Postnatal health and care following hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: a prospective cohort study (BPiPP study).

Introduction: One in 10 women have hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) and are at risk of adverse short- and long-term health outcomes, yet there is limited information on their postnatal health and care needs. This study aimed to look at postnatal physical and psychological morbidity in women with HDP, compared to women without HDP, and the postnatal care received in both groups.

Methods: Within a prospective cohort study, women with and without HDP were identified and recruited on the postnatal ward of 17 maternity units across England and invited to complete a short baseline questionnaire.

CKD and Pregnancy Outcomes in Africa: A Narrative Review.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes and is reported to affect up to 3% of women of reproductive age in high-income countries, but estimated prevalence may be as much as 50% higher in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). All pregnancy complications occur much more frequently in women in LMICs compared with those in high-income countries. Given the anticipated high prevalence of CKD in women of reproductive age and high rates of maternal and fetal adverse events in Africa, we sought to explore the association between CKD and pregnancy outcomes in this setting through a narrative review of the literature.

Setting and techniques for monitoring blood pressure during pregnancy.

Background: Regular blood pressure (BP) measurement is crucial for the diagnosis and management of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia. BP can be measured in various settings, such as conventional clinics or self-measurement at home, and with different techniques, such as using auscultatory or automated BP devices. It is important to understand the impact of different settings and techniques of BP measurement on important outcomes for pregnant women.

Estimating Particulate Exposure from Modern Municipal Waste Incinerators in Great Britain.

Municipal Waste Incineration (MWI) is regulated through the European Union Directive on Industrial Emissions (IED), but there is ongoing public concern regarding potential hazards to health. Using dispersion modeling, we estimated spatial variability in PM concentrations arising from MWIs at postcodes (average 12 households) within 10 km of MWIs in Great Britain (GB) in 2003-2010. We also investigated change points in PM emissions in relation to introduction of EU Waste Incineration Directive (EU-WID) (subsequently transposed into IED) and correlations of PM with SO, NOx, heavy metals, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furan (PCDD/F), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) emissions.

Emerging and legacy flame retardants in UK human milk and food suggest slow response to restrictions on use of PBDEs and HBCDD.

The legacy flame retardants (LFRs) polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), together with six emerging flame retardants (EFRs) were measured in United Kingdom (UK) human milk collected in 2010 (n=25) and 2014-15 (n=10). These data are the first report of the presence of EFRs in UK human milk. The most abundant EFR was β-tetrabromoethylcyclohexane (DBE-DBCH) (average=2.

Routinely collected English birth data sets: comparisons and recommendations for reproductive epidemiology.

Background: In England there are four national routinely collected data sets on births: Office for National Statistics (ONS) births based on birth registrations; Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) deliveries (mothers' information); HES births (babies' information); and NHS Numbers for Babies (NN4B) based on ONS births plus gestational age and ethnicity information. This study describes and compares these data, with the aim of recommending the most appropriate data set(s) for use in epidemiological research and surveillance.

Methods: We assessed the completeness and quality of the data sets in relation to use in epidemiological research and surveillance and produced detailed descriptive statistics on common reproductive outcomes for each data set including temporal and spatial trends.

Waste incineration and adverse birth and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review.

Background: Public concern about potential health risks associated with incineration has prompted studies to investigate the relationship between incineration and risk of cancer, and more recently, birth outcomes. We conducted a systematic review of epidemiologic studies evaluating the relationship between waste incineration and the risk of adverse birth and neonatal outcomes.

Methods: Literature searches were performed within the MEDLINE database, through PubMed and Ovid interfaces, for the search terms; incineration, birth, reproduction, neonatal, congenital anomalies and all related terms.

Comparative assessment of particulate air pollution exposure from municipal solid waste incinerator emissions.

Background: Research to date on health effects associated with incineration has found limited evidence of health risks, but many previous studies have been constrained by poor exposure assessment. This paper provides a comparative assessment of atmospheric dispersion modelling and distance from source (a commonly used proxy for exposure) as exposure assessment methods for pollutants released from incinerators.

Methods: Distance from source and the atmospheric dispersion model ADMS-Urban were used to characterise ambient exposures to particulates from two municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) in the UK.