The contribution of environmental pollutants to the risk of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review of case-control studies.

Exposure to environmental pollutants, such as metals, pesticides, and air pollutants during early life, is a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our systematic review aimed to select and summarize more recent case-control studies that examined the association between prenatal and early postnatal exposure to environmental pollutants and NDDs. We searched five databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Ovid), screened 2261 records, and included 24 eligible case-control studies.

Maternal suboptimal selenium intake and low-level lead exposure affect offspring's microglial immune profile and its reactivity to a subsequent inflammatory hit.

Micronutrients such as selenium (Se) are essentials since prenatal life to support brain and cognitive development. Se deficiency, which affects up to 1 billion people worldwide, can interact with common adverse environmental challenges including (Pb), exacerbating their toxic effects. Exploiting our recently validated rat model of maternal Se restriction and developmental low Pb exposure, our aims were to investigate: (i) the early consequences of suboptimal Se intake and low-Pb exposure on neuroinflammation in neonates' whole brains; (ii) the potential priming effect of suboptimal Se and low-Pb exposure on offspring's glial reactivity to a further inflammatory hit.

Prevalence of anxiety and depression risk during the prepartum period in the different groups of women and responses from the Italian National Health Service.

Background: Specific screening for anxiety and depression in pregnant women is important to identify those at risk and to provide timely intervention. The aims of the study were: 1) to compare the risk of anxiety and depression in four groups of pregnant women belonging to four types of healthcare centers distinguished by the level of risk: at low-risk; at high-risk for an obstetric reason; at high-risk for fetal anomalies; at high-risk for psychiatric conditions and 2) to identify the response that the National Health Service offers to women positively screened for anxiety and depression.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 2801 pregnant women, cared for by National Health Service, divided into four groups: 1) low-risk pregnancy (N.

Openness buffers the impact of Belief in Conspiracy Theories on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: Evidence from a large, representative Italian sample.

As COVID-19 continues to incur enormous personal and societal costs, widespread vaccination against the virus remains the most effective strategy to end the pandemic. However, vaccine hesitancy is rampant and has been steadily rising for decades. Seeking to remedy this, personality psychologists have begun to explore psychological drivers of vaccine hesitancy, including the Big Five.

A snapshot of gut microbiota data from murine models of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Still a blurred picture.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction and repetitive/stereotyped behaviors. In recent years, the role of microbiota-gut-brain axis in ASD pathogenesis received growing attention, appearing as an attractive therapeutic target. We provide a comprehensive overview of changes in microbiota composition in ASD murine models so far identified, and summarize the therapeutic approaches targeting the microbiota on ASD-like neurobehavioral profile.

Conspiracy mentality and health-related behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multiwave survey in Italy.

Objectives: This study aimed to (1) explore the changes in conspiracy mentality across the four waves of the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) assess the relationship between conspirative mentality and psychological/behavioural variables; (3) identify the predictors of conspirative mentality; and (4) explore the effect of conspirative mentality on COVID-19 protective behaviour.

Study Design: This was a multiwave survey.

Methods: A total of 10,013 Italian individuals, aged 18-70 years, were assessed across the four waves (from January to May 2021) through online survey.

Differential Expression of Endogenous Retroviruses and Inflammatory Mediators in Female and Male Offspring in a Mouse Model of Maternal Immune Activation.

Maternal infections during pregnancy and the consequent maternal immune activation (MIA) are the major risk factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Epidemiological evidence is corroborated by the preclinical models in which MIA leads to ASD-like behavioral abnormalities and altered neuroinflammatory profiles, with an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines and microglial markers. In addition to neuroinflammatory response, an abnormal expression of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) has been identified in neurodevelopmental disorders and have been found to correlate with disease severity.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women's Perinatal Mental Health: Preliminary Data on the Risk of Perinatal Depression/Anxiety from a National Survey in Italy.

