1 5194 144 PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO POTENTIALLY TOXIC METALS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON GENETIC MATERIAL IN OFFSPRING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. IN RECENT YEARS, THE BACKGROUND LEVEL OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS, INCLUDING METALS, HAS INCREASED. POLLUTANT EXPOSURE DURING THE EARLIEST STAGES OF LIFE MAY DETERMINE CHRONIC DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY IN ADULTHOOD BECAUSE OF GENETIC OR EPIGENETIC CHANGES. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO IDENTIFY THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PRENATAL AND EARLY POSTNATAL EXPOSURE TO POTENTIALLY TOXIC METALS (PTMS) AND THEIR ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE GENETIC MATERIAL OF OFFSPRING. A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS CARRIED OUT FOLLOWING THE COCHRANE METHODOLOGY IN FOUR DATABASES: PUBMED, SCOPUS, WEB OF SCIENCE, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY. ELIGIBLE PAPERS WERE THOSE CONDUCTED IN HUMANS AND PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH BETWEEN 2010/01/01 AND 2021/04/30. A TOTAL OF 57 ARTICLES WERE INCLUDED, MOST OF WHICH EVALUATED PRENATAL EXPOSURE. MOST COMMONLY EVALUATED PTMS WERE AS, CD, AND PB. MAIN ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE GENETIC MATERIAL OF NEWBORNS ASSOCIATED WITH PTM PRENATAL EXPOSURE WERE ALTERATIONS IN TELOMERE LENGTH, GENE OR PROTEIN EXPRESSION, MITOCHONDRIAL DNA CONTENT, METABOLOMICS, DNA DAMAGE, AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. MANY OF THESE EFFECTS WERE SEX-SPECIFIC, BEING PREDOMINANT IN BOYS. ONE ARTICLE REPORTED A SYNERGISTIC INTERACTION BETWEEN AS AND HG, AND TWO ARTICLES OBSERVED ANTAGONISTIC INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PTMS AND ESSENTIAL METALS, SUCH AS CU, SE, AND ZN. THE FINDINGS IN THIS REVIEW HIGHLIGHT THAT THE PROBLEM OF PTM EXPOSURE PERSISTS, AFFECTING THE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATIONS, SUCH AS NEWBORNS. SOME OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS WERE OBSERVED AT LOW CONCENTRATIONS OF PTMS. MOST OF THE STUDIES HAVE FOCUSED ON SINGLE EXPOSURES; HOWEVER, THREE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ESSENTIAL AND NONESSENTIAL METALS WERE OBSERVED, HIGHLIGHTING THAT METAL MIXTURES NEED MORE ATTENTION. 2023 2 1324 46 DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA) METHYLATION IN CHILDREN EXPOSED TO AIR POLLUTION: A POSSIBLE MECHANISM UNDERLYING RESPIRATORY HEALTH EFFECTS DEVELOPMENT. AIR POLLUTION IS A SUBSTANTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT TO CHILDREN AND ACTS AS ACUTE AND CHRONIC DISEASE RISK FACTORS ALIKE. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE PREVIOUSLY EVALUATED EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS CONCERNING ITS EXPOSURE ACROSS VARIOUS LIFE STAGES. HOWEVER, FINDINGS ON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AS THE CONSEQUENCES OF AIR POLLUTION DURING CHILDHOOD ARE RATHER MINIMAL. THIS REVIEW EVALUATED HIGHLY RELEVANT STUDIES IN THE FIELD TO ANALYZE THE EXISTING LITERATURE REGARDING EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION, WITH A FOCUS ON EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS DURING CHILDHOOD AND THEIR CONNECTIONS WITH RESPIRATORY HEALTH EFFECTS. THE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED USING READILY AVAILABLE ELECTRONIC DATABASES (PUBMED AND SCIENCEDIRECT) TO SCREEN FOR CHILDREN'S STUDIES ON EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS FOLLOWING EITHER PRE- OR POST-NATAL EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTANTS. STUDIES RELEVANT ENOUGH AND MATCHED THE PREDETERMINED CRITERIA WERE CHOSEN TO BE REVIEWED. NON-ENGLISH ARTICLES AND STUDIES THAT DID NOT REPORT BOTH AIR MONITORING AND EPIGENETIC OUTCOMES IN THE SAME ARTICLE WERE EXCLUDED. THE REVIEW FOUND THAT EPIGENETIC CHANGES HAVE BEEN LINKED WITH EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTANTS DURING EARLY LIFE WITH EVIDENCE AND REPORTS OF HOW THEY MAY DEREGULATE THE EPIGENOME BALANCE, THUS INDUCING DISEASE PROGRESSION IN THE FUTURE. EPIGENETIC STUDIES EVOLVE AS A PROMISING NEW APPROACH IN DECIPHERING THE UNDERLYING IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA) DUE TO LINKS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN SOME OF THESE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND ILLNESSES. 2021 3 6313 46 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MERCURY EXPOSURE AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS REGARDING HUMAN HEALTH, RISK ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSTIC STRATEGIES. BACKGROUND: EXPOSURE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS POSES A SERIOUS THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH. THE EXTENT OF EXPOSURE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASES ARE INTERRELATED WITH EACH OTHER. CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO MERCURY (HG) INCREASES THE RISK OF DEVELOPING SERIOUS HUMAN DISORDERS FROM EMBRYO TO ADULTHOOD. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE MOST COMMON HUMAN DISORDERS INDUCED BY HG EXPOSURE ON THE BASIS OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT HG EXPOSURE LEADS TO ALTERATIONS IN THE EPIGENETIC MARKERS. METHODS: WE PERFORMED AN ORGANIZED SEARCH OF THE AVAILABLE LITERATURE USING PUBMED, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, MEDLINE, REAXYS, EMBASE AND SCOPUS DATABASES. ALL THE RELEVANT CITATIONS, INCLUDING RESEARCH AND REVIEW ARTICLES IN ENGLISH WERE EVALUATED. THE SEARCH TERMS INCLUDED MERCURY, HG, EPIGENETICS, EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, MICRORNAS (MIRNAS), AND RISK ASSESSMENT. RESULTS: DATA ON HUMAN TOXICITY DUE TO HG EXPOSURE SHOWS BROAD VARIATIONS IN TERMS OF CHEMICAL NATURE, DOSES, AND THE RATE OF EXPOSURE. HG CONSUMPTION EITHER VIA FOODS OR ENVIRONMENTAL SOURCES MAY CREATE DELETERIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS ON VARIOUS PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AT LEAST PARTIALLY THROUGH AN EPIGENETIC MECHANISM. CONCLUSION: HG EXPOSURE COULD TRIGGER EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, HENCE LEADING TO VARIOUS HUMAN DISORDERS INCLUDING REDUCED NEWBORN CEREBELLUM SIZE, ADVERSE BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES, ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION. SIMILARLY, IN ADULTS, OCCUPATIONAL HG EXPOSURE HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF AUTOIMMUNITY. IT HAS BEEN REVEALED THAT MIRNAS IN THE WOMAN'S CERVIX ARE A NOVEL RESPONDER TO MATERNAL HG EXPOSURE DURING PREGNANCY. HG-INDUCED EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS ANALYSIS OF KIDNEY TISSUES SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INTERRUPTION IN RENAL FUNCTION. DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE POST-TRANSLATION MODIFICATIONS ARE PREDOMINANT TYPES OF HG EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS. 2019 4 247 39 ADULTHOOD ASTHMA AS A CONSEQUENCE OF CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EPIGENETICALLY AFFECTED GENES. THERE IS AN ACCUMULATING DATA THAT SHOWS RELATION BETWEEN CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY AND VULNERABILITY TO CHRONIC DISEASES AS WELL AS EPIGENETIC INFLUENCES THAT IN TURN GIVE RISE TO THESE DISEASES. ASTHMA IS ONE OF THE CHRONIC DISEASES THAT IS INFLUENCED FROM GENETIC REGULATION OF THE INFLAMMATORY BIOMOLECULES AND THEREFORE THE HYPOTHESIS IN THIS RESEARCH WAS CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY MIGHT HAVE CAUSED EPIGENETIC DIFFERENTIATION IN THE ASTHMA-RELATED GENES IN THE POPULATION WHO HAD CHILDHOOD TRAUMA. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, THE LITERATURE WAS SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEWED TO EXTRACT EPIGENETICALLY MODIFIED GENE DATA OF THE ADULTS WHO HAD CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY, AND AFFECTED GENES WERE FURTHER EVALUATED FOR THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH ASTHMA. PRISMA GUIDELINES WERE ADOPTED AND PUBMED AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR WERE INCLUDED IN THE SEARCHED DATABASES, TO EVALUATE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN ASTHMA-RELATED GENES OF PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY OR SEXUALLY ABUSED CHILDREN. AFTER RETRIEVING A TOTAL OF 5245 ARTICLES, 36 OF THEM WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. SEVERAL GENES AND PATHWAYS THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO PATHOGENESIS OF ASTHMA DEVELOPMENT, INCREASED INFLAMMATION, OR RESPONSE TO ASTHMA TREATMENT WERE FOUND EPIGENETICALLY AFFECTED BY CHILDHOOD TRAUMAS. CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY, CAUSING EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN DNA, MAY LEAD TO ASTHMA DEVELOPMENT OR INFLUENCE THE COURSE OF THE DISEASE AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT FOR THE PROLONGED HEALTH CONSEQUENCES. 2022 5 6781 42 [BREATHING: AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION AND HEALTH - PART III]. THE THIRD PART OF THE DGP STATEMENT INTRODUCES THE CURRENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE ON LESS STUDIED HEALTH OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION: THE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON METABOLISM LEADING TO IMPAIRED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE AND DIABETES AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS AND DELAYED COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN CHILDREN. FURTHERMORE, PRENATAL EXPOSURE AND ADVERSE EFFECTS ON MOTHER AND CHILD ARE ADDRESSED. FINALLY, THE CURRENTLY DISCUSSED BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING VARIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION ARE DESCRIBED.DIFFERING, BUT OFTEN COMPLEMENTARY BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS CREATE THE BASIS FOR THE DIVERSE HEALTH OUTCOMES CAUSED BY AIR POLLUTION. OXIDATIVE STRESS AND A SUBCLINICAL INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE LUNGS AND ON A SYSTEMIC LEVEL ("LOW-GRADE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION") ARE CONSIDERED TO BE KEY MECHANISMS. THEY PROMOTE SECONDARY ALTERATIONS IN THE BODY, SUCH AS VASCULAR OR METABOLIC PROCESSES, AND MAY ALSO RESULT IN THE CURRENTLY STUDIED EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA OR NEUROINFLAMMATION. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE OF SOLUBLE PARTICULATE MATTER AND THE ROLE OF ULTRAFINE PARTICLES TRANSLOCATED ACROSS BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES INTO BLOOD VESSEL AND TRANSPORTED VIA THE CIRCULATION TO SECONDARY TARGET ORGANS, SUCH AS LIVER, BRAIN OR THE FETUS, ARE INTENSIVELY DISCUSSED.DIABETES IS ONE OF THE LEADING CHRONIC DISEASES WORLDWIDE, WITH A PREVALENCE OF ALMOST 14 % IN GERMANY. ALTHOUGH LIFESTYLE FACTORS ARE THE MAIN CAUSES, CURRENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION MAY ADDITIONALLY INCREASE THE RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FOR A CAUSAL ROLE OF AIR POLLUTION IS PROVIDED BY STUDIES ADDRESSING THE REGULATION OF THE BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN METABOLICALLY HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS, INSULIN SENSITIVITY, OR PREGNANCY-RELATED DIABETES. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES PROVIDE FURTHER SUPPORT FOR PLAUSIBLE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS. HOWEVER, PROSPECTIVE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO GAIN MORE EVIDENCE, TAKING MULTIPLE LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS GREEN SPACE AND NOISE, AND AN IMPROVED INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT INTO ACCOUNT.THE AGING POPULATION HAS AN INCREASED RISK OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. FIRST STUDIES POINT TOWARDS A CONTRIBUTION OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION, SPECIFICALLY BY PARTICULATE MATTER. SEVERAL STUDIES REPORT ITS ASSOCIATION WITH DECREASED NEUROCOGNITIVE CAPACITY OR AN INCREASED PREVALENCE OF DEMENTIA OR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN ADULTS. HOWEVER, THE STUDIES ARE INHOMOGENEOUS REGARDING DESIGN, EXPOSURE AND OUTCOME, LEADING TO INCONSISTENT RESULTS. WITH RESPECT TO THE INFLUENCE ON NEUROCOGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN, FIRST STUDIES SUGGEST AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF AIR POLLUTION, E. G. AT SCHOOL, AND DELAYED COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT.EVEN THOUGH THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL ENDPOINTS DURING PREGNANCY IS STILL HETEROGENEOUS, THE STUDIES GENERALLY POINT TOWARDS AN ADVERSE IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON THE MATERNAL AND FETAL ORGANISMS. THE STRONGEST EVIDENCE EXISTS FOR LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, WITH SMALL EFFECT SIZES OF ONLY SOME GRAMS, AND FOR A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF REDUCED BIRTH WEIGHT (< 2500 G). AN INCREASED RISK FOR GESTATIONAL HYPERTENSION AND PREECLAMPSIA UNDERSCORES THE POSSIBLE IMPACT OF EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION ON THE MATERNAL ORGANISM. HOWEVER, THE CURRENT BODY OF EVIDENCE DOES NOT YET ALLOW A FINAL CONCLUSION ON THE INFLUENCE OF INTRAUTERINE EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION REGARDING EARLY CHILDHOOD LUNG FUNCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGIES, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT IT IS HARD TO DISTINGUISH IN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES BETWEEN THE EFFECTS OF PRE- AND POSTNATAL EXPOSURE. 2019 6 4767 41 NUCLEAR AND MITOCHONDRIAL DNA ALTERATIONS IN NEWBORNS WITH PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO CIGARETTE SMOKE. NEWBORNS EXPOSED TO MATERNAL CIGARETTE SMOKE (CS) IN UTERO HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING CHRONIC DISEASES, CANCER, AND ACQUIRING DECREASED COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN ADULTHOOD. ALTHOUGH THE LITERATURE REPORTS MANY DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH MATERNAL CIGARETTE SMOKING ON THE FETUS, THE MOLECULAR ALTERATIONS AND MECHANISMS OF ACTION ARE NOT YET CLEAR. SMOKING MAY ACT DIRECTLY ON NUCLEAR DNA BY INDUCING MUTATIONS OR EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. RECENT STUDIES ALSO INDICATE THAT SMOKING MAY ACT ON MITOCHONDRIAL DNA BY INDUCING A CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF COPIES TO MAKE UP FOR THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY SMOKING ON THE RESPIRATORY CHAIN AND LACK OF ENERGY. IN ADDITION, INDIVIDUAL GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN DETERMINING THE EFFECTS OF SMOKING DURING DEVELOPMENT. FURTHERMORE, PRIOR EXPOSURE OF PATERNAL AND MATERNAL GAMETES TO CIGARETTE SMOKE MAY AFFECT THE HEALTH OF THE DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL, NOT ONLY THE IN UTERO EXPOSURE. THIS REVIEW EXAMINES THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS IN NUCLEAR AND MITOCHONDRIAL DNA ASSOCIATED WITH SMOKE EXPOSURE DURING THE MOST SENSITIVE PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT (PRIOR TO CONCEPTION, PRENATAL AND EARLY POSTNATAL) AND ASSESSES HOW SUCH CHANGES MAY HAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR BOTH FETAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. 2015 7 2715 34 EXERCISE-INDUCED BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES AND THEIR POTENTIAL INFLUENCE ON CANCER: A SCIENTIFIC REVIEW. AIM: TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE AVAILABLE INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE REGARDING THE INDIRECT AND DIRECT BIOCHEMICAL MECHANISMS THAT OCCUR AFTER EXERCISE, WHICH COULD POSITIVELY, OR NEGATIVELY, INFLUENCE ONCOGENIC PATHWAYS. METHODS: THE PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE AND COCHRANE LIBRARIES WERE SEARCHED FOR PAPERS UP TO JULY 2016 ADDRESSING BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES AFTER EXERCISE WITH A PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO CANCER. THE THREE AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY ASSESSED THEIR APPROPRIATENESS FOR INCLUSION IN THIS REVIEW BASED ON THEIR SCIENTIFIC QUALITY AND RELEVANCE. RESULTS: 168 PAPERS WERE SELECTED AND CATEGORISED INTO INDIRECT AND DIRECT BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAYS. THE INDIRECT EFFECTS INCLUDED CHANGES IN VITAMIN D, WEIGHT REDUCTION, SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE AND IMPROVED MOOD. THE DIRECT EFFECTS INCLUDED INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR, EPIGENETIC EFFECTS ON GENE EXPRESSION AND DNA REPAIR, VASOACTIVE INTESTINAL PEPTIDE, OXIDATIVE STRESS AND ANTIOXIDANT PATHWAYS, HEAT SHOCK PROTEINS, TESTOSTERONE, IRISIN, IMMUNITY, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND PROSTAGLANDINS, ENERGY METABOLISM AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. SUMMARY: EXERCISE IS ONE OF SEVERAL LIFESTYLE FACTORS KNOWN TO LOWER THE RISK OF DEVELOPING CANCER AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER RELAPSE RATES AND BETTER SURVIVAL. THIS REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS THE NUMEROUS BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES, WHICH EXPLAIN THESE POTENTIAL ANTICANCER BENEFITS. 2017 8 228 43 ADAPTATION OF THE HUMAN POPULATION TO THE ENVIRONMENT: CURRENT KNOWLEDGE, CLUES FROM CZECH CYTOGENETIC AND "OMICS" BIOMONITORING STUDIES AND POSSIBLE MECHANISMS. THE HUMAN POPULATION IS CONTINUALLY EXPOSED TO NUMEROUS HARMFUL ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS, CAUSING NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS AND/OR DEREGULATION OF BIOMARKER LEVELS. HOWEVER, STUDIES REPORTING NO OR EVEN POSITIVE IMPACTS OF SOME STRESSORS ON HUMANS ARE ALSO SOMETIMES PUBLISHED. THE MAIN AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE LAST DECADE OF CZECH BIOMONITORING RESEARCH, CONCERNING THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION (BENZO[A]PYRENE) AND RADIATION (URANIUM, X-RAY EXAMINATION AND NATURAL RADON BACKGROUND), ON THE DIFFERENTLY EXPOSED POPULATION GROUPS. BECAUSE SOME RESULTS OBTAINED FROM CYTOGENETIC STUDIES WERE OPPOSITE THAN HYPOTHESIZED, WE HAVE SEARCHED FOR A MEANINGFUL INTERPRETATION IN GENOMIC/EPIGENETIC STUDIES. A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF OUR DATA SUPPORTED BY THE STUDIES OF OTHERS AND CURRENT EPIGENETIC KNOWLEDGE, LEADS TO A HYPOTHESIS OF THE VERSATILE MECHANISM OF ADAPTATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS VIA DNA METHYLATION SETTINGS WHICH MAY EVEN ORIGINATE IN PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT, AND HELP TO REDUCE THE RESULTING DNA DAMAGE LEVELS. THIS HYPOTHESIS IS FULLY IN AGREEMENT WITH UNEXPECTED DATA FROM OUR STUDIES (E.G. LOWER LEVELS OF DNA DAMAGE IN SUBJECTS FROM HIGHLY POLLUTED REGIONS THAN IN CONTROLS OR IN SUBJECTS EXPOSED REPEATEDLY TO A POLLUTANT THAN IN THOSE WITHOUT PREVIOUS EXPOSURE), AND IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY DIFFERENCES IN DNA METHYLATION PATTERNS IN GROUPS FROM REGIONS WITH VARIOUS LEVELS OF POLLUTION. IN LIGHT OF THE ADAPTATION HYPOTHESIS, THE FOLLOWING POINTS MAY BE SUGGESTED FOR FUTURE RESEARCH: (I) THE CHRONIC AND ACUTE EXPOSURE OF STUDY SUBJECTS SHOULD BE DISTINGUISHED; (II) THE EXPOSURE HISTORY SHOULD BE MAPPED INCLUDING PLACE OF RESIDENCE DURING THE LIFE AND PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT; (III) CHANGES OF EPIGENETIC MARKERS SHOULD BE MONITORED OVER TIME. IN SUMMARY, INVESTIGATION OF HUMAN ADAPTATION TO THE ENVIRONMENT, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PROCESSES OF SURVIVAL, IS A NEW CHALLENGE FOR FUTURE RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN BIOMONITORING THAT MAY CHANGE OUR VIEW ON THE RESULTS OF BIOMARKER ANALYSES AND POTENTIAL NEGATIVE HEALTH IMPACTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT. 2017 9 1045 31 CLINICAL CORRELATION AMONG MALE INFERTILITY AND OVERALL MALE HEALTH: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. PURPOSE: ONGOING EVIDENCE HAS SUGGESTED THE ROLE OF MALE FACTOR INFERTILITY AS A POTENTIAL PREDICTOR OF MORTALITY AND GENERAL HEALTH STATUS. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT REVIEW IS TO UPDATE THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE BASE REGARDING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MALE FACTOR INFERTILITY AND GENERAL HEALTH THROUGH A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE WAS CARRIED OUT FROM INCEPTION TO NOVEMBER 2019 IN ORDER TO EVALUATE SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN MALE INFERTILITY AND ADVERSE HEALTH OUTCOMES SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR, ONCOLOGIC, METABOLIC AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES AS WELL AS OVERALL MORTALITY. RESULTS: IN ALL, 27 STUDIES MET INCLUSION CRITERIA AND WERE CRITICALLY EXAMINED. FIVE STUDIES EXAMINED MALE INFERTILITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK, 11 EXAMINED ONCOLOGIC RISK (E.G., OVERALL CANCER RISK, TESTIS AND PROSTATE CANCER), 8 EXAMINED AGGREGATE CHRONIC MEDICAL DISEASES AND 5 INFERTILITY RELATED TO INCIDENCE OF MORTALITY, FOR A TOTAL OF 599,807 MEN DIAGNOSED WITH ANY MALE FACTOR INFERTILITY COVERING A PERIOD FROM 1916 TO 2016. CONCLUSIONS: A MAN'S FERTILITY AND OVERALL HEALTH APPEAR TO BE INTERCONNECTED. THEREFORE, A DIAGNOSIS OF MALE INFERTILITY MAY ALLOW A WINDOW INTO FUTURE COMORBIDITY AND/OR MORTALITY WHICH MAY HELP GUIDE CLINICAL DECISIONS AND COUNSELING. SEVERAL POSSIBLE ETIOLOGIES SUCH AS GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, DEVELOPMENTAL, AND LIFESTYLE-BASED FACTORS NEED TO BE FURTHER EVALUATED IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS BETWEEN MALE INFERTILITY AND HEALTH. 