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Higgins JPT, Morgan RL, Rooney AA, Taylor KW, Thayer KA, Silva RA, Lemeris C, Akl EA, Bateson TF, Berkman ND, Glenn BS, Hróbjartsson A, LaKind JS, McAleenan A, Meerpohl JJ, Nachman RM, Obbagy JE, O'Connor A, Radke EG, Savović J, Schünemann HJ, Shea B, Tilling K, Verbeek J, Viswanathan M, Sterne JAC. A tool to assess risk of bias in non-randomized follow-up studies of exposure effects (ROBINS-E). Environ Int 2024; 186:108602. [PMID: 38555664 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Observational epidemiologic studies provide critical data for the evaluation of the potential effects of environmental, occupational and behavioural exposures on human health. Systematic reviews of these studies play a key role in informing policy and practice. Systematic reviews should incorporate assessments of the risk of bias in results of the included studies. OBJECTIVE To develop a new tool, Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies - of Exposures (ROBINS-E) to assess risk of bias in estimates from cohort studies of the causal effect of an exposure on an outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS ROBINS-E was developed by a large group of researchers from diverse research and public health disciplines through a series of working groups, in-person meetings and pilot testing phases. The tool aims to assess the risk of bias in a specific result (exposure effect estimate) from an individual observational study that examines the effect of an exposure on an outcome. A series of preliminary considerations informs the core ROBINS-E assessment, including details of the result being assessed and the causal effect being estimated. The assessment addresses bias within seven domains, through a series of 'signalling questions'. Domain-level judgements about risk of bias are derived from the answers to these questions, then combined to produce an overall risk of bias judgement for the result, together with judgements about the direction of bias. CONCLUSION ROBINS-E provides a standardized framework for examining potential biases in results from cohort studies. Future work will produce variants of the tool for other epidemiologic study designs (e.g. case-control studies). We believe that ROBINS-E represents an important development in the integration of exposure assessment, evidence synthesis and causal inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian P T Higgins
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; NIHR Bristol Evidence Synthesis Group, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West) at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK.
| | - Rebecca L Morgan
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Kyla W Taylor
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Kristina A Thayer
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Chemical & Pollutant Assessment Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Elie A Akl
- Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Riad El-Solh, Lebanon
| | - Thomas F Bateson
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Chemical and Pollutant Assessment Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Barbara S Glenn
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Chemical and Pollutant Assessment Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Asbjørn Hróbjartsson
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO) and Cochrane Denmark, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | | | - Alexandra McAleenan
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Joerg J Meerpohl
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center & Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rebecca M Nachman
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Chemical and Pollutant Assessment Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Julie E Obbagy
- Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review Branch, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food and Nutrition Service, US Department of Agriculture, Alexandria, VA, USA
| | - Annette O'Connor
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Elizabeth G Radke
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Chemical and Pollutant Assessment Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jelena Savović
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; NIHR Bristol Evidence Synthesis Group, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West) at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK
| | - Holger J Schünemann
- Cochrane Canada and McMaster GRADE Centres, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Beverley Shea
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kate Tilling
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West) at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, Bristol, UK
| | - Jos Verbeek
- Cochrane Work, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Academic Medical Centers Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Jonathan A C Sterne
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Health Data Research UK South-West, Bristol, UK
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Walker VR, Lemeris CR, Magnuson K, Sibrizzi CA, Shipkowski KA, Taylor KW, Rooney AA. I-REFF diagrams: enhancing transparency in systematic review through interactive reference flow diagrams. Syst Rev 2024; 13:33. [PMID: 38233900 PMCID: PMC10792898 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-023-02420-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Systematic review methods are recognized for their rigor and transparency and are widely adapted to frameworks that cover review types such as systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and systematic evidence maps. Reporting guidelines help promote better systematic review practices and detailed documentation of the review process for different types of health research (e.g., PRISMA-Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; CONSORT-Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials; and STROBE-Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology). Transparency in the systematic review process and reporting of results is one of the key advantages of the methods and particularly important for hazard and risk assessments due to the high level of scrutiny these reviews face from scientific, political, and public communities. Data visualizations are important to clearly convey information from a review by helping readers perceive, understand, and assess the displayed information easily and quickly. The study flow diagram is a required element of a systematic review and maps out the number of included and excluded records identified, and the reasons for exclusion. Static literature flow diagrams help viewers readily understand the general review methodology and summarize the number of records included or excluded at each stage of the review. However, such diagrams can be time-consuming to develop and maintain during a systematic review or scoping review, and they provide limited summary-level information. We explored how the use of online systematic review tools such as DistillerSR coupled with visualization software such as Tableau can efficiently generate an Interactive REFerence Flow (I-REFF) diagram that is linked to the literature screening data, thus requiring minimal preparation, and resulting in a simplified process for updating the diagram. Furthermore, I-REFF diagrams enhance transparency and traceability by not only summarizing the records in the review but also allowing viewers to follow specific records throughout the review process. We present an example I-REFF diagram and discuss recommendations for key interactive elements to include in these diagrams and how this workflow can improve efficiency and result in an accessible and transparent interactive literature flow diagram without advanced programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vickie R Walker
- Division of Translational Toxicology (DTT), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Mail Drop K204, Research Triangle Park, P.O. Box 12233, Durham, NC, 27709, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Kelly A Shipkowski
- Division of Translational Toxicology (DTT), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Mail Drop K204, Research Triangle Park, P.O. Box 12233, Durham, NC, 27709, USA
| | - Kyla W Taylor
- Division of Translational Toxicology (DTT), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Mail Drop K204, Research Triangle Park, P.O. Box 12233, Durham, NC, 27709, USA
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of Translational Toxicology (DTT), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Mail Drop K204, Research Triangle Park, P.O. Box 12233, Durham, NC, 27709, USA
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Taylor KW, Howdeshell KL, Bommarito PA, Sibrizzi CA, Blain RB, Magnuson K, Lemeris C, Tracy W, Baird DD, Jackson CL, Gaston SA, Rider CV, Walker VR, Rooney AA. Systematic evidence mapping informs a class-based approach to assessing personal care products and pubertal timing. Environ Int 2023; 181:108307. [PMID: 37948866 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Personal care products (PCPs) contain many different compounds and are a source of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including phthalates and phenols. Early-life exposure to EDCs commonly found in PCPs has been linked to earlier onset of puberty. OBJECTIVE To characterize the human and animal evidence on the association between puberty-related outcomes and exposure to PCPs and their chemical constituents and, if there is sufficient evidence, identify groups of chemicals and outcomes to support a systematic review for a class-based hazard or risk assessment. METHODS We followed the OHAT systematic review framework to characterize the human and animal evidence on the association between puberty-related health outcomes and exposure to PCPs and their chemical constituents. RESULTS Ninety-eight human and 299 animal studies that evaluated a total of 96 different chemicals were identified and mapped by key concepts including chemical class, data stream, and puberty-related health outcome. Among these studies, phthalates and phenols were the most well-studied chemical classes. Most of the phthalate and phenol studies examined secondary sex characteristics and changes in estradiol and testosterone levels. Studies evaluating PCP use and other chemical classes (e.g., parabens) had less data. CONCLUSIONS This systematic evidence map identified and mapped the published research evaluating the association between exposure to PCPs and their chemical constituents and puberty-related health outcomes. The resulting interactive visualization allows researchers to make evidence-based decisions on the available research by enabling them to search, sort, and filter the literature base of puberty-related studies by key concepts. This map can be used by researchers and regulators to prioritize and target future research and funding to reduce uncertainties and address data gaps. It also provides information to inform a class-based hazard or risk assessment on the association between phthalate and phenol exposures and puberty-related health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyla W Taylor
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
| | - Kembra L Howdeshell
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Paige A Bommarito
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Donna D Baird
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chandra L Jackson
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Symielle A Gaston
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Cynthia V Rider
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Vickie R Walker
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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Singh A, Lawler CP, Walker VR, Pelch KE, Garton AE, Rooney AA, Haugen AC. Becoming aWARE: The Development of a Web-Based Tool for Autism Research and the Environment. J Xenobiot 2023; 13:492-499. [PMID: 37754843 PMCID: PMC10532575 DOI: 10.3390/jox13030031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A sharp rise in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence estimates, beginning in the 1990s, suggested factors additional to genetics were at play. This stimulated increased research investment in nongenetic factors, including the study of environmental chemical exposures, diet, nutrition, lifestyle, social factors, and maternal medical conditions. Consequently, both peer- and non-peer-reviewed bodies of evidence investigating environmental contributors to ASD etiology have grown significantly. The heterogeneity in the design and conduct of this research results in an inconclusive and unwieldy 'virtual stack' of publications. We propose to develop a Web-based tool for Autism Research and the Environment (aWARE) to comprehensively aggregate and assess these highly variable and often conflicting data. The interactive aWARE tool will use an approach for the development of systematic evidence maps (SEMs) to identify and display all available relevant published evidence, enabling users to explore multiple research questions within the scope of the SEM. Throughout tool development, listening sessions and workshops will be used to seek perspectives from the broader autism community. New evidence will be indexed in the tool annually, which will serve as a living resource to investigate the association between environmental factors and ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anisha Singh
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Cindy P. Lawler
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Vickie R. Walker
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | | | - Amanda E. Garton
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Astrid C. Haugen
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (A.S.); (C.P.L.); (V.R.W.); (A.E.G.); (A.A.R.)
