Publications by authors named "Elizabeth Corwin"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the link between mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) and neurodevelopment in preterm infants, focusing on potential racial disparities.
- A sample of 55 preterm infants was analyzed for mtDNAcn using blood samples taken during their NICU stay and assessed for neurobehavioral development at various stages.
- Results indicate that higher mtDNAcn is linked to poor neurodevelopmental outcomes in white infants, whereas lower mtDNAcn is associated with similar outcomes in black infants, highlighting a need for understanding the mechanisms behind these disparities.
Article Synopsis
- Prenatal exposure to phthalates, found in many consumer products, may negatively impact infant and child development, especially when compounded by maternal depression and anxiety.
- A study involving 81 participants analyzed urine samples from expectant mothers to measure exposure to eight phthalate metabolites during early pregnancy and assessed maternal mental health through validated questionnaires.
- Results indicated no overall link between phthalate levels and infant attention/arousal, but for mothers with high depressive symptoms, specific phthalate metabolites showed a significant increase in newborn arousal, suggesting potential vulnerability in this group.
Background: In mechanistic and preliminary human studies, prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is associated with oxidative stress, a potential contributor to maternal liver disease. Bilirubin is an endogenous antioxidant abundant in the liver that may serve as a physiological modulator of oxidative stress in pregnant people. Hence, our objective was to estimate the association between repeated measures of PFAS and bilirubin during pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: In this pilot study, we used untargeted metabolomics to identify biochemical mechanisms or biomarkers potentially underlying SLE-related fatigue.
Methods: Metabolon conducted untargeted metabolomic plasma profiling using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry on plasma samples of 23 Black females with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 21 no SLE controls. Fatigue phenotypes of general fatigue, physical fatigue, mental fatigue, reduced activity, and reduced motivation were measured with the reliable and valid Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI).
Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and associations with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child cohort.
Chemosphere
June 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the connection between exposure to certain man-made chemicals (PFAS) and hypertensive disorders during pregnancy in African American women, focusing on prenatal exposure to specific PFAS like PFOA and their potential health impacts.
- Data was collected from a cohort of 513 pregnant participants between 2014 and 2020, analyzing serum samples for four types of PFAS and evaluating their association with conditions such as preeclampsia and gestational hypertension.
- Results showed no strong association between PFAS levels and the hypertensive disorders in question, suggesting that individual PFAS or mixtures do not significantly increase the risk of these pregnancy-related complications.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how exposure to phthalates during pregnancy affects systemic inflammation, particularly looking at a group of African American mothers and their inflammation biomarkers.
- Researchers analyzed urinary phthalate levels and various inflammatory markers through biospecimens collected at two points in pregnancy from 126 participants.
- Results indicate that certain phthalate metabolites are linked to increased levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-γ, suggesting phthalate exposure may contribute to adverse pregnancy effects through inflammation.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the impact of maternal childhood trauma on the mental health of their offspring, highlighting that while many children show increased psychopathology, some exhibit resilience.
- It explores the role of epigenetic aging—measured through DNA methylation—in moderating the effects of maternal childhood adversity, particularly focusing on self-reported experiences of trauma.
- Results reveal that while maternal sexual abuse is linked to offspring symptoms, this relationship diminishes in children who display accelerated epigenetic aging, suggesting a mechanism for resilience against intergenerational trauma.
Article Synopsis
- The study explored the link between PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) exposure and inflammatory biomarkers during pregnancy in a cohort of African American mothers.
- Results showed that over 90% of participants had detectable levels of PFAS in their serum during early pregnancy, and those levels were associated with higher concentrations of inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α, particularly in late pregnancy (24-30 weeks).
- The findings suggest that increased exposure to PFAS may play a role in adverse pregnancy outcomes by elevating inflammation markers in expectant mothers.
This study aimed to investigate the association between sexual activity during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes among Black women, and to explore whether vaginal cytokine inflammation mediates this association. Data from 397 Black pregnant women through questionnaires on sexual activity and vaginal biosamples during early (8-14 weeks) and late (24-30 weeks) pregnancy, and birth outcomes were analyzed. Using a data-driven approach, the study found that vaginal sex during late pregnancy was associated with spontaneous early-term birth (sETB, 38-39 completed weeks' gestation) (OR = 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent evidence suggests that maternal childhood adversity may have an intergenerational impact, with children of adversity-exposed mothers exhibiting elevated symptoms of psychopathology. At the same time, many children demonstrate resilience to these intergenerational effects. Among the variety of factors that likely contribute to resilience, the composition of the gut microbiome may play a role in buffering the negative impacts of trauma and stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Phthalates and BPA, common in consumer products, are linked to endocrine disruption and may negatively affect pregnancy outcomes, particularly among African American women who face higher stress levels.
- The study analyzed urine samples from 247 pregnant African American women to assess the impact of chemical exposure and psychosocial stressors on gestational age and birthweight.
