1  5214 102 PRETERM BEHAVIORAL EPIGENETICS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BEHAVIORAL EPIGENETICS IS REVEALING NEW PATHWAYS THAT LEAD INDIVIDUALS FROM EARLY ADVERSITY EXPOSURES TO LATER-IN-LIFE DETRIMENTAL OUTCOMES. PRETERM BIRTH CONSTITUTES ONE OF THE MAJOR ADVERSE EVENTS IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. PRETERM INFANTS ARE HOSPITALIZED IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU) WHERE THEY ARE EXPOSED TO LIFE-SAVING YET PAIN-INDUCING PROCEDURES AND TO PROTECTIVE CARE. THE APPLICATION OF BEHAVIORAL EPIGENETICS TO THE FIELD OF PRETERM STUDIES (I.E., PRETERM BEHAVIORAL EPIGENETICS, PBE) IS RAPIDLY GROWING AND HOLDS PROMISES TO PROVIDE VALID INSIGHTS FOR RESEARCH AND CLINICAL ACTIVITY. HERE, THE EVIDENCE OF THE EPIGENETIC CORRELATES OF PRENATAL ADVERSITIES, NICU-RELATED ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRETERM INFANTS IS SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEWED. THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A NUMBER OF PRENATAL ADVERSE (E.G., MATERNAL DEPRESSION AND STRESS) AND POST-NATAL (E.G., NICU-RELATED PAIN-RELATED STRESS) EVENTS AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF PRETERM INFANTS AND CHILDREN VIA EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS OF IMPRINTED AND STRESS-RELATED GENES. NONETHELESS, THE POTENTIAL EPIGENETIC VESTIGES OF EARLY CARE AND PROTECTIVE INTERVENTIONS IN NICU HAVE NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED YET AND THIS REPRESENTS A FASCINATING CHALLENGE FOR FUTURE PBE RESEARCH.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
2  5961  45 TELOMERE LENGTH IN PRETERM INFANTS: A PROMISING BIOMARKER OF EARLY ADVERSITY AND CARE IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT? PRETERM INFANTS PRESENT AN IMMATURE NEUROBEHAVIORAL PROFILE AT BIRTH, EVEN IN ABSENCE OF SEVERE BRAIN INJURIES AND PERINATAL COMPLICATIONS. AS SUCH, THEY REQUIRE A LONG-LASTING HOSPITALIZATION IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU), WHICH IS THOUGHT TO GRANT AT-RISK NEWBORNS' SURVIVAL, BUT STILL ENTAILS A NUMBER OF PHYSICAL, PAINFUL, AND SOCIO-EMOTIONAL STRESSORS. HENCE, PRETERM BIRTH AND NICU STAY REPRESENT AN EARLY ADVERSE EXPERIENCE, WHICH HAS BEEN LINKED TO DETRIMENTAL CONSEQUENCES FOR NEUROLOGICAL, NEURO-ENDOCRINAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS TO DISEASE LATER IN LIFE. RECENT ADVANCES IN THE BEHAVIORAL EPIGENETIC FIELD ARE HELPING US TO UNVEIL THE POTENTIAL MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH EARLY NICU-RELATED STRESS MAY LEAD TO NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES. FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, TELOMERE REGULATION MIGHT BE A KEY PROGRAMMING MECHANISM. TELOMERES ARE THE TERMINAL PORTION OF CHROMOSOMES AND ARE KNOWN TO GET SHORTER WITH AGE. MOREOVER, TELOMERE LENGTH (TL) IS AFFECTED BY THE EXPOSURE TO STRESS DURING EARLY DEVELOPMENT. AS SUCH, TL MIGHT BE AN INNOVATIVE BIOMARKER OF EARLY ADVERSE EXPOSURES IN YOUNG INFANTS AND CHILDREN. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS PAUCITY OF STUDIES INVESTIGATING TL IN POPULATIONS OF PRETERM INFANTS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH KNOWN NICU-RELATED STRESSORS REMAINS UNEXPLORED. IN THE PRESENT PAPER, THE POTENTIAL RELEVANCE OF TL FOR RESEARCH AND CLINICAL WORK WITH PRETERM INFANTS WILL BE UNDERLINED IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS LINKING PROGRESSIVE TELOMERE SHORTENING AND EARLY EXPOSURE TO ADVERSE EXPERIENCES AND STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENTS IN HUMANS. FINALLY, INSIGHTS WILL BE PROVIDED TO GUIDE CLINICALLY RELEVANT TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH ON TL IN THE FIELD OF VPT BIRTH AND NICU STAY.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
3  1392  20 DIAGNOSTIC APPROACH TO PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN PREMATURE NEONATES. BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA (BPD) IS A FORM OF CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE IN PREMATURE INFANTS FOLLOWING RESPIRATORY DISTRESS AT BIRTH. WITH INCREASING SURVIVAL OF EXTREMELY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS, ALVEOLAR SIMPLIFICATION IS THE DEFINING LUNG CHARACTERISTIC OF INFANTS WITH BPD, AND ALONG WITH PULMONARY HYPERTENSION, INCREASINGLY CONTRIBUTES TO BOTH RESPIRATORY MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN THESE INFANTS. GROWTH RESTRICTED INFANTS, INFANTS BORN TO MOTHERS WITH OLIGOHYDRAMNIOS OR FOLLOWING PROLONGED PRETERM RUPTURE OF MEMBRANES ARE AT PARTICULAR RISK FOR EARLY ONSET PULMONARY HYPERTENSION. ALTERED VASCULAR AND ALVEOLAR GROWTH PARTICULARLY IN CANALICULAR AND EARLY SACCULAR STAGES OF LUNG DEVELOPMENT FOLLOWING MECHANICAL VENTILATION AND OXYGEN THERAPY, RESULTS IN DEVELOPMENTAL LUNG ARREST LEADING TO BPD WITH PULMONARY HYPERTENSION (PH). EARLY RECOGNITION OF PH IN INFANTS WITH RISK FACTORS IS IMPORTANT FOR OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT OF THESE INFANTS. SCREENING TOOLS FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF PH ARE EVOLVING; HOWEVER, ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IS