Publications by authors named "Steven D Hicks"

Objectives: To evaluate changes in psychological symptoms and sleep quality at three clinically relevant milestones following adolescent concussion: while symptomatic, at symptom resolution, and about 2 months after symptom resolution.

Study Design: We conducted a secondary analysis of a multisite, longitudinal investigation of adolescent concussion recovery. Participants enrolled < 21 days following concussion and completed self-report questionnaires (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System [PROMIS] Pediatric Global 25 anxiety and depressive symptom domains, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]) at three time points: visit 1 (symptomatic), visit 2 (<14 days after symptom resolution), and visit 3 (2 months after symptom resolution).

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Objectives: New respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunizations for infants and pregnant mothers recently became available to prevent severe RSV disease in infants. We aimed to determine the primary reasons for parental RSV immunization decisions. We further sought to evaluate the associations between vaccine receipt and source of health care information and trust in one's health care provider.

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A growing body of clinical literature has described neurodevelopmental delays in infants with chronic prenatal opioid exposure and withdrawal. Despite this, the mechanism of how opioids impact the developing brain remains unknown. Here, we developed an in vitro model of prenatal morphine exposure and withdrawal using healthy human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived midbrain neural progenitors in monolayer.

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Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), often resulting from traffic accidents, workplace incidents, sports, or recreational activities, is a neurological condition that significantly impacts the daily lives of many individuals. The absence of reliable biomarkers and the non-specific nature of mTBI symptoms pose challenges for accurate diagnosis, leading to undetected cases and potential long-term consequences. Current diagnostic approaches, including neuroimaging, serum biomarkers, and cognitive assessments, suffer from cost, invasiveness, and sensitivity limitations.

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Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) results in a constellation of symptoms commonly referred to as a concussion. It is unclear why certain individuals experience persistent symptoms. Given the growing evidence linking the microbiome with cognition and inflammation, we examined whether longitudinal microbiome patterns were associated with concussion symptoms.

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play pivotal role as biomarkers for various diseases, with salivary miRNAs offering a non-invasive diagnostic tool. For mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), salivary miRNAs like miR-let7a, miR-21, and miR-30e show promise for early detection of subtle injuries lacking reliable indicators. To advance the detection of mTBI-related salivary miRNAs, this study integrates anti-miRNA and miRNA hybridization-based sensing with the development of a nanoscale covalent-organic framework (COF) platform.

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: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potent drivers of psychopathology and neurological disorders, especially within minoritized populations. Nonetheless, we lack a coherent understanding of the neuronal mechanisms through which ACEs impact gene expression and, thereby, the development of psychopathology. : This observational pilot study used a novel marker of neuronal functioning (brain-derived micro ribonucleic acids, or miRNAs) collected via saliva to explore the connection between ACEs and neuronal gene expression in 45 adolescents with a collectively high ACE exposure (26 males and 19 females of diverse races/ethnicities, with six cumulative ACEs on average).

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: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in children. Currently, no biological test can predict outcomes in pediatric TBI, complicating medical management. This study sought to identify brain-related micro-ribosomal nucleic acids (miRNAs) in saliva associated with moderate-to-severe TBI in children, offering a potential non-invasive, prognostic tool.

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Infant consumption of human milk (HM) is associated with a reduced risk of overweight and obesity, but the reasons for this relationship are not completely understood. There is emerging evidence that micro RNAs (miRNAs) regulate infant development and metabolism, but the associations between HM miRNAs and infant growth remain poorly understood. We examined the relationship between HM miRNA consumption and infant obesity in 163 mother-infant dyads to determine (1) if miRNA profiles differentiate infants with obesity, and (2) if individual miRNAs accurately predicted infant obesity status at one year of age.

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Human milk is optimal for infant nutrition. However, many mothers cease breastfeeding because of low milk supply (LMS). It is difficult to identify mothers at risk for LMS because its biologic underpinnings are not fully understood.

