Years of Potential Life Lost for Children and Adults With Congenital Heart Defects: United States, 2007 to 2017.

Background: Although most children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) live into adulthood, many have increased mortality risk across the lifespan. Little is known about years lost due to premature CHD-related deaths. We estimated the years of potential life lost (YPLL) among individuals with CHDs in the United States.

The Association Between Dietary Supplement Use and COVID-19 Symptoms.

The scientific evidence supporting recommendations for dietary supplement use to prevent or treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) is not well‑established. This cohort study investigates the relationship between dietary supplement usage and COVID‑19 symptoms among 27,181 adults tested for COVID‑19. Using data from surveys following COVID‑19 testing, conducted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, associations between dietary supplement usage, symptomatology, and COVID‑19 status were explored.

Associations between obstructive sleep apnea and sleep characteristics with chronic kidney disease in rural Pennsylvania.

Study Objectives: To examine the association between moderate-severe obstructive sleep apnea (msOSA) and sleep characteristics with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a population of rural and urban adults in Pennsylvania.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 23,643 adults who underwent polysomnography (PSG) at a rural healthcare system in Pennsylvania between 2009 and 2019. Serum creatinine was abstracted from electronic health records to calculate estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Bias analyses to investigate the impact of differential participation: Application to a birth defects case-control study.

Background: Certain associations observed in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) contrasted with other research or were from areas with mixed findings, including no decrease in odds of spina bifida with periconceptional folic acid supplementation, moderately increased cleft palate odds with ondansetron use and reduced hypospadias odds with maternal smoking.

Objectives: To investigate the plausibility and extent of differential participation to produce effect estimates observed in NBDPS.

Methods: We searched the literature for factors related to these exposures and participation and conducted deterministic quantitative bias analyses.

Fever and antibiotic use in maternal urinary tract infections during pregnancy and risk of congenital heart defects: Findings from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study.

Background: Previous studies report an association between prenatal maternal urinary tract infections (UTI) and specific congenital heart defects (CHDs); however, the role of fever and antibiotic use on this association is poorly understood. Using data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, we examined whether the relationship between maternal UTIs during the periconceptional period and occurrence of CHDs is modified by the presence of fever due to UTI and corresponding antibiotic use among 11,704 CHD case infants and 11,636 live-born control infants.

Methods: Information on UTIs, fever associated with UTI and antibiotic use (sulfonamides, nitrofurantoin, cephalosporins, penicillin, macrolides, and quinolones) during pregnancy were obtained using a computer-assisted telephone interview.

Periconceptional intakes of methyl donors and other micronutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism may further reduce the risk of neural tube defects in offspring: a United States population-based case-control study of women meeting the folic acid recommendations.

Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) still occur among some women who consume 400 μg of folic acid for prevention. It has been hypothesized that intakes of methyl donors and other micronutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism may further protect against NTDs.

Objectives: To investigate whether intakes of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, betaine, methionine, thiamine, riboflavin, and zinc, individually or in combination, were associated with NTD risk reduction in offspring of women meeting the folic acid recommendations.

Intellectual disabilities and autism among children with congenital heart defects, Western Australia, 1983-2010.

Background: Children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) are at higher risk of developing an intellectual disability. However, severity of intellectual disabilities among this group of children are largely unknown. Our objective was to determine the risk of intellectual disability (ID), ID severity, and autism among children with CHDs.

Prenatal Metal Exposures and Associations with Kidney Injury Biomarkers in Children.

Prenatal exposure to arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) may be nephrotoxic, yet limited studies have examined subclinical kidney injury biomarkers in children. We assessed whether metal exposure in the second trimester (2T), a crucial time of kidney development, is associated with altered urine kidney injury and function biomarkers in preadolescent children. Analyses included 494 children participating in a birth cohort study in Mexico City.

Analysis of COVID-19 Pandemic on Supplement Usage and Its Combination with Self-Medication within the State of Arkansas.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic that can lead to severe respiratory distress requiring hospitalization and can be fatal. Media have reported that various dietary supplements (DS) or their combination with different medications can prevent infection or decrease disease severity. Here, we analyzed data collected from 15,830 patient follow-up telephone interviews from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences COVID-19 testing sites from March 15 to August 1, 2020.

