Inflammatory markers in pregnancy - surprisingly stable. Mapping trajectories and drivers in four large cohorts.

Adaptations of the immune system throughout gestation have been proposed as important mechanisms regulating successful pregnancy. Dysregulation of the maternal immune system has been associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. To translate findings from mechanistic preclinical studies to human pregnancies, studies of serum immune markers are the mainstay. The design and interpretation of human biomarker studies require additional insights in the trajectories and drivers of peripheral immune markers. The current study mapped maternal inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-23, interferon- γ ) during pregnancy and investigated the impact of demographic, environmental and genetic drivers on maternal inflammatory marker levels in four multi-ethnic and socio-economically diverse population-based cohorts with more than 12,000 pregnant participants. Additionally, pregnancy inflammatory markers were compared to pre-pregnancy levels. Cytokines showed a high correlation with each other, but not with CRP. Inflammatory marker levels showed high variability between individuals, yet high concordance within an individual over time during and pre-pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) explained more than 9.6% of the variance in CRP, but less than 1% of the variance in cytokines. The polygenic score of CRP was the best predictor of variance in CRP (>14.1%). Gestational age and previously identified inflammation drivers, including tobacco use and parity, explained less than 1% of variance in both cytokines and CRP. Our findings corroborate differential underlying regulatory mechanisms of CRP and cytokines and are suggestive of an individual inflammatory marker baseline which is, in part, genetically driven. While prior research has mainly focused on immune marker changes throughout pregnancy, our study suggests that this field could benefit from a focus on intra-individual factors, including metabolic and genetic components.

Green space exposure and blood DNA methylation at birth and in childhood - A multi-cohort study.

Green space exposure has been associated with improved mental, physical and general health. However, the underlying biological mechanisms remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between green space exposure and cord and child blood DNA methylation. Data from eight European birth cohorts with a total of 2,988 newborns and 1,849 children were used. Two indicators of residential green space exposure were assessed: (i) surrounding greenness (satellite-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in buffers of 100 m and 300 m) and (ii) proximity to green space (having a green space ≥ 5,000 m2 within a distance of 300 m). For these indicators we assessed two exposure windows: (i) pregnancy, and (ii) the period from pregnancy to child blood DNA methylation assessment, named as cumulative exposure. DNA methylation was measured with the Illumina 450K or EPIC arrays. To identify differentially methylated positions (DMPs) we fitted robust linear regression models between pregnancy green space exposure and cord blood DNA methylation and between cumulative green space exposure and child blood DNA methylation. Two sensitivity analyses were conducted: (i) without adjusting for cellular composition, and (ii) adjusting for air pollution. Cohort results were combined through fixed-effect inverse variance weighted meta-analyses. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified from meta-analysed results using the Enmix-combp and DMRcate methods. There was no statistical evidence of pregnancy or cumulative exposures associating with any DMP (False Discovery Rate, FDR, p-value < 0.05). However, surrounding greenness exposure was inversely associated with four DMRs (three in cord blood and one in child blood) annotated to ADAMTS2, KCNQ1DN, SLC6A12 and SDK1 genes. Results did not change substantially in the sensitivity analyses. Overall, we found little evidence of the association between green space exposure and blood DNA methylation. Although we identified associations between surrounding greenness exposure with four DMRs, these findings require replication.

Safety and efficacy of drug-eluting stents for patients at high risk of bleedings: A network meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Among different coronary stents implanted in High Bleeding Risk (HBR) patients with an indication for short antiplatelet therapy, no comparisons in terms of efficacy have been provided. METHODS: A Network Meta Analysis was performed including all randomized controlled trials comparing different coronary stents evaluated in HBR patients. Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACEs) as defined by each included trial were the primary end point, whereas TLR (target lesion revascularization), TVR (target vessel revascularization), stent thrombosis and total and major (BARC3-5) bleedings were the secondary ones. RESULTS: A total of four studies (ONYX ONE, LEADERS FREE, SENIOR and HBR in BIO-RESORT) including 6637 patients were analyzed with different kind of stents and dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) length (1 or 6 months) on 12 months follow-up. About one-third of these patients were defined HBR due to indication for oral anticoagulation. All drug eluting stents (DESs) reduced risk of MACE compared to Bare Metal Stents (BMSs) when followed by a 1-month DAPT. At SUCRA analysis, Orsiro was the device with the highest probability of performing best. Rates of TLR and TVR were significantly lower when using Resolute Onyx, Synergy and BioFreedom stents in comparison to BMS when followed by 1-month DAPT, with Synergy ranking best. Synergy also showed a significantly lower number of stent thrombosis compared to BMS (RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.06-0.93), while Orsiro and Resolute Integrity showed the highest probability of performing best. CONCLUSION: In HBRs patients, all DESs were superior to BMSs in terms of efficacy and safety. Among DESs, Orsiro was the one with the highest ranking in terms of MACE, mainly driven by a reduced incidence of repeated revascularization and stent thrombosis.

