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Prenatal organophosphate (OP) pesticide exposure may be associated with reduced fetal growth, although studies are limited and have mixed results. We investigated associations between prenatal OP pesticide exposure and fetal size and modification by fetal sex. Maternal urinary concentrations of dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites were measured at three time points. Fetal biometrics were obtained from ultrasounds in the second (n=773) and third (n=535) trimesters. Associations between pregnancy-averaged ΣDAP and fetal biometry z-scores were determined through multiple linear regression. Modification by sex was investigated through stratification and interaction. In the second trimester, one ln-unit increase in ΣDAP was associated with lower estimated fetal weight (-0.15 SD; 95% CI: -0.29, -0.01), head circumference (-0.11 SD; CI: -0.22, 0.01), biparietal diameter (-0.14 SD; CI: -0.27, -0.01), and abdominal circumference (-0.12 SD; CI: -0.26, 0.01) in females. In the third trimester, one ln-unit increase in ΣDAP was associated with lower head circumference (-0.14 SD; CI: -0.28, 0.00) and biparietal diameter (-0.12 SD; CI: -0.26, 0.03) in males. Our results suggest that prenatal OP pesticide exposure is negatively associated with fetal growth in a sex-specific manner, with associations present for females in mid-gestation and males in late gestation.
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Assessing the harm caused by pollutants in urban ecosystems remains a significant challenge. Traditional ecotoxicological endpoints are often not sensitive enough to detect the effects of toxicants at environmentally relevant concentrations (≤ng/L). A potential solution is using molecular biology methods to look at small biochemical changes caused by exposure to ng/L concentrations of contaminants. This has been tested in the lab but not conclusively demonstrated in the field. We exposed the freshwater amphipod (Austrochiltonia subtenuis) to water from an urban wetland containing known concentrations of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (as well as very low concentrations of pesticides) for 14 days and analyzed their metabolite profiles. Mannose, Myo-inositol, and Isopropyl propionate were found to change in PFAS exposed amphipods, a similar response to that previously observed in laboratory exposures to the same PFAS, but not pesticides. The results give a better understanding of PFAS toxicity at environmentally relevant concentrations and conditions.
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Anfípodes , Fluorocarbonos , Poluentes Químicos da Água , Áreas Alagadas , Animais , Anfípodes/efeitos dos fármacos , Anfípodes/metabolismo , Poluentes Químicos da Água/toxicidade , Fluorocarbonos/toxicidade , Fluorocarbonos/análise , Água Doce , CidadesRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Although some studies have observed an association between birthweight and cardiovascular disease in adulthood, fewer have investigated whether birthweight is linked to cardiovascular health in early childhood. This study assesses the association between birthweight and cardiovascular outcomes in children 6 years of age. STUDY DESIGN: Birthweight, blood pressure (BP), and markers of arterial stiffness in children, including brachial artery distensibility and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), were obtained from 324 participants in The Infant Development and the Environment Study, a prospective multisite pregnancy cohort. Birthweight was converted into sex-specific birthweight-for-gestational-age (bw/ga) z -scores based on the INTERGROWTH-21st standard. Following 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, SBP and DBP were transformed into sex, age, and height-specific z -scores. Associations between birthweight and cardiovascular outcomes were assessed using nested multivariable linear regression models among the overall and sex-stratified samples. RESULTS: Among the overall sample, bw/ga z -score was positively associated with cfPWV [bâ=â0.11âm/s, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.01âm/s, 0.21âm/s] in crude and adjusted models. No associations between birthweight and cardiovascular outcomes were detected among the sex-stratified analyses. CONCLUSION: Overall, birthweight was not related to cardiovascular outcomes in children 6 years old. However, infants born with a higher birthweight may be at risk for higher cfPWV in childhood. Early intervention in pregnant people at risk of delivering high birthweight infants may be warranted if results are replicated.
