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Objectives In order to manage blood glucose levels in pregnancy, women need to know what and how much to eat, particularly for foods containing carbohydrate. The aim was to assess pregnant women's carbohydrate and standard serve size knowledge and examine whether health professionals provided nutrition education. Methods Between July 2017 and April 2018 Australian pregnant women were recruited to complete an online survey, including a modified PedCarbQuiz carbohydrate knowledge questionnaire and an online buffet, where they selected images equivalent to one Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) standard serve size. Results 186 pregnant women (mean age 30.9 years, SD = 4.7 years) 12-22 weeks gestation completed the survey. Participants achieved a median score of 27/36 for identification of carbohydrate-containing foods and a median score of 1/12 (range 0-11) for identification of grams of carbohydrate in specific portions. Participants achieved a median score of 14/22 (range 4-19) for identification of one AGHE standard serve of 11 carbohydrate-containing foods. Less than half (n = 92, 49.5%) received nutrition education from health professionals. Conclusions for Practice Pregnant women had sub-optimal carbohydrate knowledge. This could contribute to impaired blood glucose concentrations and risk of adverse health outcomes in pregnancy. Opportunities for pregnant women to access nutrition advice from health professionals should be explored., Author(s): Hannah M. Brown [sup.1] [sup.2] , Tamara Bucher [sup.1] [sup.2] , Megan E. Rollo [sup.1] [sup.2] , Clare E. Collins [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.266842.c, 0000 0000 8831 [...]

Current guidelines recommend universal screening for substance use disorders in obstetric patients, and neonatal drug testing is also frequently performed. Meconium is often the preferred specimen type to detect neonatal drug exposure due to a longer window of detection compared to urine, but most laboratories send out meconium testing to specialized reference laboratories, which can delay results for several days or more. Here, we evaluate a rapid and definitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for neonatal urine drug testing and compare results obtained using this method to paired meconium drug testing in 1,424 neonates for amphetamines, cocaine, cannabinoids, opiates, oxycodone and phencyclidine. Urine testing showed equivalent sensitivity to current meconium methods for detecting in utero exposure to amphetamines and cocaine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Twin studies in children reveal that familial aggregation of anxiety disorders is due to both genetic and environmental factors. Cognitive biases for threat information are considered a robust characteristic of childhood anxiety. However, little is known regarding the underlying aetiology of such biases and their role in anxiety disorders. Method: A face version of the dot-probe task measuring attentional biases for negative (anger, fear, sad, disgust) and positive (happy) facial expressions was completed by 600, 8-year-old twins; the largest study of its kind. Twin correlations for attentional bias scores were compared to estimate genetic and environmental effects. Parent-report diagnostic interviews identified children with an anxiety disorder. Indices of inferred genetic and familial risk for anxiety disorders were created for each child. Data were analysed using a series of logistic regressions. Results: Anxious children showed greater attentional avoidance of negative faces than nonanxious children; "t" (548) = 2.55, p less than 0.05. Attentional avoidance was not under genetic or shared environmental influence. Risk for anxiety disorders was predicted by familial factors. Both attentional avoidance and inferred familial risk were significant but independent predictors of anxiety disorders (ORs = 0.65 and 3.64, respectively). Conclusions: Anxiety-related attentional biases and familial risk play important but independent roles in childhood anxiety disorders. If replicated, these findings indicate that links between genetic risk and anxiety disorders lie outside the domain of attentional processes. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

Macrophages are prominent in the uterus and ovary at conception. Here we utilize the Cd11b-Dtr mouse model of acute macrophage depletion to define the essential role of macrophages in early [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.10.012 Byline: Hannah M. Brown (a), Kylie R. Dunning (a), Rebecca L. Robker (a), Melanie Pritchard (b), Darryl L. Russell (a) Keywords: Folliculogenesis; Extracellular matrix remodeling; Infertility; Lymphangiogenesis; Protease Abstract: Murine ovarian folliculogenesis commences after birth involving oocyte growth, somatic cell differentiation and structural remodeling of follicle stromal boundaries. The extracellular metalloproteinase ADAMTS-1 has activity against proteoglycans and collagen and is produced by the granulosa cells of ovarian follicles. Mice with ADAMTS-1 gene disruption are subfertile due to an unknown mechanism resulting in severely reduced ovulation. Here we show that ADAMTS-1 is necessary for structural remodeling during ovarian follicle growth. A significant reduction in the number of healthy growing follicles and corresponding follicle dysmorphogenesis commencing at the stage of antrum formation was identified in ADAMTS-1.sup.-/- ovaries. Morphological analysis and immunostaining of basement membrane components identified stages of follicle dysgenesis from focal disruption in ECM integrity to complete loss of follicular structures. Cells expressing the thecal marker Cyp-17 were lost from dysgenic regions, while oocytes and dispersed cells expressing the granulosa cell marker anti-mullerian hormone persisted in ovarian stroma. Furthermore, we found that the ovarian lymphatic system develops coincidentally with follicular development in early postnatal life but is severely delayed in ADAMTS-1.sup.-/- ovaries. These novel roles for ADAMTS-1 in structural maintenance of follicular basement membranes and lymphangiogenesis provide new mechanistic understanding of folliculogenesis, fertility and disease. Author Affiliation: (a) School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, Research Centre for Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia (b) Centre for Functional Genomics and Human Disease, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia Article History: Received 21 March 2006; Revised 11 October 2006; Accepted 11 October 2006

Aim: While diet quality has declined globally, the promotion of cooking skills as a potential target to counter the decline has been proposed. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between food and cooking skills and diet quality in Australian adults. Methods: A sample of 910 Australian adults completed an online cross‐sectional survey to evaluate their level of cooking and food skills confidence, food related psychological variables, diet quality using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) and sociodemographic characteristics. Analysis of variance with post hoc analysis, Pearson's correlations and hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted using IBM SPSS V25, with statistical significance set at P <.05. Results: Older respondents and females reported higher levels of both cooking and food skills confidence compared to younger and male participants, all P <.001. Cooking and food skills confidence scores were highly correlated (r =.70, P <.001), but weakly correlated with ARFS (r =.22, P <.001; r =.31, P <.001, respectively). Participants with higher diet quality scores had greater cooking and food skills confidence and they consumed less takeaway food (P <.001 and P =.006, respectively). Sixteen percent of the variance in ARFS was accounted for, with age, sex, food creativity and food skills confidence contributing the most variability. Conclusions: Strategies to improve food skills confidence could potentially enhance diet quality and variety to a greater degree than focusing on cooking skills alone. However, development of both skills sets should be encouraged within education programs and targeted to differing aspects of diet quality. Tailoring interventions to specific population groups with low confidence in their skills, including younger adults and males, may facilitate individuals in making healthy food choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]