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Wyatt B, Anderson A, Ward S, Wilson LAB. What's luck got to do with it? A generative model for examining the role of stochasticity in age-at-death, with implications for bioarchaeology. Am J Hum Biol 2024:e24115. [PMID: 38864266 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The role of "luck" in determining individual exposure to health insults is a critical component of the processes that shape age-at-death distributions in mortality samples but is difficult to address using traditional bioarcheological analysis of skeletal materials. The present study introduces a computer simulation approach to modeling stochasticity's contribution to the mortality schedule of a simulated cohort. METHODS The present study employs an agent-based model of 15,100 individuals across a 120 year period to examine the predictive value of birth frailty on age-at-death when varying the likelihood of exposure to health insults. RESULTS Birth frailty, when accounting for varying exposure likelihood scenarios, was found to account for 18.7% of the observed variation in individual age-at-death. Analysis stratified by exposure likelihood demonstrated that birth frailty alone explains 10.2%-12.1% of the variation observed across exposure likelihood scenarios, with the stochasticity associated with exposure to health insults (i.e., severity of health insult) and mortality likelihood driving the majority of variation observed. CONCLUSIONS Stochasticity of stressor exposure and intrinsic stressor severity are underappreciated but powerful drivers of mortality in this simulation. This study demonstrates the potential value of simulation modeling for bioarchaeological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronwyn Wyatt
- School of Anthropology and Archaeology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Amy Anderson
- Lise Meitner Research Group BirthRites, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stacey Ward
- School of Anthropology and Archaeology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Anthropology and Archaeology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- ARC Training Centre for M3D Innovation, Research School of Physics, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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Malis SW, Wilson JA, Zuckerman MK, Osterholtz AJ, Paige J, Miller S, Paraman L, Soren D. Compromised health: Examining growth and health in a late antique Roman infant and child cemetery. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24925. [PMID: 38487982 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Combining research from infant and child development, public health, anthropology, and history, this research examines the relationship between growth, growth disruption, and skeletal indicators of chronic and/or episodic physiological stress (stress) among juvenile individuals (n = 60) interred at the late antique infant and child cemetery at Poggio Gramignano (PG) (ca. 5th century CE), associated with a rural agricultural community. MATERIALS AND METHODS Growth disruption-evidenced by decreased long bone length compared to dental age-and stress experience-evidenced by skeletal stress indicators-within these individuals are compared to those within juveniles from a comparative sample (n = 66) from two urban Roman-era cemeteries, Villa Rustica (VR) (0-250 CE) and Tragurium City Necropolis (TCN) (0-700 CE). RESULTS Results indicate that individuals from PG had significantly smaller femoral lengths-for-age than those from VR and TCN; however, the frequency of skeletal stress indicators was higher among juveniles from VR and TCN. DISCUSSION These differences in growth and stress experience are likely related to the different biosocial and ecological environments present in these two regions. For the community at PG, internal and external violent conflicts, as well as social, political, and economic turmoil, and subsistence shortages, endemic and epidemic infectious disease, nutritional deficiencies, and inherited or acquired anemia may have synergized to create chronically and/or episodically deleterious conditions for its juveniles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sierra W Malis
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Jordan A Wilson
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Molly Kathleen Zuckerman
- Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, USA
| | - Anna J Osterholtz
- Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, USA
| | - Julianne Paige
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Shane Miller
- Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, USA
| | | | - David Soren
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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Harries V, Abraham J, Vesi L, Reupena A, Faaselele-Savusa K, Duckham RL, Bribiescas R, Hawley N. The milk study protocol: A longitudinal, prospective cohort study of the relationship between human milk metabolic hormone concentration, maternal body composition, and early growth and satiety development in Samoan infants aged 1-4 months. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0292997. [PMID: 38728264 PMCID: PMC11086876 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current research suggests that energy transfer through human milk influences infant nutritional development and initiates metabolic programming, influencing eating patterns into adulthood. To date, this research has predominantly been conducted among women in high income settings and/or among undernourished women. We will investigate the relationship between maternal body composition, metabolic hormones in human milk, and infant satiety to explore mechanisms of developmental satiety programming and implications for early infant growth and body composition in Samoans; a population at high risk and prevalence for overweight and obesity. Our aims are (1) to examine how maternal body composition influences metabolic hormone transfer from mother to infant through human milk, and (2) to examine the influences of maternal metabolic hormone transfer and infant feeding patterns on early infant growth and satiety. METHODS We will examine temporal changes in hormone transfers to infants through human milk in a prospective longitudinal cohort of n = 80 Samoan mother-infant dyads. Data will be collected at three time points (1, 3, & 4 months postpartum). At each study visit we will collect human milk and fingerpick blood samples from breastfeeding mother-infant dyads to measure the hormones leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin. Additionally, we will obtain body composition measurements from the dyad, observe breastfeeding behavior, conduct semi-structured interviews, and use questionnaires to document infant hunger and feeding cues and satiety responsiveness. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate analyses will be conducted to address each aim. DISCUSSION This research is designed to advance our understanding of variation in the developmental programming of satiety and implications for early infant growth and body composition. The use of a prospective longitudinal cohort alongside data collection that utilizes a mixed methods approach will allow us to capture a more accurate representation on both biological and cultural variables at play in a population at high risk of overweight and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Harries
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Jyothi Abraham
- School of Nursing, National University of Samoa, Apia, Samoa
| | - Lupesina Vesi
- Obesity, Lifestyle, and Genetic Adaptations Study Group, Apia, Samoa
| | - Aniva Reupena
- Obesity, Lifestyle, and Genetic Adaptations Study Group, Apia, Samoa
| | | | - Rachel L. Duckham
- Institute of Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
- Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences, The University of Melbourne and Western Health, St Albans, Australia
| | - Richard Bribiescas
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Nicola Hawley
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
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Rosenbaum S, Malani A, Lea AJ, Tung J, Alberts SC, Archie EA. Testing frameworks for early life effects: the developmental constraints and adaptive response hypotheses do not explain key fertility outcomes in wild female baboons. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.23.590627. [PMID: 38712305 PMCID: PMC11071398 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.23.590627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
In evolutionary ecology, two classes of explanations are frequently invoked to explain "early life effects" on adult outcomes. Developmental constraints (DC) explanations contend that costs of early adversity arise from limitations adversity places on optimal development. Adaptive response (AR) hypotheses propose that later life outcomes will be worse when early and adult environments are poorly "matched." Here, we use recently proposed mathematical definitions for these hypotheses and a quadratic-regression based approach to test the long-term consequences of variation in developmental environments on fertility in wild baboons. We evaluate whether low rainfall and/or dominance rank during development predict three female fertility measures in adulthood, and whether any observed relationships are consistent with DC and/or AR. Neither rainfall during development nor the difference between rainfall in development and adulthood predicted any fertility measures. Females who were low-ranking during development had an elevated risk of losing infants later in life, and greater change in rank between development and adulthood predicted greater risk of infant loss. However, both effects were statistically marginal and consistent with alternative explanations, including adult environmental quality effects. Consequently, our data do not provide compelling support for either of these common explanations for the evolution of early life effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anup Malani
- University of Chicago Law School & National Bureau of Economic Research
| | - Amanda J Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary, Anthropology; Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology & Biology, Duke University
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology & Biology, Duke University
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Jeszka J, Hummel D, Woźniewicz M, Morinaka T, Sone Y, Crews DE. Allostatic load and frailty do not covary significantly among older residents of Greater Poland. J Physiol Anthropol 2024; 43:12. [PMID: 38643177 PMCID: PMC11031922 DOI: 10.1186/s40101-024-00359-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Physiological dysregulation/allostatic load and the geriatric syndrome frailty increase with age. As a neurophysiological response system, allostasis supports survival by limiting stressor-related damage. Frailty reflects decreased strength, endurance, and physical abilities secondary to losses of muscle and bone with age. One suggestion, based on large cohort studies of person's ages 70 + years, is that frailty contributes to allostatic load at older ages. However, small community-based research has not confirmed this specific association. METHODS To further explore possible associations between allostatic load and frailty, we enrolled 211 residents of Greater Poland aged 55-91 years living in a small village (Nekla, N = 104) and an urban center and capital of Greater Poland (Poznan, N = 107). For each, we recorded age, self-reported sex, and residence and estimated a 10-biomarker allostatic load score (ALS) and an 8-biomarker frailty index. We anticipated the following: higher ALS and frailty among men and rural residents; for frailty but not ALS to be higher at older ages; significant associations of ALS with sex and place of residence, but not with age or frailty. The significance of observed associations was evaluated by t-tests and multivariate regression. RESULTS ALS did not vary significantly between men and women nor between Nekla and Poznan residents overall. However, women showed significantly higher frailty than men. Nekla men showed significantly higher ALS but not frailty, while Nekla women showed nonsignificantly higher ALS and lower frailty than Poznan. In multivariate analyses, neither age, nor sex, nor residence was associated with ALS. Conversely, age, sex, and residence, but not ALS, are associated significantly with frailty. In Nekla, both age and sex, but in Poznan only age, are associated with ALS. Among women, both age and residence, but among men, neither associated with ALS. In no case did ALS associate significantly with frailty. CONCLUSION In this sample, lifestyle factors associated with residence, age, and sex influence stress-related physiology, less so in women, while ALS and frailty do not covary, suggesting their underlying promoters are distinct. Similar complex associations of physiological dysregulation with frailty, age, sex, and residence likely exist within many local settings. Knowledge of this variation likely will aid in supporting health and healthcare services among seniors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Jeszka
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hygiene, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Darian Hummel
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Malgorzata Woźniewicz
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hygiene, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Tomoko Morinaka
- Graduate School of Human Life Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Sone
- Graduate School of Human Life Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
- Mimasaka University, Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan
| | - Douglas E Crews
- Department of Anthropology and School of Public Health, Smith Laboratory, The Ohio State University, 174 W. 18Th Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210-1106, USA.