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5
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Howdeshell KL, Beverly BEJ, Blain RB, Goldstone AE, Hartman PA, Lemeris CR, Newbold RR, Rooney AA, Bucher JR. Evaluating endocrine disrupting chemicals: A perspective on the novel assessments in CLARITY-BPA. Birth Defects Res 2023; 115:1345-1397. [PMID: 37646438 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.2238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on Bisphenol A Toxicity (CLARITY-BPA) was a collaborative research effort to better link academic research with governmental guideline studies. This review explores the secondary goal of CLARITY-BPA: to identify endpoints or technologies from CLARITY-BPA and prior/concurrent literature from these laboratories that may enhance the capacity of rodent toxicity studies to detect endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted with search terms for BPA and the CLARITY-BPA participants. Relevant studies employed a laboratory rodent model and reported results on 1 of the 10 organs/organ systems evaluated in CLARITY-BPA (brain and behavior, cardiac, immune, mammary gland, ovary, penile function, prostate gland and urethra, testis and epididymis, thyroid hormone and metabolism, and uterus). Study design and findings were summarized, and a risk-of-bias assessment was conducted. RESULTS Several endpoints and methods were identified as potentially helpful to detect effects of EDCs. For example, molecular and quantitative morphological approaches were sensitive in detecting alterations in early postnatal development of the brain, ovary, and mammary glands. Hormone challenge studies mimicking human aging reported increased susceptibility of the prostate to disease following developmental BPA exposure. Statistical analyses for nonmonotonic dose responses, and computational approaches assessing multiple treatment-related outcomes concurrently in linked hormone-sensitive organ systems, reported effects at low BPA doses. CONCLUSIONS This review provided an opportunity to evaluate the unique insights provided by nontraditional assessments in CLARITY-BPA to identify technologies and endpoints to enhance detection of EDCs in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kembra L Howdeshell
- Division of Translational Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Brandiese E J Beverly
- Division of Translational Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Retha R Newbold
- Division of Translational Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
- NIEHS, retired, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of Translational Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - John R Bucher
- Division of Translational Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
- NIEHS, retired, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States
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Svendsen C, Whaley P, Vist GE, Husøy T, Beronius A, Consiglio ED, Druwe I, Hartung T, Hatzi VI, Hoffmann S, Hooijmans CR, Machera K, Robinson JF, Roggen E, Rooney AA, Roth N, Spilioti E, Spyropoulou A, Tcheremenskaia O, Testai E, Vinken M, Mathisen GH. Protocol for designing INVITES-IN, a tool for assessing the internal validity of in vitro studies. Evid Based Toxicol 2023; 1:1-15. [PMID: 38264543 PMCID: PMC10805239 DOI: 10.1080/2833373x.2023.2232415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
This protocol describes the design and development of a tool for evaluation of the internal validity of in vitro studies, which is needed to include the data as evidence in systematic reviews and chemical risk assessments. The tool will be designed specifically to be applied to cell culture studies, including, but not restricted to, studies meeting the new approach methodology (NAM) definition. The tool is called INVITES-IN (IN VITro Experimental Studies INternal validity). In this protocol, three of the four studies that will be performed to create the release version of INVITES-IN are described. In the first study, evaluation of existing assessment tools will be combined with focus group discussions to identify how characteristics of the design or conduct of an in vitro study can affect its internal validity. Bias domains and items considered to be of relevance for in vitro studies will be identified. In the second study, group agreement on internal validity domains and items of importance for in vitro studies will be identified via a modified Delphi methodology. In the third study, the draft version of the tool will be created, based on the data on relevance and importance of bias domains and items collected in Studies 1 and 2. A separate protocol will be prepared for the fourth study, which includes the user testing and validation of the tool, and collection of users' experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Svendsen
- Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Chemical Toxicology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Paul Whaley
- Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Gunn E. Vist
- Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Division for Health Services, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Trine Husøy
- Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anna Beronius
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Emma Di Consiglio
- Environment & Health Department, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
| | - Ingrid Druwe
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessments, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Thomas Hartung
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- CAAT Europe, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Vasiliki I. Hatzi
- Laboratory of Toxicological Control of Pesticides, Scientific Directorate of Pesticides’ Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Kifissia, Greece
| | - Sebastian Hoffmann
- Evidence-Based Toxicology Collaboration (EBTC), Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- SEH consulting + services, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Carlijn R. Hooijmans
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Care, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Kyriaki Machera
- Laboratory of Toxicological Control of Pesticides, Scientific Directorate of Pesticides’ Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Kifissia, Greece
| | - Joshua F. Robinson
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), CA, USA
| | - Erwin Roggen
- 3Rs Management and Consulting ApS, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Division of Translational Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Nicolas Roth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eliana Spilioti
- Laboratory of Toxicological Control of Pesticides, Scientific Directorate of Pesticides’ Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Kifissia, Greece
| | - Anastasia Spyropoulou
- Laboratory of Toxicological Control of Pesticides, Scientific Directorate of Pesticides’ Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Kifissia, Greece
| | - Olga Tcheremenskaia
- Environment & Health Department, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Testai
- Environment & Health Department, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
| | - Mathieu Vinken
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Gro H. Mathisen
- Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
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Hooijmans CR, Donders R, Magnuson K, Wever KE, Ergün M, Rooney AA, Walker V, Langendam MW. Assessment of key characteristics, methodology, and effect size measures used in meta-analysis of human-health-related animal studies. Res Synth Methods 2022; 13:790-806. [PMID: 35679294 PMCID: PMC9796290 DOI: 10.1002/jrsm.1578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Since the early 1990s the number of systematic reviews (SR) of animal studies has steadily increased. There is, however, little guidance on when and how to conduct a meta-analysis of human-health-related animal studies. To gain insight about the methods that are currently used we created an overview of the key characteristics of published meta-analyses of animal studies, with a focus on the choice of effect size measures. An additional goal was to learn about the rationale behind the meta-analysis methods used by the review authors. We show that important details of the meta-analyses are not fully described, only a fraction of all human-health-related meta-analyses provided rationales for their decision to use specific effect size measures. In addition, our data may suggest that authors make post-hoc decisions to switch to another effect size measure during the course of their meta-analysis, and possibly search for significant effects. Based on analyses in this paper we recommend that review teams: 1) publish a review protocol before starting the conduct of a SR, prespecifying all methodological details (providing special attention to the planned meta-analysis including the effect size measure and the rational behind choosing a specific effect size, prespecifying subgroups and restricting the number of subgroup analyses), 2) always use the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist to report your SR of animal studies, and 3) use the random effects model (REM) in human-health-related meta-analysis of animal studies, unless the assumptions for using the fixed effect model (FEM) are all met.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlijn R. Hooijmans
- Department of Anesthesiology, pain and palliative careRadboud university medical centerNijmegenThe Netherlands,Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department for Health EvidenceRadboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud university medical centerNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Rogier Donders
- Biostatistics, Department for Health EvidenceRadboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud university medical centerNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Kimberley E. Wever
- Department of Anesthesiology, pain and palliative careRadboud university medical centerNijmegenThe Netherlands,Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department for Health EvidenceRadboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud university medical centerNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Mehmet Ergün
- Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department for Health EvidenceRadboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud university medical centerNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology ProgramNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle ParkDurhamNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Vickie Walker
- Division of the National Toxicology ProgramNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle ParkDurhamNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Miranda W. Langendam
- Department of Epidemiology and Data ScienceAmsterdam UMC location Academic Medical CentreAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of MethodologyAmsterdam Public HealthAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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Germolec DR, Lebrec H, Anderson SE, Burleson GR, Cardenas A, Corsini E, Elmore SE, Kaplan BL, Lawrence BP, Lehmann GM, Maier CC, McHale CM, Myers LP, Pallardy M, Rooney AA, Zeise L, Zhang L, Smith MT. Consensus on the Key Characteristics of Immunotoxic Agents as a Basis for Hazard Identification. Environ Health Perspect 2022; 130:105001. [PMID: 36201310 PMCID: PMC9536493 DOI: 10.1289/ehp10800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Key characteristics (KCs), properties of agents or exposures that confer potential hazard, have been developed for carcinogens and other toxicant classes. KCs have been used in the systematic assessment of hazards and to identify assay and data gaps that limit screening and risk assessment. Many of the mechanisms through which pharmaceuticals and occupational or environmental agents modulate immune function are well recognized. Thus KCs could be identified for immunoactive substances and applied to improve hazard assessment of immunodulatory agents. OBJECTIVES The goal was to generate a consensus-based synthesis of scientific evidence describing the KCs of agents known to cause immunotoxicity and potential applications, such as assays to measure the KCs. METHODS A committee of 18 experts with diverse specialties identified 10 KCs of immunotoxic agents, namely, 1) covalently binds to proteins to form novel antigens, 2) affects antigen processing and presentation, 3) alters immune cell signaling, 4) alters immune cell proliferation, 5) modifies cellular differentiation, 6) alters immune cell-cell communication, 7) alters effector function of specific cell types, 8) alters immune cell trafficking, 9) alters cell death processes, and 10) breaks down immune tolerance. The group considered how these KCs could influence immune processes and contribute to hypersensitivity, inappropriate enhancement, immunosuppression, or autoimmunity. DISCUSSION KCs can be used to improve efforts to identify agents that cause immunotoxicity via one or more mechanisms, to develop better testing and biomarker approaches to evaluate immunotoxicity, and to enable a more comprehensive and mechanistic understanding of adverse effects of exposures on the immune system. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10800.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dori R. Germolec
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Herve Lebrec
- Translational Safety & Bioanalytical Sciences, Amgen Research, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Stacey E. Anderson
- Allergy and Clinical Immunology Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Gary R. Burleson
- Burleson Research Technologies, Inc., Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Andres Cardenas
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Emanuela Corsini
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sarah E. Elmore
- Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, California, USA
| | - Barbara L.F. Kaplan
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - B. Paige Lawrence
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Geniece M. Lehmann
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Curtis C. Maier
- In Vitro In Vivo Translation, Research and Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Cliona M. McHale
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - L. Peyton Myers
- Division of Pharm/Tox, Office of Infectious Diseases, Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Marc Pallardy
- Inserm, Inflammation microbiome immunosurveillance, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lauren Zeise
- Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, California, USA
| | - Luoping Zhang
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Martyn T. Smith
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
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9
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Rayasam SDG, Aung MT, Cooper C, Kwiatkowski C, Germolec DR, Rooney AA, Walker VR, Forte C, Woodruff TJ, Chartres N. Identifying environmental factors that influence immune response to SARS-CoV-2: Systematic evidence map protocol. Environ Int 2022; 164:107230. [PMID: 35447423 PMCID: PMC8989740 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Widespread environmental contamination can directly interact with human immune system functions. Environmental effects on the immune system may influence human susceptibility to respiratory infections as well as the severity of infectious diseases, such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Furthermore, the efficacy of vaccines to respiratory diseases may be impacted by environmental exposures through immune perturbations. Given the quick pace of research about COVID-19 and associated risk factors, it is critical to identify and curate the streams of evidence quickly and effectively. OBJECTIVE We developed this systematic evidence map protocol to identify and organize existing human and animal literature on high-priority environmental chemical classes (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, pesticides, phthalates, quaternary ammonium compounds, and air pollutants) and their potential to influence three key outcomes: (1) susceptibility to respiratory infection, including SARS-CoV-2 (2) severity of the resultant disease progression, and (3) impact on vaccine efficacy. The result of this project will be an online, interactive database which will show what evidence is currently available between involuntary exposures to select environmental chemicals and immune health effects, data gaps that require further research, and data rich areas that may support further analysis. SEARCH AND STUDY ELIGIBILITY We will search PubMed for epidemiological or toxicological literature on select toxicants from each of the chemical classes and each of the three outcomes listed above. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS OF METHODS For each study, two independent reviewers will conduct title and abstract screening as well as full text review for data extraction of study characteristics. Study quality will not be evaluated in this evidence mapping. The main findings from the systematic evidence map will be visualized using a publicly available and interactive database hosted on Tableau Public.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati D G Rayasam
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0132, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
| | - Max T Aung
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0132, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
| | - Courtney Cooper
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0132, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
| | - Carol Kwiatkowski
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, 112 Derieux Place, Room 3510 Thomas Hall, CB 7614, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Dori R Germolec
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 530 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27560, United States.
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 530 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27560, United States.
| | - Vickie R Walker
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 530 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27560, United States.
