Publications by authors named "Valvi D"

Bone mineral density (BMD), an important marker of bone health, is regulated by a complex interaction of proteins. Plasma proteomic analyses can contribute to identification of proteins associated with changes in BMD. This may be especially informative in stages of bone accrual and peak BMD achievement (i.

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Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social deficits and repetitive behaviors. Environmental pollutants may contribute to the etiology of ASD, but studies of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have shown conflicting results.

Objectives: We assessed associations between cord blood concentrations of PFAS with autistic traits at age seven years in a Singaporean birth cohort.

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Background And Aims: Scarce knowledge about the impact of metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs) on steatotic liver disease limits opportunities for intervention. We evaluated pregnancy MDC-mixture associations with liver outcomes, and effect modification by folic acid (FA) supplementation in mother-child pairs.

Methods: We studied ∼200 mother-child pairs from the Mexican PROGRESS cohort, with measured 43 MDCs during pregnancy (estimated air pollutants, blood/urine metals or metalloids, urine high- and low-molecular-weight phthalate [HMWPs, LMWPs] and organophosphate-pesticide [OP] metabolites), and serum liver enzymes (ALT, AST) at ∼9 years post-parturition.

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Pregnancy is a critical window for long-term metabolic programming of fetal effects stemming from airborne particulate matter ≤2.5μm (PM ) exposure. Yet, little is known about long-term metabolic effects of PM exposure during and surrounding pregnancy in mothers.

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Article Synopsis
  • Most people in the US are exposed to PFAS, which can lead to health risks, especially in low-income communities near PFAS-polluting facilities.
  • In a study in Southern California, researchers connected PFAS levels in plasma samples with data on water contamination, food access, and pollution sources to analyze exposure impacts.
  • Results showed that higher PFAS levels in drinking water and the presence of Superfund sites increased PFAS concentrations in participants' blood, highlighting the need to address PFAS exposure in disadvantaged areas.
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The manufacturing process of regulatory T (Treg) cells for clinical application begins with the positive selection of CD25 cells using superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION)-conjugated anti-CD25 antibodies (spCD25) and immunomagnetic cell separation technology. Our findings revealed that the interaction of spCD25 with its cell target induced the internalization of the complex spCD25-interleukin-2 receptor. Accumulation of intracellular spCD25 triggered oxidative stress, causing delayed Treg expansion and temporary reduction in suppressor activity.

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Background: Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination may disrupt sleep through disrupted metabolic and immune functions. The study aims to investigate the association and potential mechanism between PFAS and sleep.

Methods: We included 136 young adults recruited between 2014-2018 and 76 were re-assessed between 2020-2022.

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Background: Precision Health aims to revolutionize disease prevention by leveraging information across multiple omic datasets (multi-omics). However, existing methods generally do not consider personalized environmental risk factors (e.g.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the link between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), specifically perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), and the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in obese adolescents.
  • Results show that higher PFHpA plasma concentrations correlate with increased MASLD risk and that PFHpA disrupts liver metabolism, particularly lipid metabolism.
  • The research also introduces a novel approach to identify individuals at high risk for PFHpA-induced MASLD and suggests potential early intervention strategies based on molecular signatures.
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Background And Aims: Scarce knowledge about the impact of metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs) on liver injury limits opportunities for intervention. We evaluated pregnancy MDC-mixture associations with liver injury and effect modification by folic acid (FA) supplementation in mother-child pairs.

Methods: We studied ∼200 mother-child pairs from the Mexican PROGRESS cohort, with measured 43 MDCs during pregnancy (estimated air pollutants, blood/urine metals or metalloids, urine high- and low-molecular-weight phthalate [HMWPs, LMWPs] and organophosphate-pesticide [OP] metabolites), and serum liver enzymes (ALT, AST) at ∼9 years post-parturition.

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Article Synopsis
  • PFAS are synthetic chemicals that persist in the environment and can negatively impact human health, and microRNAs can serve as biomarkers for understanding their effects.
  • This study aimed to explore the relationship between PFAS levels and miRNA alterations in children using data from two cohorts in the U.S. and Greece.
  • Findings showed that PFAS exposure was linked to changes in numerous miRNAs, particularly decreased levels of miR-148b-3p and miR-29a-3p, which may be associated with chronic diseases like cardiovascular issues and cancer.
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Exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is ubiquitous due to their persistence in the environment and in humans. Extreme weight loss has been shown to influence concentrations of circulating persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Using data from the multi-center perspective Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) cohort, we investigated changes in plasma-PFAS in adolescents after bariatric surgery.

