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Khalili R, Legaspi JM, Fabian MP, Levy JI, Korrick SA, Vieira VM. Multiple Prenatal Exposures and Acute Care Clinical Encounters for Asthma among Children Born to Mothers Living near a Superfund Site. Am J Epidemiol 2024:kwae032. [PMID: 38576180 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwae032] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Prenatal exposures are associated with childhood asthma, and risk may increase with simultaneous exposures. Pregnant women living in lower-income communities tend to have elevated exposures to a range of potential asthma risk factors, which may interact in complex ways. We examined the association between prenatal exposures and the risk of childhood asthma acute care clinical encounters (hospitalization, emergency department visit, observational stay) using conditional logistic regression with a multivariable smooth to model the interaction between continuous variables, adjusted for maternal characteristics, and stratified by sex. All births near the New Bedford Harbor (NBH) Superfund site (2000-2006) were followed through 2011 using the Massachusetts Pregnancy to Early Life Longitudinal data system to identify children ages 5-11 with asthma acute care clinical encounters (265 cases among 7,787 with follow-up). Hazard ratios (HRs) were higher for children living closer to the NBH with higher cord blood Pb levels than children living further away from the NBH with lower Pb levels (P<0.001). HRs were highest for girls (HR=4.17, 95% CI: 3.60, 4.82) compared to boys (HR=1.72, 95% CI: 1.46, 2.02). Our results suggest that prenatal Pb exposure in combination with residential proximity to the NBH is associated with childhood asthma acute care clinical encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxana Khalili
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Program in Public Health, Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, United States
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Jesselle M Legaspi
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Program in Public Health, Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, United States
| | - M Patricia Fabian
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Jonathan I Levy
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Verónica M Vieira
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Program in Public Health, Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, United States
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Shoaff JR, Hahn J, Calafat AM, Korrick SA. Adolescent endocrine disrupting chemical exposure and academic achievement. Environ Res 2023; 234:116493. [PMID: 37390949 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116493] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiologic studies support associations of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as some phthalates, phenols, and parabens with a wide range of cognitive and behavioral traits. While many of these traits are associated with academic achievement, the relationship of EDC exposure specifically with academic achievement in adolescence has not yet been studied. OBJECTIVE We assessed the association of urinary biomarker concentrations of EDCs with academic achievement in adolescents as well as the potential for psychosocial factors to modify associations. METHODS We quantified urinary concentrations of select EDCs in 205 adolescent participants from the New Bedford Cohort (NBC), a prospective birth cohort of children born to mothers residing near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site in Massachusetts, and estimated associations between EDCs and adolescent academic achievement assessed with the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT). Measures of socioeconomic status and the home environment were used to estimate psychosocial stress. RESULTS Urinary concentrations of antiandrogenic phthalates were inversely associated with Math Computation scores. For example, each doubling of the concentration of antiandrogenic phthalate metabolites in urine was associated with a 1.94 point decrease (95% CI: 3.84, -0.05) in Math Computation scores, indicating poorer performance. For the most part, associations were stronger in adolescents with more, as compared to less, social disadvantage, but most of these differences did not achieve statistical significance. CONCLUSION Our findings support the potential for adolescents' exposure to antiandrogenic phthalates to correlate with poorer academic achievement in math, particularly among participants with greater psychosocial stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R Shoaff
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Jill Hahn
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antonia M Calafat
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Burns JS, Bather JR, Sergeyev O, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Sokolov S, Kovalev S, Koch HM, Lebedev AT, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Hauser R, Williams PL. Longitudinal association of prepubertal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with pubertal progression among a cohort of boys. Environ Res 2023; 233:116330. [PMID: 37348639 PMCID: PMC10575624 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116330] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies have reported associations of anti-androgenic phthalate metabolite concentrations with later onset of male puberty, but few have assessed associations with progression. OBJECTIVES We examined the association of prepubertal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with trajectories of pubertal progression among Russian boys. METHODS At enrollment (ages 8-9 years), medical history, dietary, and demographic information were collected. At entry and annually to age 19 years, physical examinations including testicular volume (TV) were performed and spot urines collected. Each boy's prepubertal urine samples were pooled, and 15 phthalate metabolites were quantified by isotope dilution LC-MS/MS at Moscow State University. Metabolites of anti-androgenic parent phthalates were included: butylbenzyl (BBzP), di-n-butyl (DnBP), diisobutyl (DiBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP) and diisononyl (DiNP) phthalates. We calculated the molar sums of DEHP, DiNP, and all AAP metabolites. We used group-based trajectory models (GBTMs) to identify subgroups of boys who followed similar pubertal trajectories from ages 8-19 years based on annual TV. We used multinomial and ordinal regression models to evaluate whether prepubertal log-transformed phthalate metabolite concentrations were associated with slower or faster pubertal progression trajectories, adjusting for covariates. RESULTS 304 boys contributed a total of 752 prepubertal urine samples (median 2, range: 1-6) for creation of individual pools. The median length of follow-up was 10.0 years; 79% of boys were followed beyond age 15. We identified three pubertal progression groups: slower (34%), moderate (43%), and faster (23%) progression. A standard deviation increase in urinary log-monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) concentrations was associated with higher adjusted odds of being in the slow versus faster pubertal progression trajectory (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.06-2.04). None of the other phthalate metabolites were associated with pubertal progression. CONCLUSIONS On average, boys with higher concentrations of prepubertal urinary MBzP had a slower tempo of pubertal progression, perhaps attributable to the disruption of androgen-dependent biological pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, 14th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - J R Bather
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 2, 4th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - O Sergeyev
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskye Gory, House 1, Building 40, Room 322, 119992, Moscow, Russia
| | - M M Lee
- Nemours Children's Health/Sidney Kimmel Medical School, Jefferson University, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - S A Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, 14th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, 3rd Floor West, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - S Sokolov
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Russia
| | - S Kovalev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Russia
| | - H M Koch
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany
| | - A T Lebedev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Russia
| | - L Mínguez-Alarcón
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, 14th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, 3rd Floor West, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - R Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, 14th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Kresge Building, 9th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - P L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 2, 4th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Kresge Building, 9th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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Plaku B, Williams PL, Sergeyev O, Korrick SA, Burns JS, Bather JR, Hauser R, Lee MM. Pubertal progression in relation to peripubertal exposure to organochlorine chemicals in a cohort of Russian boys. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2023; 254:114096. [PMID: 37981979 PMCID: PMC10653680 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114096] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Background Peripubertal concentrations of serum dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have demonstrated associations with altered age of pubertal onset and sexual maturity in boys, but associations with pubertal progression have received less attention. Methods The Russian Children's Study is a prospective cohort of 516 boys enrolled in 2003-2005 at age 8 or 9 and followed annually up to 19 years of age. Serum concentrations of dioxin-like toxic equivalents (TEQs), polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and non-dioxin-like PCBs (NDL-PCBs) and whole blood lead levels (BLLs) were quantified from blood samples collected at study entry (age 8-9). Testicular volume (TV) was assessed annually using a Prader orchidometer. Pubertal trajectories were identified by applying Group-Based Trajectory Models (GBTMs) to TV measured from ages 8-19. Associations of peripubertal serum TEQs, PCDDs, PCDFs, and NDL-PCBs with specific progression trajectories were modeled using multinomial logistic regression, adjusting for each boy's birthweight, and for BLL, body mass index and nutritional factors at study entry. Results Among 489 eligible boys with available exposure measures, we identified three pubertal trajectories using GBTMs: slower (34% of boys), moderate (48%) and faster (18%). Boys with higher peripubertal serum TEQs had higher adjusted odds of being in the moderate versus faster trajectory (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.79, 95% CI 1.01, 3.13) and the slower versus faster trajectory (aOR 1.52, 95% CI 0.82, 2.78) per 1 log unit increase in serum TEQs. Boys with higher peripubertal serum PCDFs had higher adjusted odds of being in the moderate compared to the faster trajectory (aOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.20, 3.03) and of being in the slower versus the faster trajectory (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 0.91, 2.33) per 1 log unit increase. Boys with higher NDL-PCBs had higher adjusted odds of being in the faster trajectory versus the moderate (aOR 2.56, 95% CI 0.91-7.20) or slower (aOR 3.31, 95% CI 1.07, 10.25) trajectory. Boys with higher blood lead levels also had higher adjusted odds of being in the slower trajectory of pubertal progression, compared to either the faster (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 0.89, 2.44) or moderate (aOR 1.20, 95% CI 0.83, 1.75) trajectories, per 1 log unit increase in BLL, although these associations did not attain statistical significance. Conclusion Boys' peripubertal exposure to dioxins and certain PCBs may alter pubertal progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bora Plaku
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (Present address: Optum Inc, Eden Prairie, MN 55344)
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Jane S Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Jemar R Bather
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Russ Hauser
- Departments of Environmental Health and Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Mary M Lee
- Nemours Children's Health, 1600 Rockland Rd, Wilmington, DE 19803; Sidney Kimmel Medical College/Jefferson University, 1025 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
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Laue HE, Moroishi Y, Jackson BP, Palys TJ, Baker ER, Korrick SA, Madan JC, Karagas MR. Bacterial Modification of the Association Between Arsenic and Autism-Related Social Behavior Scores. Expo Health 2023; 15:347-354. [PMID: 37840773 PMCID: PMC10569445 DOI: 10.1007/s12403-022-00494-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic is related to neurodevelopmental outcomes and is associated with the composition of the gut microbiome. Data on the modifying role of the microbiome are limited. We probed suggestive relationships between arsenic and social behaviors to quantify the modifying role of the infant gut microbiome. We followed children for whom arsenic concentrations were quantified in 6-week-old toenail clippings. Scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), which measures autism-related social behaviors, were provided by caregivers when the child was approximately 3 years of age. Metagenomic sequencing was performed on infant stools collected at 6 weeks and 1 year of age. To evaluate modification by the top ten most abundant species and functional pathways, we modeled SRS-2 total T-scores as a function of arsenic concentrations, microbiome features dichotomized at their median, and an interaction between exposure and the microbiome, adjusting for other trace elements and sociodemographic characteristics. As compared to the standardized population (SRS-2 T-scores = 50), participants in our study had lower SRS-2 scores (n = 78, mean = 44, SD = 5).The relative abundances of several functional pathways identified in 6-week stool samples modified the arsenic-SRS-2 association, including the pathways of valine and isoleucine biosynthesis; we observed no association among those with high relative abundance of each pathway [β = - 0.67 (95% CI - 1.46, 0.12)], and an adverse association [β = 1.67 (95% CI 0.3, 3.04), pinteraction= 0.05] among infants with low relative abundance. Our findings indicate the infant gut microbiome may alter neurodevelopmental susceptibility to environmental exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. Laue
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
- One Medical Center Dr, WTRB 700, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA
| | - Yuka Moroishi
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Brian P. Jackson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Thomas J. Palys
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Emily R. Baker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Juliette C. Madan
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
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Butler EE, Karagas MR, Demidenko E, Bellinger DC, Korrick SA. In utero arsenic exposure and early childhood motor development in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Front Epidemiol 2023; 3:1139337. [PMID: 38455900 PMCID: PMC10910989 DOI: 10.3389/fepid.2023.1139337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Introduction High-level prenatal and childhood arsenic (As) exposure characteristic of several regions in Asia (e.g., Bangladesh), may impact motor function. However, the relationship between lower-level arsenic exposure (characteristic of other regions) and motor development is largely unstudied, despite the potential for deficient motor skills in childhood to have adverse long-term consequences. Thus, we sought to investigate the association between prenatal As exposure and motor function among 395 children in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, a rural cohort from northern New England. Methods Prenatal exposure was estimated by measuring maternal urine speciated As at 24-28 weeks of gestation using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and summing inorganic As, monomethylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid to obtain total urinary As (tAs). Motor function was assessed with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd Edition (BOT-2) at a mean (SD) age of 5.5 (0.4) years. Results Children who completed this exam were largely reported as white race (97%), born to married mothers (86%) with a college degree or higher (67%). The median (IQR) gestational urine tAs concentration was 4.0 (5.0) µg/L. Mean (SD) BOT-2 scores were 48.6 (8.4) for overall motor proficiency and 48.2 (9.6) for fine manual control [standard score = 50 (10)], and were 16.3 (5.1) for fine motor integration and 12.5 (4.1) for fine motor precision [standard score = 15 (5)]. We found evidence of a non-linear dose response relationship and used a change-point model to assess the association of tAs with overall motor proficiency and indices of fine motor integration, fine motor precision, and their composite, fine manual control, adjusted for age and sex. In models adjusted for potential confounders, each doubling of urine tAs decreased overall motor proficiency by -3.3 points (95% CI: -6.1, -0.4) for tAs concentrations greater than the change point of 9.5 µg/L and decreased fine motor integration by -4.3 points (95% CI: -8.0, -0.6) for tAs concentrations greater than the change point of 17.0 µg/L. Discussion In summary, we found that levels of prenatal As exposure above an empirically-derived threshold (i.e., the change point) were associated with decrements in childhood motor development in a US population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E. Butler
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Eugene Demidenko
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - David C. Bellinger
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Melough MM, Li M, Hamra G, Palmore M, Sauder KA, Dunlop AL, LeWinn KZ, Zhao Q, Kelly RS, Switkowski KM, Hipwell AE, Korrick SA, Collett BR, MacKenzie D, Nozadi SS, Kerver JM, Schmidt RJ, McGrath M, Sathyanarayana S. Greater Gestational Vitamin D Status is Associated with Reduced Childhood Behavioral Problems in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program. J Nutr 2023; 153:1502-1511. [PMID: 37147034 PMCID: PMC10367223 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.03.005] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vitamin D deficiency is common in pregnancy. Vitamin D plays an important role in the developing brain, and deficiency may impair childhood behavioral development. OBJECTIVES This study examined the relationship between gestational 25(OH)D concentrations and childhood behavior in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. METHODS Mother-child dyads from ECHO cohorts with data available on prenatal (first trimester through delivery) or cord blood 25(OH)D and childhood behavioral outcomes were included. Behavior was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire or the Child Behavior Checklist, and data were harmonized using a crosswalk conversion. Linear mixed-effects models examined associations of 25(OH)D with total, internalizing, and externalizing problem scores while adjusting for important confounders, including age, sex, and socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. The effect modification by maternal race was also assessed. RESULTS Early (1.5-5 y) and middle childhood (6-13 y) outcomes were examined in 1688 and 1480 dyads, respectively. Approximately 45% were vitamin D deficient [25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL], with Black women overrepresented in this group. In fully adjusted models, 25(OH)D concentrations in prenatal or cord blood were negatively associated with externalizing behavior T-scores in middle childhood [-0.73 (95% CI: -1.36, -0.10) per 10 ng/mL increase in gestational 25(OH)D]. We found no evidence of effect modification by race. In a sensitivity analysis restricted to those with 25(OH)D assessed in prenatal maternal samples, 25(OH)D was negatively associated with externalizing and total behavioral problems in early childhood. CONCLUSIONS This study confirmed a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy, particularly among Black women, and revealed evidence of an association between lower gestational 25(OH)D and childhood behavioral problems. Associations were more apparent in analyses restricted to prenatal rather than cord blood samples. Interventions to correct vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy should be explored as a strategy to improve childhood behavioral outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa M Melough
- Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States.
