{"entity": "researcher", "timestamp": "2026-08-20T20:47:04.162Z", "family": "Dewey", "given": "Deborah", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-1323-5832", "affiliations": ["Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.", "Owerko Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.", "Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.", "Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada."], "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8935a7948f734de08bfd35e426fba159.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8935a7948f734de08bfd35e426fba159"}}, "publications": [{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "38ee4cf2de3c44d8b7d826059486c580", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/38ee4cf2de3c44d8b7d826059486c580.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/38ee4cf2de3c44d8b7d826059486c580"}}, "title": "Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates, Bisphenols and Their Mixtures and Early Childhood Allergic Conditions and Asthma: Results from the APrON Cohort.", "authors": [{"family": "Bartram", "given": "Emily", "initials": "E", "orcid": "0009-0000-9435-072X", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/ffbeae1e5029436085384ee26d5b2279.json"}}, {"family": "England-Mason", "given": "Gillian", "initials": "G", "orcid": "0000-0003-0633-5963", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/735da452964d4e619ae8571b76076862.json"}}, {"family": "Martin", "given": "Jonathan W", "initials": "JW"}, {"family": "MacDonald", "given": "Amy M", "initials": "AM", "orcid": "0000-0001-7031-8952", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/54dfa0649518430e8850eb35f5c42803.json"}}, {"family": "Kinniburgh", "given": "David W", "initials": "DW"}, {"family": "Dewey", "given": "Deborah", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-1323-5832", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8935a7948f734de08bfd35e426fba159.json"}}, {"family": "Soomro", "given": "Munawar Hussain", "initials": "MH", "orcid": "0000-0002-9573-2591", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/5f1028b1f6714325b2f68a921114569e.json"}}, {"family": "APrON Study Team", "given": "", "initials": ""}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2025-12-17", "journal": {"title": "Int J Environ Res Public Health", "issn": "1660-4601", "volume": "22", "issue": "12", "issn-l": null}, "abstract": "Associations between prenatal exposure to phthalates, bisphenols and their mixtures and early childhood allergic conditions and asthma were examined. Five hundred and fifty-six mother-child pairs from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort participated. Urine samples collected from mothers during the second trimester of pregnancy were analyzed for phthalates and bisphenols. A child health questionnaire, completed by mothers when children were 12, 24, and 36 months, asked whether children had experienced allergic conditions (i.e., food allergies, eczema, rash) or asthma. In single-chemical models, associations varied with child age. Higher prenatal concentrations of mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP) were associated with lower odds of eczema at 12 months. At 36 months, higher mono-methyl phthalate (MMP) was associated with increased odds of eczema, whereas higher mono-carboxy-octyl phthalate (MCOP) was associated with reduced odds. Higher prenatal MCOP was also associated with higher odds of rash at 12 months, and higher MMP was associated with higher odds of rash at 36 months. Higher bisphenol S (BPS) was associated with increased odds of asthma at 12 months but decreased odds of eczema and rash at 36 months. Sex-specific effects were also noted. In multi-chemical exposure least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) models, several phthalate metabolites and BPS were selected as the best predictors of eczema and rash at 36 months of age. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) mixture models suggested that BPS was the most important chemical in predicting eczema in children at 36 months, while MMP and BPS were the most important chemicals in predicting rash at 36 months. Prenatal exposure to certain phthalate metabolites and BPS predicted allergic conditions and asthma in young children, with patterns varying by age and sex. Prenatal exposure to these chemicals may differentially influence immune development and contribute to the development of early-life allergic conditions, with potentially sex-specific susceptibility.", "doi": "10.3390/ijerph22121875", "pmid": "41464508", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC12732642"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "ijerph22121875"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T13:41:07.413Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T13:41:07.538Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "35a0867719f84908b9c53f4a81e61fea", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/35a0867719f84908b9c53f4a81e61fea.