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Table 3 Multivariable-adjusted linear regression between concentrations of toxic metals (log2-transformed) in the maternal blood/serum, placenta, or cord blood/serum and relative telomere length in the maternal blood, placenta, or cord blood

From: Exploring telomere length in mother–newborn pairs in relation to exposure to multiple toxic metals and potential modifying effects by nutritional factors

Exposure biomarker

Model

Maternal blood rTL (n = 169)

Placenta rTL (n = 98)

Cord blood rTL (n = 88)

  

B (95% CI)

p value

B (95% CI)

p value

B (95% CI)

p value

Lithium

 

Blood (μg/L)

 

Placenta (μg/kg)

 

Cord blood (μg/L)

 

1

0.031 (− 0.015, 0.076)

0.188

0.033 (− 0.013, 0.079)

0.154

0.022 (− 0.007, 0.051)

0.132

2

0.030 (− 0.016, 0.076)

0.195

0.030 (− 0.016, 0.076)

0.202

0.011 (− 0.020, 0.042)

0.478

3

0.107 (0.039, 0.176)

0.002

    

4

0.104 (0.035, 0.172)

0.003

    

Boron

 

Serum (μg/L)

 

Placenta (μg/kg)

 

Cord serum (μg/L)

 

1

− 0.035 (− 0.001, 0.00007)

0.041

0.013 (− 0.24, 0.051)c

0.488

0.051 (0.013, 0.090)

0.009

2

− 0.034 (− 0.068, − 0.001)a

0.045

0.009 (− 0.028, 0.046)c

0.630

0.030 (− 0.012, 0.071)

0.158

3

− 0.075 (− 0.119, − 0.031)a

0.001

    

4

− 0.072 (− 0.115, − 0.028)a

0.001

    

Arsenic

 

Urine (μg/L)

 

Placenta (μg/kg)

 

Cord blood (μg/L)

 

1

0.011 (− 0.031, 0.053)

0.596

0.046 (− 0.005, 0.087)

0.028

0.012 (− 0.017, 0.040)

0.407

2

0.014 (− 0.013, 0.089)

0.510

0.039 (− 0.002, 0.080)

0.060

− 0.002 (− 0.026, 0.030)

0.879

3

  

0.051 (− 0.016, 0.119)

0.133

  

4

  

0.053 (0.012, 0.093)

0.011

  

Cadmium

 

Blood (μg/L)

 

Placenta (μg/kg)

 

Maternal blood (μg/L)

 

1

− 0.069 (−1.43, 0.005)

0.068

− 0.012 (− 0.081, 0.057)

0.735

0.019 (− 0.010, 0.047)

0.197

2

− 0.025 (− 0.107, 0.057)

0.545

− 0.047 (− 0.118, 0.025)

0.197

0.031 (− 0.013, 0.074)

0.162

3

  

− 0.049 (− 0.120, 0.021)

0.167

  

4

  

− 0.028 (− 0.101, 0.045)

0.448

  

Antimony

 

Blood (μg/L)

 

Placenta (μg/kg)

 

Cord blood (μg/L)

 

1

− 0.099 (− 0.160, − 0.038)

0.002

− 0.0002 (− 0.024, 0.025)

0.988

− 0.014 (− 0.046, 0.018)

0.377

2

− 0.110 (− 0.171, − 0.049)b

< 0.001

− 0.003 (− 0.028, 0.023)

0.834

− 0.005 (− 0.036, 0.027)

0.774

3

− 0.091 (− 0.154, − 0.028)b

0.005

    

4

− 0.065 (− 0.129, 0.001)b

0.045

    

Cesium

 

Blood (μg/L)

 

Placenta (μg/kg)

 

Cord blood (μg/L)

 

1

0.012 (− 0.019, 0.044)

0.441

0.027 (− 0.011, 0.064)

0.162

− 0.012 (− 0.032, 0.008)

0.243

2

− 0.0005 (− 0.032, 0.033)

0.975

0.018 (− 0.019, 0.055)

0.344

− 0.010 (− 0.031, 0.012)

0.385

Lead

 

Blood (μg/L)

 

Placenta (μg/kg)

 

Cord blood (μg/L)

 

1

0.037 (− 0.029, 0.104)

0.269

− 0.042 (− 0.085, 0.001)

0.057

− 0.046 (− 0.081, − 0.010)

0.013

2

0.026 (− 0.043, 0.095)

0.458

− 0.029 (− 0.074, 0.016)

0.207

− 0.038 (− 0.074, − 0.002)

0.037

3

    

− 0.040 (− 0.078, − 0.003)

0.040

4

    

− 0.043 (− 0.079, − 0.006)

0.022

  1. Model 1: Unadjusted
  2. Model 2: Adjusted for maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, and education; placental rTL also for gestational age at birth; cord blood rTL also for gestational age at birth and birth weight, but not education
  3. Model 3: Further adjusted for other metals: maternal rTL: blood lithium, serum boron, urinary arsenic, and blood antimony (if not dependent variable); placental rTL: all placenta metals; cord blood rTL: all cord blood metals
  4. Model 4: Adjusted for nutrients. Maternal rTL: Model 3 was further adjusted for blood zinc and serum folate. Placental rTL: Model 2 was adjusted for placental Zn and vitamin D3. Cord blood rTL: Model 2 was further adjusted for cord blood zinc
  5. aExcluding two outliers of serum boron < 1 log2 μg/L gave model 2: B = − 0.044; 95% CI − 0.097, 0.008; p = 0.097; model 3: B = − 0.117; 95% CI − 0.187, − 0.046; p = 0.001; and model 4: B = − 119; 95% CI − 0.189, − 0.049; p = 0.001
  6. bExcluding two outliers of blood antimony > 4 log2 μg/L gave model 2: B = − 0.142; 95% CI − 0.232, − 0.052; p = 0.002; model 3: B = − 0.123; 95% CI − 0.214, − 0.032; p = 0.008; and model 4: B = − 0.090; 95% CI − 0.184, 0.004; p = 0.061
  7. cExcluding one outlier of placenta boron < 4 log2 μg/kg gave model 1: B = − 0.028; 95% CI − 0.021, 0.076; p = 0.259; model 2: B = 0.021; 95% CI − 0.029, 0.070; p = 0.413
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BMC Medicine

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