Month of birth and testicular cancer risk in Denmark

On the basis of 40 years of national cancer registration, the authors analyzed the distribution of birth dates of patients with testicular cancer in the Danish male population, which has a particularly high incidence of this cancer. No significant peaks were identified, except for men with embryonal carcinomas born between 1950 and 1959, for whom a significant 12-month cycle was observed. This result differs from those of earlier studies. The number of cases of embryonal carcinomas in the 1950-1959 birth cohort is small, but it is possible that an etiologic factor that varies with season was present at the time. For all testicular cancers and for the three histologic subgroups analyzed, the authors found significant 2-month cycles. The biologic relevance of a 2-month cycle is not clear. It is concluded that there is little evidence to support the hypothesis of a systematic variation in month of birth among men with testicular cancer.     

Tipping the balance of autism risk: potential mechanisms linking pesticides and autism

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been increasing in many parts of the world and a portion of cases are attributable to environmental exposures. Conclusive replicated findings have yet to appear on any specific exposure; however, mounting evidence suggests gestational pesticides exposures are strong candidates. Because multiple developmental processes are implicated in ASDs during gestation and early life, biological plausibility is more likely if these agents can be shown to affect core pathophysiological features.Objectives: Our objectives were to examine shared mechanisms between autism pathophysiology and the effects of pesticide exposures, focusing on neuroexcitability, oxidative stress, and immune functions and to outline the biological correlates between pesticide exposure and autism risk.Methods: We review and discuss previous research related to autism risk, developmental effects of early pesticide exposure, and basic biological mechanisms by which pesticides may induce or exacerbate pathophysiological features of autism.Discussion: On the basis of experimental and observational research, certain pesticides may be capable of inducing core features of autism, but little is known about the timing or dose, or which of various mechanisms is sufficient to induce this condition.Conclusions: In animal studies, we encourage more research on gene × environment interactions, as well as experimental exposure to mixtures of compounds. Similarly, epidemiologic studies in humans with exceptionally high exposures can identify which pesticide classes are of greatest concern, and studies focused on gene × environment are needed to determine if there are susceptible subpopulations at greater risk from pesticide exposures.     

Perinatal risk factors for infantile autism

BACKGROUND: Etiologic hypotheses in infantile autism suggest a strong genetic component, as well as possible environmental risks linked to early fetal development. We evaluated the association of maternal, pregnancy, delivery, and infant characteristics and risk of infantile autism. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study nested within a population-based cohort (all Swedish children born in 1974-1993). We used prospectively recorded data from the Swedish Birth Register, which were individually linked to the Swedish Inpatient Register. Cases were 408 children (321 boys and 87 girls) discharged with a main diagnosis of infantile autism from any hospital in Sweden before 10 years of age in the period 1987-1994, plus 2,040 matched controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The risk of autism was associated with daily smoking in early pregnancy (OR = 1.4; CI = 1.1-1.8), maternal birth outside Europe and North America (OR = 3.0; CI = 1.7-5.2), cesarean delivery (OR = 1.6; CI = 1.1-2.3), being small for gestational age (SGA; OR = 2.1; CI = 1.1-3.9), a 5-minute Apgar score below 7 (OR = 3.2, CI = 1.2-8.2), and congenital malformations (OR = 1.8, CI = 1.1-3.1). No association was found between autism and head circumference, maternal diabetes, being a twin, or season of birth. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that intrauterine and neonatal factors related to deviant intrauterine growth or fetal distress are important in the pathogenesis of autism.     

天津市婴幼儿孤独症患病率与危险因素

目的:探讨天津市婴幼儿孤独症的患病率及相关危险因素,为今后孤独症病因研究提供线索。方法:应用巢式病例对照研究方法,按分层整群抽样的原则随机抽取天津市7 904名1.5～3岁的儿童进行孤独症筛查,对412名筛查阳性儿童进行追踪,年龄满3岁时进行孤独症确诊;每个病例按相同性别月龄匹配4例对照,因素调查表分为四部分,每部分分别进行单因素及多因素条件Logistic回归。结果:22例确诊为孤独症,天津市婴幼儿孤独症患病率及其95%的可信区间为27.83/万(16.22/万～39.44/万),男性孤独症患病率是女性的4倍(P<0.05)。单因素分析时发现孤独症的危险因素总共有8个,各部分多因素分析显示主要危险因素为:父亲有害职业史、母亲人工流产史、被动吸烟、妊娠浮肿、妊娠呕吐、新生儿黄疸。结论:孤独症不应再被认为是极罕见病,环境因素与孤独症发病有一定关系。     

