Grant Number:
Principal Investigator:
Kile, Molly L
Institution:
Oregon State University
Most Recent Award Year:
2014
Lifestage of Participants:
Exposure:
Prenatal; Infant (0-1 year); Youth (1-18 years); Adulthood (mother)
Assessment:
Infant (0-1 year); Youth (1-18 years)
Exposures:
Metals:
Arsenic
Health Outcomes:
Immune Outcomes:
Immune response to infection
Morbidity from respiratory illnesses and diarrheal diseases:
Biological Sample:
Blood; Cord blood; Fingernails/toenails; Hair
Other Participant Data:
Vaccine response; Changes in immune profiles in peripheral leukocytes
Epigenetic Mechanisms Studied:
DNA methylation
Abstract:
Arsenic is a common environmental pollutant and associated with adverse health outcomes in humans including cancer. Less well known, but equally important, is evidence that arsenic is immunotoxic. This pollutant readily crosses the placenta and there is mounting evidence that the developing immune system is more sensitive to chemical insult than the immune system of adults. Yet few studies have examined the effect of early life exposure to either arsenic on children's immune functioning. We propose, therefore, to extend the follow-up of a birth cohort recruited in Bangladesh whose early life exposure to arsenic. We will utilize archived biospecimens to determine prenatal and early postnatal exposure to arsenic and collect additional blood samples that will be used to measure vaccine antibody levels in the children who are now 5 years of age. This will allow us to accomplish the following aims: 1) Determine the relationship between prenatal arsenic exposure and infectious diseases morbidity, 2) Determine the relationship between prenatal arsenic exposure and development of humoral immunity against human pathogens, and 3) Explore the association between prenatal arsenic and changes in immune profiles in peripheral leukocytes in paired cord-infant blood samples. Completion of the proposed research is expected to provide new insights into the immunomodulatory effects of environmental exposure during critical windows of development in children. This information addresses an important gap in our knowledge regarding the developmental toxicity of arsenic exposure at environmentally- relevant concentrations in susceptible populations. The outcomes from this research will be clinically relevant and help to inform public health interventions that can reduce the burden of disease in children.
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Related NIEHS-Funded Study Populations
Children with In Utero Arsenic Exposure: Bangladesh
Principal Investigator:
Christiani, David
| Study Population Page Study Population c34
Institution:
Harvard University
Location:
Bangladesh
Number of Participants::
1,613 Pregnant women and 1,189 Mother-infant pairs
Brief Description::
This is a prospective birth cohort study in Bangladesh examining the impact of chronic arsenic exposure on birth, neurodevelopmental, and respiratory outcomes. A total of 1,613 pregnant mothers were recruited from Sirajdikhan and Pabna Sadar Upazilas Districts of Bangladesh from 2008-2011. Women were eligible to participate if they were 18 years or older with an ultrasound confirmed singleton pregnancy of ≤16 weeks gestation, used a tube well as their primary source of drinking water and had been using the same drinking water source for at least six months, and intended to live in her current residence throughout pregnancy. At the end of follow-up, 1,189 livebirths, 259 preterm births, 72 stillbirths, and 132 miscarriages were recorded. The neurodevelopment study involves continued follow-up of 812 children.