Neonatal predictors of cognitive ability in adults born very preterm: a prospective cohort study

Epigenetics is known to be involved in regulatory pathways through which greenness exposure influences child development and health. We aimed to investigate the associations between residential surrounding greenness and DNA methylation changes in children, and further assessed the association between DNA methylation and children’s intelligence quotient (IQ) in a prospective cohort study. We identified cytosine-guanine dinucleotide sites (CpGs) associated with cognitive abilities from epigenome- and genome-wide association studies through a systematic literature review for candidate gene analysis. We estimated the residential surrounding greenness at age 2 using a geographic information system. DNA methylation was analyzed from whole blood using the HumanMethylationEPIC array in 59 children at age 2. We analyzed the association between greenness exposure and DNA methylation at age 2 at the selected CpGs using multivariable linear regression. We further investigated the relationship between DNA methylation and children’s IQ. We identified 8743 CpGs associated with cognitive ability based on the literature review. Among these CpGs, we found that 25 CpGs were significantly associated with greenness exposure at age 2, including cg26269038 (Bonferroni-corrected p ≤ 0.05) located in the body of SLC6A3, which encodes a dopamine transporter. DNA methylation at cg26269038 at age 2 was significantly associated with children’s performance IQ at age 6. Exposure to surrounding greenness was associated with cognitive ability-related DNA methylation changes, which was also associated with children’s IQ. Further studies are warranted to clarify the epigenetic pathways linking greenness exposure and neurocognitive function.

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Foetal haemoglobin, blood transfusion, and retinopathy of prematurity in very preterm infants: a pilot prospective cohort study

Eye ◽

10.1038/eye.2017.76 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (10) ◽

pp. 1451-1455 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

C J Stutchfield ◽

A Jain ◽

D Odd ◽

C Williams ◽

R Markham

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Blood Transfusion ◽

Preterm Infants ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Retinopathy Of Prematurity ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Foetal Haemoglobin ◽

Very Preterm Infants ◽

Very Preterm

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Accelerated fetal growth in early pregnancy and risk of preterm birth: a prospective cohort study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-39242/v5 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Evangelia Elenis ◽

Anna-Karin Wikström ◽

Marija Simic

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Preterm Birth ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Fetal Growth ◽

Early Pregnancy ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Preterm Births ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Spontaneous Preterm Birth ◽

Very Preterm

Abstract Background: Preterm birth (occurring before 37 completed weeks of gestation) affects 15 million infants annually, 7.5% of which die due to related complications. The detection and early diagnosis are therefore paramount in order to prevent the development of prematurity and its consequences. So far, focus has been laid on the association between reduced intrauterine fetal growth during late gestation and prematurity. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between accelerated fetal growth in early pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 69 617 singleton pregnancies without congenital malformations and with available biometric measurements during the first and second trimester. Estimation of fetal growth was based on measurements of biparietal diameter (BPD) at first and second trimester scan. We investigated the association between accelerated fetal growth and preterm birth prior to 37 weeks of gestation. The outcome was further stratified into very preterm birth (before 32 weeks of gestation) or moderate preterm birth (between 32 and 37 weeks of gestation) and medically induced or spontaneous preterm birth and was further explored. Results: The odds of prematurity were increased among fetuses with accelerated BPD growth (> 90th centile) estimated between first and second ultrasound scan, even after adjustment for possible confounders (aOR 1.36; 95% CI 1.20-1.54). The findings remained significant what regards moderate preterm births but not very preterm births. Regarding medically induced preterm birth, the odds were found to be elevated in the group of fetuses with accelerated growth in early pregnancy (aOR 1.34; 95% CI 1.11-1.63). On the contrary, fetuses with delayed fetal growth exhibited lower odds for both overall and spontaneous preterm birth.Conclusions: Fetuses with accelerated BPD growth in early pregnancy, detected by ultrasound examination during the second trimester, exhibited increased odds of being born preterm. The findings of the current study suggest that fetal growth in early pregnancy should be taken into account when assessing the risk for preterm birth.

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Role of cognitive ability in the association between functional health literacy and mortality in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936: a prospective cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022502 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. e022502 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Chloe Fawns-Ritchie ◽

John M Starr ◽

Ian J Deary

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Cognitive Ability ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Functional Health ◽

Functional Health Literacy ◽

Fluid Type ◽

Lothian Birth Cohort

ObjectivesWe investigated the role that childhood and old age cognitive ability play in the association between functional health literacy and mortality.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingThis study used data from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936) study, which recruited participants living in the Lothian region of Scotland when aged 70 years, most of whom had completed an intelligence test at age 11 years.Participants795 members of the LBC1936 with scores on tests of functional health literacy and cognitive ability in childhood and older adulthood.Primary and secondary outcome measuresParticipants were followed up for 8 years to determine mortality. Time to death in days was used as the primary outcome measure.ResultsUsing Cox regression, higher functional health literacy was associated with lower risk of mortality adjusting for age and sex, using the Shortened Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.92 to 0.98), the Newest Vital Sign (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.97) and a functional health literacy composite measure (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.92), but not the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.01). Adjusting for childhood intelligence did not change these associations. When additionally adjusting for fluid-type cognitive ability in older age, associations between functional health literacy and mortality were attenuated and non-significant.ConclusionsCurrent fluid ability, but not childhood intelligence, attenuated the association between functional health literacy and mortality. Functional health literacy measures may, in part, assess fluid-type cognitive abilities, and this may account for the association between functional health literacy and mortality.

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