WIC Staff Views and Perceptions on the Relationship between Food Insecurity and Perinatal Depression.

Food insecurity and perinatal depression are significant public health concerns for perinatal services, however descriptive research examining their association is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the views and perspectives of staff from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program on the relationship between food insecurity and perinatal depression among their WIC clients. Four, semi-structured focus groups with WIC staff (n = 24) were conducted across four diverse nonmetropolitan public health districts in Midwestern counties in the United States. WIC staff included social workers, nurses, nutritionists and ancillary staff. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and verified, and data were organized using NVivo 11.4.2. Thematic networking analysis was employed as the qualitative analysis to identify organizing themes. Three themes emerged including (1) depression experienced by clients; (2) food insecurity experienced by clients; and (3) barriers preventing clients from accessing services for themselves and their children. Research on food insecurity and perinatal depression is sparse, with fewer studies having included health staff of low-income women. Our findings suggest that the association between food insecurity and mental health needs among WIC clients is a significant public health issue to which policy change and interventions are required.

Sexual Differentiation of Circadian Clock Function in the Adrenal Gland.

Sex differences in glucocorticoid production are associated with increased responsiveness of the adrenal gland in females. However, the adrenal-intrinsic mechanisms that establish sexual dimorphic function remain ill defined. Glucocorticoid production is gated at the molecular level by the circadian clock, which may contribute to sexual dimorphic adrenal function. Here we examine sex differences in the adrenal gland using an optical reporter of circadian clock function. Adrenal glands were cultured from male and female Period2::Luciferase (PER2::LUC) mice to assess clock function in vitro in real time. We confirm that there is a pronounced sex difference in the intrinsic capacity to sustain PER2::LUC rhythms in vitro, with higher amplitude rhythms in adrenal glands collected from males than from females. Changes in adrenal PER2::LUC rhythms over the reproductive life span implicate T as an important factor in driving sex differences in adrenal clock function. By directly manipulating hormone levels in adult mice in vivo, we demonstrate that T increases the amplitude of PER2::LUC rhythms in adrenal glands of both male and female mice. In contrast, we find little evidence that ovarian hormones modify adrenal clock function. Lastly, we find that T in vitro can increase the amplitude of PER2::LUC rhythms in male adrenals but not female adrenals, which suggests the existence of sex differences in the mechanisms of T action in vivo. Collectively these results reveal that activational effects of T alter circadian timekeeping in the adrenal gland, which may have implications for sex differences in stress reactivity and stress-related disorders.