Environmental Determinants of Autoimmunity among African Americans in Coastal SC

南卡罗来纳州沿海非裔美国人自身免疫的环境决定因素

• 批准号: 8066118
• 负责人: DIANE L KAMEN
• 金额: $ 3.08万
• 依托单位: MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-17 至 2013-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8066118
• 关键词: Acids; Address; Admixture; Advisory Committees; Affect; African American; Algorithms; Antibodies; Area; Autoantibodies; Autoimmune Diseases; Autoimmune Process; Autoimmunity; Back; Behavior; Case-Control Studies; Clinical; Collaborations; Communication Research; Communities; Community Outreach; Community Participation; Community Physician; Consumption; Data; Data Collection; Databases; Development; Dietary History; Ecosystem; Education; Education and Outreach; Enrollment; Ensure; Environment; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Hazards; Environmental Health; Environmental Pollution; Environmental Risk Factor; Epidemiologist; Equipment and supply inventories; Evaluation; Exhibits; Exposure to; Family; First Degree Relative; Fishes; Focus Groups; Food; Food Webs; Frequencies; Future; Genetic; Geographic Information Systems; Goals; Health; Health Professional; High Prevalence; Human; Immune System and Related Disorders; Individual; Interdisciplinary Study; Interview; Investigation; Island; Knowledge; Link; Lupus; Measurement; Modeling; Monitor; Nuclear; Occupational; Outcome; Participant; Pathway interactions; Patients; Play; Population; Population Study; Process; Public Health; Questionnaires; Recording of previous events; Recruitment Activity; Reinforcing Factor; Relative (related person); Reporting; Research; Research Personnel; Research Technics; Resources; Risk; Role; Sampling; Scientist; Sea; Seafood; Sentinel; Serologic tests; Serum; Source; South Carolina; System; Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Testing; Time; Toxic effect; Tursiops; Validation; Variant; Visit; Work; base; case control; community living; consumer product; design; disorder prevention; follow-up; high risk; improved; informant; information gathering; interest; meetings; member; multidisciplinary; phenyl ether; pollutant; primary outcome; programs; public health relevance; sound; tool; volunteer

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The African American Gullah population of the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia are a unique community for defining environmental factors for autoimmune diseases due to their low genetic admixture, environmental homogeneity, and a high prevalence of anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) positivity and families with multiple affecteds with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). With local seafood consumption being a dietary staple, potential pollutant contamination of the seafood is of high concern to the community. The basis for this concern is twofold. First, high levels of certain highly persistent organic pollutants (POPs), specifically polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), are found in local bottlenose dolphins and red drum, both sentinel wildlife species that serve as surrogates of human health effects. Second, links were recently established between these bioaccumulating, ubiquitous compounds and multiple deleterious health effects in humans, including immune system dysfunction and autoimmunity. As part of this proposal, we will study the immunological consequences associated with exposure to these specific environmental contaminants over time in first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with SLE, who are known to exhibit an increased risk of developing autoimmune disease themselves. The information gathered as part of this investigation will be used to support sound environmental public health action. The overall hypothesis of this proposal is that PBDEs and PFAAs play a pathogenic role as environmental triggers of autoimmunity in genetically at-risk individuals. We will test this hypothesis by accomplishing the following Specific Aims: 1) To test the hypothesis that residential, occupational and food frequency questionnaires are valid for assessing the burden of exposure to PBDEs and PFAAs among the African American Gullah community living in the Sea Island areas of South Carolina. 2) To test the hypothesis that serum levels of PBDEs and PFAAs will correlate with the presence of autoimmunity among first-degree relatives of patients with SLE and that levels of these bioaccumulating compounds increase over time within individuals exposed and that the rate of increase will correlate with the presence of autoimmunity. 3) To develop an algorithm to identify community members at high-risk for PBDE and PFAA exposure and test the hypothesis that cumulative exposure directly correlates with development and progression of autoimmunity. 4) To perform community outreach and education through a Steering Committee and public forums. 5) To evaluate the participatory process in reaching the educational and research objectives. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed studies address concerns of the Sea Island African American community regarding bioaccumulating persistent organic pollutants found in local dietary staples such as fish. This study will provide important, not currently available information regarding the role of PBDEs and PFAAs as potential environmental triggers for the development and progression of autoimmune disease. The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of and community participation in multidisciplinary research on the human health effects of environmental exposures and develop effective strategies for exposure reduction and autoimmune disease prevention.

描述（由申请人提供）：南卡罗来纳州和佐治亚州海岛的非洲裔美国人 Gullah 人群是定义自身免疫性疾病环境因素的独特社区，因为他们的遗传混合度低、环境同质性、抗核抗体 (ANA) 阳性率高，而且家庭中有多种系统性红斑狼疮 (SLE) 患者。由于海鲜消费是当地的主食，海鲜潜在的污染物污染受到社区的高度关注。这种担忧的基础是双重的。首先，在当地的宽吻海豚和红石首鱼中发现了高含量的某些​​高持久性有机污染物（POP），特别是多溴二苯醚（PBDE）和全氟烷基酸（PFAA），这两种哨兵野生动物物种可以作为人类健康影响的替代品。其次，最近发现这些普遍存在的生物累积化合物与人类多种有害健康影响（包括免疫系统功能障碍和自身免疫）之间存在联系。作为该提案的一部分，我们将研究 SLE 患者的一级亲属 (FDR) 随着时间的推移接触这些特定环境污染物所产生的免疫学后果，已知这些患者本身患自身免疫性疾病的风险增加。作为本次调查的一部分收集的信息将用于支持健全的环境公共卫生行动。该提案的总体假设是，PBDE 和 PFAA 作为遗传风险个体自身免疫的环境触发因素发挥着致病作用。我们将通过实现以下具体目标来检验这一假设： 1) 检验以下假设：居住、职业和食物频率调查问卷对于评估居住在南卡罗来纳州海岛地区的非裔美国人 Gullah 社区接触 PBDE 和 PFAA 的负担是有效的。 2) 检验以下假设：PBDE 和 PFAA 的血清水平与 SLE 患者一级亲属中自身免疫的存在相关，并且这些生物蓄积性化合物的水平在暴露个体中随着时间的推移而增加，并且增加的速率与自身免疫的存在相关。 3) 开发一种算法来识别 PBDE 和 PFAA 暴露高风险的社区成员，并检验累积暴露与自身免疫的发生和进展直接相关的假设。 4) 通过指导委员会和公共论坛进行社区外展和教育。 5) 评估实现教育和研究目标的参与过程。 公共健康相关性：拟议的研究解决了海岛非裔美国人社区对当地主食（如鱼）中发现的生物累积性持久性有机污染物的担忧。这项研究将提供有关 PBDE 和 PFAAs 作为自身免疫性疾病发生和进展的潜在环境触发因素的作用的重要的、目前尚未获得的信息。最终目标是提高环境暴露对人类健康影响的多学科研究的质量和社区参与，并制定减少暴露和预防自身免疫性疾病的有效策略。