Research Publications
Barrett ES, Sathyanarayana S, Janssen S, et al. Environmental health attitudes and behaviors: Findings from a large pregnancy cohort study. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2014;176:119-125. PMID: 24647207. PMCID: PMC4001243
Serrano SE, Karr CJ, Seixas NS, et al. Dietary phthalate exposure in pregnant women and the impact of consumer practices. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(6):6193-6215. PMID: 2492703. PMCID: PMC4078574
Swan SH, Sathyanarayana S, Grady R, Redmon B, Ivicek K, Barrett E, Janssen S. First trimester phthalate exposure and anogenital distance in newborns. Hum Reprod. 2015 Apr;30(4):963-72. PMID: 25697839. PMCID: PMC4359397
Sathyanarayana S, Grady R, Redmon JB, Ivicek K, Barrett E, Janssen S, Nguyen R, Swan SH, TIDES Study Team. Anogenital distance and penile width measurements in The Infant Development and the Environment Study (TIDES): methods and predictors. J Pediatr Urol. 2015 Apr; 11(2):76.e1-6. PMID: 25824881. PMCID: PMC4456209
Adibi JJ, Lee MK, Naimi AI, Barrett E, Nguyen R, Sathyanarayana S, Janssen S, Thiet MP, Baskin L, Redmon JB, Swan SH. Human chorionic gonadotropin partially mediates phthalate association with male and female anogenital distance. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Sep;100(9):e1216-24. PMID: 26200238. PMCID: PMC4570159
Alur S, Hongyue W, Hoeger K, Swan SH, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett ES. Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations in relation to history of infertility and use of assisted reproductive technology. Fertil Steril. 2015 Nov;104(5):1227-35. PMID: 26275821. PMCID: PMC4630141
Barrett E, Sathyanarayana S, Redmon B, Brantley E, Fiore H, Janssen S, Nguyen R, Kobrosly R, Swan SH, and the TIDES Study Team. Prenatal stress as a modifier of associations between phthalate exposure and reproductive development: results from a multicenter pregnancy cohort study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2016 Mar;30(2): 105-14. PMID: 26576028. PMCID: PMC4749428
Martino-Andrade AJ, Liu F, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett ES, Redmon JB, Nguyen RH, Levine H, Swan SH; TIDES Study Team. Timing of prenatal phthalate exposure in relation to genital endpoints in male newborns. Andrology. 2016 Jul;4(4):585-93. PMID: 27062102. PMCID: In Process
Nelson JW, Edhlund BL, Johnson J, Rosebush CE, Holmquist ZS, Swan SH, Nguyen RH. Assessing a New Method for Measuring Fetal Exposure to Mercury: Newborn Bloodspots. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016;13(7). PMID: 27409626. PMCID: PMC4962233
Sathyanarayana S, Barrett E, Nguyen R, Redmon B, Haaland W, Swan SH. First trimester phthalate exposure and infant birth weight in the Infant Development and Environment Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016 Sep 23;13(10). PMID: 27669283. PMCID: PMC5086684
Sathyanarayana S, Grady R, Barrett E, Redmon B, Nguyen R, Bush N, Swan SH, and the TIDES Study Team. First trimester phthalate exposure and newborn male genital anomalies. Environ Res. 2016 Nov; 151:777-82. PMID: 27567446. PMCID: In Process.
Sathyanarayana S, Butts S, Wang C, Barrett E, Nguyen R, Schwartz SM, Haaland W, Swan SH. Early Prenatal Phthalate Exposure, Sex Steroid Hormones, and Birth Outcomes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Jun 1; 102(6):1870-1878. PMID: 28324030. PMCID: PMC5470772
Barrett ES, Sathyanarayana S, Bowe O, Thurston SW, Redmon JB, Nguyen RHN, Swan SH. First-Trimester Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration in Relation to Anogenital Distance, an Androgen-Sensitive Measure of Reproductive Development, in Infant Girls. Environ Health Perspect. 2017 Jul 11; 125(7):077008. PMID: 28728138. PMCID: PMC5744699
Barrett E, Sathyanarayana S, Redmon B, Brantley E, Fiore H, Janssen S, Nguyen R, Kobrosly R, Swan SH, and the TIDES Study Team. Anogenital distance in newborn daughters of women with polycystic ovary syndrome indicates fetal testosterone exposure. Dev Orig Health Dis. 2018 Jun;9(3):307-314. PMID: 29310733. PMCID: PMC5997496
Eick SM, Barrett ES, van ‘t Erve TJ, et al. Association between prenatal psychological stress and oxidative stress during pregnancy. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2018;32(4):318-326. PMID: 33028249. PMCID: PMC6103836
Luthra G, Vuckovic I, Bangdiwala A, et al. First and second trimester urinary metabolic profiles and fetal growth restriction: an exploratory nested case-control study within the infant development and environment study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018;18(1):48. PMID: 29422013. PMCID: PMC5806311
Bornehag CG, Lindh C, Reichenberg A, Wikström S, Hallerback MU, Evans SF, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Bush NR, Swan SH. Association of prenatal phthalate exposure with language development in early childhood. JAMA Pediatr. 2018 Dec 1;172(12):1169-1176. PMID: 30383084. PMCID: PMC6583016
Rosen EM, van ‘t Erve TJ, Boss J, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Bush NR, Milne GL, McElrath TF, Swan SH, Ferguson KK. Urinary oxidative stress biomarkers and accelerated time to spontaneous delivery. Free Radic Biol Med. 2019 Jan;130:419-425. PMID: 30445128. PMCID: PMC6331226