- Results indicated that higher levels of phthalates and BPA were associated with lower birthweight z-scores, with the negative effects intensified when psychosocial stressors were also considered.
Article Synopsis
- The article provides corrections to previously published research, specifically addressing errors or clarifications related to the findings.
- These corrections aim to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the information presented in the original study.
- The DOI reference indicates where readers can find the updated and corrected version of the article for reference.
Article Synopsis
- African Americans face higher rates of preterm birth and fetal growth issues compared to other groups, potentially due to increased exposure to harmful environmental chemicals.
- The study focused on analyzing samples from pregnant African American women to understand how a variety of environmental pollutants affect gestational age and birthweight.
- Results indicated that higher exposure to environmental chemicals was linked to lower gestational age and birthweight z-scores, with the strongest effects seen from combined exposures to tobacco, insecticides, PBDEs, and phthalates.
Article Synopsis
- The vaginal microbiome is crucial for women's health, influencing issues like menopausal symptoms and sexually transmitted infections; the study explores the impact of both personal and neighborhood factors on its composition.
- The research involved 439 socioeconomically diverse pregnant African American women in Atlanta, who provided vaginal swab samples and residential addresses for microbiome analysis.
- Findings revealed that higher maternal education and private health insurance were linked to healthier vaginal microbiome types, with some neighborhood factors showing a complex interaction with individual socioeconomic status.
African American (AA) women experience higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality compared to US women of other racial/ ethnic groups. Cardiometabolic complications of pregnancy (including gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia) are leading contributors to maternal morbidity and mortality. Marked changes in circulating lipids are known to accompany cardiometabolic complications of pregnancy.
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- A method for measuring persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in dust was developed and applied to samples from pregnant African American women in Atlanta, focusing on PBDEs, organochlorine pesticides, and PCBs.
- The method showed reliability across various metrics, including accuracy (82-108%), relative standard deviation (2-16%), and extraction recoveries (76-102%), with limits of quantification from 0.10 to 2.50 ng/g dust.
- High concentrations of certain POPs, particularly PBDEs and DDT, were detected in all dust samples, indicating a significant presence of these harmful substances in homes, highlighting the need for remediation efforts in at-risk populations.
Correction: Maternal genitourinary infections and poor nutritional status increase risk of preterm birth in Gasabo District, Rwanda: a prospective, longitudinal, cohort study.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth
October 2022
Maternal Adversity and Epigenetic Age Acceleration Predict Heightened Emotional Reactivity in Offspring: Implications for Intergenerational Transmission of Risk.
Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol
December 2023
Article Synopsis
- Black American women face unique adversities that can negatively affect their mental health and potentially impact their children's well-being across generations.
- The study analyzed 180 Black American mothers, looking at how their past trauma and experiences with racial discrimination might affect their children's emotional health, using both self-reports and biological measures.
- Results showed that more childhood trauma, experiences of racial discrimination, and epigenetic age acceleration in mothers were linked to higher emotional reactivity in their children, highlighting the need to consider broader social factors when assessing "maternal adversity."*
Article Synopsis
- Research shows that increased racial/ethnic discrimination negatively impacts sleep quality in pregnant Black American women, an area previously underexplored.
- A study involving 600 participants found significant links between lifetime experiences of discrimination and poorer sleep during both early and mid-pregnancy, regardless of socioeconomic status.
- Improving conditions to reduce discrimination and gendered racism may enhance sleep quality and overall health outcomes for these women during pregnancy.
The infant gut microbiome has lifelong implications on health and immunity but there is still limited understanding of the microbiome differences and similarities between children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) vs. high-income countries (HICs). Here, we describe and compare the microbiome profile of children aged under 48 months in two urban areas: Maputo, Mozambique and Atlanta, USA using shotgun metagenomics.
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- - Pregnant Black women experience a higher risk of adverse birth outcomes due to factors like increased stress, which can lead to depression and preterm birth, with the study focusing on gendered racial stress as a unique contributor.
- - The study involved 428 Black women and measured various stress factors, including gendered racial stress, perceived stress, and stressful life events, all against the backdrop of depressive symptoms using established scales.
- - Findings indicated that gendered racial stress significantly correlates with prenatal depression, with a specific emphasis on the burden subscale, while sociodemographic factors did not show significant associations in the models analyzed.
Article Synopsis
- Periodontal disease during pregnancy can lead to negative birth outcomes, but the specific subgingival microbiome changes in pregnant women have not been thoroughly studied.
- The study aimed to analyze the microbiome structure in early and late pregnancy among 59 Black women and its potential link to preterm births.
- Results showed that while certain bacterial taxa related to periodontal disease were present, overall microbial diversity did not significantly differ based on gestation stage or birth outcomes, though some differences were noted between early and full-term pregnancies.