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Jin S, Gao Q, Dunn DW, Zhao H, Liang Z, Li M, Zhao Y, Chen Z, Gao G, He G, Li B, Guo S. Variation in placentophagy in golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) reflects nutritional constraints. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 38597117 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Golden snub-nosed monkeys show inconsistent frequency of placentophagy between wild and captive populations, with almost all births in the wild but around half of the births in captivity accompanied by the female's consumption of placenta. This aligns with nutritional demands-driven placentophagy, as captive populations are generally under less nutritional constraints for breeding females than the wild population. Placentophagy is probably adaptive in the wild and under positive selection due to nutritional benefits to both mothers and infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyu Jin
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qi Gao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Derek W Dunn
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Haitao Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | | | - Meirong Li
- Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, Nanjing, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- Xi'an Qinling Wildlife Zoo, Xi'an, China
| | - Zujin Chen
- Guangzhou Zoo (Guangzhou Wildlife Research Center), Guangzhou, China
| | - Genggeng Gao
- Research Center for the Qinling Giant Panda (Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Rescue Base), Xi'an, China
| | - Gang He
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
- College of Life Science, Yanan University, Yanan, China
| | - Songtao Guo
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
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Helle S, Tanskanen AO, Coall DA, Perry G, Daly M, Danielsbacka M. Investment by maternal grandmother buffers children against the impacts of adverse early life experiences. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6815. [PMID: 38514748 PMCID: PMC10957867 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56760-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Exogenous shocks during sensitive periods of development can have long-lasting effects on adult phenotypes including behavior, survival and reproduction. Cooperative breeding, such as grandparental care in humans and some other mammal species, is believed to have evolved partly in order to cope with challenging environments. Nevertheless, studies addressing whether grandparental investment can buffer the development of grandchildren from multiple adversities early in life are few and have provided mixed results, perhaps owing to difficulties drawing causal inferences from non-experimental data. Using population-based data of English and Welsh adolescents (sample size ranging from 817 to 1197), we examined whether grandparental investment reduces emotional and behavioral problems in children resulting from facing multiple adverse early life experiences (AELEs), by employing instrumental variable regression in a Bayesian structural equation modeling framework to better justify causal interpretations of the results. When children had faced multiple AELEs, the investment of maternal grandmothers reduced, but could not fully erase, their emotional and behavioral problems. No such result was observed in the case of the investment of other grandparent types. These findings indicate that in adverse environmental conditions the investment of maternal grandmothers can improve child wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuli Helle
- INVEST Research Flagship Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | - Antti O Tanskanen
- Population Research Institute, Väestöliitto, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Social Research, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - David A Coall
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia
| | - Gretchen Perry
- School of Social Work, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Martin Daly
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Mirkka Danielsbacka
- INVEST Research Flagship Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Population Research Institute, Väestöliitto, Helsinki, Finland
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Leonard WR. Pearl Memorial Lecture. Humans at the extremes: Exploring human adaptation to ecological and social stressors. Am J Hum Biol 2024; 36:e24010. [PMID: 37974340 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The field of human biology has long explored how human populations have adapted to extreme environmental circumstances. Yet, it has become increasingly clear that conditions of social stress, poverty, and lifestyle change play equally important roles in shaping human biological variation and health. In this paper, I provide a brief background on the foundational human adaptability research of the International Biological Programme (IBP) from the 1960s, highlighting how its successes and critiques have shaped current research directions in the field. I then discuss and reflect on my own field research that has examined the influence of both environmental and social stresses on human populations living in different ecosystems: the Peruvian Andes, the Siberian arctic, and the Bolivian rainforest. Finally, I consider how the papers in this special issue advance our understanding of human adaptability to extreme conditions and offer directions for future research. Drawing on our field's distinctive evolutionary and biocultural perspectives, human biologists are uniquely positioned to examine how the interplay between social and ecological domains influences the human condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- William R Leonard
- Department of Anthropology & Program in Global Health Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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Ortega LA, Aragon-Carvajal DM, Cortes-Corso KT, Forero-Castillo F. Early developmental risks for tobacco addiction: A probabilistic epigenesis framework. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 156:105499. [PMID: 38056543 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Considerable progress has been made in elucidating the relationships between early life psychobiological and environmental risk factors and the development of tobacco addiction. However, a comprehensive understanding of the heterogeneity in tobacco addiction phenotypes requires integrating research findings. The probabilistic epigenesis meta-theory offers a valuable framework for this integration, considering systemic, multilevel, developmental, and evolutionary perspectives. In this paper, we critically review relevant research on early developmental risks associated with tobacco addiction and highlight the integrative heuristic value of the probabilistic epigenesis framework for this research. For this, we propose a four-level systems approach as an initial step towards integration, analyzing complex interactions among different levels of influence. Additionally, we explore a coaction approach to examine key interactions between early risk factors. Moreover, we introduce developmental pathways to understand interindividual differences in tobacco addiction risk during development. This integrative approach holds promise for advancing our understanding of tobacco addiction etiology and informing potentially effective intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo A Ortega
- Facultad de Psicologia, Fundacion Universitaria Konrad Lorenz, Colombia.
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Manus MB, Sardaro MLS, Dada O, Davis MI, Romoff MR, Torello SG, Ubadigbo E, Wu RC, Miller ES, Amato KR. Interactions with alloparents are associated with the diversity of infant skin and fecal bacterial communities in Chicago, United States. Am J Hum Biol 2023:e23972. [PMID: 37632331 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Social interactions shape the infant microbiome by providing opportunities for caregivers to spread bacteria through physical contact. With most research focused on the impact of maternal-infant contact on the infant gut microbiome, it is unclear how alloparents (i.e., caregivers other than the parents) influence the bacterial communities of infant body sites that are frequently contacted during bouts of caregiving, including the skin. METHODS To begin to understand how allocare may influence the diversity of the infant microbiome, detailed questionnaire data on infant-alloparent relationships and specific allocare behaviors were coupled with skin and fecal microbiome samples (four body sites) from 48 infants living in Chicago, United States. RESULTS Data from 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated that infant skin and fecal bacterial diversity showed strong associations (positive and negative) to having female adult alloparents. Alloparental feeding and co-sleeping displayed stronger associations to infant bacterial diversity compared to playing or holding. The associations with allocare behaviors differed in magnitude and direction across infant body sites. Bacterial relative abundances varied by infant-alloparent relationship and breastfeeding status. CONCLUSION This study provides some of the first evidence of an association between allocare and infant skin and fecal bacterial diversity. The results suggest that infants' exposure to bacteria from the social environment may vary based on infant-alloparent relationships and allocare behaviors. Since the microbiome influences immune system development, variation in allocare that impacts the diversity of infant bacterial communities may be an underexplored dimension of the social determinants of health in early life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa B Manus
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Maria Luisa Savo Sardaro
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Department of Human Science and Promotion of the Quality of Life, University of San Raffaele, Rome, Italy
| | - Omolola Dada
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Maya I Davis
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Melissa R Romoff
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Stephanie G Torello
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Esther Ubadigbo
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Rebecca C Wu
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Emily S Miller
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Katherine R Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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11
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Malani A, Archie EA, Rosenbaum S. Conceptual and analytical approaches for modelling the developmental origins of inequality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220306. [PMID: 37381859 PMCID: PMC10291426 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In many species, individuals that experience harsh conditions during development have poor health and fitness outcomes in adulthood, compared with peers that do not. These early-life contributions to inequality are often attributed to two classes of evolutionary hypotheses: Developmental Constraints (DC) models, which focus on the deleterious effects of low-quality early-life environments, and Predictive Adaptive Response (PAR) hypotheses, which emphasize the costs individuals incur when they make incorrect predictions about conditions in adulthood. Testing these hypotheses empirically is difficult for conceptual and analytical reasons. Here, we help resolve some of these difficulties by providing mathematical definitions for DC, PAR (particularly focusing on 'external' PAR) and related concepts. We propose a novel, quadratic regression-based statistical test derived from these definitions. Our simulations show that this approach markedly improves the ability to discriminate between DC and PAR hypotheses relative to the status quo approach, which uses interaction effects. Simulated data indicate that the interaction effects approach often conflates PAR with DC, while the quadratic regression approach yields high sensitivity and specificity for detecting PAR. Our results highlight the value of linking verbal and visual models to a formal mathematical treatment for understanding the developmental origins of inequitable adult outcomes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anup Malani
