Publications by authors named "Emilie Willoch Olstad"

Pharmacoepigenetic studies are important to understand the mechanisms through which medications influence the developing fetus. For instance, we and others have reported associations between prenatal paracetamol exposure and offspring DNA methylation (DNAm). Additionally, folic acid (FA) intake during pregnancy has been associated with DNAm in genes linked to developmental abnormalities.

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Studies assessing associations between prenatal exposure to antidepressants, maternal depression, and offspring DNA methylation (DNAm) have been inconsistent. Here, we investigated whether prenatal exposure to citalopram or escitalopram ((es)citalopram) and maternal depression is associated with differences in DNAm. Then, we examined if there is an interaction effect of (es)citalopram exposure and DNAm on offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes.

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Background: There is an increasing interest in the role of epigenetics in epidemiology, but the emerging research field faces several critical biological and technical challenges. In particular, recent studies have shown poor correlation of measured DNA methylation (DNAm) levels within and across Illumina Infinium platforms in various tissues. In this study, we have investigated concordance between 450 k and EPIC Infinium platforms in cord blood.

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Article Synopsis
  • Since the 1960s, it's been known that certain drugs can cause teratogenic effects (birth defects) in humans, potentially influenced by genetic factors.
  • The review focused on 12 drugs known for their teratogenic effects and 29 with unclear safety evidence, analyzing a total of 29 studies published from 1999 to 2020 across 10 countries.
  • Findings indicated that existing studies on genetic susceptibility to drug teratogenicity are small and inconsistent, highlighting a significant knowledge gap and the need for larger, more comprehensive future research.
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When used during pregnancy, analgesics and psychotropics pass the placenta to enter the foetal circulation and may induce epigenetic modifications. Where such modifications occur and whether they disrupt normal foetal developme nt, are currently unanswered questions. This field of prenatal pharmacoepigenetics has received increasing attention, with several studies reporting associations between medication exposure and offspring epigenetic outcomes.

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