Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and associations with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child cohort.

BACKGROUND: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals that are slow to break down in the environment and widely detected in humans. Epidemiological evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a legacy PFAS, is linked to gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. However, the relationship between other PFAS, which are structurally similar, and these outcomes remains largely understudied, despite biologic plausibility. Here, we examined associations between serum PFAS mixtures in relation to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy within a birth cohort of African Americans. METHODS: Participants in the present study were enrolled in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child cohort between 2014 and 2020 (n = 513). Serum samples collected between 8 and 14 weeks gestation were analyzed for four PFAS. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between individual natural log transformed PFAS and specific hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (preeclampsia, gestational hypertension), while quantile g-computation was used to estimate mixture effects. Preeclampsia and gestational hypertension were treated as separate outcomes in individual models. All models were adjusted for maternal education, maternal age, early pregnancy body mass index, parity, and any alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana use. RESULTS: The geometric mean of PFOS and PFHxS was slightly lower among those with preeclampsia relative to those without a hypertensive disorder (e.g., geometric mean for PFOS was 1.89 and 1.94, respectively). Serum concentrations of PFAS were not strongly associated with gestational hypertension or preeclampsia in single pollutant or mixture models. For example, using quantile g-computation, a simultaneous one quartile increase in all PFAS was not associated with odds of gestational hypertension (odds ratio = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.60, 1.23), relative to those without a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: In this birth cohort of African Americans, there was no association between serum PFAS measured in early pregnancy and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, which may be reflective of the fairly low PFAS levels in our study population.

Phthalate exposure increases interferon-γ during pregnancy: The Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort.

BACKGROUND: The immune system undergoes unique adaptations during pregnancy and is particularly sensitive to environmental chemicals, such as phthalates, which are associated with acute and chronic inflammatory medical conditions. However, current knowledge of how phthalate exposures are associated with systemic inflammation in pregnant people is limited by cross-sectional study designs and single chemical models. Our objective was to estimate the association between repeated measures of prenatal phthalate exposures, examined individually and collectively, and a panel of clinical inflammatory biomarkers. METHODS: In the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort, biospecimens were collected at mean 11 and 26 weeks gestation (N = 126). Concentrations of eight urinary phthalate metabolites and five serum inflammatory biomarkers, including CRP, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α, were measured. Linear mixed effect regression and quantile g-computation models were used to estimate the associations for single phthalates and their exposure mixture, respectively. RESULTS: Participants who self-reported any use of alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana in the month prior to pregnancy had increased MEP, MBP, MiBP, and CRP, relative to those with no substance use. IFN-γ was elevated in response to MECPP (% change = 17.35, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 0.32, 32.27), MEHHP (% change = 12.75, 95 % CI = 2.22, 24.36), MEOHP (% change = 11.63, 95 % CI = 1.21, 23.12), and their parent phthalate, ΣDEHP (% change = 15.03, 95 % CI = 0.28, 31.94). The phthalate mixture was also associated with an increase in IFN-γ (% change = 15.03, 95 % CI = 6.18, 24.61). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest DEHP metabolites induce systemic inflammation during pregnancy. The pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-γ may play an important role in the relationship between prenatal phthalate exposures and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Infant epigenetic aging moderates the link between Black maternal childhood trauma and offspring symptoms of psychopathology.

Although offspring of women exposed to childhood trauma exhibit elevated rates of psychopathology, many children demonstrate resilience to these intergenerational impacts. Among the variety of factors that likely contribute to resilience, epigenetic processes have been suggested to play an important role. The current study used a prospective design to test the novel hypothesis that offspring epigenetic aging - a measure of methylation differences that are associated with infant health outcomes - moderates the relationship between maternal exposure to childhood adversity and offspring symptomatology. Maternal childhood adversity was self-reported during pregnancy via the ACEs survey and the CTQ, which assessed total childhood trauma as well as maltreatment subtypes (i.e., emotional, physical, and sexual abuse). Offspring blood samples were collected at or shortly after birth and assayed on a DNA methylation microarray, and offspring symptomatology was assessed with the CBCL/1.5-5 when offspring were 2-4 years old. Results indicated that maternal childhood trauma, particularly sexual abuse, was predictive of offspring symptoms (ps = 0.003-0.03). However, the associations between maternal sexual abuse and offspring symptomatology were significantly attenuated in offspring with accelerated epigenetic aging. These findings further our understanding of how epigenetic processes may contribute to and attenuate the intergenerational link between stress and psychopathology.