Examining the relationship between the environmental impact of diet and child growth from a co-benefit perspective.

The adoption of diets that minimize both their environmental impacts and weight excess in children would be a major co-benefit for climate change mitigation. We evaluated the relationship between child diet-related environmental impact and anthropometric characteristics in an Italian birth cohort. The study involved 2127 children of the Piccolipiù birth cohort. At 4 years, their diet in the previous two months was assessed through a questionnaire, from which we derived individual: (i) diet-related daily greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), (ii) land use (LU), (iii) adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and (iv) red meat consumption. We related these variables with overweight and obesity, waist circumference, and height at 4 years using regression models adjusted for a priori selected confounders. Diet-related GHGE and LU had a positive weak association with overweight and obesity, with an odds ratio (OR) for the fourth vs. second quartile of 1.30 for both GHGE (95% confidence intervals -CI-: 0.96; 1.77) and LU (95% CI: 0.96-1.76). Both OR estimates increased after adjustment for energy intake. GHGE and LU were not associated with height, with the exception of shorter children in the first quartile. A high vs. low MD adherence was associated with an increase in height Z-score of 0.11 (95% CI 0.01; 0.21). No association was found for red meat consumption. These results suggest that lowering the impact of high environmental impact diets may have, if anything, beneficial effects on child obesity, overweight, and height, with pro-MD patterns playing an important role.

Comparison Among Ultra-Thin Coronary Stents: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Ultrathin-strut drug-eluting stents (DES) have been related to potential improvement in stent-related outcomes compared with thicker-struts DES. However, comparisons among different ultrathin devices are lacking. All randomized controlled trials comparing ultrathin (struts thickness <70 µm) and thicker-struts DESs in an all-comers population were included. Target lesion failure (TLF), as defined by included trials, at 1-year follow-up was the primary end point. Overall mortality, myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization (TLR), and stent thrombosis were the secondary end points. Arms of included trials were compared using network meta-analysis. Nine studies encompassing 20,081 patients were included, of which 9,509 patients had an ultrathin DES: Orsiro (evaluated in 7 arms with 8,086 patients), MiStent (1 arm with 703 patients), or Supraflex (1 arm with 720 patients). At 1-year follow-up, no significant differences were noted for TLF among these ultrathin DES. In particular, Orsiro was associated with a similar risk of TLF compared with Supraflex (risk rate 1.07, 95% confidence interval 0.59 to 1.78) and showed the highest probability of performing best in terms of TLF, myocardial infarction, and TLR. Ultrathin DES are all associated with a comparable risk of TLF compared with thicker-strut DES. In terms of TLR and TLF risk, Orsiro was the one with the highest probability of best performances, either compared with other ultrathin DES or to devices with thicker struts.

Maternal educational attainment in pregnancy and epigenome-wide DNA methylation changes in the offspring from birth until adolescence.

