Search

Pregnancy and the transition to parenthood is an important period marked by dramatic neurobiological and psychosocial changes that may have implications for the health of women and offspring. Although human and non-human animal research suggests that the brain undergoes alterations during the peripartum period, these changes are poorly understood. Here, we review existing research, particularly human neuroimaging and psychophysiological research, to examine changes in brain structure and function during the peripartum period and discuss potential implications for the health of women and offspring. First, we discuss the potential causes of these changes across pregnancy, including physiological and psychosocial factors. Next, we discuss the evidence for structural and functional changes in the brain during pregnancy and into the postpartum period, noting the need for research conducted prospectively across human pregnancy. Finally, we propose potential models of individual differences in peripartum neurobiological changes (i.e. hypo-response, typical response, hyper-response) and emphasize the need to consider trajectories of change in addition to pre-existing factors that may predict maternal adjustment to parenthood. We suggest that the consideration of individual differences in neurobiological trajectories across pregnancy may contribute to a better understanding of risk for negative health and behavior outcomes for women and offspring.

Maser emission from water, methanol, silicon monoxide and other molecules can reach brightness temperatures [Formula presented] K. Such observations can achieve sub-pc precision for discs around black holes or sub-au scale interactions in protostellar discs and the regions where evolved star winds reach escape velocity. Ultra-high resolution maser observations also provide photon statistics, for fundamental physics experiments. RadioAstron has shown the success – and limitations – of cm-wave maser observations on scales [Formula presented] mas with sparse baseline coverage. ALMA, APEX and earlier single dish searches have found a wealth of mm and sub-mm masers, some of which probably also attain high brightness temperatures. Masers are ideal for high-resolution observations throughout the radio regime and we need to consider the current lessons for the best observational strategies to meet specific science cases. © 2019 COSPAR. AMSR is employed by the UK ALMA Regional Centre, supported by STFC. AMS was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant 18-12-00193). We thank the referees for very helpful comments which have enriched this paper.

Early life adversity and insecure attachment style are known risk factors for perinatal depression. The biological pathways linking these experiences, however, have not yet been elucidated. We hypothesized that overlap in patterns of DNA methylation in association with each of these phenomena could identify genes and pathways of importance. Specifically, we wished to distinguish between allostatic-load and role-transition hypotheses of perinatal depression. We conducted a large-scale analysis of methylation patterns across 5 × 106 individual CG dinucleotides in 54 women participating in a longitudinal prospective study of perinatal depression, using clustering-based criteria for significance to control for multiple comparisons. We identified 1580 regions in which methylation density was associated with childhood adversity, 3 in which methylation density was associated with insecure attachment style, and 6 in which methylation density was associated with perinatal depression. Shorter telomeres were observed in association with childhood trauma but not with perinatal depression or attachment insecurity. A detailed analysis of methylation density in the oxytocin receptor gene revealed similar patterns of DNA methylation in association with perinatal depression and with insecure attachment style, while childhood trauma was associated with a distinct methylation pattern in this gene. Clinically, attachment style was strongly associated with depression only in pregnancy and the early postpartum, whereas the association of childhood adversity with depression was time-invariant. We concluded that the broad DNA methylation signature and reduced telomere length associated with childhood adversity could indicate increased allostatic load across multiple body systems, whereas perinatal depression and attachment insecurity may be narrower phenotypes with more limited DNA methylation signatures outside the CNS, and no apparent association with telomere length or, by extension, allostatic load. In contrast, the finding of matching DNA methylation patterns within the oxytocin receptor gene for perinatal depression and attachment insecurity is consistent with the theory that the perinatal period is a time of activation of existing attachment schemas for the purpose of structuring the mother–child relationship, and that such activation may occur in part through specific patterns of methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene.

Objective Several studies have found associations between a diagnosis or symptoms of major depressive disorder and markers of cellular aging and dysfunction. These investigations, however, are predominantly cross-sectional and focus on adults. In the present study, we used a prospective longitudinal design to test the cross-sectional association between depressive symptoms in adolescents and telomere length (TL) as well as mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-cn). Method A total of 121 adolescents (mean age = 11.38 years, SD = 1.03; 39% male adolescents and 61% female adolescents) were followed for approximately 2 years. At baseline and follow-up, participants provided saliva for DNA extraction, from which measures of TL and mtDNA-cn were obtained. Depressive symptoms were obtained via the Children’s Depression Inventory. Results There was no association between depressive symptoms and markers of cellular aging at baseline; however, depressive symptoms at baseline predicted higher rates of telomere erosion (β = −0.201, p = .016) and greater increases in mtDNA-cn (β = 0.190, p = .012) over the follow-up period. Markers of cellular aging at baseline did not predict subsequent changes in depressive symptoms. Furthermore, including the number of stressful life events did not alter these patterns of findings. Conclusion These results indicate that depressive symptoms precede changes in cellular aging and dysfunction, rather than the reverse.

The most common goatfishes in Hawai'i, Mulloidichthys flavolineatus and M. vanicolensis, comprise a unique resource due to their cultural, ecological and biological significance. These species exhibit pulse-type recruitment to nearshore areas during the summer months. Such pulses of juvenile fishes provide prey for pelagic and nearshore fishes and support a popular directed fishery. However, limited scientific information exists on juvenile stages of these fishes, known locally as oama, despite their contribution to coastal ecology and the extensive nearshore fisheries. Here we resolve growth rates, habitat preferences, hatching dates, size and age structure, as well as fishing catch rates based on new recruits in 2014 and 2015. We sampled 257 M. flavolineatus and 204 M. vanicolensis to compare ecological and fisheries characteristics between species and years. Both show strong habitat segregation, with M. vanicolensis found almost exclusively on hard and M. flavolineatus on soft substrates. Oama recruited in anomalously high numbers in 2014, a trend reflected in a higher catch per unit effort. In contrast, 2015 recruits grew faster, were heavier on average and hatched later than during 2014. Both species have calculated hatch dates in March to July, with M. vanicolensis hatching earlier, recruiting earlier and being consistently larger than M. flavolineatus. This baseline information regarding recruitment and early life-history characteristics can enhance management for other data-limited species that comprise a substantial component of nearshore fisheries in Hawai'i.

Early life stress (ELS) is a risk factor for the development of depression in adolescence; the mediating neurobiological mechanisms, however, are unknown. In this study, we examined in early pubertal youth the associations among ELS, cortisol stress responsivity, and white matter microstructure of the uncinate fasciculus and the fornix, two key frontolimbic tracts; we also tested whether and how these variables predicted depressive symptoms in later puberty. A total of 208 participants (117 females; M age = 11.37 years; M Tanner stage = 2.03) provided data across two or more assessment modalities: ELS; salivary cortisol levels during a psychosocial stress task; diffusion magnetic resonance imaging; and depressive symptoms. In early puberty there were significant associations between higher ELS and decreased cortisol production, and between decreased cortisol production and increased fractional anisotropy in the uncinate fasciculus. Further, increased fractional anisotropy in the uncinate fasciculus predicted higher depressive symptoms in later puberty, above and beyond earlier symptoms. In post hoc analyses, we found that sex moderated several additional associations. We discuss these findings within a broader conceptual model linking ELS, emotion dysregulation, and depression across the transition through puberty, and contend that brain circuits implicated in the control of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function should be a focus of continued research.

Studies examining the association between early adversity and longitudinal changes in telomere length within the same individual are rare, yet are likely to provide novel insight into the subsequent lasting effects of negative early experiences. We sought to examine the association between institutional care history and telomere shortening longitudinally across middle childhood and into adolescence. Buccal DNA was collected 2 to 4 times, between the ages of 6 and 15 years, in 79 children enrolled in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), a longitudinal study exploring the impact of early institutional rearing on child health and development. Children with a history of early institutional care (n=50) demonstrated significantly greater telomere shortening across middle childhood and adolescence compared to never institutionalized children (n=29). Among children with a history of institutional care, randomization to high quality foster care was not associated with differential telomere attrition across development. Cross-sectional analysis of children randomized to the care as usual group indicated shorter telomere length was associated with greater percent of the child’s life spent in institutional care up to age 8. These results suggest that early adverse care from severe psychosocial deprivation may be embedded at the molecular genetic level through accelerated telomere shortening.

Bluespine unicornfish (Naso unicornis) from Hawaii were aged to >50 years using cross-sectioned sagittal otoliths. Fish length was a poor indicator of age because of rapid and variable early growth, exemplified by fish aged to be 4 years near maximum length. Growth was deterministic with adult ages decoupled from body length. Otolith mass and thickness were evaluated as proxies for age and both were encouraging; thickness explained more variance but mass was easier to measure. An age estimation protocol was validated through ontogeny using bomb radiocarbon (14C) dating. Use of the postbomb 14C decline period from a regional reference chronology enabled age validation of young fish — a novel approach for the Pacific Ocean. A probabilistic procedure for assigning bomb 14C dates (CALIBomb) was used for the first time to determine fish birth years. The age-reading protocol was generally validated, and it was possible to describe length-at-age despite difficulties in counting otolith annuli beyond 30–40 years. Growth curves differed between the sexes, and a four-parameter generalized von Bertalanffy growth function provided the best fit.

Severe hyperactivity and impulsivity are common reasons for referral to infant mental health services. Past versions of ZERO TO THREE's () diagnostic nosology, the Diagnostic Classification of Mental and Developmental Disorders in Infancy and Early Childhood (DC:0-3), did not address this clinical issue because it had been addressed in other nosologies. These general diagnostic nosologies describe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but with little attention to developmentally specific aspects of the diagnosis in very young children. Categorical diagnosis related to hyperactivity and impulsivity in very young children warrants careful review of existing literature. Explicit attention must be paid to ensure that categorical diagnoses serve to describe syndromes that cause significant impairment to the family to allow children and families to access effective supports and ensure that behaviors typical of the developmental level are not described as pathologic. This article reviews proposed diagnostic criteria for ADHD and overactivity disorder of toddlerhood as well as the rationale for the criteria and evidence supporting validity and reliability of the diagnoses in very young children. Clinical implications also are presented.

Background Early life stress is associated with poorer social functioning. Attentional biases in response to threat-related cues, linked to both early experience and psychopathology, may explain this association. To date, however, no study has examined attentional biases to fearful facial expressions as a function of early life stress or examined these biases as a potential mediator of the relation between early life stress and social problems. Methods In a sample of 154 children (ages 9–13 years) we examined the associations among interpersonal early life stressors (i.e., birth through age 6 years), attentional biases to emotional facial expressions using a dot-probe task, and social functioning on the Child Behavior Checklist. Results High levels of early life stress were associated with both greater levels of social problems and an attentional bias away from fearful facial expressions, even after accounting for stressors occurring in later childhood. No biases were found for happy or sad facial expressions as a function of early life stress. Finally, attentional biases to fearful faces mediated the association between early life stress and social problems. Conclusions Attentional avoidance of fearful facial expressions, evidenced by a bias away from these stimuli, may be a developmental response to early adversity and link the experience of early life stress to poorer social functioning.

Early institutional care can be profoundly stressful for the human infant, and, as such, can lead to significant alterations in brain development. In animal models, similar variants of early adversity have been shown to modify amygdala-hippocampal-prefrontal cortex development and associated aversive learning. The current study examined this rearing aberration in human development. Eighty-nine children and adolescents who were either previously institutionalized (PI youth; N = 46; 33 females and 13 males; age range, 7-16 years) or were raised by their biological parents from birth (N = 43; 22 females and 21 males; age range, 7-16 years) completed an aversive-learning paradigm while undergoing functional neuroimaging, wherein visual cues were paired with either an aversive sound (CS+) or no sound (CS-). For the PI youth, better aversive learning was associated with higher concurrent trait anxiety. Both groups showed robust learning and amygdala activation for CS+ versus CS- trials. However, PI youth also exhibited broader recruitment of several regions and increased hippocampal connectivity with prefrontal cortex. Stronger connectivity between the hippocampus and ventromedial PFC predicted significant improvements in future anxiety (measured 2 years later), and this was particularly true within the PI group. These results suggest that for humans as well as for other species, early adversity alters the neurobiology of aversive learning by engaging a broader prefrontal-subcortical circuit than same-aged peers. These differences are interpreted as ontogenetic adaptations and potential sources of resilience.Prior institutionalization is a significant form of early adversity. While nonhuman animal research suggests that early adversity alters aversive learning and associated neurocircuitry, no prior work has examined this in humans. Here, we show that youth who experienced prior institutionalization, but not comparison youth, recruit the hippocampus during aversive learning. Among youth who experienced prior institutionalization, individual differences in aversive learning were associated with worse current anxiety. However, connectivity between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex prospectively predicted significant improvements in anxiety 2 years following scanning for previously institutionalized youth. Among youth who experienced prior institutionalization, age-atypical engagement of a distributed set of brain regions during aversive learning may serve a protective function.

Objectives Differences in DNA methylation have been associated with early life adversity, suggesting that alterations in methylation function as one pathway through which adverse early environments are biologically embedded. This study examined associations between exposure to institutional care, quantified as the proportion of time in institutional care at specified follow-up assessment ages, and DNA methylation status in two stress-related genes: FKBP5 and SLC6A4. Materials and Methods We analyzed data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, which is a prospective study in which children reared in institutional settings were randomly assigned (mean age 22 months) to either newly created foster care or care as usual (to remain in their current placement) and prospectively followed. A group of children from the same geographic area, with no history of institutionalized caregiving, were also recruited. DNA methylation status was determined in DNA extracted from buccal epithelial cells of children at age 12. Results An inverse association was identified such that more time spent in institutional care was associated with lower DNA methylation at specific CpG sites within both genes. Discussion These results suggest a lasting impact of early severe social deprivation on methylation patterns in these genes, and contribute to a growing literature linking early adversity and epigenetic variation in children. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Context: The observed orbital characteristics of post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) and post-red giant branch (post-RGB) binaries are not understood. We suspect that the missing ingredients to explain them probably lie in the continuous interaction of the central binary with its circumstellar environment. Aims: We aim at studying the circumbinary material in these complex systems by investigating the connection between the innermost and large-scale structures. Methods: We perform high-angular resolution observations in the near-infrared continuum of HD101584, which has a complex structure as seen at millimeter wavelengths with a disk-like morphology and a bipolar outflow due to an episode of strong binary interaction. To account for the complexity of the target we first perform an image reconstruction and use this result to fit a geometrical model to extract the morphological and thermal features of the environment. Results: The image reveals an unexpected double-ring structure. We interpret the inner ring to be produced by emission from dust located in the plane of the disk and the outer ring to be produced by emission from dust that is located 1.6[D/1kpc] au above the disk plane. The inner ring diameter (3.94[D/1kpc] au), and temperature (T=1540$\pm$10K) are compatible with the dust sublimation front of the disk. The origin of the out-of-plane ring (with a diameter of 7.39[D/1kpc] au and a temperature of 1014$\pm10$K) could be due to episodic ejection or a dust condensation front in the outflow. Conclusion: The observed outer ring is possibly linked with the blue-shifted side of the large scale outflow seen by ALMA and is tracing its launching location to the central star. Such observations give morphological constraints on the ejection mechanism. Additional observations are needed to constrain the origin of the out-of-plane structure., Comment: Accepted to A&A. 14 pages, 13 figures

Background Restoration of native hip biomechanics is viewed as a key intra-operative goal in total hip arthroplasty (THA). The transverse acetabular ligament (TAL) can aid in the restoration of acetabular height and offset, and a calliper can be utilised to restore femoral height and offset. This study aimed to determine how these techniques affected the incidence of patient perception of limb length discrepancy (LLD), and if restoration of native biomechanics correlated with improved patient outcomes. Methods 123 patients were questioned regarding perception of LLD at 6 weeks and 1 year following THA. Oxford hip score (OHS) and pain scores were recorded. Radiographs were analysed by a blinded clinician who measured three variables; Global hip height (surrogate for limb length), global offset and the combination of both. These measurements were then compared to the unaffected contralateral hip. Data were analysed based on hips that were restored to within ≤±10 mm of native values, and those >±10 mm. Spearman's rank test was used to assess correlation with outcome. Results 8 (6.5%) patients perceived a LLD at 6 weeks, reducing to 3 (2.4%) at 1 year-lower than generally reported. Those patients not restored within ±10 mm of native global height had increased pain at 1 year (r = 0.558, p = 0.047). Those not restored within ±10 mm native global offset had a poorer OHS at 1 year (r = −0.586, p = 0.035) and those patients with combined height and offset discrepancy >±10 mm had both a worse OHS (r = −0.581, p = 0.037) and increased pain (r = 0.783, p = 0.002). Conclusion Patient perception of LLD is complex and relates poorly to radiographic measurement, however, patients not restored to within 10 mm of native hip height and offset have demonstrated poorer outcomes.

Background The human brain remains highly plastic for a protracted developmental period. Thus, although early caregiving adversities that alter amygdala development can result in enduring emotion regulation difficulties, these trajectories should respond to subsequent enriched caregiving. Exposure to high-quality parenting can regulate (i.e., decrease) children’s amygdala reactivity, a process that, over the long term, is hypothesized to enhance emotion regulation. We tested the hypothesis that even following adversity, the parent–child relationship would be associated with decreases in amygdala reactivity to parent cues, which would in turn predict lower future anxiety. Methods Participants were 102 children (6–10 years of age) and adolescents (11–17 years of age), for whom data were collected at one or two time points and who either had experienced institutional care before adoption (n = 45) or had lived always with their biological parents (comparison; n = 57). We examined how amygdala reactivity to visual cues of the parent at time 1 predicted longitudinal change (from time 1 to time 2) in parent-reported child anxiety across 3 years. Results At time 1, on average, amygdala reactivity decrements to parent cues were not seen in children who had received institutional care but were seen in children in the comparison group. However, some children who previously experienced institutional care did show decreased amygdala reactivity to parent cues (∼40%), which was associated with greater child-reported feelings of security with their parent. Amygdala decreases at time 1 were followed by steeper anxiety reductions from time 1 to time 2 (i.e., 3 years). Conclusions These data provide a neurobiological mechanism by which the parent–child relationship can increase resilience, even in children at significant risk for anxiety symptoms.

SUMMARY Nutrition and post-operative feeding in oesophageal cancer resections for enhanced recovery remain a controversial subject. Feeding jejunostomy tubes (FJT) have been used post-operatively to address the subject but evidence to support its routine use is contentious. There is currently no data on FJT use in England for oesophageal cancer resections. Knowledge regarding current FJT usage, and rationale for its use may provide a snapshot of the trend and current standing on FJT use by resectional units in England. A standardised survey was sent electronically to all oesophageal resectional units in the United Kingdom (UK) between October 2016 and January 2018. In summary, the questionnaire probes into current FJT use, rationale for its usage, consideration of cessation of its use, and rationale of cessation of its use for units not using FJT. The resectional units were identified using the National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit (NOGCA) progress report 2016 and 1 selected resectional unit from Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, respectively. Performance data of those units were collected from the 2017 NOGCA report. Out of 40 units that were eligible, 32 (80.0%) centres responded. The responses show a heterogeneity of FJT use across the resectional centres. Most centres (56.3%) still place FJT routinely with 2 of 18 (11.1%) were considering stopping its routine use. FJT was considered a mandatory adjunct to chemotherapy in 3 (9.4%) centres. FJT was not routinely used in 9 (28.1%) of centres with 5 of 9 (55.6%) reported previous complications and 4 of 9 (44.4%) cited using other forms of nutrition supplementation as factors for discontinuing FJT use. There were 5 (15.6%) centres with divided practice among its consultants. Of those 2 of 5 (40.0%) were considering stopping FJT use, and hence, a total of 4 of 23 (17.4%) of units are now considering stopping routine FJT use. In conclusion, the wider practice of FJT use in the UK remains heterogenous. More research regarding the optimal post-operative feeding regimen needs to be undertaken.

The circumstellar envelopes of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars exhibit a wide range of morphologies and chemical compositions that can be exploited to unravel their mass-loss history as well as binary status. Here, we present ALMA Band 6 observations centred upon the oxygen-rich, high mass-loss rate AGB star GX Mon. The resulting CO (2–1) map reveals an intricate, complex circumstellar spiral-arc structure consistent with hydrodynamical models for an AGB experiencing mass loss in a highly eccentric, close binary system with an orbital period of around 140 years. Several other transitions (including SiO, SiS, SO2, and CS) are detected in the data, however only the SO (5–4) map shows a similar – although much weaker – distribution as imaged for the CO.

Exposure to stress has been causally linked to changes in hippocampal volume (HV). Given that the hippocampus undergoes rapid changes in the first years of life, stressful experiences during this period may be particularly important in understanding individual differences in the development of the hippocampus. One hundred seventy-eight early adolescents (ages 9-13 years; 43% male) were interviewed regarding exposure to and age of onset of experiences of stress; the severity of each stressful event was rated by an objective panel. All participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging, from which HVs were automatically segmented. Without considering the age of onset for stressful experiences, there was a small but statistically significant negative association of stress severity with bilateral HV. When considering the age of onset, there was a moderate and significant negative association between stress severity during early childhood (through 5 years of age) and HV; there was no association between stress severity during later childhood (age 6 years and older) and HV. We provide evidence of a sensitive period through 5 years of age for the effects of life stress on HV in adolescence. It will be important in future research to elucidate how reduced HV stemming from early life stress may contribute to stress-related health outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Institutional rearing is associated with increased risk for reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED). Disorders of attachment involve disturbances in children’s primary caregiving relationships, and are likely to disturb multiple domains of social functioning. OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between signs of RAD and DSED and social functioning in early adolescence. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Our participants were 110 children with a history of institutional rearing and 50 community comparison adolescents from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, based in Bucharest, Romania. Participants were assessed at age 12 years (M age in years=12.80, SD=0.71). METHOD: Signs of RAD and DSED were obtained through caregiver report. Reports of social functioning were provided by caregivers and teachers. General and specific domains of social functioning were identified using bi-factor modeling. A general social functioning factor and four specific factors were revealed: peer conflict, caregiver views as victim, teacher views as victim, and social competence. RESULTS: Signs of RAD predicted poorer general social functioning (β=−.36, p

Despite a growing understanding that early adversity in childhood broadly affects risk for psychopathology, the contribution of stressful life events to the development of symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not clear. In the present study, we examined the association between number of stressful life events experienced and ADHD symptoms, assessed using the Attention Problems subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist, in a sample of 214 children (43% male) ages 9.11–13.98 years (M = 11.38, SD = 1.05). In addition, we examined whether the timing of the events (i.e., onset through age 5 years or after age 6 years) was associated with ADHD symptoms. Finally, we examined variation in brain structure to determine whether stressful life events were associated with volume in brain regions that were found to vary as a function of symptoms of ADHD. We found a small to moderate association between number of stressful life events and ADHD symptoms. Although the strength of the associations between number of events and ADHD symptoms did not differ as a function of the age of occurrence of stressful experiences, different brain regions were implicated in the association between stressors and ADHD symptoms in the two age periods during which stressful life events occurred. These findings support the hypothesis that early adversity is associated with ADHD symptoms, and provide insight into possible brain-based mediators of this association.

BACKGROUND: Together with Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue, Haemophilus ducreyi is a major cause of exudative cutaneous ulcers (CUs) in children. For H. ducreyi, both class I and class II strains, asymptomatic colonization, and environmental reservoirs have been found in endemic regions, but the epidemiology of this infection is unknown. METHODS: Based on published whole-genome sequences of H. ducreyi CU strains, a single-locus typing system was developed and applied to H. ducreyi–positive CU samples obtained prior to, 1 year after, and 2 years after the initiation of a mass drug administration campaign to eradicate CU on Lihir Island in Papua New Guinea. DNA from the CU samples was amplified with class I and class II dsrA-specific primers and sequenced; the samples were classified into dsrA types, which were geospatially mapped. Selection pressure analysis was performed on the dsrA sequences. RESULTS: Thirty-seven samples contained class I sequences, 27 contained class II sequences, and 13 contained both. There were 5 class I and 4 class II types circulating on the island; 3 types accounted for approximately 87% of the strains. The composition and geospatial distribution of the types varied little over time and there was no evidence of selection pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple strains of H. ducreyi cause CU on an endemic island and coinfections are common. In contrast to recent findings with T. pallidum pertenue, strain composition is not affected by antibiotic pressure, consistent with environmental reservoirs of H. ducreyi. Such reservoirs must be addressed to achieve eradication of H. ducreyi.

Decision making in the context of risk is a complex and dynamic process that changes across development. Here, we assessed the influence of sensitivity to negative feedback (e.g., loss) and learning on age-related changes in risky decision making, both of which show unique developmental trajectories. In the present study, we examined risky decision making in 216 individuals, ranging in age from 3-26 years, using the balloon emotional learning task (BELT), a computerized task in which participants pump up a series of virtual balloons to earn points, but risk balloon explosion on each trial, which results in no points. It is important to note that there were 3 balloon conditions, signified by different balloon colors, ranging from quick- to slow-to-explode, and participants could learn the color-condition pairings through task experience. Overall, we found age-related increases in pumps made and points earned. However, in the quick-to-explode condition, there was a nonlinear adolescent peak for points earned. Follow-up analyses indicated that this adolescent phenotype occurred at the developmental intersection of linear age-related increases in learning and decreases in sensitivity to negative feedback. Adolescence was marked by intermediate values on both these processes. These findings show that a combination of linearly changing processes can result in nonlinear changes in risky decision making, the adolescent-specific nature of which is associated with developmental improvements in learning and reduced sensitivity to negative feedback.