Association between a Mixture of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Inflammatory Biomarkers in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been identified as environmental contributors to adverse birth outcomes. One potential mechanistic pathway could be through PFAS-related inflammation and cytokine production. Here, we examined associations between a PFAS mixture and inflammatory biomarkers during early and late pregnancy from participants enrolled in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort (N = 425). Serum concentrations of multiple PFAS were detected in >90% samples at 8-14 weeks gestation. Serum concentrations of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured at up to two time points (8-14 weeks and 24-30 weeks gestation). The effect of the PFAS mixture on each inflammatory biomarker was examined using quantile g-computation, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), Bayesian Weighted Sums (BWS), and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression. Across all models, the PFAS mixture was associated with increased IFN-γ, IL-10, and TNF-α at both time points, with the strongest effects being observed at 24-30 weeks. Using quantile g-computation, increasing concentrations of a PFAS mixture were associated with a 29% (95% confidence interval = 18.0%, 40.7%) increase in TNF-α at 24-30 weeks. Similarly, using BWS, the PFAS mixture was associated with increased TNF-α at 24-30 weeks (summed effect = 0.29, 95% highest posterior density = 0.17, 0.41). The PFAS mixture was also positively associated with TNF-α at 24-30 weeks using BKMR [75th vs 50th percentile: 17.1% (95% credible interval = 7.7%, 27.4%)]. Meanwhile, PFOS was consistently the main drivers of overall mixture effect across four methods. Our findings indicated an increase in prenatal PFAS exposure is associated with an increase in multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines, potentially contributing to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Exposure to phthalate metabolites, bisphenol A, and psychosocial stress mixtures and pregnancy outcomes in the Atlanta African American maternal-child cohort.

BACKGROUND: Consumer products are common sources of exposure for phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), which disrupt the endocrine system. Psychosocial stressors have been shown to amplify the toxic effects of endocrine disruptors but, information is limited among African Americans (AAs), who experience the highest rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes and are often exposed to the highest levels of chemical and non-chemical stressors. We examined the association between an exposure mixture of phthalate metabolites, BPA, and psychosocial stressors with gestational age at delivery and birthweight for gestational age z-scores in pregnant AA women. STUDY DESIGN: Participants were enrolled in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort (N = 247). Concentrations of eight phthalate metabolites and BPA were measured in urine samples collected at up to two timepoints during pregnancy (8-14 weeks gestation and 20-32 weeks gestation) and were averaged. Psychosocial stressors were measured using self-reported, validated questionnaires that assessed experiences of discrimination, gendered racial stress, depression, and anxiety. Linear regression was used to estimate individual associations between stress exposures (chemical and psychosocial) and birth outcomes. We leveraged quantile g-computation was used to examine joint effects of chemical and stress exposures on gestational age at delivery (in weeks) and birthweight for gestational age z-scores. RESULTS: A simultaneous increase in all phthalate metabolites and BPA was associated with a moderate reduction in birthweight z-scores (mean change per quartile increase = -0.22, 95% CI = -0.45, 0.0). The association between our exposure mixture and birthweight z-scores became stronger when including psychosocial stressors as additional exposures (mean change per quantile increase = -0.35, 95% CI = -0.61, -0.08). Overall, we found null associations between exposure to chemical and non-chemical stressors with gestational age at delivery. CONCLUSIONS: In a prospective cohort of AA mother-newborn dyads, we observed that increased prenatal exposure to phthalates, BPA, and psychosocial stressors were associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Corrigendum: Joint effects of individual socioeconomic status and residential neighborhood context on vaginal microbiome composition.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1029741.].

Joint effects of individual socioeconomic status and residential neighborhood context on vaginal microbiome composition.