| | - Mingyi Li
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ghassan Hamra
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Meredith Palmore
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Katherine A Sauder
- Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Anne L Dunlop
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kaja Z LeWinn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Qi Zhao
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Rachel S Kelly
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Karen M Switkowski
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alison E Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Brent R Collett
- Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Debra MacKenzie
- Community Environmental Health Program, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Sara S Nozadi
- Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jean M Kerver
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Rebecca J Schmidt
- Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Monica McGrath
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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8
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Pacyga DC, Gardiner JC, Flaws JA, Li Z, Calafat AM, Korrick SA, Schantz SL, Strakovsky RS. Corrigendum to "Maternal phthalate and phthalate alternative metabolites and urinary biomarkers of estrogens and testosterones across pregnancy" [Environ. Int. 155 (2021) 106676]. Environ Int 2023:107935. [PMID: 37088679 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Diana C Pacyga
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Joseph C Gardiner
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jodi A Flaws
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Zhong Li
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Antonia M Calafat
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Susan L Schantz
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA; Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Rita S Strakovsky
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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Rokoff LB, Coull BA, Bosquet Enlow M, Korrick SA. Associations of Prenatal Chemical and Nonchemical Stressors with Early-Adulthood Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms. Environ Health Perspect 2023; 131:27004. [PMID: 36749608 PMCID: PMC9904409 DOI: 10.1289/ehp11171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals may increase risk of childhood internalizing problems, but few studies have explored the potential for longer-term consequences of such exposures. OBJECTIVE We evaluated associations between prenatal organochlorine and metal levels and early adulthood internalizing symptoms, considering whether sociodemographic/nonchemical stressors modified these associations. METHODS Participants were 209 young adults, born (1993-1998) to mothers residing in or near New Bedford, Massachusetts. As part of the early-adult assessment, self-reported anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale) and depressive (8-item Patient Health Questionnaire) symptoms (≥10: elevated symptoms) were ascertained. We previously analyzed levels of cord serum organochlorines [hexachlorobenzene, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCB4: sum of congeners 118, 138, 153, 180)] and whole blood lead shortly after participants' birth, and levels of cord whole blood manganese from archived samples at the time of the adolescent study visit. We used modified Poisson regression models and quantile g-computation, adjusting for sociodemographics, and explored whether biological sex, race/ethnicity (proxy for unmeasured consequences of racism), prenatal social disadvantage (assessed when participants were neonates), and quality of the home environment (assessed during adolescence) modified these associations. RESULTS Participants were (mean±standard deviation) 22.1±1.5 y old, 76% Non-Hispanic White, and 67% female. Prenatal hexachlorobenzene, p,p'-DDE, and lead exposures were moderately associated with increased risk of elevated anxiety symptoms. There were strata-specific associations for prenatal social disadvantage and quality of home environment such that adverse associations of p,p'-DDE and lead and the overall mixture with anxiety and depressive symptoms were largely only evident in those with lower nonchemical stress [e.g., risk ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) per doubling p,p'-DDE for anxiety: 1.54 (95% CI: 1.20, 1.99) in high-quality home environments and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.51, 1.16) in low-quality home environments]. Associations between prenatal hexachlorobenzene and p,p'-DDE and anxiety symptoms were stronger for underrepresented racial/ethnic group participants vs. Non-Hispanic Whites. We found minimal evidence for sex-specific effects, and no consistent associations with manganese or ΣPCB4. DISCUSSION Prenatal organochlorine pesticides and lead exposure possibly increases risk of internalizing problems, particular anxiety symptoms, in young adults. Varying risk was observed by sociodemographic/nonchemical stressor strata, demonstrating the importance of considering interactions between chemical and other stressors. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11171.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa B. Rokoff
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Population Health Sciences Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brent A. Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Rokoff LB, Cardenas A, Lin PID, Rifas-Shiman SL, Wright RO, Bosquet Enlow M, Coull BA, Oken E, Korrick SA. Early pregnancy essential and non-essential metal mixtures and maternal antepartum and postpartum depressive symptoms. Neurotoxicology 2023; 94:206-216. [PMID: 36526156 PMCID: PMC9839522 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mood disorders are common during and after pregnancy, and environmental metals may contribute to increased risk. Antepartum metal exposures have not been well characterized in relation to maternal depression. We evaluated the extent to which early pregnancy erythrocyte concentrations of essential and non-essential metals were prospectively associated with antepartum and postpartum depressive symptoms. METHODS Participants were 1226 women in Project Viva, a longitudinal cohort recruited during pregnancy (1999-2002). We measured concentrations of 11 metals in maternal first trimester erythrocytes (arsenic, barium, cadmium, cesium, copper, mercury, magnesium, manganese, lead, selenium, zinc). Using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), we assessed elevated depressive symptoms (≥13; 0-30 scale) at mid-pregnancy and at 6 and 12 months postpartum. We applied latent class mixed modeling to identify symptom trajectories. Adjusting for maternal sociodemographics and co-exposures, we examined associations between the metal mixture and depressive symptoms using logistic (for EPDS≥13)/multinomial (for symptom trajectories) regression and quantile g-computation. RESULTS In this cohort of moderately high socioeconomic status participants (e.g., 72 % college graduate), low-level metal concentrations were weakly to moderately correlated (Spearman: -0.24 to 0.59); the prevalence of depressive symptoms ranged from 9 % (mid-pregnancy) to 6 % (12 months postpartum); and three trajectories (stable low; elevated mid-pregnancy, then decreasing; moderate mid-pregnancy, then increasing) best fit the EPDS data. The early pregnancy erythrocyte metal mixture was not associated with maternal depressive symptoms in logistic, multinomial, or mixture models. For individual metals, most confidence intervals (CI) included the null. There was weak evidence that arsenic, lead, and selenium were moderately associated with elevated odds of depressive symptoms and/or trajectories. However, the odds ratios (95 % CI) per doubling of these three metals were imprecise [e.g., arsenic: 1.13 (0.94, 1.40) for EPDS≥13 at six months postpartum; lead: 1.19 (0.80, 1.77) for EPDS≥13 at mid-pregnancy; selenium: 2.35 (0.84, 6.57) for elevated mid-pregnancy, then decreasing versus stable low trajectory]. DISCUSSION We did not observe strong, consistent evidence of associations between early pregnancy erythrocyte metal concentrations and subsequent maternal antepartum and postpartum depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa B Rokoff
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Population Health Sciences Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Andres Cardenas
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Pi-I D Lin
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert O Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily Oken
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Burns JS, Sergeyev O, Lee MM, Williams PL, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Plaku-Alakbarova B, Sokolov S, Kovalev S, Koch HM, Lebedev AT, Hauser R, Korrick SA. Associations of prepubertal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with pubertal onset among a longitudinal cohort of boys. Environ Res 2022; 212:113218. [PMID: 35390299 PMCID: PMC9310051 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [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: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although phthalate exposures have been associated with adverse effects on male reproductive health, few studies have explored longitudinal associations with male pubertal development. OBJECTIVES We examined the association of prepubertal urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites with age at pubertal onset in a prospective cohort of Russian boys. METHODS At enrollment at ages 8-9 years, medical history, dietary, and demographic information was collected. At entry and annually, physical examinations and pubertal staging [Genitalia (G), Pubarche (P), and testicular volume (TV, in ml)] were conducted and spot urines were collected. Prepubertal urine samples (defined as either TV = 1, 2 and G = 1, 2 or TV = 3 and G = 1) were pooled for each boy and phthalate metabolite concentrations were quantified using isotope dilution LC-MS/MS at Moscow State University. We measured 15 metabolites including those from anti-androgenic parent phthalates (AAPs) such as di (2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP) and di-isononyl (DiNP) phthalates as well as monobenzyl (MBzP), mono-n-butyl (MnBP), and mono-isobutyl (MiBP) metabolites. We calculated the molar sums of DEHP (∑DEHP), DiNP (∑DiNP), and AAP (∑AAP) metabolites. Separate interval-censored models were used to assess associations of quartiles of prepubertal phthalate metabolites with each pubertal onset indicator, G2+, P2+ and TV > 3 mL, adjusted for covariates and urine specific gravity. RESULTS 304 boys had 752 prepubertal urine samples (median 2, range: 1-6) for pooling. In adjusted models, higher urinary AAPs were consistently associated with later pubertal onset (P2) with mean shifts ranging from 8.4 to 14.2 months for the highest versus lowest quartiles. Significantly later onset for G2 and TV > 3 mL was observed for higher versus lower quartiles of MiBP, MBzP, ∑DEHP and ∑DiNP. CONCLUSIONS On average, boys with higher concentrations of prepubertal urinary AAPs had later pubertal onset by six months to over a year. The impact of AAPs on timing of male puberty may be attributable to disruption of androgen-dependent biological pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane S Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskye Gory, House 1, Building 40, Room 322, 119992, Moscow, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Meditsinskaya Str., 3a, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, 446100, Russia
| | - Mary M Lee
- Nemours Children's Health, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, 19803, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical School, Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 2, Room 443, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Kresge Building, 9th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, 3rd Floor West, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Bora Plaku-Alakbarova
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Epidemiology Division, Optuminsight Life Sciences, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sergey Sokolov
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Russian Federation
| | - Sergey Kovalev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Russian Federation
| | - Holger M Koch
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany
| | - Albert T Lebedev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Russian Federation
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Kresge Building, 9th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, 3rd Floor West, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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12
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Oppenheimer AV, Bellinger DC, Coull BA, Weisskopf MG, Korrick SA. The association of prenatal manganese exposure with problem-solving skills and its mediation by the building blocks of executive function. Neurotoxicology 2022; 92:191-199. [PMID: 35995271 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2022.08.009] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Problem-solving skills build upon three core executive functions: inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. There is evidence of adverse associations of prenatal exposure to manganese (Mn) with core executive functions, but less is known about Mn associations with problem-solving or potential mediators of this association. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the association of prenatal Mn exposure with problem-solving and to identify potential neuropsychological mechanisms through which this association may be mediated. METHODS Study participants were 410 adolescents from the New Bedford Cohort (NBC) who have undergone periodic evaluations since their birth (1993-1998) to mothers residing near a Massachusetts Superfund site. We investigated the association of cord blood Mn with problem-solving measured by the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Sorting and Tower subtests (scores scaled to a mean ± SD of 10 ± 3) using multivariable linear regression. Inhibition and cognitive flexibility were also measured by the D-KEFS; working memory was measured with the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning, 2nd edition. Regression-based causal mediation analysis was used to assess the proportion of the Mn-problem-solving association mediated by inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility individually and jointly. RESULTS NBC adolescents (mean age 15.5 years) were socio-demographically diverse with 31 % in a low-income household at birth and had cord blood Mn concentrations similar to other general population samples. Mn was associated with Sorting but not Tower scores. Specifically, a doubling of cord blood Mn concentrations was associated with - 0.59 points lower (95 % CI: -1.16, -0.03) Sort Recognition score. In mediation analyses, there was suggestive evidence that inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility combined mediated 30 % of the total effect of Mn on Sorting. When analyzed individually, working memory mediated a larger proportion (24 %) of the effect than inhibition or cognitive flexibility. DISCUSSION We observed adverse associations of cord blood Mn with problem-solving among adolescents. There was suggestive evidence that the building blocks of executive function jointly, and working memory individually, were potentially important mediators of this association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna V Oppenheimer
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - David C Bellinger
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marc G Weisskopf
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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13
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Laue HE, Karagas MR, Coker MO, Bellinger DC, Baker ER, Korrick SA, Madan JC. Sex-specific relationships of the infant microbiome and early-childhood behavioral outcomes. Pediatr Res 2022; 92:580-591. [PMID: 34732816 PMCID: PMC9065210 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-021-01785-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A link between the gut microbiome and behavior is hypothesized, but most previous studies are cross-sectional or in animal models. The modifying role of host sex is poorly characterized. We aimed to identify sex-specific prospective associations between the early-life gut microbiome and preschool-age neurobehavior. METHODS In a prospective cohort, gut microbiome diversity and taxa were estimated with 16S rRNA sequencing at 6 weeks, 1 year, and 2 years. Species and gene pathways were inferred from metagenomic sequencing at 6 weeks and 1 year. When subjects were 3 years old, parents completed the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, second edition (BASC-2). A total of 260 children contributed 523 16S rRNA and 234 metagenomics samples to analysis. Models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS Higher diversity at 6 weeks was associated with better internalizing problems among boys, but not girls [βBoys = -1.86 points/SD Shannon diversity; 95% CI (-3.29, -0.42), pBoys = 0.01, βGirls = 0.22 (-1.43, 1.87), pGirls = 0.8, pinteraction = 0.06]. Among other taxa-specific associations, Bifidobacterium at 6 weeks was associated with Adaptive Skills scores in a sex-specific manner. We observed relationships between functional features and BASC-2 scores, including vitamin B6 biosynthesis pathways and better Depression scores. CONCLUSIONS This study advances our understanding of microbe-host interactions with implications for childhood behavioral health. IMPACT This is one of the first studies to examine the early-life microbiome and neurobehavior, and the first to examine prospective sex-specific associations. Infant and early-childhood microbiomes relate to neurobehavior including anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and social behaviors in a time- and sex-specific manner. Our findings suggest future studies should evaluate whether host sex impacts the relationship between the gut microbiome and behavioral health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. Laue
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH,Correspondence to: Dr. Hannah E. Laue, One Medical Center Dr, WTRB 700 Lebanon NH 03766, , Phone: 1-603-646-5426
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
| | - Modupe O. Coker
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH,Oral Biology Department, School of Dental Medicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ
| | - David C. Bellinger
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Emily R. Baker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA,Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Juliette C. Madan
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH,Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH,These authors contributed equally
