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1.
BMC Public Health ; 24(1): 2239, 2024 Aug 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39153992

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Separating with close siblings and leaving the parental home at an early age represents a major life event for an adolescent (reflected by age at separation in a twin pair) and may predispose them to poor mental health. This study aims to examine the association of age at separation and residential mobility on depressive symptoms in late adolescence and young adulthood and to explore possible underlying genetic effects. METHODS: Residential mobility consisted of the number and total distance of moves before age 17. Based on 3071 twins from the FinnTwin12 cohort, we used linear regression to assess the association of age at separation and residential mobility with General Behavior Inventory (GBI) scores at age 17 and in young adulthood. A higher GBI score indicated more depressive symptoms occurred. Then, the mixed model for repeated measures (MMRM) was used to visualize the scores' trajectory and test the associations, controlling for "baseline" state. Twin analyses with a bivariate cross-lagged path model were performed between the difference in GBI scores, between cotwins, and separation status for the potential genetic influence. RESULTS: Compared to twins separated before age 17, twins who separated later had significantly lower GBI scores at age 17 and in young adulthood. In MMRM, separation at a later age and a higher number of moves were associated with a higher GBI score in young adulthood. A small genetic effect was detected wherein GBI within-pair differences at age 17 were associated with separation status before age 22 (coefficient: 0.01). CONCLUSION: The study provides valid evidence about the influence of siblings and family on depressive symptoms in later adolescence and young adulthood while finding some evidence for a reverse direction effect. This suggests more caution in the interpretation of results. A strong association between residential mobility and depressive symptoms was affirmed, although further detailed research is needed.


Subject(s)
Depression , Humans , Adolescent , Male , Female , Depression/epidemiology , Depression/psychology , Finland/epidemiology , Young Adult , Cohort Studies , Age Factors , Population Dynamics , Twins/psychology , Twins/statistics & numerical data
2.
Phys Life Rev ; 50: 126-136, 2024 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39079258

ABSTRACT

Diffusion neuroimaging has emerged as an essential non-invasive technique to explore in vivo microstructural characteristics of white matter (WM), whose integrity allows complex behaviors and cognitive abilities. Studying the factors contributing to inter-individual variability in WM microstructure can provide valuable insight into structural and functional differences of brain among individuals. Genetic influence on this variation has been largely investigated in twin studies employing different measures derived from diffusion neuroimaging. In this context, we performed a comprehensive literature search across PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science of original twin studies focused on the heritability of WM. Overall, our results highlighted a consistent heritability of diffusion indices (i.e., fractional anisotropy, mean, axial and radial diffusivity), and network topology among twins. The genetic influence resulted prominent in frontal and occipital regions, in the limbic system, and in commissural fibers. To enhance the understanding of genetic influence on WM microstructure further studies in less heterogeneous experimental settings, encompassing all diffusion indices, are warranted.


Subject(s)
Neuroimaging , Twins , White Matter , Humans , White Matter/diagnostic imaging , White Matter/anatomy & histology , Neuroimaging/methods , Twins/genetics , Diffusion Tensor Imaging , Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Anisotropy
3.
Placenta ; 154: 207-215, 2024 Sep 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39084172

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study investigates the association between maternal exposure to particulate matter (PM10) and nitric dioxide (NO2) during the first, second and third trimester and placental weight and birth weight/placental weight (BW/PW) ratio in twins at birth. METHODS: Cross-sectional data of 3340 twins from the East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey was used. Air pollutant exposure was estimated via spatial temporal interpolation. Univariable and multivariable mixed model analyses with a random intercept to account for the relatedness of newborns were conducted for twins with separate placentas. Twin pairs with one placental mass were studied with linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: In the third trimester, for each 10 µm/m3 increase in PM10 or NO2 placental weight decreased -19.7 g (95%-C.I. -35.1; -4.3) and -17.7 g (95%-C.I. -30.4; -0.5) respectively, in moderate to late preterm twins with separate placentas. Consequently, BW/PW ratio increased with higher air pollution exposure. PM10 exposure in the last week of pregnancy was associated with a higher odds ratio (OR) of 1.20 (95%-C.I. 1.00; 1.44) for a "small for gestational age placenta" (placental weight <10th percentile). Conversely, first trimester air pollutant exposure was associated with lower ORs of 0.55 (95%-C.I. 0.35; 0.88) and 0.60 (95%-C.I. 0.42; 0.84). DISCUSSION: The association of PM10 and NO2 on placental weight is trimester-specific, differs for twins with one versus two placentas and is most pronounced in moderate to late preterm twins. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the relationship between air pollutant exposure and placental weight evolution across different trimesters.