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/35a0867719f84908b9c53f4a81e61fea"}}, "title": "Sex-Specific Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Bisphenols and Phthalates and Infant Epigenetic Age Acceleration.", "authors": [{"family": "England-Mason", "given": "Gillian", "initials": "G", "orcid": "0000-0003-0633-5963", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/735da452964d4e619ae8571b76076862.json"}}, {"family": "Merrill", "given": "Sarah M", "initials": "SM"}, {"family": "Liu", "given": "Jiaying", "initials": "J"}, {"family": "Martin", "given": "Jonathan W", "initials": "JW", "orcid": "0000-0001-6265-4294", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/02199c0d99674e2ea5e96e6589c07a00.json"}}, {"family": "MacDonald", "given": "Amy M", "initials": "AM", "orcid": "0000-0001-7031-8952", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/54dfa0649518430e8850eb35f5c42803.json"}}, {"family": "Kinniburgh", "given": "David W", "initials": "DW"}, {"family": "Gladish", "given": "Nicole", "initials": "N"}, {"family": "MacIsaac", "given": "Julia L", "initials": "JL"}, {"family": "Giesbrecht", "given": "Gerald F", "initials": "GF"}, {"family": "Letourneau", "given": "Nicole", "initials": "N", "orcid": "0000-0002-7468-915X", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/6dcc08e4922148f298c76627218425f7.json"}}, {"family": "Kobor", "given": "Michael S", "initials": "MS"}, {"family": "Dewey", "given": "Deborah", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-1323-5832", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8935a7948f734de08bfd35e426fba159.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2024-08-10", "journal": {"title": "Epigenomes", "issn": "2075-4655", "volume": "8", "issue": "3", "issn-l": null}, "abstract": "We examined whether prenatal exposure to two classes of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) was associated with infant epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), a DNA methylation biomarker of aging. Participants included 224 maternal-infant pairs from a Canadian pregnancy cohort study. Two bisphenols and 12 phthalate metabolites were measured in maternal second trimester urines. Buccal epithelial cell cheek swabs were collected from 3 month old infants and DNA methylation was profiled using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. The Pediatric-Buccal-Epigenetic tool was used to estimate EAA. Sex-stratified robust regressions examined individual chemical associations with EAA, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) examined chemical mixture effects. Adjusted robust models showed that in female infants, prenatal exposure to total bisphenol A (BPA) was positively associated with EAA (B = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.21, 1.24), and multiple phthalate metabolites were inversely associated with EAA (Bs from -0.36 to -0.66, 95% CIs from -1.28 to -0.02). BKMR showed that prenatal BPA was the most important chemical in the mixture and was positively associated with EAA in both sexes. No overall chemical mixture effects or male-specific associations were noted. These findings indicate that prenatal EDC exposures are associated with sex-specific deviations in biological aging, which may have lasting implications for child health and development.", "doi": "10.3390/epigenomes8030031", "pmid": "39189257", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC11348373"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "epigenomes8030031"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T13:40:34.408Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T13:40:34.489Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "1727294597754326ab923b4e9b5c4beb", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/1727294597754326ab923b4e9b5c4beb.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/1727294597754326ab923b4e9b5c4beb"}}, "title": "Sex-Specific Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate, Epigenetic Age Acceleration, and Susceptibility to Early Childhood Upper Respiratory Infections.", "authors": [{"family": "Merrill", "given": "Sarah M", "initials": "SM"}, {"family": "Letourneau", "given": "Nicole", "initials": "N", "orcid": "0000-0002-7468-915X", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/6dcc08e4922148f298c76627218425f7.json"}}, {"family": "Giesbrecht", "given": "Gerald F", "initials": "GF"}, {"family": "Edwards", "given": "Karlie", "initials": "K"}, {"family": "MacIsaac", "given": "Julia L", "initials": "JL"}, {"family": "Martin", "given": "Jonathan W", "initials": "JW"}, {"family": "MacDonald", "given": "Amy M", "initials": "AM", "orcid": "0000-0001-7031-8952", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/54dfa0649518430e8850eb35f5c42803.json"}}, {"family": "Kinniburgh", "given": "David W", "initials": "DW"}, {"family": "Kobor", "given": "Michael S", "initials": "MS"}, {"family": "Dewey", "given": "Deborah", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-1323-5832", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8935a7948f734de08bfd35e426fba159.json"}}, {"family": "England-Mason", "given": "Gillian", "initials": "G", "orcid": "0000-0003-0633-5963", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/735da452964d4e619ae8571b76076862.