Associations of Metal Mixtures During Early Pregnancy With Midlife Obesity and Body Composition: A Prospective Study.

Objective: To examine the prospective associations of metal mixtures during pregnancy with midlife adiposity and explore metal-folate interactions.

Methods: In 500 participants from Project Viva, we measured six non-essential metals (arsenic, barium, cadmium, cesium, mercury, and lead) and five essential metals (copper, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc) in red blood cells and folate in plasma collected during early pregnancy (mean gestational age: 10.0 weeks; mean age: 32.

Co-occurring Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Children: Advocating for Transdiagnostic Approach to Assessments.

Approximately 8% of all children experience developmental and mental health conditions. Similarities in characteristics across neurodevelopmental conditions-such as difficulties in communication and language, social interaction, motor coordination, attention, activity regulation, behavior, mood, and sleep-make it challenging to attribute these characteristics exclusively to specific diagnoses and assessments. The purpose of this study was to identify symptomatic domains across neurodevelopmental conditions in children and to explore dimension reduction for transdiagnostic assessment.

Dentin Metal and Trace Elements in Deciduous Teeth: Findings from Project Viva.

Deciduous teeth can reveal historical exposure to metals, yet their distribution within populations remains underexplored. This study aimed to characterize metal levels in deciduous teeth, compare measurements across duplicate teeth, and assess associations with maternal blood metal concentrations during pregnancy, while considering maternal and child characteristics. We recruited women into Project Viva between 1999 and 2002 during early pregnancy.

Medicinal cannabis for tics in adolescents with Tourette syndrome.

Medicinal cannabis has been trialled for Tourette syndrome in adults, but it has not been studied in adolescents. This open-label, single-arm trial study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability and signal of efficacy of medicinal cannabis in adolescents (12-18 years), using a Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol:cannabidiol ratio of 10:15, with dose varying from 5 to 20 mg/day based on body weight and response. The study demonstrated feasibility of recruitment, acceptability of study procedures, potential benefits and a favourable safety profile, with no serious adverse events.

GPS-based street-view greenspace exposure and wearable assessed physical activity in a prospective cohort of US women.

Background: Increasing evidence positively links greenspace and physical activity (PA). However, most studies use measures of greenspace, such as satellite-based vegetation indices around the residence, which fail to capture ground-level views and day-to-day dynamic exposures, potentially misclassifying greenspace and limiting policy relevance.

Methods: We analyzed data from the US-based Nurses' Health Study 3 Mobile Health Substudy (2018-2020).

Developing Nationwide Estimates of Built Environment Quality Characteristics Using Street-View Imagery and Computer Vision.

Environmental health studies commonly rely on urban composition measures for built environment exposure assessment. However, quality measures are equally important, as they directly influence health behaviors. We leveraged computer vision and street-view imagery to estimate five components of built environment quality (perceived beauty, relaxation potential, nature quality, safe for walking, and safety from crime) across all U.

Associations of street-view greenspace exposure with cardiovascular health (Life's Essential 8) among women in midlife.

Background: Many women experience suboptimal cardiovascular health (CVH) during midlife. Greenspace exposure has been inversely associated with cardiovascular disease because it may reduce harmful environmental exposures and promote healthy behaviors. Most prior studies used satellite-based rather than ground-level exposures and did not examine overall CVH.

Greenspace and depression incidence in the US-based nationwide Nurses' Health Study II: A deep learning analysis of street-view imagery.

Background: Greenspace exposure is associated with lower depression risk. However, most studies have measured greenspace exposure using satellite-based vegetation indices, leading to potential exposure misclassification and limited policy relevance. We examined the association of street-view greenspace measures with incident depression in a prospective cohort of US women.

Associations of metal mixtures in early pregnancy with lung function and asthma in mid-childhood in Project Viva.

Whether fetal lung development may be vulnerable to gestational exposure to metals is unknown. We analyzed mother-child pairs in Project Viva, a prospective pre-birth cohort in eastern Massachusetts, USA. Concentrations of 11 essential and non-essential metals were measured in maternal first-trimester erythrocytes (~10 weeks).

The Association of Prenatal Dietary Factors with Child Autism Diagnosis and Autism-Related Traits Using a Mixtures Approach: Results from the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort.

Background: Previous research on the role of maternal diet in relation to autism has focused on examining individual nutrient associations. Few studies have examined associations with multiple nutrients using mixtures approaches, which may better reflect true exposure scenarios.

Objectives: This study aims to examine associations of nutrient mixtures with children's autism diagnosis and trait scores within a large, diverse population.

A Pilot Randomized Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial of Medicinal Cannabis in Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome.

