Medio Ambiente Research Articles

The Use of Lower or Higher Than Recommended Doses of Folic Acid Supplements during Pregnancy Is Associated with Child Attentional Dysfunction at 4-5 Years of Age in the INMA Project.

We assessed the association between the use of lower- and higher-than-recommended doses of folic acid supplements (FAs) during pregnancy and attentional function in boys and girls at age of 4–5. We analyzed data from 1329 mother-child pairs from the mother-child cohort INfancia y Medio Ambiente Project (INMA) study. Information on FAs use during pregnancy was collected in personal interviews at weeks 12 and 30, and categorized in <400, 400–999 (recommended dose), and ≥1000 μg/day. Child attentional function was assessed by Conners’ Kiddie Continuous Performance Test. Multivariable regression analyses were used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) and beta coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Compared to recommended FAs doses, the periconceptional use of <400 and ≥1000 μg/day was associated with higher risk of omission errors—IRR = 1.14 (95% CI: 1.01; 1.29) and IRR = 1.16 (95% CI: 1.02; 1.33), respectively. The use of FAs < 400 μg/day and ≥1000 μg/day was significantly associated with deficits of attentional function only in boys. FAs use < 400 μg/day was associated with higher omission errors with IRR = 1.22 and increased hit reaction time (HRT) β = 34.36, and FAs use ≥ 1000 μg/day was associated with increased HRT β = 33.18 and HRT standard error β = 3.31. The periconceptional use of FAs below or above the recommended doses is associated with deficits of attentional function in children at age of 4–5, particularly in boys.

Your Child and the Environment

Patient Education| 2021 Your Child and the Environment Connected Content Translation: Su hijo y el medio ambiente: (Your Child and the Environment) Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Your Child and the Environment . Pediatric Patient Education 2021; 10.1542/peo_document037 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All AAP SitesAll PublicationsPediatric Patient Education Search Advanced Search Topics: asbestos, blood tests, burns, cancer, carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide poisoning, clothing, common cold, cribs, deet Air pollution is not just a problem outside. There can be things in the air inside your home that can harm your child. There can also be hazards found in the dust and dirt in or around your home and yard. The following are examples of hazards found where children live: Asbestos is a natural fiber that was often used for fireproofing, insulating, and soundproofing between the 1940s and 1970s. Asbestos is only dangerous when it becomes crumbly. If that happens, asbestos fibers get into the air and are breathed into the lungs. Breathing in these fibers can cause chronic health problems, including a rare form of lung cancer. Asbestos can still be found in some older homes, often as insulation around pipes. Schools are required by law to remove asbestos or make sure that children... Copyright © 2005 American Academy of Pediatrics, Updated 11/092005American Academy of Pediatrics You do not currently have access to this content.

Monitoring CO emissions of the metropolis Mexico City using TROPOMI CO observations

