National Institute of Health Dr Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal.
Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Campus Universitário de Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 23;19(13):7716. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19137716.
Early-life exposure occurs during gestation through transfer to the fetus and later, during lactation. Recent monitoring data revealed that the Portuguese population is exposed to mycotoxins, including young children. This study aimed to develop a pilot study to assess the early-life exposure to mycotoxins through a mother-child cohort, and to identify the associated challenges. Participants were recruited during pregnancy (1st trimester) and followed-up in three moments of observation: 2nd trimester of pregnancy (mother), and 1st and 6th month of the child's life (mother and child), with the collection of biological samples and sociodemographic and food consumption data. The earlyMYCO pilot study enrolled 19 mother-child pairs. The analysis of biological samples from participants revealed the presence of 4 out of 15 and 5 out of 18 mycotoxins' biomarkers of exposure in urine and breast milk samples, respectively. The main aspects identified as contributors for the successful development of the cohort were the multidisciplinary and dedicated team members in healthcare units, reduced burden of participation, and the availability of healthcare units for the implementation of the fieldwork. Challenges faced, lessons learned, and suggestions were discussed as a contribution for the development of further studies in this area.
生命早期暴露是在胎儿期通过母体转移到胎儿，以及之后的哺乳期发生的。最近的监测数据显示，葡萄牙人口受到霉菌毒素的暴露，包括幼儿。本研究旨在开展一项通过母婴队列评估生命早期霉菌毒素暴露的试点研究，并确定相关挑战。在妊娠（第一孕期）期间招募参与者，并在三个观察点进行随访：妊娠第二期（母亲），以及儿童出生后的第 1 个月和第 6 个月（母亲和儿童），收集生物样本以及社会人口学和食物消费数据。早期 MYCO 试点研究纳入了 19 对母婴。对参与者生物样本的分析显示，尿液和母乳样本中分别有 4 种和 5 种霉菌毒素暴露生物标志物。被确定为成功开展队列研究的主要因素包括医疗保健单位的多学科和专门团队成员、减少参与负担，以及医疗保健单位可用于开展实地工作。还讨论了面临的挑战、经验教训和建议，为该领域进一步研究的开展提供了贡献。
