Proinflammatory Cytokine Profiles in Menière's Disease and Vestibular Migraine.

Objective: To evaluate the levels of inflammatory cytokines and symptom survey scores in patients diagnosed with Menière's disease or vestibular migraine from a single center by a single neurotologist compared to control subjects with no history of dizziness or migraine.

Study Design: Cross-sectional pilot study.

Setting: Single-center tertiary referral center in Charleston, SC.

Analyzing the Responses of Enteric Bacteria to Neonatal Intensive Care Supplements.

In the neonatal intensive care unit, adequate nutrition requires various enteral products, including human milk and formula. Human milk is typically fortified to meet increased calorie goals, and infants commonly receive vitamin mixes, iron supplements, and less frequently, thickening agents. We examined the growth of 16 commensal microbes and 10 pathobionts found in the premature infant gut and found that formula, freshly pasteurized milk, and donated banked milk generally increased bacterial growth.

Factors Affecting Postpartum Bone Mineral Density in a Clinical Trial of Vitamin D Supplementation.

Few studies evaluate the effects of vitamin D status and supplementation on maternal bone mineral density (BMD) during lactation and further lack inclusion of diverse racial/ethnic groups, body mass index (BMI), or physical activity. Determine the effects of vitamin D treatment/status, feeding type, BMI, race/ethnicity, and physical activity on postpartum women's BMD to 7 months. Women with singleton pregnancies beginning 4-6 weeks' postpartum were randomized into two treatment groups (400 or 6400 IU vitamin D/day).

Bayesian modeling of spatially differentiated multivariate enamel defects of the children's primary maxillary central incisor teeth.

Background: The analysis of dental caries has been a major focus of recent work on modeling dental defect data. While a dental caries focus is of major importance in dental research, the examination of developmental defects which could also contribute at an early stage of dental caries formation, is also of potential interest. This paper proposes a set of methods which address the appearance of different combinations of defects across different tooth regions.

Multi-prong quality improvement approach for increasing mother's own milk use for very low birth weight infants.

Objective: Evaluate a single center quality improvement (QI) collaborative designed to increase the provision of mother's own milk (MOM) at discharge to premature infants through evidence-based practices while targeting perinatal health disparities.

Design: This QI initiative was designed for preterm infants admitted to a single-center NICU within 24 h of life. Interventions were implemented between March 2022 and June 2022.

Predictors of Developmental Defects of Enamel in Primary Maxillary Central Incisors Using Bayesian Model Selection.

Introduction: Localized non-inheritable developmental defects of tooth enamel (DDE) are classified as enamel hypoplasia (EH), opacity (OP), and post-eruptive breakdown (PEB) using the enamel defects index. To better understand the etiology of DDE, we assessed the linkages amongst exposome variables for these defects during the specific time duration for enamel mineralization of the human primary maxillary central incisor enamel crowns. In general, these two teeth develop between 13 and 14 weeks in utero and 3-4 weeks' postpartum of a full-term delivery, followed by tooth eruption at about 1 year of age.

Predicting comorbidities of pregnancy: A comparison between total and free 25(OH)D and their associations with parathyroid hormone.

Pregnancy is a unique time when amplified sex steroid concentrations promote an escalation in vitamin D binding protein (DBP) synthesis, associated with increased total vitamin D and metabolites, including 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Free 25(OH)D concentration increases disproportionately to total 25(OH)D during pregnancy, likely an adaptation to supply the woman and fetus with readily available 25(OH)D. Highlighting the importance of the calcium metabolic stress during pregnancy, the interactional relationship between serum 25(OH)D and PTH has been evaluated.

Vitamin D and Child Neurodevelopment-A Post Hoc Analysis.

Introduction: Vitamin D (VitD) has been shown to impact neurodevelopment. Studies have shown that higher 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations (the indicator of vitD status) may be associated with better neurodevelopmental outcomes, although current data are conflicting. This study examined the relationship between total circulating 25(OH)D concentrations and neurodevelopmental outcomes in 3-5-year-old (3-5 yo) children.

Oral Contraceptive Pills Increase Circulating 25-Hydroxy-Vitamin D Concentrations in Women Who Are Lactating.

Objective: This article aims to determine the association between maternal 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] status and intake of hormonal oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) in women who are lactating.

Study Design: Women who were exclusively breastfeeding participated in a randomized controlled trial assessing vitamin D supplementation at 400, 2,400, or 6,400 international unit (IU)/d from 1 month through 7 months postpartum. This observational, secondary analysis assessed whether OCPs were associated with maternal 25(OH)D concentrations in women who are lactating.

Does maternal vitamin D status influence placental weight or vascular and inflammatory pathology? Secondary analysis from the Kellogg Pregnancy Study.

Introduction: Positive effects of vitamin D (vitD) supplementation on comorbidities of pregnancy (COP) have been explored; however, few studies have elucidated the pathophysiology behind the development of these COP and the potential relationship with derangements in placental development and morphology. Additionally, it is known that placentas weighing 10th-90th % for gestational age are associated with better outcomes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of resulting circulating serum 25(OH)D concentrations associated with intake of high or low doses of supplementary vitD on placental development and morphology in women who participated in a randomized double blind, placebo-controlled trial of vitD supplementation.

