Magnetic fields in the Cosmos: dark matter could help us discover their origin

We don't know how they formed. Now a new theoretical research tells how the invisible part of our Universe could help us discover it, suggesting a primordial genesis, even within a second of the Big Bang

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE SUPERIORE DI STUDI AVANZATI

 

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IN THE STUDY, RESEARCHERS SHOWED THAT IF MAGNETIC FIELDS ARE INDEED PRIMORDIAL THEN IT COULD CAUSE AN INCREASE IN DARK MATTER DENSITY PERTURBATIONS ON SMALL SCALES. THE ULTIMATE EFFECT OF THIS PROCESS WOULD BE THE FORMATION OF MINI-HALOS OF DARK MATTER, WHICH, IF DETECTED WOULD HINT TOWARDS A PRIMORDIAL NATURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS.

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CREDIT: IMAGE BY LUCIE CHRASTECKA

The mini-halos of dark matter scattered throughout the Cosmos could function as highly sensitive probes of primordial magnetic fields. This is what emerges from a theoretical study conducted by SISSA and published in Physical Review Letters. Present on immense scales, magnetic fields are found everywhere in the Universe. However, their origin are still subjects of debate among scholars. An intriguing possibility is that magnetic fields originated near the birth of the universe itself, that is they are primordial magnetic fields. In the study, researchers showed that if magnetic fields are indeed primordial then it could cause an increase in dark matter density perturbations on small scales. The ultimate effect of this process would be the formation of mini-halos of dark matter, which, if detected would hint towards a primordial nature of magnetic fields. Thus, in an apparent paradox, the invisible part of our Universe could be useful in resolving the nature of a component of the visible one.

Shedding light on the formation of Magnetic Fields

"Magnetic fields are ubiquitous in the Cosmos," explains Pranjal Ralegankar of SISSA, the author of the research. "A possible theory regarding their formation suggests that those observed so far could be produced in the early stages of our Universe. However, this proposition lacks explanation in the standard model of physics. To shed light on this aspect and find a way to detect “primordial” magnetic fields, with this work we propose a method that we could define as 'indirect.' Our approach is based on a question: What is the influence of magnetic fields on dark matter?". It is known that there is no direct interaction. Still, as Ralegankar explains, “there is an indirect one that occurs through gravity”.

Right from the primordial Universe

Primordial magnetic fields can enhance density perturbations of electrons and protons in the primordial Universe. When these become too large, they influence the magnetic fields themselves. The consequence is the suppression of fluctuations on a small scale. Ralegankar explains: "In the study, we show something unexpected. The growth in baryon density gravitationally induces the growth of dark matter perturbations without the possibility of subsequent cancellation. This would result in their collapse on small scales, producing mini-halos of dark matter." The consequence, continues the author, is that although fluctuations in the density of baryonic matter are cancelled, they would leave traces through the mini-halos, all solely through gravitational interactions.

"These theoretical findings", concludes Pranjal Ralegankar, "also suggest that the abundance of mini-halos is determined not by the present presence of primordial magnetic fields but rather by their strength in the primordial Universe. Thus, a detection of dark matter mini-halos would reinforce the hypothesis that magnetic fields formed very early, even within 1 second after the Big Bang."

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JOURNAL

Physical Review Letters

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.231002 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Dark Matter Minihalos from Primordial Magnetic Fields

 

New reasons eating less fat should be one of your resolutions

High fat impairs immune, intestinal, and brain health

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - RIVERSIDE

 

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EVIDENCE MOUNTS THAT A LONG-TERM DIET HIGH IN FAT IS NOT HEALTHY.

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CREDIT: IDAFIUN

A UC Riverside study to motivate your new year’s resolutions: it demonstrates that high-fat diets affect genes linked not only to obesity, colon cancer and irritable bowels, but also to the immune system, brain function, and potentially COVID-19 risk.

While other studies have examined the effects of a high-fat diet, this one is unusual in its scope. UCR researchers fed mice three different diets over the course of 24 weeks where at least 40% of the calories came from fat. Then, they looked not only at the microbiome, but also at genetic changes in all four parts of the intestines. 

One group of mice ate a diet based on saturated fat from coconut oil, another got a monounsaturated, modified soybean oil, a third got an unmodified soybean oil high in polyunsaturated fat. Compared to a low-fat control diet, all three groups experienced concerning changes in gene expression, the process that turns genetic information into a functional product, such as a protein.

