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Background: An increasing number of studies have reported neonicotinoid insecticides (NEOs), the emerging alternatives to conventional insecticides, may increase oxidative stress and cause adverse health effects, but limited is known about the prenatal NEOs exposures and their impact on birth outcomes., Objectives: We investigated the levels of prenatal exposure to NEOs/metabolites, to assess their associations with birth outcomes, and investigate whether these associations could be mediated by oxidative stress using 8-OHdG as the biomarker., Methods: We studied 296 mother-infant pairs recruited from Laizhou Wan Birth Cohort in 2010 - 2013. Two NEOs (IMI and ACE), three metabolites (6-CN, ND-ACE, and 2CTCA), and 8-OHdG were measured in maternal urine collected before delivery. Birth outcomes including birth weight, birth length, ponderal index (PI), head circumference, and gestational age, were acquired. We examined the associations between NEOs/metabolites and birth outcomes using multivariable linear regression. Mediation analysis was conducted to clarify the role of 8-OHdG on the association of NEOs/metabolites exposure and birth outcomes., Results: Highest detection rate was observed for ACE (100.0%), followed by IMI (98.3%) and 6-CN (98.0%), suggesting the common exposure of pregnant women. The highest median concentration was observed for 6-CN with creatinine-adjusted median levels of 9.58 μg/g creatinine. A decrease in newborns' head circumference was observed with a 10-fold increase in IMI (β = -1.83; 95% CI = -3.04, -0.62) and ACE (β = -2.27; 95% CI = -3.56, -0.98). An increase in newborns' PI was observed with a 10-fold increase in IMI (β = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.75). Maternal 8-OHdG demonstrated 38.5-65.5% mediating effects in the negative association of IMI, ACE, 2-CTCA with head circumference. These associations might differ between boys and girls., Conclusions: Pregnant women were widely exposed to NEOs/metabolites in China. Results suggested the potential impacts of prenatal exposure to certain neonicotinoid insecticides on head circumference. Urinary 8-OHdG may partly mediate these associations., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are believed to impair early neurodevelopment and disrupt thyroid hormone (TH) levels. However, there are limited epidemiological data on the neurodevelopmental effects in infancy of prenatal PFAS exposure and the potential mediating effects of TH., Objectives: To evaluate potential associations between prenatal PFAS exposure and early neurodevelopmental deficiencies, and assess mediator effects of TH., Methods: From 2010 to 2013, 274 mother-infant pairs were recruited to the Laizhou Wan Birth Cohort in China. Ten PFAS and five TH were measured in cord serum. Developmental quotient (DQ) from 5 domains (adaptive, social, language, gross and fine motor) was assessed using Gesell Developmental Schedules for each child at 1 year of age. The associations between PFAS and DQs were evaluated using multivariable linear regressions. TH-mediated effects of PFAS on DQs were calculated by mediation analyses., Results: Among our study population, PFAS exposures were common and associated with DQ decrement in infants. For each 10-fold increase in PFBS concentrations, gross motor and adaptive DQ decreased by 8.56 (95%CI: -15.15, -1.97) and 5.87 (95%CI: -8.07, -3.67) points, respectively. TSH mediated 12.90% of the association of PFBS with gross motor DQ and FT4 explained 19.63% of the association of PFBS with adaptive DQ. The negative association was also found between PFHxS exposure and gross motor DQ (β = 8.14, 95%CI: -15.39, -0.98)., Conclusions: PFBS and PFHxS were negatively associated with early neurodevelopment, especially consistent in gross motor domain. The associations were partly explained by TSH and FT4., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pregnant women are ubiquitously exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Prenatal exposure to PFAS has been associated with lower birth weight but also with excess adiposity and higher weight in childhood. These mixed findings warrant investigation of the relationship between PFAS and dynamic offspring growth., Objectives: To investigate the association between prenatal PFAS exposure and early-life growth trajectories during the first 2 y., Methods: Pregnant women ( n = 3,426 ) were recruited from 2013 to 2016 from the Shanghai Birth Cohort (SBC) Study, and their children were followed up from birth to 2 y of age. Seven PFAS congeners were quantified in pregnant women's serum during the first trimester. Our study population was restricted to 1,350 children who had five repeated measurements for at least one anthropometric measure. Four anthropometric measures, including weight, length/height, weight-for-length, and head circumference, were evaluated at birth, 42 d, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months, and standardized into z -scores using the World Health Organization reference. Trajectories of each measure were classified into five groups using group-based trajectory modeling. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for trajectory groups according to log 2 -transformed PFAS concentrations, and the moderate-stable group was selected as the reference group for all measures., Results: Higher prenatal exposure to PFAS was associated with elevated odds for the low-rising weight-for-age z -score (WAZ) trajectory, and the high-rising length-for-age z -score (LAZ) trajectory. Meanwhile, PFAS levels were associated with decreased odds for the low-rising and high-rising weight-for-length z -score (WLZ) trajectories. In addition, the associations of PFAS with growth trajectory groups differed by sex, where males had greater odds for the low-rising and low-stable WAZ trajectories and for the high-stable and low-rising WLZ trajectories. In contrast, inverse associations were consistently observed with trajectories of the high-stable, low-stable, and low-rising head-circumference-for-age z -score (HCZ) in relation to most individual PFAS congeners. PFAS mixtures analysis further confirmed the above findings., Discussion: Trajectory analysis approach provided insight into the complex associations between PFAS exposure and offspring growth. Future studies are warranted to confirm the present findings with trajectory modeling strategies and understand the clinical significance of these trajectory groups. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9875.