Maternal risk factors in the origin of isolated hypospadias: A population‐based case‐control study

The birth prevalence of hypospadias increased in Hungary during the last decades, thus the aim of this study was to analyze the possible role of maternal risk factors in the origin of isolated hypospadias (IHS). The incidence/prevalence of acute and chronic maternal diseases with related drug treatments were compared in the mothers of cases with IHS, population controls without defect and malformed controls affected with other isolated abnormalities in the population‐based Hungarian Case‐Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities including 3038 cases with IHS, 24 814 population male controls without any defects and 11 096 malformed male controls with other isolated defect. Among exposures, prospective medically recorded chronic diseases and medically recorded or retrospective maternal information regarding acute diseases and drug treatments were evaluated in the study groups. Maternal epilepsy due to the treatment of valproate (odds ratio [OR] with 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.97, 1.07–3.61) and cervical erosion (4.09, 1.84–9.12) were associated with a higher risk of IHS. In addition, there was an association of oral nystatin (1.94, 1.22–3.09), lynestrenol (26.66, 8.69–81.80) and ethynilestradiol (3.51, 1.61–7.67) treatments in the mothers of cases with a higher risk for IHS. In conclusion, maternal cervical erosion, valproate, nystatin, lynestrenol and ethynilestradiol associated with a higher risk for IHS.     

Ageing appearance in China: biophysical profile of facial skin and its relationship to perceived age

Background Perceived age is important to women and is a primary driver for topical product use and facial cosmetic surgery. Changes in facial features and biophysical skin parameters with chronological age and their associations with perceived age have not been described in Asian populations. Objective To investigate the relationship between biophysical properties of the skin, visual features of skin ageing and perceived facial age in Chinese women. Methods Facial photographs were collected of 250 Chinese women, aged 25–70 years in Shanghai, China. The perceived facial age was determined and related to the chronological age for each participant and to a range of visual assessments of skin appearance and objective biophysical measurements of the skin. The profile of changes in these parameters with age was investigated together with the differences in those parameters for women judged to look younger than their chronological age and those judged to look older than their chronological age. Results Large discrepancies in perceived age (up to 29 years) were found in women of the same chronological age. Each objective skin measure and visual assessment parameter had a stronger correlation with perceived age than with chronological age. The strongest relationships to perceived age were for wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Skin colour, hydration and trans‐epidermal water loss (TEWL) had weaker associations with perceived age. Women judged to look older than their chronological age had significantly higher scores than those judged to look younger for coarse wrinkles and hyperpigmentation across all age groups. The appearance differences between these groups were evident in composite facial images of the same average chronological age. Conclusions We have identified the skin attributes which differ with perceived age in Chinese women. Perceived age is a better measure of the biological age of facial skin than is chronological age in this population.     

Adolescents with type 1 diabetes and risky behaviour

Aim: The aim of the student is to assess whether adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in Italy differ from their healthy peers in regard to risky behaviour. Methods: Data were collected from 215 patients, aged 14 ± 2 years with a mean disease duration of 7 ± 5 years. The control group was comprised of 464 healthy adolescents recruited among high school students. Each patient completed an anonymous confidential questionnaire to determine the prevalence of sexual behaviour, alcohol and tobacco consumption, illicit drug use, and, among patients with diabetes and frequency of mismanagement related to diabetes care. Results: Compared with controls, subjects with diabetes showed a similar rate of sexual intercourse among males and lower rates among females (34.8% vs 35.5%, p NS and 29.4% vs 41.4%, p < 0.05, respectively). Males in the diabetes group reported a higher rate of tobacco use, whereas females showed similar or higher rates of use for every illicit drug studied. Among patients with diabetes, those who are engaged in risky behaviour showed a higher rate of treatment mismanagement (76% vs 34%, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Adolescents with T1DM are as likely as their healthy peers to engage in risky behaviour, indicating the potential benefit of anticipatory guidance concerning glycaemic control and increased risk of acute and chronic complications.     

A population-based case-control teratologic study of oral dipyrone treatment during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To study the possible human teratogenic effect of oral dipyrone, an antipyretic and analgesic drug treatment during pregnancy. DESIGN AND SETTING: The analysis of cases with different congenital abnormalities and their matched population controls without congenital abnormalities, in addition to a comparison between cases and malformation controls (Down's syndrome) in the population-based, large data set of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980-1996. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: 22 843 neonates or fetuses with congenital abnormalities (cases), 38 151 matched newborns without congenital abnormalities (population controls) and 834 neonates or fetuses with Down's syndrome (malformation controls). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 25 congenital abnormality groups. RESULTS: 1382 (6%) cases, 1911 (5%) population controls and 74 (8.9%) malformation controls were born to mothers treated with dipyrone during pregnancy. The case-matched population control analysis showed a higher rate of diaphragmatic defect (adjusted prevalence odds ratio [POR] 2.7; 95% CI 1.0, 6.8), cardiovascular malformations (POR 1.3; 95% CI 1.0, 1.7) and other isolated congenital abnormalities (POR 1.8; 95% CI 1.1, 2.9) after oral dipyrone treatment during the second and third months of gestation, i.e. in the critical period for most major congenital abnormalities. However, the evaluation of only medically recorded dipyrone use did not confirm these possible associations. The comparison of dipyrone treatment between 25 congenital abnormalities groups and malformation controls as the referent group also did not show any difference in the dipyrone use during the second and third months of gestation. CONCLUSIONS: The higher occurrence of dipyrone treatment in the case mothers compared with population control mothers can be explained by recall bias and/or chance. However, the higher rate of diaphragmatic congenital abnormalities can be considered as a signal and merits further investigation.     

A behavioural teratologic study on offspring of self-poisoned pregnant women.

Ninety-three cases born from women who attempted suicide by taking large doses of chemicals and eight cases who had mothers affected by a chemical poisoning as accident during pregnancy were studied. Data of birth weight and gestational time, congenital anomalies and postnatal disorders were obtained in cases and matched controls (sociological twins). Test examinations were performed in both cases--controls and their mothers in the home of families. The mothers of index children had a lower socioeconomic status and more were unmarried than the Hungarian pregnant population at large. The behaviour of index and control mothers showed some obvious differences. The bivariate analyses indicated some possible teratogenic effect of maternal poisoning, but it was not confirmed by multivariate analysis except lower birth weight. Thus differences between cases and control were explained mainly by the maternal behavioural factors.