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BackgroundDue to the increased survival rates of patients with congenital heart defects (CHD), associated disorders are an increasing focus of research. Existing studies figured out an association between CHD and its treatment, and neurodevelopmental outcomes including motor competence impairments. All these studies, however, compared their test results with reference values or results of healthy control groups. This comparison is influenced by socioeconomic and genetic aspects, which do have a known impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes. ObjectiveThis study protocol describes a setting that aims to find out the role of CHD and its treatments on neurodevelopmental outcomes, excluding socioeconomic and genetic aspects. Only a twin comparison provides the possibility to exclude these confounding factors. MethodsIn a German-wide prospective cohort study, 129 twin siblings registered in the National Register for Congenital Heart Defects will undergo testing on cognitive function (Wechsler Intelligence Tests age-dependent: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, fourth edition; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fifth edition; and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, fourth edition) and motor competence (Movement Assessment Battery for Children, second edition). Additionally, the self-reported health-related quality of life (KINDL-R for children, Short Form 36 for adults) and the parent-reported strength and difficulties of the children (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, German version) will be assessed by standardized questionnaires. CHD data on the specific diagnosis, surgeries, transcatheter procedures, and additional medical information will be received from patient records. ResultsThe approval of the Medical Ethics Committee Charité Mitte was obtained in June 2018. After getting funded in April 2019, the first enrollment was in August 2019. The study is still ongoing until June 2022. Final results are expected in 2022. ConclusionsThis study protocol provides an overview of the study design’s technical details, offering an option to exclude confounding factors on neurodevelopmental outcomes in patients with CHD. This will enable a specific analysis focusing on CHD and clinical treatments to differentiate in terms of neurodevelopmental outcomes of patients with CHD compared to twin siblings with healthy hearts. Finally, we aim to clearly define what is important to prevent patients with CHD in terms of neurodevelopmental impairments to be able to develop targeted prevention strategies for patients with CHD. Trial RegistrationGerman Clinical Trials Register DRKS00021087; https://tinyurl.com/2rdw8w67 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/26404

Introduction It has been well documented that microplastics, pieces of plastic 1 [micro]m-5 mm in size, are a pervasive contaminant in the environment globally. (1) More recently, scientists have demonstrated [...], BACKGROUND: Microplastics are a pervasive contaminant cycling through food webs--leading to concerns regarding exposure and risk to humans. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to quantify and characterize anthropogenic particle contamination (including microplastics) in fish caught for human consumption from the Humber Bay region of Lake Ontario. We related quantities of anthropogenic particles to other factors (e.g., fish size) that may help in understanding accumulation of microplastics in fish. METHODS: A total of 45 samples of six fish species collected from Humber Bay in Lake Ontario near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, were examined for anthropogenic particles in their gastrointestinal (GI) tracts and fillets. Using microscopy and spectroscopy, suspected anthropogenic particles were identified and characterized. RESULTS: We observed anthropogenic particles in the GI tracts and fillets of all species. Individual fish had a mean[+ or -] standard deviation of 138 [+ or -] 231 anthropogenic particles, with a single fish containing up to 1,508 particles. GI tracts had 93 [+ or -] 226 particles/fish (9.8 [+ or -] 32.6 particles/gram), and fillets had 56 [+ or -] 61 particles/fish (0.5 [+ or -] 0.8 particles/gram). Based on a consumption rate of 2 servings/week, the average yearly human exposure through the consumption of these fish fillets would be 12,800 [+ or -] 18,300 particles. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that consumption of recreationally caught freshwater fish can be a pathway for human exposure to microplastics. The elevated number of particles observed in fish from Humber Bay highlights the need for large-scale geographic monitoring, especially near sources of microplastics. Currently, it is unclear what the effects of ingesting microplastics are for humans, but given that recreationally caught freshwater fish are one pathway for human exposure, these data can be incorporated into future human health risk assessment frameworks for microplastics. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13540

Previous studies have evaluated method performance for quantifying and characterizing microplastics in clean water, but little is known about the efficacy of procedures used to extract microplastics from complex matrices. Here we provided 15 laboratories with samples representing four matrices (i.e., drinking water, fish tissue, sediment, and surface water) each spiked with a known number of microplastic particles spanning a variety of polymers, morphologies, colors, and sizes. Percent recovery (i.e., accuracy) in complex matrices was particle size dependent, with ∼60-70% recovery for particles >212 μm, but as little as 2% recovery for particles

Microscopy is often the first step in microplastic analysis and is generally followed by spectroscopy to confirm material type. The value of microscopy lies in its ability to provide count, size, color, and morphological information to inform toxicity and source apportionment. To assess the accuracy and precision of microscopy, we conducted a method evaluation study. Twenty-two laboratories from six countries were provided three blind spiked clean water samples and asked to follow a standard operating procedure. The samples contained a known number of microplastics with different morphologies (fiber, fragment, sphere), colors (clear, white, green, blue, red, and orange), polymer types (PE, PS, PVC, and PET), and sizes (ranging from roughly 3-2000 μm), and natural materials (natural hair, fibers, and shells; 100-7000 μm) that could be mistaken for microplastics (i.e., false positives). Particle recovery was poor for the smallest size fraction (3-20 μm). Average recovery (±StDev) for all reported particles >50 μm was 94.5 ± 56.3%. After quality checks, recovery for >50 μm spiked particles was 51.3 ± 21.7%. Recovery varied based on morphology and color, with poorest recovery for fibers and the largest deviations for clear and white particles. Experience mattered; less experienced laboratories tended to report higher concentration and had a higher variance among replicates. Participants identified opportunity for increased accuracy and precision through training, improved color and morphology keys, and method alterations relevant to size fractionation. The resulting data informs future work, constraining and highlighting the value of microscopy for microplastics.

Urban areas are expanding rapidly and experience diverse and complex contamination of their surface waters. Addressing these issues requires different tools to describe exposures and predict toxicological risk to exposed biota. We surveyed 21 stormwater management ponds in Brampton, Ontario using three types of sampling methods deployed concurrently: time-integrated water sampling, biofilms cultured on artificial substrates, and organic-diffusive gradients in thin films (o-DGT) passive samplers. Our objective was to compare pesticide occurrences and concentrations to inform monitoring in stormwater ponds, which reflect pesticide pollution in urban areas. We detected 82 pesticides across the three sampling matrices, with most detections occurring in o-DGT samplers. The in situ accumulation of pesticides in o-DGTs during deployment and the high analytical sensitivity achieved establishes o-DGTs as excellent tools for capturing the mixtures of pesticides present. Water and biofilm sampling demonstrated that pesticide concentrations available for uptake are relatively low, with most below toxicological thresholds. Yet our results demonstrate that urban areas are subject to a wide range of pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, and underscores the urgency of research to quantify the risks of chronic exposure to this chemical mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]