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Peso ao Nascer , Pressão Sanguínea , Rigidez Vascular , Humanos , Rigidez Vascular/fisiologia , Feminino , Criança , Masculino , Pressão Sanguínea/fisiologia , Estudos Longitudinais , Estudos Prospectivos , Análise de Onda de Pulso , Doenças Cardiovasculares/fisiopatologia , Artéria Braquial/fisiologia , Artéria Braquial/fisiopatologia , Recém-Nascido , Gravidez , Estudos de Coortes , Velocidade da Onda de Pulso Carótido-FemoralRESUMO
Introduction: Healthcare professionals have development needs related to their consumption, use, and practice of clinical research. Little is known about these issues in mental health services specifically. Objectives: A survey of healthcare staff working in an NHS Mental Health and Disability Trust in England was conducted to describe research capacity and culture compared with previously reported samples, and to examine subgroup differences. Methods: An online questionnaire was utilized. The main measure was the Research Capacity and Culture tool comprising measures of individual's perceived research skills and of team and organizational research culture. Previous studies using the same measure were systematically identified, and pooled results, weighted by sample size, were calculated. Analyses were descriptive (current sample versus previous results) and inferential (comparisons between demographic and professional groups within the current sample). Results: N = 293 people completed the survey. The median item scores were poorer than those of pooled samples from studies reporting median item scores on 39/51 (76.5%) occasions and poorer than those pooled samples of studies reporting mean item scores on 51/51 (100.0%) occasions. Individual capability for research was in the 'less than adequate' range more than in previous samples (71.4% vs. 42.9%). For team culture items, the proportions were 84.2% vs. 78.9%, while most responses about organizational culture were in the 'adequate' range (55.6% vs. 66.7%). Staff >20 years employment had poorer perceptions of team and organizational culture. Conclusion: Perceptions of individual research capacity and team and organizational culture were poor compared with previous studies, most of which were conducted in non-mental health settings. There is need for development of research capacity and culture in mental health services including opportunities to develop basic research skills through to strategic developments to promote clinical academic careers. There is considerable room for improvement in the way organizations support research and signpost opportunities.
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OBJECTIVE: Both psychosocial stress and gestational weight gain are independently associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Studies of the association between psychosocial stress and gestational weight gain (GWG) have yielded mixed results. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between psychosocial stress and GWG in a large population-based cohort. METHODS: Data from the nationally representative Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Phase 7 questionnaire 2012-2015 was utilized. Maternal psychosocial stress was assessed through response to questions designed to examine four domains of psychosocial stress (i.e., traumatic, financial, emotional, partner-related) three months prior to or during pregnancy. GWG was categorized using pre-pregnancy BMI and total GWG into inadequate, adequate, or excessive according to the Institute of Medicine's GWG guidelines. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between psychosocial stressors and adequacy of GWG. Analyses took into account complex survey design. RESULTS: All respondents who delivered ≥ 37 weeks gestation with GWG information available were included in the analysis (n = 119,183). After adjusting for confounders, patients who reported financial stress were more likely to experience excessive versus adequate GWG (RRR 1.09 [95%CI: 1.02-1.17]). Exposure to any of the stressor groups did not significantly increase the risk of inadequate GWG. CONCLUSIONS: This large, population-based study revealed that among pregnant people in the US, exposure to financial stress is associated with higher risk of excessive GWG. Understanding the role stress plays in GWG will help to inform initiatives targeting this important aspect of prenatal care.
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Ganho de Peso na Gestação , Estresse Psicológico , Humanos , Feminino , Gravidez , Estresse Psicológico/psicologia , Estresse Psicológico/complicações , Adulto , Medição de Risco/métodos , Inquéritos e Questionários , Índice de Massa Corporal , Complicações na Gravidez/psicologia , Complicações na Gravidez/epidemiologia , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , Estudos de CoortesRESUMO
Severely ill patients with COVID-19 are challenging to sedate and often require high-dose sedation and analgesic regimens. Ketamine can be an effective adjunct to facilitate sedation of critically ill patients but its effects on sedation level and inflammation in COVID-19 patients have not been studied. This retrospective, observational cohort study evaluated the effect of ketamine infusions on inflammatory biomarkers and clinical outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 186 patients were identified (47 received ketamine, 139 did not). Patients who received ketamine were significantly younger than those who did not (mean (standard deviation) 59.2 (14.2) years versus 66.3 (14.4) years; P = 0.004), but there was no statistically significant difference in body mass index (P = 0.25) or sex distribution (P = 0.91) between groups. Mechanically ventilated patients who received ketamine infusions had a statistically significant reduction in Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score (-3.0 versus -2.0, P < 0.001). Regarding inflammatory biomarkers, ketamine was associated with a reduction in ferritin (P = 0.02) and lactate (P = 0.01), but no such association was observed for C-reactive protein (P = 0.27), lactate dehydrogenase (P = 0.64) or interleukin-6 (P = 0.87). No significant association was observed between ketamine administration and mortality (odds ratio 0.971; 95% confidence interval 0.501 to 1.882; P = 0.93). Ketamine infusion was associated with improved sedation depth in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients and provided a modest anti-inflammatory benefit but did not confer benefit with respect to mortality or intensive care unit length of stay.
