Effect of Natural Disaster-Related Prenatal Maternal Stress on Child Development and Health: A Meta-Analytic Review.

The evidence supporting the idea that natural disaster-related prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) influences the child's development has been accumulating for several years. We conducted a meta-analytical review to quantify this effect on different spheres of child development: birth outcomes, cognitive, motor, physical, socio-emotional, and behavioral development. We systematically searched the literature for articles on this topic (2756 articles retrieved and 37 articles included in the systematic review), extracted the relevant data to calculate the effect sizes, and then performed a meta-analysis for each category of outcomes (30 articles included across the meta-analyses) and meta-regressions to determine the effect of some factors of interest on the association between PNMS and child development: type of PNMS (objective, psychological, cognitive, diet), type of natural disaster (ice storm, flood/cyclone), type of report (maternal, third-party observer, medical), timing of exposure (preconception exposure included or not) and child age at assessment (under 10 or 10 years and older).

A Characterization of the Electrophysiological and Morphological Properties of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) Interneurons in the Medial Entorhinal Cortex (MEC).

Circuit interactions within the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) translate movement into a coherent code for spatial location. Entorhinal principal cells are subject to strong lateral inhibition, suggesting that a disinhibitory mechanism may drive their activation. Cortical Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) expressing inhibitory neurons are known to contact other interneurons and excitatory cells and are thus capable of providing a local disinhibitory mechanism, yet little is known about this cell type in the MEC.

Life-course effects of early life adversity exposure on eating behavior and metabolism.

Environmental variations in early life influence brain development, making individuals more vulnerable to psychiatric and metabolic disorders. Early life stress (ELS) has a strong impact on the development of eating behavior. However, eating is a complex behavior, determined by an interaction between signals of energy homeostasis, neuronal circuits involved in its regulation, and circuits related to rewarding properties of the food.

Drug type and risk behaviors associated with non-fatal overdose among people who use drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The present study aimed to determine the association between drug type, risk behaviors and non-fatal overdose among people who use drugs (PWUD). We searched for studies in English published before February 1, 2021, on PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science to identify primary studies on the factors associated with non-fatal overdose among PWUD. After reviewing for study duplicates, the full-text of selected articles were assessed for eligibility using Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes (PICO) criteria.

Opium tincture-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder: A systematic review.

Background: Some countries have used opioid agonist medications other than methadone and buprenorphine as a strategy to increase treatment diversity. In Iran and other countries where opium use is common and culturally tolerated, opium tincture (OT) has gained growing popularity and been approved to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). Given the increasing interest in this intervention, we conducted a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the safety and efficacy of OT-assisted treatment for OUD.

Generalization of memory-related brain function in asymptomatic older women with a family history of late onset Alzheimer's Disease: Results from the PREVENT-AD Cohort.

Late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) disproportionately affects women compared to men. Episodic memory decline is one of the earliest and most pronounced deficits observed in AD. However, it remains unclear whether sex influences episodic memory-related brain function in cognitively intact older adults at risk of developing AD.

Predictors of Recurrent High Emergency Department Use among Patients with Mental Disorders.

Few studies have examined predictors of recurrent high ED use. This study assessed predictors of recurrent high ED use over two and three consecutive years, compared with high one-year ED use. This five-year longitudinal study is based on a cohort of 3121 patients who visited one of six Quebec (Canada) ED at least three times in 2014-2015.

Typology of changes in quality of life over 12 months among currently or formerly homeless individuals using different housing services in Quebec, Canada.

Background: In health and social service evaluations, including research on homelessness, quality of Life (QOL) is often used as a key indicator of well-being among service users. However, no typology has been developed on changes in QOL over a 12-month period for a heterogenous sample of homeless individuals.

Methods: Cluster analysis was employed to identify a typology of change in QOL for 270 currently or formerly homeless individuals using emergency shelters, temporary housing (TH) and permanent housing (PH) services in Quebec (Canada).

Association between regional tau pathology and neuropsychiatric symptoms in aging and dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are frequent in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we study the relationship between NPS and AD pathologies in vivo.

Method: Two hundred and twenty-one individuals from the TRIAD cohort (143 cognitively unimpaired, 52 mild cognitive impairment, and 26 AD) underwent [F]MK6240-tau-positron emission tomography (PET), [F]AZD4694-amyloid-PET, magnetic resonance imaging, and neuropsychological evaluations.

Plasma pTau181 predicts cortical brain atrophy in aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Background: To investigate the association of plasma pTau181, assessed with a new immunoassay, with neurodegeneration of white matter and gray matter cross-sectionally and longitudinally, in aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: Observational data was obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, in which participants underwent plasma assessment and magnetic resonance imaging. Based on their clinical diagnosis, participants were classified as cognitively unimpaired and cognitively impaired.

Service delivery models for injectable opioid agonist treatment in Canada: 2 sequential environmental scans.

