Higher C-peptide levels are associated with regional cortical thinning in 1093 cognitively normal subjects

Association of gestational cardiovascular health with infant neurodevelopment: A prospective study in Hefei of Anhui, China

We investigate the prospective the association of gestational cardiovascular health (CVH) with infant neurodevelopment, and whether such relation was mediated by cord blood metabolites. The data come from the prospective birth cohort study in Hefei of Anhui, China. A total of 1714 mother-infant pairs are included from March 2018 and June 2021. CVH was evaluated at 24 to 28 gestational weeks by the combination of five metrics: body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, glucose, and smoking. Cord blood samples were collected at delivery for the detection of related indicators. Infant neurodevelopment at 12 months was assessed by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Edition 3 (ASQ-3). We stratified the status of CVH into three levels, ideal, intermediate, and poor. Compared with the ideal CVH, poor CVH was associated with infant communication domain failure (RR = 2.06; 95 %CI, 1.24-3.42) and cord blood C-peptide levels (β = 0.09; 95 %CI, 0.06-0.13) were higher. Cord blood C-peptide level with infant communication domain failure risk increased (RR = 3.43, 95 %CI: 2.11-5.58). Mediation analysis showed that cord blood C-peptide mediated 13.9 % of the effect. Key findings indicated that maternal poor CVH at 24 to 28 weeks gestation was associated with an increased risk of infant neurodevelopment at ASQ-3 failure in the communication domain, and cord blood C-peptide might mediate this association. The findings, if confirmed by replications, specific nursing cares among pregnant women with poor CVH, might have implications for the offspring neurodevelopment prevention strategies targeting.

Mexico City normal weight children exposed to high concentrations of ambient PM2.5 show high blood leptin and endothelin-1, vitamin D deficiency, and food reward hormone dysregulation versus low pollution controls. Relevance for obesity and Alzheimer disease

Millions of Mexico, US and across the world children are overweight and obese. Exposure to fossil-fuel combustion sources increases the risk for obesity and diabetes, while long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) above US EPA standards is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mexico City Metropolitan Area children are chronically exposed to PM2.5 and O3 concentrations above the standards and exhibit systemic, brain and intrathecal inflammation, cognitive deficits, and Alzheimer disease neuropathology. We investigated adipokines, food reward hormones, endothelial dysfunction, vitamin D and apolipoprotein E (APOE) relationships in 80 healthy, normal weight 11.1±3.2 year olds matched by age, gender, BMI and SES, low (n: 26) versus high (n:54) PM2.5 exposures. Mexico City children had higher leptin and endothelin-1 (p<0.01 and p<0.000), and decreases in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP 1), ghrelin, and glucagon (<0.02) versus controls. BMI and leptin relationships were significantly different in low versus high PM2.5 exposed children. Mexico City APOE 4 versus 3 children had higher glucose (p=0.009). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D<30 ng/mL was documented in 87% of Mexico City children. Leptin is strongly positively associated to PM 2.5 cumulative exposures. Residing in a high PM2.5 and O3 environment is associated with 12h fasting hyperleptinemia, altered appetite-regulating peptides, vitamin D deficiency, and increases in ET-1 in clinically healthy children. These changes could signal the future trajectory of urban children towards the development of insulin resistance, obesity, type II diabetes, premature cardiovascular disease, addiction-like behavior, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Increased efforts should be made to decrease pediatric PM2.5 exposures, to deliver health interventions prior to the development of obesity and to identify and mitigate environmental factors influencing obesity and Alzheimer disease.