exposure to PFASs is associated with gestational anemia in different trimesters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liao
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Peng Tang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Dongxiang Pan
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Yanye Song
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530031, Guangxi, China
| | - Lei Lei
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Jun Liang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Bihu Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Mengrui Lin
- Department of Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Huishen Huang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Meile Mo
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Chengtuo Huang
- Department of Physical Examination, Guangxi Tiandong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tiandong, 531500, Guangxi, China
| | - Ming Wei
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Child Hygiene, Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Tianyang District, Baise City, 542899, Guangxi, China
| | - Shun Liu
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
| | - Dongping Huang
- Department of Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
| | - Xiaoqiang Qiu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
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Quist AJL, Van Horne YO, Farzan SF, Johnston JE. Metal Exposures in Residents Living Near an Urban Oil Drilling Site in Los Angeles, California. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:15981-15989. [PMID: 36288551 PMCID: PMC9670842 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c04926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Urban environmental justice communities are potentially exposed to multiple toxic metals, through contaminated air, soil, water, and food. However, information on metals and their sources is lacking. This study uses non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) in a community-based participatory research study to identify potential sources and to understand how these metals cluster in a population near an urban oil drilling site. We recruited 203 Latinx, Black, and Asian residents who lived within 1 km of an oil drilling site in south Los Angeles and collected toenail clippings to assess exposure to arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and antimony (Sb). Using NMF, we identified three clusters based on concentrations in the participants' toenails. As, Cd, Pb, and Sb grouped together, indicative of an industrial source. A second grouping was composed of Ni and Mn, which may be related to oil drilling. We also identified a third source factor predominantly driven by Hg and As, which may arise from dietary sources. Utilizing NMF, a dimension reduction method, we identified a source factor high in Ni and Mn in residents living in a neighborhood near an active oil drilling site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arbor J. L. Quist
- Department of Population
and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1845 N Soto St, Los Angeles, California90032, United States
| | - Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne
- Department of Population
and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1845 N Soto St, Los Angeles, California90032, United States
| | - Shohreh F. Farzan
- Department of Population
and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1845 N Soto St, Los Angeles, California90032, United States
| | - Jill E. Johnston
- Department of Population
and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1845 N Soto St, Los Angeles, California90032, United States
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7
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Signes-Pastor AJ, Romano ME, Jackson B, Braun JM, Yolton K, Chen A, Lanphear B, Karagas MR. Associations of maternal urinary arsenic concentrations during pregnancy with childhood cognitive abilities: The HOME study. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2022; 245:114009. [PMID: 35947921 PMCID: PMC9500348 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Arsenic exposure during pregnancy may increase the risk for intellectual deficits in children, but limited data exist from prospective epidemiologic studies, particularly at low arsenic exposure levels. We investigated the association between prenatal maternal urinary arsenic concentrations and childhood cognitive abilities in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study. We used anion exchange chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection to measure arsenic species content in pregnant women's urine. The summation of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) refers to ∑As. We assessed children's cognitive function (n = 260) longitudinally at 1-, 2-, and 3-years using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, at 5 years using Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, and at 8 years using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. We observed a modest decrease in mental development index and full-scale intelligence quotient at ages 3 and 5 years with each doubling of ∑As with estimated score (ß) differences and 95% confidence interval (CI) of -1.8 from -4.1 to 0.5 and -2.5 from -5.1 to 0.0, respectively. This trend was stronger and reached statistical significance among children whose mothers had lower iAs methylation capacity and low urinary arsenobetaine concentrations. Our findings suggest that arsenic exposure levels relevant to the general US population may affect children's cognitive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio J Signes-Pastor
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, NH, USA; Unidad de Epidemiología de la Nutrición. Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain; CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), Spain.
| | - Megan E Romano
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, NH, USA.
| | - Brian Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Joseph M Braun
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Kimberly Yolton
- Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Aimin Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Bruce Lanphear
- Child and Family Research Institute, BC Children's and Women's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, NH, USA
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8
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Doherty BT, McRitchie SL, Pathmasiri WW, Stewart DA, Kirchner D, Anderson KA, Gui J, Madan JC, Hoen AG, Sumner SJ, Karagas MR, Romano ME. Chemical exposures assessed via silicone wristbands and endogenous plasma metabolomics during pregnancy. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2022; 32:259-267. [PMID: 34702988 PMCID: PMC8930423 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-021-00394-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metabolomics is a promising method to investigate physiological effects of chemical exposures during pregnancy, with the potential to clarify toxicological mechanisms, suggest sensitive endpoints, and identify novel biomarkers of exposures. OBJECTIVE Investigate the influence of chemical exposures on the maternal plasma metabolome during pregnancy. METHODS Data were obtained from participants (n = 177) in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, a prospective pregnancy cohort. Chemical exposures were assessed via silicone wristbands worn for one week at ~13 gestational weeks. Metabolomic features were assessed in plasma samples obtained at ~24-28 gestational weeks via the Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ® p180 kit and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Associations between chemical exposures and plasma metabolomics were investigated using multivariate modeling. RESULTS Chemical exposures predicted 11 (of 226) and 23 (of 125) metabolomic features in Biocrates and NMR, respectively. The joint chemical exposures did not significantly predict pathway enrichment, though some individual chemicals were associated with certain amino acids and related metabolic pathways. For example, N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide was associated with the amino acids glycine, L-glutamic acid, L-asparagine, and L-aspartic acid and enrichment of the ammonia recycling pathway. SIGNIFICANCE This study contributes evidence to the potential effects of chemical exposures during pregnancy upon the endogenous maternal plasma metabolome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett T Doherty
- Department of Epidemiology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Susan L McRitchie
- Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Wimal W Pathmasiri
- Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Delisha A Stewart
- Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - David Kirchner
- Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kim A Anderson
- Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon Status University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Jiang Gui
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Juliette C Madan
- Department of Epidemiology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Anne G Hoen
- Department of Epidemiology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Susan J Sumner
- Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Megan E Romano
- Department of Epidemiology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA.
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9
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Tindula G, Mukherjee SK, Ekramullah SM, Arman DM, Biswas SK, Islam J, Obrycki JF, Christiani DC, Liang L, Warf BC, Mazumdar M. Parental metal exposures as potential risk factors for spina bifida in Bangladesh. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 157:106800. [PMID: 34358915 PMCID: PMC9008873 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neural tube defects are a pressing public health concern despite advances in prevention from folic acid-based strategies. Numerous chemicals, in particular arsenic, have been associated with neural tube defects in animal models and could influence risk in humans. OBJECTIVES We investigated the relationship between parental exposure to arsenic and 17 metals and risk of neural tube defects (myelomeningocele and meningocele) in a case control study in Bangladesh. METHODS Exposure assessment included analysis of maternal and paternal toenail samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A total of 278 participants (155 cases and 123 controls) with data collected from 2016 to 2020 were included in the analysis. RESULTS In the paternal models, a one-unit increase in the natural logarithm of paternal toenail arsenic was associated with a 74% (odds ratio: 1.74, 95% confidence interval: 1.26-2.42) greater odds of having a child with spina bifida, after adjusting for relevant covariates. Additionally, paternal exposure to aluminum, cobalt, chromium, iron, selenium, and vanadium was associated with increased odds of having a child with spina bifida in the adjusted models. In the maternal models, a one-unit increase in the natural logarithm of maternal toenail selenium and zinc levels was related to a 382% greater (odds ratio: 4.82, 95% confidence interval: 1.32-17.60) and 89% lower (odds ratio: 0.11, 95% confidence interval: 0.03-0.42) odds of having a child with spina bifida in the adjusted models, respectively. Results did not suggest an interaction between parental toenail metals and maternal serum folate. DISCUSSION Parental toenail levels of numerous metals were associated with increased risk of spina bifida in Bangladeshi infants. Paternal arsenic exposure was positively associated with neural tube defects in children and is of particular concern given the widespread arsenic poisoning of groundwater resources in Bangladesh and the lack of nutritional interventions aimed to mitigate paternal arsenic exposure. The findings add to the growing body of literature of the impact of metals, especially paternal environmental factors, on child health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwen Tindula
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sudipta Kumer Mukherjee
- Department of Paediatric Neurosurgery, National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS), Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Agargoan, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Sheikh Muhammad Ekramullah
- Department of Paediatric Neurosurgery, National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS), Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Agargoan, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - D M Arman
- Department of Paediatric Neurosurgery, National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS), Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Agargoan, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Subrata Kumar Biswas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Shahbag, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Joynul Islam
- Department of Clinical Neurosurgery, National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS), Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Agargoan, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - John F Obrycki
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, United States
| | - David C Christiani
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Liming Liang
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Benjamin C Warf
- Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Maitreyi Mazumdar
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, United States.