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Mínguez-Alarcón L, Burns J, Williams PL, Korrick SA, Lee MM, Bather JR, Kovalev SV, Sokolov SA, Lebedev AT, Smigulina L, Ghayda RA, Koch HM, Sergeyev O, Hauser R. Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations during four windows spanning puberty (prepuberty through sexual maturity) and association with semen quality among young Russian men. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2022; 243:113977. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.113977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Rokoff LB, Shoaff JR, Coull BA, Enlow MB, Bellinger DC, Korrick SA. Prenatal exposure to a mixture of organochlorines and metals and internalizing symptoms in childhood and adolescence. Environ Res 2022; 208:112701. [PMID: 35016863 PMCID: PMC8917058 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.112701] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although prenatal chemical exposures influence neurobehavior, joint exposures are not well explored as risk factors for internalizing disorders through adolescence. OBJECTIVE To evaluate associations of prenatal organochlorine and metal exposures, considered individually and as a mixture, with mid-childhood and adolescent internalizing symptoms. METHODS Participants were 468 children from a prospective cohort recruited at birth (1993-1998) in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Organochlorines (hexachlorobenzene, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene, polychlorinated biphenyls) and metals (lead, manganese) were analyzed in cord blood. Internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depressive, somatic) were assessed via multiple informants on the Conners' Rating Scale (CRS) at 8-years and Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2) at 15-years; higher T-scores indicate greater symptoms. Overall and sex-specific covariate-adjusted associations were evaluated using Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) and five-chemical linear regression models. RESULTS The cohort was socioeconomically diverse (35% household income <$20,000; 55% maternal ≤ high school education at birth). Most chemical concentrations were consistent with background levels [e.g., median (range) cord blood lead: 1.1 (0-9.4) μg/dL]. BKMR suggested linear associations and no interactions between chemicals. The overall mixture was positively associated with Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) and BASC-2 Self Report of Personality (SRP) anxiety and depressive symptoms, and negatively with somatic symptoms. Prenatal lead was positively associated with adolescent anxiety symptoms [1.56 (95% CI: 0.50, 2.61) BASC-2 SRP Anxiety score increase per doubling lead]. For CRPS and BASC-2 SRP, a doubling of cord blood manganese was positively associated with internalizing symptoms for girls [e.g., 3.26 (95% CI: 0.27, 6.25) BASC-2 SRP Depression score increase], but not boys. Organochlorine exposures were not adversely associated with internalizing symptoms. DISCUSSION Low-level prenatal lead exposure was positively associated with adolescent anxiety symptoms, and prenatal manganese exposure was positively associated with internalizing symptoms for girls from mid-childhood through adolescence. In utero neurotoxicant metal exposures may contribute to the emergence of anxiety and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa B Rokoff
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Population Health Sciences Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Jessica R Shoaff
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David C Bellinger
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Oppenheimer AV, Bellinger DC, Coull BA, Weisskopf MG, Korrick SA. Prenatal exposure to chemical mixtures and working memory among adolescents. Environ Res 2022; 205:112436. [PMID: 34843721 PMCID: PMC8760169 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Working memory is the ability to keep information in one's mind and mentally manipulate it. Decrements in working memory play a key role in many behavioral and psychiatric disorders, therefore identifying modifiable environmental risk factors for such decrements is important for mitigating these disorders. There is some evidence that prenatal exposure to individual chemicals may adversely impact working memory among children, but few studies have explored the association of co-exposure to multiple chemicals with this outcome in adolescence, a time when working memory skills undergo substantial development. We investigated the association of organochlorines (DDE, HCB, PCBs) and metals (lead, manganese) measured in cord serum and cord blood, respectively, with working memory measured with the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning, 2nd Edition among 373 adolescents living near a Superfund site in New Bedford, Massachusetts. We used Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) and linear regression analyses and assessed effect modification by sex and prenatal social disadvantage. In BKMR models, we observed an adverse joint association of the chemical mixture with Verbal, but not Symbolic, Working Memory. In co-exposure and covariate-adjusted linear regression models, a twofold increase in cord blood manganese was associated with lower working memory scaled scores, with a stronger association with Verbal Working Memory (difference = -0.75; 95% CI: -1.29, -0.20 points) compared to Symbolic Working Memory (difference = -0.44; 95% CI: -1.00, 0.12 points). There was little evidence of effect modification by sex and some evidence associating organochlorine pesticides with poorer working memory scores among those with greater prenatal social disadvantage. This study provided evidence of an adverse joint association of a chemical mixture with a verbal working memory task among adolescents, as well as an adverse association of prenatal manganese exposure with working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna V Oppenheimer
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - David C Bellinger
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marc G Weisskopf
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Hertz‐Picciotto I, Korrick SA, Ladd‐Acosta C, Karagas MR, Lyall K, Schmidt RJ, Dunlop AL, Croen LA, Dabelea D, Daniels JL, Duarte CS, Fallin MD, Karr CJ, Lester B, Leve LD, Li Y, McGrath M, Ning X, Oken E, Sagiv SK, Sathyanaraya S, Tylavsky F, Volk HE, Wakschlag LS, Zhang M, O'Shea TM, Musci RJ. Maternal tobacco smoking and offspring autism spectrum disorder or traits in ECHO cohorts. Autism Res 2022; 15:551-569. [PMID: 35199959 PMCID: PMC9304219 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Given inconsistent evidence on preconception or prenatal tobacco use and offspring autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this study assessed associations of maternal smoking with ASD and ASD-related traits. Among 72 cohorts in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes consortium, 11 had ASD diagnosis and prenatal tobaccosmoking (n = 8648). and 7 had Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores of ASD traits (n = 2399). Cohorts had diagnoses alone (6), traits alone (2), or both (5). Diagnoses drew from parent/caregiver report, review of records, or standardized instruments. Regression models estimated smoking-related odds ratios (ORs) for diagnoses and standardized mean differences for SRS scores. Cohort-specific ORs were meta-analyzed. Overall, maternal smoking was unassociated with child ASD (adjusted OR, 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-1.61). However, heterogeneity across studies was strong: preterm cohorts showed reduced ASD risk for exposed children. After excluding preterm cohorts (biased by restrictions on causal intermediate and exposure opportunity) and small cohorts (very few ASD cases in either smoking category), the adjusted OR for ASD from maternal smoking was 1.44 (95% CI, 1.02-2.03). Children of smoking (versus non-smoking) mothers had more ASD traits (SRS T-score + 2.37 points, 95% CI, 0.73-4.01 points), with results homogeneous across cohorts. Maternal preconception/prenatal smoking was consistently associated with quantitative ASD traits and modestly associated with ASD diagnosis among sufficiently powered United States cohorts of non-preterm children. Limitations resulting from self-reported smoking and unmeasured confounders preclude definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, counseling on potential and known risks to the child from maternal smoking is warranted for pregnant women and pregnancy planners. LAY SUMMARY: Evidence on the association between maternal prenatal smoking and the child's risk for autism spectrum disorder has been conflicting, with some studies reporting harmful effects, and others finding reduced risks. Our analysis of children in the ECHO consortium found that maternal prenatal tobacco smoking is consistently associated with an increase in autism-related symptoms in the general population and modestly associated with elevated risk for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder when looking at a combined analysis from multiple studies that each included both pre- and full-term births. However, this study is not proof of a causal connection. Future studies to clarify the role of smoking in autism-like behaviors or autism diagnoses should collect more reliable data on smoking and measure other exposures or lifestyle factors that might have confounded our results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irva Hertz‐Picciotto
- Department of Public Health Sciences and MIND InstituteUniversity of California, Davis School of MedicineDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's HospitalHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Christine Ladd‐Acosta
- Department of EpidemiologyJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of EpidemiologyGeisel School of Medicine at DartmouthHannoverNew HampshireUSA
| | - Kristen Lyall
- A.J. Drexel Autism InstituteDrexel UniversityPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Rebecca J. Schmidt
- Department of Public Health Sciences and MIND InstituteUniversity of California, Davis School of MedicineDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Anne L. Dunlop
- Department of Gynecology & ObstetricsEmory University School of MedicineAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
| | - Lisa A. Croen
- Division of ResearchKaiser PermanenteOaklandCaliforniaUSA
| | - Dana Dabelea
- LEAD Center and Department of EpidemiologyColorado School of Public HealthAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Julie L. Daniels
- Departments of Epidemiology and Maternal and Child Health; Gillings School of Global Public HealthUniversity of North CarolinaChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Cristiane S. Duarte
- Department of PsychiatryColumbia University, New York State Psychiatric InstituteNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - M. Daniele Fallin
- Department of Mental HealthJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Catherine J. Karr
- Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental & Occupational Health SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Barry Lester
- Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk and Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Pediatrics, Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityWomen and Infants Hospital in Rhode IslandProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | | | - Yijun Li
- Department of EpidemiologyJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Monica McGrath
- Department of EpidemiologyJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Xuejuan Ning
- Department of EpidemiologyJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Emily Oken
- Department of Population MedicineHarvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care InstituteBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Sharon K. Sagiv
- Center for Environmental Research and Children's HealthUniversity of California, Berkeley, School of Public HealthBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Sheela Sathyanaraya
- Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Research InstituteUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Frances Tylavsky
- Department of Preventive MedicineUniversity of Tennessee Health Science CenterMemphisTennesseeUSA
| | - Heather E. Volk
- Department of Mental HealthJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Lauren S. Wakschlag
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, and Institute for Innovations in Developmental SciencesNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Mingyu Zhang
- Department of EpidemiologyJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - T. Michael O'Shea
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of MedicineChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Rashelle J. Musci
- Department of Mental HealthJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
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Williams PL, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Korrick SA, Lee MM, Plaku-Alakbarova B, Burns JS, Smigulina L, Dikov Y, Abou Ghayda R, Hauser R, Sergeyev O. Association of peripubertal blood lead levels with reproductive hormones and semen parameters in a longitudinal cohort of Russian men. Hum Reprod 2022; 37:848-858. [PMID: 35038334 PMCID: PMC8971649 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab288] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Are peripubertal blood lead levels (BLLs) associated with semen parameters and serum reproductive hormones among young Russian men? SUMMARY ANSWER We observed a suggestion of lower ejaculate volume with higher peripubertal BLL but no associations of BLLs with reproductive hormones measured throughout adolescence or with other sperm parameters measured at adulthood. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Lead is a known reproductive toxicant and endocrine disruptor. Previous literature has shown associations between high lead exposure and poorer semen quality both in occupationally and environmentally exposed men. However, to our knowledge, no longitudinal studies have explored the association of childhood lead exposure with semen parameters and reproductive hormones in young men. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The Russian Children's Study is a prospective cohort study that enrolled 516 boys at age 8-9 years in 2003-2005 and followed them annually for 10 years. BLLs were measured at entry and lifestyle and health questionnaires were completed. Reproductive hormones were measured in blood samples collected every 2 years. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Among the 516 boys enrolled, 481 had BLLs measured at entry. Of these, 453 had at least one measurement of serum testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or luteinizing hormone (LH) (median = 5 samples per boy) and 223 had semen samples collected ∼10 years after enrolment. Semen assessment included ejaculated volume, sperm concentration, progressive motility and total sperm count, and parameters were categorized using published andrology standards for low semen quality based on sperm count and motility. Linear mixed models were used to examine the associations of log-transformed BLLs (and BLL categories) with reproductive hormones and semen parameters, adjusting for potential confounders. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Among the 223 young men with peripubertal BLLs and at least one semen sample (total samples = 438), the median (interquartile range) BLL was 3 (2, 5) µg/dl and 27% had BLL ≥5 µg/dl. Overall, 49% of the semen samples fell below reference levels for sperm count and/or motility. Men with peripubertal BLL ≥5 µg/dl had significantly lower ejaculated volume than those with BLL <5 µg/dl (mean = 2.42 vs 2.89 ml, P = 0.02), but this difference was attenuated in adjusted models (mean = 2.60 vs 2.83 ml, P = 0.25). No associations were observed between BLL measured at age 8-9 years and reproductive hormone levels or sperm parameters, including sperm concentration, total count, progressive motility and total progressive motile sperm count, or with the probability of having low semen quality based on sperm count/motility. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Only a subset of the original cohort participated in the semen quality portion of the study, although inverse probability weighting was used to account for possible selection bias. BLLs were only measured at a single time in peripuberty, and other exposure time periods, including later or longer-term childhood exposure, may be more predictive of semen quality. The young men were also exposed to other chemical contaminants before and during pubertal development. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS While semen volume often receives less attention than other sperm parameters, it is an important component of male fertility. Additional prospective studies covering different exposure windows and including other seminal plasma biomarkers are warranted to explore our finding of potentially lower ejaculated volume with higher BLLs and to confirm the lack of associations for other semen parameters among youth exposed to environmental BLLs. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Funding was provided through grants R01ES0014370 and P30ES000002 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, grant R82943701 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and grant 18-15-00202 from the Russian Science Foundation (O.S and Y.D.). All authors report no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA,Correspondence address. Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building II, Room 443, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Tel: +1-617-432-3872; E-mail: (P.L.W.) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7160-574X; Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskye Gory, House 1, Building 40, Room 322, Moscow 119234, Russia. E-mail: (O.S.) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5745-3348
| | - Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA,Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA,Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mary M Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Nemours Children’s Health, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Bora Plaku-Alakbarova
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jane S Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Luidmila Smigulina
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia,Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Russia
| | - Yury Dikov
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia,Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Russia
| | - Ramy Abou Ghayda
- Urology Institute, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia,Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Russia,Correspondence address. Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building II, Room 443, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Tel: +1-617-432-3872; E-mail: (P.L.W.) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7160-574X; Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskye Gory, House 1, Building 40, Room 322, Moscow 119234, Russia. E-mail: (O.S.) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5745-3348
