Social and Behavioral Problems in School-Aged Children After Maternal Postpartum Depression: A Secondary Analysis of Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study.

Objectives: To examine the relation between perinatal depression at child age 1 year and behavioral issues and altered social functioning at school age.

Methods: The Future of Families (formerly Fragile Families) and Child Wellbeing Study longitudinal cohort age 9 nationally representative urban sample was used to examine associations between maternal depression at child age 1 and child behavior and social functioning at age 9 (n = 2,305 children and their mothers). Measures included the Composite International Diagnostics Interview (depression), Child Behavior Checklist total score (child behavior problems) and social function subscale.

Municipal smoke-free laws and preterm birth.

Background: Smoking during pregnancy and prenatal secondhand smoke exposure increase the risk of preterm birth. As Kentucky has the second highest rate of smoking in the United States and no statewide smoke-free law, an examination of the effect of municipal smoke-free legislation on preterm birth is warranted.

Objective: This study used state-level live birth data and county-level municipal smoke-free legislation status to assess the association between the presence and strength of smoke-free laws and the likelihood of preterm birth.

PATH to understanding cannabis and nicotine initiation and co-use among emerging adults.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics and age of initiation of nicotine and cannabis use, with a particular focus on the emerging adult period (ages 18-24 years) and concurrent use of nicotine with cannabis.

Design: A secondary analysis of Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH).

Sample: 32,078 participants from a nationally representative study of tobacco use and health outcomes.

Care Experiences of Persons With Perinatal Opioid Use: A Qualitative Study.

Opioid use in the perinatal period has escalated rapidly, with potentially devastating outcomes for perinatal persons and infants. Substance use treatment is effective and has the potential to greatly improve clinical outcomes; however, characteristics of care received from providers including nurses have been described as a barrier to treatment. Our purpose was to describe supportive perinatal care experiences of persons with opioid use disorder.

Longitudinal Examination of Prenatal Tobacco Switching Behaviors and Birth Outcomes, Including Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) and Dual Use.

Introduction: In the US, approximately 8% of pregnant women smoke, and 5-11.9% currently use ENDS products. The health effects of ENDS use are debated; however, most contain nicotine which is known to cause adverse perinatal outcomes.

Behavioral and Enhanced Perinatal Intervention (B-EPIC): A randomized trial targeting tobacco use among opioid dependent pregnant women.

Background: Opioid use during pregnancy is a significant public health issue. The standard of care for treating opioid use disorder during pregnancy includes medications for opioid disorder (MOUD). However, tobacco use often goes unaddressed among pregnant women on MOUD.

Prediction of Cognitive Ability With Social Determinants in Children of Low Birth Weight.

Background: Despite strong prevention efforts and advances in neonatal care in recent decades, low birth weight remains a serious public health problem in the United States, and survivors remain at increased risk for lifelong problems including cognitive deficits. Current regional and local strategies for referral often rely on variable thresholds for birth weight and gestational age that may be poor analogues to cognitive risk. Improving early referral criteria offers many benefits, including improved cognitive outcomes for children and improved cost-effectiveness and resource utilization in resource-limited communities.

Perceptions, Characteristics, and Behaviors of Cigarette and Electronic Cigarette Use among Pregnant Smokers.

Introduction: Smoking during pregnancy is a primary risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes. Although electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased, reasons for and behaviors of use are not fully understood. The purpose of this study, composed exclusively of pregnant current smokers, was to describe perceptions of health risks associated with e-cigarette use among pregnant women, describe the use patterns of pregnant dual users (defined as those who simultaneously use conventional/combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes), and examine smoking-related behaviors between conventional-only (defined as those smoking combustible cigarettes but not e-cigarettes) and dual users.

Peer support specialists and perinatal opioid use disorder: Someone that's been there, lived it, seen it.

Perinatal opioid use disorder (OUD) has increased drastically since 2000 and is associated with myriad adverse outcomes. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recommends using peer support services to promote sustained remission from substance use disorders (SUDs). Integrating peer support specialists into perinatal OUD treatment has the potential to improve maternal and child health.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems and pregnancy: Recent research on perceptions, cessation, and toxicant delivery.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), which includes e-cigarettes (ECIGs), are a rapidly-expanding class of products that heat a liquid (which may or may not contain nicotine) to produce an aerosol. The variation of ECIG components is extensive as are their effects on users. Epidemiological data show that while both adults and youth use ECIGs, use among youth has increased dramatically in recent years.

Associations of first trimester co-use of tobacco and Cannabis with prenatal immune response and psychosocial well-being.

Purpose: This study aims to describe the association of first trimester co-use of tobacco and cannabis with maternal immune response and psychosocial well-being, relative to tobacco use only.

Methods: A preliminary midpoint analysis included 138 pregnant women with biologically verified tobacco use, 38 of whom (28%) also tested positive for recent cannabis use. Maternal perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), and serum immune markers (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNFα, CRP, MMP8), were collected, although cytokine data were only available for 122 women.

Associations of Demographic Factors and Tobacco Use With Progesterone and Estradiol During Pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate the association of biochemically validated prenatal tobacco use with serum progesterone and estradiol in the second trimester of pregnancy, controlling for demographic and personal factors.

Study Design: This secondary analysis of a multicenter longitudinal study included 114 women with singleton pregnancies. Multiple regression analysis assessed whether prenatal tobacco use was related to hormone levels during the second trimester, controlling for covariates (age, body mass index, and race or ethnicity, with gestational age added to subsequent models).

Comparison of Serum and Cervical Cytokine Levels throughout Pregnancy between Preterm and Term Births.

 To assess differences in cytokine levels in cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) and serum across trimesters between women with preterm births (PTBs) and full-term births.  This multicenter study enrolled 302 women with a singleton gestation. CVF and serum cytokines, interleukin 1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8, were measured.

Patterns of Systemic and Cervicovaginal Fluid Inflammatory Cytokines throughout Pregnancy.

Objective:  This study describes the normal variations in serum and cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) cytokine levels throughout pregnancy.

Study Design:  This multicenter, prospective study examined trimester-specific maternal serum and CVF cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, and C-reactive protein [CRP]). A two-factor linear mixed modeling approach compared cytokine distribution, while pairwise comparisons evaluated differences over time.