Abstract. The Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on the ESA Copernicus Sentinel-5 satellite (S5-P) measures carbon monoxide (CO) total column concentrations as one of its primary targets. In this study, we analyze TROPOMI observations over Mexico City in the period 14 November 2017 to 25 August 2019 by means of collocated CO simulations using the regional Weather Research and Forecasting coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model. We draw conclusions on the emissions from different urban districts in the region. Our WRF-Chem simulation distinguishes CO emissions from the districts Tula, Pachuca, Tulancingo, Toluca, Cuernavaca, Cuautla, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Mexico City, and Mexico City Arena by 10 separate tracers. For the data interpretation, we apply a source inversion approach determining per district the mean emissions and the temporal variability, the latter regularized to reduce the propagation of the instrument noise and forward-model errors in the inversion. In this way, the TROPOMI observations are used to evaluate the Inventario Nacional de Emisiones de Contaminantes Criterio (INEM) inventory that was adapted to the period 2017–2019 using in situ ground-based observations. For the Tula and Pachuca urban areas in the north of Mexico City, we obtain 0.10±0.004 and 0.09±0.005 Tg yr−1 CO emissions, which exceeds significantly the INEM emissions of &lt;0.008 Tg yr−1 for both areas. On the other hand for Mexico City, TROPOMI estimates emissions of 0.14±0.006 Tg yr−1 CO, which is about half of the INEM emissions of 0.25 Tg yr−1, and for the adjacent district Mexico City Arena the emissions are 0.28±0.01 Tg yr−1 according to TROPOMI observations versus 0.14 Tg yr−1 as stated by the INEM inventory. Interestingly, the total emissions of both districts are similar (0.42±0.016 Tg yr−1 TROPOMI versus 0.39 Tg yr−1 adapted INEM emissions). Moreover, for both areas we found that the TROPOMI emission estimates follow a clear weekly cycle with a minimum during the weekend. This agrees well with ground-based in situ measurements from the Secretaría del Medio Ambiente (SEDEMA) and Fourier transform spectrometer column measurements in Mexico City that are operated by the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change Infrared Working Group (NDACC-IRWG). Overall, our study demonstrates an approach to deploying the large number of TROPOMI CO data to draw conclusions on urban emissions on sub-city scales for metropolises like Mexico City. Moreover, for the exploitation of TROPOMI CO observations our analysis indicates the clear need for further improvements of regional models like WRF-Chem, in particular with respect to the prediction of the local wind fields.

Association between estimated whole-brain radiofrequency electromagnetic fields dose and cognitive function in preadolescents and adolescents.

To investigate the association between estimated whole-brain radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) dose, using an improved integrated RF-EMF exposure model, and cognitive function in preadolescents and adolescents. Cross-sectional analysis in preadolescents aged 9-11 years and adolescents aged 17-18 years from the Dutch Amsterdam Born Children and their Development Study (n=1664 preadolescents) and the Spanish INfancia y Medio Ambiente Project (n=1288 preadolescents and n=261 adolescents), two population-based birth cohort studies. Overall whole-brain RF-EMF doses (mJ/kg/day) were estimated for several RF-EMF sources together including mobile and Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications phone calls (named phone calls), other mobile phone uses than calling, tablet use, laptop use (named screen activities), and far-field sources. We also estimated whole-brain RF-EMF doses in these three groups separately (i.e. phone calls, screen activities, and far-field) that lead to different patterns of RF-EMF exposure. We assessed non-verbal intelligence in the Dutch and Spanish preadolescents, information processing speed, attentional function, and cognitive flexibility in the Spanish preadolescents, and working memory and semantic fluency in the Spanish preadolescents and adolescents using validated neurocognitive tests. Estimated overall whole-brain RF-EMF dose was 90.1mJ/kg/day (interquartile range (IQR) 42.7; 164.0) in the Dutch and Spanish preadolescents and 105.1mJ/kg/day (IQR 51.0; 295.7) in the Spanish adolescents. Higher overall estimated whole-brain RF-EMF doses from all RF-EMF sources together and from phone calls were associated with lower non-verbal intelligence score in the Dutch and Spanish preadolescents (-0.10 points, 95% CI -0.19; -0.02 per 100mJ/kg/day increase in each exposure). However, none of the whole-brain RF-EMF doses was related to any other cognitive function outcome in the Spanish preadolescents or adolescents. Our results suggest that higher brain exposure to RF-EMF is related to lower non-verbal intelligence but not to other cognitive function outcomes. Given the cross-sectional nature of the study, the small effect sizes, and the unknown biological mechanisms, we cannot discard that our resultsare due to chance finding or reverse causality. Longitudinal studies on RF-EMF brain exposure and cognitive function are needed.