THE MAINSTAY FOR NON-INVASIVE DIAGNOSIS OF PH IN INFANTS. CARDIAC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE ARE BEING USED AS IMAGING MODALITIES, HOWEVER THEIR ROLE IN IMPROVING OUTCOMES IN THESE PATIENTS IS UNCERTAIN. FOLLOW-UP OF INFANTS AT RISK FOR PH WILL HELP NOT ONLY IN EARLY DIAGNOSIS, BUT ALSO IN APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT OF THESE INFANTS. AGGRESSIVE MANAGEMENT OF LUNG DISEASE, AVOIDANCE OF HYPOXEMIC EPISODES, AND OPTIMAL NUTRITION DETERMINE THE PROGRESSION OF PH, AS EPIGENETIC FACTORS MAY HAVE SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS, PARTICULARLY IN GROWTH-RESTRICTED INFANTS. INFANTS WITH DIAGNOSIS OF PH ARE MANAGED WITH PULMONARY VASODILATORS AND THOSE RESISTANT TO THERAPY NEED TO BE WORKED UP FOR THE PRESENCE OF CARDIO-VASCULAR ANOMALIES. THE MANAGEMENT OF INFANTS AND TODDLERS WITH PH, ESPECIALLY FOLLOWING PREMATURE BIRTH IS AN EMERGING FIELD. NONETHELESS, COMBINATION THERAPIES IN A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY SETTING IMPROVES OUTCOMES FOR THESE INFANTS.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
4  4910  40 PAIN EXPOSURE ASSOCIATES WITH TELOMERE LENGTH EROSION IN VERY PRETERM INFANTS. VERY PRETERM (VPT) INFANTS (GESTATIONAL AGE < 32 WEEKS) REQUIRE LONG-LASTING HOSPITALIZATION IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU), EVEN IN ABSENCE OF SEVERE MORBIDITIES. DURING NICU STAY, LIFE-SAVING INTERVENTIONS OCCUR AND INCLUDE INVASIVE AND PAINFUL SKIN-BREAKING PROCEDURES (NICU-RELATED STRESS), WHICH CONSTITUTE A MAJOR EARLY ADVERSE EXPERIENCE FOR VPT INFANTS. TELOMERES ARE REPEAT-SEQUENCE AT THE END OF CHROMOSOMES, WHICH SHORTEN WITH AGE AND ARE HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO LIFE ADVERSITIES: THE EXPOSURE TO EARLY ADVERSE EXPERIENCES IS ASSOCIATED WITH SHORTER TELOMERE LENGTH (TL). NONETHELESS, PREVIOUS RESEARCH DID NOT ASSESS LONGITUDINALLY THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN NICU-RELATED STRESS AND TL IN VPT INFANTS. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, LEUKOCYTE TL WAS ASSESSED FROM CORD BLOOD AT BIRTH IN 46 VPT INFANTS AND IN A GROUP OF 31 FULL-TERM (FT) INFANTS, AS WELL AS AT NICU DISCHARGE IN VPTS ONLY. NICU-RELATED STRESS WAS MEASURED AS THE NUMBER OF SKIN-BREAKING PROCEDURES OCCURRING THROUGHOUT THE NICU STAY. A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE EMERGED FOR TL BETWEEN VPT INFANTS AND FT COUNTERPARTS AT BIRTH. TL DECREASED FROM BIRTH TO DISCHARGE IN VPT INFANTS, ALTHOUGH THE CHANGE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN THE GROUP AS A WHOLE. THE AMOUNT OF NICU-RELATED STRESS EMERGED AS THE PRIMARY PREDICTOR OF TL EROSION IN VPT INFANTS, EVEN CONTROLLING FOR NEONATAL AND CLINICAL CONFOUNDERS. FURTHERMORE, VPT INFANTS EXPOSED TO HIGH NICU-RELATED STRESS EXHIBITED A MARKED AND SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN TL, WHEREAS VPT EXPOSED TO LOW NICU-RELATED STRESS EXHIBITED A NON-SIGNIFICANT INCREASE. THE PRESENT STUDY CONFIRMS PREVIOUS EVIDENCE OF LONGER TELOMERES IN VPT INFANTS AT BIRTH COMPARED TO FT CONTROLS. MOREOVER, NICU-RELATED STRESS EMERGED AS A KEY REGULATOR OF TL EROSION FROM BIRTH TO DISCHARGE IN VPT INFANTS. FUTURE RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO FURTHER EXPLORE TL EROSION IN VPT INFANTS AND THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN NICU-RELATED STRESS SUSCEPTIBILITY AT THE EPIGENETIC LEVEL.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
5  4519  22 MULTI-OMICS IN CROHN'S DISEASE: NEW INSIGHTS FROM INSIDE. CROHN'S DISEASE (CD) IS AN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD) WITH COMPLEX CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS SUCH AS CHRONIC DIARRHEA, WEIGHT LOSS AND HEMATOCHEZIA. DESPITE THE INCREASING INCIDENCE WORLDWIDE, CURE OF CD REMAINS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-THROUGHPUT SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGY WITH INTEGRATED-OMICS ANALYSES IN RECENT YEARS HAS PROVIDED A NEW MEANS FOR EXPLORING THE PATHOGENESIS, MINING THE BIOMARKERS AND DESIGNING TARGETED PERSONALIZED THERAPEUTICS OF CD. HOST GENOMICS AND EPIGENOMICS UNVEIL HEREDITY-RELATED MECHANISMS OF SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUALS, WHILE MICROBIOME AND METABOLOMICS MAP HOST-MICROBE INTERACTIONS IN CD PATIENTS. PROTEOMICS SHOWS GREAT POTENTIAL IN SEARCHING FOR PROMISING BIOMARKERS. NONETHELESS, SINGLE OMICS TECHNOLOGY CANNOT HOLISTICALLY CONNECT THE MECHANISMS WITH HETEROGENEITY OF PATHOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR IN CD. THE RISE OF MULTI-OMICS ANALYSIS INTEGRATES GENETIC/EPIGENETIC PROFILES WITH PROTEIN/MICROBIAL METABOLITE FUNCTIONALITY, PROVIDING NEW HOPE FOR COMPREHENSIVE AND IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF CD. HEREIN, WE EMPHASIZED THE DIFFERENT OMICS FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS OF CD AND DISCUSSED THE CURRENT RESEARCH AND LIMITATIONS OF MULTI-OMICS IN CD. THIS REVIEW WILL UPDATE AND DEEPEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CD FROM INTEGRATION OF BROAD OMICS SPECTRA AND WILL PROVIDE NEW EVIDENCE FOR TARGETED INDIVIDUALIZED THERAPEUTICS.	2023	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