- University of Chicago Law School and National Bureau of Economic Research, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Sweeting JA, Akinyemi AA, Holman EA. Parental Preconception Adversity and Offspring Health in African Americans: A Systematic Review of Intergenerational Studies. TRAUMA, VIOLENCE & ABUSE 2023; 24:1677-1692. [PMID: 35240883 DOI: 10.1177/15248380221074320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Background: This systematic review explores the empirical literature addressing the association between parental preconception adversity and offspring physical health in African-American families. Method: We conducted a literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus through June 2021. Articles were included if they: reported data about at least two generations of African-American participants from the same family; measured parental preconception adversity at the individual level; measured at least one offspring physical health outcome; and examined associations between parental adversity and child health. Results: We identified 701 unique articles; thirty-eight articles representing 30 independent studies met inclusion criteria. Twenty-five studies (83%) reported that parental preconception adversity was associated with child health; six studies (20%) reported that parental preconception adversity was not associated with at least one offspring outcome; several studies reported both. Only six studies (20%) reported an association specific to African Americans. Conclusion: Empirical evidence linking parental preconception adversity with offspring physical health in African Americans is limited and mixed. In the current literature, very few studies report evidence addressing intergenerational associations between parental preconception adversity and offspring physical health in the African-American population, specifically, and even fewer investigate forms of parental preconception adversity that have been shown to disproportionately affect African Americans (e.g., racism). To better understand root causes of racial health disparities, more rigorous systematic research is needed to address how intergenerational transmission of historical and ongoing race-based trauma may impact offspring health among African Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josiah A Sweeting
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Adebisi A Akinyemi
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Ellen Alison Holman
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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Nommsen-Rivers L, Black MM, Christian P, Groh-Wargo S, Heinig MJ, Israel-Ballard K, Obbagy J, Palmquist AEL, Stuebe A, Barr SM, Proaño GV, Moloney L, Steiber A, Raiten DJ. An equitable, community-engaged translational framework for science in human lactation and infant feeding-a report from "Breastmilk Ecology: Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN)" Working Group 5. Am J Clin Nutr 2023; 117 Suppl 1:S87-S105. [PMID: 37173062 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Human milk is the ideal source of nutrition for most infants, but significant gaps remain in our understanding of human milk biology. As part of addressing these gaps, the Breastmilk Ecology: Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN) Project Working Groups 1-4 interrogated the state of knowledge regarding the infant-human milk-lactating parent triad. However, to optimize the impact of newly generated knowledge across all stages of human milk research, the need remained for a translational research framework specific to the field. Thus, with inspiration from the simplified environmental sciences framework of Kaufman and Curl, Working Group 5 of the BEGIN Project developed a translational framework for science in human lactation and infant feeding, which includes 5 nonlinear, interconnected translational stages, T1: Discovery; T2: Human health implications; T3: Clinical and public health implications; T4: Implementation; and T5: Impact. The framework is accompanied by 6 overarching principles: 1) Research spans the translational continuum in a nonlinear, nonhierarchical manner; 2) Projects engage interdisciplinary teams in continuous collaboration and cross talk; 3) Priorities and study designs incorporate a diverse range of contextual factors; 4) Research teams include community stakeholders from the outset through purposeful, ethical, and equitable engagement; 5) Research designs and conceptual models incorporate respectful care for the birthing parent and address implications for the lactating parent; 6) Research implications for real-world settings account for contextual factors surrounding the feeding of human milk, including exclusivity and mode of feeding. To demonstrate application of the presented translational research framework and its overarching principles, 6 case studies are included, each illustrating research gaps across all stages of the framework. Applying a translational framework approach to addressing gaps in the science of human milk feeding is an important step toward the aligned goals of optimizing infant feeding across diverse contexts as well as optimizing health for all.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maureen M Black
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Parul Christian
- Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sharon Groh-Wargo
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - M Jane Heinig
- Department of Nutrition, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - Julie Obbagy
- Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food and Nutrition Service, US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Aunchalee E L Palmquist
- Department of Maternal & Child Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Alison Stuebe
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Lisa Moloney
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Daniel J Raiten
- Pediatric Growth and Nutrition Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Bailey NA, Irwin JL, Davis EP, Sandman CA, Glynn LM. Patterns of Maternal Distress from Pregnancy Through Childhood Predict Psychopathology During Early Adolescence. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2023; 54:470-480. [PMID: 34626290 PMCID: PMC8993937 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-021-01259-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Capitalizing on a longitudinal cohort followed from gestation through adolescence (201 mother-child dyads), we investigate the contributions of severity and stability of both maternal depressive and perceived stress symptoms to adolescent psychopathology. Maternal depressive and perceived stress trajectories from pregnancy through adolescence were identified with latent class growth analyses, and associations with adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms were examined. For both depression and stress, the most common trajectory group comprised mothers displaying stable and low symptom levels over time, and adolescents of these mothers had the fewest internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Maternal membership to one or more aberrant trajectory groups predicted higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, determined by both maternal and adolescent self-report. This study indicates that profiles of multiple indicators of maternal psychopathology assessed across childhood, beginning prenatally, can provide critical additional insight into child psychopathology risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha A Bailey
- Department of Psychology, Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA.
| | - Jessica L Irwin
- Psychology Department, University of La Verne, La Verne, CA, USA
| | | | - Curt A Sandman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
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15
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Urlacher SS. The energetics of childhood: Current knowledge and insights into human variation, evolution, and health. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 36866969 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
How organisms capture and ultimately use metabolic energy-a limiting resource of life-has profound implications for understanding evolutionary legacies and current patterns of phenotypic variation, adaptation, and health. Energetics research among humans has a rich history in biological anthropology and beyond. The energetics of childhood, however, remains relatively underexplored. This shortcoming is notable given the accepted importance of childhood in the evolution of the unique human life history pattern as well as the known sensitivity of childhood development to local environments and lived experiences. In this review, I have three objectives: (1) To overview current knowledge regarding how children acquire and use energy, highlighting work among diverse human populations and pointing to recent advances and remaining areas of uncertainty; (2) To discuss key applications of this knowledge for understanding human variation, evolution, and health; (3) To recommend future avenues for research. A growing body of evidence supports a model of trade-offs and constraint in childhood energy expenditure. This model, combined with advancements on topics such as the energetics of immune activity, the brain, and the gut, provides insights into the evolution of extended human subadulthood and the nature of variation in childhood development, lifetime phenotype, and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel S Urlacher
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
- Child and Brain Development Program, CIFAR, Toronto, Canada
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16
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Ramirez D, Haas SA. Windows of Vulnerability: Consequences of Exposure Timing during the Dutch Hunger Winter. POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW 2022; 48:959-989. [PMID: 37063488 PMCID: PMC10087479 DOI: 10.1111/padr.12513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Prior research on early-life exposures to famine has established in utero development as a critical period of vulnerability to malnutrition. Yet, previous research tends to focus narrowly on this stage, at the expense of a more comprehensive examination of childhood. As a result, the literature has yet to compare the severity of the consequences of exposure to malnutrition across developmentally salient periods. Such comparison is crucial not only in the magnitude of effects but also in the nature of outcomes. Using a restricted population registry-linked health survey, this study examines the Dutch Hunger Winter to provide a comprehensive examination of the long-term consequences of in utero, infant, childhood, and adolescent exposure to famine. The results show malnutrition leads to heterogeneous effects depending on when the exposure occurs. In utero exposure to malnutrition leads to deleterious conditions in physical health and lower socioeconomic attainment. For older cohorts, results suggest a resilience to the effects of malnutrition on physical health in late life, but a higher vulnerability to socioeconomic stunting. Furthermore, the results suggest important gender differences in the long-term impact of malnutrition. Males consistently show stronger negative consequences across a wider array of conditions.
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17
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Manfredini M, Breschi M, Fornasin A, Esposito M. Maternal nutritional status and offspring childlessness: Evidence from the late-nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries in a group of Italian populations. POPULATION STUDIES 2022; 76:477-493. [PMID: 35899492 DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2022.2099566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The role of maternal nutrition in affecting offspring fertility, through alteration of foetal programming, has been demonstrated in animal-based experiments. However, results from human populations appear inconsistent and sometimes contradictory, likely because they have been based on single famine events. In this paper, we adopt a different approach. We combine official annual time series of daily nutrient availability with a sample of women's reproductive histories from the 1961 Italian Census to investigate the role of maternal nutritional status in pregnancy on offspring childlessness. The analysis therefore covers cohorts of females born between 1861 and 1939. Our results show a negative association between calorie availability in pregnancy and the odds of offspring childlessness, whereas no association is found between protein availability and offspring childlessness. The consequences of poor calorie intake were aggravated during the summer, likely due to the participation of pregnant women in physically demanding work.
