Grantee Research Project Results
2012 Progress Report: Arsenic and Maternal and Infant Immune Function
EPA Grant Number: R834599C001Subproject: this is subproject number 001 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R834599
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center - Dartmouth College
Center Director: Karagas, Margaret Rita
Title: Arsenic and Maternal and Infant Immune Function
Investigators: Karagas, Margaret Rita , Korrick, Susan A. , Enelow, Richard I. , Madan, Juliette
Institution: University of Miami , Dartmouth Medical School , Dartmouth College
Current Institution: Dartmouth Medical School
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Project Period: February 15, 2010 through February 14, 2013 (Extended to February 14, 2014)
Project Period Covered by this Report: February 15, 2012 through February 14,2013
RFA: Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers: Formative Centers (with NIEHS) (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health
Objective:
The objective of the research remains unchanged to: (1) test the hypothesis that prenatal and early life exposure to arsenic (i.e., via drinking water and food) is associated with an increased risk of infant infections during the first year of life; and (2) test the hypothesis that arsenic (As) exposure is related to an increased risk of maternal infection during pregnancy. Infant infections remain prevalent in the first year of life even in developed countries, e.g., ear infection (otitis media, OM). In the United States, infections are among the most common indications for doctor visits and antibiotic prescription in early childhood. OM-related hearing loss can be associated with delays in language and cognitive development. The impact of arsenic on immune function has been explored only to a limited extent epidemiologically. However, such findings would have widespread public health implications, including on emerging infections and our ability to elicit a vaccine response. As metals such as arsenic are ubiquitous exposures in the United States and worldwide, establishing the health risks from common levels of exposure is paramount to strategizing future public health interventions.
Progress Summary:
This project extends the work of The New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, an ongoing longitudinal study of women and infants who obtain household water from wells that are a potential source of As exposure. As part of Project 1, we are prospectively following infants enrolled in our cohort through: (1) interval phone interviews with the mothers at 4, 8 and 12 months of age; (2) screening infant pediatric records covering in the first year of life; (3) reviewing prenatal records for information on maternal infections and collecting data regarding infections on the post-partum questionnaire self-administered to women through the parent study. Project 1 further collaborates with Pilot Project 2, Food borne exposure to arsenic during the first year of life to obtain pilot feeding practices (e.g., breast or bottle feeding) and other dietary information and Pilot Project 4, entitled Determining How Arsenic Modulates Hedgehog Signaling During Development by providing placenta biopsies from our cohort.
We continue to make progress on data collection and follow-up aspects of the study with interval interviews that are being conducted with participants along with a mailed food frequency questionnaire at 12 months (in collaboration with project 2). We continue to collect and process placental tissue for laboratory analyses in collaboration with Pilot Project 4. Dr. Juliette Madan continues pilot analyses on infant microbiome as a marker of infant immunity and infection status. We also work closely with Pilot Project 2 on infant biomarker collection. We have developed and implemented our EPA Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for this project and project 2.
We also continue to actively engage new investigators to our center and provide them with research opportunities, including three postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Devin Koestler who received his Ph.D. in Biostatistics from Brown University continues to work on methods for microbiome analyses and DNA methylation. Dr. Shohreh Farzan, a postdoctoral fellow with a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology, has assisted in the development of protocols for the infant biomarker collection and for pilot testing blood collection for subsequent infant vaccine response (e.g., to tetanus toxoid and diphtheria) measured at 1 year of age. Dr. Allison Appleton, who received her Ph.D. in Human Development from Harvard School of Public Health, was recently hired as a postdoctoral fellow. She is extending the work of our Children’s Center by setting up protocols for neurobehavioral assessments on newborns using the validated NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) to be implemented in the NH birth cohort.
Our work resulted in several high profile manuscripts submitted this year (see publications list) and multiple presentations and participation at national and international meetings. Dr. Margaret Karagas presented at the annual Children’s Centers meeting in Washington, D.C., in March 2012. We have submitted a P01 application to continue the work of our formative Children’s Center.
Overall, our findings underscore the importance of evaluating the effects of in utero and early life exposure to arsenic on children's health, and the potential impacts of this exposure later in life.
Future Activities:
In the next year of support through a no-cost extension year, we will continue to conduct the interval interviews (e.g., at 4, 8 and 12 months), continue medical record reviews, data and laboratory analyses and collaborative work with Pilot Projects 2 and 4. We will continue to conduct additional preliminary analyses, make scientific presentations, prepare manuscripts for publication and participate in outreach and translational activities. In addition, we will continue to support training and development of new and talented early career investigators, expand our translational work through a Community Outreach and Translation Core and our use of innovative new technologiesand advanced techniques for understanding the impact of environmental exposures on children’s health.