Background: Injectable opioid agonist treatment (iOAT) is an emerging evidence-based option in the continuum of care for opioid use disorder in parts of Canada. Our study objective was to identify and describe iOAT programs operating during the ongoing opioid overdose crisis.

Methods: We conducted 2 sequential environmental scans.

Individualized Intervention to Support Mental Health Recovery Through Implementation of Digital Tools into Clinical Care: Feasibility Study.

Myriad digital tools exist to support mental health but there are multiple barriers to using these tools in routine care. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of an intervention incorporating a support role to help the clinical team identify and use technology to promote recovery. The technology specialist intervention is 3 months in duration and comprises four stages: goal setting, researching and evaluating tools, demonstrating and selecting tools, and ongoing support.

Understanding Components of Duration of Untreated Psychosis and Relevance for Early Intervention Services in the Canadian Context: Comprendre les Composantes de la Durée de la Psychose Non Traitée et la Pertinence de Services D'intervention Précoce Dans le Contexte Canadien.

Background: Clinical, functional, and cost-effectiveness outcomes from early intervention services (EIS) for psychosis are significantly associated with the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) for the patients they serve. However, most EIS patients continue to report long DUP, while a reduction of DUP may improve outcomes. An understanding of different components of DUP and the factors associated with them may assist in targeting interventions toward specific sources of DUP.

Dopamine D4 receptor gene polymorphism (DRD4 VNTR) moderates real-world behavioural response to the food retail environment in children.

Background: Evidence for the impact of the food retailing environment on food-related and obesity outcomes remains equivocal, but only a few studies have attempted to identify sub-populations for whom this relationship might be stronger than others. Genetic polymorphisms related to dopamine signalling have been associated with differences in responses to rewards such as food and may be candidate markers to identify such sub-populations. This study sought to investigate whether genetic variation of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4 exon III 48 bp VNTR polymorphism) moderated the association between local exposure to food retailers on BMI and diet in a sample of 4 to12-year-old children.

Epigenetic Age Acceleration and Risk for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder following Exposure to Substantiated Child Maltreatment.

Objective: Child maltreatment is among the strongest predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, less than 40% of children who have been maltreated are ever diagnosed with PTSD, suggesting that exposure to child maltreatment alone is insufficient to explain this risk. This study examined whether epigenetic age acceleration, a stress-sensitive biomarker derived from DNA methylation, explains variation in PTSD diagnostic status subsequent to child maltreatment.

Internalizing symptoms associate with the pace of epigenetic aging in childhood.

Childhood psychiatric symptoms may be associated with advanced biological aging. This study examined whether epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) associates with internalizing and externalizing symptoms that were prospectively collected across childhood in a longitudinal cohort study. At age 6 buccal epithelial cells from 148 children (69 girls) were collected to survey genome-wide DNA methylation.

The CFIR Card Game: a new approach for working with implementation teams to identify challenges and strategies.

Background: The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the ERIC compilation of implementation strategies are key resources for identifying implementation barriers and strategies. However, their respective density and complexity make their application to implementation planning outside of academia challenging. We developed the CFIR Card Game as a way of working with multi-stakeholder implementation teams that were implementing mental health recovery into their services, to identify barriers and strategies to overcome them.

Spatiotemporal functional interactivity among large-scale brain networks.

The macro-scale intrinsic functional network architecture of the human brain has been well characterized. Early studies revealed robust and enduring patterns of static connectivity, while more recent work has begun to explore the temporal dynamics of these large-scale brain networks. Little work to date has investigated directed connectivity within and between these networks, or the temporal patterns of afferent (input) and efferent (output) connections between network nodes.

Predictors of change in housing status over 12 months among individuals using emergency shelters, temporary housing or permanent housing in Quebec, Canada.

Homelessness is an ongoing societal and public health problem in Canada and other countries. Housing services help homeless individuals along the transition towards stable housing, yet few studies have assessed factors that predict change in individual housing trajectories. This study identified predictors of change in housing status over 12 months for a sample of 270 currently or formerly homeless individuals using emergency shelters, temporary housing (TH) or permanent housing (PH) resources in Quebec.

INNOVATE Research: Impact of a workshop to develop researcher capacity to engage youth in research.

Background: Engaging youth in research provides substantial benefits to research about youth-related needs, concerns and interventions. However, researchers require training and capacity development to work in this manner.

Methods: A capacity-building intervention, INNOVATE Research, was co-designed with youth and adult researchers and delivered to researchers in three major academic research institutions across Canada.

Change in Housing Status among Homeless and Formerly Homeless Individuals in Quebec, Canada: A Profile Study.

Housing stability is a key outcome in studies evaluating housing services for the homeless population. Housing stability has typically been defined dichotomously and based on a fixed duration of maintenance in housing accommodations, which does not fully capture change in housing status among homeless individuals. Moreover, few typologies have examined housing trajectories across different housing types.