Larry Minikes 7/21/23 Larry Minikes 7/21/23

Lean body mass, age linked with alcohol elimination rates in women

June 26, 2023

Science Daily/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau

Research links women's lean body mass with how quickly they eliminate alcohol from their system. Women with obesity and those who are older eliminate alcohol from their bloodstreams faster than those of normal weight and those who are younger.

The rate at which women eliminate alcohol from their bloodstream is largely predicted by their lean body mass, although age plays a role, too, scientists found in a new study. Women with obesity -- and those who are older -- clear alcohol from their systems 52% faster than women of healthy weights and those who are younger, the study found.

Lean body mass is defined in the study -- published in the journal Alcohol Clinical and Experimental Research -- as one's total body weight minus fat.

"We believe the strong relationship we found between participants' lean body mass and their alcohol elimination rate is due to the association that exists between lean body mass and lean liver tissue -- the part of the liver responsible for metabolizing alcohol," said research group leader M. Yanina Pepino, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

To explore links between body composition and alcohol elimination rates, the team conducted a secondary analysis of data from a study performed at the U. of I and another at Indiana University, Indianapolis. Both projects used similar methods to estimate the rate at which alcohol is broken down in the body.

The combined sample from the studies used in the analysis included 143 women who ranged in age from 21 to 64 and represented a wide range of body mass indices -- from healthy weights to severe obesity. Among these were 19 women who had undergone different types of bariatric surgery.

In a subsample of 102 of these women, the researchers had measured the proportions of lean and fat tissue in their bodies and calculated their body mass indices. Based on their BMI, those in the subsample were divided into three groups: normal weight, which included women with BMI ranging from 18.5-24.9; overweight, those with BMI ranging from 25-29.9; and obese, participants with BMI above 30.

As the researchers expected, women with higher BMI had not only more fat mass than women of healthy weights, they also had more lean mass. On average, the group with obesity had 52.3 kg of lean mass, compared with 47.5 kg for the normal weight group.

The two studies both used an alcohol clamp technique, where participants received an intravenous infusion of alcohol at a rate controlled by a computer-assisted system. The system calculated personalized infusion rates based upon each participant's age, height, weight and gender and was programmed so they would reach a target blood alcohol concentration of .06 percent within 15 minutes and maintain that level for about two hours

Using a breathalyzer, breath samples were collected at regular intervals throughout the experiments to estimate participants' blood alcohol concentration and provide feedback to the system.

"We found that having a higher fat-free body mass was associated with a faster alcohol elimination rate, particularly in women in the oldest subgroups," said Neda Seyedsadjadi, a postdoctoral fellow at the university and the first author of the study.

"The average alcohol elimination rates were 6 grams per hour for the healthy weight group, 7 grams for the overweight group, and 9 grams for the group with obesity," she said. "To put this in perspective, one standard drink is 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of table wine or 1.5 ounces shot of distilled spirits."

The interaction between participants' age and lean body mass accounted for 72% of the variance in the time required to eliminate the alcohol from their system, the team found.

Pepino, who also holds an appointment as a health innovation professor at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, has conducted several studies on alcohol response in bariatric surgery patients.

The findings also shed light on alcohol metabolism and body composition in women who have undergone weight loss surgery. Researchers have long known that bariatric surgery alters women's response to alcohol but were uncertain if it affected how quickly they cleared alcohol from their systems.

Some prior studies found that these patients metabolized alcohol more slowly after they had weight loss surgery. The new study's findings indicate that these participants' slower alcohol elimination rates can be explained by surgery-induced reductions in their lean body mass. Weight loss surgery itself had no independent effects on patients' alcohol elimination rates, the team found.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230626164151.htm

Larry Minikes 7/21/23 Larry Minikes 7/21/23

Dads are key in supporting breastfeeding, safe infant sleep

Including fathers in strategies to improve infant health could help narrow disparities

June 16, 2023

Science Daily/Northwestern University

Fathers can make a huge difference in whether an infant is breastfed and placed to sleep safely, according to a recent survey of new fathers led by scientists at Northwestern University and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

The study included 250 fathers who were surveyed two to six months after the birth of their infant. The survey findings are among the first to describe father-reported attitudes toward and experiences with breastfeeding and infant sleep practices in a state-representative sample. They will be published June 16 in the journal Pediatrics.

Among fathers who wanted their infant's mother to breastfeed, 95% reported breastfeeding initiation and 78% reported breastfeeding at eight weeks. This is significantly higher than the rates reported by fathers who had no opinion or did not want their infant's mother to breastfeed -- 69% of these fathers reported breastfeeding initiation and 33% reported breastfeeding at eight weeks.

The scientists also found that 99% of fathers reported placing their infant to sleep, but only 16% implemented all three American Academy of Pediatrics-recommended infant sleep practices (using the back sleep position, an approved sleep surface, and avoiding soft bedding). Almost a third of fathers surveyed were missing at least one key component of safe sleep education.

"Our findings underscore that new fathers are a critical audience to promote breastfeeding and safe infant sleep," said lead study author Dr. John James Parker, an instructor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, pediatrician at Lurie Children's and an internist at Northwestern Medicine. "Many families do not gain the health benefits from breastfeeding because they are not provided the support to breastfeed successfully. Fathers need to be directly engaged in breastfeeding discussions, and providers need to describe the important role fathers play in breastfeeding success."

Racial disparities in rates of SIDS in the U.S.

Black fathers were less likely to use the back sleep position and more likely to use soft bedding than white fathers. More than 3,000 infants die of sleep-related deaths per year in the U.S. Nationally, the rate of sudden unexpected infant death (SIDS) of Black infants is more than twice that of white infants, and unsafe sleep practices may contribute to this disparity, the study authors said.

"Fathers need to receive counseling on all the safe sleep practices for their infants," Parker said. "To reduce racial disparities in sudden unexpected infant death, we need tailored strategies to increase safe infant sleep practices in the Black community, including public campaigns to increase awareness and home visiting programs. These interventions must involve both parents to be most effective."

New survey highlights unique needs of new fathers

Recognizing that new dads play an important role in the health and wellbeing of children and families, senior author Dr. Craig Garfield, professor of pediatrics and medical social sciences at Feinberg and a Lurie Children's pediatrician, partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Georgia Department of Public Health to develop and pilot the new survey tool used in this study called Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) for Dads.

The tool was modeled after PRAMS, an annual surveillance tool the CDC and public health departments have used for more than 35 years to survey new mothers. PRAMS for Dads is, for the first time, providing data on the unique needs of new fathers. The survey gathers data on the health behaviors and experiences of men as they enter fatherhood.

"As pediatricians, we focus on how to ensure the best health outcomes for children, with successful breastfeeding and safe sleep practices being two key behaviors that impact children's health," said Garfield, who also is the founder of the Family & Child Health Innovations Program (FCHIP) at Lurie Children's. "Our study highlights the fact that fathers play a big role in both these behaviors, but there is more to be done to support fathers."

For example, Garfield said they found that fathers with college degrees were more likely to report that their baby breastfed, and they were more likely to receive guidance on infant sleep safety.

"To improve child health outcomes, we need to make sure breastfeeding and safe sleep guidance reach all new parents equitably," Garfield said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230616161903.htm

Larry Minikes 7/21/23 Larry Minikes 7/21/23

Conflict in marriage less harmful for kids when dad keeps it constructive

June 14, 2023

Science Daily/University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Conflict is unavoidable in all marriages. When it erupts in families with children, stressed or angry parents may take their pain out on the kids, projecting their anger or withdrawing emotionally or physically. In the worst cases, children's socioemotional development can suffer. But the way parents, especially fathers, deal with marital conflict can make a difference to kids, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

"In the past, marital conflict has always been considered a negative thing in reference to various aspects of child development. But what's more important than having conflict is how people deal with it. Our study looked at whether constructive conflict resolution could buffer some of the negative influence of marital conflict on parenting practices," said lead author Qiujie Gong, a doctoral student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois.

Some studies have shown father-child relationships may be more impacted by conflict than mother-child relationships, and can lead to negative development for kids. That's why the authors chose to focus on fathers in their study.

"We wanted to pay more attention to fathers, because while mothers have always been considered the main caregiver, fathers can also significantly influence children's development," Gong said.

The authors, including HDFS professors Karen Kramer and Kelly Tu, accessed a longitudinal dataset from the U.S. Department of Education tracing children's experiences from 9 months to kindergarten. Recognizing the importance of the preschool years for learning socioemotional skills, they analyzed the subset of data for families with 4-year-olds and, controlling for mother's parenting styles, honed in on fathers' responses to survey questions about marital conflict and resolution strategies. Building links in a chain, they connected fathers' reports of conflict to their parenting practices, then to the socioemotional impacts of those practices on children.

"Beyond looking separately at mothers, fathers, and conflict, as previous studies have done, we put it all together in one model, not only to see the family as an interconnected system but also to not forget the father: How his perceptions of conflict and approaches to resolution affect child socioemotional development," said Kramer. "That's the uniqueness of this study."

Analyzing a diverse sample of 3,955 heterosexual families with resident fathers, the authors found when fathers reported more frequent marital conflict, it increased their parenting stress and decreased their warmth toward their child. According to the analysis, those factors then decreased the child's socioemotional skills reported by mothers in the surveys.

Gong emphasizes preschool-age children are at a crucial stage for developing socioemotional skills. These early experiences set the stage for later peer relationships, mental health, and more, so parents of small children should consider how their interactions may spill over to their kids, she says.

Next, Gong factored in how fathers resolved conflict.

"We found fathers who reported using more constructive conflict resolution -- like open communication and reaching compromise, as opposed to hitting, criticizing, or throwing things -- showed more involvement and warmth toward their kids, compared to their counterparts," she said.

Not surprisingly, children benefited from these warmer interactions with their dads.

"Fathers using constructive conflict resolution led to more parental involvement, which led to more positive child development," Kramer said. "Destructive conflict has the opposite effect on kids."

In the end, Gong says parents shouldn't shy away from conflict. Instead, what's more important is to find constructive resolution strategies that minimize stress and maintain a father's ability to interact warmly with his children.

"If we could have more clinical or educational programs that teach parents how to openly communicate with each other, how to listen to each other, and maintain good relationships with family members, it might be effective in promoting healthier family and child development," Gong said. "It's also important to not only consider the amount of parenting, but the quality of parenting. Even if fathers have a lot of involvement, if their warmth is super low, that might not be beneficial for the child."

Kramer adds that although the study focused exclusively on married couples, fathers in other family arrangements can still learn from the study.

"These lessons don't only apply to married couples. In fact, I would say they are even more important when you are not living together, or you're separated or divorced," she said. "You might have even more conflict in those cases, so the process of solving it might be even more important to the development of the child."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230614220533.htm

Larry Minikes 7/21/23 Larry Minikes 7/21/23

New study links contraceptive pills and depression

June 12, 2023

Science Daily/Uppsala University

Women who used combined contraceptive pills were at greater risk of developing depression than women who did not, according to a new study. Contraceptive pills increased women's risk by 73 per cent during the first two years of use.

In a global perspective, depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability. More than 264 million people are affected and at least 25 per cent of all women and 15 per cent of all men experience a depression that requires treatment at some point during their life.

The possibility that contraceptive pills might have negative effects on mental health and even lead to depression has long been discussed. Although many women choose to stop using contraceptive pills because of the influence on their mood, until now the picture emerging from research has not been straightforward. This study is one of the largest and widest-ranging to date, following more than a quarter of a million women from UK Biobank from birth to menopause.

The researchers collected data about women's use of contraceptive pills, the time at which they were first diagnosed with depression and when they first experienced symptoms of depression without receiving a diagnosis. The method of contraception studied was combined contraceptive pills, which contain progestogen, a compound resembling the hormone progesterone, and oestrogen. Progestogen prevents ovulation and thickens the cervical mucus to prevent sperms from entering the uterus, while oestrogen thins the uterine lining to hinder the implantation of a fertilised egg.

"Although contraception has many advantages for women, both medical practitioners and patients should be informed about the side-effects identified in this and previous research," says Therese Johansson of the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University, one of the researchers leading the study.

According to the study, women who began to use contraceptive pills as teenagers had a 130 per cent higher incidence of symptoms of depression, while the corresponding increase among adult users was 92 per cent.

"The powerful influence of contraceptive pills on teenagers can be ascribed to the hormonal changes caused by puberty. As women in that age group have already experienced substantial hormonal changes, they can be more receptive not only to hormonal changes but also to other life experiences," Johansson says.

The researchers were also able to see that the increased incidence of depression declined when the women continued to use contraceptive pills after the first two years. However, teenage users of contraceptive pills still had an increased incidence of depression even after stopping using the pill, which was not observed in adult users of contraceptive pills.

"It is important to emphasise that most women tolerate external hormones well, without experiencing negative effects on their mood, so combined contraceptive pills are an excellent option for many women. Contraceptive pills enable women to avoid unplanned pregnancies and they can also prevent illnesses that affect women, including ovarian cancer and uterine cancer. However, certain women may have an increased risk of depression after starting to use contraceptive pills."

The findings of the study point to a need for healthcare professionals to be more aware of possible links between different systems in the body, such as depression and the use of contraceptive pills. The researchers conclude that it is important for care providers to inform women who are considering using contraceptive pills of the potential risk of depression as a side-effect of the medicine.

"Since we only investigated combined contraceptive pills in this study, we cannot draw conclusions about other contraceptive options, such as mini pills, contraceptive patches, hormonal spirals, vaginal rings or contraceptive rods. In a future study, we plan to examine different formulations and methods of administration. Our ambition in comparing different contraceptive methods is to give women even more information to help them take well-informed decisions about their contraceptive options," Johansson says.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230612114717.htm

Larry Minikes 7/21/23 Larry Minikes 7/21/23

Male babies 'talk' more in the first year than female babies do

May 31, 2023

Science Daily/Cell Press

Young babies make many squeals, vowel-like sounds, growls, and short word-like sounds such as "ba" or "aga." Those precursors to speech or "protophones" are later replaced with early words and, eventually, whole phrases and sentences. While some infants are naturally more "talkative" than others, a new study reported in iScience on May 31 confirms that there are differences between males and females in the number of those sounds.

In general, they found that male infants "talk" more than female infants in the first year. While the research confirms earlier findings from a much smaller study by the same team, they still come as a surprise. That's because there's a common and long-held belief that females have a reliable advantage over males in language. They also have interesting implications for the evolutionary foundations of language, the researchers say.

"Females are believed widely to have a small but discernible advantage over males in language," says D. Kimbrough Oller of the University of Memphis, Tennessee. "But in the first year, males have proven to produce more speech-like vocalization than females."

Male infants' apparent early advantage in language development doesn't last however. "While boys showed higher rates of vocalization in the first year, the girls caught up and passed the boys by the end of the second year," Oller says.

Oller and colleagues hadn't meant to look at sex difference at all. Their primary interest is in the origins of language in infancy. If they'd had to guess, they'd have predicted female infants might make more sounds than males. But they got the same result in an earlier paper reported in Current Biologyin 2020.

In the new study, they looked to see if they could discern the same pattern in a much larger study. Oller says that the sample size in question is "enormous," including more than 450,000 hours of all-day recordings of 5,899 infants, using a device about the size of an iPod. Those recordings were analyzed automatically to count infant and adult utterances across the first 2 years of life.

"This is the biggest sample for any study ever conducted on language development, as far as we know," Oller says.

Overall, the data showed that male infants made 10% more utterances in the first year compared to females. In the second year, the difference switched directions, with female infants making about 7% more sounds than males. Those differences were observed even though the number of words spoken by adults caring for those infants was higher for female infants in both years compared to males.

The researchers say it is possible male infants are more vocal early simply because they are more active in general. But the data do not seem to support that given that the increased vocalizations in male infants go away by 16 months while their greater physical activity level does not. But the findings might fit with an evolutionary theory that infants make so many sounds early on to express their wellness and improve their own odds of surviving, Oller suggests.

Why, then, would male infants be more vocal than females in the first year and not later? "We think it may be because boys are more vulnerable to dying in the first year than girls, and given that so many male deaths occur in the first year, boys may have been under especially high selection pressure to produce vocal fitness signals," Oller says. By the second year of life, as death rates drop dramatically across the board, he added, "the pressure on special fitness signaling is lower for both boys and girls."

More study is needed to understand how caregivers react to baby sounds, according to the researchers.

"We anticipate that caregivers will show discernible reactions of interest and of being charmed by the speech-like sounds, indicators that fitness signaling by the baby elicits real feelings of fondness and willingness to invest in the well-being of infants who vocalize especially effectively," Oller says. "We wonder how caregivers will react to speech-like sounds of boys and girls. But they may have to be told which infants are which, because we don't even know if sex can be discerned in the vocalizations alone."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230531150135.htm

Larry Minikes 7/21/23 Larry Minikes 7/21/23

What marsupials can teach us about brain development

May 23, 2023

Science Daily/University of Queensland

University of Queensland research has revealed features of early human brain development are mimicked in the brains of marsupials.

Lead author Dr Rodrigo Suárez from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute and School of Biomedical Sciences, said the finding could lead to a better understanding of brain patterns linked to neurodevelopmental conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

"Marsupials are mammals born at extremely early stages -- the equivalent to mid-gestation in human terms," Dr Suárez said.

"Most marsupial brain development happens postnatally, inside the mothers' pouch.

"Because of this, we've been able to study patterns of neural activity in the Australian native fat-tailed dunnart and found they're similar to those in the human brain in utero."

The research used light indicators to record the electrical activity of neurons in marsupial joeys.

"We followed the onset and maturation of complex activity patterns, using advanced microscopy to read how the joey's developing brain cells first communicate," Dr Suárez said.

"There were distinct patterns from the outset indicating not only that neural activity begins before sensory experience, but that unique electrical features in newborn cells might be crucial for the healthy establishment of brain connections.

"Likewise, subtle defects in these patterns could lead to neurodevelopmental conditions like ASD."

Dr Suárez said it was well established that human babies respond to stimulation well before birth.

"But exactly when, where and how electrical activity begins in the developing brain has remained largely unknown," he said.

"This is mostly because only mammals have evolved a cerebral cortex -- the wrinkly surface of our brains that controls sensory motor and cognitive tasks -- and most experimental models can't survive at such early stages outside the uterus."

Dr Suárez said studying marsupials could help researchers go further back in brain evolution.

"These findings highlight early processes of brain development that arose millions of years ago, and are ongoing with little change, likely influencing the evolution and diversification of the cerebral cortex."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230523123734.htm

Larry Minikes 5/19/23 Larry Minikes 5/19/23

Poor air quality linked to cognitive problems in babies

April 24, 2023

Science Daily/University of East Anglia

Poor air quality could be causing cognitive deficits in babies and toddlers, according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

A new study published today reveals an association between poor air quality in India and impaired cognition in infants under two.

Without action, the negative impact on children's long-term brain development could have consequences for life.

Lead researcher Prof John Spencer, from UEA's School of Psychology, said: "Prior work has shown that poor air quality is linked to cognitive deficits in children, as well as to emotional and behavioural problems, which can have a severe impact on families.

"Very small particulate fragments in the air are a major concern as they can move from the respiratory tract into the brain.

"Until now, studies had failed to show a link between poor air quality and cognitive problems in babies, when brain growth is at its peak and the brain may be particularly sensitive to toxins. Our study is the first to show this association.

"We worked with families in rural India to see how in-home air quality affects infants' cognition."

The team collaborated with the Community Empowerment Lab in Lucknow, India -- a global health research and innovation organization that works with rural communities to engage in science collaboratively.

They worked with families from a range of socio-economic backgrounds in Shivgarh, a rural community in Uttar Pradesh -- one of the states in India that has been most strongly impacted by poor air quality.

They assessed the visual working memory and visual processing speed of 215 infants using a specially-designed cognition task from October 2017 to June 2019.

On one display, the tots were shown flashing coloured squares that were always the same after each 'blink'. On a second display, one coloured square changed after each blink.

Prof Spencer said: "This task capitalises on infant's tendency to look away from something that's visually familiar and towards something new. We were interested in whether infants could detect the changing side and how well they did as we made the task harder by including more squares on each display."

The team used air quality monitors in the children's homes to measure emission levels and air quality. They also took into account and controlled for family socio-economic status.

"This research shows for the first time that there is an association between poor air quality and impaired visual cognition in the first two years of life, when brain growth is at its peak," said Prof Spencer.

"Such impacts could carry forward across years, negatively impacting long-term development.

"Reversely, our research indicates that global efforts to improve air quality could have benefits to infants' emerging cognitive abilities.

"This, in turn, could have a cascade of positive impacts because improved cognition can lead to improved economic productivity in the long term and reduce the burden on healthcare and mental health systems.

One key factor the team measured was the cooking fuel commonly used at home.

"We found that air quality was poorer in homes that used solid cooking materials like cow dung cake," he added. "Therefore, efforts to reduce cooking emissions in homes should be a key target for intervention."

Consistent with this aim and with the goal of improving maternal and child health, the Government of India has launched a national-level flagship program called the "Ujjwala Yojana" -- a scheme that brings LPG fuel to women below the poverty line across the entire country.

This research was led by the University of East Anglia in collaboration with Durham University, the Community Empowerment Lab in Lucknow (India) and Brown University (US).

'Poor air quality is associated with impaired visual cognition in the first two years of life: a longitudinal investigation' is published in the journal eLife.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230424223140.htm

Larry Minikes 5/19/23 Larry Minikes 5/19/23

Impact of maternal stress during pregnancy on child's health

First-of-its-kind research could provide key insight to fetal neurodevelopment

April 20, 2023

Science Daily/University of Cincinnati

New research out of the University of Cincinnati examines the impact that maternal stress during pregnancy has on the neurodevelopment of babies.

The study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Prenatal maternal stress life events are associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. Biological mechanisms underlying these associations are largely unknown, but a chemical reaction in the body in which a small molecule known as a methyl group gets added to DNA, called DNA methylation, likely plays a role, according to researchers. These findings could provide new insights into how the fetal environment potentially influences not only neurodevelopment, but metabolism and immunologic functions as well.

