The scientific study of love underscores the importance of dyadic reciprocity in laying the foundation for infants\' social development. While research establishes links between early reciprocity and children\'s social capacities, some infants appear to benefit from reciprocity more than others. A central feature of reciprocity is its contingent structure, that is, the extent to which maternal behaviors are temporally associated with and contingent upon infants\' dynamically changing cues. As such, infants\' sensitivity to social contingencies may define the extent to which an infant benefits from maternal reciprocity. The current study examined the role of infants\' sensitivity to social contingency (SC) in moderating associations between early maternal reciprocity and subsequent infants\' social behavior. The study followed 157 children (47% females), across the first year of life (4, 10, and 12 months) and at preschool age (48 months). Infants\' SC at 4 and 10 months moderated the link between early maternal reciprocity and infants\' prosocial behavior observed at 12 months. SC at 10 months moderated the link between early reciprocity and reported peer problems at 48 months. Maternal reciprocity predicted more helping behavior in infancy and fewer peer problems at preschool, but only for infants who displayed high SC. Findings highlight the contingent nature of reciprocal mother-infant interactions revealing that an infant\'s sensitivity to breaks in social-contingency moderates the developmental benefit of reciprocity. Future research is necessary to directly test the underlying mechanisms of these processes and better understand the individual characteristics of infants\' sensitivity to social contingency and its\' role in typical and atypical development. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Individual differences in infants\' sensitivity to breaks in social contingencies may moderate the extent to which infants benefit from contingent reciprocal maternal behavior (i.e., maternal reciprocity). Maternal reciprocity predicted more helping behavior in infancy and fewer peer problems at preschool, but only for infants who displayed high sensitivity to breaks in social contingency. Findings highlight the contingent nature of reciprocal mother-infant interactions revealing that infants\' sensitivity to breaks in social-contingency moderates the developmental benefit of reciprocity. Findings emphasize the need to develop measurement methods and direct empirical attention to the important yet understudied individual characteristic of infants\' sensitivity to social contingency and its role in shaping social development.

UNASSIGNED: Assessing the risk of measles outbreaks and identifying the susceptible parts of the population is essential to timely intervention. Infants between 6-12 months are increasingly susceptible to measles but evaluating the performance of high throughput enzyme immunoassays (ELISAs) in infants < 9 months of age is lacking.
UNASSIGNED: A commercially available ELISA kit (Creative Diagnostics, DEIA359) for estimating measles seroprotection was evaluated in infants 5-7 months of age. In an immunogenicity substudy in the Danish MMR trial conducted between 2019-2021, infants (and mothers at baseline) were sampled before and one month after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination (MMR) or placebo as well as one month after routine MMR at 15 months. Measles IgG ELISA was compared to the gold standard but labor-intensive measles plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) by Pearson and Spearman correlations and by estimating sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV).
UNASSIGNED: Measles IgG levels compared to PRNT antibodies had a Pearson\'s correlation coefficient between 0.10-0.24. Seroprotection rates measured by ELISA in young infants were 10-14% lower than measured by PRNT. The sensitivity of the ELISA to detect serological protection compared to PRNT in the infant population differed markedly across sampling time points and was 14%, 40%, and 92% at baseline, post-intervention, and post-routine MMR, whereas the specificity was 99%, 93%, and 43%, respectively. The PPV and NPV were 68% and 87% in infants at baseline.
UNASSIGNED: The correlation between measles IgG and PRNT antibodies was low. Seroprotection was underestimated using ELISA. High-accuracy tests are needed to avoid misclassifications and practices that lead to primary or secondary vaccine failure or retention of vaccination in outbreak settings. Baseline PPV and NPV suggested some applicability of ELISA in predicting serological protection in this age group. However, PRNT may be the only accurate estimator of serological protection in young infants.

