Early-Life Heavy Metal Exposure: Effects on Fetal Growth, Birth Outcomes, and Offspring Health
A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 2111
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cadmium; reproductive toxicology; developmental toxicology; environmental toxicology; epigenetics; heavy metals
Interests: heavy metal; metal-containing nanoparticles; reproductive toxicology; developmental toxicology; environmental health
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Heavy metals are drawing increasing attention and are largely attributed to agricultural, mining, and industrial development. Human exposure to heavy metals has become ubiquitous, mainly through drinking water, smoking, and diet. Some heavy metals can (e.g., cadmium and lead) accumulate within tissues because of their long biological half-life and low biological excretion rate and have been associated with various adverse health consequences, including renal dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome. Previous studies have mainly focused on the health effects of contemporary heavy metal exposure. Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) theory indicates that exposure to adverse factors in early life may impair not only fetal growth but also the development of chronic diseases in adulthood. Gestational exposure to heavy metals is known to induce fetal growth restriction, yet the effect and mechanism of exposure to heavy metals in early life on fetal growth, birth outcomes, and the offspring's health remain unclear.
This Special Issue focuses on the effect and mechanism of early life exposure to heavy metals or metal-containing particles on birth outcomes, fetal growth, and offspring health. We expect the topics to cover a wide range of areas, including animal models and population studies that examine the effects of early life metal exposure on fetal growth and long-term health, exploring mechanisms such as the placenta/sperm–fetus–organ axis, epigenetics, and early biomarker screening for disease susceptibility, as well as discussion on advanced omics technologies, multi-omics approaches, and machine learning applications in the context of early life metal exposure. Authors are invited and welcome to submit original research papers, reviews, and short communications.
Prof. Dr. Hua Wang
Dr. Chengyong He
Dr. Yi-Xin Wang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- heavy metals
- early life
- birth outcomes
- fetal growth
- offspring health
- metal-containing nanoparticles
- epigenetics
- biomarker
- omics technique
- machine learning
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
