The development of biological markers of aging has primarily focused on adult samples. Epigenetic clocks are a promising tool for measuring biological age that show impressive accuracy across most tissues and age ranges. In adults, deviations from the DNA methylation (DNAm) age prediction are correlated with several age-related phenotypes, such as mortality and frailty. In children, however, fewer such associations have been made, possibly because DNAm changes are more dynamic in pediatric populations as compared to adults. To address this gap, we aimed to develop a highly accurate, noninvasive, biological measure of age specific to pediatric samples using buccal epithelial cell DNAm. We gathered 1,721 genome-wide DNAm profiles from 11 different cohorts of typically developing individuals aged 0 to 20 y old. Elastic net penalized regression was used to select 94 CpG sites from a training dataset (n = 1,032), with performance assessed in a separate test dataset (n = 689). DNAm at these 94 CpG sites was highly predictive of age in the test cohort (median absolute error = 0.35 y). The Pediatric-Buccal-Epigenetic (PedBE) clock was characterized in additional cohorts, showcasing the accuracy in longitudinal data, the performance in nonbuccal tissues and adult age ranges, and the association with obstetric outcomes. The PedBE tool for measuring biological age in children might help in understanding the environmental and contextual factors that shape the DNA methylome during child development, and how it, in turn, might relate to child health and disease.

The JB is a dynamic structure that forms after 2 years, and its size stabilizes in adulthood. The determinants in its exact position and size are multifactorial and may be related to blood flow. Improved understanding of this structure's development may help to better understand the cause of the high-riding JB and JB diverticulum, both of which may cause clinical symptoms.

Cell fusion occurs when several cells combine to form a multinuclear aggregate (syncytium). In human placenta, a syncytialized trophoblast (syncytiotrophoblast) layer forms the primary interface between maternal and fetal tissue, facilitates nutrient and gas exchange, and produces hormones vital for pregnancy. Syncytiotrophoblast development occurs by differentiation of underlying progenitor cells called cytotrophoblasts, which then fuse into the syncytiotrophoblast layer. Differentiation is associated with chromatin remodeling and specific changes in gene expression mediated, at least in part, by histone acetylation. However, the epigenetic regulation of human cytotrophoblast differentiation and fusion is poorly understood. In this study, we found that human syncytiotrophoblast development was associated with deacetylation of multiple core histone residues. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing revealed chromosomal regions that exhibit dynamic alterations in histone H3 acetylation during differentiation. These include regions containing genes classically associated with cytotrophoblast differentiation (TEAD4, TP63, OVOL1, CGB), as well as near genes with novel regulatory roles in trophoblast development and function, such as LHX4 and SYDE1. Prevention of histone deacetylation using both pharmacological and genetic approaches inhibited trophoblast fusion, supporting a critical role of this process for trophoblast differentiation. Finally, we identified the histone deacetylases (HDACs) HDAC1 and HDAC2 as the critical mediators driving cytotrophoblast differentiation. Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into the epigenetic mechanisms underlying trophoblast fusion during human placental development.

The medical device industry is undergoing rapid change as innovation accelerates, new business models emerge, and artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things create disruptive possibilities in health care. On the innovation front, global annual patent applications related to medical devices have tripled in 10 years, and technology cycle times have halved in just 5 years. Connectivity has explodedby 2021, the world will have more than three times as many smart connected devices as people-and more and more medical devices and processes contain integrated sensors. In this article, we report on recent McKinsey (McKinsey & Company, New York, New York) work to map start-ups and trends shaping the future of medical imaging. We identify technology clusters with prospects of future growth, look at some of their cutting-edge practices, and consider what the implications may be for our specialty.

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BackgroundFamily financial stress and parenting behaviours are each associated with child behaviours. We sought to explore the association between parent financial stress and child socioemotional and behavioural difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic and examine parenting behaviour, including overreactive and lax parenting approaches, as a potential mediator to this relationship.MethodsCross-sectional sample of parent and child data pairings in Ontario, Canada between April and November of 2020. Linear models were used to describe the relationships between financial worry, child Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) total difficulties and parenting behaviours measured by the Parenting Scale 8-item (PS-8), which includes measures of both overreactive and lax parenting tendencies. Formal mediation testing was performed to assess the potential mediating role of parenting behaviour.Results528 parent and child pairs were enrolled from largely European ancestry (78%), female (93%) and varied household income levels. Analysis revealed increased financial worry during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly associated with increased child SDQ total difficulties scores (β=0.23, SE=0.10, p=0.03). This relationship was mediated by reported parenting behaviour, independent of parent education, household income, parent age, parent sex, parent anxiety and child sex (total effect: β=0.69, p=0.02, average causal mediation effects: β=0.50, p=0.02, average direct effects: β=0.19, p=0.08).ConclusionFinancial stress during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with poorer child social and emotional well-being. Parenting behaviours measured by the PS-8 significantly mediated these effects. This work supports the importance of policies aimed to alleviate family financial stresses and highlights the potential impact such policies have on child well-being.