Family SES Is Associated with the Gut Microbiome in Infants and Children.

Background: While early life exposures such as mode of birth, breastfeeding, and antibiotic use are established regulators of microbiome composition in early childhood, recent research suggests that the social environment may also exert influence. Two recent studies in adults demonstrated associations between socioeconomic factors and microbiome composition. This study expands on this prior work by examining the association between family socioeconomic status (SES) and host genetics with microbiome composition in infants and children.

Exploring genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in Aicardi syndrome.

Aim: To explore differential DNA methylation (DNAm) in Aicardi syndrome (AIC), a severe neurodevelopmental disorder with largely unknown etiology.

Patients & Methods: We characterized DNAm in AIC female patients and parents using the Illumina 450 K array. Differential DNAm was assessed using the local outlier factor algorithm, and results were validated via qPCR in a larger set of AIC female patients, parents and unrelated young female controls.