Environmental Epidemiology

Background: Prenatal environmental factors might influence the risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. The HDL-associated enzyme paraoxonase 1 (PON1) has anti-oxidative functions that may protect against atherosclerosis. It also hydrolyzes many substrates, including organophosphate pesticides. A common polymorphism, PON1 Q192R, affects both properties, but a potential interaction between PON1 genotype and pesticide exposure on cardiovascular risk factors has not been investigated. We explored if the PON1 Q192R genotype affects cardiovascular risk factors in school-age children prenatally exposed to pesticides. Methods: Pregnant greenhouse-workers were categorized as high, medium, or not exposed to pesticides. Their children underwent a standardized examination at age 6-to-11 years, where blood pressure, skin folds, and other anthropometric parameters were measured. PON1-genotype was determined for 141 children (88 pesticide exposed and 53 unexposed). Serum was analyzed for insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3), insulin and leptin. Body fat percentage was calculated from skin fold thicknesses. BMI results were converted to age and sex specific Zscores. Results: Prenatally pesticide exposed children carrying the PON1 192R-allele had higher abdominal circumference, body fat content, BMI Z-scores, blood pressure, and serum concentrations of leptin and IGF-I at school age than unexposed children. The effects were related to the prenatal exposure level. For children with the PON1 192QQ genotype, none of the variables was affected by prenatal pesticide exposure. Our results indicate a gene-environment interaction between prenatal pesticide exposure and the PON1 gene. Only exposed children with the R-allele developed adverse cardiovascular risk profiles thought to be associated with the Rallele.

1) Background: This study summarizes the current research on antibiotic resistance (AR) in the environment conducted in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland; (2) Methods: A narrative systematic literature review of epidemiological studies based on searches in EMBASE and CAB abstracts (up to 16 June2021) was conducted. Environmental reservoirs included water sources, wastewater, animal husbandry, wildlife, soil, and sediment; (3) Results: Four hundred and four records were screened, and 52 studies were included. Thirteen studies examined aquatic environments, and eleven investigated wastewater. Eight studies investigated both wildlife and animal husbandry. Less evidence was available for sediments, soil, and air. Considerable heterogeneity in research focus, study design, sampling, and measurement of resistance was observed. Resistance to all categories of antimicrobials in the WHO CIA list was identified. Resistance to critically important and highly important substances was reported most frequently; (4) Conclusions: The current research scope presents data-gathering efforts. Usage of a unified protocol for isolate collection, selecting sampling sites, and susceptibility testing is required to provide results that can be compared between the studies and reservoirs. Epidemiological, environmental, and ecological factors should be considered in surveys of the environmental dissemination of AR. Systematic epidemiological studies investigating AR at the interface of human, animal, and environmental health are needed.

1) Background: This study summarizes the current research on antibiotic resistance (AR) in the environment conducted in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland; (2) Methods: A narrative systematic literature review of epidemiological studies based on searches in EMBASE and CAB abstracts (up to 16 June2021) was conducted. Environmental reservoirs included water sources, wastewater, animal husbandry, wildlife, soil, and sediment; (3) Results: Four hundred and four records were screened, and 52 studies were included. Thirteen studies examined aquatic environments, and eleven investigated wastewater. Eight studies investigated both wildlife and animal husbandry. Less evidence was available for sediments, soil, and air. Considerable heterogeneity in research focus, study design, sampling, and measurement of resistance was observed. Resistance to all categories of antimicrobials in the WHO CIA list was identified. Resistance to critically important and highly important substances was reported most frequently; (4) Conclusions: The current research scope presents data-gathering efforts. Usage of a unified protocol for isolate collection, selecting sampling sites, and susceptibility testing is required to provide results that can be compared between the studies and reservoirs. Epidemiological, environmental, and ecological factors should be considered in surveys of the environmental dissemination of AR. Systematic epidemiological studies investigating AR at the interface of human, animal, and environmental health are needed.