Subject(s)
Air Pollution , Maternal Exposure , Placenta , Humans , Female , Pregnancy , Placenta/anatomy & histology , Placenta/pathology , Placenta/drug effects , Adult , Maternal Exposure/adverse effects , Air Pollution/adverse effects , Organ Size/drug effects , Cross-Sectional Studies , Particulate Matter/adverse effects , Infant, Newborn , Birth Weight/drug effects , Pregnancy Trimesters , Twins , Prospective Studies , Nitrogen Dioxide/adverse effects , Nitrogen Dioxide/analysis , Pregnancy, Twin , Male , Air Pollutants/adverse effects
4.
Soc Sci Med ; 356: 117131, 2024 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39032195

ABSTRACT

On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected the first Black President of the United States. His campaign and electoral win served as a symbol of hope for a more just future, fostering an "Obama effect" that appears associated with improved well-being among non-Hispanic (NH) Black communities. Situating the Obama election within the symbolic empowerment framework, we consider the potentially protective role of the Obama election on NH Black fetal death, an important but understudied measure of perinatal health that has stark racial disparities. Using restricted-use natality files from the National Center for Health Statistics, we proxy fetal death using the male twin rate (number of twins per 1000 male live births). Male twins have a relatively high risk of in utero selection that is sensitive to maternal and environmental stressors, making the twin rate an important marker of fetal death. We then estimate interrupted time-series models to assess the relation between the Obama election and male twin rates among NH Black births across monthly conception cohorts (February 2003-October 2008). Greater-than-expected male twin rates signal less susceptibility to fetal loss. Results indicate a 4.5% higher male twin rate among all NH Black cohorts exposed in utero to the Obama election, after accounting for historical and NH white trends (p < 0.005). The greater-than-expected rates concentrated among births conceived in the months preceding Obama's nomination at the Democratic National Convention and Obama's presidential win. These results suggest a salutary perinatal response to election events that likely reduced NH Black fetal loss. They also indicate the possibility that sociopolitical shifts can mitigate persisting NH Black-NH white disparities in perinatal health.


Subject(s)
Black or African American , Politics , Humans , Male , United States , Female , Pregnancy , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Black or African American/psychology , Fetal Death , Twins/statistics & numerical data , Twins/psychology , Empowerment , Adult
5.
Sci Rep ; 14(1): 17589, 2024 07 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39080443

ABSTRACT

Creativity and mental disorders are sometimes seen as intertwined, but research is still unclear on whether, how much, and why. Here we explore the potential role of shared genetic factors behind creativity and symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD, characterized by mood swings and randomness of thoughts). Data were collected from 6745 twins (2378 complete pairs) by the Netherlands Twin Register on BPD scores (PAI-BOR questionnaire) and working in a creative profession (proxy for creativity). First, we tested whether there is an association between BPD symptoms and creative professions. Results confirmed that individuals scoring higher on the BPD spectrum are more likely to have a creative profession (Cohen's d = 0.16). Next, we modeled how much of this association reflects underlying genetic and/or environmental correlations-by using a bivariate classical twin design. We found that creativity and BPD were each influenced by genetic factors (heritability = 0.45 for BPD and 0.67 for creativity) and that these traits are genetically correlated rG = 0.17. Environmental influences were not correlated. This is evidence for a common genetic mechanism between borderline personality scores and creativity which may reflect causal effects and shed light on mechanisms.


Subject(s)
Borderline Personality Disorder , Creativity , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Borderline Personality Disorder/genetics , Borderline Personality Disorder/psychology , Netherlands , Surveys and Questionnaires , Twins/genetics , Twins/psychology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over
6.
PLoS One ; 19(7): e0306546, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38968198

ABSTRACT

Social science research argues that differences in individuals' literary and cultural tastes originate in social environments. Yet, it might be that these differences are partly associated with genetic differences between individuals. To address this possibility, we use nation-scale registry data on library borrowing among Danish twins (N = 67,900) to assess the heritability of literary tastes. We measure literary tastes via borrowing of books of different genres (e.g., crime and biographical novels) and formats (physical, digital, and audio) and decompose the total variance in literary tastes into components attributable to shared genes (heritability), shared environments (social environment shared by siblings), and unique environments (social environments not shared by siblings). We find that genetic differences account for 45-70 percent of the total variance in literary tastes, shared environments account for almost none of the variance, and unique environments account for a moderate share. These results suggest that literary tastes are approximately as heritable as other human phenotypes (e.g., physical traits, cognition, and health). Moreover, heritability is higher for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups than for advantaged groups. Overall, our results suggest that research should consider the role of genetic differences in accounting for individual differences in literary and broader cultural tastes.


