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Public Health Jul 2023Lockdown was implemented in many countries during the pandemic, which led to myriad changes in pregnant women's lives. However, the potential impacts of the COVID-19... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVES
Lockdown was implemented in many countries during the pandemic, which led to myriad changes in pregnant women's lives. However, the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on neonatal outcomes remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between the pandemic and neonatal birth weight.
STUDY DESIGN
This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of the previous literature.
METHODS
We searched the MEDLINE and Embase databases up to May 2022 and extracted 36 eligible studies that compared neonatal birth weight between the pandemic and the prepandemic period. The following outcomes were included: mean birth weight, low birth weight (LBW), very low birth weight (VLBW), macrosomia, small for gestational age (SGA), very small for gestational age (VSGA), and large for gestational age (LGA). Statistical heterogeneity among studies was assessed to determine whether a random effects model or fixed effects model was conducted.
RESULTS
Of the 4514 studies identified, 36 articles were eligible for inclusion. A total of 1,883,936 neonates during the pandemic and 4,667,133 neonates during the prepandemic were reported. We identified a significant increase in mean birth weight (pooled mean difference [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 15.06 [10.36, 19.76], I = 0.0%, 12 studies) and a reduction in VLBW (pooled OR [95% CI] = 0.86 [0.77, 0.97], I = 55.4%, 12 studies). No overall effect was identified for other outcomes: LBW, macrosomia, SGA, VSGA, and LGA. There was publication bias for mean birth weight with a borderline significance (Egger's P = 0.050).
CONCLUSION
Pooled results showed the pandemic was significantly associated with an increase in mean birth weight and a reduction in VLBW, but not for other outcomes. This review provided clues about the indirect effects of the pandemic on neonatal birth weight and more healthcare measures needed to improve neonatal long-term health.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Birth Weight; Pregnancy Outcome; Pandemics; Fetal Macrosomia; COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control
PubMed: 37201437
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.04.009 -
Journal of Epidemiology and Community... May 2015Previous observational studies have claimed that birth weight and childhood wheezing disorders are associated although the results remained inconsistent. One systematic... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Previous observational studies have claimed that birth weight and childhood wheezing disorders are associated although the results remained inconsistent. One systematic review and two systematic reviews that included meta-analyses reported inconsistent results. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate this.
METHODS
An online search of published papers linking childhood asthma and wheezing disorders with birth weight up to February 2014 was carried out using EMBASE and Medline medical research databases. Summary ORs were estimated using random-effects models. Subgroup meta-analyses were performed to assess the robustness of risk associations and between-study heterogeneity.
RESULTS
A total of 37 studies comprising 1,71, 737 participants were included in our meta-analysis. The unadjusted summary ORs for risk of childhood wheezing disorders associated with low birth weight (<2.5 kg) were 1.60 (95% CI 1.39 to 1.85, p<0.001) and 1.37 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.79, p=0.02) when compared with ≥2.5 and 2.5-4.0 kg birthweight groups, respectively. The overall summary OR for high birth weight (>4 kg) as compared to the 2.5-4.0 kg birthweight group was 1.02 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.04, p=0.13). There was substantial heterogeneity in the unadjusted low birth weight risk estimates which was not accounted for by predefined study characteristics. There was no significant heterogeneity in the high birth weight risk estimates. There was some evidence of funnel plot asymmetry and small study effects in the low birth weight (2.5 vs ≥2.5 kg and <2.5 vs 2.5-4 kg) OR estimates.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that low birth (<2.5 kg) is an independent risk factor for wheezing disorders during childhood and adolescence although there was substantial heterogeneity among the risk estimates. However, we found no significant association of high birth weight with wheezing disorders.
Topics: Adolescent; Asthma; Bias; Birth Weight; Child; Child, Preschool; Databases, Bibliographic; Humans; Infant; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Infant, Newborn; Respiratory Sounds; Risk Factors; Young Adult
PubMed: 25534771
DOI: 10.1136/jech-2014-204783 -
British Medical Journal Jul 1977
Topics: Birth Weight; Female; Humans; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Infant, Newborn; Parity
PubMed: 559525
DOI: No ID Found -
Preventive Medicine Jan 2022This study quantifies the causal effect of birth weight on cardiovascular biomarkers in adulthood using the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS). We apply a...
This study quantifies the causal effect of birth weight on cardiovascular biomarkers in adulthood using the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS). We apply a multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) method that provides a novel approach to improve inference in causal analysis based on a mediation framework. The results show that birth weight is linked to triglyceride levels (β = -0.294; 95% CI [-0.591, 0.003]) but not to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels (β = 0.007; 95% CI [-0.168, 0.183]). The total effect of birth weight on triglyceride levels is partly offset by a mediation pathway linking birth weight to adult BMI (β = 0.111; 95% CI [-0.013, 0.234]). The negative total effect is consistent with the fetal programming hypothesis. The positive indirect effect via adult BMI highlights the persistence of body weight throughout a person's life and the adverse effects of high BMI on health. The results are consistent with previous findings that both low birth weight and weight gain increase health risks in adulthood.
