The influence of maternal depression, caregiving, and socioeconomic status in the post-natal year on children's language development

Background   Post-natal depression is common and has been associated with adverse effects on children's later emotional and behavioural development. The evidence for effects on children's cognitive development is unclear but this could potentially be a major public health issue. The aim was to examine whether maternal depression and maternal caregiving during the first year of life are associated with children's subsequent language development.
Methods   One thousand two hundred and one women were recruited from antenatal and post-natal baby clinics in two areas in England, and followed up until their babies were 3 years. Mothers and children were assessed by questionnaire, interview and home observation; 999 children's language was assessed at 36 months, although 55 were excluded principally because they had been exposed to insufficient English.
Results   In bivariate analyses maternal depressive symptomatology in the post-natal year but not at 36 months was associated with poorer child language at 36 months; maternal caregiving, was positively associated with language. Structural Equation Modelling revealed that depression was associated with poorer caregiving but was not independently associated with language. Higher quality caregiving at 10 months was associated with better language. When the sample was split by socioeconomic factors the effects of depression on caregiving were stronger in the less advantaged group. In both groups poorer quality early caregiving predicted lower language outcome.
Conclusions   Post-natal depression had a negative effect on caregiving, which in turn affected language; post-natal depression did not have an additional direct effect on language. Socioeconomic factors moderated the effects of depression on caregiving. When targeting interventions at mothers with post-natal depression, it may be strategic to focus on lower socioeconomic groups at higher risk.     

Beneficial Effects of a Protein Free,High Carbohydrate Meal on Rat Coping Behavior and Neurotransmitter Levels During Heat Stress

Abstract

This study examined effects of a single protein-free (PROT-free), high carbohydrate meal (0% protein, 82% carbohydrate) or control meal (20% protein, 62% carbohydrate) on coping behavior and neurotransmitter levels of male Fischer 344 rats. Meals varying in protein/carbohydrate ratio differentially affect transport of neurotransmitter precursors into the brain and alter neurotransmission. The meals were studied in animals exposed to heat stress and normothermic control animals. Coping behavior was assessed using the Porsolt swim test ( N =39). In other rats, dopamine (DA), epinephrine (EPI), norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin in the striatum were assessed using in vivo microdialysis ( N =35). In control-fed rats, heat stress impaired Porsolt performance in comparison to normothermic controls ( p <0.05). The PROT-free, high carbohydrate meal protected animals from adverse effects of stress on coping performance as it reduced the effect of heat stress more than 90%. Significant changes in striatal DA and EPI efflux were observed as a consequence of the nutritional manipulation and heat exposure. It is concluded a single PROT-free, high carbohydrate meal improves ability to cope with heat stress and alters neurotransmission. The neurochemical basis for these effects may be a change in DA efflux, although other mechanisms cannot be ruled out.     

Genetics of mouse antibodies. II. Recombination between VH genes and allotype

The BAB/14 (BALB/c.C57BL/Ka-Ig-1^b/Hz) congenic mouse strain was found to respond to (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl (NP)-chicken globulin immunization with nonheteroclitic anti-NP antibodies as does the BALB/c inbred partner strain. This is in contrast to the heteroclitic anti-NP response of the C57BL/Ka allotype donor strain and indicates that the allotype linked V_H-NP gene was inherited with the V_H-DEX gene from BALB/c rather than with the allotype genes from C57BL/Ka. This verifies the interpretation of BAB/14 as an immunoglobulin gene recombinant. Two recombinants between V_H-DEX and Ig-1 allotype genes have been found among 554 chromosomes tested yielding a recombination frequency of 0.4%. Analysis of the BAB/14 recombinant showed that this crossover occurred between V_H genes implying that V_H genes and C_H genes are not organized in separate clusters separated by a large spacer region but are contiguous. Analysis of the recombination frequencies indicates that the total number of V_H genes must be at least 50.     

Penicillin-binding protein 3 is a common adaptive target among Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from adult cystic fibrosis patients treated with β-lactams

Objective

Determining the mechanisms that modulate β-lactam resistance in clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) isolates can be challenging, as the molecular profiles identified in mutation-based or expression-based resistance determinant screens may not correlate with in vitro phenotypes. One of the lesser studied resistance mechanisms in P. aeruginosa is the modification of penicillin-binding protein 3 (pbpB/ftsI). This study reported that nonsynonymous polymorphisms within pbpB frequently occur among β-lactam resistant sputum isolates, and are associated with unique antibiotic susceptibility patterns.

Transient hyperphosphatasemia in pediatric renal transplant patients – Is there a need for concern and when?

Kutílek ?, Skálová S, Vethamuthu J, Geier P, Feber J. Transient hyperphosphatasemia in pediatric renal transplant patients – Is there a need for concern and when?
Pediatr Transplantation 2012: 16: E5–E9. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: TH of infancy and early childhood is characterized by transiently increased S‐ALP, predominantly its bone or liver isoforms. There are neither signs of metabolic bone disease or hepatopathy corresponding to the increased S‐ALP, nor a common underlying/triggering disease. TH may also occur in children post‐renal Tx, which may raise significant concerns and anxiety. We describe four patients aged 2.8–7 yr in whom the TH occurred at 11–34 (median = 28) months after Tx and lasted from 40 to 105 (median = 63) days. No obvious cause/trigger of TH could be found; the clinical status and bone turnover were not altered. In cases of TH post‐Tx, we recommend the evaluation of basic biochemical indices and wrist X‐ray. If these results are normal, TH is most likely the diagnosis and the S‐ALP can be monitored over the next three months without further testing. In patients with persisting TH for more than three months and/or in children with pre‐existing or suspected metabolic bone disease, further evaluation may be indicated. In conclusion, TH is a benign disorder in patients post‐Tx. Detailed investigation including bone biopsy is only indicated in patients with persisting TH.     

In Vivo and In Vitro Expression of Connexin 43 in Human Teeth

Gap junctions are composed of transmembrane proteins belonging to the connexin family. These proteins permit the exchange of small regulatory molecules directly between cells for the control of growth, development and differentiation. Although the presence of gap junctions in teeth has been already evidenced, the involved connexins have not yet been identified in human species. Here, we examined the distribution of connexin 43 (Cx43) in embryonic and permanent intact and carious human teeth. During tooth development, Cx43 localized both in epithelial and mesenchymal dental cells, correlated with cytodifferentiation gradients. In adult intact teeth, Cx43 was distributed in odontoblast processes. While Cx43 expression was downregulated in mature intact teeth, Cx43 appeared to be upregulated in odontoblasts facing carious lesions. In cultured pulp cells, Cx43 expression was related to the formation of mineralized nodules. These results indicate that Cx43 expression is developmentally regulated in human dental tissues, and suggest that Cx43 may participate in the processes of dentin formation and pathology.     

Fallout plume of submerged oil from Deepwater Horizon

The sinking of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico led to uncontrolled emission of oil to the ocean, with an official government estimate of ∼5.0 million barrels released. Among the pressing uncertainties surrounding this event is the fate of ∼2 million barrels of submerged oil thought to have been trapped in deep-ocean intrusion layers at depths of ∼1,000–1,300 m. Here we use chemical distributions of hydrocarbons in >3,000 sediment samples from 534 locations to describe a footprint of oil deposited on the deep-ocean floor. Using a recalcitrant biomarker of crude oil, 17α(H),21β(H)-hopane (hopane), we have identified a 3,200-km² region around the Macondo Well contaminated by ∼1.8 ± 1.0 × 10⁶ g of excess hopane. Based on spatial, chemical, oceanographic, and mass balance considerations, we calculate that this contamination represents 4–31% of the oil sequestered in the deep ocean. The pattern of contamination points to deep-ocean intrusion layers as the source and is most consistent with dual modes of deposition: a “bathtub ring” formed from an oil-rich layer of water impinging laterally upon the continental slope (at a depth of ∼900–1,300 m) and a higher-flux “fallout plume” where suspended oil particles sank to underlying sediment (at a depth of ∼1,300–1,700 m). We also suggest that a significant quantity of oil was deposited on the ocean floor outside this area but so far has evaded detection because of its heterogeneous spatial distribution.The sinking of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico led to the discharge of ∼5.0 million barrels of petroleum from the Macondo Well. The discharge occurred at a water depth of ∼1,500 m and gave rise to intrusion layers (1) in the deep ocean that included both water-soluble hydrocarbons in the dissolved phase (2–6) and small particles of water-insoluble hydrocarbons (7–11). These intrusion layers were found primarily at a depth of 1,000–1,300 m and may have hosted the majority of the environmental discharge, including all the natural gas and ∼2 million barrels of liquid oil (12). Although the most abundant of the water-soluble hydrocarbons underwent rapid biodegradation during the spill (4, 6, 8, 9, 13–15), the fate and impacts of the insoluble hydrocarbons in the deep ocean have remained uncertain (16).The intrusion layers that hosted hydrocarbon contamination persisted for 6 mo or more and at distances >300 km from the well, but available evidence suggests that particles of submerged oil were particularly concentrated during the first 6 wk of discharge and within ∼15 km of the well (8, 9, 11). Thus, initial partitioning of hydrocarbon particles to the intrusion layers appears to have given way to transport or removal by undefined deep-ocean processes. Such processes might include sedimentation, buoyant rise toward the sea surface, incorporation into pelagic biota, biodegradation, or interventions at the wellhead. Mechanisms exist that support several of these options (9, 17–20), but uncertainty as to oil’s actual partitioning, the effect of chemical dispersant (21), and the impacts of a changing microbial community (6, 8, 9, 13–15, 17, 22–24) have precluded further understanding of the processes that acted on the oil.In this study we focus on testing the hypothesis that oil particles suspended in the deep intrusion layers were deposited on the sea floor over a broad area. To do so, we use publicly available data generated as part of the ongoing Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process (Supporting Information) to assess the spatial distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons in the deep-ocean sediments of the Gulf of Mexico. We focus on the recalcitrant compound 17α(H),21β(H)-hopane (hereafter referred to as “hopane”) as a conserved tracer for crude oil deposition to sediments (25); we treat hopane as a degradation-resistant proxy for Macondo’s liquid-phase oil (26). Analysis of the spatial distribution of hopane allows us to define both a regional background level and a depositional footprint of oil from the Deepwater Horizon event. In combination with other lines of evidence, this analysis leads us to conclude that significant quantities of particulate oil sank from the intrusion layers to rest on the underlying sea floor.