Subject(s)
Phenotype , Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Social Environment , Twins/genetics , Books , Middle Aged , Taste/genetics , Denmark , Twins, Monozygotic/genetics , Twins, Dizygotic/genetics , Young Adult
7.
Reprod Domest Anim ; 59(7): e14659, 2024 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38949053

ABSTRACT

Twin pregnancy in cattle is undesirable for a number of reasons, including a higher abortion risk compared to pregnancies with a single foetus. Yet, the abortion risk is significantly influenced by the intrauterine location of the foetuses, that is, the abortion risk is several times higher if they are implanted in the same uterine horn (unilateral twin pregnancy) than if they are implanted with one foetus in each uterine horn (bilateral twin pregnancy). The reason for the higher abortion risk in unilateral twin pregnancies is unknown, but it may be related to malnutrition of the outermost foetus due to a limited placental capacity, as is the case for equine twin foetuses. A slaughterhouse study was performed and the foetuses of cattle pregnant with twins were measured. We identified 65 cases of twin pregnancies, of which 35 were unilateral twin pregnancies and 30 were bilateral twin pregnancies. There was no significant difference between the outermost and the more centrally located foetus in unilateral twin pregnancies in terms of body weight and length of the metacarpal diaphysis. Growth retardation of the outermost foetus could therefore not be confirmed as the cause of the higher abortion risk in unilateral bovine twin pregnancies. Four cases of pre-slaughter foetal mortality were identified. In three of these cases, both twins were dead, of equal size and at a comparable level of degradation. In the fourth case, with approximately 40-day-old twin foetuses of equal size, only one of the foetuses showed signs of pre-slaughter death.


Subject(s)
Abortion, Veterinary , Animals , Cattle/embryology , Female , Pregnancy , Abortion, Veterinary/epidemiology , Fetus , Pregnancy, Twin , Pregnancy, Multiple , Fetal Death , Cattle Diseases/congenital , Twins
8.
BMC Med ; 22(1): 289, 2024 Jul 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38987783

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic clocks were known as promising biomarkers of aging, including original clocks trained by individual CpG sites and principal component (PC) clocks trained by PCs of CpG sites. The effects of genetic and environmental factors on epigenetic clocks are still unclear, especially for PC clocks. METHODS: We constructed univariate twin models in 477 same-sex twin pairs from the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) to estimate the heritability of five epigenetic clocks (GrimAge, PhenoAge, DunedinPACE, PCGrimAge, and PCPhenoAge). Besides, we investigated the longitudinal changes of genetic and environmental influences on epigenetic clocks across 5 years in 134 same-sex twin pairs. RESULTS: Heritability of epigenetic clocks ranged from 0.45 to 0.70, and those for PC clocks were higher than those for original clocks. For five epigenetic clocks, the longitudinal stability was moderate to high and was largely due to genetic effects. The genetic correlations between baseline and follow-up epigenetic clocks were moderate to high. Special unique environmental factors emerged both at baseline and at follow-up. PC clocks showed higher longitudinal stability and unique environmental correlations than original clocks. CONCLUSIONS: For five epigenetic clocks, they have the potential to identify aging interventions. High longitudinal stability is mainly due to genetic factors, and changes of epigenetic clocks over time are primarily due to changes in unique environmental factors. Given the disparities in genetic and environmental factors as well as longitudinal stability between PC and original clocks, the results of studies with original clocks need to be further verified with PC clocks.


Subject(s)
Epigenesis, Genetic , Humans , Male , Female , Epigenesis, Genetic/genetics , Middle Aged , Longitudinal Studies , Adult , Twins/genetics , Aged , Gene-Environment Interaction , China , DNA Methylation , Aging/genetics
9.
Women Health ; 64(6): 501-512, 2024 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38965034

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to investigate the mediating role of sleep quality in the relationship between multidimensional perceived social support and fatigue among mothers of twin infants. One hundred and six (106) twin mothers participated in this cross-sectional study, who completed the Descriptive Information Form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Checklist Individual Strength. The scale score averages of the mothers in the study are as follows: social support, 61.41 ± 23.86; fatigue, 77.64 ± 28.68; and sleep quality, 8.26 ± 2.38. According to the path model, perceived social support has a negative effect on poor sleep quality (p = .001, Beta = -0.411), and poor sleep quality has a positive effect on fatigue (p = .001, Beta = 0.335). Sleep quality also mediates the effect of multidimensional perceived social support on mothers' fatigue levels (p = .001, Beta = -0.138). The study results suggest that the perceived social support and fatigue levels of twin mothers are moderate, while their sleep quality is poor. Therefore, mothers of twin infants may benefit from increased social support to alleviate fatigue and enhance sleep quality.


Subject(s)
Fatigue , Mothers , Sleep Quality , Social Support , Twins , Humans , Female , Mothers/psychology , Fatigue/psychology , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Twins/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires , Infant , Perception , Socioeconomic Factors , Young Adult , Sleep/physiology
10.
BMC Med ; 22(1): 301, 2024 Jul 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39069614

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Geroscience focuses on interventions to mitigate molecular changes associated with aging. Lifestyle modifications, medications, and social factors influence the aging process, yet the complex molecular mechanisms require an in-depth exploration of the epigenetic landscape. The specific epigenetic clock and predictor effects of a vegan diet, compared to an omnivorous diet, remain underexplored despite potential impacts on aging-related outcomes. METHODS: This study examined the impact of an entirely plant-based or healthy omnivorous diet over 8 weeks on blood DNA methylation in paired twins. Various measures of epigenetic age acceleration (PC GrimAge, PC PhenoAge, DunedinPACE) were assessed, along with system-specific effects (Inflammation, Heart, Hormone, Liver, and Metabolic). Methylation surrogates of clinical, metabolite, and protein markers were analyzed to observe diet-specific shifts. RESULTS: Distinct responses were observed, with the vegan cohort exhibiting significant decreases in overall epigenetic age acceleration, aligning with anti-aging effects of plant-based diets. Diet-specific shifts were noted in the analysis of methylation surrogates, demonstrating the influence of diet on complex trait prediction through DNA methylation markers. An epigenome-wide analysis revealed differentially methylated loci specific to each diet, providing insights into the affected pathways. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that a short-term vegan diet is associated with epigenetic age benefits and reduced calorie intake. The use of epigenetic biomarker proxies (EBPs) highlights their potential for assessing dietary impacts and facilitating personalized nutrition strategies for healthy aging. Future research should explore the long-term effects of vegan diets on epigenetic health and overall well-being, considering the importance of proper nutrient supplementation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT05297825.


Subject(s)
Aging , DNA Methylation , Diet, Vegan , Epigenesis, Genetic , Humans , Female , Male , Aging/genetics , Middle Aged , Aged , Diet , Twins/genetics , Diet, Vegetarian
11.
JAAPA ; 37(8): 50, 2024 Aug 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39051697

Subject(s)
Twins , Humans , Female , Pregnancy
12.
J Equine Vet Sci ; 139: 105132, 2024 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38897332

ABSTRACT

Twin pregnancy in mares is one of the leading causes of abortions. Abortion invariably impacts both fetuses. This report describes an unusual case of a twin surviving to term following the abortion of its co-twin at 9 months in a 7-year-old Egyptian Arabian mare. At the time of abortion at 9 months of gestation, the size of the aborted fetus was equivalent to one of approximately 5 months of age while the age of the live co-twin was 9 months. Both fetuses were males. A skin sample was collected from the aborted fetus and hair samples were collected from the dam, sire and live foal for parentage analysis. The parentage analysis confirmed that both fetuses were by the same dam and sire stallion. The authors suggest several scenarios to explain this condition. This report describes a unique case of a twin surviving to term following the abortion of its co-twin at 9 months in a mare.


Subject(s)
Abortion, Veterinary , Horses , Female , Animals , Pregnancy , Male , Twins , Pregnancy, Twin
13.
Zhongguo Dang Dai Er Ke Za Zhi ; 26(6): 611-618, 2024 Jun 15.
Article in Chinese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38926378

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of <34 weeks, and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of <34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020. According to their conditions, they were divided into group A (both twins had BPD), group B (only one twin had BPD), and group C (neither twin had BPD). The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed. Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins. RESULTS: A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of <34 weeks were included in this study. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C, birth weight discordance of >25% between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins (OR=3.370, 95%CI: 1.500-7.568, P<0.05), and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD (P<0.05). The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins (OR=5.017, 95%CI: 1.040-24.190, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age, birth weight discordance between the twins, and SGA birth.


