Look at Mommy: Attention-Related Communication in Mothers of Children at Risk for Autism

Attentional difficulties are evident in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; Landry & Bryson, 2004). Subtle atypicalities in attention are also apparent among later-born siblings of children with ASD (themselves at heightened biological risk for an ASD diagnosis; high-risk toddlers; HR), even those who are not eventually diagnosed with ASD (e.g., Merin et al., 2007). Mothers of children with ASD may modify child-directed communication to direct and maintain the child's attention (e.g., Adamson et al., 2001), and this pattern may generalize to communication with later-born HR infants. In light of this evidence, the present study explored patterns of child-directed communication in mothers of 18-month-old HR toddlers and mothers of same-age later-born toddlers with no family history of ASD (low-risk toddlers; LR), focusing particularly on the production of attention-related communication (i.e., communication focusing on capturing, directing, and maintaining children's attention and/or actions) and compared HR and LR toddlers' responses to maternal attention-related communication. Although both groups of mothers displayed relatively similar patterns of attention-related communication, mothers of HR toddlers produced significantly more utterances that involved attentionally salient words. Additionally, HR toddlers were less likely to respond to attention-related communication. In general, these findings suggest that having an older child with ASD may influence maternal behavior with later-born children, even when those children do not themselves necessarily manifest obvious ASD symptomatology. They also highlight the need for further research on dyadic interactions between mothers and HR infants

Relationship Between Daytime Napping and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Healthy Black and White Adolescents

Purpose: Short nocturnal sleep leads to more napping in adolescents, and more napping leads to short nocturnal sleep. Short nocturnal sleep has been associated with elevated cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in adolescents in some studies. However, it is unclear if daytime napping is also associated with increased CV risk factors. We investigated whether napping (measured by actigraphy and daily diary measures) was related to elevated CV risk factors, and explored potential moderators of the napping – CV risk relationship: physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and interpersonal conflict. Methods: Participants were 234 healthy high school students (mean age=15.7, 56% black, 53% female). Nocturnal sleep and daytime napping were assessed with both actigraphy and daily diaries across one week. Physical activity and interpersonal conflict were measured by daily diary and questionnaire; sedentary behaviors were measured with questionnaire only. CV risk factors included: sex-standardized waist circumference (WC), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and 24-hour average systolic blood pressure (24-hour SBP). Linear regressions were used, adjusting for age, sex, race, average nocturnal sleep across the study period, and BMI percentile. Results: More days napped by actigraphy was related to elevated IL-6 [B(SE)=.49(.21), p < .05] but lower 24-hour SBP [B(SE)=-5.29(2.64), p < .05]. Napping was not associated with WC, HOMA-IR, or hs-CRP. The relationship between average minutes napped by actigraphy and 24-hour SBP varied as a function of life events conflict (b = -.76, SE = .31, p = .015). At high levels of conflict, napping was associated with lower levels of 24-hour SBP, while at low or average levels of conflict, there was no effect of napping on 24-hour SBP. Neither physical activity nor sedentary behaviors emerged as moderators. Conclusions: No consistent association of napping with CV risk factors was observed. However, actigraphy-derived napping was associated positively with circulating IL-6, a proinflammatory cytokine that is known to impact central inflammatory processes that relate to sleep regulation. Further examination of the direction of this effect is warranted. Results may differ in other age groups who are not as sleep deprived as is the case among adolescents

Abstract RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CUMULATIVE CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY AND SLEEP HEALTH: DOES VIGILANCE FOR THREAT PLAY A ROLE?

Exposure to childhood adversity in the home may be related to poorer sleep, even in samples without sleep disorders or psychiatric illness. Sleep health is a construct that considers dimensions of both nighttime and daytime sleep (i.e., regularity, satisfaction, alertness, timing, efficiency, duration). This study examined the relationship between cumulative childhood adversity (i.e., a sum of different types of adversities) and sleep health, as well as mediators and moderators of this relationship, including vigilance for threat, childhood SES, community adversities, body mass index, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD in a sample of 540 healthy undergraduates aged 18-28 years old (50% female; 29% non-white). Online surveys assessed childhood adversity before age 18 and current sleep, mood, vigilance for threat, and health. Survey sleep health was measured using the “RUSATED” scale (Buysse, 2014). A subsample (n=114) completed a laboratory protocol that measured behavioral and physiological vigilance for threat, and a weeklong sleep protocol (actigraphy and daily diaries). Primary analyses examined a second-order latent factor of sleep health that combined survey, actigraphy, and diary measures of the six sleep health dimensions. Supplemental analyses examined the total sleep health score on the RUSATED survey, as well as total scores when RUSATED cut-offs for each sleep dimension were applied to actigraphy and diary data. Structural equation modeling (with bootstrapping for mediation models) and linear regressions were used to examine the relationship between childhood adversity and sleep health. Overall, 52% of the sample reported one or more childhood adversities. Childhood adversity was related to poorer latent sleep health and survey-reported RUSATED sleep health total score after adjustment for sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial covariates. Mediation and moderation hypotheses were largely unsupported, with two exceptions: PTSD partially mediated the relationship between childhood adversity and diary-derived sleep health total score, and low childhood SES moderated the relationship between adversity and survey sleep health total score, but this interaction was not probed as less than 5% of participants reported low SES. The sleep health construct may provide a nuanced way to study sleep patterns and ultimately guide intervention efforts that may mitigate downstream risk of poor health outcomes

Quantification of silver nanoparticle uptake and distribution within individual human macrophages by FIB/SEM slice and view

Background: Quantification of nanoparticle (NP) uptake in cells or tissues is very important for safety assessment. Often, electron microscopy based approaches are used for this purpose, which allow imaging at very high resolution. However, precise quantification of NP numbers in cells and tissues remains challenging. The aim of this study was to present a novel approach, that combines precise quantification of NPs in individual cells together with high resolution imaging of their intracellular distribution based on focused ion beam/ scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) slice and view approaches. Results: We quantified cellular uptake of 75 nm diameter citrate stabilized silver NPs (Ag 75 Cit) into an individual human macrophage derived from monocytic THP-1 cells using a FIB/SEM slice and view approach. Cells were treated with 10 μg/ml for 24 h. We investigated a single cell and found in total 3138 ± 722 silver NPs inside this cell. Most of the silver NPs were located in large agglomerates, only a few were found in clusters of fewer than five NPs. Furthermore, we cross-checked our results by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and could confirm the FIB/SEM results. Conclusions: Our approach based on FIB/SEM slice and view is currently the only one that allows the quantification of the absolute dose of silver NPs in individual cells and at the same time to assess their intracellular distribution at high resolution. We therefore propose to use FIB/SEM slice and view to systematically analyse the cellular uptake of various NPs as a function of size, concentration and incubation time

POLETOWN NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, a voluntary unincorporated association

Corporation as a site for construction of an assembly plant. The plaintiffs, a neighborhood association and several individual residents of the affected area, brought suit in Wayne Circuit Court to challenge the project on a number of grounds, not all of which have been argued to this Court. Defendants&apos; motions for summary judgment were denied pending trial on a single question of fact: whether, under 1980 PA 87; M.C.L. § 213.51 et seq ; M.S.A. § 8.265(1) et seq, the city abused its discretion in determining that condemnation of plaintiffs&apos; property was necessary to complete the project

Increasing Use of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Patients Aged 70 Years and Older in the United States

In this study, we evaluated trends and outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in adults ≥ 70 years with hematologic malignancies across the United States. Adults ≥ 70 years with a hematologic malignancy undergoing first allogeneic HCT in the United States between 2000 and 2013 and reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research were eligible. Transplant utilization and transplant outcomes, including overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and transplant-related mortality (TRM) were studied. One thousand one hundred and six patients ≥ 70 years underwent HCT across 103 transplant centers. The number and proportion of allografts performed in this population rose markedly over the past decade, accounting for 0.1% of transplants in 2000 to 3.85% (N = 298) in 2013. Acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes represented the most common disease indications. Two-year OS and PFS significantly improved over time (OS: 26% [95% confidence interval (CI), 21% to 33%] in 2000-2007 to 39% [95% CI, 35% to 42%] in 2008-2013, P \u3c .001; PFS: 22% [16% to 28%] in 2000-2007 to 32% [95% CI, 29% to 36%] in 2008-2013, P = .003). Two-year TRM ranged from 33% to 35% and was unchanged over time (P = .54). Multivariable analysis of OS in the modern era of 2008-2013 revealed higher comorbidity by HCT comorbidity index ≥ 3 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.27; P = .006), umbilical cord blood graft (HR, 1.97; P = .0002), and myeloablative conditioning (HR, 1.61; P = .0002) as adverse factors. Over the past decade, utilization and survival after allogeneic transplant have increased in patients ≥ 70 years. Select adults ≥70 years with hematologic malignancies should be considered for transplant

First steps toward harmonized human biomonitoring in Europe : demonstration project to perform human biomonitoring on a European scale

'Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives'Background: For Europe as a whole, data on internal exposure to environmental chemicals do not yet exist. Characterization of the internal individual chemical environment is expected to enhance understanding of the environmental threats to health. Objectives: We developed and applied a harmonized protocol to collect comparable human biomonitoring data all over Europe. Methods: In 17 European countries, we measured mercury in hair and cotinine, phthalate metabolites, and cadmium in urine of 1,844 children (5–11 years of age) and their mothers. Specimens were collected over a 5-month period in 2011–2012. We obtained information on personal characteristics, environment, and lifestyle. We used the resulting database to compare concentrations of exposure biomarkers within Europe, to identify determinants of exposure, and to compare exposure biomarkers with healthbased guidelines. Results: Biomarker concentrations showed a wide variability in the European population. However, levels in children and mothers were highly correlated. Most biomarker concentrations were below the health-based guidance values. Conclusions: We have taken the first steps to assess personal chemical exposures in Europe as a whole. Key success factors were the harmonized protocol development, intensive training and capacity building for field work, chemical analysis and communication, as well as stringent quality control programs for chemical and data analysis. Our project demonstrates the feasibility of a Europe-wide human biomonitoring framework to support the decision-making process of environmental measures to protect public health.The research leading to these results received funding for the COPHES project (COnsortium to Perform Human biomonitoring on a European Scale) from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme [FP7/2007–2013] under grant agreement 244237. DEMOCOPHES (DEMOnstration of a study to COordinate and Perform Human biomonitoring on a European Scale) was co-funded (50%:50%) by the European Commission LIFE+ Programme (LIFE09/ENV/BE/000410) and the partners. For information on both projects as well as on the national co-funding institutions, see http://www.eu-hbm.info/. The sponsors had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation or writing of the report

Quantification of silver nanoparticle uptake and distribution within individual human macrophages by FIB/SEM slice and view

Background Quantification of nanoparticle (NP) uptake in cells or tissues is very important for safety assessment. Often, electron microscopy based approaches are used for this purpose, which allow imaging at very high resolution. However, precise quantification of NP numbers in cells and tissues remains challenging. The aim of this study was to present a novel approach, that combines precise quantification of NPs in individual cells together with high resolution imaging of their intracellular distribution based on focused ion beam/ scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) slice and view approaches. Results We quantified cellular uptake of 75 nm diameter citrate stabilized silver NPs (Ag 75 Cit) into an individual human macrophage derived from monocytic THP-1 cells using a FIB/SEM slice and view approach. Cells were treated with 10 μg/ml for 24 h. We investigated a single cell and found in total 3138 ± 722 silver NPs inside this cell. Most of the silver NPs were located in large agglomerates, only a few were found in clusters of fewer than five NPs. Furthermore, we cross-checked our results by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and could confirm the FIB/SEM results. Conclusions Our approach based on FIB/SEM slice and view is currently the only one that allows the quantification of the absolute dose of silver NPs in individual cells and at the same time to assess their intracellular distribution at high resolution. We therefore propose to use FIB/SEM slice and view to systematically analyse the cellular uptake of various NPs as a function of size, concentration and incubation time.TU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel - 201

Exposure determinants of cadmium in European mothers and their children

© 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CCBY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).The metal cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental pollutant with documented adverse effects on the kidneys and bones from long-term environmental exposure, but with insufficiently elucidated public health consequences such as risk of cardiovascular disease, hormone-related cancer in adults and developmental effects in children. This study is the first pan-European human biomonitoring project that succeeded in performing harmonized measurements of Cd in urine in a comparable way in mother–child couples from 16 European countries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the overall Cd exposure and significant determinants of Cd exposure. A study population of 1632 women (24–52 years of age), and 1689 children (5–12 years of age), from 32 rural and urban areas, was examined within a core period of 6 months in 2011–2012. Women were stratified as smokers and non-smokers. As expected, smoking mothers had higher geometric mean (gm) urinary cadmium (UCd; 0.24 µg/g crea; n=360) than non-smoking mothers (gm 0.18 µg/g crea; n=1272; p<0.0001), and children had lower UCd (gm 0.065 µg/g crea; n=1689) than their mothers at the country level. Non-smoking women exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at home had 14% (95% CI 1–28%) higher UCd than those who were not exposed to ETS at home (p=0.04). No influence of ETS at home or other places on UCd levels was detected in children. Smoking women with primary education as the highest educational level of the household had 48% (95% CI 18–86%) higher UCd than those with tertiary education (p=0.0008). The same observation was seen in non-smoking women and in children; however they were not statistically significant. In children, living in a rural area was associated with 7% (95% CI 1–13%) higher UCd (p=0.03) compared to living in an urban area. Children, 9–12 years had 7% (95% CI 1–13%) higher UCd (p=0.04) than children 5–8 years. About 1% of the mothers, and 0.06% of the children, exceeded the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) appointed by EFSA, corresponding to 1.0 µg Cd/g crea in urine. Poland had the highest UCd in comparison between the 16 countries, while Denmark had the lowest. Whether the differences between countries are related to differences in the degree of environmental Cd contamination or to differences in lifestyle, socioeconomic status or dietary patterns is not clear.Financially supported by the 7th EU framework programe(DGResearch – No. 244237-COPHES),LIFE+ 2009(DG Environment – LIFE09ENV/BE000410-DEMOCOPHES),with addi- tional co-funding from DEMOCOPHES partners