6   734  25 CANCER HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE UNITED STATES. A NEED EXISTS TO EXAMINE RACIAL DISPARITIES IN THE HEALTHCARE ARENA AND THE IMPACT ON PATIENTS WITH CANCER. DESPITE ONGOING EFFORTS TO INCREASE EQUITY IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE ACCESS, RACIAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES PERSIST, THUS CONTRIBUTING TO DISPROPORTIONATE TREATMENT OUTCOMES AND SURVIVORSHIP AMONG MINORITY AND LOW-INCOME PATIENTS. SUCH DISPARITIES HAVE BEEN REVEALED IN TREATMENT COHORTS OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE FORMS OF CANCER, INCLUDING BREAST, CERVICAL, OVARIAN, ENDOMETRIAL, PROSTATE, LUNG, COLORECTAL, GASTROINTESTINAL, AND HEPATOCELLULAR, AND HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO A RANGE OF CO-OCCURRING BEHAVIORAL, SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, UNDERLYING GENETIC FACTORS, AS WELL AS ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT LIMIT THE QUALITY OF INFORMED HEALTHCARE. THESE VARIOUS INTERRELATED FACTORS WIDEN CANCER HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES SYNERGISTICALLY THROUGHOUT UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, AND THEIR INFLUENCE HAS BEEN AMPLIFIED BY THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) PANDEMIC. FUNDAMENTALLY, A LACK OF BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH EXISTS THAT FAILS TO ADEQUATELY REFLECT DIVERSITY AND MINORITY INVOLVEMENT IN DRUG DEVELOPMENT. ALTHOUGH OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES RESPONSIBLE FOR CHRONIC TREATMENT DISPARITIES IS A FORMIDABLE TASK, PROMISING MEANS OF ACHIEVING MORE UNIFORM QUALITY HEALTHCARE ARE BECOMING MORE CLEARLY ELUCIDATED. TO REDUCE DISEASE PROGRESSION, INCREASE OVERALL SURVIVAL, AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, IT IS NECESSARY TO IDENTIFY AND FULLY DISCLOSE ENVIRONMENTAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND ANCESTRAL FACTORS THAT IMPACT THE RISK FOR CANCER; HEAL HISTORICAL FRACTURES WITHIN COMMUNITIES; AND INCREASE PARTICIPATION OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES IN SCREENING EFFORTS AND RESEARCH STUDIES. THIS REQUIRES DEVELOPING A SYSTEM OF JUSTICE AND TRUST BASED ON SPECIFIC, SOLUTION-ORIENTED GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY EFFORTS WORKING IN TANDEM WITH MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL LEADERS. BY FULLY EXPLORING AND PINPOINTING THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES, IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO DEFINE STRATEGIES AND INTERVENTIONS MOST LIKELY TO TRANSFORM CANCER CARE. THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS UNDERSTANDING INDIVIDUAL, CULTURAL, AND BIOLOGICAL VULNERABILITIES, INCLUDING ENVIRONMENTAL AND EPIGENETIC LIABILITIES, TO OPTIMIZE CANCER PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
7   264  19 ADVANCING ASTHMA CARE: THE GLASS IS ONLY HALF FULL! OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN A CONCERTED EFFORT IN THE UNITED STATES TO REDUCE MORBIDITY RELATED TO CHRONIC DISEASE, INCLUDING ASTHMA. ATTENTION WAS INITIALLY DIRECTED TOWARD ASTHMA IN RESPONSE TO THE RECOGNITION THAT ASTHMA MORTALITY WAS INCREASING AND THAT THE BURDEN OF DISEASE WAS SIGNIFICANT. THESE EFFORTS TO ADDRESS ASTHMA MORTALITY LED TO MANY NEW INITIATIVES TO DEVELOP CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES, IMPLEMENT THE ASTHMA GUIDELINES INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE, CONDUCT RESEARCH TO FILL THE GAPS IN THE GUIDELINES, AND CONTINUOUSLY REVISE THE ASTHMA GUIDELINES AS MORE INFORMATION BECAME AVAILABLE. AN ASSESSMENT OF OUR PROGRESS SHOWS SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN RELATION TO REDUCING ASTHMA MORTALITY AND HOSPITALIZATIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, WE ARE NOW AT A CROSSROADS IN ASTHMA CARE. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE RECOGNIZED SOME REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN REDUCING ASTHMA MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY, THE AVAILABILITY OF NEW TOOLS TO MONITOR DISEASE ACTIVITY, INCLUDING BIOMARKERS AND EPIGENETIC MARKERS, ALONG WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS TO MONITOR ASTHMA CONTROL HOLD SOME PROMISE IN IDENTIFYING GAPS IN DISEASE MANAGEMENT. THESE ADVANCES SHOULD PROMPT THE EVOLUTION OF NEW STRATEGIES AND NEW TREATMENTS TO FURTHER REDUCE DISEASE BURDEN. IT NOW BECOMES IMPERATIVE TO CONTINUE A FOCUS ON WAYS TO FURTHER REDUCE THE BURDEN OF ASTHMA AND PREVENT ITS ONSET.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