Identifying sensitive windows of exposure to NO2 and fetal growth trajectories in a Spanish population-based birth cohort

Background: The epidemiologic literature supports an association between air pollution exposure and adverse fetal development. Our group previously published associations between maternal exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), averaged across pregnancy trimesters, and reduced fetal growth in the INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente) project. Here, we apply novel statistical methods with greater flexibility to identify narrower (i.e., weekly) periods of potential sensitivity of fetal growth to NO2 exposure. Methods: This study includes 2,141 women from three INMA regions: Valencia, Sabadell, and Gipuzkoa. Abdominal circumference (AC), biparietal diameter (BPD), femur length (FL), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) were assessed via ultrasounds at 12, 20, and 34 weeks. Linear mixed models produced growth curves from which standard deviation scores were calculated to describe growth trajectories in the first 12, 12-20, and 20-34 weeks of pregnancy. Weekly NO2 exposures were estimated using temporally adjusted land-use regression models and assigned to women based on their addresses during pregnancy. We used distributed lag non-linear models to identify gestational weeks during which fetal growth is sensitive to NO2 exposure (per 10-µg/m3), adjusted for relevant covariates. Results: NO2 exposure during gestational week 4 was associated with reduced EFW trajectories in the first 12 weeks (β=-0.019; 95%CI: -0.037,-0.001), while exposure during gestational week 5 was associated with reduced EFW during weeks 20-34 (β=-0.004; 95%CI: -0.007,0.00). NO2 exposure during gestational week 11 was associated with reduced AC growth in the first 12 weeks (β=-0.051; 95%CI: -0.097,-0.006), while exposures during weeks 7 and 8 were associated with reduced AC growth during weeks 12-20 (β=-0.010, 95%CI: -0.020,0.00; β=-0.024; 95%CI: -0.008,0.00, respectively). NO2 exposure in each of gestational weeks 6-16 was associated with decreased BPD trajectories during weeks 20-34. Conclusions: Our results suggest NO2 exposures during specific weeks in early and mid, but not late, pregnancy are associated with reduced fetal growth.

Atmospheric Corrosion Influence in the Manufactured Processes of a Seafood Industry Located in Ensenada, Mexico

The atmospheric corrosion presented in indoors of a seafood industry, generated aggressive environments and with this deterioration in steel cans used to can sardine and tuna food, which were corroded in the manufacturing processes of this industry evaluated. Even using metal containers with a special coating to can tuna and sardines and with the exposition of aggressive environments the deterioration of these cans was made, before being used for the container of tuna and sardines in the manufacturing areas. The air pollutants as sulfurs principally, which generated the aggressive environments penetrated through cracks and air conditioning systems to indoors of the seafood industry evaluated in Ensenada, promoting the corrosion process originated. The occurrence of corrosion in the seafood industry evaluated, increased the costs of the manufacturing processes for the necessity of takeoff the deterioration of steel cans corroded used to pack tuna and sardine in 45% of the steel cans received of an industry of United States, and around 35% of the steel cans used had to be replaced. This represented a decrease in competitiveness in this industrial company evaluated, presenting economic losses, caused by presence the air pollution of Ensenada, which generated the deterioration in steel cans, being originated principally sulfurs of cars and chloride ions of sea breeze. Recently in this city of the northwest of the Mexican Republic, the indices of air pollutants emitted by the traffic vehicle, are increased and overpass the air quality standards (AQS), determined by the Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT-Mexico) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-USA). For this reason an analysis of the atmospheric corrosion in indoors of a seafood industry located in Ensenada city, was made to identify the aggressive agents that reacted with the metallic surface of steel cans used to can tuna and sardine, with micro evaluation with technique of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and nano analysis with Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) method. The investigation was made in 2019.

Maternal Ferritin Levels during Pregnancy and ADHD Symptoms in 4-Year-Old Children: Results from the INMA-INfancia y Medio Ambiente (Environment and Childhood) Prospective Birth Cohort Study.

