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1. Clinically Meaningful Magnetic Resonance Endpoints Sensitive to Preataxic Spinocerebellar Ataxia Types 1 and 3

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.26573  

   Chandrasekaran, Jayashree ; Petit, Emilien ; Park, Young Woo ; du Montcel, Sophie Tezenas ; Joers, James M. ; Deelchand, Dinesh K. ; Považan, Michal ; Banan, Guita ; Valabregue, Romain ; Ehses, Philipp ; et al ( December 2022 , Annals of Neurology)

   This study was undertaken to identify magnetic resonance (MR) metrics that are most sensitive to early changes in the brain in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) and type 3 (SCA3) using an advanced multimodal MR imaging (MRI) protocol in the multisite trial setting.

   SCA1 or SCA3 mutation carriers and controls (n = 107) underwent MR scanning in the US‐European READISCA study to obtain structural, diffusion MRI, and MR spectroscopy data using an advanced protocol at 3T. Morphometric, microstructural, and neurochemical metrics were analyzed blinded to diagnosis and compared between preataxic SCA (n = 11 SCA1, n = 28 SCA3), ataxic SCA (n = 14 SCA1, n = 37 SCA3), and control (n = 17) groups using nonparametric testing accounting for multiple comparisons. MR metrics that were most sensitive to preataxic abnormalities were identified using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses.

   Atrophy and microstructural damage in the brainstem and cerebellar peduncles and neurochemical abnormalities in the pons were prominent in both preataxic groups, when patients did not differ from controls clinically. MR metrics were strongly associated with ataxia symptoms, activities of daily living, and estimated ataxia duration. A neurochemical measure was the most sensitive metric to preataxic changes in SCA1 (ROC area under the curve [AUC] = 0.95), and a microstructural metric was the most sensitive metric to preataxic changes in SCA3 (AUC = 0.92).

   Changes in cerebellar afferent and efferent pathways underlie the earliest symptoms of both SCAs. MR metrics collected with a harmonized advanced protocol in the multisite trial setting allow detection of disease effects in individuals before ataxia onset with potential clinical trial utility for subject stratification. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:686–701

    

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2. A cotwin control study of associations between financial hardship and binge eating phenotypes during COVID ‐19

   https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23841  

   Mikhail, Megan E. ; Ackerman, Lindsay S. ; Culbert, Kristen M. ; Burt, S. Alexandra ; Neale, Michael C. ; Keel, Pamela K. ; Katzman, Debra K. ; Klump, Kelly L. ( October 2022 , International Journal of Eating Disorders)

   COVID‐19 was associated with significant financial hardship and increased binge eating (BE). However, it is largely unknown whether financial stressors contributed to BE during the pandemic. We used a longitudinal, cotwin control design that controls for genetic/environmental confounds by comparing twins in the same family to examine whether financial hardship during COVID‐19 was associated with BE.

   Female twins (N = 158;M_age = 22.13) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry rated financial stressors (e.g., inability to afford necessities) daily for 49 consecutive days during COVID‐19. We first examined whether financial hardship was associated with BE phenotypes across the full sample. We then examined whether cotwins who differed on financial hardship also differed in BE.

   Participants who experienced greater mean financial hardship across the study had significantly greater dimensional BE symptoms, and participants who experienced greater financial hardship on a given day reported significantly more emotional eating that day. These results were replicated in cotwin control analyses. Twins who experienced more financial hardship than their cotwin across the study reported greater dimensional BE symptoms than their cotwin, and participants who experienced more financial hardship than their cotwin on a given day reported greater emotional eating that day. Results were identical when restricting analyses to monozygotic twins, suggesting associations were not due to genetic confounds.

   Results suggest that BE‐related symptoms may be elevated in women who experienced financial hardship during COVID‐19 independent of potential genetic/environmental confounds. However, additional research in larger samples is needed.

   Little is known regarding how financial difficulties during the COVID‐19 pandemic may have contributed to increased binge eating (BE). We found preliminary evidence that financial hardship during COVID‐19 may be associated with greater rates of BE‐related symptoms even when comparing twins from the same family. While additional research is needed, results suggest that people who experienced financial hardship during COVID‐19 may be at increased risk for BE.

    

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3. Biomarkers of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction Among Children in Rural Bangladesh

   https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000001557  

   Campbell, Rebecca K. ; Schulze, Kerry J. ; Shaikh, Saijuddin ; Mehra, Sucheta ; Ali, Hasmot ; Wu, Lee ; Raqib, Rubhana ; Baker, Sarah ; Labrique, Alain ; West, Jr, Keith P. ; et al ( July 2017 , Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition)

   Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) may inhibit growth and development in low‐ and middle‐income countries, but available assessment methodologies limit its study. In rural Bangladesh, we measured EED using the widely used lactulose mannitol ratio (L:M) test and a panel of intestinal and systemic health biomarkers to evaluate convergence among biomarkers and describe risk factors for EED.

   In 539 18‐month‐old children finishing participation in a randomized food supplementation trial, serum, stool, and urine collected after lactulose and mannitol dosing were analyzed for biomarkers of intestinal absorption, inflammation, permeability and repair, and systemic inflammation. EED scores for each participant were developed using principal component analysis and partial least squares regression. Associations between scores and L:M and with child sociodemographic and health characteristics were evaluated using regression analysis.

