Cognitive Performance and Exposure to Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Children: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Analysis of Two European Mother-Child Cohorts.

The knowledge of the effects of organophosphate flame retardants on children's neurodevelopment is limited. The purpose of the present research is to evaluate the association between exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and children's neurodevelopment in two European cohorts involved in the Human Biomonitoring Initiative Aligned Studies. The participants were school-aged children belonging to the Odense Child Cohort (Denmark) and the PCB cohort (Slovakia). In each cohort, the children's neurodevelopment was assessed through the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient score of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, using two different editions. The children's urine samples, collected at one point in time, were analyzed for several metabolites of organophosphate flame retardants. The association between neurodevelopment and each organophosphate flame retardant metabolite was explored by applying separate multiple linear regressions based on the approach of MM-estimation in each cohort. In the Danish cohort, the mean ± standard deviation for the neurodevelopment score was 98 ± 12; the geometric mean (95% confidence interval (95% CI)) of bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) standardized by creatinine (crt) was 0.52 µg/g crt (95% CI = 0.49; 0.60), while that of diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) standardized by crt was 1.44 µg/g crt (95% CI = 1.31; 1.58). The neurodevelopment score showed a small, negative, statistically imprecise trend with BDCIPP standardized by crt (ß = -1.30; 95%CI = -2.72; 0.11; p-value = 0.07) and no clear association with DPHP standardized by crt (ß = -0.98; 95%CI = -2.96; 0.99; p-value = 0.33). The neurodevelopment score showed a negative trend with BDCIPP (ß = -1.42; 95% CI = -2.70; -0.06; p-value = 0.04) and no clear association with DPHP (ß = -1.09; 95% CI = -2.87; 0.68; p-value = 0.23). In the Slovakian cohort, the mean ± standard deviation for the neurodevelopment score was 81 ± 15; the geometric mean of BDCIPP standardized by crt was 0.18 µg/g crt (95% CI = 0.16; 0.20), while that of DPHP standardized by crt was 2.24 µg/g crt (95% CI = 2.00; 3.52). The association of the neurodevelopment score with BDCIPP standardized by crt was -0.49 (95%CI = -1.85; 0.87; p-value = 0.48), and with DPHP standardized by crt it was -0.35 (95%CI = -1.90; 1.20; p-value = 0.66). No clear associations were observed between the neurodevelopment score and BDCIPP/DPHP concentrations that were not standardized by crt. No clear associations were observed with bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPP) in either cohort, due to the low detection frequency of this compound. In conclusion, this study provides only limited evidence of an inverse association between neurodevelopment and exposure to BDCIPP and DPHP. The timing of exposure and effect modification of other organophosphate flame retardant metabolites and other substances should be the subject of further investigations that address this scientific hypothesis.

ALAD and APOE polymorphisms are associated with lead and mercury levels in Italian pregnant women and their newborns with adequate nutritional status of zinc and selenium.

The impacts of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ALAD and VDR genes on Pb health effects and/or kinetics are inconclusive at low exposure levels, while studies including APOE SNPs are rare. In this study, we examined the associations of ALAD, VDR and APOE SNPs with exposure biomarkers of Pb and other trace elements (TEs) in Italian pregnant women (N = 873, aged 18-44 years) and their newborns (N = 619) with low-level mixed-element exposure through diet, the environment or endogenously. DNA from maternal peripheral venous blood (mB), sampled during the second and third trimesters, was genotyped for ALAD (rs1800435, rs1805313, rs1139488, rs818708), VDR (rs2228570, rs1544410, rs7975232, rs731236) and APOE (rs429358, rs7421) using TaqMan SNP assays. Personal and lifestyle data and TE levels (mB, maternal plasma, hair and mixed umbilical cord blood [CB]) from the PHIME project were used. Multiple linear regression models, controlling for confounding variables, were performed to test the associations between SNPs and TEs. The geometric means of mB-Pb, mB-Hg, mB-As and mB-Cd (11.0 ng/g, 2.16 ng/g, 1.38 ng/g and 0.31 ng/g, respectively) indicated low exposure levels, whereas maternal plasma Zn and Se (0.72 µg/mL and 78.6 ng/g, respectively) indicated adequate micronutritional status. Variant alleles of ALAD rs1800435 and rs1805313 were negatively associated with mB-Pb levels, whereas a positive association was observed for rs1139488. None of the VDR SNPs or their haplotypes had any association with Pb levels. Regarding APOE, the ϵ4 allele was associated with lower mB-Hg and CB-Hg, while a positive association was found with the ϵ2 allele and CB-Pb when the model included only newborn girls. The observed associations indicate possible modification effects of ALAD and APOE SNPs on Pb or Hg kinetics in women and their newborns with low exposure to non-essential TEs, as well as an adequate nutritional status of Zn and Se.

An exopolysaccharide from Leuconostoc mesenteroides showing interesting bioactivities versus foodborne microbial targets.