Longitudinal research can assess how diverging development of multiple cognitive skills during infancy, as well as familial background, are related to the emergence of neurodevelopmental conditions. Sensorimotor and effortful control difficulties are seen in infants later diagnosed with autism; this study explored the relationships between these skills and autism characteristics in 340 infants (240 with elevated familial autism likelihood) assessed at 4-7, 8-10, 12-15, 24, and 36 months. We tested: (1) the relationship between parent-reported effortful control (Rothbart\'s temperament questionnaires) and sensorimotor skills (Mullen Scales of Early Learning), using random intercept cross-lagged panel modelling; (2) whether household income and maternal education predicted stable individual differences in cognition; (3) sensorimotor and effortful control skills as individual and interactive predictors of parent-reported autism characteristics (Social Responsiveness Scale) at 3 years, using multiple regression; and (4) moderation of interactions by familial likelihood. Sensorimotor skills were longitudinally associated with effortful control at the subsequent measurement point from 12-15 months. Socioeconomic status indicators did not predict stable between-infant differences in sensorimotor or effortful control skills. Effortful control skills were longitudinally related to 3-year autism characteristics from the first year of life, with evidence for an interaction with sensorimotor skills at 24 months. Effects of effortful control increased with age and were particularly important for infants with family histories of autism. Results are discussed in relation to different theoretical frameworks: Developmental Cascades and Anterior Modifiers in the Emergence of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. We suggest a role for 24-month effortful control in explaining the emergent autism phenotype. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Sensorimotor skills longitudinally predicted effortful control from 12-15 months onward but effortful control did not longitudinally predict sensorimotor skills during infancy. Measures of effortful control skills taken before the age of 1 predicted continuous variation in autism characteristics at 36 months, with associations increasing in strength with age. Effortful control (measured at 12-15 and 24 months) was a stronger predictor of 36-month autism characteristics in infants with elevated familial likelihood for autism. The relationship between 24-month sensorimotor skills and 36-month autism characteristics was stronger in infants with weaker effortful control skills.

Emotions play an important role in fostering positive parenting and healthy child development. This qualitative study explored the affective experiences of racially diverse US fathers with low income across the prenatal, postnatal, and early childhood periods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 fathers. Interview questions asked about fathers\' early parenting experiences that elicit parenting emotions of different valence. Results from thematic analysis demonstrated activation of multiple emotions depending on different proximal and distal experiences. Specific to proximal experiences, fathers reported feeling both excited and anxious about pregnancy and joyful and disappointed at childbirth. Related to distal experiences, fathers reported feeling encouraged by their social support networks that further aid their parenting, but feeling marginalized given systematic barriers (e.g., societal bias, high incarceration rates of Black fathers). Most importantly, fathers\' parenting emotions, especially negative ones, led to them resolving to stay involved in their children\'s lives, gaining a sense of responsibility, and changing behaviors to do right by their children. Fathers resorted to various coping strategies to regulate their negative emotions. Overall, fathers with low income are emotionally resilient. Infant and early childhood health professionals should support fathers\' mental health to promote father-child engagement and thus, ultimately, young children\'s mental health and wellbeing.
Las emociones juegan un papel importante en fomentar una crianza positiva y un saludable desarrollo del niño. Este estudio cualitativo exploró las experiencias afectivas de papás de Estados Unidos de bajos recursos económicos que son racialmente diversos a lo largo de los períodos prenatal, postnatal y la temprana niñez. Se llevaron a cabo entrevistas semiestructuradas con 24 papás. Las preguntas de la entrevista trataban acerca de las tempranas experiencias de crianza de los papás que provocaban emociones de crianza de valencia diferente. Los resultados de análisis temáticos demostraron la activación de múltiples emociones dependiendo de diferentes emociones proximales y distales. Específico a las experiencias proximales, los papás reportaron sentirse tanto emocionados como ansiosos acerca del embarazo y alegres y decepcionados al momento del nacimiento. Con relación a las experiencias distales, los papás reportaron sentirse animados por parte de sus redes de apoyo social que ayudaron en su acercamiento a la crianza y sentirse marginalizados dadas las barreras sistemáticas. De manera más importante, las emociones de crianza de los papás especialmente las negativas, les llevaron a decidir mantenerse involucrados en las vidas de sus niños, adquiriendo un sentido de responsabilidad y cambiando conductas para hacer lo correcto con sus niños. Los papás recurrieron a varias estrategias para regular sus emociones negativas. En general, los papás de bajas entradas económicas son emocionalmente fuertes. Los profesionales de la salud infantil y en la temprana niñez deben apoyar la salud mental de los papás para promover la compenetración papá‐niño y a la larga, la salud mental y el bienestar de los niños pequeños.