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2024-01-26", "journal": {"title": "Epigenomes", "issn": "2075-4655", "volume": "8", "issue": "1", "issn-l": null}, "abstract": "Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a common plasticizer that can affect immune system development and susceptibility to infection. Aging processes (measured as epigenetic age acceleration (EAA)) may mediate the immune-related effects of prenatal exposure to DEHP. This study's objective was to examine associations between prenatal DEHP exposure, EAA at three months of age, and the number of upper respiratory infections (URIs) from 12 to 18 months of age using a sample of 69 maternal-child pairs from a Canadian pregnancy cohort. Blood DNA methylation data were generated using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip; EAA was estimated using Horvath's pan-tissue clock. Robust regressions examined overall and sex-specific associations. Higher prenatal DEHP exposure (B = 6.52, 95% CI = 1.22, 11.81) and increased EAA (B = 2.98, 95% CI = 1.64, 4.32) independently predicted more URIs. In sex-specific analyses, some similar effects were noted for boys, and EAA mediated the association between prenatal DEHP exposure and URIs. In girls, higher prenatal DEHP exposure was associated with decreased EAA, and no mediation was noted. Higher prenatal DEHP exposure may be associated with increased susceptibility to early childhood URIs, particularly in boys, and aging biomarkers such as EAA may be a biological mechanism. Larger cohort studies examining the potential developmental immunotoxicity of phthalates are needed.", "doi": "10.3390/epigenomes8010003", "pmid": "38390895", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC10885049"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "epigenomes8010003"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T13:40:32.355Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T13:40:32.466Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "73ab8704141845b8ae0717df4193c749", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/73ab8704141845b8ae0717df4193c749.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/73ab8704141845b8ae0717df4193c749"}}, "title": "Associations between maternal folate status and choline intake during pregnancy and neurodevelopment at 3-4 years of age in the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study.", "authors": [{"family": "Irvine", "given": "Nathalie", "initials": "N"}, {"family": "England-Mason", "given": "Gillian", "initials": "G", "orcid": "0000-0003-0633-5963", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/735da452964d4e619ae8571b76076862.json"}}, {"family": "Field", "given": "Catherine J", "initials": "CJ", "orcid": "0000-0001-7285-4767", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/2078f443da354e70a59c595387dc9592.json"}}, {"family": "Letourneau", "given": "Nicole", "initials": "N", "orcid": "0000-0002-7468-915X", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/6dcc08e4922148f298c76627218425f7.json"}}, {"family": "Bell", "given": "Rhonda C", "initials": "RC", "orcid": "0000-0002-4298-9641", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/f7f9a00807f845cabdbc69fc1bb1af0b.json"}}, {"family": "Giesbrecht", "given": "Gerald F", "initials": "GF", "orcid": "0000-0001-7259-0685", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/69d4546a05aa4502b211c6cce2c8e26b.json"}}, {"family": "Kinniburgh", "given": "David W", "initials": "DW"}, {"family": "MacDonald", "given": "Amy M", "initials": "AM", "orcid": "0000-0001-7031-8952", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/54dfa0649518430e8850eb35f5c42803.json"}}, {"family": "Martin", "given": "Jonathan W", "initials": "JW", "orcid": "0000-0001-6265-4294", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/02199c0d99674e2ea5e96e6589c07a00.json"}}, {"family": "Dewey", "given": "Deborah", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-1323-5832", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8935a7948f734de08bfd35e426fba159.json"}}, {"family": "APrON Study Team", "given": "", "initials": ""}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2023-06-00", "journal": {"title": "J Dev Orig Health