Shaffer RM, Ferguson KK, Sheppard L, James-Todd T, Butts S, Chandrasekaran S, Swan SH, Barrett ES, Nguyen R, Bush N, McElrath TF, Sathyanarayana S, TIDES Study Team. Maternal urinary phthalate metabolites in relation to gestational diabetes and glucose intolerance during pregnancy. Environ Int. 2019 Feb:588-596. PMID: 30622083. PMCID: PMC6347428
van ‘t Erve TJ; Rosen EM, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Sathyanarayana S, Milne GL, Calafat AM, Swan SH, Ferguson KK. Phthalates and phthalate alternatives have diverse associations with oxidative stress and inflammation in pregnant women. Environ Sci Technol. 2019 Mar 19;53(6): 3258-3267. PMID: 30793895. PMCID: PMC6487641
Barrett ES, Mbowe O, Thurston SW, Butts S, Wang C, Nguyen R, Bush N, Redmon JB, Sheshu S, Swan SH, Sathyanarayana, S. Predictors of steroid hormone concentrations in early pregnancy: results from a multi-center cohort. Matern Child Health J. 2019 Mar;23(2):397-407. PMID: 30659461. PMCID: PMC6397082
Ferguson KK, Rosen EM, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Bush N, McElrath TF, Swan SH, Sathyanarayana S. Joint impact of phthalate exposure and stressful life events in pregnancy on preterm birth. Environ Int. 2019 Dec;133(Pt B): 105254. PMID: 31675562. PMCID: PMC6924167
Day DB, Collett BR, Barrett ES, Bush NR, Swan SH, Wang C, Sathyanarayana S, TIDES Study Team. Prenatal sex hormones and behavioral outcomes in children. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020 Mar;113:104547. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104547. PMID: 31901731. PMCID: PMC7759302
Lyden GR, Barrett ES, Sathyanarayana S, Bush NR, Swan SH, Nguyen RHN. Pregnancy intention and phthalate metabolites among pregnant women in The Infant Development and Environment Study cohort. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2020;34(6):736-743. doi:10.1111/ppe.12674. PMID: 32249967. PMCID: PMC7541656
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People who plan their pregnancies are more likely to engage in healthful behaviors of pregnancy, such as not drinking alcohol and taking folic acid. Our study examined whether pregnancy planners also try to limit their exposure to phthalates or other chemicals in the environment. In TIDES, most pregnancies (71%) were planned, and first- and third-trimester phthalate levels were similar between planned and unplanned pregnancies. This might mean that even pregnancy planners did not attempt to limit phthalate exposure or were not successful. We expected that people with unplanned pregnancies might decrease their exposure from the first to third trimester, after having more time to learn and make behavioral changes, but we did not observe this pattern in TIDES. Finally, we found no differences between planned and unplanned pregnancies in a survey of environmental health attitudes and behaviors. Our study confirms the need for universal educational campaigns about the risks of phthalate exposure to pregnant people and the developing fetus.
Bedell SM, Lyden GR, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett ES, Ferguson KK, Santilli A, Bush NR, Swan SH, McElrath TF, Nguyen RHN. First- and Third-Trimester Urinary Phthalate Metabolites in the Development of Hypertensive Diseases of Pregnancy. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(20):10627. doi:10.3390/ijerph182010627. PMCID: PMC8536149
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Our study examined blood pressure and hypertensive diseases of pregnancy (such as pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia) in relation to first and third trimester phthalate levels from the urine samples provided by moms. We observed that higher levels of three types of phthalates found in the first trimester urine samples were associated with greater increases in blood pressure from early to late pregnancy (third trimester). One of these phthalates – monoethyl phthalate (MEP), which is found in a wide variety of consumer products including cosmetics and soaps – and two other phthalates were also significantly associated with diagnosis of a hypertensive disease not previously diagnosed during pregnancy. Future research will look at possible biological explanations for these findings and how the timing of phthalate exposure during pregnancy plays a role.
Evans SF, Raymond S, Sethuram S, Barrett ES, Bush NR, Nguyen R, Sathyanarayana S, Swan SH. Associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and sex-typed play behavior in preschool age boys and girls. Environ Res. 2021 Jan;192:110264. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110264. PMID: 32997969. PMCID: PMC9941894.
Day DB, Collett BR, Barrett ES, Bush NR, Swan SH, Nguyen RHN, Szpiro AA, Sathyanarayana S. Phthalate mixtures in pregnancy, autistic traits, and adverse childhood behavioral outcomes. Environ Int. 2021 Feb;147:106330. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106330. PMID: 33418196. PMCID: PMC9291724.
