Childhood and Environment

Research group

Group Leader

Óscar García Algar

The group is dedicated to research related to childhood and its environments, from the foetus (mother’s womb) to the child’s environment (air, settings, school, etc.). The involvement in research projects for more than 15 years has had significant results as regards publications. The Group is currently working on projects related to substances of abuse (alcohol, tobacco, drugs of abuse), including: (1) prevalence of exposure and consumption studies (in pregnant women, newborns and children), especially the study of biomarkers in unconventional biological matrices; (2) follow up of exposed children especially prenatal exposure to alcohol; (3) biomarkers of damage in prenataly exposed children; (4) animal models of deleterious effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol.

Members

Airam Tenesor Álvarez Sánchez (PhD Student)

Vicente Andreu Fernández (Researcher)

Mònica Astals Vizcaíno (Researcher)

Elisabet Navarro Tapia (Technician)

Judith Salat Batlle (Researcher)

Main Publications

• Escuder-Vieco D, García-Algar O, Joya J, Marchei E, Pichini S, Pacifici R, Pallás-Alonso CR. Breast Milk and Hair Testing to Detect Illegal Drugs, Nicotine, and Caffeine in Donors to a Human Milk Bank. J Hum Lact 2016; 32(3): 542-545. IF 2.233. Q1.

• Joya J, Marchei E, Salat-Batlle J, García-Algar O, Calvaresi V, Pacifici R, Pichini S. Fetal exposure to ethanol: relationship between ethyl glucuronide in maternal hair during pregnancy and ethyl glucuronide in neonatal meconium. ClinChem Lab Med 2016; 54(3): 427-435. IF 3.017. Q1.

• Joya J, Mazarico E, Ramis J, Pacifici R, Salat-Batlle J, Mortali C, García-Algar O, Pichini S. Segmental hair analysis to assess effectiveness of single-session motivational intervention to stop ethanol use during pregnancy. Drug Alcohol Depend 2016; 158: 45-51. IF 3.349. Q1.

• Kyriakou C, Marchei E, Scaravelli G, García-Algar O, Supervía A, Graziano S. Identification and quantification of psychoactive drugs in whole blood using dried blood spot (DBS) by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2016; 128: 53-60. IF 3.169. Q1.

• Joya J, Marchei E, Salat-Batlle J, García-Algar O, Calvaresi V, Pacifici R, Pichini S. Drugs of abuse in maternal hair and paired neonatal meconium: an objective assessment of foetal exposure to gestational consumption. Drug Test Anal 2016; 8(8): 864-868. IF 2.859. Q1.

Ongoing Research Projects

• Efectos clínicos de la exposición prenatal al alcohol: seguimiento de una cohorte

− Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria. ISCIII (PI13/01135)

− From 2014 to 2017