Ethylene Oxide Hemoglobin Adducts in Cord Blood and Offspring's Size at Birth: The NewGeneris European Cohort Study.

Background: Prenatal ethylene oxide exposure may have adverse effects on fetal development. We examined the relationships between ethylene oxide hemoglobin (Hb) adduct levels and offspring's size at birth in a prospective European mother-child study.

Methods: This study included 1106 singletons from the NewGeneris project (2006-2010) with ethylene oxide Hb adducts measured in cord blood.

Placental human papillomavirus infections and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Introduction: Knowledge on prevalence and association of human papillomavirus (HPV) in third trimester placentae and adverse pregnancy outcomes is limited. We investigated the prevalence of placental HPV at delivery, explored urine HPV characteristics associated with placental HPV and whether placental HPV increased the risk adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: Pregnant women were enrolled in the Scandinavian PreventADALL mother-child cohort study at midgestation.

Infant lung function and early skin barrier impairment in the development of asthma at age 3 years.

Background: Largely unexplored, we investigated if lower lung function, impaired skin barrier function by transepidermal water loss (TEWL), eczema, and filaggrin (FLG) mutations in infancy were associated with asthma in early childhood.

Methods: From the factorially designed randomized controlled intervention study PreventADALL, we evaluated 1337/2394 children from all randomization groups with information on asthma at age 3 years, and at age 3 months either lung function, TEWL, eczema, and/or FLG mutations. Lower lung function was defined as the time to peak tidal expiratory flow to expiratory time (t /t ) <0.

Associations between combined urban and lifestyle factors and respiratory health in European children.

Introduction: Previous studies identified some environmental and lifestyle factors independently associated with children respiratory health, but few focused on exposure mixture effects. This study aimed at identifying, in pregnancy and in childhood, combined urban and lifestyle environment profiles associated with respiratory health in children.

Methods: This study is based on the European Human Early-Life Exposome (HELIX) project, combining six birth cohorts.

Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin levels in early childhood and association with preschool asthma - A prospective observational study.

Introduction: Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) is related to childhood asthma, while normal values are lacking. We aimed to document serum EDN levels at 1 and 3 years in general and in non-atopic children, and explore if EDN levels differed by sex or were associated with preschool asthma at 3 years.

Methods: From the PreventADALL birth cohort, we included 1233 children with EDN analysed using ImmunoCAP at 1 and/or 3 years.

SCCS Scientific Opinion on Acid Yellow 3 (submission II) - SCCS/1631/21.

Opinion to be cited as: SCCS (Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety), Opinion on Acid Yellow 3 - C054 (CAS Number 8004-92-0, EC No 305-897-5), submission II, preliminary version of 7 May 2021, final version of 23 July 2021, SCCS/1631/21.

Consideration of pathways for immunotoxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of public health concern, because of their ubiquitous and extremely persistent occurrence, and depending on their structure, their bio-accumulative, mobile and toxic properties. Human health effects associated with exposure to PFAS include adverse effects on the immune system. In 2020, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) defined adverse effects on the immune system as the most critical effect for human health risk assessment, based on reduced antibody responses to childhood vaccines and similar effects observed in experimental animal studies.

Maternal food-avoidance diets and dietary supplements during breastfeeding.

Aims: To identify maternal food-avoidance diets and dietary supplement use during breastfeeding, and to explore factors associated with food avoidance diets.

Design: A prospective mother-child birth cohort study.

Methods: Electronic questionnaires were answered by 1,462 breastfeeding mothers 6 months postpartum in the Preventing Atopic Dermatitis and Allergies in Children (PreventADALL) study from 2014-2016.

The effect of nicotine-containing products and fetal sex on placenta-associated circulating midpregnancy biomarkers.

Background: In utero exposure to nicotine, largely assessed by smoking, is a risk factor for impaired offspring health, while potential effects of non-combustible nicotine use such as snus (oral moist tobacco), are less well-known. Maternal serum concentrations of placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) may be viewed as "placenta health markers", known to differ by fetal sex. Maternal smoking during pregnancy has been associated with lower levels of circulating sFlt-1, while the effect of snus on placenta-associated angiogenic factors is unknown.

Early food intervention and skin emollients to prevent food allergy in young children (PreventADALL): a factorial, multicentre, cluster-randomised trial.

Background: Primary prevention of food allergy by early introduction of allergenic foods seems promising. We aimed to determine whether early food introduction or the application of regular skin emollients in infants from a general population reduced the risk of food allergy.

Methods: This 2 × 2 factorial, cluster-randomised trial was done at Oslo University Hospital and Østfold Hospital Trust, Oslo, Norway, and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Maternal Stress, Early Life Factors and Infant Salivary Cortisol Levels.

Background: Salivary cortisol (SC), a commonly used biomarker for stress, may be disrupted by negative events in pregnancy, at birth and in infancy. We aimed to explore if maternal perceived stress (PSS) in or after pregnancy and SC levels in pregnancy were associated with SC in early infancy, and, secondly, to identify early life factors associated with infants' SC levels (iSC).

Methods: At 3 months of age, SC was analyzed in 1057 infants participating in a Nordic prospective mother-child birth cohort study.

In utero exposure to bisphenols and asthma, wheeze, and lung function in school-age children: a prospective meta-analysis of 8 European birth cohorts.

Background: In utero exposure to bisphenols, widely used in consumer products, may alter lung development and increase the risk of respiratory morbidity in the offspring. However, evidence is scarce and mostly focused on bisphenol A (BPA) only.

Objective: To examine the associations of in utero exposure to BPA, bisphenol F (BPF), and bisphenol S (BPS) with asthma, wheeze, and lung function in school-age children, and whether these associations differ by sex.

Physical activity in pregnancy: a Norwegian-Swedish mother-child birth cohort study.

Background: Physical activity during pregnancy is important for maternal and offspring health. Optimal conditions during pregnancy may help reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases. National and international guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of physical activity of at least moderate intensity per week.

Allergic disease and risk of stress in pregnant women: a PreventADALL study.

Background: Maternal stress during pregnancy may negatively affect the health of mother and child. We therefore aimed to identify the proportion of women reporting high maternal stress in mid and late pregnancy and explore whether symptoms of maternal allergic disease are associated with perceived maternal stress in late pregnancy.

Method: The population-based Preventing Atopic Dermatitis and Allergy in Children (PreventADALL) study enrolled 2697 pregnant women at their 18-week routine ultrasound examination in Norway and Sweden.

Multiple environmental exposures in early-life and allergy-related outcomes in childhood.

Introduction: Early onset and high prevalence of allergic diseases result in high individual and socio-economic burdens. Several studies provide evidence for possible effects of environmental factors on allergic diseases, but these are mainly single-exposure studies. The exposome provides a novel holistic approach by simultaneously studying a large set of exposures.

Maternal use of nicotine products and breastfeeding 3 months postpartum.

Aim: We aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with maternal use of nicotine products in relation to breastfeeding.

Methods: Nicotine use 3 months postpartum was determined in the Scandinavian PreventADALL mother-child birth cohort study recruiting 1837 women from 2014 to 2016. Electronic questionnaires at 18 weeks pregnancy and 3 months postpartum provided information on snus use, smoking or other nicotine use, infant feeding and socio-economic factors.

The way forward for assessing the human health safety of cosmetics in the EU - Workshop proceedings.

Although the need for non-animal alternatives has been well recognised for the human health hazard assessment of chemicals in general, it has become especially pressing for cosmetic ingredients due to the full implementation of testing and marketing bans on animal testing under the European Cosmetics Regulation. This means that for the safety assessment of cosmetics, the necessary safety data for both the ingredients and the finished product can be drawn from validated (or scientifically-valid), so-called "Replacement methods". In view of the challenges for safety assessment without recourse to animal test data, the Methodology Working Group of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety organised a workshop in February 2019 to discuss the key issues in regard to the use of animal-free alternative methods for the safety evaluation of cosmetic ingredients.

Skin emollient and early complementary feeding to prevent infant atopic dermatitis (PreventADALL): a factorial, multicentre, cluster-randomised trial.

Background: Skin emollients applied during early infancy could prevent atopic dermatitis, and early complementary food introduction might reduce food allergy in high-risk infants. The study aimed to determine if either regular skin emollients applied from 2 weeks of age, or early complementary feeding introduced between 12 and 16 weeks of age, reduced development of atopic dermatitis by age 12 months in the general infant population.

Methods: This population-based 2×2 factorial, randomised clinical trial was done at Oslo University Hospital and Østfold Hospital Trust, Oslo, Norway; and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Snus in pregnancy and infant birth size: a mother-child birth cohort study.

Rationale: While recent studies show that maternal use of snus during pregnancy is increasing, the potential effects on infant birth size is less investigated, with conflicting results.

Objectives: We aimed to determine if maternal use of snus during pregnancy influences the infant anthropometric and proportional size measures at birth.

Methods: In 2313 mother-child pairs from the population-based, mother-child birth cohort PreventADALL (Preventing Atopic Dermatitis and ALLergies) in Norway and Sweden, we assessed nicotine exposure by electronic questionnaire(s) at 18 and 34 weeks of pregnancy, and anthropometric measurements at birth.

Predicting Skin Barrier Dysfunction and Atopic Dermatitis in Early Infancy.

Background: Dry skin is associated with increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL), which has been found to precede atopic dermatitis (AD) in childhood.

Objective: We aimed to identify parental, prenatal, and perinatal predictive factors of dry skin, high TEWL, and AD at 3 months of age, and to determine if dry skin or high TEWL at 3 months can predict AD at 6 months.

Methods: From the Preventing Atopic Dermatitis and Allergies in children prospective birth cohort study, we included 1150 mother-child pairs.