Differences Between Preterm and Full-Term Infants in Electroencephalogram Power Spectral Density Slope.

A growing body of literature suggests that power spectral density (PSD) slope, measured using electroencephalography (EEG), might reflect synaptic activity and be a useful marker of early brain development. The objective of this article is to identify differences between preterm and full-term infants in PSD slope in active and quiet sleep. This is a secondary analysis of two studies, including premature (N = 33) (30 0/7 and 36 0/7 weeks' gestation) and full-term infants (N = 22).

Practical resources for effective postpartum parenting (PREPP): a randomized controlled trial of a novel parent-infant dyadic intervention to reduce symptoms of postpartum depression.

Background: There is little known about the effectiveness of psychological interventions to prevent postpartum depression that focus on the birthing parent and infant dyad. Risk factors for PPD include depression during pregnancy, low parenting self-efficacy, and disrupted parental nocturnal sleep. The brief Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting (PREPP) intervention is designed for pregnant individuals at-risk for postpartum depression, providing them with 1) caregiving strategies aimed at reducing infant fuss and cry behavior and increasing infant sleep, 2) self-reflection and mindfulness skills and 3) psychoeducation about the postpartum period and infant behavior.

Maternal high BMI: Sex-dimorphic alterations in maternal and offspring stress indices.

Maternal body mass index (BMI) influences pregnancy and birth outcomes along with child metabolic and neurodevelopmental health and fetal sex may be a moderating factor in these effects. Alternations in autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning, identified in heart rate (HR) measurements, could present early markers of these prenatal programming effects in both the mother and the developing fetus. This study examines the associations between pre-pregnancy BMI and maternal and fetal ANS functioning and infant postnatal behavioral outcomes stratified by fetal sex.

Preventive interventions for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders: A review of selected programs.

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) have high prevalence rates and profound deleterious effects on birthing people, families, and society. Counseling interventions have been shown to be effective and carry minimal risk. We review here the protocols and clinical trial data of four preventive counseling interventions that are effective at preventing PMADs.

Third Trimester Fetuses Demonstrate Priming, a Form of Implicit Memory, In Utero.

Research examinations of changes in fetal heart rate (HR) to operationalize fetal memory suggests that human memory capacities emerge in utero. However, there is little evidence for a form of implicit memory or priming. The present aim was to determine if priming is evident in utero.

Pregnancy-specific stress and sensitive caregiving during the transition to motherhood in adolescents.

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.

Perinatal depression prevention through the mother-infant dyad: The role of maternal childhood maltreatment.

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+).

Impacts of an egg intervention on nutrient adequacy among young Malawian children.

Eggs are a rich source of multiple nutrients that support child growth and development. Provision of eggs as a complementary food may improve dietary adequacy among young children at risk for undernutrition. Our objective was to test the impact of an egg intervention on the adequacy of total nutrient intakes and micronutrient density among 6- to 15-month-old Malawian children.

Associations between childhood maltreatment, poor sleep, and prenatal distress in pregnant adolescents.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a known risk factor for adolescent pregnancy. Sleep disturbances and psychological distress, both common negative sequelae of CM, often co-occur during pregnancy, although directionality remains unclear. Furthermore, little is known about how CM affects sleep-distress associations during pregnancy.

Preventing maternal mental health disorders in the context of poverty: pilot efficacy of a dyadic intervention.

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.

Neonatal brain metabolite concentrations: Associations with age, sex, and developmental outcomes.

Age and sex differences in brain metabolite concentrations in early life are not well understood. We examined the associations of age and sex with brain metabolite levels in healthy neonates, and investigated the associations between neonatal brain metabolite concentrations and developmental outcomes. Forty-one infants (36-42 gestational weeks at birth; 39% female) of predominantly Hispanic/Latina mothers (mean 18 years of age) underwent MRI scanning approximately two weeks after birth.

Bilateral Primary Marginal Zone Lymphoma of the Breast - A Rare Breast Malignancy.

Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) presents only rarely within the breast, although the incidence of breast EMZL has increased in the past decade for unclear reasons. Due to its rarity, the etiology, course, and treatment response of this cancer are less studied. Case Report: We present the case of a 64-year-old female who had bilateral diffuse irregularity in a trabecular pattern on screening mammogram.

The impact of childhood trauma on psychological interventions for depression during pregnancy and postpartum: a systematic review.

Women who have experienced childhood trauma (CT) are at increased risk for depression during pregnancy and postpartum, pregnancy complications, and adverse child outcomes. There are effective psychotherapeutic interventions to treat depression during pregnancy and postpartum, yet there is a paucity of literature on the impact of CT on treatment outcomes. This review aims to determine whether and how maternal CT history affects the outcomes of psychological interventions for depression during pregnancy and postpartum.

Addressing mental health in patients and providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic, and the associated changes to pregnancy and postpartum experiences, can lead to profound psychological reactions including panic, hyperarousal, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress disorders. Providers face compassion fatigue and shared trauma. In this article, we describe the mental health outcomes known to date in regard to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic for obstetric patients and their providers as well as therapeutic approaches, including our novel embedded mental health service, to address these mental health needs.

