Maternal Exposure to Pyrethroid Insecticides during Pregnancy and Infant Development at 18 Months of Age.

The possible association between maternal exposure to pyrethroid insecticides (PYRs) during pregnancy and infant development was explored. Levels of exposure to PYRs was assessed by metabolite (3-phenoybenzoic acid, 3-PBA) concentration in maternal spot urine sampled in the first trimester of index pregnancy, and infant development was assessed at 18 months of age using the Kinder Infants Development Scale (KIDS), which is based on a questionnaire to the caretaker. The relationship between KIDS score and maternal urinary 3-PBA levels was examined by a stepwise multiple regression analysis using biological attributes of the mother and infant, breast feeding, and nursing environment as covariates. The analysis extracted 3-PBA and the nursing environment as significant to explain the KIDS score at 18 months of age with positive partial regression coefficients. Inclusion of fish consumption frequency of the mother during pregnancy as an independent variable resulted in the selection of fish consumption as significant, while the two variables were marginally insignificant but still with a positive coefficient with the KIDS score. The result suggested a positive effect of maternal PYR exposure on infant development, the reason for which is not clear, but an unknown confounding factor is suspected.

Prenatal pyrethroid insecticide exposure and thyroid hormone levels and birth sizes of neonates.

Pyrethroid insecticides have been shown to possess thyroid hormone disrupting properties in previous animal studies. In this study, the relationship between maternal exposure to pyrethroid insecticides during pregnancy and neonatal thyroid hormone status (free thyroxine (fT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in whole blood) and birth sizes were explored in 147 mother-neonate pairs in Tokyo. The concentration of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) in maternal urine, sampled in the first trimester of gestation, was used for pyrethroid exposure assessment. Neonatal fT4 and TSH were within the normal range except for one elevated TSH (but normal fT4) in a neonate. Multiple regression analyses with stepwise variable selection did not extract maternal 3-PBA as significant for neonatal fT4 and TSH, indicating that maternal pyrethroid exposure had no apparent effect on the neonatal thyroid hormone status of the neonate subjects. For birth weight and head circumference, maternal 3-PBA was selected as significant with a positive partial regression coefficient along with other factors known to increase birth sizes of neonates (gestational weeks or maternal BMI). It was not clear if this was causal because no biological mechanism was apparent.

Associations between levels of hydroxylated PCBs and PCBs in serum of pregnant women and blood thyroid hormone levels and body size of neonates.

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible associations between concentrations of hydroxylated PCBs (OH-PCBs) and PCBs in the serum of women in the first trimester of pregnancy and thyroid hormone levels and body size of newborn infants in 79 mother-neonate pairs. We measured 16 OH-PCB isomers and 29 PCB isomers in the serum of Japanese women sampled at 11.1±1.9 weeks of gestation. The concentrations of free thyroxine (fT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in whole blood spots on filter papers sampled from the neonates. Dietary and lifestyle information of the mothers were obtained by self-administered questionnaires. Geometric mean (GM) concentrations of the sum of 16 OH-PCB isomers and of 29 PCB isomers were 1.2×10(2)pg/g wet wt. and 69ng/g lipid wt., respectively, in maternal serum. The GM concentrations of neonatal fT4 and TSH were 2.21ng/dL and 1.37µIU/mL, respectively. Multiple regression analysis was performed using measures of neonatal thyroid hormones as dependent variable and serum levels of OH-PCBs/PCBs and other potential covariates (age, pre-pregnancy weight, smoking status, etc.) as independent variables. The results demonstrated a significant positive association between the concentrations of some OH-PCB isomers and that of neonatal TSH. There were no significant associations between levels of PCBs and neonatal fT4, or between OH-PCBs/PCBs and body size of neonates. We conclude that exposure to/body burden of OH-PCBs, but not PCBs, at environmental levels during the first trimester of pregnancy can affect neonatal thyroid hormone status.

[Crime prevention in high-functioning pervasive developmental disorders with paraphilia].

Paraphilia refers to occasional concomitant disorders of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). When a restricted interest of PDD is focused on a sexual object, paraphilia may be develop as a problematic symptom. However, having this concomitant disorder does not always result in criminal behavior. When the social interactivity of a particular patient with PDD is severely impaired, paraphilia could lead to a sex crime. Because pedophilia targets sacrifice innocent and defenseless children, it is critical to prevent such sex crimes by understanding the psychopathology of PDD with paraphilia, especially pedophilia. Two cases of male adolescents with high-functioning PDD and pedophilia were reported; one ended up committing a serious crime, and the other controlled his sexual impulse. The psychopathology of these two cases was similar; however, the outcome turned out to be quite different. The similarity and dissimilarity of these two cases were analyzed. We came to a conclusion that early intervention could be a key to prevent the development of criminal sexual behavior in PDD with paraphilia (pedophilia). Both patients became aware of pedophilia during adolescence and developed a depressive state at the time of consulting our clinic. In the first case, the patient stabbed a woman with a knife. He could not respect other people, including women he was sexually interested in and has always been preoccupied with his own peculiar ideas. He did not listen to other people's opinions and his abnormal thoughts had never been corrected because of his lack of ability to form interpersonal relationships. The second patient could control his sexual impulse. He has an ability to sympathize with the child he is sexually interested in and has confronted his sexual impulses. He could build interpersonal relationship with others and listen to other people's opinions. He made an effort to manage his sexual impulses positively through individual psychotherapy. He was diagnosed at the age of two years and started rehabilitation training soon after. He had some experiences of consulting people when he was in trouble. In the treatment and correctional education of pedophilia, some sort of special care regarding the characteristics of PDD is indispensable; e.g., pointing-out and explaining unacceptable behavior repeatedly, teaching the correct action concretely, and changing the pathological sexual preference into a constructive one, etc. These therapeutic approaches are quite different from controlling paraphilia without PDD. PDD adolescents with impaired social interactivity could be further helper if they are diagnosed at an earlier stage of their lives and managed appropriately. A sense of being accepted by others and also experiences of mutual interaction with others are particularly important for them. Professionals should be aware that an early and proper intervention method could prevent the later development of criminal behavior in PDD adolescents who suffer from a sense of incompatibility with others because of concomitant paraphilia.