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COVID-19 , Ketamina , Humanos , Ketamina/uso terapêutico , SARS-CoV-2 , Estudos Retrospectivos , Respiração Artificial , Infusões Intravenosas , COVID-19/etiologia , Unidades de Terapia Intensiva , Estado Terminal , Inflamação/tratamento farmacológico , Inflamação/etiologia , Biomarcadores , Hipnóticos e Sedativos/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
Amphipods are ideal indicators for biomonitoring and ecotoxicological studies of environmental contaminants because they are extensively distributed in aquatic environments, are easy to collect and are important in nutrient cycling. Marine amphipods (Allorchestes compressa) were exposed to two concentrations of copper and pyrene, and their mixtures, for 24 and 48 h. Changes in polar metabolites were assessed using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)-based untargeted metabolomics. Generally, limited metabolite changes were observed for copper and pyrene single exposures (eight and two significant metabolites, respectively), while 28 metabolites had changed following exposures to mixtures. Furthermore, changes were mainly observed after 24 h but had seemingly returned to control levels after 48 h. Multiple types of metabolites were affected including amino acids, Tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, sugars, fatty acids, and hormones. This study highlights the sensitivity of metabolomics in assessing the impacts of low concentrations of chemicals compared to traditional ecotoxicological endpoints.
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Anfípodes , Cobre , Animais , Cobre/toxicidade , Anfípodes/metabolismo , Pirenos/toxicidade , Pirenos/metabolismo , Metabolômica/métodos , MetabolomaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Bisphenols and phthalates are high production volume chemicals used as additives in a variety of plastic consumer products leading to near ubiquitous human exposure. These chemicals have established endocrine disrupting properties and have been linked to a range of adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes. Here, we investigated exposure in relation to fetal growth. METHODS: Participants included 855 mother-fetal pairs enrolled in the population-based New York University Children's Health and Environment Study (NYU CHES). Bisphenols and phthalates were measured in maternal urine collected repeatedly during pregnancy. Analyses included 15 phthalate metabolites and 2 bisphenols that were detected in 50 % of participants or more. Fetal biometry data were extracted from electronic ultrasonography records and estimated fetal weight (EFW) was predicted for all fetuses at 20, 30, and 36 weeks gestation. We used quantile regression adjusted for covariates to model exposure-outcome relations across percentiles of fetal weight at each gestational timepoint. We examined sex differences using stratified models. RESULTS: Few statistically significant associations were observed across chemicals, gestational time periods, percentiles, and sexes. However, within gestational timepoints, we found that among females, the molar sums of the phthalates DiNP and DnOP were generally associated with decreases in EFW among smaller babies and increases in EFW among larger babies. Among males, the opposite trend was observed. However, confidence intervals were generally wide at the tails of the distribution. CONCLUSION: In this sample, exposure to bisphenols and phthalates was associated with small sex-specific shifts in fetal growth; however, few associations were observed at the median of fetal weight and confidence intervals in the tails were wide. Findings were strongest for DiNP and DnOP, which are increasingly used as replacements for DEHP, supporting the need for future research on these contaminants.
