Search

Objective: Few studies have attempted to identify how distinct dimensions of maternal prenatal affective symptoms relate to offspring psychopathology. We defined latent dimensions of women's prenatal affective symptoms and pregnancy-specific worries to examine their association with early offspring psychopathology in three prenatal cohorts., Method: Data were used from three cohorts of the DREAM-BIG consortium: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC [N = 12,515]), Generation R (N = 6,803), and the Canadian prenatal cohort Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability, and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN [N = 578]). Maternal prenatal affective symptoms and pregnancy-specific worries were assessed using different measures in each cohort. Through confirmatory factor analyses, we determined whether comparable latent dimensions of prenatal maternal affective symptoms existed across the cohorts. We used structural equation models to examine cohort-specific associations between these dimensions and offspring psychopathology at 4 to 8 years of age (general psychopathology, specific internalizing and externalizing previously derived using confirmatory factor analyses). Cohort-based estimates were meta-analyzed using inverse variance-weighing., Results: Four prenatal maternal factors were similar in all cohorts: a general affective symptoms factor and three specific factors-an anxiety/depression factor, a somatic factor, and a pregnancy-specific worries factor. In meta-analyses, both the general affective symptoms factor and pregnancy-specific worries factor were independently associated with offspring general psychopathology. The general affective symptoms factor was further associated with offspring specific internalizing problems. There were no associations with specific externalizing problems., Conclusion: These replicated findings of independent and adverse effects for prenatal general affective symptoms and pregnancy-specific worries on child mental health support the need for specific interventions in pregnancy., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Neuroimaging studies have shown structural alterations in several brain regions in children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Through the formation of the international ENIGMA ADHD Working Group, we aimed to address weaknesses of previous imaging studies and meta-analyses, namely inadequate sample size and methodological heterogeneity. We aimed to investigate whether there are structural differences in children and adults with ADHD compared with those without this diagnosis., Methods: In this cross-sectional mega-analysis, we used the data from the international ENIGMA Working Group collaboration, which in the present analysis was frozen at Feb 8, 2015. Individual sites analysed structural T1-weighted MRI brain scans with harmonised protocols of individuals with ADHD compared with those who do not have this diagnosis. Our primary outcome was to assess case-control differences in subcortical structures and intracranial volume through pooling of all individual data from all cohorts in this collaboration. For this analysis, p values were significant at the false discovery rate corrected threshold of p=0·0156., Findings: Our sample comprised 1713 participants with ADHD and 1529 controls from 23 sites with a median age of 14 years (range 4-63 years). The volumes of the accumbens (Cohen's d=-0·15), amygdala (d=-0·19), caudate (d=-0·11), hippocampus (d=-0·11), putamen (d=-0·14), and intracranial volume (d=-0·10) were smaller in individuals with ADHD compared with controls in the mega-analysis. There was no difference in volume size in the pallidum (p=0·95) and thalamus (p=0·39) between people with ADHD and controls. Exploratory lifespan modelling suggested a delay of maturation and a delay of degeneration, as effect sizes were highest in most subgroups of children (<15 years) versus adults (>21 years): in the accumbens (Cohen's d=-0·19 vs -0·10), amygdala (d=-0·18 vs -0·14), caudate (d=-0·13 vs -0·07), hippocampus (d=-0·12 vs -0·06), putamen (d=-0·18 vs -0·08), and intracranial volume (d=-0·14 vs 0·01). There was no difference between children and adults for the pallidum (p=0·79) or thalamus (p=0·89). Case-control differences in adults were non-significant (all p>0·03). Psychostimulant medication use (all p>0·15) or symptom scores (all p>0·02) did not influence results, nor did the presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders (all p>0·5)., Interpretation: With the largest dataset to date, we add new knowledge about bilateral amygdala, accumbens, and hippocampus reductions in ADHD. We extend the brain maturation delay theory for ADHD to include subcortical structures and refute medication effects on brain volume suggested by earlier meta-analyses. Lifespan analyses suggest that, in the absence of well powered longitudinal studies, the ENIGMA cross-sectional sample across six decades of ages provides a means to generate hypotheses about lifespan trajectories in brain phenotypes., Funding: National Institutes of Health., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: First, we give an overview of child psychiatric research in the Generation R Study, a population-based cohort from fetal life forward. Second, we examine within Generation R whether the functional polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in the promoter of the serotonin transporter gene interacts with prenatal maternal chronic difficulties, prenatal maternal anxiety or postnatal maternal anxiety to influence child emotional development., Method: A total of 2,136 northern European children were genotyped for 5-HTTLPR and rs25531. Mothers reported chronic difficulties and anxiety symptoms at 20 weeks' pregnancy and when the child was 3 years old. Child emotion recognition was observed at 3 years, and child emotional problems were assessed with the CBCL/1½-5 at 5 years., Results: There were consistent main effects of maternal difficulties and anxiety on child emotional problems, but no main effect of 5-HTTLPR. Moreover, children with the s allele were at increased risk for emotional problems if their mothers reported prenatal anxiety symptoms (β = 2.02, p < .001) or postnatal anxiety symptoms (β = 1.64, p < 0.001). Also, in children of mothers with prenatal anxiety symptoms, the s allele was associated with less accurate emotion-matching (β = -0.11, p = .004)., Conclusions: This population-based study shows that vulnerability due to 5-HTTLPR is not specific for certain adverse exposures or severe events, but suggests that the small effects of gene-environment interaction on emotional development become manifest early in life., (Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A method is presented in which citrate is determined by complexation with excess of copper(II), followed by back-titration with EDTA. Small amounts of citrate can be determined by this method in the presence of large amounts of most organic acids present in natural products. Interfering reductants are removed by treatment with permanganate, amino-acids with nitrous acid, and metal ions with a cation-exchange resin. The indicator used for end-point detection is Szechromotrope, 4,4'-sulphonyl-bis(azobenzene) dichromotropic acid.

A new nitrite titration method is presented. The titration is performed in the presence of a standard solution of 4,4'-sulphonyl-dianiline and diphenylamine, which is used as an internal indicator. An intense red colour develops during the titration as a result of a simultaneous diazotization and coupling process. A very sharp end-point is given by a colour change to yellow. The titration is performed at a temperature of about 45 degrees in the presence of large amounts of nitrate. The method is specific and precise. It is suitable for the direct volumetric determination of various easily diazotized primary arylamines, sulphonamides and other amino-compounds which can be determined by nitrite titration. It is suitable also for the indirect determination of nitrites. The method is applicable on the semimicro and macro scales.

Diaminodiphenylsulphone-diphenylamine is used in a new colorimetric method for the determination of nitrite over a range of 0.1-2.5 mg/l . at pH 1.8 and 0.22-0.4 mg/l . at pH about 0.1. The coloured solutions are stable, follow Beer's law and are suitable for determination of traces by visual comparison. The method is selective and neither chlorine nor nitrogen trichloride gives similar colour reactions.

p-Diaminodiphenylsulphone is used in a new spectrophotometric method for the determination of nitrate. Factors affecting the colour development are given. The useful range for a 1-cm cell is 30-300 mg l . In this range the coloured solutions are stable and obey Beer's law. The method is rapid and precise and is applicable to routine analysis of samples containing macro amounts of nitrates. For determination of micro amounts of nitrate the reagent is modified by addition of diphenylamine. The limit of determination is then 0.25 mg l at 15 degrees . This method can be considered specific for nitrate and is applicable in the presence of nitrite.