Prenatal and childhood neonicotinoid exposure and neurodevelopment: A study in a young Taiwanese cohort.

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NEOs) dominate the global pesticide market because of their low cost and effectiveness. However, epidemiological studies regarding the potential adverse health effects of exposure to NEOs before birth and in early childhood are limited. Therefore, this study investigated the associations between NEO exposure before birth and during early childhood and neurodevelopment.

Prenatal phthalate exposure and sex steroid hormones in newborns: Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study.

Background: Newborn anogenital distance (AGD) has been associated with prenatal exposure of phthalates. The association between prenatal phthalate exposure and sex steroid hormones in newborns is unclear.

Object: This study aimed to examine whether cord-blood sex hormone levels were associated with prenatal phthalate exposure and newborn anogenital distance (AGD).

Prenatal to preschool exposure of nonylphenol and bisphenol A exposure and neurodevelopment in young children.

Background: Nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) are produced in large quantities worldwide as multipurpose agents. However, studies on relations between NP and BPA exposure and childhood neurodevelopment are few, and the results are inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate associations between prenatal and early childhood NP and BPA exposure and neurodevelopment in mother-child pairs.

Associations of urinary phthalate metabolites with household environments among mothers and their preschool-age children.

Phthalates have become a matter of public health concern due to their extensive use worldwide and negative health effects. The evaluation of potential sources of phthalate exposure is crucial to design prevention strategies, especially for vulnerable populations. This study included 528 mother-child pairs in the Taiwan Mother Infant Cohort Study who were followed up at ages 3-6 years between 2016 and 2020.

Co-exposure to toxic metals and phthalates in pregnant women and their children's mental health problems aged four years - Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study (TMICS).

Background: Childhood and adolescent mental health problems may increase the global burden of disease. Neurotoxic metals are associated with inflammation and cytotoxicity in the brain. In addition, prenatal phthalate ester (PAE) exposure is associated with cognitive function deficits.

Reference intervals for thyroid hormone, sex hormone, and clinical biochemical tests in cord blood from Taiwanese newborn - TMICS cohort.

Background/purpose: This study aims to establish reference intervals for important biochemical parameters in cord blood of newborn male and female infants in Taiwan and to investigate their sex difference. We also examined the correlation of the same markers between maternal blood levels and neonatal cord blood levels.

Methods: 2,136 pregnant women receiving regular routine prenatal health assessments in their third trimester (weeks 29-40) were recruited from nine hospitals in Taiwan between 2012 and 2015.

Associations between maternal phthalate exposure and neonatal neurobehaviors: The Taiwan maternal and infant cohort study (TMICS).

Previous studies have shown associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and neurobehavioral changes in children. However, few studies have focused on neonatal neurobehavioral development. This study aimed to examine the associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and neonatal neurobehavioral development in the early days of life after birth.

Astrocytic aryl hydrocarbon receptor mediates chronic kidney disease-associated mental disorders involving GLT1 hypofunction and neuronal activity enhancement in the mouse brain.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated mental disorders have been attributed to the excessive accumulation of hemodialysis-resistant indoxyl-3-sulfate (I3S) in the brain. I3S not only induces oxidative stress but is also a potent endogenous agonist of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Here, we investigated the role of AhR in CKD-induced brain disorders using a 5/6 nephrectomy-induced CKD mouse model, which showed increased I3S concentration in both blood and brain, anxiety and impaired novelty recognition, and AhR activation in the anterior cortex.

Benchmark dose in the presence of coexposure to melamine and diethylhexyl phthalate and urinary renal injury markers in pregnant women.

Environmental exposures to mixtures of toxic chemicals have potential interaction effects that may lead to hazard index values exceeding one. However, current regulation levels, such as tolerable daily intake (TDI), are mostly based on experimental studies conducted with a single chemical compound. In this study, we assessed the relationships between melamine and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure and their coexposure with the early renal injury markers N-acetyl -D-glucosaminidase (NAG), albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR), and microalbuminuria in 1236 pregnant women.

Association between two common environmental toxicants (phthalates and melamine) and urinary markers of renal injury in the third trimester of pregnant women: The Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study (TMICS).

Background: Exposure to either melamine or phthalate, two common toxicants, during pregnancy may cause adverse health effects, including kidney damage.

Objectives: We investigated the independent and interactive effect of exposure to melamine and phthalates, particularly di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), on markers of early renal injury in women their third trimester of pregnancy in one nationwide birth cohort, the Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study (TMICS).

Methods: Between October, 2012 and May, 2015, participants were administered questionnaires, physical examinations, and blood and urine tests during their third trimester.

Relationship of maternal body weight and gestational diabetes mellitus with large-for-gestational-age babies at birth in Taiwan: The TMICS cohort.

Objective: To determine if both gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and maternal overweight/obesity are independently associated with delivery of large-for-gestational-age (LGA) babies in Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: Anthropometric parameters were measured and 75-g oral glucose-tolerance tests were administered to a cohort of 1428 pregnant women at 24-28 weeks gestation at nine hospitals in Taiwan. GDM was diagnosed based on the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria.

