The association between maternal nonylphenol exposure and parity on neonatal birth weight: A cohort study in Taiwan

Background

The aim of this study was to explore the association between NP exposure and parity and their effect on neonatal birth weight.

Methods

A cohort of pregnant women was established in a medical center in North Taiwan. Urinary NP concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescent detection and adjusted using creatinine. A multivariable regression model was fit to determine the association between the maternal NP level in each trimester and neonatal birth weight. The odds ratios (ORs) of infant birth weight below the 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles, comparing pregnant women with the different NP exposure levels, was estimated using a logistic regression.

Results

Of the 162 pregnant women in the study, 99 were multiparas and 63 were primiparas. After adjusting for other covariates, the NP level in the second trimester had a significant association with birth weight in the primiparas (β = −182.49 g, p value = 0.02). The OR of low infant birth weight, comparing pregnant women with different NP levels, was increased by decreasing the cutoff percentile for birth weight (OR = 1.18 for the 50th percentile, 2.12 for the 25th percentile, and 7.81 for the 10th percentile). The odds of primiparas with high NP level having a low neonatal birth weight increased to 3.87, 11.77, and 9.40 for the three different percentiles (p value < 0.05).

Conclusion

Maternal NP exposure level is associated with an increased risk of low neonatal weight. Primiparas are especially at risk, and the second trimester of pregnancy may be the critical stage of exposure.     

影响炼厂气脱硫效果的因素分析

结合生产情况对影响炼厂气脱硫效果的因素进行分析，重点阐述通过调整操作条件、改善胺液再生环境等措施，可提高LPG胺液脱H2S的效果，胺液脱硫后H2S含量小于5mg／m^3     

Untargeted metabolomic analysis of pregnant women exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid at different degrees

● Metabolome can distinguish pregnant women exposure to PFOA at different degrees. ● Metabolome can reveal the metabolic changes of pregnant women exposure to PFOA. ● PFOA exposure degrees could affect the GSH metabolism of pregnant women. ● PFOA exposure degrees could change the microbiota metabolism of pregnant women. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a novel type of persistent synthetic organic pollutant, and its exposure on pregnant women can cause some adverse effects, such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus, and preeclampsia. Therefore, understanding the metabolic changes caused by PFOA exposure is of great significance to protect pregnant women from its adverse effects. In this study, the metabolomes from the urine samples of pregnant women exposure to PFOA at different degrees were analyzed by GC-MS and LC-MS. The samples in different groups were distinguished and the differential metabolites were screened based on the VIP value, FC, and P-value of each comparison group through multivariate statistical analysis. The pathways related to differential metabolites were searched to reveal the effects of PFOA exposure on metabolic changes in pregnant women at different degrees. Finally, the ROC of differential metabolites was performed, and the differential metabolites with large area under the curve (AUC) values were selected and compared to identify the mutually differential metabolites. Meanwhile, these metabolites were fitted with a multivariable to explore if they could be used to distinguish different groups. The quantitative comparison of mutually differential metabolites revealed that the levels of L-cysteine, glycine, and 5-aminovaleric acid were positively correlated with the degree of PFOA exposure, indicating that different degrees of PFOA exposure could affect the synthesis or degradation of GSH and change the metabolism of oral or intestinal microbiota. Additionally, they may cause oxidative stress and abnormal fat metabolism in pregnant women.     

Organochlorine contaminants in the hair of Iranian pregnant women

In the present study, the hair of pregnant women was sampled between November 2007 and January 2008 in Ahvaz and Noushahr cities and the countryside of Noushahr, Iran. They were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), α-, β-, and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers and seven polychlorinated (PCBs) congeners (IUPAC Nos. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153 and 180). Significant differences between the concentrations of investigated pollutants were found between the locations (p < 0.05). For HCHs, the γ-HCH isomer was measured at higher mean concentrations (6 ng g⁻¹ hair) compared to the β-HCH isomer (0.03 ng g⁻¹), which generally is the most prevalent HCH in biological matrices. Very high mean concentrations of p,p′-DDT in countryside of Noushahr (24 ng g⁻¹) combined with lower values (0.6) of ratio p,p′-DDE/p,p′-DDT in the hair samples suggest recent exposure to “fresh” DDT in this region. Significant differences in OCPs and PCBs were found between primiparous and multiparous mothers (p < 0.05). There was no correlation between levels of OCPs and PCBs in the hair of Iranian pregnant women and their age. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the organochlorine levels, including HCHs, between mothers who have eaten fish once a week and those who consumed fish more than once per week in Noushahr.