儿童孤独症危险因素分析

目的:探讨儿童孤独症的危险因素。方法: 采用自拟调查表对确诊的149例孤独症患儿进行相关因素的回顾性调查。结果: 在149名患儿中, 43 96%的母亲孕期情绪紧张或抑郁, 母亲孕期和患儿出生时有异常情况者分别为24. 83%和33. 56%; 患儿有家族异常史者占22 .82% (以直系亲属中有孤僻、不合群者居首位), 14. 09%的患儿既往有神经系统疾病史;有18 79%的患儿有寄养史, 48. 12%的患儿家庭教育方式不良。结论: 遗传、孕产期异常和脑部器质性改变等因素可能引起孤独症发病, 通过加强孕产期保健工作, 提高医务人员和家长对儿童孤独症的认知水平及帮助父母正确对待孤独症患儿, 可预防孤独症的发生和改善其预后。     

Advanced parental age and the risk of autism spectrum disorder

This study evaluated independent effects of maternal and paternal age on risk of autism spectrum disorder. A case-cohort design was implemented using data from 10 US study sites participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. The 1994 birth cohort included 253,347 study-site births with complete parental age information. Cases included 1,251 children aged 8 years with complete parental age information from the same birth cohort and identified as having an autism spectrum disorder based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria. After adjustment for the other parent's age, birth order, maternal education, and other covariates, both maternal and paternal age were independently associated with autism (adjusted odds ratio for maternal age > or =35 vs. 25-29 years = 1.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 1.6; adjusted odds ratio for paternal age > or =40 years vs. 25-29 years = 1.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 1.8). Firstborn offspring of 2 older parents were 3 times more likely to develop autism than were third- or later-born offspring of mothers aged 20-34 years and fathers aged <40 years (odds ratio = 3.1, 95% confidence interval: 2.0, 4.7). The increase in autism risk with both maternal and paternal age has potential implications for public health planning and investigations of autism etiology.     

儿童孤独症的妊娠期和围产期危险因素Meta分析

目的采用Meta分析的方法评价儿童孤独症的妊娠期和围产期危险因素,为儿童孤独症的预防提供科学、客观的参考依据。方法检索PubMed、Embase、Web of Science、中国知网(CNKI)、万方(Wanfang)等数据库,纳入有关病例对照研究,使用Stata14.0软件进行Meta分析。结果母亲年龄>35岁(OR=1.518,95%CI:1.248~1.787)、父亲年龄>35岁(OR=1.180,95%CI:1.083~1.286)、有精神病家族史(OR=3.539,95%CI:2.145~4.934)、妊娠期高血压(OR=1.492,95%CI:1.040~1.910)、妊娠期被动吸烟史(OR=3.035,95%CI:2.040~4.515)、先兆流产(OR=2.201,95%CI:1.355~3.578)、妊娠期并发症(OR=2.673,95%CI:1.620~3.726)、剖宫产(OR=1.290,95%CI:1.118~1.402)、出生时体重<2500g(OR=1.554,95%CI:1.276~1.832)、早产(OR=1.582,95%CI:1.349~1.855)、脐带绕颈(OR=4.876,95%CI:1.058~8.693)、5分钟Apgar评分<7分(OR=1.927,95%CI:1.135~2.719)、新生儿病理性黄疸(OR=4.298,95%CI:2.977~6.162)、儿童性别为男性(OR=3.834,95%CI:2.861~4.808)、先天畸形(OR=1.908,95%CI:1.417~2.569)和未采取母乳喂养(OR=1.713,95%CI:1.250~2.347)是儿童孤独症的危险因素,使用产钳分娩(OR=0.777,95%CI:0.563~0.991)可能是儿童孤独症的保护因素。结论应当做好全孕期的预防保健,尽可能减少妊娠期和围产期高危因素的出现。如果儿童和家庭暴露于危险因素,要密切关注儿童的神经心理发育轨迹。     

儿童孤独症发病危险因素的病例对照研究

目的 探讨儿童孤独症发病的相关危险因素, 为孤独症的防治提供理论依据。方法 采用成组病例对照研究, 对165例孤独症儿童和320例正常对照组儿童, 采用自编的孤独症危险因素调查表收集相关危险因素、家庭一般情况等资料, 用χ²检验分析两组儿童之间危险因素的差异。结果 病例组母亲高生育年龄(≥35岁)、有人工流产史、母孕期抑郁情绪史、母孕期被动吸烟史及父亲内向所占比例较正常组高(P<0.05), 进一步进行Logistic 回归分析显示母高育龄、孕期抑郁情绪、孕期被动吸烟、有人工流产史以及父亲性格内向为孤独症的危险因素。结论 母亲高龄生育、有人工流产史、孕期抑郁情绪、孕期被动吸烟以及父亲性格内向均可使儿童孤独症发病风险增高。     

