Effects of prenatal stress on pregnancy and human development: mechanisms and pathways

A growing body of research shows that prenatal stress can have significant effects on pregnancy, maternal health and human development across the lifespan. These effects may occur directly through the influence of prenatal stress-related physiological changes on the developing fetus, or indirectly through the effects of prenatal stress on maternal health and pregnancy outcome which, in turn, affect infant health and development. Animal and human studies suggest that activation of the maternal stress response and resulting changes in endocrine and inflammatory activity play a role in the aetiology of these effects. Ongoing research is focusing on clarifying these mechanisms, understanding the role of racial and cultural factors in these effects, and examining the epigenetic and transgenerational influences of prenatal stress.

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Endocannabinoid Metabolome Characterization of Transitional and Mature Human Milk

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu10091294 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1294 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Adriana Gaitán ◽

JodiAnne Wood ◽

Fan Zhang ◽

Alexandros Makriyannis ◽

Carol Lammi-Keefe

Keyword(s):

Human Milk ◽

Infant Health ◽

Cannabinoid Receptor ◽

Bioactive Constituents ◽

Mature Milk ◽

Health And Development ◽

Two Stages

Recognized as the gold standard, human milk (HM) is an extremely complex yet fascinating biofluid tailored to meet an infant’s nutritional requirements throughout development. Endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-like compounds (endocannabinoid metabolome, ECM) are endogenous lipid mediators derived from long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that have been identified in HM. Previous research has shown that arachidonoylglycerol might play a role in establishing the infant’s suckling response during lactation by activating the type 1 cannabinoid receptor in the infant’s brain. The mechanisms of action and the role of the ECM in HM are not fully understood. Transitional and mature milk samples were collected from lactating women (n = 24) for ECM characterization, quantification, and to evaluate differences among the two stages. HM samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Identified members of the ECM were: arachidonoylethanolamine, palmitoylethanolamine, oleoylethanolamine, docosahexaenoylethanolamine, eicoapentaenoylethanolamine, eicosenoylethanolamine, arachidonoylglycerol, palmitoyglycerol, oleoylglycerol, docosahexaenoylglycerol, eicosapentaenoylglycerol, eiconenooylglycerol, arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid. Only docosahexaenoylglycerol was different across transitional and mature milk (p ≤ 0.05). Data from this cohort suggest that bioactive constituents in HM may also play a role in infant health and development. Future studies can be developed based on this study’s data to help elucidate specific roles for each ECM member in addition to understanding how the ECM modulates infant health.

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Social and endogenous motivations in the emergence of canonical babbling in infants at low and high risk for autism

10.21203/rs.3.rs-528843/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Helen Long ◽

Gordon Ramsay ◽

Dale D Bowman ◽

Megan M Burkhardt-Reed ◽

D. Kimbrough Oller

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Human Development ◽

Likert Scale ◽

Low Risk ◽

Main Effect ◽

Growing Body ◽

Turn Taking ◽

Canonical Babbling

Abstract There is a growing body of research emphasizing the role of social and endogenous motivations in human development. The present study evaluated canonical babbling across the second-half year of life using all-day recordings of 98 children with typical or elevated likelihoods of autism i.e., at “low risk” or “high risk”, respectively. Canonical babbling ratios (CBRs) were calculated from human coding along with Likert-scale ratings on vocal turn taking and vocal play in each segment. We observed no main effect of risk on CBRs. CBRs were significantly elevated during high vocal play. High turn taking yielded a weaker significant effect. We conclude that both social and endogenous motivations may drive infants’ tendencies to produce their most advanced vocal forms.

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Milk fat globule membrane: the role of its various components in infant health and development

The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.jnutbio.2020.108465 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 85 ◽

pp. 108465 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lauren R Brink ◽

Bo Lönnerdal

Keyword(s):

Milk Fat ◽

Infant Health ◽

Milk Fat Globule Membrane ◽

Milk Fat Globule ◽

Health And Development ◽

Fat Globule

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Role of mentoring for women in the Canadian Armed Forces

Journal of Military Veteran and Family Health ◽

10.3138/jmvfh-2021-0059 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Linna Tam-Seto

Keyword(s):