DNA methylation patterns in T lymphocytes are generally stable in human pregnancies but CD3 methylation is associated with perinatal psychiatric symptoms.

Objectives: To determine whether DNA methylation patterns in genes coding for selected T-lymphocyte proteins are associated with perinatal psychiatric distress or with complications of pregnancy.

Methods: T lymphocyte DNA was obtained from pregnant women across three time points in pregnancy and the postpartum period and epigenetic patterns were assessed using Illumina 450 ​K Methylation Beadchips. Seven selected genes critical for T cell function were analyzed for methylation changes during pregnancy and for associations of methylation patterns with psychiatric distress or with pregnancy complications, with particular attention paid to spatial aggregations of methyl groups, termed 'hotspots,' within the selected genes.

Maternal prenatal stress phenotypes associate with fetal neurodevelopment and birth outcomes.

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.

T cell developmental arrest in former premature infants increases risk of respiratory morbidity later in infancy.

The inverse relationship between gestational age at birth and postviral respiratory morbidity suggests that infants born preterm (PT) may miss a critical developmental window of T cell maturation. Despite a continued increase in younger PT survivors with respiratory complications, we have limited understanding of normal human fetal T cell maturation, how ex utero development in premature infants may interrupt normal T cell development, and whether T cell development has an effect on infant outcomes. In our longitudinal cohort of 157 infants born between 23 and 42 weeks of gestation, we identified differences in T cells present at birth that were dependent on gestational age and differences in postnatal T cell development that predicted respiratory outcome at 1 year of age.

Micronutrient Dietary Intake in Latina Pregnant Adolescents and Its Association with Level of Depression, Stress, and Social Support.

Adolescent pregnant women are at greater risk for nutritional deficits, stress, and depression than their adult counterparts, and these risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes are likely interrelated. This study evaluated the prevalence of nutritional deficits in pregnant teenagers and assessed the associations among micronutrient dietary intake, stress, and depression. One hundred and eight pregnant Latina adolescents completed an Automated Self-Administered 24-hour dietary recall (ASA24) in the 2nd trimester.

The mobile conjugate reinforcement paradigm in a lab setting.

The mobile conjugate reinforcement task was administered to 4-month-old infants in a lab rather than a home setting where it is usually administered. Learning and retention patterns were comparable to those of infants tested in their homes, suggesting flexibility in where this task can be administered. These results pave the way for this task to be used with a broader range of infants for whom home visits are not practical or convenient (e.

Maternal abuse history and reduced fetal heart rate variability: Abuse-related sleep disturbance is a mediator.

The consequences of childhood maltreatment are profound and long lasting. Not only does the victim of abuse suffer as a child, but there is mounting evidence that a history of maltreatment places the next generation at risk for significant psychopathology. Research identifies postnatal factors as affecting this intergenerational transmission of trauma.

Associations Among Child Abuse, Depression, and Interleukin-6 in Pregnant Adolescents: Paradoxical Findings.

Objective: Limited data exist on child abuse-related immune variation during pregnancy, despite implications for maternal and infant health and extensive data showing that abuse history and depression are related to increased inflammation in other populations. This study examined associations among child abuse, depression, circulating levels of inflammatory markers, and perinatal health in pregnant adolescents, a group at high risk for childhood abuse and poor birth outcomes.

Methods: Pregnant teenagers (n = 133; 14-19 years; 89.

Maternal dietary fat intake during pregnancy is associated with infant temperament.

Research with rodents and nonhuman primates suggests that maternal prenatal dietary fat intake is associated with offspring behavioral functioning indicative of risk for psychopathology. The extent to which these findings extend to humans remains unknown. The current study administered the Automated Self-Administered 24 hr Dietary Recall Questionnaire three times in pregnancy (n = 48) to examine women's dietary fat intake in relation to infant temperament assessed using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire at 4-months old.

PREPP: postpartum depression prevention through the mother-infant dyad.

Most interventions to prevent postpartum depression (PPD) focus on the mother rather than the mother-infant dyad. As strong relationships between infant sleep and cry behavior and maternal postpartum mood have been demonstrated by previous research, interventions targeted at the dyad may reduce symptoms of PPD. The goal of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting (PREPP).

Pregnancy distress gets under fetal skin: Maternal ambulatory assessment & sex differences in prenatal development.

Prenatal maternal distress is associated with an at-risk developmental profile, yet there is little fetal evidence of this putative in utero process. Moreover, the biological transmission for these maternal effects remains uncertain. In a study of n = 125 pregnant adolescents (ages 14-19), ambulatory assessments of daily negative mood (anger, frustration, irritation, stress), physical activity, blood pressure, heart rate (every 30 min over 24 hr), and salivary cortisol (six samples) were collected at 13-16, 24-27, 34-37 gestational weeks.

Preventing postpartum depression: review and recommendations.

Nearly 20 % of mothers will experience an episode of major or minor depression within the first 3 months postpartum, making it the most common complication of childbearing. Postpartum depression (PPD) is significantly undertreated, and because prospective mothers are especially motivated for self-care, a focus on the prevention of PPD holds promise of clinical efficacy. This study is a qualitative review of existing approaches to prevent PPD.