Increasing evidence suggests that during the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety and depression during the perinatal period increased. The aim of the study is to estimate the prevalence of risk for both maternal depression and anxiety among women attending 18 healthcare centres in Italy during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic and to investigate the psychosocial risks and protective factors associated. It was divided into a retrospective phase (2019, 2020, and the first nine months of 2021) and a prospective phase (which began in November 2021 and it is still ongoing), which screened 12,479 and 2349 women, respectively, for a total of 14,828 women in the perinatal period.

Psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy assessed in a four-waves survey.

COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the mental health and well-being (WB) of citizens. This cross-sectional study included 4 waves of data collection aimed at identifying profiles of individuals with different levels of WB. The study included a representative stratified sample of 10,013 respondents in Italy.

Willingness to share contacts in case of COVID-19 positivity-predictors of collaboration resistance in a nation-wide Italian survey.

Background: The unwillingness to share contacts is one of the least explored aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we report the factors associated with resistance to collaborate on contact tracing, based on the results of a nation-wide survey conducted in Italy in January-March 2021.

Methods And Findings: The repeated cross-sectional on-line survey was conducted among 7,513 respondents (mean age 45.

Concurrent Assessment of Phthalates/HEXAMOLL DINCH Exposure and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Performance in Three European Cohorts of the HBM4EU Aligned Studies.

Information about the effects of phthalates and non-phthalate substitute cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (HEXAMOLL DINCH) on children's neurodevelopment is limited. The aim of the present research is to evaluate the association between phthalate/HEXAMOLL DINCH exposure and child neurodevelopment in three European cohorts involved in HBM4EU Aligned Studies. Participating subjects were school-aged children belonging to the Northern Adriatic cohort II (NAC-II), Italy, Odense Child Cohort (OCC), Denmark, and PCB cohort, Slovakia.

Maternal immune activation induces autism-like changes in behavior, neuroinflammatory profile and gut microbiota in mouse offspring of both sexes.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a sex-biased neurodevelopmental disorder with a male to female prevalence of 4:1, characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction and restricted-repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities. Microbiota alterations as well as signs of neuroinflammation have been also reported in ASD. The involvement of immune dysregulation in ASD is further supported by evidence suggesting that maternal immune activation (MIA), especially during early pregnancy, may be a risk factor for ASD.

Short- and Long-Term Effects of Suboptimal Selenium Intake and Developmental Lead Exposure on Behavior and Hippocampal Glutamate Receptors in a Rat Model.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element required for normal development as well as to counteract the adverse effects of environmental stressors. Conditions of low Se intake are present in some European countries. Our aim was to investigate the short- and long-term effects of early-life low Se supply on behavior and synaptic plasticity with a focus on the hippocampus, considering both suboptimal Se intake per se and its interaction with developmental exposure to lead (Pb).

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers in Italy: Analyzing the Role of Individual and Workplace-Level Factors in the Reopening Phase After Lockdown.

Introduction: Italy is one of the high-income countries hit hardest by Covid-19. During the first months of the pandemic, Italian healthcare workers were praised by media and the public for their efforts to face the emergency, although with limited knowledge and resources. However, healthcare workers soon had to face new challenges at a time when the national health system was working hard to recover.

Low-level lead exposure during development differentially affects neurobehavioral responses in male and female mouse offspring: A longitudinal study.

Early life low-level lead (Pb) exposure is still an alarming child health issue. To date, animal studies investigating the effects of low doses of Pb since early stages of life to adulthood are scarce. We investigated in a mouse model the behavioral effects of developmental exposure to low-level Pb yielding blood levels similar to those observed in child clinical literature.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Italy: Predictors of Acceptance, Fence Sitting and Refusal of the COVID-19 Vaccination.

Background: The hesitancy in taking the COVID-19 vaccine is a global challenge. The need to identify predictors of COVID-19 vaccine reluctance is critical. Our objectives were to evaluate sociodemographic, psychological, and behavioral factors, as well as attitudes and beliefs that influence COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in the general population of Italy.

Critical Role of Maternal Selenium Nutrition in Neurodevelopment: Effects on Offspring Behavior and Neuroinflammatory Profile.

