[Prevalence of congenital malformations at birth in Chilean maternity hospitals].

Background: The Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) is an epidemiological surveillance system operating in 11 South American countries since 1969.

Aim: To analyze the Congenital Malformation prevalence rate at birth from 2001 to 2010 in Chilean Hospitals participating in ECLAMC. To compare these rates with those of the period 1982-1994.

[Experience of a research Ethics Committee and the challenges of the new Chilean legislation on research in human beings].

The welfare of research participants must be guaranteed by international ethical standards. This article communicates the procedures of the Research Ethics Committee of the School of Medicine, University of Chile (CEISH). The new Chilean legislation on research in human beings is also discussed.

[Congenital malformations among newborns of teenage mothers].

Background: The Chilean Ministry of Health has reported a meaningful increase of births from teenager mothers (aged less than 20 years) in the period 1990-2008. On the contrary, there was a decrease of births from teenage mothers at The University of Chile Clinical Hospital (HCUCH).

Aim: To compare the prevalence rates at birth of congenital malformations (CMF) in newborns from mothers younger than 20 with those of mothers between 20 and 34 years old.

[Effects of wheat flour fortification with folic acid on the prevalence of neural tube defects in Chile].

Background: Congenital malformations (CMF) have an important role in infant mortality. Neural tube defects (NTD) have great relevance from both social and public health points of view. The ECLAMC (Collaborative Latin American Study of Congenital Malformations) maintains in Chile an epidemiological surveillance of CMF prevalence rate at birth since 1969.

[Congenital malformations in Latin America in the period 1995-2008].

Background: The Latin American Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) has performed an epidemiological surveillance of congenital malformations since 1967. This allows to detect any unexpected change in the incidence of malformations, possibly caused by a new environmental teratogenic agent.

Aim: To report a summary of the results thus far obtained in this study.

[Paternal age as a risk factor for congenital malformations].

Background: The role of advanced maternal age as a risk factor for congenital malformations in offspring is known. However, the influence of paternal age is not clear.

Aim: To evaluate the association between advanced paternal age and the risk for congenital malformations.

[The association between maternal age and congenital malformations].

Background: There is an association between extreme maternal ages and the risk of congenital malformations. This is specially true for chromosomal abnormalities among women of advanced ages and disruptive malformation among teenage mothers.

Aim: To determine the association between maternal ages and incidence of congenital malformations at the obstetric ward of a clinical hospital.

[Effects of folic acid fortification in the rates of malformations at birth in Chile].

Background: The effects of folic acid fortification on neural tube defects is well known. Other reports show a beneficial effect of the fortification on orofacial clefts, urinary malformations and defects caused by limb reduction.

Aim: To determine the changes in prevalence of congenital malformations after the start of flour folic acid fortification in Chile.

[Increasing rates of Down syndrome among newborns in Chile from 1972 to 2005].

Background: There are some records shrowing that the frequency of Down syndrome is experiencing an increase over time.

Aim: To verify whether the frequency of Down syndrome is increasing in the maternity of the University of Chile Clinical Hospital, or in other Chilean hospitals participating in the Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) and compare the rates with other world registries of congenital malformations.

Material And Methods: The information was obtained from the ECLAMC databases of the maternity.

[The frequency of twin pregnancies increased in a Chilean hospital associated with periconceptional flour folic acid supplementation].

Background: A significant increase in the frequency of twins has been described in the literature as a secondary effect of perinatal supplementation with folic acid.

Aim: To verify if the frequency of twins increased in a Chilean hospital, after the start of flour folic acid supplementation.

Material And Methods: The frequency of twins was compared in the University of Chile Clinical Hospital, before and after the start of flour fortification with folic acid.