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BackgroundThe gut microbiome is important in modulating health in childhood. Metal exposures affect multiple health outcomes, but their ability to modify bacterial communities in children is poorly understood.ObjectivesWe assessed the associations of childhood and perinatal blood metal levels with childhood gut microbiome diversity, structure, species, gene family-inferred species, and potential pathway alterations.MethodsWe assessed the gut microbiome using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing in stools collected from 6- to 7-year-old children participating in the GESTation and Environment (GESTE) cohort study. We assessed blood metal concentrations [cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), selenium (Se)] at two time points, namely, perinatal exposures at delivery (N=70) and childhood exposures at the 6- to 7-y follow-up (N=68). We used multiple covariate-adjusted statistical models to determine microbiome associations with continuous blood metal levels, including linear regression (Shannon and Pielou alpha diversity indexes), permutational multivariate analysis of variance (adonis; beta diversity distance matrices), and multivariable association model (MaAsLin2; phylum, family, species, gene family-inferred species, and pathways).ResultsChildren's blood Mn and Se significantly associated with microbiome phylum [e.g., Verrucomicrobiota (coef=-0.305, q=0.031; coef=0.262, q=0.084, respectively)] and children's blood Mn significantly associated with family [e.g., Eggerthellaceae (coef=-0.228, q=0.052)]-level differences. Higher relative abundance of potential pathogens (e.g., Flavonifractor plautii), beneficial species (e.g., Bifidobacterium longum, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii), and both potentially pathogenic and beneficial species (e.g., Bacteriodes vulgatus, Eubacterium rectale) inferred from gene families were associated with higher childhood or perinatal blood Cd, Hg, and Pb (q

Ten normally hearing and 10 age-matched subjects with moderate-to-severe hearing impairments (ages 6-9) were recorded producing a protocol of 18 basic syllables. The syllables were analyzed for total duration, voice-onset time of the initial consonant, fundamental frequency at midpoint of vowel, and formant frequencies at midpoint of vowel. (Author/JDD)

There are numerous hurdles down the road for successfully scaling up health promotion innovations into formal programmes. The challenges of the scaling-up process have mainly been conceived in terms of available resources and technical or management problems. However, aiming for greater impact and sustainability involves addressing new contexts and often adding actors whose perspectives may challenge established orientations. The social dimension of the scaling-up process is thus critical. Building on existing conceptualizations of interventions as dynamic networks and of evolving framing of health issues, this paper elaborates a social view of scaling up that accounts for the transformations of innovations, using framing analysis and the notion of 'expanding scaling-up networks'. First, we discuss interventions as dynamic networks. Second, we conceptualize scaling-up processes as networks in expansion within which social learning and change occur. Third, we propose combining a 'representational approach' to frame analysis and an 'interactional approach' that illustrates framing processes related to the micro-practices of leading public health actors within expanding networks. Using an example concerning equity in early childhood development, we show that this latter approach allows documenting how frames evolve in the process. Considering the process in continuity with existing conceptualizations of interventions as actor-networks and transformation of meanings enriches our conceptualization of scaling up, improves our capacity to anticipate its outcomes, and promotes reflexivity about health promotion goals and means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The gut microbiome is important in modulating health in childhood. Metal exposures affect multiple health outcomes, but their ability to modify bacterial communities in children is poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the associations of childhood and perinatal blood metal levels with childhood gut microbiome diversity, structure, species, gene family-inferred species, and potential pathway alterations. METHODS: We assessed the gut microbiome using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing in stools collected from 6- to 7-year-old children participating in the GESTation and Environment (GESTE) cohort study. We assessed blood metal concentrations [cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), selenium (Se)] at two time points, namely, perinatal exposures at delivery (푁 = 70) and childhood exposures at the 6- to 7-y follow-up (푁 = 68). We used multiple covariate-adjusted statistical models to determine microbiome associations with continuous blood metal levels, including linear regression (Shannon and Pielou alpha diversity indexes), permutational multivariate analysis of variance (adonis; beta diversity distance matrices), and multivariable association model (MaAsLin2; phylum, family, species, gene family-inferred species, and pathways). RESULTS: Children's blood Mn and Se significantly associated with microbiome phylum [e.g., Verrucomicrobiota (coef = -0.305, 푞= 0.031; coef = 0.262, 푞= 0.084, respectively)] and children's blood Mn significantly associated with family [e.g., Eggerthellaceae (coef = -0.228, 푞= 0.052)]-level differences. Higher relative abundance of potential pathogens (e.g., Flavonifractor plautii), beneficial species (e.g., Bifidobacterium longum, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii), and both potentially pathogenic and beneficial species (e.g., Bacteriodes vulgatus, Eubacterium rectale) inferred from gene families were associated with higher childhood or perinatal blood Cd, Hg, and Pb (푞< 0.1). We found significant negative associations between childhood blood Pb and acetylene degradation pathway abundance (푞< 0.1). Finally, neither perinatal nor childhood metal concentrations were associated with children's gut microbial inter- and intrasubject diversity. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest both long- and short-term associations between metal exposure and the childhood gut microbiome, with stronger associations observed with more recent exposure. Future epidemiologic analyses may elucidate whether the observed changes in the microbiome relate to children’s health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten normally hearing and 10 age-matched subjects with moderate-to-severe hearing impairment were recorded producing a protocol of 18 basic syllables [/pi/,/pa/,/pu/; /bi/,/ba/,/bu/; /ti/,/ta/,/tu/; /di/,/da/,/du/; /ki/,/ka/,/ku/; /gi/,/ga/,/gu/] repeated five times. The resulting 90 syllables were digitized and measured for (a) total duration; (b) voice-onset time (VOT) of the initial consonant; (c) fundamental frequency ([F.sub.0]) at midpoint of vowel; and (d) formant frequencies ([F.sub.1], [F.sub.2], [F.sub.3]), also measured at midpoint of vowel. Statistical comparisons were conducted on (a) average values for each syllable, and (b) standard deviations. Although there were numerical differences between normally hearing and hearing-impaired groups, few differences were statistically significant.

The article presents a study which investigated the effects of antipsychotic (AP) drugs and α-lipoic acid on dopamine D2 receptors (DRD2) in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. The AP drugs haloperidol and amisulpride were used. Results show that haloperidol induces DRD2 upregulation, which can be inhibited by α-lipoic acid.