scholarly journals Prenatal Exposure to Mixtures of Phthalates, Parabens, and Other Phenols and Obesity in Five-Year-Olds in the CHAMACOS Cohort

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1796
Author(s):  
Kimberly Berger ◽  
Carly Hyland ◽  
Jennifer L. Ames ◽  
Ana M. Mora ◽  
Karen Huen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prenatal Exposure ◽  
Hierarchical Modeling ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
The Body ◽  
Z Score ◽  
Phthalate Metabolites ◽  
Childhood Adiposity ◽  
Child Height ◽  
Obesity Status

Exposures to phthalates, parabens, and other phenols are often correlated due to their ubiquitous use in personal care products and plastics. Examining these compounds as a complex mixture may clarify inconsistent relationships between individual chemicals and childhood adiposity. Using data from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study, a longitudinal cohort of children in Salinas Valley, California (n = 309), we examined biomarkers of 11 phthalate metabolites and 9 phenols, including several parabens and bisphenol A, measured in maternal urine at two time points during pregnancy. We measured child height and weight at age five to calculate the body mass index (BMI) z-scores and overweight/obesity status. The association between prenatal urinary concentrations of biomarkers with the childhood BMI z-score and overweight/obesity status was analyzed using single-pollutant models and two mixture methods: Bayesian hierarchical modeling (BMH) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). Urinary concentrations of monoethyl phthalate, monocarboxy-isononly phthalate (metabolites of diethyl phthalate and di-isodecyl phthalate, respectively), and propylparaben were consistently associated with an increased BMI z-score and overweight/obesity status across all modeling approaches. Higher prenatal exposures to the cumulative biomarker mixture also trended with greater childhood adiposity. These results, robust across two methods that control for co-pollutant confounding, suggest that prenatal exposure to certain phthalates and parabens may increase the risk for obesity in early childhood.

scholarly journals Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Timing of Menarche and Growth and Adiposity into Adulthood: A Twenty-Years Birth Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4725
Author(s):  
Ye’elah E. Berman ◽  
Dorota A. Doherty ◽  
Katharina M. Main ◽  
Hanne Frederiksen ◽  
Martha Hickey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Prenatal Exposure ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Maternal Serum ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Age At Menarche ◽  
Z Score ◽  
Phthalate Metabolites ◽  
Phthalate Exposure

Phthalates are ubiquitous environmental chemicals with endocrine disrupting properties and potentially obesogenic effects. We hypothesised that antenatal phthalate exposure may influence growth and adiposity patterns in girls through childhood into adolescence. Among 1342 Raine Study singleton females, 462 had maternal serum and at least one outcome available up to 20 years of age. Individuals’ maternal serum collected at 18 and 34 weeks gestation was pooled and analyzed for concentrations of 32 metabolites of 15 phthalate diesters. Cox regression and linear models were used to determine associations between maternal phthalate levels and age at menarche, change in height and weight z-scores between birth and two years, height from birth to 20 years, BMI from two to 20 years, deviation from mid-parental height at age 20 and DEXA scan measures at age 20. Weak negative associations were detected with some phthalate metabolites and change in height and weight z-score during infancy. Weak positive associations between some of the high molecular weight phthalate metabolites and height z-score were detected during childhood. While still within the normal range, age at menarche was slightly delayed in girls with higher prenatal exposure to the higher molecular weight phthalate metabolites. We derived some associations between prenatal phthalate exposure with early growth patterns and age at menarche.

Mutual Influence Study of Food Acids and Polysaccharides of Different Nature on the Sensory Perception of Low-Calorie Sweet Dishes

Food Industry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-78
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Minnikhanova ◽  
Nataliya Zavorokhina ◽  
Anna Gilina
Keyword(s):  
Mutual Influence ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sensory Characteristics ◽  
Apple Pectin ◽  
Low Calorie ◽  
Functional Reserves ◽  
Materials Used

