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Retrospectivein utero exposure assessment of PCBs using preserved umbilical cords and its application to case-control
Takamitsu Otake1, Jun Yoshinaga, Yoshie Seki
1Institute of Environmental Studies, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo, 113-8656, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Preserved umbilical cords can assess in utero chemical exposure. This study found no significant difference in polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) levels between autistic children and their siblings, suggesting further research is needed.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Toxicology
Background:
- Investigating prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals is crucial for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Umbilical cords offer a potential medium for retrospective analysis of in utero chemical exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate preserved umbilical cords as a tool for assessing in utero chemical exposure.
- To explore the relationship between in utero polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using preserved umbilical cords.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in preserved umbilical cord samples from healthy Japanese subjects and sibling pairs (autistic patients and their healthy siblings).
- Comparison of PCB concentrations between autistic patients and their control siblings, accounting for potential contamination during sample storage.
Main Results:
- Potential for external PCBs contamination during storage of preserved umbilical cord samples was identified.
- No statistically significant difference in total PCBs concentrations was found between preserved umbilical cords from autistic patients and their control siblings (p>0.05).
Conclusions:
- The study did not clarify the association between autism and in utero PCBs exposure.
- Preserved umbilical cords are a viable method for retrospective studies investigating in utero chemical exposure and childhood disorders, particularly in sibling-based case-control designs.
Objectives:
The aim of this study is to assess preserved umbilical cords as chemical exposure media to investigatein utero chemical exposure. Furthermore, we aim to apply preserved umbilical cords to retrospective studies of the relationship betweenin utero chemical exposure and neurodevelopment disorders.
Methods:
Two sets of preserved umbilical cord samples were analyzed for exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): one composed of samples from 20 healthy Japanese subjects and the other set included samples from 17 autistic patients and 7 healthy sibling of theirs.
Results:
The possibility of external PCBs contamination during storage of preserved umbilical cord samples was found, and due to this problem, the study design should be limited to the comparison between PCBs concentration in preserved cord samples from autistic patients and that in those from their sibling. Total PCBs concentrations in preserved cords from autistic patients and their control siblings were compared and we found no statistically significant difference between them (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p>0.05).
Conclusions:
The association between autism andin utero PCBs exposure was not clarified in this study; however, retrospective studies such as a case-control study of siblings using preserved umbilical cords can be a method of choice for examining the possible relationship betweenin utero chemical exposure and child hood disorders.
