Children’s Behavior and Physiology and How It Affects Exposure to Environmental Contaminants

Infant, child, and adolescent exposures to environmental toxicants are different from those of adults because of differences in behavior and physiology. Because of these differences, there is the potential for quantitatively different exposures at various stages of development. Pediatricians are well aware of these behavioral and physiologic differences from a clinical standpoint—namely, food and water intake, soil ingestion, mouthing behavior, inhalation physiology, and activity level—as they relate to the ratio of these parameters between the adult and the child when considering weight and surface area. Pediatricians recognized the importance of pica as a cause of lead poisoning, the noxious effect of second-hand smoke, and the greater propensity for addiction during the adolescent years. For determining the differences in impact of many environmental toxicants between adults and children, research is needed to document where and whether these differences result in deleterious effects.

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Environmental Contaminants Exposure and Preterm Birth: A Systematic Review

Toxics ◽

10.3390/toxics7010011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 11 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Maria Porpora ◽

Ilaria Piacenti ◽

Sara Scaramuzzino ◽

Luisa Masciullo ◽

Francesco Rech ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Preterm Birth ◽

Neonatal Period ◽

Environmental Contaminants ◽

Health Impact ◽

Environmental Toxicants ◽

Significant Public Health ◽

Clinical Measures

Preterm birth is an obstetric condition associated with a high risk of infant mortality and morbidities in both the neonatal period and later in life, which has also a significant public health impact because it carries an important societal economic burden. As in many cases the etiology is unknown, it is important to identify environmental factors that may be involved in the occurrence of this condition. In this review, we report all the studies published in PubMed and Scopus databases from January 1992 to January 2019, accessible as full-text articles, written in English, including clinical studies, original studies, and reviews. We excluded articles not written in English, duplicates, considering inappropriate populations and/or exposures or irrelevant outcomes and patients with known risk factors for preterm birth (PTB). The aim of this article is to identify and summarize the studies that examine environmental toxicants exposure associated with preterm birth. This knowledge will strengthen the possibility to develop strategies to reduce the exposure to these toxicants and apply clinical measures for preterm birth prevention.

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Acute abdominal pain and constipation due to lead poisoning

Acute Medicine Journal ◽

10.52964/amja.0322 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 224-226

Author(s):

Shiva Mongolu ◽

◽

Patrick Sharp

Keyword(s):

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Abdominal Pain ◽

Herbal Medicine ◽

Lead Poisoning ◽

Drug Toxicity ◽

Acute Abdominal Pain ◽

Herbal Remedies ◽

Over The Counter ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Asian Male

Although uncommon, lead poisoning should be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of unexplained acute abdominal pain in both adults and children. We present the case of a 35-year-old Asian male who presented with abdominal pain and constipation secondary to lead poisoning. Initially, the source of lead exposure was not apparent; this was later found to be due to ingestion of an Ayurvedic herbal medicine for the treatment of infertility. Lead poisoning due to the ingestion of Ayurvedic remedies is well described. We discuss the diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment of lead poisoning. This case illustrates one of the rarer medical causes of acute abdominal pain and emphasizes the need to take a thorough history (including specific questioning regarding the use of over-the-counter and traditional/ herbal remedies) in cases of suspected poisoning or drug toxicity.

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Contrasting prenatal nutrition and environmental exposures in association with birth weight and cognitive function in children at 7 years

BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health ◽

10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000099 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. bmjnph-2020-000099

Author(s):