Subject(s)
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia , Infant, Premature , Twins , Humans , Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/etiology , Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology , Risk Factors , Infant, Newborn , Female , Retrospective Studies , Male , Gestational Age , Birth Weight , Logistic Models
14.
Am J Psychiatry ; 181(8): 720-727, 2024 Aug 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38831706

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Twin studies have demonstrated that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is moderately heritable, and the pattern of findings across studies suggests higher heritability in females compared with males. Formal testing of sex differences has yet to be done in twin studies of PTSD. The authors sought to estimate the genetic and environmental contributions to PTSD, and to formally test for sex differences, in the largest sample to date of both sexes, among twins and siblings. METHODS: Using the Swedish National Registries, the authors performed structural equation modeling to decompose genetic and environmental variance for PTSD and to formally test for quantitative and qualitative sex differences in twins (16,242 pairs) and in full siblings within 2 years of age of each other (376,093 pairs), using diagnostic codes from medical registries. RESULTS: The best-fit model suggested that additive genetic and unique environmental effects contributed to PTSD. Evidence for a quantitative sex effect was found, such that heritability was significantly greater in females (35.4%) than males (28.6%). Evidence of a qualitative sex effect was found, such that the genetic correlation was high but less than complete (rg=0.81, 95% CI=0.73-0.89). No evidence of shared environment or special twin environment was found. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first demonstration of quantitative and qualitative sex effects for PTSD. The results suggest that unique environmental effects, but not the shared environment, contributed to PTSD and that genetic influences for the disorder are stronger in females compared with males. Although the heritability is highly correlated, it is not at unity between the sexes.


Subject(s)
Registries , Siblings , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Humans , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/genetics , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/diagnosis , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/epidemiology , Male , Female , Sweden/epidemiology , Siblings/psychology , Sex Factors , Adult , Diseases in Twins/genetics , Diseases in Twins/psychology , Middle Aged , Twins/genetics , Twins/psychology , Twins, Monozygotic/genetics , Twins, Monozygotic/psychology , Gene-Environment Interaction
15.
Eur J Epidemiol ; 39(6): 587-603, 2024 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38879863

ABSTRACT

Epidemiological researchers often examine associations between risk factors and health outcomes in non-experimental designs. Observed associations may be causal or confounded by unmeasured factors. Sibling and co-twin control studies account for familial confounding by comparing exposure levels among siblings (or twins). If the exposure-outcome association is causal, the siblings should also differ regarding the outcome. However, such studies may sometimes introduce more bias than they alleviate. Measurement error in the exposure may bias results and lead to erroneous conclusions that truly causal exposure-outcome associations are confounded by familial factors. The current study used Monte Carlo simulations to examine bias due to measurement error in sibling control models when the observed exposure-outcome association is truly causal. The results showed that decreasing exposure reliability and increasing sibling-correlations in the exposure led to deflated exposure-outcome associations and inflated associations between the family mean of the exposure and the outcome. The risk of falsely concluding that causal associations were confounded was high in many situations. For example, when exposure reliability was 0.7 and the observed sibling-correlation was r = 0.4, about 30-90% of the samples (n = 2,000) provided results supporting a false conclusion of confounding, depending on how p-values were interpreted as evidence for a family effect on the outcome. The current results have practical importance for epidemiological researchers conducting or reviewing sibling and co-twin control studies and may improve our understanding of observed associations between risk factors and health outcomes. We have developed an app (SibSim) providing simulations of many situations not presented in this paper.


Subject(s)
Bias , Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic , Monte Carlo Method , Siblings , Humans , Twins/statistics & numerical data , Reproducibility of Results , Risk Factors , Twin Studies as Topic , Female , Causality
16.
Eat Weight Disord ; 29(1): 40, 2024 Jun 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38850337

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: High levels of physical activity have been documented in eating disorder patients. Our aim was to examine whether adolescent leisure-time physical activity is prospectively associated with eating disorders in adolescence and young adulthood. METHODS: Finnish twins born in 1983-1987 reported their physical activity frequency at ages 12, 14, and 17. A subsample of participants underwent structured, retrospective interviews for eating disorders at the mean age of 22.4 years. Associations between female twins' physical activity and future eating disorders (571-683 twins/wave) were investigated with the Cox proportional hazards model. To illustrate the physical activity similarity of the co-twins in a twin pair, we used cross-tabulation of eating disorder-discordant twin pairs (13-24 pairs/wave). RESULTS: After adjusting for several covariates, we found no statistically significant longitudinal association between physical activity and eating disorders. This applied when all eating disorders were combined but also when assessed separately as restrictive and non-restrictive eating disorders. Co-twins' physical activity in adolescence tended to be similar irrespective of their future eating disorder, supporting the results of the regression analysis. CONCLUSION: We observed no evidence of adolescent physical activity frequency being prospectively associated with eating disorders in female twins. Further longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes and more detailed physical activity data are needed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, evidence obtained from cohort or case-control analytic studies.


