Background: Numerous birth cohorts have been initiated in the world over the past 30 years using heterogeneous methods to assess the incidence, course and risk factors of asthma and allergies. The aim of the present work is to provide the stepwise proceedings of the development and current version of the harmonized MeDALL-Core Questionnaire (MeDALL-CQ) used prospectively in 11 European birth cohorts. Methods: The harmonization of questions was accomplished in 4 steps: (i) collection of variables from 14 birth cohorts, (ii) consensus on questionnaire items, (iii) translation and back-translation of the harmonized English MeDALL-CQ into 8 other languages and (iv) implementation of the harmonized follow-up. Results: Three harmonized MeDALL-CQs (2 for parents of children aged 4-9 and 14-18, 1 for adolescents aged 14-18) were developed and used for a harmonized follow-up assessment of 11 European birth cohorts on asthma and allergies with over 13,000 children. Conclusions: The harmonized MeDALL follow-up produced more comparable data across different cohorts and countries in Europe and will offer the possibility to verify results of former cohort analyses. Thus, MeDALL can become the starting point to stringently plan, conduct and support future common asthma and allergy research initiatives in Europe. ; Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL) is funded by the European Union in the 7th Framework program, grant agreement No. 261357
BACKGROUND: In 2003 the INMA-INfancia y Medio Ambiente (Environment and Childhood) project, a Spanish national network of birth cohorts including more than 3500 participants, was set up with the aim to assess the health impacts of pre- and postnatal environmental exposures on children. The project has published more than 60 papers on maternal and environmental factors related to neuropsychological development in children, one of the main research interests within the project. With the present review, we evaluate the evidence provided by the INMA project on this topic and discuss how the data can contribute to cover the challenges that children's environmental health research will face in the coming years. RESULTS: The INMA project has contributed to provide increasing evidence of the association between prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and child neuropsychological development, but it has also shown, using innovative methodologies, that postnatal exposure to these compounds does not play a role in this association. The project has also contributed to show the detrimental influence of certain air pollutants on child neuropsychological development, as well as how a balanced maternal fish intake can protect from the potential adverse effects of prenatal exposure to mercury. Also, the project has contributed to the understanding of impacts of nutritional factors including supplement intake and vitamin D levels during pregnancy and the role of breastfeeding on the neuropsychological benefits. CONCLUSIONS: INMA findings underscore the importance of continued research on the delineation of the sensitive windows of exposure both during pregnancy and postnatally and on the combined effects of environmental exposures, denoted the exposome. In terms of health policy, INMA findings have important implications for the development of public health policies to advance the health and development of children. ; This study was supported Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041, 97/0588, 00/0021-2, PI04/1436, PI06/1756, PI08/1151, PS09/01958, PI12/01890, PI14/00677, MS13/00054, CP13/00054 including FIS-FEDER funds 03/1615, 04/1509, 04/1112, 04/1931, 05/1079, 05/1052, 06/1213, 07/0314, 09/02311, 09/02647, 11/0178, 11/02591, 11/02038, 13/1944, 13/2032, 13/02429, 14/0891, 14/1687, and 16/1288) and Miguel Servet-FEDER MS15/00025, Spanish Ministry of Health - CIBERESP (FIS-97/1102, FIS-PS09/00362, FIS-07/0252, FIS-PI11/00610, FISPI07/0252, FISPI11/0610, FIS-PI04/2018, FIS-PI09/02311, FIS-PI13/02429, FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PS09/00090, FIS-PI13/02187, PI13/02406, MS13/00054), Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2012-32991 incl. FEDER funds), EU Comission (QLK4-CT-2000-00263, QLK4-1999-01422, QLK4-2002-00603 and CONTAMED FP7-ENV-212502, FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957, 261357, 308333 and 603794 and HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1), Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT 1999SGR 00241, Generalitat de Catalunya-AGAUR (2009 SGR501, 2014 SGR 822), Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089 and 2015111065), the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/002, DFG08/001 and DFG15/221), Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (grant number 183/07 and SAS-PI-0675-2010), Conselleria de Sanitat, Generalitat Valenciana, Andalusia Regional Government – Consejería de Salud (Grants P09-CTS-5488 Project of Excellence, and SAS PI-0133-2007; PI-0675–2010), Agence Nationale de Securite Sanitaire de l'Alimentation de l'Environnement et du Travail (1262C0010), beca de la IV convocatoria de Ayudas a la Investigación en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas de La Caixa, Fundació La Caixa (97/009-00 and 00/077-00), Fundació La Marató de TV3 (090430), Obra Social Cajastur/Fundación Liberbank and University of Oviedo, and annual agreements with the municipalities of the area of study (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia y Azpeitia y Beasain)
Vitamin D deficiency during critical periods of development could lead to persistent brain alterations. We aimed to assess the association between maternal vitamin D3, the major circulatory form of vitamin D, at pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes during childhood, namely: behavioural problems, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms, and social competence. This study included 2,107 mother-child pairs of a Spanish population-based birth cohort. Maternal plasma vitamin D3 was measured in pregnancy. The outcomes were measured through questionnaires at 5, 8, 14, and 18 years old. We ran multivariate regression models adjusted for potential confounding variables. We found that per each 10 ng/mL increment of maternal vitamin D3, children obtained higher social competence scores (coefficient = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.19, 1.35) at 5 years old. However, we observed null associations between maternal vitamin D3 and total behavioural problems and ADHD and ASD symptoms in children from 5 to 18 years old. Further studies carried out in countries where the population is exposed to lower vitamin D levels are needed. ; We thank all the investigators who have collected information and samples from the participants. Menorca: This study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176; CB06/02/0041; 97/0588; 00/0021-2; PI061756; PS0901958; PI14/00677 incl. FEDER funds), CIBERESP, Beca de la IV convocatoria de Ayudas a la Investigación en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas de La Caixa, and EC Contract No. QLK4-CT-2000-00263. Sabadell: This study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176; CB06/02/0041; PI041436; PI081151 incl. FEDER funds; CPII/00018), CIBERESP, Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT 1999SGR 00241, Generalitat de Catalunya-AGAUR 2009 SGR 501, Fundació La marató de TV3 (090430), EU Commission (261357). ISGlobal is a member of the CERCA Programme, Generalitat de Catalunya. Valencia: This study was funded by Grants from UE (FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957 and HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1), Spain: ISCIII (G03/176; FIS-FEDER: PI11/01007, PI11/02591, PI11/02038, PI12/00610, PI13/1944, PI13/2032, PI14/00891, PI14/01687, PI16/1288, and PI17/00663; Miguel Servet-FEDER CP11/00178, CP15/00025, and MSII16/00051), Generalitat Valenciana: FISABIO (UGP 15-230, UGP-15-244, and UGP-15-249), and Alicia Koplowitz Foundation 2017. Asturias: This study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176 and CB06/02/0041), FIS-PI042018, FIS-PI09/02311, FIS-PI13/02429, FIS-PI18/00909, CIBERESP, Obra Social Cajastur/Fundación Liberbank and UNIVERSIDAD DE OVIEDO. Gipuzkoa: This study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PI09/00090 and FIS-PI13/02187), CIBERESP, Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089 and 2015111065), and the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/002, DFG08/001 and DFG15/221) and annual agreements with the municipalities of the study area (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia y Azpeitia y Beasain).