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10
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Van Horne YO, Farzan SF, Johnston JE. Metal-mixtures in toenails of children living near an active industrial facility in Los Angeles County, California. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2021; 31:427-441. [PMID: 33935287 PMCID: PMC8893014 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-021-00330-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children residing in communities near metalworking industries are vulnerable to multiple toxic metal exposures. Understanding biomarkers of exposure to multiple toxic metals is important to characterize cumulative burden and to distinguish potential exposure sources in such environmental justice neighborhoods impacted by industrial operations. Exposure to metal mixtures has not been well-characterized among children residing in the United States, and is understudied in communities of color. METHODS In this study we used toenail clippings, a noninvasive biomarker, to assess exposure to arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), selenium (Se), and vanadium (V). We used nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) to identify "source" signatures and patterns of exposure among predominantly working class Latinx children residing near an industrial corridor in Southeast Los Angeles County. Additionally, we investigated the association between participant demographic, spatial, and dietary characteristics with identified metal signatures. RESULTS Through NMF, we identified three groupings (source factors) for the metal concentrations in children's toenails. A grouping composed of Sb, Pb, As, and Cd, was identified as a potential industrial source factor, reflective of known airborne elemental emissions in the industrial corridor. We further identified a manganese source factor primarily composed of Mn, and a potential dietary source factor driven by Se and Hg. We observed differences in the industrial source factor by age of participants, while the dietary source factor varied by neighborhood. CONCLUSION Utilizing an unsupervised dimension reduction technique (NMF), we identified a "source signature" of contamination in toenail samples from children living near metalworking industry. Investigating patterns and sources of exposures in cumulatively burdened communities is necessary to identify appropriate public health interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shohreh F Farzan
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jill E Johnston
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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11
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Signes-Pastor AJ, Gutiérrez-González E, García-Villarino M, Rodríguez-Cabrera FD, López-Moreno JJ, Varea-Jiménez E, Pastor-Barriuso R, Pollán M, Navas-Acien A, Pérez-Gómez B, Karagas MR. Toenails as a biomarker of exposure to arsenic: A review. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 195:110286. [PMID: 33075355 PMCID: PMC7987585 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
This systematic review summarizes the current evidence related to the reliability of toenail total arsenic concentrations (thereafter "arsenic") as a biomarker of long-term exposure. Specifically, we reviewed literature on consistency of repeated measures over time, association with other biomarkers and metal concentrations, factors influencing concentrations, and associations with health effects. We identified 129 papers containing quantitative original data on arsenic in toenail samples covering populations from 29 different countries. We observed geographic differences in toenail arsenic concentrations, with highest median or mean concentrations in Asian countries. Arsenic-contaminated drinking water, occupational exposure or living in specific industrial areas were associated with an increased toenail arsenic content. The effects of other potential determinants and sources of arsenic exposure including diet, gender and age on the concentrations in toenails need further investigations. Toenail arsenic was correlated with the concentrations in hair and fingernails, and with urine arsenic mainly among highly exposed populations with a toenail mean or median ≥1 μg/g. Overall, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that arsenic content from a single toenail sample may reflect long-term internal dose-exposure. Toenail arsenic can serve as a reliable measure of toxic inorganic arsenic exposure in chronic disease research, particularly promising for cancer and cardiovascular conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio J Signes-Pastor
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, 1 Medical Center Dr, Williamson Translational Research Bldg, Lebanon NH, 03756, USA.
| | - Enrique Gutiérrez-González
- Spanish Agency of Food Safety and Nutrition, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Alcalá, 56, 28014, Madrid, Spain; Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology & Public Health (CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel García-Villarino
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology & Public Health (CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain; Unit of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, University Institute of Oncology of the Principality of Asturias (IUOPA) - Department of Medicine, University of Oviedo, Julian Clavería Street s/n, 33006, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Francisco D Rodríguez-Cabrera
- Public Health Teaching Unit, National School of Public Health, Carlos III Institute of Health, Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029. Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge J López-Moreno
- Public Health Teaching Unit, National School of Public Health, Carlos III Institute of Health, Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029. Madrid, Spain
| | - Elena Varea-Jiménez
- Department of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, National Centre for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roberto Pastor-Barriuso
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology & Public Health (CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain; Department of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, National Centre for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marina Pollán
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology & Public Health (CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain; Department of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, National Centre for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Navas-Acien
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Beatriz Pérez-Gómez
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology & Public Health (CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública - CIBERESP), Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain; Public Health Teaching Unit, National School of Public Health, Carlos III Institute of Health, Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029. Madrid, Spain; Department of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, National Centre for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, 1 Medical Center Dr, Williamson Translational Research Bldg, Lebanon NH, 03756, USA
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12
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Xu L, Polya DA, Li Q, Mondal D. Association of low-level inorganic arsenic exposure from rice with age-standardized mortality risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in England and Wales. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 743:140534. [PMID: 32659549 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Adverse health outcomes, including death from cardiovascular disease (CVD), arising from chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) are well documented. Consumption of rice is a major iAs exposure route for over 3 billion people, however, there is still a lack of epidemiological evidence demonstrating the association between iAs exposure from rice intake and CVD risks. We explored this potential association through an ecological study using data at local authority level across England and Wales. Local authority level daily per capita iAs exposure from rice (E-iAsing,rice) was estimated using ethnicity as a proxy for class of rice consumption. A series of linear and non-linear models were applied to estimate the association between E-iAsing,rice and CVD age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), using Akaike's Information Criterion as the principle model selection criterion. When adjusted for significant confounders, notably smoking prevalence, education level, employment rate, overweight percentage, PM2.5, female percentage and medical and care establishments, the preferred non-linear model indicated that CVD risks increased with iAs exposure from rice at exposures above 0.3 μg/person/day. Also, the best-fitted linear model indicated that CVD ASMR in the highest quartile of iAs exposure (0.375-2.71 μg/person/day) was 1.06 (1.02, 1.11; p-trend <0.001) times higher than that in the lowest quartile (<0.265 μg/person/day). Notwithstanding the well-known limitations of ecological studies, this study further suggests exposure to iAs, including from rice intake, as a potentially important confounder for studies of the factors controlling CVD risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingqian Xu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - David A Polya
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
| | - Qian Li
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Debapriya Mondal
- School of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
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13
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Meyer JS, Novak MA. Assessment of prenatal stress-related cortisol exposure: focus on cortisol accumulation in hair and nails. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:409-436. [PMID: 32783213 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress adversely affects offspring development. Although cortisol is hypothesized to be a key mediator of stress-induced developmental deficits, determining the amount of fetal cortisol exposure produced by maternal stress has proved challenging. Current approaches, such as measuring cortisol concentrations in maternal plasma, saliva, or urine, amniotic fluid, fetal plasma, or cord blood, all have significant limitations for assessing cumulative fetal cortisol exposure over time. A recently emerging approach is to measure cortisol concentrations in maternal hair and/or newborn hair or nail samples. Maternal hair cortisol potentially shows long-term production across each trimester of pregnancy, whereas neonatal hair or nail cortisol is thought to reflect mainly third trimester hormone accumulation. This review first describes fetal adrenocortical development, placental cortisol metabolism, and the various sources of fetal cortisol exposure across pregnancy. We then summarize the results obtained from "classical" methods of assessing prenatal cortisol exposure prior to the advent of hair and nail cortisol measurement. Lastly, we discuss the initial development and validation of the hair cortisol methodology, its subsequent application to studies of chronic stress, and recent findings regarding maternal and neonatal hair or nail cortisol concentrations in relation to prenatal stress and other variables of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerrold S Meyer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Melinda A Novak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
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14
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Periconceptional and prenatal exposure to metal mixtures in relation to behavioral development at 3 years of age. Environ Epidemiol 2020; 4:e0106. [PMID: 33154986 PMCID: PMC7595192 DOI: 10.1097/ee9.0000000000000106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Behavioral effects of prenatal exposure to mixtures of essential and toxic metals are incompletely understood.