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Background: Strong epidemiological evidence shows positive associations between exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and adverse cardiometabolic outcomes (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia).

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Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pollutants linked to adverse health effects. Diet is an important source of PFAS exposure, yet it is unknown how diet impacts longitudinal PFAS levels.

Objective: To determine if dietary intake and food sources were associated with changes in blood PFAS concentrations among Hispanic young adults at risk of metabolic diseases.

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Article Synopsis
  • Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent chronic liver condition among children and adolescents, with varying severity levels, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which features inflammation and fibrosis.
  • Researchers investigated the link between plasma microRNA (miRNA) levels and various histological features of NAFLD in adolescents, analyzing samples from 81 affected individuals and 54 healthy controls.
  • The study found significant associations between specific upregulated and downregulated miRNAs and features of NAFLD, suggesting that certain miRNAs may play a role in the disease's pathology and could serve as potential biomarkers for NAFLD severity.
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Background/aim: Fluoride is a natural mineral present in food, water, and dental products, constituting ubiquitous long-term exposure in early childhood and across the lifespan. Experimental evidence shows fluoride-induced lipid disturbances with potential implications for cardiometabolic health. However, epidemiological studies are scarce.

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Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impair bone development in adolescence, which impacts life-long bone health. No previous studies have examined prospective associations of individual PFAS and their mixture with bone mineral density (BMD) changes in Hispanic young persons, a population at high risk of osteoporosis in adulthood.

Objectives: To examine associations of individual PFAS and PFAS mixtures with longitudinal changes in BMD in an adolescent Hispanic cohort and examine generalizability of findings in a mixed-ethnicity young adult cohort (58.

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Background: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemicals characterized by their environmental persistence. Evidence suggests that exposure to POPs, which is ubiquitous, is associated with microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation. miRNA are key regulators in many physiological processes.

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Objective: Prediabetes in young people is an emerging epidemic that disproportionately impacts Hispanic populations. We aimed to develop a metabolite-based prediction model for prediabetes in young people with overweight/obesity at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: In independent, prospective cohorts of Hispanic youth (discovery; n = 143 without baseline prediabetes) and predominately Hispanic young adults (validation; n = 56 without baseline prediabetes), we assessed prediabetes via 2-h oral glucose tolerance tests.

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Animal studies have pointed at the liver as a hotspot for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) accumulation and toxicity; however, these findings have not been replicated in human populations. We measured concentrations of seven PFAS in matched liver and plasma samples collected at the time of bariatric surgery from 64 adolescents in the Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) study. Liver:plasma concentration ratios were perfectly explained ( > 0.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The review investigates how exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) impacts human health by examining the human metabolome through 28 observational studies, highlighting the connections between PFAS and various metabolic changes.
  • - The studies analyzed considered different types of PFAS, with most focusing on long-chain PFAS and encompassing a range of population sizes, methodologies, and study designs, predominantly cross-sectional.
  • - Significant findings include altered levels of amino acids, fatty acids, and other metabolites linked to PFAS exposure, suggesting disruptions in crucial metabolic pathways related to energy and cell membrane function.
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A growing body of literature suggests that developmental exposure to individual or mixtures of environmental chemicals (ECs) is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, investigating the effect of interactions among these ECs can be challenging. We introduced a combination of the classical exposure-mixture Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression and a machine-learning method termed Signed iterative Random Forest (SiRF) to discover synergistic interactions between ECs that are (1) associated with higher odds of ASD diagnosis, (2) mimic toxicological interactions, and (3) are present only in a subset of the sample whose chemical concentrations are higher than certain thresholds.

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Context: Obesity surveillance is scarce in adolescents, and little is known on whether salivary metabolomics data, emerging minimally invasive biomarkers, can characterize metabolic patterns associated with overweight or obesity in adolescents.

Objective: This pilot study aims to identify the salivary molecular signatures associated with body mass index (BMI) in Italian adolescents.

Methods: Saliva samples and BMI were collected in a subset of n = 74 young adolescents enrolled in the Public Health Impact of Metal Exposure study (2007-2014).

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Background: Maternal obesity has been associated with shorter breastfeeding duration, but little is known about mediating factors explaining this association. It is important to assess these relationships across diverse populations because breastfeeding is culturally patterned.

Objectives: We investigated the association of prepregnancy maternal body mass index (BMI) with breastfeeding outcomes and potential mediators of this relationship in 3 culturally diverse international cohorts.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a significant occupational risk factor to health care workers (HCWs). As in previous events, this occupational risk amplifies and compounds the adverse impact of the pandemic. We conducted a narrative review summarizing risk factors associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission in HCWs.

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