Embryological outcomes in patients with previous developmental problems: a sibling study using Ca2+ ionophore

Children of mothers with depressive symptoms are at a higher risk for psychosocial, behavioral, and developmental problems. However, the effects of maternal depression on children’s physical growth are not well understood. To address the gaps in the literature, this study examined the association between maternal depressive symptoms, breastfeeding behaviors, and child weight outcomes. Data from 204 mother–child dyads who participated in the STRONG Kids 1 Study were used. Mothers and children were assessed twice when the children were 3 and 4 years old. Height and weight measurements of children and mothers were collected by trained researchers during both assessments. Multiple linear regression and analysis of covariance tests were used to examine the associations between maternal depressive symptoms, breastfeeding, and age and sex-adjusted child body mass index percentile. Recurrent maternal depressive symptoms when the child was 3 and 4 years old were not associated with child body mass index percentiles (BMI-P) at age 4. Mothers who breastfed for at least 6 months had significantly lower depressive symptoms when their children were 3 years of age, but the differences did not persist at age 4. In this community sample, maternal depressive symptoms were not associated with child BMI-P, regardless of breastfeeding duration.

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Music Is Life—Follow-Up Qualitative Study on Parental Experiences of Creative Music Therapy in the Neonatal Period

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18126678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (12) ◽

pp. 6678

Author(s):

Friederike Barbara Haslbeck ◽

Lars Schmidli ◽

Hans Ulrich Bucher ◽

Dirk Bassler

Keyword(s):

Music Therapy ◽

Positive Reinforcement ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Complementary Therapy ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Developmental Problems ◽

Creative Music ◽

Modifiable Factors ◽

Hospitalization Period ◽

Extremely Preterm

Developmental problems in extremely preterm (EP) infants and the associated longitudinal burden for their families are major health issues worldwide. Approaches to social-emotional support such as family-integrating Creative Music Therapy (CMT) are warranted. We aimed: (1) to explore parental perspectives on the use of CMT with EP infants in the neonatal hospitalization period and (2) to examine the possible longitudinal influence of CMT. A qualitative design was used to examine the perspective of six families from various backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews were carried out when the infants reached school age. We used an inductive–deductive thematic analysis to identify three main themes, each with three sub-themes: (1) the positive impact of CMT on the infants, the parents, and bonding; (2) the attitude toward CMT, from being open-minded to recommending it as complementary therapy; and (3) the experience of overall healthy infant development despite unique developmental delay issues. The findings elucidate the positive and formative impact of CMT on both infants and parents in the stressful NICU setting and beyond. CMT may empower positive transformation in the parents through individualized early nurturing musical interactions, capacity building, and positive reinforcement. Further research may help to identify and implement potentially modifiable factors for improving health care in this vulnerable group through early family-integrating, resource-based approaches such as CMT.

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Epigenome-wide associations between observed maternal sensitivity and offspring DNA methylation: a population-based prospective study in children

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720004353 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Lorenza Dall’ Aglio ◽

Jolien Rijlaarsdam ◽

Rosa H. Mulder ◽

Alexander Neumann ◽

Janine F. Felix ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Association Studies ◽

Maternal Sensitivity ◽

Population Based ◽

Epigenetic Mechanism ◽

Developmental Problems ◽

Maternal Caregiving ◽

Typical Variation

Abstract Background Experimental work in animals has shown that DNA methylation (DNAm), an epigenetic mechanism regulating gene expression, is influenced by typical variation in maternal care. While emerging research in humans supports a similar association, studies to date have been limited to candidate gene and cross-sectional approaches, with a focus on extreme deviations in the caregiving environment. Methods Here, we explored the prospective association between typical variation in maternal sensitivity and offspring epigenome-wide DNAm, in a population-based cohort of children (N = 235). Maternal sensitivity was observed when children were 3- and 4-years-old. DNAm, quantified with the Infinium 450 K array, was extracted at age 6 (whole blood). The influence of methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs), DNAm at birth (cord blood), and confounders (socioeconomic status, maternal psychopathology) was considered in follow-up analyses. Results Genome-wide significant associations between maternal sensitivity and offspring DNAm were observed at 13 regions (p < 1.06 × 10−07), but not at single sites. Follow-up analyses indicated that associations at these regions were in part related to genetic factors, confounders, and baseline DNAm levels at birth, as evidenced by the presence of mQTLs at five regions and estimate attenuations. Robust associations with maternal sensitivity were found at four regions, annotated to ZBTB22, TAPBP, ZBTB12, and DOCK4. Conclusions These findings provide novel leads into the relationship between typical variation in maternal caregiving and offspring DNAm in humans, highlighting robust regions of associations, previously implicated in psychological and developmental problems, immune functioning, and stress responses.