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15
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Laue HE, Moroishi Y, Jackson BP, Palys TJ, Madan JC, Karagas MR. Nutrient-toxic element mixtures and the early postnatal gut microbiome in a United States longitudinal birth cohort. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 138:105613. [PMID: 32142916 PMCID: PMC7136131 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The infant microbiome contributes to health status across the lifespan, but environmental factors affecting microbial communities are poorly understood, particularly when toxic and essential elements interact. OBJECTIVE We aimed to identify the associations between a spectrum of other early-postnatal nutrient or toxic elemental exposures measured and the infant gut microbiome. METHODS Our analysis included 179 six-week-old infants from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Eleven elements were measured in infant toenail clippings. The gut microbiome was assessed using 16S rRNA V4-V5 hypervariable region targeted sequencing. Multivariable zero-inflated logistic normal regression (MZILN) was used to model the association between element concentrations and taxon relative abundance. To explore interactive and nonlinear associations between the exposures and specific taxa we employed Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR). Effect modification by delivery mode, feeding mode, peripartum antibiotic exposure, and infant sex was assessed with stratified models. RESULTS We found a negative association between arsenic and microbial diversity in the full population that was accentuated among infants exposed to peripartum antibiotics. Arsenic, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, selenium, tin, and zinc were each associated with differences in at least one taxon in the full study population, with most of the related taxa belonging to the Bacteroides and Lactobacillales. In stratified analyses, mercury, in addition to the other elements, was associated with specific taxa. Bifidobacterium, which associated negatively with zinc in MZILN and BKMR models, had a quadratic association with arsenic concentrations. These associations varied with the concentration of the other element. CONCLUSIONS Early postnatal toxic and nutrient elemental exposures are associated with differences in the infant microbiome. Further research is needed to clarify the whether these alterations are a biomarker of exposure or if they have implications for child and lifelong health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Laue
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.
| | - Yuka Moroishi
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.
| | - Brian P Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
| | - Thomas J Palys
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.
| | - Juliette C Madan
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA.
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.
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16
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Romano ME, Gallagher LG, Jackson BP, Baker E, Karagas MR. Maternal urinary cadmium, glucose intolerance and gestational diabetes in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 179:108733. [PMID: 31561054 PMCID: PMC6921495 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to cadmium may contribute to the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and glucose intolerance during pregnancy. METHODS We examined 917 women enrolled from 2009 to 2017 in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Lifestyle, diet, demographic factors and pregnancy outcomes were collected by questionnaire and medical record review. Cadmium concentrations were measured in urine samples collected at 24-28 weeks gestation. Women were classified as normal (n = 815), glucose intolerant (n = 86), or GDM (n = 16) based on clinical data (i.e., glucose challenge test, oral glucose challenge test). We calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for potential confounders, using multinomial logistic regression to examine disease severity (normal, glucose intolerant, GDM) and logistic regression to examine the combined outcome of gestational hyperglycemia. RESULTS Little to no association was observed for glucose intolerance (OR = 1.11, 95%CI 0.85-1.45) or GDM (OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.51-1.44) with a doubling of urinary cadmium as compared to normal women. The combined outcome of gestational hyperglycemia yielded similar results (OR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.84-1.35). However, when stratified by pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), there was a slight association with the combined outcome in normal weight women (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 0.88-1.98) and no association in the overweight or obese women. This positive association remained in restricted analyses of only women with no exposure to smoking during pregnancy and those who had never smoked. CONCLUSIONS Cadmium exposure was suggestively associated with increased risk of gestational hyperglycemia among women not already at increased risk of GDM due to being overweight or obese; however, associations of cadmium with gestational hyperglycemia were not statistically significant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Romano
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
| | | | - Brian P Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Emily Baker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
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Signes-Pastor AJ, Doherty BT, Romano ME, Gleason KM, Gui J, Baker E, Karagas MR. Prenatal exposure to metal mixture and sex-specific birth outcomes in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Environ Epidemiol 2019; 3:e068. [PMID: 31844832 PMCID: PMC6914313 DOI: 10.1097/ee9.0000000000000068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In utero exposure to individual metals may impact fetal growth, though little is known about the effects of exposure to metal mixtures. Therefore, we investigated joint effects of in utero exposure to a mixture of As (arsenic), Mn (manganese), and Pb (lead) on newborn outcomes in a United States population. METHODS Concentrations of As, Mn, and Pb were determined in maternal postpartum toenail samples, a biomarker of in utero exposure, from 989 maternal-infant pairs (492 females and 497 males). Newborns' anthropometric characteristics, including head circumference, length, and weight, were obtained from medical records. The joint effects of the three metals were modeled using Bayesian kernel machine regression and linear regression. Both sex-combined and sex-stratified statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS We observed an inverted-U-shape association between maternal toenail Mn concentrations and newborn head circumference, particularly among female infants. Concentrations of Pb were related to reduced head circumference, weight, and length, especially among females at lower concentrations of the other metals. Overall, toenail As concentrations were related to reduced head circumference, especially among males, and an increase in birth length and weight among females. We found little evidence of As interactions with other metals within the mixture. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that in utero metal mixture exposures may influence birth outcomes, and that such relations may differ by infant sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio J. Signes-Pastor
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Brett T. Doherty
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Megan E. Romano
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Kelsey M. Gleason
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Jiang Gui
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Emily Baker
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
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Jalali LM, Koski KG. Amniotic fluid minerals, trace elements, and prenatal supplement use in humans emerge as determinants of fetal growth. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2018; 50:139-145. [PMID: 30262271 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2018.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Amniotic fluid (AF), which is swallowed by the developing fetus, contains minerals and trace elements, but their association with fetal growth has not been explored. Our objectives were to assess (1) whether concentrations of AF minerals and trace elements were associated with changes in 5 fetal ultrasound measurements (estimated weight, bi-parietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length) between 16-20 and 32-36 wks gestation and (2) whether a prenatal supplement was associated with concentrations of AF minerals and trace elements or the 5 fetal ultrasound measurements. We measured, using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), 15 minerals and trace elements (aluminum, arsenic, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, nickel, potassium, rubidium, selenium, silver strontium, zinc) in amniotic fluid collected from 176 pregnant women undergoing age-related amniocentesis for genetic testing (15.7 ± 1.1 wks). AF mineral concentrations, prenatal supplement use, and determinants of ultrasound measurements during early and late pregnancy were used in models to assess their impact on change in fetal ultrasound measurements. Positive associations were identified for change in bi-parietal diameter with AF calcium, for change in head circumference with AF copper and nickel, and for change in femur length with AF selenium. Arsenic was negatively associated with estimated fetal weight, and this relationship was modified by prenatal supplement use. Additionally, AF chromium concentrations were lower in women taking prenatal supplements. In conclusion, AF minerals were associated with fetal ultrasound indices, supporting a biological role for calcium, copper, nickel and selenium in promoting in-utero fetal growth. Evidence of a mineral-vitamin interaction between arsenic and folic acid in prenatal supplements and mineral-mineral interaction between iron and chromium would suggest that attention be paid to mineral and trace element formulation of prenatal supplements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Jalali
- School of Human Nutrition, Macdonald Stewart Building, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - Kristine G Koski
- School of Human Nutrition, Macdonald Stewart Building, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.
