Identification of Studies that Evaluate Effect Modification of Methylmercury (MeHg) Developmental Neurotoxicity (DNT) by Nonchemical Stressors
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Systematic review methods were applied to identify studies with information on susceptibility factors, such as nonchemical stressors, that may modify the health effects of MeHg DNT. This effort focused on possible effect modifiers, such as polymorphisms, sex, and co-exposures to other chemicals. The results presented here pertain to a subgroup of studies that provided information on possible effect modification of nonchemical stressors associated with low socioeconomic status (SES), chronic stress, depression, and other social or psychological conditions.
The first step was a literature search (1998-2022) utilizing several databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Toxline, Science Direct, and SCOPUS. Literature search results were then screened by applying an epidemiology search string in SWIFT Review. The resulting studies were uploaded into DistillerSR for title/abstract and full-text screening and were included if they contained information on human susceptibility factors for MeHg DNT. Effect modification by these factors was generally considered through stratified analyses or by including interaction terms in analyses. However, a few papers were included that provided suggestive evidence of effect modification.
The literature searches identified 17,661 studies. Following the application of the epidemiology search string in SWIFT Review, 7,423 studies remained for screening in DistillerSR. As a result, 17 studies were identified that considered susceptibility factors related to SES, stress, or other social and psychological conditions. Details on these studies are described and issues related to their interpretation are discussed.