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Oppenheimer AV, Bellinger DC, Coull BA, Weisskopf MG, Korrick SA. Prenatal Exposure to Chemical Mixtures and Cognitive Flexibility among Adolescents. Toxics 2021; 9:toxics9120329. [PMID: 34941764 PMCID: PMC8708222 DOI: 10.3390/toxics9120329] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility, the ability to smoothly adapt to changing circumstances, is a skill that is vital to higher-level executive functions such as problem-solving, planning, and reasoning. As it undergoes substantial development during adolescence, decrements in cognitive flexibility may not become apparent until this time. There is evidence that prenatal exposure to individual chemicals may adversely impact executive functions in children, but few studies have explored the association of co-exposure to multiple chemicals with cognitive flexibility specifically among adolescents. We investigated this association among a diverse group of adolescents living near a Superfund site in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Specifically, using Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and multivariable regression analyses, we investigated the association of biomarkers of prenatal exposure to organochlorines (DDE, HCB, PCBs) and metals (lead, manganese) with cognitive flexibility, measured with four subtests of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System. In BKMR models, we observed adverse joint associations of the chemical mixture with two of the four cognitive flexibility subtests. In covariate-adjusted linear regression models, a two-fold increase in cord blood Mn was associated with poorer performance on two of the subtests: Trail-Making (scaled score difference = −0.60; 95% CI: −1.16, −0.05 points) and Color-Word Interference (scaled score difference = −0.53; 95% CI: −1.08, 0.01 points). These adverse Mn-cognitive flexibility associations were supported by the results of the BKMR. There was little evidence of effect modification by sex and some evidence of effect modification by a measure of social disadvantage, particularly for the associations between HCB and cognitive flexibility. This study is among the first to provide evidence of an adverse association of prenatal exposure to a chemical mixture with cognitive flexibility in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna V. Oppenheimer
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-781-264-0697
| | - David C. Bellinger
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Brent A. Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Marc G. Weisskopf
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Oppenheimer AV, Bellinger DC, Coull BA, Weisskopf MG, Zemplenyi M, Korrick SA. Prenatal Exposure to Chemical Mixtures and Inhibition among Adolescents. Toxics 2021; 9:311. [PMID: 34822702 PMCID: PMC8619850 DOI: 10.3390/toxics9110311] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Inhibition, one of the building blocks of executive function, is the ability to focus one's attention despite interference from external stimuli. It undergoes substantial development during adolescence and may be susceptible to adverse impacts of prenatal exposure to chemical mixtures, yet few studies have explored this association. The New Bedford Cohort (NBC) is a birth cohort of residents living near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site in Massachusetts. Among adolescents from the NBC, we investigated the association of biomarkers of prenatal exposure to organochlorines (DDE, HCB, PCBs) and metals (Pb, Mn) with inhibition, assessed with the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Design Fluency (non-verbal task) and Color-Word Interference (verbal task) subtests. An exploratory mixtures analysis using Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) informed a traditional multivariable regression approach. NBC adolescents are diverse with 29% non-white and 31% in a low-income household at birth. Cord serum organochlorine concentrations and cord blood metals concentrations were generally similar to other birth cohorts. In BKMR models, we observed a suggestive adverse association of the chemical mixture with Color-Word Interference but not Design Fluency. In covariate-adjusted linear regression models including all five chemical exposure measures, a doubling of cord blood Mn was associated with poorer Color-Word Interference completion time scaled scores (difference = -0.74; 95% CI: -1.34, -0.14). This study provided evidence of an adverse joint association between prenatal exposure to a five-chemical mixture and verbal inhibition in adolescence with exposure to Mn potentially driving this overall association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna V. Oppenheimer
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
| | - David C. Bellinger
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Brent A. Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Marc G. Weisskopf
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Michele Zemplenyi
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (D.C.B.); (B.A.C.); (M.G.W.); (S.A.K.)
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Pacyga DC, Gardiner JC, Flaws JA, Li Z, Calafat AM, Korrick SA, Schantz SL, Strakovsky RS. Maternal phthalate and phthalate alternative metabolites and urinary biomarkers of estrogens and testosterones across pregnancy. Environ Int 2021; 155:106676. [PMID: 34116379 PMCID: PMC8292204 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [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: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Pregnant women are ubiquitously exposed to phthalates from food packaging materials and personal care products. Phthalates alter estrogen and testosterone concentrations in experimental models, but their ability to impact these hormones in human pregnancy is not well characterized. METHODS We recruited women ages 18-40 into the Illinois Kids Development Study (I-KIDS) in early pregnancy. Participants provided up to 5 first-morning urine samples across pregnancy (8-40 weeks gestation) that we pooled for quantification of 19 phthalate or phthalate alternative metabolites. Either individual (ng/mL) or molar sums (nmol/mL) of metabolites were used as exposure biomarkers. We summed urinary concentrations (ng/mL) of eight major estrogen (SumEstrogens) and two major testosterone (SumTestosterones) metabolites measured at median 13, 28, and 34 weeks gestation. We also estimated the ratio of estrogens-to-androgens. Linear mixed-effects models assessed relationships of phthalates/alternatives as continuous measures or as concentration quartiles with SumEstrogens, SumTestosterones, and the Estrogen/Androgen ratio in 434 women. In our models, we controlled for age, race, education, parity, smoking in the first trimester, pre-pregnancy body mass index, diet quality, conception season, fetal sex, and gestational age at hormone assessment. We also explored whether gestational age at hormone assessment or fetal sex modified these associations. All biomarkers and outcomes were specific gravity-adjusted, and continuous exposures and outcomes were also natural log-transformed. RESULTS Most participants were non-Hispanic white (80.9%), college educated (82.2%), and had urinary phthalate/alternative metabolite concentrations similar to those of reproductive-aged U.S. women. Overall, select phthalate metabolites were positively associated with SumEstrogens and SumTestosterones, but negatively associated with the Estrogen/Androgen ratio. For example, SumEstrogens was 5.1% (95%CI: 1.8, 8.5) higher with every 2-fold increase in sum of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites, while SumTestosterones was 7.9% (95%CI: 1.0, 15.3) higher and Estrogen/Androgen ratio was -7.7% (95%CI: -13.6, -1.4) lower with every 2-fold increase in monoethyl phthalate. However, phthalate alternatives were only positively associated with SumEstrogens, which was 2.4% (95%CI: 0.4, 4.5) and 3.2% (95%CI: 0.7, 5.8) higher with every 2-fold increase in sum of di(isononyl) cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate metabolites and sum of di(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate metabolites, respectively. Gestational age- and fetal sex-specific associations were only consistently observed for associations of phthalates/alternatives with SumEstrogens, where associations were strongest in mid-to-late pregnancy in women carrying females. CONCLUSION Phthalates/alternatives may impact gestational hormones, with potential for gestational age- and fetal sex-specific associations. Whether maternal urinary estrogens and testosterones mediate associations of phthalates/alternatives with pregnancy and fetal outcomes merits further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C Pacyga
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Joseph C Gardiner
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jodi A Flaws
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Zhong Li
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Antonia M Calafat
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Susan L Schantz
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA; Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Rita S Strakovsky
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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Plaku-Alakbarova B, Sergeyev O, Williams PL, Burns JS, Lee MM, Hauser R, Korrick SA. Peripubertal serum levels of dioxins, furans and PCBs in a cohort of Russian boys: can empirical grouping methods yield meaningful exposure variables? Chemosphere 2021; 275:130027. [PMID: 33984909 PMCID: PMC8594624 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130027] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are endocrine disruptors with half-lives of months to years in humans. Peripubertal exposure to these chemicals may disrupt pubertal timing. Biomarker exposure metrics like the sum of non-dioxin-like PCBs in serum (∑NDL-PCBs) involve chemicals with different hypothetical effects. Empirical exposure metrics represent an alternative that requires no knowledge of biological mechanisms. METHODS From 2003 to 2005, 516 Russian boys aged 8-9 residing near a plant that historically produced organochlorine pesticides were enrolled in the Russian Children's Study. At enrollment, blood was collected for measurement of organochlorine chemicals by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Variable cluster analysis was used to empirically group serum levels of 45 dioxins, furans and PCBs into eight cluster scores. These scores were compared to the sum of dioxin-like toxic equivalents (∑TEQs) and ∑NDL-PCBs using Spearman correlation coefficients. RESULTS Clustering appeared to reflect number and position of chlorine atoms. Clusters 4, 7 and 1 contained, respectively, tri/tetra-, tetra/penta-, and hexa/hepta-chlorinated PCBs with chlorines at the 4,4' positions. Clusters 2, 8 and 5 contained, respectively, tetra-to hexa-, hexa/hepta-, and hepta/octa-chlorinated PCBs with chlorines at the 2,2' positions. ∑NDL-PCBs were highly correlated with 4,4'-chlorinated clusters 1 and 7 (Spearman's ρ = 0.8) and less so with all other clusters (Spearman's ρ = 0.4-0.5). CONCLUSIONS In this cohort of Russian boys, baseline serum dioxins, furans and PCBs seemed to cluster by chlorination pattern, possibly reflecting shared persistence, metabolism or source of exposure. The widely used measure ∑NDL-PCB seemed most representative of 4,4'-chlorinated PCBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bora Plaku-Alakbarova
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskye Gory 1, Building 40, 119234, Moscow, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Meditsinskaya Str. 3a, 446100, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia.
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Jane S Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Mary M Lee
- Nemours AI duPont Hospital for Children, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE, USA; Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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Rothenberg SE, Korrick SA, Liu J, Nong Y, Nong H, Hong C, Trinh EP, Jiang X, Biasini FJ, Ouyang F. Maternal methylmercury exposure through rice ingestion and child neurodevelopment in the first three years: a prospective cohort study in rural China. Environ Health 2021; 20:50. [PMID: 33910568 PMCID: PMC8082930 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-021-00732-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rice is an important dietary source for methylmercury; however, rice does not contain the same beneficial nutrients as fish. Our main objective was to assess associations of prenatal methylmercury exposure through rice ingestion with child neurodevelopment in rural China. METHODS Eligible peripartum women were enrolled (n = 391), provided peripartum hair samples, and children's neurodevelopment was assessed at 12 months (n = 264, 68%) and 36 months (n = 190, 48%) using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 2nd Edition, including the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and the Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI). Associations between prenatal methylmercury exposure during the third trimester [log2 maternal hair total mercury (THg)] and child's neurodevelopment were assessed using linear mixed models for repeated measures. RESULTS In adjusted models, a doubling in maternal hair THg corresponded to a 1.3-point decrement in the MDI score [95% confidence interval (CI): - 2.6, - 0.14], and a 1.2-point decrement in the PDI score (95% CI: - 2.6, 0.14). Overall, adverse associations between maternal hair THg and MDI scores attenuated over time. However, associations were robust and stable over time among children whose primary caregiver was their parent(s). During the study follow-up, an increasing proportion of children were raised by grandparents (12 months: 9% versus 36 months: 27%), a trend associated with rural-to-urban parental migration for work. CONCLUSIONS For young children living in rural China, a biomarker of prenatal methylmercury exposure was associated with decrements in cognitive function assessed between 12 and 36 months of age. Changes in the family structure over the study follow-up time interval potentially impacted children's sensitivity to prenatal methylmercury exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Rothenberg
- College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jihong Liu
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Yanfen Nong
- Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Daxin County, China
| | - Hua Nong
- Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Daxin County, China
| | - Chuan Hong
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Eva P Trinh
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Present address: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Xu Jiang
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
- Present address: Department of Psychological Studies in Education, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Fred J Biasini
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Fengxiu Ouyang
- Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Rothenberg SE, Chen Q, Shen J, Nong Y, Nong H, Trinh EP, Biasini FJ, Liu J, Zeng X, Zou Y, Ouyang F, Korrick SA. Neurodevelopment correlates with gut microbiota in a cross-sectional analysis of children at 3 years of age in rural China. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7384. [PMID: 33795717 PMCID: PMC8016964 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86761-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated cross-sectional associations between children's neurodevelopment and their gut microbiota composition. Study children (36 months of age) lived in rural China (n = 46). Neurodevelopment was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 2nd Edition, yielding the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI). Children's gut microbiota was assessed using 16S rRNA gene profiling. Microbial diversity was characterized using alpha diversity patterns. Additionally, 3 coabundance factors were determined for the 25 most abundant taxa. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to examine the relationships between Bayley scores (MDI and PDI) and children's gut microbiota. In adjusted models, MDI and PDI scores were not associated with alpha diversity indices. However, in adjusted models, MDI and PDI scores were positively associated with the first coabundance factor, which captured positive loadings for the genera Faecalibacterium, Sutterella, and Clostridium cluster XIVa. For an interquartile range increase in the first coabundance factor, MDI scores increased by 3.9 points [95% confidence interval (CI): 0, 7.7], while PDI scores increased by 8.6 points (95% CI 3.1, 14). Our results highlight the potential for gut microbial compositional characteristics to be important correlates of children's Bayley Scales performance at 36 months of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Rothenberg
- College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, 103 Milam Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
| | - Qiurong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Shen
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanfen Nong
- Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Daxin County, China
| | - Hua Nong
- Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Daxin County, China
| | - Eva P Trinh
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Fred J Biasini
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jihong Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Xiaoyun Zeng
- Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Yunfeng Zou
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Fengxiu Ouyang
- Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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DeVille NV, Khalili R, Levy JI, Korrick SA, Vieira VM. Prenatal environmental exposures and associations with teen births. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2021; 31:197-210. [PMID: 32913222 PMCID: PMC7943647 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-020-00262-9] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children's prenatal exposure to multiple environmental chemicals may contribute to subsequent deficits in impulse control, predisposing them to risk-taking. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to investigate associations between prenatal exposure mixtures and risk of teen birth, a manifestation of high-risk sexual activity, among 5865 girls (1st generation) born in southeast Massachusetts from 1992-1998. METHODS Exposures included prenatal modeled polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), ρ,ρ'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg). We fit adjusted generalized additive models with multivariable smooths of exposure mixtures, 1st generation infant's birth year, and maternal age at 1st generation birth. Predicted odds ratios (ORs) for teen birth were mapped as a function of joint exposures. We also conducted sensitivity analyses among 1st generation girls with measured exposure biomarkers (n = 371). RESULTS The highest teen birth risk was associated with a mixture of high prenatal HCB, Hg, Pb, and PCB, but low DDE exposure, with similar associations in sensitivity analyses. The highest OR predicted for girls born in 1995 to mothers of median age (26 years) was at the 95th percentile of the HCB and PCB exposure distributions (OR = 3.09; 95% confidence interval: 0.29, 32.4). Additionally, girls born earlier in the study period or to teen mothers were at increased risk of teen birth. SIGNIFICANCE Prenatal environmental chemical exposures and sociodemographic characteristics may interact to substantially increase risk of teen births.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole V DeVille
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Roxana Khalili
- Program in Environmental Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan I Levy
