Dataset Information

Ambient PM gross β-activity and glucose levels during pregnancy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Exposure to ionizing radiation has been associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In light of recent work showing an association between ambient particulate matter (PM) gross β-activity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among pregnant women, we examined pregnancy glucose levels in relation to PM gross β-activity to better understand this pathway.

Methods

Our study included 103 participants receiving prenatal care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. PM gross β-activity was obtained from US Environmental Protection Agency's RadNet program monitors, and blood glucose levels were obtained from the non-fasting glucose challenge test performed clinically as the first step of the 2-step GDM screening test. For each exposure window we examined (i.e., moving average same-day, one-week, first-trimester, and second-trimester PM gross β-activity), we fitted generalized additive models and adjusted for clinical characteristics, socio-demographic factors, temporal variables, and PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM_2.5). Subgroup analyses by maternal age and by body mass index were also conducted.

Results

An interquartile range increase in average PM gross β-activity during the second trimester of pregnancy was associated with an increase of 17.5 (95% CI: 0.8, 34.3) mg/dL in glucose concentration. Associations were stronger among younger and overweight/obese participants. Our findings also suggest that the highest compared to the lowest quartile of one-week exposure was associated with 17.0 (95% CI: - 4.0, 38.0) mg/dL higher glucose levels. No associations of glucose were observed with PM gross β-activity during same-day and first-trimester exposure windows. PM_2.5 was not associated with glucose levels during any exposure window in our data.

Conclusions

Exposure to higher levels of ambient PM gross β-activity was associated with higher blood glucose levels in pregnant patients, with implications for how this novel environmental factor could impact pregnancy health.

SUBMITTER: Wang VA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8204493 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Aims/hypothesisMaternal type 2 diabetes during pregnancy and gestational diabetes are associated with childhood adiposity; however, associations of lower maternal glucose levels during pregnancy with childhood adiposity, independent of maternal BMI, remain less clear. The objective was to examine associations of maternal glucose levels during pregnancy with childhood adiposity in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) cohort.MethodsThe HAPO Study was an observational epidemiological international multi-ethnic investigation that established strong associations of glucose levels during pregnancy with multiple adverse perinatal outcomes. The HAPO Follow-up Study (HAPO FUS) included 4832 children from ten HAPO centres whose mothers had a 75 g OGTT at ~28 weeks gestation 10-14 years earlier, with glucose values blinded to participants and clinical caregivers. The primary outcome was child adiposity, including: (1) being overweight/obese according to sex- and age-specific cut-offs based on the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria; (2) IOTF-defined obesity only; and (3) measurements >85th percentile for sum of skinfolds, waist circumference and per cent body fat. Primary predictors were maternal OGTT and HbA1c values during pregnancy.ResultsFully adjusted models that included maternal BMI at pregnancy OGTT indicated positive associations between maternal glucose predictors and child adiposity outcomes. For one SD difference in pregnancy glucose and HbA1c measures, ORs for each child adiposity outcome were in the range of 1.05-1.16 for maternal fasting glucose, 1.11-1.19 for 1 h glucose, 1.09-1.21 for 2 h glucose and 1.12-1.21 for HbA1c. Associations were significant, except for associations of maternal fasting glucose with offspring being overweight/obese or having waist circumference >85th percentile. Linearity was confirmed in all adjusted models. Exploratory sex-specific analyses indicated generally consistent associations for boys and girls.Conclusions/interpretationExposure to higher levels of glucose in utero is independently associated with childhood adiposity, including being overweight/obese, obesity, skinfold thickness, per cent body fat and waist circumference. Glucose levels less than those diagnostic of diabetes are associated with greater childhood adiposity; this may have implications for long-term metabolic health.

