TY - JOUR
T1 - Urinary metals concentrations and biomarkers of autoimmunity among navajo and nicaraguan men
AU - Navajo Birth Cohort Study Team
AU - Scammell, Madeleine K.
AU - Sennett, Caryn
AU - Laws, Rebecca L.
AU - Rubin, Robert L.
AU - Brooks, Daniel R.
AU - Amador, Juan José
AU - López-Pilarte, Damaris
AU - Ramirez-Rubio, Oriana
AU - Friedman, David J.
AU - McClean, Michael D.
AU - Lewis, Johnnye
AU - Erdei, Esther
AU - Begay, David
AU - Cajero, Miranda
AU - Chavez, Carla
AU - Hoover, Joseph
AU - Laselute, Carol J.
AU - Mackenzie, Debra
AU - O’donald, Elena
AU - Pacheco, Bernadette
AU - Smith, Becky
AU - Anderson, Qeturah
AU - Begay, Mae Gilene
AU - Begay, Nikki
AU - Harold, Velma
AU - Muskett, Olivia
AU - Rondon, Anna
AU - Thompson, Roxanne
AU - Tsinnijinnie, Doris
AU - Tsosie, Rebecca
AU - Watson, Josephine
AU - Atene, Loretta
AU - Barton, Lorraine
AU - Begay, Delila
AU - Begay, Francine
AU - Begay, Priscilla
AU - Benally, Dorena
AU - Chee, Beth
AU - Clawson, Bobbi
AU - Crank, Leshelly
AU - Francisco, Myra
AU - Kear, Lisa
AU - Knoki-Wilson, Ursula
AU - Reese, Della
AU - Rogers, Johnna
AU - Sanders, Abigail
AU - Sam, Deidra
AU - Samuel, Melissa
AU - Swindal, Charlotte
AU - Tapaha, Marcia
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: We thank the Nicaraguan and Navajo men for their participation in this study. The Navajo Birth Cohort Study (NBCS) was funded by CDC/ATSDR (cooperative agreement: 2UO1TS000135) and mandated by the US Congress to determine the impact of chronic low-level uranium and mine waste exposures on reproductive and developmental end-points. We acknowledge the strong support for sample and data collection provided by the Navajo NBCS field staff working with the University of New Mexico and their partner organizations: the Navajo Department of Health Community Health Representative and Outreach Program under the leadership of Mae-Gilene Begay; Navajo Area Indian Health Service under leadership of Doug Peter; and the Southwest Research and Information Center under leadership of Chris Shuey. We thank the laboratory staff at the following IHS and PL-638 hospitals for biospecimen collection and processing: Gallup Indian Medical Center, Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility, Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation, Tséhootsooí Medical Center, the Northern Navajo Medical Center, and Kayenta Health Center. The following individuals affiliated with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry are also acknowledged associated for their association with this work: Angela Ragin, Candis Hunter, Elizabeth Irvin-Barnwell. We are grateful to Joseph Hoover, who conducted statistical analyses referred to in the Discussion and Erin Polka who assisted with making figures. Allison Appleton, Birgit Claus Henn, Hector Olvera, Jose Suarez and Marc Weisskopf provided comments and suggestions along the way.