Topics: Adult; Biomarkers; Birth Weight; Finland; Humans; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Risk Factors; Triglycerides
PubMed: 34801564
DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106894 -
Nutrients Sep 2022Being born small or large for gestational age (SGA and LGA, respectively), combined with suboptimal early postnatal outcomes, can entail future metabolic alterations....
Being born small or large for gestational age (SGA and LGA, respectively), combined with suboptimal early postnatal outcomes, can entail future metabolic alterations. The exact mechanisms underlying such risks are not fully understood. Lipids are a highly diverse class of molecules that perform multiple structural and metabolic functions. Dysregulation of lipid metabolism underlies the onset and progression of many disorders leading to pathological states. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the relationships between birth weight, early postnatal outcomes, and cord blood serum lipidomes. We performed a non-targeted lipidomics-based approach to ascertain differences in cord blood lipid species among SGA, LGA, and appropriate-for-GA (AGA) newborns. Moreover, we longitudinally assessed (at birth and at ages of 4 and 12 months) weight and length, body composition (DXA), and clinical parameters. We disclosed distinct cord blood lipidome patterns in SGA, LGA, and AGA newborns; target lipid species distinctly modulated in each SGA, AGA, and LGA individual were associated with parameters related to growth and glucose homeostasis. The distinct lipidome patterns observed in SGA, AGA, and LGA newborns may play a role in adipose tissue remodeling and future metabolic risks. Maternal dietary interventions may potentially provide long-term benefits for the metabolic health of the offspring.
Topics: Birth Weight; Fetal Blood; Gestational Age; Glucose; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Small for Gestational Age; Lipidomics; Lipids; Pilot Projects
PubMed: 36145136
DOI: 10.3390/nu14183760 -
Journal of the Chinese Medical... Nov 2014
Topics: Birth Weight; Humans; Taiwan
PubMed: 25150646
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcma.2014.07.002 -
Reproductive Sciences (Thousand Oaks,... Nov 2023Foetal birth weight is an important determinant of perinatal health. For this reason, various methods have been investigated for estimating this weight during pregnancy....
Foetal birth weight is an important determinant of perinatal health. For this reason, various methods have been investigated for estimating this weight during pregnancy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the possible relationship between full-term birth weight and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) levels determined during the first trimester as part of combined screening for aneuploidy carried out in pregnant women. We carried out a single-centre study including pregnant women who were being followed up by the Obstetrics Service Care Units of the XXI de Santiago de Compostela e Barbanza Foundation, who gave birth from March 1, 2015, to March 1, 2017, and who had undergone their first-trimester combined chromosomopathy screening. The sample included a total of 2794 women. We found a significant correlation between MoM PAPP-A and foetal birth weight. When MoM PAPP-A was measured at extremely low levels (< 0.3) during the first trimester, the OR for giving birth to a foetus with weight < p10, adjusting for gestational age and sex, was 2.74. For low levels of MoM PAPP-A (0.3-0.44), the OR was 1.52. With regard to the value of MOM PAPP-A levels as a predictor of foetal macrosomia, a correlation could be observed with elevated levels, although this was not statistically significant. PAPP-A determined during the first trimester acts as a predictor of foetal weight at term as well as for foetal growth disorders.
Topics: Pregnancy; Humans; Female; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Birth Weight; Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A; Fetal Macrosomia; Parturition; Biomarkers
PubMed: 37237249
DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01270-4 -
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Feb 2021According to the World Health Organization, smoking is the most important risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes in industrialized nations. As the individual factors...
BACKGROUND
According to the World Health Organization, smoking is the most important risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes in industrialized nations. As the individual factors (body mass index - BMI (kg/m) - and cigarette consumption) have been extensively investigated in pregnancy, we aimed to establish how maternal BMI and nicotine interact with regard to perinatal outcomes and birth weight.
METHODS
Data from 110.047 singleton pregnancies, achieved from the German Perinatal Survey in Schleswig-Holstein and registered between 2010 and 2017 were analyzed in August 2018 concerning maternal BMI and smoking. The BMI was taken from the maternity log. Information concerning the smoking status were self-reported and further subdivided into the following four categories: a) non-smokers; b) 1-7 cigarettes/day; c) 8-14 cigarettes/ day; and d) ≥ 15 cigarettes/ day. Furthermore, we classified women by their BMI into underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese. Comparisons between non-smokers and the respective smoking group, and their relationship with maternal BMI were performed by the t-test (birth weight). A P-value ≤0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.
RESULTS
A number of 97.092 women (88.2%) were non-smokers and 12.955 (11.8%) were smokers. Furthermore 10.3% of women of normal weight smoked during pregnancy, but both high and low BMI were associated with a high prevalence of smoking. The proportion of smokers was highest (18.1%) among underweight women (BMI ≤ 18.5 kg/m). A large number of smokers (15.5%) were registered in the obesity group (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m). Mean birth weight (≥ 37 + 0 gestational age) increased with increasing maternal BMI, and was reduced by smoking for every BMI category. The differences between smokers and non-smokers were always highly significant (p < 0.001). Mean birth weight varied between 2995 g in underweight frequent smokers and 3607 g in obese non-smokers.