| | - Chanese Forte
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0132, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
| | - Tracey J Woodruff
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0132, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
| | - Nicholas Chartres
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0132, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
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10
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Verbeek JH, Whaley P, Morgan RL, Taylor KW, Rooney AA, Schwingshackl L, Hoving JL, Vittal Katikireddi S, Shea B, Mustafa RA, Murad MH, Schünemann HJ. Potential importance of residual confounding in systematic reviews of observational studies: Answer to Mathur and VanderTweele. Environ Int 2022; 160:107010. [PMID: 34952356 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.107010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jos H Verbeek
- Cochrane Work, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Paul Whaley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK
| | | | - Kyla W Taylor
- National Institute of Environment Health Science, United States
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- National Institute of Environment Health Science, United States
| | - Lukas Schwingshackl
- Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jan L Hoving
- Cochrane Work, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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11
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Walker VR, Schmitt CP, Wolfe MS, Nowak AJ, Kulesza K, Williams AR, Shin R, Cohen J, Burch D, Stout MD, Shipkowski KA, Rooney AA. Evaluation of a semi-automated data extraction tool for public health literature-based reviews: Dextr. Environ Int 2022; 159:107025. [PMID: 34920276 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.107025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION There has been limited development and uptake of machine-learning methods to automate data extraction for literature-based assessments. Although advanced extraction approaches have been applied to some clinical research reviews, existing methods are not well suited for addressing toxicology or environmental health questions due to unique data needs to support reviews in these fields. OBJECTIVES To develop and evaluate a flexible, web-based tool for semi-automated data extraction that: 1) makes data extraction predictions with user verification, 2) integrates token-level annotations, and 3) connects extracted entities to support hierarchical data extraction. METHODS Dextr was developed with Agile software methodology using a two-team approach. The development team outlined proposed features and coded the software. The advisory team guided developers and evaluated Dextr's performance on precision, recall, and extraction time by comparing a manual extraction workflow to a semi-automated extraction workflow using a dataset of 51 environmental health animal studies. RESULTS The semi-automated workflow did not appear to affect precision rate (96.0% vs. 95.4% manual, p = 0.38), resulted in a small reduction in recall rate (91.8% vs. 97.0% manual, p < 0.01), and substantially reduced the median extraction time (436 s vs. 933 s per study manual, p < 0.01) compared to a manual workflow. DISCUSSION Dextr provides similar performance to manual extraction in terms of recall and precision and greatly reduces data extraction time. Unlike other tools, Dextr provides the ability to extract complex concepts (e.g., multiple experiments with various exposures and doses within a single study), properly connect the extracted elements within a study, and effectively limit the work required by researchers to generate machine-readable, annotated exports. The Dextr tool addresses data-extraction challenges associated with environmental health sciences literature with a simple user interface, incorporates the key capabilities of user verification and entity connecting, provides a platform for further automation developments, and has the potential to improve data extraction for literature reviews in this and other fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vickie R Walker
- Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
| | - Charles P Schmitt
- Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Mary S Wolfe
- Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | - Rob Shin
- ICF, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Matthew D Stout
- Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Kelly A Shipkowski
- Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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12
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Verbeek JH, Whaley P, Morgan RL, Taylor KW, Rooney AA, Schwingshackl L, Hoving JL, Vittal Katikireddi S, Shea B, Mustafa RA, Murad MH, Schünemann HJ. An approach to quantifying the potential importance of residual confounding in systematic reviews of observational studies: A GRADE concept paper. Environ Int 2021; 157:106868. [PMID: 34530289 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Small relative effect sizes are common in observational studies of exposure in environmental and public health. However, such effects can still have considerable policy importance when the baseline rate of the health outcome is high, and many persons are exposed. Assessing the certainty of the evidence based on these effect sizes is challenging because they can be prone to residual confounding due to the non-randomized nature of the evidence. When applying GRADE, a precise relative risk >2.0 increases the certainty in an existing effect because residual confounding is unlikely to explain the association. GRADE also suggests rating up when opposing plausible residual confounding exists for other effect sizes. In this concept paper, we propose using the E-value, defined as the smallest effect size of a confounder that still can reduce an observed RR to the null value, and a reference confounder to assess the likelihood of residual confounding. We propose a 4-step approach. 1. Assess the association of interest for relevant exposure levels. 2. Calculate the E-value for this observed association. 3. Choose a reference confounder with sufficient strength and information and assess its effect on the observed association using the E-value. 4. Assess how likely it is that residual confounding will still bias the observed RR. We present three case studies and discuss the feasibility of the approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jos H Verbeek
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Paul Whaley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK
| | | | - Kyla W Taylor
- National Institute of Environment Health Science, USA
| | | | - Lukas Schwingshackl
- Medical Center - University of Freiburg; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jan L Hoving
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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13
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Breen MS, Isakov V, Prince S, McGuinness K, Egeghy PP, Stephens B, Arunachalam S, Stout D, Walker R, Alston L, Rooney AA, Taylor KW, Buckley TJ. Integrating Personal Air Sensor and GPS to Determine Microenvironment-Specific Exposures to Volatile Organic Compounds. Sensors (Basel) 2021; 21:s21165659. [PMID: 34451101 PMCID: PMC8402344 DOI: 10.3390/s21165659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Personal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor sources including consumer products is an understudied public health concern. To develop and evaluate methods for monitoring personal VOC exposures, we performed a pilot study and examined time-resolved sensor-based measurements of geocoded total VOC (TVOC) exposures across individuals and microenvironments (MEs). We integrated continuous (1 min) data from a personal TVOC sensor and a global positioning system (GPS) logger, with a GPS-based ME classification model, to determine TVOC exposures in four MEs, including indoors at home (Home-In), indoors at other buildings (Other-In), inside vehicles (In-Vehicle), and outdoors (Out), across 45 participant-days for five participants. To help identify places with large emission sources, we identified high-exposure events (HEEs; TVOC > 500 ppb) using geocoded TVOC time-course data overlaid on Google Earth maps. Across the 45 participant-days, the MEs ranked from highest to lowest median TVOC were: Home-In (165 ppb), Other-In (86 ppb), In-Vehicle (52 ppb), and Out (46 ppb). For the two participants living in single-family houses with attached garages, the median exposures for Home-In were substantially higher (209, 416 ppb) than the three participant homes without attached garages: one living in a single-family house (129 ppb), and two living in apartments (38, 60 ppb). The daily average Home-In exposures exceeded the estimated Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building guideline of 108 ppb for 60% of the participant-days. We identified 94 HEEs across all participant-days, and 67% of the corresponding peak levels exceeded 1000 ppb. The MEs ranked from the highest to the lowest number of HEEs were: Home-In (60), Other-In (13), In-Vehicle (12), and Out (9). For Other-In and Out, most HEEs occurred indoors at fast food restaurants and retail stores, and outdoors in parking lots, respectively. For Home-In HEEs, the median TVOC emission and removal rates were 5.4 g h-1 and 1.1 h-1, respectively. Our study demonstrates the ability to determine individual sensor-based time-resolved TVOC exposures in different MEs, in support of identifying potential sources and exposure factors that can inform exposure mitigation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Breen
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA;
- Correspondence:
| | - Vlad Isakov
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA; (V.I.); (D.S.); (R.W.); (L.A.)
| | - Steven Prince
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA;
| | - Kennedy McGuinness
- Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, USA; (K.M.); (S.A.)
| | - Peter P. Egeghy
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA; (P.P.E.); (T.J.B.)
| | - Brent Stephens
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616, USA;
| | - Saravanan Arunachalam
- Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, USA; (K.M.); (S.A.)
| | - Dan Stout
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA; (V.I.); (D.S.); (R.W.); (L.A.)
| | - Richard Walker
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA; (V.I.); (D.S.); (R.W.); (L.A.)
| | - Lillian Alston
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA; (V.I.); (D.S.); (R.W.); (L.A.)
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Health, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA; (A.A.R.); (K.W.T.)
| | - Kyla W. Taylor
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Health, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA; (A.A.R.); (K.W.T.)
| | - Timothy J. Buckley
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA; (P.P.E.); (T.J.B.)
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14
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Whaley P, Blaauboer BJ, Brozek J, Cohen Hubal EA, Hair K, Kacew S, Knudsen TB, Kwiatkowski CF, Mellor DT, Olshan AF, Page MJ, Rooney AA, Radke EG, Shamseer L, Tsaioun K, Tugwell P, Wikoff D, Woodruff TJ. Improving the quality of toxicology and environmental health systematic reviews: What journal editors can do. ALTEX 2021; 38:513-522. [PMID: 34164697 DOI: 10.14573/altex.2106111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Systematic reviews are fast increasing in prevalence in the toxicology and environmental health literature. However, how well these complex research projects are being conducted and reported is unclear. Since editors have an essential role in ensuring the scientific quality of manuscripts being published in their journals, a workshop was convened where editors, systematic review practitioners, and research quality control experts could discuss what editors can do to ensure the systematic reviews they publish are of sufficient scientific quality. Interventions were explored along four themes: setting standards; reviewing protocols; optimizing editorial workflows; and measuring the effectiveness of editorial interventions. In total, 58 editorial interventions were proposed. Of these, 26 were shortlisted for being potentially effective, and 5 were prioritized as short-term actions that editors could relatively easily take to improve the quality of published systematic reviews. Recent progress in improving systematic reviews is summarized, and outstanding challenges to further progress are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Whaley
- Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA,Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, United Kingdom
| | - Bas J Blaauboer
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, div. of Toxicology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Brozek
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Elaine A Cohen Hubal
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Hair
- CAMARADES, University of Edinburgh, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Kacew
- McLaughlin Centre for Risk Assessment, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Thomas B Knudsen
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Andrew F Olshan
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Matthew J Page
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Elizabeth G Radke
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Larissa Shamseer
- Knowledge Translation Program, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Katya Tsaioun
- Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peter Tugwell
- Department of Medicine and School of Epidemiology University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Tracey J Woodruff
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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15
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Langendam MW, Magnuson K, Williams AR, Walker VR, Howdeshell KL, Rooney AA, Hooijmans CR. Developing a database of systematic reviews of animal studies. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2021; 123:104940. [PMID: 33964349 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.104940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Systematic reviews (SRs) are common practice in clinical and public health research, but less common in non-human animal research. Systematic reviews of animal studies can be valuable to inform clinical research, to evaluate the need for further animal experiments on a given topic, and to assess the hazard of an environmental exposure in the evaluation of toxicological studies. In the last 10 years, there has been an increase in the number of SRs of animal research, as well as several publications with detailed guidance on how to perform high-quality systematic reviews of experimental animal studies. In order to evaluate current analytical approaches used in SRs of animal studies, easily identify all systematic reviews on a specific topic, and subsequently the original animal studies and their results and promote awareness and understanding of these emerging approaches, we compiled a database of SRs of animal studies. The database was developed using a rigorous, systematic approach and covers a broad range of research fields: preclinical research, toxicology, environmental health, and veterinary medicine. The database currently includes 3113 SRs of animal studies (search date June 2019). In addition to bibliographical information, data on whether or not a risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis were conducted were extracted. For future users, the search features of the database provide users with a platform to identify and select SRs with a particular characteristic for export to Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel. From there, users may perform additional data extraction to meet their research needs. The database is freely available at www.Mendeley.com (link). The database provides methodologists a comprehensive source that can be used to explore and advance the current methodology applied to SRs of animal studies, and can help researchers to easily identify all systematic reviews on a specific topic, and subsequently the original animal studies and their results and avoid duplication and unnecessary animal research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda W Langendam
- Amsterdam University Medical Centres, University of Amsterdam, Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Vickie R Walker
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Kembra L Howdeshell
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Carlijn R Hooijmans
- Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department for Health Evidence, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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16
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De Vries RBM, Angrish M, Browne P, Brozek J, Rooney AA, Wikoff DS, Whaley P, Edwards SW, Morgan RL, Druwe IL, Hoffmann S, Hartung T, Thayer K, Avey MT, Beverly BEJ, Falavigna M, Gibbons C, Goyak K, Kraft A, Nampo F, Qaseem A, Sears M, Singh JA, Willett C, Yost EY, Schünemann H, Tsaioun K. Applying evidence-based methods to the development and use of adverse outcome pathways. ALTEX 2021; 38:336-347. [PMID: 33837437 DOI: 10.14573/altex.2101211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The workshop “Application of evidence-based methods to construct mechanistic frameworks for the development and use of non-animal toxicity tests” was organized by the Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration and hosted by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation Working Group on June 12, 2019. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together international regulatory bodies, risk assessors, academic scientists, and industry to explore how systematic review methods and the adverse outcome pathway framework could be combined to develop and use mechanistic test methods for predicting the toxicity of chemical substances in an evidence-based manner. The meeting covered the history of biological frameworks, the way adverse outcome pathways are currently developed, the basic principles of systematic methodology, including systematic reviews and evidence maps, and assessment of certainty in models, and adverse outcome pathways in particular. Specific topics were discussed via case studies in small break-out groups. The group concluded that adverse outcome pathways provide an important framework to support mechanism-based assessment in environmental health. The process of their development has a few challenges that could be addressed with systematic methods and automation tools. Addressing these challenges will increase the transparency of the evidence behind adverse outcome pathways and the consistency with which they are defined; this in turn will increase their value for supporting public health decisions. It was suggested to explore the details of applying systematic methods to adverse outcome pathway development in a series of case studies and workshops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rob B M De Vries
- Evidence-Based Toxicology Collaboration (EBTC) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,SYRCLE, Department for Health Evidence, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Michelle Angrish
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessments, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Patience Browne
- Test Guidelines Programme, Environmental Directorate, OECD, Paris, France
| | - Jan Brozek
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Paul Whaley
- Evidence-Based Toxicology Collaboration (EBTC) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Rebecca L Morgan
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Ingrid L Druwe
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessments, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Sebastian Hoffmann
- Evidence-Based Toxicology Collaboration (EBTC) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,seh consulting + service, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Thomas Hartung
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kristina Thayer
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessments, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Brandiese E J Beverly
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Maicon Falavigna
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,National Institute for Health Technology Assessment, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Catherine Gibbons
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessments, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Katy Goyak
- ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences Inc., Annandale, NJ, USA
| | - Andrew Kraft
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessments, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Fernando Nampo
- Evidence-Based Public Health Research Group, Latin-American Institute of Life and Nature Sciences, Federal University of Latin-American Integration, Foz do Iguassu, Parana, Brazil
| | - Amir Qaseem
- Center for Evidence Reviews, The American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Meg Sears
- Canadian Environmental Health Information Infrastructure, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jasvinder A Singh
- Medicine Service, VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA; Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, AL, USA; and Department of Epidemiology at the UAB School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Erin Y Yost
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessments, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Holger Schünemann
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,McMaster GRADE Centre and Michael G DeGroote Cochrane Canada Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Katya Tsaioun
- Evidence-Based Toxicology Collaboration (EBTC) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Whaley P, Aiassa E, Beausoleil C, Beronius A, Bilotta G, Boobis A, de Vries R, Hanberg A, Hoffmann S, Hunt N, Kwiatkowski CF, Lam J, Lipworth S, Martin O, Randall N, Rhomberg L, Rooney AA, Schünemann HJ, Wikoff D, Wolffe T, Halsall C. Recommendations for the conduct of systematic reviews in toxicology and environmental health research (COSTER). Environ Int 2020; 143:105926. [PMID: 32653802 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are several standards that offer explicit guidance on good practice in systematic reviews (SRs) for the medical sciences; however, no similarly comprehensive set of recommendations has been published for SRs that focus on human health risks posed by exposure to environmental challenges, chemical or otherwise. OBJECTIVES To develop an expert, cross-sector consensus view on a key set of recommended practices for the planning and conduct of SRs in the environmental health sciences. METHODS A draft set of recommendations was derived from two existing standards for SRs in biomedicine and developed in a consensus process, which engaged international participation from government, industry, non-government organisations, and academia. The consensus process consisted of a workshop, follow-up webinars, email discussion and bilateral phone calls. RESULTS The Conduct of Systematic Reviews in Toxicology and Environmental Health Research (COSTER) recommendations cover 70 SR practices across eight performance domains. Detailed explanations for specific recommendations are made for those identified by the authors as either being novel to SR in general, specific to the environmental health SR context, or potentially controversial to environmental health SR stakeholders. DISCUSSION COSTER provides a set of recommendations that should facilitate the production of credible, high-value SRs of environmental health evidence, and advance discussion of a number of controversial aspects of conduct of EH SRs. Key recommendations include the management of conflicts of interest, handling of grey literature, and protocol registration and publication. A process for advancing from COSTER's recommendations to developing a formal standard for EH SRs is also indicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Whaley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
| | - Elisa Aiassa
- European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Assessment and Methodological Support Unit, Via Carlo Magno 1/A, 43126 Parma, Italy.
