Consortium profile: the methylation, imaging and NeuroDevelopment (MIND) consortium.

Epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, show potential as biological markers and mechanisms underlying gene-environment interplay in the prediction of mental health and other brain-based phenotypes. However, little is known about how peripheral epigenetic patterns relate to individual differences in the brain itself. An increasingly popular approach to address this is by combining epigenetic and neuroimaging data; yet, research in this area is almost entirely comprised of cross-sectional studies in adults.

Developmental Trajectories of Anxiety Subtypes from Childhood to Early Adolescence: the Role of Parenting Practices and Maternal Distress.

The present study was embedded in an Asian birth cohort to (a) investigate the trajectories of specific anxiety subtypes from middle childhood to early adolescence, (b) compare developmental trajectories by child sex, and (c) examine their associations with caregiving factors including parenting practices and maternal distress. Data from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort were analyzed (N = 547; 52.8% boys; 57.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals in maternal and umbilical cord plasma and their associations with birthweight in the GUSTO cohort.

Background: With daily exposure to multiple endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), understanding individualized co-exposure patterns could better identify chemicals that threaten health. This is particularly pertinent for the vulnerable fetus during in-utero development, where exposure can have long lasting health consequences. As there is limited information of EDC exposure in Asian maternal-offspring populations, this study aimed to (1) determine levels of a selected range of EDCs (focusing on Substances of Very High Concern by the European Chemical Agency) in maternal and corresponding cord blood plasma, (2) investigate the sociodemographic factors associated with plasma EDC concentrations, and (3) associate EDC-mixtures with birthweight, in a Singapore cohort.

Adherence to a "MediterrAsian" diet is associated with weight loss-independent improvements in liver fat and lipid profile, but not glucoregulation or inflammation: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Greater adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) has been associated with improved inflammatory biomarkers in Western populations, suggesting that the anti-inflammatory effect is crucial for improvements in body weight, body composition, and cardiometabolic risk factors observed with the MedDiet. We previously reported that a calorie-restricted MedDiet adapted to the Asian food culture has beneficial effects on body composition, liver fat, and cardiometabolic risk markers in Chinese women with fatty liver disease.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of MedDiet on inflammation and examine the relationship between dietary adherence and changes in health outcomes.

Potential effects of Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet in depression and anxiety among women with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a secondary analysis.

Background: Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) such as anxiety and depression have been associated with metabolic dysfunction-Associated steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). The Mediterranean Diet (MD) has been shown to improve metabolic health and reduce CMDs. We previously reported that a calorie-restricted MD adapted to the Asian food culture has beneficial effects on body composition, liver fat, and cardiometabolic markers in Chinese Singaporean women with MASLD.

Lipidomic Signatures of Insulin Resistance Identified From Hyperinsulinemic-Euglycemic Clamp Studies in Asian Men.

The underlying molecular pathogenesis of the Asian phenotype of insulin resistance remains to be understood. We carried out metabolic phenotyping of study participants without diabetes according to insulin sensitivity indices derived from hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedures. We identified lipidomic signatures of insulin resistance and metabolic plasticity.

Exploring the association between gestational diabetes exposure and mental and behavioural disorders in offspring: the Finnish gestational diabetes (FinnGeDi) register-based study.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. Our aim was to investigate whether GDM exposure is linked to wider spectrum of mental and behavioural disorders in offspring during the first 10 years of life.

Methods: This study included a population-based cohort of all women who delivered a singleton child in Finland in 2009, including 6,560 children exposed to maternal GDM and 51,770 control children.

Circulating amino acids and cardiometabolic risk profile in offspring of women with type 1 diabetes: cross-sectional case-control study.

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are known to be associated with cardiovascular disease risk in adults. The aim of this study is to investigate whether an increased cardiometabolic risk profile can be observed in the amino acid profile of young adult offspring of women with type 1 diabetes. This cross-sectional case-control study included 73 offspring born to women with type 1 diabetes (cases) and 82 control participants (controls).