Abstract The inclusion of polysaccharide thickeners in the recipes of sweet dishes increases the functional reserves of the body, contributes to the preservation of health and the prevention of diseases. The purpose of the research is to study the sensory characteristics of polysaccharides of various nature when combined with food acids, to develop a recipe for a basic mixture of low-calorie meals for public catering. The authors analyzed citric, lactic and succinic acids in combinations with polysaccharides of various nature. Organoleptic tests were evaluated by a touch panel. The organization of the tasting analysis corresponded to GOST ISO 6658-2016; the consistency was determined according to GOST 31986-2012, GOST ISO 11036-2017, GOST ISO 8588-2011. The optimal organoleptic combinations of the presented food acids and complex additives of sweeteners (CDP) were identified, which included aspartame, sodium saccharinate, Sucralose, sweetness coefficient – 340: the mixture with citric acid had a long pleasant aftertaste without foreign tastes and the best taste characteristics. Using the “A-not A” method, we found that the sample with the addition of CDP is identical to the sucrose solution. In the second part of the study, polysaccharides were added to model samples of acids with complex sweeteners; the best sensory characteristics were obtained by model samples consisting of a mixture of low-esterified Apple pectin with lactic acid and KDP. The technology of obtaining a stable elastic jelly using low-esterified Apple pectin has been developed, since the complex mixture of sweeteners and food acids does not have a dehydrating effect. Developed a dry mix recipe that can serve as a basic development, low-calorie sweet products for catering and has a variance of use of lactic and succinic acids, depending on the flavor characteristics of the raw materials used and its corrective ability.

Adolescent Tri-ponderal Mass Index Growth Trajectories and Incident Diabetes Mellitus in Early Adulthood

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Fan Wu ◽  
Hsien-Yu Fan ◽  
Yang-Ching Chen ◽  
Kuan-Liang Kuo ◽  
Kuo-Liong Chien
Keyword(s):  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Growth Mixture Modeling ◽  
The Body ◽  
Growth Trajectory ◽  
Incident Diabetes ◽  
Growth Trajectories ◽  
City Hospital ◽  
Z Score ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Adult Diabetes

Abstract Purpose Studies have reported the influence of adolescent obesity on development of adult diabetes, but the effect of the growth pattern during this period has rarely been explored. Also, the tri-ponderal mass index (TMI) was thought to be a better estimation of adolescent body fat levels than the body mass index (BMI), so we sought to investigate whether growth trajectories derived by these two indices could predict incident diabetes. Methods We conducted a study by using the Taipei City Hospital Radiation Building Database, a longitudinal cohort established from 1996 until now. Physical exam results including blood test results were collected annually and the BMI z-score/TMI growth trajectory groups during 13–18 years of age were identified using growth mixture modeling. A Cox proportional hazard model for incident diabetes was used to examine the risk of baseline obese status and different BMI/TMI growth trajectories. Results Five growth trajectory groups were identified for the BMI z-score and the TMI. During approximately 20,400 person-years follow-up, 33 of 1,387 participants developed diabetes. Baseline obesity defined by the BMI z-score and the TMI were both related to adult diabetes. The persistent increase TMI growth trajectory exhibited a significantly increased risk of diabetes after adjusting for baseline obese status and other correlated covariates (hazard ratio: 2.85, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–8.09). There was no association between BMI growth trajectory groups and incident diabetes. Conclusions A specific TMI growth trajectory pattern during adolescence might be critical for diabetes prevention efforts.

scholarly journals Classification of Body Constitution Based on TCM Philosophy and Deep Learning

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Hui Li ◽  
Muhammad Saqlain Aslam ◽  
Kai-Lin Yang ◽  
Chung-An Kao ◽  
Shin-You Teng
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Convolutional Network ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Body Constitution ◽  
Perfect Symmetry ◽  
Psychological Strength

There is a growing demand for alternative or complementary medicine in health care disciplines that uses a non-invasive instrument to evaluate the health status of various organs inside the human body. In this regard, we proposed a real-time, non-invasive, and painless technique to assess an individual’s health condition. Our approach is based on the combination of iridology and the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The iridology chart presents perfect symmetry between the left and right eyes, and such a unique representation reveals the body constitution based on TCM philosophy, which classifies the aforementioned body constitution into a combination of nine categories to describe the varieties of genomic traits. In addition, we applied a deep-learning method along with the combination of iridology and TCM to predict the possible physiological or psychological strength or weakness of the subjects and give advice to them about how to take care of their health according to the body constitution assessment. We used several pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs, or ConvNet), such as a residual neural network (ResNet50), InceptionV3, and dense convolutional network (DenseNet201), to classify the body constitution using iris images. In the experiments, the CASIA-Iris-Thousand database was used to perform this task. The experimental results showed that the proposed iris-based health assessment method achieved an 82.9% accuracy.

scholarly journals Regulator Loss Functions and Hierarchical Modeling for Safety Decision Making

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 512-522
Author(s):  
Laura A. Hatfield ◽  
Christine M. Baugh ◽  
Vanessa Azzone ◽  
Sharon-Lise T. Normand
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Medical Device ◽  
Hierarchical Modeling ◽  
Loss Functions ◽  
Safety Signal ◽  
Theoretic Approach ◽  
Z Score ◽  
Bayes Risk ◽  
Decision Theoretic Approach ◽  
Safety Signals

