Faculty Bibliography

The association of socioeconomic status with academic readiness and school achievement is well established. However, the specific contributions of cognitive and social aspects of self-regulation, and potential reciprocal relations between them in the prediction of school readiness and early school achievement have not previously been examined. This study examined mediational processes involving children's executive function (EF) skills at 58 months and Grade 1 (G1) and social competence in Kindergarten (K) and G1, as potential pathways by which early-life poverty-related risks influence Grade 2 (G2) math and reading achievement. Data came from the Family Life Project, which is a prospective longitudinal study of 1,292 children and families followed from birth in primarily low-income, non-urban counties in Pennsylvania (PA) and North Carolina (NC). Autoregressive cross-lagged mediation analyses indicated that EF at 58 months through EF at G1 mediated negative associations between cumulative risk exposure and academic skills, with this pathway mediating 36% of the total effect. Furthermore, social competence at K through EF at G1 mediated negative associations between early-life cumulative socioeconomic risk and academic skills, mediating 16% of the total effect. These findings provide evidence that poverty-related risks can influence school readiness and academic achievement via EF. Additionally, these results provide preliminary support for the premise that social competence through EF is a pathway by which cumulative poverty-related risk predicts early academic competence. Our findings are consistent with studies demonstrating developmental associations between EF and social competence. Furthermore, our findings are consistent with prekindergarten programs for children in poverty that emphasize both cognitive and social aspects of self-regulation.

Alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA], 'Molly') are among the most prevalent substances used by young adults; however, few studies have focused on the specific sexual effects associated with use. Examining subjective sexual effects (e.g. increased libido) associated with use can inform prevention efforts. Data were analysed from 679 nightclub and dance festival attendees in New York City (ages 18-25) to examine and compare self-reported sexual effects associated with use of alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy. Results suggest that compared to marijuana, alcohol and ecstasy were more strongly associated with heightened perceived sexual effects (i.e. perceived sexual attractiveness of self and others, sexual desire, length of intercourse, and sexual outgoingness). Increased body and sex organ sensitivity and increased sexual intensity were most commonly associated with ecstasy use. Sexual dysfunction was most common while using alcohol or ecstasy, especially among males, and females were more likely to report sexual dysfunction after using marijuana. Post-sex regret was most common with alcohol use. Alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy each have different sexual effects; therefore, each is associated with different risks and benefits for users. Findings can inform prevention and harm reduction as young adults are prone to use these substances.

Background: suPAR is an inflammatory mediator that has been linked to the pathogenesis of FSGS and progression of chronic kidney disease in children and adults. Overexpression of suPAR leads to reduced nephron development in preclinical models. This study was designed to measure suPAR in pregnant women to determine the range of fetal exposure to this molecule and its potential influence on antenatal human kidney growth.
Method(s): Pregnant women enrolled in the Children's Health and Environment Study (CHES) provided serum samples obtaining during 1-3 trimesters. Clinical information was obtained from the electronic health record. suPAR levels were determined by ELISA (Virogates, Copenhagen, Denmark). Data are presented as mean+/-SD. Results were analyzed by Pearson correlation and ANOVA.
Result(s): 515 mothers were studied, age 31+/-6 yr, and racial distribution 44% Caucasian, 7% African American, 9 % Asian, and 41% other/unspecified. 46% of the women were Hispanic. 29% had completed a high school education or less and 28% had an annual income <$50,000. There were 464 livebirths, 50.4% girls. The serum suPAR levels (mean, SD, minimum, maximum) are summarized in the Table. The suPAR levels in the subgroup of women who provided more than one sample during pregnancy were closely correlated (r=0.79-0.94, P<0.0001)). The decline in serum suPAR levels from trimester 1 to 3 was highly significant (P<0.001).
Conclusion(s): Maternal suPAR levels are detectable throughout pregnancy but decline from trimester 1 to 3. The levels are highly correlated and steady during the course of pregnancy in an individual woman. There is more than a 10-fold range in suPAR concentration which may contribute to the biological variation in nephron number at birth. Follow-up assessment in the infants will be performed in the prospective Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort study. (Table Presented)

Background/UNASSIGNED:The retinal microcirculation has been studied in various diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). However, inter-eye correlations and potential differences of the retinal blood flow velocity (BFV) remain largely unstudied but may be important in guiding eye selection as well as the design and interpretation of studies assessing or utilizing retinal BFV. The primary aim of this study was to determine inter-eye correlations in BFVs in healthy controls (HCs). Since prior studies raise the possibility of reduced BFV in MS eyes, a secondary aim was to compare retinal BFVs between MS eyes, grouped based on optic neuritis (ON) history and HC eyes. Methods/UNASSIGNED:Macular arteriole and venule BFVs were determined using a retinal function imager (RFI) in both eyes of 20 HCs. One eye from a total of 38 MS patients comprising 13 eyes with ON (MSON) and 25 eyes without ON (MSNON) history were similarly imaged with RFI. Results/UNASSIGNED: = 0.48, respectively). Conclusions/UNASSIGNED:Inter-eye arteriolar and venular BFVs do not differ significantly in HCs and are strongly correlated. Our findings support prior observations that arteriolar and venular BFVs may be reduced in MS eyes. Moreover, this seems to be the case in both MS eyes with and without a history of ON, raising the possibility of global blood flow alterations in MS. Future larger studies are needed to assess differences in BFVs between MSON and MSNON eyes.