Understanding the Experiences of Women with Gestational Diabetes in Singapore: A Qualitative Study.

Purpose: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is common in Southeast Asian countries. In Singapore, GDM affects approximately one in five pregnancies. Women diagnosed with GDM are at greater risk of developing type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Child plasma vitamin B12 concentrations and executive functions at age 7-11 years: the GUSTO study.

Purpose: We examined the associations of plasma vitamin B12 concentrations with executive functions (EFs) in children aged 7-11 years from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort.

Methods: Plasma vitamin B12 concentrations were measured at age 8 years. Selected subtests from the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY-II), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST-64), Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V) were used to assess EFs components- inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility at 8.

Robust inference and widespread genetic correlates from a large-scale genetic association study of human personality.

Personality traits describe stable differences in how individuals think, feel, and behave and how they interact with and experience their social and physical environments. We assemble data from 46 cohorts including 611K-1.14M participants with European-like and African-like genomes for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience), and data from 51K participants for within-family GWAS.

Maternal Psychological Well-Being and Caries Experience in 3-Year-Old Offspring: Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) Study.

Introduction: Dental caries is a biofilm-mediated, multifactorial disease of the dental hard tissues. Maternal psychosocial and behavioral factors can affect a child's risk for many chronic childhood conditions including dental caries. We examined the relationship between maternal psychological well-being during and after pregnancy on caries experience in 3-year-old offspring.

Associations between social vulnerability and functioning in older age, and the moderating role of optimism and self-efficacy.

Background: Although links between social factors, psychological characteristics and functioning have been established, interactions between social vulnerability and psychological characteristics impacting later-life functioning remain unclear. We investigated whether social vulnerability is associated with physical and emotional functioning and with the change in functioning over 5 years. Further, we studied whether optimism and self-efficacy moderate these associations.

Observed and hidden factors underlying the accumulation of chronic diseases across eight major organ systems: a longitudinal birth cohort study.

Background: Although individual risk factors have been linked to specific diseases, the cumulative effect of life-course factors on the accumulation of multiple chronic diseases remains unclear. This study aimed to quantify the extent to which measured and unmeasured factors explain disease burden across eight major organ systems.

Methods: We did a longitudinal analysis of a population-based birth cohort of individuals born at Helsinki University Central Hospital (Helsinki, Finland) between 1934 and 1944, who attended child welfare clinics in the city, were living in Finland in 1971, and were included in the random subsample undergoing clinical investigations between 2001 and 2004.

Differential contributions of lean and fat mass on bone mineral density in Asian women of reproductive age: the Singapore Preconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes study.

The relationships between fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM), and bone mass are complex with significant implications for obesity, sarcopenia, and osteoporosis later in life. While greater LM is associated with higher BMD, the association between FM and BMD is less clear. Such relationships warrant further investigation, especially in Asians, who have a higher risk of metabolic diseases and osteoporotic fractures compared to Western populations.

Partial substitution of red or processed meat with plant-based foods and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

A shift towards more plant-based diets may promote human and planetary health. This modelling study aimed to assess the impact of moderate partial substitution of red or processed meat with plant-based foods on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We used pooled data from five Finnish cohorts (42,868 participants aged ≥ 25 years, 78% men).

Leisure-time physical activity predicts levels of advanced glycation end-products in older women: A 15-year follow up from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study.

Aim: Physical activity might be able to delay the aging process by reducing levels of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). However, the influence of physical activity on levels of AGEs remains unclear. We investigated the associations between leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in late midlife and change in LTPA during a 15-year follow up on the levels of AGEs in old age.

Maternal Childhood Maltreatment, Development of Amygdala Volume, and Anxiety Symptoms in Offspring.