Knowledge of both the life history characteristics and catch and effort statistics of exploited deep-water fishes such as snappers and groupers is typically limited. This contributes to increased uncertainty in stock assessments and, depending on the diligence in governance, is more likely to result in either highly conservative or unsustainable management arrangements. Developments, challenges and advances in the methods for obtaining life history data for these species were discussed at a workshop in May 2015. The key points raised included nascent methods for otolith sectioning and interpretation, the need for standardised international ageing protocols and the issues and challenges in characterising reproductive maturation, including during non-spawning months due to resource limitations. Strategic research directions are identified to address knowledge gaps and thus better inform fisheries management.

Buildinguponthe transactional model of brain development, we explore the impact of early maternal deprivation on neural development and plasticity in three neural systems: hyperactivity/impulsivity, executive function, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis functioning across rodent, nonhuman primate, and human studies. Recognizing the complexity of early maternal–infant interactions, we limit our cross-species comparisons to data from rodent model so f artificial rearing, nonhuman primate studies of peer rearing, and the relations between these two experimental approaches and human studies of children exposed to the early severe psychosocial deprivation associated with institutional care. In addition to discussing the strengths and limitations of these paradigms, we present the current state of research on the neurobiological impact of early maternal deprivation and the evidence of sensitive periods, noting methodological challenges. Integrating data across preclinical animal models and human studies, we speculate about the underlying biological mechanisms; the differential impact of deprivation due to temporal factors including onset, offset, and duration of the exposure; and the possibility and consequences of reopening of sensitive periods during adolescence. The relevance of the early caregiving environment for child development is well established. Recently there has been a concerted effort to define the mechanisms by which this critical early dyadic interaction shapes the developing brain. Consistent with the fundamental principles of developmental psychopathology, the rapid advancement of neuroimaging and genetic technologies coupled with enhanced research linking cognitive neurodevelopment, developmental psychopathology, and molecular biology represents a unique opportunity for greater mechanistic understanding. This manuscript utilizes a neural systems approach and focuses specifically on data synthesized from human studies of childrenexposedtoinstitutional rearing withthatfromanimal models postulated to be most reflective of an institutional setting, specifically artificial rearing (AR) of rat pups and peer rearing (PR) in nonhuman primates (NHP). Consistent with the National Institute of Mental Health Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project (Cuthbert & Kozak, 2013), this article focuses on neural pathways that span traditional psychological diagnoses. We selected three pathways that are consistently impacted across studies of early deprivation and measurable in animal model systems: hyperactivity/impulsivity (H/I), executive function (EF), and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. These are, by no means, the only

Traditional conceptualizations of early adversity characterize behavioral outcomes as maladaptive. However, conditional adaptation theory proposes that differing behavioral phenotypes following early experience are appropriate for the expected environment (e.g., behaviors likely to result in the best outcome based on environmental expectations). In the present study, youth with (na 46) and without (na 91) a history of previous institutionalization completed a laboratory-based experimental paradigm in which exploration— exploitation strategy was examined, a phenotype relevant to environmental expectations. Previous institutionalization was associated with decreased exploration and increased exploitation. A strategy favoring exploration resulted in greater success in the generous task condition whereas a strategy favoring exploitation produced greater success in the restricted task condition. These results suggest that exploration—exploitation strategy may be influenced by early experience, and the resulting success of strategy choice is context dependent and in line with expectations of the future environment based on early experience. fl 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol.

Exposure to early severe psychosocial deprivation as a result of institutional care is associated with persistent externalizing psychopathology (Rutter et al., 2007). The role of the caregiving environment in the development of externalizing psychopathology has previously been established (Shaw, Owens, Giovannelli, & Winslow, 2001). In children who experienced institutional rearing, the elevated risk for externalizing psychopathology is thought to be the consequence of the extreme deviation of the early caregiving relationship from expected norms. The regimented schedule, rotating caregivers, and lack of individualized attention to children’s needs are considered key components of the institutional environment that contribute to the elevated risk, presumably through the impact on the child’s neurobiological development (Sheridan, Drury, McLaughlin, & Almas, 2010; Zeanah et al., 2009). In the English and Romanian Adoptee Study (ERA), signs of hyperactivity positively correlated with the severity of deprivation in post-institutionalized children (Kreppner, O’Connor, & Rutter, 2001). Externalizing behavior, unlike internalizing behavior, appears to be particularly resistant to subsequent improvements in the caregiving environment, suggesting that other factors are involved in recovery (Cicchetti, 2013; Zeanah, 2007). Child specific factors, including genetic variation, likely add to the differential adaptation of children to significant changes in the early caregiving environment (Drury et al., 2012; Drury et al., 2010; Gunnar et al., 2012). In longitudinal studies of less extreme atypical caregiving environments, differential sensitivity to changes in the caregiving environment (Belsky, Hsieh, & Crnic, 1998; Bradley & Corwyn, 2008), and moderation of this sensitivity by genotype(Bakermans-Kranenburg, van IJzendoorn, Mesman, Alink, & Juffer, 2008) have been reported in relation to externalizing psychopathology.

The Institute of Medicine, United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), and national healthcare organizations recommend screening and counseling for intimate partner violence (IPV) within the US healthcare setting. The Affordable Care Act includes screening and brief counseling for IPV as part of required free preventive services for women. Thus, IPV screening and counseling must be implemented safely and effectively throughout the healthcare delivery system. Health professional education is one strategy for increasing screening and counseling in healthcare settings, but studies on improving screening and counseling for other health conditions highlight the critical role of making changes within the healthcare delivery system to drive desired improvements in clinician screening practices and health outcomes. This article outlines a systems approach to the implementation of IPV screening and counseling, with a focus on integrated health and advocacy service delivery to support identification and interventions, use of electronic health record (EHR) tools, and cross-sector partnerships. Practice and policy recommendations include (1) ensuring staff and clinician training in effective, client-centered IPV assessment that connects patients to support and services regardless of disclosure; (2) supporting enhancement of EHRs to prompt appropriate clinical care for IPV and facilitate capturing more detailed and standardized IPV data; and (3) integrating IPV care into quality and meaningful use measures. Research directions include studies across various health settings and populations, development of quality measures and patient-centered outcomes, and tests of multilevel approaches to improve the uptake and consistent implementation of evidence-informed IPV screening and counseling guidelines.

Children from lower-SES families exhibit smaller hippocampal volume than do their higher-SES peers. Few studies, however, have compared hippocampal developmental trajectories as a function of SES. Thus, it is unclear whether initial rank-order stability is preserved, or whether volumes diverge/converge over the course of adolescence. In a sample of 101 girls ages 10–24 years, we examined the longitudinal association between family income and parental education, proxies for SES, and changes in hippocampal volume. Hippocampal volume was obtained using MRI; using mixed modeling, we examined the effects of income and education on hippocampal volume across age. As expected, changes in volume were non-linear across development. Further, trajectories diverged in mid-adolescence, with lower-income girls exhibiting reductions in hippocampal volume. Maximal income-related differences were observed at 18 years, and trajectories converged thereafter. This interaction remained significant when accounting for maternal hippocampal volume, suggesting a unique contribution of environment over potential heritable differences. In contrast, the association between parental education and offspring hippocampal volume appeared to be stable across adolescence, with higher levels of parental education predicting consistently larger hippocampal volume. These findings constitute preliminary evidence that girls from lower-income homes exhibit unique trajectories of hippocampal growth, with differences most evident in late adolescence. Keywords: Adolescence, Adversity, Environmental influences, Family factors, Socioeconomic status

Experiences of psychosocial neglect affect the developing brain and may place individuals at increased risk for anxiety. The majority of research in this area has focused on children who have experienced severe psychosocial deprivation; it is not clear whether typical variation in neglect experienced in community samples would have the same neurobiological consequences as those documented in extreme samples. The present study examined the associations among self-reported childhood neglect, amygdala volume, and anxiety symptoms in a community sample of 138 adolescents ages 9 to 15 years (43% male). Linear mixed modeling yielded a three-way interaction of neglect, sex, and brain hemisphere, reflecting a significant positive association between neglect and right amygdala volume in boys. Additional analyses indicated that right amygdala volume significantly mediated the association between neglect and anxiety symptoms in boys. These findings are consistent with previous reports of larger amygdala volumes in previously institutionalized children, and with documented associations between caregiving deprivation and anxiety symptoms. The results suggest that the effects of childhood neglect on limbic structures are sex-specific and lateralized, and provide support for a neural mechanism relating childhood neglect to later difficulties in emotional functioning.

The present study sought to replicate previous findings of an association between the Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) val158met polymorphism with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptomatology in a novel age group, preschool children.COMT genotype was determined in a sample of 171 3-6-year-old trauma-exposed children. PTSD was assessed with a semistructured interview. Accounting for sex, trauma type, and age, genotype was examined in relation to categorical and continuous measures of PTSD both controlling for race and within the two largest racial categories (African American [AA] and European American [EA]).Race significantly moderated the association between genotype and PTSD. Specifically, the genotype associated with increased PTSD symptoms in one racial group had the opposite association in the other racial group. For AA children the met/met genotype was associated with more PTSD symptoms. However, for EA children, val allele carriers had more PTSD symptoms. Whereas every AA child with the met/met genotype met criteria for PTSD, none of the EA children with the met/met genotype did. This genetic association with COMT genotype, in both races but in opposite directions, was most associated with increased arousal symptoms.These findings replicate previous findings in participants of African descent, highlight the moderating effect of race on the association between COMT genotype and PTSD, and provide direct evidence that consideration of population stratification within gene-by-environment studies is valuable to prevent false negative findings.

A cavity optomechanical magneto-meter operating in the 100 pT range is reported. The device operates at earth field, achieves tens of megahertz bandwidth with 60 μm spatial resolution and microwatt optical-power requirements. These unique capabilities may have a broad range of applications including cryogen-free and microfluidic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and investigation of spin-physics in condensed matter systems.

