BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital malformations in humans. Inconsistent results emerged in the existed studies on associations between air pollution and congenital heart disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of gestational exposure to air pollutants with congenital heart disease, and to explore the critical exposure windows for congenital heart disease. METHODS: The nested case-control study collected birth records and the following health data in Tianjin Women and Children's Health Center, China. All of the cases of congenital heart disease from 2013 to 2015 were selected matching five healthy controls for each case. Inverse distance weighting was used to estimate individual exposure based on daily air pollution data. Furthermore, the conditional logistic regression with distributed lag non-linear model was performed to identify the association between gestational exposure to air pollution and congenital heart disease. RESULTS: A total of 8,748 mother-infant pairs were entered into the analysis, of which 1,458 infants suffered from congenital heart disease. For each 10 µg/m³ increase of gestational exposure to PM_2.5, the ORs (95% confidence interval, 95%CI) ranged from 1.008 (1.001-1.016) to 1.013 (1.001-1.024) during the 1^st-2^nd gestation weeks. Similar weak but increased risks of congenital heart disease were associated with O₃ exposure during the 1^st week and SO₂ exposure during 6^th-7^th weeks in the first trimester, while no significant findings for other air pollutants. CONCLUSIONS This study highlighted that gestational exposure to PM_2.5, O₃, and SO₂ had lag effects on congenital heart disease. Our results support potential benefits for pregnancy women to the mitigation of air pollution exposure in the early stage, especially when a critical exposure time window of air pollutants may precede heart development.
Infant ; Pregnancy ; Child ; Humans ; Female ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Case-Control Studies ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiology* ; Heart Defects, Congenital/etiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Particulate Matter/adverse effects* ; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects*

BACKGROUND: The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health is an ongoing study consisting of two birth cohorts of different population sizes: the Sapporo cohort and the Hokkaido cohort. Our primary objectives are to (1) examine the effects that low-level environmental chemical exposures have on birth outcomes, including birth defects and growth retardation; (2) follow the development of allergies, infectious diseases, and neurobehavioral developmental disorders, as well as perform a longitudinal observation of child development; (3) identify high-risk groups based on genetic susceptibility to environmental chemicals; and (4) identify the additive effects of various chemicals, including tobacco. METHODS: The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the progress of the Hokkaido Study, summarize recent results, and suggest future directions. In particular, this report provides the latest details from questionnaire surveys, face-to-face examinations, and a collection of biological specimens from children and measurements of their chemical exposures. RESULTS: The latest findings indicate different risk factors of parental characteristics on birth outcomes and the mediating effect between socioeconomic status and children that are small for the gestational age. Maternal serum folate was not associated with birth defects. Prenatal chemical exposure and smoking were associated with birth size and growth, as well as cord blood biomarkers, such as adiponectin, leptin, thyroid, and reproductive hormones. We also found significant associations between the chemical levels and neuro development, asthma, and allergies. CONCLUSIONS Chemical exposure to children can occur both before and after birth. Longer follow-up for children is crucial in birth cohort studies to reinforce the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis. In contrast, considering shifts in the exposure levels due to regulation is also essential, which may also change the association to health outcomes. This study found that individual susceptibility to adverse health effects depends on the genotype. Epigenome modification of DNA methylation was also discovered, indicating the necessity of examining molecular biology perspectives. International collaborations can add a new dimension to the current knowledge and provide novel discoveries in the future.
Biomarkers/blood* ; Child ; Child Health ; Child, Preschool ; Cohort Studies ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Environmental Health ; Environmental Pollutants/adverse effects* ; Female ; Fetal Blood/chemistry* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Growth/drug effects* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity/etiology* ; Infant ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders/etiology* ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/etiology* ; Prevalence ; Smoking/adverse effects*

