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Citation
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HERO ID
994227
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
Pre- and postnatal polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and longitudinal measures of thymus volume in infants
Author(s)
Jusko, TA; Sonneborn, D; Palkovicova, L; Kocan, A; Drobna, B; Trnovec, T; Hertz-Picciotto, I
Year
2012
Is Peer Reviewed?
Yes
Journal
Environmental Health Perspectives
ISSN:
0091-6765
EISSN:
1552-9924
Volume
120
Issue
4
Page Numbers
595-600
Language
English
PMID
22275729
DOI
10.1289/ehp.1104229
Web of Science Id
WOS:000302476200033
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Previously, we reported an association between higher maternal polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations and smaller thymus volume in newborns in a birth cohort residing in eastern Slovakia.
OBJECTIVE:
In the present report we address whether thymus volume at later ages is influenced by prenatal and early postnatal PCB exposure.
METHODS:
At the time of delivery, 1,134 mother-infant pairs were enrolled. Maternal and 6- and 16-month infant blood samples were collected and analyzed for 15 PCB congeners. Thymus volume was measured in infants shortly after birth and at ages 6 and 16 months using ultrasonography.
RESULTS:
Higher maternal PCB concentration was associated with reduced thymus volume at birth [a 0.21 SD reduction in thymus volume for an increase in total maternal PCB concentration from the 10th to the 90th percentile; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.37, -0.05], whereas maternal PCB concentration was not predictive of 6- and 16-month thymus volume. Six-month infant PCB concentration was associated with a 0.40 SD decrease in 6-month thymus volume (95% CI: -0.76, -0.04). There was also some suggestion that thymus volume at 16 months was positively associated with concurrent infant PCB concentration.
CONCLUSIONS:
The potential adverse effects of in utero PCB exposure on thymic development may extend beyond the neonatal period. Results from this highly exposed cohort provide suggestive evidence that postnatal PCB concentrations may be influential, but a smaller set of 6-month PCB measurements limited statistical power at that time point. Implications regarding impaired immunologic maturation or long-term clinical implications remain to be determined.
Keywords
atrophy; cohort; epidemiology; immune; Roma; T cell
Tags
IRIS
•
PCBs
Hazard ID: Epidemiological evidence
Litsearches
Remaining
LitSearch August 2015
Pubmed
Toxline
WoS
Cited (Nov 2012)
Seed References
•
PCBs Epi Hazard ID
Health Effects
Immunological
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