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Exome sequencing in patients with antiepileptic drug exposure and complex phenotypes

Archives of Disease in Childhood ◽

10.1136/archdischild-2018-316547 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 105 (4) ◽

pp. 384-389 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Adam Jackson ◽

Heather Ward ◽

Rebecca Louise Bromley ◽

Charulata Deshpande ◽

Pradeep Vasudevan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Exome Sequencing ◽

Copy Number ◽

Developmental Disorders ◽

Drug Exposure ◽

Genetic Disorders ◽

Copy Number Variants ◽

Copy Number Variant ◽

In Utero ◽

Developmental Problems ◽

Number Of Children

IntroductionFetal anticonvulsant syndrome (FACS) describes the pattern of physical and developmental problems seen in those children exposed to certain antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in utero. The diagnosis of FACS is a clinical one and so excluding alternative diagnoses such as genetic disorders is essential.MethodsWe reviewed the pathogenicity of reported variants identified on exome sequencing in the Deciphering Developmental Disorders (DDD) Study in 42 children exposed to AEDs in utero, but where a diagnosis other than FACS was suspected. In addition, we analysed chromosome microarray data from 10 patients with FACS seen in a Regional Genetics Service.ResultsSeven children (17%) from the DDD Study had a copy number variant or pathogenic variant in a developmental disorder gene which was considered to explain or partially explain their phenotype. Across the AED exposure types, variants were found in 2/15 (13%) valproate exposed cases and 3/14 (21%) carbamazepine exposed cases. No pathogenic copy number variants were identified in our local sample (n=10).ConclusionsThis study is the first of its kind to analyse the exomes of children with developmental disorders who were exposed to AEDs in utero. Though we acknowledge that the results are subject to bias, a significant number of children were identified with alternate diagnoses which had an impact on counselling and management. We suggest that consideration is given to performing whole exome sequencing as part of the diagnostic work-up for children exposed to AEDs in utero.

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Child ombudsmen as collaborators of child psychiatry ?

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(11)72062-4 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. 353-353

Author(s):

I. Škodáček

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Public Healthcare ◽

Child Psychiatrist ◽

Young Generation ◽

Public Defender ◽

European Network ◽

The Public ◽

Developmental Problems ◽

Mental Problems ◽

Abuse And Neglect

Legislation regulates rights also of individuals with mental disorders. Observance of these regulations is monitored by so-called Ombudsperson,or the Public Defender of the Rights. Since 2002, special attention has been paid to young generation in Slovakia. Developmental problems and issues of rights of ordinary and mentally handicapped children have also been dealt with, applying the paradigm that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance. And this is the ground for collaborators of the Public Defender of Rights, i.e. for school. They are helpful to parents of the minor, to teachers, healthcare professionals and to other adults working with minors. Thus the children ombudspersons become assistants of pedopsychiatry. From the viewpoint of a child psychiatrist, it was important to solve cases of Child Abuse and Neglect syndrome of various scope. Since December 2008, a project for creating the network of children collaborators of the Public Defender of Rights is in operation in Slovakia. Children from a school or other institution selected from their ranks a “children ombudsperson” who is willing to defend the rights of each member also with mental problems and disorders. For this reason is the necessity of development of international cooperation of ombudspersons for children which takes place in 22 European countries within the ENOC (The European Network of Ombudspersons for Children) which was commenced in a greater scale in April 2010. The children ombudspersons should be taken into account in the public healthcare system and they should become a part of the standard care for minor patients.

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Gut microbiota differs between children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and healthy siblings in taxonomic and functional composition: a metagenomic analysis

AJP Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpgi.00293.2016 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 312 (4) ◽

pp. G327-G339 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Rebecca L. Knoll ◽

Kristoffer Forslund ◽

Jens Roat Kultima ◽

Claudius U. Meyer ◽

Ulrike Kullmer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Virulence Genes ◽

Metagenomic Sequencing ◽

Fecal Microbiome ◽

Microbial Dysbiosis ◽

Healthy Siblings ◽

Inflammatory Bowel ◽

Sibling Study

Current treatment for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients is often ineffective, with serious side effects. Manipulating the gut microbiota via fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an emerging treatment approach but remains controversial. We aimed to assess the composition of the fecal microbiome through a comparison of pediatric IBD patients to their healthy siblings, evaluating risks and prospects for FMT in this setting. A case-control (sibling) study was conducted analyzing fecal samples of six children with Crohn’s disease (CD), six children with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 12 healthy siblings by metagenomic sequencing. In addition, lifetime antibiotic intake was retrospectively determined. Species richness and diversity were significantly reduced in UC patients compared with control [Mann-Whitney U-test false discovery rate (MWU FDR) = 0.011]. In UC, bacteria positively influencing gut homeostasis, e.g., Eubacterium rectale and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, were significantly reduced in abundance (MWU FDR = 0.05). Known pathobionts like Escherichia coli were enriched in UC patients (MWU FDR = 0.084). Moreover, E. coli abundance correlated positively with that of several virulence genes (SCC > 0.65, FDR < 0.1). A shift toward antibiotic-resistant taxa in both IBD groups distinguished them from controls [MWU Benjamini-Hochberg-Yekutieli procedure (BY) FDR = 0.062 in UC, MWU BY FDR = 0.019 in CD). The collected results confirm a microbial dysbiosis in pediatric UC, and to a lesser extent in CD patients, replicating associations found previously using different methods. Taken together, these observations suggest microbiotal remodeling therapy from family donors, at least for children with UC, as a viable option. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this sibling study, prior reports of microbial dysbiosis in IBD patients from 16S rRNA sequencing was verified using deep shotgun sequencing and augmented with insights into the abundance of bacterial virulence genes and bacterial antibiotic resistance determinants, seen against the background of data on the specific antibiotic intake of each of the study participants. The observed dysbiosis, which distinguishes patients from siblings, highlights such siblings as potential donors for microbiotal remodeling therapy in IBD.

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