Maternal educational attainment (MEA) shapes offspring health through multiple potential pathways. Differential DNA methylation may provide a mechanistic understanding of these long-term associations. We aimed to quantify the associations of MEA with offspring DNA methylation levels at birth, in childhood and in adolescence. Using 37 studies from high-income countries, we performed meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) to quantify the associations of completed years of MEA at the time of pregnancy with offspring DNA methylation levels at birth (n = 9 881), in childhood (n = 2 017), and adolescence (n = 2 740), adjusting for relevant covariates. MEA was found to be associated with DNA methylation at 473 cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites at birth, one in childhood, and four in adolescence. We observed enrichment for findings from previous EWAS on maternal folate, vitamin-B12 concentrations, maternal smoking, and pre-pregnancy BMI. The associations were directionally consistent with MEA being inversely associated with behaviours including smoking and BMI. Our findings form a bridge between socio-economic factors and biology and highlight potential pathways underlying effects of maternal education. The results broaden our understanding of bio-social associations linked to differential DNA methylation in multiple early stages of life. The data generated also offers an important resource to help a more precise understanding of the social determinants of health.

Cohort profile: the Turin prostate cancer prognostication (TPCP) cohort.

Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequent tumor among men in Europe and has both indolent and aggressive forms. There are several treatment options, the choice of which depends on multiple factors. To further improve current prognostication models, we established the Turin Prostate Cancer Prognostication (TPCP) cohort, an Italian retrospective biopsy cohort of patients with PCa and long-term follow-up. This work presents this new cohort with its main characteristics and the distributions of some of its core variables, along with its potential contributions to PCa research. Methods: The TPCP cohort includes consecutive non-metastatic patients with first positive biopsy for PCa performed between 2008 and 2013 at the main hospital in Turin, Italy. The follow-up ended on December 31st 2021. The primary outcome is the occurrence of metastasis; death from PCa and overall mortality are the secondary outcomes. In addition to numerous clinical variables, the study's prognostic variables include histopathologic information assigned by a centralized uropathology review using a digital pathology software system specialized for the study of PCa, tumor DNA methylation in candidate genes, and features extracted from digitized slide images via Deep Neural Networks. Results: The cohort includes 891 patients followed-up for a median time of 10 years. During this period, 97 patients had progression to metastatic disease and 301 died; of these, 56 died from PCa. In total, 65.3% of the cohort has a Gleason score less than or equal to 3 + 4, and 44.5% has a clinical stage cT1. Consistent with previous studies, age and clinical stage at diagnosis are important prognostic factors: the crude cumulative incidence of metastatic disease during the 14-years of follow-up increases from 9.1% among patients younger than 64 to 16.2% for patients in the age group of 75-84, and from 6.1% for cT1 stage to 27.9% in cT3 stage. Discussion: This study stands to be an important resource for updating existing prognostic models for PCa on an Italian cohort. In addition, the integrated collection of multi-modal data will allow development and/or validation of new models including new histopathological, digital, and molecular markers, with the goal of better directing clinical decisions to manage patients with PCa.

Analysis of DNA methylation at birth and in childhood reveals changes associated with season of birth and latitude.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal variations in environmental exposures at birth or during gestation are associated with numerous adult traits and health outcomes later in life. Whether DNA methylation (DNAm) plays a role in the molecular mechanisms underlying the associations between birth season and lifelong phenotypes remains unclear. METHODS: We carried out epigenome-wide meta-analyses within the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetic Consortium to identify associations of DNAm with birth season, both at differentially methylated probes (DMPs) and regions (DMRs). Associations were examined at two time points: at birth (21 cohorts, N = 9358) and in children aged 1-11 years (12 cohorts, N = 3610). We conducted meta-analyses to assess the impact of latitude on birth season-specific associations at both time points. RESULTS: We identified associations between birth season and DNAm (False Discovery Rate-adjusted p values < 0.05) at two CpGs at birth (winter-born) and four in the childhood (summer-born) analyses when compared to children born in autumn. Furthermore, we identified twenty-six differentially methylated regions (DMR) at birth (winter-born: 8, spring-born: 15, summer-born: 3) and thirty-two in childhood (winter-born: 12, spring and summer: 10 each) meta-analyses with few overlapping DMRs between the birth seasons or the two time points. The DMRs were associated with genes of known functions in tumorigenesis, psychiatric/neurological disorders, inflammation, or immunity, amongst others. Latitude-stratified meta-analyses [higher (≥ 50°N), lower (< 50°N, northern hemisphere only)] revealed differences in associations between birth season and DNAm by birth latitude. DMR analysis implicated genes with previously reported links to schizophrenia (LAX1), skin disorders (PSORS1C, LTB4R), and airway inflammation including asthma (LTB4R), present only at birth in the higher latitudes (≥ 50°N). CONCLUSIONS: In this large epigenome-wide meta-analysis study, we provide evidence for (i) associations between DNAm and season of birth that are unique for the seasons of the year (temporal effect) and (ii) latitude-dependent variations in the seasonal associations (spatial effect). DNAm could play a role in the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of birth season on adult health outcomes.

