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•309 maternal metabolites in dried blood microsamplers (DBM) and spots (DBS), and plasma.•Moderate metabolite correlation and rank level agreement across the 3 matrices.•Metabolite ...levels measured in DBS and DBM were more similar than to plasma.•Highly concordant metabolite levels in caffeine enrichment and bile acid biosynthesis pathways.•Good inter-individual level variability between maternal metabolome profiles in the 3 matrices.
Use of capillary blood devices for exposome research can deepen our understanding of the intricate relationship between environment and health, and open up new avenues for preventive and personalized medicine, particularly for vulnerable populations. While the potential of these whole blood devices to accurately measure chemicals and metabolites has been demonstrated, how untargeted metabolomics data from these samplers can be integrated with previous and ongoing environmental health studies that have used conventional blood collection approaches is not yet clear. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive comparison between relative-quantitative metabolite profiles measured in venous blood collected with dried whole blood microsamplers (DBM), dried whole blood spots (DBS), and plasma from 54 mothers in an ethnically diverse population. We determined that a majority of the 309 chemicals and metabolites showed similar median intensity rank, moderate correlation, and moderate agreement between participant-quantiled intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for pair-wise comparisons among the three biomatrices. In particular, whole blood sample types, DBM and DBS, were in highest agreement across metabolite comparison metrics, followed by metabolites measured in DBM and plasma, and then metabolites measured in DBS and plasma. We provide descriptive characteristics and measurement summaries as a reference database. This includes unique metabolites that were particularly concordant or discordant in pairwise comparisons. Our results demonstrate that the range of metabolites from untargeted metabolomics data collected with DBM, DBS, and plasma provides biologically relevant information for use in independent exposome investigations. However, before meta-analysis with combined datasets are performed, robust statistical approaches that integrate untargeted metabolomics data collected on different blood matrices need to be developed.
•Evidence suggests air pollution exposure may influence mental health.•We studied PM2.5 exposure in pregnancy and postpartum depression (PPD) risk.•In Mexico City, PM2.5 in pregnancy was associated ...with higher PPD risk at 6 months.•PM2.5 in pregnancy was also linked with 6-month anhedonia and depression scores.•Air pollution in pregnancy may influence maternal postpartum psychological function.
Postpartum depression (PPD), which affects up to 1 in 5 mothers globally, negatively impacts the health of both mothers and children. Exposure to ambient air pollution has been linked to depressive symptoms in animal models and human studies, but the relationship between air pollution and PPD has not been widely studied.
In a birth cohort in Mexico City (509 mothers with available data), we examined the association between exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) with symptoms of psychological dysfunction at 1 and 6 months postpartum. Daily PM2.5 estimates were derived from a hybrid satellite-based spatio-temporally resolved model and averaged over pregnancy and the first year postpartum. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at 1 and 6 months were used to assess the relationship between PM2.5 exposure and probable PPD (EPDS score ≥13) using relative risk regression and symptoms of anhedonia, depression, and anxiety (derived from EPDS subscales) using negative binomial regression.
A 5-μg/m3 increase in average PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of PPD at 6 months (RR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.11 to 2.28) and of late-onset PPD (no PPD at 1 month, PPD at 6 months) (RR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.40 to 4.73) in covariate-adjusted models. No association was observed between PM2.5 exposure in the first year postpartum and PPD. Average PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy was also associated with increased 6-month EPDS subscale symptom scores for anhedonia (p = 0.03) and depression (p = 0.04).
Our results suggest that in women in Mexico City, particulate matter exposure during pregnancy is positively associated with PPD and symptoms of anhedonia and depression at 6 months postpartum. Future studies should examine mechanisms linking air pollution and other environmental exposures during pregnancy with postpartum psychological functioning.