2020 10 4496 40 MORE THAN GENES: THE ADVANCED FETAL PROGRAMMING HYPOTHESIS. MANY LINES OF DATA, INITIAL EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES AS WELL AS SUBSEQUENT EXTENSIVE EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES, INDICATE THAT EARLY-LIFE EVENTS PLAY A POWERFUL ROLE IN INFLUENCING LATER SUCEPTIBILITY TO CERTAIN CHRONIC DISEASES. SUCH EVENTS MIGHT BE OVER- OR UNDERNUTRITION, EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS, BUT ALSO CHANGES IN HORMONES, IN PARTICULAR STRESS HORMONES. TYPICALLY, THOSE EVENTS ARE TRIGGERED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES OF THE MOTHER. HOWEVER, RECENT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT PATERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL OR NUTRITIONAL FACTORS AFFECT THE PHENOTYPE OF THE OFFSPRING AS WELL. THE MATERNAL AND PATERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ACT ON THE PHENOTYPE OF THE OFFSPRING VIA EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION OF ITS GENOME. THE ADVANCED FETAL PROGRAMMING HYPOTHESIS PROPOSES AN ADDITIONAL NON-ENVIRONMENTALLY DRIVEN MECHANISM: MATERNAL AND ALSO PATERNAL GENES MAY INFLUENCE THE MATURATING SPERM, THE OOCYTE, AND LATER THE EMBRYO/FETUS, LEADING TO THEIR EPIGENETIC ALTERATION. THUS, THE OBSERVED PHENOTYPE OF THE OFFSPRING MAY BE ALTERED BY MATERNAL/PATERNAL GENES INDEPENDENT OF THE FETAL GENOME. MEANWHILE, SEVERAL INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATION STUDIES IN HUMANS DEALING WITH METABOLIC AND NEUROLOGICAL TRAITS ALSO SUGGEST THAT MATERNAL GENES MIGHT AFFECT THE OFFSPRING PHENOTYPE INDEPENDENT OF THE TRANSMISSION OF THAT PARTICULAR GENE TO THE OFFSPRING. CONSIDERING THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS HYPOTHESIS, SOME CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM TRANSGENIC OR KNOCKOUT ANIMAL MODELS AND BASED ON THE CAUSALITY BETWEEN A GENETIC ALTERATION AND A PHENOTYPE, NEED TO BE CHALLENGED. POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT, DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPY OF HUMAN GENETIC DISEASES HAVE TO BE INVESTIGATED. 2014 11 6065 37 THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF CHRONIC PHYSICAL AGGRESSION: BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS TRIGGERED BY EARLY LIFE ADVERSITY. LONGITUDINAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES WITH BIRTH COHORTS HAVE SHOWN THAT PHYSICAL AGGRESSION IN HUMANS DOES NOT APPEAR SUDDENLY IN ADOLESCENCE AS COMMONLY THOUGHT. IN FACT, PHYSICALLY AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR IS OBSERVED AS EARLY AS 12 MONTHS AFTER BIRTH, ITS FREQUENCY PEAKS AROUND 2-4 YEARS OF AGE AND DECREASES IN FREQUENCY UNTIL EARLY ADULTHOOD. HOWEVER, A MINORITY OF CHILDREN (3-7%) MAINTAIN A HIGH FREQUENCY OF PHYSICAL AGGRESSION FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE AND DEVELOP SERIOUS SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS DURING ADULTHOOD. GENETIC FACTORS AND EARLY SOCIAL EXPERIENCES, AS WELL AS THEIR INTERACTION, HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR. HOWEVER, THE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THESE ASSOCIATIONS ARE JUST BEGINNING TO BE UNCOVERED. RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE RESPONSIVE TO ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTS AND COULD BE INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC AGGRESSION. USING BOTH GENE CANDIDATE AND GENOMIC APPROACHES, RECENT STUDIES HAVE IDENTIFIED EPIGENETIC MARKS, SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION ALTERATIONS IN GENES INVOLVED IN THE STRESS RESPONSE AND THE SEROTONIN AND IMMUNE SYSTEMS TO BE PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LONG-LASTING EFFECTS OF EARLY ADVERSITY. FURTHER LONGITUDINAL STUDIES WITH BIOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND BEHAVIOURAL ASSESSMENTS FROM BIRTH ONWARDS ARE NEEDED TO ELUCIDATE THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT LEADS TO THESE LONG-LASTING EPIGENETIC MARKS ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY ADVERSITY AND AGGRESSION. 2015 12 396 37 AN UPDATE ON EPIGENETICS AND CHILDHOOD RESPIRATORY DISEASES. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, DEFINED AS CHANGES IN PHENOTYPE OR GENE EXPRESSION CAUSED BY MECHANISMS OTHER THAN CHANGES IN THE UNDERLYING DNA SEQUENCE, HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO CONSTITUTE A LINK BETWEEN GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT COMPLEX DISEASES. RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT DNA METHYLATION, ONE OF THE KEY EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, IS ALTERED IN CHILDREN EXPOSED TO AIR POLLUTANTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE EARLY IN LIFE. SEVERAL CANDIDATE GENE STUDIES ON EPIGENETICS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED TO DATE, BUT IT IS ONLY RECENTLY THAT GLOBAL METHYLATION ANALYSES HAVE BEEN PERFORMED FOR RESPIRATORY DISORDERS SUCH AS ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. HOWEVER, LARGE-SCALE STUDIES WITH ADEQUATE POWER ARE YET TO BE PRESENTED IN CHILDREN, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL USE REMAIN TO BE EVALUATED. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE THE RECENT ADVANCES IN EPIGENETICS AND RESPIRATORY DISORDERS IN CHILDREN, WITH A MAIN FOCUS ON METHODOLOGICAL CHALLENGES AND ANALYSES RELATED TO PHENOTYPE AND EXPOSURE USING GLOBAL METHYLATION APPROACHES. 