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Objectives: Our study aimed to identify how emergency department (ED) arrival rate, process of care, and physical layout can impact ED length of stay (LOS) in pediatric traumatic brain injury care., Methods: Process flows and value stream maps were developed for 3 level I pediatric trauma centers. Computer simulation models were also used to examine "what if" scenarios based on ED arrival rates., Results: Differences were observed in prearrival preparation time, ED physical layouts, and time spent on processes. Shorter prearrival preparation time, trauma bed location far from diagnostic or treatment areas, and ED arrival rates that exceed 20 patients/day prolonged ED LOS. This was particularly apparent in 1 center where computer simulation showed that relocation of trauma beds can reduce ED LOS regardless of the number of patients that arrive per day., Conclusions: Exceeding certain threshold ED arrival rates of children with traumatic brain injury can substantially increase pediatric trauma center ED LOS but modifications to ED processes and bed location may mitigate this increase., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine the relationship between maternal childhood trauma and early maternal caregiving behaviors (MCB)., Method: Participants included 74 mother-infant dyads (maternal age 20-45 years; ethnicity 64.9% Latina) from a longitudinal pregnancy cohort study. Maternal childhood trauma was assessed during pregnancy with the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ). Observed mother-infant interactions at infant age 4 months were coded utilizing modified Ainsworth's MCB rating scales that assessed a range of behaviors (e.g., acceptance, soothing, and delight) which we analyze grouped together and will summarize using the term "maternal sensitivity." Linear regressions tested the associations between maternal childhood trauma and MCB. Primary analyses examined the relationships of MCB with (a) any maternal childhood trauma (moderate or greater exposure to physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and/or emotional neglect) and (b) cumulative childhood trauma. Secondary analyses examined the relationships between each type of childhood trauma and MCB., Results: Exposure to childhood trauma was not associated with MCB ( p = .88). Cumulative childhood trauma score was associated with lower scores on MCB (β = -1.88, p < .05). Emotional abuse and emotional neglect were individually associated with lower scores on MCB (β = -1.78, p = .04; β = -1.55, p = .04, respectively). Physical abuse, sexual abuse, and physical neglect were not associated with MCB., Conclusions: Many mothers exposed to childhood trauma may be resilient to negative effects on parenting behaviors, while specific experiences of childhood trauma (emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and cumulative childhood trauma) may predict less sensitive early parenting behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Microplastics have emerged as a significant pollutant in terrestrial ecosystems, with their accumulation in agricultural fields influencing soil greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, the specific impact of microplastics, particularly in relation to their varying shapes, and how this effect manifests across diverse soil types, remains largely unexplored. In this study, a 56-day incubation experiment was conducted to assess the influence of microplastic shapes (fibers, films, and spheres) on CO 2 and N 2 O emissions in three types of soils (Chernozems, Luvisols, and Ferralsols), while also investigating potential associations with the compositional and functional characteristics of soil bacterial communities. When compared to the control group, the introduction of microplastic fibers resulted in an increase of 21.7 % in cumulative CO 2 emissions and a 31.4 % rise in cumulative N 2 O emissions in Ferralsols. This increase was closely linked to the proliferation of the Actinobacteria and Bacilli classes and the orders of Catenulisporales, Bacillales, Streptomycetales, Micrococcales, and Burkholderiales within the bacterial communities of Ferralsols, alongside an observed elevation in N-acetyl-glucosaminidase enzyme activity. The inclusion of microplastic fibers did not result in significant alterations in greenhouse gas emissions within Chernozems and Luvisols. This is likely attributed to the inherent buffering capacity of these soils, which helps stabilize substrate and nutrient availability for microbial communities. These findings highlight that the response of greenhouse gas emissions to microplastic additions is contingent upon the shape of the microplastics and the specific soil types., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Oral microbiota is vital for human health and can be affected by various factors (i.e. diets, ethnicity). However, few studies have compared oral microbiota of individuals from different nationalities in the same environment. Here, we explored the assembly and interaction of oral microbial communities of Chinese and Pakistanis in one university. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the predominant microorganisms in the oral cavity of Chinese and Pakistanis. Streptococcus and Neisseria were the dominant genera of China, while Streptococcus and Haemophilus were the dominant genera of Pakistanis. In addition, the oral community membership and structure were not influenced by season, Chinese/Pakistani student and gender, reflecting the stability of the human oral microbiome. The beta diversity of oral microbiomes between Chinese and Pakistanis significantly differed in winter, but not in spring. The alpha diversity of Chinese students and Pakistani students was similar. Moreover, oral microbial community of both Chinese and Pakistani students was mainly driven by stochastic processes. The microbial network of Chinese was more complexity and stability than that of Pakistanis. Our study uncovers the characteristics of human oral microbiota, which is of great significance for oral and human health., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Objective: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a potent risk factor for developing