   EED prevalence (L:M > 0.07) was 39.0%; 60% had elevated acute phase proteins (C‐reactive protein >5 mg/L or α‐1 acid glycoprotein >100 mg/dL). Correlations between intestinal biomarkers were low, with the highest between myeloperoxidase and α‐1 antitrypsin (r= 0.33,P< 0.01), and biomarker values did not differ by supplementation history. A 1‐factor partial least squares model with L:M as the dependent variable explained only 8.6% of L:M variability. In adjusted models, L:M was associated with child sex and socioeconomic status index, whereas systemic inflammation was predicted mainly by recent illness, not EED.

   Impaired intestinal health is widespread in this setting of prevalent stunting, but a panel of serum and stool biomarkers demonstrated poor agreement with L:M. Etiologies of intestinal and systemic inflammation are likely numerous and complex in resource‐poor settings, underscoring the need for a better case definition with corresponding diagnostic methods to further the study of EED.

    

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4. Lifestyle mediates seasonal changes in metabolic health among the yakut (sakha) of northeastern siberia

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22879  

   Levy, Stephanie B. ; Leonard, William R. ; Tarskaia, Larissa A. ; Klimova, Tatiana M. ; Fedorova, Valentina I. ; Baltakhinova, Marina E. ; Josh Snodgrass, J. ( June 2016 , American Journal of Human Biology)

   Among indigenous circumpolar populations, extreme seasonality influences food availability and energy metabolism. Furthermore, subsistence patterns and wage labor opportunities shift with season. Thus, health measures among circumpolar populations likely exhibit seasonal changes that are influenced by lifestyle factors. This study examines how markers of cardio‐metabolic health vary between summer and winter as a function of an individual's lifestyle and sex among the Yakut of northeastern Siberia.

   Anthropometric dimensions, serum lipids and glucose levels, blood pressure, and lifestyle data were collected for a sample of 115 Yakut participants (71 women, 44 men) in Berdygestiakh, Sakha Republic, Russia in the summer of 2009 and winter of 2011.

   Men and women experienced significant increases in total and HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels from summer to winter. Women exhibited winter‐time increases in adiposity and glucose levels. Men who reported greater market integration were more likely to have lower winter blood pressure levels. Additionally, time spent fishing was associated with lower winter‐time LDL cholesterol, while foraging time was associated with higher HDL cholesterol.

   While seasonal changes in anthropometric dimensions were modest, Yakut men and women experienced significant increases in total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol from summer to winter. These results also suggest that while Yakut individuals with greater subsistence participation are more buffered from adverse seasonal changes in cholesterol levels, they may be at a greater risk for winter increases in blood pressure. Furthermore, the interactions between lifestyle and seasonal change in metabolic health appear to differ between Yakut women and men. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:868–878, 2016. © 2016Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

    

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5. Dietary and plasma carotenoids are positively associated with alpha diversity in the fecal microbiota of pregnant women

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15586  

   Schmidt, Kristen M. ; Haddad, Eliot N. ; Sugino, Kameron Y. ; Vevang, Karin R. ; Peterson, Lisa A. ; Koratkar, Revati ; Gross, Myron D. ; Kerver, Jean M. ; Comstock, Sarah S. ( January 2021 , Journal of Food Science)

   Because microbes use carotenoids as an antioxidant for protection, dietary carotenoids could be associated with gut microbiota composition. We aimed to determine associations among reported carotenoid intake, plasma carotenoid concentrations, and fecal bacterial communities in pregnant women. Pregnant women (n= 27) were enrolled in a two‐arm study designed to assess feasibility of biospecimen collection and delivery of a practical nutrition intervention. Plasma and fecal samples were collected and women were surveyed with a 24‐hr dietary checklist and recalls. Plasma carotenoids were analyzed by HPLC using photodiode array detection. Fecal bacteria were analyzed by 16S rRNA DNA sequencing. Results presented are cross‐sectional from the 36‐week gestational study visit combined across both study arms due to lack of significant differences between intervention and usual care groups (n= 23 women with complete data). Recent intake of carotenoid‐containing foods included carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, apricots, and/or bell peppers for 48% of women; oranges/orange juice (17%); egg (39%); tomato/tomato‐based sauces (52%); fruits (83%); and vegetables (65%). Average plasma carotenoid concentrations were 6.4 µg/dL α‐carotene (AC), 17.7 µg/dL β‐carotene (BC), 11.4 µg/dL cryptoxanthin, 39.0 µg/dL trans‐lycopene, and 29.8 µg/dL zeaxanthin and lutein. AC and BC concentrations were higher in women who recently consumed foods high in carotenoids. CR concentrations were higher in women who consumed oranges/orange juice. Microbiota α‐diversity positively correlated with AC and BC. Microbiota β‐diversity differed significantly across reported intake of carotenoid containing foods and plasma concentrations of AC. This may reflect an effect of high fiber or improved overall dietary quality, rather than a specific effect of carotenoids.

   Little is known about the association between the gut microbiome and specific dietary microconstituents, such as carotenoids, especially during pregnancy. This research demonstrates that a carotenoid‐rich diet during pregnancy supports a diverse microbiota, which could be one mechanism by which carotenoids promote health.

    

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