Social Determinants of Health Among Pregnant Hispanic Women and Associated Psychological Outcomes.

Background: There has been a concerning surge in maternal mortality among Hispanic women in recent years. Compromised mental health is present in nearly half of all maternal deaths, and risk factors include poor social support and depression.

Objective: Among Hispanic women who were born in the USA versus those not born in the USA, we sought to describe and compare social determinants of health and maternal psychological outcomes.

Maternal gut microbiota in the postpartum Period: A Systematic review.

Studies have demonstrated the importance of the gut microbiota during pregnancy, and there is emerging literature on the postpartum maternal gut microbiota. The primary objective of this paper was to synthesize the literature on the postpartum gut microbiome composition and diversity measured in stool samples from healthy mothers of predominantly term infants. The secondary objectives were (1) to identify biological and environmental factors that influence postpartum maternal gut microbiota and (2) to assess health conditions and clinical intermediate measures associated with postpartum gut microbiota changes in all mothers.

Decreasing Tryptophan and Increasing Neopterin Plasma Levels During Pregnancy are Associated with High First Trimester K-Serotype IgG Serointensity in a Cohort of Hispanic Women.

Background: Immune activation or high levels of stress may lead to increased metabolism of tryptophan during pregnancy. Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), the "keystone" periodontal pathogen, induces immune and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activation. Thus, we hypothesized that larger gestational decreases in tryptophan and elevations in neopterin and kynurenine would occur in pregnant women with elevated IgG antibodies to Pg capsular (K) serotypes.

The Effects of Genetic Relatedness on the Preterm Infant Gut Microbiota.

The preterm infant gut microbiota is influenced by environmental, endogenous, maternal, and genetic factors. Although siblings share similar gut microbial composition, it is not known how genetic relatedness affects alpha diversity and specific taxa abundances in preterm infants. We analyzed the 16S rRNA gene content of stool samples, ≤ and >3 weeks postnatal age, and clinical data from preterm multiplets and singletons at two Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), Tampa General Hospital (TGH; FL, USA) and Carle Hospital (IL, USA).

Intestinal Microbiome in Preterm Infants Influenced by Enteral Iron Dosing.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare the intestinal microbiome in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants who received different enteral iron supplementation (EIS) doses.

Study Design: Longitudinal stool collection in 80 VLBW infants were conducted up to 2 months postnatally in a prospective study. The 16S rRNA regions V4 was used to calculate microbiome compositions and the Piphillin software was used for bacterial functional prediction.

Challenges in Obtaining and Assessing Salivary Cortisol and α-Amylase in an Over 60 Population Undergoing Psychotherapeutic Treatment for Complicated Grief: Lessons Learned.

Biomarkers may serve as objective measures in complicated grief (CG) potentially capturing responses to stress reduction treatment. This paper reports challenges in obtaining and assessing salivary cortisol and α-amylase (sAA) for a recent randomized clinical trial. Within-session changes in salivary cortisol and sAA for 54 older adults with CG who received Accelerated Resolution Therapy were compared with perceived stress measured by Subjective Units of Distress Scale.

A Scoping Review of Research on the Human Milk Microbiome.

Background: The human milk microbiome is an emerging scientific area. Careful, accurate collection and measurement for microbial sequencing is imperative. There is controversy about a core microbiome, and little is known about factors that influence composition.

Contributors to Dysbiosis in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants.

The objective of this commentary was to analyze the causes and outcomes of gut microbiome dysbiosis in preterm infants who are born at very low birth weight (VLBW). The intrauterine development of VLBW infants is interrupted abruptly with preterm birth and followed by extrauterine, health-threatening conditions and sequelae. These infants develop intestinal microbial dysbiosis characterized by low diversity, an overall reduction in beneficial and/or commensal bacteria, and enrichment of opportunistic pathogens of the Gammaproteobacteria class.

The development of intestinal dysbiosis in anemic preterm infants.

Objective: Anemia and Proteobacteria-dominant intestinal dysbiosis in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants have been linked to necrotizing enterocolitis, a severe gut inflammatory disease. We hypothesize that anemia of prematurity is related to the development of intestinal dysbiosis.

Study Design: Three hundred and forty-two weekly stool samples collected prospectively from 80 VLBW infants were analyzed for bacterial microbiomes (with 16S rRNA).

Effects of early life NICU stress on the developing gut microbiome.