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Childhood exposure to war and adult onset of cardiometabolic disorders among older Europeans. Soc Sci Med 2022; 309:115274. [PMID: 35985242 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Childhood exposure to contexts of war is a common occurrence among current and recent cohorts of children in various parts of the world. It was also common among older cohorts across Europe. Utilizing the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) the present study links early life course residential histories with detailed information on the timing and location of hostilities during WWII to address three questions: 1) is childhood exposure to war associated with earlier onset of cardiometabolic disease (cardiovascular disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes)? 2) did this additional risk vary depending on the timing of first exposure? 3) did this additional risk manifest via different life course pathways depending on exposure timing? Results demonstrate that exposure to war is associated with increased lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension and that this association is strongly concentrated among cohorts exposed in utero or during early childhood (e.g., before age 8). The results also suggest that the impact of war exposure on cardiometabolic disorders are likely to be direct, operating through latent biological processes rather than through childhood hardship, stunting of adult socioeconomic attainment, or elevated risk-taking behaviors.
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The Modification of Offspring Stress-Related Behavior and the Expression of Drd1, Drd2, and Nr3c1 by a Western-Pattern Diet in Mus Musculus. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169245. [PMID: 36012509 PMCID: PMC9409213 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of early developmental experience on neurobiological pathways that may contribute to the association between diet and behavior have not yet been elucidated. The focus of the current study was to determine whether the impact of prenatal stress (PS) could be mitigated by a diet that stimulates the same neuroendocrine systems influenced by early stress, using a mouse model. Behavioral and genetic approaches were used to assess how a Western-pattern diet (WPD) interacts with PS and sex to impact the expression of anxiety-like behavior in an open-field arena, as well as the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor in the hippocampus, D1 dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens, and D2 dopamine receptors in the ventral tegmental area. Overall, the results demonstrated that a prenatal WPD mitigates the effects of maternal stress in dams and offspring. These results help to elucidate the relationship between pre- and post-natal nutrition, gene expression, and behaviors that lead to long-term health effects.
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20
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Enquobahrie DA, MacDonald J, Hussey M, Bammler TK, Loftus CT, Paquette AG, Byington N, Marsit CJ, Szpiro A, Kaufman JD, LeWinn KZ, Bush NR, Tylavsky F, Karr CJ, Sathyanarayana S. Prenatal exposure to particulate matter and placental gene expression. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 165:107310. [PMID: 35653832 PMCID: PMC9235522 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While strong evidence supports adverse maternal and offspring consequences of air pollution, mechanisms that involve the placenta, a key part of the intrauterine environment, are largely unknown. Previous studies of air pollution and placental gene expression were small candidate gene studies that rarely considered prenatal windows of exposure or the potential role of offspring sex. We examined overall and sex-specific associations of prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with genome-wide placental gene expression. METHODS Participants with placenta samples, collected at birth, and childhood health outcomes from CANDLE (Memphis, TN) (n = 776) and GAPPS (Seattle, WA) (n = 205) cohorts of the ECHO-PATHWAYS Consortium were included in this study. PM2.5 exposures during trimesters 1, 2, 3, and the first and last months of pregnancy, were estimated using a spatiotemporal model. Cohort-specific linear adjusted models were fit for each exposure window and expression of >11,000 protein coding genes from paired end RNA sequencing data. Models with interaction terms were used to examine PM2.5-offspring sex interactions. False discovery rate (FDR < 0.10) was used to correct for multiple testing. RESULTS Mean PM2.5 estimate was 10.5-10.7 μg/m3 for CANDLE and 6.0-6.3 μg/m3 for GAPPS participants. In CANDLE, expression of 13 (11 upregulated and 2 downregulated), 20 (11 upregulated and 9 downregulated) and 3 (2 upregulated and 1 downregulated) genes was associated with PM2.5 in the first trimester, second trimester, and first month, respectively. While we did not find any statistically significant association, overall, between PM2.5 and gene expression in GAPPS, we found offspring sex and first month PM2.5 interaction for DDHD1 expression (positive association among males and inverse association among females). We did not observe PM2.5 and offspring sex interactions in CANDLE. CONCLUSION In CANDLE, but not GAPPS, we found that prenatal PM2.5 exposure during the first half of pregnancy is associated with placental gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Enquobahrie
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Health Systems and Population Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
| | - James MacDonald
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Michael Hussey
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Theo K Bammler
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Christine T Loftus
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Alison G Paquette
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Nora Byington
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Carmen J Marsit
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Adam Szpiro
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Joel D Kaufman
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kaja Z LeWinn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Nicole R Bush
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Frances Tylavsky
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Catherine J Karr
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
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21
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Rosinger AY, Bethancourt HJ, Swanson ZS, Lopez K, Kenney WL, Huanca T, Conde E, Nzunza R, Ndiema E, Braun DR, Pontzer H. Cross-cultural variation in thirst perception in hot-humid and hot-arid environments: Evidence from two small-scale populations. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23715. [PMID: 34942040 PMCID: PMC9177510 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Thirst is an evolved central homeostatic feedback system that helps regulate body water for survival. Little research has examined how early development and exposure to extreme environments and water availability affect thirst perception, particularly outside Western settings. Therefore, we compared two indicators of perceived thirst (current thirst and pleasantness of drinking water) using visual scales among Tsimane' forager-horticulturalists in the hot-humid Bolivian Amazon and Daasanach agro-pastoralists in hot-arid Northern Kenya. METHODS We examined how these measures of perceived thirst were associated with hydration status (urine specific gravity), ambient temperatures, birth season, age, and population-specific characteristics for 607 adults (n = 378 Tsimane', n = 229 Daasanach) aged 18+ using multi-level mixed-effect regressions. RESULTS Tsimane' had higher perceived thirst than Daasanach. Across populations, hydration status was unrelated to both measures of thirst. There was a significant interaction between birth season and temperature on pleasantness of drinking water, driven by Kenya data. Daasanach born in the wet season (in utero during less water availability) had blunted pleasantness of drinking water at higher temperatures compared to those born in the dry season (in utero during greater water availability). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest hydration status is not a reliable predictor of thirst perceptions in extreme-hot environments with ad libitum drinking. Rather, our findings, which require additional confirmation, point to the importance of water availability during gestation in affecting thirst sensitivity to heat and water feedback mechanisms, particularly in arid environments. Thirst regulation will be increasingly important to understand given climate change driven exposures to extreme heat and water insecurity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asher Y. Rosinger
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Hilary J. Bethancourt
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Zane S. Swanson
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kaylee Lopez
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - W. Larry Kenney
- Department of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Tomas Huanca
- Centro Boliviano de Investigación y Desarrollo Socio Integral, San Borja, Bolivia
| | - Esther Conde
- Centro Boliviano de Investigación y Desarrollo Socio Integral, San Borja, Bolivia
| | - Rosemary Nzunza
- Center for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Emmanuel Ndiema
- Department of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - David R. Braun
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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22
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Neither environmental unpredictability nor harshness predict reliance on alloparental care among families in Cebu, Philippines. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:743-754. [PMID: 35074026 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Alloparental caregiving is key to humans' highly flexible reproductive strategies. Across species and across societies, alloparental care is more common in harsh and/or unpredictable environments (HUEs). Currently, however, it is unclear whether HUEs predict intra-population variation in alloparental care, or whether early life HUEs might predict later alloparental care use in adulthood, consistent with adaptive developmental plasticity. We test whether harshness measures (socioeconomic status (SES), environmental hygiene, crowding) and unpredictability measures (parental unemployment, paternal absence, household moves) predicted how much alloparental assistance families in Cebu, Philippines received, in a multigenerational study with data collected across four decades. Though worse environmental hygiene predicted more concurrent alloparental care in 1994, we found little evidence that HUEs predict within-population variation in alloparental care in this large-scale, industrialized society. Indeed, less-crowded conditions and higher SES predicted more alloparental care, not less, in the 1980s and in 2014 respectively, while paternal absence in middle childhood predicted less reliance on alloparental care in adulthood. In this cultural context, our results generally do not provide support for the translation of interspecific or intersocietal patterns linking HUEs and alloparental care to intra-population variation in alloparental care, nor for the idea that a reproductive strategy emphasizing alloparental care use may be preceded by early life HUEs.
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Frankenhuis WE, Amir D. What is the expected human childhood? Insights from evolutionary anthropology. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:473-497. [PMID: 34924077 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In psychological research, there are often assumptions about the conditions that children expect to encounter during their development. These assumptions shape prevailing ideas about the experiences that children are capable of adjusting to, and whether their responses are viewed as impairments or adaptations. Specifically, the expected childhood is often depicted as nurturing and safe, and characterized by high levels of caregiver investment. Here, we synthesize evidence from history, anthropology, and primatology to challenge this view. We integrate the findings of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and cross-cultural investigations on three forms of threat (infanticide, violent conflict, and predation) and three forms of deprivation (social, cognitive, and nutritional) that children have faced throughout human evolution. Our results show that mean levels of threat and deprivation were higher than is typical in industrialized societies, and that our species has experienced much variation in the levels of these adversities across space and time. These conditions likely favored a high degree of phenotypic plasticity, or the ability to tailor development to different conditions. This body of evidence has implications for recognizing developmental adaptations to adversity, for cultural variation in responses to adverse experiences, and for definitions of adversity and deprivation as deviation from the expected human childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem E Frankenhuis
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Germany
| | - Dorsa Amir
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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24
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Spry EA, Letcher P, Patton GC, Sanson AV, Olsson CA. The developmental origins of stress reactivity: an intergenerational life-course perspective. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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25
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Levy SB, Leonard WR. The evolutionary significance of human brown adipose tissue: Integrating the timescales of adaptation. Evol Anthropol 2021; 31:75-91. [PMID: 34910348 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
While human adaptability is regarded as a classical topic in anthropology, recent work provides new insight into metabolic adaptations to cold climates and the role of phenotypic plasticity in human evolution. A growing body of literature demonstrates that adults retain brown adipose tissue (BAT) which may play a role in non-shivering thermogenesis. In this narrative review, we apply the timescales of adaptation framework in order to explore the adaptive significance of human BAT. Human variation in BAT is shaped by multiple adaptive modes (i.e., allostasis, acclimatization, developmental adaptation, epigenetic inheritance, and genetic adaptation), and together the adaptive modes act as an integrated system. We hypothesize that plasticity in BAT facilitated the successful expansion of human populations into circumpolar regions, allowing for selection of genetic adaptations to cold climates to take place. Future research rooted in human energetics and biocultural perspectives is essential for understanding BAT's adaptive and health significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie B Levy
- Department of Anthropology, CUNY Hunter College, New York, New York, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA
| | - William R Leonard
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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26
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Quade L, Gowland R. Height and health in Roman and Post-Roman Gaul, a life course approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2021; 35:49-60. [PMID: 34656897 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present study explores growth and health in Roman (1st-3rd centuries CE) and Post-Roman (4th-7th centuries CE) Gaul, incorporating a life-course approach, to better understand the influence of Roman practices and lifestyles on health, and the impact of cultural change from the Roman to the Post-Roman period. MATERIALS AND METHODS The skeletal remains of 844 individuals were analyzed for non-specific signs of physiological stress, including growth disruption (diaphyseal and adult maximum femur length), dental enamel hypoplastic defects (DEH), cribra orbitalia (CO), and periosteal reaction of the tibiae (Tibia PR). RESULTS The Gallo-Roman sample demonstrated shorter femoral lengths, and higher rates of DEH and Tibia PR. Post-Roman groups demonstrated longer femoral lengths and higher rates of CO. CONCLUSIONS Gallo-Roman individuals may have been more regularly exposed to infectious pathogens throughout childhood, inhibiting opportunities for catch-up growth, resulting in high rates of DEH and shorter femoral lengths ('intermittent stress of low lethality'). This could be the result of overcrowding and insalubrious urban environments. Higher rates of CO in the Post-Roman samples may have been influenced by dietary changes between the periods. SIGNIFICANCE The intertwined and often synergistic relationships between early life environment, nutrition and settlement structure is highlighted, helping to further understandings of life experiences during the Roman and Post-Roman periods. LIMITATIONS It was not possible to obtain sufficient data from northern regions during the Gallo-Roman period, limiting this analysis. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Further application of life course approaches can reveal subtle patterns in stress indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Quade
- Durham University, Department of Archaeology, Lower Mount Joy, South Rd, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom; Masaryk University, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Science, Kotlářská 267/2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Rebecca Gowland
- Durham University, Department of Archaeology, Lower Mount Joy, South Rd, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom.
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Lappé M, Jeffries Hein R. You Are What Your Mother Endured: Intergenerational Epigenetics, Early Caregiving, and the Temporal Embedding of Adversity. Med Anthropol Q 2021; 35:458-475. [PMID: 35066926 PMCID: PMC9583719 DOI: 10.1111/maq.12683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Environmental epigenetics has become a site of growing attention related to the intergenerational effects of stress, trauma, and adversity. This article draws on a multi-sited ethnography of epigenetic knowledge production in the United States and Canada to document how scientists conceptualize, model, and measure these experiences and their effects on children's neurodevelopmental and behavioral health. We find that scientists' efforts to identify the molecular effects of stress, trauma, and adversity results in a temporal focus on the mother-child dyad during early life. This has the effect of biologizing early childhood adversity, positioning it as a consequence of caregiving, and producing epigenetic findings that often align with individually oriented interventions rather than social and structural change. Our analysis suggests that epigenetic models of stress, trauma, and adversity therefore situate histories of oppression, inequality, and subjugation in discrete and gendered family relations, resulting in the temporal embedding of adversity during early life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Lappé
- Social Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
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Baptista A, Cohen D, Jacquet PO, Chambon V. The Cognitive, Ecological, and Developmental Origins of Self-Disturbance in Borderline Personality Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:707091. [PMID: 34658950 PMCID: PMC8514658 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.707091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Self-disturbance is recognized as a key symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Although it is the source of significant distress and significant costs to society, it is still poorly specified. In addition, current research and models on the etiology of BPD do not provide sufficient evidence or predictions about who is at risk of developing BPD and self-disturbance, and why. The aim of this review is to lay the foundations of a new model inspired by recent developments at the intersection of social cognition, behavioral ecology, and developmental biology. We argue that the sense of agency is an important dimension to consider when characterizing self-disturbances in BPD. Second, we address the poorly characterized relation between self-disturbances and adverse life conditions encountered early in life. We highlight the potential relevance of Life-History Theory-a major framework in evolutionary developmental biology-to make sense of this association. We put forward the idea that the effect of early life adversity on BPD symptomatology depends on the way individuals trade their limited resources between competing biological functions during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Baptista
- Institut Jean Nicod, Département d'études Cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
- Service de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière Charles Foix, APHP.6, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, Paris, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - David Cohen
- Service de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière Charles Foix, APHP.6, Paris, France
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique, Sorbonne Université, ISIR CNRS UMR 7222, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Olivier Jacquet
- Institut Jean Nicod, Département d'études Cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives & Computationnelles, Département d'études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, INSERM, PSL University, Paris, France
- Institut du Psychotraumatisme de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Centre Hospitalier de Versailles et Conseil départemental des Yvelines et des Hauts de Seine, Versailles, France
| | - Valérian Chambon
- Institut Jean Nicod, Département d'études Cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
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Dagan O, Groh AM, Madigan S, Bernard K. A Lifespan Development Theory of Insecure Attachment and Internalizing Symptoms: Integrating Meta-Analytic Evidence via a Testable Evolutionary Mis/Match Hypothesis. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11091226. [PMID: 34573246 PMCID: PMC8469853 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11091226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Attachment scholars have long argued that insecure attachment patterns are associated with vulnerability to internalizing symptoms, such as depression and anxiety symptoms. However, accumulating evidence from the past four decades, summarized in four large meta-analyses evaluating the link between insecure attachment subtypes and internalizing symptoms, provide divergent evidence for this claim. This divergent evidence may be accounted for, at least in part, by the developmental period under examination. Specifically, children with histories of deactivating (i.e., insecure/avoidant) but not hyperactivating (i.e., insecure/resistant) attachment patterns in infancy and early childhood showed elevated internalizing symptoms. In contrast, adolescents and adults with hyperactivating (i.e., insecure/preoccupied) but not deactivating (i.e., insecure/dismissing) attachment classifications showed elevated internalizing symptoms. In this paper, we summarize findings from four large meta-analyses and highlight the divergent meta-analytic findings that emerge across different developmental periods. We first present several potential methodological issues that may have contributed to these divergent findings. Then, we leverage clinical, developmental, and evolutionary perspectives to propose a testable lifespan development theory of attachment and internalizing symptoms that integrates findings across meta-analyses. According to this theory, subtypes of insecure attachment patterns may be differentially linked to internalizing symptoms depending on their mis/match with the developmentally appropriate orientation tendency toward caregivers (in childhood) or away from them (i.e., toward greater independence in post-childhood). Lastly, we offer future research directions to test this theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Or Dagan
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA;
- Correspondence:
| | - Ashley M. Groh
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA;
| | - Sheri Madigan
- Department of Psychology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, AB T3B 6A8, Canada;
| | - Kristin Bernard
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA;
