Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences, Paternal Involvement, and Infant Health.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the interplay between maternal exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and father's acknowledgment of paternity (AOP; a proxy for paternal involvement) in the risk of low birth weight (<2500 grams) and preterm birth (<37 weeks) among offspring. STUDY DESIGN: Data come from the 2018 North Dakota and South Dakota Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (n = 1896). Logistic regression models were used to assess low birth weight and preterm birth outcomes. Moderation analyses are conducted to assess the interaction between maternal ACEs and father's AOP. RESULTS: Moderation analyses demonstrated a positive interaction between an accumulating number of maternal ACEs and being unmarried without AOP for low birth weight and preterm birth. Upon comparing newborns of unmarried women without AOP, those whose mothers were exposed to 4 or more ACEs had a 3.74 times greater probability of low birth weight (0.050 vs 0.187) and a 1.74 times greater probability of preterm birth (0.085 vs 0.148) than those whose mothers reported no ACE exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to accumulating ACEs substantially increases the risk of deleterious infant health outcomes, but only for newborns of unmarried women without AOP. Future research should assess the efficacy of interventions that can mitigate the impact of maternal ACEs in the absence of father's AOP.

Genetic Diversity and Structure in Regional Cercospora beticola Populations from Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris Suggest Two Clusters of Separate Origin.

Cercospora leaf spot, caused by Cercospora beticola, is a highly destructive disease of Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris worldwide. C. beticola populations are usually characterized by high genetic diversity, but little is known of the relationships among populations from different production regions around the world. This information would be informative of population origin and potential pathways for pathogen movement. For the current study, the genetic diversity, differentiation, and relationships among 948 C. beticola isolates in 28 populations across eight geographic regions were investigated using 12 microsatellite markers. Genotypic diversity, as measured by Simpson's complement index, ranged from 0.18 to 1.00, while pairwise index of differentiation values ranged from 0.02 to 0.42, with the greatest differentiation detected between two New York populations. In these populations, evidence for recent expansion was detected. Assessment of population structure identified two major clusters: the first associated with New York, and the second with Canada, Chile, Eurasia, Hawaii, Michigan, North Dakota, and one population from New York. Inferences of gene flow among these regions suggested that the source for one cluster likely is Eurasia, whereas the source for the other cluster is not known. These results suggest a shared origin of C. beticola populations across regions, except for part of New York, where population divergence has occurred. These findings support the hypothesis that dispersal of C. beticola occurs over long distances.

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from Humans and a Comparison with Isolates of Animal Origin, in North Dakota, United States.

Different clones of methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) Staphylococcus aureus have been found in humans as well as in animals and retail meat. However, more information about the genetic characteristics and similarities between strains is needed. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize Staphylococcus aureus from humans, and to compare their characteristics with isolates of animal origin. A total of 550 nasal swabs were taken from healthy humans, and S. aureus was isolated and identified. Positive S. aureus isolates were subjected to molecular typing and susceptibility testing. In addition, 108 MRSA isolates recovered from clinical patients in the state of North Dakota and 133 S. aureus isolates from animals and meat previously analyzed were included. The nasal carriage of S. aureus in healthy people was 7.6% and, in general, clones were genetically diverse. None of the S. aureus strains obtained from healthy people were mecA- or PVL-positive. A total of 105 (97.2%) MRSA isolates from clinical cases harbored the mecA gene and 11 (10.2%) isolated from blood stream infections harbored the PVL gene. The most common resistance profile among S. aureus from healthy people was penicillin, and from clinical cases were erythromycin-penicillin-ciprofloxacin. The rate of multidrug resistance (MDR) was 70% in humans. Most of the S. aureus harboring mecA and PVL genes were identified as ST5 and ST8, and exhibited MDR. However, S. aureus isolates of animal origin used for comparison exhibited a lower rate of MDR. The most common resistance profiles in isolates of animal origin were penicillin-tetracycline and penicillin-tetracycline-erythromycin, in animals and raw meat, respectively. The ST5 was also found in animals and meat, with ST9 and ST398 being the major clones. The genetic similarity between clones from humans and meat suggests the risk of spread of S. aureus in the food chain.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase polymorphism in North American, South American, and Mexican Indian populations.

While about 40% of the South American Indian populations (Atacameños, Mapuche, Shuara) were found to be deficient in aldehyde dehydrogenase isozyme I (ALDH2 or E2), preliminary investigations showed very low incidence of isozyme deficiency among North American natives (Sioux, Navajo) and Mexican Indians (mestizo). Possible implications of such trait differences on cross-cultural behavioral response to alcohol drinking are discussed.

Measles vaccine efficacy determined from secondary attack rates during a severe epidemic.

In February, March, and April 1974, a severe epidemic of measles, with 71 cases and three deaths, occurred on the Cheyenne and Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservations in South and North Dakota. The attack rate was 9.0 cases per 1,000 persons, and associated with the illness were 24 cases of pneumonia and ten cases of otitis media. Age-specific attack rates were highest in those under one year of age. Using secondary attack rates in persons under nine years of age who were vaccinated and unvaccinated family contacts of cases, vaccine efficacy was measured as 97.3% (95% confidence interval 80.1 to 99.9%).