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Immunologic biomarkers in relation to exposure markers of PCBs and dioxins in Flemish adolescents (Belgium).

In this study, we investigated 17- to 18-year-old boys and girls to determine whether changes in humoral or cellular immunity or respiratory complaints were related to blood serum levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin-like compounds after lifetime exposure in Flanders (Belgium). We o...

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Autores principales: Van Den Heuvel, Rosette L, Koppen, Gudrun, Staessen, Jan A, Hond, Elly Den, Verheyen, Geert, Nawrot, Tim S, Roels, Harry A, Vlietinck, Robert, Schoeters, Greet E R
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: 2002
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240876/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12055051
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author Van Den Heuvel, Rosette L
Koppen, Gudrun
Staessen, Jan A
Hond, Elly Den
Verheyen, Geert
Nawrot, Tim S
Roels, Harry A
Vlietinck, Robert
Schoeters, Greet E R
author_facet Van Den Heuvel, Rosette L
Koppen, Gudrun
Staessen, Jan A
Hond, Elly Den
Verheyen, Geert
Nawrot, Tim S
Roels, Harry A
Vlietinck, Robert
Schoeters, Greet E R
author_sort Van Den Heuvel, Rosette L
collection PubMed
description In this study, we investigated 17- to 18-year-old boys and girls to determine whether changes in humoral or cellular immunity or respiratory complaints were related to blood serum levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin-like compounds after lifetime exposure in Flanders (Belgium). We obtained blood samples from and administered questionnaires to 200 adolescents recruited from a rural area and two urban suburbs. Physicians recorded medical history and respiratory diseases. We measured immunologic biomarkers such as differential blood cell counts, lymphocyte phenotypes, and serum immunoglobulins. As biomarkers of exposure, we determined the serum concentrations of PCBs (PCB 138, PCB 153, and PCB 180) and dioxin-like compounds [chemical-activated luciferase expression (CALUX) bioassay]. The percentages of eosinophils and natural killer cells in blood were negatively correlated with CALUX toxic equivalents (TEQs) in serum (p = 0.009 and p = 0.05, respectively). Increased serum CALUX TEQs resulted in an increase in serum IgA levels (p = 0.05). Furthermore, levels of specific IgEs (measured by radioallergosorbent tests) of cat dander, house dust mite, and grass pollen were also significantly and negatively associated with the CALUX TEQ, with odds ratios (ORs) equal to 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.42-0.96], 0.68 (0.5-0.93), and 0.70 (0.52-0.95), respectively. In addition, reported allergies of the upper airways and past use of antiallergic drugs were negatively associated with CALUX TEQs, with ORs equal to 0.66 (0.47-0.93) and 0.58 (0.39-0.85), respectively. We found a negative association between IgGs and marker PCBs in serum (p = 0.009). This study shows that immunologic measurements and respiratory complaints in adolescents were associated with environmental exposure to polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs). The negative correlation between PHAHs and allergic responses in adolescents suggested that exposure may entail alterations in the immune status.
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spelling pubmed-12408762005-11-08 Immunologic biomarkers in relation to exposure markers of PCBs and dioxins in Flemish adolescents (Belgium). Van Den Heuvel, Rosette L Koppen, Gudrun Staessen, Jan A Hond, Elly Den Verheyen, Geert Nawrot, Tim S Roels, Harry A Vlietinck, Robert Schoeters, Greet E R Environ Health Perspect Research Article In this study, we investigated 17- to 18-year-old boys and girls to determine whether changes in humoral or cellular immunity or respiratory complaints were related to blood serum levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin-like compounds after lifetime exposure in Flanders (Belgium). We obtained blood samples from and administered questionnaires to 200 adolescents recruited from a rural area and two urban suburbs. Physicians recorded medical history and respiratory diseases. We measured immunologic biomarkers such as differential blood cell counts, lymphocyte phenotypes, and serum immunoglobulins. As biomarkers of exposure, we determined the serum concentrations of PCBs (PCB 138, PCB 153, and PCB 180) and dioxin-like compounds [chemical-activated luciferase expression (CALUX) bioassay]. The percentages of eosinophils and natural killer cells in blood were negatively correlated with CALUX toxic equivalents (TEQs) in serum (p = 0.009 and p = 0.05, respectively). Increased serum CALUX TEQs resulted in an increase in serum IgA levels (p = 0.05). Furthermore, levels of specific IgEs (measured by radioallergosorbent tests) of cat dander, house dust mite, and grass pollen were also significantly and negatively associated with the CALUX TEQ, with odds ratios (ORs) equal to 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.42-0.96], 0.68 (0.5-0.93), and 0.70 (0.52-0.95), respectively. In addition, reported allergies of the upper airways and past use of antiallergic drugs were negatively associated with CALUX TEQs, with ORs equal to 0.66 (0.47-0.93) and 0.58 (0.39-0.85), respectively. We found a negative association between IgGs and marker PCBs in serum (p = 0.009). This study shows that immunologic measurements and respiratory complaints in adolescents were associated with environmental exposure to polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs). The negative correlation between PHAHs and allergic responses in adolescents suggested that exposure may entail alterations in the immune status. 2002-06 /pmc/articles/PMC1240876/ /pubmed/12055051 Text en
spellingShingle Research Article
Van Den Heuvel, Rosette L
Koppen, Gudrun
Staessen, Jan A
Hond, Elly Den
Verheyen, Geert
Nawrot, Tim S
Roels, Harry A
Vlietinck, Robert
Schoeters, Greet E R
Immunologic biomarkers in relation to exposure markers of PCBs and dioxins in Flemish adolescents (Belgium).
title Immunologic biomarkers in relation to exposure markers of PCBs and dioxins in Flemish adolescents (Belgium).
title_full Immunologic biomarkers in relation to exposure markers of PCBs and dioxins in Flemish adolescents (Belgium).
title_fullStr Immunologic biomarkers in relation to exposure markers of PCBs and dioxins in Flemish adolescents (Belgium).
title_full_unstemmed Immunologic biomarkers in relation to exposure markers of PCBs and dioxins in Flemish adolescents (Belgium).
title_short Immunologic biomarkers in relation to exposure markers of PCBs and dioxins in Flemish adolescents (Belgium).
title_sort immunologic biomarkers in relation to exposure markers of pcbs and dioxins in flemish adolescents (belgium).
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240876/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12055051
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