| | - Claire Beausoleil
- ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety), Risk Assessment Department, Chemical Substances Assessment Unit, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France.
| | - Anna Beronius
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Gary Bilotta
- School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
| | - Alan Boobis
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Rob de Vries
- SYRCLE, Department for Health Evidence, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Annika Hanberg
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Sebastian Hoffmann
- Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Paderborn, Germany.
| | - Neil Hunt
- Yordas Group, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
| | | | - Juleen Lam
- University of California, San Francisco and California State University, East Bay, 28500 Carlos Bee Blvd Room 502, Hayward, CA 94542, USA.
| | - Steven Lipworth
- Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BA, UK
| | - Olwenn Martin
- Institute for the Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK.
| | | | | | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NC, USA.
| | - Holger J Schünemann
- McGRADE Centre and Michael G De Groote Cochrane Canada Centre, Dept. of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
| | - Daniele Wikoff
- ToxStrategies, 31 College Place, Suite B118B, Asheville, NC 28801, USA.
| | - Taylor Wolffe
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
| | - Crispin Halsall
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
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18
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Taylor KW, Wang Z, Walker VR, Rooney AA, Bero LA. Using interactive data visualization to facilitate user selection and comparison of risk of bias tools for observational studies of exposures. Environ Int 2020; 142:105806. [PMID: 32505018 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kyla W Taylor
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, DHHS, NC, USA.
| | - Zhicheng Wang
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Vickie R Walker
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, DHHS, NC, USA
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, DHHS, NC, USA
| | - Lisa A Bero
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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19
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Burns CJ, LaKind JS, Mattison DR, Alcala CS, Branch F, Castillo J, Clark A, Clougherty JE, Darney SP, Erickson H, Goodman M, Greiner M, Jurek AM, Miller A, Rooney AA, Zidek A. A matrix for bridging the epidemiology and risk assessment gap. Global Epidemiology 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gloepi.2019.100005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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20
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Shaffer RM, Sellers SP, Baker MG, de Buen Kalman R, Frostad J, Suter MK, Anenberg SC, Balbus J, Basu N, Bellinger DC, Birnbaum L, Brauer M, Cohen A, Ebi KL, Fuller R, Grandjean P, Hess JJ, Kogevinas M, Kumar P, Landrigan PJ, Lanphear B, London SJ, Rooney AA, Stanaway JD, Trasande L, Walker K, Hu H. Improving and Expanding Estimates of the Global Burden of Disease Due to Environmental Health Risk Factors. Environ Health Perspect 2019; 127:105001. [PMID: 31626566 PMCID: PMC6867191 DOI: 10.1289/ehp5496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, coordinated by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), produces influential, data-driven estimates of the burden of disease and premature death due to major risk factors. Expanded quantification of disease due to environmental health (EH) risk factors, including climate change, will enhance accuracy of GBD estimates, which will contribute to developing cost-effective policies that promote prevention and achieving Sustainable Development Goals. OBJECTIVES We review key aspects of the GBD for the EH community and introduce the Global Burden of Disease-Pollution and Health Initiative (GBD-PHI), which aims to work with IHME and the GBD study to improve estimates of disease burden attributable to EH risk factors and to develop an innovative approach to estimating climate-related disease burden-both current and projected. METHODS We discuss strategies for improving GBD quantification of specific EH risk factors, including air pollution, lead, and climate change. We highlight key methodological challenges, including new EH risk factors, notably evidence rating and global exposure assessment. DISCUSSION A number of issues present challenges to the scope and accuracy of current GBD estimates for EH risk factors. For air pollution, minimal data exist on the exposure-risk relationships associated with high levels of pollution; epidemiological studies in high pollution regions should be a research priority. For lead, the GBD's current methods do not fully account for lead's impact on neurodevelopment; innovative methods to account for subclinical effects are needed. Decisions on inclusion of additional EH risk-outcome pairs need to be guided by findings of systematic reviews, the size of exposed populations, feasibility of global exposure estimates, and predicted trends in exposures and diseases. Neurotoxicants, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and climate-related factors should be high priorities for incorporation into upcoming iterations of the GBD study. Enhancing the scope and methods will improve the GBD's estimates and better guide prevention policy. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5496.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M. Shaffer
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Samuel P. Sellers
- Center for Health and the Global Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Marissa G. Baker
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Rebeca de Buen Kalman
- Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Joseph Frostad
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Megan K. Suter
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Susan C. Anenberg
- Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - John Balbus
- Office of the Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Niladri Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - David C. Bellinger
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Linda Birnbaum
- Office of the Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael Brauer
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- School of Population and Public Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Aaron Cohen
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Health Effects Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kristie L. Ebi
- Center for Health and the Global Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Philippe Grandjean
- Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeremy J. Hess
- Center for Health and the Global Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Pushpam Kumar
- United Nations Programme on the Environment, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Philip J. Landrigan
- Program in Global Public Health and the Common Good, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
- Global Observatory on Pollution and Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bruce Lanphear
- Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stephanie J. London
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jeffrey D. Stanaway
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- NYU Global Institute of Public Health, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Katherine Walker
- School of Population and Public Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Howard Hu
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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21
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Wolffe TAM, Whaley P, Halsall C, Rooney AA, Walker VR. Systematic evidence maps as a novel tool to support evidence-based decision-making in chemicals policy and risk management. Environ Int 2019; 130:104871. [PMID: 31254867 PMCID: PMC7189619 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.05.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While systematic review (SR) methods are gaining traction as a method for providing a reliable summary of existing evidence for health risks posed by exposure to chemical substances, it is becoming clear that their value is restricted to a specific range of risk management scenarios - in particular, those which can be addressed with tightly focused questions and can accommodate the time and resource requirements of a systematic evidence synthesis. METHODS The concept of a systematic evidence map (SEM) is defined and contrasted to the function and limitations of systematic review (SR) in the context of risk management decision-making. The potential for SEMs to facilitate evidence-based decision-making are explored using a hypothetical example in risk management priority-setting. The potential role of SEMs in reference to broader risk management workflows is characterised. RESULTS SEMs are databases of systematically gathered research which characterise broad features of the evidence base. Although not intended to substitute for the evidence synthesis element of systematic reviews, SEMs provide a comprehensive, queryable summary of a large body of policy relevant research. They provide an evidence-based approach to characterising the extent of available evidence and support forward looking predictions or trendspotting in the chemical risk sciences. In particular, SEMs facilitate the identification of related bodies of decision critical chemical risk information which could be further analysed using SR methods, and highlight gaps in the evidence which could be addressed with additional primary studies to reduce uncertainties in decision-making. CONCLUSIONS SEMs have strong and growing potential as a high value tool in resource efficient use of existing research in chemical risk management. They can be used as a critical precursor to efficient deployment of high quality SR methods for characterising chemical health risks. Furthermore, SEMs have potential, at a large scale, to support the sort of evidence summarisation and surveillance methods which would greatly increase the resource efficiency, transparency and effectiveness of regulatory initiatives such as EU REACH and US TSCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor A M Wolffe
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK; Yordas Group, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
| | - Paul Whaley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK; Evidence-Based Toxicology Collaboration, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Crispin Halsall
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Vickie R Walker
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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22
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Morgan RL, Beverly B, Ghersi D, Schünemann HJ, Rooney AA, Whaley P, Zhu YG, Thayer KA. GRADE guidelines for environmental and occupational health: A new series of articles in Environment International. Environ Int 2019; 128:11-12. [PMID: 31029974 PMCID: PMC6737525 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Morgan
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C14, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Brandy Beverly
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 12233, Mail Drop K2-02, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Davina Ghersi
- Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia; National Health and Medical Research Council, 16 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra City, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Holger J Schünemann
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C14, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C14, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 12233, Mail Drop K2-02, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Paul Whaley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Yong-Guan Zhu
- Environmental Soil Science and Biogeochemistry, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian, Beijing 100085, China; Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Kristina A Thayer
- Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Division, National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA), Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Building B (Room 211i), Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
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23
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Dorman DC, Chiu W, Hales BF, Hauser R, Johnson KJ, Mantus E, Martel S, Robinson KA, Rooney AA, Rudel R, Sathyanarayana S, Schantz SL, Waters KM. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) neurotoxicity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal evidence. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 2018; 21:269-289. [PMID: 30352012 PMCID: PMC6786272 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2018.1514829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
A recent systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis of human studies found an association between prenatal serum polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) concentrations and a decrease in the IQ of children. A SR of experimental developmental animal PBDE-mediated neurotoxicity studies was performed in the present study. Outcomes assessed included measures related to learning, memory, and attention, which parallel the intelligence-related outcomes evaluated in the human studies SR. PubMed, Embase, and Toxline were searched for relevant experimental non-human mammalian studies. Evaluation of risk of bias (RoB) and overall body of evidence followed guidance developed by the National Toxicology Program. Animal studies using varying designs and outcomes were available for BDEs 47, 99, 153, 203, 206, and 209 and the technical mixture DE-71. Study reporting of methods and results was often incomplete leading to concerns regarding RoB. A meta-analysis of 6 Morris water maze studies showed evidence of a significant increase in last trial latency (effect size of 25.8 [CI, 20.3 to 31.2]) in PBDE-exposed animals with low heterogeneity. For most endpoints, there were unexplained inconsistencies across studies and no consistent evidence of a dose-response relationship. There is a "moderate" level of evidence that exposure to BDEs 47, 99, and 209 affects learning. For other PBDEs and other endpoints, the level of evidence was "low" or "very low". The meta-analysis led to stronger conclusions than that based upon a qualitative review of the evidence. The SR also identified RoB concerns that might be remedied by better study reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. Dorman
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Weihsueh Chiu
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Barbara F. Hales
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kamin J. Johnson
- Predictive Safety Center, Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont™, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Ellen Mantus
- Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington DC, USA
| | - Susan Martel
- Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington DC, USA
| | - Karen A. Robinson
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle WA, USA
| | - Susan L. Schantz
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Katrina M. Waters
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
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24
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Walker VR, Boyles AL, Pelch KE, Holmgren SD, Shapiro AJ, Blystone CR, Devito MJ, Newbold RR, Blain R, Hartman P, Thayer KA, Rooney AA. Human and animal evidence of potential transgenerational inheritance of health effects: An evidence map and state-of-the-science evaluation. Environ Int 2018; 115:48-69. [PMID: 29549716 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An increasing number of reports suggest early life exposures result in adverse effects in offspring who were never directly exposed; this phenomenon is termed "transgenerational inheritance." Given concern for public health implications for potential effects of exposures transmitted to subsequent generations, it is critical to determine how widespread and robust this phenomenon is and to identify the range of exposures and possible outcomes. OBJECTIVES This scoping report examines the evidence for transgenerational inheritance associated with exposure to a wide range of stressors in humans and animals to identify areas of consistency, uncertainty, data gaps, and to evaluate general risk of bias issues for the transgenerational study design. METHODS A protocol was developed to collect and categorize the literature into a systematic evidence map for transgenerational inheritance by health effects, exposures, and evidence streams following the Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) approach for conducting literature-based health assessments. RESULTS A PubMed search yielded 63,758 unique records from which 257 relevant studies were identified and categorized into a systematic evidence map by evidence streams (46 human and 211 animal), broad health effect categories, and exposures. Data extracted from the individual studies are available in the Health Assessment Workspace Collaborative (HAWC) program. There are relatively few bodies of evidence where multiple studies evaluated the same exposure and the same or similar outcomes. Studies evaluated for risk of bias generally had multiple issues in design or conduct. CONCLUSIONS The evidence mapping illustrated that risk of bias, few studies, and heterogeneity in exposures and endpoints examined present serious limitations to available bodies of evidence for assessing transgenerational effects. Targeted research is suggested to addressed inconsistencies and risk of bias issues identified, and thereby establish more robust bodies of evidence to critically assess transgenerational effects - particularly by adding data on exposure-outcome pairs where there is some evidence (i.e., reproductive, metabolic, and neurological effects).
