Maternal diet during pregnancy has been associated with brain development and cognitive function in offspring, but the mechanisms mediating these relationships remain poorly understood. We conducted a longitudinal neuroimaging follow-up of a prenatal birth cohort and used Food Frequency Questionnaires completed by the mother in mid-pregnancy to calculate prenatal Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and tested its relationship with brain gyrification, an index of early brain development, and IQ in young adults (n = 179, age 28-30). The longitudinal gyrification data were available for a subset of these individuals (n = 77, age 23-24). A higher maternal pro-inflammatory diet during pregnancy, as represented by higher DII, was associated with worse verbal IQ but not performance IQ in young adulthood. These findings were independent of sex and remained significant after adjusting for maternal education, maternal stressful life events during pregnancy, maternal smoking during pregnancy, prenatal supplements (e.g. folic acid, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamins), and maternal age at birth. Moreover, higher DII was associated with altered cortical gyrification in the early as well as the late 20, particularly in men. Gyrification of the anterior middle and inferior frontal gyrus mediated the relationship between prenatal DII and verbal IQ in young adulthood. These findings support the use of cortical gyrification as a proxy marker of early brain development and suggest it may underlie the relationship between maternal diet during pregnancy and its long-term impact on cognitive skills in offspring. They also have important implications for pregnant women who might be able to optimize the brain development and verbal IQ of their children through an anti-inflammatory diet.
- MeSH
- Diet * adverse effects MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Intelligence * physiology MeSH
- Intelligence Tests MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Longitudinal Studies MeSH
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Inflammation * MeSH
- Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects * MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
BACKGROUND: Nutrient deficiencies during pregnancy may affect offspring development. We aim to examine the association between prenatal vitamin B12 intake and children's cognitive development. METHODS: A total of 5151 mother-child pairs from the Czech part of ELSPAC study were included in the analysis. Dietary information was obtained during pregnancy using food frequency questionnaire. Parents reported on their child's speech and language development at 18 months, 3, 5 and 7 years. Intelligence quotient (IQ) was measured at 8 years in subcohort of 854 children. RESULTS: Children of mothers with higher vitamin B12 intake demonstrated higher scores in language (B = 0.20, 95% CI 0.06, 0.34) and talking and understanding (B = 2.39, 95% CI 0.97, 3.80) in a fully adjusted model at 18 months. Additionally, they were more likely to get maximum points in the intelligibility test at age 3 (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.01, 1.09) in unadjusted model, however, not in fully adjusted model. We found a positive effect of higher vitamin B12 intake on verbal IQ (B = 1.08, 95% CI 0.09, 2.08). CONCLUSIONS: We identified consistent associations between prenatal vitamin B12 intake and children's cognitive development. The results suggest that inadequate vitamin B12 during pregnancy may negatively affect children's cognitive development, particularly in speech and language.
- MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Intelligence * MeSH
- Intelligence Tests * MeSH
- Infant MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Child, Preschool MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Vitamin B 12 * MeSH
- Child Development MeSH
- Language Development MeSH
- Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Infant MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Child, Preschool MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czech Republic MeSH
Many legacy and emerging flame retardants (FRs) have adverse human and environmental health effects. This study reports legacy and emerging FRs in children from nine European countries from the HBM4EU aligned studies. Studies from Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Norway conducted between 2014 and 2021 provided data on FRs in blood and urine from 2136 children. All samples were collected and analyzed in alignment with the HBM4EU protocols. Ten halogenated FRs were quantified in blood, and four organophosphate flame retardants (OPFR) metabolites quantified in urine. Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) were infrequently detected (<16% of samples). BDE-47 was quantified in blood from Greece, France, and Norway, with France (0.36 ng/g lipid) having the highest concentrations. BDE-153 and -209 were detected in <40% of samples. Dechlorane Plus (DP) was quantified in blood from four countries, with notably high median concentrations of 16 ng/g lipid in Slovenian children. OPFR metabolites had a higher detection frequency than other halogenated FRs. Diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) was quantified in 99% of samples across 8 countries at levels ∼5 times higher than other OPFR metabolites (highest median in Slovenia of 2.43 ng/g lipid). FR concentrations were associated with lifestyle factors such as cleaning frequency, employment status of the father of the household, and renovation status of the house, among others. The concentrations of BDE-47 in children from this study were similar to or lower than FRs found in adult matrices in previous studies, suggesting lower recent exposure and effectiveness of PBDE restrictions.