Ferritin status during prenatal brain development may influence the risk of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in childhood. We investigated the association of maternal ferritin in pregnancy and ADHD-like symptoms in offspring. A total of 1095 mother-child pairs from three birth cohorts of the INMA Project (Spain) were studied. Maternal plasma ferritin in pregnancy was measured at 11.57 weeks of gestation. Children′s ADHD-like symptoms at ages 4–5 years were assessed using the ADHD Rating Scale-IV. The count model of the zero-inflated Poisson regression model showed a significant inverse association between ferritin (continuous variable) and inattention, β = −0.19 (−0.32, −0.07), for boys. Comparing ferritin level by tertiles, significant differences were observed between the first tertile ([1.98, 20.92]) and the second ([20.92, 38.79]) and third tertiles ([38.79, 216.5]) (mg/L).The number of symptoms was lower for those in the third tertile, β = −0.3 (−0.55, −0.5), and for those in the second one, β = −0.37 (−0.6, −0.14). The model stratification by sex also showed this inverse association for boys only, β = −0.21 (−0.34, −0.08). No associations were found between ferritin level and hyperactivity or total ADHD symptoms. High ferritin levels during pregnancy show a protective association with child inattentive-type ADHD symptoms.

From Ecocriticism to Environmental Humanities: A Brief Overview of Publications in Spain

This review essay focuses on an overview of relevant publications regarding ecocriticism, and its corollary, the environmental humanities, with a specific focus on Spain, through three main publications: Ecocríticas. Literatura y medio ambiente (2010); Visiones ecocríticas del mar en la literatura (2016); and Humanidades ambientales: pensamiento, arte y relatos para el siglo de la gran prueba (2018). This essay also mentions other relevant volumes and monographic issues published in Spain in the last ten years. The purpose of this essay is to give the reader a general view of the work done within the fields of ecocriticism and the environmental humanities in Spain in the last decade.

Running to and from Utopia: Miguel Barnet’sBiography of a Runaway Slave

In 1963, Cuban ethnologist Miguel Barnet read a newspaper article on one hundred and three-year-old ex-Cuban slave Esteban Montejo (1860–1973) and interviewed him that same year. Barnet edited the transcripts of this interview, and the resulting manuscript, titled Biografía de un cimarrón [Biography of a Runaway Slave, also The Autobiography of a Runaway Slave], was published by Cuba’s Instituto de Etnología and Folklore in 1966. Given that this was a time of revolutionary fervor in Cuba, Barnet’s editing is not without ideological motivation, but the basic environmental/agricultural observations in the piece are not affected by overt political distortion. Importantly, in terms of this study, Montejo’s spiritual attitudes toward Nature are allowed to shine through. The spiritual element is important because it offers a valuable contrast to the dominant social discourse regarding the Cuban environment, both natural and human. For example, Reinaldo Funes Monzote’s classic From Rainforest to Cane Field in Cuba: An Environmental History since 1492 [De bosque a sabana: azúcar, deforestación y medio ambiente en Cuba 1492–1926] focuses on the economic and political history of Cuba, essentially from the end of the eighteenth century to 1926, and deals primarily with the competing interests of private property owners and the state. The competing interests in question were those of the large sugar plantations which sought to constantly clear ever more forest to increase production and the needs of the Royal Spanish Navy for a renewable supply of timber for ship construction. The plantation system required extensive slave holdings and large-scale forest conversion in order to prosper, while the Royal Navy’s system was based upon small-scale farming, free labor, and large-scale forest conservation. As Funes Monzote observes:

Early childhood growth is associated with lung function at 7 years: a prospective population-based study.