HAMLET in human milk is resistant to digestion and carries essential free long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and oleic acid.

The oleic acid/alpha-lactalbumin complex HAMLET (human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumors) is cytotoxic to various cancerous cell lines and is assembled from alpha-lactalbumin (ALA) and free oleic acid (OA). HAMLET is also cytotoxic to normal immature intestinal cells. It remains unclear if HAMLET, experimentally assembled with OA and heat, can spontaneously assemble in frozen human milk over time.

Post Hoc Analysis of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Vitamin-D Pregnancy Cohort and The Role of Functional Vitamin-D Deficiency in Pregnancy.

Objective: Our objective was to conduct a secondary, post hoc analysis of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) vitamin D (vitD) pregnancy study by Hollis et al, which reported on the effect of vitD supplementation in pregnant women and determine the potential interaction between intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) concentrations, vitD status, and various comorbidities associated with pregnancy. Women with low 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and high iPTH concentrations during pregnancy, known as functional vitamin-D deficiency (FVDD), were more likely to acquire complications also affecting their neonates.

Study Design: This post hoc analysis of data collected from a diverse group of pregnant women participating in the NICHD vitD pregnancy study was applied to investigate the applicability of the concept of FVDD in pregnancy (Hemmingway, 2018) in identifying potential risks for certain comorbidities of pregnancy.

The association of parathyroid hormone with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin during pregnancy.

It is currently debated whether vitamin D requirements during pregnancy differ from those during non-gravid states. In current analyses, we aimed to determine the best model for the association between PTH and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and the threshold for circulating 25(OH)D at which serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) is suppressed. This multicenter prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 227 Iranian pregnant women aged 15-45 years in their third trimester of pregnancy.

Implementation of a Standardized Premedication Bundle to Improve Procedure Success for Nonemergent Neonatal Intubations.

Unlabelled: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends premedication for all nonemergent neonatal intubations, yet there remains significant variation in this practice nationally. We aimed to standardize our unit's premedication practices for improved intubation success and reduced adverse events.

Methods: The study workgroup developed educational material and protocol content.

Body composition measurement for the preterm neonate: using a clinical utility framework to translate research tools into clinical care.

Body composition analysis to distinguish between fat mass and fat-free mass is an established research approach to assess nutritional status. Within neonatal medicine, preterm infant body composition is linked with later health outcomes including neurodevelopment and cardiometabolic health. Mounting evidence establishing fat-free mass as an indicator of nutritional status, coupled with the availability of testing approaches that are feasible to use in preterm infants, have enhanced interest in measuring body composition in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting.

Maternal Predictors of Breast Milk Plasmalogens and Associations with Infant Body Composition and Neurodevelopment.

Purpose: Ethanolamine-containing plasmalogens (pPEs) are a unique class of breastmilk (BM) glycerophospholipids containing a vinyl-ether at the sn-1 and a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) at the sn-2 position of the glycerol moiety. pPEs are present in the milk fat globule membrane, accumulate in the infant brain, and have been implicated in infant development. The study objectives were to: (1) describe the composition of BM pPEs and the variation in monomers at both the sn-1 and sn-2 positions; and (2) quantify the associations between BM pPEs and maternal predictors (body mass index, race, dietary fatty acid intake, gestational age at birth, and days' postpartum).

Free Fatty Acid and α-Lactalbumin-Oleic Acid Complexes in Preterm Human Milk Are Cytotoxic to Fetal Intestinal Cells .

Human milk, the best enteral selection for a preterm infant, becomes altered during freezing and soluble free fatty acid is generated over time. Free fatty acids may form complexes, such as the oleic acid-bound protein called HAMLET (human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells). We determined the biological activity of preterm human milk protein-oleic complexes (HAMLET-like complexes) and tested the hypothesis that laboratory-synthesized HAMLET exhibits cytotoxicity in human immature epithelial intestinal cell culture.

Breast Milk from Non-Obese Women with a High Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio, but Not from Women with Obesity, Increases Lipogenic Gene Expression in 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes, Suggesting Adipocyte Dysfunction.

Maternal body mass index is associated with breast milk (BM) fatty acid composition. This study investigated the effects of BM omega (n)-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from non-obese women and women with obesity on the process of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. BM samples were collected from non-obese women (BMNO) and women with obesity (BMO) at one month postpartum.

Identifying single-strain growth patterns of human gut microbes in response to preterm human milk and formula.

The intestinal microbiota of the preterm neonate has become a major research focus, with evidence emerging that the microbiota influences both short and long-term health outcomes, in the neonatal intensive care unit and beyond. Similar to the term microbiome, the preterm gut microbiome is highly influenced by diet, specifically formula and human milk use. This study aims to analyze next-generation products including preterm formula, human milk-oligosaccharide term formula, and preterm breastmilk.

Sleep, Anxiety, and Vitamin D Status and Risk for Peripartum Depression.

Peripartum depression is common and carries significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to identify modifiable psychological and biological factors that increase the risk for peripartum depression. In a prospective cohort study, pregnant women (n = 105) completed self-report assessments of mood (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-EPDS), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-GAD), and sleep disturbances (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI) and provided a blood sample at 8-to-12 and 24-to-28 weeks of gestation and 6-to-8 and 10-to-12 weeks postpartum.