title: Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides and neurobehavioral development of neonates: a birth cohort study in Shenyang, China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A large amount of organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are used in agriculture in China every year, contributing to exposure of OPs through dietary consumption among the general population. However, the level of exposure to OPs in China is still uncertain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of the exposure to OPs on the neonatal neurodevelopment during pregnancy in Shenyang, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  249 pregnant women enrolled in the Central Hospital Affiliated to Shenyang Medical College from February 2011 to August 2012. A cohort of the mothers and their neonates participated in the study and information on each subject was obtained by questionnaire. Dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites were detected in the urine of mothers during pregnancy to evaluate the exposure level to OPs. Neonate neurobehavioral developmental levels were assessed according to the standards of the Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment (NBNA). Multiple linear regressions were utilized to analyze the association between pregnancy exposure to OPs and neonatal neurobehavioral development.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The geometric means (GM) of urinary metabolites for dimethyl phosphate (DMP), dimethyl thiophosphate (DMTP), diethyl phosphate (DEP), and diethyl thiophosphate (DETP) in pregnant women were 18.03, 8.53, 7.14, and 5.64 µg/L, respectively. Results from multiple linear regressions showed that prenatal OP exposure was one of the most important factors affecting NBNA scores. Prenatal total DAP concentrations were inversely associated with scores on the NBNA scales.?Additionally, a 10-fold increase in DAP concentrations was associated with a decrease of 1.78 regarding the Summary NBNA (95% CI, -2.12 to -1.45). And there was an estimated 2.11-point difference in summary NBNA scores between neonates in the highest quintile of prenatal OP exposure and the lowest quintile group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high exposure of pregnant women to OPs in Shenyang, China was the predominant risk factor for neonatal neurobehavioral development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Public Health School, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Public Health School, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Public Health School, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Duohong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Public Health School, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Xinzhu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Public Health School, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Fengzhi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Lixin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Yingzi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006540:Herbicides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007306:Insecticides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000652:urine; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D009420:Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000503:physiopathology; D010755:Organophosphates / Q000652:urine; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000652:urine; D010710:Phosphates / Q000652:urine; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D006540:Herbicides; D007306:Insecticides; D010755:Organophosphates; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D010710:Phosphates; C034789:diethyl phosphate; C007477:dimethyl phosphate; C035638:thiophosphoric acid