A method for estimating the outer exposure of dairy cows to deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) as a precondition for risk assessment based on inner exposure with toxin residue levels in blood and urine as indicators.

DON and ZEN residues in the blood and urine of dairy cows can be used to predict the outer exposure to DON and ZEN expressed per kilogram diet for a risk evaluation based on comparisons to critical dietary concentrations. This method was used to evaluate the exposure of dairy cows from 12 farms located in Brandenburg, Germany, fed rations with unknown DON and ZEN concentrations (N = 244). The corresponding diet concentrations predicted by different methods from analyzed blood and urine samples varied significantly amongst farms from 0 to 1.6 mg/kg for DON and 0 to 3.0 mg/kg for ZEN at a reference dry matter content of 88% but independently of lactational state (post-partum vs. early lactation). This significant variation was noticed below the critical dietary DON concentration of 5 mg/kg, while the ZEN concentration in one farm exceeded the critical ZEN level of 0.5 mg/kg markedly. Predicted DON concentrations of rations increased with the proportion of maize silage, while the high ZEN concentration found in one farm was most likely related to a higher proportion of sugar beet pulp supposedly highly contaminated by ZEN. Exceeding the critical dietary ZEN concentration and significant variations in DON contents below the critical level was not related to performance, reproductive performance, and health-related traits of cows. For a more consistent evaluation of possible associations between the inner exposure of cows to DON and ZEN, more frequent longitudinal observations of both mycotoxin residue levels and performance and health traits are required.

Maternal anxiety disorders prior to conception, psychopathology during pregnancy and early infants' development: a prospective-longitudinal study.

Family-genetic studies suggest that anxiety disorders run in families and that mechanisms of familial transmission might act as early as during pregnancy. The aims of the Maternal Anxiety in Relation to Infant Development (MARI) Study are to prospectively investigate the course of pregnancy in women with and without anxiety disorders prior to conception from early pregnancy to postpartum focussing on (a) maternal psychopathology, (b) maternal perinatal health, and (c) offspring outcomes that are supposed to be early indicators/ antecendents for later anxiety disorders. The MARI Study is a prospective-longitudinal study program with seven waves of assessment: T1 (baseline: week 10 to 12 of gestation), T2 (week 22 to 24 of gestation), T3 (week 35 to 37 of gestation), T4 (10 days postpartum), T5 (2 months postpartum), T6 (4 months postpartum), and T7 (16 months postpartum). Overall, N = 306 pregnant women were enrolled during early pregnancy (T1) and allocated to one of the following initial diagnostic groups: no AD: no anxiety nor depressive disorder prior to pregnancy (N = 109), pure D: pure depressive disorder(s) prior to pregnancy (N = 48), pure A: pure anxiety disorder(s) prior to pregnancy (N = 84), and comorbid AD: comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders prior to pregnancy (N = 65). Overall, N = 284 mothers could be retained until T6 (retention rate: 92.8 %) and N = 274 until T7 (retention rate: 89.5 %). Clinical and psychosocial measures were used including a standardized diagnostic interview (CIDI-V) with dimensional scales and standardized observation paradigms (mother-infant-relationship, infant temperament and neuropsychological development). Dimensional anxiety and depression liability indices were developed to reflect the severity of anxiety and depressive disorders prior to pregnancy and to ease longitudinal modelling. Findings from this study will contribute to improved knowledge about the natural course of anxiety disorders during transition to parenthood and associated outcomes that are assumed to be early indicators of later psychopathology in the offspring. Results are expected to provide new insights into mechanisms of familial transmission and clues for targeted prevention and early intervention.

Evaluation of multifactorial digestive disorders in a dairy herd at different stages of lactation.

The manager of a large dairy herd (total confinement, total mixed ration feeding, 10130 kg milk sold per cow and year) requested a workup of a digestive disorder problem that had been ongoing for several years. The cows were at all stages of lactation, and the incidence proportion (events/100 cows at risk) of digestive disorders was approximately 5 to 10%. The clinical picture included an abnormal demeanor of varying severity and signs that differed among the cows. The latter included decreased milk production and physical activity, low body condition score, abnormal rumen motility and stratification, small intestinal dilatation, diarrhea, undigested fiber particles in the feces, fever and abdominal pain.The following approach was used to investigate the digestive disorder problem:1. The herd was assessed for production levels, housing requirements, feeding protocols and animal health management. The latter comprised evaluation of different animal scores, metabolic profile analysis, diagnosis of disease, culling records and slaughter data. The results revealed risk factors concerning the feeding and animal health monitoring, (e. g. in dry matter intake and silage quality management, disease detection and diagnosis in fresh cows). The assessment also identified a high occurrence of digestive disorders of unknown origin.2. Fifteen cows that represented the ongoing digestive disorder problem were selected to undergo clinical examination, hematological analysis, urinalysis, and ultrasonography of the ventral abdomen. The clinical examinations revealed different digestive disorders, which were mainly inflammatory in nature, in all the cows. Eight cows had localized reticuloperitonitis and 13 had left displaced abomasum with different degrees of displacement and adhesions between the abomasum and reticulum attributable to reticuloperitonitis.Our results revealed a multifactorial problem caused by several risk factors relating to animal health and feeding management protocols that resulted in different types of digestive disorders. The wires from damaged tires used to hold the pit silo tarps in place were identified as a possible traumatic cause of the reticuloperitonitis. Treatment, prevention and follow-up of the different conditions were discussed.

