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Validity of Geolocation and Distance to Exposure Sources from Geographical Information Systems for Environmental Monitoring of Toxic Metal Exposures Based on Correlation with Biological Samples: a Systematic Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewIn epidemiologic studies, biomarkers are the best possible choice to assess individual exposure to toxic metals since they integrate all exposure sources. However, measuring biomarkers is not always feasible, given potential budgetary and time constraints or limited availability of samples. Alternatively, approximations to individual metal exposure obtained from geographic information systems (GIS) have become popular to evaluate diverse metal-related health outcomes.Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of epidemiological studies that evaluated the validity of GIS-based geolocation ...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - November 30, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Estimating Causal Effects of Interventions on Early-life Environmental Exposures Using Observational Data
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe discuss how epidemiologic studies have used observational data to estimate the effects of potential interventions on early-life environmental exposures. We summarize the value of posing questions about interventions, how a group of techniques known as “g-methods” can provide advantages for estimating intervention effects, and how investigators have grappled with the strong assumptions required for causal inference.Recent FindingsWe identified nine studies that estimated health effects of hypothetical interventions on early-life environmental exposures. Of these, six examined air pollution. I...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - November 23, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

The Association Between High Ambient Temperature and Mortality in the Mediterranean Basin: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
This study is aimed at quantifying the risk of mortality associated with exposure to high ambient temperature in the Mediterranean basin in the general population and in vulnerable sub-populations.Recent FindingsWe retrieved effect estimates from studies linking temperature and mortality in the Mediterranean basin, between 2000 and 2021. In a meta-analysis of 16 studies, we found an increased risk of all-cause mortality due to ambient heat/high temperature exposure in the Mediterranean basin, with a pooled RR of 1.035 (95%CI 1.028 –1.041) per 1 °C increase in temperature above local thresholds (I2 = 79%). Risk was ...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - November 22, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

What Happens In Utero Does Not Stay In Utero: a Review of Evidence for Prenatal Epigenetic Programming by Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Infants, Children, and Adolescents
AbstractPurpose of ReviewReview human literature on the relationship between prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and epigenetic modifications in infants, children, and adolescents  <  18 years of age.Recent FindingsEleven studies were identified, with study populations located in the U.S., Taiwan, Japan, and the Kingdom of Denmark. Many studies (n = 5) were cross-sectional, with PFAS exposure and epigenetic outcomes measured in the same tissue collected at delivery via cord blood or dried newborn blood spots. The other six studies were prospective, with prenatal PFAS measured on mate...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - November 22, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Genetics and Epigenetics of Manganese Toxicity
AbstractPurpose of ReviewAt elevated levels, the essential element manganese (Mn) is neurotoxic and increasing evidence indicates that environmental Mn exposure early in life negatively affects neurodevelopment. In this review, we describe how underlying genetics may confer susceptibility to elevated Mn concentrations and how the epigenetic effects of Mn may explain the association between Mn exposure early in life and its toxic effects later in life.Recent FindingsCommon polymorphisms in the Mn transporter genesSLC30A10 andSLC39A8 seem to have a large impact on intracellular Mn levels and, in turn, neurotoxicity. Genetic ...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - November 10, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Metals Exposures and DNA Methylation: Current Evidence and Future Directions
AbstractPurpose of the ReviewExposure to essential and non-essential metals is widespread. Metals exposure is linked to epigenetic, particularly DNA methylation, differences. The strength of evidence with respect to the metal exposure type, timing, and level, as well as the DNA methylation association magnitude, and reproducibility are not clear. Focusing on the most recent 3  years, we reviewed the human epidemiologic evidence (n = 26 studies) and the toxicologic animal model evidence (n = 18 studies) for associations between metals exposure and DNA methylation.Recent FindingsIn humans, the greatest number of stu...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - October 25, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Occurrence and Risks of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Shellfish
AbstractPurpose of ReviewPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse class of persistent, fluorinated surfactants used widely in industrial and commercial applications with known adverse health effects. Seafood consumption is thought to be an underappreciated source of PFAS exposure in the general population. This review synthesizes the current understanding of PFAS occurrence in shellfish, a term used to describe animals such as mollusk bivalves, certain gastropods (snails), cephalopods (e.g., octopuses and squid), and crustaceans, and highlights scientific gaps relative to bioaccumulation and the protection ...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - October 18, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Childhood Trauma and Epigenetics: State of the Science and Future
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThere is a great deal of interest regarding the biological embedding of childhood trauma and social exposures through epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation (DNAm), but a comprehensive understanding has been hindered by issues of limited reproducibility between studies. This review presents a summary of the literature on childhood trauma and DNAm, highlights issues in the field, and proposes some potential solutions.Recent FindingsInvestigations of the associations between DNAm and childhood trauma are commonly performed using candidate gene approaches, specifically involving genes relate...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - October 15, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Sex Differences in Dopaminergic Vulnerability to Environmental Toxicants — Implications for Parkinson’s Disease
AbstractPurpose of ReviewSex dimorphism in Parkinson ’s disease (PD) is an ostensible feature of the neurological disorder, particularly as men are 1.5–2 times more likely to develop PD than women. Clinical features of the disease, such as presentation at onset, most prevalent symptoms, and response to treatment, are also affected by sex. Despite these well-known sex differences in PD risk and phenotype, the mechanisms that impart sex dimorphisms in PD remain poorly understood.Recent FindingsAs PD incidence is influenced by environmental factors, an intriguing pattern has recently emerged in research studies suggesting...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - October 6, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Assessing Differential Variability of High-Throughput DNA Methylation Data
This article reviews the current state of statistical methods developed for differential variability analysis focusing on DNAm data.Recent FindingsWith the advent of high-throughput technologies allowing for highly reliable and cost-effective measurements of DNAm, many epigenome studies have analyzed DNAm levels to uncover biological mechanisms underlying past environmental exposures and subsequent health outcomes. These studies typically focused on detecting sites or regions which differ in their mean DNAm levels among exposure groups. However, more recent studies highlighted the importance of identifying differentially v...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - August 30, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Environmental Metal Exposure, Neurodevelopment, and the Role of Iron Status: a Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewExposure to environmental metals, like lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and methylmercury (Me-Hg), has consistently been implicated in neurodevelopmental dysfunction. Recent research has focused on identifying modifying factors of metal neurotoxicity in childhood, such as age, sex, and co-exposures. Iron (Fe) status is critical for normal cognitive development during childhood, and current mechanistic, animal, and human evidence suggests that Fe status may be a modifier or mediator of associations between environmental metals and neurodevelopment. The goals of this review are to describe the current stat...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - August 23, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Chemical Effects on Breast Development, Function, and Cancer Risk: Existing Knowledge and New Opportunities
AbstractPopulation studies show worrisome trends towards earlier breast development, difficulty in breastfeeding, and increasing rates of breast cancer in young women. Multiple epidemiological studies have linked these outcomes with chemical exposures, and experimental studies have shown that many of these chemicals generate similar effects in rodents, often by disrupting hormonal regulation. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can alter the progression of mammary gland (MG) development, impair the ability to nourish offspring via lactation, increase mammary tissue density, and increase the propensity to develop ca...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - August 19, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Perinatal Metal and Metalloid Exposures and Offspring Cardiovascular Health Risk
Abstract  Purpose of ReviewToxic metal exposures have been associated with cardiovascular disease in adults and growing evidence suggests metal exposures also adversely affect cardiovascular phenotypes in childhood and adolescence. However, to our knowledge, the influence of perinatal metals exposure, particularly metal mixtures, in relation to cardiovascular-related outcomes have not been comprehensively reviewed.Recent findingsWe summarized 17 contemporary studies (2017 –2021) that investigated the impact of perinatal metal exposures on measures of cardiovascular health in children. Accumulating evidence supports a po...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - August 18, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

PIWI-Interacting RNA (piRNA) and Epigenetic Editing in Environmental Health Sciences
AbstractPurpose  of ReviewThe epigenome modulates gene expression in response to environmental stimuli. Modifications to the epigenome are potentially reversible, making them a promising therapeutic approach to mitigate environmental exposure effects on human health. This review details currently available genome and epigenome editing technologies and highlights ncRNA, including piRNA, as potential tools for targeted epigenome editing.Recent FindingsZinc finger nuclease (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) associated nuclease ...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - August 2, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Epigenetics as a Biomarker for Early-Life Environmental Exposure
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThere is interest in evaluating the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) which emphasizes the role of prenatal and early-life environments on non-communicable health outcomes throughout the life course. The ability to rigorously assess and identify early-life risk factors for later health outcomes, including those with childhood onset, in large population samples is often limited due to measurement challenges such as impractical costs associated with prospective studies with a long follow-up duration, short half-lives for some environmental toxicants, and lack of biomarkers that capt...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - July 30, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research