Introduction: The vaginal microbiome is a dynamic ecosystem that is important for women's health. Its composition has been associated with risk for menopausal symptoms, sexually transmitted infections, gynecologic cancer, and preterm birth. Conventional risk factors for a vaginal microbiome linked with these adverse health outcomes include sexual behaviors, hygiene practices, individual social factors, and stress levels. However, there has been limited research on socio-contextual determinants, and whether neighborhood context modifies the association with individual socioeconomic factors. Methods: Socioeconomically diverse pregnant African American women in Atlanta, Georgia (n = 439) provided residential addresses and first trimester vaginal swab samples, which underwent sequencing, taxonomic classification, and assignment into mutually exclusive CST (community state types) via hierarchical clustering. Linear probability models were used to estimate prevalence differences (PD) for the associations of neighborhood factors with vaginal microbiome CST and to evaluate for additive interaction with maternal level of education, health insurance type, and recruitment hospital. Results: Factors such as higher (vs. lower) maternal education, private (vs. public) insurance, and private (vs. public) hospital were associated with higher prevalence of Lactobacillus-dominant vaginal microbiome CSTs typically associated with better health outcomes. When considering the joint effects of these individual socioeconomic status and residential neighborhood factors on vaginal microbiome CST, most combinations showed a greater than additive effect among the doubly exposed; however, in the case of local income homogeneity and local racial homogeneity, there was evidence of a crossover effect between those with less-advantaged individual socioeconomic status and those with more-advantaged individual socioeconomic status. Compared to women at the public hospital who lived in economically diverse neighborhoods, women at the private hospital who lived in economically diverse neighborhoods had a 21.9% higher prevalence of Lactobacillus-dominant CSTs, while women at the private hospital who lived in less economically diverse neighborhoods (the doubly exposed) had only an 11.7% higher prevalence of Lactobacillus-dominant CSTs, showing a crossover effect (interaction term p-value = 0.004). Discussion: In this study, aspects of residential neighborhood context were experienced differently by women on the basis of their individual resources, and the joint effects of these exposures on vaginal microbiome CST showed a departure from simple additivity for some factors.

Prenatal exposure to persistent and non-persistent chemical mixtures and associations with adverse birth outcomes in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort.

BACKGROUND: African Americans (AAs) experience higher rates of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction relative to other pregnant populations. Differential in utero exposure to environmental chemicals may partially explain these health disparities, as AAs are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards. OBJECTIVE: We examined the individual and mixture effects of non-persistent chemicals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on gestational age at birth and birthweight for gestational age z-scores within a prospective cohort of pregnant AAs. METHODS: First-trimester serum and urine samples obtained from participants within the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child cohort were analyzed for 43 environmental chemicals, including per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides, pyrethroid insecticides, phthalates, bisphenol A, nicotine, and the primary metabolite of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Linear regression was used to estimate individual associations between chemicals and gestational age and birthweight z-scores (N ranging from 107 to 523). Mixture associations were estimated using quantile g-computation, principal component (PC) analyses, and hierarchical Bayesian kernel machine regression among complete cases (N = 86). RESULTS: Using quantile g-computation, increasing all chemical exposures by one quantile was modestly associated with a reduction in gestational age (mean change per quartile increase = -0.47, 95% CI = -1.56, 0.61) and birthweight z-scores (mean change per quartile increase = -0.49, 95% CI = -1.14, 0.15). All PCs were associated with a reduction in birthweight z-scores; associations were greatest in magnitude for the two PCs reflecting exposure to combined tobacco, insecticides, PBDEs, and phthalates. In single pollutant models, we observed inconsistent and largely non-significant associations. SIGNIFANCE: We conducted multiple targeted exposure assessment methods to quantify levels of environmental chemicals and leveraged mixture methods to quantify their joint effects on gestational age and birthweight z-scores. Our findings suggest that prenatal exposure to multiple classes of persistent and non-persistent chemicals is associated with reduced gestational age and birthweight z-scores in AAs. IMPACT: African Americans (AAs) experience higher rates of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction relative to other pregnant populations. Differential in utero exposure to environmental chemicals may partially explain these health disparities, as AAs are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards. In the present study, we analyzed serum and urine samples for levels of 43 environmental chemicals. We used quantile g-computation, principal component analysis, and BKMR to assess associations between chemical exposure mixtures and adverse birth outcomes. Our findings suggest that prenatal exposure to multiple classes of chemicals is associated with reduced birthweight z-scores, a proxy for fetal growth, in AAs.

Maternal Adversity and Epigenetic Age Acceleration Predict Heightened Emotional Reactivity in Offspring: Implications for Intergenerational Transmission of Risk.