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Verónica M Vieira
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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26
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Shoaff JR, Nugent JK, Brazelton TB, Korrick SA. Early infant behavioural correlates of social skills in adolescents. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2021; 35:247-256. [PMID: 32949469 PMCID: PMC7878285 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12723] [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: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically diagnosed after the second year of life; however, differences in brain structure and function associated with ASD have been ascertained in early infancy. Identifying behavioural markers of ASD risk in early infancy has the potential to facilitate early detection and intervention. OBJECTIVES We examined associations between infant behaviour and adolescent behaviours associated with ASD. METHODS Analyses leveraged data available on 370 participants from the New Bedford Cohort, a sociodemographically diverse prospective birth cohort of children born from 1993 to 1998 to mothers residing near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site in Massachusetts. Longitudinal assessments were used to examine the associations between behaviours when children were approximately 2 weeks old (measured by the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale [NBAS]), and subsequent maladaptive behaviours associated with ASD at approximately 15 years old [measured by the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 2nd Edition-Teacher Rating Scale (BASC-2 TRS) scores which are standardised to a mean (SD) of 50 (10)]. RESULTS Poorer performance on select individual items and cluster scales of the NBAS was associated with an increase in behaviours associated with ASD in adolescents. Associations were strongest for neonatal measures of self-regulation, response to auditory input, and autonomic nervous system regulation. For example, in covariate-adjusted models, infants with Regulation of State NBAS cluster scores in the lowest tertile (poorest performance) compared to infants with scores in the higher two tertiles had adolescent BASC-2 TRS Developmental Social Disorders T-scores that were 2.9 points higher (95% CI: 0.8, 4.9), indicating more behaviours associated with ASD. CONCLUSION The NBAS is an established and accessible instrument that assesses a broad range of behaviours in very young infants, and may be a useful tool for newborn assessments of developmental risk, including risk of ASD-associated behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R. Shoaff
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - J. Kevin Nugent
- Brazelton Institute, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - T. Berry Brazelton
- Brazelton Institute, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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Thessen AE, Grondin CJ, Kulkarni RD, Brander S, Truong L, Vasilevsky NA, Callahan TJ, Chan LE, Westra B, Willis M, Rothenberg SE, Jarabek AM, Burgoon L, Korrick SA, Haendel MA. Community Approaches for Integrating Environmental Exposures into Human Models of Disease. Environ Health Perspect 2020; 128:125002. [PMID: 33369481 PMCID: PMC7769179 DOI: 10.1289/ehp7215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A critical challenge in genomic medicine is identifying the genetic and environmental risk factors for disease. Currently, the available data links a majority of known coding human genes to phenotypes, but the environmental component of human disease is extremely underrepresented in these linked data sets. Without environmental exposure information, our ability to realize precision health is limited, even with the promise of modern genomics. Achieving integration of gene, phenotype, and environment will require extensive translation of data into a standard, computable form and the extension of the existing gene/phenotype data model. The data standards and models needed to achieve this integration do not currently exist. OBJECTIVES Our objective is to foster development of community-driven data-reporting standards and a computational model that will facilitate the inclusion of exposure data in computational analysis of human disease. To this end, we present a preliminary semantic data model and use cases and competency questions for further community-driven model development and refinement. DISCUSSION There is a real desire by the exposure science, epidemiology, and toxicology communities to use informatics approaches to improve their research workflow, gain new insights, and increase data reuse. Critical to success is the development of a community-driven data model for describing environmental exposures and linking them to existing models of human disease. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7215.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne E. Thessen
- Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
- Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, Montclair, New Jersey, USA
| | - Cynthia J. Grondin
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Resham D. Kulkarni
- Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Susanne Brander
- Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Lisa Truong
- Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Nicole A. Vasilevsky
- Oregon Clinical & Translational Research Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Tiffany J. Callahan
- Computational Bioscience Program, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Lauren E. Chan
- Nutrition, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Brian Westra
- University Libraries, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Mary Willis
- School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Sarah E. Rothenberg
- School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Annie M. Jarabek
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lyle Burgoon
- U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Melissa A. Haendel
- Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
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28
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Abou Ghayda R, Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Smigulina L, Dikov Y, Hauser R, Mínguez-Alarcón L. Peripubertal serum concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and semen parameters in Russian young men. Environ Int 2020; 144:106085. [PMID: 32871379 PMCID: PMC9764548 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiologic literature on the relation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) with semen quality among adult men has been inconclusive, and no studies have prospectively explored the association between peripubertal serum OCPs and semen parameters in young men. OBJECTIVE To evaluate prospective associations of peripubertal serum concentrations of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocylohexane (β-HCH), and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) with semen parameters among young Russian men. METHODS This prospective cohort study included 152 young men who enrolled in the Russian Children's Study (2003-2005) at age 8-9 years and were followed annually until young adulthood. HCB, β-HCH, and p,p'-DDE concentrations were measured at the CDC by mass spectrometry in serum collected at enrollment. Between 18 and 23 years, semen samples (n = 298) were provided for analysis of volume, concentration, and progressive motility; we also calculated total sperm count and total progressive motile count. Linear mixed models were used to examine the longitudinal associations of quartiles of serum HCB, β-HCH and p,p'-DDE with semen parameters, adjusting for total serum lipids, body mass index, smoking, abstinence time and baseline dietary macronutrient intake. RESULTS Lipid-adjusted medians (IQR) for serum HCB, βHCH and p,ṕ-DDE, respectively, were 150 ng/g lipid (102-243), 172 ng/g lipid (120-257) and 275 ng/g lipid (190-465). In adjusted models, we observed lower ejaculated volume with higher serum concentrations of HCB and βHCH, along with reduced progressive motility with higher concentrations of βHCH andp,ṕ-DDE. Men in the highest quartile of serum HCB had a mean (95% Confidence Interval, CI) ejaculated volume of 2.25 mL (1.89, 2.60), as compared to those in the lowest quartile with a mean (95% CI) of 2.97 mL (2.46, 3.49) (p = 0.03). Also, men in the highest quartile of serum p,ṕ-DDE had a mean (95% CI) progressive motility of 51.1% (48.6, 53.7), as compared to those in the lowest quartile with a mean (95% CI) of 55.1% (51.7, 58.5) (p = 0.07). CONCLUSION In this longitudinal Russian cohort study, peripubertal serum concentrations of selected OCPs were associated with lower ejaculated volume and progressive motility highlighting the importance of the peripubertal window when evaluating chemical exposures in relation to semen quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramy Abou Ghayda
- Division of Urology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, A.N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia.
| | - Jane S Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mary M Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Nemours AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Yury Dikov
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, A.N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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29
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Laue HE, Korrick SA, Baker ER, Karagas MR, Madan JC. Prospective associations of the infant gut microbiome and microbial function with social behaviors related to autism at age 3 years. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15515. [PMID: 32968156 PMCID: PMC7511970 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72386-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothesized link between gut bacteria and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been explored through animal models and human studies with microbiome assessment after ASD presentation. We aimed to prospectively characterize the association between the infant/toddler gut microbiome and ASD-related social behaviors at age 3 years. As part of an ongoing birth cohort gut bacterial diversity, structure, taxa, and function at 6 weeks (n = 166), 1 year (n = 158), 2 years (n = 129), and 3 years (n = 140) were quantified with 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomic sequencing (n = 101 six weeks, n = 103 one year). ASD-related social behavior was assessed at age 3 years using Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) T-scores. Covariate-adjusted linear and permutation-based models were implemented. Microbiome structure at 1 year was associated with SRS-2 total T-scores (p = 0.01). Several taxa at 1, 2, and 3 years were associated with SRS-2 performance, including many in the Lachnospiraceae family. Higher relative abundance of Adlercreutzia equolifaciens and Ruminococcus torques at 1 year related to poorer SRS-2 performance. Two functional pathways, L-ornithine and vitamin B6 biosynthesis, were associated with better social skills at 3 years. Our results support potential associations between early-childhood gut microbiome and social behaviors. Future mechanistic studies are warranted to pinpoint sensitive targets for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Laue
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily R Baker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Juliette C Madan
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
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30
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Shoaff JR, Coull B, Weuve J, Bellinger DC, Calafat AM, Schantz SL, Korrick SA. Association of Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals During Adolescence With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-Related Behaviors. JAMA Netw Open 2020; 3:e2015041. [PMID: 32857150 PMCID: PMC7455852 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.15041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood neurobehavioral disorder. Studies suggest that prenatal and early childhood exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be associated with ADHD, but the association during adolescence has not been studied to date. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between exposure to select endocrine-disrupting chemicals during adolescence and ADHD-related behaviors. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS For this cross-sectional analysis, data were collected from 205 adolescents in the New Bedford Cohort, an ongoing prospective birth cohort, between June 18, 2011, and June 10, 2014. The adolescents provided spot urine samples and underwent neurodevelopmental testing. Statistical analyses performed from January 15 to December 31, 2019, used a repeated-measures analysis with multivariate modified Poisson models to estimate the adjusted relative risk of ADHD-related behaviors associated with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. EXPOSURES Urinary biomarker concentrations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals or their metabolites, including phthalates, parabens, phenols, and triclocarban, were quantified. Summary exposure measures were created, combining biomarker concentrations of chemicals with a shared mechanism of action, exposure pathway, or chemical class. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Behaviors related to ADHD were assessed with up to 14 indices from self-, parent-, and teacher-completed behavioral checklists using validated and standardized instruments; specifically, the Conners Attention Deficit Scale and the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition. Scores on each index were dichotomized to identify those with evidence of a significant behavioral problem, defined by each scale's interpretive guidelines. RESULTS Among the 205 participants, the mean (SD) age at assessment was 15.3 (0.7) years, with 112 girls (55%) and 124 non-Hispanic White participants (61%). The median urine concentrations were 0.45 μmol/L of Σantiandrogenic phthalates, 0.13 μmol/L of ΣDEHP metabolites, 0.49 μmol/L of Σpersonal care product phthalates, 0.35 μmol/L of Σparabens, 0.02 μmol/L of Σbisphenols, and 0.02 μmol/L of Σdichlorophenols. A total of 82 (40%) had scores consistent with a significant behavioral problem, whereas 39 (19%) had an ADHD diagnosis. Each 2-fold increase in the sum of antiandrogenic phthalate concentrations was associated with a 1.34 (95% CI, 1.00-1.79) increase in the risk of significant ADHD-related behavior problems, whereas a 2-fold increase in the sum of dichlorophenols was associated with a 1.15 (95% CI, 1.01-1.32) increased risk. These associations tended to be stronger in male participants, but comparisons of sex-specific differences were imprecise. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are used in a wide variety of consumer products resulting in ubiquitous exposure. The study findings suggest that exposure to some of these chemicals, particularly certain phthalates, during adolescence may be associated with behaviors characteristic of ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R. Shoaff
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Brent Coull
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jennifer Weuve
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David C. Bellinger
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Antonia M. Calafat
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Susan L. Schantz
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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Dzwilewski KLC, Merced-Nieves FM, Aguiar A, Korrick SA, Schantz SL. Characterization of performance on an automated visual recognition memory task in 7.5-month-old infants. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2020; 81:106904. [PMID: 32485220 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2020.106904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Infant looking behaviors measured during visual assessment paradigms may be more reliable predictors of long-term cognitive outcomes than standard measures such as the Bayley Scales of Infant Development typically used in environmental epidemiology. Infrared eye tracking technology offers an innovative approach to automate collection and processing of looking behavior data, making it possible to efficiently assess large numbers of infants. The goals of this study were to characterize infant looking behavior measures including side preference, fixation duration, and novelty preference using eye tracking and an automated version of an established visual recognition memory paradigm that includes both human faces and geometric figures as stimuli. An ancillary goal was to assess the feasibility of obtaining a precise measure of looking to the eye region of faces from the eye-tracking data. In this study, 309 7.5-month-old infants from a prospective birth cohort were assessed using a visual recognition memory (VRM) paradigm. Infrared eye tracking was used to record looking time as infants were shown nine blocks of trials with a pair of identical faces or shapes followed by two trials in which the familiar stimulus was paired with a novel one. Infants were assessed in one of four conditions: in conditions A and B, stimulus set 1 were the familiar stimuli and set 2 were novel; in conditions C and D, set 2 were familiar and set 1 novel. The novel stimuli were presented on the right first in conditions A and C and on the left first in conditions B and D. We observed a significant right side preference, which has not been reported before (57% of looking time spent looking at right side stimulus, p-value < 0.0001). Infants showed a preference for the novel stimuli similar to that published in prior studies (57-60% of looking time spent looking at the novel stimulus, p-value < 0.0001), as well as average fixation durations similar to previous studies. Infants also showed a strong preference for the eyes versus the rest of the face (p-value < 0.0001). Novelty preference was significantly higher when set 2 stimuli were novel (p-value < 0.0001), suggesting a preference among infants for set 2 stimuli compared to set 1 stimuli. The pattern of novelty preference across trials was significantly different between infants who saw the novel stimuli on the left first and those who saw them on the right first (p-value < 0.0001) but the overall mean novelty preference was not significantly different between these groups. There were also significant differences in average fixation duration and eyes preference measures across stimuli (p-values < 0.05). These findings show that VRM assessment can be automated for use in large-scale epidemiological studies using infrared eye tracking with looking behavior measure results similar to those obtained with standard non-automated methods, and that side and stimulus preferences are important modifiers of looking behavior that are critical to consider in this type of assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey L C Dzwilewski
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America.
| | - Francheska M Merced-Nieves
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America.
| | - Andrea Aguiar
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3505 Veterinary Medicine Basic Sciences Building, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, IL 61802, United States of America.
