title: The importance of biological samples in longitudinal birth cohort studies.
abstract: Here we describe how measurements in biological samples can be used to provide direct measures of exposures to environmental pollutants, nutrients, infectious organisms and drugs of abuse, and to validate other less direct measures of exposure such as questionnaire responses. They can also be used as measures of outcome traits or intermediate phenotypes which may lie on the pathways to disease.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Community Based Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. cdrwj@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002657:Child Development; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D015386:Hazardous Substances