Language outcomes of preschool children who are HIV-exposed uninfected: An analysis of a South African cohort.

Introduction: There are approximately 16 million children who are HIV-exposed and uninfected (CHEU) worldwide. Studies suggest that CHEU are at risk for developmental impairment in infancy, particularly in language domains. However, there is limited research examining neurocognitive function in CHEU older than 2 years, including important pre-school years.

Investigating pupillometry to detect emotional regulation difficulties in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Objective: Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been found to exhibit emotional regulation difficulties. However, the specific neural mechanisms that underlie these difficulties remain understudied. This study aimed to use pupillometry as an index function of parasympathetic nervous system activation, to investigate the mechanisms underlying emotional regulation difficulties in individuals with PTSD.

Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with early motor, but not language development in a South African cohort.

Objective: To investigate the association of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and early neurodevelopment in the first 2 years of life, adjusting for maternal socio-demographic and psychosocial factors, in the Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS), a South African birth cohort study.

Methods: The DCHS comprises a population-based birth cohort of 1143 children, of which a subsample completed the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-III (BSID-III) at 6 (n = 260) and 24 months of age (n = 734). A subset of alcohol-exposed and -unexposed children was included in this analysis at age 6 (n = 52 exposed; n = 104 unexposed) and 24 months (n = 92 exposed; n = 184 unexposed).

Risk and protective factors for child development: An observational South African birth cohort.

Background: Approximately 250 million (43%) children under the age of 5 years in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are failing to meet their developmental potential. Risk factors are recognised to contribute to this loss of human potential. Expanding understanding of the risks that lead to poor outcomes and which protective factors contribute to resilience in children may be critical to improving disparities.

Neurodevelopment of HIV-exposed uninfected children in South Africa: outcomes from an observational birth cohort study.

Background: HIV infection is known to cause developmental delay, but the effects of HIV exposure without infection during pregnancy on child development are unclear. We compared the neurodevelopmental outcomes of HIV-exposed uninfected and HIV-unexposed children during their first 2 years of life.

Methods: Pregnant women (>18 years of age) at 20-28 weeks' gestation were enrolled into the Drakenstein Child Health cohort study while attending routine antenatal appointments at one of two peri-urban community-based clinics in Paarl, South Africa.

Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS): investigating determinants of early child development and cognition.

Introduction: There is growing awareness that psychosocial risk and resilience factors in early life play a key role in influencing later health. Most work has been done in high-income settings, rather than low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the majority of the global childhood population resides. The few studies with well-defined cohorts in LMICs have employed various methods and measures, making comparisons across studies challenging.

Effect of Hazardous Alcohol Use During Pregnancy on Growth Outcomes at Birth: Findings from a South African Cohort Study.

Background: Cohort studies have noted associations between hazardous alcohol use during pregnancy and infant growth outcomes, but many have not controlled for potential psychosocial confounders. To assess the unique contribution of hazardous alcohol use, we examined its effect on infant growth outcomes while controlling for maternal psychosocial stressors and hazardous tobacco and drug use in a cohort of 986 pregnant South African women enrolled into the Drakenstein Child Health Study between 2012 and 2015.

Methods: Data on psychosocial stressors and maternal risk behaviors were collected between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation.