Urinary Concentrations of Phthalate Metabolites and Bisphenol A and Associations with Follicular-Phase Length, Luteal-Phase Length, Fecundability, and Early Pregnancy Loss.

Background: Certain phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) show reproductive effects in animal studies and potentially affect human ovulation, conception, and pregnancy loss.

Objectives: We investigated these chemicals in relation to follicular- and luteal-phase lengths, time to pregnancy, and early pregnancy loss (within 6 weeks of the last menstrual period) among women attempting pregnancy.

Methods: Women discontinuing contraception provided daily first-morning urine specimens and recorded days with vaginal bleeding for up to 6 months.

Duration of pregnancy, even at term, predicts long-term risk of coronary heart disease and stroke mortality in women: a population-based study.

Objective: Preterm delivery may predict an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in mothers, providing opportunities for prevention. No study had examined whether gestation length within the term period predicts future CVD, and there are few data segregating spontaneous from medically indicated deliveries.

Study Design: We used proportional hazards models to predict CVD death by gestation length, adjusted for age, education, and delivery year among 688,662 women with births from 1967 through 1998 in the Medical Birth Registry of Norway.

Risk of fetal death with preeclampsia.

Objective: To estimate gestational age-specific risks of fetal death in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia.

Methods: Population-based cohort study comprising all singleton births (N=554,333) without preexisting chronic hypertension recorded in the Norwegian Medical Birth Registry from 1999 to 2008. Additional data come from a subset of preeclamptic pregnancies enrolled in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study with available medical records (n=3,037).

Considerations for using research data to verify clinical data accuracy.

Collected to support clinical decisions and processes, clinical data may be subject to validity issues when used for research. The objective of this study is to examine methods and issues in summarizing and evaluating the accuracy of clinical data as compared to primary research data. We hypothesized that research survey data on a patient cohort could serve as a reference standard for uncovering potential biases in clinical data.

Benchmark pregnancy rates and the assessment of post-coital contraceptives: an update.

Objective: In 2001, we provided benchmark estimates of probability of pregnancy given a single act of intercourse. Those calculations assumed that intercourse and ovulation are independent. Subsequent research has shown that this assumption is not valid.

Consolidation hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy and maintenance chemotherapy following laparoscopic cytoreductive surgery in the treatment of ovarian carcinoma.

Purpose: Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is an intriguing method of delivery wherein the cytotoxic agent is continuously heated and circulated throughout the peritoneum in an attempt to improve efficacy. Despite the potential of HIPEC in the treatment of ovarian cancer, there are limited safety, feasibility and survival data involving this procedure, particularly in conjunction with maintenance chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated ovarian cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic debulking surgery, attained a complete response to their primary chemotherapy and subsequently received consolidation HIPEC with carboplatin area under the curve of 10 (AUC of 10) and a planned 12 cycles of paclitaxel (135 mg/m(2)) maintenance chemotherapy.

Spatial and temporal fracture pattern in breast and gynecologic cancer survivors.

Objective(s): To assess skeletal wide fracture location and time of fracture after cancer treatment Study Design: One hundred thirty-nine women diagnosed with breast or gynecologic cancer between 2003 and 2012 that subsequently had a radiologic diagnosis of fracture were identified retrospectively using electronic medical records. RESULTS were compared with skeletal fracture pattern previously reported for a general population.

Results: Skeletal fractures in cancer patients occur throughout the entire skeleton similar to general population.

The feasibility of administering varying high-dose consolidation hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy with carboplatin in the treatment of ovarian carcinoma.

Objectives: Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is an intriguing method of delivery wherein the cytotoxic agent is continuously heated and circulated throughout the peritoneum in an attempt to bolster drug efficacy. Despite HIPEC's potential, ascertaining the optimal dose without compromising patient tolerability remains indeterminate.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 52 advanced stage ovarian cancer patients who were treated with consolidation HIPEC with carboplatin at varying doses (e.

Conspecific disturbance contributes to altered hibernation patterns in bats with white-nose syndrome.

The emerging wildlife disease white-nose syndrome (WNS) affects both physiology and behaviour of hibernating bats. Infection with the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the first pathogen known to target torpid animals, causes an increase in arousal frequency during hibernation, and therefore premature depletion of energy stores. Infected bats also show a dramatic decrease in clustering behaviour over the winter.

Associations of maternal atopic diseases with adverse pregnancy outcomes: a national cohort study.

Background: Maternal asthma has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Little is known about the influence of other atopic diseases on pregnancy outcomes. We assessed how various maternal atopic diseases might affect preterm birth, stillbirth, and neonatal death.

