Faculty Bibliography

Aside from specific occupational exposures, ingestion is believed to be the primary route of exposure to PFAS, a class of forever chemicals known for their ability to repel oil and water, reduce friction, and resist high temperatures. The goal was to explore the geographic distribution of PFAS water contamination versus human exposure and identify dietary factors that may explain high PFAS levels among rural residents. We performed PFAS analyses among 160 rural participants, who provided blood samples and survey responses in our chemical exposure cross-sectional study. We mapped the geographic distribution of PFAS contamination based on water testing versus human samples results. We also used health surveys and food frequency questionnaire data to identify factors associated with high PFAS levels. The geographic mismatch between the distribution of PFAS water contamination and human exposure highlights the need to assess other potential sources, which identified potential dietary sources of these chemical hazards.

IMPORTANCE/UNASSIGNED:Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are established neurotoxicants; prenatal OP exposure is widespread in the US population, primarily through diet. Evidence linking prenatal OP exposure to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism-related traits remains inconsistent. OBJECTIVE/UNASSIGNED:To examine the association between prenatal OP exposure and autism-related traits in childhood and to assess potential differences in the association by child sex and maternal diet. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS/UNASSIGNED:This pooled prospective cohort study used harmonized data from mother-child pairs from 20 study sites in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort. Participants were recruited from January 1997 through December 2019, and autism-related outcomes were assessed in children ages 2 to 19 years. Data analysis was performed from April 2024 and November 2025. EXPOSURE/UNASSIGNED:Prenatal OP exposure using urinary concentrations of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) and the sum of 6 dialkyl phosphate (ΣDAP) metabolites. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES/UNASSIGNED:Parents reported autism-related traits in children using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Multivariable linear, quantile, and logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between biomarkers and SRS T scores overall and by child sex, adjusting for maternal sociodemographic and behavioral factors. We further adjusted for dietary factors in additional models and tested effect modification by maternal diet quality in exploratory analyses. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Among 3339 mother-child pairs examined, mean (SD) maternal age was 31 (6) years, 1665 children (49.9%) were female, and the SRS was administered at a mean (SD) age of 6.4 (3.87) years. Crude or minimally adjusted models suggested inverse associations between prenatal TCPy or ΣDAP levels and SRS scores, but these associations attenuated and lost statistical significance after full adjustment (β per doubling of TCPy concentration [ng/mL] = -0.13; 95% CI, -0.57 to 0.31; β per doubling of ΣDAP [nmol/L] = -0.42; 95% CI, -1.03 to 0.19). Results were consistent across sex-stratified models, secondary analyses using quantile and logistic regressions, various sensitivity analyses, and after adjustments for dietary confounders. There was no evidence of effect modification by diet quality. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE/UNASSIGNED:In this large, prospective cohort study among the ECHO cohort, prenatal OP exposure was not associated with autism-related traits in childhood. Given the known adverse impacts of pesticides in other contexts, further research should consider interactions with other factors, genetic susceptibility, higher exposures, or combined chemical mixtures.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Early childhood is a critical window for cardiac development, yet the impact of prenatal factors and early growth patterns on heart structure and function in children with structurally normal hearts remains incompletely described. This study investigates the roles of birth weight (BW), gestational age (GA), birthweight-for-gestational-age (BW/GA) z-score, and weight gain z-score in shaping cardiac dimensions. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:-scores for cardiac dimensions and volumes were used to standardize for body surface area (BSA). BW, BW/GA z-score, GA, and weight gain z-score were analyzed as predictors of these parameters. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Higher weight gain z-score was independently associated with smaller cardiac dimension z-scores, particularly in the aortic root, ascending aorta, left atrium diameter, left ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole, left ventricular internal diameter at end-systole, end-systolic volume, end-diastolic volume, and left ventricular mass. While birth characteristics influenced some cardiac parameters, postnatal weight gain emerged as a more significant predictor of cardiac size. Ejection fraction and fractional shortening were not influenced by the predictors in our analysis. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Our findings suggest that postnatal weight gain was more consistently associated with cardiac structure z-scores than anthropometric characteristics at birth. Specifically, contractile myocardial thicknesses were relatively stable across weight gain patterns, whereas vascular structures showed inverse scaling with higher weight gain.