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA 02115, United States of America; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, United States of America.
| | - Susan L Schantz
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3505 Veterinary Medicine Basic Sciences Building, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, IL 61802, United States of America.
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Muse ME, Li Z, Baker ER, Cottingham KL, Korrick SA, Karagas MR, Gilbert-Diamond D. Relation between in utero arsenic exposure and growth during the first year of life in a New Hampshire pregnancy cohort. Environ Res 2020; 180:108604. [PMID: 31710845 PMCID: PMC7333643 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We have previously reported that in utero arsenic exposure is associated with increased length and other anthropometric outcomes at birth in a U.S. cohort. However, it is unknown whether these anthropometric differences persist through early life. OBJECTIVES We assessed in utero arsenic exposure in relation to attained anthropometry and growth trajectories through the first year of life. METHODS Among 760 mother-infant pairs from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, we assessed in utero arsenic exposure using maternal second trimester urinary arsenic and assessed infant growth from medical records. RESULTS Median maternal second trimester total urinary arsenic (tAs; inorganic arsenic + monomethylarsonic acid + dimethylarsinic acid) was 3.96 μg/L (IQR: 2.02, 6.72). In adjusted linear mixed effects models, each doubling of maternal urinary tAs was associated with a 0.05 increase in length WHO Z score (95% CI: 0, 0.09) over the first year of life which corresponds to an approximately 0.12 cm increase in males and 0.13 cm increase in females at 12 months. No associations were observed between urinary tAs and attained weight, weight-for-length, or head circumference. In adjusted piecewise linear mixed effects models, each doubling of urinary tAs was associated with a 0.07 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.12) cm per month decreased length growth rate through 3.5 months with no evidence of an association thereafter. No associations were observed between urinary tAs and infant weight gain or change in weight-for-length and head circumference through one year. CONCLUSIONS On average, infants exposed to higher in utero arsenic attained modestly longer length during the first year, despite having slower linear growth in the first 3.5 months of life. This suggests that the previously demonstrated arsenic-associated longer length among study infants at birth persists through the first year of life. No other anthropometric associations with in utero arsenic exposure were observed across the full study population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan E Muse
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.
| | - Zhigang Li
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Emily R Baker
- Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Kathryn L Cottingham
- Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Diane Gilbert-Diamond
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
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Merced-Nieves FM, Aguiar A, Dzwilewski KLC, Musaad S, Korrick SA, Schantz SL. Association of prenatal maternal perceived stress with a sexually dimorphic measure of cognition in 4.5-month-old infants. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2020; 77:106850. [PMID: 31812786 PMCID: PMC6980724 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2019.106850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Maternal prenatal stress can adversely impact subsequent child neurodevelopment, but little is known about its effect on cognitive development in infancy. This analysis of 107 infants from a prospective birth cohort assessed whether prenatal stress disrupts sexually dimorphic performance typically observed on a physical reasoning task. Maternal stress was assessed at 8-14 and 33-37 gestational weeks using the Perceived Stress Scale. Stress was defined as: low (scores below the median at both times), medium (scores above the median at one of the two times), and high (scores above the median at both times). At 4.5 months infants saw videos of two events: one impossible and the other possible. In the impossible event a box was placed against a wall without support underneath. In the possible event the box was placed against the wall, supported by the floor. Looking time at each event was recorded via infrared eye-tracking. Previous literature has shown that, at 4.5 months of age, girls typically look significantly longer at the impossible than at the possible event, suggesting that they expect the unsupported box to fall and are surprised when it does not. Boys tend to look equally at the two events suggesting that they do not share this expectation. This sex difference was replicated in the current study. General linear models stratified by sex and adjusted for household income, maternal education, mother's age at birth, infant's age at exam, and order of event presentation revealed that girls whose mothers reported high perceived stress during pregnancy had shorter looking time differences between the impossible and possible events than girls whose mothers reported low perceived stress (β = -7.1; 95% CI: -12.0, -2.2 s; p = 0.006). Similar to boys, girls in the highest stress category spent about the same amount of time looking at each event. For boys, there were no significant looking time differences by maternal stress level. This finding suggests prenatal stress is associated with a delay in the development of physical reasoning in girls.
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Affiliation(s)
- F M Merced-Nieves
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America.
| | - A Aguiar
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - K L C Dzwilewski
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - S Musaad
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - S A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - S L Schantz
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
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Burns JS, Williams PL, Sergeyev O, Korrick SA, Rudnev S, Plaku-Alakbarova B, Revich B, Hauser R, Lee MM. Associations of peri-pubertal serum dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls with growth and body composition among Russian boys in a longitudinal cohort. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2019; 223:228-237. [PMID: 31466867 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood exposure to organochlorines has been associated with alterations in somatic growth. We evaluated the associations of peri-pubertal serum levels of dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) and nondioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs), with adolescent growth, body composition, and near adult height (NAH) in a longitudinal cohort study of Russian boys. METHODS 473 8-9 year-old boys had serum DLCs and associated toxic equivalents (TEQs) and NDL-PCBs concentrations measured. Physical examinations were performed at enrollment between 2003 and 2005, and annually over 11 years to 2016; annual bio-electric impedance analysis (BIA) of body composition began in 2006. We used mixed effects models to evaluate associations of quartiles of serum chemical concentrations with longitudinal measurements through age 19 of body mass index (BMI-Z) and height (HT-Z) z-scores, annual height velocity (HV), and BIA-derived height-adjusted fat (FMi) and fat-free mass (FFMi) indexes. Potential modification by age of the associations of chemical exposures with growth was evaluated. NAH (defined as HV < 1 cm/year) and age at NAH attainment were estimated using parametric survival models accounting for right censoring. RESULTS The medians of serum ∑TEQs, ∑DLCs, and ∑NDL-PCBs were 21.1 pg TEQ/g lipid, 362 pg/g lipid, and 250 ng/g lipid, respectively. In multivariable models, higher serum concentrations of peri-pubertal ∑TEQs, ∑DLCs, and ∑NDL-PCBs were associated with significantly lower BMI-Z, FMi, and FFMi over 11 years of follow-up. The differences in FFMi for boys with higher versus lower ΣTEQs and ΣNDL-PCBs increased with age. In multivariable models, higher ∑NDL-PCBs were associated with lower HT-Z, with attenuation of the association with age (interaction p < 0.001). The highest versus the lowest quartiles of ∑NDL-PCBs were not associated with differences in NAH, but were associated with an average of 6 months later attainment of NAH. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that dioxin and NDL-PCB exposures during childhood are associated with alterations in body composition and subsequent somatic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane S Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, A.N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Leninskye Gory, House 1, Building 40, Room 322, 119234, Moscow, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Meditsinskaya Str., 3a, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, 446100, Russia
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sergey Rudnev
- Marchuk Institute of Numerical Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gubkin Str., 8, 119333, Moscow, Russia
| | - Bora Plaku-Alakbarova
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Boris Revich
- Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, 47 Nakhimovsky Prosp., Moscow, 117418, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Mary M Lee
- Nemours AI DuPont Hospital for Children/Sidney Kimmel Medical School, Jefferson University, 1600 Rockland Road, Suite 2C, Wilmington, DE, 19803, USA
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Shoaff JR, Calafat AM, Schantz SL, Korrick SA. Endocrine disrupting chemical exposure and maladaptive behavior during adolescence. Environ Res 2019; 172:231-241. [PMID: 30818232 PMCID: PMC7199588 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.12.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [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] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies suggest that exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including phthalates, phenols, and parabens may influence childhood behavior, but the relationship during adolescence has not been assessed. OBJECTIVE We investigated the association between urinary biomarker concentrations of potential EDCs, including some phthalate and bisphenol A replacement chemicals, and behavior in adolescents. METHODS Participants were from the New Bedford Cohort (NBC), a prospective birth cohort of residents near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site in Massachusetts. We measured urinary concentrations of 16 phthalate metabolites or replacements, 8 phenols, and 4 parabens in 205 NBC adolescents and estimated associations between select EDCs and adolescent behavior assessed with the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition -Teacher Rating Scale (BASC-2). Of note, up to 32 of the 205 in our assessment had missing outcome information imputed. RESULTS Increased urinary concentrations of the sum of 11 antiandrogenic phthalate metabolites were associated with an increase in maladaptive behaviors (Externalizing Behavior, Behavioral Symptoms Index, and Developmental Social Disorders or DSD), and a decrease in Adaptive Skills. For example, a doubling of urinary concentrations of antiandrogenic phthalate metabolites was associated with an increased risk of Externalizing Behavior (RR=1.04; 95% CI: 1.01-1.08). While associations were generally stronger in males, sex differences were not statistically significant. Urine concentrations of phenols and parabens were not associated with adverse behavior. CONCLUSION Our findings support the importance of exposure to antiandrogenic phthalates during adolescence as a potential correlate of maladaptive behaviors including Externalizing Behavior, DSD behaviors, and decrements in Adaptive Skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R Shoaff
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Antonia M Calafat
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Susan L Schantz
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Emeny RT, Korrick SA, Li Z, Nadeau K, Madan J, Jackson B, Baker E, Karagas MR. Prenatal exposure to mercury in relation to infant infections and respiratory symptoms in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Environ Res 2019; 171:523-529. [PMID: 30743244 PMCID: PMC6561090 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [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: 09/15/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mechanistic studies support the potential for mercury (Hg) to alter immunity, including via in utero exposure. As yet, there are few prospective studies of in utero Hg exposure and subsequent immune-related outcomes, especially in infancy. OBJECTIVES We investigated the association of biomarkers of prenatal Hg exposure and maternal silver-mercury dental amalgams with the occurrence of infant allergy, respiratory infection, and respiratory symptoms in the first year of life. METHODS The New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (NHBCS) ascertained information on infant allergies, infections and symptoms through telephone interviews at 4, 8 and 12 months postpartum and measured total Hg in maternal toenails collected at ~28-30 weeks gestation. Information on maternal fish consumption and presence of dental amalgams was obtained from a questionnaire administered at study enrollment at 24-28 weeks. A total of 1321 NHBCS mother-infant pairs had at least one Hg exposure measure (toenail Hg or information on dental amalgams) and information on dietary fish intake. Generalized linear models and generalized estimating equation models with Poisson regression adjusted for potential confounders (maternal age, level of education, parity, smoking, alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010, infant sex, gestational age, feeding mode, and day care attendance) were used to assess the association between infant outcomes and prenatal toenail Hg levels. We subsetted this analysis on mothers who consumed fish (n = 706) as a measure of in utero methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. Associations between infant outcomes and dental amalgams as a measure of in utero inorganic Hg exposure were assessed among mothers who did not consume fish (n = 218). RESULTS Among women who ate fish during pregnancy, higher maternal toenail Hg concentrations were associated with an increased risk of lower respiratory infections and respiratory symptoms requiring a doctor visit among infants age 9-12 months (relative risk (RR) 1.4 (95% CI: 1.1, 1.9) and 1.2 (95% CI: 1.0, 1.4) respectively), whereas a reduced risk of lower respiratory infections was observed among infants 0-4 months of age (RR = 0.7 (95% CI: 0.5, 1.0). We found little to no evidence of associations of toenail Hg with upper respiratory infections, allergy or eczema at any age to one year. Among infants of mothers who did not consume fish, we found an elevated risk of upper respiratory infections requiring a doctor visit in relation to having dental amalgams during pregnancy (RR = 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1, 2.1)). Overall, weaker associations were observed with lower respiratory infections, respiratory symptoms, and medically confirmed allergies, and there was no association with eczema. CONCLUSIONS Our analyses of a US birth cohort, along with prior mechanistic work, raise the possibility that gestational Hg exposure through fish/seafood consumption and dental amalgams may alter respiratory infections and respiratory symptoms in infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca T Emeny
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA; The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhigang Li
- Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health and Health Professions & College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kari Nadeau
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, Stanford Medical School and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Juliette Madan
- Division of Neonatology, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Brian Jackson
- Trace Element Analysis Lab, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Emily Baker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Margaret R Karagas
- Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA.
