Interrogating Components of 2 Diet Quality Indices in Pregnancy using a Supervised Statistical Mixtures Approach.

Background: The Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 and Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010 evaluate diet holistically in pregnancy. However, it remains unclear how individual index components interact to contribute to health.

Objectives: To evaluate associations of HEI-2015 and AHEI-2010 components with gestational length using traditional and novel statistical methods in a prospective cohort.

SLeep Education for Everyone Program (SLEEP) Results in Sustained Improvements in Sleep Outcomes at Six Months.

Objective: Community-delivered sleep education interventions have been demonstrated to be effective in improving sleep outcomes, but whether these benefits persist once the program ends is not well characterized. This study sought to determine whether the previously reported positive effects attributed to the SLeep Education for Elders Program (SLEEP) were maintained six months after program completion.

Method: Nineteen participants were surveyed three times: at baseline, program completion (six weeks), and the six-month post-program timepoint.

Associations of individual and cumulative urinary phthalate and replacement biomarkers with gestational weight gain through late pregnancy.

Background/aims: Phthalates and their replacements are endocrine/metabolic disruptors that may impact gestational weight gain (GWG) - a pregnancy health indicator. We investigated overall and fetal sex-specific associations of individual and cumulative phthalate/replacement biomarkers with GWG.

Methods: Illinois women (n = 299) self-reported their weight pre-pregnancy and at their final obstetric appointment before delivery (median 38 weeks).

Determinants of urinary phthalate biomarker concentrations in pre- and perimenopausal women with consideration of race.

Background/objectives: Phthalates are endocrine disruptors in consumer plastics and personal care products. Our objectives were to identify determinants of phthalate biomarkers in women during the hormonally-sensitive midlife period, and to consider differences between non-Hispanic White and Black women.

Methods: We used information from the Midlife Women's Health Study of pre- and peri-menopausal women from Baltimore, Maryland (enrolled 2006-2015).

Peroral cricopharyngeal myotomy for the management of Zenker's diverticulum in the hands of a general surgeon.

Background: The treatment of Zenker's diverticulum has been shifted from open cricopharyngeal myotomy and rigid endoscopy to the use of flexible endoscopy. Few studies evaluate general surgeon's performance of flexible endoscopic management of Zenker's diverticulum as the majority are performed by gastroenterologists. The objective of our case series is to show that general surgeons trained in surgical endoscopy can perform this procedure with favorable outcomes.

Prenatal Exposures to Common Phthalates and Prevalent Phthalate Alternatives and Infant DNA Methylation at Birth.

Phthalates are a diverse group of chemicals used in consumer products. Because they are so widespread, exposure to these compounds is nearly unavoidable. Recently, growing scientific consensus has suggested that phthalates produce health effects in developing infants and children.

Identification of profiles and determinants of maternal pregnancy urinary biomarkers of phthalates and replacements in the Illinois Kids Development Study.

Background/objectives: Pregnant women are exposed to multiple phthalates and their replacements, which are endocrine disrupting chemicals associated with adverse maternal and child health outcomes. Identifying maternal characteristics associated with phthalate/replacement exposure during pregnancy is important.

Methods: We evaluated 13 maternal sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, enrollment year, and conception season as determinants of exposure biomarkers of phthalates and their replacements in 482 pregnant women from the Illinois Kids Development Study (I-KIDS, enrolled 2013-2018).

REPRODUCTIVE TOXICOLOGY: Pregnancy exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals: implications for women's health.

Women are ubiquitously exposed to non-persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) from food contact materials and personal care products. Understanding the impacts of exposure to these chemicals on pregnancy and long-term health outcomes in women is a critical area of research that has been largely overlooked. This brief review focuses on the epidemiologic literature exploring associations of non-persistent EDCs - including phthalates, parabens, bisphenols, and triclosan - with maternal pregnancy outcomes and long-term health outcomes in women.

Prenatal phthalate exposures and autism spectrum disorder symptoms in low-risk children.

Background: Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals has been associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms in some, but not all, studies, but most research has not accounted for other childhood behavior problems.

Objectives: To evaluate the specific associations of prenatal phthalate exposures with ASD symptoms in children (ages 3-6) accounting for other behavior problems, and to assess sex differences in these associations.

Methods: We measured phthalate metabolites in prenatal urine samples.

Phthalate exposures and one-year change in body mass index across the menopausal transition.

Background: The menopausal transition is a hormonally sensitive period associated with changes in body weight. Phthalates are ubiquitous endocrine disrupting chemicals that could disrupt weight homeostasis, but it is unknown whether this occurs during the menopausal transition.

Objectives: Our objectives were to (1) determine if phthalate exposure in pre- and perimenopausal women was associated with one-year change in body mass index (BMI), and (2) determine if these associations differed across the menopausal transition.

Phthalate Exposure and Long-Term Epigenomic Consequences: A Review.

Phthalates are esters of phthalic acid which are used in cosmetics and other daily personal care products. They are also used in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics to increase durability and plasticity. Phthalates are not present in plastics by covalent bonds and thus can easily leach into the environment and enter the human body by dermal absorption, ingestion, or inhalation.

Understanding the Public's Reservations about Broad Consent and Study-By-Study Consent for Donations to a Biobank: Results of a National Survey.

Researchers and policymakers do not agree about the most appropriate way to get consent for the use of donations to a biobank. The most commonly used method is blanket-or broad-consent where donors allow their donation to be used for any future research approved by the biobank. This approach does not account for the fact that some donors may have moral concerns about the uses of their biospecimens.

Incidence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers - a population-based cohort study.

Our study sought to estimate the association between race, gender, comorbidity and body mass index (BMI) on the incidence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcer (PU) from a population-based retrospective cohort comprising 242 745 unique patient hospital discharges in two fiscal years from July 2009 to June 2010 from 15 general and tertiary care hospitals. Cases were patients with a single inpatient encounter that led to an incident PU. Controls were patients without a PU at any encounter during the two fiscal years with the earliest admission retained for analysis.