CONCLUSION
Both maternal BMI and smoking during pregnancy influences the birth weight and therefore pregnancy outcome. Smoking during pregnancy was significantly associated with low birth weight. Pregnant women should be advised to cease or at least reduce smoking in order to improve the birth weight of the newborn and to minimize child morbidities.
Topics: Adult; Birth Weight; Body Mass Index; Female; Humans; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Infant, Newborn; Nicotine; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Risk Factors; Smoking
PubMed: 33579212
DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-03593-z -
BMC Medical Genomics Jul 2023Epidemiological studies have confirmed that low birth weight (BW) is related to neuroticism and they may have a common genetic mechanism based on phenotypic correlation...
OBJECTIVES
Epidemiological studies have confirmed that low birth weight (BW) is related to neuroticism and they may have a common genetic mechanism based on phenotypic correlation research. We conducted our study on a European population with 159,208 neuroticism and 289,142 birth weight samples. In this study, we aimed to identify new neuroticism single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and pleiotropic SNPs associated with neuroticism and BW and to provide more theoretical basis for the pathogenesis of the disease.
METHODS
We estimated the pleiotropic enrichment between neuroticism and BW in two independent Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) when the statistical thresholds were Conditional False Discovery Rate (cFDR) < 0.01 and Conjunctional Conditional False Discovery Rate (ccFDR) < 0.05. We performed gene annotation and gene functional analysis on the selected significant SNPs to determine the biological role of gene function and pathogenesis. Two-sample Mendelian Randomization (TSMR) analysis was performed to explore the causal relationship between the neuroticism and BW.
RESULTS
The conditional quantile-quantile plots (Q-Q plot) indicated that neuroticism and BW have strong genetic pleiotropy enrichment trends. With the threshold of cFDR < 0.001, we identified 126 SNPs related to neuroticism and 172 SNPs related to BW. With the threshold of ccFDR < 0.05, we identified 62 SNPs related to both neuroticism and BW. Among these SNPs, rs8039305 and rs35755513 have eQTL (expressed quantitative trait loci) and meQTL (methylation quantitative trait loci) effects simultaneously. Through GO enrichment analysis we also found that the two pathways of positive regulation of "mesenchymal cell proliferation" and "DNA-binding transcription factor activity" were significantly enriched in neuroticism and BW. Mendelian randomization analysis results indicate that there is no obvious causal relationship between neuroticism and birth weight.
CONCLUSION
We found 126 SNPs related to neuroticism, 172 SNPs related to BW and 62 SNPs associated with both neuroticism and BW, which provided a theoretical basis for their genetic mechanism and novel potential targets for treatment/intervention development.
Topics: Humans; Genome-Wide Association Study; Neuroticism; Birth Weight; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Genetic Predisposition to Disease
PubMed: 37454083
DOI: 10.1186/s12920-023-01591-y -
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Apr 2021The adequate maternal sleep duration required for favorable obstetric outcomes is unknown. We evaluated the association between maternal sleep duration and low birth...
BACKGROUND
The adequate maternal sleep duration required for favorable obstetric outcomes is unknown. We evaluated the association between maternal sleep duration and low birth weight infants, small for gestational age infants, and macrosomia.
METHODS
Participants enrolled in the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide birth cohort study, with singleton pregnancies after 22 weeks, who gave birth between 2011 and 2014 were enrolled and categorized into five groups according to maternal sleep duration during pregnancy: < 6.0 h, 6.0-7.9 h, 8.0-8.9 h, 9.0-9.9 h, and 10.0-12.0 h. We evaluated the association between maternal sleep duration and the incidence of low birth weight infants (< 2500 g), very low birth weight infants (< 1500 g), small for gestational age infants, and macrosomia (> 4000 g), with women with maternal sleep duration of 6.0-7.9 h as the reference, using a multiple logistic regression model.
RESULTS
In total, 82,171 participants were analyzed. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for low birth weight infants in women with maternal sleep duration of 9.0-9.9 h and 10.0-12.0 h and for small for gestational age infants in women with maternal sleep duration of 9.0-9.9 h were 0.90 (0.83-0.99), 0.86 (0.76-0.99), and 0.91 (0.82-0.99), respectively, before adjusting for excessive gestational weight gain. No significant association was observed between maternal sleep duration and these outcomes after adjusting for excessive gestational weight gain. Among women with appropriate gestational weight gain, the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for low birth weight infants and for small for gestational age infants with sleep duration of 9.0-9.9 h were 0.88 (0.80-0.97) and 0.87 (0.78-0.97), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Maternal sleep duration of 9.0-9.9 h was significantly associated with the decreased incidence of low birth weight infants and small for gestational age infants in pregnant women with appropriate gestational weight gain, compared with that of 6.0-7.9 h. Care providers should provide proper counseling regarding the association between maternal sleep duration and neonatal birth weight and suggest comprehensive maternal lifestyle modifications to prevent low birth weight and small for gestational age infants.
Topics: Adult; Birth Weight; Female; Fetal Macrosomia; Humans; Incidence; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Small for Gestational Age; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; Japan; Maternal Health; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies; Sleep; Time Factors; Young Adult
PubMed: 33845773
DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-03670-3