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Williams PL, Bellavia A, Korrick SA, Burns JS, Lee MM, Sergeyev O, Hauser R. Blood lead levels and timing of male sexual maturity: A longitudinal study of Russian boys. Environ Int 2019; 125:470-477. [PMID: 30769180 PMCID: PMC6388626 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.01.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Higher blood lead levels (BLLs) have been linked to neurologic deficits and impaired growth, but few studies have evaluated their association with timing of sexual maturity or pubertal progression in boys. METHODS In a longitudinal cohort of Russian boys enrolled at age 8-9 and followed to adulthood, BLLs were measured at study entry, and pubertal staging (genitalia and pubic hair) and testicular volume (TV) measurements were obtained annually. We used interval-censored regression models to estimate differences between boys with higher BLL (≥5 μg/dL) and lower BLL in mean ages at sexual maturity (genitalia stage 5, pubic hair stage 5, or TV ≥ 20 mL) and duration of pubertal progression (onset to maturity), adjusting for potential confounders. Mediation analyses were conducted to quantify the percent of lead's effect attributable to its association with reduced somatic growth. RESULTS Among 481 evaluable boys, 28% had BLL ≥ 5 μg/dL. Adjusted mean ages at sexual maturity were 14.7 years for genitalia, 16.1 for pubic hair, and 13.9 for TV. In adjusted models, boys with BLLs ≥5 μg/dL had later maturity than those with lower levels by 4-5 months depending on pubertal indicator. In mediation analyses, height and body mass index at age 11 accounted for 40-71% of the shift in age at maturity for boys with higher compared to lower BLLs. Higher BLLs were not associated with pace of pubertal progression. CONCLUSIONS Higher lead levels were associated with later attainment of sexual maturity in males, but not with the duration of pubertal progression. A high proportion of the delay in sexual maturity for boys with higher as compared to lower BLL was shown to be attributable to mediating effects of BLL on reduced growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America.
| | - Andrea Bellavia
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States of America
| | - Jane S Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America
| | - Mary M Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Nemours AI duPont Children's Hospital/Sidney Kimmel Medical School, Jefferson University, United States of America
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia; A.N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America
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Silverman EK, Allard P, Loscalzo J, Mulvihill JJ, Korrick SA. Reported environmental exposures are inversely associated with obtaining a genetic diagnosis in the Undiagnosed Diseases Network. Am J Med Genet A 2019; 179:958-965. [DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.61132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Revised: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Edwin K. Silverman
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of MedicineBrigham and Women's Hospital Boston Massachusetts
- Department of MedicineBrigham and Women's Hospital Boston Massachusetts
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
| | - Patrick Allard
- Institute for Society and GeneticsUniversity of California at Los Angeles Los Angeles California
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of MedicineBrigham and Women's Hospital Boston Massachusetts
- Department of MedicineBrigham and Women's Hospital Boston Massachusetts
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
- Division of Cardiovascular MedicineBrigham and Women's Hospital Boston Massachusetts
| | - John J. Mulvihill
- Division of Genomic MedicineNational Human Genome Research Institute Bethesda Maryland
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Oklahoma City Oklahoma
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of MedicineBrigham and Women's Hospital Boston Massachusetts
- Department of MedicineBrigham and Women's Hospital Boston Massachusetts
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
- Department of Environmental HealthHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Boston Massachusetts
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Yazdy MM, Coull BA, Gardiner JC, Aguiar A, Calafat AM, Schantz SL, Korrick SA. A possible approach to improving the reproducibility of urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and phenols during pregnancy. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2018; 28:448-460. [PMID: 30018406 PMCID: PMC6170163 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-018-0050-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [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: 07/10/2017] [Revised: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
In epidemiologic studies, classifying episodic exposures to chemicals with short half-lives, such as phthalates and phenols, is challenging. We assessed whether accounting for sources of variability unrelated to exposure pathways would improve the reproducibility of urine concentrations of select phthalate metabolites and phenols. In 2011, a subset of pregnant women (n = 19) enrolled in a prospective study provided first morning urine samples every 3-4 weeks between 16 and 36 weeks gestation. At the time of collection, we identified potential contributors to variations in urinary concentrations: weight gain, gestational age, time slept, time since awoke, time since last food/drink, and time since last void. We estimated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) among repeat urine concentrations with and without adjustment for sources of variability using a random intercept linear mixed model. Concentrations of monoethyl phthalate, butyl, and propyl parabens were the most reproducible (ICCs: 0.68, 0.56, and 0.56, respectively). However, adjustment for potential sources of variability unrelated to exposure pathways did not materially improve reproducibility nor the ability of a single sample to predict exposure based on average biomarker concentrations across pregnancy. Future studies should carefully consider the exposure timeframe and the reliability of using biomarker concentrations from a single time point to represent exposures over pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahsa M Yazdy
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph C Gardiner
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Andrea Aguiar
- Department of Comparative Biosciences and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Antonia M Calafat
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Susan L Schantz
- Department of Comparative Biosciences and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Revich B, Sergeyev O, Hauser R, Korrick SA. Peripubertal blood lead levels and growth among Russian boys. Environ Int 2017; 106:53-59. [PMID: 28599171 PMCID: PMC5561550 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 01/25/2017] [Revised: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood blood lead levels (BLL) have been associated with growth impairment. OBJECTIVES We assessed associations of peripubertal BLL with adolescent growth and near adult height in a longitudinal cohort of Russian boys. METHODS 481 boys were enrolled at ages 8-9years and followed annually to age 18. At enrollment, BLL was measured, and height, weight, and pubertal staging were obtained annually during 10years of follow-up. Mixed effects models were used to assess the associations of BLL with longitudinal age-adjusted World Health OrganizationZ-scores for height (HT-Z) and body mass index (BMI-Z), and annual height velocity (HV). Interactions between boys' age and BLL on growth outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS The median (range) BLL was 3.0 (0.5-31.0) μg/dL. At age 18years, 79% of boys had achieved near adult height (HV <1.0cm/year), and means (SD) for HT-Z and BMI-Z were 0.15 (0.92) and -0.32 (1.24). Over 10years of follow-up, after covariate adjustment, boys with higher (≥5μg/dL) BLL compared with lower BLL were shorter (adjusted mean difference in HT-Z=-0.43, 95% CI -0.60, -0.25, p-value <0.001), translating to a 2.5cm lower height at age 18years. The decrement in height for boys with higher BLL was most pronounced at 12 to 15years of age (interaction p=0.03). Boys with higher BLL were leaner (adjusted mean difference in BMI-Z=-0.22, 95% CI: -0.45, 0.01, p=0.06). CONCLUSIONS Higher peripubertal BLLs were associated with shorter height through age 18years, suggesting a persistent effect of lead on linear growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane S Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mary M Lee
- Pediatric Endocrine Division, Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 N Lake Avenue, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Boris Revich
- Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, 47 Nakhimovsky Prosp, Moscow 117418, Russia
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Department of Genomics and Human Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gubkina Str. 3, Moscow 119333, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Meditsinskaya Str., 3a, Chapaevsk, Samara Region 446100, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Vieira VM, Fabian MP, Webster TF, Levy JI, Korrick SA. Spatial Variability in ADHD-Related Behaviors Among Children Born to Mothers Residing Near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund Site. Am J Epidemiol 2017; 185:924-932. [PMID: 28444119 PMCID: PMC5430935 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kww208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has an uncertain etiology, with potential contributions from different risk factors such as prenatal environmental exposure to organochlorines and metals, social risk factors, and genetics. The degree to which geographic variability in ADHD is independent of, or explained by, risk factors may provide etiological insight. We investigated determinants of geographic variation in ADHD-related behaviors among children living near the polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated New Bedford Harbor (NBH) Superfund site in Massachusetts. Participants were 573 children recruited at birth (1993-1998) who were born to mothers residing near the NBH site. We assessed ADHD-related behaviors at age 8 years using Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-Revised: Long Version. Adjusted generalized additive models were used to smooth the association of pregnancy residence with ADHD-related behaviors and assess whether prenatal organochlorine or metal exposures, sociodemographic factors, or other factors explained spatial patterns. Models that adjusted for child's age and sex displayed significantly increased ADHD-related behavior among children whose mothers resided west of the NBH site during pregnancy. These spatial patterns persisted after adjusting for prenatal exposure to organochlorines and metals but were no longer significant after controlling for sociodemographic factors. The findings underscore the value of spatial analysis in identifying high-risk subpopulations and evaluating candidate risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica M. Vieira
- Correspondence to Dr. Verónica M. Vieira, Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, 653 East Peltason Drive, AIRB 2042, Irvine, CA 92697 (e-mail: )
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Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Williams PL, Korrick SA, Lee MM, Revich B, Hauser R. The association of peripubertal serum concentrations of organochlorine chemicals and blood lead with growth and pubertal development in a longitudinal cohort of boys: a review of published results from the Russian Children's Study. Rev Environ Health 2017; 32:83-92. [PMID: 28231067 PMCID: PMC5536108 DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2016-0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Organochlorine chemicals and lead are environmental exposures that have endocrine disrupting properties (EDCs) which interfere with many aspects of hormone action. Childhood and adolescence are windows of susceptibility for adverse health effects of EDCs. Our ongoing study, the Russian Children's Study (RCS), is one of the few longitudinal studies investigating the impact of EDCs on growth and puberty in boys. It is conducted in the historically contaminated city of Chapaevsk, in the Samara region. The study focuses on evaluating the associations of persistent organochlorine chemicals and lead with growth and pubertal timing. At enrollment in 2003-2005, we collected blood from 516 boys at ages 8-9 years to measure dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated pesticides and lead. At enrollment and at annual visits through the ages of 18-19 years, a physician performed physical examinations that included pubertal staging and testicular volume measurements. We review the history of Chapaevsk as a research site and summarize published RCS data on the association of peripubertal serum concentrations of organochlorines and blood lead levels with growth, pubertal onset and sexual maturity. Overall, we found that persistent organochlorines and lead negatively affected growth during puberty. Our results also suggest that total toxic equivalents (TEQs), dioxin-like compounds, organochlorine pesticides and lead may delay, while nondioxin-like-PCBs may advance, the timing of male puberty. These findings promoted remediation programs in Chapaevsk, with improvement in health indicators, resulting in Chapaevsk being designated a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) network "Healthy Cities" in 2015.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg Sergeyev
- Department of Genomics and Human Genetics Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia
| | - Jane S. Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Paige L. Williams
- Departments of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mary M. Lee
- Pediatric Endocrine Division, Departments of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
- Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Boris Revich
- Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
- Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Mínguez-Alarcón L, Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Smigulina L, Revich B, Hauser R. A Longitudinal Study of Peripubertal Serum Organochlorine Concentrations and Semen Parameters in Young Men: The Russian Children's Study. Environ Health Perspect 2017; 125:460-466. [PMID: 27713107 PMCID: PMC5332179 DOI: 10.1289/ehp25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during critical phases of testicular development may be related to poorer semen parameters. However, few studies have assessed the association between childhood organochlorine (OC) exposure and adult semen parameters. OBJECTIVE We examined whether peripubertal serum OC concentrations are associated with semen parameters among young Russian men. METHODS From 2003 through 2005, 516 boys were enrolled at age 8-9 years and followed for up to 10 years. Serum OCs were measured in the enrollment samples using high-resolution mass spectrometry. At 18-19 years, 133 young men provided 1 or 2 semen samples (256 samples) collected approximately 1 week apart, which were analyzed for volume, sperm concentration, and motility. Unadjusted and adjusted linear mixed models were used to examine the associations of quartiles of lipid-standardized concentrations of dioxins [2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)], furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and corresponding toxic equivalents (TEQs) with semen parameters. RESULTS The median (range) for TCDD was 2.9 (0.4-12.1) pg/g lipid and PCDD TEQ was 8.7 (1.0-36.0) pg TEQ/g lipid. Higher quartiles of TCDD and PCDD TEQs were associated with lower sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count (p-trends ≤ 0.05). The highest quartile of peripubertal serum TCDD concentrations was associated with a decrease (95% CI) of 40% (18, 66%), 29% (3, 64%), and 30% (2, 70%) in sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count, respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. Similar associations were observed for serum PCDD TEQs with semen parameters. Serum PCBs, furans, and total TEQs were not associated with semen parameters. CONCLUSION Higher peripubertal serum TCDD concentrations and PCDD TEQs were associated with poorer semen parameters. Citation: Mínguez-Alarcón L, Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Smigulina L, Revich B, Hauser R. 2017. A longitudinal study of peripubertal serum organochlorine concentrations and semen parameters in young men: the Russian Children's Study. Environ Health Perspect 125:460-466; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP25.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Department of Genomics and Human Genetics Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia
| | - Jane S. Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paige L. Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, and
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mary M. Lee
- Pediatric Endocrine Division, Departments of Pediatrics and Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Boris Revich
- Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Burns JS, Lee MM, Williams PL, Korrick SA, Sergeyev O, Lam T, Revich B, Hauser R. Associations of Peripubertal Serum Dioxin and Polychlorinated Biphenyl Concentrations with Pubertal Timing among Russian Boys. Environ Health Perspect 2016; 124:1801-1807. [PMID: 27187981 PMCID: PMC5089876 DOI: 10.1289/ehp154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Revised: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin-like and non-dioxin-like, have been linked to alterations in puberty. OBJECTIVES We examined the association of peripubertal serum levels of these compounds [and their toxic equivalents (TEQs)] with pubertal onset and maturity among Russian boys enrolled at ages 8-9 years and followed prospectively through ages 17-18 years. METHODS At enrollment, 473 boys had serum dioxin-like compounds and PCBs measured. At the baseline visit and annually until age 17-18 years, a physician performed pubertal staging [genitalia (G), pubarche (P), and testicular volume (TV)]. Three hundred fifteen subjects completed the follow-up visit at 17-18 years of age. Pubertal onset was defined as TV > 3 mL, G2, or P2. Sexual maturity was defined as TV ≥ 20 mL, G5, or P5. Multivariable interval-censored models were used to evaluate associations of lipid-standardized concentrations with pubertal timing. RESULTS Medians (interquartile ranges) of the sum of dioxin-like compounds, TEQs, and non-dioxin-like PCBs were 362 pg/g lipid (279-495), 21.1 pg TEQ/g lipid (14.4-33.2), and 250 ng/g lipid (164-395), respectively. In adjusted models, the highest compared to lowest TEQ quartile was associated with later pubertal onset [TV = 11.6 months (95% CI: 3.8, 19.4); G2 = 10.1 months (95% CI: 1.4, 18.8)] and sexual maturity [TV = 11.6 months (95% CI: 5.7, 17.6); G5 = 9.7 months (95% CI: 3.1, 16.2)]. However, the highest compared to the lowest quartile of non-dioxin-like PCBs, when co-adjusted by TEQs, was associated with earlier pubertal onset [TV = -8.3 months (95% CI:-16.2, -0.3)] and sexual maturity [TV = -6.3 months (95% CI:-12.2, -0.3); G5 = -7.2 months (95% CI:-13.8, -0.6)]; the non-dioxin-like PCB associations were only significant when adjusted for TEQs. TEQs and PCBs were not significantly associated with pubic hair development. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that TEQs may delay, while non-dioxin-like PCBs advance, the timing of male puberty. Citation: Burns JS, Lee MM, Williams PL, Korrick SA, Sergeyev O, Lam T, Revich B, Hauser R. 2016. Associations of peripubertal serum dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations with pubertal timing among Russian boys. Environ Health Perspect 124:1801-1807; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP154.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane S. Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Address correspondence to J.S. Burns, Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave., Building 1, Room 1404E, Boston, MA 02115 USA. Telephone: (617) 432-1829. E-mail:
| | - Mary M. Lee
- Pediatric Endocrine Division, Department of Pediatrics, and
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paige L. Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, and
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Department of Genomics and Human Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia
| | - Thuy Lam
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Gradient, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Boris Revich
- Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Gilbert-Diamond D, Emond JA, Baker ER, Korrick SA, Karagas MR. Relation between in Utero Arsenic Exposure and Birth Outcomes in a Cohort of Mothers and Their Newborns from New Hampshire. Environ Health Perspect 2016; 124:1299-307. [PMID: 26955061 PMCID: PMC4977046 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1510065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Revised: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies suggest that arsenic exposure influences birth outcomes; however, findings are mixed. OBJECTIVE We assessed in utero arsenic exposure in relation to birth outcomes and whether maternal prepregnancy weight and infant sex modified the associations. METHODS Among 706 mother-infant pairs exposed to low levels of arsenic through drinking water and diet, we assessed in utero arsenic exposure using maternal second-trimester urinary arsenic, maternal prepregnancy weight through self-report, and birth outcomes from medical records. RESULTS Median (interquartile range) of total urinary arsenic [tAs; inorganic arsenic (iAs) + monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) + dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)] was 3.4 μg/L (1.7-6.0). In adjusted linear models, each doubling of tAs was associated with a 0.10-cm decrease (95% CI: -0.19, -0.01) in head circumference. Results were similar for MMA and DMA. Ln(tAs) and ln(DMA) were positively associated with birth length in infant males only; among males, each doubling of tAs was associated with a 0.28-cm increase (95% CI: 0.09, 0.46) in birth length (pinteraction = 0.04). Results were similar for DMA. Additionally, arsenic exposure was inversely related to ponderal index, and associations differed by maternal weight. Each ln(tAs) doubling of tAs was associated with a 0.55-kg/m3 lower (95% CI: -0.82, -0.28, p < 0.001) ponderal index for infants of overweight/obese, but not normal-weight, mothers (pinteraction < 0.01). Finally, there was a significant interaction between maternal weight status, infant sex, and arsenic exposure on birth weight (pinteraction = 0.03). In girls born of overweight/obese mothers, each doubling of tAs was associated with a 62.9-g decrease (95% CI: -111.6, -14.2) in birth weight, though the association was null in the other strata. CONCLUSIONS Low-level arsenic exposure may affect fetal growth, and the associations may be modified by maternal weight status and infant sex. CITATION Gilbert-Diamond D, Emond JA, Baker ER, Korrick SA, Karagas MR. 2016. Relation between in utero arsenic exposure and birth outcomes in a cohort of mothers and their newborns from New Hampshire. Environ Health Perspect 124:1299-1307; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510065.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane Gilbert-Diamond
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Address correspondence to D. Gilbert-Diamond, Hinman 7927, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755 USA. Telephone: (603) 653-3362. E-mail:
| | - Jennifer A. Emond
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Emily R. Baker
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
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Rothenberg SE, Yu X, Liu J, Biasini FJ, Hong C, Jiang X, Nong Y, Cheng Y, Korrick SA. Maternal methylmercury exposure through rice ingestion and offspring neurodevelopment: A prospective cohort study. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2016; 219:832-842. [PMID: 27503636 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2016.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Revised: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dietary methylmercury intake can occur not only through fish ingestion but also through rice ingestion; however, rice does not contain the same beneficial micronutrients as fish. OBJECTIVES In rural China, where rice is a staple food, associations between prenatal methylmercury exposure (assessed using maternal hair mercury) and impacts on offspring neurodevelopment were investigated. METHODS A total of 398 mothers were recruited at parturition at which time a sample of scalp hair was collected. Offspring (n=270, 68%) were assessed at 12 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II, yielding age-adjusted scores for the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI). RESULTS Among 270 mothers, 85% ingested rice daily, 41% never or rarely ingested fish/shellfish and 11% ingested fish/shellfish at least twice/weekly. Maternal hair mercury averaged 0.41μg/g (median: 0.39μg/g, range: 0.079-1.7μg/g). In unadjusted models, offspring neurodevelopment (both MDI and PDI) was inversely correlated with hair mercury. Associations were strengthened after adjustment for fish/shellfish ingestion, rice ingestion, total energy intake (kcal), and maternal/offspring characteristics for both the MDI [Beta: -4.9, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): -9.7, -0.12] and the PDI (Beta: -2.7, 95% CI: -8.3, 2.9), although confidence intervals remained wide for the latter. CONCLUSIONS For 12-month old offspring living in rural China, prenatal methylmercury exposure was associated with statistically significant decrements in offspring cognition, but not psychomotor development. Results expose potential new vulnerabilities for communities depending on rice as a staple food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Rothenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
| | - Xiaodan Yu
- MOE-Shanghai Key Lab of Children's Environmental Health, XinHua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jihong Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Fred J Biasini
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Chuan Hong
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Xu Jiang
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Yanfen Nong
- Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Daxin, China
| | - Yue Cheng
- Department of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Xi'an, China
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Farzan SF, Li Z, Korrick SA, Spiegelman D, Enelow R, Nadeau K, Baker E, Karagas MR. Infant Infections and Respiratory Symptoms in Relation to in Utero Arsenic Exposure in a U.S. Cohort. Environ Health Perspect 2016; 124:840-7. [PMID: 26359651 PMCID: PMC4892909 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1409282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Arsenic has been linked to disrupted immune function and greater infection susceptibility in highly exposed populations. Well arsenic levels above the U.S. EPA limit occur in our U.S. study area and are of particular concern for pregnant women and infants. OBJECTIVES We investigated whether in utero arsenic exposure affects the risk of infections and respiratory symptoms over the first year of life. METHODS We prospectively obtained information on infant infections and symptoms, including their duration and treatment (n = 412) at 4, 8, and 12 months using a parental telephone survey. Using generalized estimating equation models adjusted for potential confounders, we evaluated the association between maternal pregnancy urinary arsenic and infant infections and symptoms over the first year. RESULTS Each doubling of maternal urinary arsenic was related to increases in the total number of infections requiring prescription medication in the first year [relative risk (RR) = 1.1; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.2]. Urinary arsenic was related specifically to respiratory symptoms (difficulty breathing, wheezing, and cough) lasting ≥ 2 days or requiring prescription medication (RR = 1.1; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.2; and RR = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.5, respectively), and wheezing lasting ≥ 2 days, resulting in a doctor visit or prescription medication treatment (RR = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.7; RR = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.8, and RR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.0, 2.2, respectively). Associations also were observed with diarrhea (RR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9) and fever resulting in a doctor visit (RR = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.5). CONCLUSIONS In utero arsenic exposure was associated with a higher risk of infection during the first year of life in our study population, particularly infections requiring medical treatment, and with diarrhea and respiratory symptoms. CITATION Farzan SF, Li Z, Korrick SA, Spiegelman D, Enelow R, Nadeau K, Baker E, Karagas MR. 2016. Infant infections and respiratory symptoms in relation to in utero arsenic exposure in a U.S. COHORT Environ Health Perspect 124:840-847; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409282.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohreh F. Farzan
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Zhigang Li
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Donna Spiegelman
- Department of Biostatistics, and
- Department of Epidemiology, Global Health and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Richard Enelow
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Kari Nadeau
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, Stanford Medical School and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Emily Baker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- Address correspondence to M.R. Karagas, Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, One Medical Center Dr., 7927 Rubin, Lebanon, NH 03756 USA. Telephone: (603) 653-9010. E-mail:
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Lam T, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Birnbaum LS, Burns JS, Sergeyev O, Revich B, Altshul LM, Patterson DG, Hauser R. Prepubertal Serum Concentrations of Organochlorine Pesticides and Age at Sexual Maturity in Russian Boys. Environ Health Perspect 2015; 123:1216-21. [PMID: 26009253 PMCID: PMC4629743 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1409022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few human studies have evaluated the impact of childhood exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCP) on pubertal development. OBJECTIVE We evaluated associations of serum OCP concentrations [hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (βHCH), and p,p-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p´-DDE)] with age at attainment of sexual maturity among boys. METHODS From 2003 through 2005, 350 8- to 9-year-old boys from Chapaevsk, Russia, with measured OCPs were enrolled and followed annually for 8 years. We used multivariable interval-censored models to evaluate associations of OCPs (quartiles) with three physician-assessed measures of sexual maturity: Tanner stage 5 for genitalia growth, Tanner stage 5 for pubic hair growth, or testicular volume (TV) ≥ 20 mL in either testis. RESULTS In adjusted models, boys with higher HCB concentrations achieved sexual maturity reflected by TV ≥ 20 mL a mean of 3.1 months (95% CI: -1.7, 7.8), 5.3 months (95% CI: 0.6, 10.1), and 5.0 months (95% CI: 0.2, 9.8) later for quartiles Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively, compared with Q1 (p trend = 0.04). Tanner stage 5 for genitalia growth was attained a mean of 2.2 months (95% CI: -3.1, 7.5), 5.7 months (95% CI: 0.4, 11.0), and 3.7 months (95% CI: -1.7, 9.1) later for quartiles Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively, of βHCH compared with Q1 (p trend = 0.09). Tanner stage 5 for pubic hair growth occurred 6-9 months later on average for boys in the highest versus lowest quartile for HCB (p trend < 0.001), βHCH (trend p = 0.01), and p,p´-DDE (p trend = 0.04). No associations were observed between p,p´-DDE and Tanner stage 5 for genitalia growth or TV ≥ 20 mL. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Higher prepubertal serum HCB and βHCH concentrations were associated with a later age at attainment of sexual maturity. Only the highest quartile of serum p,p´-DDE was associated with later pubic hair maturation. CITATION Lam T, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Birnbaum LS, Burns JS, Sergeyev O, Revich B, Altshul LM, Patterson DG Jr, Hauser R. 2015. Prepubertal serum concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and age at sexual maturity in Russian boys. Environ Health Perspect 123:1216-1221; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuy Lam
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Farzan SF, Chen Y, Wu F, Jiang J, Liu M, Baker E, Korrick SA, Karagas MR. Blood Pressure Changes in Relation to Arsenic Exposure in a U.S. Pregnancy Cohort. Environ Health Perspect 2015; 123:999-1006. [PMID: 25793356 PMCID: PMC4590746 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1408472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inorganic arsenic exposure has been related to the risk of increased blood pressure based largely on cross-sectional studies conducted in highly exposed populations. Pregnancy is a period of particular vulnerability to environmental insults. However, little is known about the cardiovascular impacts of arsenic exposure during pregnancy. OBJECTIVES We evaluated the association between prenatal arsenic exposure and maternal blood pressure over the course of pregnancy in a U.S. METHODS The New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study in which > 10% of participant household wells exceed the arsenic maximum contaminant level of 10 μg/L established by the U.S. EPA. Total urinary arsenic measured at 24-28 weeks gestation was measured and used as a biomarker of exposure during pregnancy in 514 pregnant women, 18-45 years of age, who used a private well in their household. Outcomes were repeated blood pressure measurements (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) recorded during pregnancy. RESULTS Using linear mixed effects models, we estimated that, on average, each 5-μg/L increase in urinary arsenic was associated with a 0.15-mmHg (95% CI: 0.02, 0.29; p = 0.022) increase in systolic blood pressure per month and a 0.14-mmHg (95% CI: 0.02, 0.25; p = 0.021) increase in pulse pressure per month over the course of pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS In our U.S. cohort of pregnant women, arsenic exposure was associated with greater increases in blood pressure over the course of pregnancy. These findings may have important implications because even modest increases in blood pressure impact cardiovascular disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohreh F Farzan
- Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
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Verner MA, Hart JE, Sagiv SK, Bellinger DC, Altshul LM, Korrick SA. Measured Prenatal and Estimated Postnatal Levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and ADHD-Related Behaviors in 8-Year-Old Children. Environ Health Perspect 2015; 123:888-94. [PMID: 25769180 PMCID: PMC4559949 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1408084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiologic studies of postnatal PCB exposure and behavior have not reported consistent evidence of adverse associations, possibly because of challenges in exposure estimation. We previously developed a pharmacokinetic model to improve estimation of children's PCB exposure. OBJECTIVES We aimed to assess whether estimated serum PCB levels in infancy are associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related behaviors at 8 years of age among children whose cord serum PCB levels were previously shown to be associated with ADHD-related behaviors. METHODS We used a pharmacokinetic model to estimate monthly serum polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-153 levels in 441 infants (ages 1-12 months) based on parameters such as breastfeeding and cord serum PCB-153 levels. Behavior was evaluated at age 8 using the Conners' Rating Scale for Teachers (CRS-T). Associations between PCB-153 levels and ADHD-related CRS-T indices were assessed using multivariable quantile regression at the 50th and 75th percentiles of CRS-T scores, where higher percentiles reflect more adverse behaviors. RESULTS Cord serum PCB-153 levels (median, 38 ng/g lipids) were associated with ADHD-related behaviors, although statistical significance was observed with quantile regression models only at the 75th percentile. Associations with postnatal exposure estimates were attenuated. For example, hyperactive-impulsive behavior scores at age 8 years were 0.9 points (95% CI: 0.2, 2.5), 0.5 points (95% CI: 0.3, 2.3), and 0.3 points (95% CI: -0.2, 1.5) higher in association with interquartile range increases in serum PCB-153 at birth, 2 months, and 12 months of age, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Associations between estimated postnatal PCB-153 exposures and ADHD-related behaviors at 8 years of age were weaker than associations with PCB-153 concentrations measured in cord serum at birth. CITATION Verner MA, Hart JE, Sagiv SK, Bellinger DC, Altshul LM, Korrick SA. 2015. Measured prenatal and estimated postnatal levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and ADHD-related behaviors in 8-year-old children. Environ Health Perspect 123:888-894; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408084.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc-André Verner
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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