Dis", "issn": "2040-1752", "volume": "14", "issue": "3", "pages": "402-414", "issn-l": null}, "abstract": "Folate and choline are methyl donor nutrients that may play a role in fetal brain development. Animal studies have reported that prenatal folate and choline supplementation are associated with better cognitive outcomes in offspring and that these nutrients may interact and affect brain development. Human studies that have investigated associations between maternal prenatal folate or choline levels and neurodevelopmental outcomes have reported contradictory findings and no human studies have examined the potential interactive effect of folate and choline on children's neurodevelopment. During the second trimester of pregnancy, maternal red blood cell folate was measured from blood samples and choline intake was estimated using a 24-h dietary recall in 309 women in the APrON cohort. At 3-5 years of age, their children's neurodevelopment was assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence - Fourth EditionCND, NEPSY-II language and memory subtests, four behavioral executive function tasks, and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition. Adjusted regressions revealed no associations between maternal folate and choline levels during pregnancy and most of the child outcomes. On the Dimensional Change Card Sort, an executive function task, there was an interaction effect; at high levels of choline intake (i.e., 1 SD above the mean; 223.03 mg/day), higher maternal folate status was associated with decreased odds of receiving a passing score (\u03b2 = -0.44; 95%CI -0.81, -0.06). In conclusion, maternal folate status and choline intake during the second trimester of pregnancy were not associated with children's intelligence, language, memory, or motor outcomes at 3-4 years of age; however, their interaction may have an influence children's executive functions.", "doi": "10.1017/S2040174423000041", "pmid": "36939090", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "mid", "key": "NIHMS1873444"}, {"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC10202845"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "S2040174423000041"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T08:08:07.630Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T08:08:07.954Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "104d2b032fbd4bddbf44f3879798c9e2", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/104d2b032fbd4bddbf44f3879798c9e2.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/104d2b032fbd4bddbf44f3879798c9e2"}}, "title": "Postnatal BPA is associated with increasing executive function difficulties in preschool children.", "authors": [{"family": "England-Mason", "given": "Gillian", "initials": "G"}, {"family": "Liu", "given": "Jiaying", "initials": "J"}, {"family": "Martin", "given": "Jonathan W", "initials": "JW"}, {"family": "Giesbrecht", "given": "Gerald F", "initials": "GF"}, {"family": "Letourneau", "given": "Nicole", "initials": "N"}, {"family": "Dewey", "given": "Deborah", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-1323-5832", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8935a7948f734de08bfd35e426fba159.json"}}, {"family": "APrON Study Team", "given": "", "initials": ""}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2021-02-00", "journal": {"title": "Pediatr. Res.", "issn": "1530-0447", "volume": "89", "issue": "3", "pages": "686-693", "issn-l": "0031-3998"}, "abstract": "Early bisphenol exposure may have consequences for executive function development, but less is known about potential sex effects. We hypothesized that early bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) exposures would be associated with sex-dependent changes in preschool executive function.\n\nA subsample of the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort (n = 312) provided maternal second trimester (prenatal) and 3-month postpartum (postnatal) urine samples, from which BPA and BPS concentrations were quantified. When children were age 2 and 4, mothers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). Changes in standardized T scores on the BRIEF-P indexes of inhibitory self-control, flexibility, and emergent metacognition were investigated.\n\nAdjusted multivariate regression analyses showed that child sex modified the associations between maternal postnatal BPA and changes in executive function. Higher maternal postnatal BPA concentrations predicted increasing difficulties from age 2 to 4 in the domains of inhibitory self-control and emergent metacognition in female, but not male children. The other bisphenol concentrations were not associated with changes in executive function.\n\nDue to the ubiquity of BPA exposure among breastfeeding women, these findings justify further investigation on the effects of postnatal bisphenol exposure on child cognitive development.