Emotionen spielen eine wichtige Rolle bei der Förderung positiver Elternschaft und einer gesunden kindlichen Entwicklung. Diese qualitative Studie untersuchte die affektiven Erfahrungen US‐amerikanischer Väter mit geringem Einkommen und unterschiedlicher ethnischer Zugehörigkeit während der pränatalen, postnatalen und frühkindlichen Phase. Es wurden halbstrukturierte Interviews mit 24 Vätern geführt. Die Interviewfragen bezogen sich auf frühe Erziehungserfahrungen der Väter, die Emotionen unterschiedlicher Valenz hervorrufen. Die Ergebnisse einer thematischen Analyse zeigten, dass je nach den verschiedenen proximalen und distalen Erfahrungen multiple Emotionen aktiviert wurden. Bezüglich proximaler Erfahrungen berichteten die Väter, dass sie sowohl aufgeregt als auch ängstlich wegen der Schwangerschaft waren und sich bei der Geburt freuten sowie enttäuscht waren. Bezüglich distaler Erfahrungen berichteten die Väter, sich durch ihre sozial unterstützenden Umfelder, die ihnen in ihrer Elternschaft halfen, ermutigt sowie aufgrund systematischer Barrieren ausgegrenzt zu fühlen. Von zentraler Wichtigkeit ergab sich, dass die Emotionen der Väter bei der Erziehung, insbesondere die negativen, dazu führten, dass sie sich entschlossen, sich weiterhin in das Leben ihrer Kinder einzubringen, ein Gefühl der Verantwortung zu entwickeln und ihr Verhalten zu ändern, um ihren Kindern gerecht zu werden. Die Väter griffen auf verschiedene Bewältigungsstrategien zurück, um ihre negativen Emotionen zu regulieren. Insgesamt sind Väter mit niedrigem Einkommen emotional resilient. Fachkräfte im Bereich der Säuglings‐ und Kleinkindversorgung sollten die psychische Gesundheit jener Väter unterstützen, um die Vater‐Kind‐Beziehung und letztlich die psychische Gesundheit und das Wohlbefinden der Kleinkinder zu fördern.
感情は、積極的な子育てと健全な子どもの発達を促進する上で重要な役割を果たす。この質的研究では、産前、産後、乳幼児期にわたって、人種的に多様な米国の低所得の父親の感情体験を調査した。24人の父親を対象に半構造化面接を行った。インタビューでは、さまざまな価数の育児感情を引き出した、父親の初期の育児経験について質問した。テーマ分析の結果、さまざまな近距離および遠距離の経験に応じて複数の感情が活性化されることが示された。テーマ分析の結果、さまざまな最近、および過去の経験に応じて複数の感情が活性化されることが示された。近距離の体験に特化すると、父親は妊娠に興奮と不安の両方を感じ、出産に喜びと落胆の両方を感じたと報告した。遠距離の経験に関連しては、父親たちは、子育てをさらに助けてくれる社会的支援ネットワークに励まされていると感じたり、組織的な障壁を与えられ疎外されていると感じたりしていると報告した。最も重要なことには、父親が育児感情、特に否定的な感情を抱くことで、子どもの人生に関わり続けようと決意し、責任感を得て、子どものために行動を改めるようになったことである。父親たちは否定的な感情を調整するために、さまざまな対処戦略に頼った。全体的に、低所得の父親は感情的に回復力がある。乳幼児保健の専門家は、父親と子どもの関わりを促進し、最終的に幼児のメンタルヘルスと幸福を促進するために、彼らのメンタルヘルスを支援すべきである。.
情绪在促进积极的育儿方式和健康的儿童发育中起着重要作用。这项定性研究探讨了美国低收入、种族多元化的父亲在产前、产后和幼儿期的情感体验。研究对24名父亲进行了半结构化访谈。访谈问题围绕父亲在早期育儿体验中引发的不同情绪展开。主题分析的结果显示, 不同的近端和远端体验会激发多种情绪。就近端体验而言, 父亲们报告在怀孕期间既感到兴奋又焦虑, 在孩子出生时既感到喜悦又失望。就远端体验而言, 父亲们感受到来自社会支持网络的鼓励, 这些支持有助于他们的育儿, 同时也因面临系统性障碍而感到被边缘化。最重要的是, 父亲们的育儿情绪, 尤其是负面情绪, 促使他们决心积极参与孩子的生活, 增强责任感, 并改变行为以更好地履行父亲的角色。父亲们采用了多种应对策略来调节负面情绪。总的来说, 低收入的父亲在情感上表现出很强的韧性。婴幼儿健康专业人员应支持这些父亲的心理健康, 以促进父亲与孩子的互动, 从而提升幼儿的心理健康和福祉。.
تلعب العواطف دورًا مهمًا في تعزيز التربية الإيجابية ونمو الطفل الصحي. وقد استكشفت هذه الدراسة الوصفية التجارب العاطفية للآباء الأمريكيين ذوي الدخل المنخفض والمتنوعين عرقيًا عبر فترات ما قبل الولادة وما بعد الولادة والطفولة المبكرة. أجريت مقابلات شبه منظمة مع 24 أباً. طرحت أسئلة المقابلات حول تجارب التربية المبكرة للآباء التي تثير مشاعر الأبوة بدرجات متفاوتة. أظهرت نتائج التحليل الموضوعي تفعيل مشاعر متعددة حسب تجارب المحيط الداخلي والخارجي. فيما يتعلق بالمحيط الداخلي، أفاد الآباء عن شعورهم بالحماس والقلق في نفس الوقت بشأن الحمل والفرح والإحباط عند الولادة. فيما يتعلق بتجارب المحيط الخارجي، أفاد الآباء عن شعورهم بالتشجيع من خلال شبكات الدعم الاجتماعي التي تساعدهم في تربية الأطفال، والشعور بالتهميش بسبب للحواجز المنهجية. والأهم من ذلك، أدت مشاعر الأبوة لدى الآباء، خاصة السلبية منها، إلى عزمهم على الاستمرار في المشاركة في حياة أطفالهم، واكتسابهم الشعور بالمسؤولية، وتغيير سلوكياتهم للقيام بما هو صحيح تجاه أطفالهم. لجأ الآباء إلى استراتيجيات تكيف مختلفة لتنظيم مشاعرهم السلبية. بشكل عام، يتسم الآباء ذوي الدخل المنخفض بالمرونة العاطفية. يجب على المتخصصين في مجال صحة الرضع والطفولة المبكرة دعم صحتهم النفسية لتعزيز الاندماج بين الأب والطفل وبالتالي تحسين الصحة النفسية للأطفال الصغار ورفاهيتهم.

UNASSIGNED: The European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (EFCNI) has promoted the importance of parental involvement in the care of children.
UNASSIGNED: The study aimed to examine how the time required by parents to achieve autonomy in the care of their very low-birth weight newborn infants was modified during the implementation of a training program.
UNASSIGNED: This was an observational prospective study in the context of a quality improvement initiative. The Cuídame (meaning \"Take Care of Me\" in English) program was aimed at achieving parental autonomy. It was implemented over 2 periods: period 1, from September 1, 2020, to June 15, 2021; and period 2, from July 15, 2021, to May 31, 2022. The days required by parents to achieve autonomy in several areas of care were collected from the electronic health system.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 54 and 43 families with newborn infants were recruited in periods 1 and 2, respectively. Less time was required to acheive autonomy in period 2 for participation in clinical rounds (median 10.5, IQR 5-20 vs 7, IQR 4-10.5 d; P<.001), feeding (median 53.5, IQR 34-68 vs 44.5, IQR 37-62 d; P=.049), and observation of neurobehavior (median 18, IQR 9-33 vs 11, IQR 7-16 d; P=.049). More time was required to achieve autonomy for kangaroo mother care (median 14, IQR 7-23 vs 21, IQR 10-31 d; P=.02), diaper change (median 9.5, IQR 4-20 vs 14.5, IQR 9-32 d; P=.04), and infection prevention (median 1, IQR 1-2 vs 6, IQR 3-12; P<.001).