More than 5,500 people took part in the study with that population broken down into 12 separate cohorts, according to Anna Ruehlmann, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences in the UC College of Medicine and lead author of the research.

"Our study is the first to look at such a large sample size and examine the entire epigenome, so it's not just looking at the stress control genes as in previous studies, it's looking at all the epigenomic sites available right now that you can study," she says.

The research examines five separate categories of stress that expectant moms face during pregnancy. They are financial stress, conflict with a partner, conflict with a family member or friend, abuse (including physical, emotional and mental) and death of a friend or relative, plus a cumulative score that combines all the categories.

"We found that when mom experienced a cumulative amount of stress during pregnancy, there was, in fact, an association with DNA methylation in umbilical cord blood, which is a kind of epigenetic modification in the baby that's developing in the womb," Ruehlmann says. "An epigenetic modification is something that doesn't change the sequence of the DNA, however the DNA is modified which is something that's dynamic and can change in response to environmental exposures. Therefore, it's something that can be turned on or off later in the child's life or something that can maybe not do anything, it's still unknown. It's thought to be a mechanism of gene expression control."

Ruehlmann says another unknown is how this process impacts children once they are born.

"We found five specific locations of DNA methylation with three different maternal stressors during pregnancy," she says. "One was cumulative stress and the stressor specific domains of con?ict with family/friends, abuse (physical, sexual and emotional) and death of a close friend/relative that were associated with DNA methylation in the developing fetus. These were occurring in genes that have shown to be involved in neurodevelopment. The next steps are to do some functional analyses to see how these genes really work and how the DNA methylation affects their expression."

Ruehlmann describes the process as being a huge puzzle.

"Epigenetic modifications are a very dynamic process, there are a lot of changes that can happen in response to environmental factors," she says. "What you're seeing biologically at the beginning of fetal development you might not see the outcome of until later on during a child's development. It's fascinating as a biologist to begin to uncover some of the biological clues to how neurodevelopment is affected during fetal development. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle that have yet to be connected. It's very exciting."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230420110138.htm

Larry Minikes 5/19/23 Larry Minikes 5/19/23

Drinking alcohol while breastfeeding impacts health of newborns

UC Riverside mouse study shows how offspring brain and behavioral development is impacted by early life alcohol exposure

April 19, 2023

Science Daily/University of California - Riverside

Studies have shown that consuming alcohol during pregnancy can alter the brain and behavioral development of gestating offspring. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and state that there is no known safe level of consumption. What are the consequences, however, of mothers consuming alcohol while breastfeeding?

A research team at the University of California, Riverside, performed a mouse study to find out.

Led by Kelly Huffman, a professor of psychology, the team found that infants' exposure to alcohol through breastmilk can have long-lasting effects on their development. Specifically, young mice that were exposed to alcohol during early development show smaller body and brain growth, as well as decreased cortical lengths -- a measure of brain size. The study appears in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Research shows approximately 36% of breastfeeding mothers in the United States consume alcohol. In Canada and Australia, the numbers are 20% and 60%, respectively. Women who consume alcohol during pregnancy are more likely to drink while breastfeeding. Also, many women who choose to abstain from drinking during pregnancy report beginning to drink again shortly after giving birth.

The researchers focused on lactational ethanol exposure, or LEE, and developed a novel postnatal alcohol exposure model in breastfeeding mice. In this mouse model, offspring were exposed to ethanol via nursing from postnatal day (P) 6 through P20 (weaning), a period equivalent to infancy in humans.

Compared to controls, LEE mice had reduced body and brain weights, as well as decreased neocortical lengths at wean continuing through to early puberty (age P30). Brain weights were reduced in both ages for males, and at P20 for females; however, P30 female brain weights recovered to control levels. This discovery provides evidence towards sex-specific differences due to LEE.

"The reduced body weights in both males and females at P20 and P30 are reflected in human studies in which children exposed to ethanol through contaminated breast milk have lower body weights and growth trajectories," Huffman said. According to her, the reduction of body and brain weights may be explained by the gut's inability to efficiently extract nutrients when alcohol is ingested. A decrease in protein synthesis in the small intestine may block absorption of micro- and macronutrients.

With regard to how the behavioral development of the LEE mice is affected, Huffman said behavioral tests her team performed on LEE mice suggest they engage in higher risk-taking behavior and show abnormal stress regulation and increased hyperactivity.

"Thus, women should refrain from consuming alcohol during breastfeeding until more research can help recommend safe maternal practices in early infancy," she added.

Although researchers also advocate for women abstaining from alcohol consumption also during the prenatal period, Huffman said there are conflicting views about appropriate, safe drinking behaviors during the breastfeeding period.

"We are aware of the disconnect between conclusions drawn from scientific literature and behaviors in many new mothers," she said.

Fetal alcohol exposure, from maternal consumption during pregnancy, has been a subject of investigation for about 50 years. Huffman's laboratory at UCR has made groundbreaking discoveries, including that Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, or FASD, can be heritable, passing transgenerationally to at least the third generation.

"We hope our work will increase public awareness of safe maternal practices," Huffman said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230419201925.htm

Larry Minikes 5/18/23 Larry Minikes 5/18/23

High blood pressure during pregnancy linked to thinking problems later

Study finds even greater risk in those with preeclampsia, eclampsia

March 1, 2023

Science Daily/American Academy of Neurology

High blood pressure disorders during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of thinking problems later in life, according to a study published in the March 1, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers found that those with these disorders had a higher risk of cognitive problems in later life than those who did not have high blood pressure during pregnancy. They also found that those with preeclampsia, which is high blood pressure that develops halfway through pregnancy and usually involves the kidneys and other organs, may have an even greater risk of cognitive decline later in life, compared to those with gestational high blood pressure, a condition with high blood pressure in pregnancy but without affecting the kidneys or other organs.

"While high blood pressure during pregnancy, including preeclampsia, is recognized as a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, our study suggests that it may also be a risk factor for cognitive decline in later life," said study author Michelle M. Mielke, PhD, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study involved 2,239 female participants with an average age of 73. Researchers looked at medical records for information about previous pregnancies.

Of the participants, 1,854 people or 83% had at least one pregnancy, and 385 people or 17% never had a pregnancy or had a pregnancy of less than 20 weeks. Of those with pregnancies longer than 20 weeks, 100 had gestational high blood pressure, 147 had preeclampsia or eclampsia and 1,607 had normal blood pressure. Preeclampsia is when there is excess protein in the urine during pregnancy. Eclampsia is when high blood pressure during pregnancy causes one or more seizures, sometimes followed by a coma.

For the study, participants took nine memory and thinking tests every 15 months over an average of five years. The tests measured thinking and memory skills including global cognition, processing speed, executive function, language and visual perception.

Overall, researchers found that those with high blood pressure during pregnancy had a greater decline than those without high blood pressure during pregnancy and those who had not given birth on tests of global cognition, attention, executive function and language.

After adjusting for age and education, the average composite score of all memory and thinking tests of participants with any type of high blood pressure disorder had a decline of 0.3 points compared to those who did not have high blood pressure during pregnancy with a decline of 0.05 points. When looking at different types of high blood pressure disorders, those with preeclampsia had a decline of 0.04 points compared to those with other blood pressure disorders and those with no blood pressure disorders, which both had a decline of 0.05.