2014 13 3210 40 HEALTH EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH PRE- AND PERINATAL EXPOSURE TO ARSENIC. INORGANIC ARSENIC IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED HUMAN CARCINOGEN, ABLE TO INDUCE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS. MORE THAN 200 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE EXPOSED TO ARSENIC CONCENTRATIONS IN DRINKING WATER EXCEEDING THE RECOMMENDED WHO THRESHOLD (10MUG/L). ADDITIONALLY, CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO LEVELS BELOW THIS THRESHOLD IS KNOWN TO RESULT IN LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS IN HUMANS. THE ARSENIC-RELATED HEALTH EFFECTS IN HUMANS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ITS BIOTRANSFORMATION PROCESS, WHEREBY THE RESULTING METABOLITES CAN INDUCE MOLECULAR DAMAGE THAT ACCUMULATES OVER TIME. THE EFFECTS DERIVED FROM THESE ALTERATIONS INCLUDE GENOMIC INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH OXIDATIVE DAMAGE, ALTERATION OF GENE EXPRESSION (INCLUDING CODING AND NON-CODING RNAS), GLOBAL AND LOCALIZED EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING, AND HISTONE POSTTRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATIONS. THESE ALTERATIONS DIRECTLY AFFECT MOLECULAR PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF MANY CONDITIONS THAT CAN ARISE EVEN DECADES AFTER THE EXPOSURE OCCURS. IMPORTANTLY, ARSENIC METABOLITES GENERATED DURING ITS BIOTRANSFORMATION CAN ALSO PASS THROUGH THE PLACENTAL BARRIER, RESULTING IN FETAL EXPOSURE TO THIS CARCINOGEN AT SIMILAR LEVELS TO THOSE OF THE MOTHER. AS SUCH, MORE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF THE ARSENIC-INDUCED MOLECULAR DAMAGE CAN BE OBSERVED AS DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS ON FETAL DEVELOPMENT, PREGNANCY, AND BIRTH OUTCOMES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE FOCUS ON THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO LOW LEVELS OF ARSENIC, PARTICULARLY THOSE AFFECTING EARLY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES. WE ALSO PRESENT HOW THESE ALTERATIONS OCCURRING DURING EARLY LIFE CAN IMPACT THE DEVELOPMENT OF CERTAIN DISEASES IN ADULT LIFE. 2021 14 2213 43 EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AS OUTCOMES OF EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS RELATED TO SPECIFIC METABOLIC ALTERATIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC DISEASES ARISE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF AN UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE PRIMARILY CHARACTERIZED BY PHYSICAL INACTIVITY AND UNBALANCED DIETS. REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CAN IMPROVE HEALTH, AND THERE IS CONSISTENT EVIDENCE THAT THESE IMPROVEMENTS MAY BE THE RESULT OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. OBJECTIVE: TO IDENTIFY EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONSAS OUTCOMES OF EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS RELATED TO SPECIFIC METABOLIC ALTERATIONS. METHODS: THE PREFERRED REPORTING ITEMS FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES PROTOCOLS (PRISMA-P) METHODOLOGY FOR MANUSCRIPT RESEARCH AND PREPARATION WAS FOLLOWED USING PUBMED AND EBSCO DATABASES FOR LITERATURE REVIEW. OUT OF 2,638 ARTICLES IDENTIFIED, ONLY 34 ARTICLES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. RESULTS: THE SECTIONS OF THE REVIEW WERE ORGANIZED BY METABOLIC ALTERATIONS IN WHICH STUDIES WERE GROUPED ACCORDING TO HEALTHY, DISEASED, AND TRAINED INDIVIDUALS. RESISTANCE EXERCISE IN HUMANS INDUCED EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN PATHWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH ENERGY METABOLISM AND INSULIN SENSITIVITY, CONTRIBUTING TO HEALTHY SKELETAL MUSCLE. ENDURANCE EXERCISE ALSO CAUSED MODIFICATIONS IN BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED TO METABOLIC ALTERATIONS THROUGH CHANGES IN DNA METHYLATION AND THE EXPRESSION OF SPECIFIC MIRNAS. HOWEVER, BOTH RESISTANCE AND ENDURANCE EXERCISE ARE NECESSARY TO OBTAIN A BETTER PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION AND A COMBINATION OF BOTH SEEMS TO BE NEEDED TO PROPERLY TACKLE THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF NON-COMMUNICABLE PATHOLOGIES. CONCLUSION: GIVEN THE HETEROGENEITY AND COMPLEXITY OF THE EXISTING LITERATURE, IT IS CURRENTLY NOT POSSIBLE TO PROPOSE A SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION ABOUT THE TYPE, INTENSITY, OR DURATION OF EXERCISE THAT COULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR DIFFERENT SUBSETS OF THE POPULATION (HEALTHY, DISEASED, AND/OR TRAINED). NEVERTHELESS, THIS REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE FOR HEALTH AND SHOWS THE NEED TO PERFORM MORE RESEARCH IN THIS EMERGING AREA TO IDENTIFY EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS THAT COULD SERVE AS INDICATORS OF EXERCISE ADAPTATIONS. 