Visual symptoms, such as photophobia and blurred vision, are common in patients with concussion. Such symptoms may be accompanied by abnormalities of specific eye movements, such as saccades and convergence, or accommodation deficits. The high frequency of visual involvement in concussion is not surprising, since more than half of the brain's pathways are dedicated to vision and eye movement control. These areas include many that are most vulnerable to head trauma, including the frontal and temporal lobes. Vision and eye movement testing is important at the bedside and on the sidelines of athletic events, where brief performance measures that require eye movements, such as rapid number naming, are reliable and sensitive measures for concussion detection. Tests of vision and eye movements are also being explored clinically to identify and monitor patients with symptoms of both sport- and nonsport-related concussion. Evaluation of vision and eye movements can assist in making important decisions after concussion, including the prognosis for symptom recovery, and to direct further visual rehabilitation as necessary.

Background: Environmental chemical exposures are linked to oxidative stress and kidney injury in children and adults. This applies to short-lived organic compounds such as bisphenol A and phthalates and persistent synthetic chemicals such as perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). Most investigations to date have been conducted in developed countries with few data about environmental chemical exposures in children living in Africa.
Method(s): Clinical and laboratory data about pediatric patients enrolled in the H3 Africa observational cohort study including age, gender, BMI, serum creatinine, eGFR, proteinuria were collected. Serum samples that had been collected at enrollment were retrieved from the Biorepository and analyzed for PFAAs and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and DDE presticides using established methods. Proteinuria was assessed in a first morning urine sample. Results are presented as mean+/-SD.
Result(s): 86 patients with CKD (41 M:45 F), age 12.6+/-2.6 yr old, were included in this nested case control study. The eGFR was 75+/-4 and the albumin:creatinine ratio was 65+/-186. The chemical exposures are summarized in the Table. There was no association between exposure (log of serum concentration) to PFAAs and proteinuria. However, controlling for age, gender, and BMI, there was an inverse relationship between eGFR and exposure to PFNA, -21.2 [95% CI:-41.6 -0.8] and PFDA -18.3 [95% CI:-35.3 --1.3] ml/min/log unit increase in exposure and a trend towards a similar effect for PFOS. PBDE/DDEs were detected in a small fraction of children and because of small sample size associations with effect markers were not made
Conclusion(s): PFAA exposure is substantially lower in H3 Africa participants than in healthy US children, age 12-19 enrolled in NHANES 2003-2010. However, even at these lower levels of exposure there was an adverse association between select PFAAs and GFR. These studies indicate the feasibility of measuring environmental chemical exposure in developing countries. The impact of these chemical exposures on kidney function will require larger cohorts of children followed for more extended periods of time

Introduction Oral mucositis (OM) is one of the most debilitating adverse effects in patients undergoing cancer treatment. Physiologically, chemotherapy (CT) and radiotherapy (RT) evoke a profound inflammatory response, resulting in mucosal injury, which can result in an increased susceptibility to infection. Objectives The objective of this pilot study was to asses the effects of a novel oral care protocol on OM severity and to evaluate salivary cytokines in head and neck cancer patients undergoing RT or CT/RT at the NYU Langone Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center. Methods A total of ten participants were included in this study, and randomized to an InterventionGroup (IG), or ControlGroup (CG). Subjects assigned to the CG received a standard of care oral hygiene on a bi-weekly basis. Subjects assigned to the IG received the Oral Mucosal Deterging and Dental Prophylaxis (OMDP) protocol weekly, which consisted of a periodontal surface debridement and cleansing and deterging of the oral mucosa surfaces. Results Salivary inflammatory biomarkers, noted in levels of IFN-gamma, IL10, IL12p70, IL13, TNFalpha and IL-6 had a significant increase in the CG and reduced or stayed the same under the IG. Although not statistically significant, a tendency of pain decrease was observed in the IG and difficulty in swallowing was statistically significant when both groups were compared (p = 0,016). Conclusions These results suggest that overall inflammation was consistently higher as compared to baseline in the CG, providing encouragement for the effectiveness of the oral care protocol as a coadjutant treatment for this population

Introduction/UNASSIGNED:Biomarkers of metabolic syndrome expressed soon after World Trade Center (WTC) exposure predict development of WTC Lung Injury (WTC-LI). The metabolome remains an untapped resource with potential to comprehensively characterise many aspects of WTC-LI. This case-control study identified a clinically relevant, robust subset of metabolic contributors of WTC-LI through comprehensive high-dimensional metabolic profiling and integration of machine learning techniques. Methods/UNASSIGNED:Never-smoking, male, WTC-exposed firefighters with normal pre-9/11 lung function were segregated by post-9/11 lung function. Cases of WTC-LI (forced expiratory volume in 1s <lower limit of normal, n=15) and controls (n=15) were identified from previous cohorts. The metabolome of serum drawn within 6 months of 9/11 was quantified. Machine learning was used for dimension reduction to identify metabolites associated with WTC-LI. Results/UNASSIGNED:580 metabolites qualified for random forests (RF) analysis to identify a refined metabolite profile that yielded maximal class separation. RF of the refined profile correctly classified subjects with a 93.3% estimated success rate. 5 clusters of metabolites emerged within the refined profile. Prominent subpathways include known mediators of lung disease such as sphingolipids (elevated in cases of WTC-LI), and branched-chain amino acids (reduced in cases of WTC-LI). Principal component analysis of the refined profile explained 68.3% of variance in five components, demonstrating class separation. Conclusion/UNASSIGNED:Analysis of the metabolome of WTC-exposed 9/11 rescue workers has identified biologically plausible pathways associated with loss of lung function. Since metabolites are proximal markers of disease processes, metabolites could capture the complexity of past exposures and better inform treatment. These pathways warrant further mechanistic research.