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Affiliation(s)
- Vickie R Walker
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT), Division of National Toxicology Program (NTP), National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
| | - Abee L Boyles
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT), Division of National Toxicology Program (NTP), National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Katherine E Pelch
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT), Division of National Toxicology Program (NTP), National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Andrew J Shapiro
- Program Operations Branch, DNTP, NIEHS, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Chad R Blystone
- Toxicology Branch, DNTP, NIEHS, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Michael J Devito
- NTP Laboratory, DNTP, NIEHS, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Retha R Newbold
- Researcher Emeritus, DNTP, NIEHS, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Kristina A Thayer
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT), Division of National Toxicology Program (NTP), National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT), Division of National Toxicology Program (NTP), National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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25
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Hooijmans CR, de Vries RBM, Ritskes-Hoitinga M, Rovers MM, Leeflang MM, IntHout J, Wever KE, Hooft L, de Beer H, Kuijpers T, Macleod MR, Sena ES, ter Riet G, Morgan RL, Thayer KA, Rooney AA, Guyatt GH, Schünemann HJ, Langendam MW. Facilitating healthcare decisions by assessing the certainty in the evidence from preclinical animal studies. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0187271. [PMID: 29324741 PMCID: PMC5764235 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory animal studies are used in a wide range of human health related research areas, such as basic biomedical research, drug research, experimental surgery and environmental health. The results of these studies can be used to inform decisions regarding clinical research in humans, for example the decision to proceed to clinical trials. If the research question relates to potential harms with no expectation of benefit (e.g., toxicology), studies in experimental animals may provide the only relevant or controlled data and directly inform clinical management decisions. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are important tools to provide robust and informative evidence summaries of these animal studies. Rating how certain we are about the evidence could provide important information about the translational probability of findings in experimental animal studies to clinical practice and probably improve it. Evidence summaries and certainty in the evidence ratings could also be used (1) to support selection of interventions with best therapeutic potential to be tested in clinical trials, (2) to justify a regulatory decision limiting human exposure (to drug or toxin), or to (3) support decisions on the utility of further animal experiments. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach is the most widely used framework to rate the certainty in the evidence and strength of health care recommendations. Here we present how the GRADE approach could be used to rate the certainty in the evidence of preclinical animal studies in the context of therapeutic interventions. We also discuss the methodological challenges that we identified, and for which further work is needed. Examples are defining the importance of consistency within and across animal species and using GRADE's indirectness domain as a tool to predict translation from animal models to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlijn R. Hooijmans
- Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department of Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Rob B. M. de Vries
- Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department of Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga
- Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department of Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Maroeska M. Rovers
- Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department of Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mariska M. Leeflang
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joanna IntHout
- Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department of Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Kimberley E. Wever
- Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), Department of Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Lotty Hooft
- Cochrane Netherlands, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Ton Kuijpers
- Dutch College of General Practitioners, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Malcolm R. Macleod
- Center for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Emily S. Sena
- Center for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Gerben ter Riet
- Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rebecca L. Morgan
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Kristina A. Thayer
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Gordon H. Guyatt
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Holger J. Schünemann
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Miranda W. Langendam
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Dorman DC, Chiu W, Hales BF, Hauser R, Johnson KJ, Mantus E, Martel S, Robinson KA, Rooney AA, Rudel R, Sathyanarayana S, Schantz SL, Waters KM. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human and animal evidence of prenatal diethylhexyl phthalate exposure and changes in male anogenital distance. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 2018; 21:207-226. [PMID: 30199328 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2018.1505354.systematic] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Male reproductive alterations found in animals and humans following in utero phthalate exposure include decreased anogenital distance (AGD) and other reproductive-tract malformations. The aim of this investigation was to conduct systematic reviews of human and animal evidence of the effect of in utero exposure to diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) on anogenital distance (AGD) in males. PubMed, Embase, and Toxline were searched for relevant human and experimental animal studies on August 15, 2016. Search results were screened for relevance, and studies that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated for quality and data extracted for analysis. Confidence in the human and animal bodies of evidence was assessed and hazard conclusions reached by integrating evidence streams. The search yielded 6 relevant human studies and 19 animal studies. Meta-analysis of 5 human observational prospective cohort studies showed that increased maternal urinary concentrations of DEHP metabolites were associated with decreased AGD in boys (-4.07 [CI, -6.49 to -1.66] % decrease per log10 rise in DEHP metabolites). Meta-analysis and meta-regression of the 19 experimental animal studies found reduced AGD with DEHP treatment, with a dose-response gradient, and with heterogeneity explained by species and strain. There is a moderate level of evidence from human investigations and a high level of data from animal studies that in utero exposure to DEHP decreases AGD. Based upon the available human and animal evidence, and consideration of mechanistic data, DEHP is presumed to be a reproductive hazard to humans on the basis of effects on AGD.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Dorman
- a Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine , North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC , USA
| | - Weihsueh Chiu
- b Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine , Texas A&M University , College Station , TX , USA
| | - Barbara F Hales
- c Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
| | - Russ Hauser
- d Department of Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology , Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston , MA , USA
| | - Kamin J Johnson
- e Predictive Safety Center , The Dow Chemical Company , Midland , MI , USA
| | - Ellen Mantus
- f Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences , Engineering, and Medicine , Washington , DC , USA
| | - Susan Martel
- f Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences , Engineering, and Medicine , Washington , DC , USA
| | - Karen A Robinson
- g Department of Medicine , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- h Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services , Research Triangle Park , NC , USA
| | | | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- j Department of Pediatrics , University of Washington, Seattle Children's Research Institute , Seattle , WA , USA
| | - Susan L Schantz
- k Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA
| | - Katrina M Waters
- l Biological Sciences Division , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , Richland , WA , USA
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27
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Dorman DC, Chiu W, Hales BF, Hauser R, Johnson KJ, Mantus E, Martel S, Robinson KA, Rooney AA, Rudel R, Sathyanarayana S, Schantz SL, Waters KM. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human and animal evidence of prenatal diethylhexyl phthalate exposure and changes in male anogenital distance. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 2018; 21:207-226. [PMID: 30199328 PMCID: PMC6786271 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2018.1505354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Male reproductive alterations found in animals and humans following in utero phthalate exposure include decreased anogenital distance (AGD) and other reproductive-tract malformations. The aim of this investigation was to conduct systematic reviews of human and animal evidence of the effect of in utero exposure to diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) on anogenital distance (AGD) in males. PubMed, Embase, and Toxline were searched for relevant human and experimental animal studies on August 15, 2016. Search results were screened for relevance, and studies that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated for quality and data extracted for analysis. Confidence in the human and animal bodies of evidence was assessed and hazard conclusions reached by integrating evidence streams. The search yielded 6 relevant human studies and 19 animal studies. Meta-analysis of 5 human observational prospective cohort studies showed that increased maternal urinary concentrations of DEHP metabolites were associated with decreased AGD in boys (-4.07 [CI, -6.49 to -1.66] % decrease per log10 rise in DEHP metabolites). Meta-analysis and meta-regression of the 19 experimental animal studies found reduced AGD with DEHP treatment, with a dose-response gradient, and with heterogeneity explained by species and strain. There is a moderate level of evidence from human investigations and a high level of data from animal studies that in utero exposure to DEHP decreases AGD. Based upon the available human and animal evidence, and consideration of mechanistic data, DEHP is presumed to be a reproductive hazard to humans on the basis of effects on AGD.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. Dorman
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Weihsueh Chiu
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Barbara F. Hales
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kamin J. Johnson
- Predictive Safety Center, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI, USA
| | - Ellen Mantus
- Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Susan Martel
- Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Karen A. Robinson
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Susan L. Schantz
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Katrina M. Waters
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
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Gundert‐Remy U, Bodin J, Bosetti C, FitzGerald R, Hanberg A, Hass U, Hooijmans C, Rooney AA, Rousselle C, van Loveren H, Wölfle D, Barizzone F, Croera C, Putzu C, Castoldi AF. Bisphenol A (BPA) hazard assessment protocol. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.2903/sp.efsa.2017.en-1354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Stephens ML, Betts K, Beck NB, Cogliano V, Dickersin K, Fitzpatrick S, Freeman J, Gray G, Hartung T, McPartland J, Rooney AA, Scherer RW, Verloo D, Hoffmann S. The Emergence of Systematic Review in Toxicology. Toxicol Sci 2016; 152:10-6. [PMID: 27208075 PMCID: PMC4922539 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfw059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration hosted a workshop on "The Emergence of Systematic Review and Related Evidence-based Approaches in Toxicology," on November 21, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. The workshop featured speakers from agencies and organizations applying systematic review approaches to questions in toxicology, speakers with experience in conducting systematic reviews in medicine and healthcare, and stakeholders in industry, government, academia, and non-governmental organizations. Based on the workshop presentations and discussion, here we address the state of systematic review methods in toxicology, historical antecedents in both medicine and toxicology, challenges to the translation of systematic review from medicine to toxicology, and thoughts on the way forward. We conclude with a recommendation that as various agencies and organizations adapt systematic review methods, they continue to work together to ensure that there is a harmonized process for how the basic elements of systematic review methods are applied in toxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin L Stephens
- Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Kellyn Betts
- Freelance Science and Technology Writer, Takoma Park, Maryland
| | - Nancy B Beck
- American Chemistry Council, Washington, District of Columbia
| | | | - Kay Dickersin
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Suzanne Fitzpatrick
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, Maryland
| | - James Freeman
- ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Annandale, New Jersey
| | - George Gray
- George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, DC
| | - Thomas Hartung
- Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, Baltimore, Maryland University of Konstanz, CAAT-Europe, Germany
| | | | - Andrew A Rooney
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Roberta W Scherer
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
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Morgan RL, Thayer KA, Bero L, Bruce N, Falck-Ytter Y, Ghersi D, Guyatt G, Hooijmans C, Langendam M, Mandrioli D, Mustafa RA, Rehfuess EA, Rooney AA, Shea B, Silbergeld EK, Sutton P, Wolfe MS, Woodruff TJ, Verbeek JH, Holloway AC, Santesso N, Schünemann HJ. GRADE: Assessing the quality of evidence in environmental and occupational health. Environ Int 2016; 92-93:611-6. [PMID: 26827182 PMCID: PMC4902742 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Revised: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 01/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
There is high demand in environmental health for adoption of a structured process that evaluates and integrates evidence while making decisions and recommendations transparent. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework holds promise to address this demand. For over a decade, GRADE has been applied successfully to areas of clinical medicine, public health, and health policy, but experience with GRADE in environmental and occupational health is just beginning. Environmental and occupational health questions focus on understanding whether an exposure is a potential health hazard or risk, assessing the exposure to understand the extent and magnitude of risk, and exploring interventions to mitigate exposure or risk. Although GRADE offers many advantages, including its flexibility and methodological rigor, there are features of the different sources of evidence used in environmental and occupational health that will require further consideration to assess the need for method refinement. An issue that requires particular attention is the evaluation and integration of evidence from human, animal, in vitro, and in silico (computer modeling) studies when determining whether an environmental factor represents a potential health hazard or risk. Assessment of the hazard of exposures can produce analyses for use in the GRADE evidence-to-decision (EtD) framework to inform risk-management decisions about removing harmful exposures or mitigating risks. The EtD framework allows for grading the strength of the recommendations based on judgments of the certainty in the evidence (also known as quality of the evidence), as well as other factors that inform recommendations such as social values and preferences, resource implications, and benefits. GRADE represents an untapped opportunity for environmental and occupational health to make evidence-based recommendations in a systematic and transparent manner. The objectives of this article are to provide an overview of GRADE, discuss GRADE's applicability to environmental health, and identify priority areas for method assessment and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Morgan
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C14, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Kristina A Thayer
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 12233, Mail Drop K2-02, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Lisa Bero
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, D17, The Hub, 6th floor, New South Wales, 2006, Australia.
| | - Nigel Bruce
- Department of Public Health and Policy, University of Liverpool, L69 3GB, United Kingdom.
| | - Yngve Falck-Ytter
- Division of Gastroenterology, Case Western Reserve University and Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, 10701 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
| | - Davina Ghersi
- Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia; National Health and Medical Research Council, 16 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra City, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - Gordon Guyatt
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C14, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Carlijn Hooijmans
- Departments of SYRCLE and Anesthesiology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Geert Grooteplein-Noord 29, Route 231, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Miranda Langendam
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Room J1B-211, P.O. Box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Daniele Mandrioli
- Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center, Ramazzini Institute, Via Saliceto 3, Bentivoglio, Bologna, P.O. Box 40133, Italy.
| | - Reem A Mustafa
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C14, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Departments of Medicine/Nephrology and Biomedical & Health Informatics, University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Medicine, M4-303, 2411 Holmes St., Kansas City, Missouri 64108-2792, USA.
| | - Eva A Rehfuess
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Munich, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 12233, Mail Drop K2-02, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Beverley Shea
- Bruyere Research Institute and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Ellen K Silbergeld
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E6644, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Patrice Sutton
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California-San Francisco, 550 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
| | - Mary S Wolfe
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 12233, Mail Drop K2-02, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Tracey J Woodruff
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California-San Francisco, 550 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
| | - Jos H Verbeek
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Cochrane Work, PO Box 310, 70101 Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Alison C Holloway
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 3N52A, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Nancy Santesso
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C14, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Holger J Schünemann
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C14, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C14, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
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31
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Rooney AA, Cooper GS, Jahnke GD, Lam J, Morgan RL, Boyles AL, Ratcliffe JM, Kraft AD, Schünemann HJ, Schwingl P, Walker TD, Thayer KA, Lunn RM. How credible are the study results? Evaluating and applying internal validity tools to literature-based assessments of environmental health hazards. Environ Int 2016; 92-93:617-29. [PMID: 26857180 PMCID: PMC4902751 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Revised: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Environmental health hazard assessments are routinely relied upon for public health decision-making. The evidence base used in these assessments is typically developed from a collection of diverse sources of information of varying quality. It is critical that literature-based evaluations consider the credibility of individual studies used to reach conclusions through consistent, transparent and accepted methods. Systematic review procedures address study credibility by assessing internal validity or "risk of bias" - the assessment of whether the design and conduct of a study compromised the credibility of the link between exposure/intervention and outcome. This paper describes the commonalities and differences in risk-of-bias methods developed or used by five groups that conduct or provide methodological input for performing environmental health hazard assessments: the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group, the Navigation Guide, the National Toxicology Program's (NTP) Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) and Office of the Report on Carcinogens (ORoC), and the Integrated Risk Information System of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-IRIS). Each of these groups have been developing and applying rigorous assessment methods for integrating across a heterogeneous collection of human and animal studies to inform conclusions on potential environmental health hazards. There is substantial consistency across the groups in the consideration of risk-of-bias issues or "domains" for assessing observational human studies. There is a similar overlap in terms of domains addressed for animal studies; however, the groups differ in the relative emphasis placed on different aspects of risk of bias. Future directions for the continued harmonization and improvement of these methods are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Rooney
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Glinda S Cooper
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Gloria D Jahnke
- Office of the Report on Carcinogens, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Juleen Lam
- University of California San Francisco, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca L Morgan
- McMaster University, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Abee L Boyles
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Andrew D Kraft
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Holger J Schünemann
- McMaster University, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Teneille D Walker
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kristina A Thayer
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Ruth M Lunn
- Office of the Report on Carcinogens, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
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32
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Hessel EVS, Ezendam J, van Broekhuizen FA, Hakkert B, DeWitt J, Granum B, Guzylack L, Lawrence BP, Penninks A, Rooney AA, Piersma AH, van Loveren H. Assessment of recent developmental immunotoxicity studies with bisphenol A in the context of the 2015 EFSA t-TDI. Reprod Toxicol 2016; 65:448-456. [PMID: 27352639 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Humans are exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) mainly through the diet, air, dust, skin contact and water. There are concerns about adverse health effects in humans due to exposure to bisphenol A (BPA). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has extensively reviewed the available literature to establish a temporary Tolerable Daily Intake (t-TDI). This exposure level was based on all available literature published before the end of 2012. Since then, new experimental animal studies have emerged, including those that identified effects of BPA on the immune system after developmental exposure. These studies indicate that developmental immunotoxicity might occur at lower dose levels than previously observed and on which the current EFSA t-TDI is based. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) organized an expert workshop in September 2015 to consider recently published studies on the developmental immunotoxicity of bisphenol A (BPA). Key studies were discussed in the context of other experimental studies. The workshop concluded that these new experimental studies provide credible evidence for adverse immune effects after developmental exposure to BPA at 5μg/kg BW/day from gestation day 15 to postnatal day 21. Supportive evidence for adverse immune effects in similar dose ranges was obtained from other publications that were discussed during the workshop. The dose level associated with adverse immune effects is considerably lower than the dose used by EFSA for deriving the t-TDI. The workshop unanimously concluded that the current EFSA t-TDI warrants reconsideration in the context of all currently available data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen V S Hessel
- Center for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Janine Ezendam
- Center for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Fleur A van Broekhuizen
- Center for Safety of Substances and Products, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Betty Hakkert
- Center for Safety of Substances and Products, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Jamie DeWitt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - Berit Granum
- Department of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Oslo, Norway
| | - Laurence Guzylack
- Department of Intestinal Development, Xenobiotics, and Immunotoxicology, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Research Centre in Food Toxicology (Toxalim), Université de Toulouse, INRA, Toulouse, France
| | - B Paige Lawrence
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Andre Penninks
- Formerly Department of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, TNO Triskelion BV, Zeist, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- National Toxicology Program, Office of Health Assessment and Translation, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Aldert H Piersma
- Center for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Veterinary Faculty, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Henk van Loveren
- Center for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands; Currently Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Howard BE, Phillips J, Miller K, Tandon A, Mav D, Shah MR, Holmgren S, Pelch KE, Walker V, Rooney AA, Macleod M, Shah RR, Thayer K. SWIFT-Review: a text-mining workbench for systematic review. Syst Rev 2016; 5:87. [PMID: 27216467 PMCID: PMC4877757 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-016-0263-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is growing interest in using machine learning approaches to priority rank studies and reduce human burden in screening literature when conducting systematic reviews. In addition, identifying addressable questions during the problem formulation phase of systematic review can be challenging, especially for topics having a large literature base. Here, we assess the performance of the SWIFT-Review priority ranking algorithm for identifying studies relevant to a given research question. We also explore the use of SWIFT-Review during problem formulation to identify, categorize, and visualize research areas that are data rich/data poor within a large literature corpus. METHODS Twenty case studies, including 15 public data sets, representing a range of complexity and size, were used to assess the priority ranking performance of SWIFT-Review. For each study, seed sets of manually annotated included and excluded titles and abstracts were used for machine training. The remaining references were then ranked for relevance using an algorithm that considers term frequency and latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modeling. This ranking was evaluated with respect to (1) the number of studies screened in order to identify 95 % of known relevant studies and (2) the "Work Saved over Sampling" (WSS) performance metric. To assess SWIFT-Review for use in problem formulation, PubMed literature search results for 171 chemicals implicated as EDCs were uploaded into SWIFT-Review (264,588 studies) and categorized based on evidence stream and health outcome. Patterns of search results were surveyed and visualized using a variety of interactive graphics. RESULTS Compared with the reported performance of other tools using the same datasets, the SWIFT-Review ranking procedure obtained the highest scores on 11 out of 15 of the public datasets. Overall, these results suggest that using machine learning to triage documents for screening has the potential to save, on average, more than 50 % of the screening effort ordinarily required when using un-ordered document lists. In addition, the tagging and annotation capabilities of SWIFT-Review can be useful during the activities of scoping and problem formulation. CONCLUSIONS Text-mining and machine learning software such as SWIFT-Review can be valuable tools to reduce the human screening burden and assist in problem formulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian E Howard
- SciOme LLC, Research Triangle Park, 2 Davis Drive, 27709, NC, USA.