Predictors of malignant transformation in oral leukoplakia and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia: An observational prospective study including the DNA ploidy status.

BACKGROUND: This prospective observational study investigated the determinants of malignant transformation (MT) in localized oral leukoplakia (OL) and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL). METHODS: Demographic, clinical, histological, and DNA ploidy status data were collected at enrolment. Survival analysis was performed (MT being the event of interest). RESULTS: One-hundred and thirty-three patients with OL and 20 patients with PVL entered the study over 6 years (mean follow-up 7.8 years). The presence of OED, DNA ploidy, clinical presentation, and lesion site were associated with MT in patients with OL in a univariate analysis. In a multivariate model, OED was the strongest predictor of MT in patients with OL. Adding DNA ploidy increased the model's predictive power. None of the assessed predictors was associated with MT in patients with PVL. CONCLUSIONS: DNA ploidy might identify a subset OL with low risk or minimal risk of MT, but it does not seem to be a reliable predictor in patients with PVL.

[Exposome: from definition to future challenges.] / Esposoma: dalla definizione alle sfide future.

The exposome concept arises from the need to integrate different disciplines of public health and environmental sciences, mainly including environmental epidemiology, exposure science, and toxicology. The role of the exposome is to understand how the totality of an individual's exposures throughout the lifetime can impact human health. The etiology of a health condition is rarely explained by a single exposure. Therefore, examining the human exposome as a whole becomes relevant to simultaneously consider multiple risk factors and more accurately estimate concurrent causes of different health outcomes. Generally, the exposome is explained through three domains: general external exposome, specific external exposome, and internal exposome. The general external exposome includes measurable population-level exposures such as air pollution or meteorological factors. The specific external exposome includes information on individual exposures, such as lifestyle factors, typically obtained from questionnaires. Meanwhile, the internal exposome encompasses multiple biological responses to external factors, detected through molecular and omics analyses. Additionally, in recent decades, the socio-exposome theory has emerged, where all exposures are studied as a phenomenon dependent on the interaction between socioeconomic factors that vary depending on the context, allowing the identification of mechanisms that lead to health inequalities. The considerable production of data in exposome studies has led researchers to face new methodological and statistical challenges, introducing various approaches to estimate the effect of the exposome on health. Among the most common are regression models (Exposome-Wide Association Study - ExWAS), dimensionality reduction and exposure grouping techniques, and machine learning methods. The significant conceptual and methodological innovation of the exposome for a more holistic evaluation of the risks associated with human health is continuously expanding and will require further investigations related to the application of information obtained from studies into prevention and public health policies.

Differences in birth weight between immigrants' and natives' children in Europe and Australia: a LifeCycle comparative observational cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Research on adults has identified an immigrant health advantage, known as the 'immigrant health paradox', by which migrants exhibit better health outcomes than natives. Is this health advantage transferred from parents to children in the form of higher birth weight relative to children of natives? SETTING: Western Europe and Australia. PARTICIPANTS: We use data from nine birth cohorts participating in the LifeCycle Project, including five studies with large samples of immigrants' children: Etude Longitudinale Française depuis l'Enfance-France (N=12 494), the Raine Study-Australia (N=2283), Born in Bradford-UK (N=4132), Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study-Netherlands (N=4030) and the Generation R study-Netherlands (N=4877). We include male and female babies born to immigrant and native parents. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome is birth weight measured in grams. Different specifications were tested: birth weight as a continuous variable including all births (DV1), the same variable but excluding babies born with over 4500 g (DV2), low birth weight as a 0-1 binary variable (1=birth weight below 2500 g) (DV3). Results using these three measures were similar, only results using DV1 are presented. Parental migration status is measured in four categories: both parents natives, both born abroad, only mother born abroad and only father born abroad. RESULTS: Two patterns in children's birth weight by parental migration status emerged: higher birth weight among children of immigrants in France (+12 g, p<0.10) and Australia (+40 g, p<0.10) and lower birth weight among children of immigrants in the UK (-82 g, p<0.05) and the Netherlands (-80 g and -73 g, p<0.001) compared with natives' children. Smoking during pregnancy emerged as a mechanism explaining some of the birth weight gaps between children of immigrants and natives. CONCLUSION: The immigrant health advantage is not universally transferred to children in the form of higher birth weight in all host countries. Further research should investigate whether this cross-national variation is due to differences in immigrant communities, social and healthcare contexts across host countries.

