https://hdl.handle.net/2072/478913 2026-04-06T03:32:43Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/226069 Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants and sex-specific neonatal outcomes in the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. De Saeger, Sarah; Raes, Jeroen; Nawrot, Tim S.; Vanhaecke, Lynn; Covaci, Adrian; Cseresznye, Adam; Ouden, Fatima den; Engelen, Liesa; Maris, Elias; Ait Bamai, Yu; Paepe, Ellen De; Poma, Giulia; Derrien, Muriel; Vich Vila, Arnau; Hemeryck, Lieselot Y.; Peró Gascón, Roger Early-life exposure to environmental contaminants, such as endocrine disrupting persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), is linked to adverse neonatal outcomes. However, the sex-specific effects of POP mixtures and the potential mediating roles of biological pathways, such as inflammation, remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to investigate these aspects within the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. The study population consisted of newborns (n = 402) from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, of which cord plasma levels of POPs were quantified using GC-ECNI/MS. Neonatal birth outcomes were derived from anthropometric measurements obtained at birth and via questionnaires completed postpartum. Among the 28 targeted POPs, nine were found in more than 50 % of the samples with CB 170, 180 and 153 detected in over 98 % of them. In single-pollutant models, several PCBs were inversely associated with ponderal index, while CB 118 was positively associated with head circumference in males (FDR-adjusted p < 0.05). Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression revealed that in males, the POP mixture was inversely associated with birth weight (β = −141.21, p < 0.05) and ponderal index (β = −0.11, p < 0.01) and positively associated with head circumference (β = 0.53, p < 0.01) and the odds of preterm birth (OR = 2.91, p < 0.05). Conversely, among females, the POP mixture was associated with reduced odds of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) (OR = 0.21, p < 0.05) and below normal APGAR scores (OR = 0.39, p < 0.05). Mediation analysis indicated that the association between p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) and reduced birth weight/length was significantly mediated by eosinophil levels. 2026-01-23T16:32:32Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/225644 Development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous detection of urinary inflammatory biomarkers in a Flemish birth cohort Raes, Jeroen; Vanhaecke, Lynn; Nawrot, Tim S.; Covaci, Adrian; Ouden, Fatima den; Cseresznye, Adam; Engelen, Liesa; Maris, Elias; Paepe, Ellen De; Poma, Giulia; Proost, Sebastian; Vich Vila, Arnau; Hemeryck, Lieselot Y.; Peró Gascón, Roger; De Saeger, Sarah Chronic inflammation is a significant contributor to various diseases but its assessment via blood sampling presents challenges, particularly in children. The evaluation of urinary biomarkers, including 3-bromotyrosine (Bty), 3-chlorotyrosine (Cty) and leukotriene E4 (LTE4), offers a non-invasive alternative. This study presents the optimization and validation of a sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of Bty, Cty and LTE4 in urine. Under optimized conditions, sample preparation was based on SPE using Oasis MAX cartridges, followed by LC-MS/MS analysis. Method performance was validated using the ICH 10 guidelines, resulting in satisfactory results for all analytes in terms of recovery, linearity, limits of quantification, precision and accuracy. Recovery rates ranged from 82% to 97%, while matrix effects were observed within the range of -11% to 26%.  Linear range spanned from 0.08 to 20 ng/mL for the three analytes. Application to 332 urine samples from the ENVIR<em>ON</em>AGE birth cohort (Belgium), comprising of children aged 4–11 years, revealed detection frequencies of 18% for LTE4, 19% for Cty and 50% for Bty. Notably, creatinine-corrected Cty and LTE4 exhibited statistically significant Spearman correlations with established systemic inflammation markers. Specifically, Cty was positively correlated with absolute monocyte count (ρ = 0.53, <em>p</em> < 0.05), while LTE4 showed a positive correlation with relative eosinophil levels (ρ = 0.46, <em>p</em> < 0.05) and a negative  correlation with the relative neutrophil levels (ρ = -0.56, <em>p</em> < 0.01). These results highlight the validated method as a valuable tool for investigating distinct inflammatory pathways in epidemiological settings and clinical research. 2026-01-16T15:23:30Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/217051 Fingerprinting of quinoa grain protein extracts by liquid chromatography with spectrophotometric detection for chemometrics discrimination Galindo Luján, Rocío del Pilar; Caballero-Alcázar, Nil; Pont Villanueva, Laura; Sanz Nebot, María Victoria; Benavente Moreno, Fernando J. (Julián) Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) grain is gaining great popularity worldwide because it is a rich source of nutrients, bioactive compounds, complete essential amino acids, and high-quality proteins. The demand for quinoa-based products is on the rise, which makes them prone to adulteration with less expensive cereals. In this study, we described a rapid and simple procedure for fingerprinting of quinoa grain protein extracts based on the combination of liquid chromatography with ultraviolet absorption diode array detection (LC-UV-DAD) and chemometrics. First, we developed a novel LC-UV-DAD method to obtain distinctive multiwavelength chromatographic profiles of protein extracts from various commercial quinoa grains, which encompass different quinoa varieties sold as black, red, white (from Peru), and royal (white from Bolivia). Then, the components of the LC-UV-DAD fingerprints were deconvoluted by multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares (MCRALS), and principal component analysis (PCA) followed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to efficiently discriminate the commercial quinoa grains according to their differential composition. The chemometrics-assisted LC-UV-DAD fingerprinting methodology demonstrated its potential to rapidly and reliably discriminate quinoa grains according to the differential composition of their protein extracts and it may be applied in food quality and food fraud control. 2024-12-12T12:24:13Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/227976 On-line aptamer affinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry for the analysis of protein biomarkers in biological fluids and food: A tutorial Vergara Barberan, Maria; Pont Villanueva, Laura; Salim, Hiba; Giménez López, Estela; Benavente Moreno, Fernando J. (Julián) The analysis by capillary electrophoresis (CE) of low abundant proteins in complex samples, such as biological fluids and food, is especially challenging, due to the poor concentration sensitivity of microscale separation tech- niques and the sample matrix complexity. In order to overcome these major drawbacks, microextraction sample preparation techniques based on on-line solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis (SPE-CE) are regarded as an excellent alternative for sample matrix clean-up and analyte preconcentration with minimum sample han- dling. In this study, we present, as a tutorial, a valve-free on-line aptamer affinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (AA-SPE-CE-MS) method for purification, preconcentration, separation, de- tection, and characterization of intact protein biomarkers in biological fluids and food using as cases of study ‑synuclein ( ‑syn), concanavalin A (Con A), and -lactoglobulin ( -LG), which are related to Parkinson’s dis- ease and food allergy, respectively. This tutorial is not limited to the description of the analytical method, but it also provides ready-to-use preparation procedures for sorbent and microextraction devices, and introduces strategies to overcome undesired effects, allowing a straightforward implementation and optimum performance of AA-SPE-CE-MS, as a platform to develop further applications. 2026-03-10T13:40:41Z