Previous studies have related early postnatal growth with later lung function but their interpretation is limited by the methods used to assess a child's growth. We aimed to assess the association of early childhood growth, measured by body mass index (BMI) trajectories up to 4 years, with lung function at 7 years.We included 1257 children from the Spanish Infancia y Medio Ambiente population-based birth cohort. Early childhood growth was classified into five categories based on BMI trajectories up to 4 years previously identified using latent class growth analysis. These trajectories differed in birth size ("lower", "average", "higher") and in BMI gain velocity ("slower", "accelerated"). We related these trajectories to lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC and forced expiratory flow at 25%-75% of FVC (FEF25-75%)) at 7 years, using multivariable mixed regression.Compared to children with average birth size and slower BMI gain (reference), children with higher birth size and accelerated BMI gain had a higher FVC % pred (3.3%, 95% CI 1.0%-5.6%) and a lower FEV1/FVC % pred (-1.5%, 95% CI -2.9%--0.1%) at 7 years. Similar associations were observed for children with lower birth size and accelerated BMI gain. Children with lower birth size and slower BMI gain had lower FVC % pred at 7 years. No association was found for FEF25-75%Independently of birth size, children with accelerated BMI gain in early childhood had higher lung function at 7 years but showed airflow limitation. Children with lower birth size and slower BMI gain in early childhood had lower lung function at 7 years.

A conservation checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico City, with comparisons with adjoining states.

Mexico City houses one of the most populous urban areas of the world, and the modification of its natural habitat likely influences the biological diversity found there. In particular, amphibians and reptiles are likely affected by these modifications. Herein, we present an updated list of the species of amphibians and reptiles that inhabit Mexico City. Mexico City harbors 65 species of amphibians and reptiles, which represent 21 families and 33 genera. These include 18 species of amphibians (nine anurans and nine salamanders) and 47 species of reptiles (14 lizards, 30 snakes [one introduced], and three turtles [one introduced]). Forty-eight of the amphibian and reptile species in Mexico City are endemic to Mexico, with two endemic to Mexico City. The most diverse region of Mexico City is the Forests and Ravines region, which is home to 43 species. Eleven species of amphibians and reptiles in Mexico City are IUCN listed, 16 are placed in a protected category by SEMARNAT (Secretaria del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales), and 27 species are categorized as high risk by the EVS (Environmental Viability Score). Mexico City shares almost 94% of its species with the State of Mexico.

Novel microsatellite markers for an endangered freshwater snail, Heleobia atacamensis (Caenogastropoda: Cochliopidae), from the Atacama Saltpan

ABSTRACT The minute freshwater gastropod Heleobia atacamensis is only known from its type locality Tilopozo, located at the southern end of the Atacama Saltpan, Antofagasta Region, Chile. It is classified as Critically Endangered by the national agency, Ministerio del Medio Ambiente de Chile, due to its restricted distribution. For the first time, we have isolated and evaluated 65 microsatellite markers in 42 specimens of H. atacamensis, successfully characterising 11 as polymorphic. Cross-amplification testing was successful in three other species of the genus. As a result, the development and characterisation of these markers could be useful in future genetic studies of H. atacamensis and its congeners, regarding population structuring, dispersal patterns and recent demographic history. Furthermore, this information will also be significant to undertake conservation efforts in this endangered species, since its environment is highly threatened by lithium mining activities and a global water crisis.

Maternal Iodine Status During Pregnancy Is Not Consistently Associated with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Autistic Traits in Children

ABSTRACTBackgroundSevere iodine deficiency during pregnancy can cause intellectual disability, presumably through inadequate placental transfer of maternal thyroid hormone to the fetus. The association between mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency and child neurodevelopmental problems is not well understood.ObjectivesWe investigated the association of maternal iodine status during pregnancy with child attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic traits.MethodsThis was a collaborative study of 3 population-based birth cohorts: Generation R (n = 1634), INfancia y Medio Ambiente (n = 1293), and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (n = 2619). Exclusion criteria were multiple fetuses, fertility treatment, thyroid-interfering medication use, and pre-existing thyroid disease. The mean age of assessment in the cohorts was between 4.4 and 7.7 y for ADHD symptoms and 4.5 and 7.6 y for autistic traits. We studied the association of the urinary iodine-to-creatinine ratio (UI/Creat) <150 μg/g—in all mother–child pairs, and in those with a urinary-iodine measurement at ≤18 weeks and ≤14 weeks of gestation—with the risk of ADHD or a high autistic-trait score (≥93rd percentile cutoff), using logistic regression. The cohort-specific effect estimates were combined by random-effects meta-analyses. We also investigated whether UI/Creat modified the associations of maternal free thyroxine (FT4) or thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations with ADHD or autistic traits.ResultsUI/Creat <150 μg/g was not associated with ADHD (OR: 1.2; 95% CI: 0.7, 2.2; P = 0.56) or with a high autistic-trait score (OR: 0.8; 95% CI: 0.6, 1.1; P = 0.22). UI/Creat <150 μg/g in early pregnancy (i.e., ≤18 weeks or ≤14 weeks of gestation) was not associated with a higher risk of behavioral problems. The association between a higher FT4 and a greater risk of ADHD (OR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.6; P = 0.017) was not modified by iodine status.ConclusionsThere is no consistent evidence to support an association of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency during pregnancy with child ADHD or autistic traits.