\n\nHigher concentrations of maternal BPA at 3-month postpartum were associated with increasing difficulties in inhibitory self-control and emergent metacognition from age 2 to 4 in girls, but not boys. Prenatal BPA and prenatal/postnatal BPS were not significant predictors of changes in executive function in boys and girls. The current study extends previous research to show that maternal postnatal BPA could also impact child executive function. Due to the ubiquity of BPA exposure among breastfeeding women, the current findings suggest that additional precautions may be needed to protect infants' neurodevelopment from indirect exposure to BPA.", "doi": "10.1038/s41390-020-0922-6", "pmid": "32408341", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "mid", "key": "NIHMS1586671"}, {"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC7666018"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "10.1038/s41390-020-0922-6"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T08:48:41.117Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T08:48:41.174Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "e1cad692d2fa464f98fb25640bc99e54", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/e1cad692d2fa464f98fb25640bc99e54.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/e1cad692d2fa464f98fb25640bc99e54"}}, "title": "Prenatal maternal and childhood bisphenol a exposure and brain structure and behavior of young children.", "authors": [{"family": "Grohs", "given": "Melody N", "initials": "MN"}, {"family": "Reynolds", "given": "Jess E", "initials": "JE"}, {"family": "Liu", "given": "Jiaying", "initials": "J"}, {"family": "Martin", "given": "Jonathan W", "initials": "JW"}, {"family": "Pollock", "given": "Tyler", "initials": "T"}, {"family": "Lebel", "given": "Catherine", "initials": "C"}, {"family": "Dewey", "given": "Deborah", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-1323-5832", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8935a7948f734de08bfd35e426fba159.json"}}, {"family": "APrON Study Team", "given": "", "initials": ""}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2019-10-15", "journal": {"title": "Environ Health", "issn": "1476-069X", "volume": "18", "issue": "1", "pages": "85", "issn-l": "1476-069X"}, "abstract": "Bisphenol A (BPA) is commonly used in the manufacture of plastics and epoxy resins. In North America, over 90% of the population has detectable levels of urinary BPA. Human epidemiological studies have reported adverse behavioral outcomes with BPA exposure in children, however, corresponding effects on children's brain structure have not yet been investigated. The current study examined the association between prenatal maternal and childhood BPA exposure and white matter microstructure in children aged 2 to 5 years, and investigated whether brain structure mediated the association between BPA exposure and child behavior.\n\nParticipants were 98 mother-child pairs who were recruited between January 2009 and December 2012. Total BPA concentrations in spot urine samples obtained from mothers in the second trimester of pregnancy and from children at 3-4 years of age were analyzed. Children participated in a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan at age 2-5 years (3.7 \u00b1 0.8 years). Associations between prenatal maternal and childhood BPA and children's fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity of 10 isolated white matter tracts were investigated, controlling for urinary creatinine, child sex, and age at the time of MRI. Post-hoc analyses examined if alterations in white matter mediated the relationship of BPA and children's scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).\n\nPrenatal maternal urinary BPA was significantly associated with child mean diffusivity in the splenium and right inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Splenium diffusivity mediated the relationship between maternal prenatal BPA levels and children's internalizing behavior (indirect effect: \u03b2 = 0.213, CI [0.0167, 0.564]). No significant associations were found between childhood BPA and white matter microstructure.\n\nThis study provides preliminary evidence for the neural correlates of BPA exposure in humans. Our findings suggest that prenatal maternal exposure to BPA may lead to alterations in white matter microstructure in preschool aged children, and that such alterations mediate the relationship between early life exposure to BPA and internalizing problems.", "doi": "10.1186/s12940-019-0528-9", "pmid": "31615514", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC6794724"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "10.1186/s12940-019-0528-9"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T12:20:41.433Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T12:20:41.495Z"}]}