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Swiss Med Wkly 2022 Jun 13;152(23-24). Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne (Unil), Epalinges-Lausanne, Switzerland.

Study Aims: Switzerland's Labour Law and its Ordonnance on Maternity Protection aim to protect the health of pregnant employees and their unborn children while enabling them to continue to pursue their professional activities. Some companies encounter difficulties implementing the law's provisions. The Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, part of the Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), has provided specialist occupational medicine consultations for pregnant employees since 2015. Read More

BMC Pediatr 2022 May 12;22(1):269. Epub 2022 May 12.

Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China.

Background: Newborn hearing screening results indicated that more than 40% of the detected infants had no recognized risk factors. To determine whether maternal exposure to ambient air pollutants and experience of stressful life event, as well as lack of fresh fruit and vegetable during pregnancy are associated with the abnormal hearing development among newborns.

Methods: A total of 1193 newborns and their mothers were recruited in this study. Read More

Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022 07 13;141:105769. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.

Background: Latinas in the United States suffer disproportionately high levels of pre- and postnatal depression. However, little is understood regarding the biopsychosocial mechanisms linking socio-environmental factors to this increase in mental health risk. The oxytocinergic system, with its roles in the stress response, social behaviour and mood regulation, may be an important modulator of this sensitivity. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 03 16;19(6). Epub 2022 Mar 16.

LIVE UMR 7362 CNRS (Laboratoire Image Ville Environnement), University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France.

Background-The exposome concept refers to the totality of exposures from internal and external sources, including chemical and biological agents from conception throughout the lifetime. Exposome is also made up of psychosocial components such as socio-economic status (SES), which will focus on in this review. Despite exposures to the same environmental nuisances, individuals and groups are impacted differently. Read More

Chem Res Toxicol 2022 02 7;35(2):163-198. Epub 2022 Feb 7.

Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States.

Pregnancy presents a unique risk to chemical researchers due to their occupational exposures to chemical, equipment, and physical hazards in chemical research laboratories across science, engineering, and technology disciplines. Understanding "risk" as a function of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, this review aims to critically examine the state of the science for the risks and associated recommendations (or lack thereof) for pregnant researchers in chemical laboratories (labs). Commonly encountered hazards for pregnant lab workers include chemical hazards (organic solvents, heavy metals, engineered nanomaterials, and endocrine disruptors), radiation hazards (ionizing radiation producing equipment and materials and nonionizing radiation producing equipment), and other hazards related to the lab environment (excessive noise, excessive heat, psychosocial stress, strenuous physical work, and/or abnormal working hours). Read More

BMJ Open 2022 Jan 31;12(1):e049231. Epub 2022 Jan 31.

Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Purpose: The InTraUterine sampling in early pregnancy (ITU) is a prospective pregnancy cohort study. The overarching aim of ITU is to unravel genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, endocrine, inflammatory and metabolic maternal-placental-fetal mechanisms involved in the programming of health and disease after exposure to prenatal environmental adversity, such as maternal malnutrition, cardiometabolic disorders, infections, medical interventions, mental disorders and psychosocial stress. This paper describes the study protocol, design and baseline characteristics of the cohort. Read More

PLoS One 2022 28;17(1):e0261691. Epub 2022 Jan 28.

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Conduct Disorder (CD) is an impairing psychiatric disorder of childhood and adolescence characterized by aggressive and dissocial behavior. Environmental factors such as maternal smoking during pregnancy, socio-economic status, trauma, or early life stress are associated with CD. Although the number of females with CD is rising in Western societies, CD is under-researched in female cohorts. Read More

J Affect Disord 2022 04 15;302:139-159. Epub 2022 Jan 15.