Career Development ◽

Personal Development ◽

Sexual Trauma ◽

Armed Forces ◽

Cultural Factors ◽

Women In The Military ◽

Ongoing Research ◽

Canadian Armed Forces ◽

The Military

LAY SUMMARY In Canada, mentoring has been used in the armed forces to support women’s careers and personal development, but there is little evidence that the unique experiences of being a woman in the military have been considered in mentoring efforts. The current study aims to find reasons why servicewomen are using mentorship in the Canadian Armed Forces and to identify the gender and cultural factors that may play a role in those mentoring experiences. This article presents some of the findings from 28 interviews that explored the experiences of mentorship for women in the military. For women, career development advice includes learning how to manage personal responsibilities along with career objectives. Women are also looking for support to address issues related to gender and military culture, kinship and visibility, and surviving sexual trauma in the workplace. The current study provides a foundation for ongoing research and forms a basis on which future mentorship work can be built.

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The Determinants of the Human Milk Metabolome and Its Role in Infant Health

Metabolites ◽

10.3390/metabo10020077 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 77 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anna Ojo-Okunola ◽

Stefano Cacciatore ◽

Mark P. Nicol ◽

Elloise du Toit

Keyword(s):

Human Milk ◽

Infant Health ◽

Optimal Growth ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Health And Development ◽

Established Relationship ◽

Functional Components ◽

Insight Into ◽

Immature Immune System

Human milk is needed for optimal growth as it satisfies both the nutritional and biological needs of an infant. The established relationship between breastfeeding and an infant’s health is attributable to the nutritional and non-nutritional, functional components of human milk including metabolites such as the lipids, amino acids, biogenic amines and carbohydrates. These components have diverse roles, including protecting the infant against infections and guiding the development of the infant’s immature immune system. In this review, we provide an in-depth and updated insight into the immune modulatory and anti-infective role of human milk metabolites and their effects on infant health and development. We also review the literature on potential determinants of the human milk metabolome, including maternal infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus and mastitis.

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Social and endogenous motivations in the emergence of canonical babbling in infants at low and high risk for autism

10.31219/osf.io/m2az4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Helen Long ◽

Gordon Ramsay ◽

Dale D. Bowman ◽

Megan M. Burkhardt-Reed ◽

D. Kimbrough Oller

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Human Development ◽

Likert Scale ◽

Low Risk ◽

Main Effect ◽

Growing Body ◽

Turn Taking ◽

Canonical Babbling

There is a growing body of research emphasizing the role of social and endogenous motivations in human development. The present study evaluated canonical babbling across the second-half year of life using all-day recordings of 98 children with typical or elevated likelihoods of autism i.e., at “low risk” or “high risk”, respectively. Canonical babbling ratios (CBRs) were calculated from human coding along with Likert-scale ratings on vocal turn taking and vocal play in each segment. We observed no main effect of risk on CBRs. CBRs were significantly elevated during high vocal play. High turn taking yielded a weaker significant effect. We conclude that both social and endogenous motivations may drive infants’ tendencies to produce their most advanced vocal forms.

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Asiana Airlines Flight 214

Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors ◽

10.1027/2192-0923/a000066 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 113-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Stephanie Chow ◽

Stephen Yortsos ◽

Najmedin Meshkati

Keyword(s):

Human Factors ◽

Aviation Safety ◽

Cultural Factors ◽

Vital Role ◽

Cultural Issues ◽

Flight Crew ◽

Pilot Performance ◽

Engineering Designs ◽

Flight Deck

This article focuses on a major human factors–related issue that includes the undeniable role of cultural factors and cockpit automation and their serious impact on flight crew performance, communication, and aviation safety. The report concentrates on the flight crew performance of the Boeing 777–Asiana Airlines Flight 214 accident, by exploring issues concerning mode confusion and autothrottle systems. It also further reviews the vital role of cultural factors in aviation safety and provides a brief overview of past, related accidents. Automation progressions have been created in an attempt to design an error-free flight deck. However, to do that, the pilot must still thoroughly understand every component of the flight deck – most importantly, the automation. Otherwise, if pilots are not completely competent in terms of their automation, the slightest errors can lead to fatal accidents. As seen in the case of Asiana Flight 214, even though engineering designs and pilot training have greatly evolved over the years, there are many cultural, design, and communication factors that affect pilot performance. It is concluded that aviation systems designers, in cooperation with pilots and regulatory bodies, should lead the strategic effort of systematically addressing the serious issues of cockpit automation, human factors, and cultural issues, including their interactions, which will certainly lead to better solutions for safer flights.

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