儿童孤独症谱系障碍人口统计学特征及相关危险因素分析

目的 分析孤独症谱系障碍(ASD)的人口统计学特征及相关危险因素,为ASD的防治提供科学依据。方法 2016年4月－2017年9月采用1∶1病例对照研究,回顾性调查94名ASD患儿和94名正常儿童的人口统计学特征和相关危险因素,并对ASD相关因素进行多因素Logistic回归分析。结果 ASD组患儿男女比例为5.7∶1,与对照组相比,ASD组患儿在出生时有无缺氧窒息、父母生育年龄、母亲职业、父母文化程度、家庭经济收入、母亲身体健康状况等方面差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05)。多因素分析结果显示母亲从事体力劳动(OR=0.123,P=0.001)及家庭月收入高(OR=0.065,P=0.015)可能是儿童ASD的保护因素,父亲生育年龄≥30岁(OR=3.610,P=0.002)可能是ASD的危险因素。结论 避免高龄生育,孕期母亲适当进行户外运动有利于预防ASD的发生。     

孕期危险因素与儿童孤独症关系的Meta分析

目的:探讨孕期危险因素与儿童孤独症的关系,为孤独症的早期预防提供科学依据。方法:利用Meta分析RevMan5.1软件,对国内2000～2011年关于儿童孤独症危险因素的病例对照研究资料进行定量综合分析。通过异质性检验后计算合并的优势比(OR)及其95%置信区间,再评估发表偏倚和敏感性。结果:纳入文献12篇,累计病例1 292例,对照组1 301例。孕期各危险因素的合并比值比及其95%CI分别为:先兆流产,OR=3.75,95%CI:2.40～5.88;孕期病毒性感冒,OR=3.77,95CI:2.64～5.38;孕期服药史,OR=3.70,95%CI:2.73～5.00;孕期精神压抑,OR=2.76,95%CI:1.59～4.79;妊娠剧吐,OR=3.08,95%CI:1.08～8.80;遗传史,OR=4.73,95%CI:2.31～9.66。结论:孤独症的发生可能与先兆流产、孕期病毒性感冒、孕期服药史、孕期精神压抑、妊娠剧吐、遗传史有关。     

Neonatal jaundice: a risk factor for infantile autism?

In a previous study, we found that infants transferred to a neonatal ward after delivery had an almost twofold increased risk of being diagnosed with infantile autism later in childhood in spite of extensive controlling of obstetric risk factors. We therefore decided to investigate other reasons for transfer to a neonatal ward, in particular hyperbilirubinaemia and neurological abnormalities. We conducted a population‐based matched case–control study of 473 children with autism and 473 matched controls born from 1990 to 1999 in Denmark. Cases were children reported with a diagnosis of infantile autism in the Danish Psychiatric Central Register. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals [CI] and likelihood ratio tests were used to test for effect modification. We found an almost fourfold risk for infantile autism in infants who had hyperbilirubinaemia after birth (OR 3.7 [95% CI 1.3, 10.5]). In stratified analysis, the association appeared limited to term infants (≥37 weeks gestation). A strong association was also observed between abnormal neurological signs after birth and infantile autism, especially hypertonicity (OR 6.7 [95% CI 1.5, 29.7]). No associations were found between infantile autism and low Apgar scores, acidosis or hypoglycaemia. Our findings suggest that hyperbilirubinaemia and neurological abnormalities in the neonatal period are important factors to consider when studying causes of infantile autism.     

健康月历

男人害怕大豆中的植物雌激素会降低自己体内的雄性激素,而一些女人则害怕过多的雌激素会让自己患上乳腺癌。大豆真的是人人都能吃的健康食品吗?     

Population attributable fractions for three perinatal risk factors for autism spectrum disorders, 2002 and 2008 autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network

PurposeNumerous studies establish associations between adverse perinatal outcomes/complications and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There has been little assessment of population attributable fractions (PAFs).MethodsWe estimated average ASD PAFs for preterm birth (PTB), small for gestational age (SGA), and Cesarean delivery (CD) in a U.S. population. Average PAF methodology accounts for risk factor co-occurrence. ASD cases were singleton non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic children born in 1994 (n = 703) or 2000 (n = 1339) who resided in 48 U.S. counties included within eight Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network sites. Cases were matched on birth year, sex, and maternal county of residence, race-ethnicity, age, and education to 20 controls from U.S. natality files.ResultsFor the 1994 cohort, average PAFs were 4.2%, 0.9%, and 7.9% for PTB, SGA, and CD, respectively. The summary PAF was 13.0% (1.7%–19.5%). For the 2000 cohort, average PAFs were 2.0%, 3.1%, and 6.7% for PTB, SGA, and CD, respectively, with a summary PAF of 11.8% (7.5%–15.9%).ConclusionsThree perinatal risk factors notably contribute to ASD risk in a U.S. population. Because each factor represents multiple etiologic pathways, PAF estimates are best interpreted as the proportion of ASD attributable to having a suboptimal perinatal environment resulting in PTB, SGA, and/or CD.