Susan K Murphy
Biographic Data
| ID | 5008739 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Susan K Murphy |
| GIVEN NAMES | Susan K |
| FAMILY NAME | Murphy |
| SIGNATURE | MURPHY S K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Duke University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8298-7272 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Child Salivary Cotinine Levels Related to Neighborhood Deprivation and Tobacco and Alcohol Retail Outlets
The overall objective of this study was to better understand the neighborhood conditions, including neighborhood deprivation and tobacco and alcohol retail outlets, related to objectively measured secondhand exposure to tobacco smoke among children. This study employed a cross-sectional study design of biological samples, surveys, and geospatial data from children (median [inter-quartile range] 5 [4, 7] years) in the Newborn Epigenetics Study bet…
Financial stress as a mediator of the association between maternal childhood adversity and infant birth weight, gestational age, and Nicu admission
Findings demonstrate one pathway linking maternal childhood adversity to a potentially preterm birth or shorter gestational age, in addition to low birth weight at delivery, and present an opportunity for targeted intervention to support expecting mothers who face financial stress
An epigenome-wide association study of child appetitive traits and DNA methylation
The etiology of childhood appetitive traits is poorly understood. Early-life epigenetic processes may be involved in the developmental programming of appetite regulation in childhood. One such process is DNA methylation (DNAm), whereby a methyl group is added to a specific part of DNA, where a cytosine base is next to a guanine base, a CpG site. We meta-analyzed epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) of cord blood DNAm and early-childhood app…
Association of maternal prenatal selenium concentration and preterm birth
BACKGROUND: Selenium (Se), an essential trace mineral, has been implicated in preterm birth (PTB). We aimed to determine the association of maternal Se concentrations during pregnancy with PTB risk and gestational duration in a large number of samples collected from diverse populations. METHODS: Gestational duration data and maternal plasma or serum samples of 9946 singleton live births were obtained from 17 geographically diverse study cohorts. …
Smoke-Free Home Rules and Association with Child Secondhand Smoke Exposure among Mother–Child Dyad Relationships
Smoke-free home rules restrict smoking in the home, but biomarkers of secondhand smoke exposure are needed to help understand the association between smoke-free homes and child secondhand smoke exposure. Participants ( n = 346) were majority Black/African American mother-child dyads from a longitudinal study in North Carolina. Mothers completed questionnaires on household smoking behaviors and rules, and child saliva samples were assayed for seco…
Pre-Pregnancy Weight and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Executive Functioning Behaviors in Preschool Children
This study examines pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) in relation to early childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms and related executive self-regulation behaviors. The analyses sample ( n = 331) included a subsample of participants from a birth cohort recruited from prenatal clinics and hospital facilities from April 2005 to June 2011 in Durham, North Carolina. Pre-pregnancy BMI was c…
Snacking frequency and dietary intake in toddlers and preschool children
Impact of Smoking Ban on Passive Smoke Exposure in Pregnant Non-Smokers in the Southeastern United States
Prenatal passive smoke exposure raises risk for negative birth outcomes. Legislation regulating public smoking has been shown to impact exposure levels, though fewer studies involving pregnant women have been conducted within the U.S. where bans are inconsistent across regions. This study examined the effect of a ban enacted in the southeastern U.S. on pregnant women's cotinine levels. Additional analyses compared self-reported exposure to cotini…
Maternal blood cadmium, lead and arsenic levels, nutrient combinations, and offspring birthweight
Small sample size and cross-sectional design notwithstanding, the robust and persistent negative associations between some, but not all, nutrient combinations with these ubiquitous environmental contaminants suggest that only some recommended nutrient combinations may mitigate toxic metal exposure in chronically exposed populations. Larger longitudinal studies are required to confirm these findings
Neighborhood and Family Environment of Expectant Mothers May Influence Prenatal Programming of Adult Cancer Risk
Childhood stressors including physical abuse predict adult cancer risk. Prior research portrays this finding as an indirect mechanism that operates through coping behaviors, including adult smoking, or through increased toxic exposures during childhood. Little is known about potential direct causal mechanisms between early-life stressors and adult cancer. Because prenatal conditions can affect gene expression by altering DNA methylation, with imp…
Geographic clustering of elevated blood heavy metal levels in pregnant women
Our data support that elevated blood concentrations of Cd and Pb are spatially clustered in this urban environment compared to the surrounding areas. Spatial analysis of metals concentrations in peripheral blood or urine obtained routinely during prenatal care can be useful in surveillance of heavy metal exposure
Epigenetic regulation of Newborns’ imprinted genes related to gestational growth
BACKGROUND: Children born to parents with lower income and education are at risk for obesity and later-life risk of common chronic diseases, and epigenetics has been hypothesised to link these associations. However, epigenetic targets are unknown. We focus on a cluster of well-characterised genomically imprinted genes because their monoallelic expression is regulated by DNA methylation at differentially methylated regions (DMRs), are critical in …
Folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy in the Newborn Epigenetics STudy (Nest)
Fifty-one percent of women reported some FA intake before and 66% during pregnancy, respectively, and more than one in ten women took FA supplements in doses that exceeded the TUL. Caucasian women were more likely to report high FA intake. A study is ongoing to identify possible genetic and non-genotoxic effects of these high doses
Imprint regulatory elements as epigenetic biosensors of exposure in epidemiological studies
In the etiologic investigation of complex diseases and neuro-developmental disorders, the interaction of genetic factors and the environment have been evaluated by comparing disease risk as a function of environmental exposure in individuals who carry genetic variants of interest. While advances in technology have improved classification of genetic variant data, methods to ascertain environmental exposures remain largely underdeveloped. In this e…
Snacking frequency and dietary intake in toddlers and preschool children
Epigenetic regulation of Newborns’ imprinted genes related to gestational growth
BACKGROUND: Children born to parents with lower income and education are at risk for obesity and later-life risk of common chronic diseases, and epigenetics has been hypothesised to link these associations. However, epigenetic targets are unknown. We focus on a cluster of well-characterised genomically imprinted genes because their monoallelic expression is regulated by DNA methylation at differentially methylated regions (DMRs), are critical in …
Imprint regulatory elements as epigenetic biosensors of exposure in epidemiological studies
In the etiologic investigation of complex diseases and neuro-developmental disorders, the interaction of genetic factors and the environment have been evaluated by comparing disease risk as a function of environmental exposure in individuals who carry genetic variants of interest. While advances in technology have improved classification of genetic variant data, methods to ascertain environmental exposures remain largely underdeveloped. In this e…
Imprint regulatory elements as epigenetic biosensors of exposure in epidemiological studies
In the etiologic investigation of complex diseases and neuro-developmental disorders, the interaction of genetic factors and the environment have been evaluated by comparing disease risk as a function of environmental exposure in individuals who carry genetic variants of interest. While advances in technology have improved classification of genetic variant data, methods to ascertain environmental exposures remain largely underdeveloped. In this e…
Folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy in the Newborn Epigenetics STudy (Nest)
Fifty-one percent of women reported some FA intake before and 66% during pregnancy, respectively, and more than one in ten women took FA supplements in doses that exceeded the TUL. Caucasian women were more likely to report high FA intake. A study is ongoing to identify possible genetic and non-genotoxic effects of these high doses
Geographic clustering of elevated blood heavy metal levels in pregnant women
Our data support that elevated blood concentrations of Cd and Pb are spatially clustered in this urban environment compared to the surrounding areas. Spatial analysis of metals concentrations in peripheral blood or urine obtained routinely during prenatal care can be useful in surveillance of heavy metal exposure
Epigenetic regulation of Newborns’ imprinted genes related to gestational growth
BACKGROUND: Children born to parents with lower income and education are at risk for obesity and later-life risk of common chronic diseases, and epigenetics has been hypothesised to link these associations. However, epigenetic targets are unknown. We focus on a cluster of well-characterised genomically imprinted genes because their monoallelic expression is regulated by DNA methylation at differentially methylated regions (DMRs), are critical in …
Neighborhood and Family Environment of Expectant Mothers May Influence Prenatal Programming of Adult Cancer Risk
Childhood stressors including physical abuse predict adult cancer risk. Prior research portrays this finding as an indirect mechanism that operates through coping behaviors, including adult smoking, or through increased toxic exposures during childhood. Little is known about potential direct causal mechanisms between early-life stressors and adult cancer. Because prenatal conditions can affect gene expression by altering DNA methylation, with imp…
Maternal blood cadmium, lead and arsenic levels, nutrient combinations, and offspring birthweight
Small sample size and cross-sectional design notwithstanding, the robust and persistent negative associations between some, but not all, nutrient combinations with these ubiquitous environmental contaminants suggest that only some recommended nutrient combinations may mitigate toxic metal exposure in chronically exposed populations. Larger longitudinal studies are required to confirm these findings
Impact of Smoking Ban on Passive Smoke Exposure in Pregnant Non-Smokers in the Southeastern United States
Prenatal passive smoke exposure raises risk for negative birth outcomes. Legislation regulating public smoking has been shown to impact exposure levels, though fewer studies involving pregnant women have been conducted within the U.S. where bans are inconsistent across regions. This study examined the effect of a ban enacted in the southeastern U.S. on pregnant women's cotinine levels. Additional analyses compared self-reported exposure to cotini…
Pre-Pregnancy Weight and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Executive Functioning Behaviors in Preschool Children
This study examines pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) in relation to early childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms and related executive self-regulation behaviors. The analyses sample ( n = 331) included a subsample of participants from a birth cohort recruited from prenatal clinics and hospital facilities from April 2005 to June 2011 in Durham, North Carolina. Pre-pregnancy BMI was c…
Snacking frequency and dietary intake in toddlers and preschool children
Association of maternal prenatal selenium concentration and preterm birth
BACKGROUND: Selenium (Se), an essential trace mineral, has been implicated in preterm birth (PTB). We aimed to determine the association of maternal Se concentrations during pregnancy with PTB risk and gestational duration in a large number of samples collected from diverse populations. METHODS: Gestational duration data and maternal plasma or serum samples of 9946 singleton live births were obtained from 17 geographically diverse study cohorts. …
Smoke-Free Home Rules and Association with Child Secondhand Smoke Exposure among Mother–Child Dyad Relationships
Smoke-free home rules restrict smoking in the home, but biomarkers of secondhand smoke exposure are needed to help understand the association between smoke-free homes and child secondhand smoke exposure. Participants ( n = 346) were majority Black/African American mother-child dyads from a longitudinal study in North Carolina. Mothers completed questionnaires on household smoking behaviors and rules, and child saliva samples were assayed for seco…
Financial stress as a mediator of the association between maternal childhood adversity and infant birth weight, gestational age, and Nicu admission
Findings demonstrate one pathway linking maternal childhood adversity to a potentially preterm birth or shorter gestational age, in addition to low birth weight at delivery, and present an opportunity for targeted intervention to support expecting mothers who face financial stress
An epigenome-wide association study of child appetitive traits and DNA methylation
The etiology of childhood appetitive traits is poorly understood. Early-life epigenetic processes may be involved in the developmental programming of appetite regulation in childhood. One such process is DNA methylation (DNAm), whereby a methyl group is added to a specific part of DNA, where a cytosine base is next to a guanine base, a CpG site. We meta-analyzed epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) of cord blood DNAm and early-childhood app…
Child Salivary Cotinine Levels Related to Neighborhood Deprivation and Tobacco and Alcohol Retail Outlets
The overall objective of this study was to better understand the neighborhood conditions, including neighborhood deprivation and tobacco and alcohol retail outlets, related to objectively measured secondhand exposure to tobacco smoke among children. This study employed a cross-sectional study design of biological samples, surveys, and geospatial data from children (median [inter-quartile range] 5 [4, 7] years) in the Newborn Epigenetics Study bet…
Medicine (11 works) · Pregnancy (8 works) · Biology (7 works) · Internal Medicine (6 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Birth, Development, and Health (4 works) · Environmental health (4 works) · Epigenetics (4 works) · Epigenetics and DNA Methylation (4 works) · Gene (4 works)