2019 15 2495 42 EPIGENETICS AND DOHAD: FROM BASICS TO BIRTH AND BEYOND. DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD) IS THE STUDY OF HOW THE EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT CAN IMPACT THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD AND THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND NON-CODING RNAS ARE INVOLVED IN MEDIATING HOW EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS LATER HEALTH. THIS REVIEW IS A SUMMARY OF THE EPIGENETICS AND DOHAD WORKSHOP HELD AT THE 2016 DOHAD SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE. OUR EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW THE EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS LATER RISK FOR CHRONIC DISEASE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANIMAL MODELS. IN THIS REVIEW WE HIGHLIGHT SOME ANIMAL MODEL EXAMPLES THAT DEMONSTRATE HOW AN ADVERSE EARLY LIFE EXPOSURE RESULTS IN EPIGENETIC AND GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASED RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE LATER IN LIFE. TYPE 2 DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE ARE CHRONIC DISEASES WITH AN INCREASING INCIDENCE DUE TO THE INCREASED NUMBER OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS THAT ARE OBESE. EPIGENETIC CHANGES SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH METABOLIC HEALTH MEASURES AND POTENTIALLY PREDICT FUTURE METABOLIC HEALTH STATUS. ALTHOUGH MORE DIFFICULT TO ELUCIDATE IN HUMANS, RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST THAT DNA METHYLATION MAY BE ONE OF THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS THAT MEDIATES THE EFFECTS OF EARLY LIFE EXPOSURES ON LATER LIFE RISK OF OBESITY AND OBESITY RELATED DISEASES. FINALLY, WE DISCUSS THE ROLE OF THE MICROBIOME AND HOW IT IS A NEW PLAYER IN DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING AND MEDIATING EARLY LIFE EXPOSURES ON LATER RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE. 2017 16 1932 30 ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES: AN UNDERRECOGNIZED CONTRIBUTION TO NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO DETERMINE THE DEGREE TO WHICH EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS) HAVE BEEN VERY CONSERVATIVE AND HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERESTIMATED THE ACTUAL CONTRIBUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT FOR AT LEAST TWO REASONS. FIRSTLY, MOST PREVIOUS REPORTS HAVE EXCLUDED THE CONTRIBUTION OF LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS, BUT THESE USUALLY INVOLVE SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS THAT INCREASE RISK OF DISEASE. SECONDLY, EARLY LIFE EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS IS NOW CLEARLY ASSOCIATED WITH AN ELEVATED RISK OF SEVERAL DISEASES LATER IN LIFE, BUT THESE CONNECTIONS ARE OFTEN DIFFICULT TO DISCERN. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR ASTHMA AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CONDITIONS, BUT THERE IS ALSO A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY AND CHRONIC DISEASES. MOST CANCERS ARE CAUSED BY ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES IN GENETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUALS. IN ADDITION, NEW INFORMATION SHOWS SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND DIABETES AND EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS PRESENT IN AIR, FOOD, AND WATER. THESE RELATIONSHIPS LIKELY REFLECT THE COMBINATION OF EPIGENETIC EFFECTS AND GENE INDUCTION. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TO NCDS THAN PREVIOUS REPORTS HAVE SUGGESTED. PREVENTION NEEDS TO SHIFT FOCUS FROM INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY TO SOCIETAL RESPONSIBILITY AND AN UNDERSTANDING THAT EFFECTIVE PREVENTION OF NCDS ULTIMATELY RELIES ON IMPROVED ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO MODIFIABLE RISKS. 2013 17 2093 35 EPIGENETIC EFFECTS FOLLOWING ACUTE AND CHRONIC EXERCISE IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. INTRODUCTION: ACUTE EXERCISE AND EXERCISE TRAINING MAY CONFER EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS. EPIGENETIC EFFECTS AFTER EXERCISE HAVE BEEN SHOWED IN PATIENTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. THE AIM OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO SUMMARIZE THE EVIDENCE FROM AVAILABLE CLINICAL TRIALS THAT STUDY EPIGENETIC ADAPTATIONS AFTER EXERCISE IN PATIENTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. METHODS: THE SEARCH STRATEGY WAS PERFORMED IN PUBMED AND CENTRAL DATABASES ON ARTICLES PUBLISHED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2020. STUDIES WITH TITLES AND ABSTRACTS RELEVANT TO EXERCISE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION APPLIED TO CARDIOVASCULAR PATIENTS WERE FULLY EXAMINED. INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE UTILIZED FOR STUDIES SCREENING. QUALITY ASSESSMENT WITH PEDRO SCALE AND EVALUATION BY TWO INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS WAS PERFORMED. RESULTS: OF THE 1714 ARTICLES RETRIEVED, 88 ARTICLES WERE ASSESSED FOR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND 8 ARTICLES MATCHED OUR SEARCH CRITERIA AND FINALLY INCLUDED IN THE SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS. THE ACUTE EXERCISE EPIGENETIC (MIRNAS) EFFECTS WERE ASSESSED IN THREE STUDIES AND THE CHRONIC EXERCISE TRAINING EFFECTS (MIRNAS AND DNA METHYLATION) IN SIX STUDIES. THE RESULTS HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE IS POSSIBLY AN ACUTE SIGNIFICANT EXERCISE EFFECT ON EPIGENETIC TARGETS WHICH IS MORE EVIDENT AFTER CHRONIC EXERCISE TRAINING. CONCLUSIONS: BY THE PRESENT SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, WE PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF BENEFICIAL EPIGENETIC ADAPTATIONS FOLLOWING ACUTE AND CHRONIC EXERCISE IN PATIENTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. MORE CONTROLLED STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM SUCH EVIDENCE. 