Chris Gennings ◽

Alicja Wolk ◽

Niclas Hakansson ◽

Christian Lindh ◽

Carl-Gustaf Bornehag

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Environmental Exposures ◽

Activity Level ◽

Food Sources ◽

Environmental Toxicants ◽

Dietary Restrictions ◽

Good Nutrition ◽

Nutritional Needs ◽

The Impact

BackgroundGood nutrition is essential for individual health, a notion that is particularly true during pregnancy. We have used a nutrition index that measures the adequacy of one’s diet relative to the unique nutritional needs of individuals due to, for example, their activity level, dietary restrictions, lifestyle and body size. The use of this personalised metric of dietary nutritiousness in the analysis of prenatal environmental exposures and developmental outcomes permits testing for potential mitigating effects of good nutrition. We also provide an analysis strategy for investigating the balance in beneficial food sources which are also the source of environmental toxicants.MethodsA holistic measure of nutrition, My Nutrition Index (MNI), measures the nutrient quality (ie, ‘nutritiousness’) of a specified daily diet. MNI is calculated based on quantification of dozens of macronutrients and micronutrients that are specific to an individual’s nutritional needs by incorporating dietary restrictions, subject characteristics, activity level and health behaviours. The Swedish Environmental, Longitudinal, Mother and child, Asthma and allergy Study is a Swedish pregnancy cohort, with prenatal endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) exposure and dietary data available. This makes it possible to test for the potential mitigating effects of good nutrition on health and development effects in offspring from EDCs.ResultsUsing prenatal Food Frequency Questionnaire data to construct an individual’s MNI, the index was significantly and positively associated with important metabolic outcome (as measured by birth weight) and cognitive function at age 7 years (as measured by WISC IQ) in children when adjusted for covariates and prenatal concentrations of an EDC. In a stratified analysis of ‘low’ and ‘high’ fish consumption, a potential source of perfluoro-octanesulfonic acid (PFOS), the association between PFOS and birth weight was diminished in the high consumption group compared with the low consumption group.ConclusionsThus, MNI is evidently a metric of the general nutritiousness of daily diets and is useful in environmental health studies in representing the impact of good nutrition, even during pregnancy.

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Congener specific distribution and health risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls in urban soils

Journal of Xenobiotics ◽

10.4081/xeno.2012.e10 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bhupander Kumar ◽

Sanjay Kumar ◽

Chandra Shekhar Sharma

Keyword(s):

Health Risk ◽

Polychlorinated Biphenyls ◽

Human Health ◽

Long Range ◽

Urban Soils ◽

Atmospheric Transport ◽

Soil Ingestion ◽

Risk Estimates ◽

The World ◽

Adults And Children

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were primarily used in transformers and capacitors, lubricants, flame retardants, plasticizers, paint, carbonless papers, etc. These are capable of long-range atmospheric transport and have been designated as persistent organic pollutants by the Stockholm Convention. Due to their characteristic properties, PCBs are found worldwide in all environmental matrices (including human) and biota. Soils are usually considered to be the source as well as sink for environmental pollutants, with cumulative effects of long-range atmospheric transport and local sources. Around the world, comparatively higher concentrations of PCBs have been reported in urban soils than suburban or rural soils. Higher amount of PCBs in urban soils may cause toxicological health risks to urban residents through ingestion, inhalation and skin contact. This paper presents the PCB distribution in soils from Delhi, India, and exposure risk estimates for human health through soil ingestion. The concentration of ΣPCBs ranged between 1.08-100.67 ng g–1 (mean 21.16 ng g–1±5.24 ng g–1), which was much lower than the Canadian soil quality guideline value of 1.3 mg/kg or 1300 ng g–1. Human health risk estimates through the soil ingestion pathway were made in terms of lifetime average daily dose (LADD), incremental lifetime cancer risks and non-carcinogenic hazard quotient (HQ). The LADD for Delhi adults and children was 3.02x10–8 mg kg–1 d–1 and 1.57x10–7 mg kg–1 d–1, respectively, which corresponds to toxic equivalent quotients (TEQ) intake of 0.105 pg TEQ kg–1 d–1 (0.735 pg TEQ kg–1 week–1) and 0.543 pg TEQ kg–1 d–1 (3.801 pg TEQ kg–1 week–1), respectively. The estimated LADD for Delhi residents was lower than the acceptable intake values recommended by the World Health Organization (1 pg TEQ kg–1 d–1), the European Commission (14 pg TEQ kg–1;1 week–1) and by the Japanese government (4 pg TEQ kg–1 d–1). The probability of cancer risk ranges from 6.04x10–8 (ΣPCBs) to 1.57x10–5 (ΣTEQ) and 3.13x10–7 (ΣPCBs) to 8.15x10–5 (ΣTEQ) for adults and children, respectively, and was within acceptable ranges of 10–6 to 10–4. The non-carcinogenic risk in terms of health HQ was 0.105 and 0.330 for adults and children, respectively, which was lower than the acceptable limit of 1. The study found lower concentrations of PCBs than guideline values and low health risk estimates through the soil ingestion pathway within acceptable levels, indicating a minimum risk for Delhi residents.