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Farzan SF, Howe CG, Chen Y, Gilbert-Diamond D, Cottingham KL, Jackson BP, Weinstein AR, Karagas MR. Prenatal lead exposure and elevated blood pressure in children. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2018; 121:1289-1296. [PMID: 30389381 PMCID: PMC6279470 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.10.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that environmental exposures can influence blood pressure over the course of a lifetime. Exposure to toxic metals, such as lead (Pb) and arsenic (As), has been associated with increased blood pressure in adults, but few studies have examined the impacts of in utero and early life toxic metals exposure on blood pressure in childhood. As subclinical vascular changes are thought to begin early in life, it is possible that in utero toxic metals exposure may play a role in blood pressure homeostasis. In the ongoing New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, we investigated whether in utero exposure to Pb and As was associated with measures of blood pressure in a total of 323 young children (mean age 5.5 years, SD 0.4). Pb and As were measured in maternal toenail samples collected at ~28 weeks gestation (n = 257) and/or 6 weeks postpartum (n = 285), which represent exposures ~6 to 12 months prior to collection and therefore reflect the early prenatal and late prenatal exposures, respectively. Five measurements of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were averaged for each child using a standardized technique. In linear regression analyses, where log2-transformed prenatal toenail Pb and As were modeled jointly and adjusted for child age, sex, height, weight and maternal smoking during pregnancy, we observed that a doubling of maternal prenatal toenail Pb was associated with statistically significant increases in child SBP (β: 0.58 mm Hg, 95% CI: 0.05, 1.11). We did not observe any association of prenatal or postpartum As, or postpartum Pb, with SBP or DBP. Exploratory sex-stratified analyses suggest that associations of prenatal Pb with BP may be stronger among boys (SBP β: 0.72 mm Hg: 95% CI: -0.01, 1.44; DBP β: 0.37; 95% CI: -0.09, 0.84), compared to girls (SBP β: 0.48 mm Hg: 95% CI: -0.31, 1.26; DBP β: -0.05; 95% CI: -0.52, 0.41), though tests for interaction did not reach statistical significance (p-interaction SBP = 0.059; DBP = 0.057). Our preliminary results suggest that in utero toxic metals exposures may be associated with early life increases in blood pressure in children, which could have consequences for long-term health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohreh F Farzan
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Caitlin G Howe
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Diane Gilbert-Diamond
- Children's Environmental Health & Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Kathryn L Cottingham
- Children's Environmental Health & Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Brian P Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Adam R Weinstein
- Department of Pediatrics, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Children's Environmental Health & Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
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Jiang CB, Hsueh YM, Kuo GL, Hsu CH, Chang JH, Chien LC. Preliminary study of urinary arsenic concentration and arsenic methylation capacity effects on neurodevelopment in very low birth weight preterm children under 24 months of corrected age. Medicine (Baltimore) 2018; 97:e12800. [PMID: 30412069 PMCID: PMC6221732 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000012800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurological prognoses of very low birth weight preterm (VLBWP) children during the first 2 years of life will influence their neurodevelopment during subsequent childhood years and adolescence. The objective of this study was to systemic investigate relationships of urinary arsenic (As) concentrations, the As methylation capability, and toenail As concentrations on cognitive, language, and motor development in VLBWP children under 24 months of corrected age.Participants (n = 60) in our study were recruited from October 2010 to April 2013. Urine and toenail samples were collected for evaluation to assess As exposure. The Bayley scales of infant development III were used to evaluate neurodevelopment at 2 years of corrected age. Concentrations of As species in urine and the As concentration in toenails were, respectively, analyzed using HPLC-HG-AAS and ICP-MS.The mean concentration of total As was 28.6 μg/g creatinine, and inorganic As was 1.01 μg/L in urine. The urine contained an average of 3% inorganic As, 2% monomethylarsonic acid, and 95% dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). The mean concentration of As in toenails was 225 ng/g. Children with a longer gestational age (≥28 weeks) and higher DMA % levels appeared to have the highest unadjusted cognitive and fine motor scores.Our study results suggest that gestational age is associated with neurodevelopment in VLBWP children. We recommend that further study simultaneously analyze multiple environmental contaminants that may have adverse effects on neurodevelopment, use biomarkers for the mother-child pair, and determine whether prenatal or postnatal As exposure has a greater influence on the neurological development of VLBWP children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuen-Bin Jiang
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Children's Hospital
- Mackay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Taipei
| | - Yu-Mei Hsueh
- Department of Family Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital
- Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine
| | - Guang-Lin Kuo
- School of Public Health, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University
| | - Chyong-Hsin Hsu
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Children's Hospital, Taipei
| | - Jui-Hsing Chang
- Mackay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Taipei
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Children's Hospital, Taipei
- MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City
| | - Ling-Chu Chien
- School of Public Health, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University
- Nutrition Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
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21
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White AJ, O'Brien KM, Jackson BP, Karagas MR. Urine and toenail cadmium levels in pregnant women: A reliability study. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2018; 118:86-91. [PMID: 29857281 PMCID: PMC6045451 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cadmium, as measured in human tissue, has been associated with numerous health outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the reliability of cadmium measurements across different biologic samples. We evaluated toenail cadmium levels over time and compared toenail cadmium to urinary cadmium. We also evaluated the relationship between biomarker concentrations and cigarette smoking, a known source of cadmium exposure. METHODS Cadmium was assessed in urine and toenail samples collected from 1338 pregnant women participating in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Each participant was asked to provide a urine and a toenail sample at enrollment (between 24 and 28 weeks gestation) and another toenail sample 2-8 weeks postpartum. Cadmium concentrations were determined using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Spearman correlations were assessed for cadmium in the toenails across the two-time points and comparing toenail and urine levels. Smoking status was evaluated as a predictor of cadmium levels. RESULTS Toenail cadmium assessed during pregnancy and postpartum were modestly correlated (R = 0.3, p < 0.0001). However, urine and toenail cadmium levels were unrelated (R = -0.03, p = 0.46). Both toenail and urinary cadmium levels were associated with women's smoking status. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that both toenail and urinary cadmium concentrations reflect the major source of exposure - cigarette smoking. Toenail cadmium concentrations are modestly reproducible pre- and postpartum; but do not appear to be related to urinary cadmium and thus likely represent different windows and chronicity of exposure among pregnant women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra J White
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
| | - Katie M O'Brien
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA; Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Brian P Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology and Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
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22
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Nachman KE, Punshon T, Rardin L, Signes-Pastor AJ, Murray CJ, Jackson BP, Guerinot ML, Burke TA, Chen CY, Ahsan H, Argos M, Cottingham KL, Cubadda F, Ginsberg GL, Goodale BC, Kurzius-Spencer M, Meharg AA, Miller MD, Nigra AE, Pendergrast CB, Raab A, Reimer K, Scheckel KG, Schwerdtle T, Taylor VF, Tokar EJ, Warczak TM, Karagas MR. Opportunities and Challenges for Dietary Arsenic Intervention. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2018; 126:84503. [PMID: 30235424 PMCID: PMC6375412 DOI: 10.1289/ehp3997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The diet is emerging as the dominant source of arsenic exposure for most of the U.S. population. Despite this, limited regulatory efforts have been aimed at mitigating exposure, and the role of diet in arsenic exposure and disease processes remains understudied. In this brief, we discuss the evidence linking dietary arsenic intake to human disease and discuss challenges associated with exposure characterization and efforts to quantify risks. In light of these challenges, and in recognition of the potential longer-term process of establishing regulation, we introduce a framework for shorter-term interventions that employs a field-to-plate food supply chain model to identify monitoring, intervention, and communication opportunities as part of a multisector, multiagency, science-informed, public health systems approach to mitigation of dietary arsenic exposure. Such an approach is dependent on coordination across commodity producers, the food industry, nongovernmental organizations, health professionals, researchers, and the regulatory community. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3997.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keeve E Nachman
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Tracy Punshon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Dartmouth Superfund Research Program, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Dartmouth Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Laurie Rardin
- Dartmouth Superfund Research Program, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Antonio J Signes-Pastor
- Dartmouth Superfund Research Program, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Dartmouth Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Carolyn J Murray
- Dartmouth Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Brian P Jackson
- Dartmouth Superfund Research Program, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Mary Lou Guerinot
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Thomas A Burke
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Celia Y Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Dartmouth Superfund Research Program, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Habibul Ahsan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Maria Argos
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Kathryn L Cottingham
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Dartmouth Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Francesco Cubadda