Perinatal derivatives are drawing growing interest among the scientific community as an unrestricted source of multipotent stromal cells, stem cells, cellular soluble mediators, and biological matrices. They are useful for the treatment of diseases that currently have limited or no effective therapeutic options by means of developing regenerative approaches. In this paper, to generate a complete view of the state of the art, a comprehensive 10-years compilation of clinical-trial data with the common denominator of PnD usage has been discussed, including commercialized products. A set of criteria was delineated to challenge the 10-years compilation of clinical trials data. We focused our attention on several aspects including, but not limited to, treated disorders, minimal or substantial manipulation, route of administration, dosage, and frequency of application. Interestingly, a clear correlation of PnD products was observed within conditions, way of administration or dosage, suggesting there is a consolidated clinical practice approach for the use of PnD in medicine. No regulatory aspects could be read from the database since this information is not mandatory for registration. The database will be publicly available for consultation. In summary, the main aims of this position paper are to show possibilities for clinical application of PnD and propose an approach for clinical trial preparation and registration in a uniform and standardized way. For this purpose, a questionnaire was created compiling different sections that are relevant when starting a new clinical trial using PnD. More importantly, we want to bring the attention of the medical community to the perinatal products as a consolidated and efficient alternative for their use as a new standard of care in the clinical practice.
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Hyaluronan (HA) is a major component of peri- and extra-cellular matrices and plays important roles in many biological processes such as cell adhesion, proliferation and migration. The abundance, size distribution and presentation of HA dictate its biological effects and are also useful indicators of pathologies and disease progression. Methods to assess the molecular mass of free-floating HA and other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are well established. In many biological and technological settings, however, GAGs are displayed on surfaces, and methods to obtain the size of surface-attached GAGs are lacking. Here, we present a method to size HA that is end-attached to surfaces. The method is based on the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and exploits that the softness and thickness of films of grafted HA increase with HA size. These two quantities are sensitively reflected by the ratio of the dissipation shift (ΔD) and the negative frequency shift (- Δf) measured by QCM-D upon the formation of HA films. Using a series of size-defined HA preparations, ranging in size from ~ 2 kDa tetrasaccharides to ~ 1 MDa polysaccharides, we establish a monotonic yet non-linear standard curve of the ΔD/ - Δf ratio as a function of HA size, which reflects the distinct conformations adopted by grafted HA chains depending on their size and surface coverage. We demonstrate that the standard curve can be used to determine the mean size of HA, as well as other GAGs, such as chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate, of preparations of previously unknown size in the range from 1 to 500 kDa, with a resolution of better than 10%. For polydisperse samples, our analysis shows that the process of surface-grafting preferentially selects smaller GAG chains, and thus reduces the average size of GAGs that are immobilised on surfaces comparative to the original solution sample. Our results establish a quantitative method to size HA and other GAGs grafted on surfaces, and also highlight the importance of sizing GAGs directly on surfaces. The method should be useful for the development and quality control of GAG-based surface coatings in a wide range of research areas, from molecular interaction analysis to biomaterials coatings.
Honeybee losses have been attributed to multiple stressors and factors including the neonicotinoid insecticides (NIs). Much of the study of hive contamination has been focused upon temperate regions such as Europe, Canada and the United States. This study looks for the first time at honey, pollen and bees collected from across the Nile Delta in Egypt in both the spring and summer planting season of 2013. There is limited information upon the frequency of use of NIs in Egypt but the ratio of positive identification and concentrations of NIs are comparable to other regions. Metabolites of NIs were also monitored but given the low detection frequency, no link between matrices was possible in the study. Using a simple hazard assessment based upon published LD50values for individual neonicotinoids upon the foraging and brood workers it was found that there was a potential risk to brood workers if the lowest reported LD50was compared to the sum of the maximum NI concentrations. For non-lethal exposure there was significant risk at the worst case to brood bees but actual exposure effects are dependant upon the genetics and conditions of the Egyptian honeybee subspecies that remain to be determined.
- MeSH
- Imidazoles MeSH
- Insecticides analysis MeSH
- Environmental Pollutants analysis MeSH
- Environmental Monitoring * MeSH
- Neonicotinoids MeSH
- Pollen chemistry MeSH
- Seasons MeSH
- Bees chemistry MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Egypt MeSH
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the coherence values of the cortical bands in patients with first episode schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder during the performance of a mental arithmetic task. METHOD: We analysed EEG coherence in the resting state and subsequently while counting down from 200 in steps of 7 in 32 first episode schizophrenia patients (SZ), 32 patients with first episode schizoaffective disorder (SA) and 40 healthy controls (HC). RESULTS: Task performance in HC is characterised by decreased coherence in the alpha bands and increased coherence in the beta 2 and gamma bands in frontal sites. In SZ, coherence decreases in the alpha band, whereas in SA it substantially increases in the alpha, beta1, beta 2 and gamma bands. CONCLUSIONS: Despite no differences in performance on a behavioural level, SA patients demonstrate a paradoxical increase in both low and fast frequency bands during the performance of a mental arithmetic task, while, patients with SZ show a decreased coherence in the alpha band, presumably alluding to the excessive excitatory (in SA) and inhibitory (in SZ) mechanisms in cognitive processing. SIGNIFICANCE: The current study provides evidence for the distinction of neurophysiological mechanisms of cognitive processing between SZ and SA.
- MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Intelligence Tests MeSH
- Cognition * MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Mathematics MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Brain Waves * MeSH
- Psychotic Disorders physiopathology MeSH
- Schizophrenia physiopathology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
PURPOSE: Bone involvement represents one of the complications of end-stage chronic kidney disease, with fractures being its major risk. The aim of our study was to assess the frequency and predictors of low-trauma fractures in a cohort of maintenance hemodialysis patients followed-up on for 2 years. METHODS: 59 patients (67.6 ± 13.1 years, 43 males) treated with hemodiafiltration underwent initially laboratory (markers of calcium-phosphate metabolism and bone turnover markers) and densitometry examination with TBS assessment (Lunar Prodigy, TBS software 2.1.2). During 24-month follow-up, the frequency of low-trauma fractures was assessed and possible predictors of increased fracture risk were identified using product-moment correlation matrices. RESULTS: Altogether 7 (11.9%) low-trauma fractures were observed. In the whole group, age (P = 0.047), T-score in proximal femur (P = 0.04), low vitamin D, low BMI (P = 0.03 for both), and higher FRAX for major osteoporotic fracture (P = 0.01) were connected with fractures, but in multi-variate analysis only BMI remained significantly negatively associated with fractures (P = 0.047). TBS and bone turnover markers failed to predict fractures. However, women with fractures had significantly lower serum phosphate (P = 0.03) and higher parathyroid hormone (P = 0.04). Parameters of hip structure analysis significantly correlated with FRAX, but not with fractures. CONCLUSIONS: In a group of hemodialysis patients from one centre, T-score in proximal femur, low vitamin D, low BMI, and high FRAX for major osteoporotic fracture were associated with low-trauma fractures, however, in multi-variate analysis only low BMI remained a significant predictor of fracture risk.
- MeSH
- Acyltransferases blood MeSH
- Kidney Failure, Chronic blood therapy MeSH
- Fractures, Bone blood epidemiology MeSH
- Hemodiafiltration MeSH
- Body Mass Index * MeSH
- Bone Density MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Follow-Up Studies MeSH
- Parathyroid Hormone blood MeSH
- Escherichia coli Proteins blood MeSH
- Risk Factors MeSH
- Aged, 80 and over MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Vitamin D analogs & derivatives blood MeSH
- Check Tag
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged, 80 and over MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
The paper is devoted to the study of facial region temperature changes using a simple thermal imaging camera and to the comparison of their time evolution with the pectoral area motion recorded by the MS Kinect depth sensor. The goal of this research is to propose the use of video records as alternative diagnostics of breathing disorders allowing their analysis in the home environment as well. The methods proposed include (i) specific image processing algorithms for detecting facial parts with periodic temperature changes; (ii) computational intelligence tools for analysing the associated videosequences; and (iii) digital filters and spectral estimation tools for processing the depth matrices. Machine learning applied to thermal imaging camera calibration allowed the recognition of its digital information with an accuracy close to 100% for the classification of individual temperature values. The proposed detection of breathing features was used for monitoring of physical activities by the home exercise bike. The results include a decrease of breathing temperature and its frequency after a load, with mean values -0.16 °C/min and -0.72 bpm respectively, for the given set of experiments. The proposed methods verify that thermal and depth cameras can be used as additional tools for multimodal detection of breathing patterns.
- MeSH
- Algorithms MeSH
- Respiration * MeSH
- Image Processing, Computer-Assisted MeSH
- Motion MeSH
- Artificial Intelligence MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
In the biosynthesis of diverse natural bioactive products the adenylation domains (ADs) of nonribosomal peptide synthetases select specific precursors from the cellular pool and activate them for further incorporation into the scaffold of the final compound. Therefore, the drug discovery programs employing PCR-based screening studies of microbial collections or metagenomic libraries often use AD-coding genes as markers of relevant biosynthetic gene clusters. However, due to significant sequence diversity of ADs, the conventional approach using only one primer pair in a single screening experiment could be insufficient for maximal coverage of AD abundance. In this study, the widely used primer pair A3F/A7R was compared with the newly designed aa194F/aa413R one by 454 pyrosequencing of two sets of actinomycete strains from highly dissimilar environments: subseafloor sediments and forest soil. Individually, none of the primer pairs was able to cover the overall diversity of ADs. However, due to slightly shifted specificity of the primer pairs, the total number and diversity of identified ADs were noticeably extended when both primer pairs were used in a single assay. Additionally, the efficiency of AD detection by different primer combinations was confirmed on the model of Salinispora tropica genomic DNA of known sequence.
- MeSH
- Actinobacteria classification genetics isolation & purification MeSH
- DNA Primers * MeSH
- Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs genetics MeSH
- Consensus Sequence MeSH
- Peptide Synthases chemistry genetics MeSH
- Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
- Position-Specific Scoring Matrices MeSH
- Soil Microbiology MeSH
- High-Throughput Screening Assays * MeSH
- Base Sequence MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