Spatially refined time-varying reproduction numbers of SARS-CoV-2 in Arkansas and Kentucky and their relationship to population size and public health policy, March - November 2020.

Purpose: To examine the time-varying reproduction number, R, for COVID-19 in Arkansas and Kentucky and investigate the impact of policies and preventative measures on the variability in R.

Methods: Arkansas and Kentucky county-level COVID-19 cumulative case count data (March 6-November 7, 2020) were obtained. R was estimated using the R package 'EpiEstim', by county, region (Delta, non-Delta, Appalachian, non-Appalachian), and policy measures.

Association of Manganese Biomarker Concentrations with Blood Pressure and Kidney Parameters among Healthy Adolescents: NHANES 2013-2018.

Deficiency or excess exposure to manganese (Mn), an essential mineral, may have potentially adverse health effects. The kidneys are a major organ of Mn site-specific toxicity because of their unique role in filtration, metabolism, and excretion of xenobiotics. We hypothesized that Mn concentrations were associated with poorer blood pressure (BP) and kidney parameters such as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and albumin creatinine ratio (ACR).

Critical windows of perinatal particulate matter (PM) exposure and preadolescent kidney function.

Air pollution exposure, especially particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM), is associated with poorer kidney function in adults and children. Perinatal exposure may occur during susceptible periods of nephron development.

Nephrotoxic Metal Mixtures and Preadolescent Kidney Function.

Exposure to metals including lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As), may impair kidney function as individual toxicants or in mixtures. However, no single medium is ideal to study multiple metals simultaneously. We hypothesized that multi-media biomarkers (MMBs), integrated indices combining information across biomarkers, are informative of adverse kidney function.

Prevalence and mortality in children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a multicountry study.

Purpose: This study determined the prevalence, mortality, and time trends of children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

Methods: Twenty-five hospital- and population-based surveillance programs in 19 International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research member countries provided birth defects mortality data between 1974 and 2015. CDH cases included live births, stillbirths, or elective termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies.

A multi-country study of prevalence and early childhood mortality among children with omphalocele.

Background: Omphalocele is the second most common abdominal birth defect and often occurs with other structural and genetic defects. The objective of this study was to determine omphalocele prevalence, time trends, and mortality during early childhood, by geographical region, and the presence of associated anomalies.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study with 23 birth defect surveillance systems in 18 countries who are members of the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research that submitted data on cases ascertained from 2000 through 2012, approximately 16 million pregnancies were surveyed that resulted in live births, stillbirths, or elective terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomalies (ETOPFA) and cases with omphalocele were included.

Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the risk of isolated congenital heart defects among offspring.

Background: Although there is evidence in experimental model systems that exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is linked with congenital heart defects (CHDs), few studies have examined the association in humans. We conducted a case-control study to examine the association between maternal exposure to PAHs and CHDs in offspring using data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) (1997-2011).

Methods: We obtained detailed information on maternal occupation during the month before to three months after conception.

It is a painful somatic symptom, not the history of cancer/malignancy that is associated with depression: findings from multiple national surveys.

Medical case management has improved in the past few decades, changing the dynamic interaction between depression and prevalent medical diseases. It is relevant to describe the comorbidity between depression and medical diseases to further improve the effectiveness of case management. We analyzed the data of adults aged 20 years and older, who completed depression screening as a part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005 to 2012.

Gender-based differences in water, sanitation and hygiene-related diarrheal disease and helminthic infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Qualitative evidence suggests that inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) may affect diarrheal and helminthic infection in women disproportionately. We systematically searched PubMed in June 2014 (updated 2016) and the WHO website, for relevant articles.

Methods: Articles dealing with the public health relevance of helminthic and diarrheal diseases, and highlighting the role of gender in WASH were included.

The association between arthritis and depression is intensified by excessive body weight: Findings from a US national survey, 2005-2012.

Objective: Obesity and arthritis are leading chronic conditions, but comorbidity of these conditions and their interaction leading to depression have not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study is to determine the degree to which excess body weight effect-modifies the relationship between arthritis and depressive symptoms.

Methods: We used the data of 8677 men and 8820 women aged 20 or older, who completed a depression screening and general medical condition interview as a part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2012.