Hundreds of scenarios were developed across the world in 2020, aimed at generating forward-looking conversations, better understanding for COVID-19 transmission rates, trialling economic outcomes, ...and stress-testing existing systems in light of the developing pandemic. In response, Cairns & Wright (2020) questioned the value of these mass-produced scenarios created retroactively to existing crises. We address their concerns by evaluating 213 COVID-19 scenarios developed in the first wave of the pandemic. We use two yardsticks as guiding maps against which we plot each scenario's profile and test for values of high-quality process and content. Our analyses reveal various points of high and low qualities, in both process and content. Though most reported processes fell towards lower quality standards, and content largely carried generic applications, the prolific levels of exploratory narratives reflected a mixture of high and low-quality values. Together, our papers develop and reinforce the message that scenario interventions, especially in times of crisis, should reflect more proactive efforts and ensure powerful stakeholders, decision-makers, and affected community members are included in the development of scenarios.
•We developed a large database of global COVID-19 scenarios from the first wave.•Scenarios are profiled using a comprehensive typology.•Dimensions of scenario process and content reveal novel ways to value scenario planning.•A yardstick against which future methods can be measured is provided.
The 2020–2021 academic year brought numerous challenges to teachers across the country as they worked to educate students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study is a secondary data analysis ...of qualitative responses collected as part of a teacher survey to evaluate a social emotional learning curriculum implemented during the 2020–2021 academic year. The lived experiences of teachers (
N
= 52) across 11 elementary schools in the Great Plains region were captured through open-ended questions as the teachers transitioned from in-person to remote learning. A phenomenological approach was utilized to analyze the challenges expressed by teachers as they faced instability and additional professional demands. Given that stress and other factors that strain mental health exist within multiple layers of an individual's social ecology, a modified social-ecological framework was used to organize the results and themes. Findings suggest that during the academic year, teachers experienced stressors related to their personal and professional roles, concerns for students’ well-being which extended beyond academics, and frustrations with administration and other institutional entities around COVID safety measures. Without adequate support and inclusion of teacher perspectives, job-related stress may lead to teacher shortages, deterioration of teacher mental health, and ultimately worse outcomes for students. Implications for policy, research, and practice are discussed.
Purpose
To examine change in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during the COVID-19 pandemic in caregivers of service members/veterans (SMVs) with traumatic brain injury (TBI), by comparing HRQOL ...during the first year of the pandemic to HRQOL 12 months pre-pandemic.
Methods
Caregivers (
N
= 246) were classified into three COVID-19 Pandemic Impact groups based on impact ratings of the pandemic on HRQOL: No Impact (
n
= 50), Mild Impact (
n
= 117), and Moderate-Severe Impact (
n
= 79). Caregivers completed 19 measures across physical, social, caregiving, and economic HRQOL domains, and a measure of SMV Adjustment. T-scores were used to determine individual symptom trajectories for each measure as follows: Asymptomatic (pre + during < 60 T); Developed (pre < 60 + during ≥ 60 T); Improved (pre ≥ 60 T + during < 60 T); and Persistent (pre + during ≥ 60 T).
Results
Using ANOVA, during the pandemic, the Moderate-Severe Impact group reported worse scores on 19 measures (
d
= 0.41–0.89) compared to the No Impact group and 18 measures (
d
= 0.31–0.62) compared to the Mild Impact group (
d
= 0.31–0.38). The Mild Impact group reported worse scores on two measures compared to the No Impact group (
d
= 0.42–0.43). Using the entire sample, the majority of HRQOL measures were classified as Asymptomatic (47.2–94.7%), followed by Persistent (2.4–27.2%). Few were classified as Developed (0.4–12.6%) or Improved (2.4–13.8%). Using repeated measures ANOVA, no meaningful effects sizes were found for mean scores on all measures completed pre-pandemic compared to during the pandemic (
d
≤ 0.17).
Conclusion
The vast majority of caregivers reported stability in HRQOL pre-pandemic compared to during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic was not associated with a high prevalence of decline in caregiver HRQOL.