The prenatal period is a critical window for neurodevelopment, during which maternal metabolic processes are increasingly recognized to shape later behavioral and autism-related traits. We examined associations between targeted maternal urinary metabolomic profiles across pregnancy and preschool emotional, behavioral, and autism-related outcomes in the New York University Children's Health and Environment Study (NYU CHES), a large prospective birth cohort. Targeted metabolomics was conducted on maternal urine samples collected in early, mid, and late pregnancy. Child outcomes were assessed at a mean age of 2.3 years using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) total and DSM-5-oriented autism spectrum disorder (ASD) subscale scores. We applied two-stage mixed-effects models to assess overall pregnancy metabolite levels and timepoint-specific negative binomial models to evaluate trimester-specific associations, with covariate adjustment, sex-stratification, and false discovery rate (FDR) correction. Few associations were observed two-stage models. In timepoint-specific analyses, a robust sex- and timing-specific association emerged: among males, higher third-trimester urinary lysoPC a C26:1 was associated with lower CBCL total and ASD subscale scores, surviving stringent FDR correction and remaining robust after adjustment for maternal diet quality. Additional associations involving taurine, inflammatory markers, and acylcarnitines were observed primarily in sex-stratified or diet-adjusted models but were less robust to multiple testing correction. These findings suggest that prenatal metabolic profiles, particularly lipid- and mitochondrial energy-related pathways in late gestation, may contribute to early behavioral and autism-related traits in a sex-specific manner, underscoring the importance of exposure timing and maternal metabolism in the etiology of neurodevelopmental outcomes.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to examine associations of bisphenol and phthalate exposure with arterial stiffness among women of reproductive age. METHODS:Participants include 637 adult women enrolled in the New York University Children's Health and Environment Study (NYU CHES), a prospective pregnancy cohort. The concentrations of eight bisphenols and 22 phthalate metabolites were quantified in up to three spot urine samples. Primary outcomes included brachial artery distensibility (BrachD) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) as measures of peripheral and central arterial stiffness, respectively, along with blood pressure assessed at repeated study visits up to seven years from exposure measures. Associations between averaged, log2-transformed, creatinine-standardized chemical concentrations and subclinical vascular outcomes of interest were examined using linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS:In covariate-adjusted models, a doubling of bisphenol A was positively associated with BrachD (0.09%/mmHg, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.02, 0.16), a doubling of bisphenol S was negatively associated with mean arterial pressure (MAP) (-0.52 mmHg, 95% CI = -0.98, -0.05), a doubling of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolites was negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (-0.81 mmHg, 95% CI = -1.38, -0.23) and MAP (-0.83 mmHg, 95% CI = -1.45, -0.21), and a doubling of antiandrogenic phthalate metabolites was associated with 0.62 mmHg lower DBP (95% CI = -1.22, -0.03) and 0.66 mmHg lower MAP (95% CI = -1.30, -0.02). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:These findings suggest that routine exposure to bisphenols and DEHP may be associated with vasorelaxation, potentially related to these chemicals' estrogenic and/or antiandrogenic effects.

BACKGROUND:Emerging data suggests that glyphosate, a non-selective herbicide, can influence reproductive health. We investigated associations of prenatal exposure to glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), with preterm birth and its subtypes. METHODS:We used data from the NYU Children's Health and Environmental Study, a prospective birth cohort in New York City (2016-2019). Participants (n=1450) provided urine samples at 4 to <18 weeks and 18 to 25 weeks gestation. Exposure was adjusted for creatinine and natural log transformed. Preterm birth was defined as a birth occurring before 37 weeks of gestation. We also explored preterm birth subtypes, spontaneous preterm births and medically indicated preterm births as secondary outcomes. To examine associations between glyphosate and AMPA at both timepoints with preterm birth, we used generalized estimating equations with a logit link function. RESULTS:Overall, 7% (n=103) of births were preterm. Glyphosate concentrations at 18-25 weeks was associated with preterm birth (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.76) and spontaneous preterm birth (OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.90). AMPA was not associated with preterm birth in any model. CONCLUSIONS:These results support evidence that glyphosate may act upon pathways leading to preterm birth and spontaneous preterm birth. Our study highlights pregnancy as a vulnerable period to glyphosate exposure.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW/OBJECTIVE:Diabetes care is characterized by the widespread use of plastics. With plastic-associated endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) implicated in diabetes pathogenesis, this review examines how medical plastics relate to diabetes and related disorders and proposes interventions to improve the situation. RECENT FINDINGS/RESULTS:Plastic-associated EDCs and micro-/nanoplastics (MNPs) are linked to metabolic dysfunction. Medical care exposes patients to these agents; however, the precise contribution of diabetes care to these exposures and their associated adverse health effects remains poorly defined. Diabetes care is an increasingly important contributor to plastic pollution and climate change, yet inadequate systems exist to mitigate its environmental impact. Plastic-associated EDCs and MNPs remain an underappreciated metabolic health threat. Mitigating the deleterious impacts of plastics on human and planetary health requires concerted actions from manufacturers, scientists, policymakers, professional organizations, healthcare providers, and patients. Doing so has the potential to improve metabolic health and promote health equity.