“Word on the street is that plant-based diets are better for you, and in many cases that’s true. However, a diet high in fat, even from a plant, is one case where it’s just not true,” said Frances Sladek, a UCR cell biology professor and senior author of the new study.

A new Scientific Reports paper about the study documents the many impacts of high-fat diets. Some of the intestinal changes did not surprise the researchers, such as major changes in genes related to fat metabolism and the composition of gut bacteria. For example, they observed an increase in pathogenic E. coli and a suppression of Bacteroides, which helps protect the body against pathogens. 

Other observations were more surprising, such as changes in genes regulating susceptibility to infectious diseases. “We saw pattern recognition genes, ones that recognize infectious bacteria, take a hit. We saw cytokine signaling genes take a hit, which help the body control inflammation,” Sladek said. ‘So, it’s a double whammy. These diets impair immune system genes in the host, and they also create an environment in which harmful gut bacteria can thrive.”

The team’s previous work with soybean oil documents its link to obesity and diabetes, both major risk factors for COVID. This paper now shows that all three high-fat diets increase the expression of ACE2 and other host proteins that are used by COVID spike proteins to enter the body.

Additionally, the team observed that high-fat food increased signs of stem cells in the colon. “You’d think that would be a good thing, but actually they can be precursors to cancer,” Sladek said.  

In terms of effects on gene expression, coconut oil showed the greatest number of changes, followed by the unmodified soybean oil. Differences between the two soybean oils suggest that polyunsaturated fatty acids in unmodified soybean oil, primarily linoleic acid, play a role in altering gene expression. 

Negative changes to the microbiome in this study were more pronounced in mice fed the soybean oil diet. This was unsurprising, as the same research team previously documented other negative health effects of high soybean oil consumption. 

In 2015, the team found that soybean oil induces obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver in mice. In 2020, the researchers team demonstrated the oil could also affect genes in the brain related to conditions like autism, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and depression. 

Interestingly, in their current work they also found the expression of several neurotransmitter genes were changed by the high fat diets, reinforcing the notion of a gut-brain axis that can be impacted by diet.

The researchers have noted that these findings only apply to soybean oil, and not to other soy products, tofu, or soybeans themselves. “There are some really good things about soybeans. But too much of that oil is just not good for you,” said UCR microbiologist Poonamjot Deol, who was co-first author of the current study along with UCR postdoctoral researcher Jose Martinez-Lomeli.

Also, the studies were conducted using mice, and mouse studies do not always translate to the same results in humans. However, humans and mice share 97.5% of their working DNA. Therefore, the findings are concerning, as soybean oil is the most commonly consumed oil in the United States, and is increasingly being used in other countries, including Brazil, China, and India.

By some estimates, Americans tend to get nearly 40% of their calories from fat, which mirrors what the mice were fed in this study. “Some fat is necessary in the diet, perhaps 10 to 15%. Most people though, at least in this country, are getting at least three times the amount that they need,” Deol said. 

Readers should not panic about a single meal. It is the long-term high-fat habit that caused the observed changes. Recall that the mice were fed these diets for 24 weeks. “In human terms, that is like starting from childhood and continuing until middle age. One night of indulgence is not what these mice ate. It’s more like a lifetime of the food,” Deol said. 

That said, the researchers hope the study will cause people to closely examine their eating habits. 

“Some people think, ‘Oh, I’ll just exercise more and be okay. But regularly eating this way could be impacting your immune system and how your brain functions,” Deol said. “You may not be able to just exercise away these effects.”
 

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JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-023-49555-7 

ARTICLE TITLE

Impact of various high fat diets on gene expression and the microbiome across the mouse intestines

 

Job ads with wide pay ranges can deter applicants

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY

PULLMAN, Wash. – As more states require employers to list compensation on job ads, a trending strategy to use very wide pay ranges could potentially harm recruitment, according to a Washington State University study.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, found that participants in three different experiments were more likely to respond negatively to job ads with very wide pay ranges, viewing those employers as less trustworthy. Prior surveys have found that most people report they would trust organizations that include pay ranges in their postings more than those that do not, but as this study indicates, the way potential pay is presented also matters.

“It’s not just a choice between including a pay range or not – how compensation information is communicated matters, and at least in this study, having a very wide range might send a negative signal to potential applicants,” said study author Kristine Kuhn, a WSU Carson College of Business researcher.

How the ad explained the wide pay range also had an effect. In one of the experiments, participants were even less attracted to the organization if a very wide pay range included a statement that the offer amount would depend on the candidate’s qualifications. On the other hand, a more seemingly objective explanation that the offer would depend on the candidate’s geographic location tended to improve impressions of the employer.