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità - Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Gary L Ginsberg
- Yale School of Public Health, 60 College St, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Britton C Goodale
- Dartmouth Superfund Research Program, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Margaret Kurzius-Spencer
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Department of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel & Enid College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Andrew A Meharg
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 5BN, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Mark D Miller
- Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Anne E Nigra
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Andrea Raab
- Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Ken Reimer
- Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kirk G Scheckel
- Land and Materials Management Division, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Tanja Schwerdtle
- Institute of Nutritional Sciences, University of Potsdam, Germany
| | - Vivien F Taylor
- Dartmouth Superfund Research Program, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Erik J Tokar
- National Toxicology Program Laboratory, National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Todd M Warczak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Dartmouth Superfund Research Program, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Dartmouth Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
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23
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Farzan SF, Howe CG, Zens MS, Palys T, Channon JY, Li Z, Chen Y, Karagas MR. Urine Arsenic and Arsenic Metabolites in U.S. Adults and Biomarkers of Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Endothelial Dysfunction: A Cross-Sectional Study. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2017; 125:127002. [PMID: 29373859 PMCID: PMC5963594 DOI: 10.1289/ehp2062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Arsenic (As) exposure has been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and with biomarkers of potential CVD risk and inflammatory processes. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of As on such biomarkers in U.S. populations, which are typically exposed to low to moderate As concentrations. OBJECTIVES We investigated associations between As exposures and biomarkers relevant to inflammation, oxidative stress, and CVD risk in a subset of participants from the New Hampshire Health Study, a population with low to moderate As exposure (n=418). METHODS Associations between toenail As, total urine As (uAs), and %uAs metabolites [monomethyl (%uMMAV), dimethyl (%uDMAV), and inorganic (%iAs) species] and plasma biomarkers, including soluble plasma vascular and cellular adhesion molecules (VCAM-1 and ICAM-1, respectively), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), tumor necrosis factor-α, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and urinary oxidative stress marker 15-F2t-isoprostane (15-F2t-IsoP), were evaluated using linear regression models. RESULTS Covariate-adjusted estimates of associations with a doubling of urinary As suggested an 8.8% increase in 15-F2t-IsoP (95% CI: 3.2, 14.7), and a doubling of toenail As was associated with a 1.7% increase in VCAM-1 (95% CI: 0.2, 3.2). Additionally, a 5% increase in %uMMA was associated with a 7.9% increase in 15-F2t-IsoP (95% CI: 2.1, 14.1), and a 5% increase in %uDMA was associated with a 2.98% decrease in 15-F2t-IsoP [(95% CI: -6.1, 0.21); p=0.07]. However, in contrast with expectations, a doubling of toenail As was associated with a 2.3% decrease (95% CI: -4.3, -0.3) in MMP-9, and a 5% increase in %uMMA was associated with a 7.7% decrease (95% CI: -12.6, -2.5) in PAI-1. CONCLUSION In a cross-sectional study of U.S. adults, we observed some positive associations of uAs and toenail As concentrations with biomarkers potentially relevant to CVD pathogenesis and inflammation, and evidence of a higher capacity to metabolize inorganic As was negatively associated with a marker of oxidative stress. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2062.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohreh F Farzan
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Caitlin G Howe
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Michael S Zens
- Department of Epidemiology, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Thomas Palys
- Center for Molecular Epidemiology at Dartmouth, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Jacqueline Y Channon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Zhigang Li
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
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24
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Cord blood T cell subpopulations and associations with maternal cadmium and arsenic exposures. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0179606. [PMID: 28662050 PMCID: PMC5491028 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Arsenic and cadmium are environmental pollutants, and although the evidence for adverse immune effects after prenatal arsenic and cadmium exposures is increasing, little is known about the underlying immunological mechanisms. Methods We investigated the relationship between prenatal arsenic and cadmium exposures and a variety of T cell subpopulations measured in cord blood for 63 participants in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Post-partum toenail concentrations of arsenic and cadmium were used as an estimate of maternal exposure during pregnancy. The characteristics of cord blood proportions of T lymphocytes and subpopulations (expression of markers for Th1, Th2, Th17, Th1Th17, induced and natural regulatory T cells and NKTs) are presented. Results In regression analyses, maternal arsenic exposure levels were inversely associated with cord blood T helper memory cells (-21%, 95% CI: -36%, -3%) and the association was found to be stronger in females. They were also inversely associated with activated T helper memory cells, particularly in males (-26%, 95% CI: -43%, -3%). Similarly, inverse associations were observed between cadmium exposure levels and activated T helper memory cells (-16%, 95% CI: -30%, -1%) and also for T helper memory cells in females (-20%, 95% CI: -35%, -3%). Conclusion The results suggest that prenatal exposures to relatively low levels of arsenic and cadmium may contribute to altered distribution of T cell populations at birth. These changes in theory, could have contributed to the previously reported immunosuppressive effects observed later in infancy/childhood.
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25
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Appleton AA, Jackson BP, Karagas M, Marsit CJ. Prenatal exposure to neurotoxic metals is associated with increased placental glucocorticoid receptor DNA methylation. Epigenetics 2017; 12:607-615. [PMID: 28548590 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2017.1320637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic alterations related to prenatal neurotoxic metals exposure may be key in understanding the origins of cognitive and neurobehavioral problems in children. Placental glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) methylation has been linked to neurobehavioral risk in early life, but has not been examined in response to neurotoxic metals exposure despite parallel lines of research showing metals exposure and NR3C1 methylation each contribute to a similar set of neurobehavioral phenotypes. Thus, we conducted a study of prenatal neurotoxic metals exposure and placental NR3C1 methylation in a cohort of healthy term singleton pregnancies from Rhode Island, USA (n = 222). Concentrations of arsenic (As; median 0.02 ug/g), cadmium (Cd; median 0.03 μg/g), lead (Pb; median 0.40 μg/g), manganese (Mn; median 0.56 μg/g), mercury (Hg; median 0.02 μg/g), and zinc (Zn; 145.18 μg/g) measured in infant toenails were categorized as tertiles. Multivariable linear regression models tested the independent associations for each metal with NR3C1 methylation, as well as the cumulative risk of exposure to multiple metals simultaneously. Compared to the lowest exposure tertiles, higher levels of As, Cd, Pb, Mn, and Hg were each associated with increased placental NR3C1 methylation (all P<0.02). Coefficients for these associations corresponded with a 0.71-1.41 percent increase in NR3C1 methylation per tertile increase in metals concentrations. For Zn, the lowest exposure tertile compared with the highest tertile was associated with 1.26 percent increase in NR3C1 methylation (P=0.01). Higher cumulative metal risk scores were marginally associated with greater NR3C1 methylation. Taken together, these results indicate that prenatal exposure to neurotoxic metals may affect the offspring's NR3C1 activity, which may help explain cognitive and neurodevelopmental risk later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison A Appleton
- a Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics , University at Albany School of Public Health , Rensselaer , NY , USA
| | - Brian P Jackson
- b Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College , Hanover , NH , USA
| | - Margaret Karagas
- c Department of Epidemiology , Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth , One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon , NH , USA
| | - Carmen J Marsit
- d Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health , Emory University , Atlanta , GA , USA
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26
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Davis MA, Signes-Pastor AJ, Argos M, Slaughter F, Pendergrast C, Punshon T, Gossai A, Ahsan H, Karagas MR. Assessment of human dietary exposure to arsenic through rice. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 586:1237-1244. [PMID: 28233618 PMCID: PMC5502079 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Rice accumulates 10-fold higher inorganic arsenic (i-As), an established human carcinogen, than other grains. This review summarizes epidemiologic studies that examined the association between rice consumption and biomarkers of arsenic exposure. After reviewing the literature we identified 20 studies, among them included 18 observational and 2 human experimental studies that reported on associations between rice consumption and an arsenic biomarker. Among individuals not exposed to contaminated water, rice is a source of i-As exposure - rice consumption has been consistently related to arsenic biomarkers, and the relationship has been clearly demonstrated in experimental studies. Early-life i-As exposure is of particular concern due to its association with lifelong adverse health outcomes. Maternal rice consumption during pregnancy also has been associated with infant toenail total arsenic concentrations indicating that dietary exposure during pregnancy results in fetal exposure. Thus, the collective evidence indicates that rice is an independent source of arsenic exposure in populations around the world and highlights the importance of investigating its affect on health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Davis
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States; University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Antonio J Signes-Pastor
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Maria Argos
- University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Francis Slaughter
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Claire Pendergrast
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Tracy Punshon
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Anala Gossai
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | | | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States.
