Olshan Andrew F
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7435, USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Dec;115(12):1767-79. doi: 10.1289/ehp.10511.
Dried blood spots (DBS) are routinely collected from newborns in the United States using a heel stick. The DBS are screened for inborn errors of metabolism and other disorders. More states are keeping residual spots and making them available for research purposes. DNA extraction from the DBS has been widely applied; however, the development of methods to measure a range of environmental toxicants in DBS has been a more recent goal for laboratory scientists and epidemiologists.
The purpose of the meeting was to examine the utility of DBS to measure environmental exposures. Speakers and discussants were invited to present data and discuss approaches to measure a range of analytes using DBS.
This meeting was held on 20 February 2007 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The audience consisted of epidemiologists, chemists, and staff from state public health programs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health. The meeting included presentations on measurement of flame-retarding chemicals and pesticides, metals, perchlorate, infectious agents, markers of immune status, and protein adducts. Analytical methods included mass spectrometry, atomic absorption, molecular methods, and microfluidic techniques. Significant progress was reported, but important challenges remain. Concerns including storage conditions, sample volume, contamination, and normalization require additional systematic evaluation. In addition, DBS storage and access policies require coordination.
DBS remain a highly valuable resource for clinical, epidemiologic, and toxicologic investigation. The use of DBS to measure environmental exposures shows promise but additional work is necessary before more widespread use is warranted.
在美国，通常通过足跟采血从新生儿中采集干血斑（DBS）。这些干血斑用于筛查先天性代谢缺陷和其他疾病。越来越多的州保留剩余血斑并将其用于研究目的。从干血斑中提取DNA已得到广泛应用；然而，开发用于测量干血斑中一系列环境毒物的方法，一直是实验室科学家和流行病学家近期的目标。
本次会议的目的是探讨干血斑在测量环境暴露方面的实用性。邀请了发言者和讨论者介绍数据，并讨论使用干血斑测量一系列分析物的方法。
本次会议于2007年2月20日在北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校举行。与会人员包括流行病学家、化学家以及来自州公共卫生项目、疾病控制与预防中心和美国国立卫生研究院的工作人员。会议内容包括关于阻燃化学品和农药、金属、高氯酸盐、传染因子、免疫状态标志物以及蛋白质加合物测量的报告。分析方法包括质谱分析、原子吸收、分子方法和微流控技术。报告显示取得了重大进展，但仍存在重要挑战。包括储存条件、样本量、污染和标准化等问题需要进一步系统评估。此外，干血斑的储存和获取政策需要协调。
干血斑仍然是临床、流行病学和毒理学研究的宝贵资源。使用干血斑测量环境暴露显示出前景，但在更广泛应用之前还需要开展更多工作。