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Levy SB, Klimova TM, Zakharova RN, Fedorov AI, Fedorova VI, Baltakhinova ME, Leonard WR. Evidence for a sensitive period of plasticity in brown adipose tissue during early childhood among indigenous Siberians. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175:834-846. [PMID: 33913150 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Evolutionary theorists have debated the adaptive significance of developmental plasticity in organisms with long lifespans such as humans. This debate in part stems from uncertainty regarding the timing of sensitive periods. Does sensitivity to environmental signals fluctuate across development or does it steadily decline? We investigated developmental plasticity in brown adipose tissue (BAT) among indigenous Siberians in order to explore the timing of phenotypic sensitivity to cold stress. METHODS BAT thermogenesis was quantified using infrared thermal imaging in 78 adults (25 men; 33 women). Cold exposure during gestation, infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence was quantified using: (1) the average ambient temperature across each period; (2) the number of times daily temperature dropped below -40°F during each period. We also assessed past cold exposure with a retrospective survey of participation in outdoor activities. RESULTS Adult BAT thermogenesis was significantly associated with the average temperature (p = 0.021), the number of times it was below -40°F (p = 0.026), and participation in winter outdoor activities (p = 0.037) during early childhood. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that early childhood represents an important stage for developmental plasticity, and that culture may play a critical role in shaping the timing of environmental signals. The findings highlight a new pathway through which the local consequences of global climate change may influence human biology, and they suggest that ambient temperature may represent an understudied component of the developmental origins of health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie B Levy
- Department of Anthropology, CUNY Hunter College, New York, New York, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolution Primatology, New York, New York, USA
| | - Tatiana M Klimova
- North-Eastern Federal University Named M. K. Ammosov, Yakutsk, Russia
- Yakutsk Scientific Center for Complex Medical Problems, Yakutsk, Russia
| | - Raisa N Zakharova
- North-Eastern Federal University Named M. K. Ammosov, Yakutsk, Russia
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31
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Uwizeye G, Thayer ZM, DeVon HA, McCreary LL, McDade TW, Mukamana D, Park C, Patil CL, Rutherford JN. Double Jeopardy: Young adult mental and physical health outcomes following conception via genocidal rape during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Soc Sci Med 2021; 278:113938. [PMID: 33905987 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Rwandans conceived by rape during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi have endured a violent beginning and a troubled childhood. Given compelling evidence of the influence of prenatal environments and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on future health, these individuals are at high risk of poor mental and physical health outcomes. The purpose of the study was to characterize mental and physical health outcomes in young adults who were exposed prenatally to maternal stress due to the genocide in general and those conceived by genocidal rape, and to determine whether ACEs compound these effects. Ninety-one 24-year-old Rwandans - 30 conceived by genocidal rape, 31 born of genocide survivors not raped, and a control group of 30 born of women with neither exposure - completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire and measures of multiple physical and mental health characteristics. Data were collected from March 7 to April 6, 2019. Findings demonstrated that 1) individuals conceived during the genocide had poorer mental function (p = 0.002) and higher scores in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, physical function, pain intensity, and sleep disturbance compared to young adults who were not exposed to genocide (all p < 0.033); 2) individuals conceived by genocidal rape reported more depression, PTSD, and pain interference compared to those prenatally exposed to maternal genocide stress only (all p < 0.008); and 3) among the group conceived via genocidal rape, the effects of prenatal exposures on depression, physical function, pain intensity and pain interference were exacerbated by ACEs (all p < 0.041). Being conceived during genocide, especially through genocidal rape, is associated with poor adult physical and mental health. The role of ACEs in exacerbating prenatal genocide exposure highlights opportunities for interventions to reduce these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glorieuse Uwizeye
- Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 S. Damen Ave., MC 802, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Society of Fellows, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA; Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, 3 Tuck Drive, Silsby Hall, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.
| | - Zaneta M Thayer
- Society of Fellows, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA; Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, 3 Tuck Drive, Silsby Hall, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.
| | - Holli A DeVon
- School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, 700 Tiverton Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Linda L McCreary
- Department Health Systems Science, College of Nursing University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 S. Damen Ave., MC 802, Chicago, Ilinois, 60612, USA.
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
| | - Donatilla Mukamana
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, P.O. Box 3286, Kigali, Rwanda.
| | - Chang Park
- Department Health Systems Science, College of Nursing University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 S. Damen Ave., MC 802, Chicago, Ilinois, 60612, USA.
| | - Crystal L Patil
- Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 S. Damen Ave., MC 802, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
| | - Julienne N Rutherford
- Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 S. Damen Ave., MC 802, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
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32
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Quinn EA. Centering human milk composition as normal human biological variation. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 33:e23564. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Quinn
- Department of Anthropology Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis Missouri USA
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33
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Emery Thompson M, Rosati AG, Snyder-Mackler N. Insights from evolutionarily relevant models for human ageing. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190605. [PMID: 32951550 PMCID: PMC7540954 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
As the world confronts the health challenges of an ageing population, there has been dramatically increased interest in the science of ageing. This research has overwhelmingly focused on age-related disease, particularly in industrialized human populations and short-lived laboratory animal models. However, it has become clear that humans and long-lived primates age differently than many typical model organisms, and that many of the diseases causing death and disability in the developed world are greatly exacerbated by modern lifestyles. As such, research on how the human ageing process evolved is vital to understanding the origins of prolonged human lifespan and factors increasing vulnerability to degenerative disease. In this issue, we highlight emerging comparative research on primates, highlighting the physical, physiological, behavioural and cognitive processes of ageing. This work comprises data and theory on non-human primates, as well as under-represented data on humans living in small-scale societies, which help elucidate how environment shapes senescence. Component papers address (i) the critical processes that comprise senescence in long-lived primates; (ii) the social, ecological or individual characteristics that predict variation in the pace of ageing; and (iii) the complicated relationship between ageing trajectories and disease outcomes. Collectively, this work provides essential comparative, evolutionary data on ageing and demonstrates its unique potential to inform our understanding of the human ageing process. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution of the primate ageing process'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Emery Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, 500 University Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Alexandra G. Rosati
- Department of Psychology and Anthropology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
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Arslanian KJ, Fidow UT, Atanoa T, Naseri T, Duckham RL, McGarvey ST, Choy C, Hawley NL. Effect of maternal nutrient intake during 31-37 weeks gestation on offspring body composition in Samoa. Ann Hum Biol 2020; 47:587-596. [PMID: 32892647 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2020.1820078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pregnancy dietary intake may be associated with newborn body composition, a predictor of future obesity. In Samoa, an energy-dense diet contributes to an alarming prevalence of adult obesity. Identifying associations between pregnancy nutrition and infant body composition in this setting may guide strategies to mitigate intergenerational transmission of obesity risk. AIM To examine dietary macro- and micronutrient intake of Samoan women during the third trimester of pregnancy and associations with infant body composition. SUBJECTS AND METHODS At 34-41 weeks of gestation, we measured dietary intake from the prior month using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measured infant body composition at 1-14 days. We used multivariable linear regression models accounting for confounders to identify independent effects of nutrient intake on infant body composition. RESULTS After adjusting for maternal body mass index, age, gravidity, infant age, and sex, a respective 0.2 g increase and 0.2 g decrease in infant bone mass was associated with fibre and saturated fat intake. Increased protein intake was associated with 0.02 g decrease in bone mass. CONCLUSIONS While maternal dietary intake was not associated with infant adiposity or lean mass, we observed an effect on bone mass whose role in regulating metabolic health is overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ulai T Fidow
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Samoa National Health Services, Apia, Samoa
| | - Theresa Atanoa
- Community Studies Program, University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Take Naseri
- Ministry of Health, Government of Samoa, Apia, Samoa
| | - Rachel L Duckham
- Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.,Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences (AIMSS), The University of Melbourne and Western Medicine, St. Albans, Australia
| | - Stephen T McGarvey
- Departments of Epidemiology and Anthropology, International Health Institute, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Courtney Choy
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Nicola L Hawley
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
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35
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McKerracher L, Fried R, Kim AW, Moffat T, Sloboda DM, Galloway T. Synergies between the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease framework and multiple branches of evolutionary anthropology. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:214-219. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Luseadra McKerracher
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
- Department of Anthropology McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Ruby Fried
- Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage Alaska USA
| | - Andrew W. Kim
- Department of Anthropology Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
| | - Tina Moffat
- Department of Anthropology McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Deborah M. Sloboda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
- Department of Pediatrics McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
- Farncombe Institute of Digestive Health McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Tracey Galloway
- Department of Anthropology University of Toronto Mississauga Ontario Canada
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Gildner TE, Thayer ZM. Maternal and child health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Contributions in the field of human biology. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 32:e23494. [PMID: 32845032 PMCID: PMC7461037 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Theresa E Gildner
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Zaneta M Thayer
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
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37
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Mendenhall E. Metabolic Reflections: Blurring the Line between Trauma and Diabetes. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Holder S, Miliauskienė Ž, Jankauskas R, Dupras T. An integrative approach to studying plasticity in growth disruption and outcomes: A bioarchaeological case study of Napoleonic soldiers. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 33:e23457. [PMID: 32618057 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate how much variation in adult stature and body mass can be explained by growth disruption among soldiers who served in Napoleon's Grand Army during the Russian Campaign of 1812. METHODS Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) were recorded as representations of early life growth disruption, while the impact on future growth was assessed using maximum femur length (n = 73) as a proxy for stature and maximum femoral head diameter (n = 25) as a proxy for body mass. LEH frequency, severity, age at first formation, and age at last formation served as explanatory variables in a multiple regression analysis to test the effect of these variables on maximum femur length and maximum femoral head diameter. RESULTS The multiple regression model produced statistically significant results for maximum femur length (F-statistic = 3.05, df = 5 and 67, P = .02), with some variation in stature (adjusted r2 = 0.13) attributable to variation in growth disruption. The multiple regression model for maximum femoral head diameter was not statistically significant (F-statistic = 1.87, df = 5 and 19, P = .15). CONCLUSIONS We hypothesized stress events during early life growth and development would have significant, negative, and cumulative effects on growth outcomes in adulthood. The results did not support our hypothesis. Instead, some variables and interactions had negative effects on stature, whereas others had positive effects. This is likely due to catch-up growth, the relationship between acute and chronic stress and growth, resilience, and plasticity in human growth over the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sammantha Holder
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Žydrūnė Miliauskienė
- Department of Anatomy, Histology & Anthropology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Rimantas Jankauskas
- Department of Anatomy, Histology & Anthropology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Tosha Dupras
- Department of Anthropology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
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Hoke MK. A biocultural examination of home food production and child growth in highland Peru. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 32:e23438. [PMID: 32459029 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Chronic malnutrition remains a persistent global health issue. This mixed methods investigation in rural Peru examines the role of home food production (HFP) in reducing child malnutrition by testing the following hypotheses: (a) higher HFP will be associated with higher infant z-scores than those with less HFP and (b) infants with higher HFP will exhibit improved longitudinal growth outcomes across 6 months. METHODS Ethnographic methods include semi-structured interviews and participant observation. A household survey and anthropometric data were collected twice, from 86 infants under of 24 months old. A HFP index (HFI) was generated based on reports of animals for meat consumption, eggs, milk, and agricultural products for home consumption. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine patterns of HFI and infant anthropometrics. Multivariate regressions were used to examine the relationships between HFP and infant height for age (HAZ), weight for age (WAZ), and triceps skinfold for age (TSAZ) in both rounds and 6-month change between rounds (6MΔ). RESULTS There were no relationships between HFI and infant z-scores in round one, however, HFI was significantly positively related to HAZ (B = 0.091, P < .039) in round two and with 6MΔ in HAZ (B = 0.09, P < .047). HFI did not predict WAZ or TSAZ in either round. CONCLUSIONS HFP represents an important influence of infant growth in Nuñoa, likely through nutritional improvement due to increased availability of animal-sourced foods and through contribution to household economy and maternal empowerment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan K Hoke
- Department of Anthropology & Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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40
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Kuzawa CW, Adair L, Bechayda SA, Borja JRB, Carba DB, Duazo PL, Eisenberg DTA, Georgiev AV, Gettler LT, Lee NR, Quinn EA, Rosenbaum S, Rutherford JN, Ryan CP, McDade TW. Evolutionary life history theory as an organising framework for cohort studies: insights from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Ann Hum Biol 2020; 47:94-105. [PMID: 32429766 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2020.1742787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
By tracking a group of individuals through time, cohort studies provide fundamental insights into the developmental time course and causes of health and disease. Evolutionary life history theory seeks to explain patterns of growth, development, reproduction and senescence, and inspires a range of hypotheses that are testable using the longitudinal data from cohort studies. Here we review two decades of life history theory-motivated work conducted in collaboration with the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), a birth cohort study that enrolled more than 3000 pregnant women in the Philippines in 1983 and has since followed these women, their offspring and grandoffspring. This work has provided evidence that reproduction carries "costs" to cellular maintenance functions, potentially speeding senescence, and revealed an unusual form of genetic plasticity in which the length of telomeres inherited across generations is influenced by reproductive timing in paternal ancestors. Men in Cebu experience hormonal and behavioural changes in conjunction with changes in relationship and fatherhood status that are consistent with predictions based upon other species that practice bi-parental care. The theoretical expectation that early life cues of mortality or environmental unpredictability will motivate a "fast" life history strategy are confirmed for behavioural components of reproductive decision making, but not for maturational tempo, while our work points to a broader capacity for early life developmental calibration of systems like immunity, reproductive biology and metabolism. Our CLHNS findings illustrate the power of life history theory as an integrative, lifecourse framework to guide longitudinal studies of human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Linda Adair
- Department of Nutrition and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sonny A Bechayda
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | | | - Delia B Carba
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Paulita L Duazo
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology and Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Elizabeth A Quinn
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University, in St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Julienne N Rutherford
- Department of Women, Children, and Family Health Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Calen P Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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Spry E, Moreno-Betancur M, Becker D, Romaniuk H, Carlin JB, Molyneaux E, Howard LM, Ryan J, Letcher P, McIntosh J, Macdonald JA, Greenwood CJ, Thomson KC, McAnally H, Hancox R, Hutchinson DM, Youssef GJ, Olsson CA, Patton GC. Maternal mental health and infant emotional reactivity: a 20-year two-cohort study of preconception and perinatal exposures. Psychol Med 2020; 50:827-837. [PMID: 30968786 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719000709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal mental health during pregnancy and postpartum predicts later emotional and behavioural problems in children. Even though most perinatal mental health problems begin before pregnancy, the consequences of preconception maternal mental health for children's early emotional development have not been prospectively studied. METHODS We used data from two prospective Australian intergenerational cohorts, with 756 women assessed repeatedly for mental health problems before pregnancy between age 13 and 29 years, and during pregnancy and at 1 year postpartum for 1231 subsequent pregnancies. Offspring infant emotional reactivity, an early indicator of differential sensitivity denoting increased risk of emotional problems under adversity, was assessed at 1 year postpartum. RESULTS Thirty-seven percent of infants born to mothers with persistent preconception mental health problems were categorised as high in emotional reactivity, compared to 23% born to mothers without preconception history (adjusted OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4-3.1). Ante- and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms were similarly associated with infant emotional reactivity, but these perinatal associations reduced somewhat after adjustment for prior exposure. Causal mediation analysis further showed that 88% of the preconception risk was a direct effect, not mediated by perinatal exposure. CONCLUSIONS Maternal preconception mental health problems predict infant emotional reactivity, independently of maternal perinatal mental health; while associations between perinatal depressive symptoms and infant reactivity are partially explained by prior exposure. Findings suggest that processes shaping early vulnerability for later mental disorders arise well before conception. There is an emerging case for expanding developmental theories and trialling preventive interventions in the years before pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Spry
- Deakin University Geelong, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Australia
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Margarita Moreno-Betancur
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics Unit; Melbourne, Australia
- The University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Denise Becker
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Helena Romaniuk
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics Unit; Melbourne, Australia
- Deakin University Burwood, Biostatistics Unit, Faculty of Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - John B Carlin
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics Unit; Melbourne, Australia
- The University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Emma Molyneaux
- Section of Women's Mental Health, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience; King's College London, UK & South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Louise M Howard
- Section of Women's Mental Health, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience; King's College London, UK & South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Joanne Ryan
- Monash University, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Primrose Letcher
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jennifer McIntosh
- Deakin University Geelong, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Australia
| | - Jacqui A Macdonald
- Deakin University Geelong, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Australia
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christopher J Greenwood
- Deakin University Geelong, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Australia
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kimberley C Thomson
- Deakin University Geelong, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Helena McAnally
- Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Robert Hancox
- Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Delyse M Hutchinson
- Deakin University Geelong, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Australia
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - George J Youssef
- Deakin University Geelong, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Australia
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Craig A Olsson
- Deakin University Geelong, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Australia
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - George C Patton
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Ryan CP, Kuzawa CW. Germline epigenetic inheritance: Challenges and opportunities for linking human paternal experience with offspring biology and health. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:180-200. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Calen P. Ryan
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
- Institute for Policy Research Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
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Garland CJ. Implications of accumulative stress burdens during critical periods of early postnatal life for mortality risk among Guale interred in a colonial era cemetery in Spanish Florida (ca. AD 1605-1680). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:621-637. [PMID: 32064605 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Research situated within the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease demonstrates that stressors are correlated with future mortality risk, especially if experienced frequently and during early periods of postnatal life. This study examines if the developmental timing and frequency of early life stressors influenced mortality risk for Indigenous Guale in Spanish Florida during the 17th century. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study examines internal enamel microgrowth disruptions (accentuated lines-AL) from Guale individuals (n = 52) interred at Mission Santa Catalina de Guale on St. Catherines Island, Georgia (AD 1605-1680). Teeth were thin-sectioned and microscopically analyzed to document AL variables as predictors of age-at-death. RESULTS Individuals with AL died earlier than those without AL. This difference, however, was not significant. Individuals who exhibit AL formed during their first year of life died on average three times earlier than those who did not. The frequency of AL and age-at-first-AL are significantly correlated with age-at-death, and Cox hazard analyses indicates that individuals with early forming and frequent AL had increased risks of early death. DISCUSSION This study emphasizes how the lived experiences of Guale children shaped demographic patterns during the 17th century. The survival of early life stressors resulted in life history trade-offs and increased risks for early death. Mortality risks were exacerbated for individuals who experienced frequent stressors during the earliest periods of life. This underscores a role for bioarchaeology in understanding of how accumulative stress burdens during the earliest years of postnatal life may influence mortality risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carey J Garland