After adjusting for age and education, those with high blood pressure in pregnancy declined 0.4 standard deviation over five years on tests of executive function and attention, compared to those who had normal blood pressure for all pregnancies and declined only 0.1 standard deviation. These results were more pronounced for those who had preeclampsia, with a 0.5 standard deviation decrease on tests of executive function and attention compared to a 0.1 decrease for those who had normal blood pressure for all pregnancies.

"More research is needed to confirm our findings. However, these results suggest that managing and monitoring blood pressure during and after pregnancy is an important factor for brain health later in life," Mielke said.

A limitation of the study is that most of the participants were white, so results may not be generalizable to more diverse populations that have higher rates of high blood pressure in pregnancy.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230301162703.htm

Larry Minikes 5/17/23 Larry Minikes 5/17/23

Discovery could explain why women are more likely to get Alzheimer's

December 14, 2022

Science Daily/Scripps Research Institute

Scientists at Scripps Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found a clue to the molecular cause of Alzheimer's -- a clue that may also explain why women are at greater risk for the disease.

In the study, reported on December 14, 2022, in Science Advances, the researchers found that a particularly harmful, chemically modified form of an inflammatory immune protein called complement C3 was present at much higher levels in the brains of women who had died with the disease, compared to men who had died with the disease. They also showed that estrogen -- which drops in production during menopause -- normally protects against the creation of this form of complement C3.

"Our new findings suggest that chemical modification of a component of the complement system helps drive Alzheimer's, and may explain, at least in part, why the disease predominantly affects women," says study senior author Stuart Lipton, MD, PhD, professor and Step Family Foundation Endowed Chair in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research and a clinical neurologist in La Jolla, California.

The study was a collaboration with a team led by Steven Tannenbaum, PhD, Post Tenure Underwood-Prescott Professor of Biological Engineering, Chemistry and Toxicology at MIT.

Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia that occurs with aging, currently afflicts about six million people in the U.S. alone. It is always fatal, usually within a decade of onset, and there is no approved treatment that can halt the disease process, let alone reverse it. The shortcomings of treatments reflect the fact that scientists have never fully understood how Alzheimer's develops. Scientists also don't know fully why women account for nearly two-thirds of cases.

Lipton's lab studies biochemical and molecular events that may underlie neurodegenerative diseases, including the chemical reaction that forms a modified type of complement C3 -- a process called protein S-nitrosylation. Lipton and his colleagues previously discovered this chemical reaction, which happens when a nitric oxide (NO)-related molecule binds tightly to a sulfur atom (S) on a particular amino acid building-block of proteins to form a modified "SNO-protein." Protein modifications by small clusters of atoms such as NO are common in cells and typically activate or deactivate a target protein's functions. For technical reasons, S-nitrosylation has been more difficult to study than other protein modifications, but Lipton suspects that "SNO-storms" of these proteins could be a key contributor to Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders.

For the new study, the researchers used novel methods for detecting S-nitrosylation to quantify proteins modified in 40 postmortem human brains. Half of the brains were from people who had died of Alzheimer's, and half were from people who hadn't -- and each group was divided equally between males and females.

In these brains, the scientists found 1,449 different proteins that had been S-nitrosylated. Among the proteins most often modified in this way, there were several that have already been tied to Alzheimer's, including complement C3. Strikingly, the levels of S-nitrosylated C3 (SNO-C3) were more than six-fold higher in female Alzheimer's brains compared to male Alzheimer's brains.

The complement system is an evolutionarily older part of the human immune system. It consists of a family of proteins, including C3, that can activate one another to drive inflammation in what is called the "complement cascade." Scientists have known for more than 30 years that Alzheimer's brains have higher levels of complement proteins and other markers of inflammation, compared to neurologically normal brains. More recent research has shown specifically that complement proteins can trigger brain-resident immune cells called microglia to destroy synapses -- the connection points through which neurons send signals to one another. Many researchers now suspect that this synapse-destroying mechanism at least partly underlies the Alzheimer's disease process, and loss of synapses has been demonstrated to be a significant correlate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's brains.

Why would SNO-C3 be more common in female brains with Alzheimer's? There has long been evidence that the female hormone estrogen can have brain-protective effects under some conditions; thus, the researchers hypothesized that estrogen specifically protects women's brains from C3 S-nitrosylation -- and this protection is lost when estrogen levels fall sharply with menopause. Experiments with cultured human brain cells supported this hypothesis, revealing that SNO-C3 increases as estrogen (?-estradiol) levels fall, due to the activation of an enzyme that makes NO in brain cells. This increase in SNO-C3 activates microglial destruction of synapses.

"Why women are more likely to get Alzheimer's has long been a mystery, but I think our results represent an important piece of the puzzle that mechanistically explains the increased vulnerability of women as they age," Lipton says.

He and his colleagues now hope to conduct further experiments with de-nitrosylating compounds -- which remove the SNO modification -- to see if they can reduce pathology in animal models of Alzheimer's and eventually in humans.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221214180658.htm

Larry Minikes 5/17/23 Larry Minikes 5/17/23

A Mediterranean diet not only boosts health, but also improves fertility

December 13, 2022

Science Daily/University of South Australia

With an emphasis on fruits, vegetables and legumes, the Mediterranean diet has long been applauded for its multiple health benefits. Now, new research shows that it may also help overcome infertility, making it a non-intrusive and affordable strategy for couples trying to conceive.

Conducted by Monash University, the University of the Sunshine Coast, and the University of South Australia, the review found that the Mediterranean diet can improve fertility, assisted reproductive technology (ART) success, and sperm quality in men.

Specifically, researchers identified that the anti-inflammatory properties of a Mediterranean diet can improve couples' chances of conception.

Infertility is a global health concern affecting 48 million couples and 186 million individuals worldwide.

UniSA researcher, Dr Evangeline Mantzioris, says modifying preconception nutrition is a non-invasive and potentially effective means for improving fertility outcomes.

"Deciding to have a baby is one of life's biggest decisions, but if things don't go as planned, it can be very stressful for both partners," Dr Mantzioris says.

"Research shows inflammation can affect fertility for both men and women, affecting sperm quality, menstrual cycles, and implantation. So, in this study we wanted to see how a diet that reduces inflammation -- such as the Mediterranean diet -- might improve fertility outcomes.

"Encouragingly, we found consistent evidence that by adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet -- one that includes lots of polyunsaturated or 'healthy' fats, flavonoids (such as leafy green vegetables), and a limited amount of red and processed meat -- we can improve fertility."

The Mediterranean diet is primarily plant-based, and includes whole grains, extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts, herbs, and spices. Yoghurt, cheese, and lean protein sources such as fish, chicken, or eggs; red and processed meats are only eaten in small amounts.

In comparison, a western diet comprises excessive saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, and animal proteins, making it energy-dense and lacking dietary fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Typically, a western diet is associated with higher levels of inflammation.

Monash University researcher, Simon Alesi, says understanding the association between anti-inflammatory diets such as the Mediterranean diet, and fertility, could be a gamechanger for couples hoping to start a family.

"The Mediterranean diet is consistently ranked among the healthiest diets in the world. But knowing that it may also boost your chances of conceiving and having a baby is extremely promising," Alesi says.

"Modifying your diet is a non-intrusive and affordable strategy that could potentially improve infertility.