8  2605  23 EPIGENETICS-A POTENTIAL MEDIATOR BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION AND PRETERM BIRTH. PRETERM BIRTH IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF INFANT MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY AND A POTENTIAL RISK FACTOR FOR ADULT CHRONIC DISEASE. WITH OVER 15 MILLION INFANTS BORN PRETERM WORLDWIDE EACH YEAR, PRETERM BIRTH POSES A GLOBAL HEALTH CONCERN. THERE IS A POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION AND PRETERM BIRTH, THOUGH STUDIES HAVE BEEN INCONSISTENT, LIKELY DUE TO VARIATION IN STUDY DESIGN. HOW AIR POLLUTION INDUCES HEALTH EFFECTS IS UNCERTAIN; HOWEVER, STUDIES HAVE REPEATEDLY DEMONSTRATED THE EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. MORE RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT EPIGENETICS MAY, IN TURN, BE LINKED TO PRETERM BIRTH. DISCOVERY OF ENVIRONMENTALLY MODIFIABLE EPIGENETIC PROCESSES CONNECTED TO PRETERM BIRTH MAY HELP TO IDENTIFY WOMEN AT RISK OF PRETERM BIRTH, AND ULTIMATELY LEAD TO DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PRETERM BIRTH PREVENTION MEASURES.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
9  1960  31 EPIGENETIC AGING IN CHILDREN FROM A SMALL-SCALE FARMING SOCIETY IN THE CONGO BASIN: ASSOCIATIONS WITH CHILD GROWTH AND FAMILY CONFLICT. DEVELOPMENTAL ENVIRONMENTS INFLUENCE INDIVIDUALS' LONG-TERM HEALTH TRAJECTORIES, AND THERE IS INCREASING EMPHASIS ON UNDERSTANDING THE BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS THROUGH WHICH THIS OCCURS. EPIGENETIC AGING EVALUATES DNA METHYLATION AT A SUITE OF DISTINCT CPG SITES IN THE GENOME, AND EPIGENETIC AGE ACCELERATION (EAA) IS LINKED TO HEIGHTENED CHRONIC MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RISKS IN ADULTS. CONSEQUENTLY, EAA PROVIDES INSIGHTS ON TRAJECTORIES OF BIOLOGICAL AGING, WHICH EARLY LIFE EXPERIENCES MAY HELP SHAPE. HOWEVER, FEW STUDIES HAVE MEASURED CORRELATES OF CHILDREN'S EPIGENETIC AGING, ESPECIALLY OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. AND EUROPE. IN PARTICULAR, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW CHILDREN'S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT RELATE TO EAA IN ECOLOGIES IN WHICH ENERGETIC AND PATHOGENIC STRESSORS ARE COMMONPLACE. WE STUDIED EAA FROM DRIED BLOOD SPOTS AMONG BONDONGO CHILDREN (N = 54) RESIDING IN A SMALL-SCALE, FISHER-FARMER SOCIETY IN A REMOTE REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. HERE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE BURDENS AND THEIR RESULTANT ENERGY DEMANDS ARE HIGH. CHILDREN WHO WERE HEAVIER FOR HEIGHT OR TALLER FOR AGE, RESPECTIVELY, EXHIBITED GREATER EAA, INCLUDING INTRINSIC EAA, WHICH IS CONSIDERED TO MEASURE EAA INTERNAL TO CELLS. FURTHERMORE, WE FOUND THAT CHILDREN IN FAMILIES WITH MORE CONFLICT BETWEEN PARENTS HAD GREATER INTRINSIC EAA. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IN CONTEXTS IN WHICH LIMITED ENERGY MUST BE ALLOCATED TO COMPETING DEMANDS, MORE INVESTMENT IN GROWTH MAY COINCIDE WITH GREATER EAA, WHICH PARALLELS FINDINGS IN EUROPEAN CHILDREN WHO DO NOT FACE SIMILAR ENERGETIC CONSTRAINTS. OUR FINDINGS ALSO INDICATE THAT ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ADVERSE FAMILY ENVIRONMENTS AND GREATER INTRINSIC EAA WERE NONETHELESS OBSERVABLE BUT ONLY AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR COVARIATES RELEVANT TO THE ENERGETICALLY AND IMMUNOLOGICALLY DEMANDING NATURE OF THE LOCAL ECOLOGY.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
10  4169  21 MEETING REPORT ON THE 3RD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD). DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD) FOCUSES ON THE EARLIEST STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, AND PROVIDES A NOVEL PARADIGM TO COMPLEMENT OTHER STRATEGIES FOR LIFELONG PREVENTION OF COMMON CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS. THE 3 INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON DOHAD, HELD IN 2005, RETAINED THE MOST POPULAR FEATURES FROM THE FIRST TWO BIANNUAL CONGRESSES, WHILE ADDING A NUMBER OF INNOVATIONS, INCLUDING INCREASED EMPHASIS ON IMPLICATIONS OF DOHAD FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD; PROGRAMS FOR TRAINEES AND YOUNG INVESTIGATORS; AND NEW PERSPECTIVES, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENTAL PLASTICITY, INFLUENCES OF SOCIAL HIERARCHIES, EFFECTS OF PREMATURITY, AND POPULATIONS IN TRANSITION. EMERGING AREAS OF SCIENCE INCLUDED, FIRST, THE CONTROVERSIAL ROLE OF INFANT WEIGHT GAIN IN PREDICTING ADULT OBESITY, DIABETES, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. SECOND, IN THE ERA OF EPIDEMIC OBESITY, PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OVER-NOURISHED FETUS IS AS IMPORTANT AS INVESTIGATING THE GROWTH RETARDED ONE. THIRD, ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS APPEAR TO HAVE ABROAD RANGE OF LONG-LASTING EFFECTS ON THE DEVELOPING HUMAN. FOURTH, EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS COULD UNITE SEVERAL STRANDS OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL OBSERVATIONS, AND EXPLAIN HOW GENETICALLY IDENTICAL INDIVIDUALS RAISED IN SIMILAR POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENTS CAN NONETHELESS DEVELOP WIDELY DIFFERING PHENOTYPES. IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT TO WHICH AN INDIVIDUAL IS EXPOSED DURING DEVELOPMENT MAY BE AS IMPORTANT AS ANY OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH EFFORT TO ENHANCE POPULATION HEALTH WORLD WIDE.	2007	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
