Environmental exposures associated with early childhood recurrent wheezing in the mother and child in the environment birth cohort: a time-to-event study.

Background: Antenatal factors and environmental exposures contribute to recurrent wheezing in early childhood.

Aim: To identify antenatal and environmental factors associated with recurrent wheezing in children from birth to 48 months in the mother and child in the environment cohort, using time-to-event analysis.

Method: Maternal interviews were administered during pregnancy and postnatally and children were followed up from birth to 48 months (May 2013-October 2019).

Impact of ambient air pollution exposure during pregnancy on adverse birth outcomes: generalized structural equation modeling approach.

Background: Air pollution and several prenatal factors, such as socio-demographic, behavioural, physical activity and clinical factors influence adverse birth outcomes. The study aimed to investigate the impact of ambient air pollution exposure during pregnancy adjusting prenatal risk factors on adverse birth outcomes among pregnant women in MACE birth cohort.

Methods: Data for the study was obtained from the Mother and Child in the Environment (MACE) birth cohort study in Durban, South Africa from 2013 to 2017.

Maternal exposure to indoor PM and associated adverse birth outcomes in low socio-economic households, Durban, South Africa.

The association between in utero exposure to indoor PM and birth outcomes is not conclusive. We assessed the association between in utero exposure to indoor PM , birth weight, gestational age, low birth weight, and/or preterm delivery. Homes of 800 pregnant women were assessed using a structured walkthrough questionnaire.

Maternal demographic and antenatal factors, low birth weight and preterm birth: findings from the mother and child in the environment (MACE) birth cohort, Durban, South Africa.

Background: Low birthweight (LBW) and preterm birth (PB) remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify maternal demographic and antenatal factors associated with PB and LBW among low socio-economic communities.

Methods: Pregnant women (n = 1099) were recruited in the first trimester into the Mother and Child in the Environment (MACE) birth cohort in Durban, South Africa.

Predictors of urban household variability of indoor PM in low socio-economic communities.

In epidemiological studies, levels of PM2.5 need to be estimated over time and space. Because of logistical constraints, very few studies have been conducted to assess the variability within and across homes and the predictors of this variability.

The spatial modification of the non-linear effects of ambient oxides of nitrogen during pregnancy on birthweight in a South African birth cohort.

Birthweight is strongly associated with infant mortality and is a major determinant of infant survival. Several factors such as maternal, environmental, clinical, and social factors influence birthweight, and these vary geographically, including across low, middle, and economically advanced countries. The aim of the study was to investigate the geographical modification of the effect of oxides of nitrogen exposure on birthweight adjusted for clinical and socio-demographic factors.

V260E Is a Frequent Cause of Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome in Black South African Children.

Introduction: In South Africa (SA), steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is more frequent in black than in Indian children.

Methods: Seeking a genetic basis for this disparity, we enrolled 33 Indian and 31 black children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) and SRNS from KwaZulu-Natal, SA; SRNS children underwent kidney biopsy. We sequenced and genotyped in 15 SSNS and 64 SRNS unrelated patients and 104 controls and replicated results in 18 black patients with steroid-resistant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (SR-FSGS).

HIV induced nitric oxide and lipid peroxidation, influences neonatal birthweight in a South African population.

HIV has been implicated in adverse birth outcomes, due to increased oxidative stress and inflammation. In addition, HIV has been reported to increase nitric oxide levels. Therefore the combined exposures to HIV and traffic-related air pollution, within South Durban, South Africa (SA), may lead to adverse birth outcomes.

OGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism, HIV, obesity and air pollution exposure influences adverse birth outcome susceptibility, within South African Women.

The global HIV and obesity epidemics are major public health concerns; particularly as both are associated with increased risk of adverse birth outcomes. Despite extensive research, their combined effect, in terms of birth outcomes, has not been investigated. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (OGG1) (Ser326Cys) has been suggested to affect body mass indices and therefore could predispose South African (SA) women to adverse effects of obesity.

The Effect of Nitric Oxide Pollution on Oxidative Stress in Pregnant Women Living in Durban, South Africa.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect nitric oxide (NO ) pollution had on maternal serum 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women living in Durban, South Africa (SA). Women, in their third trimester with singleton pregnancies, were recruited from the heavily industrialised south (n = 225) and less industrialised north (n = 152). Biomarker levels of serum 8-OHdG concentrations were analysed, and the women were genotyped for glutathione-S-transferases pi 1 (GSTP1) and glutathione-S-transferases mu 1 (GSTM1) polymorphisms.

The Tyr113His T/C rs1051740 and 'very slow' phenotype of the EPHX1 gene alters miR-26b-5p and miR-1207-5p expression in pregnancy.

Background: Environmental insults and microsomal epoxide hydrolase 1 (EPHX1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), Tyr113His T/C rs1051740 and His139Arg A/G rs2234922, aberrantly alters microRNA (miR) expression and are linked to low birthweights (LBW).

Objectives: To investigate the interplay between pollution, EPHX1 SNPs and miRs during pregnancy and associated LBW outcomes.

Methods: South African pregnant women (n=241) were recruited in the MACE birth cohort study in Durban, a city with high levels of industry and traffic related pollutants.

Prenatal exposures and DNA methylation in newborns: a pilot study in Durban, South Africa.

The in utero environment has the potential to influence epigenetic programming and subsequently the health of offspring. Even though pregnant women living in urban Africa are exposed to multiple chemicals and infectious agents that may impact their developing children, the neonatal epigenome has not been studied in these regions. We assessed whether prenatal exposures to air pollution and maternal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are associated with changes to DNA methylation throughout the epigenome using a pilot sample from the Mother and Child Environmental (MACE) birth cohort, of which 36% of the mothers are HIV positive.

The spectrum of chronic kidney disease (stages 2-5) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children in developing countries remains unknown, due to the lack of a national data-reporting system. We undertook a retrospective study of all children < 16 years old in our hospital, which is the tertiary referral centre for children with complex kidney disorders, to analyse the spectrum of CKD (stages 2-5) from 1994-2006. Six hundred and fifty-three children with kidney disorders were screened for CKD; 286 (44.

Management of steroid-resistant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in children using tacrolimus.

Background: The use of tacrolimus in steroid-resistant (SR) focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) has been reported in single and small series case reports.

Aim: To determine the efficacy of tacrolimus in the management of SR FSGS in children.

Study Design: This was a prospective study of 20 children with SR FSGS treated with tacrolimus (0.

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome: the influence of race on cyclophosphamide sensitivity.

Steroid-resistant (SR) forms of nephrotic syndrome (NS) have a poorer outcome in blacks compared to other racial groups. In this study, 223 children with SRNS, aged 1-16 years old, were analysed retrospectively for the period 1976-2004. Treatment schedules included oral cyclophosphamide (2-3 mg/kg) with prednisone 0.