Background Appendicectomy for acute appendicitis in children may be performed in specialist centres by paediatric surgeons or in general surgery units. Service provision and outcome of appendicectomy in children may differ between such units. Methods This multicentre observational study included all children (aged less than 16 years) who had an appendicectomy at either a paediatric surgery unit or general surgery unit. The primary outcome was normal appendicectomy rate (NAR). Secondary outcomes included 30-day adverse events, use of ultrasound imaging and laparoscopy, and consultant involvement in procedures. Results Appendicectomies performed in 19 paediatric surgery units (242 children) and 54 general surgery units (461 children) were included. Children treated in paediatric surgery units were younger and more likely to have a preoperative ultrasound examination, a laparoscopic procedure, a consultant present at the procedure, and histologically advanced appendicitis than children treated in general surgery units. The unadjusted NAR was significantly lower in paediatric surgery units (odds ratio (OR) 0·37, 95 per cent confidence interval 0·23 to 0·59; P < 0·001), and the difference persisted after adjusting for age, sex and use of preoperative ultrasound imaging (OR 0·34, 0·21 to 0·57; P < 0·001). Female sex and preoperative ultrasonography, but not age, were significantly associated with normal appendicectomy in general surgery units but not in paediatric surgery units in this adjusted model. The unadjusted 30-day adverse event rate was higher in paediatric surgery units than in general surgery units (OR 1·90, 1·18 to 3·06; P = 0·011). When adjusted for case mix and consultant presence at surgery, no statistically significant relationship between centre type and 30-day adverse event rate existed (OR 1·59, 0·93 to 2·73; P = 0·091). Conclusion The NAR in general surgery units was over twice that in paediatric surgery units. Despite a more severe case mix, paediatric surgery units had a similar 30-day adverse event rate to general surgery units. Service provision differs between paediatric and general surgery units.

Institutional rearing of young children has been demonstrated to increase risk for a broad range of psychiatric disorders and other impairments. This has led many countries to consider or to invest in foster care. However, no study to date has explored potential differences in psychiatric symptoms in children placed in different types of foster care. We assessed internalizing disorders, externalizing disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 54-month-old children living with foster families. We compared one group of children living in high-quality foster families who had benefited from specialized training and support to another group of children placed with government-sponsored foster care in Bucharest, Romania. After controlling for duration of time spent in foster care, there was a main group effect in predicting ADHD (p = .021) and a marginal group × gender interaction effect. No effects were noted for signs of externalizing disorders. There was, however, a significant group × gender interaction effect of signs of internalizing disorders (p = .007), with the girls in high-quality foster care having less severe symptomatology than did their counterparts in the government-sponsored group. Governments must invest in quality interventions for their most vulnerable citizens to prevent serious and potentially lasting problems.

In the current study, we investigated how complete infant deprivation to out-group race impacts behavioral and neural sensitivity to race. Although monkey models have successfully achieved complete face deprivation in early life, this is typically impossible in human studies. We overcame this barrier by examining youths with exclusively homogenous racial experience in early postnatal development. These were youths raised in orphanage care in either East Asia or Eastern Europe as infants and later adopted by American families. The use of international adoption bolsters confidence of infant exposure to race (e.g., to solely Asian faces or European faces). Participants completed an emotional matching task during functional MRI. Our findings show that deprivation to other-race faces in infancy disrupts recognition of emotion and results in heightened amygdala response to out-group faces. Greater early deprivation (i.e., later age of adoption) is associated with greater biases to race. These data demonstrate how early social deprivation to race shapes amygdala function later in life and provides support that early postnatal development may represent a sensitive period for race perception.

BACKGROUND Results from a comparative study of Ponseti versus surgical management for congenital talipes equino varus (CTEV), using historically managed patients, are presented. No bias existed in terms of management choice or participants recruited. METHODS Twenty-three surgically treated children (31 club feet; mean age 9.1 y) and 29 treated by the Ponseti technique (42 club feet; mean age 6.5 y) agreed to participate in the study. Twenty-six typically developing children (mean age 7.9 y) were also recruited as a control group. A physical examination and 3-dimensional gait analyses were carried out on all participants, and each child and his/her parent also, independently, completed the Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire (OxAFQ). RESULTS The Ponseti group underwent fewer joint-invasive procedures than the surgical group. Passive range of dorsiflexion and plantarflexion were significantly less in the CTEV groups when compared with the control group (P

The Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) is a long-term research and development effort of the National Library of Medicine, aimed at assisting users in finding information from multiple sources without understanding the intricacies of each particular source. Consisting of three major knowledge sources, a Metathesaurus, a Semantic Network, and a set of lexical processing tools, the UMLS is produced and released twice yearly. Recent efforts have been aimed at expanding coverage in genetics and in clinical vocabularies designed for use in medical record systems. RxNorm, produced and released on a monthly basis, with weekly updates, is an outgrowth of the UMLS, focusing on medication terminology

The circumstellar environments of objects on the asymptotic giant branch and beyond are rich in molecular species. Nevertheless, methanol has never been detected in such an object, and is therefore often taken as a clear signpost for a young stellar object. However, we report the first detection of CH3OH in a post-AGB object, HD 101584, using ALMA. Its emission, together with emissions from CO, SiO, SO, CS, and H2CO, comes from two extreme velocity spots on either side of the object where a high-velocity outflow appears to interact with the surrounding medium. We have derived molecular abundances, and propose that the detected molecular species are the effect of a post-shock chemistry where circumstellar grains play a role. We further provide evidence that HD 101584 was a low-mass, M-type AGB star.