Lesseur C, Pirrotte P, Pathak KV, Manservisi F, Mandrioli D, Belpoggi F, Panzacchi S, Li Q, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Sathyanarayana S, Swan SH, Chen J. Maternal urinary levels of glyphosate during pregnancy and anogenital distance in newborns in a US multicenter pregnancy cohort. Environ Pollut. 2021 Jul 1;280:117002. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117002. PMID: 33812205. PMCID: PMC8165010.
Lyden GR, Vock DM, Barrett ES, Sathyanarayana S, Swan SH, Nguyen RHN. A permutation-based approach to inference for weighted sum regression with correlated chemical mixtures. Stat Methods in Med Res. 2022 Apr;31(4):579-593. doi: 10.1177/09622802211013578. PMID: 35128995. PMCID: PMC9883011.
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Many statistical methods can estimate the effect of a single treatment or exposure on health, but few methods exist to estimate the simultaneous effect of many exposures. This is an important topic in environmental health, where two key questions are: 1) What is the effect of combined exposure to a mixture of chemicals? and 2) If the effect is harmful, which chemicals are the “bad actors” (that is, most harmful)? A new statistical method called Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression advocates a two-step approach, where each chemical is first assigned a weight and then an effect is estimated for the weighted combination of all chemicals. Unfortunately, correct application of WQS requires analysts to split their data in half, meaning there is less information available and scientific findings are less precise. In this paper, we develop the first statistical approach that can use the entire dataset to estimate chemical weights and overall mixture effects. Our method applies a penalized regression model from machine learning that can set weights to exactly zero for chemicals that do not appear to be bad actors (that is, penalize them), so that more weight is placed on true bad actors. In TIDES data, our method identified two phthalates that negatively affect male infant reproductive development, confirming the results of previous studies, which WQS was unable to do.
Ibroci E, Thurston SW, Barrett ES, Bush NR, Nguyen RHN, Sathyanarayana S, Reichenberg A, Collett BR, Swan SH, Evans SF. Prenatal bisphenol A exposure in relation to behavioral outcomes in girls aged 4-5 and modification by socio-demographic factors in The Infant Development and Environment Study (TIDES). Neurotoxicology. 2022;91:262-268. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2022.05.018. PMID: 35661784. PMCID: PMC10026942
Nguyen RHN, Knapp EA, Li X, Camargo CA, Conradt E, Cowell W, Derefinko KJ, Elliott AJ, Friedman AM, Khurana Hershey GK, Hofheimer JA, Lester BM, McEvoy CT, Neiderhiser JM, Oken E, Ondersma SJ, Sathyanarayana S, Stabler ME, Stroustrup A, Tung I, McGrath M. Characteristics of Individuals in the United States Who Used Opioids During Pregnancy. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2023 Feb;32(2):161-170. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2022.0118. Epub 2022 Nov 9. PMID: 36350685. PMCID: PMC9940795
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Opioids are a class of drugs used as prescription pain relievers that can cause dependence or addiction. The opioid crisis has disproportionately affected women, and use of these drugs can have detrimental effects on women of reproductive ages and on developing fetuses. Previous studies of opioid use during pregnancy have been limited to individuals in specific geographic locations or those with specific types of insurance. The stigmatization of this population has also complicated the collection of data on maternal opioid use during pregnancy. Using a large sample size, this study examined opioid use in a diverse population of pregnant people across the United States to investigate rare exposures – such as polysubstance use – and characteristics associated with opioid use during pregnancy. The researchers gathered data from 20,000 pregnant people from 32 ECHO cohorts across the US who were already participants in ECHO cohorts between 1991 and 2021. Medical records, laboratory tests, and self-reports were used to assess opioid use and potentially related factors, such as demographics, use of other substances, and history of anxiety or depression. Most of the participants who used opioids were non-Hispanic White and had at least some college education. Opioid use was more common among people who used tobacco or illegal drugs, and those with a history of depression or anxiety. Additionally, opioid use during pregnancy in this study was rare—only 2.8% of participants used opioids during pregnancy, and the majority of opioid use originated from a prescription. Results from this study strengthened evidence about the co-occurrence of opioid use in pregnancy with depression and use of multiple substances (such as tobacco and illegal drugs). These findings will help to inform further research on screening tools for opioid use during pregnancy. Additionally, the finding that most opioid use originated from prescriptions reinforces the need to reduce the amount of circulating prescription drugs and to better monitor over-prescription of opioids to pregnant people and provide them with alternative treatment solutions for pain management and opioid dependency. This study shows that further research is needed on the factors that may lead to use of multiple substances during pregnancy and the association between substance use and depression. This research can help inform the development of screening tools and procedures for identifying individuals who are potentially at risk for opioid use during pregnancy.
Gaylord A, Barrett ES, Sathyanarayana S, Swan SH, Nguyen RHN, Bush NR, Carroll K, Day DB, Kannan K, Trasande L. Prenatal bisphenol a and S exposure and atopic disease phenotypes at age 6. Environ Res. 2023 Mar;115630. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115630. PMID: 36889565. PMCID: In Process
