High TSH levels and thyroid autoimmunity in early pregnancy may detrimentally affect pregnancy and birth outcomes.

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BackgroundPrenatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may increase risk of obesity later in life.ObjectiveWe examined the relation of in utero POPs exposure to offspring obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors at 4 years of age in the Rhea mother–child cohort in Crete, Greece (n = 689).MethodsWe determined concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in first-trimester maternal serum. We measured child weight, height, waist circumference, skinfold thicknesses, blood pressure (BP), blood levels of lipids, C-reactive protein, and adipokines at 4 years of age. Childhood obesity was defined using age- and sex-specific cut points for body mass index (BMI) as recommended by the International Obesity Task Force.ResultsOn multivariable regression analyses, a 10-fold increase in HCB was associated with a higher BMI z-score (adjusted β = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.12, 0.86), obesity [relative risk (RR) = 8.14; 95% CI: 1.85, 35.81], abdominal obesity (RR = 3.49; 95% CI: 1.08, 11.28), greater sum of skinfold thickness (β = 7.71 mm; 95% CI: 2.04, 13.39), and higher systolic BP (β = 4.34 mmHg; 95% CI: 0.63, 8.05) at 4 years of age. Prenatal DDE exposure was associated with higher BMI z-score (β = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.5), abdominal obesity (RR = 3.76; 95% CI: 1.70, 8.30), and higher diastolic BP (β = 1.79 mmHg; 95% CI: 0.13, 3.46). PCBs were not significantly associated with offspring obesity or cardiometabolic risk factors.ConclusionsPrenatal exposure to DDE and HCB was associated with excess adiposity and higher blood pressure levels in early childhood.CitationVafeiadi M, Georgiou V, Chalkiadaki G, Rantakokko P, Kiviranta H, Karachaliou M, Fthenou E, Venihaki M, Sarri K, Vassilaki M, Kyrtopoulos SA, Oken E, Kogevinas M, Chatzi L. 2015. Association of prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants with obesity and cardiometabolic traits in early childhood: the Rhea mother–child cohort (Crete, Greece). Environ Health Perspect 123:1015–1021; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409062

We describe the design, implementation, and results of the Qatar Biobank (QBB) cohort study for the first 10,000 participants. QBB is a prospective, population-based cohort study in Qatar, established in 2012. QBB’s primary goal was to establish a cohort accessible to the local and international scientific community, providing adequate health data and biological samples to enable evidence-based research. The study design is based on an agnostic hypothesis, collecting data using questionnaires, biological samples, imaging data, and -omics. QBB aims to recruit 60,000 participants, men and women, adult (aged ≥18 years) Qataris or long-term residents (≥15 years living in Qatar) and follow up with them every 5 years. Currently, QBB has reached 28% (n = 17,065) of the targeted enrollee population and more than 2 million biological samples. QBB is a multinational cohort including 33 different nationalities, with a relatively young population (mean age, 40.5 years) of persons who are highly educated (50% university-educated) and have high monthly incomes. The 4 main noncommunicable diseases found among the QBB population are dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and asthma with prevalences of 30.1%, 17.4%, 16.8%, and 9.1%, respectively. The QBB repository can provide data and biological samples sufficient to demonstrate valid associations between genetic and/or environmental exposure and disease development to scientists worldwide.

BackgroundPreterm birth (PB) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) convey the highest risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity, as well as increasing the chance of developing chronic disease in later life. Identifying early in pregnancy the unfavourable maternal conditions that can predict poor birth outcomes could help their prevention and management. Here we used an exploratory metabolic profiling approach (metabolomics) to investigate the association between birth outcomes and metabolites in maternal urine collected early in pregnancy as part of the prospective mother–child cohort Rhea study. Metabolomic techniques can simultaneously capture information about genotype and its interaction with the accumulated exposures experienced by an individual from their diet, environment, physical activity or disease (the exposome). As metabolic syndrome has previously been shown to be associated with PB in this cohort, we sought to gain further insight into PB-linked metabolic phenotypes and to define new predictive biomarkers.MethodsOur study was a case–control study nested within the Rhea cohort. Major metabolites (n = 34) in maternal urine samples collected at the end of the first trimester (n = 438) were measured using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In addition to PB, we used FGR in weight and small for gestational age as study endpoints.ResultsWe observed significant associations between FGR and decreased urinary acetate (interquartile odds ratio (IOR) = 0.18 CI 0.04 to 0.60), formate (IOR = 0.24 CI 0.07 to 0.71), tyrosine (IOR = 0.27 CI 0.08 to 0.81) and trimethylamine (IOR = 0.14 CI 0.04 to 0.40) adjusting for maternal education, maternal age, parity, and smoking during pregnancy. These metabolites were inversely correlated with blood insulin. Women with clinically induced PB (IPB) had a significant increase in a glycoprotein N-acetyl resonance (IOR = 5.84 CI 1.44 to 39.50). This resonance was positively correlated with body mass index, and stratified analysis confirmed that N-acetyl glycoprotein and IPB were significantly associated in overweight and obese women only. Spontaneous PB cases were associated with elevated urinary lysine (IOR = 2.79 CI 1.20 to 6.98) and lower formate levels (IOR = 0.42 CI 0.19 to 0.94).ConclusionsUrinary metabolites measured at the end of the first trimester are associated with increased risk of negative birth outcomes, and provide novel information about the possible mechanisms leading to adverse pregnancies in the Rhea cohort. This study emphasizes the potential of metabolic profiling of urine as a means to identify novel non-invasive biomarkers of PB and FGR risk.