2021 18 4626 41 NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS: EPIGENETICS AS AN UNDERLYING MECHANISM. THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS, ESPECIALLY AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS (ASD) AND ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD), CALLS FOR MORE RESEARCH INTO THE IDENTIFICATION OF ETIOLOGIC AND RISK FACTORS. THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD) HYPOTHESIZES THAT THE ENVIRONMENT DURING FETAL AND CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AFFECTS THE RISK FOR MANY CHRONIC DISEASES IN LATER STAGES OF LIFE, INCLUDING NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. EPIGENETICS, A TERM DESCRIBING MECHANISMS THAT CAUSE CHANGES IN THE CHROMOSOME STATE WITHOUT AFFECTING DNA SEQUENCES, IS SUGGESTED TO BE THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM, ACCORDING TO THE DOHAD HYPOTHESIS. MOREOVER, MANY NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS ARE ALSO RELATED TO EPIGENETIC ABNORMALITIES. EXPERIMENTAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES SUGGEST THAT EXPOSURE TO PRENATAL ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS IS ASSOCIATED WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. IN ADDITION, THERE IS ALSO EVIDENCE THAT ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS CAN RESULT IN EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, NOTABLY DNA METHYLATION. IN THIS REVIEW, WE FIRST FOCUS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS, IN PARTICULAR MATERNAL SMOKING, PLASTIC-DERIVED CHEMICALS (BISPHENOL A AND PHTHALATES), PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS, AND HEAVY METALS. WE THEN REVIEW STUDIES SHOWING THE EPIGENETIC EFFECTS OF THOSE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN HUMANS THAT MAY AFFECT NORMAL NEURODEVELOPMENT. 2017 19 2901 36 GENDER DIFFERENCES IN GERM-CELL MUTAGENESIS AND GENETIC RISK. CURRENT INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR CHEMICAL MUTAGENS ARE HAZARD-BASED RATHER THAN AIMED AT ASSESSING RISKS QUANTITATIVELY. IN THE PAST, GERM-CELL TESTS HAVE BEEN MAINLY PERFORMED WITH A LIMITED NUMBER OF SOMATIC CELL MUTAGENS, AND RARELY UNDER CONDITIONS AIMED AT COMPARING GENDER-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MUTAGEN EXPOSURES. THERE ARE PROFOUND DIFFERENCES IN THE GENETIC CONSTITUTION, AND IN HORMONAL, STRUCTURAL, AND FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS OF DIFFERENTIATION AND CONTROL OF GAMETOGENESIS BETWEEN THE SEXES. A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE SUGGESTS THAT THESE DIFFERENCES MAY HAVE A PROFOUND IMPACT ON THE RELATIVE SUSCEPTIBILITY, STAGE OF HIGHEST SENSITIVITY AND THE RELATIVE RISK FOR THE GENESIS OF GENE MUTATION, AS WELL AS STRUCTURAL AND NUMERICAL CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATIONS IN MALE AND FEMALE GERM CELLS. TRANSMISSION OF GERM-CELL MUTATIONS TO THE OFFSPRING MAY ALSO ENCOUNTER GENDER-SPECIFIC INFLUENCES. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CHEMICALLY DERIVED ALTERATIONS IN IMPRINTING PATTERNS MAY POSE A THREAT FOR THE HEALTH OF THE OFFSPRING AND MAY ALSO BE TRANSMITTED TO FUTURE GENERATIONS. RECENT REPORTS ON DIFFERENT GENETIC EFFECTS FROM HIGH ACUTE AND FROM CHRONIC LOW-DOSE EXPOSURES CHALLENGE THE VALIDITY OF CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM STANDARD METHODS OF MUTAGENICITY TESTING. IN CONCLUSION, RESEARCH IS URGENTLY NEEDED TO IDENTIFY GENETIC HAZARDS FOR A LARGER RANGE OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS, INCLUDING THOSE SUSPECTED TO DISTURB PROPER CHROMOSOME SEGREGATION. ALTERATIONS IN EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING AND THEIR HEALTH CONSEQUENCES WILL HAVE TO BE INVESTIGATED. MORE ATTENTION SHOULD BE PAID TO GENDER-SPECIFIC GENETIC EFFECTS. FINALLY, THE DATABASE FOR GERM-CELL MUTAGENS SHOULD BE ENLARGED USING MOLECULAR METHODOLOGIES, AND GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDIES SHOULD BE PERFORMED WITH THESE TECHNIQUES TO VERIFY HUMAN GENETIC RISK. 2007 20 120 36 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT AND DNA METHYLATION: CANDIDATE GENE AND EPIGENOME-WIDE APPROACHES. CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR CHRONIC AND SEVERE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH PROBLEMS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN. INCREASING EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT MALTREATMENT IS ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT MAY SUBSEQUENTLY SERVE AS MECHANISMS OF DISEASE. THE CURRENT REVIEW USES A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO IDENTIFY AND SUMMARIZE THE LITERATURE RELATED TO CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT AND ALTERATIONS IN DNA METHYLATION IN HUMANS. A TOTAL OF 100 EMPIRICAL ARTICLES WERE IDENTIFIED IN OUR SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RESEARCH PUBLISHED PRIOR TO OR DURING MARCH 2020, INCLUDING STUDIES THAT FOCUSED ON CANDIDATE GENES AND STUDIES THAT LEVERAGED EPIGENOME-WIDE DATA IN BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS. THEMES ARISING FROM THE LITERATURE, INCLUDING CONSISTENT AND INCONSISTENT PATTERNS OF RESULTS, ARE PRESENTED. SEVERAL DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH, INCLUDING IMPORTANT METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR FUTURE STUDY DESIGN, ARE DISCUSSED. TAKEN TOGETHER, THE LITERATURE ON CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT AND DNA METHYLATION UNDERSCORES THE COMPLEXITY OF TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENT AND BIOLOGY ACROSS DEVELOPMENT. 2021