BACKGROUND: There have been inconsistent findings reported on maternal passive smoking during pregnancy and child risk of ADHD. In this study, ADHD symptoms at pre-school age children in association with prenatal passive and active tobacco smoke exposure determined by maternal plasma cotinine levels in the third trimester were investigated. METHODS: This was a follow-up study of the birth cohort: the Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health. Children whose parents answered Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to identify child ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity/inattention and conduct problems) and total difficulties at age 5 years with available maternal plasma cotinine level at the third trimester were included (n = 3216). Cotinine levels were categorized into 4 groups; ≦ 0.21 ng/ml (non-smoker), 0.22-0.51 ng/ml (low-passive smoker), 0.52-11.48 ng/ml (high-passive smoker), and ≧ 11.49 ng/ml (active smoker). RESULTS: Maternal cotinine levels of active smokers were significantly associated with an increased risk of total difficulties (OR = 1.67) and maternal low- and high-passive smoking also increased the risk (OR = 1.11, 1.25, respectively) without statistical significance. Similarly, maternal cotinine levels of active smokers were associated with an increased risk of hyperactivity/inattention (OR = 1.49). Maternal low- and high-passive smoking and active smoking increased the risk of hyperactivity/inattention (OR = 1.45, 1.43, and OR = 1.59, respectively) only in boys. CONCLUSION Our findings suggested that maternal active smoking during pregnancy may contribute to the increased risk of child total difficulties and hyperactivity/inattention at pre-school age. Pregnant women should be encouraged to quit smoking and avoid exposure to tobacco smoke.
Adult ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; epidemiology ; etiology ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Child, Preschool ; Cotinine ; blood ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Japan ; epidemiology ; Male ; Maternal Exposure ; adverse effects ; Mothers ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Risk ; Sex Factors ; Tobacco Smoking ; adverse effects ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVES: Mothers who smoke during pregnancy or while their children are small were common in some populations. Epidemiological studies have tried to detect the effect of prenatal tobacco smoke (PTS), and childhood environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on puberty timing have not shown a consensus results. We aimed to examine current evidence and estimate the associations between PTS or/and ETS and puberty timing. METHODS: Seven databases were searched from inception to May 2017. All the cohort studies examining the associations between PTS and/or ETS and puberty timing were identified. Two reviewers independently screened all studies, evaluated the quality of eligible studies, and extracted the data. The quality assessment of the eligible cohort studies was based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Risk ratio (RR), standard mean difference (SMD), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and pooled by CMA (Version 2.0, Biostat, Inc., USA). RESULTS: Compared with controls, girls with PTS and ETS exposure have an earlier age at menarche (SMD - 0.087, 95% CI 0.174 to - 0.000), and similar results were found in both PTS subgroup (SMD - 0.097, 95% CI - 0.192 to - 0.002) and prospective cohort subgroup (SMD - 0.171, 95% CI - 0.253 to - 0.090). And number of boys with early voice break in PTS group was significantly increasing than non-exposed boys (RR 1.34, 95% CI 1.29 to 1.40). CONCLUSIONS PTS exposure possibly decrease age of menarche of girls, and studies on boys were urgent needed. Appropriate and comprehensive outcome measures using unified criteria to classify puberty should be reported in future studies.
Aging ; physiology ; Environmental Exposure ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Menarche ; physiology ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; etiology ; Puberty ; physiology ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; adverse effects

Objective: To explore the long-term effects of maternal pregnancy bisphenol A (BPA) exposure on emotional and behavioral problems appeared in their preschool children. Methods: The study sample was a subset of the China-Anhui Birth Cohort Study (C-ABCS). A unified questionnaire was used to collect basic information on both pregnant women and their children. Free BPA concentration in maternal serum was determined by high-performance liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The parent-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to estimate the emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children. A total of 1 713 pairs of mothers and children were included in this study. Association between BPA exposure during pregnancy and the emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children was evaluated with multinomial logistic regression model. Results: Prevalence rates in 1 713 preschool children appeared as: 6.48% of emotional problems, 8.11% for conduct problems, 8.35% for hyperactivity/inattention, 2.86% for peer problems, 11.38% for prosocial behaviors and 7.94% for total difficulties. Subjects were divided according to the degrees of exposure and the results showed as: low exposure group (≤0.120 ng/ml), medium exposure group (0.120exposure group (≥0.400 ng/ml) according to the serum BPA concentration in tertile. Results from the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high level of maternal BPA exposure appeared a risk factor on children's abnormal conducts (OR=1.876, 95% CI: 1.161-3.029), more obvious in boys (OR=2.291, 95%CI: 1.126-4.661). Conclusion: Maternal exposure to high level of BPA during pregnancy might increase the detrimental effects of abnormal conducts in their preschool children, more obviously seen in boys.
Benzhydryl Compounds/toxicity* ; Child Behavior Disorders/etiology* ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Emotions/physiology* ; Environmental Exposure ; Environmental Pollutants ; Female ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Male ; Maternal Exposure ; Mothers ; Phenols/toxicity* ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Cervix Uteri ; pathology ; Child ; Diethylstilbestrol ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to explore the association between periconceptional fish consumption by parents and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intelligence deficiency (ID).