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The effect of phenobarbital on food and water intake, activity level, and weight gain in the white rat.

Journal of Comparative Psychology ◽

10.1037/h0058132 ◽

1943 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

M. R. Jones

Keyword(s):

Weight Gain ◽

Water Intake ◽

Activity Level ◽

Food And Water Intake

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Branchial circulation and gill morphometrics in the sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus, an ancient Chondrosteian fish

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z79-284 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 57 (11) ◽

pp. 2160-2170 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Warren Burggren ◽

Jeff Dunn ◽

Kelly Barnard

Keyword(s):

Surface Area ◽

Gill Tissue ◽

Gill Arch ◽

Activity Level ◽

Acipenser Transmontanus ◽

Surface Areas ◽

Ventral Aorta ◽

Gill Surface Area ◽

Anatomical Evidence ◽

Ventilatory Muscles

Gill morphometries and branchical circulation have been examined in sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, weighing from 1 to 336 kg.Weight-specific gill area of the lamellar blood channels, approximately 0.9 cm2/kg in 2–8 kg Acipenser, is low compared with that of other fishes, and probably reflects a low activity level and metabolic rate in the sturgeon. Gill arches III–VI contribute 98% of the respiratory surface area of the sturgeon. However, Acipenser retains gill tissue representing all six embryonic arches. The spiracular pseudobranch (arch I) is perfused with oxygenated blood, while the well developed opercular gill (arch II) receives deoxygenated blood from the ventral aorta. Although comprising only 2% of total gill surface area, anatomical evidence indicates that gill arch II functions in gas exchange and is the major source of blood for certain ventilatory muscles of the operculum.Lamellae on all branchial filaments of all arches can be placed into one of five surface area classes, each class bearing a quantitative area relationship to all others. Since surface areas of the various gill arches also bear certain quantitative and consistent interrelationships, total gill surface area could be accurately predicted for sturgeon on the basis of data from single hemibranchs.

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Using vacuum-assisted suspension to manage residual limb wounds in persons with transtibial amputation: A case series

Prosthetics and Orthotics International ◽

10.1177/0309364613487547 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 68-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Robert D Hoskins ◽

Erin E Sutton ◽

Deborah Kinor ◽

Julia M Schaeffer ◽

Stefania Fatone

Keyword(s):

Wound Healing ◽

Surface Area ◽

Case Series ◽

Normal Activity ◽

Activity Level ◽

Residual Limb ◽

Wound Surface ◽

Transtibial Amputation ◽

Imagej Software

Background: Persons with amputation and residual limb wounds would benefit from the ability to continue wearing a prosthesis while healing. Sockets with vacuum-assisted suspension may reduce intra-socket motion and be less disruptive to wound healing. The purpose of this case series was to measure residual limb wound size over time in persons with transtibial amputation while using prostheses with vacuum-assisted suspension. Case description and methods: Six subjects with residual limb wounds were fit with vacuum-assisted suspension sockets. Wound surface area was calculated using ImageJ software at the time of fit and each subsequent visit until closure. Findings and outcome: Average wound surface area at initial measurement was 2.17 ± 0.65 cm2. All subjects were instructed to continue their normal activity level while wounds healed, with a mean of 177.6 ± 113 days to wound closure. Conclusion: Results suggest that well-fitting sockets with vacuum-assisted suspension in compliant individuals did not preclude wound healing. Further research is required to substantiate these case-based observations. Clinical relevance Residual limb wounds are typically treated by suspension of prosthetic use until healing occurs, increasing the risk of long-term prosthesis nonuse. Our results suggest that vacuum-assisted suspension sockets may be used while healing occurs.

