Background: The argument that women in stressful environments spontaneously abort their least fit fetuses enjoys wide dissemination despite the fact that several of its most intuitive predictions remain untested. The literature includes no tests, for example, of the hypothesis that these mechanisms select against small for gestational age (SGA) males.
Methods: We apply time-series modeling to 4.9 million California male term births to test the hypothesis that the rate of SGA infants in 1096 weekly birth cohorts varies inversely with labor market contraction, a known stressor of contemporary populations.
Results: We find support for the hypothesis that small size becomes less frequent among term male infants when the labor market contracts.
Conclusions: Our findings contribute to the evidence supporting selection in utero. They also suggest that research into the association between maternal stress and adverse birth outcomes should acknowledge the possibility that fetal loss may affect findings and their interpretation. Strengths of our analyses include the large number and size of our birth cohorts and our control for autocorrelation. Weaknesses include that we, like nearly all researchers in the field, have no direct measure of fetal loss.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/humrep/der480 | DOI Listing |
Crit Care
January 2025
Department of Pediatric, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Background: Patients supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are at a high risk of brain injury, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to employ machine learning (ML) techniques to predict brain injury in pediatric patients ECMO and identify key variables for future research.
Methods: Data from pediatric patients undergoing ECMO were collected from the Chinese Society of Extracorporeal Life Support (CSECLS) registry database and local hospitals.
BMC Public Health
January 2025
Graduate Institute of Data Science, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) seroprevalence was high before the national vaccine policy was introduced in Taiwan, indicating significant HBV infection rates. The success of the HBV immunization program and other preventive measures likely led to decreased HBsAg prevalence among pregnant women. This study reports on the HBV seroprevalence among pregnant women in Taiwan from 2016 to 2021, including those potentially affected by the universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
Antibiotics can trigger antimicrobial resistance and microbiome alterations. Reducing pathogen exposure and undernutrition can reduce infections and antibiotic use. We assess effects of water, sanitation, handwashing (WSH) and nutrition interventions on caregiver-reported antibiotic use in Bangladesh and Kenya, longitudinally measured at three timepoints among birth cohorts (ages 3-28 months) in a cluster-randomized trial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Open
January 2025
Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Queen Mary University of London Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, London, UK.
Objective: In the UK and worldwide, there are substantial ethnic inequalities in maternal and perinatal care and outcomes. We aim to assess the impact of the unprecedented change in care provision during the COVID-19 pandemic on inequalities in adverse maternity outcomes.
Design: Retrospective cohort study using structured electronic health record data.
BMJ Ment Health
January 2025
Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
Background: There is some evidence that perinatal anxiety (PNA) is associated with lower rates of infant vaccinations and decreased access to preventative infant healthcare, but results across studies have not been conclusive.
Objective: To investigate the relationship between maternal PNA and infant primary care use.
Methods: Cohort study of mother-infant pairs identified between 1998 and 2016 using IQVIA Medical Research Database (IMRD).
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