psychopathology later in life. Accumulating research suggests that the influence is not limited to the exposed individual but may also be transmitted across generations. In this study, we examine the effect of CM in pregnant women on fetal amygdala-cortical function, prior to postnatal influences., Method: Healthy pregnant women (N = 89) completed fetal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) scans between the late second trimester and birth. Women were primarily from low socioeconomic status households with relatively high CM. Mothers completed questionnaires prospectively evaluating prenatal psychosocial health and retrospectively evaluating trauma from their own childhood. Voxelwise functional connectivity was calculated from bilateral amygdala masks., Results: Connectivity of the amygdala network was relatively higher to left frontal areas (prefrontal cortex and premotor) and relatively lower to right premotor area and brainstem areas in fetuses of mothers exposed to higher CM. These associations persisted after controlling for maternal socioeconomic status, maternal prenatal distress, measures of fetal motion, and gestational age at the time of scan and at birth., Conclusion: Pregnant women's experiences of CM are associated with offspring brain development in utero. The strongest effects were found in the left hemisphere, potentially indicating lateralization of the effects of maternal CM on the fetal brain. This study suggests that the time frame of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease research should be extended to exposures from mothers' childhood, and indicates that the intergenerational transmission of trauma may occur prior to birth., (Copyright © 2023 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Untangling assembly and microbial interaction of abundant and rare microbiota in aquatic ecosystem is pivotal for understanding how community assembly respond to environmental variables and co-occurrence patterns. Here, we explored the assembly mechanisms, their drivers, and species co-occurrence of abundant and rare microbiomes in the Yellow River using 16S rRNA gene sequencing in Lanzhou, China. Here, abundant community was ubiquitous across all sites, whereas rare community was uneven distributed. The richness and community dissimilarity of rare taxa were significantly greater than those of abundant ones. Stochastic processes structured the rare community assembly in spring and winter, while deterministic processes shaped the abundant and rare community assembly in other seasons and all sites. Copper and water temperature mediated the balance between deterministic and stochastic processes of abundant and rare community, respectively. A few abundant taxa with closer relationships frequently occupied central positions and had a great effect on other co-occurrences in the network, while the majority of keystone microbiota were rare microbiome and played a considerable part in maintaining the network structure. Our study provides some ecological proposals for water quality management and ecological stability of the Yellow River. KEY POINTS: • Deterministic process dominated abundant and rare community assembly. • Cu and TW mediated the balance of abundant and rare community assembly respectively. • Abundant taxa had a greater effect on other co-occurrences in the network., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a serious environmental hazard of the current age. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are the fundamental entities that spread AR in the environment. ARGs are likely to be transferred from the non-pathogenic to pathogenic microbes that might ultimately be responsible for the AR in humans and other organisms. Drinking water (DW) is the primary interaction route between ARGs and humans. Being the highest producer and consumer of antibiotics China poses a potential threat to developing superbugs and ARGs dissemination. Herein, we comprehensively seek to review the ARGs from dominant DW sources in China. Furthermore, the origin and influencing factors of the ARGs to the DW in China have been evaluated. Commonly used methods, both classical and modern, are being compiled. In addition, the risk posed and mitigation strategies of DW ARGs in China have been outlined. Overall, we believe this review would contribute to the assessment of ARGs in DW of China and their dissemination to humans and other animals and ultimately help the policymakers and scientists in the field to counteract this problem on an emergency basis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

CRISPR Cas9-based screening is a powerful approach for identifying and characterizing novel drug targets. Here, we elucidate the synthetic lethal mechanism of deubiquitinating enzyme USP1 in cancers with underlying DNA damage vulnerabilities, specifically BRCA1/2 mutant tumors and a subset of BRCA1/2 wild-type (WT) tumors. In sensitive cells, pharmacologic inhibition of USP1 leads to decreased DNA synthesis concomitant with S-phase-specific DNA damage. Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens identify RAD18 and UBE2K, which promote PCNA mono- and polyubiquitination respectively, as mediators of USP1 dependency. The accumulation of mono- and polyubiquitinated PCNA following USP1 inhibition is associated with reduced PCNA protein levels. Ectopic expression of WT or ubiquitin-dead K164R PCNA reverses USP1 inhibitor sensitivity. Our results show, for the first time, that USP1 dependency hinges on the aberrant processing of mono- and polyubiquitinated PCNA. Moreover, this mechanism of USP1 dependency extends beyond BRCA1/2 mutant tumors to selected BRCA1/2 WT cancer cell lines enriched in ovarian and lung lineages. We further show PARP and USP1 inhibition are strongly synergistic in BRCA1/2 mutant tumors. We postulate USP1 dependency unveils a previously uncharacterized vulnerability linked to posttranslational modifications of PCNA. Taken together, USP1 inhibition may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for BRCA1/2 mutant tumors and a subset of BRCA1/2 WT tumors., (©2022 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)