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27
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Bakri SFZ, Hariri A, Ma’arop NF, Hussin NSAW. Toenail as Non-invasive Biomarker in Metal Toxicity Measurement of Welding Fumes Exposure - A Review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1088/1757-899x/165/1/012019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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28
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Farzan SF, Gossai A, Chen Y, Chasan-Taber L, Baker E, Karagas M. Maternal arsenic exposure and gestational diabetes and glucose intolerance in the New Hampshire birth cohort study. Environ Health 2016; 15:106. [PMID: 27825389 PMCID: PMC5101688 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-016-0194-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Accepted: 10/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a major pregnancy complication with detrimental effects for both mothers and their children. Accumulating evidence has suggested a potential role for arsenic (As) exposure in the development of GDM, but current studies have not assessed As exposure from water, urine or toenail samples. METHODS We investigated the association between As exposure and risk of glucose intolerance and GDM among 1151 women enrolled in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Arsenic was measured in home well water and via biomarkers (i.e., maternal urine collected ~24-28 weeks gestation and toenail clippings collected 2 weeks postpartum). RESULTS A total of 105 (9.1 %) of women were diagnosed with glucose intolerance and 14 (1.2 %) of women were diagnosed with GDM. A total of 10.3 % of women had water As levels above 10 μg/L, with a mean As level of 4.2. Each 5 μg/L increase in As concentration in home well water was associated with a ~10 % increased odds of GDM (OR: 1.1, 95 % CI 1.0, 1.2). A positive and statistically significant association also was observed between toenail As and GDM (OR: 4.5, 95 % CI 1.2, 16.6), but not urinary arsenic (OR: 0.8, 95 % CI 0.3, 2.4). In a stratified analysis, the association between water As and GDM and glucose intolerance was largely limited to obese women (OR: 1.7, 95 % CI 1.0, 2.8). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the role of As exposure via water from private wells in the incidence of GDM and that this association may be modified by body composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohreh F. Farzan
- Division of Environmental Health, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, 2001 N. Soto Street, MC 9237, Los Angeles, CA 90089 USA
| | - Anala Gossai
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH USA
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY USA
| | - Lisa Chasan-Taber
- Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA USA
| | - Emily Baker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH USA
| | - Margaret Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH USA
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Borghesi F, Dinelli E, Migani F, Béchet A, Rendón‐Martos M, Amat JA, Sommer S, Gillingham MAF. Assessing environmental pollution in birds: a new methodological approach for interpreting bioaccumulation of trace elements in feather shafts using geochemical sediment data. Methods Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Borghesi
- Operative Unit of Ravenna Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA) Bologna University Via Sant'Alberto 163 Ravenna 48123 Italy
| | - Enrico Dinelli
- Operative Unit of Ravenna Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA) Bologna University Via Sant'Alberto 163 Ravenna 48123 Italy
| | | | - Arnaud Béchet
- Institut de Recherche de la Tour du Valat Le Sambuc Arles 13200 France
| | - Manuel Rendón‐Martos
- Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio R.N. Laguna de Fuente de Piedra Junta de Andalucía Apartado 1 Fuente de Piedra (Málaga) E‐29520 Spain
| | - Juan A. Amat
- Department of Wetland Ecology Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) calle Américo Vespucio s/n Sevilla E‐41092 Spain
| | - Simone Sommer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics University of Ulm Albert‐Einstein Allee 11 Ulm D‐89069 Germany
| | - Mark A. F. Gillingham
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics University of Ulm Albert‐Einstein Allee 11 Ulm D‐89069 Germany
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Signes-Pastor AJ, Carey M, Vioque J, Navarrete-Muñoz EM, Rodríguez-Dehli C, Tardón A, Begoña-Zubero M, Santa-Marina L, Vrijheid M, Casas M, Llop S, Gonzalez-Palacios S, Meharg AA. Urinary Arsenic Speciation in Children and Pregnant Women from Spain. EXPOSURE AND HEALTH 2016; 9:105-111. [PMID: 28553665 PMCID: PMC5425496 DOI: 10.1007/s12403-016-0225-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Inorganic arsenic (i-As) is a non-threshold human carcinogen that has been associated with several adverse health outcomes. Exposure to i-As is of particular concern among pregnant women, infants and children, as they are specifically vulnerable to the adverse health effects of i-As, and in utero and early-life exposure, even low to moderate levels of i-As, may have a marked effect throughout the lifespan. Ion chromatography-mass spectrometry detection (IC-ICP-MS) was used to analyse urinary arsenic speciation, as an exposure biomarker, in samples of 4-year-old children with relatively low-level arsenic exposure living in different regions in Spain including Asturias, Gipuzkoa, Sabadell and Valencia. The profile of arsenic metabolites in urine was also determined in samples taken during pregnancy (1st trimester) and in the children from Valencia of 7 years old. The median of the main arsenic species found in the 4-year-old children was 9.71 μg/l (arsenobetaine-AsB), 3.97 μg/l (dimethylarsinic acid-DMA), 0.44 μg/l (monomethylarsonic acid-MMA) and 0.35 μg/l (i-As). Statistically significant differences were found in urinary AsB, MMA and i-As according to the study regions in the 4-year-old, and also in DMA among pregnant women and their children. Spearman's correlation coefficient among urinary arsenic metabolites was calculated, and, in general, a strong methylation capacity to methylate i-As to MMA was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio J. Signes-Pastor
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, David Keir Building, Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 5BN Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Manus Carey
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, David Keir Building, Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 5BN Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Jesus Vioque
- Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de Alicante KM 87, 03550 Sant Joan d’Alacant, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva M. Navarrete-Muñoz
- Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de Alicante KM 87, 03550 Sant Joan d’Alacant, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Adonina Tardón
- Servicio de Pediatría Hospital San Agustín, Asturias, Avilés, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Miren Begoña-Zubero
- University of the Basque Country, Bizkaia, Spain
- Public Health Department, Basque Goverment, Biodonostia Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Loreto Santa-Marina
- Public Health Department, Basque Goverment, Biodonostia Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- ISGlobal, Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- University Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maribel Casas
- ISGlobal, Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sabrina Llop
- FISABIO–Universitat deValència–Universitat Jaume I Joint Research Unit of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Valencia, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Andrew A. Meharg
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, David Keir Building, Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 5BN Northern Ireland, UK
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Green BB, Karagas MR, Punshon T, Jackson BP, Robbins DJ, Houseman EA, Marsit CJ. Epigenome-Wide Assessment of DNA Methylation in the Placenta and Arsenic Exposure in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (USA). ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2016; 124:1253-60. [PMID: 26771251 PMCID: PMC4977055 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1510437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Arsenic is one of the most commonly encountered environmental toxicants, and research from model systems has suggested that one mode of its toxic activity may be through alterations in DNA methylation. In utero exposure to arsenic can affect fetal, newborn, and infant health, resulting in a range of phenotypic outcomes. OBJECTIVES This study examined variation in placental DNA methylation and its relationship to arsenic exposure in 343 individuals enrolled in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. METHODS Linear regression models using a reference-free correction to account for cellular composition were employed to determine CpG loci affected by arsenic levels. RESULTS Total arsenic measured in maternal urine during the second trimester was not associated with methylation in the placenta, whereas arsenic levels quantified through maternal toenail collected at birth were associated with methylation at a single CpG locus (p = 4.1 × 10-8). Placenta arsenic levels were associated with 163 differentially methylated loci (false discovery rate < 0.05), with 11 probes within the LYRM2 gene reaching genome-wide significance (p < 10-8). Measurement of LYRM2 mRNA levels indicated that methylation was weakly to moderately correlated with expression (r = 0.15, p < 0.06). In addition, we identified pathways suggesting changes in placental cell subpopulation proportions associated with arsenic exposure. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate the potential for arsenic, even at levels commonly experienced in a U.S. population, to have effects on the DNA methylation status of specific genes in the placenta and thus supports a potentially novel mechanism for arsenic to affect long-term children's health. CITATION Green BB, Karagas MR, Punshon T, Jackson BP, Robbins DJ, Houseman EA, Marsit CJ. 2016. Epigenome-wide assessment of DNA methylation in the placenta and arsenic exposure in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (USA). Environ Health Perspect 124:1253-1260; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510437.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin B. Green
