We found age and sex differences in the association between urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and body weight outcomes. Reverse causation cannot be excluded since overweight and obese people will have more fat mass, they may store more phthalates, thus leading to higher excretion concentrations.

IntroductionThe 2016 National Academies of Sciences report “Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability” included a call to action for government agencies to strengthen efforts to collect, analyze, and disseminate population-based data on hearing loss in adults.MethodsCDC analyzed the most recent available data collected both by questionnaire and audiometric tests of adult participants aged 20–69 years in the 2011–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to determine the presence of audiometric notches indicative of noise-induced hearing loss. Prevalence of both unilateral and bilateral audiometric notches and their association with sociodemographics and self-reported exposure to loud noise were calculated.ResultsNearly one in four adults (24%) had audiometric notches, suggesting a high prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss. The prevalence of notches was higher among males. Almost one in four U.S. adults who reported excellent or good hearing had audiometric notches (5.5% bilateral and 18.0% unilateral). Among participants who reported exposure to loud noise at work, almost one third had a notch.Conclusions and Implications for Public Health PracticeNoise-induced hearing loss is a significant, often unrecognized health problem among U.S. adults. Discussions between patients and personal health care providers about hearing loss symptoms, tests, and ways to protect hearing might help with early diagnosis of hearing loss and provide opportunities to prevent harmful noise exposures. Avoiding prolonged exposure to loud environments and using personal hearing protection devices can prevent noise-induced hearing loss.

Ig Fc receptors bind to immune complexes through interactions with the Fc regions of specific Ab subclasses to initiate or inhibit the defense mechanisms of the leukocytes on which they are expressed. The mechanism of action of IgG-based therapeutic molecules, which are routinely evaluated in nonhuman primate models, involves binding to the low-affinity FcRIII (CD16). The premise that IgG/CD16 interactions in nonhuman primates mimic those present in humans has not been evaluated. Therefore, we have identified and characterized CD16 and associated TCR ζ-chain homologues in rhesus macaques, cynomolgus macaques, baboons, and sooty mangabeys. Similar to humans, CD16 expression was detected on a lymphocyte subpopulation, on monocytes, and on neutrophils of sooty mangabeys. However, CD16 was detected only on a lymphocyte subpopulation and on monocytes in macaques and baboons. A nonhuman primate rCD16 generated in HeLa cells interacted with human IgG1 and IgG2. By contrast, human CD16 binds to IgG1 and IgG3. As shown for humans, the mAb 3G8 was able to block IgG binding to nonhuman primate CD16 and inhibition of nonhuman primate CD16 N-glycosylation enhanced IgG binding. Clearly, differences in interaction with IgG subclasses and in cell-type expression should be considered when using these models for in vivo evaluation of therapeutic Abs.

Background: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known carcinogens and suspected endocrine disruptors. Prenatal exposure to PAHs has been associated with obesity in early childhood.Objective: We examined the association of urinary PAH metabolites with adiposity outcomes [body mass index (BMI) z-score, waist circumference (WC), and rate of obesity] in children and adolescents.Methods: We performed whole-sample analyses of 3,189 individuals 6–19 years of age who participated in the 2001–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We performed multivariate linear and logistic regression to analyze the association of BMI z-score, WC, and obesity with concentrations of single urinary PAH compounds and the sum of PAHs. Furthermore, the analyses were stratified by developmental stage [i.e., children (6–11 years) and adolescents (12–19 years)].Results: BMI z-score, WC, and obesity were positively associated with the molecular mass sum of the PAHs and the total sum of naphthalene metabolites. Most associations increased monotonically with increasing quartiles of exposure among children 6–11 years of age, whereas dose–response trends were less consistent for adolescents (12–19 years of age). Neither total PAHs nor total naphthalene metabolites were associated with overweight in either age group, and there was little evidence of associations between the outcomes and individual PAHs.Conclusions: Total urinary PAH metabolites and naphthalene metabolites were associated with higher BMI, WC, and obesity in children 6–11 years of age, with positive but less consistent associations among adolescents.Citation: Scinicariello F, Buser MC. 2014. Urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and childhood obesity: NHANES (2001–2006). Environ Health Perspect 122:299–303; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307234