Corrigendum: Associations of Partnership Quality and Father-to-Child Attachment During the Peripartum Period. A Prospective-Longitudinal Study in Expectant Fathers.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.572755.].

Associations of Partnership Quality and Father-to-Child Attachment During the Peripartum Period. A Prospective-Longitudinal Study in Expectant Fathers.

Background: During the transition to parenthood, a complex network of relationships unfolds between father, mother and the child. Expectant parents begin bonding with their unborn child, with this antenatal process supposedly being predictive for later postnatal attachment and child mental health. At the same time, couples may experience a change in partnership quality. While the majority of previous studies focused on associations between psychopathology, partnership quality and attachment from the perspective of mothers, the changes in partnership quality and attachment from the perspective of fathers has gained far less attention. Methods: Data were derived from the Maternal Anxiety and it's Relation to Infants' Development (MARI) study. N = 109 expectant fathers were recruited during mid-pregnancy (22 to 26 week of gestation). Lifetime anxiety and depressive disorders (DSM-IV) were assessed with a standardized diagnostic interview (CIDI). Paternal partnership characteristics and father-to-child attachments were assessed using standardized questionnaires at the second trimester, 10 days after delivery and 4 months after delivery in N = 76 fathers. Analyses were based on bivariate, robust and multivariate regression analyses. Results: Fathers did not report an overall decrease in partnership quality during the peripartum period. However, fathers with comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders reported lower partnership satisfaction at postpartum, as compared to unaffected fathers. Fathers with pure depressive disorders reported lower intensity of antenatal attachment. Paternal antenatal partnership quality was positively associated with antenatal father-to-child attachment. Furthermore, antenatal father-to-child attachment, as well as ante- and postnatal partnership quality in fathers, were positively related to postnatal father-to-child attachment. Conclusions: Antenatal father-to-child-attachment and paternal partnership quality appear to be promising targets for the prevention of postnatal attachment problems in fathers. The associations between partnership quality and attachment to the child further support an interpersonal approach in perinatal research, treatment and intervention, and may also feed into awareness programs that encourage expectant fathers to actively engage in relationships as early as during pregnancy-both with the mother and the unborn child.

Maternal anxiety disorders predict excessive infant crying: a prospective longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: To prospectively examine relations between maternal DSM-IV-TR anxiety and depressive disorders and excessive infant crying. METHODS: Based on the prospective longitudinal Maternal Anxiety in Relation to Infant Development Study, n=306 expectant mothers were enrolled during early pregnancy and repeatedly interviewed until 16 months post partum. Lifetime and prospective information on maternal anxiety and depressive disorders was assessed via standardised diagnostic interviews (Composite International Diagnostic Interview for Women). Excessive crying (crying for ≥3 h per day on ≥3 days per week for ≥3 weeks) was assessed via Baby-DIPS. During the first 16 months after delivery, n=286 mother-infant dyads were available and included in the analyses. RESULTS: Excessive crying was reported by n=29 mothers (10.1%). Infants of mothers with anxiety disorders prior to pregnancy were at higher risk for excessive crying than infants of mothers without any anxiety disorder prior to pregnancy (OR=2.54, 95% CI 1.11 to 5.78, p=0.027). Risk was even increased when considering additionally incident anxiety disorders until delivery (OR=3.02, 95% CI 1.25 to 7.32, p=0.014) and until 16 months post partum (OR=2.87, 95% CI 1.13 to 7.28, p=0.027). Associations remained stable when adjusting for sociodemographic and perinatal covariates. Maternal depressive disorders prior to pregnancy were not significantly associated with excessive crying in this sample. IMPLICATIONS: Maternal lifetime and incident anxiety disorders revealed to be a robust predictor for excessive crying. Thus, early identification and monitoring of women with anxiety disorders is important to identify mother-infant dyads at risk for excessive crying.