The practical advantages of capillary whole blood collection over venipuncture plasma collection for human exposome research are well known. However, before epidemiologists, clinicians, and public ...health researchers employ these microvolume sample collections, a rigorous evaluation of pre-analytical storage conditions is needed to develop protocols that maximize sample stability and reliability over time. Therefore, we performed a controlled experiment of dried whole blood collected on 10 μL Mitra microsamplers (DBM), 5-mm punches of whole blood from a dried blood spot (DBS), and 10 μL of plasma, and evaluated the effects of storage conditions at 4 °C, −20 °C, or −80 °C for up to 6 months on the resulting metabolite profiles measured with untargeted liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). At −80 °C storage conditions, metabolite profiles from DBS, DBM, and plasma showed similar stability. While DBS and DBM metabolite profiles remained similarly stable at −20 °C storage, plasma profiles showed decreased stability at −20 °C compared to −80 °C storage. At refrigerated temperatures (4 °C), metabolite profiles collected on DBM were more stable than plasma or DBS, particularly for lipid classes. These results inform robust capillary blood sample storage protocols for DBM and DBS at potentially warmer temperatures than −80 °C, which may facilitate blood collections for populations outside of a clinical setting.
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•Metabolite stability may be greater in DBM than plasma/DBS in refrigerated samples.•Metabolite stability in DBS and DBM are similar in either −80 °C or -20 °C conditions.•−80 °C storage improves stability of metabolites in plasma compared to −20 °C or 4 °C.•Lipid metabolite levels in plasma and DBS increased at warmer storage conditions.•Amino acid metabolite levels changed bi-directionally for all storage sample types.
To examine the relationship between service member/veteran (SM/V) traumatic brain injury (TBI) severity with caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQOL).
Military treatment facility.
Caregivers ...( N = 316) of SM/Vs following a TBI divided into 2 groups based on SM/V TBI severity: (1) caregivers of SM/Vs following an uncomplicated mild TBI (UnMTBI Caregiver group, n = 246), and (2) caregivers of SM//Vs following a complicated mild, moderate, severe, or penetrating TBI (STBI Caregiver group, n = 70). The STBI Caregiver group was further divided into 2 subgroups: Parent ( n = 21) versus Intimate Partner ( n = 49). The UnMTBI Caregiver group consisted of intimate partners.
Prospective cohort.
Caregivers completed 15 HRQOL measures.
Using analysis of variance and chi-square analysis, the UnMTBI Caregiver group reported worse scores on 12 HRQOL measures and more clinically elevated scores for 6 of 15 comparisons than the STBI Caregiver group. The UnMTBI Caregiver group also reported worse scores on 10 HRQOL measures than intimate partners in the STBI Caregiver group and 5 measures than parents in the STBI Caregiver group. Parents reported worse scores on 3 measures than intimate partners in the STBI Caregiver group. The UnMTBI Caregiver group reported more clinically elevated scores for 7 of 15 comparisons than intimate partners in the STBI Caregiver group.
Intimate partner caregivers of an SM/V following a remote uncomplicated MTBI reported worse HRQOL than intimate partners and parent caregivers of an SM/V following a more severe TBI, mostly likely due to SM/V physical and mental health comorbidities. Interventions that focus on the SM/V's TBI and other comorbidities, the caregiver's behavioral health problems, and the relationship and family factors that interact with each other will likely have the most success in improving individual and family outcomes for military families.
Lead (Pb) exposure is a global health hazard causing a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Yet, the mechanisms of Pb toxicology remain incompletely understood, especially during pregnancy. To ...uncover biological pathways impacted by Pb exposure, this study investigated serum metabolomic profiles during the third trimester of pregnancy that are associated with blood Pb and bone Pb.
We used data and specimens from 99 women enrolled in the Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment, and Social Stressors birth cohort in Mexico City. Maternal Pb exposure was measured in whole blood samples from the third trimester of pregnancy and in the tibia and patella bones at 1 month postpartum. Third-trimester serum samples underwent metabolomic analysis; metabolites were identified based on matching to an in-house analytical standard library. A metabolome-wide association study was performed using multiple linear regression models. Class- and pathway-based enrichment analyses were also conducted.
The median (interquartile range) blood Pb concentration was 2.9 (2.6) µg/dL. Median bone Pb, measured in the tibia and patella, were 2.5 (7.3) µg/g and 3.6 (9.5) µg/g, respectively. Of 215 total metabolites identified in serum, 31 were associated with blood Pb (p < 0.05). Class enrichment analysis identified significant overrepresentation of metabolites classified as fatty acids and conjugates, amino acids and peptides, and purines. Tibia and patella Pb were associated with 14 and 8 metabolites, respectively (p < 0.05). Comparing results from bone and blood Pb, glycochenodeoxycholic acid, glycocholic acid, and 1-arachidonoylglycerol were positively associated with blood Pb and tibia Pb, and 7-methylguanine was negatively associated with blood Pb and patella Pb. One metabolite, 5-aminopentanoic acid, was negatively associated with all three Pb measures.