Black American women are disproportionately exposed to adversities that may have an intergenerational impact on mental health. The present study examined whether maternal exposure to adversity and epigenetic age acceleration (EAA; a biomarker of stress exposure) predicts the socioemotional health of her offspring. During pregnancy, 180 Black American women self-reported experiences of childhood adversity and marginalization-related adversity (i.e., racial discrimination and gendered racial stress) and provided a blood sample for epigenetic assessment. At a three-year follow-up visit, women reported their offspring's emotional reactivity (an early indicator of psychopathology) via the CBCL/1.5-5. After adjusting for maternal education and offspring sex, results indicated that greater maternal experiences of childhood trauma (ß = 0.21, SE(ß) = 0.01; p = 0.01) and racial discrimination (ß = 0.14, SE(ß) = 0.07; p = 0.049) predicted greater offspring emotional reactivity, as did maternal EAA (ß = 0.17, SE(ß) = 0.09, p = 0.046). Our findings suggest that maternal EAA could serve as an early biomarker for intergenerational risk conferred by maternal adversity, and that 'maternal adversity' must be defined more broadly to include social marginalization, particularly for Black Americans.

Legacy Chemical Pollutants in House Dust of Homes of Pregnant African Americans in Atlanta.

We developed and applied a method for measuring selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (i.e., polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) in dust collected from pregnant African Americans (AAs) in Atlanta using isotope dilution gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Limits of quantification were ranged from 0.10 to 2.50 ng/g dust. NIST standard reference material measurements demonstrated the robustness of our method. Our accuracies ranged from 82 to 108%, relative standard deviations ranged from 2 to 16%, and extraction recoveries ranged from 76 to 102%. We measured POPs in dust collected from 34 homes of pregnant AAs participating in the Atlanta AA birth cohort study who were enrolled from 2016 to 2019. Concentrations of POPs were detected in all samples with the frequencies of detection ranging from 8 to 100%. Concentrations of PBDE congeners 99 and 47, p,p'-DDT, and PCB153 were detected at some of the highest concentrations with geometric means of 1270, 730, 63.4 and 240 ng/g, respectively. The ratio of DDT/DDE was quite large (~2.7) indicating that p,p'-DDT remains intact in homes for long periods of time. These data demonstrate that care should be taken to remediate POPs in indoor dust, especially in vulnerable, disparate segments of the population.

Discrimination is associated with poor sleep quality in pregnant Black American women.

BACKGROUND: Heightened exposure to racial/ethnic discrimination is associated with poorer sleep health among non-pregnant adults. This relationship has received limited research attention among pregnant women, despite the importance of prenatal sleep quality for optimal maternal and child health outcomes. METHODS: We utilized perinatal data from a sample of Black American women (n = 600) participating in a cohort study who reported their lifetime experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination and gendered racial stress during early pregnancy and reported on their sleep quality and depressive symptoms during early and mid-pregnancy. Hierarchical multiple linear regression models were fit to examine associations between lifetime experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination or gendered racial stress and sleep quality during early and mid-pregnancy. We also adjusted for women's concurrent depressive symptoms and tested whether the discrimination/sleep quality association varied by socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Greater exposure to racial/ethnic discrimination was associated with poorer sleep quality during early (ΔR2 = 0.04, ΔF = 26.08, p < 0.001) and mid-pregnancy (ΔR2 = 0.02, ΔF = 9.88, p = 0.002). Similarly, greater gendered racial stress was associated with poorer sleep quality during early (ΔR2 = 0.10, ΔF = 65.72, p < 0.001) and mid-pregnancy (ΔR2 = 0.06, ΔF = 40.43, p < 0.001. These findings largely held after adjustment for concurrent prenatal depressive symptoms. Socioeconomic status did not modify the observed relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to decrease institutional and interpersonal experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination and gendered racism would benefit the sleep quality of pregnant Black American women, particularly during early pregnancy.

The unique contribution of gendered racial stress to depressive symptoms among pregnant Black women.

