Examining the relationship of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with early language development in children.

BACKGROUND: Acetaminophen is the only analgesic considered safe for use throughout pregnancy. Recent studies suggest that use during pregnancy may be associated with poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes in children, but few have examined language development. METHODS: The Illinois Kids Development Study is a prospective birth cohort in east-central Illinois. Between December 2013 and March 2020, 532 newborns were enrolled and had exposure data available. Participants reported the number of times they took acetaminophen six times across pregnancy. Language data were collected at 26.5-28.5 months using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI; n = 298), and 36-38 months using the Speech and Language Assessment Scale (SLAS; n = 254). RESULTS: Taking more acetaminophen during the second or third trimester was associated with marginally smaller vocabularies and shorter utterance length (M3L) at 26.5-28.5 months. More acetaminophen use during the third trimester was also associated with increased odds of M3L scores ≤25th percentile in male children. More use during the second or third trimester was associated with lower SLAS scores at 36-38 months. Third trimester use was specifically related to lower SLAS scores in male children. CONCLUSIONS: Higher prenatal acetaminophen use during pregnancy may be associated with poorer early language development. IMPACT: Taking more acetaminophen during pregnancy, particularly during the second and third trimesters, was associated with poorer scores on measures of language development when children were 26.5-28.5 and 36-38 months of age. Only male children had lower scores in analyses stratified by child sex. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has used a standardized measure of language development to assess the potential impact of prenatal exposure to acetaminophen on language development. This study adds to the growing body of literature suggesting that the potential impact of acetaminophen use during pregnancy on fetal neurodevelopment should be carefully evaluated.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in a Fully Operative Dentistry Academic Center in Madrid (Spain) During the De-escalation Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Are Our Dentists at Greater Risk?

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of COVID-19 infection among dental professionals at an Academic Center in Madrid (Spain) at the beginning of the pandemic's de-escalation phase. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed. COVID-19 infection was determined by membrane-based immunoassay qualitative detection of IgG and IgM antibodies in human whole blood. Age, sex, race and professional qualification were recorded, as were symptoms compatible with COVID-19 infection whenever present. Data collected were analysed by means of descriptive and qualitative (X2) statistical analyses. RESULTS: A total of 195 individuals were included (40 administrative professionals and 155 dentists). Seroprevalence at the end of the de-escalation phase was 20.0% among all the participants. The highest prevalence was found among the orthodontists (34.8%), followed by the paediatric dentists (28.6%) and oral surgeons (14.7%). Most subjects were positive for IgG and negative for IgM (79.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among dental professionals at the end of the de-escalation phase after the first wave of the pandemic was almost double the seroprevalence of the general population. Orthodontists had the highest rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Childhood Trauma Exposure Exacerbates the Impact of Concurrent Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence on Women's Posttraumatic Symptoms.

Although it is well established that intimate partner violence (IPV) is detrimental to women's mental health, it remains unclear to what extent symptoms can be attributed to the proximal effects of IPV exposure itself as opposed to more stable scarring effects or co-occurring risk factors. Heterogeneity in the magnitude of IPV effects further suggests that IPV-exposed individuals are differentially susceptible to disorder, and an investigation of moderating factors that may make women more vulnerable is warranted. We used a prospective longitudinal study of low-income mothers followed from 3 to 18 months postpartum to distinguish the concurrent mental health effects of IPV exposure from overall person-level IPV-mental health associations, as well as to test the moderating role of prior relational traumatic experiences in the form of childhood maltreatment. Multilevel modeling results demonstrated a unique concurrent association between increasing IPV and women's posttraumatic symptoms over time, even after controlling for an overall association between mean IPV and symptom levels. The effects of concurrent IPV were heightened in women who reported a history of childhood maltreatment. Model effects were medium to large, R2 = .27-.35. The implications of these findings for the identification of and intervention with women at the highest risk for relational trauma-related mental health difficulties are discussed.

Effects of moderate, voluntary ethanol consumption on the rat and human gut microbiome.

Many alcohol-induced health complications are directly attributable to the toxicity of alcohol or its metabolites, but another potential health impact of alcohol may be on the microbial communities of the human gut. Clear distinctions between healthy and diseased-state gut microbiota have been observed in subjects with metabolic diseases, and recent studies suggest that chronic alcoholism is linked to gut microbiome dysbiosis. Here, we investigated the effects of moderate levels of alcohol consumption on the gut microbiome in both rats and humans. The gut microbiota of rats voluntarily consuming a 20 percent ethanol solution, on alternate days, were compared with a non-exposed control group to identify differential taxonomic and functional profiles. Gut microbial diversity profiles were determined using culture-independent amplification, next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic analysis of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence libraries. Our results showed that, compared with controls, ethanol-consuming rats experienced a significant decline in the biodiversity of their gut microbiomes, a state generally associated with dysbiosis. We also observed significant shifts in the overall diversity of the gut microbial communities and a dramatic change in the relative abundance of particular microbes, such as the Lactobacilli. We also compared our results to human fecal microbiome data collected as part of the citizen science American Gut Project. In contrast to the rat data, human drinkers had significantly higher gut microbial biodiversity than non-drinkers. However, we also observed that microbes that differed among the human subjects displayed similar trends in the rat model, including bacteria implicated in metabolic disease.