Sexual risk behaviors often co-occur. Understanding the heterogeneity in patterns of sexual behavior among youth and how context of majority and minoritized status may be related to these behaviors can inform targeted STIs/HIV interventions. Data are from the Boricua Youth Study, a longitudinal study of two probability samples of Puerto Rican youth recruited in the South Bronx (SBx) and the metropolitan area in Puerto Rico (PR). We identified patterns of sexual behaviors among young adults (ages 15-24) with sexual experience (N = 1,203) using latent class analysis. Analyses examined context differences and the prospective relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) (childhood maltreatment/violence, family/parental dysfunction) and patterns of sexual behaviors (age at first sex, number of sex partners, sex with a high-risk partner, condom use, sex while intoxicated, oral sex, anal sex). We identified five classes of sexual behaviors: (1) currently inactive (16.51%); (2) single partner, low activity (13.49%); (3) single partner, inconsistent condom use (32.19%); (4) single partner, sex without a condom (27.65%); and (5) multirisk (10.16%). Young adults from the SBx (minoritized context), those who identified as male, and those with higher child maltreatment/violence ACEs were more likely to be in the multi-risk class relative to the single partner, inconsistent condom use class. Those from the SBx were also more likely to be in the single partner, sex without condom class, relative to the single partner, inconsistent condom use class. Differences in young adults' patterns of sexual behaviors between the two contexts, one representing the minoritized context (SBx) contrasted to the majority context (PR), were not explained by ACEs. Findings highlight the heterogeneity in the patterns of sexual behaviors among Puerto Rican young adults as well as how such patterns vary based on sociocultural contexts. Exposure to child maltreatment/violence ACEs was related to the riskier patterns; however, they did not explain why riskier patterns of sexual behaviors were found in the SBx compared to PR. Results underscore the need for tailored interventions and more in-depth examination of differences across contexts., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Many contaminants were carried by dust, a common environment media that is easy to contact with human beings, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) as an emergency pollutant also harbor in dust and pose serious threats to human health especially those carried by opportunistic pathogens because inactivation of antibiotics caused by ARGs may enhance pathogenicity. Considering there is a gap of investigation of dust ARGs, 16 S rRNA gene sequences and high-throughput quantitative PCR were employed to obtain information of microbial communities and accumulated ARGs in dust from different urban places, including the malls, hospitals, schools and parks, to investigate the distribution and influencing factors of ARGs and discover the potential hosts of ARGs in dust. Here, 9 types of ARGs such as sulfonamide, tetracycline, and beta-lactamase and 71 subtypes of ARGs like sul1, tetM-01, and drfA1 were detected in dust. ARGs had varying distribution in different public places and seasons in dust. The abundances of total ARGs, MLSB and tetracycline genes were higher in spring than summer. The diversity of ARGs was highest in malls, follow by hospitals, schools, and parks. Additionally, multi-drug resistance genes in dust were more abundant in hospitals than in schools and parks. The microbes were distinguished as the most important driving factors for ARGs in dust, followed by the mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and different places, while dust physicochemical parameters only exert a negligible impact. Notably, several opportunistic pathogens like the Streptococcus, Vibrio, and Pseudomonas were inferred as potential hosts of high-risk ARGs such as mecA, tetM-02, and tetO-01 in dust because of strongly positive co-occurrence. These results imply that dust is likely an important reservoir of ARGs. We should realize that ARGs may be harbored in some opportunistic pathogens occur in dust and endanger human health because of dust contacting to human easily., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Maternal prenatal stress and mood symptoms are associated with risk for child psychopathology. Within the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies (ECHO-FGS), a racially and ethnically diverse cohort, we studied associations between prenatal stress and depressive symptoms with child neurobehavior, and potential mediation by fetal growth velocity (FGV) in low-risk pregnancies., Method: For 730 mother-child pairs, we had serial ultrasound measurements, self-reports of prenatal stress and depression, observations of child executive functions and motor skills from 4 to 8 years, and maternal reports of child psychiatric problems. We tested associations between prenatal stress and depressive symptoms with child neurobehavior in regression analyses, and associations with FGV in mixed effect models. Post hoc we tested severity of prenatal symptoms; FGV at 25 th , 50 th , and 75 th percentiles; and moderation by biological sex and by race and ethnicity., Results: Prenatal stress and depressive symptoms were associated with child psychiatric problems, and prenatal depressive symptoms with decrements in executive functions and motor skills, especially in biological male children. Neither prenatal stress nor depressive symptoms were associated with FGV., Conclusion: In one of the largest cohorts with observed child outcomes, and the first with broad representation of race and ethnicity in the United States, we found that prenatal stress and depressive symptoms were associated with greater reports of child psychiatric symptoms. Only prenatal depressive symptoms were associated with observed decrements in cognitive abilities, most significantly in biological male children. Stress during low-risk pregnancies may be less detrimental than theorized. There was no mediation by FGV. These findings support the need to attend to even small changes in prenatal distress, as these may have long-lasting implications., (Copyright © 2022 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. All rights reserved.)

