Assistant Professor, Loyola University Chicago, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, CTRE: Room 346, Maywood, IL, USA.
Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Educational Innovation, Martha S. Pitzer Center for Women, Children and Youth, The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH, USA.
West J Nurs Res. 2023 Sep;45(9):780-788. doi: 10.1177/01939459231184713. Epub 2023 Jun 29.
In the United States, Black women experience preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks gestation) at more than 1.5 times the rate of non-Hispanic White women. Social determinants of health including the neighborhood environment have been recognized as contributing to the risk of PTB. Due to historical segregation, Black women are more likely to live in neighborhoods with higher levels of neighborhood disorder compared with White women. Perceived neighborhood disorder appears to be a risk factor for maternal psychological distress in Black women and psychological distress has mediated the association between neighborhood disorder and the risk for PTB. However, the biological pathways underpinning these associations are not clear. We examined the associations among neighborhood disorder; psychological distress; DNA methylation of six stress-related, glucocorticoid candidate genes (); and gestational age at birth among 44 Black pregnant women. Women who were 18-45 years old and 8-18 weeks gestation had blood drawn and completed questionnaires measuring perceived neighborhood disorder, neighborhood crime, and psychological distress. Three CpG sites were associated with neighborhood disorder (cg03405789 [], cg14939152 and cg15910486 []). One CpG site, cg03098337 () was associated with psychological distress. Three of the identified CpG sites were located within gene CpG islands or shores-areas at which DNA methylation is known to affect gene transcription. These findings warrant further research to clarify intermediate biological pathways and potential biomarkers to identify women at risk for PTB. Identification of PTB risk early in pregnancy would allow for interventions to prevent PTB.
在美国,黑人女性的早产(PTB;<37 周妊娠)率是非西班牙裔白人女性的 1.5 倍以上。健康的社会决定因素,包括邻里环境,已被认为是导致 PTB 风险的因素。由于历史上的种族隔离,与白人女性相比,黑人女性更有可能生活在邻里环境紊乱程度较高的社区。感知到的邻里环境紊乱似乎是黑人女性心理困扰的一个风险因素,而心理困扰则介导了邻里环境紊乱与 PTB 风险之间的关联。然而,这些关联的生物学途径尚不清楚。我们研究了邻里环境紊乱;心理困扰;六个性激素相关候选基因()的 DNA 甲基化;以及 44 名黑人孕妇的出生时胎龄。年龄在 18-45 岁、妊娠 8-18 周的女性采集血液并完成问卷,以评估感知到的邻里环境紊乱、邻里犯罪和心理困扰。三个 CpG 位点与邻里环境紊乱相关(cg03405789[]、cg14939152 和 cg15910486[])。一个 CpG 位点,cg03098337()与心理困扰相关。确定的三个 CpG 位点位于基因 CpG 岛或 DNA 甲基化已知影响基因转录的基因海岸区域内。这些发现值得进一步研究,以阐明中间生物学途径和潜在的生物标志物,以识别有 PTB 风险的女性。在妊娠早期识别 PTB 风险可以进行干预以预防 PTB。