Metals and Metal Mixtures: Cognitive Aging, Remediation and Exposure Sources (MEMCARE)

总结/摘要 对衰老的健康担忧--特别是老年人的认知能力下降和记忆力丧失--对公共卫生有着巨大的影响 随着美国和世界人口的分布向老年人转移，这一趋势可能会产生影响。而 多种有毒物质导致认知老化，我们关注重金属（Pb，As，Mn，Cd，Cr和Se） 和金属混合物，因为尽管多年的监管，清理和补救工作， 许多超级基金场址的污染持续存在，并继续威胁公众健康。据我们所知， 目前还没有超级基金研究中心（SRC）专门解决健康影响，风险， 金属污染物对老年人认知健康影响的补救。为了填补这个关键的 差距，并解决环境金属污染物造成的紧迫的公共卫生问题， 认知老化，我们提出了一个新的SRC题为金属和金属混合物：认知老化，补救和 暴露源（MEMCARE）。MEMCARE-SRC的总体目标是了解和减轻 暴露于金属和金属混合物对晚年认知健康的影响。为了实现这一目标，我们设计了 高度集成，基于解决方案的4个研究项目和4个核心计划。项目1采用创新的 评估一个独特的成年人群体的早期生活暴露和晚年认知功能的方法， 60多岁和70多岁的人在小时候就捐献了乳牙。项目2研究基本的生物学机制 使用体外和体内方法研究生命早期暴露的潜在影响。项目3审查了 地表水和地下水处理系统在跨流域水体中金属的空间和时间模式中的作用 美国，包括超级基金网站。项目4将开发新型纳米结构吸附剂， 从水，可能提供更好的补救措施，为我们的人口在项目1和社区 参与核心（CEC）。我们的CEC将与波士顿的一个城市工业污染社区合作， 马，和一个农村社区直接受到两个超级基金网站在科罗拉多。数据管理和 分析核心（DMAC）将提供数据管理、生物统计和生物信息学支持，并确保 所有项目和核心的资源共享和可复制的科学。行政核心将提供 监督并将我们的科学传达给利益相关者。研究经验与培训协调 核心（RETCC）将嵌入我们中心的各个方面，为博士和博士后学员提供 在SRC各方面工作的相关经验。

SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT Health concerns of aging—especially cognitive decline and memory loss in older age—have huge public health implications as the United States and world populations are shifting in distribution toward older ages. While a variety of toxicants contribute to cognitive aging, we are focused on heavy metals (Pb, As, Mn, Cd, Cr, and Se) and metal mixtures because, despite years of regulation, clean-up, and remediation efforts, metal contamination in many Superfund sites persists and continues to threaten public health. To our knowledge, there is no current Superfund Research Center (SRC) that specifically addresses the health effects, risk, and remediation of metal contaminants in relation to their effects on cognitive health in older age. To fill this critical gap and to address the pressing public health problems posed by environmental metal contaminants on cognitive aging, we propose a new SRC entitled Metals and Metal Mixtures: Cognitive Aging, Remediation and Exposure Sources (MEMCARE). The overall goal of MEMCARE-SRC is to understand and mitigate effects of exposure to metals and metal mixtures on late-life cognitive health. To achieve this goal, we have designed a highly integrated, solution-based program of 4 Research Projects and 4 Cores. Project 1 uses an innovative approach to assess early-life exposures and late-life cognitive function in a unique population of adults now in their 60s and 70s who donated baby teeth as children. Project 2 investigates basic biological mechanisms underlying effects of early-life exposures using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. Project 3 examines the role of surface and groundwater treatment systems in spatial and temporal patterns of metals in water across the US, including Superfund sites. Project 4 will develop novel nanostructured adsorbents to remove metals from water, potentially providing improved remedies for our populations in Project 1 and the Community Engagement Core (CEC). Our CEC will partner with an urban, industrially-contaminated community in Boston, MA, and a rural community directly affected by two Superfund sites in Colorado. The Data Management and Analysis Core (DMAC) will provide data management, biostatistical, and bioinformatics support and ensure resource sharing and reproducible science for all Projects and Cores. The Administrative Core will provide oversight and communicate our science to stakeholders. The Research Experience and Training Coordination Core (RETCC) will embed with all aspects of our Center to provide doctoral and postdoctoral trainees with relevant experiences in all aspects of work in the SRC.