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Peso Fetal , Ácidos Ftálicos , Criança , Gravidez , Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Desenvolvimento Fetal , Feto , Exposição Materna/efeitos adversosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Children receive care and support from social services due to the risk of harm or impeded development or because of disability. This study aimed to identify typologies of adversity experienced by children receiving care and support from social services and to explore how typologies differ by sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of 'Children Receiving Care and Support' (N = 12 792) during 2017/2018 in Wales, UK. We sought to (1) examine the prevalence of household adversities experienced by children in receipt of care and support from social services; (2) identify typologies of household adversities; and (3) explore how typologies of household adversities differ by family characteristics (demographics, measures of social disadvantage, perinatal and care factors). RESULTS: We found evidence for multiple risk factor constellations. The four-class solution suggested four distinct classes of adversities: child disability (50.0%), low adversities (20.3%), family poor health (6.7%) and multiple risks (23.0%). Children in the 'multiple risk' class were significantly more likely to be younger, more deprived and 'looked after' by the local authority compared with those in the 'low adversities' class. CONCLUSIONS: Given the presence of different constellations of household adversities, policies and interventions that address multiple risk factors simultaneously may be more effective and have longer-lasting benefits.
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Características da Família , Serviço Social , Feminino , Gravidez , Humanos , Criança , Estudos Transversais , País de Gales/epidemiologia , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
It is crucial to understand the effects caused by experimental parameters such as temperature, light, and food type on lab and field-based ecotoxicology experiments, as these variables, and combinations thereof, can affect results. The type of substrate used in exposure experiments, however, is generally assumed to have no effect. This may not always be correct. The metabolic changes in the freshwater crustacean, Austrochiltonia subtenuis exposed to copper, using three common substrates, gauze; toilet paper; and cellulose were investigated. Substrate alone did not affect survival, but each substrate elicited a different metabolic response and adult and juvenile amphipods had different substrate preferences. Several classes of metabolites were shown to change in response to different substrates and toxicant. These included disaccharides, monosaccharides, fatty acids, and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. The results illustrate that metabolomic responses can differ in response to experimental factors that were previously thought not to be significant. In fact, our data indicate that substrate should be viewed as an experimental factor as important to control for as more well-known confounders such as temperature or food, thus challenging the current paradigm. Assuming substrate type has no effect on the experiment could potentially lead to errors in contaminant toxicity assessments. We propose that ideal good practise would be that all experimental factors should be evaluated for their potential influence on metabolomic profiles prior to contaminant response experiments being undertaken.
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Anfípodes , Poluentes Químicos da Água , Animais , Ecotoxicologia , Monitoramento Ambiental , Água Doce , Substâncias Perigosas , Poluentes Químicos da Água/toxicidadeRESUMO
Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern to environmental regulators due to their widespread occurrence, persistence and reported toxicity. However, little data exist on the effects of PFAS at environmentally relevant concentrations. The development of molecular markers for PFAS exposure would therefore be useful to better understand the environmental risks of these compounds. In this study, we assessed if such markers could be developed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-based metabolomics. We exposed the freshwater amphipod Austrochiltonia subtenuis to a range of environmentally relevant concentrations of perfluoro-octane sulfonic acid (PFOS), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX) and perfluorohexanesulphonic acid (PFHxS) for 7 days at five concentrations. A metabolic response was detected in all concentrations and treatments even though the survival rates only differed significantly at the highest exposure levels. The metabolic response differed between compounds but all three PFAS induced changes in the levels of amino acids, fatty acids, and cholesterol, in line with the literature. PFOS was found to bioaccumulate. Both GenX and PFHxS were eliminated from the amphipods, but PFHxS was eliminated at a slower rate than GenX. This information improves our understanding of the sublethal effects of PFAS as well as their environmental fate and behaviour.
