The Navigation Guide - evidence-based medicine meets environmental health: systematic review of nonhuman evidence for PFOA effects on fetal growth

• Published in: Environmental health perspectives Vol. 122; no. 10; pp. 1015 - 1027
• Main Authors: Koustas, Erica, Lam, Juleen, Sutton, Patrice, Johnson, Paula I, Atchley, Dylan S, Sen, Saunak, Robinson, Karen A, Axelrad, Daniel A, Woodruff, Tracey J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 01.10.2014; NLM-Export
• Subjects: Animal growth; Animals; Birth weight; Birth Weight - drug effects; Body weight; Caprylates - toxicity; Citation management software; Criteria; Drug dosages; Environmental Health; Environmental Pollutants - toxicity; Environmental research; Evidence-Based Medicine; Exposure; Female; Fetal Development - drug effects; Fetus; Fluorocarbons - toxicity; Growth; Health; Health aspects; Health risk assessment; Literature reviews; Medical research; Medicine; Methods; Mice; Navigation; Perfluorooctanoic acid; Practice guidelines (Medicine); Pregnancy; Pregnant women; Public health; Review; Risk assessment; Searching; Studies; Systematic review; United States; United States > US
• DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1307177
• ISSN: 0091-6765

In contrast to current methods of expert-based narrative review, the Navigation Guide is a systematic and transparent method for synthesizing environmental health research from multiple evidence streams. The Navigation Guide was developed to effectively and efficiently translate the available scientific evidence into timely prevention-oriented action. We applied the Navigation Guide systematic review method to answer the question "Does fetal developmental exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or its salts affect fetal growth in animals ?" and to rate the strength of the experimental animal evidence. We conducted a comprehensive search of the literature, applied prespecified criteria to the search results to identify relevant studies, extracted data from studies, obtained additional information from study authors, conducted meta-analyses, and rated the overall quality and strength of the evidence. Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. From the meta-analysis of eight mouse gavage data sets, we estimated that exposure of pregnant mice to increasing concentrations of PFOA was associated with a change in mean pup birth weight of -0.023 g (95% CI: -0.029, -0.016) per 1-unit increase in dose (milligrams per kilogram body weight per day). The evidence, consisting of 15 mammalian and 6 nonmammalian studies, was rated as "moderate" and "low" quality, respectively. Based on this first application of the Navigation Guide methodology, we found sufficient evidence that fetal developmental exposure to PFOA reduces fetal growth in animals.