Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses: a comparison of meta- and mega-analyses in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study.

Background: There is increasing need for effective incorporation of high-dimensional genetics data from individuals with varied ancestry in genome-wide association (GWAS) analyses. Classically, multi-ancestry GWAS analyses are performed using statistical meta-analysis to combine results conducted within homogeneous ancestry groups. The emergence of cosmopolitan reference panels makes collective preprocessing of GWAS data possible, but impact on downstream GWAS results in a mega-analysis framework merits investigation.

Physical behaviours during pregnancy may alter the association of maternal insulin sensitivity with neonatal adiposity: a prospective pre-birth cohort of mother-child pairs.

Background: Lower maternal insulin sensitivity during pregnancy is associated with greater fetal adiposity. Physical activity can improve insulin sensitivity, but it is not known if physical behaviours influence the known association of maternal insulin sensitivity with offspring adiposity. This study aimed to investigate the moderating impact of physical behaviours on this association.

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and epigenetic age acceleration in children.

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in adults, but its impact on children remains less understood. This study analyzed data from 457 children (mean age: 7.9 years) in the Project Viva cohort (2007-2010, eastern Massachusetts, USA).

Associations of maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance plasma concentrations during pregnancy with offspring polycystic ovary syndrome and related characteristics in project viva.

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact ovarian folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis, but whether prenatal exposure may impact offspring reproductive health is unknown. This study examines the extent to which maternal PFAS plasma concentrations during pregnancy are associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and related characteristics in female offspring.

Methods: We studied 322 mother-daughter pairs in Project Viva, a Boston-area longitudinal pre-birth cohort enrolled 1999-2002.

Subtypes of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Are Differentially Associated With Newborn and Childhood Metabolic Outcomes.

Objective: Subtypes of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) based on insulin sensitivity and secretion have been described. We addressed the hypothesis that GDM subtypes are differentially associated with newborn and child anthropometric and glycemic outcomes.

Research Design And Methods: Newborn and child (age 11-14 years) outcomes were examined in 7,970 and 4,160 mother-offspring dyads, respectively, who participated in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Study (HAPO) and Follow-Up Study.

Associations of gestation length and offspring birthweight for gestational age with menopausal symptoms and age of natural menopause at midlife among women enrolled in a prebirth longitudinal cohort.

Objective: Reproductive history may help identify women at higher risk for experiencing menopausal symptoms. We hypothesized that gestation length and offspring birthweight for gestational age z-scores would be associated with menopausal symptoms and age at natural menopause in midlife among women in a longitudinal prebirth cohort.

Methods: Among 691 women enrolled in pregnancy and followed to midlife, we examined associations of gestation length and offspring birthweight for gestational age z-score at the index pregnancy with total menopausal symptoms assessed with the 11-item Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) using linear regression models, with individual menopausal symptoms using binomial regression models with a log link function, and with age at natural menopause using Cox proportional hazards models.

Trajectory of Cardiovascular Health Across Childhood and Adolescence.

Importance: The American Heart Association put forth the Life's Essential 8 construct to assess cardiovascular health (CVH) based on 8 behavioral and health factors. Few studies have characterized the natural history of CVH in early life or identified its sociodemographic determinants.

Objective: To characterize CVH trajectories across childhood and adolescence and identify associations with sociodemographic variables.

The Development of a Forceps-Adaptable Pressure Device for Instrumental Delivery: A Proof-of-Concept Study for Clinical and Educational Applications.

Objective: To develop and validate a device that measures the pressure exerted by forceps on the fetal head for clinical use.

Background: The lack of clinical tools to quantify forceps pressure on the fetal head may impact maternal and neonatal outcomes. Existing studies have not measured the direct contact pressure between forceps blades and the fetal head, highlighting the need for innovation.

Assessing greenspace and cardiovascular health through deep-learning analysis of street-view imagery in a cohort of US children.

Background: Accurately capturing individuals' experiences with greenspace at ground-level can provide valuable insights into their impact on children's health. However, most previous research has relied on coarse satellite-based measurements.

Methods: We utilized CVH and residential address data from Project Viva, a US-based pre-birth cohort, tracking participants from mid-childhood to late adolescence (2007-21).

Stopping the intergenerational risk of diabetes - from mechanisms to interventions.

Embedded in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis, maternal hyperglycemia in utero, from pre-existing diabetes or gestational diabetes mellitus, predisposes the offspring to excess adiposity and heightened risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes development. This transmission creates a vicious cycle increasing the presence of diabetes from one generation to another, leading to the question: how can we interrupt this vicious cycle? In this Perspective article, we presented the current state of knowledge on the intergenerational transmission of diabetes from epidemiological life course studies. Then, we discussed the potential mechanisms implicated in the intergenerational transmission of diabetes with a focus on epigenetics.

Associations of ethnicity, skin tone, and genome-wide sequencing with bone mineral density in adolescents.

Background: Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry reference data designate Black and non-Black categories, as higher BMD has been documented among Black youth. We examined associations of race, skin tone, and genetic factors with bone mineral density (BMD).

Methods: 557 adolescents were followed longitudinally.

Associations of AMH in mid-reproductive years with bone mineral density and turnover markers in mid-life.

Context: Concentration of circulating anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) predicts short-term (3-5 years) bone loss around menopause. Whether AMH during mid-reproductive years predicts bone health over a decade later is unknown.

Objective: To study the association of AMH levels in mid-reproductive years with bone density and turnover biomarkers measured after ∼14 years of follow-up.

Associations of gut microbiota features and circulating metabolites with systemic inflammation in children.

Objective: Gut microbes and microbe-dependent metabolites (eg, tryptophan-kynurenine-serotonin pathway metabolites) have been linked to systemic inflammation, but the microbiota-metabolite-inflammation axis remains uncharacterised in children. Here we investigated whether gut microbiota features and circulating metabolites (both microbe-dependent and non-microbe-dependent metabolites) associated with circulating inflammation markers in children.

Methods: We studied children from the prospective Gen3G birth cohort who had data on untargeted plasma metabolome (n=321 children; Metabolon platform), gut microbiota (n=147; 16S rRNA sequencing), and inflammation markers (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and tumour necrosis factor-α) measured at 5-7 years.

Newborn adiposity is associated with cord blood DNA methylation at IGF1R and KLF7.

Objective: This study aimed to identify whether cord blood DNA methylation at specific loci is associated with neonatal adiposity, a key risk factor for childhood obesity.

Methods: An epigenome-wide association study was conducted using the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Study as a discovery sample. Linear regression models adjusted for maternal and offspring covariates and cell counts were used to analyze associations between neonatal adiposity as measured by sum of three skinfold thicknesses and cord blood DNA methylation.