Publications by authors named "Marty Kharrazi"
Article Synopsis
- Over two-thirds of pregnant women in the U.S. have low Vitamin D levels, which can negatively affect fetal health, and various environmental pollutants may influence these levels.
- The study analyzed serum samples from 421 women in Southern California to explore the relationship between prenatal exposure to multiple environmental chemicals and Vitamin D concentrations during mid-pregnancy.
- Findings showed a general trend where combined exposures to certain pollutants were linked with lower Vitamin D levels, emphasizing the importance of considering chemical mixtures rather than individual pollutants in research.
Article Synopsis
- Previous research on the link between maternal exposure to tobacco smoke and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has shown inconsistent results, with this study being the first to measure cotinine levels in pregnant women's blood as a way to assess exposure.
- The study analyzed second trimester maternal serum samples from 498 ASD cases and 499 controls born in California, finding no significant association between cotinine levels or self-reported smoking and ASD risk.
- Ultimately, the findings suggest that in utero exposure to maternal environmental tobacco smoke or active smoking does not increase the likelihood of children developing ASD, challenging previous assumptions.
Maternal exposure to environmental pollutants could affect fetal brain development and increase autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in conjunction with differential genetic susceptibility. Organohalogen congeners measured in maternal midpregnancy blood samples have recently shown significant, but negative associations with offspring ASD outcome. We report the first large-scale maternal and fetal genetic study of the midpregnancy serum levels of a set of 21 organohalogens in a subset of 790 genotyped women and 764 children collected in California by the Early Markers for Autism (EMA) Project.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Biologic markers of infection and inflammation have been associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) but prior studies have largely relied on specimens taken after clinical diagnosis. Research on potential biologic markers early in neurodevelopment is required to evaluate possible causal pathways and screening profiles.
Objective: To investigate levels of cytokines and chemokines in newborn blood specimens as possible early biologic markers for autism.