Association between telomere length and neuropsychological function at 4-5 years in children from the INMA project: a cross-sectional study.

Shortened telomere length (TL) has been associated with lower cognitive performance, different neurological diseases in adults, and certain neurodevelopmental disorders in children. However, the evidence about the association between TL and neuropsychological developmental outcomes in children from the general population is scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the association between TL and neuropsychological function in children 4-5 years of age.

Folic acid supplements during pregnancy and child psychomotor development after the first year of life.

Importance: Folate intake during pregnancy has been associated with improved neuropsychological development in children, although the effects of high dosages of folic acid (FA) supplements are unclear.

Objective: To examine the association between the use of high dosages of FA supplements during pregnancy and child neuropsychological development after the first year of life.

Design, Setting, And Patients: The multicenter prospective mother-child cohort Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Project recruited pregnant women from 4 areas of Spain (Asturias, Sabadell, Gipuzkoa, and Valencia) between November 2003 and January 2008.

Heavy metal levels (Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg) in the adult general population near an urban solid waste incinerator.

In 2005 an urban solid waste incinerator (SWI) was commissioned in Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain). Serum and urine samples were collected from 95 and 107 volunteers in 2006 and 2008 respectively, of which 62 were repeats from the same individuals. Blood lead levels (BPb) were determined, as were the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and mercury (Hg) in urine (UCd, UCr and UHg).

[Trihalomethane and haloacetic acid concentrations in drinking water and their estimated intake during pregnancy in the INMA cohort (Guipúzcoa, Spain)].

Objectives: To report trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA) concentrations in drinking water, assess variations in these concentrations depending on source and over time, and estimate individual intake during pregnancy.

Methods: Water taken from 33 representative points of the water supply network of the 25 municipalities in the study area was analyzed from 2006-2008. Water drinking habits were recorded using a questionnaire.

Air quality assessment in urban areas of Gipuzkoa (Spain).

Objectives: To evaluate the air quality to which a population of 90,000 inhabitants in the province of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain) is exposed. The population resides in a periurban environment, where industrial activity (11 iron and steel foundries) is scattered among residential areas.

Methods: Throughout 2006 and 2007, levels of particulate matter less than 2.