Historically, most job postings in the U.S. did not include numerical pay information, but in recent years several states, including Washington, California, Colorado and New York, have enacted transparency legislation requiring many recruiters to list pay ranges – in part because there is evidence it increases equity.

Seeing an emerging trend in job postings with large pay ranges, Kuhn set up three experiments with different groups of participants to test the effect of this practice. In each experiment, some participants saw ads with wide salary ranges, such as a gap of $50,000 or more between the low and high point, while others saw ads with a narrower gap of around $10,000. The candidates then responded to questions about their perceptions of the organization posting the ad.

Participants in the initial experiment were college students; the second experiment surveyed 350 college graduates using an online panel, and the third experiment involved 245 participants with recent job search experience. Across all three experiments, on average ads with larger pay ranges evoked less favorable impressions of the employers than the narrower ranges.

In the last experiment which had an ad with a very large pay range of $58,100-$152,500, the participants provided written answers about how they viewed the employer. This revealed a high level of cynicism among some who called the wide pay range “dishonest,” “disingenuous” and “ludicrous.”

As one participant put it: “The large range implies that they tend to devalue their employees. I doubt they would actually offer anyone applying for this position a salary at the top range, regardless of credentials.”

There were some outliers, however, who viewed the large range as a positive, seeing the high top number as showing possible “room for growth without needing a promotion to another job.”

Ideally, advertising a pay range should streamline the recruiting process, Kuhn said, so the recruiter and applicant on are on the same page. However, some organizations, especially smaller ones, may not have well-defined job structures, so the large pay ranges in job ads may indicate they want to tailor the position to the candidates who respond.

“There probably is a goldilocks area of a just right pay range where it gives the employer some flexibility without sending negative signals to prospective applicants,” said Kuhn. “Also, while from a legal standpoint they may be required to advertise an expected pay range, employers and job candidates can still negotiate.”

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JOURNAL

Journal of Applied Psychology

DOI

10.1037/apl0001165 

ARTICLE TITLE

Ambiguity in advertised compensation: Recruiting implications of nominal compliance with pay transparency legislation.

 

Study demonstrates potency of synthetic antibiotic against serious chronic infections

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL

A new synthetic antibiotic developed by University of Liverpool researchers is shown to be more effective than established drugs against ‘superbugs’ such as MRSA, a new study shows.

The study demonstrates the potent activity of the antibiotic, teixobactin, against bacterial biofilms. Biofilms are clusters of bacteria that are attached to a surface and/or to each other – which are associated with serious chronic infections in humans.

Nearly five million people lose their lives due to antibiotic resistance-associated infections and millions more live with poor quality of life due to treatment failures. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasing and an AMR review commissioned by the UK Government has predicted that by 2050 an additional 10 million people will succumb to drug resistant infections each year.  The development of new antibiotics which can be used as a last resort when other drugs are ineffective is a crucial area of study for healthcare researchers around the world.

This work builds on pioneering research by the University’s Dr Ishwar Singh, an expert in antimicrobial drug discovery and development and medicinal chemistry. A team of researchers led by Dr Singh developed simplified synthetic versions of the natural molecule teixobactin, which is used by producer bacteria to kill other bacteria in soil.

They have tested a unique library of synthetic versions of the ‘game changing’ antibiotic, optimising key features of the drug to enhance its efficacy and safety, plus enabling it to be inexpensively produced at scale.

For this latest study, the researchers designed and synthesised highly potent teixobactin analogues but swapped out key bottleneck building block L-allo-enduracididine with the commercially available low cost simplified building blocks such as non proteogenic amino acids. As a result, the analogues are now effective against the broad range of resistant bacterial pathogens including bacterial isolates from patients and bacterial biofilms.

This is another important step in adapting the natural teixobactin molecule to make it suitable for human use.

Dr Ishwar Singh said: “Teixobactin molecules have the potential to provide new treatment options against multi drug resistant bacterial and biofilm related infections to improve and save lives globally. Our study provides a promising foundation for further research, and opens avenues to explore the application of teixobactin in various health related biofilm contexts, including surgical site infections, implant-related surgeries and cystic fibrosis patients.”

This work is funded by Innovate UK, the Department of Health and Social Care and Rosetrees Trust. In addition to the University of Liverpool team it involves researchers from Singapore Eye Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), University of Ghent (Belgium), University of Utrecht (Netherlands), and the University of Lincoln (UK).