Background. Regulators must act to protect the public when evidence indicates safety problems with medical devices. This requires complex tradeoffs among risks and benefits, which conventional safety surveillance methods do not incorporate. Objective. To combine explicit regulator loss functions with statistical evidence on medical device safety signals to improve decision making. Methods. In the Hospital Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample, we select pediatric inpatient admissions and identify adverse medical device events (AMDEs). We fit hierarchical Bayesian models to the annual hospital-level AMDE rates, accounting for patient and hospital characteristics. These models produce expected AMDE rates (a safety target), against which we compare the observed rates in a test year to compute a safety signal. We specify a set of loss functions that quantify the costs and benefits of each action as a function of the safety signal. We integrate the loss functions over the posterior distribution of the safety signal to obtain the posterior (Bayes) risk; the preferred action has the smallest Bayes risk. Using simulation and an analysis of AMDE data, we compare our minimum-risk decisions to a conventional Z score approach for classifying safety signals. Results. The 2 rules produced different actions for nearly half of hospitals (45%). In the simulation, decisions that minimize Bayes risk outperform Z score–based decisions, even when the loss functions or hierarchical models are misspecified. Limitations. Our method is sensitive to the choice of loss functions; eliciting quantitative inputs to the loss functions from regulators is challenging. Conclusions. A decision-theoretic approach to acting on safety signals is potentially promising but requires careful specification of loss functions in consultation with subject matter experts.

Longer Hours and Larger Waistlines? The Relationship between Work Hours and Obesity

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Courtemanche
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
The Body ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Parental Supervision ◽  
Processed Food ◽  
Adult Obesity ◽  
Overweight Status ◽  
Child Weight ◽  
Obesity Status ◽  
The Relationship

Additional work hours may lead to weight gain by decreasing exercise, causing substitution from meals prepared at home to fast food and pre-prepared processed food, or reducing sleep. Substitution toward unhealthy convenience foods could also influence the weight of one's spouse and children, while longer work hours for adults may further impact child weight by reducing parental supervision. I examine the effects of adult work hours on the body mass index (BMI) and obesity status of adults as well as the overweight status of children. Longer hours increase one's own BMI and probability of being obese, but have a smaller and statistically insignificant effect on these outcomes for one's spouse. Mothers', but not mother's spouse's, work hours affect children's probability of being overweight. My estimates imply that changes in labor force participation account for only 1.4% of the rise in adult obesity in recent decades, but a more substantial 10.4% of the growth in childhood overweight.

Hierarchical Engineering Model of the Human Body

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Somayajulu D. Karamchetty
Keyword(s):  
Human Body ◽  
Hierarchical Modeling ◽  
Control Volume ◽  
The Body ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Sufficient Detail ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Level Model ◽  
Complex Engineering

Engineers and scientists are able to understand and analyze the behavior of complex engineering systems in a wide range of critical technologies through hierarchical modeling followed by simulation of the model operation. This process results in a high fidelity integrated model as each level in the hierarchy is modeled in sufficient detail. The overall objective of this effort is to develop a sophisticated hierarchical model of the human body, followed by simulation of the model operation. In this initial research phase, the feasibility of the concept is explored and a framework for the model is described. A six-level model consisting of the whole body as a system, system of systems, organs, tissues, cells, and molecules is proposed and described. This paper explains that the human body is amenable to such hierarchical modeling and describes the benefits that can be achieved. The systems in the body deal with numerous processes: electrical, chemical, biochemical, energy conversion, transportation, pumping, sensing, communications, and so on. Control volume models for the organs in the body capture the mass and energy balance and chemical reactions. Tissue can be represented similar to structural components made of various biomaterials. Cells can be represented as a manufacturing and maintenance workforce assisted by molecular reactions. Following the representation of a healthy body, simulation runs by inserting faults and/or deficiencies in the operational parameters into the model could reveal the causes for specific diseases and illnesses. Such modeling and simulation will benefit medical, pharmaceutical, nutritional specialists, and engineers in designing, developing, and delivering products and services to enable humans to lead healthy lives.