Modelling socioeconomic position as a driver of the exposome in the first 18 months of life of the NINFEA birth cohort children.

BACKGROUND: The exposome drivers are less studied than its consequences but may be crucial in identifying population subgroups with unfavourable exposures. OBJECTIVES: We used three approaches to study the socioeconomic position (SEP) as a driver of the early-life exposome in Turin children of the NINFEA cohort (Italy). METHODS: Forty-two environmental exposures, collected at 18 months of age (N = 1989), were classified in 5 groups (lifestyle, diet, meteoclimatic, traffic-related, built environment). We performed cluster analysis to identify subjects sharing similar exposures, and intra-exposome-group Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce the dimensionality. SEP at childbirth was measured through the Equivalised Household Income Indicator. SEP-exposome association was evaluated using: 1) an Exposome Wide Association Study (ExWAS), a one-exposure (SEP) one-outcome (exposome) approach; 2) multinomial regression of cluster membership on SEP; 3) regressions of each intra-exposome-group PC on SEP. RESULTS: In the ExWAS, medium/low SEP children were more exposed to greenness, pet ownership, passive smoking, TV screen and sugar; less exposed to NO2, NOX, PM25abs, humidity, built environment, traffic load, unhealthy food facilities, fruit, vegetables, eggs, grain products, and childcare than high SEP children. Medium/low SEP children were more likely to belong to a cluster with poor diet, less air pollution, and to live in the suburbs than high SEP children. Medium/low SEP children were more exposed to lifestyle PC1 (unhealthy lifestyle) and diet PC2 (unhealthy diet), and less exposed to PC1s of the built environment (urbanization factors), diet (mixed diet), and traffic (air pollution) than high SEP children. CONCLUSIONS: The three approaches provided consistent and complementary results, suggesting that children with lower SEP are less exposed to urbanization factors and more exposed to unhealthy lifestyles and diet. The simplest method, the ExWAS, conveys most of the information and is more replicable in other populations. Clustering and PCA may facilitate results interpretation and communication.

Association Study between Polymorphisms in DNA Methylation-Related Genes and Testicular Germ Cell Tumor Risk.

BACKGROUND: Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT), histologically classified as seminomas and nonseminomas, are believed to arise from primordial gonocytes, with the maturation process blocked when they are subjected to DNA methylation reprogramming. SNPs in DNA methylation machinery and folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism genes have been postulated to influence the proper establishment of DNA methylation. METHODS: In this pathway-focused investigation, we evaluated the association between 273 selected tag SNPs from 28 DNA methylation-related genes and TGCT risk. We carried out association analysis at individual SNP and gene-based level using summary statistics from the Genome Wide Association Study meta-analysis recently conducted by the international Testicular Cancer Consortium on 10,156 TGCT cases and 179,683 controls. RESULTS: In individual SNP analyses, seven SNPs, four mapping within MTHFR, were associated with TGCT risk after correction for multiple testing (q ≤ 0.05). Queries of public databases showed that three of these SNPs were associated with MTHFR changes in enzymatic activity (rs1801133) or expression level in testis tissue (rs12121543, rs1476413). Gene-based analyses revealed MTHFR (q = 8.4 × 10-4), methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2; q = 2 × 10-3), and ZBTB4 (q = 0.03) as the top TGCT-associated genes. Stratifying by tumor histology, four MTHFR SNPs were associated with seminoma. In gene-based analysis MTHFR was associated with risk of seminoma (q = 2.8 × 10-4), but not with nonseminomatous tumors (q = 0.22). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variants within MTHFR, potentially having an impact on the DNA methylation pattern, are associated with TGCT risk. IMPACT: This finding suggests that TGCT pathogenesis could be associated with the folate cycle status, and this relation could be partly due to hereditary factors.

Meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies in newborns and children show widespread sex differences in blood DNA methylation.

BACKGROUND: Among children, sex-specific differences in disease prevalence, age of onset, and susceptibility have been observed in health conditions including asthma, immune response, metabolic health, some pediatric and adult cancers, and psychiatric disorders. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation may play a role in the sexual differences observed in diseases and other physiological traits. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of the association of sex and cord blood DNA methylation at over 450,000 CpG sites in 8438 newborns from 17 cohorts participating in the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) Consortium. We also examined associations of child sex with DNA methylation in older children ages 5.5-10 years from 8 cohorts (n = 4268). RESULTS: In newborn blood, sex was associated at Bonferroni level significance with differences in DNA methylation at 46,979 autosomal CpG sites (p < 1.3 × 10-7) after adjusting for white blood cell proportions and batch. Most of those sites had lower methylation levels in males than in females. Of the differentially methylated CpG sites identified in newborn blood, 68% (31,727) met look-up level significance (p < 1.1 × 10-6) in older children and had methylation differences in the same direction. CONCLUSIONS: This is a large-scale meta-analysis examining sex differences in DNA methylation in newborns and older children. Expanding upon previous studies, we replicated previous findings and identified additional autosomal sites with sex-specific differences in DNA methylation. Differentially methylated sites were enriched in genes involved in cancer, psychiatric disorders, and cardiovascular phenotypes.

Prenatal exposure to PM10 and changes in DNA methylation and telomere length in cord blood.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution exposure in pregnancy can cause molecular level alterations that might influence later disease susceptibility. OBJECTIVES: We investigated DNA methylation (DNAm) and telomere length (TL) in the cord blood in relation to gestational PM10 exposure and explored potential gestational windows of susceptibility. METHODS: Cord blood epigenome-wide DNAm (N = 384) and TL (N = 500) were measured in children of the Italian birth cohort Piccolipiù, using the Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip and qPCR, respectively. PM10 daily exposure levels, based on maternal residential address, were estimated for different gestational periods using models based on satellite data. Epigenome-wide analysis to identify differentially methylated probes (DMPs) and regions (DMRs) was conducted, followed by a pathway analysis and replication analysis in an second Piccolipiù dataset. Distributed lag models (DLMs) using weekly exposures were used to study the association of PM10 exposure across pregnancy with telomere length, as well as with the DMPs that showed robust associations. RESULTS: Gestational PM10 exposure was associated with the DNA methylation of more than 250 unique DMPs, most of them identified in early gestation, and 1 DMR. Out of 151 DMPs available in the replication dataset, ten DMPs showed robust associations: eight were associated with exposure during early gestation and 2 with exposure during the whole pregnancy. These exposure windows were supported by the DLM analysis. The PM10 exposure between 15th and 20th gestational week seem to be associated with shorter telomeres at birth, while exposure between 24th and 29th was associated with longer telomeres. DISCUSSION: The early pregnancy period is a potential critical window during which PM10 exposure can influence cord blood DNA methylation. The results from the TL analysis were consistent with previous findings and merit further exploration in future studies. The study underlines the importance of considering gestational windows outside of the predefined trimesters that may not always overlap with biologically relevant windows of exposure.

COVID-19-like symptoms and their relation to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in children and adults of an Italian birth cohort