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Human Health Risk Assessment for Toxic Trace Elements in the Yaro Mine and Reclamation Options

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16245077 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (24) ◽

pp. 5077 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Min-Suk Kim ◽

Mi Jeong Park ◽

Jeong Hwa Yang ◽

Sang-Hwan Lee

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

High Risk ◽

Human Health ◽

Surface Soil ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Carcinogenic Risk ◽

Soil Ingestion ◽

Bioavailable Fraction ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Migration Pathways

The aim of this study was to investigate the environmental impact and human health risks associated with toxic trace element (TTE) exposure in the abandoned Yaro Mine, Korea. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were assessed separately for adults and children. Among the various pathways, the rate of TTE intake from the ingestion of groundwater was highest, followed in descending order by crop consumption, soil ingestion, and soil contact. The carcinogenic risk from the ingestion of groundwater was highest, followed by crop consumption and ingestion of contaminated surface soil. The non-carcinogenic risk from the ingestion of groundwater was highest (53.57% of the total non-carcinogenic risk), followed by crop intake (38.53%) and surface soil ingestion (4.80%). The risk assessment revealed that contaminated soil around Yaro mine posed a high risk to the health of inhabitants, mainly via groundwater ingestion and crop consumption. Reclamation measures should include methods of disrupting the high-risk routes between the source and recipient. Stabilization and covering techniques are promising options for reducing the hazard (i.e., exposure to the bioavailable fraction of TTE) and creating a chemical or physicochemical barrier to the potential migration pathways.

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Activity level in left auditory cortex predicts behavioral performance in inhibition tasks in children

10.1101/2020.04.30.069906 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sam van Bijnen ◽

Lauri Parkkonen ◽

Tiina Parviainen

Keyword(s):

Auditory Cortex ◽

Sensory Processing ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Task Demands ◽

Activity Level ◽

Behavioral Performance ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Consistent Performance ◽

Goal Directed Behavior

AbstractSensory processing during development is important for the emerging cognitive skills underlying goal-directed behavior. Yet, it is not known how auditory processing in children is related to their cognitive functions. Here, we utilized combined magneto- and electroencephalographic (M/EEG) measurements to show that child-unique auditory cortical activity at ∼250 ms after auditory stimulation predicts the performance in inhibition tasks. While unaffected by task demands, the amplitude of the left-hemisphere response was significantly correlated with the variability of behavioral response time. Since this response is not present in adults, our results suggest divergent brain mechanisms in adults and children for consistent performance in auditory-based cognitive tasks. This difference can be explained as a shift in cognitive control functionality from sensorimotor associations in the auditory cortex of children to top–down regulated control processes involving (pre)frontal and cingulate areas in adults.

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No intrinsic number bias: evaluating the role of perceptual discriminability in magnitude categorization

10.31234/osf.io/eh5pb ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lauren S Aulet ◽

Stella F. Lourenco

Keyword(s):

Surface Area ◽

Dominant Role ◽

Development Potential ◽

Developmental Shift ◽

Numerical Magnitudes ◽

Adults And Children

Accumulating evidence suggests that there is a spontaneous preference for numerical, compared to non-numerical (e.g., cumulative surface area), information. However, given a paucity of research on the perception of non-numerical magnitudes, it is unclear whether this preference reflects a specific bias towards numerosity, or a general bias towards the most perceptually discriminable dimension. Here, we found that when the number and area of visual dot displays were matched in mathematical ratio, number was more perceptually discriminable than area in both adults and children. Moreover, both adults and children preferentially categorized these ratio-matched stimuli based on number, consistent with previous work. However, when number and area were matched in perceptual discriminability, a different pattern of results emerged. In particular, children preferentially categorized stimuli based on area, suggesting that children’s previously observed number bias was due to a mismatch in the perceptual discriminability of number and area, not an intrinsic salience of number. Interestingly, adults continued to categorize the displays on the basis of number. Altogether, these findings suggest a dominant role of area during childhood, refuting the claim that number is inherently and uniquely salient. Yet they also reveal an increased salience of number that emerges over development. Potential explanations for this developmental shift are discussed.

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