The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA/AMAS) is conventionally described as a region where Earth's inner Van Allen radiation belt dips to its lowest altitude, exposing low-Earth-orbit satellites to elevated energetic particle ux. This paper argues that the SAA constitutes a far broader phenomenon: an ontological and epidemiological infrastructure whose chronic eects on biological systems, atmospheric dynamics, ecological networks, and human neuropsychiatric health have been systematically underestimated. Drawing on geophysics, chronobiology, epidemiology, neuroscience, ecology, climate science, and international environmental law, we construct a transdisciplinary framework the Gray Zone Model in which the SAA functions as a planetary-scale entropy operator that degrades biological signal delity, corrupts circadian synchronisation, suppresses melatonin production, and elevates the statistical burden of oncological, cardiovascular, and psychiatric disorders across the South American and Southern African populations directly beneath its footprint. We further integrate WHO/GBD epidemiological data demonstrating that Tropical Latin America registers the highest age-standardised anxiety disorder rates globally, and that melanoma incidence in southern Brazil follows a geographic gradient consistent with anomaly intensity. Finally, we identify two previously unaddressed interdisciplinary gaps: (i) the SAA as an inverse transcranial magnetic stimulation device operating at population scale, and (ii) a structural lacuna in international environmental law regarding geophysical natural hazards of geomagnetic origin. The ongoing bifurcation of the anomaly into two distinct lobes, conrmed by ESA Swarm data through 2024, renders these concerns temporally urgent.

Background and Aims: Pre and postnatal environmental exposures can influence gene expression and significantly contribute to the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Bangladesh, recognized as the world's most polluted country, faces a dearth of comprehensive studies focusing on environmental factors associated with ASD. In this observational case-control study, an exploration was conducted into the relationships between ASD risk and exposure to maternal passive smoking and environmental factors within Bangladesh. Methods: Twenty-four out of 103 "Protibandhi Sheba O Shahajjo Kendro" (PSOSK, the disability support and service centers) were selected using a simple random sampling method, ensuring a representative distribution across each division of Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire was used about exposure to maternal passive smoking and related environmental factors. The questionnaire was filled out by face-to-face interviews with parents of 310 ASD individuals and 310 healthy controls from January 2020 to June 2021. IBM SPSS version 23 was used for uni-variate, bi-variate, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The significance level was p ≤ 0.05, and the odds ratio (OR) was within 95% confidence intervals (CIs), to determine whether the variable is a risk. Results: Exposure to maternal passive smoke, living within a mile of a highway, and using household mosquito aerosol (repellents) during pregnancy and early childhood were all significantly linked to an increased risk of ASD (n = 310 each) in this study. Conversely, maternal residence in an urban and brick kiln within one mile of their residence during pregnancy to 3 years postnatal life was significantly associated with a decrease in the adjusted odds of ASD in offspring. Conclusion: Exposure to maternal passive smoke and household aerosols, along with proximity to highways within one mile during pregnancy and early childhood, increased the odds of ASD. Further research is imperative to overcome the inconsistency and to observe and generalize the association.

96/04/28 :تفایرد خیرات 96/05/31 :شیاریو خیرات 96/06/04 :شریذپ خیرات 96/06/29 :راشتنا خیرات هارمه نیگن��س تازلف و قلعم تارذ دورو مهم عبانم زا يکی ینابایخ رابغ و درگ :فده و هنیمز رابغ و درگ رد نیگنس تازلف یگدولآ نازیم ی��سررب فده اب هعلاطم نیا .ت��سا رف��سمتا هب اهنآ .دش ماجنا اهنآ یکیژولوکا کسیر یبایزرا و نارهت رهش ینابایخ زا سپ و ماجنا نار��هت برغ و قر��ش رد ینابایخ رابغ و درگ زا یرادرب ه��نومن :یـسررب شور نازیم .دش یریگ هزادنا ICP-MS هاگت��سد هلیسوب نیگنس تازلف تظلغ ،اه هنومن یزا��س هدامآ صخاش ،یگت��شابنا نیمز صخا��ش زا هدافت��سا اب ینابایخ رابغ و درگ نیگن��س تازلف یگدولآ .دش یبایزرا کیژولوکا کسیر صخاش و یگدش ینغ روتکاف ،یعمجت یگدولآ صخاش ،یگدولآ رصانع رظن زا هعلاطم درو��م هقطنم ود ره ینابایخ رابغ و درگ دنداد نا��شن اه صخا��ش :اه هتفای عبانم اتدمع رصانع نیا ءاشنم و هدوب هدولآریغ Ba و Sr ،Ni ،Fe ،Mn ،Cr ،V ،Ti ،Al ،Li .دنداد ناشن ییلااب ات ط��سوتم یگدولآ Pb و Sn ،Zn ،As ،Cu ،Cd رصانع اما ت��سا یعیبط اتدمع اهنآ اشنم و دنتشاد لااب ادیدش ات لااب رایسب یگدش ینغ هجرد هقطنم ود ره رد رصانع...