UNASSIGNED: Parents required less time to achieve autonomy for participation in clinical rounds, feeding, and observation of neurobehavior during the implementation of the training program. Nevertheless, they required more time to achieve autonomy for kangaroo mother care, diaper change, and infection prevention.

Recent theories of socio-moral development assume that humans evolved a capacity to evaluate others\' social actions in different kinds of interactions. Prior infant studies found both reaching and visual preferences for the prosocial over the antisocial agents. However, whether the attribution of either positive or negative valence to agents\' actions involved in an aggressive chasing interaction can be inferred by both reaching behaviors and visual attention deployment (i.e., disengagement of visual attention) is still an open question. Here we presented 7-month-old infants (N = 92) with events displaying an aggressive chasing interaction. By using preferential reaching and an attentional task (i.e., overlap paradigm), we assessed whether and how infants evaluate aggressive chasing interactions. The results demonstrated that young infants prefer to reach the victim over the aggressor, but neither agent affects visual attention. Moreover, such reaching preferences emerged only when dynamic cues and emotional face-like features were congruent with agents\' social roles. Overall, these findings suggested that infants\' evaluations of aggressive interactions are based on infants\' sensitivity to some kinematic cues that characterized agents\' actions and, especially, to the congruency between such motions and the face-like emotional expressions of the agents.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of complementary foods during the first year of life influences the diversity of the gut microbiome. How this diversity affects immune development and health is unclear.
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the effect of consuming kūmara or kūmara with added banana powder (resistant starch) compared to a reference control at 4 months post randomization on the prevalence of respiratory tract infections and the development of the gut microbiome.
METHODS: This study is a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of mothers and their 6-month-old infants (up to n=300) who have not yet started solids. Infants are randomized into one of 3 groups: control arm (C), standard kūmara intervention (K), and a kūmara intervention with added banana powder product (K+) to be consumed daily for 4 months until the infant is approximately 10 months old. Infants are matched for sex using stratified randomization. Data are collected at baseline (prior to commencing solid food) and at 2 and 4 months after commencing solid food (at around 8 and 10 months of age). Data and samples collected at each timepoint include weight and length, intervention adherence (months 2 and 4), illness and medication history, dietary intake (months 2 and 4), sleep (diary and actigraphy), maternal dietary intake, breast milk, feces (baseline and 4 months), and blood samples (baseline and 4 months).
RESULTS: The trial was approved by the Health and Disability Ethics Committee of the Ministry of Health, New Zealand (reference 20/NTA/9). Recruitment and data collection did not commence until January 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection and analyses are expected to conclude in January 2024 and early 2025, respectively. Results are to be published in 2024 and 2025.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study will help us understand how the introduction of a specific prebiotic complementary food affects the microbiota and relative abundances of the microbial species, the modulation of immune development, and infant health. It will contribute to the expanding body of research that aims to deepen our understanding of the connections between nutrition, gut microbiota, and early-life postnatal health.
BACKGROUND: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12620000026921; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=378654.
UNASSIGNED: DERR1-10.2196/56772.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of environmental factors and prematurity relating to juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), its course and refractoriness to treatment.
METHODS: A case-control study with 35 patients followed up at a tertiary hospital and 124 healthy controls, all residents of São Paulo. Patients were classified according to monocyclic, polycyclic or chronic disease courses and refractoriness to treatment. The daily concentrations of pollutants (inhalable particulate matter-PM10, sulfur dioxide-SO2, nitrogen dioxide-NO2, ozone-O3 and carbon monoxide-CO) were provided by the Environmental Company of São Paulo. Data from the population were obtained through a questionnaire.