The full study Development of teixobactin analogues containing hydrophobic, nonproteogenic amino acids that are highly potent against multidrug-resistant bacteria and biofilms, published in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, is available here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115853

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JOURNAL

European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Development of teixobactin analogues containing hydrophobic, nonproteogenic amino acids that are highly potent against multidrug-resistant bacteria and biofilms

 

Unraveling the mysteries of the Mongolian Arc: exploring a monumental 405-kilometer wall system in Eastern Mongolia

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM

 

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DRONE PHOTO OF KHALTARYN BALGAS

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CREDIT: AUTHORS

New study sheds light on the previously overlooked Mongolian Arc—a monumental wall system in eastern Mongolia spanning 405 kilometers. This discovery not only reveals the significance of this ancient architectural marvel but also prompts crucial questions about the motives, functionality, and broader implications of such colossal constructions. Their findings contribute to a larger multidisciplinary project exploring historical wall systems and their socio-political, economic, and environmental impacts, marking a pivotal milestone in understanding ancient civilizations and their enduring legacies.

[Jerusalem, Israel] Prof. Gideon Shelach-Lavi from Hebrew University and Prof. Amartuvshin Chunag from the National University of Mongolia, and their team unveil a new discovery in their latest research published in the Journal of Field Archaeology. Their paper, "Unraveling the Mongolian Arc: a Field Survey and Spatial Investigation of a Previously Unexplored Wall System in Eastern Mongolia," sheds light on a monumental wall system that has remained largely overlooked in existing academic discourse.

The "Mongolian Arc," spanning 405 kilometers in eastern Mongolia, comprises an earthen wall, a trench, and 34 accompanying structures. Constructed between the 11th and 13th centuries a.d., this intricate system has emerged as a pivotal yet understudied facet of historical architectural marvels.

The research, conducted through a collaborative effort, involved a comprehensive approach combining remote sensing data collection, archaeological field surveys, and analysis through geographic information systems (GIS). Professors Shelach-Lavi and Amartuvshin's team also delved into ancient written sources to offer a preliminary interpretation of the design and potential functions of the Mongolian Arc.

"Understanding the significance of the Mongolian Arc unlocks profound insights into medieval wall systems, raising pertinent questions about the motives, functionality, and enduring consequences of such colossal constructions," remarked Prof. Gideon Shelach-Lavi.

This study is part of a larger multidisciplinary project, funded by a generous research fund from the European Research Council (ERC) addressing the construction of extensive walls and structures in northern China and eastern Mongolia during the 11th–13th centuries a.d. The findings not only contribute to unraveling historical mysteries but also offer a framework for exploring the broader socio-political, economic, and environmental impacts of such endeavors.

The published paper marks a pivotal milestone in the ongoing investigation, sparking renewed interest and further inquiry into ancient architectural wonders and their societal implications.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Field Archaeology

DOI

10.1080/00934690.2023.2295198 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Unraveling the Mongolian Arc: a Field Survey and Spatial Investigation of a Previously Unexplored Wall System in Eastern Mongolia

 

Some sea cucumbers like it hot

The genome of a sea cucumber, collected at a depth of 2400 m during a submarine trip to a hydrothermal vent, sheds light on genetic features that help marine animals to survive in extreme conditions

Peer-Reviewed Publication

GIGASCIENCE

 

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THE SAMPLING SITE FOR THE SEA CUCUMBER WAS AT THE KAIREI VENT FIELD AT THE BOTTOM OF INDIAN OCEAN. THE INSET SHOWS A PHOTO OF SAMPLING AT A DEPTH OF 2,428 M OF THE SEA CUCUMBER CHIRIDOTA HEHEVA USED FOR GENOME SEQUENCING.

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CREDIT: PU Y, ZHOU Y, LIU J, ZHANG H. A HIGH-QUALITY CHROMOSOMAL GENOME ASSEMBLY OF THE SEA CUCUMBER CHIRIDOTA HEHEVA AND ITS HYDROTHERMAL ADAPTATION. GIGASCIENCE 2023 GIAD107 HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1093/GIGASCIENCE/GIAD107

Hydrothermal vents are an unlikely environment for animals to flourish, characterized by rapid changes in temperature and a challenging chemistry: acidic pH, rich in sulfur and methane. Not to mention the high hydrostatic pressure and the darkness of the deep sea. A team of scientists at the Sanya Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering (China) have now sequenced the full genome of a particularly unusual inhabitant of the hydrothermal vent environment: the sea cucumber Chiridota heheva. The research has been published in the Open Science journal GigaScience.