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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Crespi BJ. Why and How Imprinted Genes Drive Fetal Programming. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 10:940. [PMID: 32117048 PMCID: PMC7025584 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Imprinted genes mediate fetal and childhood growth and development, and early growth patterns drive fetal programming effects. However, predictions and evidence from the kinship theory of imprinting have yet to be directly integrated with data on fetal programming and risks of metabolic disease. I first define paternal-gene and maternal-gene optima with regard to early human growth and development. Next, I review salient evidence with regard to imprinted gene effects on birth weight, body composition, trajectories of feeding and growth, and timing of developmental stages, to evaluate why and how imprinted gene expression influences risks of metabolic disease in later life. I find that metabolic disease risks derive primarily from maternal gene biases that lead to reduced placental efficacy, low birth weight, low relative muscle mass, high relative white fat, increased abdominal adiposity, reduced pancreatic β-cell mass that promotes insulin resistance, reduced appetite and infant sucking efficacy, catch-up fat deposition from family foods after weaning, and early puberty. Paternal gene biases, by contrast, may contribute to metabolic disease via lower rates of brown fat thermiogenesis, and through favoring more rapid postnatal catch-up growth after intrauterine growth restriction from environmental causes. These disease risks can be alleviated through dietary and pharmacological alterations that selectively target imprinted gene expression and relevant metabolic pathways. The kinship theory of imprinting, and mother-offspring conflict more generally, provide a clear predictive framework for guiding future research on fetal programming and metabolic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard J. Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences and Human Evolutionary Studies Program, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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Thayer ZM, Rutherford J, Kuzawa CW. The Maternal Nutritional Buffering Model: an evolutionary framework for pregnancy nutritional intervention. EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 2020:14-27. [PMID: 32015877 PMCID: PMC6990448 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoz037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Evidence that fetal nutrition influences adult health has heightened interest in nutritional interventions targeting pregnancy. However, as is true for other placental mammals, human females have evolved mechanisms that help buffer the fetus against short-term fluctuations in maternal diet and energy status. In this review, we first discuss the evolution of increasingly elaborate vertebrate strategies of buffering offspring from environmental fluctuations during development, including the important innovation of the eutherian placenta. We then present the Maternal Nutritional Buffering Model, which argues that, in contrast to many micronutrients that must be derived from dietary sources, the effects of short-term changes in maternal macronutrient intake during pregnancy, whether due to a deficit or supplementation, will be minimized by internal buffering mechanisms that work to ensure a stable supply of essential resources. In contrast to the minimal effects of brief macronutrient supplementation, there is growing evidence that sustained improvements in early life and adult pre-pregnancy nutrition could improve birth outcomes in offspring. Building on these and other observations, we propose that strategies to improve fetal macronutrient delivery will be most effective if they modify the pregnancy metabolism of mothers by targeting nutrition prior to conception and even during early development, as a complement to the conventional focus on bolstering macronutrient intake during pregnancy itself. Our model leads to the prediction that birth weight will be more strongly influenced by the mother’s chronic pre-pregnancy nutrition than by pregnancy diet, and highlights the need for policy solutions aimed at optimizing future, intergenerational health outcomes. Lay summary: We propose that strategies to improve fetal macronutrient delivery will be most effective if they modify the pregnancy metabolism of mothers by targeting nutrition prior to conception and even during early development, as a complement to the conventional focus on bolstering macronutrient intake during pregnancy itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaneta M Thayer
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hinman Box 6047, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Julienne Rutherford
- Department of Women, Children and Family Health Science, University of Illinois Chicago, 845 S. Damen Ave., MC 802, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Ave, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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Farewell CV, Jewell J, Walls J, Leiferman JA. A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study of Perinatal Risk and Resilience During COVID-19. J Prim Care Community Health 2020; 11:2150132720944074. [PMID: 32674654 PMCID: PMC7370556 DOI: 10.1177/2150132720944074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction/Objectives: National guidelines underscore the need for improvement in the detection and treatment of mood disorders in the perinatal period. Exposure to disasters can amplify perinatal mood disorders and even have intergenerational impacts. The primary aim of this pilot study was to use mixed-methods to better understand the mental health and well-being effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as sources of resilience, among women during the perinatal period. Methods: The study team used a simultaneous exploratory mixed-methods design to investigate the primary objective. Thirty-one pregnant and postpartum women participated in phone interviews and were invited to complete an online survey which included validated mental health and well-being measures. Results: Approximately 12% of the sample reported high depressive symptomatology and 60% reported moderate or severe anxiety. Forty percent of the sample reported being lonely. The primary themes related to stress were uncertainty surrounding perinatal care, exposure risk for both mother and baby, inconsistent messaging from information sources and lack of support networks. Participants identified various sources of resilience, including the use of virtual communication platforms, engaging in self-care behaviors (eg, adequate sleep, physical activity, and healthy eating), partner emotional support, being outdoors, gratitude, and adhering to structures and routines. Conclusions: Since the onset of COVID-19, many pregnant and postpartum women report struggling with stress, depression, and anxiety symptomatology. Findings from this pilot study begin to inform future intervention work to best support this highly vulnerable population.
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The Ecology of Breastfeeding and Mother-Infant Immune Functions. THE MOTHER-INFANT NEXUS IN ANTHROPOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-27393-4_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Nobles J, Hamoudi A. Detecting the Effects of Early-Life Exposures: Why Fecundity Matters. POPULATION RESEARCH AND POLICY REVIEW 2019; 38:783-809. [PMID: 33408430 PMCID: PMC7785096 DOI: 10.1007/s11113-019-09562-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal exposures have meaningful effects on health across the lifecourse. Innovations in causal inference have shed new light on these effects. Here, we motivate the importance of innovation in the characterization of fecundity, and prenatal selection in particular. We argue that such innovation is crucial for expanding knowledge of the fetal origins of later life health. Pregnancy loss is common, responsive to environmental factors, and closely related to maternal and fetal health outcomes. As a result, selection into live birth is driven by many of the same exposures that shape the health trajectories of survivors. Lifecourse effects that are inferred without accounting for these dynamics may be significantly distorted by survival bias. We use a set of Monte Carlo simulations with realistic parameters to examine the implications of prenatal survival bias. We find that even in conservatively specified scenarios, true fetal origin effects can be underestimated by 50% or more. In contrast, effects of exposures that reduce the probability of prenatal survival but improve the health of survivors will be overestimated. The absolute magnitude of survival bias can even exceed small effect sizes, resulting in inferences that beneficial exposures are harmful or vice-versa. We also find reason for concern that moderately sized true effects, underestimated due to failure to account for selective survival, are missing from scientific knowledge because they do not clear statistical significance filters. This bias has potential real-world costs; policy decisions about interventions to improve maternal and infant health will be affected by underestimated program impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna Nobles
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1180 Observatory Drive Madison, Wisconsin 53706
| | - Amar Hamoudi
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1180 Observatory Drive Madison, Wisconsin 53706
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Abstract
Armed conflict regularly presents extremely adverse circumstances not only for combatants, but also for civilians. In fact, estimates from various wars over the past 70 years suggest that noncombatants comprise the majority of casualties. For survivors, war's effects are often embodied, leaving long-term effects on health and biology. Some of these effects, such as injuries and psychological trauma, are well known. Yet other effects may be subtle and may be elucidated by a developmental biological perspective. In early life, when growth rates are highest, conditions of war may have their greatest impact. Depending on local circumstances, a developing embryo, infant, or child growing in a place embroiled in armed conflict is likely to face—directly or indirectly—various stressors, including malnutrition, infectious disease, and/or psychological stress. Thus, the conditions of war and forced displacement may become embodied, getting under the skin for fundamental biological reasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick F. Clarkin
- Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts 02125-3393, USA
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Rosinger AY. Biobehavioral variation in human water needs: How adaptations, early life environments, and the life course affect body water homeostasis. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 32:e23338. [PMID: 31631450 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Body water homeostasis is critical for optimal physiological and cognitive function for humans. The majority of research has illustrated the negative biological consequences of failing to meet water needs. The human body has several mechanisms for detecting, regulating, and correcting body water deficits and excesses. However, variation exists in total water intake and how people meet those water needs as well as thirst thresholds and how well people tolerate water restriction. An evolutionary and developmental framework provides an underexplored perspective into human water needs by examining how adaptations, early life experiences and environments, as well as life course changes in health states and behaviors may shape these critical factors in body water homeostasis. This article first reviews biological and behavioral adaptations to water scarcity among animals and humans. It then examines human variation in water intake in a mostly water secure environment through the analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dietary data and the link between water intake patterns and hydration biomarkers. Next, it reviews existing evidence of how maternal water restriction in utero and during lactation shape vasopressin release, thirst thresholds, drinking patterns, and body water homeostasis for the infant. Early life water restriction appears to have implications for hydration status, body size, and cardiovascular health. Finally, it examines how life course changes in health states and behaviors, including obesity, sleep, and parasitic infection, affect body water homeostasis. This article poses new questions about the plasticity and shaping of human water needs, thirst, and hydration behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asher Y Rosinger
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania.,Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania
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