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Frontiers in Endocrinology 2024
Topics: Humans; Obesity; Male; Fathers; Female; Pregnancy
PubMed: 38919491
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1428886 -
Environmental Epidemiology... Aug 2024Lower birth weight and preterm birth may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes later in life. We examined whether maternal exposure to air pollution and greenness...
BACKGROUND
Lower birth weight and preterm birth may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes later in life. We examined whether maternal exposure to air pollution and greenness during pregnancy is associated with offspring birth weight and preterm birth.
METHODS
We analyzed data on 4286 singleton births from 2358 mothers from Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, a prospective questionnaire-based cohort study (1990-2010). Mixed-effects regression models with random intercepts for mothers and centers were used to estimate the association of exposures to particulate matter (PM and PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O), black carbon (BC), and greenness (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index in 300m-buffers [NDVI]) with birth outcomes, adjusting for potential confounders.
RESULTS
Median (interquartile range [IQR]) exposures to PM, PM, NO, O, BC, and NDVI during pregnancy were 8.4(5.0) µg/m, 14.4(8.3) µg/m, 14.0(11.0) µg/m, 54.7(10.2) µg/m, 0.47(0.41) µg/m, and 0.31(0.20), respectively. IQR increases in air pollution exposures during pregnancy were associated with decreased birth weight and the strongest association was seen for PM (-49g; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -83, -16). However, O showed an opposite association. IQR increase in NDVI was associated with an increase in birth weight of 25 g (95% CI = 7, 44). Preterm birth was not associated with the exposures.
CONCLUSION
Increased greenness and decreased air pollution may contribute to healthier pregnancies and improve overall health in the next generation. This emphasizes the need to adopt policies that target the reduction of air pollution emissions and exposure of the population.
PubMed: 38919266
DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000318 -
Journal of Neuroinflammation Jun 2024The SARS-CoV-2 virus activates maternal and placental immune responses. Such activation in the setting of other infections during pregnancy is known to impact fetal...
BACKGROUND
The SARS-CoV-2 virus activates maternal and placental immune responses. Such activation in the setting of other infections during pregnancy is known to impact fetal brain development. The effects of maternal immune activation on neurodevelopment are mediated at least in part by fetal brain microglia. However, microglia are inaccessible for direct analysis, and there are no validated non-invasive surrogate models to evaluate in utero microglial priming and function. We have previously demonstrated shared transcriptional programs between microglia and Hofbauer cells (HBCs, or fetal placental macrophages) in mouse models.
METHODS AND RESULTS
We assessed the impact of maternal SARS-CoV-2 on HBCs isolated from 24 term placentas (N = 10 SARS-CoV-2 positive cases, 14 negative controls). Using single-cell RNA-sequencing, we demonstrated that HBC subpopulations exhibit distinct cellular programs, with specific subpopulations differentially impacted by SARS-CoV-2. Assessment of differentially expressed genes implied impaired phagocytosis, a key function of both HBCs and microglia, in some subclusters. Leveraging previously validated models of microglial synaptic pruning, we showed that HBCs isolated from placentas of SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnancies can be transdifferentiated into microglia-like cells (HBC-iMGs), with impaired synaptic pruning behavior compared to HBC models from negative controls.
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that HBCs isolated at birth can be used to create personalized cellular models of offspring microglial programming.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Microglia; Humans; Placenta; COVID-19; Macrophages; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; SARS-CoV-2; Fetus; Adult; Brain; Mice; Animals
PubMed: 38918792
DOI: 10.1186/s12974-024-03157-w -
BMC Pulmonary Medicine Jun 2024Asthma exacerbation (AE) is a significant clinical problem during pregnancy. This study aimed to identify maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with AE during...
BACKGROUND
Asthma exacerbation (AE) is a significant clinical problem during pregnancy. This study aimed to identify maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with AE during pregnancy.
METHODS
We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Peking University Third Hospital database from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2020. We compared the clinical characteristics and maternal, perinatal and offspring outcomes of asthma with and without exacerbations among women who delivered during this period. The primary outcome was hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the clinical characteristics of AE during pregnancy and the association between AE and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.