Organisms found at hydrothermal vents are among the most unique life forms on the planet, as they evolved special adaptations to survive and procreate under these harsh conditions. For example, many microbes employ special metabolic functions to deal with the abundance of sulfur and iron, and to withstand the enormous heat near the vent. In addition to microbes, there are even multicellular and higher order organisms that have adapted to the hydrothermal vent conditions, including various species of worms, snails, crabs and shrimp.

In 2019, a Chinese deep sea expedition with the manned research submarine “Shenhaiyongshi” collected a specimen of the sea cucumber C. hehevae at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, at the  Kairei vent field at a depth of 2,428 meters. The water around the Kairei vent is particularly enriched in dissolved iron, adding to the harsh conditions of high hydrostatic pressure, darkness and fluctuating temperatures.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms, and as such related to sea urchins and sea stars -  a group of animals with highly unusual body plans. They are found on sea floors all over the world, where they devour detritus and use their tentacle to explore the sediment. While other high-quality genomes of sea cucumbers are available, the work now presented in GigaScience is the first genome of a sea cucumber specimen collected at a hydrothermal vent.   

Initial comparative genome analyses indicate that several gene families are expanded in this sea cucumber, meaning that the species has a higher repertoire of specific sets of genes than related species.  These expanded and unique genes are involved in DNA repair and  iron metabolism, among other processes - a  first indication that the adaptations to the harsh, iron-rich environment are reflected in the species’ genome. The genomic data will provide a valuable resource for further studies on both, sea cucumbers and the unique vent fauna.

 

Further Reading:

Pu Y, Zhou Y, Liu J, Zhang H 

A high-quality chromosomal genome assembly of the sea cucumber Chiridota heheva and its hydrothermal adaptation. Gigascience 2023 giad107 https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giad107

URL: https://academic.oup.com/gigascience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/gigascience/giad107

Data Availability:

Pu Y; Zhou Y; Liu J; Zhang H (2023): Supporting data for "A high-quality chromosomal genome assembly of the sea cucumber Chiridota heheva and its hydrothermal adaptation" GigaScience Database. http://dx.doi.org/10.5524/102481

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About GigaScience Press

GigaScience Press is BGI's Open Access Publishing division, which publishes scientific journals and data. Its publishing projects are carried out with international publishing partners and infrastructure providers, including Oxford University Press and River Valley Technologies. It currently publishes two award-winning data-centric journals: its premier journal GigaScience (launched in 2012), which won the 2018 American Publishers PROSE award for innovation in journal publishing, and its new journal GigaByte (launched 2020), which won the 2022 ALPSP Award for Innovation in Publishing. The press also publishes data, software, and other research objects via its GigaDB.org database. To encourage transparent reporting of scientific research and to enable future access and analyses, it is a requirement of manuscript submission to all GigaScience Press journals that all supporting data and source code be made openly available in GigaDB or in a community approved, publicly available repository.

About GigaScience

GigaScience is co-published by GigaScience Press and Oxford University Press. Winner of the 2018 PROSE award for Innovation in Journal Publishing (Multidisciplinary), the journal covers research that uses or produces 'big data' from the full spectrum of the biological and biomedical sciences. It also serves as a forum for discussing the difficulties of and unique needs for handling large-scale data from all areas of the life and medical sciences. The journal has a completely novel publication format -- one that integrates manuscript publication with complete data hosting, and analyses tool incorporation. To encourage transparent reporting of scientific research as well as enable future access and analyses, it is a requirement of manuscript submission to GigaScience that all supporting data and source code be made available in the GigaScience database, GigaDB, as well as in publicly available repositories. GigaScience will provide users access to associated online tools and workflows, and has integrated a data analysis platform, maximizing the potential utility and re-use of data.

About GigaDB:

GigaDB is a data repository supporting scientific publications in the Life/Biomedical Sciences domain. GigaDB organizes and curates data from individually publishable units into datasets, which are openly available as  FAIR data. GigaDB primarily serves as a repository to host data, tools, and other research objects that underlie the research in the article, and also data from articles from other journals in approved cases. Through association with DataCite, each dataset in GigaDB is assigned a DOI that can be used as a standard citation for future use of these data in other articles by the authors and other researchers. To maximize utility for the research community, all datasets in GigaDB are placed under a CC0 waiver. However, for data that needs to be protected, GigaDB will include the contact information for access, the restrictions for use, and host the application form needed to gain permission for use. The protected databases must be persistent and internationally accessible.