Although heritability estimates suggest a role for genetic components, environmental risk factors have been described as relevant in the etiology of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Several studies have investigated the role of toxicological pollution, i.e., air pollution, heavy metals, POPs, and phthalates. Clear evidence for association of ADHD and environmental factors has not been provided yet. To answer this, we have assessed all available systematic reviews and meta-analyses that focused on the association between pollutant exposure and either ADHD diagnosis or symptoms. More than 1800 studies were screened of which 14 found eligible. We found evidence of a significant role for some pollutants, in particular heavy metals and phthalates, in the increased risk of developing ADHD symptoms. However, at the current stage, data from existing literature also do not allow to weight the role of the different environmental pollutants. We also offer a critical examination of the reviews/meta-analyses and provide indications for future studies in this field. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022341496

The Arabian Gulf nations are undergoing rapid economic development, leading to major shifts in both the traditional lifestyle and the environment. Although the pace of change is brisk, there is a dearth of environmental health research in this region. oBjective: We describe challenges and successes of conducting an environmental epidemiologic study in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a Gulf nation in the Middle East, with an inter disciplinary team that includes incountry academic and government collaborators as well as U.S. academic collaborators. discussion: We present several issues, including study and data collection design, exposure assess ment, scheduling and time coordination, quality assurance and quality control, and institutional review board protocols. These topics are considered in a cultural context. Benefits of this research included building linkages among multinational, interdisciplinary team members, generating data for local environmental decision making, and developing local epidemiologic research capacity. The Middle Eastern culture of hospitality greatly benefited the project team. conclusion: Cultural differences impact multiple aspects of epidemiologic research and should be respectfully addressed. Conducting international populationbased environmental research poses many challenges; these challenges can be met successfully with careful planning, cultural knowl edge, and flexibility. Lessons learned are applicable to interdisciplinary research all over the world. The research conducted will benefit the environmental and public health agencies of the UAE and provide the nation's leadership with countryspecific environmental health data that can be used to protect the public's health in a rapidly changing environment.

BackgroundThe analysis of risk for the population residing and/or working in contaminated areas raises the topic of commuting. In fact, especially in contaminated areas, commuting groups are likely to be subject to lower exposure than residents. Only very recently environmental epidemiology has started considering the role of commuting as a differential source of exposure in contaminated areas. In order to improve the categorization of groups, this paper applies a gravitational model to the analysis of residential risk for workers in the Gela petrochemical complex, which began life in the early 60s in the municipality of Gela (Sicily, Italy) and is the main source of industrial pollution in the local area.ResultsA logistic regression model is implemented to measure the capacity of Gela "central location" to attract commuting flows from other sites. Drawing from gravity models, the proposed methodology: a) defines the probability of finding commuters from municipalities out...

This study investigates a sudden and aggressive surge in malignancies within the "New Housing" zone of Al-Muqaddama village, Jiblah District. While the village is 2.5 km from the Al-Halim sewage dam, its primary water source (an artesian well) is located only 500 meters from the dam's seepage point. This investigation aims to link groundwater quality with the abnormally high mortality rates observed in the local population. Methodology: A multi-modal approach was used, including: 1. Field Observation: Tracking clinical outcomes of 7 confirmed cancer cases (Lung, Leukemia, Laryngeal, Breast). 2. Chemical Analysis: Testing water pH and referencing local toxicological data (Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy) for Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) levels. 3. Comparative Study: Using the neighboring village of Dhanaba (2.5 km South, mountain water source) as a control group.

Background: Fine particulate matter [aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM 2.5 )] has been associated with autonomic dysregulation. oBjective: We hypothesized that PM 2.5 influences postural changes in systolic blood pressure (∆SBP) and in diastolic blood pressure (∆DBP) and that this effect is modified by genes thought to be related to chronic lung disease. Methods: We measured blood pressure in participants every 3-5 years. ∆SBP and ∆DBP were calculated as sitting minus standing SBP and DBP. We averaged PM 2.5 over 48 hr before study visits and analyzed 202 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 25 genes. To address multiple comparisons, data were stratified into a split sample. In the discovery cohort, the effects of SNP × PM 2.5 interactions on ∆SBP and ∆DBP were analyzed using mixed models with subject-specific random intercepts. We defined positive outcomes as p < 0.1 for the interaction; we analyzed only these SNPs in the replicate cohort and confirmed them if p < 0.025 with the same sign. Confirmed associations were analyzed within the full cohort in models adjusted for anthropometric and lifestyle factors. results: Nine hundred forty-five participants were included in our analysis. One interaction with rs9568232 in PHD finger protein 11 (PHF11) was associated with greater ∆DBP. Interactions with rs1144393 in matrix metalloprotease 1 (MMP1) and rs16930692, rs7955200, and rs10771283 in inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor, type 2 (ITPR2) were associated with significantly greater ∆SBP. Because SNPs associated with ∆SBP in our analysis are in genes along the renin-angiotensin pathway, we then examined medications affecting that pathway and observed significant interactions for angiotensin receptor blockers but not angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors with PM 2.5 . conclusions: PM 2.5 influences blood pressure and autonomic function. This effect is modified by genes and drugs that also act along this pathway.