METHODSA case-control study was conducted through a questionnaire with 108 ASD cases, 79 ID cases, and 108 controls. The ASD and ID cases were students from special educational schools in Tianjin from 2012 to 2014. The age- and sex-matched controls were from a high school, three primary schools, and a kindergarten in Tianjin. Multivariate logistic regression was performed.

RESULTSPaternal habit of eating hairtail before fertilization, maternal preference for fruits during pregnancy, and maternal habit of eating grass carp during pregnancy were preventive factors for ASD. Paternal habit of drinking alcohol before fertilization was a risk factor for ID, whereas maternal preference for fruits during pregnancy and maternal habit of eating crucian carp during pregnancy were protective factors for ID.

CONCLUSIONParental fish consumption is beneficial for the prevention of ASD and ID. Meanwhile, the protective effects of fish consumption on ASD and ID differ. More attention should be paid to the combined effect of other food when eating fish.

Adolescent ; Animals ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Diet ; adverse effects ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Fishes ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intellectual Disability ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Male ; Maternal Exposure ; Paternal Exposure ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Risk Factors ; Species Specificity

Rats were exposed to 1 or 10 μg/mL bisphenol A (BPA) in water during pregnancy and lactation. Offspring rats were given normal water and a standard diet from weaning to postnatal day (PND) 50. Perinatal exposure to BPA resulted in significantly increased body weight, visceral adipose tissue, abnormal serum lipids, and lower adiponectin (ADP) levels in both female and male offspring rats. Liver adipose triglyceride lipase (Atgl) mRNA levels and ADP protein in visceral adipose tissue were significantly decreased in BPA-exposed offspring rats. In both female or male offspring rats, obesity and dyslipidemia induced by perinatal exposure to BPA were associated with down regulation of Atgl mRNA in liver and ADP protein in visceral adipose tissue.
Adiponectin ; metabolism ; Adipose Tissue ; metabolism ; Animals ; Benzhydryl Compounds ; adverse effects ; metabolism ; Body Weight ; Dyslipidemias ; enzymology ; etiology ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lipase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Obesity ; enzymology ; etiology ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Phenols ; adverse effects ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; enzymology ; etiology ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Because linseed oil may influence maternal and fetal metabolisms, we investigated its role in the modulation of lipid metabolism in cafeteria diet-induced obese rats and their offspring. Female Wistar rats were fed control or cafeteria food, which were either supplemented or not supplemented with linseed oil (5%) for 1 month before and during gestation. At parturition, serum and tissue lipids and enzyme activities were analyzed. Cafeteria diet induced adverse metabolic alterations in both mothers and offspring. Linseed oil improved metabolic status. In conclusion, linseed oil displayed health benefits by modulating tissue enzyme activities in both obese mothers and their newborns.
Animal Feed ; analysis ; Animals ; Diet ; adverse effects ; Dietary Supplements ; analysis ; Female ; Linseed Oil ; administration & dosage ; metabolism ; Lipid Metabolism ; drug effects ; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; drug effects ; Obesity ; drug therapy ; etiology ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; drug therapy ; etiology ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Children born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are more likely to exhibit congenital malformations, high birth weight, and obesity and have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in later life. Children who are exposed to maternal diabetes in utero may be 'programmed' for later development of obesity at a critical period of development. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the associations among adiposity and systolic blood pressure in children and abnormal maternal glucose levels during pregnancy. A total of 856 mother-child pairs were included in the present retrospective study. Eligible pregnant women underwent a standard 75 g oral glucose tolerance test between 24 and 28 weeks' gestation. Anthropometric characteristics of their children were measured at 6 years of age, including body mass index, the sum of subscapular and tricep skinfold thickness, and systolic blood pressure. The result suggests that children exposed to GDM have higher adiposity; prevention of childhood obesity needs to begin early in life for these children.
Adiposity ; physiology ; Aging ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Diabetes, Gestational ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Obesity ; etiology ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Risk Factors