Cumulative Dietary Risk Assessment of Benzophenone-Type Photoinitiators from Packaged Foodstuffs.

Photoinitiators used in ultraviolet-cured ink may migrate from food packaging materials into food products. Therefore, we conducted a dietary risk assessment of exposure to benzophenone (BP)-type photoinitiators by quantifying and reducing uncertainties associated with the risk characterization. A total of 362 food packaging samples including 180 cereals, 136 fruit and vegetable juices, and 46 milk samples were subjected to fast pesticides extraction to determine photoinitiator residues.

Longitudinal changes in oxidative stress and early renal injury in children exposed to DEHP and melamine in the 2011 Taiwan food scandal.

In 2011, phthalates, mainly di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), were found to have been added to a variety of foods in Taiwan, increasing the risk of microalbuminuria in children. Exposure to melamine perhaps modifies that risk. This prospective cohort study investigates whether renal injury resulting from exposure to DEHP-tainted foods from the 2011 Taiwan Food Scandal is reversed over time.

Associating acrylamide internal exposure with dietary pattern and health risk in the general population of Taiwan.

We determined the urinary levels of acrylamide (AA) metabolites of the general Taiwanese population, explore the association between AA internal exposure and dietary intake frequency, and assess the health risk. Urine samples and dietary questionnaires were collected from the subjects of the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan. AA metabolite [N-acetyl-S-(propionamide)-cysteine (AAMA)] concentrations were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ToF-MS).

The sex-specific association of prenatal phthalate exposure with low birth weight and small for gestational age: A nationwide survey by the Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study (TMICS).

The Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study (TMICS) was launched with the aim to assess the effects of prenatal exposure to phthalic acid esters (PAEs) on infant health. A total of 1102 pregnant women were enrolled in this study from 2012 to 2015. All participants completed a structured questionnaire, and provided urine specimens.

Association Between Prenatal Exposure to Metals and Atopic Dermatitis Among Children Aged 4 Years in Taiwan.

Importance: The prevalence of atopic dermatitis has substantially increased in recent decades, and atopic dermatitis could lead to allergic airway inflammation later in life. A previous study found that inorganic arsenic exposure was associated with allergic airway inflammation in children aged 8 to 14 years. However, the association between prenatal exposure to arsenic and other metals and the risk of atopic dermatitis among young children remains unknown.

Intelligence Beliefs Predict Spatial Performance in Virtual Environments and Graphical Creativity Performance.

Although intelligence beliefs have been applied to explain the influence of cognition, behavior, and creativity, the research on creativity is still limited. Therefore, in order to effectively expand the understanding of the influence of intelligence beliefs on the creative performance of learners' graphics, the implicit theories of intelligence were exploited as the basis of this study. Three hypothetical pathways were proposed to be explored, and a research model was validated.

Exposome of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Taiwanese children: exploring risks of endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is diagnosed in ~7% of school-aged children. The role of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) and oxidative stress in ADHD etiology are not clear.

Objective: Assessment of the associations between simultaneous exposure to multiple compounds and ADHD in children.

Prenatal Bisphenol a Exposure, DNA Methylation, and Low Birth Weight: A Pilot Study in Taiwan.

Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may increase the risk of abnormal birth outcomes, and DNA methylation might mediate these adverse effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of maternal BPA exposure on maternal and fetal DNA methylation levels and explore whether epigenetic changes are related to the associations between BPA and low birth weight. We collected urine and blood samples originating from 162 mother-infant pairs in a Taiwanese cohort study.

The associations among organophosphate pesticide exposure, oxidative stress, and genetic polymorphisms of paraoxonases in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

This study will help to clarify the relationship between organophosphate pesticides (OPs) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) related to oxidative stress and paraoxonases (PON) polymorphisms to further characterize the gene-environment interaction. This case-control study enrolled 85 children with ADHD and 96 control subjects. Urinary OP levels were analyzed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

New trimester-specific reference intervals for clinical biochemical tests in Taiwanese pregnant women-cohort of TMICS.

Background: Because there are no published biochemical reference intervals (RI) for pregnant Taiwanese women, we used an established islandwide birth cohort, the Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study, to establish RIs for important biochemical parameters in women during their 3rd trimester in Taiwan. Additionally, we compared the differences in these biochemical parameters between early third trimester (weeks 28 to 31) and late third trimester (weeks 37 to 40) of pregnant women as well as the differences in them between the third trimester and after delivery.

Methods: Between 2012 and 2015, we recruited a total of 2,136 pregnant women from nine hospitals located in northern (n = 3), central (n = 3), southern (n = 2), and eastern Taiwan (n = 1) to receive regular prenatal health examinations during their third trimester (weeks 28 to 40).

The sex-specific association of phthalate exposure with DNA methylation and characteristics of body fat in children.

The present study assessed the association between phthalate exposure and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymerase γ (POLG) methylation along with the potential effect on the characteristics of body fat in children. A total of 152 children were enrolled. The urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites were measured using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.