View a complete list of Sathyanarayana’s publications on PubMed.
The national ECHO program combines data from many cohorts across the country, and we also conduct our own local science here. Please see below for local scientific work and national work that incorporates data from the PATHWAYS GAPPS/MEND and/or TIDES cohorts.
To read more ECHO publications, please visit https://echochildren.org/echo-program-publications/.
A combined cohort analysis of prenatal exposure to phthalate mixtures and childhood asthma
We investigated whether phthalate exposure during pregnancy was associated with childhood asthma. We looked at exposures to phthalate mixtures, rather than exposures to individual phthalates independently. This mixtures-focused approach better represents the complicated mixtures of chemicals that women are exposed to in everyday life. Mixtures with more phthalates of low molecular weight (such as those used in products such as cosmetics, paints, and adhesives) were associated with a higher risk of asthma. We also examined the role of child sex and maternal asthma in our results. Boys showed stronger associations between the level of phthalate exposure during pregnancy and asthma.
Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and gestational age at birth
Babies who are born preterm (that is born before the 37th week of pregnancy) are at risk of serious and lasting health effects. More than 10% of babies born in the US are preterm. In this study, we measured PAHs in The Infant Development and Environment Study (TIDES) urine samples that were collected during pregnancy and combined the data with other pregnancy studies (including GAPPS). Medical records were used to determine the gestational age of babies at birth. We explored links between PAH exposure and the occurrence of preterm birth. On average, babies whose mothers had higher levels of exposure to certain types of PAHs during pregnancy were more likely to be born early. Studies like these may help us identify ways to prevent preterm births by decreasing exposure to environmental pollutants like PAHs.
The Effects of Phthalate Exposure on the Placenta
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in plastics and household products, including some personal care products like perfumes, nail polishes, soaps, and hair sprays. To investigate the potential effect of phthalates on an infant’s health, Alison Paquette, PhD of Seattle Children’s Research Institute, in collaboration with the ECHO Pathways research team, looked at the association between phthalate exposure in the second and third trimester of pregnancy and gene expression in the placenta after birth. “Placental gene expression is an important marker that can tell us if the placenta is performing all its normal jobs correctly,” said Dr. Paquette. Going forward, the team plans to study how phthalate exposure and placental gene expression may be linked to other pregnancy complications, like preterm birth.
US Childhood Asthma Incidence Rate Patterns from the ECHO Consortium to Identify High-risk Groups for Primary Prevention
This study looked at over 24,000 children and identified which groups of children face higher asthma rates. A child with at least one asthmatic parent is two to three times more likely to develop asthma. A family history of asthma had the strongest effect on children 4 years old or younger. Rates of asthma decrease for boys as they become older, however girls have a different trend where as they age their asthma rates stay the same. In the preschool group, Black children were diagnosed more frequently than White children, but less than White children after 9-10 years of age.
Racial and Geographic Variation in Effects of Maternal Education and Neighborhood-level Measures of Socioeconomic Status on Gestational Age at Birth
The United States has a very high rate of preterm birth. This study looked at many factors associated with preterm birth and gestational age including demographics, geography, and socio-economic-status. Over 25,000 mother-infant pairs were included. The relationship between maternal education and length of pregnancy appear to change depending on the mother’s geographic location. For the Northeast and Western parts of the United States maternal education was not significantly associated with associated with length of pregnancy. However, having a bachelor’s degree or higher was associated with significantly decreased odds of pre-term birth if moms resided in the Midwest and the South. Non-Hispanic White women living in rural vs. urban areas were associated with pre-term delivery. Outside of non-Hispanic White women, women of all other races/ethnicities were significantly more likely to deliver preterm or early-term; with non-Hispanic Black women having the highest odds of preterm birth and early-term birth.