The aspariginyl hydroxylase human factor inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor (FIH) is an important regulator of the transcriptional activity of hypoxia-inducible factor. FIH also catalyzes the hydroxylation of asparaginyl and other residues in ankyrin repeat domain-containing proteins, including apoptosis stimulating of p53 protein (ASPP) family members. ASPP2 is reported to undergo a single FIH-catalyzed hydroxylation at Asn-986. We report biochemical and crystallographic evidence showing that FIH catalyzes the unprecedented post-translational hydroxylation of both asparaginyl residues in "VNVN" and related motifs of ankyrin repeat domains in ASPPs (i.e., ASPP1, ASPP2, and iASPP) and the related ASB11 and p18-INK4C proteins. Our biochemical results extend the substrate scope of FIH catalysis and may have implications for its biological roles, including in the hypoxic response and ASPP family function., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Suspended particles in water can shelter both microorganisms and contaminants. However, the emerging pollutants antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in free-living (FL) or particle-attached (PA) bacteria in aquatic environments are less explored. In this study, we compared the free-living and particle-attached ARGs during four seasons in the Yellow River using high-throughput quantitative PCR techniques and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our results demonstrated that both the free-living water and particles were dominated by tetracycline and beta-lactamase resistance genes. The PA-ARGs had a higher absolute abundance than FL-ARGs in the Yellow River, regardless of the season. Both PA-ARGs and FL-ARGs had the highest absolute abundance and diversity during winter. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were the dominant driver for both size-fractionated ARGs. However, the microbiome had less influence on PA-ARG profiles than the FL-ARG profiles, while the effects of the heavy metals on ARGs were negligible. The community assembly of both FL-ARG and PA-ARG can be explained by neutral processes. Several opportunistic pathogens (e.g., Escherichia coli) associated with human health exhibited a higher relative abundance in the particles than during a free-living lifestyle. Parts of these pathogens were potential ARG hosts. As such, it is important to monitor the ARGs and opportunistic pathogens from size-fractionated bacteria and develop targeted strategies to manage ARG dissemination and opportunistic pathogens to ensure public health., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The prevalence and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and opportunistic pathogens in water environments can pose great threat to public health. However, the dissemination of ARGs and opportunistic pathogens from water environments to humans has been poorly explored. Here, we employed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR techniques to explore the seasonal distribution of ARGs and opportunistic pathogens in the Yellow River water (source water) and tap water, as well as their relationships with healthy humans at Lanzhou, China. Physiochemical analysis was applied to detect water quality parameters and heavy metal contents. The absolute abundance and diversity of ARGs in the Yellow River and tap water demonstrated distinct seasonal patterns. In winter, the Yellow river water had the highest ARG abundance and diversity, while tap water owned the lowest. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were the predominant driver of ARG profiles in both the Yellow river and tap water. Null model analysis showed that ARG assembly in the Yellow River was more influenced by stochastic processes than tap water and this was independent of seasons. Total organic carbon and arsenic contents exhibited positive correlations with many ARGs. Opportunistic pathogens Aeromonas and Pseudomonas may be potential hosts for ARGs. Approximately 80% of detected ARGs were shared between water samples and the human gut. These persistent ARGs could not be entirely eliminated through drinking water treatment processes. Thus, it is crucial to protect sources of tap water from anthropogenic pollution and improve water treatment technologies to reduce the dissemination of ARGs and ensure drinking-water biosafety for human health., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As a common natural phenomenon, corpse decomposition may lead to serious environmental pollution such as nitrogen pollution. However, less is known about antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), an emerging contaminant, during corpse degradation. Here, ARGs and microbiome in three soil types (black, red and yellow soil) have been investigated between experimental and control groups based on next-generation sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR techniques. We found that the absolute abundance of total ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in the experimental groups were respectively enriched 536.96 and 240.60 times in different soil types, and the number of ARGs in experimental groups was 7-25 more than that in control groups. For experimental groups, the distribution of ARGs was distinct in different soil types, but sulfonamide resistance genes were always enriched. Corpse decomposition was a primary determinant for ARGs profiles. Microbiome, NH 4 + concentrates and pH also significantly affected ARGs profiles. Nevertheless, soil types had few effects on ARGs. For soil microbiome, some genera were elevated in experimental groups such as the Ignatzschineria and Myroides. The alpha diversity is decreased in experimental groups and microbial community structures are different between treatments. Additionally, the Escherichia and Neisseria were potential pathogens elevated in experimental groups. Network analysis indicated that most of ARGs like sulfonamide and multidrug resistance genes presented strong positively correlations with NH 4 + concentrates and pH, and some genera like Ignatzschineria and Dysgonomonas were positively correlated with several ARGs such as aminoglycoside and sulfonamide resistance genes. Our study reveals a law of ARGs' enrichment markedly during corpse decomposing in different soil types, and these ARGs contaminant maintaining in environment may pose a potential threat to environmental safety and human health., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Corpse decomposition may cause serious pollution (e.g., releasing antibiotic resistance genes) to the water environment, thereby threatening public health. However, whether antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and microbiomes are affected by different water volumes during carcass decomposition remains unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of large/small water volumes on microbial communities and ARGs during fish cadaver decomposition by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR. The results showed that the large water volume almost eliminated the effects of corpse decomposition on pH, total organic carbon (TOC), and total nitrogen (TN). When the water volume enlarged by 62.5 fold, the relative abundances of some ARGs resisting tetracycline and sulfonamide during carcass decomposition decreased by 217 fold on average, while there was also a mean 5267 fold increase of vancomycin resistance genes. Compared with the control group, the enriched types of ARGs varied between the large and small volume. Water volume, mobile genetic elements, and carcass decomposition were the most important factors affecting ARG profiles. Many opportunistic pathogens (like Bacteroides and Comamonas) were enriched in the corpse group. Bacteroides and Comamonas may be potential hosts of ARGs, indicating the potential for the spread of ARGs to humans by water pathogenic bacteria. This research highlights that the "dilution effect" can contribute to eliminating this adverse effect during corpse decomposition to a certain extent. It may provide references for environmental governance and public health., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We sought to evaluate whether the timing of co-occurrence of psychiatric disorder groups provides evidence for one disorder group predisposing individuals to subsequent onset of other disorder groups above and beyond a common liability model. Data were drawn from the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (n = 36,309). We identified statistically significant sequences of the age of onset of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders (SUD) using a novel method distinguishing significant sequences from patterns expected only due to correlations induced by common liability among disorders. At every age, the lifetime probability of the three disorder groups was positively correlated consistent with a common liability model, but using a sequence analysis that accounts for different population level age of onset patterns and age specific correlations due to common liability, only SUD was more likely to precede mood disorders than expected (4.0% vs 3.3%, p < .001). Onsets within the same year of mood and anxiety disorders (21.5%) occurred over 6 times more commonly than expected by chance. SUD and mood disorders onsets occurred during the same year (9.0%) twice as commonly as expected, whereas SUD and anxiety disorder onsets did not occur in the same year significantly more commonly than expected. These results suggest that above and beyond common liabilities to comorbid mood, anxiety, and SUD disorders across the lifespan, SUDs predispose individuals for future onset of mood disorders, but not the reverse. Frequent simultaneous onset of psychiatric disorders further supports shared underlying vulnerabilities across disorder groups., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Prevention studies for perinatal depression rarely focus on the mother-infant dyad or consider the impact of maternal childhood maltreatment (CM)., Methods: A secondary analysis of two combined randomized controlled trials of Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting (PREPP) examined the moderating role of CM on the efficacy of preventing perinatal depression and effects on infant behavior at six weeks., Results: 32% of 109 pregnant women endorsed CM (CM+). At six weeks postpartum, women who received PREPP compared to enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU) had significant reductions in depression and anxiety based on the observer-rated Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA) (mean difference of M=-3.84 (SD= 0.14, p<0.01) and M=- 4.31 (SD= 0.32, p <0.001) respectively). When CM was added to the models, there no longer was a significant PREPP versus ETAU treatment effect on HRSD and HRSA outcomes in CM+ women though effects remained for CM- women. However, CM+ women who received