RESULTS
The prevalence of asthma during pregnancy increased from 0.52% in 2013 to 0.98% in 2020. Of the 220 patients with asthma during pregnancy included in the study, 105 experienced AE during pregnancy: 62.9% (n = 66) had mild-to-moderate AE and 37.1% (n = 39) had severe AE. Pregnant women with allergic rhinitis have a higher risk of AE during pregnancy. Women who experienced AE were more at risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy than women who did not experience any exacerbation (12.4%vs3.5%, p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of asthma among pregnant women in China is on the rise. There is a notable correlation between pregnant women who suffer from allergic rhinitis and an elevated risk of AE during pregnancy. Studies have shown that AE during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
Topics: Humans; Female; Pregnancy; Asthma; Retrospective Studies; China; Adult; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Outcome; Prevalence; Infant, Newborn; Risk Factors; Young Adult; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced; Logistic Models; East Asian People
PubMed: 38918763
DOI: 10.1186/s12890-024-03112-8 -
Nutrition Journal Jun 2024Maternal diet during pregnancy might influence the development of childhood allergic disorders. There are few studies on the association between processed food intake...
Association of maternal ultra-processed food consumption during pregnancy with atopic dermatitis in infancy: Korean Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study.
BACKGROUND
Maternal diet during pregnancy might influence the development of childhood allergic disorders. There are few studies on the association between processed food intake and infant atopic dermatitis (AD) during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of ultra-processed food (UPF) intake during pregnancy with infantile AD.
METHODS
This study involved 861 pairs of pregnant women and their offspring from the Mothers' and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study, a multi-center birth cohort project conducted in Korea. Dietary intake was estimated using a 24-h recall method at 12-28 weeks gestation. The NOVA classification was used to identify UPF, and UPF intake was calculated as the percentage of total energy consumption and categorized into quartiles. Infantile AD was assessed based on medical history and the criteria of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Associations were assessed by logistic regression with adjustment for confounding factors.
RESULTS
Children born to mothers in the highest quartile of UPF consumption (15.5% or more of the total energy) compared to the lowest quartile (6.8% or less) showed a higher risk of AD within 12 months [odds ratio (OR) = 1.69; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-2.66, P for trend 0.0436]. After adjustment for the confounding factors under study, the association was strengthened; the adjusted OR between extreme quartiles was 2.19 (95% CI: 1.11-4.32, P for trend = 0.0418). This association was maintained even after an additional adjustment based on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI), an indicator of diet quality.
CONCLUSIONS
Higher maternal consumption of UPF during pregnancy was associated with a greater risk of infantile AD within the first year of life.
Topics: Humans; Dermatitis, Atopic; Female; Pregnancy; Republic of Korea; Infant; Adult; Fast Foods; Diet; Male; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Cohort Studies; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Food Handling; Mothers; Risk Factors; Food, Processed
PubMed: 38918685
DOI: 10.1186/s12937-024-00969-7 -
Reumatologia Clinica Jun 2024To design a care protocol in Chronic Inflammatory Arthritis during the pre-conceptional period, pregnancy, postpartum and lactation. This protocol aims to be practical...
OBJECTIVE
To design a care protocol in Chronic Inflammatory Arthritis during the pre-conceptional period, pregnancy, postpartum and lactation. This protocol aims to be practical and applicable in consultations where patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatological diseases are treated, thus helping to better control these patients. Likewise, recommendations are offered on when patients could be consulted/referred to a specialized center by the physician.
METHODS
A multidisciplinary panel of expert physicians from different specialties identified the key points, analyzed the scientific evidence, and met to develop the care protocol.
RESULTS
The recommendations prepared have been divided into three blocks: rheumatology, gynecology and pediatrics. The first block has been divided into pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and postpartum visits.
CONCLUSIONS
This protocol tries to homogenize the follow-up of the patients from the moment of the gestational desire until the year of life of the infants. It is important to perform tests in patients of childbearing age and use drugs compatible with pregnancy. If appropriate, the patient should be referred to specialized units. Multidisciplinarity (rheumatology, gynecology and pediatrics) is essential to improve the control and monitoring of these patients and their offspring.
