The joint impact of pregnancy, environmental, and sociocultural exposures on early life gut microbiome is not yet well-characterized, especially in racially and socioeconomically diverse populations. Gut microbiota of 298 children from a Detroit-based birth cohort were profiled using 16S rRNA sequencing: 130 neonates (median age = 1.2 months) and 168 infants (median age = 6.6 months). Multiple factors were associated with neonatal gut microbiome composition in both single- and multi-factor models, with independent contributions of maternal race-ethnicity, breastfeeding, mode of delivery, marital status, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, and indoor pets. These findings were consistent in the infants, and networks demonstrating the shared impact of factors on gut microbial composition also showed notable topological similarity between neonates and infants. Further, latent groups defined by these factors explained additional variation, highlighting the importance of combinatorial effects. Our findings also have implications for studies investigating the impact of the early life gut microbiota on disease.

Objective The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a policy in 2012 that penalizes hospitals for ‘excessive’ all-cause hospital readmissions within 30 days after discharge for heart failure (HF), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and pneumonia. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of psychiatric comorbidities on 30-day all-cause readmissions for heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia. Methods Longitudinal study from 2009-2011 within 11 Mental Health Research Network (MHRN) affiliated health systems. Data were derived from the HMO Research Network Virtual Data Warehouse. Participants were individuals admitted to the hospital for HF, AMI, and pneumonia. All index inpatient hospitalizations for HF, AMI and pneumonia were captured (n=160,169 patient index admissions). Psychiatric diagnoses were measured for the year prior to admission. All-cause readmissions within 30 days of discharge were the outcome variable. Results Approximately 18% of all individuals with these conditions were readmitted within 30-days. The rate was 5% greater for individuals with a past-year psychiatric comorbidity (21.7%) than for those without (16.5%; p<.001). Depression, anxiety, and dementia were associated with more readmissions for those with index hospitalizations for all three conditions independently and combined (p<.05). Substance use and bipolar disorders were linked with higher readmissions for those with initial HF and pneumonia hospitalizations (p<.05). Readmission rates declined overall from 2009-2011. Conclusions Individuals with HF, AMI, and pneumonia experience high rates of readmission, but psychiatric comorbidities appear to increase that risk. Future readmission interventions should consider adding mental health components.

African American women with lower VDN exhibit increased depressive symptoms. Research on vitamin D supplementation for reducing antenatal depressive symptoms is needed.

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Purpose Vitamin D deficiency and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines have been associated individually with postpartum depression (PPD). African American women are at increased risk for prenatal vitamin D deficiency, inflammation, and prenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms, but biological risk factors for PPD in this population have rarely been tested. This prospective study tested whether low prenatal vitamin D status (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25[OH]D) predicted PPD symptomatology in pregnant African American women, and whether high levels of prenatal inflammation interacted with low 25(OH)D in effects on PPD symptoms. Methods Vitamin D status was measured in the first trimester in a sample of 91 African American pregnant women who also had a second trimester blood sample assayed for inflammatory markers. Depressive symptoms were assessed at a postpartum visit. Results An inverse association between prenatal log 25(OH)D and PPD symptomatology approached significance (β = -0.209, p = 0.058), and interleukin-6 and IL-6/IL-10 ratio significantly moderated the effect. Among women with higher levels of inflammatory markers, lower prenatal log 25(OH)D was associated with significantly higher PPD symptoms (p <0.05). Conclusion These preliminary results are intriguing because if replicable, simple translational opportunities, such as increasing vitamin D status in pregnant women with elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, may reduce PPD symptoms.