| 1. |
- Källén, Bengt
(författare)
-
Congenital malformations in infants whose mothers reported the use of folic acid in early pregnancy in Sweden. A prospective population study
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Congenital Anomalies. - : Wiley. - 0914-3505 .- 1741-4520. ; 47:4, s. 119-124
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of folic acid prior to conception is generally recommended for the prevention of birth defects, notably neural tube defects. In a previous study from Sweden, based on interviews of women in early pregnancy, no such effect was found on the general malformation rate, but data for neural tube defects were scarce. Using data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register for the years 1995-2004, 20 891 women were identified who reported the use of folic acid in early pregnancy, but not of anticonvulsants. These women were compared to all other women who gave birth during the study period. Malformations in the infants born were identified from multiple sources. No reduction in the general malformation rate was seen among infants born to women who reported the use of folic acid (OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.17) and no effect of neural tube defect rate was seen (RR = 1.35, 95% CI 0.82-2.22), based on 16 infants with neural tube defect whose mother reported the use of folic acid. No effect was seen on the rates of other malformations except for cardiac defects, where a statistically significant increased risk (notably for severe defects) was found (OR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.35). The effect of various deficiencies in data collection is discussed, but is unlikely to explain the lack of protective effect noticed. So far, it has not been possible to demonstrate a beneficial effect of folic acid supplementation on malformation risk in Sweden. A more complete ascertainment and detailed timing and dosage of folic acid use in a prospective study is recommended.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Otani, Hiroki, et al.
(författare)
-
Morphometric study on the characteristic external features of normal and abnormal human embryos
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Congenit Anom Kyoto. - : Wiley. ; 48:1, s. 18-28
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The embryonic period is characterized by organogenesis and accompanying dynamic changes in external features. The measurement of human embryos has been limited to whole body dimensions, such as crown-rump length. More detailed measurements would add quantitative information about these characteristic events and provide a better understanding of normal and abnormal embryonic development. In the present study, we defined axes, landmarks, and measurements for human embryos, and measured 250 externally normal human embryos at Carnegie stages 14-23 (6.5-29.3 mm in crown-rump length, approximately 5-8 weeks of estimated ovulation age) that were fixed in Bouin's solution and preserved in 10% formalin solution. The axes, landmarks, and measurements defined for human embryos are corresponding to those in human and primate fetuses. The whole body, head, face, and extremities were measured using a scale attached to a dissecting microscope. Axial length, head height plus ear-shoulder length plus trunk height, was designated as a new measurement of the whole body, which is comparable with crown-rump length. Approximate standards of these measurements were obtained. The ratios of some measurements to trunk height and between the different parts were also obtained, and several different developmental patterns were recognized. The reproducibility of each measurement was evaluated by measuring 50 specimens three times each at intervals of one or two months. As a pilot study for the application of the proposed measurements, 84 human embryos with external anomalies, including holoprosencephaly, anomalies of extremities, and pharyngeal arch anomalies, were measured using the same method, and a few tendencies characteristic to holoprosencephaly were noticed.
|
|
