Expression levels of circulating microRNAs-126, -155, and -145 in Mexican women exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons through biomass fuel use.

Human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been considered a risk determinant for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess expression levels of vascular-related miRNAs, miR-126, miR-155, and miR-145, in plasma from women (aged 19-81 years) exposed (n = 100) and non-exposed (n = 20) to PAHs via biomass combustion smoke.1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) was determined in urine as a biomarker of exposure to PAHs using high-resolution liquid chromatography. Plasma expression levels of proposed miRNAs were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Additionally, traditional risk factors (age, blood pressure, serum lipid profile, blood glucose, and among others) associated with CVD were evaluated. Urinary 1-OHP concentrations and plasma expression levels of miR-126 and miR-155 were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in women using wood as a fuel source in their homes (indoor) compared to women from the reference group (non-exposed to biomass smoke). Besides, multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that miR-126[ß = 0.61; 95% confidence interval (0.32-0.90)] and miR-155 [ß = 0.45; 95% confidence interval (0.13-0.84)] expression levels were significantly associated with urinary 1-OHP concentrations after being adjusted by traditional risk factors (P < 0.05). In contrast, no significant relationship was found between miR-145 and urinary 1-OHP levels. Furthermore, miRNAs assessed in this investigation are associated with CVD events. Consequently, actions to reduce exposure to PAHs in the evaluated population are warranted. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 60:546-558, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Association between Q192R paraoxonase 1 polymorphism and serumadipocyte-fatty acid binding protein (FABP4) levels in Mexican women.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the genetic effects of PON1 Q192R polymorphism on serum FABP4 levels in Mexican women. METHODS: PON1 Q192R polymorphism was genotyped using a TaqMan allelic discrimination assay and serum FABP4 concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The distribution of genotype frequencies in the assessed women (PON1 Q192R polymorphism) was QQ = 20%, QR = 48% and RR = 32%. Significantly higher serum FABP4 levels were found in women with genotype QR/RR (20.6 ± 2.20 ng/mL), when compared with the levels found in the QQ group (12.8 ± 1.70 ng/mL) (p = .004). After, the odds ratio (OR) was calculated by binomial logistic regression analysis and a significantly higher OR was found in the QR/RR group when compared with the QQ group (OR = 3.45; 95% CI = 1.80-16.50; p < .05). CONCLUSION: The results support an association between 192R-allele of the PON1 polymorphism (Q192R) and increased serum FABP4 levels (suggested as an early biomarker of CVDs risk) in assessed Mexican women.

Exposure to chemical mixtures in Mexican children: high-risk scenarios.

In developing countries, the management of environmental toxicants is inadequate, thus, humans may be exposed to levels higher than normal levels (background levels). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the exposure level of Mexican children to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), lead, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [using 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) as exposure biomarker] and to assess the percentage of children exposed to these four compounds at concentrations higher than normal in each community studied. We performed random sampling in eight communities in Mexico (five communities in Chiapas State and three communities in San Luis Potosi State). DDT and DDE were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, the quantification of lead in blood was performed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and 1-OHP analyses were performed using HPLC with a fluorescence detector. Elevated DDT, DDE, and 1-OHP levels were found in children living in the indigenous communities of Chiapas State, while higher blood lead levels were found in two communities in San Luis Potosí. Approximately 30 % of children living in Chiapas were exposed to all four compounds at concentrations above the guidelines for each compound, whereas 48 % of children studied were exposed to all four contaminants at concentrations higher than normal in a community in San Luis Potosí State. As expected, our results showed that in hot spots, children are exposed to levels higher than normal. Therefore, child environmental health programs are urgently needed.

Assessment of the levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in blood samples from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

The purpose of this study was to measure levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the blood of children (50 individuals) living in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. We analyzed six PBDE congeners by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Total PBDE levels ranged from not detectable (nd) to 15.2 µg/L on a whole-weight basis and from nd to 6,435 ng/g lipid on a lipid-weight basis. The dominant congener in our study was BDE-153, followed by BDE-154, BDE-99, BDE-100, and BDE-47. Levels of BDE-209 were below the detection limit. Our data indicate that children living in the areas studied in this work are exposed to high levels of PBDEs.

Assessment of environmental health children's population living in environmental injustice scenarios.

We conducted a cross sectional study, involving 145 children randomly selected from three different socioeconomic locations. We selected social, environment and health indicators and measured the prevalence and prevalence odds ratios. Children from the brick producing site (segregation index 5), are exposed to high levels of multiple toxic agents, and showed the highest morbidity rates and malnutrition, anemia, dental fluorosis, and the lowest IQ, followed by children from municipal garbage dump (segregation index 4), where we detected the highest prevalence of dermatological and enteric diseases. Children from the Central Zone (segregation index 2) showed the lowest rates of malnutrition and higher IQ than the other two groups. A unified vision of social, health and environmental indicators opens the possibility of novel intervention programs and a legal framework that specifically protect children against environmental exposures.