OBJECTIVES: to estimate the population prevalence of COVID-19-like symptoms in children and adults during the first SARS-CoV-2 epidemic wave hitting Italy in the spring 2020; to assess their geographical correlation with the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases by province; to analyse their clustering within families; to estimate their sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for COVID-19 diagnosis in individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2. DESIGN: cross-sectional study nested within a birth cohort. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: mothers participating in an Italian birth cohort (NINFEA) were invited to complete an online questionnaire on COVID-19-like symptoms in their household. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: population prevalence of COVID-19-like symptoms in children and adults, geographical correlation of COVID-19-like symptoms with the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases by province, clustering of COVID-19-like symptoms within families, and sensitivity, PPV and NPV of COVID-19-like symptoms for COVID-19 diagnosis in individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2. RESULTS: information was collected on 3,184 households, 6,133 adults, and 5,751 children. In the period March-April 2020, 55.4% of the NINFEA families had at least one member with at least one COVID-19-like symptom. There was a strong geographical correlation between the population cumulative incidence of COVID-19 and the prevalence of muscle pain, fatigue, low-grade fever, and breathing difficulties in adults (Spearman's rho >=0.70). Having at least one family member with a COVID-19 diagnosis, compared with none tested for SARS-CoV-2, was associated with an increased prevalence ratio (PR) of almost all COVID-19-like symptoms in adults, and only of low-grade fever (37-37.5°C; PR 4.54; 95%CI 2.20-9.40) and anosmia/dysgeusia in children. Among adults with COVID-19 diagnosis, fatigue, muscle pain, and fever had a sensitivity >=70%. In individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2, with a 16.6% prevalence of COVID-19, breathing difficulties and nausea/vomiting had the highest PPVs, with point estimates close to 60%, and with NPVs close to 90%. CONCLUSIONS: the geographical prevalence of COVID-19-like symptoms in adults may inform on local disease clusters, while certain symptoms in family members of confirmed COVID-19 cases could help identify the intra-familial spread of the virus and its further propagation in the community. Low-grade fever is frequent in children with at least one household member with COVID-19 and possibly indicates child infection.

Effect of Maternal Prepregnancy/Early-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Pregnancy Smoking and Alcohol on Congenital Heart Diseases: A Parental Negative Control Study.

Background Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the most common congenital anomaly. The causes of CHDs are largely unknown. Higher prenatal body mass index (BMI), smoking, and alcohol consumption are associated with increased risk of CHDs. Whether these are causal is unclear. Methods and Results Seven European birth cohorts, including 232 390 offspring (2469 CHD cases [1.1%]), were included. We applied negative exposure paternal control analyses to explore the intrauterine effects of maternal BMI, smoking, and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, on offspring CHDs and CHD severity. We used logistic regression, adjusting for confounders and the other parent's exposure and combined estimates using a fixed-effects meta-analysis. In adjusted analyses, maternal overweight (odds ratio [OR], 1.15 [95% CI, 1.01-1.31]) and obesity (OR, 1.12 [95% CI, 0.93-1.36]), compared with normal weight, were associated with higher odds of CHD, but there was no clear evidence of a linear increase in odds across the whole BMI distribution. Associations of paternal overweight, obesity, and mean BMI were similar to the maternal associations. Maternal pregnancy smoking was associated with higher odds of CHD (OR, 1.11 [95% CI, 0.97-1.25]) but paternal smoking was not (OR, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.85-1.07]). The positive association with maternal smoking appeared to be driven by nonsevere CHD cases (OR, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.04-1.44]). Associations with maternal moderate/heavy pregnancy alcohol consumption were imprecisely estimated (OR, 1.16 [95% CI, 0.52-2.58]) and similar to those for paternal consumption. Conclusions We found evidence of an intrauterine effect for maternal smoking on offspring CHDs, but no evidence for higher maternal BMI or alcohol consumption. Our findings provide further support for the importance of smoking cessation during pregnancy.

Birthweight DNA methylation signatures in infant saliva.