PREPP vs ETAU reported a mean increase in infant daytime sleep of 189.8 min (SE= 50.48, p = 0.001)., Limitations: Self-report measures of infant behavior were used., Conclusions: CM+ women versus CM- had limited response to an intervention to prevent perinatal depression yet still reported an increase in infant daytime sleep. This study adds to the growing literature that prevention studies may need to incorporate approaches tailored to fit women with childhood trauma histories while also considering infant functioning as both may be treatment targets relevant to maternal mood., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Problems accessing affordable treatment are common among low-income adults with substance use disorders. A difference-in-differences analysis was performed to assess changes in insurance and treatment of low-income adults with common substance use disorders following the 2014 ACA Medicaid expansion, using data from the 2008-2017 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Lack of insurance among low-income adults with substance use disorders in expansion states declined from 34.8% (2012-2013) to 20.0% (2014-2015) to 13.5% (2016-2017) while Medicaid coverage increased from 24.8% (2012-2013) to 48.0% (2016-2017). In nonexpansion states, lack of insurance declined from 44.8% (2012-2013) to 34.2% (2016-2017) and Medicaid coverage increased from 14.3% (2012-2013) to 23.4% (2016-2017). Treatment rates remained low and little changed. Medicaid expansion contributed to insurance coverage gains for low-income adults with substance use disorders, although persistent treatment gaps underscore clinical and policy challenges of engaging these newly insured adults in treatment., (© 2020. National Council for Behavioral Health.)

Background: Maternal prenatal stress is associated with worse socio-emotional outcomes in offspring throughout childhood. However, the association between prenatal stress and later caregiving sensitivity is not well understood, despite the significant role that caregiving quality plays in child socio-emotional development. The goal of this study was to examine whether dimensions of pregnancy-specific stress are correlated with observer-based postnatal maternal caregiving sensitivity in pregnant adolescents., Methods: Healthy, nulliparous pregnant adolescents (n = 244; 90 % LatinX) reported on their pregnancy-specific stress using the Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (NuPDQ). Of these 244, 71 participated in a follow-up visit at 14 months postpartum. Videotaped observations of mother-child free play interactions at 14 months postpartum were coded for maternal warmth and contingent responsiveness. Confirmatory factor analysis of the NuPDQ supported a three-factor model of pregnancy-specific stress, with factors including stress about the social and economic context, baby's health, and physical symptoms of pregnancy., Results: Greater pregnancy-specific stress about social and economic context and physical symptoms of pregnancy was associated with reduced maternal warmth but not contingent responsiveness., Conclusions: Heightened maternal stress about the social and economic context of the perinatal period and physical symptoms of pregnancy may already signal future difficulties in caregiving and provide an optimal opening for early parenting interventions.

Skin microbiomes function directly in human health and are affected by various external and internal factors. However, few studies have showed the variation of human skin microbiota at multiple body sites in individuals of different national origin living in the same environment. Here, using 16S rRNA sequencing, we investigated the diversity and function of skin microbiomes in different body locations of Chinese and Pakistani individuals from a single college in China. Body location and nationality significantly affected community structures, while season and gender only impacted community member. Due to different lifestyles and likely genetic characteristics of the hosts, Proteobacteria was more abundant in Pakistanis than in Chinese individuals. There were significant differences in the Shannon diversity of skin microorganisms among different skin sites of Chinese individuals, but not in Pakistanis. PICRUSt prediction indicated that gene functions involved in carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, and xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism were higher in bacteria collected from Pakistanis than those from Chinese individuals, but the amino acid metabolism of skin microorganisms in Chinese people was higher. The relative abundances of potential pathogenic bacteria also differed in different body locations, providing a foundation for studying skin-associated bacterial diseases. Through a meta-analysis of 233 human skin samples from eight elevational sites in western China, we found that skin microbial diversity first decreased and then increased with increasing altitude. Network analysis showed positive correlation between altitude and Lactobacillus, Chryseobacterium, or Acinetobacter. Our results uncover the variation of human skin microbiota allowing future explorations of potential significance for human health. KEY POINTS: • Body location and nationality affect skin microbiota diversity and function. • Proteobacteria was more abundant in Pakistanis than in Chinese. • Skin microbial diversity first decreased and then increased with elevated altitude.