"Of course, more research needs to be done, but at the very least, shifting to a Mediterranean diet will not only improve your overall health, but also your chances of conceiving."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221213094801.htm

Larry Minikes 5/17/23 Larry Minikes 5/17/23

Pregnant moms' stress may accelerate cell aging of white, not Black, kids

December 2, 2022

Science Daily/University of California - San Francisco

Does stress during pregnancy impact children's cell aging, and does race matter? The answer is yes, according to a new UC San Francisco study published Dec. 2 in Psychological Medicine.

UCSF researchers followed 110 white and 112 Black women from age 10 to about 40 as well as their first child (average age 8) to understand stress influences on the women's health and its effects on their children.

What they found surprised them. Financial stress during pregnancy, such as job loss and the inability to pay bills, was linked to accelerated cellular aging of white children but not Black children.

"Ours is the first study we know of that examined effects of stressor type and timing on this aspect of health for white and Black mothers and their children," said lead study author Stefanie Mayer, PhD, UCSF assistant professor of psychiatry at the Weill Institute for Neurosciences. "We can speculate on the reasons for the results, but the truth is we need to do more research to understand them."

Cellular age can be measured by the length of one's telomeres, the protective DNA caps at the end of chromosomes. Telomere length naturally shortens with age, and shorter telomeres predict earlier onset of illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes as well as earlier death.

Previous studies showed that prenatal stressors are linked to shorter offspring telomeres, but those studies comprised mostly white mothers. The UCSF study recruited an equal number of white and Black mothers, and examined how stressors that occurred during their adolescence (pre-pregnancy), pregnancy and throughout their lifespan affected their children's telomeres.

No Effect Seen Outside Prenatal Period

The telomere effect in white children was seen only for stressors during pregnancy -- not adolescence or across the lifespan. Non-financial stressors, such as divorce or death of a loved one, had no observable telomere effect on children of either race.

While the reason for the difference in prenatal results by race is unknown, researchers offered several possibilities. One is that coping strategies developed by Black women may reduce the impact of maternal stress.

"We must continue to study and understand how stress -- and resilience to stress -- is transmitted in Black mothers, as well as in other understudied racial-ethnic communities," Mayer said. "Understanding how racial disparities in health originate and transmit across generations is a critical public health issue."

Prenatal Support is Key

More research is also needed to understand definitively whether and how pregnancy stress affects Black children's telomeres, as the stress measures used in this study may not have captured the unique stressors of Black women, such as discrimination and institutionalized racism, noted Elissa Epel, PhD, the study's senior author and UCSF professor of psychiatry at Weill Institute for Neurosciences.

"Given racial health disparities and the role of stress in other important pregnancy health outcomes, such as birth weight and preterm birth, it is critical to support all women during this important period," said Epel. "We must work harder to identify women with high levels of toxic stress and social adversity to provide interventions that address not just feelings of stress and depression but issues such as food insecurity, financial strain and housing instability."

Mindfulness interventions can reduce stress and depression during pregnancy and for years after, UCSF researchers reported this week in a separate study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221202124830.htm

Larry Minikes 5/17/23 Larry Minikes 5/17/23

Prenatal wellness classes cut moms' depression in half up to eight years later

November 30, 2022

Science Daily/University of California - San Francisco

A low-cost, prenatal intervention benefits mothers' mental health up to eight years later, a new UC San Francisco study finds.

In the study, one of the first to look at outcomes so far into the future, pregnant women who participated in a group wellness class that met weekly for eight weeks were half as likely to be depressed eight years later compared to women who received standard care, according to the study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Previous research on the same group of women found the intervention also cut their short-term risk of depression and diabetes, and supported healthier stress responses in their children.

"Given the economic and social burden of maternal depression and its potential impact on offspring, our findings suggest a meaningful benefit of a modest investment during pregnancy that supports well-being across two generations," said Danielle Roubinov, PhD, UCSF assistant professor of psychiatry and first author of the study.

The eight-week class intervention, led by Elissa Epel, PhD, UCSF professor of psychiatry and her team, involved groups of eight to 10 pregnant women who met for two hours a week to practice mindfulness-based stress reduction exercises, focusing especially on mindful eating, breathing and movement. They were led through group lessons and activities by a master's degree-level health professional. The women also received two phone sessions and a postpartum "booster" group session with their infants.

BIPOC Study Participants Were Priority

Historically, most studies on prenatal depression have comprised primarily white women -- but not this one, noted Nicki Bush, PhD, professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and senior author on the study.

"Our participants were lower-income, racially and ethnically diverse women who are systemically exposed to factors that put them at risk for depression, such as racism and economic hardship," Bush said. "Also, the final years of the study were during the COVID-19 pandemic, when depression rates were higher for everyone, and the burden placed on communities of color was even greater. Even so, the treatment effects held up."

In the study, 162 women were assigned to either the intervention group or standard care group. The women's depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) before the wellness intervention classes, after the wellness classes, and 1, 2, 3-4, 5, 6 and 8 years later.

Though both groups of women had equal symptoms of depression before the class, 12 percent of the women who were part of the wellness class reported moderate or severe depressive symptoms at the eight-year mark compared to 25 percent of the women who received standard care, which was a consistent pattern throughout the years.

"Mindfulness practice is known to help alleviate stress in many situations and can meaningfully affect coping and health, and it seems here that it was particularly powerful during pregnancy, with enduring effects," Bush said. "Our sense is that the community connections and social support involved with the (wellness class) group were therapeutic as well."

Stress Management, Nutrition and Exercise During Pregnancy

The researchers are currently collecting additional data to better understand how the intervention had such a long-term effect. Potential mechanisms include long-term changes in coping and stress reactivity, nutrition, and exercise.

Up to 27 percent of pregnant women suffer prenatal depression, which is predictive of postnatal depression. Maternal depression is also associated with social, emotional and cognitive deficits in offspring.

"This dramatic demonstration of both short-term reduction of depressive symptoms and long-term prevention of more severe maternal depression, even during the pandemic, is remarkable, even to us researchers," Epel said. "It's likely that the effects of increased stress resilience in these women is having pervasive effects on their own health and their children. We would never have known about the durability of these changes if Dr. Bush and her team had not followed them for eight years. We already know pregnancy is a critical period and the lesson here is that we need to heavily invest in pregnancy wellness interventions."

The researchers hope the low cost and relatively short time commitment of the intervention class will make it easy to scale up to larger groups of pregnant women -- especially women of color and those with lower incomes.

"It's critical to have interventions that meet the needs of lower-income, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, who are especially likely to experience the stress of social inequities," said Roubinov. "We're excited to see how these results can be scaled to reach more women, and a more diverse pool of women."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221130151542.htm

Larry Minikes 5/17/23 Larry Minikes 5/17/23

Fear of professional backlash may keep women from speaking up at academic conferences

November 30, 2022

Science Daily/Association for Psychological Science

Academic conferences provide invaluable opportunities for researchers to present their work and receive feedback from attendees during question-and-answer sessions. Women are less likely to ask questions during these sessions, however, and research in Psychological Science suggests that this may be due to anxiety about how colleagues will receive their comments.

Addressing these concerns could help women academics contribute more proportionally to the scientific process, said lead author Shoshana N. Jarvis (University of California, Berkeley), who conducted the research with Charles R. Ebersole (American Institutes for Research), Christine Q. Nguyen, Minwan Zhu, and Laura J. Kray (University of California, Berkeley).

"More men participate in Q&A sessions compared to what we would expect based on who's in the audience. When asked, men say they are more comfortable participating, and women are more afraid of experiencing backlash for their participation," Jarvis said in an interview.

In the first of two studies, Jarvis and colleagues observed recordings of 193 Q&A interactions that occurred following 32 research talks at a single-track interdisciplinary conference. Approximately 63% of the conference's 375 attendees identified as men and 35% identified as women, according to attendees' conference registrations, survey responses, pronoun listings on personal websites, appearances, and names. The remaining 2% of attendees were excluded from the analysis because they identified as nonbinary or the researchers could not determine their gender.

In line with previous research on how gender influences conference participation, 78% of Q&A interactions were found to be initiated by men stepping up to the microphone, whereas women did so just 22% of the time. Men were also more likely than women to be one of the first four audience members to participate in a Q&A session.

Gender was not found to significantly influence attendees' behavior when they did ask questions, however. Research assistants who were unaware of what Jarvis and colleagues were studying rated men and women attendees as equally likely to challenge other researchers by questioning their expertise or the quality of their work. Men and women were also rated as equally likely to perform polite behaviors such as thanking a speaker for sharing their research or complimenting their work. Additionally, attendees were 24% more likely to be rated as polite when the speaker they were addressing was a woman, regardless of their own gender.

"When people are in power, they use that power to display dominant behaviors and disproportionately occupy space," as has historically been the case with men in academia, Jarvis and colleagues wrote. "Men's dominance in Q&A sessions seems to be driven by their greater willingness to jump into the discussion rather than in how they communicate while at the microphone."

In the second study, Jarvis and colleagues surveyed researchers by email 6 months after they attended a psychology conference in the United States. The surveys were completed by 234 conference attendees, of whom 69% were women and 28% were men. The remaining 3% of respondents were excluded from the analysis because they were nonbinary or did not disclose their gender on the survey.

The survey results showed that women respondents reported being less comfortable participating in Q&A sessions and more likely to fear experiencing professional backlash if they did participate. Women and men were equally likely to report holding back questions, but they gave different reasons for doing so: Women were more likely to hold back because of anxiety, but men did so to allow other people time to ask questions.

"While we expected men to ask more questions than women, we were surprised to learn that men report holding back questions to make space for other people. Despite this level of self-awareness, it does not seem to be enough to mitigate the collective gender differences," Jarvis said.

Future work could extend these findings by exploring how race and other identities may influence conference attendees' willingness to participate in Q&A sessions, as well as what changes could help mitigate gender differences in participation, Jarvis and colleagues concluded.

"By understanding the psychological barriers impacting women's participation in Q&A sessions, we set the stage to begin work toward structural changes that would create a more equitable space for scientific discourse," the researchers wrote.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221130151540.htm

Larry Minikes 5/17/23 Larry Minikes 5/17/23

Pregnant women's cannabis usage in legalized U.S. states raises calls for screening

November 29, 2022

Science Daily/Taylor & Francis Group

Pregnant women living in US states where cannabis is legal must be screened for the drug, for the health of both mother and baby, claim scientists who in a new national study have found that they are far more likely to use the substance.

Published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the peer-reviewed research shows pregnant women were around 4.6 times more likely to report using cannabis, where it is legal for medical and recreation, compared to where CBD is only allowed.

A large proportion of women reported using the drug for medical purposes, which is in keeping with "a growing body of evidence" that suggests in order to alleviate pregnancy symptoms cannabis is being used as a substitute for medical drugs in legalized areas.

"Therefore it is increasingly important to evaluate the risk-benefit profile of cannabis as compared to other medical treatments to understand any potential therapeutic indications for cannabis use in pregnancy," says Lead Author Kathak Vachhani, who was a student in the Keenan Research Summer Student Program at St. Michael's Hospital, a site of Unity Health Toronto, when the research was conducted.

The team is calling for prenatal and primary care providers to screen and counsel patients regarding cannabis use in pregnancy, particularly in states where it is legal, for the potential effects on fetal development.

They also state public messaging "around the risks" of cannabis in pregnancy is "particularly relevant now," as many states have recently implemented cannabis laws and established cannabis markets.

The legalization of cannabis products has increased exponentially in the last decade in the United States. The legalization has been piecemeal -- states variously allow the use of cannabidiol (CBD) products, the use of medically prescribed cannabis, the use of cannabis for recreational purposes, or some combination thereof. Use of these products has risen among all demographics.

Among the least studied are pregnant women. Because cannabis has been known to be used to treat some symptoms associated with pregnancy -- notably nausea and vomiting.

Here, the team used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 2017 to 2020 to analyze the consumption of cannabis by 1,992 pregnant women.

While previous studies have examined the use of cannabis by pregnant women in restricted geographic areas and under particular legislative parameters, this study involved a broader dataset to compare use across legalization frameworks in 27 states.

The authors found self-reported use was "significantly higher" in pregnant women residing in states that allow medical and adult use, compared to those residing in states with restricted use.

"The unweighted dataset consisted of 426 CBD-only, 1,114 medical, and 394 reactional group respondents," they claim. Weights were applied to each datapoint to obtain the population they represented. Of this weighted data, 2.4% from CBD-only regions reported cannabis use, while 7.1% from medical regions and 6.9% from adult-use regions reported the same. Respondents from the medical and recreational areas were 4.5 and 4.7 times more likely to use cannabis than those in CBD-only areas.

Most respondents who reported cannabis use smoked it partially or mostly for recreational purposes. "Mode of intake and reason for consumption did not differ between state groups," the authors observe.

But what impact is this having on the mother or the fetus?

Previous studies have shown that medical cannabis usage during pregnancy can be effective for nausea and vomiting. Medical cannabis may be suitable to treat pregnancy-specific conditions which, if untreated, could be more harmful to the fetus than cannabis.

However, safe usage depends on having a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and risks of cannabis when weighed against the risks of untreated or refractory conditions such as hyperemesis gravidarum.

Therefore, more research is needed, states Vachhani, who is also from the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

"Cannabis is a complex substance and its use is further complicated by factors such as the form of intake and frequency of use.

"From the mother's health standpoint, our current understanding is rudimentary regarding the complex

interplay between use (whether CBD or THC-based) and long-term health outcomes for the mother.

"There is currently no accepted therapeutic indication or safe amount of cannabis that may be consumed during pregnancy.

"Although further studies may lead to an accepted therapeutic indication, based on the current consensus the positive association between cannabis use and legalization found in our study warrants further inquiry."

The analysis carried out here was limited by a relatively small sample size, a lack of information regarding timing of use in pregnancy, lack of information about the chemical composition of cannabis consumed, and the potential for self-reporting biases.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221129112845.htm

Larry Minikes 5/17/23 Larry Minikes 5/17/23

Good sleep can increase women's work ambitions

October 31, 2022

Science Daily/Science Daily/Washington State University

A study indicated that sleep quality impacted women's mood and changed how they felt about advancing in their careers. Meanwhile, men's aspirations were not impacted by sleep quality. The researchers discovered this finding in a two-week-long survey study of 135 full-time workers in the U.S. Each day the participants first noted how well they had slept and the quality of their current mood, and then later in the day how they felt about striving for more status and responsibility at work. Both men and women reported good and bad sleep quality over the course of the study, notably with no gender difference in reported sleep quality. However, women more often reported lowered intentions to pursue more status at work on days following a night of poor sleep.

If women want to lean in to work, they may first want to lay down for a good night's rest. A Washington State University-led study indicated that sleep quality impacted women's mood and changed how they felt about advancing in their careers. Meanwhile, men's aspirations were not impacted by sleep quality.

The researchers discovered this finding in a two-week-long survey study of 135 workers in the U.S. Each day the participants first noted how well they had slept and the quality of their current mood, and then later in the day how they felt about striving for more status and responsibility at work.

"When women are getting a good night's sleep and their mood is boosted, they are more likely to be oriented in their daily intentions toward achieving status and responsibility at work," said lead author Leah Sheppard, an associate professor in WSU's Carson College of Business. "If their sleep is poor and reduces their positive mood, then we saw that they were less oriented toward those goals."

For the study published in the journal Sex Roles, Sheppard and co-authors Julie Kmec of WSU and Teng Iat Loi of University of Minnesota-Duluth surveyed full-time employees twice a day for two consecutive work weeks for a total of more than 2,200 observations. The participants answered questions about their previous night's sleep and current mood around noon every day and in the evenings answered questions about their intentions to pursue more responsibility, status, and influence at work.

Both men and women reported good and bad sleep quality over the course of the study, notably with no gender difference in reported sleep quality. However, women more often reported lowered intentions to pursue more status at work on days following a night of poor sleep.

The researchers can only speculate about exactly why sleep's impact on mood effects women's aspirations and not men's, but they suspect it may have to do with gender differences in emotion regulation as well as societal expectations -- or some combination of these forces.

Neuroscience research has shown that women tend to experience greater emotional re-activity and less emotion regulation than men, and this can be reinforced by cultural stereotypes of women as more emotional. At the same time, stereotypes of men as being more ambitious than women likely add more pressure for them to scale the corporate ladder, so perhaps poor sleep quality would be less likely to deter men from their work aspirations.

These findings hold some good news for women who want to advance their careers, though, Sheppard said. For instance, they might take some practical steps to improve work aspirations, ranging from practicing meditation to help with both sleep and emotion regulation to putting better boundaries on work hours -- and of course, simply striving to get better sleep.

"It's important to be able to connect aspirations to something happening outside the work environment that is controllable," she said. "There are lots of things that anyone can do to have a better night's sleep and regulate mood in general."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221031091359.htm

Larry Minikes 5/15/23 Larry Minikes 5/15/23

Good sleep can increase women's work ambitions

October 31, 2022

Science Daily/Science Daily/Washington State University

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221031091359.htm

Larry Minikes 9/6/22 Larry Minikes 9/6/22

Study calls for change in guidance about eating fish during pregnancy

September 6, 2022

Science Daily/University of Bristol

A woman's mercury level during pregnancy is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the development of the child provided that the mother eats fish,

The findings, which drew together analyses on over 4,131 pregnant mothers from the Children of the 90s study in the UK, with similar detailed studies in the Seychelles, are published in NeuroToxicology.

Importantly, the researchers also found that it does not appear to matter which types of fish are eaten because the essential nutrients in the fish could be protective against the mercury content of the fish. The more important factor was whether the woman ate fish or not. This contrasts with current advice warning pregnant women not to eat certain types of fish that have relatively high levels of mercury.

Although there are several studies that have considered this question, this research has looked at two contrasting studies of populations with mercury levels measured during pregnancy where the children were followed up at frequent intervals during their childhood.

The first is a study focused on a population in the Seychelles, where almost all pregnant women are fish eaters. The second study considered analyses of data from the University of Bristol's Children of the 90s study (also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)), based in a relatively industrialised area in south-west England where fish are consumed far less frequently. No summary of the findings from this study has been published before.

Although it has been known for some time that the children of women who eat fish in pregnancy are likely to benefit in various ways in regard to their eyesight and intellectual abilities, official advice has included the warning not to eat certain types of fish that have relatively high levels of mercury. As a result, there is the possibility that some women will stop eating any fish 'to be on the safe side'.

Dr Caroline Taylor, Senior Research Fellow and co-author of the study, said: "We found that the mother's mercury level during pregnancy is likely to have no adverse effect on the development of the child provided that the mother eats fish. If she did not eat fish, then there was some evidence that her mercury level could have a harmful effect on the child. This could be because of the benefits from the mix of essential nutrients that fish provides, including long-chain fatty acids, iodine, vitamin D and selenium."

Professor Jean Golding, co-author and Emeritus Professor of Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology at the University of Bristol, said: "It is important that advisories from health professionals revise their advice warning against eating certain species of fish. There is no evidence of harm from these fish, but there is evidence from different countries that such advice can cause confusion in pregnant women. The guidance for pregnancy should highlight 'Eat at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily' -- and omit all warnings that certain fish should not be eaten."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220906114315.htm

Larry Minikes 9/6/22 Larry Minikes 9/6/22

Frequency of premenstrual anxiety, mood swings a public health issue

More than 64% of women experience mood swings or anxiety

September 6, 2022

Science Daily/University of Virginia Health System

Premenstrual mood swings and anxiety are so common -- experienced by more than 64% of women -- that they represent a "key public health issue globally," according to a new UVA Health study.

The UVA Health study found that most women have premenstrual symptoms every menstrual cycle, and those symptoms regularly affect their day-to-day lives. One of the most common symptoms, regardless of age, is mood swings or anxiety, the researchers found. At least 61% of women in all age groups surveyed reported mood-related symptoms every menstrual cycle, which the researchers say suggests "that premenstrual mood symptoms are a key public health issue globally."

"Our study demonstrates that premenstrual mood symptoms are incredibly common worldwide," said Jennifer L. Payne, MD, the study's senior author and director of the Reproductive Psychiatry Research Program at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "More important, a majority of women reported that their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life at least some of the time."

Better Understanding Premenstrual Symptoms

To better understand the type of premenstrual symptoms women experience and how those symptoms affect their daily lives, the researchers analyzed more than 238,000 survey responses from women ages 18-55 from 140 countries on the Flo app, which helps women track their menstrual cycle or track their mood or physical symptoms during and after pregnancy.

The most common symptoms reported were food cravings, experienced by 85.28% of the women surveyed, followed by mood swings or anxiety (64.18%) and fatigue (57.3%), according to researchers from the UVA School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University and Flo Health. Among the study respondents, 28.61% said their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life during every menstrual cycle, while an additional 34.84% said their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life sometimes.

"The incidence of reported premenstrual mood and anxiety symptoms varied significantly by country from a low of 35.1% in Congo to a high of 68.6% in Egypt," Payne said. "Understanding whether differences in biology or culture underlie the country level rates will be an important future research direction."

A group of symptoms -- absentmindedness, low libido, sleep changes, gastrointestinal symptoms, weight gain, headaches, sweating or hot flashes, fatigue, hair changes, rashes and swelling -- was significantly more frequent among older survey respondents, the researchers found. The increase in physical symptoms among older survey respondents "makes sense," the researchers said, as many of these symptoms are associated with perimenopause, a transition period to menopause marked by irregular menstrual cycles.

Payne is hopeful that this survey data will help women get better care by making healthcare providers more aware of how frequently these symptoms -- especially anxiety and mood-related symptoms -- occur.

"There are a number of treatment strategies that are available to treat premenstrual symptoms that interfere with a woman's every day functioning," she said. "Increasing awareness of how common these symptoms are, and that if they impact functioning that there are treatments available, will help women improve their quality of life."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220906083535.htm

First-of-its-kind research could provide key insight to fetal neurodevelopment

UC Riverside mouse study shows how offspring brain and behavioral development is impacted by early life alcohol exposure

Study finds even greater risk in those with preeclampsia, eclampsia

MindSpa Personal Development SystemGuaranteed Results!

MindSpa Personal Development System
Guaranteed Results!