Succession of gut microbial community structure for newborns is highly influenced by early life factors. Many preterm infants cared for in the NICU are exposed to parent-infant separation, stress, and pain from medical care procedures. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of early life stress on the trajectory of gut microbial structure.

Enteric dysbiosis and fecal calprotectin expression in premature infants.

Background: Premature infants often develop enteric dysbiosis with a preponderance of Gammaproteobacteria, which has been related to adverse clinical outcomes. We investigated the relationship between increasing fecal Gammaproteobacteria and mucosal inflammation, measured by fecal calprotectin (FC).

Methods: Stool samples were collected from very-low-birth weight (VLBW) infants at ≤2, 3, and 4 weeks' postnatal age.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its ratio to cortisol moderate associations between maltreatment and psychopathology in male juvenile offenders.

This study examined whether DHEA and its ratio to cortisol moderated risk for psychopathology among incarcerated youth exposed to childhood maltreatment. Resistance to stress-related psychopathology under adversity was also examined in relation to callous-unemotional (CU) traits, a personality construct characterized by resistance to pathological anxiety and blunted reactivity to threatening stimuli. Participants were 201 ethnically heterogeneous (41.

Novel method of measuring chronic stress for preterm infants: Skin cortisol.

Background And Objectives: Infants who begin life in the medicalized environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) do so under stressful conditions. Environmental exposures are often abrasive to vulnerable infants, while invasive and noninvasive lifesaving interventions provide additional pain and/or stress. The most commonly selected biomarker to measure stress is cortisol.

Dichotomous development of the gut microbiome in preterm infants.

Background: Preterm infants are at risk of developing intestinal dysbiosis with an increased proportion of Gammaproteobacteria. In this study, we sought the clinical determinants of the relative abundance of feces-associated Gammaproteobacteria in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Fecal microbiome was characterized at ≤ 2 weeks and during the 3rd and 4th weeks after birth, by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

Moderation of the relationship between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and trait impulsivity in younger men by the phenylalanine-tyrosine ratio.

Previously, we reported that Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii)-seropositivity is associated with higher impulsive sensation seeking in younger men. As dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling regulate impulsivity, and as T.

Comparison of Hair Cortisol Levels and Perceived Stress in Mothers Who Deliver at Preterm and Term.

Objective: To evaluate relationships between hair cortisol levels and perceived stress in mothers who deliver preterm and term. We hypothesized that the rate of change in cortisol levels would be greater in the preterm delivery group.

Methods: This preliminary study compared hair cortisol levels and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scores in predominately Caucasian mothers who delivered preterm ( n = 22) and term ( n = 30).

Association of Depressed Mood With Herpes Simplex Virus-2 Immunoglobulin-G Levels in Pregnancy.

Objective: Depressed mood is common in pregnancy, is associated with stress, and could result in immune suppression that may lead to latent herpes viral reactivation. This study investigated whether depressed mood is associated with higher herpes viral IgG levels in pregnant women.

Methods: Complete cross-sectional data from 247 pregnant women were available for this substudy.

Blood Levels of Monoamine Precursors and Smoking in Patients with Schizophrenia.

Smoking is highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and exerts a negative impact on cardiovascular mortality in these patients. Smoking has complex interactions with monoamine metabolism through the ability of cigarette smoke to suppress Type 1 T helper cell (Th1) type immunity, the immunophenotype that is implicated in phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) dysfunction and tryptophan (Trp) breakdown to kynurenine (Kyn) via indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. Nicotine also induces tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene expression, leading to increased synthesis of catecholamines.

Neuroendocrine factors distinguish juvenile psychopathy variants.

The characteristic pattern of emotional hypo-reactivity observed in primary psychopathy is not evident in secondary psychopathy, which is thought to originate from childhood adversity and co-occurring anxiety. The main aim of this study was to test whether salivary afternoon cortisol, Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and cortisol-to-DHEA concentrations, which at high levels indicate risk for chronic stress and poor mental health, distinguished secondary from primary variants of callous-unemotional (CU) traits-the affective component of psychopathy. This aim was achieved by first identifying psychopathy variants using latent profile analysis of CU, anxiety, and aggression scores among 232 incarcerated adolescent boys (M age = 16.

Maternal Interleukin Genotypes Are Associated With NICU Outcomes Among Low-Birth-Weight Infants.

Background: Maternal interleukin (IL) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with obstetrical outcomes. Conversely, infant SNPs are associated with subsequent neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) outcomes. Little is known about relationships between maternal SNPs and neonatal outcomes.