Subject(s)
Exercise , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Leisure Activities , Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Young Adult , Feeding and Eating Disorders/psychology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/epidemiology , Finland/epidemiology , Longitudinal Studies , Twins
17.
Midwifery ; 135: 104048, 2024 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38852221

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Research has found that twins and multiples are less likely to be breastfed than singleton babies. Exploration of the experience of breastfeeding twins and multiples from parents' perspectives is limited, and we know little about the experiences of those who breastfeed twins and multiples and the possible barriers they face. AIM: The aim of the research was to explore experiences of breastfeeding twins and multiples in the UK from the perspective of birthing parents. METHODS: A qualitative online survey was carried out (n = 94), followed by online semi-structured interviews (n = 18). The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Four themes were developed from the data: (1) "It's one of the things I'm most proud of in my life" (2) The importance of support: "it definitely takes a village with twins" (3) Barriers and the pressure to formula feed: "all they wanted to do was stuff 'em full of formula" and (4) The dynamic experience of breastfeeding twins. DISCUSSION: Many of the participants were able to feed their babies in part due to sheer determination and the refusal to give up when met with challenges. Breastfeeding was an important part of their identity as a mother, however mental health was often impacted by their experiences, as well as the challenges they faced when seeking support. CONCLUSION: Breastfeeding twins and multiples is a challenging yet rewarding experience. Our findings indicate that further training and support is needed to enable healthcare providers to support parents of twins on their breastfeeding journey.


Subject(s)
Breast Feeding , Qualitative Research , Twins , Humans , Breast Feeding/psychology , Breast Feeding/methods , Female , Adult , Surveys and Questionnaires , United Kingdom , Twins/psychology , Infant, Newborn , Mothers/psychology , Male , Pregnancy , Social Support
18.
Pediatr Int ; 66(1): e15767, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38924178

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Twin pregnancies are associated with a high risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Late preterm or early term delivery is frequently performed to avoid unexpected fetal death in uncomplicated twin pregnancies. Nonetheless, delivery before full term is associated with neonatal respiratory complications. This study aimed to evaluate perinatal respiratory complications in twins delivered between 36 and 38 weeks of gestation. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on twins delivered between 36 and 38 weeks of gestation from January 2008 to June 2020. The primary outcomes were the incidence of composite neonatal respiratory morbidity, which included respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea of the newborn, meconium aspiration syndrome, mechanical ventilation or continuous positive airway pressure according to gestational age at delivery, and chorionicity. The relationship between gestational age at delivery and composite neonatal respiratory morbidity was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: This study included 1608 twins (614 monochorionic diamniotic twins, 994 dichorionic diamniotic twins). At 36, 37, and 38 weeks of gestation, the frequencies of composite neonatal respiratory morbidity were 19.4%, 10.7%, and 9.2% in dichorionic diamniotic twins and 13.6%, 8.7%, and 9.4% in monochorionic diamniotic twins, respectively. In dichorionic diamniotic twins, the composite neonatal respiratory morbidity rate was higher for twins delivered at 36 weeks of gestation than for those delivered at 37 weeks. No significant differences between monochorionic diamniotic twins were detected. CONCLUSIONS: In uncomplicated dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies, delivery should be considered after 37 weeks of gestation to reduce neonatal respiratory complications.


Subject(s)
Gestational Age , Pregnancy, Twin , Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Female , Retrospective Studies , Pregnancy , Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology , Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/etiology , Male , Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn/epidemiology , Meconium Aspiration Syndrome/epidemiology , Incidence , Respiration, Artificial , Continuous Positive Airway Pressure , Twins
19.
Science ; 384(6701): 1160-1161, 2024 Jun 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38870299

ABSTRACT

Ancient DNA shows continuity between living and ancient Maya communities.


Subject(s)
Ceremonial Behavior , Civilization , DNA, Ancient , Twins , Female , Humans , Male , History, Ancient , Twins/history , Child , Civilization/history
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