| | - Jason Phillips
- SciOme LLC, Research Triangle Park, 2 Davis Drive, 27709, NC, USA
| | - Kyle Miller
- SciOme LLC, Research Triangle Park, 2 Davis Drive, 27709, NC, USA
| | - Arpit Tandon
- SciOme LLC, Research Triangle Park, 2 Davis Drive, 27709, NC, USA
| | - Deepak Mav
- SciOme LLC, Research Triangle Park, 2 Davis Drive, 27709, NC, USA
| | - Mihir R Shah
- SciOme LLC, Research Triangle Park, 2 Davis Drive, 27709, NC, USA
| | - Stephanie Holmgren
- Office of Scientific Information Management, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Katherine E Pelch
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Vickie Walker
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Malcolm Macleod
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Ruchir R Shah
- SciOme LLC, Research Triangle Park, 2 Davis Drive, 27709, NC, USA
| | - Kristina Thayer
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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Rooney AA, Boyles AL, Wolfe MS, Bucher JR, Thayer KA. Systematic review and evidence integration for literature-based environmental health science assessments. Environ Health Perspect 2014; 122:711-8. [PMID: 24755067 PMCID: PMC4080517 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1307972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 276] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2013] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systematic-review methodologies provide objectivity and transparency to the process of collecting and synthesizing scientific evidence in reaching conclusions on specific research questions. There is increasing interest in applying these procedures to address environmental health questions. OBJECTIVES The goal was to develop a systematic-review framework to address environmental health questions by extending approaches developed for clinical medicine to handle the breadth of data relevant to environmental health sciences (e.g., human, animal, and mechanistic studies). METHODS The Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) adapted guidance from authorities on systematic-review and sought advice during development of the OHAT Approach through consultation with technical experts in systematic review and human health assessments, as well as scientific advisory groups and the public. The method was refined by considering expert and public comments and through application to case studies. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Here we present a seven-step framework for systematic review and evidence integration for reaching hazard identification conclusions: 1) problem formulation and protocol development, 2) search for and select studies for inclusion, 3) extract data from studies, 4) assess the quality or risk of bias of individual studies, 5) rate the confidence in the body of evidence, 6) translate the confidence ratings into levels of evidence, and 7) integrate the information from different evidence streams (human, animal, and "other relevant data" including mechanistic or in vitro studies) to develop hazard identification conclusions. CONCLUSION The principles of systematic review can be successfully applied to environmental health questions to provide greater objectivity and transparency to the process of developing conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Rooney
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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Thayer KA, Wolfe MS, Rooney AA, Boyles AL, Bucher JR, Birnbaum LS. Intersection of systematic review methodology with the NIH reproducibility initiative. Environ Health Perspect 2014; 122:A176-7. [PMID: 24984224 PMCID: PMC4080520 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1408671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
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Rooney AA, Yang Y, Makris SL. Recent progress and diverse effects in developmental immunotoxicology: overview of a symposium at the 46th Annual SOT Meeting, Charlotte, NC. J Immunotoxicol 2009; 5:395-400. [PMID: 19404873 DOI: 10.1080/15476910802481443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
It has long been known that the developing immune system is more sensitive and susceptible than the adult immune system to some drugs and environmental contaminants. However, notable advances have been made in the database of studies supporting developmental immunotoxicity (DIT) over the past 5 years. There is considerable evidence that responses of the immune system can be quantitatively or qualitatively different from normal adult responses when xenobiotic exposure occurs during critical periods of immune system development. Qualitative differences of DIT relative to adult exposures include examples of more persistent effects, a latency of effects, and immune dysfunction that is fundamentally different than effects observed when adults are exposed. A symposium was presented at the Society of Toxicology annual meeting to provide an update on advances in the maturing field of developmental immunotoxicology and to facilitate discussion on the range of DIT and later life effects following developmental exposure. In particular, presentations focused on implications of neuroendocrine cross-talk for DIT, the association between developmental air pollutant exposure and asthma, and recent evidence that developmental exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin may increase the risk of autoimmune responses. Several important concepts relative to DIT assessment were illustrated, i.e., (1) Screening for immunosuppression alone is not sufficient to identify all potential immunotoxic effects; (2) DIT cannot be reliably predicted from studies that only utilize adult exposures; (3) Functional testing protocols are preferred in the assessment of DIT; (4) Gender-related differences should be routinely assessed; (5) Latency (i.e., later-life adverse outcomes resulting from developmental exposures) is an important consideration that cannot be detected in adult exposure studies; and, (6) There is increasing support for DIT testing protocols with continuous exposure throughout development until the immune assay is performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Rooney
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
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Pillet S, Rooney AA, Bouquegneau JM, Cyr DG, Fournier M. Sex-specific effects of neonatal exposures to low levels of cadmium through maternal milk on development and immune functions of juvenile and adult rats. Toxicology 2005; 209:289-301. [PMID: 15795064 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2004.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2004] [Accepted: 12/12/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a major environmental contaminant. Although immunotoxic effects have been associated with Cd exposure, the inconsistency of experimental results underlines the need of an experimental approach more closely related to environmental conditions. We investigated the effects of exposing neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats to environmentally relevant doses of Cd through maternal milk. Dams received 10 parts per billion (ppb) or 5 parts per million (ppm) Cd chloride (CdCl2) in drinking water from parturition until the weaning of the pups. Half of the offspring was sampled at weaning time. The remaining juvenile rats received water without addition of Cd until adulthood. Cd accumulation in kidneys of juvenile rats fed from dams exposed to Cd indicated the transfer of the metal from mother to pups through maternal milk. This neonatal exposure resulted in decreased body, kidney and spleen weights of just weaned females but not of males. This effect was more pronounced in the less exposed females fed from dams exposed to 10 ppb Cd, which also displayed lower hepatic metallothionein-1 (MT-1) mRNA levels. The effect of Cd exposure on body and organ weights did not persist to adulthood. In contrast, we observed gender-specific effects of neonatal Cd exposure on the cytotoxic activity of splenic NK-cells of both juvenile and adult rats. Cd also strongly inhibited the proliferative response of Con A-stimulated thymocytes in both male and female adult rats 5 weeks after the cessation of Cd exposure. These immunotoxic effects were observed at doses much lower than those reported to produce similar effects when exposure occurred during adulthood. In conclusion, neonatal exposures to environmentally relevant levels of Cd through maternal milk represent a critical hazard liable to lead to both transitory and persistent immunotoxic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Pillet
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Université du Québec, 245 Hymus Boulevard, Pointe-Claire, Que., Canada H9R 1G6
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Abstract
Seasonal variation in plasma sex steroid concentrations is common in mature vertebrates, and is occasionally seen in juvenile animals. In this study, we examine the seasonal pattern of sex hormone concentration in juvenile American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) and make a limited comparison of these seasonal patterns on two different lakes in Florida. Male juvenile alligators from a reference lake, Lake Woodruff, displayed temporal patterns in plasma testosterone (T) concentrations that appear to be seasonal. A similar pattern in plasma estradiol-17beta (E(2)) was observed in juvenile females from Lake Woodruff. Males had significantly elevated T concentrations during the spring and late summer, whereas females had elevated E(2) in the spring and late summer and significantly depressed E(2) concentrations during the winter. A limited 4-month survey of animals from contaminated Lake Apopka found a lack of such seasonality. These results suggest that: (1) healthy wild populations of juvenile alligators have a prolonged peripubescent period that is marked by seasonal hormonal cycles, (2) juvenile alligators exposed to environmental contaminants can lack such seasonal cyclicity, and (3) future studies of juvenile alligators should incorporate such seasonality into the experimental design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Rooney
- Department of Zoology, University of Florida, 223 Bartram Hall, P.O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
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Rooney AA, Fournier M, Bernier J, Cyr DG. Neonatal exposure to propylthiouracil induces a shift in lymphoid cell sub-populations in the developing postnatal male rat spleen and thymus. Cell Immunol 2003; 223:91-102. [PMID: 14527507 DOI: 10.1016/s0008-8749(03)00153-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Evidence of the connections between the immune system and the thyroid axis is increasingly strong; however, much of the data are focused on immune effects of altered thyroid status in adults or rodents with congenital defects of the pituitary/thyroid axis. The object of the present study was to determine the effects of PTU-induced hypothyroidism on the developing immune system of the rat by focussing on both the spleen and thymus gland. Male Sprague-Dawley rat pups were exposed to PTU through maternal milk by giving the mothers 0.02% PTU in their drinking water starting on the pups' day of birth until day 24 (d24), shortly before weaning on d28. Animals were sampled on days 14, 22, 30, and 91. The mean body weight was decreased in the PTU-treated animals on days 14, 22, and 30. The mean spleen and thymic weights and cellularity were all decreased in the PTU-treated animals on d22 and d30. PTU exposure increased the proportion of NK cells in the spleen on days 14, 22, and 30. The proportion of T-cells was increased on days 22 and 30 with a particular increase in the CD4+ T-cells, resulting in an increase in the ratio of helper T-cells to suppressor/cytotoxic T-cells at d22. PTU also decreased the proportion of splenic B-cells at days 14, 22, and 30 which could explain the increased proportion of both NK and T-cells during these sampling periods. PTU treatment decreased the lytic ability of NK cells at d22, but no functional differences were observed at days 14, 30, 91, despite the increased proportion of NK cells in PTU-exposed animals at days 14, 22, and 30. PTU exposure also increased the proportion of CD4+CD8- cells in the thymus on d22 and caused an increase in both the CD4+CD8- and CD4-CD8+ populations on d30. These data suggest that the effects of temporary, PTU-induced hypothyroidism on the cell populations in the spleen partially result from transient changes in thymic T-cell development, including a shift towards increased CD4+CD8- cells. The data also suggest that temporary hypothyroidism early in development decreases B-cell development in a transient fashion. Temporary hypothyroidism induced from birth to the latter stages of the weaning period induced transitory effects on the spleen, thymus, and immune cell sub-populations--all of which recovered to normal values when the animals matured.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Rooney
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Université du Québec, 245 boulevard Hymus, Pointe-Claire, QC, Canada H9R 1G6
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Abstract
Each year, 75 million pounds of the broadleaf herbicide atrazine (ATR) are applied to crops in the United States. Despite limited solubility, ATR is common in ground and surface water, making it of regulatory concern. ATR suppresses the immunomodulatory hormones prolactin (PRL) and the thyroid hormones (THs), with developmental exposure to ATR permanently disrupting PRL regulation. We hypothesized that ATR may cause developmental immunotoxicity through its disruption of PRL or THs. To test this hypothesis, pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to 35-mg ATR/kg/d from gestational day (GD) 10 through postnatal day (PND) 23. Separate groups were exposed to bromocryptine (BCR) at 0.2 mg/kg/2x/day to induce hypoprolactinemia or to propylthiouracil (PTU) at 2 mg/kg/day to induce hypothyroidism. After the offspring reached immunologic maturity (at least 7 weeks old), the following immune functions were evaluated: natural killer (NK) cell function; delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses; phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages; and antibody response to sheep erythrocytes (SRBC). ATR decreased the primary antibody and DTH responses in male offspring only. Neither PTU nor BCR caused immunosuppression in any measured variable, although PTU increased phagocytosis by peritoneal macrophages. These results demonstrate that developmental exposure to ATR produced gender-specific changes in immune function in adult rats and suggest that immune changes associated with ATR are not mediated through the suppression of PRL or THs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Rooney
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Anatomy, Physiological Sciences and Radiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
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Abstract