11   530  21 ASTHMA. ASTHMA IS THE MOST COMMON INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE LUNGS. THE PREVALENCE OF ASTHMA IS INCREASING IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD THAT HAVE ADOPTED ASPECTS OF THE WESTERN LIFESTYLE, AND THE DISEASE POSES A SUBSTANTIAL GLOBAL HEALTH AND ECONOMIC BURDEN. ASTHMA INVOLVES BOTH THE LARGE-CONDUCTING AND THE SMALL-CONDUCTING AIRWAYS, AND IS CHARACTERIZED BY A COMBINATION OF INFLAMMATION AND STRUCTURAL REMODELLING THAT MIGHT BEGIN IN UTERO. DISEASE PROGRESSION OCCURS IN THE CONTEXT OF A DEVELOPMENTAL BACKGROUND IN WHICH THE POSTNATAL ACQUISITION OF ASTHMA IS STRONGLY LINKED WITH ALLERGIC SENSITIZATION. MOST ASTHMA CASES FOLLOW A VARIABLE COURSE, INVOLVING VIRAL-INDUCED WHEEZING AND ALLERGEN SENSITIZATION, THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS UNDERLYING MECHANISMS (OR ENDOTYPES) THAT CAN DIFFER BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS. EACH SET OF ENDOTYPES, IN TURN, PRODUCES SPECIFIC ASTHMA CHARACTERISTICS THAT EVOLVE ACROSS THE LIFECOURSE OF THE PATIENT. STRONG GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS OF ASTHMA INTERCONNECT THROUGH NOVEL EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS THAT OPERATE PRENATALLY AND THROUGHOUT CHILDHOOD. ASTHMA CAN SPONTANEOUSLY REMIT OR BEGIN DE NOVO IN ADULTHOOD, AND THE FACTORS THAT LEAD TO THE EMERGENCE AND REGRESSION OF ASTHMA, IRRESPECTIVE OF AGE, ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. NONETHELESS, THERE IS MOUNTING EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS A PRIMARY ROLE FOR STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE AIRWAYS WITH ASTHMA ACQUISITION, ON WHICH ALTERED INNATE IMMUNE MECHANISMS AND MICROBIOTA INTERACTIONS ARE SUPERIMPOSED. ON THE BASIS OF THE IDENTIFICATION OF NEW CAUSATIVE PATHWAYS, THE SUBPHENOTYPING OF ASTHMA ACROSS THE LIFECOURSE OF PATIENTS IS PAVING THE WAY FOR MORE-PERSONALIZED AND PRECISE PATHWAY-SPECIFIC APPROACHES FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ASTHMA, CREATING THE REAL POSSIBILITY OF TOTAL PREVENTION AND CURE FOR THIS CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
12  5263  24 PROMISING BIOMARKERS OF HUMAN AGING: IN SEARCH OF A MULTI-OMICS PANEL TO UNDERSTAND THE AGING PROCESS FROM A MULTIDIMENSIONAL PERSPECTIVE. THE AGING PROCESS HAS BEEN LINKED TO THE OCCURRENCE OF CHRONIC DISEASES AND FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENTS, INCLUDING CANCER, SARCOPENIA, FRAILTY, METABOLIC, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. NONETHELESS, AGING IS HIGHLY VARIABLE AND HETEROGENEOUS AND REPRESENTS A CHALLENGE FOR ITS CHARACTERIZATION. IN THIS SENSE, INTRINSIC CAPACITY (IC) STANDS AS A NOVEL PERSPECTIVE BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, WHICH INTEGRATES THE INDIVIDUAL WELLBEING, ENVIRONMENT, AND RISK FACTORS TO UNDERSTAND AGING. HOWEVER, THERE IS A LACK OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ATTRIBUTES TO DEFINE IT OBJECTIVELY. THEREFORE, IN THIS REVIEW WE ATTEMPT TO SUMMARIZE THE MOST RELEVANT AND PROMISING BIOMARKERS DESCRIBED IN CLINICAL STUDIES AT DATE OVER DIFFERENT MOLECULAR LEVELS, INCLUDING EPIGENOMICS, TRANSCRIPTOMICS, PROTEOMICS, METABOLOMICS, AND THE MICROBIOME. TO AID GERONTOLOGISTS, GERIATRICIANS, AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCHERS TO UNDERSTAND THE AGING PROCESS THROUGH THE IC. AGING BIOMARKERS REFLECT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL STATE OF INDIVIDUALS AND THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS RELATED TO HOMEOSTATIC CHANGES THROUGHOUT AN INDIVIDUAL LIFESPAN; THEY DEMONSTRATED THAT AGING COULD BE MEASURED INDEPENDENTLY OF TIME (THAT MAY EXPLAIN ITS HETEROGENEITY) AND TO BE HELPFUL TO PREDICT AGE-RELATED SYNDROMES AND MORTALITY. IN SUMMARY, WE HIGHLIGHT THE AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY AND GAPS OF KNOWLEDGE THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED TO FULLY INTEGRATE BIOMEDICAL FINDINGS INTO CLINICALLY USEFUL TOOLS AND INTERVENTIONS.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
13  6714  26 VISION OF RESEARCH ON HUMAN LINEAR GROWTH. THE HUMAN BODY GROWS IN LENGTH FROM CONCEPTION TO THE MAXIMAL ADULT HEIGHT OVER TWO DECADES. THE SHORTEST MALE POPULATION AVERAGES APPROXIMATELY 150 CM AND THE TALLEST APPROXIMATELY 183 CM. NONETHELESS THE DIMENSIONS OF HEAD AND TRUNK ARE HIGHLY COMPARABLE, WITH THE VAST DIFFERENCE IN THE LEG LENGTH. STUNTING IS A PERSONAL CONDITION IN WHICH AN INDIVIDUAL HAS A STANDING HEIGHT-FOR-AGE (HAZ) OF LESS THAN TWO STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF THE STANDARD CURVE MEDIAN. IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED MORTALITY, MORBIDITY, AND FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS. THE PROCESS OF LOSING RELATIVE STATURE IS KNOWN AS LINEAR GROWTH RETARDATION, FIRST ATTRIBUTED TO CHRONIC PROTEIN DEFICIENCY, THEN TO AN ASSORTMENT OF MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES, AND MOST RECENTLY TO INFLAMMATION FROM UNHYGIENIC ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION TRIALS RESPONDING TO EACH OF THESE POSSIBILITIES HAVE FAILED TO PRODUCE TRUE REVERSAL RESPONSES MEASURED IN THE 10S OF CENTIMETERS. AS TO