The Exposome Approach in Allergies and Lung Diseases: Is It Time to Define a Preconception Exposome?

Emerging research suggests environmental exposures before conception may adversely affect allergies and lung diseases in future generations. Most studies are limited as they have focused on single exposures, not considering that these diseases have a multifactorial origin in which environmental and lifestyle factors are likely to interact. Traditional exposure assessment methods fail to capture the interactions among environmental exposures and their impact on fundamental biological processes, as well as individual and temporal factors. A valid estimation of exposure preconception is difficult since the human reproductive cycle spans decades and the access to germ cells is limited. The exposome is defined as the cumulative measure of external exposures on an organism (external exposome), and the associated biological responses (endogenous exposome) throughout the lifespan, from conception and onwards. An exposome approach implies a targeted or agnostic analysis of the concurrent and temporal multiple exposures, and may, together with recent technological advances, improve the assessment of the environmental contributors to health and disease. This review describes the current knowledge on preconception environmental exposures as related to respiratory health outcomes in offspring. We discuss the usefulness and feasibility of using an exposome approach in this research, advocating for the preconception exposure window to become included in the exposome concept.

Dose estimates of occupational radiation exposure during radioguided surgery of Tc-99m-PSMA-labeled lymph nodes in recurrent prostate cancer

Aim [99mTc]Tc-PSMA-based radioguided surgery (TPRS) represents a curative approach for localized relapse of prostate cancer. For its simplified regulatory permission, the radiation protection authorities require a 99mTc- activity below the exemption limit of 10 MBq at the time of surgery. Our aim was to determine the optimal amount of radioactivity (OAR) to comply with that limit and to estimate the maximum number of TPRS procedures per year and surgeon without triggering the full monitoring obligations. Methods In this retrospective study, a dose rate meter was calibrated using measurements on phantoms and from recently injected (1 min p. i.) patients to determine the activity in the patient from measured dose rates. The effective half-life of 99mTc-PSMA-I&S in patients was determined from repeated dose rate measurements to estimate dose parameters of relevance for radiation protection. External exposures of the surgeons were measured with personal dosimeters calibrated in Hp(10). The surgeon’s finger dose Hp(0.07) is estimated from radioactivity measured in resected lymph nodes. Potenzial incorporations were estimated for an activity of 10 MBq. Results From the first 6 subsequent patients, an effective half-life of 4.15 h was observed. Assuming an operation time 24 h p. i., the OAR was 550 MBq. Operations lasting in average 2 h in a distance of 0.25 m to the patient imply a body dose for surgeons of 4.16 µSv per procedure. Based on these estimates, the surgeon’s Hp(10) is less than 1 mSv per year with up to 241 operations per year. Hp(0.07) and potential incorporation of activity do not lead to further limitations. Summary All radiation protection regulations are met with adherence to OAR recommended here without triggering the full monitoring obligations from radiation protection regulations.

Disparity in Populace Phenotype Impels Predisposition to Variations in Health Status

Background: The disparity in populace phenotype, embracing stature and pigmentation, drives of internal physiological constituent and adaptation to the external environment, impel variations in populace health status. The study tends to explore how significantly populaces phenotype influenced by internal or external exposures, and how effectually it prognosticates predisposition to variant health states. Methods: Ecological study encompassing twenty states residing on antipodes (North and South) endures distinct exposures, exhibit disparate phenotypes, execute different health status. Each State selected employing non-proportion quota sampling, standing extreme on either stature or pigmentation, residing in cold or hot region, contrasted on considered variables embracing UV-index, malnutrition, healthy life expectancy, fertility rate, natural increase, and top five causes of mortality. All computation, analysis, and interpretation perform employing MS-EXCEL. The complete compilation phase last from March to June 2019. Results: Findings reveal a strong association between exposures and phenotypes, UV-index and pigmentation (r = 0.96), malnutrition and stature (r = -0.81). Stature descends and pigmentation ascends along the latitude (North to South). Populace light pigmentation tall stature executes healthy prolong life span contrast to deep pigmentation standing short. Cardiac and cancer diseases significantly reported among statured nations. While high susceptibility to Influenza/ Pneumonia, and HIV/AIDS observe in pigmented nations. Conclusion: Decisively homo sapiens phenotypes inordinately servile to internal and external exposures effectually prognosticate predisposition to distinct health states. Enforcement of measures mitigating populace internal and external exposure can elicit desire output in phenotype and outcomes in health status.