Journal Articles on this Report : 7 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other subproject views: | All 39 publications | 21 publications in selected types | All 21 journal articles |
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| Other center views: | All 76 publications | 29 publications in selected types | All 29 journal articles |
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Davis MA, Mackenzie TA, Cottingham KL, Gilbert-Diamond D, Punshon T, Karagas MR. Rice consumption and urinary arsenic concentrations in U.S. children. Environmental Health Perspectives 2012;120(10):1418-1424. |
R834599 (2012) R834599 (Final) R834599C001 (2012) R834599C001 (Final) R834599C002 (2012) R834599C002 (Final) |
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Gruber JF, Karagas MR, Gilbert-Diamond D, Bagley PJ, Zens MS, Sayarath V, Punshon T, Morris JS, Cottingham KL. Associations between toenail arsenic concentration and dietary factors in a New Hampshire population. Nutrition Journal 2012;11:45 (10 pp.). |
R834599 (2011) R834599 (2012) R834599 (Final) R834599C001 (2012) R834599C001 (Final) R834599C002 (2012) R834599C002 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Karagas MR, Choi AL, Oken E, Horvat M, Schoney R, Kamai E, Cowell W, Grandjean P, Korrick S. Evidence on the human health effects of low-level methylmercury exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives 2012;120(6):799-806. |
R834599 (2011) R834599 (2012) R834599 (Final) R834599C001 (2012) R834599C001 (Final) |
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Madan JC, Farzan SF, Hibberd PL, Karagas MR. Normal neonatal microbiome variation in relation to environmental factors, infection and allergy. Current Opinion in Pediatrics 2012;24(6):753-759. |
R834599 (2012) R834599 (Final) R834599C001 (2012) R834599C001 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Madan JC, Koestler DC, Stanton BA, Davidson L, Moulton LA, Housman ML, Moore JH, Guill MF, Morrison HG, Sogin ML, Hampton TH, Karagas MR, Palumbo PE, Foster JA, Hibberd PL, O'Toole GA. Serial analysis of the gut and respiratory microbiome in cystic fibrosis in infancy: interaction between intestinal and respiratory tracts and impact of nutritional exposures. mBio 2012;3(4):e00251-12 (10 pp.). |
R834599 (2012) R834599 (Final) R834599C001 (2012) R834599C001 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Oken E, Choi AL, Karagas MR, Marien K, Rheinberger CM, Schoeny R, Sunderland E, Korrick S. Which fish should I eat? Perspectives influencing fish consumption choices. Environmental Health Perspectives 2012;120(6):790-798. |
R834599 (2011) R834599 (2012) R834599 (Final) R834599C001 (2012) R834599C001 (Final) |
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Sunderland EM, Amirbahman A, Burgess NM, Dalziel J, Harding G, Jones SH, Kamai E, Karagas MR, Shi X, Chen CY. Mercury sources and fate in the Gulf of Maine. Environmental Research 2012;119:27-41. |
R834599 (2011) R834599 (2012) R834599C001 (2012) |
Exit Exit Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
Water, drinking water, ground water, exposure, risk, health effects, human health, vulnerability, sensitive populations, population, infants, children, susceptibility, metals, heavy metals, public policy, decision making, community-based, public good, environmental chemistry, biology, geography, epidemiology, immunology, analytical, surveys, measurement methods, Northeast, EPA Region 1, food processing, water safety, RFA, Health, Scientific Discipline, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, Water, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, Environmental Policy, Biology, Environmental Chemistry, Exposure, Children's Health, Biochemistry, Drinking Water, Risk Assessment, dietary exposure, biological markers, growth & development, perinatal exposure, prenatal exposure, arsenic, children's vulnerablity, arsenic exposure, birth defects, developmental disorders
Relevant Websites:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~childrenshealth/index.html Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R834599 Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center - Dartmouth College Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R834599C001 Arsenic and Maternal and Infant Immune Function
R834599C002 Food Borne Exposure to Arsenic During the First Year of Life
R834599C003 An Integrated Geospatial and Epidemiological Study of Associations Between Birth Defects and Arsenic Exposure in New England
R834599C004 Determining How Arsenic (As) Modulates Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) Signaling During Development
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
21 journal articles for this subproject
Main Center: R834599
76 publications for this center
29 journal articles for this center