INTRODUCTION: Pregnant Black women are at disproportionate risk for adverse birth outcomes, in part associated with higher prevalence of stress. Stress increases risk of depression, a known risk factor for preterm birth. In addition, multiple dimensions of stress, including perceived stress and stressful life events, are associated with adverse birth outcomes, independent of their association with prenatal depression. We use an intersectional and contextualized measure of gendered racial stress to assess whether gendered racial stress constitutes an additional dimension to prenatal depression, independent of stressful life events and perceived stress. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study of 428 Black women, we assessed gendered racial stress (using the 39-item Jackson Hogue Phillips Reduced Common Contextualized Stress Measure), perceived stress (using the Perceived Stress Scale), and stressful life events (using a Stressful Life Event Index) as psychosocial predictors of depressive symptoms (measured by the Edinburgh Depression Scale). We used bivariate analyses and multivariable regression to assess the association between the measures of stress and prenatal depression. RESULTS: Results revealed significant bivariate associations between participant scores on the full Jackson Hogue Phillips Reduced Common Contextualized Stress Measure and its 5 subscales, and the Edinburgh Depression Scale. In multivariable models that included participant Perceived Stress Scale and/or Stressful Life Event Index scores, the Jackson Hogue Phillips Reduced Common Contextualized Stress Measure contributed uniquely and significantly to Edinburgh Depression Scale score, with the burden subscale being the strongest contributor among all variables. No sociodemographic characteristics were found to be significant in multivariable models. CONCLUSION: For Black women in early pregnancy, gendered racial stress is a distinct dimension of stress associated with increased depressive symptoms. Intersectional stress measures may best uncover nuances within Black women's complex social environment.

Subgingival Microbiome in Pregnancy and a Potential Relationship to Early Term Birth.

Background: Periodontal disease in pregnancy is considered a risk factor for adverse birth outcomes. Periodontal disease has a microbial etiology, however, the current state of knowledge about the subgingival microbiome in pregnancy is not well understood. Objective: To characterize the structure and diversity of the subgingival microbiome in early and late pregnancy and explore relationships between the subgingival microbiome and preterm birth among pregnant Black women. Methods: This longitudinal descriptive study used 16S rRNA sequencing to profile the subgingival microbiome of 59 Black women and describe microbial ecology using alpha and beta diversity metrics. We also compared microbiome features across early (8-14 weeks) and late (24-30 weeks) gestation overall and according to gestational age at birth outcomes (spontaneous preterm, spontaneous early term, full term). Results: In this sample of Black pregnant women, the top twenty bacterial taxa represented in the subgingival microbiome included a spectrum representative of various stages of biofilm progression leading to periodontal disease, including known periopathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia. Other organisms associated with periodontal disease reflected in the subgingival microbiome included several Prevotella spp., and Campylobacter spp. Measures of alpha or beta diversity did not distinguish the subgingival microbiome of women according to early/late gestation or full term/spontaneous preterm birth; however, alpha diversity differences in late pregnancy between women who spontaneously delivered early term and women who delivered full term were identified. Several taxa were also identified as being differentially abundant according to early/late gestation, and full term/spontaneous early term births. Conclusions: Although the composition of the subgingival microbiome is shifted toward complexes associated with periodontal disease, the diversity of the microbiome remains stable throughout pregnancy. Several taxa were identified as being associated with spontaneous early term birth. Two, in particular, are promising targets of further investigation. Depletion of the oral commensal Lautropia mirabilis in early pregnancy and elevated levels of Prevotella melaninogenica in late pregnancy were both associated with spontaneous early term birth.

A 10-year examination of a one-on-one grant writing partnership for nursing pre- and post-doctoral trainees.

BACKGROUND: The training and mentoring of pre- and post-doctoral trainees in nursing research is essential to feed the pipeline of nurses prepared to launch an independent program of research. PURPOSE: The purpose of this report is to describe a one-on-one grant writing Partnership developed in a school of nursing targeting pre- and post-doctoral trainees and quantify its impact on funding rates. METHODS: The Partnership includes four key elements: regular meetings, setting a timeline with milestones, writing and editing support, and attention to administrative documents. Forty grant applications by pre- and post-doctoral trainees were developed and submitted from 2011 to 2020. FINDINGS: Among Partnership participants, 81.0% (17/21) received funding as compared with 42.1% (8/19) who did not participate, p = .02. DISCUSSION: Schools of nursing and other disciplines should consider investing in a Partnership to provide grant writing support their pre- and post-doctoral trainees and increase their overall research capacity.