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Laurel wilt (LW) is a vascular disease caused by the fungus Harringtonia lauricola (previously Raffaelea lauricola) and transmitted by its primary vector, the redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus, RAB), both of which were first detected in the United States (US) in 2002, likely introduced from their native range in Asia (Fraedrich et al. 2008; Harrington et al. 2008). LW has since spread across the southeastern US causing the death of millions of native redbay, sassafras, silk bay, swamp bay and other native Lauraceae species (Hughes et al. 2017). Detection of LW on the deciduous understory shrub northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin) was previously reported in South Carolina (Fraedrich et al. 2016) and Louisiana (Olatinwo et al. 2021) and is hereby confirmed in Kentucky and Tennessee. Spicebush plants displaying typical LW symptoms were observed in September 2020 on a property spanning the KY/TN border (Christian Co., KY and Montgomery Co., TN). Several dense stands of spicebush exhibited leaf wilt, early fall leaf coloration, dead leaves on branches, and black streaks of discolored xylem. LW was already confirmed on sassafras in the area (Loyd et al. 2020), and there were abundant dead sassafras nearby. Ambrosia beetle boring dust was observed and callow female RABs emerged from containerized bolts of spicebush collected from the site, indicating that the vector used spicebush as a brood host. Samples of spicebush sapwood tissue collected from two symptomatic plants were plated onto CSMA (cycloheximide-streptomycin malt extract agar) medium. The cultures were grown at room temperature in ambient light, and a fungus was recovered and further transferred onto MEA (malt extract agar) and PDA (potato dextrose agar) media. The morphology of the two fungal isolates, referred to as LW415 and LW416, matched the typical white mucoid growth and ovoid conidia of H. lauricola (Harrington et al. 2008). DNA was extracted from conidia harvested from two-week-old MEA cultures using a modified method of Dreaden et al. (2014). The identity of the fungus was confirmed by performing PCR with the H. lauricola-specific microsatellite primer sets IFW and CHK (Dreaden et al. 2014, Parra et al. 2020). A positive amplification product was obtained for LW415 and LW416 for both primer sets, validating their identification as H. lauricola. To confirm pathogenicity, four spicebush seedlings (mean height 22.5 cm; mean ground line diameter 3.3 mm) were inoculated: two with H. lauricola isolate LW415 grown on PDA for two weeks at room temperature in the dark, and two were mock-inoculated with sterile PDA as a control. A scalpel was used to nick the spicebush stem at a bud about 5 cm above groundline, and a 3 mm2 agar plug was placed in the wound and wrapped with parafilm. The spicebush seedlings were maintained in a growth chamber with an average temperature of 24°C and a 15 h photoperiod. Wilt symptoms were evident on inoculated seedlings after two weeks, while the control plants remained healthy. Four weeks post-inoculation, black staining of the vascular tissue was present in the symptomatic seedlings, and a fungus matching the morphology of H. lauricola was consistently recovered, while no fungus was isolated from the control plants. These results provide additional evidence that northern spicebush populations may be threatened by LW and could serve as a reservoir for the pathogen and vector (Gramling 2010). The spread of LW and RAB on spicebush may gain importance as preferred hosts (e.g., sassafras) are killed.
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BACKGROUND: falls are common in older people, but associations between falls, dementia and frailty are relatively unknown. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on falls admissions has not been studied. AIM: to investigate the impact of dementia, frailty, deprivation, previous falls and the differences between years for falls resulting in an emergency department (ED) or hospital admission. STUDY DESIGN: longitudinal cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: older people (aged 65+) resident in Wales between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2020. METHODS: we created a binary (yes/no) indicator for a fall resulting in an attendance to an ED, hospital or both, per person, per year. We analysed the outcomes using multilevel logistic and multinomial models. RESULTS: we analysed a total of 5,141,244 person years of data from 781,081 individuals. Fall admission rates were highest in 2012 (4.27%) and lowest in 2020 (4.27%). We found an increased odds ratio (OR [95% confidence interval]) of a fall admission for age (1.05 [1.05, 1.05] per year of age), people with dementia (2.03 [2.00, 2.06]) and people who had a previous fall (2.55 [2.51, 2.60]). Compared with fit individuals, those with frailty had ORs of 1.60 [1.58, 1.62], 2.24 [2.21, 2.28] and 2.94 [2.89, 3.00] for mild, moderate and severe frailty respectively. Reduced odds were observed for males (0.73 [0.73, 0.74]) and less deprived areas; most deprived compared with least OR 0.75 [0.74, 0.76]. CONCLUSIONS: falls prevention should be targeted to those at highest risk, and investigations into the reduction in admissions in 2020 is warranted.