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | | | - Brian P. Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - David J. Robbins
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - E. Andres Houseman
- School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Carmen J. Marsit
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- Address correspondence to C.J. Marsit, Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 7650 Remsen, Hanover, NH 03755 USA. Telephone: (603)-650-1825. E-mail:
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Bandyopadhyay AK, Paul S, Adak S, Giri AK. Reduced LINE-1 methylation is associated with arsenic-induced genotoxic stress in children. Biometals 2016; 29:731-41. [DOI: 10.1007/s10534-016-9950-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Carlin DJ, Naujokas MF, Bradham KD, Cowden J, Heacock M, Henry HF, Lee JS, Thomas DJ, Thompson C, Tokar EJ, Waalkes MP, Birnbaum LS, Suk WA. Arsenic and Environmental Health: State of the Science and Future Research Opportunities. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2016; 124:890-9. [PMID: 26587579 PMCID: PMC4937867 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1510209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to inorganic and organic arsenic compounds is a major public health problem that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Exposure to arsenic is associated with cancer and noncancer effects in nearly every organ in the body, and evidence is mounting for health effects at lower levels of arsenic exposure than previously thought. Building from a tremendous knowledge base with > 1,000 scientific papers published annually with "arsenic" in the title, the question becomes, what questions would best drive future research directions? OBJECTIVES The objective is to discuss emerging issues in arsenic research and identify data gaps across disciplines. METHODS The National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program convened a workshop to identify emerging issues and research needs to address the multi-faceted challenges related to arsenic and environmental health. This review summarizes information captured during the workshop. DISCUSSION More information about aggregate exposure to arsenic is needed, including the amount and forms of arsenic found in foods. New strategies for mitigating arsenic exposures and related health effects range from engineered filtering systems to phytogenetics and nutritional interventions. Furthermore, integration of omics data with mechanistic and epidemiological data is a key step toward the goal of linking biomarkers of exposure and susceptibility to disease mechanisms and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Promising research strategies and technologies for arsenic exposure and adverse health effect mitigation are being pursued, and future research is moving toward deeper collaborations and integration of information across disciplines to address data gaps. CITATION Carlin DJ, Naujokas MF, Bradham KD, Cowden J, Heacock M, Henry HF, Lee JS, Thomas DJ, Thompson C, Tokar EJ, Waalkes MP, Birnbaum LS, Suk WA. 2016. Arsenic and environmental health: state of the science and future research opportunities. Environ Health Perspect 124:890-899; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510209.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle J. Carlin
- Superfund Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Karen D. Bradham
- Human Exposure & Atmospheric Science Division, National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - John Cowden
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, and
| | - Michelle Heacock
- Superfund Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Heather F. Henry
- Superfund Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Janice S. Lee
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development (ORD), U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - David J. Thomas
- Integrated Systems Toxicology Division, National Human and Environmental Health Effects Research Laboratory, ORD, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Erik J. Tokar
- National Toxicology Program, NIEHS, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael P. Waalkes
- National Toxicology Program, NIEHS, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Linda S. Birnbaum
- National Toxicology Program, NIEHS, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
- NIEHS, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - William A. Suk
- Superfund Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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Zhang R, Zhang X, Wu K, Wu H, Sun Q, Hu FB, Han J, Willett WC, Giovannucci EL. Rice consumption and cancer incidence in US men and women. Int J Cancer 2016; 138:555-64. [PMID: 26219234 PMCID: PMC4919813 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Revised: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
While both the 2012 and 2014 Consumer Reports concerned arsenic levels in US rice, no previous study has evaluated long-term consumption of total rice, white rice and brown rice in relation to risk of developing cancers. We investigated this in the female Nurses' Health Study (1984-2010), and Nurses' Health Study II (1989-2009), and the male Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2008), which included a total of 45,231 men and 160,408 women, free of cancer at baseline. Validated food frequency questionnaires were used to measure rice consumption at baseline and repeated almost every 4 years thereafter. We employed Cox proportional hazards regression model to estimate multivariable relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). During up to 26 years of follow-up, we documented 31,655 incident cancer cases (10,833 in men and 20,822 in women). Age-adjusted results were similar to multivariable-adjusted results. Compared to participants with less than one serving per week, the multivariable RRs of overall cancer for individuals who ate at least five servings per week were 0.97 for total rice (95% CI: 0.85-1.07), 0.87 for white rice (95% CI: 0.75-1.01), and 1.17 for brown rice (95% CI: 0.90-1.26). Similar non-significant associations were observed for specific sites of cancers including prostate, breast, colon and rectum, melanoma, bladder, kidney, and lung. Additionally, the null associations were observed among European Americans and non-smokers, and were not modified by BMI. Long-term consumption of total rice, white rice or brown rice was not associated with risk of developing cancer in US men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Zhang
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Xuehong Zhang
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Kana Wu
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Hongyu Wu
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Qi Sun
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Frank B. Hu
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jiali Han
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Department of Public Health, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Walter C. Willett
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Edward L. Giovannucci
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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Rodrigues EG, Kile M, Dobson C, Amarasiriwardena C, Quamruzzaman Q, Rahman M, Golam M, Christiani DC. Maternal-infant biomarkers of prenatal exposure to arsenic and manganese. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2015; 25:639-48. [PMID: 26306926 PMCID: PMC4770909 DOI: 10.1038/jes.2015.45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Because arsenic (As) and manganese (Mn) are able to pass the placenta, infants among exposed populations may be exposed to considerable levels in utero. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate infant toenails, hair, and cord blood as biomarkers of prenatal exposure to As and Mn and determine the relationship between maternal and infant As and Mn concentrations in these biomarkers. Of the 1196 pregnant women in Bangladesh who were monitored throughout pregnancy until 1 month post-partum and completed all study visits, we included 711 mother-infant pairs who had at least one maternal and one infant biomarker of exposure available for analysis. Toenail and hair samples were collected from the women during the first trimester and 1 month post-partum and from the infants at the age of 1 month. Cord blood was collected at the time of delivery. Maternal toenail concentrations were correlated with infant toenail concentrations for As and Mn (n=258, r=0.52, 95% CI: 0.43-0.60, P<0.0001 and r=0.39, 95% CI: 0.28-0.49, P<0.0001), respectively. Similarly, maternal hair concentrations were correlated with infant hair As (n=685, r=0.61, 95% CI: 0.56-0.65, P<0.0001) and infant hair Mn (n=686, r=0.21, 95% CI: 0.14-0.28, P<0.0001). Cord blood As was correlated with infant toenail and hair As, although cord blood Mn was only correlated with infant toenail. Toenails and cord blood appear to be valid biomarkers of maternal-fetal transfer of As and Mn, whereas hair may not be a suitable biomarker for in utero exposure to Mn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ema G. Rodrigues
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Molly Kile
- College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Christine Dobson
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Chitra Amarasiriwardena
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | | | - David C. Christiani