Media contacts:

GigaScience, Editor-in-Chief:

Scott Edmunds, Scott@gigasciencejournal.com, Cell: +852 92490853

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JOURNAL

GigaScience

DOI

10.1093/gigascience/giad107 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

ARTICLE TITLE

A high-quality chromosomal genome assembly of the sea cucumber Chiridota heheva and its hydrothermal adaptation

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jan-2024

 

Study: Acetaminophen use during pregnancy linked to language delays in children

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, NEWS BUREAU

 

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A NEW STUDY LINKS ACETAMINOPHEN USE IN PREGNANCY TO MODEST BUT SIGNIFICANT DELAYS IN THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT OF OFFSPRING, SAYS ILLINOIS KIDS DEVELOPMENT STUDY PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR SUSAN SCHANTZ, A U. OF I. PROFESSOR EMERITA OF COMPARATIVE BIOSCIENCES.

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CREDIT: PHOTO BY FRED ZWICKY

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Acetaminophen is considered the safest over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer available during pregnancy. Studies have shown that 50%-65% of women in North America and Europe take acetaminophen during pregnancy. A new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explored the relationship between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and language outcomes in early childhood. It found that increasing acetaminophen use was associated with language delays.

The findings are reported in the journal Pediatric Research.

Earlier studies have found associations between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and poorer child communication skills. But those studies used measures of language development that were less precise than the methods applied in the current study, said Megan Woodbury, who led the research as a graduate student with U. of I. comparative biosciences professor emerita Susan Schantz. The work was conducted as part of the Illinois Kids Development Study, which explores how environmental exposures in pregnancy and childhood influence child development. Schantz is the IKIDS principal investigator. Woodbury is now a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University in Boston.

“The previous studies had only asked pregnant people at most once a trimester about their acetaminophen use,” Woodbury said. “But with IKIDS, we talked to our participants every four to six weeks during pregnancy and then within 24 hours of the kid’s birth, so we had six time points during pregnancy.”

The language analyses involved 298 2-year-old children who had been followed prenatally, 254 of whom returned for further study at age 3. 

For the 2-year-olds, the researchers turned to the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, which asks a parent to report on the child’s vocabulary, language complexity and the average length of the child’s longest three utterances.

“We wanted to collect data at that age because it’s the period called ‘word explosion,’ when kids are just adding words every day to their vocabulary,” Schantz said.

The vocabulary measure asked parents to select words their child had used from a list of 680 words.

The parents assessed their child again at 3 years, comparing their language skills to those of their peers.

The analysis linked acetaminophen use in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy to modest but significant delays in early language development.

“We found that increased use of acetaminophen – especially during the third trimester – was associated with smaller vocabulary scores and shorter ‘mean length of utterance’ at two years,” Woodbury said.

“At age three, greater acetaminophen use during the third trimester was related to parents ranking their kids as lower than their peers on their language abilities,” Schantz said. “That outcome was seen primarily in male children.”

The most dramatic finding was that each use of acetaminophen in the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with an almost two-word reduction in vocabulary in the 2-year-olds.

“This suggests that if a pregnant person took acetaminophen 13 times – or once per week – during the third trimester of that pregnancy, their child might express 26 fewer words at age 2 than other children that age,” Woodbury said.

Fetal brain development occurs throughout pregnancy, but the second and third trimesters are especially critical times, Schantz said.

“Hearing is developing in the second trimester, but language development is already starting in the third trimester before the baby is even born,” she said.

“It’s thought that acetaminophen exerts its analgesic effect through the endocannabinoid system, which is also very important for fetal development,” Woodbury said.

The findings need to be tested in larger studies, the researchers said. Until then, people should not be afraid to take acetaminophen for fever or serious pain and discomfort during pregnancy. Conditions like a very high fever can be dangerous and using a drug like acetaminophen will likely help.

“There aren’t other options for people to take when they really need them,” Schantz said. “But perhaps people should use more caution when turning to the drug to treat minor aches and pains.”

This work was supported by the Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institutes of Health Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program.

 

Editor’s notes: 

To reach Susan Schantz, email schantz@illinois.edu.

To reach Megan Woodbury, email m.woodbury@northeastern.edu.  

The paper “Examining the relationship of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with early language development in children” is available online or from the U. of I. News Bureau.

DOI: 10.1038/s41390-023-02924-4

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JOURNAL

Pediatric Research

DOI

10.1038/s41390-023-02924-4 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Examining the relationship of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with early language development in children