Relatively few epidemiologic studies in the US have measured the short-chain replacement per- or polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), and little is known about its health impacts. We measured prenatal serum concentrations of 13 PFAS, including PFBS, among 500 participants in the New York University Children's Health and Environment Study (NYU CHES) between 2016 and 2019. We investigated associations of PFAS exposures with demographic characteristics, including location of residence, and conducted an exploratory factor analysis to investigate common sources of exposure. PFBS concentrations were quantified in 95.6% of samples (median 0.40 ng/mL), which was unexpectedly higher than serum PFBS concentrations reported in other US-based cohorts. PFBS concentrations were not correlated with other PFAS, though they were positively correlated with each other. Unlike other PFAS, PFBS concentrations were not associated with participant characteristics, and there was no evidence for spatial autocorrelation. The changing PFAS exposure landscape warrants further investigation into the health effects of short-chain replacements, particularly in vulnerable populations.

BACKGROUND:Emerging evidence suggests endocrine disrupting chemicals, including bisphenols and phthalates, may affect behavioral development in children and adolescents. Risk behavior constitutes a potentially sex hormone sensitive behavioral construct. Here, we examined longitudinal associations of phthalate and bisphenol exposure with performance-based tasks and self-reported risk-taking behaviors. METHODS:Within a population-based birth cohort in the Netherlands, urinary bisphenols and phthalate metabolite concentrations were measured in women during pregnancy (three times, n = 1379) and in children (once at 6 years, n = 775). At 10 years, child risk-taking behavior was assessed with the computerized experimental Columbia Card Task (CCT). At 14 years, adolescents completed a computerized self-assessment of real-life risk-taking behaviors. Linear regression and hurdle models adjusted for confounders were applied in the whole sample and stratified by sex at birth. RESULTS:After multiple testing correction, no associations in all children or in boys were found for prenatal or childhood phthalate exposure with the average CCT-score. In girls, prenatal mono-isobutyl phthalate was associated with a higher average CCT-score, indicting more risk-taking (B per 10-fold increase in creatinine-adjusted average prenatal levels = 2.10, 95% CI: 0.69,3.52). No associations were observed for bisphenol exposure nor for self-reported risk-taking. CONCLUSIONS:Prenatal phthalate exposure was associated with more risk-taking in an experimental task at 10 years-of-age in girls only. The task reflects risky decision-making, which may be a hormonally sensitive construct. Risky decision making potentially precedes real-life risk-taking, which was captured by the self-reported measure and was limited in this young sample.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Prior work has suggested poorer performance on Fluid, but not Crystallized, NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NTCB) subtests in autistic youth relative to neurotypical individuals. This study sought to extend previous findings using a larger sample from a nationwide multi-cohort study and to examine the effect of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) status on cognitive functioning. METHODS/UNASSIGNED: = 737) were included in the analyses. We used a general linear model framework to examine group differences in task performance, and we used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify subgroups of individuals with similar cognitive profiles. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:The AUT and AUT + ADHD groups had lower NTCB Fluid Cognition Index Scores compared to the noAUTADHD group, whereas no group differences in the Crystallized Cognition Index Score were observed. No significant differences in the NTCB subtest or index scores were found between the AUT and AUT + ADHD groups. Sex-stratified analyses revealed no sex differences. LPA identified four distinct NTCB groups, with a substantial proportion of the AUT group (19%) assigned to the class with higher Crystallized versus Fluid Cognition Index Scores; however, there was considerable overlap between the diagnostic groups within the LPA classes. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Autistic individuals experience difficulties with fluid NTCB tasks and those with co-occurring ADHD do not appear to face greater difficulties than those with autism alone. However, there was a notable proportion of autistic individuals with average or superior cognitive performance, highlighting the importance of strength-based and transdiagnostic research approaches.