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Background: This study examined differences in ADHD symptoms and diagnosis between preterm and term-born adults (≥18 years), and tested if ADHD is related to gestational age, birth weight, multiple births, or neonatal complications in preterm borns., Methods: (1) A systematic review compared ADHD symptom self-reports and diagnosis between preterm and term-born adults published in PubMed, Web of Science, and PROQUEST until April 2021; (2) a one-stage Individual Participant Data(IPD) meta-analysis (n = 1385 preterm, n = 1633 term; born 1978-1995) examined differences in self-reported ADHD symptoms[age 18-36 years]; and (3) a population-based register-linkage study of all live births in Finland (01/01/1987-31/12/1998; n = 37538 preterm, n = 691,616 term) examined ADHD diagnosis risk in adulthood (≥18 years) until 31/12/2016., Results: Systematic review results were conflicting. In the IPD meta-analysis, ADHD symptoms levels were similar across groups (mean z-score difference 0.00;95% confidence interval [95% CI] -0.07, 0.07). Whereas in the register-linkage study, adults born preterm had a higher relative risk (RR) for ADHD diagnosis compared to term controls (RR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.12, 1.41, p < 0.001). Among preterms, as gestation length (RR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.89, 0.97, p < 0.001) and SD birth weight z-score (RR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.80, 0.97, p < 0.001) increased, ADHD risk decreased., Conclusions: While preterm adults may not report higher levels of ADHD symptoms, their risk of ADHD diagnosis in adulthood is higher., Impact: Preterm-born adults do not self-report higher levels of ADHD symptoms, yet are more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood compared to term-borns. Previous evidence has consisted of limited sample sizes of adults and used different methods with inconsistent findings. This study assessed adult self-reported symptoms across 8 harmonized cohorts and contrasted the findings with diagnosed ADHD in a population-based register-linkage study. Preterm-born adults may not self-report increased ADHD symptoms. However, they have a higher risk of ADHD diagnosis, warranting preventive strategies and interventions to reduce the presentation of more severe ADHD symptomatology in adulthood., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Preterm birth has been linked with postpartum depressive (PPD) disorders and high symptom levels, but evidence remains conflicting and limited in quality. It remains unclear whether PPD symptoms of mothers with preterm babies were already elevated before childbirth, and whether PPD symptoms mediate/aggravate the effect of preterm birth on child mental disorders. We examined whether preterm birth associated with maternal PPD symptoms, depressive symptoms trajectories from antenatal to postpartum stage, and whether PPD symptoms mediated/aggravated associations between preterm birth and child mental disorders. Mothers of preterm (n = 125) and term-born (n = 3033) children of the Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction study reported depressive symptoms four times within 8 weeks before and twice within 12 months after childbirth. Child mental and behavioral disorder diagnoses until age 8.4-12.8 years came from medical register. Preterm birth associated with higher PPD symptoms (mean difference = 0.19 SD, 95% CI 0.01, 0.37, p = 0.04), and higher odds (odds ratio = 2.23, 95% CI 1.22, 4.09, p = 0.009) of the mother to belong to a group that had consistently high depressive symptoms levels trajectory from antenatal to postpartum stage. PPD symptoms partially mediated and aggravated the association between preterm birth and child mental disorders. Preterm birth, maternal PPD symptoms and child mental disorders are associated, calling for timely prevention interventions., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Maternal obesity in pregnancy predicts offspring psychopathology risk in childhood but it remains unclear whether maternal obesity or underweight associate with adult offspring mental disorders. We examined longitudinally whether maternal body mass index (BMI) in pregnancy predicted mental disorders in her offspring and whether the associations differed by offspring birth year among 68,571 mother-child dyads of Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank, Scotland. The offspring were born 1950-1999. Maternal BMI was measured at a mean 15.7 gestational weeks and classified into underweight, normal weight, overweight, moderate obesity and severe obesity. Mental disorders were identified from nationwide registers carrying diagnoses of all hospitalizations and deaths in Scotland in 1996-2017. We found that maternal BMI in pregnancy was associated with offspring mental disorders in a time-dependent manner: In offspring born 1950-1974, maternal underweight predicted an increased hazard of mental disorders [Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1.74; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.01-3.00)]. In offspring born 1975-1999, maternal severe obesity predicted increased hazards of any mental (HR 1.60; 95% CI 1.08-2.38) substance use (HR 1.91; 95% CI 1.03-3.57) and schizophrenia spectrum (HR 2.80; 95% CI 1.40-5.63) disorders. Our findings of time-specific associations between maternal prenatal BMI and adult offspring mental disorders may carry important public health implications by underlining possible lifelong effects of maternal BMI on offspring psychopathology., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Clostridium botulinum poses a serious threat to food safety and public health by producing potent neurotoxin during its vegetative growth and causing life-threatening neuroparalysis, botulism. While high temperature can be utilized to eliminate C. botulinum spores and the neurotoxin, non-thermal elimination of newly germinated C. botulinum cells before onset of toxin production could provide an alternative or additional factor controlling the risk of botulism in some applications. Here we introduce a putative phage lysin that specifically lyses vegetative C. botulinum Group I cells. This lysin, called CBO1751, efficiently kills cells of C. botulinum Group I strains at the concentration of 5 µM, but shows little or no lytic activity against C. botulinum Group II or III or other Firmicutes strains. CBO1751 is active at pH from 6.5 to 10.5. The lytic activity of CBO1751 is tolerant to NaCl (200 mM), but highly susceptible to divalent cations Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ (50 mM). CBO1751 readily and effectively eliminates C. botulinum during spore germination, an early stage preceding vegetative growth and neurotoxin production. This is the first report of an antimicrobial lysin against C. botulinum, presenting high potential for developing a novel antibotulinal agent for non-thermal applications in food and agricultural industries.

Early life stress (ELS) may increase the risk of anxiety throughout the life course. Whether this effect extends to late adulthood is poorly known. In our study comprising 1872 participants from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study born in 1934-1944, we investigated the association of various forms of ELS and their accumulation with self-reported anxiety symptoms at the age of 65-77 years. Data on childhood socioeconomic status and separation from parents were based on national registers for all participants. Information on self-reported emotional and physical trauma, parental divorce, and death of a family member in childhood was obtained from 1277 participants. We found that experiencing emotional trauma, physical trauma, and low socioeconomic status in childhood were associated with increased anxiety symptoms in late adulthood [B = 0.44 (95% CI = 0.31-0.58); B = 0.33 (95% CI = 0.20-0.46); B = 0.10 (95% CI = 0.01-0.19), respectively]. These associations remained significant even after controlling for other forms of ELS. Accumulation of early life stress also increased the levels of late-adulthood anxiety symptoms and the risk of anxiety regarded as clinically significant. Screening for potentially stressful childhood experiences in elderly populations may help identifying individuals with increased anxiety symptoms and planning preventive and therapeutic interventions for those exposed to ELS.

Background: Maternal depression complicates a large proportion of pregnancies. Current evidence shows numerous harmful effects on the offspring. Reviews, which include depression, concluded that stress has harmful effects on the offspring's outcomes neuro-cognitive development, temperament traits, and mental disorders., Objective: This mini review of recent studies, sought to narrow the scope of exposure and identify studies specifically assessing prenatal depression and offspring neuropsychiatric outcomes., Study Eligibility Criteria: The review included longitudinal, cohort, cross-sectional, clinical, quasi-experimental, epidemiological, or intervention study designs published in English from 2014 to 2018., Participants: Study populations included mother-child dyads, mother-father-child triads, mother-alternative caregiver-child triads, and family studies utilizing sibling comparisons., Methods: We searched PubMED and Web of Science. Study inclusion and data extraction were based on standardized templates. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS)., Results: Thirteen studies examining neuropsychiatric outcomes were included. We judged the evidence to be moderate to high quality., Conclusions: Our review supports that maternal prenatal depression is associated with neuropsychiatric adversities in children., Implications: Future investigations should unravel the biological underpinnings and target timely interventions as early in pregnancy as possible to prevent offspring neuropsychiatric harms.

Introduction: Maternal overweight/obesity and comorbid hypertensive disorders and gestational diabetes associate with neurodevelopmental delay in the offspring in childhood. We hypothesize that these maternal conditions associate also with the offspring regulatory behavior problems and impact on neurodevelopment via the offspring regulatory behavior., Methods: A number of 3117 women of the PREDO Study filled in a questionnaire on regulatory behavior problems at the child's mean age of 16.9 days and 2116 of them a questionnaire on developmental milestones at the child's mean age of 42.2 months. Data on maternal BMI and comorbid disorders come from the Finnish Medical Birth Register., Results: Offspring of overweight/obese mothers in comparison to normal weight mothers had higher levels of regulatory behavior problems and 22% (95% confidence interval 5-42%) higher odds of having problems on multiple domains of behavioral regulation at the mean age of 16.9 days. Offspring regulatory behavior problems partially mediated the association between maternal overweight/obesity and developmental milestones comprising communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal/social domains of development. Comorbid disorders did not associate with offspring regulatory behavior problems., Conclusion: Regulatory behavior problems of the offspring have prenatal origins and partially mediate the effects of maternal overweight/obesity on offspring neurodevelopment.

Liability to alcohol dependence (AD) is heritable, but little is known about its complex polygenic architecture or its genetic relationship with other disorders. To discover loci associated with AD and characterize the relationship between AD and other psychiatric and behavioral outcomes, we carried out the largest genome-wide association study to date of DSM-IV-diagnosed AD. Genome-wide data on 14,904 individuals with AD and 37,944 controls from 28 case-control and family-based studies were meta-analyzed, stratified by genetic ancestry (European, n = 46,568; African, n = 6,280). Independent, genome-wide significant effects of different ADH1B variants were identified in European (rs1229984; P = 9.8 × 10 -13 ) and African ancestries (rs2066702; P = 2.2 × 10 -9 ). Significant genetic correlations were observed with 17 phenotypes, including schizophrenia, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, depression, and use of cigarettes and cannabis. The genetic underpinnings of AD only partially overlap with those for alcohol consumption, underscoring the genetic distinction between pathological and nonpathological drinking behaviors.

Background/objectives: Previous studies have shown that the temperament traits are related to risk factors for chronic diseases, which could be partly explained by lifestyle habits. However, little is known whether temperament traits associate with diet. The aim of this study was to examine the cross-sectional associations between temperament traits and the whole diet., Subjects/methods: We studied 1668 men and women, aged 56-70, from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Temperament was measured using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. Information on diet was collected by a validated 128-item food frequency questionnaire. The associations of temperament traits; novelty seeking (NS), harm avoidance (HA), reward dependence (RD), and persistence (P), with diet were tested by linear regression analysis., Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, greater HA was related to poorer diet quality, including lower consumption of vegetables, fruits, fish and several vitamins. RD was associated with healthier diet quality, including higher consumption of vegetables and intake of vitamin E and lower intake of alcohol. NS was significantly related to higher intake of fish, fat and alcohol and lower consumption of cereals, milk products and carbohydrates. No significant associations between P and intake of foods and nutrients were observed., Conclusions: Our results suggest that there is an association between temperament traits and diet. Especially greater HA seems to associate with poorer diet quality and greater RD with healthier diet quality.

Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy predict increased psychiatric problems in children. The underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear. Hence, we examined whether alterations in the morphology of 88 term placentas were associated with maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy and psychiatric problems in 1.9-3.1-years old (Mean = 2.1 years) toddlers. Maternal depressive symptoms were rated biweekly during pregnancy with the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (n = 86). Toddler psychiatric problems were mother-rated with the Child Behavior Checklist (n = 60). We found that higher maternal depressive symptoms throughout pregnancy [B = -0.24 Standard Deviation (SD) units: 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = -0.46; -0.03: P = 0.03; Mean difference = -0.66 SDs; 95% CI = -0.08; -1.23: P = 0.03; between those with and without clinically relevant depressive symptoms] were associated with lower variability in the placental villous barrier thickness of γ-smooth muscle actin-negative villi. This placental morphological change predicted higher total (B = -0.34 SDs: 95% CI = -0.60; -0.07: P = 0.01) and internalizing (B = -0.32 SDs: 95% CI = -0.56; -0.08: P = 0.01) psychiatric problems in toddlers. To conclude, our findings suggest that both maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy and toddler psychiatric problems may be associated with lower variability in the villous membrane thickness of peripheral villi in term placentas. This lower heterogeneity may compromise materno-fetal exchange, suggesting a possible role for altered placental morphology in the fetal programming of mental disorders.

BackgroundPrenatal maternal obesity has been associated with an increased risk of neurocognitive problems in childhood, but there are fewer studies on executive functioning.MethodsTests and questionnaires to assess neurodevelopment, executive functioning, and the ability to delay gratification were conducted in 113 children (mean (SD)=4.24 (0.63) years of age) born to mothers with very severe obesity (SO, body mass index (BMI)⩾40 kg/m 2 , n=51) or to lean mothers (BMI⩽25 kg/m 2 , n=62).ResultsPrenatal maternal SO predicted poorer neurodevelopment (unstandardized regression coefficient (B)=-0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) (-0.82; -0.02)), worse problem-solving (odd ratio (OR)=0.60, 95% CI (1.13; 0.07)), and fine motor skills (OR=4.91, 95% CI (1.27; 19.04)), poorer executive functioning in areas of attention, inhibitory control, and working memory (standardized B=3.75, 95% CI (1.01; 13.93)) but not in self-gratification delay. The effects were independent of maternal concurrent psychological well-being and child's BMI, but not independent of maternal education.ConclusionFuture studies should investigate whether perinatal management of maternal obesity could prevent adverse outcomes in child neurodevelopment.