Ruination Science: Producing Knowledge from a Toxic World

The multiple environmental crises our planet is experiencing forces us to change the ways we engage with it, especially the ones developed by scientific disciplines such as toxicology. In particular, widespread degradation should lead us to develop scientific practices that take environmental ruination as a framework condition, not only as an object of analysis. In doing so, we should take into account the practice of science at laboratories located in the peripheries of global science, institutions that have coexisted with extensive environmental and material decay from their very onset. Contributing to this task, this paper analyzes the case of Centro Nacional del Medio Ambiente (CENMA), an environmental chemistry laboratory located in Santiago, Chile. Established in mid-1990s, decades of continual budget cuts left it in a state of almost terminal ruin. In its struggle to remain relevant, CENMA developed an alternative kind of scientific practice, ruination science. Although always precarious, ruination science also tends to be well adapted to engage with impurity, resilient but fragile, and ethically entangled, prioritizing attachment and compromises over the application of certain standard recipes or procedures. Beyond its particularities, CENMA’s ruination science provides us with several valuable keys to better deal with worlds facing multiple kinds of anthropogenic degradation.

Generación, reciclaje y disposición final de los principales residuos en México, 2000-2014

Este trabajo analiza el comportamiento de los residuos en México para el periodo 2000-2014 considerando sus tres vertientes: generación, tratamiento o reciclaje y disposición final. La generación de residuos por persona en México es uno de los más altos en América Latina por lo que es prioritario tomar medidas en beneficio del medio ambiente y la salud de los habitantes. Se utilizó información estadística de fuentes oficiales del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía y de la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales para diversos tipos de residuos, es analizada la tendencia de reciclaje usando un modelo de regresión lineal. Los resultados muestran que la generación ha sido creciente para la mayoría de los residuos; sin embargo, su tratamiento (reciclaje) permanece relativamente bajo lo que provoca mala disposición final; de modo que es necesario aumentar el reciclaje y ejercer programas para cuantificar adecuadamente los residuos, así como incursionar en educación ambiental.

Aportes de la ciencia y tecnología para el mejoramiento del medio ambiente en El Salvador

Los factores antropogénicos han generado una alteración al medio ambiente provocando el calentamiento global. En ese sentido, la ciencia y tecnología es pieza clave en la preservación del medio ambiente, creando nuevas tecnologías amigables con los diferentes ecosistemas del planeta Tierra. Como antecedente histórico en el 1997 se crea el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales mejor conocido como MARN, evocando el artículo 30 de la ley del medio ambiente, dicha institución junto a instituciones afines, deben de recopilar, actualizar y publicar la información enfocada a la vulnerabilidad ambiental. Para contrastar los basamentos teóricos, conceptuales, históricos y referenciales, se definió el método cualitativo, retomando la técnica de la entrevista guiada dirigida e expertos en proyectos ambientales en El Salvador.

Association of Iron Status and Intake During Pregnancy with Neuropsychological Outcomes in Children Aged 7 Years: The Prospective Birth Cohort Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Study.

Early iron status plays an important role in prenatal neurodevelopment. Iron deficiency and high iron status have been related to alterations in child cognitive development; however, there are no data about iron intake during pregnancy with other environmental factors in relation to long term cognitive functioning of children. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between maternal iron status and iron intake during pregnancy and child neuropsychological outcomes at 7 years of age. We used data from the INMA Cohort population-based study. Iron status during pregnancy was assessed according to serum ferritin levels, and iron intake was assessed with food frequency questionnaires. Working memory, attention, and executive function were assessed in children at 7 years old with the N-Back task, Attention Network Task, and the Trail Making Test, respectively. The results show that, after controlling for potential confounders, normal maternal serum ferritin levels (from 12 mg/L to 60 mg/L) and iron intake (from 14.5 mg/day to 30.0 mg/day), respectively, were related to better scores in working memory and executive functioning in offspring. Since these functions have been associated with better academic performance and adaptation to the environment, maintaining a good state of maternal iron from the beginning of pregnancy could be a valuable strategy for the community.

Association of Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution With Thyroid Function During Pregnancy

Air pollutants interact with estrogen nuclear receptors, but their effect on thyroid signaling is less clear. Thyroid function is of particular importance for pregnant women because of the thyroid's role in fetal brain development. To determine the short-term association of exposure to air pollution in the first trimester with thyroid function throughout pregnancy. In this cohort study, 9931 pregnant women from 4 European cohorts (the Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development Study, the Generation R Study, Infancia y Medio Ambiente, and Rhea) and 1 US cohort (Project Viva) with data on air pollution exposure and thyroid function during pregnancy were included. The recruitment period for the Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development Study was January 2003 to March 2004; for Generation R, April 2002 to January 2006; for Infancia y Medio Ambiente, November 2003 to January 2008; for Rhea, February 2007 to February 2008; and for Project Viva, April 1999 to November 2002. Statistical analyses were conducted from January 2018 to April 2019. Residential air pollution concentrations (ie, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter [PM]) during the first trimester of pregnancy were estimated using land-use regression and satellite-derived aerosol optical depth models. Free thyroxine, thyrotropin, and thyroid peroxidase antibody levels were measured across gestation. Hypothyroxinemia was defined as free thyroxine below the fifth percentile of the cohort distribution with normal thyrotropin levels, following the American Thyroid Association guidelines. Among 9931 participants, the mean (SD) age was 31.2 (4.8) years, 4853 (48.9%) had more than secondary educational levels, 5616 (56.6%) were nulliparous, 404 (4.2%) had hypothyroxinemia, and 506 (6.7%) tested positive for thyroid peroxidase antibodies. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5) were lower and had less variation in women in the US cohort than those in European cohorts. No associations of nitrogen oxide with thyroid function were found. Higher exposures to PM2.5 were associated with higher odds of hypothyroxinemia in pregnant women (odds ratio per 5-μg/m3 change, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.00-1.47). Although exposure to PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less was not significantly associated with hypothyroxinemia, the coefficient was similar to that for the association of PM2.5 with hypothyroxinemia (odds ratio per 10-μg/m3 change, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.93-1.48). Absorbances of PM2.5 and PM with aerodynamic diameter from 2.5 to 10 μg and were not associated with hypothyroxinemia. There was substantial heterogeneity among cohorts with respect to thyroid peroxidase antibodies (P for heterogeneity, <.001), showing associations of nitrogen oxide and PM with thyroid autoimmunity only in the women in the Generation R Study. The findings of this study suggest that first-trimester exposures to PM2.5 were associated with mild thyroid dysfunction throughout pregnancy. The association of PM2.5 exposure with thyroid function during pregnancy is of global health importance because air pollution exposure is widespread and hypothyroxinemia may adversely influence the brain development of offspring.

Maternal seafood consumption during pregnancy and child attention outcomes: a cohort study with gene effect modification by PUFA-related genes.

There is a need to test the fetal programming theoretical framework in nutritional epidemiology. We evaluated whether maternal seafood intake during pregnancy was associated with 8-year-old attention outcomes after adjusting for previous child seafood intake and cognitive function. We also explored effect modification by several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related with polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolism. Our final analyses included 1644 mother-child pairs from the prospective INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente) cohort study (Spain, recruitment between 2003 and 2008). We used food frequency questionnaires to assess prenatal and postnatal seafood consumption of the mother-child pairs. We evaluated attention function of the children through the computer-based Attention Network Test (ANT) and we used the number of omission errors and the hit reaction time standard error (HRT-SE). Parents reported child attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms using the Revised Conners' Parent Rating Scale Short Form (CPRS-R: S). We measured seven candidate SNPs in a subsample of 845 children. We estimated associations using regression models, adjusting for family characteristics, child seafood intake and cognitive functions at early ages, and to explore SNP effect modifications. Higher total seafood intake during early pregnancy was associated with a reduction of child ANT omission errors, 5th quintile (median = 854 g/week) vs 1st quintile (median = 195 g/week), incidence risk ratio (IRR) 0.76; 95% CI = 0.61, 0.94. Similar results were observed after adjusting the models for child seafood intake and previous cognitive status. Lean, large and small fatty fish showed similar results, and generally similar but less robust associations were observed with the other attention outcomes. Shellfish and canned tuna showed weaker associations. The association patterns were weaker in late pregnancy and null in child seafood consumption. Child rs1260326 (glucokinase regulator, GCKR) and child/maternal rs2281591 (fatty acid elongase 2, ELOVL2) polymorphisms showed nominal P-value for interactions <0.10 between total seafood intake and ANT outcomes. After adjusting for previous child cognitive functions and child seafood intake, high pregnancy consumption (total, lean, small and large fatty fish) was independently associated with improvements of some 8-year-old attention outcomes. Genetic effect modification analyses suggest PUFA intake from seafood as a potential biological mechanism of such association.

Maternal Thyroid Function in Early Pregnancy and Child Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: An Individual-Participant Meta-Analysis.

Background: Thyroid hormone is essential for optimal fetal brain development. Evidence suggests that both low and high maternal thyroid hormone availability may have adverse effects on child neurodevelopmental outcomes, but the effect on behavioral problems remains unclear. We studied the association of maternal thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (fT4) concentrations during the first 18 weeks of pregnancy with child attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: A total of 7669 mother-child pairs with data on maternal thyroid function and child ADHD were selected from three prospective population-based birth cohorts: INfancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA; N = 1073, Spain), Generation R (N = 3812, The Netherlands), and Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; N = 2784, United Kingdom). Exclusion criteria were multiple pregnancy, fertility treatment, usage of medication affecting the thyroid, and pre-existing thyroid disease. We used logistic regression models to study the association of maternal thyroid function with the primary outcome, ADHD, assessed via the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) criteria by parents and/or teachers at a median child age of 4.5 to 7.6 years, and with the secondary outcome, an ADHD symptom score above the 90th percentile. Effect modification by gestational age and sex was tested with interaction terms and stratified analyses. Results: Overall, 233 (3%) children met the criteria for ADHD. When analyzed continuously, neither fT4 nor TSH was associated with a higher risk of ADHD (odds ratio [OR] 1.1, 95% confidence interval [CI 1.0-1.3], p = 0.060 and OR 0.9 [CI 0.9-1.1], p = 0.385, respectively) or with high symptom scores. When investigating effect modification by gestational age, a higher fT4 was associated with symptoms above the 90th percentile but only in the first trimester (for fT4 per 1 SD: OR 1.2 [CI 1.0-1.4], p = 0.027). However, these differential effects by gestational age were not consistent. No significant effect modification by sex was observed. Conclusions: We found no clear evidence of an association between maternal thyroid function and child ADHD.