CHICOS y PIBES, propuestas innovadoras para la atención de la salud ambiental infantil en América Latina / CHICOS and PIBES, innovative proposals for environmental health care childcare in Latin America

En la actualidad los niños en América Latina enfrentan viejas y nuevas amenazas químicas, físicas, biológicas y sociales que aumentan los riesgos en salud. Por ejemplo, los niños se exponen a numerosas sustancias químicas (contaminantes) y ahora además enfrentan a los compuestos de la nanotecnología; se exponen a las radiaciones solares y electromagnéticas junto al incremento en la temperatura dado por la nueva crisis climática; asimismo, mantienen su exposición a la contaminación biológica presente sobre todo en el agua no potable pero ya enfrentan el riesgo de los organismos transgénicos. Finalmente, la violencia familiar o social representa un factor de riesgo para la seguridad humana y los niños son un sector de la población particularmente vulnerable a ella. Para enfrentar estas amenazas nuestro grupo ha creado una propuesta de trabajo denominada CHICOS que incluye el trabajo bajo aspectos Comunitarios, Hospitalarios, de Investigación, con énfasis en la Capacitación, la Orientación a la comunidad y la Seguridad humana. Con esta estructura pueden generarse Programas de Intervención Basados en Evidencia (PIBE) que necesariamente deben ser multidisciplinarios a fin de atender amenazas de tan distinto origen. El fin último es reproducir la estrategia para que paulatinamente vayan estableciéndose grupos de salud ambiental infantil en América Latina.

In Latin America children today are facing new and old chemical, physical, biological and social threats. They are exposed to chemical pollutants, to solar and electromagnetic radiations, to biological contaminants and now to new threats such as: nanotechnological products, an increase in the ambient temperature due to the climate crisis, and to transgenic organisms. Furthermore, violence either within the family or in the society is also a risk factor for which children are a vulnerable population. In order to design multidisciplinary Evidence-Based Intervention Programs (PIBE) our group is proposing a new academic structure: CHICOS. This structure includes activities in different areas: the Community, the Hospital, Research, Capacity Building, community Orientation (risk communication), and human Safety. The idea is to build groups around this structure in different countries with one goal: to start working in Children's Environmental Health Issues.

Análisis de la percepción de la exposición a riesgos ambientales para la salud, en dos poblaciones infantiles, mediante la elaboración de dibujos / Analysis of the exposure perception to environmental health risks, in two children populations, by means of the elaboration of drawings

La exposición a contaminantes ambientales implica un riesgo para la salud, principalmente para la población infantil. Una estrategia de intervención puede ser un Programa de Comunicación de Riesgos (PCR). Para que un PCR sea efectivo es necesario conocer la percepción de la comunidad sobre la exposición a riesgos ambientales. El conocer la percepción de los niños es fundamental para el diseño de los PCR que serán implementados en cada comunidad. En este trabajo se utilizó el dibujo como una herramienta para conocer la percepción de los niños de una comunidad rural-indígena y de niños de una comunidad urbano-marginada. La actividad consistió en la formulación de dos preguntas, las cuales respondieron los niños por medio de la elaboración de un dibujo. Las preguntas se formularon para conocer la percepción en los escenarios dentro y fuera de la casa. Los resultados obtenidos indicaron que los niños perciben la mayoría de las problemáticas ambientales detectadas con anterioridad por nuestro grupo y se encontraron diferencias por comunidad. Además se encontró que algunos niños percibieron problemáticas que no habían sido detectadas por los investigadores.

The exposure to environmental pollutants implies a risk for health, mainly for the children population. A strategy of preventive intervention may be a Risks Communication Program (RCP). In order for a RCP to be carried out in an effective form, it is necessary to know the perception of the community about the exposure to environmental risks. Knowing children perception is essential for designing PCR to be implemented in each community. In this work the drawing was used as a tool to understand the perception of the children from a rural-indigenous community and from a marginalized urban community. The activity consisted on the formulation of two questions, which children answered sketching a drawing. The questions were formulated to know their perception in two sceneries: inside and outside their home. The obtained results indicated that the children perceive most of the environmental issues previously detected by our group and there were some differences between communities. In addition, it was found that some children perceived problems that had not been identified by the researchers.

Exposure of children to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Mexico: assessment of multiple sources.

PURPOSE: Biological monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has expanded rapidly since urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) was suggested as a biological index for pyrene. Taking into account that pyrene is often present in PAHs mixtures, 1-OHP has also been considered an indirect indicator of exposure to these mixtures. Sources of PAHs in developing countries are numerous; however, exposure of children to PAHs has not been studied in detail. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess exposure of children to PAHs in different scenarios: (a) children living next to highways with heavy traffic; (b) sanitary landfill; (c) brick kiln communities and (d) children exposed to biomass combustion. METHODS: A total of 258 children (aged 3-13) participated in the study. The analyses were performed by HPLC with fluorescence detector. Urinary 1-OHP concentrations were then adjusted by urinary creatinine. RESULTS: The highest levels of 1-OHP in this study were found in children exposed to biomass combustion (mean value 3.25 micromol/mol creatinine), but exposure was also detected in children living in communities with brick kiln industry (mean 0.35 micromol/mol creatinine), or in a community next to a sanitary landfill (with waste combustion) (0.30 micromol/mol creatinine) and in children exposed to traffic (mean value 0.2 micromol/mol creatinine and 0.08 micromol/mol creatinine). CONCLUSIONS: Considering our results and taking into account that millions of children in Mexico are living in scenarios similar to those studied in this work, the assessment of health effects in children exposed to PAHs is urgently needed; furthermore, PAHs have to be declared contaminants of concern at a national level.