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Punshon T, Davis MA, Marsit CJ, Theiler SK, Baker ER, Jackson Brian P, Conway DC, Karagas MR. Placental arsenic concentrations in relation to both maternal and infant biomarkers of exposure in a US cohort. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2015; 25:599-603. [PMID: 25805251 PMCID: PMC4583336 DOI: 10.1038/jes.2015.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Revised: 01/28/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic crosses the placenta and may have adverse consequences in utero and later in life. At present, little is known about arsenic concentrations in placenta and their relation to maternal and infant exposures particularly at common levels of exposure. We measured placenta arsenic in a US cohort potentially exposed via drinking water from private wells, and evaluated the relationships between placenta and maternal and infant biomarker arsenic concentrations. We measured total arsenic concentrations in placental samples from women enrolled in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (N=766). We compared these data to maternal urinary arsenic (total arsenic and individual species) collected at approximately 24-28 week gestation, along with maternal post-partum toenails and infant toenails using non-parametric multivariate analysis of log10-transformed data. We also examined the association between placental arsenic and household drinking water arsenic. Placenta arsenic concentrations were related to arsenic concentrations in maternal urine (β 0.55, P value <0.0001), maternal (β 0.30, P value 0.0196) and infant toenails (β 0.40, P value 0.0293) and household drinking water (β 0.09, P value <0.0001). Thus, our data suggest that placenta arsenic concentrations reflect both maternal and infant exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Punshon
- Dartmouth College, Department of Biology, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH, 03755
| | - Matthew A. Davis
- Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755
| | - Carmen J. Marsit
- Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755
| | | | | | - P. Jackson Brian
- Dartmouth College, Department of Biology, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH, 03755
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Farzan SF, Chen Y, Wu F, Jiang J, Liu M, Baker E, Korrick SA, Karagas MR. Blood Pressure Changes in Relation to Arsenic Exposure in a U.S. Pregnancy Cohort. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2015; 123:999-1006. [PMID: 25793356 PMCID: PMC4590746 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1408472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inorganic arsenic exposure has been related to the risk of increased blood pressure based largely on cross-sectional studies conducted in highly exposed populations. Pregnancy is a period of particular vulnerability to environmental insults. However, little is known about the cardiovascular impacts of arsenic exposure during pregnancy. OBJECTIVES We evaluated the association between prenatal arsenic exposure and maternal blood pressure over the course of pregnancy in a U.S. METHODS The New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study in which > 10% of participant household wells exceed the arsenic maximum contaminant level of 10 μg/L established by the U.S. EPA. Total urinary arsenic measured at 24-28 weeks gestation was measured and used as a biomarker of exposure during pregnancy in 514 pregnant women, 18-45 years of age, who used a private well in their household. Outcomes were repeated blood pressure measurements (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) recorded during pregnancy. RESULTS Using linear mixed effects models, we estimated that, on average, each 5-μg/L increase in urinary arsenic was associated with a 0.15-mmHg (95% CI: 0.02, 0.29; p = 0.022) increase in systolic blood pressure per month and a 0.14-mmHg (95% CI: 0.02, 0.25; p = 0.021) increase in pulse pressure per month over the course of pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS In our U.S. cohort of pregnant women, arsenic exposure was associated with greater increases in blood pressure over the course of pregnancy. These findings may have important implications because even modest increases in blood pressure impact cardiovascular disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohreh F Farzan
- Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
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Maccani JZ, Maccani MA. Altered placental DNA methylation patterns associated with maternal smoking: current perspectives. ADVANCES IN GENOMICS AND GENETICS 2015; 2015:205-214. [PMID: 26203295 PMCID: PMC4507353 DOI: 10.2147/agg.s61518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis states that adverse early life exposures can have lasting, detrimental effects on lifelong health. Exposure to maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with morbidity and mortality in offspring, including increased risks for miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, preterm birth, asthma, obesity, altered neurobehavior, and other conditions. Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy interferes with placental growth and functioning, and it has been proposed that this may occur through the disruption of normal and necessary placental epigenetic patterns. Epigenome-wide association studies have identified a number of differentially methylated placental genes that are associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy, including RUNX3, PURA, GTF2H2, GCA, GPR135, and HKR1. The placental methylation status of RUNX3 and NR3C1 has also been linked to adverse infant outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight, respectively. Candidate gene analyses have also found maternal smoking-associated placental methylation differences in the NR3C1, CYP1A1, HTR2A, and HSD11B2 genes, as well as in the repetitive elements LINE-1 and AluYb8. The differential methylation patterns of several genes have been confirmed to also exhibit altered gene expression patterns, including CYP1A1, CYP19A1, NR3C1, and HTR2A. Placental methylation patterns associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy may be largely gene-specific and tissue-specific and, to a lesser degree, involve global changes. It is important for future research to investigate the mechanistic roles that these differentially methylated genes may play in mediating the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and disease in later life, as well as to elucidate the potential influence of emerging tobacco product use during pregnancy, including the use of electronic cigarettes, on placental epigenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Zj Maccani
- Penn State Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, College of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Matthew A Maccani
- Penn State Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, College of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, Hershey, PA, USA
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Davis MA, Higgins J, Li Z, Gilbert-Diamond D, Baker ER, Das A, Karagas MR. Preliminary analysis of in utero low-level arsenic exposure and fetal growth using biometric measurements extracted from fetal ultrasound reports. Environ Health 2015; 14:12. [PMID: 25971349 PMCID: PMC4429981 DOI: 10.1186/1476-069x-14-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/04/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early life exposure to arsenic is associated with decreased birth weight in highly exposed populations but little is known about effects of low-level arsenic exposure on growth in utero. METHODS Using a sample of 272 pregnancies from New Hampshire we obtained biometric measurements directly from fetal ultrasound reports commonly found in electronic medical records. We used information extraction methods to develop and validate an automated approach for mining biometric measurements from the text of clinical reports. As a preliminary analysis, we examined associations between in utero low-level arsenic exposure (as measured by maternal urinary arsenic concentration) and fetal growth measures (converted to Z-scores based on reference populations for estimated fetal weight, head, and other body measures) at approximately 18 weeks of gestation. RESULTS In a preliminary cross-sectional analysis of 223 out of 272 pregnancies, maternal urinary arsenic concentration (excluding arsenobetaine) was associated with a reduction in head circumference Z-score (Spearman correlation coefficient, rs = -0.08, p-value = 0.21) and a stronger association was observed among female fetuses at approximately 18 weeks of gestation (rs = - 0.21, p-value < 0.05). Although, associations were attenuated in adjusted analyses - among female fetuses a 1 μg/L increase in maternal urinary arsenic concentration was associated with a decrease of 0.047 (95% CI: -0.115, 0.021) in head circumference and 0.072 (95% CI: -0.151, 0.007) decrease in biparietal head diameter Z-score. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that useful data can be extracted directly from electronic medical records for epidemiologic research. We also found evidence that exposure to low-level arsenic may be associated with reduced head circumference in a sex dependent manner that warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Davis
- />Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
- />Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
- />University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI USA
- />Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
| | - John Higgins
- />Collaboratory for Healthcare and Biomedical Informatics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Zhigang Li
- />Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
- />Department of Biostatistics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Diane Gilbert-Diamond
- />Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
- />Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Emily R Baker
- />Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
- />Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Amar Das
- />Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
- />Collaboratory for Healthcare and Biomedical Informatics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- />Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
- />Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH USA
- />Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, One Medical Center Drive, 7927 Rubin Building, 03756 Lebanon, NH USA
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