Medicinal cannabis (MC) has potential therapeutic effects in Tourette Syndrome (TS), however there has been limited research in adolescent patients. This pilot study aimed to investigate the feasibility of conducting a randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial of MC in adolescents with TS. This was a phase I/II double-blind, cross-over pilot study comparing MC with matched placebo in adolescents aged 12-18 years with TS.

Pregnancy Metal Mixtures and Blood Pressure and Hypertension in Mid-Life: A Prospective U.S. Cohort Study.

Background: The long-term associations between metal mixtures in pregnancy and women's mid-life blood pressure (BP) and hypertension remain unclear.

Methods: In Project Viva (enrolled 1999-2002), we measured nonessential (arsenic, barium, cadmium, cesium, mercury, lead) and essential metals (copper, magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc) in red blood cells, along with folate and vitamin B12 in plasma, collected during pregnancy. We measured mid-life BP from 2017 to 2021 (median age, 51.

Pharmacological Modulation of Mutant with Oncotargets Against Esophageal Cancer and Therapy Resistance.

The prevalence and deaths from esophageal cancer (EC) have recently increased. Although therapeutic strategies depend on the EC stage and recurrence, such as surgical intervention, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, chemoradiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, a more effective and novel treatment for EC is still required. This review briefly describes and summarizes some insightful oncotargets involved in the metabolic modulation of EC, including (1) cancer stem cells (CSCs) for EC progression, poor prognosis, tumor recurrence, and therapy resistance; (2) retinoic acid receptors (RARs) for esophageal carcinogenesis and regeneration; (3) phosphofructokinase (PFK) for EC-reprogrammed glycolysis; (4) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as an EC peripheral blood biomarker; and (5) hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) for the tumor microenvironment under hypoxic conditions.

Co-design of the neurodevelopment assessment scale.

Introduction: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) have high comorbidity rates and shared etiology. Nevertheless, NDD assessment is diagnosis-driven and focuses on symptom profiles of individual disorders, which hinders diagnosis and treatment. There is also no evidence-based, standardized transdiagnostic approach currently available to provide a full clinical picture of individuals with NDDs.

Factors associated with extended length of stay for paediatric mental health presentations to EDs in South Western Sydney, Australia.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the factors associated with extended length of stay (LOS) for paediatric mental health (MH)-related presentations to the EDs in South Western Sydney (SWS).

Methods: We analysed electronic medical records (eMRs) of 7444 MH-related ED encounters of children and young people (CYP) aged up to 18 years from all six public hospitals in SWS from January 2016 to April 2022. Extended LOS was defined as encounters of more than 4 h.

Editorial: Clinical Implications of Emotional Dysregulation Trajectories in Autism.

Emotional dysregulation (ED) presents a persistent and multifaceted challenge for autistic children, their families, clinicians, and educators. Characterized by intense emotional responses, frequent irritability, and reactive aggression, ED can disrupt social, academic, and daily functioning, impacting the child's life and placing immense strain on families. Autistic children have a 9-fold increased risk of emergency room visits for psychiatric symptoms compared with neurotypical children, which is at least partly attributable to the substantially high prevalence of clinically significant emotional regulation difficulties in this population.

Mental health help-seeking behaviours among children and young people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in a multicultural urban Australian population.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the help-seeking behaviours among children and young people (CYP) from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds for mental health (MH) needs in a multicultural Australian population.

Methods: We analysed the electronic medical records (eMR) of 8135 MH-related emergency department (ED) encounters of CYP aged up to 18 years across six public hospitals in the South Western Sydney Local Health District, Australia, from January 2016 to April 2022. Urgency of MH care was grouped into high priority (triage categories 1 and 2, needing to have treatment within 10 minutes) and low-to-moderate (triage categories 3-5, needing to have treatment within 30-120 minutes) presentations.

The Association Between In Utero Exposure to Painkillers and Trajectories of Hyperactivity and Emotional Problems in Children with Autism Compared with Neurotypical Peers.

: In utero exposure to painkillers has raised concerns regarding its potential impact on neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigates the association between in utero exposure to painkillers and trajectories of hyperactivity and emotional problems in children with and without ASD, separately. Data were drawn from 5107 participants enrolled in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.

Associations of PFAS concentrations during pregnancy and midlife with bone health in midlife: Cross-sectional and prospective findings from Project Viva.

Background: PFAS may impair bone health, but effects of PFAS exposure assessed during pregnancy and the perimenopause-life stages marked by rapidly changing bone metabolism-on later life bone health are unknown.

Methods: We studied 531 women in the Boston-area Project Viva cohort. We used multivariable linear, generalized additive, and mixture models to examine associations of plasma PFAS concentrations during early pregnancy [median (IQR) maternal age 32.