BACKGROUND: Low birthweight has been repeatedly associated with long-term adverse health outcomes and many non-communicable diseases. Our aim was to look-up cord blood birthweight-associated CpG sites identified by the PACE Consortium in infant saliva, and to explore saliva-specific DNA methylation signatures of birthweight. METHODS: DNA methylation was assessed using Infinium HumanMethylation450K array in 135 saliva samples collected from children of the NINFEA birth cohort at an average age of 10.8 (range 7-17) months. The association analyses between birthweight and DNA methylation variations were carried out using robust linear regression models both in the exploratory EWAS analyses and in the look-up of the PACE findings in infant saliva. RESULTS: None of the cord blood birthweight-associated CpGs identified by the PACE Consortium was associated with birthweight when analysed in infant saliva. In saliva EWAS analyses, considering a false discovery rate p-values < 0.05, birthweight as continuous variable was associated with DNA methylation in 44 CpG sites; being born small for gestational age (SGA, lower 10th percentile of birthweight for gestational age according to WHO reference charts) was associated with DNA methylation in 44 CpGs, with only one overlapping CpG between the two analyses. Despite no overlap with PACE results at the CpG level, two of the top saliva birthweight CpGs mapped at genes associated with birthweight with the same direction of the effect also in the PACE Consortium (MACROD1 and RPTOR). CONCLUSION: Our study provides an indication of the birthweight and SGA epigenetic salivary signatures in children around 10 months of age. DNA methylation signatures in cord blood may not be comparable with saliva DNA methylation signatures at about 10 months of age, suggesting that the birthweight epigenetic marks are likely time and tissue specific.

Determination of saliva epigenetic age in infancy, and its association with parental socio-economic characteristics and pregnancy outcomes.

Epigenetic age acceleration (AA) has been associated with adverse environmental exposures and many chronic conditions. We estimated, in the NINFEA birth cohort, infant saliva epigenetic age, and investigated whether parental socio-economic position (SEP) and pregnancy outcomes are associated with infant epigenetic AA. A total of 139 saliva samples collected at on average 10.8 (range 7-17) months were used to estimate Horvath's DNA methylation age. Epigenetic AA was defined as the residual from a linear regression of epigenetic age on chronological age. Linear regression models were used to test the associations of parental SEP and pregnancy outcomes with saliva epigenetic AA. A moderate positive association was found between DNA methylation age and chronological age, with the median absolute difference of 6.8 months (standard deviation [SD] 3.9). The evidence of the association between the indicators of low SEP and epigenetic AA was weak; infants born to unemployed mothers or with low education had on average 1 month higher epigenetic age than infants of mothers with high education and employment (coefficient 0.78 months, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: -0.79 to 2.34 for low/medium education; 0.96, 95% CI: -1.81 to 3.73 for unemployment). There was no evidence for association of gestational age, birthweight or caesarean section with infant epigenetic AA. Using the Horvath's method, DNA methylation age can be fairly accurately predicted from saliva samples already in the first months of life. This study did not reveal clear associations between either pregnancy outcomes or parental socio-economic characteristics and infant saliva epigenetic AA.

Exposure to ambient air pollution in the first 1000 days of life and alterations in the DNA methylome and telomere length in children: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to air pollution during the first 1000 days of life (from conception to the 2nd year of life) might be of particular relevance for long-term child health. Changes in molecular markers such as DNA methylation and telomere length could underlie the association between air pollution exposure and pollution-related diseases as well as serve as biomarkers for past exposure. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the association between air pollution exposure during pregnancy and the first two years of life and changes in DNA methylation or telomere length in children. METHODS: PubMed was searched in October 2020 by using terms relative to ambient air pollution exposure, DNA methylation, telomere length and the population of interest: mother/child dyads and children. Screening and selection of the articles was completed independently by two reviewers. Thirty-two articles matched our criteria. The majority of the articles focused on gestational air pollution exposure and measured DNA methylation/telomere length in newborn cord blood or placental tissue, to study global, candidate-gene or epigenome-wide methylation patterns and/or telomere length. The number of studies in children was limited. RESULTS: Ambient air pollution exposure during pregnancy was associated with global loss of methylation in newborn cord blood and placenta, indicating the beginning of the pregnancy as a potential period of susceptibility. Candidate gene and epigenome-wide association studies provided evidence that gestational exposure to air pollutants can lead to locus-specific changes in methylation, in newborn cord blood and placenta, particularly in genes involved in cellular responses to oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, inflammation, growth and early life development. Telomere length shortening in newborns and children was seen in relation to gestational pollutant exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Ambient air pollution during pregnancy is associated with changes in both global and locus-specific DNA methylation and with telomere length shortening. Future studies need to test the robustness of the association across different populations, to explore potential windows of vulnerability and assess the role of the methylation and telomere length as mediators in the association between early exposure to ambient air pollutants and specific childhood health outcomes.