Examining Psychological Distress Across Intersections of Immigrant Generational Status, Race, Poverty, and Gender.

While many studies have documented the health outcomes of immigrants, little is known about the direct and intersectional influences of generational status on mental health. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study using data from the California Health Interview Survey from 2015 to 2016 (N = 41,754) to compare the prevalence of psychological distress among first-generation immigrants and non-immigrants relative to second-generation immigrants, overall and across intersections of race, poverty status, and gender. Second-generation and non-immigrant respondents had a significantly higher prevalence (10.1% and 9.4%, respectively) of psychological distress compared to first-generation immigrants (5.9%). Prevalence ratios comparing first-generation to second-generation immigrants were suggestive of an association where first-generation immigrants had lower prevalence of psychological distress compared to second-generation, though not statistically significant (0.81, 95% Confidence interval 0.63, 1.04). Prevalence ratios of non-immigrants relative to second-generation immigrants were not statistically significant (1.12, 95% Confidence interval 0.84, 1.50).

Residence change during the first trimester of pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes.

BACKGROUND: There are few published studies evaluating the impact of perinatal residence change on infant outcomes and whether these associations differ by socioeconomic status. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study using Washington State birth certificate data from 2007 to 2014 to assess whether women who moved during the first trimester of pregnancy (n=28 011) had a higher risk of low birth weight, preterm birth and small for gestational age than women who did not move during the first trimester (n=112 367). 'Non-first-trimester movers' were frequency matched 4:1 to movers by year. We used generalised linear models to calculate risk ratios and risk differences adjusted for maternal age, race, marital status, parity, education, smoking, income and insurance payer for the birth. We also stratified analyses by variables related to socioeconomic status to see whether associations differed across socioeconomic strata. RESULTS: Moving in the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of low birth weight (6.4% vs 4.5%, adjusted risk ratio 1.37 (95% CI 1.29 to 1.45)) and preterm birth (9.1% vs 6.4%, adjusted risk ratio 1.42 (95% CI 1.36 to 1.49)) and a slight increased risk of small for gestational age (9.8% vs 8.7%, adjusted risk ratio 1.09 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.09)). Residence change was associated with low birth weight and preterm birth in all socioeconomic strata. CONCLUSION: Moving during the first trimester of pregnancy may be a risk factor for adverse birth outcomes in US women. Healthcare providers may want to consider screening for plans to move and offering support.

Immune system stimulation by the native gut microbiota of honey bees.

Gut microbial communities can greatly affect host health by modulating the host's immune system. For many important insects, however, the relationship between the gut microbiota and immune function remains poorly understood. Here, we test whether the gut microbial symbionts of the honey bee can induce expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), a crucial component of insect innate immunity. We find that bees up-regulate gene expression of the AMPs apidaecin and hymenoptaecin in gut tissue when the microbiota is present. Using targeted proteomics, we detected apidaecin in both the gut lumen and the haemolymph; higher apidaecin concentrations were found in bees harbouring the normal gut microbiota than in bees lacking gut microbiota. In in vitro assays, cultured strains of the microbiota showed variable susceptibility to honey bee AMPs, although many seem to possess elevated resistance compared to Escherichia coli. In some trials, colonization by normal gut symbionts resulted in improved survivorship following injection with E. coli. Our results show that the native, non-pathogenic gut flora induces immune responses in the bee host. Such responses might be a host mechanism to regulate the microbiota, and could potentially benefit host health by priming the immune system against future pathogenic infections.

Genome Sequences of Lactobacillus sp. Strains wkB8 and wkB10, Members of the Firm-5 Clade, from Honey Bee Guts.

We sequenced two strains from the Lactobacillus Firm-5 clade, a dominant group of symbionts in the guts of honey bees and other social bees. The genome of strain wkB8, comprising a 1.93-Mb chromosome and a 6.4-kb plasmid, was fully closed, while strain wkB10 was assembled into 32 contigs. These genomes will provide insights into how gut symbionts evolve and interact with their host species.