Funding Information:
Funding: Funds for the collection of biological samples from Nicaraguan workers were provided by Los Azucareros del Istmo Centroamericano (AICA), the Association of Sugar Producers in Central America, to the CDC Foundation. In Nicaragua we thank the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health for laboratory support. Metals for both studies were analyzed by the CDC Division of Laboratory Science and we thank Robert L. Jones, and Kathleen L. Caldwell. The laboratory autoimmunity biomarker analyses by E. Erdei and R. Rubin, their time and the time of C. Sennett were supported by a JPB Environmental Health Fellowship award granted to M. Scammell by The JPB Foundation and managed by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Funding Information:
Funds for the collection of biological samples from Nicaraguan workers were provided by Los Azucareros del Istmo Centroamericano (AICA), the Association of Sugar Producers in Central America, to the CDC Foundation. In Nicaragua we thank the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health for laboratory support. Metals for both studies were analyzed by the CDC Division of Laboratory Science and we thank Robert L. Jones, and Kathleen L. Caldwell. The laboratory autoimmunity biomarker analyses by E. Erdei and R. Rubin, their time and the time of C. Sennett were supported by a JPB Environmental Health Fellowship award granted to M. Scammell by The JPB Foundation and managed by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.We thank the Nicaraguan and Navajo men for their participation in this study. The Navajo Birth Cohort Study (NBCS) was funded by CDC/ATSDR (cooperative agreement: 2UO1TS000135) and mandated by the US Congress to determine the impact of chronic low-level uranium and mine waste exposures on reproductive and developmental end-points. We acknowledge the strong support for sample and data collection provided by the Navajo NBCS field staff working with the University of New Mexico and their partner organizations: the Navajo Department of Health Community Health Representative and Outreach Program under the leadership of Mae-Gilene Begay; Navajo Area Indian Health Service under leadership of Doug Peter; and the Southwest Research and Information Center under leadership of Chris Shuey. We thank the laboratory staff at the following IHS and PL-638 hospitals for biospecimen collection and processing: Gallup Indian Medical Center, Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility, Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation, Tséhootsooí Medical Center, the Northern Navajo Medical Center, and Kayenta Health Center. The following individuals affiliated with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry are also acknowledged associated for their association with this work: Angela Ragin, Candis Hunter, Elizabeth Irvin-Barnwell. We are grateful to Joseph Hoover, who conducted statistical analyses referred to in the Discussion and Erin Polka who assisted with making figures. Allison Appleton, Birgit Claus Henn, Hector Olvera, Jose Suarez and Marc Weisskopf provided comments and suggestions along the way.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2020/8/1
Y1 - 2020/8/1
N2 - Metals are suspected contributors of autoimmune disease among indigenous Americans. However, the association between metals exposure and biomarkers of autoimmunity is under-studied. In Nicaragua, environmental exposure to metals is also largely unexamined with regard to autoimmunity. We analyzed pooled and stratified exposure and outcome data from Navajo (n = 68) and Nicaraguan (n = 47) men of similar age and health status in order to characterize urinary concentrations of metals, compare concentrations with the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) male population, and examine the associations with biomarkers of autoimmunity. Urine samples were analyzed for metals via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Serum samples were examined for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) at 1:160 and 1:40 dilutions, using an indirect immunofluorescence assay and for specific autoantibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Logistic regression analyses evaluated associations of urinary metals with autoimmune biomarkers, adjusted for group (Navajo or Nicaraguan), age, and seafood consumption. The Nicaraguan men had higher urinary metal concentrations compared with both NHANES and the Navajo for most metals; however, tin was highest among the Navajo, and uranium was much higher in both populations compared with NHANES. Upper tertile associations with ANA positivity at the 1:160 dilution were observed for barium, cesium, lead, strontium and tungsten.
AB - Metals are suspected contributors of autoimmune disease among indigenous Americans. However, the association between metals exposure and biomarkers of autoimmunity is under-studied. In Nicaragua, environmental exposure to metals is also largely unexamined with regard to autoimmunity. We analyzed pooled and stratified exposure and outcome data from Navajo (n = 68) and Nicaraguan (n = 47) men of similar age and health status in order to characterize urinary concentrations of metals, compare concentrations with the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) male population, and examine the associations with biomarkers of autoimmunity. Urine samples were analyzed for metals via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Serum samples were examined for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) at 1:160 and 1:40 dilutions, using an indirect immunofluorescence assay and for specific autoantibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Logistic regression analyses evaluated associations of urinary metals with autoimmune biomarkers, adjusted for group (Navajo or Nicaraguan), age, and seafood consumption. The Nicaraguan men had higher urinary metal concentrations compared with both NHANES and the Navajo for most metals; however, tin was highest among the Navajo, and uranium was much higher in both populations compared with NHANES. Upper tertile associations with ANA positivity at the 1:160 dilution were observed for barium, cesium, lead, strontium and tungsten.
KW - Antinuclear antibodies
KW - Autoimmunity
KW - Metals
KW - Specific autoantibodies
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088675482&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85088675482&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph17155263
DO - 10.3390/ijerph17155263
M3 - Article
C2 - 32707746
AN - SCOPUS:85088675482
VL - 17
SP - 1
EP - 17
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
SN - 1661-7827
IS - 15
M1 - 5263
ER -