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COVID-19 , Demência , Fragilidade , Idoso , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Estudos Transversais , Demência/diagnóstico , Demência/epidemiologia , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência , Fragilidade/diagnóstico , Fragilidade/epidemiologia , Hospitais , Humanos , Masculino , Pandemias , Reino Unido/epidemiologia , País de Gales/epidemiologiaRESUMO
We aim to determine the spectrum of cytogenetic abnormalities and outcomes in unbalanced offspring of asymptomatic constitutional balanced t(9;22) carriers through a systematic literature review. We also include a case of a constitutional balanced t(9;22) carrier from our institution. Among the 16 balanced t(9;22) carriers in our review, 13 were maternal and 3 were paternal. Of the 15 unbalanced translocation cases identified, 13 were live births, one was a missed abortion, and one resulted in pregnancy termination. The spectrum of established syndromes reported among the live births was the following: trisomy 9p syndrome (6/13), dual trisomy 9p and DiGeorge syndrome (3/13), dual 9q subtelomere deletion syndrome and DiGeorge syndrome (1/13), 9q subtelomere deletion syndrome (1/13), and DiGeorge syndrome (1/13). One unbalanced case did not have a reported syndrome. The phenotype of the unbalanced cases included cardiac abnormalities (5/13), neurological findings (7/13), intellectual disability (6/10), urogenital anomalies (3/13), respiratory or immune dysfunction (3/13), and facial or skeletal dysmorphias (13/13). Any constitutional balanced reciprocal t(9;22) carrier should be counseled regarding the increased risk of having a child with an unbalanced translocation, the spectrum of possible cytogenetic abnormalities, and predicted clinical phenotype for the unbalanced derivative.
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Fetal exposure to environmental chemicals has been associated with adverse health outcomes in children and later into adulthood. While several studies have examined correlations and variability of non-persistent chemical exposures throughout pregnancy, many do not capture more recent exposures, particularly in New York City. Our goal was to characterize exposure to phthalates, bisphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and organophosphate pesticides among pregnant women residing in New York City who enrolled in the New York University Children's Health and Environment Study (NYU CHES) between 2016 and 2018. We measured urinary chemical metabolite concentrations in 671 women at early, mid, and late pregnancy (median 10.8, 20.8, and 29.3 weeks, respectively). We calculated Spearman correlation coefficients among chemical concentrations at each measurement time point. We compared changes in population-level urinary metabolites at each stage using paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) to quantify intra-individual variability of metabolites across pregnancy. Geometric means and ICCs were compared to nine other pregnancy cohorts that recruited women in 2011 or later as well as nationally reported levels from women of child-bearing age. Compared with existing cohorts, women in NYU CHES had higher geometric means of organophosphate pesticides (Σdiethylphosphates = 28.7 nmol/g cr, Σdimethylphosphates = 57.3 nmol/g cr, Σdialkyl phosphates = 95.9 nmol/g cr), bisphenol S (0.56 µg/g cr), and 2-naphthalene (8.98 µg/g cr). Five PAH metabolites and two phthalate metabolites increased between early to mid and early to late pregnancy at the population level. Spearman correlation coefficients for chemical metabolites were generally below 0.50. Intra-individual exposures varied over time, as indicated by low ICCs (0.22-0.88, median = 0.38). However, these ICCs were often higher than those observed in other pregnancy cohorts. These results provide a general overview of the chemical metabolites measured in NYU CHES in comparison to other contemporary pregnancy cohorts and highlight directions for future studies.
