Characterisation of personalised air pollution exposure in pregnant women participating in a birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution is a health risk in pregnant women and children. Despite the importance of refined exposure assessment, the characterisation of personalised air pollution exposure remains a challenge in paediatric and perinatal epidemiology. OBJECTIVE: We used portable personal air monitors to characterise personalised exposure to air pollutants in pregnant women. METHODS: Between November 2019 and May 2022, we offered personal air monitors to pregnant women participating in a birth cohort in New York City. During pregnancy, women used air monitors, which measured particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ), and volatile organic compounds (average use = 14 days). Data were stored in real-time on a secure database via synchronisation with a smartphone application. Of 497 women who agreed to use air monitors, 273 women (55%) were successful in using air monitors for longer than a day. For these participants, we identified daily patterns of exposure to air pollutants using functional principal component analysis (3827 days of air monitoring). RESULTS: Compared to women with no pollution data (n = 224), women who successfully used monitors were more likely to be non-Hispanic White and Asian (vs. Hispanic), nulliparous, unemployed, married/partnered, and received the device in-person (vs. mailed). We identified different daily patterns of exposure to air pollutants. The most dominant pattern for all pollutants was low exposure levels with little variations within 24 h, followed by a pattern that showed differences between day and night levels. NO2 had higher daily variations compared to PM. CONCLUSIONS: Small wearables are useful for the measurement of personalised air pollution exposure in birth cohorts and identify daily patterns that cannot be captured otherwise. Successful participation, however, depends on certain individual characteristics. Future studies should consider strategies in design and analysis to account for selective participation.

Associations of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies with birth outcomes: Results from three urban birth cohorts in the NIH environmental influences on child health outcomes program.

Studies suggest perinatal infection with SARS-CoV-2 can induce adverse birth outcomes, but studies published to date have substantial limitations. We therefore conducted an observational study of 211 births occurring between January 2020-September 2021 in three urban cohorts participating in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program. Serology was assessed for IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies to nucleocapsid, S1 spike, S2 spike, and receptor-binding domain. There were no differences in gestational age (GA), birth weight, preterm birth (PTB) or low birth weight (LBW) among seropositive mothers. However, the few (n = 9) IgM seropositive mothers had children with lower BW (434g, 95% CI: 116-752), BW Z score-for-GA (0.73 SD, 95% CI 0.10-1.36) and were more likely to deliver preterm (OR 8.75, 95% CI 1.22-62.4). Though there are limits to interpretation, the data support efforts to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections in pregnancy.

COVID-19 Symptoms and Diagnoses among a Sociodemographically Diverse Cohort of Children from New York City: Lessons from the First Wave, Spring 2020.

Early in the pandemic, in the North American epicenter, we investigated associations between sociodemographic factors and rates of pediatric COVID-19 diagnoses in a non-clinical setting and whether symptoms varied by child age. From 20 April-31 August 2020, COVID-19-related data were collected on 2694 children aged ≤ 18 years living in households participating in the New York University Children's Health and Environment Study. We examined differences in rates of subjective and objective diagnoses according to sociodemographic characteristics and differences in reported symptoms by child age. Children of women who were non-Hispanic White, had private health insurance, higher income, or more education were more likely to be diagnosed via WHO criteria or healthcare provider. Children of women who were Hispanic or Asian, reported low income, had less education, or were/lived with an essential worker were more likely to test positive. Older children were less likely to experience cough or runny nose and more likely to experience muscle/body aches, sore throat, headache, and loss of smell or taste than younger children. In conclusion, relying on subjective disease ascertainment methods, especially in the early stage of an outbreak when testing is not universally available, may misrepresent the true prevalence of disease among sociodemographic subgroups. Variations in symptoms by child age should be considered when determining diagnostic criteria.

Antioxidant and Anti-Obesity Activities of Polygonum cuspidatum Extract through Alleviation of Lipid Accumulation on 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.

Natural products are widely used due to their various biological activities which include antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-obesity effects. In this study, we determined the antioxidative and anti-obesity effects of Polygonum cuspidatum 50% ethanol extract (PEE). The antioxidative effect of PEE was evaluated using its radical scavenging activity, total phenolic content, and reducing power. The anti-obesity effect of PEE was investigated using 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The antioxidative activity of PEE was progressively increased in various concentrations, mainly due to the presence of phenolic compounds. PEE also alleviated lipid accumulation on 3T3-L1 adipocytes and downregulated the mRNA and protein production of adipogenesis-related (SREBP-1c, PPARγ, C/EBPα) and lipogenesis-related (aP2, FAS, ACC) markers. Furthermore, we found that the inhibitory effect on lipid accumulation via PEE was caused by the alleviation of NF-κB, p38 MAPK, ERK1/2, and JNK at the protein level. Taken together, our results imply that PEE is a potential antioxidant that can prevent obesityassociated disorders.