Massive migration from the steppe is a source for Indo-European languages in Europe

We generated genome-wide data from 69 Europeans who lived between 8,000-3,000 years ago by enriching ancient DNA libraries for a target set of almost four hundred thousand polymorphisms. Enrichment of these positions decreases the sequencing required for genome-wide ancient DNA analysis by a median of around 250-fold, allowing us to study an order of magnitude more individuals than previous studies and to obtain new insights about the past. We show that the populations of western and far eastern Europe followed opposite trajectories between 8,000-5,000 years ago. At the beginning of the Neolithic period in Europe, ~8,000-7,000 years ago, closely related groups of early farmers appeared in Germany, Hungary, and Spain, different from indigenous hunter-gatherers, whereas Russia was inhabited by a distinctive population of hunter-gatherers with high affinity to a ~24,000 year old Siberian6 . By ~6,000-5,000 years ago, a resurgence of hunter-gatherer ancestry had occurred throughout much of Europe, but in Russia, the Yamnaya steppe herders of this time were descended not only from the preceding eastern European hunter-gatherers, but from a population of Near Eastern ancestry. Western and Eastern Europe came into contact ~4,500 years ago, as the Late Neolithic Corded Ware people from Germany traced ~3/4 of their ancestry to the Yamnaya, documenting a massive migration into the heartland of Europe from its eastern periphery. This steppe ancestry persisted in all sampled central Europeans until at least ~3,000 years ago, and is ubiquitous in present-day Europeans. These results provide support for the theory of a steppe origin of at least some of the Indo-European languages of Europe

Climate change, mental health and wellbeing: privileging Pacific peoples’ perspectives – phase one

Impacts of climate change in the Pacific are far reaching and include effects on mental health and wellbeing. Pacific concepts around the interrelation of these global giants are yet to be described. The aim of this study was to seek consensus amongst Pacific mental health and/or climate change experts on key principles underpinning mental health and wellbeing, and climate change, and the intersection of the two, for Pacific peoples. The Delphi method included forming a panel of 70 experts. Two rounds of online questionnaires sought their views on mental health and wellbeing, and climate change and the impact upon Pacific peoples. Of the panel 86% identified with one or more Pacific ethnicities. Six themes emerged, 92% of items reached consensus and 36% reached strong consensus of >95%. Recurring subthemes included culture and spirituality, family and community, connection to ancestors, connection to the environment, resilience, disasters, livelihoods, government, education, workforce, migration and stigma. This is the first time these concepts have been explored and described for, and by Pacific peoples in this format. It is a necessary first step towards development of responses in preparedness of mental health services, in the Pacific region, and Aotearoa New Zealand.</p

Effect on breastfeeding practices of providing in-home lactation support to vulnerable women through the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program: protocol for a pre/post intervention study

Abstract Background Only one-third of Canadian infants are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life as recommended. Skilled lactation support in the early postpartum period is one strategy for improving breastfeeding outcomes by building breastfeeding self-efficacy and resolving difficulties. Access to such support is limited among vulnerable women, including those who are new immigrants, low income, under-educated, young or single. The Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) aims to improve birth and breastfeeding outcomes among vulnerable women, but currently lacks a formal framework for providing postpartum lactation support. Methods This pre/post intervention study will examine the effect on breastfeeding outcomes of an evidence-based in-home lactation support intervention provided through the CPNP. We will enrol 210 pregnant women who intend to breastfeed and are registered CPNP clients at two sites in Toronto, Canada. During the intervention phase, postpartum home visits by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) will be pro-actively offered to registered clients of the two sites. Double-electric breast pumps will also be provided to those who meet specific criteria. Infant feeding data will be collected prospectively at seven time points from 2 weeks to 6 months postpartum. Descriptive and regression analyses will be conducted to measure intervention effects. The primary outcome is exclusive breastfeeding at 4 months postpartum. Secondary outcomes include the duration of any and exclusive breastfeeding, timing of introduction of breastmilk substitutes and timing of introduction of solid foods. Breastfeeding self-efficacy will be assessed prenatally and at 2 weeks and 2 months postpartum. Other measures include maternal socio-demographics, infant feeding intentions, maternal depression and anxiety, and household food insecurity. Monitoring data will be used to assess the reach, uptake and fidelity of intervention delivery. Discussion Increasing access to skilled lactation support through the CPNP may be an effective means of improving breastfeeding practices among vulnerable women and thereby enhancing health and development outcomes for their infants. This pre/post intervention study will contribute evidence on both the effectiveness and feasibility of this approach, in order to guide the development and further testing of appropriate models of integrating lactation support into the CPNP. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT03589963 ) registered July 18, 2018

Developing a congregational health needs assessment: Lessons learned from using a participatory research approach

Background: Health needs assessments help congregations identify issues of importance to them and the communities they serve. Few tools exist, with little known about the processes needed to develop such tools. Objective: Develop a congregational health needs assessment tool and implementation protocol with community, health-care, and academic partners. Methods: Meetings began in August 2018 to develop the Mid-South Congregational Health Needs Survey (MSCHS) and implementation protocol. Pilot testing occurred in December 2018 and feedback from 95 churches was used in modifications. Results: The MSCHS includes: demographics section, a 36-item health index, and the congregation’s top five needs. The implementation protocol includes steps for working with congregation leadership to identify members to complete the survey. Conclusions: Cross-disciplinary partnerships made the creation of the MSCHS and implementation protocol pos-sible. Successes include long-term engagement across partnership sectors, organizational “buy-in,” and development of a common language. These lessons can help others wanting to develop successful multi-sector partnerships