BIOLOGICAL INSIGHTS, THERE IS NO CONVENIENT WAY TO SEPARATE WEIGHT FROM LENGTH GROWTH WITH SONOGRAPHIC MONITORING, BUT A THIRD OF INFANTS CAN BE BORN STUNTED. NORMATIVE GROWTH (STANDARD CURVES) COMPETES WITH EPIGENETIC ADAPTATION (PROGRAMMING) AS THE BEACON FOR IN UTERO GROWTH. MAJOR INVESTMENTS INTO FIELD TRIALS ALLOW US TO DISCARD MULTIPLE MICRONUTRIENTS AND WATER/SANITATION/HYGIENE INTERVENTIONS AS MEASURES TO REVERSE ESTABLISHED STUNTING. THE PREPONDERANCE OF EVIDENCE IS AGAINST CATCH-UP GROWTH DURING PUBERTY. FUTURE PUBLICATIONS WILL BE IN THE CONCEPTUAL DOMAIN, RESOLVING METRICS, WHILE THE FULL RANGE OF STIMULI AND EXPOSURES IMPEDING GROWTH WILL BE ELUCIDATED. ADVANCES IN MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES IN ANTHROPOMETRY AND IMMUNOLOGY AND ENDOCRINOLOGY WILL BE MOBILIZED TO THE LITERATURE.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
14  5224  31 PRIORITIZED RESEARCH FOR THE PREVENTION, TREATMENT, AND REVERSAL OF CHRONIC DISEASE: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LIFESTYLE MEDICINE RESEARCH SUMMIT. DECLINING LIFE EXPECTANCY AND INCREASING ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS, SOCIOECOLOGICAL FACTORS, AND PREVENTABLE DISEASE. A GROWING BODY OF BASIC SCIENCE, CLINICAL RESEARCH, AND POPULATION HEALTH EVIDENCE POINTS TO THE BENEFITS OF HEALTHY BEHAVIORS, ENVIRONMENTS AND POLICIES TO MAINTAIN HEALTH AND PREVENT, TREAT, AND REVERSE THE ROOT CAUSES OF COMMON CHRONIC DISEASES. SIMILARLY, INNOVATIONS IN RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES, STANDARDS OF EVIDENCE, EMERGENCE OF UNIQUE STUDY COHORTS, AND BREAKTHROUGHS IN DATA ANALYTICS AND MODELING CREATE NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR PRODUCING BIOMEDICAL KNOWLEDGE AND CLINICAL TRANSLATION. TO UNDERSTAND THESE ADVANCES AND INFORM FUTURE DIRECTIONS RESEARCH, THE LIFESTYLE MEDICINE RESEARCH SUMMIT WAS CONVENED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ON DECEMBER 4-5, 2019. THE SUMMIT'S GOAL WAS TO REVIEW CURRENT STATUS AND DEFINE RESEARCH PRIORITIES IN THE SIX CORE AREAS OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE: PLANT-PREDOMINANT NUTRITION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, SLEEP, STRESS, ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS, AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY/SOCIAL CONNECTION. FORTY INVITED SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS (1) REVIEWED EXISTING KNOWLEDGE AND GAPS RELATING LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS TO COMMON CHRONIC DISEASES, SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, DIABETES, MANY CANCERS, INFLAMMATORY- AND IMMUNE-RELATED DISORDERS AND OTHER CONDITIONS; AND (2) DISCUSSED THE POTENTIAL FOR APPLYING CUTTING-EDGE MOLECULAR, CELLULAR, EPIGENETIC AND EMERGING SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE AND COMPUTATIONAL METHODOLOGIES, RESEARCH DESIGNS, AND STUDY COHORTS TO ACCELERATE CLINICAL APPLICATIONS ACROSS ALL SIX DOMAINS OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE. NOTABLY, FEDERAL HEALTH AGENCIES, SUCH AS THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HAVE BEGUN TO ADOPT "WHOLE-PERSON HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE" MODELS THAT ADDRESS THESE LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ROOT CAUSES OF CHRONIC DISEASE AND ASSOCIATED MORBIDITY, MORTALITY, AND COST. RECOMMENDATIONS STRONGLY SUPPORT LEVERAGING EMERGING RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES, SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, AND COMPUTATIONAL MODELING IN ORDER TO ACCELERATE EFFECTIVE CLINICAL AND POPULATION SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND REDUCE SOCIETAL COSTS. NEW AND ALTERNATIVE HIERARCHIES OF EVIDENCE ARE ALSO BE NEEDED IN ORDER TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE AND DEVELOP EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDELINES ON LIFESTYLE MEDICINE. CHILDREN AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS WERE IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIZED GROUPS TO STUDY. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WHICH DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTS PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC DISEASES THAT ARE AMENABLE TO EFFECTIVE LIFESTYLE MEDICINE INTERVENTIONS, MAKES THE SUMMIT'S FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH PARTICULARLY TIMELY AND RELEVANT.	2020	