Morphological differences in spleen and thymus are closely related to functional immune differences. Hormonal regulation of the immune system has been demonstrated in reptilian splenic and thymic tissue. Spleens and thymus were obtained from juvenile alligators at two reference sites in Florida, USA: Orange Lake and a National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Woodruff, as well as from a contaminated lake, Lake Apopka. Lake Apopka has been extensively polluted with agricultural pesticides. Tissues were prepared for histological analysis to determine if previously detected endocrine abnormalities associated with contaminant exposure might also be reflected in morphological differences in splenic and thymic structures important for immunological response. Similar tissues were taken from captive-raised juvenile female alligators (3 years old) that were hatched from eggs collected on Lake Woodruff and Lake Apopka. Differences in thymic ratios (medulla/cortex) were found among alligators collected from the two lakes (P = 0.0051). Alligators from Lake Apopka had smaller thymic ratios than animals from either reference lake. Males from Lake Woodruff had significantly smaller lymphocyte sheaths in the spleen than females (P = 0.0009), indicative of a normal sexual dimorphism. Lymphocyte sheath width differed among females obtained from the three lakes, with females from Lake Apopka having the smallest sheath width and those from Orange Lake having the largest. Malpighian body area was largest in alligators from Orange Lake, intermediate in Lake Woodruff, and smallest in Lake Apopka. In contrast to that observed for wild-caught animals, no difference was found in the thymic medulla/cortex ratio of captive-raised female alligators (P = 0.378). Captive-raised female alligators from Lake Apopka and Lake Woodruff displayed lake-associated differences in lymphocyte sheath width as observed in wild animals; Lake Apopka alligators had smaller lymphocyte sheath width compared to Woodruff alligators (P = 0.0396). In contrast to wild-caught animals, area of the Malpighian bodies did not differ by lake in the captive-raised female alligators (P = 0.066). The enlarged thymic cortex suggests a change in T-lymphocyte maturation within the thymus of alligators from a contaminated environment, Lake Apopka. The results point to alterations in the histology of the thymus and spleen. Further studies are required to examine the functional significance of these observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Rooney
- Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
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St-Pierre N, Dufresne J, Rooney AA, Cyr DG. Neonatal hypothyroidism alters the localization of gap junctional protein connexin 43 in the testis and messenger RNA levels in the epididymis of the rat. Biol Reprod 2003; 68:1232-40. [PMID: 12606457 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.102.010504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced neonatal hypothyroidism on the gap junctional protein Cx43 in rat testis and epididymis. PTU (0.02%) was administered via lactation from birth to Day 30, and the rats were sampled at 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, and 91 days of age. Testicular Cx43 was localized along the plasma membranes and cytoplasm of Sertoli cells until Day 22. At Day 30, the immunostaining was localized exclusively along the plasma membrane of Sertoli cells. In PTU-treated rats, Cx43 did not localize to the plasma membrane and was still cytoplasmic at 30 days of age. Occludin was present in tubules of treated rats, but was not localized to the blood-testis barrier in 30-day-old rats, as in controls. There were no differences in Cx43 immunostaining in the adult testis. In the proximal epididymis (initial segment, caput, corpus), Cx43 mRNA levels were lower in PTU-treated rats at 14, 18, and 22 days of age, but no differences were observed in the distal (cauda) epididymis at these ages. In 22- and 30-day-old rats, Cx43 was localized along the plasma membrane between principal and basal cells throughout the epididymis. In PTU-treated rats, Cx43 was not detectable in initial segment, caput, or corpus epididymidis. In the cauda epididymidis, however, Cx43 immunostaining in PTU-treated rats was similar to controls. These data suggest that thyroid hormones regulate Cx43-dependent gap junctional communication in the testis and epididymis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy St-Pierre
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Université du Québec, Montreal, Québec, Canada H9R 1G6
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Milnes MR, Woodward AR, Rooney AA, Guillette LJ. Plasma steroid concentrations in relation to size and age in juvenile alligators from two Florida lakes. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2002; 131:923-30. [PMID: 11897204 DOI: 10.1016/s1095-6433(02)00025-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have reported a number of physiological differences among juvenile alligators from two well-studied populations (Lake Apopka and Lake Woodruff) in north central Florida. These studies obtained alligators of similar size from each lake under the assumption that the animals were of similar age. Lake Apopka is a hypertrophic lake with a 50-year history of contamination from agricultural and municipal operations, whereas Lake Woodruff is a eutrophic lake and part of a National Wildlife Refuge that receives little point source pollution. If growth rates differ among these areas, it could be argued that differences in endocrine parameters reported previously (e.g. steroid or thyroid hormone concentrations) could be the result of differences in the animals' ages. Using growth annuli in cross-sections of femurs, we estimated the ages of juvenile alligators and compared the relationship of estradiol-17beta (E(2)) and testosterone (T) to size and age within each lake and sex. No differences were detected in the relationship between size and age between the two areas indicating similar growth rates between lakes. Plasma E(2) was positively related to size in females from Lake Apopka, and age in Woodruff females. Males from Lake Apopka had elevated plasma E(2) compared with Lake Woodruff males and did not differ from Woodruff females. No significant relationships were detected for T from either lake, and no differences in plasma T were detected among lakes or sexes. Our data indicate that both size and age can have a significant relationship with steroid concentrations. However, the relationship between steroid concentrations and size or age differed between lakes. We suggest both factors should be considered when conducting physiological studies where there is evidence to suggest growth rates may differ among populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Milnes
- Department of Zoology, 223 Bartram Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA.
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Guillette LJ, Crain DA, Gunderson MP, Kools SAE, Milnes MR, Orlando EF, Rooney AA, Woodward AR. Alligators and Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants: A Current Perspective 1. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1668/0003-1569(2000)040[0438:aaedca]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Guillette LJ, Crain DA, Gunderson MP, Kools SAE, Milnes MR, Orlando EF, Rooney AA, Woodward AR. Alligators and Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants: A Current Perspective. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/40.3.438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Rooney AA, Orlando EF, Woodward AR, Guillette LJ. Metals and metalloids in tissues of American alligators in three Florida lakes. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2000; 38:501-508. [PMID: 10787102 DOI: 10.1007/s002449910066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Concentrations of metals and selenium were examined in tissues of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from three lakes in central Florida, in one of which alligators have exhibited reproductive or developmental defects. Our overall objective was to determine whether the levels of metals were sufficiently high to confound the association between chlorinated hydrocarbons, which are elevated in eggs and juvenile plasma, and reproductive impairment. The concentrations of all metals were relatively low compared to those reported for alligators from elsewhere in Florida and the southeastern United States, suggesting that reproductive impairment is not due to metals and that metals pose no health risk to the alligators. We also wanted to determine whether skin, biopsied tail muscle, or tail tip tissue, all easily collected from live alligators, could be used as surrogate measures of internal tissue loads. Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, and selenium in liver were highly correlated with at least one of the three biopsied tissues. Only tin showed no significant positive correlation. No single tissue gave a high prediction of liver levels for all metals, although skin gave the highest correlation for mercury, and tail muscle gave the best overall correlation for lead and cadmium.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8082, USA
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Guillette LJ, Woodward AR, Crain DA, Pickford DB, Rooney AA, Percival HF. Plasma steroid concentrations and male phallus size in juvenile alligators from seven Florida lakes. Gen Comp Endocrinol 1999; 116:356-72. [PMID: 10603274 DOI: 10.1006/gcen.1999.7375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Neonatal and juvenile alligators from contaminated Lake Apopka in central Florida exhibit abnormal plasma sex steroid concentrations as well as morphological abnormalities of the gonad and phallus. This study addresses whether similar abnormalities occur in juvenile alligators inhabiting six other lakes in Florida. For analysis, animals were partitioned into two subsets, animals 40-79 cm total length (1-3 years old) and juveniles 80-130 cm total length (3-7 years old). Plasma testosterone (T) concentrations were lower in small males from lakes Apopka, Griffin, and Jessup than from Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Similar differences were observed in the larger juveniles, with males from lakes Jessup, Apopka, and Okeechobee having lower plasma T concentrations than Lake Woodruff males. Plasma estradiol-17beta (E(2)) concentrations were significantly elevated in larger juvenile males from Lake Apopka compared to Lake Woodruff NWR. When compared to small juvenile females from Lake Woodruff NWR, females from lakes Griffin, Apopka, Orange, and Okeechobee had elevated plasma E(2) concentrations. Phallus size was significantly smaller in males from lakes Griffin and Apopka when compared to males from Lake Woodruff NWR. An association existed between body size and phallus size on all lakes except Lake Apopka and between phallus size and plasma T concentration on all lakes except lakes Apopka and Orange. Multiple regression analysis, with body size and plasma T concentration as independent covariables, explained the majority of the variation in phallus size on all lakes. These data suggest that the differences in sex steroids and phallus size observed in alligators from Lake Apopka are not limited to that lake, nor to one with a history of a major pesticide spill. Further work examining the relationship of sex steroids and phallus size with specific biotic and abiotic factors, such as antiandrogenic or estrogenic contaminants, is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Guillette
- Department of Zoology, University of Florida, 223 Bartram Hall, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
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Guillette LJ, Brock JW, Rooney AA, Woodward AR. Serum concentrations of various environmental contaminants and their relationship to sex steroid concentrations and phallus size in juvenile American alligators. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 1999; 36:447-455. [PMID: 10227864 DOI: 10.1007/pl00006617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have reported a number of abnormalities in the hatchling and juvenile alligators of Lake Apopka, FL (USA). These abnormalities include modifications of plasma concentrations of sex steroids in males and females as well as abnormalities in gonadal morphology, gonadal enzyme activity, and steroidogenesis. Embryonic exposure to environmental contaminants in the eggs has been hypothesized to be the causal agent for these changes. However, posthatchling exposure can also contribute to changes in reproductive and endocrine functioning. We have detected serum concentrations of 16 of 18 organochlorine pesticides or metabolites (OCs) and 23 of 28 congener-specific polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) examined in juvenile alligators from Lake Apopka, Orange Lake, and Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge. Lake Apopka juveniles had significantly elevated serum concentrations of p,p'-DDE, dieldrin, endrin, mirex, oxychlordane, SigmaDDTs, and SigmaPCBs compared to juveniles from the other lakes. Further, we observed no correlations between serum contaminant concentrations and sex steroid concentrations (estradiol-17beta and testosterone). However, serum testosterone was significantly lower in males from Lake Apopka and Orange Lake compared to Lake Woodruff NWR. We did not observe relationships between phallus size or other body parameters and serum contaminant levels. Phallus size was smaller in males from Lake Apopka even after adjustment for body size. We suggest that the observations previously reported for juvenile alligators-and observed again in this study-are apparently not associated with the current serum levels of the environmental contaminants we measured, but could be due to exposures during embryonic development to these or other pollutants. Future studies must determine if a causal relationship exists between the contaminants found in alligator eggs and abnormalities observed in the hatchlings and persisting in juveniles.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Guillette
- Department of Zoology, 223 Bartram Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
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Guillette LJ, Crain DA, Rooney AA, Woodward AR. Effect of Acute Stress on Plasma Concentrations of Sex and Stress Hormones in Juvenile Alligators Living in Control and Contaminated Lakes. J HERPETOL 1997. [DOI: 10.2307/1565662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Crain DA, Guillette LJ, Rooney AA, Pickford DB. Alterations in steroidogenesis in alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) exposed naturally and experimentally to environmental contaminants. Environ Health Perspect 1997; 105:528-33. [PMID: 9222139 PMCID: PMC1469881 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.97105528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Many environmental contaminants alter the reproduction of animals by altering the development and function of the endocrine system. The ability of environmental contaminants to alter the endocrine system of alligators was studied both in a descriptive study in which juvenile alligators from a historically contaminated lake were compared to animals from a control lake and in an experimental study in which hatchling control alligators were exposed in ovo to several endocrine-disrupting standards and two modern-use herbicides. Endocrine status was assessed by examining plasma hormone concentrations, gonadal-adrenal mesonephros (GAM) aromatase activity, and gonadal histopathology. In the descriptive study, juvenile alligators from the contaminated lake had significantly lower plasma testosterone concentrations (29.2 pg/ml compared to 51.3 pg/ml), whereas plasma 17 beta-estradiol concentrations did not vary when compared to controls. GAM aromatase activity was significantly decreased n the alligators from the contaminated lake (7.6 pmol/g/hr compared to 11.4 pmol/g/hr). In the experimental study, the endocrine-disrupting standards had the expected effects. 17 beta-Estradiol and tamoxifen caused sex reversal from male to female, with a corresponding increase in aromatase activity. Vinclozolin had no apparent effect on male or female alligators. Among the herbicides tested, atrazine induced GAM aromatase activity in male hatchling alligators that was neither characteristic of males nor females, although testicular differentiation was not altered. Exposure to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid had no effect on the endocrine parameters that were measured. Together, these studies show that exposure to some environmental chemicals (such as atrazine) can alter steroidogenesis in alligators, but the endocrine alterations previously noted for Lake Apopka, Florida, alligators can not be fully explained by this mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Crain
- Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611 USA
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