Gene Expression Analysis to Investigate Biological Networks Underlying Nasal Inflammatory Dysfunctions Induced by Diesel Exhaust Particles Using an In Vivo System

2019 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Soo Kim ◽  
Byeong-Gon Kim ◽  
Sohyeon Park ◽  
Nahyun Kim ◽  
An-Soo Jang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Diesel Exhaust ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
Diesel Exhaust Particles ◽  
The Body ◽  
Exhaust Particles

Objectives: Diesel exhaust particles (DEP)s are notorious ambient pollutants composed of a complex mixture of a carbon core and diverse chemical irritants. Several studies have demonstrated significant relationships between DEP exposure and serious nasal inflammatory response in vitro, but available information regarding underlying networks in terms of gene expression changes has not sufficiently explained potential mechanisms of DEP-induced nasal damage, especially in vivo. Methods: In the present study, we identified DEP-induced gene expression profiles under short-term and long-term exposure, and identified signaling pathways based on microarray data for understanding effects of DEP exposure in the mouse nasal cavity. Results: Alteration in gene expression due to DEP exposure provokes an imbalance of the immune system via dysregulated inflammatory markers, predicted to disrupt protective responses against harmful exogenous substances in the body. Several candidate markers were identified after validation using qRT-PCR, including S100A9, CAMP, IL20, and S100A8. Conclusions: Although further mechanistic studies are required for verifying the utility of the potential biomarkers suggested by the present study, our in vivo results may provide meaningful suggestions for understanding the complex cellular signaling pathways involved in DEP-induced nasal damages.

Studies on Environmental Effects of Underwater Chemical Munitions in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 10-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Alcaro ◽  
Camilla Della Torre ◽  
Tommaso Petochi ◽  
Valerio Sammarini ◽  
Marco Matiddi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reference Site ◽  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Sulfur Mustard ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Chemical Warfare Agents ◽  
The Body ◽  
Assessment Index ◽  
Skin Ulcers ◽  
Warfare Agents ◽  
Helicolenus Dactylopterus

AbstractThe present paper shows the multidisciplinary approach used to assess the ecotoxicity of chemical munitions lying on the seabed in the Southern Adriatic Sea where aerial bombs charged with mustard agent and organoarsenic chemical warfare agents (CWAs) have been dumped.Sampling activities and laboratory analyses have been carried out on two sentinel species, the blackbelly rosefish, Helicolenus dactylopterus, and the European conger, Conger conger, collected in a CWA dumping site 35 nm from the coast of Apulia, Italy, and from a reference site. Fish were analyzed through an ecotoxicological approach, integrating chemical analysis and biological responses.Degradation products of the blister agents bis-(2-chloroethyl)sulphide, commonly known as mustard agent or yperite (also called sulfur or sulfur mustard), were found in sediment samples collected nearby aerial bombs. Although no evidence of these compounds was detected in tissues of either fish, levels of heavy metals (arsenic and mercury), potentially released by rusted chemical weapons, were significantly higher in sediment and fish from the CWA site compared to the reference site. Severe external and internal lesions were observed in fish captured in the CWA site, with congers displaying small to large skin ulcers along the body. Health assessment index (HAI) values, as well as spleen melano-macrophages centres and CYP1A ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity were higher in fish from the CWA site, indicating a chronic state of illness and environment degradation.The working procedures and analyses performed during these surveys could be suitable for future biomonitoring studies in other CWA dumping sites.

scholarly journals Accuracy of Body Mass Index and Obesity Status in Police Trainees

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
Miloš Stojković ◽  
Katie M. Heinrich ◽  
Aleksandar Čvorović ◽  
Velimir Jeknić ◽  
Gianpiero Greco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Direct Method ◽  
Body Height ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Obesity Status ◽  
Study Results

The first aim of this study was to compare body mass index (BMI) (indirect method) classification with the body fat percent (PBF) (direct method) and to determine how BMI classifies subjects with different levels of skeletal muscle mass percent (PSMM). The second aim was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity status among police trainees (PTs). A total of 103 male PTs participated in this research: age = 21.46 ± 0.64 years, body mass (BM) = 75.97 ± 8.10 kg, body height (BH) = 174.07 ± 6.31 cm, BMI = 25.05 ± 2.12 kg/m2. The InBody 370 multichannel bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measured body composition. Study results indicated that muscular PTs could be misclassified as overweight and that PBF identified more subjects as obese. Namely, three PTs were obese according to BMI, while 13 were obese according to PBF. The information provided by this research could be used to help professionals understand the importance of measuring body composition, and the inaccuracies in BMI classification. In conclusion, whenever possible PSMM and PBF should replace the utilization of BMI to screen overweight and obesity in PTs. Agencies may think of using BIA as non-invasive, quick and inexpensive measurement tool.

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