Intergenerational Effects of Discrimination on Black American Children's Sleep Health.

Greater exposure to racial/ethnic discrimination among pregnant Black American women is associated with elevated prenatal depressive symptomatology, poorer prenatal sleep quality, and poorer child health outcomes. Given the transdiagnostic importance of early childhood sleep health, we examined associations between pregnant women's lifetime exposure to racial/ethnic discrimination and their two-year-old children's sleep health. We also examined women's gendered racial stress as a predictor variable. In exploratory analyses, we examined prenatal sleep quality and prenatal depressive symptoms as potential mediators of the prior associations. We utilized data from a sample of Black American women and children (n = 205). Women self-reported their lifetime experiences of discrimination during early pregnancy, their sleep quality and depressive symptoms during mid-pregnancy, and their children's sleep health at age two. Hierarchical linear multiple regression models were fit to examine direct associations between women's experiences of discrimination and children's sleep health. We tested our mediation hypotheses using a parallel mediator model. Higher levels of gendered racial stress, but not racial/ethnic discrimination, were directly associated with poorer sleep health in children. Higher levels of racial/ethnic discrimination were indirectly associated with poorer sleep health in children, via women's prenatal depressive symptomatology, but not prenatal sleep quality. Clinical efforts to mitigate the effects of discrimination on Black American women may benefit women's prenatal mental health and their children's sleep health.

Prenatal distress links maternal early life adversity to infant stress functioning in the next generation.

Maternal stress in pregnancy exerts powerful programming effects into the next generation. Yet it remains unclear whether and how adversity from other times in the woman's life influences her prenatal stress and her offspring's stress functioning. In a sample of 217 Black American mother-infant dyads, we examined whether different types of maternal stress were differentially related to her infant's stress functioning within the first few months after birth. We prospectively assessed maternal distress (perceived stress, depression, and anxiety) early and late in pregnancy, infant behavioral adaption in the context of a mild stressor at 2 weeks of age, and infant diurnal cortisol at 3-6 months of age. We additionally collected retrospective reports of maternal experiences of lifetime discrimination and childhood adversity. Maternal distress experienced late, but not early, in pregnancy predicted lower infant attention in the context of a stressor. Moreover, lifetime experiences of discrimination indirectly impacted infant attention by increasing maternal distress late in pregnancy. These effects were specific to infant behavioral adaptation and were not related to infant diurnal cortisol levels. However, infant diurnal cortisol levels were associated with maternal experiences of discrimination from prior to pregnancy and adversity from the mother's childhood even after controlling for prenatal distress. Our results underscore the cascading nature of stress across the mother's life span and across generations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors Associated with Vaginal Lactobacillus Predominance Among African American Women Early in Pregnancy.

Background: Vaginal Lactobacillus is considered protective of some adverse reproductive health outcomes, including preterm birth. However, factors that increase or decrease the likelihood of harboring Lactobacillus in the vaginal microbiome remain largely unknown. In this study, we sought to identify risk and protective factors associated with vaginal Lactobacillus predominance within a cohort of pregnant African American women. Materials and Methods: Vaginal microbiome samples were self-collected by African American women (N = 436) during their 8-14th week of pregnancy. Sociodemographic information and measures of health behaviors, including substance use, antibiotic exposure, sexual practices, frequency of vaginal intercourse, and the use of vaginal products, were collected through participant self-report. The V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was targeted for amplification and sequencing using Illumina HiSeq, with bacterial taxonomy assigned using the PECAN classifier. Univariate and a series of multivariate logistic regression models identified factors predictive of diverse vaginal microbiota or Lactobacillus predominance. Results: Participants who used marijuana in the past 30 days (aOR 1.80, 95% CI 1.08-2.98) were more likely to have diverse non-Lactobacillus-predominant vaginal microbiota, as were women not living with their partners (aOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.20-3.01). Cohabitating or marijuana usage were not associated with type of Lactobacillus (non-iners Lactobacillus vs. Lactobacillus iners) predominance (aOR 1.11, 95% CI 0.52-2.38 and aOR 0.56, 95% CI 0.21-1.47, respectively). Conclusions: Living with a partner is conducive to vaginal Lactobacillus predominance. As such, cohabitation may be in important covariate to consider in vaginal microbiome studies.