An exopolysaccharide (EPS_B3) produced by a Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain isolated from a semi-hard Italian cheese was chemically and biologically characterized. HPLC-SEC, NMR, FT-IR and monosaccharide composition experiments were performed. Antimicrobial, antibiofilm, bifidogenic, antioxidant, and DNA-protective activity of EPS_B3 were also studied. Results revealed that EPS_B3 was a mixture of two high-molecular-weight dextran with low branching degree. Moreover, EPS_B3 displayed significant antibacterial activity against eight foodborne pathogens and inhibited biofilm formation by Listeria monocytogenes. EPS_B3 also evidenced bifidogenic activity, stimulating the growth of three probiotic bifidobacteria, and improving the tolerance of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis to oxygen stress. It also protected plasmid DNA from hydrogen peroxide damage. Only limited antioxidant capacity was observed. In conclusion, data suggest that EPS_B3 might be exploited in the context of functional foods especially for its marked antimicrobial activity as well as for the ability to improve the viability of bifidobacteria in probiotic foods. However, further studies should be carried out to assess the ability of EPS_B3 to reach intact the target site (i.e., gastrointestinal tract) to consider the possibility of use it as a new functional ingredient in foods.

Are Dietary Patterns Related to Cognitive Performance in 7-Year-Old Children? Evidence from a Birth Cohort in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy.

Research from different sources supports a link between nutrition and neurodevelopment, but evidence is still sparse regarding the relationship between a posteriori dietary patterns (DPs) and cognitive performance in school-aged children. Within the Northern Adriatic Cohort II, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, 379 7-year-old children were cross-sectionally evaluated. Dietary patterns were identified through a principal component factor analysis based on 37 nutrients from children's 3-day dietary records. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale of Children (WISC-IV) test provided measures of cognitive performance, including the full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) and single index scores. Each DP was related to FSIQ or single index scores through multiple robust linear regression models. We identified five DPs named "Dairy Products", "Plant-based Foods", "Fats", "Meat and Potatoes", and "Seafood" (63% of variance explained). After adjustment, no significant relationship was observed with the FSIQ score; positive associations were found between the "Seafood" DP and Verbal Comprehension Index or Perceptual Reasoning Index. The "Meat and Potatoes" and "Dairy Products" DPs were inversely associated with the Verbal Comprehension Index and Processing Speed Index scores, respectively. In the absence of a relation with the overall FSIQ score, single DPs might influence specific cognitive functions, including verbal and reasoning abilities, as targeted by single indexes, in the expected direction.

Concurrent Assessment of Phthalates/HEXAMOLL® DINCH Exposure and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Performance in Three European Cohorts of the HBM4EU Aligned Studies.

Information about the effects of phthalates and non-phthalate substitute cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (HEXAMOLL® DINCH) on children's neurodevelopment is limited. The aim of the present research is to evaluate the association between phthalate/HEXAMOLL® DINCH exposure and child neurodevelopment in three European cohorts involved in HBM4EU Aligned Studies. Participating subjects were school-aged children belonging to the Northern Adriatic cohort II (NAC-II), Italy, Odense Child Cohort (OCC), Denmark, and PCB cohort, Slovakia. In each cohort, children's neurodevelopment was assessed through the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient score (FSIQ) of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale of Children test using three different editions. The children's urine samples, collected for one point in time concurrently with the neurodevelopmental evaluation, were analyzed for several phthalates/HEXAMOLL® DINCH biomarkers. The relation between phthalates/HEXAMOLL® DINCH and FSIQ was explored by applying separate multiple linear regressions in each cohort. The means and standard deviations of FSIQ were 109 ± 11 (NAC-II), 98 ± 12 (OCC), and 81 ± 15 (PCB cohort). In NAC-II, direct associations between FSIQ and DEHP's biomarkers were found: 5OH-MEHP+5oxo-MEHP (ß = 2.56; 95% CI 0.58-4.55; N = 270), 5OH-MEHP+5cx-MEPP (ß = 2.48; 95% CI 0.47-4.49; N = 270) and 5OH-MEHP (ß = 2.58; 95% CI 0.65-4.51; N = 270). On the contrary, in the OCC the relation between DEHP's biomarkers and FSIQ tended to be inverse but imprecise (p-value ≥ 0.10). No associations were found in the PCB cohort. FSIQ was not associated with HEXAMOLL® DINCH in any cohort. In conclusion, these results do not provide evidence of an association between concurrent phthalate/DINCHHEXAMOLLR DINCH exposure and IQ in children.

Adherence to Dietary Recommendations of 7-Year-Old Children from a Birth Cohort in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy.

Few Italian and European studies have assessed adherence to dietary recommendations in primary school children using dietary records. No Italian studies have provided an index-based nutritional adequacy assessment. We provided a comprehensive overview of dietary intake in 381 7-year-old children from NAC-II cohort study, Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy). Energy, macro-, and micronutrient intakes were derived from 3-day dietary records. Standard (median and percentage) and index-based (Nutrient Adequacy Ratio (NAR) and Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR)) approaches were used to evaluate adequacy to Italian dietary reference values at nutrient- and overall-diet-level. Percentage contribution of macronutrients to energy intake (%En) was unbalanced towards total fats and protein. In 25% of children, total fats intake exceeded the reference intake upper limit. In ~63% of children, protein intake was at least doubled in their child-specific population reference intake. Median intakes of sodium (1.7 g/day), saturated fatty acids (12.2 %En), and soluble carbohydrates (19.4 %En) exceeded the suggested dietary target in most (65-84%) children. Inadequacy was also observed for micronutrients, with median NARs ranging from 0.11 (vitamin D) to 0.90 (zinc). The median MAR was 0.75 (0.69-0.79), with 1 indicating optimal overall dietary intake. In conclusion, the enrolled children showed suboptimal intakes of several macro- and micronutrients, in line with Italian and European studies on primary school children. Based on the current findings, public health interventions may be targeted to specific nutrients or subpopulations.