Twin research and environmental geocoding to unravel nature vs nurture

This research was conducted to investigate the effect of the early-life environment of twins, i.e. residential exposure to air pollution, traffic and greenness, on outcomes at birth and at adulthood. We investigated the exposure at the maternal residential address during pregnancy and its effect on birth weight and biomarkers of ageing in placental tissue, i.e. mitochondrial DNA content and telomere length. Next, we intend to unravel the nature-nurture contribution to these biomarkers of ageing. Twin research provides this opportunity to gain insight in the relative importance of genes and environment. In addition, we also studied the relation between of the early-life environment and blood pressure or telomere length in young adulthood. Both parameters are associated with the development of cardiovascular disease. We hypothesize that an adverse early-life environment will increase the risk of disease later in life. Although numerous studies have investigated the health effects of air pollution exposure in adults, knowledge on the effects of the early-life environment on birth outcomes, ageing, and disease outcome later in life is limited. The overall hypothesis of this doctoral dissertation is that exposure in the early-life environment of twins affects outcomes both early and later in life. Our results indicates that residential greenness during the early-life environment has persistent effects on blood pressure. We observed that prenatal exposure to air pollution and traffic was respectively associated with a suboptimal fetal growth and a change in placental biomarkers of ageing. Besides these outcomes at birth, we noted that exposure to traffic early in life was associated with shorter telomere length in young adulthood and that surrounding greenness in early-life is associated with a lower blood pressure in adulthood

Twin research and environmental geocoding to unravel nature vs nurture

This research was conducted to investigate the effect of the early-life environment of twins, i.e. residential exposure to air pollution, traffic and greenness, on outcomes at birth and at adulthood. We investigated the exposure at the maternal residential address during pregnancy and its effect on birth weight and biomarkers of ageing in placental tissue, i.e. mitochondrial DNA content and telomere length. Next, we intend to unravel the nature-nurture contribution to these biomarkers of ageing. Twin research provides this opportunity to gain insight in the relative importance of genes and environment. In addition, we also studied the relation between of the early-life environment and blood pressure or telomere length in young adulthood. Both parameters are associated with the development of cardiovascular disease. We hypothesize that an adverse early-life environment will increase the risk of disease later in life. Although numerous studies have investigated the health effects of air pollution exposure in adults, knowledge on the effects of the early-life environment on birth outcomes, ageing, and disease outcome later in life is limited. The overall hypothesis of this doctoral dissertation is that exposure in the early-life environment of twins affects outcomes both early and later in life. Our results indicates that residential greenness during the early-life environment has persistent effects on blood pressure. We observed that prenatal exposure to air pollution and traffic was respectively associated with a suboptimal fetal growth and a change in placental biomarkers of ageing. Besides these outcomes at birth, we noted that exposure to traffic early in life was associated with shorter telomere length in young adulthood and that surrounding greenness in early-life is associated with a lower blood pressure in adulthood

Impact of traffic related air pollution indicators on non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis mortality: a cohort analysis

Mortality in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) is known to be influenced by a number of factors such as gender, age, smoking history and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but the impact of traffic related air pollution indicators on NCFB mortality is unknown.status: publishe

Residential green space and child intelligence and behavior across urban, suburban, and rural areas in Belgium: A longitudinal birth cohort study of twins.

BACKGROUND:Exposure to green space has beneficial effects on several cognitive and behavioral aspects. However, to our knowledge, no study addressed intelligence as outcome. We investigated whether the level of urbanicity can modify the association of residential green space with intelligence and behavior in children. METHODS AND FINDINGS:This study includes 620 children and is part of the East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey (EFPTS), a registry of multiple births in the province of East Flanders, Belgium. Intelligence was assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) in 620 children (310 twin pairs) between 7 and 15 years old. From a subset of 442 children, behavior was determined based on the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Prenatal and childhood residential addresses were geocoded and used to assign green space indicators. Mixed modeling was performed to investigate green space in association with intelligence and behavior while adjusting for potential confounding factors including sex, age, parental education, neighborhood household income, year of assessment, and zygosity and chorionicity. We found that residential green space in association with both intelligence and behavior in children was modified by the degree of urbanicity (p < 0.001). In children living in an urban environment, multivariable adjusted mixed modeling analysis revealed that an IQR increment of residential green space (3,000-m radius) was associated with a 2.6 points (95% CI 1.4-3.9; p < 0.001) higher total intelligence quotient (IQ) and 2.0 points (95% CI -3.5 to -0.4; p = 0.017) lower externalizing behavioral score. In children residing in a rural or suburban environment, no association was found. A limitation of this study is that no information was available on school location and the potential for unmeasured confounding (e.g., time spend outdoors). CONCLUSIONS:Our results indicate that residential green space may be beneficial for the intellectual and the behavioral development of children living in urban areas. These findings are relevant for policy makers and urban planners to create an optimal environment for children to develop their full potential

Health effects of exposure to residential air pollution in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension : a cohort study in Belgium

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Residential air pollution increases the risk for persistent pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy

The University Hospitals of Leuven is member of the European Reference Network for rare lung diseases (ERN-LUNG). The authors would like to thank the Belgian Association of Patients for Pulmonary Hypertension (Belgische Pulmonale Hypertensie Patiëntenvereniging) for its support

Prenatal green space exposure and child's cognition: mediation by cord blood IGF1 in the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort

Background: Green space exposure has been linked to improved cognitive functioning over the life course. We examined whether newborn insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) plays a part in this. Methods: We measured cord blood plasma IGF1 in 317 mother-child pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. Prenatal green space exposure was assessed within several radii (50-1000 m) around the maternal residence. Multivariable linear regression models were used to associate IGF1 levels with green space exposure. Cognitive functioning was assessed at follow-up at 4 to 6 years of age, using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), and converted to components by principal component analysis. Mediation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between green space exposure and cognitive functioning, with IGF1 as a mediator. Findings: Prenatal short vegetation (< 3 m in height) exposure associated with newborn IGF1 within 50, 100 and 1000 m (P <= 0.05), and newborn IGF1 significantly predicted the neurocognitive domain of attention/psychomotor speed during childhood (P < 0.01). Newborn IGF1 significantly mediated the association between prenatal short vegetation exposure and the latencies of the Motor Screening task and the Big/Little Circle task: Per IQR increase in short vegetation within 50 m, the latencies decreased by 0.45 % (95 % CI: -0.986 to -0.047, P = 0.014) and 0.48 % (95 % CI: -1.164 to -0.016, P = 0.044) via IGF1. Interpretation: Residential surrounding green space during pregnancy may be associated with long-lasting cognitive benefits for the child, mediated through higher cord blood IGF1 protein levels at birth.Funding European Research Council, the Flemish government’s Methusalem program. Acknowledgments ENVIRONAGE is supported by grants of the European Union Research Council (grant number 2012-StG.310898), the Methusalem Fund of the Flemish government, Belgium, The Flemish Research Council and various European Union Horizonprojects (Eximious, Mistral, Athlete,…). DM holds a postdoctoral grant by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant 12X9623N)

Association of Parental Socioeconomic Status and Newborn Telomere Length

Importance Low socioeconomic status is associated with higher all-cause mortality and risks for aging-related diseases. Biological aging is a potential process underlying health conditions related to social disadvantages, which may be present from birth onward. Objective To evaluate the association of parental socioeconomic status with telomere length (TL) at birth, a marker of biological aging. Design, Setting, and Participants This prospective birth cohort study was conducted among 1504 mother-newborn pairs in Belgium recruited between February 1, 2010, and July 1, 2017. Exposures Parental socioeconomic measures, including maternal educational level, occupation, paternal educational level, and neighborhood income based on median annual household income. Main Outcomes and Measures Mean relative TL was measured in cord blood and placental tissue. By constructing a principal component, an integrative socioeconomic measure was derived that integrates parental socioeconomic status and neighborhood income. Multivariable adjusted regression analyses were performed to associate the integrative socioeconomic measure and TL at birth. Results In 1026 newborns (517 boys; mean [SD] gestational age, 39.2 [1.4] weeks), a higher socioeconomic status was associated with longer cord blood TL and placental TL. Each unit increment in the integrative socioeconomic status measure was associated with 2.1% (95% CI, 0.9%-3.4%; P < .001) longer cord blood TL in boys, while no association was observed for girls (0.5% longer cord blood TL; 95% CI, −0.9% to 1.8%; P = .50). The sex-specific socioeconomic status interaction revealed a stronger association in boys compared with newborn girls (1.6%; 95% CI, 0.02%-3.3%; P = .047 for interaction). In placental tissue, higher socioeconomic status was associated with 1.8% (95% CI, 0.3%-3.3%; P = .02) longer TL in newborn boys but not in girls (0.4% longer TL; 95% CI, −1.2% to 2.0%; P = .63). For placental tissue, no sex and socioeconomic status interaction on TL was observed (1.4%; 95% CI, −0.5% to 3.4%; P = .16 for interaction). Conclusions and Relevance This study suggests that parental socioeconomic status is associated with newborn TL, especially in boys. The results indicate that familial social economic factors are associated with the potential cellular longevity of the next generation, with a potential higher transgenerational vulnerability for newborn boys.This work was supported by grant ERC-2012-StG 310898 from the European Program “Ideas” and by grant G073315N from the Flemish Scientific Fund. Drs Martens (FWO grant 12X9620N) and Janssen (FWO grant 12W3218N) are postdoctoral fellows of the Flanders Research Foundation

The East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey (EFPTS):55 Years Later

The East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey (EFPTS) is a registry of multiple births in the province of East Flanders, Belgium. Since its start in 1964, over 10,000 twin-pairs have been registered. EFPTS has several unique features: it is population-based and prospective, with the possibility of long-term follow-up; the twins (and higher order multiple births) are recruited at birth; basic perinatal data are recorded; chorion type and zygosity are established; since 1969, placental biopsies have been taken and frozen at -20 degrees C for future research. Since its origin, the EFPTS has included placental data and allows differentiation of three subtypes of monozygotic twins based on the time of the initial zygotic division: the dichorionic-diamniotic pairs (early, with splitting before the fourth day after fertilization), the monochorionic-diamniotic pairs (intermediate, splitting between the fourth- and the seventh-day postfertilization) and the monochorionic-monoamniotic pairs (late, splitting after the eighth day postfertilization). Studies can be initiated taking into account primary biases, those originating 'in utero'. Such studies could throw new light on the consequences of early embryological events and the gene-environment interactions as far as periconceptional and intrauterine environment are concerned