While a great number of papers have been published on the short-term effects of air pollution on mortality, few have tried to assess whether this association varies according to the neighbourhood socioeconomic level and long-term ambient air concentrations measured at the place of residence. We explored the effect modification of 1) socioeconomic status, 2) long-term NO 2 ambient air concentrations, and 3) both combined, on the association between short-term exposure to NO 2 and all-cause mortality in Paris (France).

Environmental health risk assessment is increasingly being used in the development of environmental health policies, public health decision making, the establishment of environmental regulations, and research planning. The credibility of risk assessment depends, to a large extent, on the strength of the scientific evidence on which it is based. It is, therefore, imperative that the processes and methods used to evaluate the evidence and estimate health risks are clear, explicit, and based on valid epidemiological theory and practice. Epidemiological Evidence for Environmental Health Risk Assessment is a World Health Organization (WHO) guideline document. The primary target audiences of the guidelines are expert review groups that WHO (or other organizations) might convene in the future to evaluate epidemiological evidence on the health effects of environmental factors. These guidelines identify a set of processes and general approaches to assess available epidemiological information in a clear, consistent, and explicit manner. The guidelines should also help in the evaluation of epidemiological studies with respect to their ability to support risk assessment and, consequently, risk management. Conducting expert reviews according to such explicit guidelines would make health risk assessment and subsequent risk management and risk communication processes more readily understood and likely to be accepted by policymakers and the public. It would also make the conclusions reached by reviews more readily acceptable as a basis for future WHO guidelines and other recommendations, and would provide a more rational basis for setting priorities for future research.

Researchers assessed the quality of drinking water from several districts in Nepal by examining both physical and chemical properties. The physical parameters included pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), colour, odour, and turbidity, while the chemical parameters covered hardness, ammonia, and iron. Together, these factors provided a comprehensive understanding of the region's water quality. The findings revealed an average pH of 6.65, a conductivity of 442.9 µS/cm, and a TDS of 278.3 mg/L. Hardness averaged 224.8 mg/L, ammonia 0.312 mg/L, and iron 0.39 mg/L. Turbidity was also recorded at 0.312 mg/L. The samples were clear, odourless, and free from haze. All of the measured values fell within the limits set by the Nepal Drinking Water Quality Standards (NDWQS), indicating that the drinking water in the study areas is safe and suitable for consumption.

Emission of dust-fall particles in western Iran has been considered as one of the most important environmental issues in recent years. Additionally, presence of heavy metal in these particles due to their toxicity and health problems has been an issue of interest by researches. Therefore evaluation of the contamination level of this kind of pollution and then determination of proper management strategies for controlling their emission is very important. In fact, the main scope of this research was to evaluate the contamination level of heavy metals in dust-fall particulates precipitated in western Iran using Geo-accumulation index (Igeo). In this research these particles were sampled through passive deposit gauge method for a period of one year, from April 2010 to March 2011, in Sanandaj city, western Iran, where has been reportedly the third highly polluted city of the world in 2010 for dust-fall particles. The results demonstrated that mean ± SD of the concentration of heavy metals were 14003.570±915.3 for Fe, 497.731±29.817 for Mn, 61.307±5.414 for Cu and 18.287±1.955 for As in mg/Kg based on dry weights of dustfall particles. Also the analysis of the Geo-accumulation index showed that the maximum amounts of Igeo values were -1.751 for Fe, -0.63 for Mn, 0.848 for Cu and 1.249 for As, which were evaluated as uncontaminated for Fe and Mn and moderate contamination Cu and As.