RESULTS: Fifteen patients had monocyclic courses, and 19 polycyclic/chronic courses. Eighteen patients were refractory to treatment. Maternal occupational exposure to inhalable agents (OR = 17.88; IC 95% 2.15-148.16, p = 0.01) and exposure to O3 in the fifth year of life (third tertile > 86.28µg/m3; OR = 6.53, IC95% 1.60-26.77, p = 0.01) were risk factors for JDM in the multivariate logistic regression model. The presence of a factory/quarry at a distance farther than 200 meters from daycare/school (OR = 0.22; IC 95% 0.06-0.77; p = 0.02) was a protective factor in the same analysis. Prematurity, exposure to air pollutants/cigarette smoke/sources of inhalable pollutants in the mother\'s places of residence and work during the gestational period were not associated with JDM. Prematurity, maternal exposure to occupational pollutants during pregnancy as well as patient\'s exposure to ground-level pollutants up to the fifth year of life were not associated with disease course and treatment refractoriness.
CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for JDM were maternal occupational exposure and exposure to O3 in the fifth year of life.

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a marker of self-regulation, has been linked to developmental outcomes in young children. Although positive emotions may have the potential to facilitate physiological self-regulation, and enhanced self-regulation could underlie the development of positive emotions in early childhood, the relation between positive emotions and physiological self-regulation in infancy has been relatively overlooked. The current study examined the bidirectional associations among maternal positive emotion, infant positive emotionality, and infant resting RSA across the first 18 months of life. We used data from the Longitudinal Attention and Temperament Study (LanTs; N = 309 in the current analysis) to test the within- and between-person relations of study variables over time using a random-intercepts cross-lagged panel model. We found that infants with higher overall levels of positive emotionality also displayed greater resting RSA, and their mothers exhibited higher levels of positive emotion. However, there were negative cross-lagged associations within-person; higher than average infant positive emotionality predicted lower levels of infant resting RSA at the subsequent timepoint during early infancy, whereas higher than average infant RSA subsequently predicted decreased levels of infant positive emotionality later in infancy. Results highlight the importance of considering transactional relations between positive emotion and physiological self-regulation in infancy.

UNASSIGNED: The incidence of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) in the United States has persisted at roughly the same level since the mid-2000s, despite intensive prevention efforts around safe sleep. Disparities in outcomes across racial and socioeconomic lines also persist. These disparities are reflected in the spatial distribution of cases across neighborhoods. Strategies for prevention should be targeted precisely in space and time to further reduce SUID and correct disparities.
UNASSIGNED: We sought to aid neighborhood-level prevention efforts by characterizing communities where SUID occurred in Cook County, IL, from 2015 to 2019 and predicting where it would occur in 2021-2025 using a semiautomated, reproducible workflow based on open-source software and data.
UNASSIGNED: This cross-sectional retrospective study queried geocoded medical examiner data from 2015-2019 to identify SUID cases in Cook County, IL, and aggregated them to \"communities\" as the unit of analysis. We compared demographic factors in communities affected by SUID versus those unaffected using Wilcoxon rank sum statistical testing. We used social vulnerability indicators from 2014 to train a negative binomial prediction model for SUID case counts in each given community for 2015-2019. We applied indicators from 2020 to the trained model to make predictions for 2021-2025.
UNASSIGNED: Validation of our query of medical examiner data produced 325 finalized cases with a sensitivity of 95% (95% CI 93%-97%) and a specificity of 98% (95% CI 94%-100%). Case counts at the community level ranged from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 17. A map of SUID case counts showed clusters of communities in the south and west regions of the county. All communities with the highest case counts were located within Chicago city limits. Communities affected by SUID exhibited lower median proportions of non-Hispanic White residents at 17% versus 60% (P<.001) and higher median proportions of non-Hispanic Black residents at 32% versus 3% (P<.001). Our predictive model showed moderate accuracy when assessed on the training data (Nagelkerke R2=70.2% and RMSE=17.49). It predicted Austin (17 cases), Englewood (14 cases), Auburn Gresham (12 cases), Chicago Lawn (12 cases), and South Shore (11 cases) would have the largest case counts between 2021 and 2025.
UNASSIGNED: Sharp racial and socioeconomic disparities in SUID incidence persisted within Cook County from 2015 to 2019. Our predictive model and maps identify precise regions within the county for local health departments to target for intervention. Other jurisdictions can adapt our coding workflows and data sources to predict which of their own communities will be most affected by SUID.