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Neurodevelopment is influenced by complex interactions between environmental factors, including social determinants of health (SDOH), nutrition, and even the microbiome. This longitudinal cohort study of 142 infants tested the hypothesis that microbial activity modulates the effects of nutrition on neurodevelopment. Salivary microbiome activity was measured at 6 months using RNA sequencing.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bed sharing is linked to a higher risk of sleep-related deaths in infants, prompting researchers to investigate if sleep issues in infants lead to more bed sharing.
  • In a study with 191 mother-infant pairs, data showed that infants who shared a bed slept less (7.1 hours) and took longer to fall asleep (0.7 hours) compared to those who didn’t bed share (8.3 hours and 0.5 hours, respectively).
  • The study suggests that sleep difficulties at 1 month old may increase the likelihood of bed sharing, regardless of other social factors.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may impair immune modulating host microRNAs, causing severe disease. Our objectives were to determine the salivary miRNA profile in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection at presentation and compare the expression in those with and without severe outcomes. Children <18 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection evaluated at two hospitals between March 2021 and February 2022 were prospectively enrolled.

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Infant colic is a common condition with unclear biologic underpinnings and limited treatment options. We hypothesized that complex molecular networks within human milk (i.e.

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Article Synopsis
  • Low milk supply (LMS) is linked to early breastfeeding cessation, but the reasons at the biological level in the mammary gland are still unclear.
  • Researchers studied milk miRNA profiles in women with LMS versus those with adequate milk supply (AMS), finding specific miRNAs associated with milk volume and breastfeeding outcomes.
  • Notably, higher levels of the miRNA let-7g-5p were tied to LMS and negatively correlated with maternal fruit intake, suggesting these miRNAs could help predict LMS risk and breastfeeding challenges.
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Article Synopsis
  • * A total of 372 CYP aged 0-15 were studied, with 100 testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 272 testing negative.
  • * Findings indicated that the average duration of symptoms was similar for both groups, suggesting that CYP with non-SARS-CoV-2 infections experience a comparable length of symptoms as those with COVID-19.
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Prompt recognition of neurodevelopmental delay is critical for optimizing developmental trajectories. Currently, this is achieved with caregiver questionnaires whose sensitivity and specificity can be limited by socioeconomic and cultural factors. This prospective study of 121 term infants tested the hypothesis that microRNA measurement could aid early recognition of infants at risk for neurodevelopmental delay.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how factors from the host (infant), microbes, and environment might affect the frequency of upper respiratory infections (URIs) in infants.
  • Researchers analyzed saliva from 146 infants at 6 months old, measuring various biological components like cytokines and microbial RNA to find correlations with URI occurrences in their first year.
  • Key findings linked URI frequency to environmental conditions (like daycare and air pollution), specific microbial presence, and molecular indicators from the infants, suggesting new ways to understand or manage URI risks in babies if confirmed in larger studies.
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Food reactions (FR) are multifactorial and impacted by medical, demographic, environmental, and immunologic factors. We hypothesized that multi-omic analyses of host-microbial factors in saliva would enhance our understanding of FR development. This longitudinal cohort study included 164 infants followed from birth through two years.

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Article Synopsis
  • There is increasing interest in using saliva microRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers for diseases, but varying experimental designs greatly affect miRNA expression and study reliability.
  • Differences in technical methods, individual variations, and the lack of standardized control miRNAs pose challenges for research accuracy.
  • A large study assessed how factors like saliva collection methods and RNA stabilizers impact miRNA variability, finding that RNA stabilizers significantly affect measurements and identifying certain salivary miRNAs that could serve as reliable controls.
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Background: The pathophysiology of wheezing is multifactorial, impacted by medical, demographic, environmental, and immunologic factors. We hypothesized that multi-omic analyses of host and microbial factors in saliva would enhance the ability to identify infants at risk for wheezing.

Methods: This longitudinal cohort study included 161 term infants.

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Background: Human milk is thought to reduce infant atopy risk. The biologic mechanism for this protective effect is not fully understood.

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that infant consumption of 4 microRNAs (miR-146b-5p, miR-148b-3p, miR-21-5p, and miR-375-3p) in human milk would be associated with reduced atopy risk.

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In the past decade, growing interest in micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) has catapulted these small, non-coding nucleic acids to the forefront of biomarker research. Advances in scientific knowledge have made it clear that miRNAs play a vital role in regulating cellular physiology throughout the human body. Perturbations in miRNA signaling have also been described in a variety of pediatric conditions-from cancer, to renal failure, to traumatic brain injury.

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Background: The pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis (AD) is multifactorial, impacted by individual medical, demographic, environmental, and immunologic factors. This study used multi-omic analyses to assess how host and microbial factors could contribute to infant AD development.

Methods: This longitudinal cohort study included 129 term infants, identified as AD (n = 37) or non-AD (n = 92) using the Infant Feeding Practices-II survey and review of medical records.

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