PubMed: 38918163
DOI: 10.1016/j.reumae.2024.03.001 -
Animal : An International Journal of... May 2024In the realm of animal phenotyping, manual measurements are frequently utilised. While machine-generated data show potential for enhancing high-throughput breeding,...
In the realm of animal phenotyping, manual measurements are frequently utilised. While machine-generated data show potential for enhancing high-throughput breeding, additional research and validation are imperative before incorporating them into genetic evaluation processes. This research presents a method for managing meat sheep and collecting data, utilising the Sheep Data Recorder system for data input and the Sheep Body Size Collector system for image capture. The study aimed to investigate the genetic parameter changes of growth traits in Ujumqin sheep by comparing machine-generated measurements with manual measurements. The dataset consisted of 552 data points from the offspring of 75 breeding rams and 399 breeding ewes. Six distinct random regression models were assessed to pinpoint the most suitable model for estimating genetic parameters linked to growth traits. These models were distinguished based on the inclusion or exclusion of maternal genetic effects, maternal permanent environmental effects, and covariance between maternal and direct genetic effects. Fixed factors such as individual age, individual sex, and ewe age were taken into account in the analysis. The genetic parameters for the yearling growth traits of Ujumqin sheep were calculated using ASReml software. The Akaike information criterion, the Bayesian information criterion, and fivefold cross-validation were employed to identify the optimal model. Research findings indicate that the most accurate models for manually measured data revealed heritability estimates of 0.12 ± 0.15 for BW, 0.05 ± 0.07 for body slanting length, 0.03 ± 0.07 for withers height, 0.15 ± 0.12 for hip height, 0.11 ± 0.11 for chest depth, 0.13 ± 0.13 for shoulder width, and 0.53 ± 0.15 for chest circumference. The optimal models for machine-predicted data showed heritability estimates of 0.1 ± 0.09 for body slanting length, 0.14 ± 0.12 for withers height, 0.55 ± 0.15 for hip height, 0.34 ± 0.15 for chest depth, 0.26 ± 0.15 for shoulder width, and 0.47 ± 0.16 for chest circumference. In manually measured data, genetic correlations ranged from 0.35 to 0.99, while phenotypic correlations ranged from 0.07 to 0.90. In machine data, genetic correlations ranged from -0.05 to 0.99, while phenotypic correlations ranged from 0.03 to 0.84. The results suggest that machine-based estimations may lead to an overestimation of heritability, but this discrepancy does not impact the selection of breeding models.
PubMed: 38917726
DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2024.101196 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2024The innate immune system of insects can respond more swiftly and efficiently to pathogens based on previous experience of encountering antigens. The understanding of... (Review)
Review
The innate immune system of insects can respond more swiftly and efficiently to pathogens based on previous experience of encountering antigens. The understanding of molecular mechanisms governing immune priming, a form of immune memory in insects, including its transgenerational inheritance, remains elusive. It is still unclear if the enhanced expression of immune genes observed in primed insects can persist and be regulated through changes in chromatin structure via epigenetic modifications of DNA or histones, mirroring observations in mammals. Increasing experimental evidence suggests that epigenetic changes at the level of DNA/RNA methylation and histone acetylation can modulate the activation of insects' immune responses to pathogen exposure. Moreover, transgenerational inheritance of certain epigenetic modifications in model insect hosts can influence the transmission of pre-programmed immune responses to the offspring, leading to the development of evolved resistance. Epigenetic research in model insect hosts is on the brink of significant progress in the mechanistic understanding of chromatin remodeling within innate immunity, particularly the direct relationships between immunological priming and epigenetic alterations. In this review, we discuss the latest discoveries concerning the involvement of DNA methylation and histone acetylation in shaping the development, maintenance, and inheritance of immune memory in insects, culminating in the evolution of resistance against pathogens.
Topics: Animals; Epigenesis, Genetic; Immunologic Memory; Insecta; DNA Methylation; Histones; Immunity, Innate; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; Acetylation
PubMed: 38915407
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1397521 -
PloS One 2024Asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees from African countries may have significant health needs, resulting in economic implications for receiving countries around the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees from African countries may have significant health needs, resulting in economic implications for receiving countries around the world. The risk of mental illness is higher in these communities because of factors like violence, deprivation, and post-immigration challenges.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the literature to determine the prevalence, predictors, and economic impacts of mental health (MH) disorders among asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees from African countries.
DESIGN AND METHODS
In this scoping review, we followed the guidelines from PRISMA and CoCoPop. A modified version of the Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) was used to assess study quality for cross-sectional studies, while an appraisal list was used for qualitative studies based on the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed articles published in English, and articles based on official reports from credible institutions and organizations. Among the exclusion criteria were publications that were not peer reviewed or had not been sourced by credible sources, publications that did not meet the study topic or language criteria, mixed populations (including Africans and non-Africans), and research abstracts, reviews, news articles, commentary on study protocols, case reports, letters, and guidelines.
DATA SOURCES
A systematic search was carried out in Medline (via PubMed), EMBASE, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science and EBSCO, to identify relevant articles that were published between 1 January 2000 and 31 January 2024.
RESULTS
A total of 38 studies met the inclusion criteria, including 22 from African countries and three qualitative studies. In terms of number of countries contributing, Uganda was the largest (n = 7), followed by Italy (n = 4). The most studied conditions, using multiple diagnostic tools, were Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD, n = 19) and depression (n = 17). These studies all revealed elevated rates of mental health disorders among these groups, and these were related to migration, refugee-related factors, and traumatic events. Most of these groups are dominated by young males. There is, however, a prominent presence of minors and women who have suffered a variety of forms of violence, in particular sexual violence. Furthermore, mental illnesses, such as PTSD and depression, are not only persistent, but can also be transmitted to children. In accordance with our inclusion criteria, our review found only one study that examined the economic impact of MH disorders in these groups, leaving a significant knowledge gap. According to this randomized controlled trial, intervention to reduce psychological impairment can help young people stay in school, improve their quality-adjusted life year (QALY), and earn an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $7260 for each QALY gained.
CONCLUSION
Asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees from African countries are likely to experience MH needs, according to this scoping review. As well as posing persistent challenges, these disorders can also be transmissible to offspring. In addition to longitudinal studies of these groups, economic impact studies of mental illnesses are necessary.
Topics: Humans; Refugees; Africa; Prevalence; Mental Disorders; Transients and Migrants; Mental Health; Female; Male; Cost of Illness; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
PubMed: 38913631
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305495 -
Wellcome Open Research 2021Religious/spiritual belief and practices have sometimes been demonstrated to have positive associations with outcomes such as coping with serious illness, anxiety,...
Religious/spiritual belief and practices have sometimes been demonstrated to have positive associations with outcomes such as coping with serious illness, anxiety, depression, negative life events and general well-being, and therefore warrants consideration in many facets of health research. For example, increasing secularisation evidenced, particularly in the West, may reflect increasing rates of depression and anxiety. Very few studies have charted the ways in which religious/spiritual beliefs and practices of parents and their offspring vary longitudinally or between generations. Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is one such study that can relate belief and practices with aspects of physical and mental health and/or distinguish the different facets of the environment that may influence the development, or inter-generational loss, of belief and behaviours. This paper describes the 2019-2020 data collection in the ALSPAC on the religious/spiritual beliefs and behaviours (RSBB) of the study offspring (born 1991/1992) at ages 27-28 years. Previously collected and new data on the offspring are described here and comparisons are made with identical data completed by their parents (mothers and their partners) in early 2020. The most striking observations are that in almost all aspects of RSBB the offspring of both sexes are more secular, especially when compared with their mothers. For example, 56.2% of offspring state that they do not believe in God, or a divine power compared with 26.6% of mothers and 45.3% of mothers' partners. When asked about their type of religion, 65.4% of participants stated 'none', compared with 27.2% of mothers and 40.2% of partners. This confirms previous research reporting increasing secularisation from one generation to the next. As with the mothers and their partners, female offspring were more likely than males to believe in a divine power and to practice their beliefs.
PubMed: 38912276
DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17153.2