This study identified serum metabolites in pregnant women associated with Pb measured in blood and bone. These findings provide insights on the metabolic profile around Pb exposure in pregnancy and information to guide mechanistic studies of toxicological effects for mothers and children.
Lead (Pb) crosses the placenta and can cause oxidative stress, reduced fetal growth and neurological problems. The principal source of oxidative stress in human cells is mitochondria. Therefore, ...disruption of normal mitochondrial function during pregnancy may represent a primary mechanism behind the adverse effects of lead. We sought to assess the association of Pb exposure during pregnancy with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content, a sensitive marker of mitochondrial function, in cord blood.
This study comprised mother-infant pairs from the Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment and Social Stressors (PROGRESS) study, a prospective birth-cohort that enrolled 1050 pregnant women from Mexico City who were receiving prenatal care between December 2007 and July 2011. Quantitative PCR was used to calculate relative MtDNA content (mitochondrial-to-nuclear DNA ratio (mtDNA/nDNA)) in cord blood. Lead concentrations in both maternal blood (2nd and 3rd trimester and at delivery day) and in cord blood were measured by ICP-MS. Multivariable regression models adjusting for multiple confounders were fitted with 410 mother-infant pairs for whom complete data for mtDNA content, lead levels, and covariates were available.
Maternal blood Pb measured in the second (mean 3.79 μg/dL, SD 2.63; β = 0.059, 95% CI 0.008, 0.111) and third trimester (mean 3.90 μg/dL; SD 2.84; β = 0.054, 95% CI 0.002, 0.107) during pregnancy and PB in cord blood (mean 3.50 μg/dL, SD 2.59; β = 0.050, 95% CI 0.004; 0.096) were associated with increased cord blood mtDNA content (mean 1.46, SD 0.44). In two-way interaction analyses, cord blood Pb marginally interacted with gestational age leading to an increase in mtDNA content for pre-term births (Benjamini-Hochberg False Discovery Rate correction; BH-FDR = 0.08).
This study shows that lead exposure in pregnancy alters mtDNA content in cord blood; therefore, alteration of mtDNA content might be a mechanism underlying the toxicity of lead.
•Third trimester maternal blood Pb is associated with greater mtDNA content.•Preterm birth, C-section and premature rupture of membranes altered mtDNA content.•Gestational age marginally influences Pb effects on mtDNA content.
Purpose
To examine (1) the relationship between caregiver pain interference with caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQOL), caregiver age, and service member/veteran (SMV) functional ability, ...and (2) change in caregiver pain interference longitudinally over 5 years.
Method
Participants were 347 caregivers of SMVs diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Caregivers completed the SF-12v2 Health Survey Bodily Pain scale at an initial baseline evaluation and up to four annual follow-up evaluations. Caregivers were divided into three pain interference groups: High Pain Interference (
n
= 104), Neutral Pain Interference (
n
= 117), and Low Pain Interference (
n
= 126). Caregivers also completed 15 HRQOL measures and a measure of SMV functional ability.
Results
The High Pain Interference group reported more clinically elevated scores on 13 measures compared to the Low Pain Interference group, and seven measures compared to the Neutral Pain Interference group. The Neutral Pain Interference group had more clinically elevated scores on three measures compared to the Low Pain Interference group. The High and Neutral Pain Interference groups were older than the Low Pain Interference group. Parent caregivers were older than intimate partner/sibling caregivers, but did not report worse pain interference. Caregiver age, and measures of Fatigue, Strain, Perceived Rejection, and Economic QOL were the strongest predictors of pain interference (
p
< .001), accounting for 28.2% of the variance. There was minimal change in Bodily Pain scores over five years. The interaction of time and age was not significant (
X
2
= 2.7,
p
= .61).
Conclusion
It is important to examine pain in the context of HRQOL in caregivers, regardless of age.
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