Project description:Importance:Air pollutants interact with estrogen nuclear receptors, but their effect on thyroid signaling is less clear. Thyroid function is of particular importance for pregnant women because of the thyroid's role in fetal brain development. Objective:To determine the short-term association of exposure to air pollution in the first trimester with thyroid function throughout pregnancy. Design, Setting, and Participants:In this cohort study, 9931 pregnant women from 4 European cohorts (the Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development Study, the Generation R Study, Infancia y Medio Ambiente, and Rhea) and 1 US cohort (Project Viva) with data on air pollution exposure and thyroid function during pregnancy were included. The recruitment period for the Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development Study was January 2003 to March 2004; for Generation R, April 2002 to January 2006; for Infancia y Medio Ambiente, November 2003 to January 2008; for Rhea, February 2007 to February 2008; and for Project Viva, April 1999 to November 2002. Statistical analyses were conducted from January 2018 to April 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures:Residential air pollution concentrations (ie, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter [PM]) during the first trimester of pregnancy were estimated using land-use regression and satellite-derived aerosol optical depth models. Free thyroxine, thyrotropin, and thyroid peroxidase antibody levels were measured across gestation. Hypothyroxinemia was defined as free thyroxine below the fifth percentile of the cohort distribution with normal thyrotropin levels, following the American Thyroid Association guidelines. Results:Among 9931 participants, the mean (SD) age was 31.2 (4.8) years, 4853 (48.9%) had more than secondary educational levels, 5616 (56.6%) were nulliparous, 404 (4.2%) had hypothyroxinemia, and 506 (6.7%) tested positive for thyroid peroxidase antibodies. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 ?m or less (PM2.5) were lower and had less variation in women in the US cohort than those in European cohorts. No associations of nitrogen oxide with thyroid function were found. Higher exposures to PM2.5 were associated with higher odds of hypothyroxinemia in pregnant women (odds ratio per 5-?g/m3 change, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.00-1.47). Although exposure to PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 ?m or less was not significantly associated with hypothyroxinemia, the coefficient was similar to that for the association of PM2.5 with hypothyroxinemia (odds ratio per 10-?g/m3 change, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.93-1.48). Absorbances of PM2.5 and PM with aerodynamic diameter from 2.5 to 10 ?g and were not associated with hypothyroxinemia. There was substantial heterogeneity among cohorts with respect to thyroid peroxidase antibodies (P for heterogeneity, <.001), showing associations of nitrogen oxide and PM with thyroid autoimmunity only in the women in the Generation R Study. Conclusions and Relevance:The findings of this study suggest that first-trimester exposures to PM2.5 were associated with mild thyroid dysfunction throughout pregnancy. The association of PM2.5 exposure with thyroid function during pregnancy is of global health importance because air pollution exposure is widespread and hypothyroxinemia may adversely influence the brain development of offspring.

Project description:Study questionWhat is the relationship between pre-pregnancy maternal glucose levels and fecundability in Chinese couples?Summary answerElevated pre-pregnancy maternal glucose levels were associated with fecundability, as reflected by prolonged time to pregnancy (TTP) among the couples with no prior gravidity.Study design, size, durationBased on the National Free Pre-conception Check-up Projects supported by the Chinese government, 2 226 048 eligible couples attempting first pregnancy and participating in the project from 2015 to 2016 were included. They were followed-up for 1 year or until they reported pregnancy.Participants/materials, settings, methodsThe Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the cumulative pregnancy rate in each menstrual cycle, and the discrete-time analogue of the Cox models was used to estimate the fecundability odds ratios (FORs) and 95% CIs by different pre-pregnancy maternal glucose levels (impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or diabetes as compared to normal).Main results and the role of chanceThe cumulative pregnancy rate for 12 cycles of the normal fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level group was 42.29%, significantly higher than that of the IFG (35.52%) and diabetes groups (31.52%). After adjusting for confounding factors, the FORs were 0.82 (95% CI: 0.81-0.83) and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.72-0.76) for the IFG and diabetes groups, respectively, as compared to the normal group. The association between pre-pregnancy maternal FPG levels and the FORs was non-linear, and the optimal FPG level for greatest fecundability (shortest TTP) was 3.90-4.89 mmol/L.Limitations, reasons for cautionThe findings from this register-based cohort study require cautious interpretation given that information bias would be inevitable for single FPG measurements and for TTP calculations that were based on telephone follow-up information. Additionally, because couples who achieved pregnancy during their first menstrual cycle in the study were excluded, the pregnancy rates reported were low and possibly biased.Wider implications of the findingsThe current report suggests that elevated pre-pregnancy maternal glucose levels were associated with prolonged TTP. Early evaluation and preventive treatment for female partners with IFG or diabetes in a pre-pregnancy examination are necessary.Study funding/competing interest(s)Funding was provided by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grants No. 2016YFC1000300 and 2016YFC1000307), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 81872634), the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (grant No. 2018-I2M-1-004), the National Human Genetic Resources Sharing Service Platform (grant No. 2005DKA21300) and the National Population and Reproductive Health Science Data Center (grant No. 2005DKA32408), People's Republic of China. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.Trial registration numberN/A.