Background: Late-preterm birth (at 34 0⁄7 -36 6⁄7 wk gestation) increases the risk of early growth faltering, poorer neurocognitive functioning, and lower socio-economic attainment. Among early-preterm individuals, faster early growth benefits neurodevelopment, but it remains unknown whether these benefits extend to late-preterm individuals., Methods: In 108 late-preterm individuals, we examined if weight, head, or length growth between birth, 5 and 20 months' corrected age, and 56 mo, predicted grade point average and special education in comprehensive school, or neurocognitive abilities and psychiatric diagnoses/symptoms at 24-26 y of age., Results: For every 1 SD faster weight and head growth from birth to 5 mo, and head growth from 5 to 20 mo, participants had 0.19-0.41 SD units higher IQ, executive functioning score, and grade point average (95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.002-0.59 SD), and lower odds of special education (odds ratio (OR) = 0.49-0.59, 95% CIs 0.28-0.97), after adjusting for sex, gestational age, follow-up age, and parental education. Faster head growth from 20 to 56 mo was associated with less internalizing problems; otherwise we found no consistent associations with mental health outcomes., Conclusion: Faster growth during the critical early period after late-preterm birth is associated with better adult neurocognitive functioning, but not consistently with mental health outcomes.

Background: Waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) begin to gain attention as measures of adiposity and as important cardiometabolic disease risk factors also among children. Still, little research has been done on behavioral determinants of WC and WHtR in children. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between health behaviors, WC and WHtR in children., Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study conducted in Swedish-speaking schools in Helsinki region in 2006. In all, 1146 children were recruited, from which 55 % took part in the study. A total of 604 9-11-year-old children (312 girls, 292 boys) were measured by research staff and completed a study questionnaire on their health behaviors, including breakfast intake, TV viewing, sleep duration and physical activity, and a 16-item food frequency questionnaire. Covariance analysis was used as the statistical analysis method., Results: When controlling for other health behaviors, for example, irregular breakfast (B-coefficient 2.49 CI, 0.64-4.34; P<0.01), TV viewing (B-coefficient 0.89 CI, 0.17-1.61; P<0.05), a TV in child's room (B-coefficient 2.30 CI, 0.73-3.86; P<0.01) and physical inactivity during school breaks (B-coefficient 0.78 CI, 0.19-1.37; P<0.01) were associated with larger WC. Results were similar with WHtR., Conclusions: Many health behaviors were related to children's WC and WHtR. Determinants were associated to both WC and WHtR similarly.

Surfactant protein C (SP-C) is a small hydrophobic protein component of alveolar surfactant, a lipid-protein complex lining the alveolar surface of the lung. Surfactant deficiency is the main cause of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants. RDS is a major risk factor of a chronic lung disease called bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The dominant mutations of the SP-C gene have recently been associated with interstitial lung diseases. However, the common genetic variation in the surfactant protein C gene has not been studied in detail. In the present study, the exonic variation of the SP-C gene in the Finnish population (n=472) was defined, and the association of the allelic variants with the susceptibility to RDS and BPD was examined. Conformation-sensitive gel electrophoresis (CSGE) was used to determine the extent of exonic variation in the SP-C gene. Methods of genotyping were generated for three biallelic polymorphisms of the SP-C gene's exons 1, 4 and 5, which encode proSP-C. The frequencies of these polymorphisms were evaluated in a study population consisting of 158 DNA samples from full-term infants. In addition, the linkage disequilibrium between the SP-C alleles was evaluated by haplotype analysis of parent-infant triplets. The role of SP-C gene variation in RDS and in BPD was evaluated in a high-risk population of 245 premature infants. According to the present results, the SP-C polymorphisms were associated with RDS and with very premature birth. The strength of allelic associations differed according to the gender of the premature infants.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major respiratory tract pathogen in infancy. Host-related differences in susceptibility to severe RSV infection suggest that genetic factors may play a role. In this study, a candidate-gene approach was used to study whether the surfactant protein D (SP-D) gene polymorphism associates with severe RSV infection. DNA samples from 84 infants hospitalized for the treatment of RSV bronchiolitis and 93 healthy controls were analyzed. The controls were matched with the cases on the basis of sex, hospital district, date of birth (+/-2 wk) and gestational age at birth (+/-2 wk). Three biallelic SP-D gene polymorphisms were genotyped. Significant differences were observed in the SP-D allele frequencies for amino acid 11 between the RSV infants and their matched controls. The frequency of the allele coding for Met 11 (p = 0.033) was increased in the severe RSV group. The frequency of the homozygous genotype Met/Met for amino acid 11 was increased in the RSV group relative to the controls, whereas the heterozygous genotype tended to be less frequent among the RSV cases than in the matched controls. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to study whether the confounders, i.e. smoking and number of children in the family, influence the association between the homozygous SP-D genotype for methionine 11 and the risk of RSV bronchiolitis. The results further confirmed this association (p = 0.028). To our knowledge, the present report provides the first evidence of a specific gene associated with susceptibility to severe RSV infection.

Objective: To describe changes in body mass index (BMI) with age over a 25 y period, and to investigate whether those changes differed by birth cohort, gender or education., Design: Six cross-sectional population surveys repeated in eastern Finland every fifth year between 1972 and 1997. Synthetic birth cohorts were created by dividing subjects into twelve 5 y groups according to birth year., Subjects: Independent random samples from the national population register including men and women aged 25-64 y, the final sample comprising 18 439 men and 19 501 women. The oldest birth cohort included subjects born in 1913-1917 and the youngest were born in 1968-1972., Measurements: Weight and height were measured, and data on educational level were collected by a self-administered questionnaire., Results: A BMI increase with age was more prominent in women (4.2 kg/m(2) in 25 y) than in men (3.3 kg/m(2) in 25 y), and was very similar in all birth cohorts. In men, the BMI increase with age varied across cohorts. Among birth cohorts participating in each survey, the BMI increase over the 25 y period was most prominent (3.9 kg/m(2) in 25 y) in men born between 1943 and 1947. Among all birth cohorts, the strongest upward trend (0.2 kg/m(2) per year) was observed in men born between 1953 and 1957., Conclusions: Weight gain with age has remained unchanged in women over the 25 y period, whereas in men, the younger the birth cohort, the more prominent was the BMI increase with age.

Objective: To investigate trends in body mass index (BMI) and prevalence of obesity among adults in Finland from 1982 to 1997, and to identify population groups with increasing obesity., Subjects: Random samples from the national population register including men and women aged 25-64 y (n = 24604, total)., Design: Four cross-sectional surveys carried out in three areas in Finland every fifth year since 1982., Measurements: Weight and height were measured, and data on occupation and education level were collected by a self-administered questionnaire., Results: The mean BMI increased in both genders. In men, the upward trend was greatest (the increase of 1.3 kg/m2 in 15 y) in the oldest age group (55-64 y), and was found also (the increase of 0.6 kg/m2) in the youngest age group (25-34 y), whereas in women, the upward trend was most prominent (the increase of 0.9 kg/m2) in the youngest age group. BMI increased in all educational groups in men, but in women the upward trend seemed to be greatest in the lowest educational group. The upward trends were most prominent among retired and unemployed men, while in women changes in BMI were similar in all occupational groups., Conclusion: The strongest upward trend in BMI was found in the oldest men, in the youngest age group in both genders and, in particular, among men who were outside the labor force. Education is still a strong determinant of obesity, especially in women, although the social gradient in BMI has not widened in the 1990s.

The validity of a self-administered food use questionnaire, comprising 122 questions on food items or dishes and designed especially to assess the intake of micronutrients, was evaluated using a 7-day food record (7DR) as a reference method. The subjects kept the food record after they filled in the questionnaire. Eighty-four male athletes participated in this study. The nutrient intake from the food use questionnaires was calculated in two ways: (i) in questionnaire 1 (FUQ-1), the portion size reported by the subjects was used, and (ii) in questionnaire 2 (FUQ-2), a 'typical' portion size was used regardless of the subject's report. In FUQ-1, the reported nutrient intake tended to be overestimated in comparison to the 7DR, whereas in FUQ-2 comparable results on a group level for all nutrients, except for proteins and fats, were obtained. The percentage of subjects similarly classified into tertiles (7DR vs. FUQ-1 or FUQ-2) varied between 37 and 54 per cent. The results show that the food use questionnaire agreed well with the food record on a group level, if a typical portion size was used. However, the agreement on an individual level was not quite as good.