Folic Acid Supplementation in Pregnancy and the Risk of Pre-Eclampsia-A Cohort Study.

This prospective cohort study designed to assess the effect of folic acid supplementation in pregnancy on the risk of preeclampsia (PE) took place in Ottawa, ON and Kingston, ON, Canada, from September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2008. Pregnant women, less than 20 weeks gestational age were recruited and delivered in the Ottawa region and the Kingston General Hospital. Demographic characteristics of the study participants and the patterns of supplementation of folic acid were described and occurrence of PE between women with folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and women without were compared.

Women's perspectives of the fetal fibronectin testing process: a qualitative descriptive study.

Background: In 2009 the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care funded the implementation of province-wide fetal fibronectin testing in Ontario hospitals. This paper reports results from the provincial evaluation that sought to describe the experience of fetal fibronectin testing from the perspective of women with symptoms of preterm labour.

Methods: A descriptive qualitative design was used, employing semi-structured telephone and face-to-face interviews with women who had fetal fibronectin testing.

Free thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone reference intervals in very low birth weight infants at 3-6 weeks of life with the Beckman Coulter Unicel DxI 800.

Objectives: To establish reference intervals for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) at 3-6 weeks of age in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with the Beckman Coulter Unicel DxI 800 by gender, birth weight (BW) and gestational age (GA) subgroups.

Design And Methods: A 4 year retrospective cohort of 308 VLBW infants (GA=27.9 weeks, BW=992.

A comparison of glucose concentration in paired specimens collected in serum separator and fluoride/potassium oxalate blood collection tubes under survey 'field' conditions.

Objectives: There are no direct comparisons of blood glucose values in samples collected with barrier serum tubes (SST) and NaF/potassium oxalate (NaF/KOx) plasma tubes. Collection of samples in SST tubes can offer considerable savings and specimen processing advantages for national level surveys.

Design And Methods: Serum and plasma samples were collected under 'field conditions' from a single draw of 3692 individuals participating in the Canadian Health Measures Survey.

Relationships among biomarkers of one-carbon metabolism.

One-carbon metabolism is a network of metabolic pathways, disruption of which has been associated with cancer and other pathological conditions. Biomarkers of these pathways include homocysteine (HCY), S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). A better understanding of the relationships between these biomarkers is needed for their utilization in research.

The effect of tobacco exposure on maternal and fetal thyroid function.

Objective: To determine the effect of smoking on maternal and fetal thyroid function.

Study Design: This prospective cohort study involved healthy women undergoing elective cesarean section for term singleton infants. Maternal and fetal thyroid indices were compared between smokers (n=21) and non-smokers (n=83).

Folic acid supplementation in early second trimester and the risk of preeclampsia.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the association between folic acid supplementation in early second trimester and the risk of developing preeclampsia.

Study Design: We carried out a prospective cohort study between October 2002-December 2005. We recruited women who had their prenatal care visit (12-20 weeks' gestation) at the Ottawa Hospital and Kingston General Hospital.

Effect of homocysteine concentration in early pregnancy on gestational hypertensive disorders and other pregnancy outcomes.

Background: Increased total homocysteine (tHcy) may be associated with placental-mediated adverse pregnancy outcomes, but few prospective studies have measured tHcy before pregnancy outcome. This study was undertaken to determine whether increased tHcy measured in early pregnancy is associated with pregnancy loss, gestational hypertension (GH), preeclampsia, or small for gestational age (SGA) infants.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study between 2002 and 2005.

Biomarker measurements in a coastal fish-eating population environmentally exposed to organochlorines.

The Lower North Shore region of the St. Lawrence River is home to a fish-eating population that displays an unusually high body burden of several organochlorines, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs). We measured biomarkers indicative of liver enzyme induction and investigated the relationship with organochlorine body burden in adult volunteers from this population.

Correlation between self-reported smoking status and serum cotinine during pregnancy.

Maternal smoking is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. Because of concerns of underreporting, investigators routinely perform biochemical testing to confirm smoking status, such as serum cotinine, a major metabolite of nicotine, adding an increased cost to examine compliance. The objectives of this study were to determine the sensitivity and specificity of self-reported smoking with serum cotinine as the gold standard and to determine the correlation between self-reported smoking in cigarettes per day and serum cotinine levels.

Thrombophilia and the risk for hemodialysis vascular access thrombosis.

Vascular access thrombosis is the most common and costly complication in hemodialysis patients. The role of thrombophilia in access thrombosis is not established. A case-control study was conducted of 419 hemodialysis patients to determine whether thrombophilia was associated with arteriovenous fistula or graft thrombosis.

Folate levels in pregnant women who smoke: an important gene/environment interaction.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether serum and red blood cell folate levels were decreased in pregnant women who smoke and whether total plasma homocysteine levels were elevated.

Study Design: In this cross-sectional study, serum folate, red blood cell folate, and homocysteine were measured in pregnant first- and early second-trimester pregnant women who smoked (case subjects) and pregnant women who did not smoke (control subjects). In addition, vitamin B(12), albumin, creatinine, cotinine, and hematocrit levels and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase status were determined and compared between groups.