15  5216  34 PRETERM BIRTH: LONG TERM CARDIOVASCULAR AND RENAL CONSEQUENCES. BACKGROUND: CARDIOVASCULAR AND CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASES ARE A PART OF NONCOMMUNICABLE CHRONIC DISEASES, THE LEADING CAUSES OF PREMATURE DEATH WORLDWIDE. THEY ARE RECOGNIZED AS HAVING EARLY ORIGINS THROUGH ALTERED DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING, DUE TO ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS DURING DEVELOPMENT. PRETERM BIRTH IS SUCH AN ADVERSE FACTOR. RATES OF PRETERM BIRTH INCREASED IN THE LAST DECADES, HOWEVER, WITH THE IMPROVEMENT IN PERINATAL AND NEONATAL CARE, A GROWING NUMBER OF PRETERM BORN SUBJECTS HAS NOW ENTERED ADULTHOOD. CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT PRETERM BIRTH IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPAIRED OR ARRESTED STRUCTURAL OR FUNCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF KEY ORGANS/SYSTEMS MAKING PRETERM INFANTS VULNERABLE TO CARDIOVASCULAR AND CHRONIC RENAL DISEASES AT ADULTHOOD. THIS REVIEW ANALYZES THE EVIDENCE OF SUCH CARDIOVASCULAR AND RENAL CHANGES, THE ROLE OF PERINATAL AND NEONATAL FACTORS SUCH AS ANTENATAL STEROIDS AND POTENTIAL PATHOGENIC MECHANISMS, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS. CONCLUSION: PRETERM BORN SUBJECTS ARE EXPOSED TO A SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED RISK FOR ALTERED CARDIOVASCULAR AND RENAL FUNCTIONS AT YOUNG ADULTHOOD. ADEQUATE, SPECIFIC FOLLOW-UP MEASURES REMAIN TO BE DETERMINED. WHILE ANTENATAL STEROIDS HAVE CONSIDERABLY IMPROVED PRETERM BIRTH OUTCOMES, REPEATED THERAPY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WITH CAUTION, AS ANTENATAL STEROIDS INDUCE LONG-TERM CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC ALTERATIONS IN ANIMALS' MODELS AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THE ACCELERATED CELLULAR SENESCENCE OBSERVED IN HUMAN STUDIES CANNOT BE EXCLUDED.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
16   483  28 ART AND HEALTH: CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND INSIGHTS ON MOLECULAR MECHANISMS FROM RODENT STUDIES. SINCE THE BIRTH OF THE FIRST IVF-CONCEIVED CHILD IN 1978, THE USE OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES (ART) HAS GROWN DRAMATICALLY, CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESSFUL BIRTH OF 5 MILLION INDIVIDUALS WORLDWIDE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SEVERAL REPORTED ASSOCIATIONS OF ART WITH PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS, SUCH AS LOW BIRTHWEIGHT (LBW), PRETERM BIRTH, BIRTH DEFECTS, EPIGENETIC DISORDERS, CANCER AND POOR METABOLIC HEALTH. WHETHER THIS IS ATTRIBUTED TO ART PROCEDURES OR TO THE SUBSET OF THE POPULATION SEEKING ART REMAINS A CONTROVERSY, BUT THE MOST RELEVANT QUESTION TODAY CONCERNS THE POTENTIAL LONG-TERM IMPLICATIONS OF ASSISTED CONCEPTION. RECENT EVIDENCE HAS EMERGED SUGGESTING THAT ART-CONCEIVED CHILDREN HAVE DISTINCT METABOLIC PROFILES THAT MAY PREDISPOSE TO CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGIES IN ADULTHOOD. BECAUSE THE ELDEST IVF INDIVIDUALS ARE STILL TOO YOUNG TO EXHIBIT COMPONENTS OF CHRONIC MIDDLE-AGED SYNDROMES, THE USE OF ANIMAL MODELS HAS BECOME PARTICULARLY USEFUL IN DESCRIBING THE EFFECTS OF UNUSUAL OR STRESSFUL PREIMPLANTATION EXPERIENCES ON ADULT FITNESS. ELUCIDATING THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH EMBRYOS INTEGRATE ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNALS INTO DEVELOPMENT AND METABOLIC GENE EXPRESSION PROGRAMS WILL BE ESSENTIAL FOR OPTIMIZING ART PROCEDURES SUCH AS IN VITRO CULTURE CONDITIONS, EMBRYO SELECTION AND TRANSFER. IN THE FUTURE, ADDITIONAL ANIMAL STUDIES TO IDENTIFY MECHANISMS UNDERLYING UNFAVORABLE ART OUTCOMES, AS WELL AS MORE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL REVIEWS TO MONITOR THE LONG-TERM HEALTH OF ART CHILDREN ARE REQUIRED, GIVEN THAT ART PROCEDURES HAVE BECOME ROUTINE MEDICAL PRACTICE.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
17  5962  29 TELOMERES, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND TIMING FOR SPONTANEOUS TERM AND PRETERM LABOR. TELOMERES ARE NUCLEOPROTEIN COMPLEXES LOCATED AT THE DISTAL ENDS OF CHROMOSOMES. IN ADULTS, PROGRESSIVE TELOMERE SHORTENING OCCURS THROUGHOUT THE LIFETIME AND IS THOUGHT TO CONTRIBUTE TO PROGRESSIVE AGING, PHYSIOLOGICAL SENESCENCE, MULTIORGAN DYSFUNCTION, AND ULTIMATELY, DEATH. AS DISCUSSED IN THIS REVIEW, MULTIPLE LINES OF EVIDENCE PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE BIOLOGICAL PLAUSIBILITY THAT A TELOMERE-BASED CLOCK MECHANISM ALSO DETERMINES THE LENGTH OF GESTATION, LEADING TO THE ONSET OF LABOR (PARTURITION). AFTER TELOMERE EXPANSION AT THE BEGINNING OF PREGNANCY, THE TELOMERE LENGTHS IN THE GESTATIONAL TISSUES (IE, THE PLACENTA AND FETAL MEMBRANES) PROGRESSIVELY SHORTEN THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF PREGNANCY. THE RATE OF TELOMERE SHORTENING CAN BE ACCELERATED BY CONDITIONS THAT AFFECT THE MOTHER AND RESULT IN OXIDATIVE STRESS. PRETERM BIRTHS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MULTIPLE RISK FACTORS THAT ARE LINKED WITH INCREASED OXIDATIVE STRESS. ANTIOXIDANT VITAMINS (IE, VITAMINS E AND C) MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND DELAY OR PREVENT TELOMERE SHORTENING. CLINICAL TRIALS WITH VITAMINS E AND C AND WITH MULTIVITAMINS STARTED DURING THE PERICONCEPTION PERIOD HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED RATES OF PRETERM BIRTHS. IN THE UNITED STATES, AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE A 2-3-FOLD HIGHER RATE OF PRETERM BIRTH. AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE MULTIPLE RISK FACTORS FOR PREMATURE BIRTH, ALL OF WHICH ARE DISTINCT AND POTENTIALLY ADDITIVE WITH REGARD TO EPIGENETIC TELOMERE SHORTENING. THE "WEATHERING EFFECT" IS THE HYPOTHESIS TO EXPLAIN THE INCREASED RATES OF CHRONIC ILLNESS, DISABILITIES, AND