The Exposome in the Era of the Quantified Self

Human health is regulated by complex interactions among the genome, the microbiome, and the environment. While extensive research has been conducted on the human genome and microbiome, little is known about the human exposome. The exposome comprises the totality of chemical, biological, and physical exposures that individuals encounter over their lifetimes. Traditional environmental and biological monitoring only targets specific substances, whereas exposomic approaches identify and quantify thousands of substances simultaneously using nontargeted high-throughput and high-resolution analyses. The quantified self (QS) aims at enhancing our understanding of human health and disease through self-tracking. QS measurements are critical in exposome research, as external exposures impact an individual's health, behavior, and biology. This review discusses both the achievements and the shortcomings of current research and methodologies on the QS and the exposome and proposes future research directions.

Season of birth and the risk of dementia in the population‐based Rotterdam Study

Early-life environmental factors have been suggested in the pathophysiology of dementia. Season of birth has previously been used as a proxy for these external exposures. We investigated the link between season of birth and the risk of dementia and further explored underlying pathways by studying structural brain changes on MRI. From the Dutch, population-based Rotterdam Study, 12,964 participants born between 1887 and 1960 were followed between 1990 and 2018 for dementia. Cox regression was conducted to assess the association between season of birth and dementia. In addition, we distinguished between mild and cold winters. The association of season of birth with structural brain markers on MRI was examined in 5237 participants. The risk of dementia in participants born in winter and fall was higher than of those born in summer (hazard ratio (HR) 1.15 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.31] for winter and HR 1.17 [95% CI 1.01–1.33] for fall), especially for Alzheimer’s disease (HR 1.23 [1.06–1.43] for winter and HR 1.15 [95% CI 0.99–1.35] for fall). The risk was particularly increased for participants born in a cold winter. Except for slightly lower hippocampus in fall born participants (β − 0.03; 95% CI − 0.06 to 0.00), we did not find associations with brain imaging markers. In conclusion, winter and fall births were associated with a higher incidence of dementia, especially of AD. We did not find evidence for structural brain changes as an underlying mechanism.

Organ doses of the fetus from external environmental exposures

This article presents nuclide-specific organ dose rate coefficients for environmental external exposures due to soil contamination assumed as a planar source at a depth of 0.5 g cm−2 in the soil and submersion to contaminated air, for a pregnant female and its fetus at the 24th week of gestation. Furthermore, air kerma free-in-air coefficient rates are listed. The coefficients relate the organ equivalent dose rates (Sv s−1) to the activity concentration of environmental sources, in Bq m−2 or Bq m−3, allowing to time-integrate over a particular exposure period. The environmental radiation fields were simulated with the Monte Carlo radiation transport codes PHITS and YURI. Monoenergetic organ dose rate coefficients were calculated employing the Monte Carlo code EGSnrc simulating the photon transport in the voxel phantom of a pregnant female and fetus. Photons of initial energies of 0.015–10 MeV were considered including bremsstrahlung. By folding the monoenergetic dose coefficients with the nuclide decay data, nuclide-specific organ doses were obtained. The results of this work can be employed for estimating the doses from external exposures to pregnant women and their fetus, until more precise data are available which include coefficients obtained for phantoms at different stages of pregnancy.

Dose Estimates of Occupational Radiation Exposure During Radioguided Surgery of [99mTc]Tc-PSMA-labeled Lymph Nodes in Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Background and objective[99mTc]Tc-PSMA-based radioguided surgery (TPRS) represents a curative approach for localized relapse of prostate cancer. For its simplified regulatory permission, the radiation protection authorities require a 99mTc activity below the exemption limit of 10 MBq at the time of surgery. Our aim was to determine the optimal amount of radioactivity (OAR) to comply with that limit and to estimate the maximum number of TPRS procedures per year and surgeon without triggering the full monitoring obligations.MethodsIn this retrospective study, a dose rate meter was calibrated using measurements on phantoms and from recently injected (1 min p.i.) patients to determine the activity in the patient from measured dose rates. The effective half-life of [99mTc]Tc-PSMA-I&S in patients was determined from repeated dose rate measurements up to 27 h p.i. to estimate dose parameters of relevance for radiation protection. External exposures of the surgeons were measured with personal dosimeters calibrated in Hp(10). ResultsFrom the first 6 subsequent patients, an effective half-life of 4.15 h was observed. Assuming an operation time 24 h p.i., the OAR was 550 MBq. Operations lasting in average 2 h in a distance of 0.25 m to the patient imply a body dose for surgeons of 4,16 µSv per procedure. Based on these estimates, the surgeon’s Hp(10) is less than 1 mSv per year with up to 241 operations per year. The effective dose for surgeons during the procedure determined with an electronic dosimeter is 4±1 µSv. SummaryAll radiation protection regulations are met with adherence to OAR recommended here without triggering the full monitoring obligations from radiation protection regulations.