Prenatal exposure to mixtures of heavy metals and neurodevelopment in infants at 6 months.

Background: Exposure to mixture of neurotoxic metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium occurs at a specific point of time. When exposed to metal mixtures, one metal may act as an agonist or antagonist to another metal. Thus, it is important to study the effects of exposure to a combination of metals on children's development using advance statistical methods.

Prenatal exposure to perfluorinated compounds affects thyroid hormone levels in newborn girls.

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are ubiquitous in the environment and have been detected in humans and wildlife. Exposure to PFCs has decreased in the United States recently, while exposure to PFCs continues in Asian countries, which represents a public health concern. Various mechanisms by which PFCs affect fetal growth have been proposed, such as activation of peroxisome proliferators, disruption of thyroid hormones and changes in lipid metabolism.

Prenatal Exposure to Perfluorinated Compounds Affects Birth Weight Through GSTM1 Polymorphism.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of genetic polymorphisms on the association of prenatal exposure to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) with birth weight.

Methods: We analyzed the level of eight PFCs in cord blood and two genetic polymorphisms in maternal blood of 268 subjects.

Results: Concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonate, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) showed significant association with a decrease in birth weight (P < 0.

Neurodevelopment in Early Childhood Affected by Prenatal Lead Exposure and Iron Intake.

No safe threshold level of lead exposure in children has been recognized. Also, the information on shielding effect of maternal dietary iron intake during pregnancy on the adverse effects of prenatal lead exposure on children's postnatal neurocognitive development is very limited. We examined the association of prenatal lead exposure and neurodevelopment in children at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months and the protective action of maternal dietary iron intake against the impact of lead exposure.

Postnatal growth following prenatal lead exposure and calcium intake.

Background: The effects on postnatal growth of maternal exposure to low levels of lead during pregnancy have not been well established. In addition, information is limited regarding the protective effect of dietary calcium intake during pregnancy against the effect of lead for fetal and postnatal growth. We investigated the relationship between prenatal exposure to lead and growth at birth and 6, 12, and 24 months postnatal, and evaluated the role of calcium intake against the effect of lead.