Ambient ozone and fine particulate matter exposures and autism spectrum disorder in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio.

Background: Epidemiological studies report fairly consistent associations between various air pollution metrics and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with some elevated risks reported for different prenatal and postnatal periods.

Objectives: To examine associations between ASD and ambient fine particulate matter (PM) and ozone concentrations during the prenatal period through the second year of life in a case-control study.

Methods: ASD cases (n = 428) diagnosed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center were frequency matched (15:1) to 6420 controls from Ohio birth records.

Use of Shotgun Metagenome Sequencing To Detect Fecal Colonization with Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in Children.

Prevention of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections relies on accurate detection of these organisms. We investigated shotgun metagenome sequencing for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and MDR Enterobacteriaceae Fecal metagenomes were analyzed from high-risk inpatients and compared to those of low-risk outpatients and controls with minimal risk for a MDR bacterial infection. Principal-component analysis clustered patient samples into distinct cohorts, confirming that the microbiome composition was significantly different between cohorts (P = 0.

Maternal metabolic risk factors for autism spectrum disorder-An analysis of electronic medical records and linked birth data.

Past studies have suggested that conditions experienced by women during pregnancy (e.g. obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)) may be associated with having a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Integrating public data sets for analysis of maternal airborne environmental exposures and stillbirth.

Efforts to study relationships between maternal airborne pollutant exposures and poor pregnancy outcomes have been frustrated by data limitations. Our objective was to report the proportion of Ohio women in 2006-2010 experiencing stillbirth whose pregnancy exposure to six criteria airborne pollutants could be approximated by applying a geospatial approach to vital records and Environmental Protection Agency air monitoring data. In addition, we characterized clinical and socio-demographic differences among women who lived within 10 km of monitoring stations compared to women who did not live within proximity of monitoring stations.