Effects of Moderate Ethanol Consumption on Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation Through Regulation of Gene Expression in Rats.

AIMS: Epidemiological studies and experimental data from rodent models have reported a non-linear relationship between consumption of alcohol and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk that suggests that light-to-moderate drinking as opposed to excessive consumption may provide some cardiovascular benefits. The present study examined potential mechanisms by which moderate alcohol consumption may provide a protective effect against CVD. SHORT SUMMARY: Wistar rats exposed for 3 months to a 20% ethanol intermittent-access voluntary drinking paradigm displayed a reduction in epididymal fat, blood glucose and non-HDL and total cholesterol. These effects were accompanied by decreased expression of Hmgcr, Srebp-2, Cox-2 and RelA, indicating downregulation of genes involved in cholesterol synthesis and inflammation. METHODS: Twenty-four male Wistar rats voluntarily consumed a 20% v/v ethanol solution on alternate days for 13 weeks (ethanol-treated) or were given access to water alone (non-ethanol-exposed control). RESULTS: There was no difference in body weight gain between the two groups, however, epididymal fat weight was lower in ethanol-fed rats (P = 0.030). Blood glucose, total cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were lower in the ethanol group compared to controls (P < 0.05). There was a significant reduction in the expression of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 in ethanol-treated rats (P < 0.05), suggesting that ethanol may have lowered cholesterol levels via downregulation of genes involved in cholesterol synthesis. Paraoxonase-1, which is associated with inhibition of LDL cholesterol oxidation, was upregulated in the ethanol group (P = 0.029). Ethanol-treated rats exhibited significantly lower levels of high-mobility box group protein 1 (P ≤ 0.05). Cyclooxygenase-2 and RelA gene expression were significantly lower in ethanol-treated rats (P < 0.05), indicating possible anti-inflammatory effects. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that moderate ethanol consumption may potentially contribute to improved cardiovascular outcomes by reducing body fat, improving blood cholesterol and blood glucose, and modulation of gene expression involved in inflammation and/or cholesterol synthesis.

Effects of moderate alcohol consumption on gene expression related to colonic inflammation and antioxidant enzymes in rats.

Excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor associated with colorectal cancer; however, some studies have reported that moderate alcohol consumption may not contribute additional risk for developing colorectal cancer while others suggest that moderate alcohol consumption provides a protective effect that reduces colorectal cancer risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of moderate voluntary alcohol (20% ethanol) intake on alternate days for 3 months in outbred Wistar rats on risk factors associated with colorectal cancer development. Colonic gene expression of cyclooxygenase-2, RelA, 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione-S-transferase M1, and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 were determined. Blood alcohol content, liver function enzyme activities, and 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine DNA adducts were also assessed. Alcohol-treated rats were found to have significantly lower 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine levels in blood, a marker of DNA damage. Alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase were both significantly lower in the alcohol group. Moderate alcohol significantly decreased cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression, an inflammatory marker associated with colorectal cancer risk. The alcohol group had significantly increased glutathione-S-transferase M1 expression, an antioxidant enzyme that helps detoxify carcinogens, such as acetaldehyde, and significantly increased aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 expression, which allows for greater acetaldehyde clearance. Increased expression of glutathione-S-transferase M1 and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 likely contributed to reduce mucosal damage that is caused by acetaldehyde accumulation. These results indicate that moderate alcohol may reduce the risk for colorectal cancer development, which was evidenced by reduced inflammation activity and lower DNA damage after alcohol exposure.

Cell density modulates intracellular mass transport in neural networks.

In order to fully understand brain connectivity and elucidate the mechanisms involved in central nervous system disease, the field of neuroscience depends on quantitative studies of neuronal structure and function. Cell morphology and neurite (axonal and dendritic) arborization are typically studied by immunohistochemical and fluorescence techniques. However, dry mass content and intracellular mass transport rates have largely been under-investigated given the inherent difficulties in their measurement. Here, spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) and dispersion-relation phase spectroscopy (DPS) were used to measure pathlength fluctuations that report on the dry mass and transport within cultured primary neurons across low, medium, and high cell density conditions. It was found that cell density (confluence) affects significantly both the growth rate and mass transport. The analysis method is label-free and does not require neuronal tracing, particle tracking, or neuron reconstruction. Since SLIM can upgrade any existing phase contrast microscope and the imaging and analysis are high-throughput, we anticipate that this approach will be embraced by neuroscientists for broad scale studies. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.