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Poluentes Ambientais , Praguicidas , Ácidos Ftálicos , Adulto , Exposição Ambiental/análise , Poluentes Ambientais/metabolismo , Feminino , Humanos , Cidade de Nova Iorque , Organofosfatos/urina , Compostos Organofosforados , Ácidos Ftálicos/metabolismo , Gravidez , GestantesRESUMO
Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of man-made chemicals with a range of industrial applications and which are widespread in the environment. They are structurally diverse but comprise a common chemical feature of at least one (though usually more) perfluorocarbon moiety (-CnF2n-) attached to a functional group such as a carboxylic or sulphonic acid. The strength of the Carbon-Fluorine bond means the compounds do not break down easily and can thus bioaccumulate. PFAS are of high concern to regulators and the public due to their potential toxicity and high persistence. At high exposure levels, PFAS have been implicated in a range of harmful effects on human and environmental health, particularly problems in/with development, cholesterol and endocrine disruption, immune system function, and oncogenesis. However, most environmental toxicology studies use far higher levels of PFAS than are generally found in the environment. Additionally, since the type of exposure, the PFAS used, and the organisms tested all vary between studies, so do the results. Traditional ecotoxicology studies may thus not identify PFAS effects at environmentally relevant exposures. Here we conduct a review of omics-based PFAS exposure studies using laboratory ecotoxicological methodologies and environmentally relevant exposure levels and show that common biochemical response pathways are identified in multiple studies. A major pathway identified was the pentose phosphate shunt pathway. Such molecular markers of sublethal PFAS exposure will greatly benefit accurate and effective risk assessments to ensure that new PFAS regulations can consider the full effects of PFAS exposure on environmental and human health receptors.
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Ácidos Alcanossulfônicos , Poluentes Ambientais , Fluorocarbonos , Ácidos Alcanossulfônicos/toxicidade , Biomarcadores , Ecotoxicologia , Poluentes Ambientais/toxicidade , Fluoretos , Fluorocarbonos/análise , Fluorocarbonos/toxicidade , Humanos , Medição de Risco , Ácidos SulfônicosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccinations have been prioritised for high risk individuals. AIM: Determine individual-level risk factors for care home residents testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal observational cohort study using individual-level linked data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank. SETTING: Fourteen thousand seven hundred and eighty-six older care home residents (aged 65+) living in Wales between 1 September 2020 and 1 May 2021. Our dataset consisted of 2,613,341 individual-level daily observations within 697 care homes. METHODS: We estimated odds ratios (ORs [95% confidence interval]) using multilevel logistic regression models. Our outcome of interest was a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. We included time-dependent covariates for the estimated community positive test rate of COVID-19, hospital inpatient status, vaccination status and frailty. Additional covariates were included for age, sex and specialist care home services. RESULTS: The multivariable regression model indicated an increase in age (OR 1.01 [1.00,1.01] per year), community positive test rate (OR 1.13 [1.12,1.13] per percent increase), hospital inpatients (OR 7.40 [6.54,8.36]), and residents in care homes with non-specialist dementia care (OR 1.42 [1.01,1.99]) had an increased odds of a positive test. Having a positive test prior to the observation period (OR 0.58 [0.49,0.68]) and either one or two doses of a vaccine (0.21 [0.17,0.25] and 0.05 [0.02,0.09], respectively) were associated with a decreased odds. CONCLUSIONS: Care providers need to remain vigilant despite the vaccination rollout, and extra precautions should be taken when caring for the most vulnerable. Minimising potential COVID-19 infection for care home residents when admitted to hospital should be prioritised.
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COVID-19 , COVID-19/diagnóstico , COVID-19/epidemiologia , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Humanos , Tempo de Internação , Fatores de Risco , SARS-CoV-2 , Vacinação , País de Gales/epidemiologiaRESUMO
While racial/ethnic differences in fetal growth have been documented, few studies have examined whether they vary by exogenous factors, which could elucidate underlying causes. The purpose of this study was to characterize longitudinal fetal growth patterns by maternal sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical factors and examine whether associations with maternal race/ethnicity varied by these other predictors. Between 2016 and 2019, pregnant women receiving prenatal care at NYU Langone Health (New York, New York) were invited to participate in a birth cohort study. Women completed questionnaires, and clinical data were abstracted from ultrasound examinations. Maternal characteristics were assessed in relation to fetal biometric measures throughout pregnancy using linear mixed models. Maternal race/ethnicity was consistently associated with fetal biometry: Black, Hispanic, and Asian women had fetuses with smaller head circumference, abdominal circumference, and biparietal diameter than White women. The associations between race/ethnicity and fetal growth varied by nativity for Asian women, such that the disparity between Asian and White women was much greater for US-born women than for foreign-born women. However, associations for Black and Hispanic women did not vary by nativity. While race/ethnicity-specific fetal growth standards have been proposed, additional work is needed to elucidate what could be driving these differences, including factors that occur in parallel and differentially affect fetal growth.