With the world's population aging, age-related memory decline is an impending cognitive epidemic. Assessing the impact of diet on cognitive aging, we conducted a controlled, randomized, parallel-arm dietary intervention with 211 healthy adults (50-75 years) investigating effects of either a placebo or 260, 510 and 770 mg/day of cocoa flavanols for 12-weeks followed by 8-weeks washout. The primary outcome was a newly-developed object-recognition task localized to the hippocampus' dentate gyrus. Secondary outcomes included a hippocampal-dependent list-learning task and a prefrontal cortex-dependent list-sorting task. The alternative Healthy Eating Index and a biomarker of flavanol intake (gVLM) were measured. In an MRI substudy, hippocampal cerebral blood volume was mapped. Object-recognition and list-sorting performance did not correlate with baseline diet quality and did not improve after flavanol intake. However, the hippocampal-dependent list-learning performance was directly associated with baseline diet quality and improved after flavanol intake, particularly in participants in the bottom tertile of baseline diet quality. In the imaging substudy, a region-of-interest analysis was negative but a voxel-based-analysis suggested that dietary flavanols target the dentate gyrus. While replication is needed, these findings suggest that diet in general, and dietary flavanols in particular, may be associated with memory function of the aging hippocampus and normal cognitive decline.

Inflammatory processes are a candidate mechanism by which early adversity may be biologically embedded and subsequently lead to poorer health outcomes; in pregnancy, this has been posited as a pathway for intergenerational transmission of adversity. Studies in non-pregnant adults suggest that factors such as mood, diet, BMI, and social support may moderate associations between childhood trauma history and inflammation in adulthood, though few studies have examined these associations among pregnant women. In a sample of healthy pregnant women (N = 187), we analyzed associations between maternal childhood adversity, including maltreatment and non-optimal caregiving experiences, with circulating Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels during trimesters 2 (T2) and 3 (T3) of pregnancy. We also assessed whether these associations were moderated by psychosocial and lifestyle factors including depressive symptoms, social support, physical activity, and diet quality. History of childhood maltreatment was not associated with IL-6 in either T2 or T3 of pregnancy, either independently or in interaction with depressive symptom severity. However, in there was a significant positive association between childhood maltreatment and IL-6 in Trimester 2 in the context of poorer diet quality (p = 0.01), even after adjusting for BMI. Additionally, the quality of caregiving women received in childhood was associated with levels of IL-6 in Trimester 3, but only via interaction with concurrent depressive symptoms (p = 0.02). These findings provide evidence that for those with a history of childhood adversity, levels of inflammatory cytokines in pregnancy may be more sensitive to depressive symptoms and diet quality., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that clinicians provide or refer pregnant and postpartum women who are at an increased risk of perinatal depression to counseling interventions. However, this prevention goal requires effective interventions that reach women at risk of, but before, the development of a depressive disorder., Objective: We describe a pilot efficacy trial of a novel dyadic intervention to prevent common maternal mental health disorders, that is, Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting, in a sample of women at risk of maternal mental health disorders based on poverty status. We hypothesized that Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting compared with enhanced treatment as usual would reduce symptoms of maternal mental health disorders after birth., Study Design: A total of 60 pregnant women who were recruited from obstetrical practices at Columbia University Irving Medical Center were randomized to the Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting (n=30) or enhanced treatment as usual (n=30) intervention. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire were used to compare maternal mood at 6 weeks, 10 weeks, and 16 weeks after delivery., Results: At 6 weeks after delivery, women randomized to Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting had lower mean Edinburgh Postnatal Depression scores (P=.018), lower mean Hamilton Depression scores (P<.001), and lower mean Hamilton Anxiety scores (P=.041); however, the incidence of postpartum mental disorders did not differ by treatment group., Conclusion: The Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting, which is an intervention integrated within obstetrical care, improves subclinical symptomology for at-risk dyads at a crucial time in the early postpartum period; however, our study did not detect reductions in the incidence of postpartum mental disorders., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Inhibitors targeting BRAF and its downstream kinase MEK produce robust response in patients with advanced BRAF V600 -mutant melanoma. However, the duration and depth of response vary significantly between patients; therefore, predicting response a priori remains a significant challenge. Here, we utilized the Novartis collection of patient-derived xenografts to characterize transcriptional alterations elicited by BRAF and MEK inhibitors in vivo , in an effort to identify mechanisms governing differential response to MAPK inhibition. We show that the expression of an MITF -high, "epithelial-like" transcriptional program is associated with reduced sensitivity and adaptive response to BRAF and MEK inhibitor treatment. On the other hand, xenograft models that express an MAPK-driven "mesenchymal-like" transcriptional program are preferentially sensitive to