EARLY DEATH OBSERVED IN AFRICAN-AMERICANS. WITH REGARD TO PREGNANCY, ACCELERATED WEATHERING WITH THE ASSOCIATED TELOMERE SHORTENING IN THE GESTATIONAL TISSUES WOULD NOT ONLY EXPLAIN THE PRETERM BIRTH DISPARITY BUT COULD ALSO EXPLAIN WHY HIGHLY EDUCATED, AFFLUENT AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN CONTINUE TO HAVE AN INCREASED RATE OF PRETERM BIRTH. THESE STUDIES SUGGEST THAT THE RACIAL DISPARITIES IN PRETERM BIRTH ARE POTENTIALLY MEDIATED BY TELOMERE SHORTENING PRODUCED BY LIFETIME OR EVEN GENERATIONAL EXPOSURE TO THE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMIC RACISM AND SOCIOECONOMIC MARGINALIZATION. IN CONCLUSION, THIS REVIEW PRESENTS MULTIPLE LINES OF EVIDENCE SUPPORTING A NOVEL HYPOTHESIS REGARDING THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK MECHANISM THAT DETERMINES THE LENGTH OF PREGNANCY, AND IT OPENS THE POSSIBILITY OF NEW APPROACHES TO PREVENT OR REDUCE THE RATE OF SPONTANEOUS PRETERM BIRTH.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
18  5175  18 PREDICTORS OF BIOLOGICAL AGE: THE IMPLICATIONS FOR WELLNESS AND AGING RESEARCH. AS HEALTHSPAN AND LIFESPAN RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS HAVE BECOME MORE COMMONPLACE, THE NEED FOR VALID, PRACTICAL MARKERS OF BIOLOGICAL AGE IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY PARAMOUNT. THE ACCESSIBILITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF BIOLOGICAL AGE PREDICTORS THAT CAN REVEAL INFORMATION ABOUT MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY RISK, AS WELL AS REMAINING YEARS OF LIFE, HAS PROFOUND CLINICAL AND RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE EXAMINE 5 GROUPS OF AGING BIOMARKERS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING ACCURATE BIOLOGICAL AGE ESTIMATIONS. THE UNIQUE CAPABILITIES OF THESE BIOMARKERS HAVE FAR REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TESTING OF BOTH PHARMACEUTICAL AND NON-PHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS DESIGNED TO SLOW OR REVERSE BIOLOGICAL AGING. ADDITIONALLY, THE ENHANCED VALIDITY AND AVAILABILITY OF THESE TOOLS MAY HAVE INCREASINGLY RELEVANT CLINICAL VALUE. THE AUTHORS OF THIS REVIEW EXPLORE THOSE IMPLICATIONS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION RESEARCH, AND PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT EVIDENCE REGARDING 5 BIOLOGICAL AGE PREDICTOR CATEGORIES: TELOMERE LENGTH, COMPOSITE BIOMARKERS, DNA METHYLATION "EPIGENETIC CLOCKS," TRANSCRIPTIONAL PREDICTORS OF BIOLOGICAL AGE, AND FUNCTIONAL AGE PREDICTORS.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
19  3910  22 LIFE COURSE OF ASTHMA. ASTHMA IS A HETEROGENEOUS CHRONIC AIRWAY DISEASE THAT CAN VARY OVER A LIFETIME. ALTHOUGH BROAD CATEGORIES OF ASTHMA BY SEVERITY AND TYPE HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED, THERE REMAINS A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY TO DISCOVER AN APPROACH TO MANAGING ASTHMA WITH ADDITIONAL FACTORS IN MIND. MANY IN THE FIELD HAVE SUGGESTED AND ARE PURSUING A NOVEL PARADIGM SHIFT IN HOW ASTHMA MIGHT BE BETTER MANAGED, CONSIDERING THE LIFE COURSE OF EXPOSURES, MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES, AND PREDICTED TRAJECTORY OF LUNG FUNCTION GROWTH. THIS APPROACH WILL REQUIRE A MORE HOLISTIC VIEW OF PRENATAL, POSTNATAL, ADOLESCENCE, HORMONAL AND GENDER ASPECTS, AND THE AGING PROCESS. IN ADDITION, THE ENVIRONMENT, EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY, INCLUDING IN ONE'S GENETIC CODE AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES, ARE FACTORS THAT AFFECT HOW ASTHMA PROGRESSES OR BECOMES MORE STABLE IN INDIVIDUALS. THIS CHAPTER FOCUSES ON THE VARIOUS INFLUENCES THAT MAY, TO DIFFERING DEGREES, AFFECT PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA, WHICH CAN DEVELOP AT ANY TIME IN THEIR LIVES. SHIFTING THE PARADIGM OF THOUGHT AND STRATEGIES FOR CARE AND ADVOCATING FOR PUBLIC POLICIES AND HEALTH DELIVERY THAT FOCUS ON THIS PHILOSOPHY IS PARAMOUNT TO ADVANCE ASTHMA CARE FOR ALL.	2023	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
20  4080  16 MATERNAL LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS: TARGETING PRECONCEPTION HEALTH. ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE ARE OBESE, PREDISPOSING BOTH MOTHER AND BABY TO UNFAVOURABLE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES AND INITIATING AN INTERGENERATIONAL CYCLE OF CHRONIC METABOLIC DISORDERS. HERE WE SUMMARISE RECENT RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL METABOLIC HEALTH ON OFFSPRING SUSCEPTIBILITY TO FUTURE CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES. CURRENT PRIMARY LIFESTYLE APPROACHES (I.E., DIET AND EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS) TO HALT THE SUCCESSION OF INHERITED AND EPIGENETIC METABOLIC ABNORMALITIES HAVE MET WITH LIMITED SUCCESS DUE TO LATE IMPLEMENTATION, POOR ADHERENCE, AND/OR GENERIC GUIDELINES. IN OUR OPINION, SUCH INTERVENTIONS MUST COMMENCE PRIOR TO CONCEPTION TO IMPROVE BOTH MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH OUTCOMES, WITH NEW APPROACHES URGENTLY NEEDED TO INCREASE ADHERENCE TO PRIMARY LIFESTYLE CHANGES AMONG REPRODUCTIVE-AGE WOMEN.	2020