Ultrasound prediction of perinatal outcome: the unrecognised value of sibling data.

Objective: To identify high-risk fetuses at the first routinely performed ultrasound examination by making use of information from the mother's previous pregnancy.

Design: A population-based cohort study.

Setting: Norway, 1999-2009.

First-trimester nonsystemic corticosteroid use and the risk of oral clefts in Norway.

Purpose: Exposure of pregnant mice to corticosteroids can produce oral clefts in offspring. Although data in humans are more mixed, recent reports have suggested that dermatologic steroids are associated with oral clefts.

Methods: We investigated maternal first-trimester exposure to corticosteroids (focusing on dermatologic uses) and oral clefts in offspring using two population-based studies.

Online health information seeking behaviors of Hispanics in New York City: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Background: The emergence of the Internet has increased access to health information and can facilitate active individual engagement in health care decision making. Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority group in the United States and are also the most underserved in terms of access to online health information. A growing body of literature has examined correlates of online health information seeking behaviors (HISBs), but few studies have included Hispanics.

Familial risk of cerebral palsy: population based cohort study.

Objective: To investigate risks of recurrence of cerebral palsy in family members with various degrees of relatedness to elucidate patterns of hereditability.

Design: Population based cohort study.

Setting: Data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, linked to the Norwegian social insurance scheme to identify cases of cerebral palsy and to databases of Statistics Norway to identify relatives.

Identification of DNA methylation changes in newborns related to maternal smoking during pregnancy.

Background: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with significant infant morbidity and mortality, and may influence later disease risk. One mechanism by which smoking (and other environmental factors) might have long-lasting effects is through epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation.

Objectives: We conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) investigating alterations in DNA methylation in infants exposed in utero to maternal tobacco smoke, using the Norway Facial Clefts Study.

Spousal overprotection is indirectly associated with poorer dietary adherence for patients with type 2 diabetes via diabetes distress when active engagement is low.

Objectives: The current study sought to explore the indirect association of spousal overprotection on patient dietary adherence through the mechanism of diabetes distress and whether the link between overprotection and diabetes distress was moderated by spouse active engagement.

Method: Participants were 117 married couples in which one member had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and were recruited from a patient registry at a Midwestern (USA) medical centre. Data were gathered from spouses and patients through a self-report survey instrument.

Corticosteroid use and risk of orofacial clefts.

Background: Maternal use of corticosteroids during early pregnancy has been inconsistently associated with orofacial clefts in the offspring. A previous report from the National Birth Defect Prevention Study (NBDPS), using data from 1997 to 2002, found an association with cleft lip and palate (odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.

Hormones and hibernation: possible links between hormone systems, winter energy balance and white-nose syndrome in bats.

This article is part of a Special Issue "Energy Balance". Hibernation allows mammals to survive in cold climates and during times of reduced food availability. Drastic physiological changes are required to maintain the energy savings that characterize hibernation.

Characterization of the definitive classical calpain family of vertebrates using phylogenetic, evolutionary and expression analyses.

The calpains are a superfamily of proteases with extensive relevance to human health and welfare. Vast research attention is given to the vertebrate 'classical' subfamily, making it surprising that the evolutionary origins, distribution and relationships of these genes is poorly characterized. Consequently, there exists uncertainty about the conservation of gene family structure, function and expression that has been principally defined from work with mammals.

A senior scholars forum can enhance the scholarship process.

Background: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the educational value of an annual Senior Scholars Forum (SSF) of graduating Emergency Medicine resident participants and attendees.

Description: This study was conducted at an urban academic medical center with a PGY1-4 year residency program. After completion of the 2nd annual SSF, a web-based survey instrument was sent to all resident and faculty attendees.

Risk of cerebral palsy in relation to pregnancy disorders and preterm birth: a national cohort study.

Aim: To assess the risk of developing cerebral palsy in relation to pregnancy disorders and preterm birth.

Method: By linking the Medical Birth Registry of Norway to other national registries, we identified all live births in Norway from 1967 through to 2001. Risks of cerebral palsy (CP) after preterm delivery and pregnancy disorders were estimated in different gestational age groups.

Evidence of gene-environment interaction for two genes on chromosome 4 and environmental tobacco smoke in controlling the risk of nonsyndromic cleft palate.

Nonsyndromic cleft palate (CP) is one of the most common human birth defects and both genetic and environmental risk factors contribute to its etiology. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 550 CP case-parent trios ascertained in an international consortium. Stratified analysis among trios with different ancestries was performed to test for GxE interactions with common maternal exposures using conditional logistic regression models.