MAPK inhibition. These gene-expression programs are somewhat similar to the MITF -high and -low phenotypes described in cancer cell lines, but demonstrate an inverse relationship with drug response. This suggests a discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo experimental systems that warrants future investigations. Finally, BRAF V600 -mutant melanoma relies on either MAPK or alternative pathways for survival under BRAF and MEK inhibition in vivo , which in turn predicts their response to further pathway suppression using a combination of BRAF , MEK, and ERK inhibitors. Our findings highlight the intertumor heterogeneity in BRAF V600 -mutant melanoma, and the need for precision medicine strategies to target this aggressive cancer., (©2019 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Maternal prenatal stress influences offspring neurodevelopment and birth outcomes including the ratio of males to females born; however, there is limited understanding of what types of stress matter, and for whom. Using a data-driven approach with 27 variables from questionnaires, ambulatory diaries, and physical assessments collected early in the singleton pregnancies of 187 women, 3 latent profiles of maternal prenatal stress emerged that were differentially associated with sex at birth, birth outcomes, and fetal neurodevelopment. Most women (66.8%) were in the healthy group (HG); 17.1% were in the psychologically stressed group (PSYG), evidencing clinically meaningful elevations in perceived stress, depression, and anxiety; and 16% were in the physically stressed group (PHSG) with relatively higher ambulatory blood pressure and increased caloric intake. The population normative male:female secondary sex ratio (105:100) was lower in the PSYG (2:3) and PHSG (4:9), and higher in the HG (23:18), consistent with research showing diminished male births in maternal stress contexts. PHSG versus HG infants were born 1.5 wk earlier ( P < 0.05) with 22% compared to 5% born preterm. PHSG versus HG fetuses had decreased fetal heart rate-movement coupling ( P < 0.05), which may indicate slower central nervous system development, and PSYG versus PHSG fetuses had more birth complications, consistent with previous findings among offspring of women with psychiatric illness. Social support most strongly differentiated the HG, PSYG, and PHSG groups, and higher social support was associated with increased odds of male versus female births. Stress phenotypes in pregnant women are associated with male vulnerability and poor fetal outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

We used the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III (NESARC-III), a nationally representative sample of US adults (n = 34,653), to estimate the prevalence and correlates of HIV testing and HIV status. The diagnostic interview used was the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-5 Version. We found that in 2012-2013, the prevalence of a history of HIV testing was 53.0% among females and 47.0% among males. Among individuals tested, the prevalence of HIV was 1.06%, resulting in a known estimated prevalence of 0.54% in the full sample. In adjusted results, being non-white, aged 30-44, having college, being non-heterosexual, having history of unprotected sex or history of childhood sexual abuse and lower mental health-related quality of life increased the odds of having been tested, whereas being foreign-born, 45 years or older, family income ≥$20,000, being unemployed or a student, living in a rural setting and older age at first sex lowered those odds. Among those tested, being 30-64, being non-heterosexual, having history of unprotected sex or having a sexually transmitted disease in the last year was associated with greater odds of being HIV+. Having some college decreased those odds. In the adjusted results all psychiatric disorders were associated with increased rates of HIV testing, but only a lifetime history of drug use disorder and antisocial personality disorders were associated with HIV status among those tested. Despite CDC recommendations, only about half of US adults have ever been tested for HIV, interfering with efforts to eradicate HIV infection., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains the most effective treatment for severe depression, some patients report persistent memory problems following ECT that impact their quality of life and their willingness to consent to further ECT. While cognitive training has been shown to improve memory performance in various conditions, this approach has never been applied to help patients regain their memory after ECT. In a double-blind study, we tested the efficacy of a new cognitive training program called Memory Training for ECT (Mem-ECT), specifically designed to target anterograde and retrograde memory that can be compromised following ECT. Fifty-nine patients with treatment-resistant depression scheduled to undergo ultra-brief right unilateral ECT were randomly assigned to either: (a) Mem-ECT, (b) active control comprised of nonspecific mental stimulation, or (c) treatment as usual. Participants were evaluated within one week prior to the start of ECT and then again within 2 weeks following the last ECT session. All three groups improved in global function, quality of life, depression, and self-reported memory abilities without significant group differences. While there was a decline in verbal delayed recall and mental status, there was no decline in general retrograde memory or autobiographical memory in any of the groups, with no significant memory or clinical benefit for the Mem-ECT or active control conditions compared to treatment as usual. While we report negative findings, these results continue to promote the much needed discussion on developing effective strategies to minimize the adverse memory side effects of ECT, in hopes it will make ECT a better and more easily tolerated treatment for patients with severe depression who need this therapeutic option., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)