Research in both animals and humans shows that some nutrients are important in pregnancy and during the first years of life to support brain and cognitive development. Our aim was to evaluate the role of selenium (Se) in supporting brain and behavioral plasticity and maturation. Pregnant and lactating female rats and their offspring up to postnatal day 40 were fed isocaloric diets differing in Se content-i.

Who is likely to vacillate in their COVID-19 vaccination decision? Free-riding intention and post-positive reluctance.

Despite the actual availability of COVID-19 vaccines to combat the pandemic, many people are still vacillating in their decision to vaccinate. In this study, we considered the effect of two relevant contextual issues on vaccination intention: the number of people infected with COVID-19 is increasing, and the pace of vaccination is gaining speed. Specifically, we hypothesized that having already contracted SARS-CoV-2 (post-positive reluctance) could lead people to underestimate the importance of vaccination.

Prenatal exposure to neurotoxic metals and micronutrients and neurodevelopmental outcomes in early school age children from Poland.

Exposure to environmental factors, such as neurotoxic metals and micronutrients, during critical periods of development can contribute to long-term consequences in offspring's health, including neurodevelopmental outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between simultaneous prenatal exposure to metals [lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg)] and micronutrients [selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu)] and neurodevelopmental outcomes in school-age children from the Polish Mother and Child Cohort (REPRO_PL). Metals and micronutrients concentrations were measured in cord blood (Pb, Cd, Se, Zn, Cu) and in maternal hair (Hg) collected during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

Altered responsiveness to pups in virgin female mice of the BTBR strain: Insights from pattern of c-Fos expression in brain regions involved in maternal behavior.

BTBR is an inbred mouse strain that displays several behavioral alterations resembling the core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder, including deficit in sociability. In the present study, we investigated whether the pup-induced maternal behavior in virgin female mice, a naturally rewarding behavior, is impaired in this strain similarly to social interaction with adult conspecifics. We firstly assessed the maternal responsiveness towards newly born pups expressed by either virgin female mice of the BTBR strain or of the normo-social B6 strain.

Determinants of the Essential Elements and Vitamins Intake and Status during Pregnancy: A Descriptive Study in Polish Mother and Child Cohort.

The study objective was to identify determinants of essential elements and vitamins intake, and microelements and vitamins concentration in blood among pregnant women from Poland. Based on the data from food frequency questionnaires and information about supplements taken ( = 1252), daily supply of six elements (calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, selenium) and nine vitamins (folate, vitamins A, E, C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12) was calculated. Zinc, copper, selenium ( = 340), vitamin A and E ( = 358) concentration was determined in blood collected during pregnancy.

A structured program for perinatal depression and anxiety to be adopted in the emergencies.

Quarantine, loss of routine and social support can negatively impact mothers who have just given birth and their babies, generating concerns and reactions of intense fear. Following the COVID-19 emergency, we described a structured program for screening and treatment of perinatal depression and anxiety as a medium for constant monitoring of perinatal risk factors and early screening, which can also be implemented in emergencies with remote intervention methods, to offer women an appropriate, timely and effective treatment. In this scenario, it is desirable that the monitoring of the psychological well-being of women in postpartum is maintained over time, with the participation of all the professional figures with whom the woman comes into contact, to intercept any forms of psychological distress related to the epidemic and that could occur even after some time.

Selective reduction in the expression of type-1 metabotropic glutamate receptors in the hippocampus of adult rats born by caesarean section.

Perinatal hypoxia causes long-term neurobiological consequences, including alterations in mechanisms of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity and cognitive dysfunction. Changes in neurotransmitter receptors have been associated with these alterations, but little is known on how early hypoxia influences the expression and function of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors in adult life. This is an important issue because mGlu receptors are implicated in mechanisms of synaptic plasticity.

A screening and treatment programme to deal with perinatal anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a pandemic, pregnancy and the postnatal period are complicated by multiple factors. On the one hand, worries about one's own health and the health of loved ones, in particular of the newborn child, can increase the risk of some mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety in the pregnant woman. On the other hand, as happened for the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy, given the need for physical distancing, the maintenance of the social and family network, so important for new parents in the perinatal period, is lacking.