School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, 02920 874000, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Background: Maternal childhood maltreatment (MCM) is linked to poor perinatal outcomes but the evidence base lacks cohesion. We explore the impact of MCM on four perinatal outcome domains: pregnancy and obstetric; maternal mental health; infant; and the quality of the care-giving environment. Mechanisms identified in the included studies are discussed in relation to the maternal programming hypothesis and directions for future research. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 12 22;19(1). Epub 2021 Dec 22.

Center of Clinical Investigation Inserm 1402, University Hospital of Poitiers, 2 Rue de la Milétrie, 86021 Poitiers, France.

Environmental health promotion interventions may reduce endocrine disruptor (ED) exposure. The PREVED (PREgnancy, preVention, Endocrine Disruptors) project was developed to improve knowledge, to enhance risk perception, and to change exposure behavior. Our objective was to present the phases of the PREVED project using the RE-AIM method. Read More

Klin Padiatr 2022 Mar 13;234(2):61-67. Epub 2021 Dec 13.

Department of Paediatrics, Erlangen University Hospital, Erlangen, Deutschland.

Background: Genes, hormones and factors such as nutrition and psychosocial environment affect growth.

Objective: What is the significance of various psychosocial factors on growth?

Methods: Evaluation of results of a working meeting of paediatric endocrinologist with current literature research.

Results: Psychosocial deprivation in children can be associated with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and short stature. Read More

Scand J Work Environ Health 2022 04 13;48(3):239-247. Epub 2021 Dec 13.

Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.

Objectives: Using a large, national, prospective cohort, while adjusting for other work exposures, this study aims to investigate whether exposure to occupational stress during pregnancy is associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and gestational diabetes.

Methods: Our cohort consisted of 1 102 230 singleton births between 1994-2014 in Sweden, based on high-quality register data of Swedish pregnancies. Exposure to occupational stress was obtained from a job exposure matrix (JEM) constructed from 12 questions pertaining to the psychosocial work environment from the 1997-2013 cycles of Swedish Work Environment Survey, including approximately 75 000 individuals. Read More

Orphanet J Rare Dis 2021 11 18;16(1):477. Epub 2021 Nov 18.

Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Centre for Pediatric Research Leipzig (CPL), Department of Women and Child Health, University Hospital, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

Background: Insufficient metabolic control during pregnancy of mothers with phenylketonuria (PKU) leads to maternal PKU syndrome, a severe embryo-/fetopathy. Since maintaining or reintroducing the strict phenylalanine (Phe) limited diet in adults with PKU is challenging, we evaluated the most important dietary and psychosocial factors to gain and sustain good metabolic control in phenylketonuric women throughout pregnancy by a questionnaire survey with 38 questions concerning therapy feasibility. Among them, the key questions covered 5 essential items of PKU care as follows: General information about maternal PKU, PKU training, diet implementation, individual metabolic care, personal support. Read More

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021 11;118(47)

Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029;

While cannabis is among the most used recreational drugs during pregnancy, the impact of maternal cannabis use (mCB) on fetal and child development remains unclear. Here, we assessed the effects of mCB on psychosocial and physiological measures in young children along with the potential relevance of the in utero environment reflected in the placental transcriptome. Children (∼3 to 6 y) were assessed for hair hormone levels, neurobehavioral traits on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC-2) survey, and heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and during auditory startle. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 09 26;18(19). Epub 2021 Sep 26.

Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

Acetaminophen is the most common over-the-counter pain and fever medication used by pregnant women. While European studies suggest acetaminophen exposure in pregnancy could affect childhood asthma development, findings are less consistent in other populations. We evaluated whether maternal prenatal acetaminophen use is associated with childhood asthmatic symptoms (asthma diagnosis, wheeze, dry cough) in a Los Angeles cohort of 1201 singleton births. Read More

Genes (Basel) 2021 09 17;12(9). Epub 2021 Sep 17.

Departamento & Instituto de Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-903, SP, Brazil.

Although Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is recognized as being heavily influenced by genetic factors, the role of epigenetic and environmental factors is still being established. This study aimed to identify ASD vulnerability components based on familial history and intrauterine environmental stress exposure, explore possible vulnerability subgroups, access DNA methylation age acceleration (AA) as a proxy of stress exposure during life, and evaluate the association of ASD vulnerability components and AA to phenotypic severity measures. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to search the vulnerability components from 67 mothers of autistic children. Read More

J Addict Med 2021 Sep 22. Epub 2021 Sep 22.

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Environmental Pediatrics, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA (SS, LT, AG, MHJ); Department of Population Health, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA (LT, AG); Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA (LT, AG); NYU Wagner School of Public Service, New York, NY, USA (LT); NYU College of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA (LT); Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016 USA (SSM-L, SGB).

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of perinatal cannabis use (ie, before and/or during pregnancy); document the frequency, modes, and motivations for use; and identify predictors of perinatal cannabis use.

Methods: Six states in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, a state-specific, population-based surveillance system, administered a supplemental questionnaire on perinatal cannabis use in 2016-2018. Women with live births were surveyed 2-6 months postpartum about behaviors ≤3 months preconception and during pregnancy. Read More

J Affect Disord 2021 12 4;295:632-638. Epub 2021 Sep 4.

Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University; Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University; Department of Disaster Psychiatry, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University.

Background: Trajectories of postpartum depressive symptoms up to 1 year after childbirth and the related risk factors remain unclear. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the 1-year trajectories of postpartum depressive symptoms and their associated risk factors.

Methods: A total of 22,493 pregnant women were recruited between July 2013 and September 2016 in the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study in Japan. Read More

Glob Pediatr Health 2021 31;8:2333794X211044112. Epub 2021 Aug 31.

University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.

Ecuador's annual mortality rate from SIDS is 0.4 per 100 000 people, 4 times higher than neighboring countries Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Modifying the infant sleep environment toward safe practice has been demonstrated to be the most effective risk reduction strategy in reducing mortality from SIDS and little is known about sleep practices in Ecuador. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2021 2;12:663285. Epub 2021 Aug 2.

Institute for Psychosocial Prevention, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.

Early regulatory disorders (ERD) in infancy are typically associated with high parenting stress (PS). Theoretical and empirical literature suggests a wide range of factors that may contribute to PS related to ERD. The aim of this study was to identify key predictors of maternal PS within a large predictor data set in a sample of = 135 mothers of infants diagnosed with ERD. Read More

Nat Rev Neurol 2021 09 2;17(9):564-579. Epub 2021 Aug 2.

Kids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Maternal health during pregnancy plays a major role in shaping health and disease risks in the offspring. The maternal immune activation hypothesis proposes that inflammatory perturbations in utero can affect fetal neurodevelopment, and evidence from human epidemiological studies supports an association between maternal inflammation during pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Diverse maternal inflammatory factors, including obesity, asthma, autoimmune disease, infection and psychosocial stress, are associated with an increased risk of NDDs in the offspring. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2021 09 24;148(3):669-678. Epub 2021 Jul 24.

Institute for Physical and Mental Health and Clinical Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; Child Health Research Unit, Barwon Health, Geelong, Australia; the Centre For Food Allergy Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville. Electronic address:

Environmental exposures during pregnancy that alter both the maternal gut microbiome and the infant's risk of allergic disease and asthma include a traditional farm environment and consumption of unpasteurized cow's milk, antibiotic use, dietary fiber, and psychosocial stress. Multiple mechanisms acting in concert may underpin these associations and prime the infant to acquire immune competence and homeostasis following exposure to the extrauterine environment. Cellular and metabolic products of the maternal gut microbiome can promote the expression of microbial pattern recognition receptors, as well as thymic and bone marrow hematopoiesis relevant to regulatory immunity. Read More

Epigenetics 2021 Jul 24:1-15. Epub 2021 Jul 24.

Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes disproportionately affect non-Hispanic (NH) Black patients in the United States. Structural racism has been associated with increased psychosocial distress and inflammation and may trigger oxidative stress. Thus, the nitric oxide (NO) pathway (involved in the regulation of inflammation and oxidative stress) may partly explain the underlying disparities in obstetric outcomes. Read More

Environ Res 2021 11 8;202:111651. Epub 2021 Jul 8.

Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 17 East 102nd Street, 3 West, New York, NY, United States; The Institute for Exposomics Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 17 East 102nd Street, 3 West, New York, NY, United States. Electronic address:

Introduction: Prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) is an important, under-studied risk factor for neurodevelopmental dysfunction. We describe the relationships between prenatal PM2. Read More

Dev Psychopathol 2021 Jul 2:1-9. Epub 2021 Jul 2.

Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global traumatic experience for citizens, especially during sensitive time windows of heightened plasticity such as pregnancy and neonatal life. Pandemic-related stress experienced by mothers during pregnancy may act as an early risk factor for infants' regulatory capacity development by altering maternal psychosocial well-being (e.g. Read More

Codas 2021 28;33(6):e20200254. Epub 2021 Jun 28.

Departamento de Fonoaudiologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.

Purpose: To investigate the association of sociodemographic, obstetrical and psychosocial factors with fine and gross motor developmental delay in preterm and term infants, in the age group of three months and one day to twelve months and twenty-nine days.

Methods: The term and preterm infants were evaluated by the Denver II Test for fine and gross motor skills, investigated in three phases: 165 infants in phase 1 (3 months and 1 day to 4 months and 29 days), 130 infants in stage 2 (8 months and 1 day to 9 months and 29 days) and 102 infants in phase 3 (11 months and 1 day to 12 months and 29 days). Sociodemographic, obstetrical and psychosocial data were obtained through an initial interview with family members and the psychic risk assessment through the Child Development Risk Indicators and PREAUT protocols. Read More

Mod Trends Psychiatry 2021 6;32:26-39. Epub 2021 May 6.

Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Psychosocial stress, driven by a variety of sources and influences, can be ubiquitous in our modern society. Prolonged exposure to these stressors can have detrimental biological and psychological effects; extant findings in childhood adversity indicate that the cumulative effects of exposure to childhood adversity increase risk for developmental delays, altered immune responses, and psychopathology later in life. The pathways by which these effects are conferred continue to be studied. Read More

Environ Int 2021 11 21;156:106644. Epub 2021 May 21.

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Alberta, all in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address:

Background: Maternal wildfire exposure (e.g., smoke, stress) has been associated with poor birth outcomes with effects potentially mediated through air pollution and psychosocial stress. Read More

J Obstet Gynaecol 2022 Feb 24;42(2):215-219. Epub 2021 May 24.

Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat, Turkey.

The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between musculoskeletal problems and sleep quality and exposure to occupational hazards in working pregnant women. The study included a total of 142 pregnant women working in various industries. The risk of experiencing musculoskeletal system problems was found to increase with impaired sleep quality (OR interval min =1. Read More

J Res Health Sci 2021 Jan 18;21(1):e00504. Epub 2021 Jan 18.

Reproductive Health Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran.

Background: Temporary marriage is a legal form of marriage in Shia Islam allowing a man and a woman to become married in a fixed period of time. This review was conducted to identify the potential effects of temporary marriage on the sexual and reproductive health of women.

Study Design: A systematic review . Read More

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2021 06;9(6):373-392

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. Electronic address:

Obesity has become a major public health issue in China. Overweight and obesity have increased rapidly in the past four decades, and the latest national prevalence estimates for 2015-19, based on Chinese criteria, were 6·8% for overweight and 3·6% for obesity in children younger than 6 years, 11·1% for overweight and 7·9% for obesity in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, and 34·3% for overweight and 16·4% for obesity in adults (≥18 years). Prevalence differed by sex, age group, and geographical location, but was substantial in all subpopulations. Read More