Arsenic contaminated groundwater is prevalent in a number of countries around the world, most notably West Bengal, Bangladesh and now the Terai region of Nepal. Wide public awareness of the contamination was not until the 1990s, from years to several decades after tubewells were installed to extract groundwater for drinking water. Now, millions of people have arsenic poisoning which causes serious health effects such as arsenicosis, skin and liver cancer, circulatory disorder and hyperpigmentation. For the past three years, the MIT Nepal Water Project has been investigating arsenic contaminated tubewells in Nepal, and has begun to evaluate point-of-use arsenic removal technologies. These technologies must meet certain evaluation criteria: Effective removal of effective removal of total arsenic (As (III) + As (V)), minimally, below the Interim Nepali Standard of 50 µg/L; possibility of local manufacture with locally available materials; affordable to the Nepali citizens affected by arsenic contamination; socially acceptable in terms of maintenance, operation and water demand. The 2001-2002 MIT Nepal Project investigated three new technologies which might meet these criteria. Iron oxide coated sand is one of these technologies. Iron oxides are known to adsorb arsenic. Previous studies of arsenic and metal adsorption onto iron oxide coated sand prompted this investigation. Based on the methods utilized in these prior studies, the author produced seven different iron oxide coated sands, varying concentration of ferric nitrate used, coating mixture, and drying temperature. The arsenic removal capability of these sands was tested in Parasi, Nepal, Pepperell, Massachusetts and Salem, New Hampshire. Percent total arsenic removal varied from 11-99%. Considering the evaluation criteria such as arsenic removal performance, cost, availability of materials, and local production, iron oxide coated sand technology successfully meets most or all of these requirements. However, in this study, social acceptability has not been determined. Detailed testing and evaluation of the iron oxide properties, as well as sufficient resources allocated to production of the media, is crucial before iron oxide coated sand technology could be implemented for point-of-use arsenic removal in Nepal or other developing countries. The author also produced a digitized map representing the extent of arsenic contamination in the Terai using paper maps as a base. My thesis advisor, Susan Murcott, for her support throughout this thesis process. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for its generous financial support of this Master of Engineering degree. The Environmental and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) for its assistance in Nepal, specifically Arinita, Roshan, and Dr. Riddhi, for their continued collaboration over the spring semester. Daniel Sheehan, for his guidance and help with the daunting task of making something from nothing. My family, for their never-ending support and love, which strengthen me and give guidance to my life. To the "special people" who have encouraged me, comforted me, given me space, missed me, and welcomed me back once this writing process was over. You are my sisters for life. Finally, to the life-long friends I have made in the Meng. program. This thesis would not have been possible without the laughter, stimulating conversations, reminders that there is life outside of MIT, and constant supply of Oreo ® cookies. Sunrises have never been so enjoyable. We have survived, and my life has been truly enriched.

Background: Industry has a major role in the pollution of water supplies as well as the highest potential for reducing the consumption and implementing water and wastewater management plans. The aim of this study was to identify the best treatment method for the wastewater of Zarand thermal power plant, so that it can be implemented technically and economically and reused with least adverse environmental effects. Methods: In this study, the available data about the current status of the region was collected from the relevant organizations. Then, the status of Zarand thermal power plant in terms of the level of produced energy, production process, the type of chemicals and fuel used, the volume of water consumed and sources of water supply, the quantitative and qualitative estimation of the effluent, and the current status of collecting and discharging it were evaluated and analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Results: The results show that water cooling units produced the...

Elements of high atomic number Z exhibit phantom or secondary radiotoxicity though absorption of natural background gamma and X-rays and re-emission of photoelectrons. If this effect is biologically significant then the present spectrum of chemical elements employed by living creatures should reflect this. Since the photoelectron conversion follows an approximate Z 4 law and since radiobiological effects generally follow a linear or linear quadratic relation, a plot of log Z against log (concentration) for chemical elements should be linear with a negative slope of between-4 and-8 depending on the contributions of single and double strand DNA breaks to the overall process. Using published data on tissue concentration of 43 elements in humans it is shown that this relation exists with a significant linear correlation between log(C) and log(Z) with slope-5.6 (R 2 =0.514; F-Statistic = 65.23 on 1 and 41 degrees of freedom; p<10-10) omitting outliers of Hydrogen, Lithium, Beryllium and Boron which have enhanced radiation genotoxicity due to neutron effects.

TITLE: Percepcion de ninos y adolescentes sobre la calidad de vida en casos de trastorno por deficit de atencion/hiperactividad con y sin tratamiento farmacologico y en controles. : Introduccion. La calidad de vida relacionada con la salud percibida por ninos y adolescentes es un factor importante para valorar los efectos de una intervencion terapeutica. Objetivo. Analizar la calidad de vida comparando casos con trastorno por deficit de atencion/hiperactividad (TDAH) tratados farmacologicamente con metilfenidato, casos no tratados y controles. Sujetos y metodos. Muestra de 228 participantes de 8-14 anos. Muestreo consecutivo de casos de TDAH segun los criterios del Manual diagnostico y estadistico de los trastornos mentales, cuarta edicion, y muestreo aleatorio de controles emparejados por sexo, edad y zona sociodemografica. Evaluacion de la calidad de vida mediante el KIDSCREEN-52 (version ninos y adolescentes). Para responder al objetivo se utilizo ANOVA con correccion de Bonferro...

A major study design challenge for the National Children's Study will be to maximize and characterize exposure contrasts in its cohort of 100,000 pregnant women residing in multiple locations across the United States, thereby enhancing the power to estimate exposure-response relationships from childhood into adulthood. Multiple outcomes are of interest, including pregnancy outcomes, neurodevelopment, asthma, obesity, and pubertal development. Exposures to a wide spectrum of environmental pollutants are being considered for investigation in the study, including air pollutants of indoor and outdoor origin (National Children's Study 2004). Given the pollutants and health endpoints currently under consideration, exposure assessment for the variable periods during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood will be needed. For asthma-related outcomes, daily, monthly, yearly, and multiyear exposure metrics with varying time integration periods may be required. For pregnancy outcomes, monthly estimates as well as estimates for critical periods may be needed. For neurodevelopment, monthly, yearly, and multiyear metrics may be most relevant. For these and other outcomes, time-integrated average levels may capture the effects of chronic exposure during specific periods, but more discrete and intense sampling frequency or duration may be needed to better assess specific exposure-response relationships. The purpose of this article is to summarize exposure assessment lessons learned in the Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research (hereafter Children's Centers) for air pollutants and health outcomes of National Children's Study interest. Exposures to allergens and bioaerosols are considered elsewhere in this mini-monograph. Many of the Children's Centers have active research programs involving the assessment of air pollution in epidemiologic studies (Table ). On the basis of experience of investigators from these centers, we provide recommendations for air pollution exposure assessment consideration in the study design, population selection, exposure data collection, analysis, and interpretation of findings of the National Children's Study.

Research on disease causation often attempts to isolate the effects of individual factors, including individual genes or environmental factors. This reductionist approach has generated many discoveries, but misses important interactive and cumulative effects that may help explain the broad range of variability in disease occurrence observed across studies and individuals. A disease rarely results from a single factor, and instead results from a broader combination of factors, characterized here as intrinsic (I) and extrinsic (E) factors. Intrinsic vulnerability or resilience emanates from a variety of both fixed and shifting biological factors including genetic traits, while extrinsic factors comprise all biologically-relevant external stressors encountered across the lifespan. The I×E concept incorporates the multi-factorial and dynamic nature of health and disease and provides a unified, conceptual basis for integrating results from multiple areas of research, including genomics, ...

Background Prenatal environmental factors might influence the risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. The HDL-associated enzyme paraoxonase 1 (PON1) has anti-oxidative functions that may protect against atherosclerosis. It also hydrolyzes many substrates, including organophosphate pesticides. A common polymorphism, PON1 Q192R, affects both properties, but a potential interaction between PON1 genotype and pesticide exposure on cardiovascular risk factors has not been investigated. We explored if the PON1 Q192R genotype affects cardiovascular risk factors in school-age children prenatally exposed to pesticides. Methods Pregnant greenhouse-workers were categorized as high, medium, or not exposed to pesticides. Their children underwent a standardized examination at age 6-to-11 years, where blood pressure, skin folds, and other anthropometric parameters were measured. PON1-genotype was determined for 141 children (88 pesticide exposed and 53 unexposed). Serum was analyze...

Background Air quality is a major public health threat linked to poor birth outcomes, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality. Deprived groups and children are disproportionately affected. Bradford will implement a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) as part of the Bradford Clean Air Plan (B-CAP) in 2022 to reduce pollution, providing a natural experiment. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the impact of the B-CAP on health outcomes and air quality, inequalities and explore value for money. An embedded process and implementation evaluation will also explore barriers and facilitators to implementation, impact on attitudes and behaviours, and any adverse consequences. Methods The study is split into 4 work packages (WP). WP1A: 20 interviews with decision makers, 20 interviews with key stakeholders; 10 public focus groups and documentary analysis of key reports will assess implementation barriers, acceptability and adverse or unanticipated consequences at 1 year post-...