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Desenvolvimento Fetal , Ultrassonografia Pré-Natal , População Negra , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Hispânico ou Latino , Humanos , GravidezRESUMO
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) and pre-pregnancy obesity affect a significant portion of the US pregnant population and are linked with negative maternal and child health outcomes. The objective of this study was to explore associations of pre-pregnancy body mass index (pBMI) and GWG with longitudinally measured maternal urinary metabolites throughout pregnancy. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Among 652 participants in the New York University Children's Health and Environment Study, a longitudinal pregnancy cohort, targeted metabolomics were measured in serially collected urine samples throughout pregnancy. Metabolites were measured at median 10 (T1), 21 (T2), and 29 (T3) weeks gestation using the Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ® p180 Urine Extension kit. Acylcarnitine, amino acid, biogenic amine, phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingolipid, and sugar levels were quantified. Pregnant people 18 years or older, without type 1 or 2 diabetes and with singleton live births and valid pBMI and metabolomics data were included. GWG and pBMI were calculated using weight and height data obtained from electronic health records. Linear mixed effects models with interactions with time were fit to determine the gestational age-specific associations of categorical pBMI and continuous interval-specific GWG with urinary metabolites. All analyses were corrected for false discovery rate. RESULTS: Participants with obesity had lower long-chain acylcarnitine levels throughout pregnancy and lower phosphatidylcholine and glucogenic amino acids and higher phenylethylamine concentrations in T2 and T3 compared with participants with normal/underweight pBMI. GWG was associated with taurine in T2 and T3 and C5 acylcarnitine species, C5:1, C5-DC, and C5-M-DC, in T2. CONCLUSIONS: pBMI and GWG were associated with the metabolic environment of pregnant individuals, particularly in relation to mid-pregnancy. These results highlight the importance of both preconception and prenatal maternal health.
Assuntos
Ganho de Peso na Gestação , Índice de Massa Corporal , Feminino , Humanos , Obesidade/epidemiologia , Sobrepeso/epidemiologia , Fosfatidilcolinas , Gravidez , Fatores de Risco , Taurina/análogos & derivados , Aumento de PesoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are negatively associated with a range of child health outcomes. In this study, we explored associations between five individual ACEs and child mental health diagnoses or symptoms. ACEs included living with someone who had an alcohol-related problem, common mental health disorder or serious mental illness, or experienced victimisation or death of a household member. METHODS: We analysed data from a population-level electronic cohort of children in Wales, UK, (N = 191,035) between the years of 1998 and 2012. We used Cox regression with discrete time-varying exposure variables to model time to child mental health diagnosis during the first 15 years of life. Child mental health diagnoses include five categories: (i) externalising symptoms (anti-social behaviour), (ii) internalising symptoms (stress, anxiety, depression), (iii) developmental delay (e.g. learning disability), (iv) other (e.g. eating disorder, personality disorders), and (v) any mental health diagnosis, which was created by combining externalising symptoms, internalising symptoms and other. Our analyses were adjusted for social deprivation and perinatal risk factors. RESULTS: There were strong univariable associations between the five individual ACEs, sociodemographic and perinatal factors (e.g. gestational weight at birth) and an increased risk of child mental health diagnoses. After adjusting for sociodemographic and perinatal aspects, there was a remaining conditional increased risk of any child mental health diagnosis, associated with victimisation (conditional hazard ratio (cHR) 1.90, CI 95% 1.34-2.69), and living with an adult with a common mental health diagnosis (cHR 1.63, CI 95% 1.52-1.75). Coefficients of product terms between ACEs and deprivation were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The increased risk of child mental health diagnosis associated with victimisation, or exposure to common mental health diagnoses, and alcohol problems in the household supports the need for policy measures and intervention strategies for children and their families.