Objective: Exposure to maltreatment in childhood increases risk for mental health difficulties across generations, affecting the development of offspring. In particular, maternal exposure to childhood maltreatment can shape the neurobiological development of offspring, especially in brain regions implicated in emotional health. However, relevant studies are cross-sectional, limiting understanding of how maternal childhood maltreatment might affect offspring neurodevelopment.

Nucleus accumbens volume mediates the association between prenatal adversity and attention problems in youth.

Exposure to adversity during the perinatal period has been associated with cognitive difficulties in children. Given the role of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in attention and impulsivity, we examined whether NAcc volume at age six mediates the relations between pre- and postnatal adversity and subsequent attention problems in offspring. 306 pregnant women were recruited as part of the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes Study.

Fatty Acylcarnitine Metabolism in Brown/Beige and White Fats by C HRMAS NMR Spectroscopy With Metabolic Interventions.

White adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) have distinct structural and physiological characteristics and serve opposing functions in the body. WAT primarily stores energy, whereas BAT is metabolically active and positively influences metabolic health, contributing to energy expenditure, reduced fat accumulation and enhanced mitochondrial metabolism. Recently, both classical BAT and beige fat (or inducible/recruitable BAT) that arises from the browning of WAT have attracted clinical interest as potential targets for improving mitochondrial metabolism and managing obesity-related metabolic disorders.

Sexual dimorphism in the association of umbilical cord blood lipidome with abdominal fat in early childhood.

Background: Although the associations between cord blood lipidome and neonatal birth weight are established, it remains uncertain whether sexual dimorphism in fetal fat accumulation extends to the relationship between cord blood lipid profiles and neonatal abdominal fat compartments. Understanding these relationships could provide insights into early sex-specific differences in lipid metabolism.

Methods: We conducted lipidomics of umbilical cord blood plasma samples (350 (46.

Predicting cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with SCORE2 (OP) and Framingham risk estimates in combination with indicators of biological ageing.

Background And Objective: Previous research assessing whether biological ageing (BA) indicators can enhance the risk assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes beyond established CVD risk indicators, such as Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE2)/SCORE2-Older Persons (OP), is scarce. We explored whether BA indicators, namely the Rockwood Frailty Index (FI) and leukocyte telomere length (TL), improve predictive accuracy of CVD outcomes beyond the traditional CVD risk indicators in general population of middle-aged and older CVD-free individuals.

Methods: Data included 14 118 individuals from three population-based cohorts: TwinGene, Health 2000 (H2000), and the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, grouped by baseline age (<70, 70+).

Mediation Effect of Dental Caries in the Relationship between Parental Locus of Control and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life.

Introduction: The study aimed to assess the direct and indirect effect of parental locus of control (LoC) on child oral health-related quality of life.

Methods: As part of the Growing Up in Singapore towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) multicenter longitudinal cohort study, sociodemographic characteristics of parents and their children were obtained at recruitment. Oral health status and dental caries outcomes were assessed at the 5th year post-natal visit and administered alongside the LoC questionnaire.

Actigraphy Estimated Night Sleep Duration in Preschool Children: Comparison of an Automated Algorithm and Sleep Diary Against the Sadeh Algorithm.

Objectives: This study aims to compare amongst preschoolers, night sleep duration derived using the automated van Hees algorithm in GGIR (GGIR_VH) against the reference Sadeh algorithm (Actilife_SD), and subjective caregiver-reported sleep diaries against Actilife_SD.

Methods: Participants were 142 preschoolers (52.1% males), age 5.

Choline levels in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex associated with unpleasant pain experience and anxiety.

In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a non-invasive technique used to measure biochemical molecules such as choline, glutamate, glutamine, and γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), many of which are relevant to anxiety and pain. However, the relationship between these neurotransmitters/metabolites and their implications for anxiety and subjective experience of pain is not yet fully understood. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between anxiety and pain ratings with levels of total choline, glutamate and GABA in brain regions known to be involved in anxiety and emotional experience of pain, specifically pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC).