| 1. |
- Gong, Tong, et al.
(author)
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Perinatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution and autism spectrum disorders
- 2016
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In: Environmental Health Perspectives. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 0091-6765. ; 125:1, s. 119-126
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Studies from the United States indicate that exposure to air pollution in early life is associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children, but the evidence is not consistent with European data. Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between exposure to air pollution from road traffic and the risk of ASD in children, with careful adjustment for socioeconomic and other confounders. Method: Children born and residing in Stockholm, Sweden, during 1993–2007 with an ASD diagnosis were identified through multiple health registers and classified as cases (n = 5,136). A randomly selected sample of 18,237 children from the same study base constituted controls. Levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter with diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10) from road traffic were estimated at residential addresses during mother’s pregnancy and the child’s first year of life by dispersion models. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for ASD with or without intellectual disability (ID) were estimated using logistic regression models after conditioning on municipality and calendar year of birth as well as adjustment for potential confounders. Result: Air pollution exposure during the prenatal period was not associated with ASD overall (OR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.86, 1.15 per 10-μg/m3 increase in PM10 and OR = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.10 per 20-μg/m3 increase in NOx during mother’s pregnancy). Similar results were seen for exposure during the first year of life, and for ASD in combination with ID. An inverse association between air pollution exposure and ASD risk was observed among children of mothers who moved to a new residence during pregnancy. Conclusion: Early-life exposure to low levels of NOx and PM10 from road traffic does not appear to increase the risk of ASD.
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| 2. |
- Ahlén, Katia M, et al.
(author)
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Antibiotic treatment and length of hospital stay in relation to delivery mode and prematurity
- 2016
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In: PLOS One. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 1932-6203.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AIM: To investigate how 1) maternal delivery mode and 2) prematurity in infants are associated to antibiotic treatment and length of hospital stay. METHODS: Women having given birth and infants 0-12 months discharged from hospital between July 2005 and November 2011 were identified from the Swedish National Patient Register. Medical records were reviewed for 203 women and 527 infants. The risk ratio (RR) between antibiotic treatment and 1) delivery mode in women; 2) prematurity in infants was calculated. Length of stay and days of antibiotic therapy were compared by Wilcoxon rank-sum test. RESULTS: Women: There was an association between emergency caesarean section (CS) and antibiotic treatment (RR 5.0 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2-11.5), but not for elective CS. Length of stay was longer for CS (emergency and elective) compared to vaginal delivery (p<0.01). Infants: RR for antibiotic treatment in preterm compared to term infants was 1.4 (95% CI 1.0-1.9). Length of stay (p<0.01), but not days of therapy (p = 0.17), was higher in preterm compared to term infants. CONCLUSION: We found that emergency CS increased the probability of maternal antibiotic treatment during hospitalisation, but no difference was found between term and preterm infants. The results are well aligned with current guidelines and may be considered in future studies on the effects of antibiotics.
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| 3. |
- Almqvist, Catarina, et al.
(author)
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Association between parental age and asthma in a population-based register study
- 2015
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In: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 0091-6749 .- 1097-6825.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a nationwide population-based study with family design, we found an association between decreasing parental age and asthma in early childhood. The effect was independent of familial and potentially confounding factors.
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| 4. |
- Almqvist, Catarina, et al.
(author)
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Cohort profile : Swedish Twin Study on Prediction and Prevention of Asthma (STOPPA)
- 2015
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In: Twin Research and Human Genetics. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 1832-4274 .- 1839-2628.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Asthma is a common childhood disease and several risk factors have been identified, however the impact of genes and environment is not fully understood. The aim of the Swedish Twin study On Prediction and Prevention of Asthma (STOPPA) is to identify environmental (birth characteristics and early life) and genetic (including epigenetic) factors as determinants for asthmatic disease. Based on the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (parental interview at 9 or 12 years, N~23,900) and an asthma and/or wheezing algorithm, we identified a sample of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) same-sexed twin pairs. The twin pairs were identified as asthma concordant (ACC), asthma discordant (ADC) and healthy concordant (HCC). A sample of 9- to 14-year-old twins and their parents were invited to participate in a clinical examination. Background characteristics were collected in questionnaires and obtained from the National Health Registers. A clinical examination was performed to test lung function and capacity (spirometry with reversibility test and exhaled nitric oxide) and collect blood (serology and DNA), urine (metabolites), feces (microbiota) and saliva (cortisol). In total, 376 twin pairs (752 individual twins) completed the study, response rate 52%. All participating twins answered the questionnaire and >90% participated in lung function testing, blood and saliva sampling. This article describes the design, recruitment, data collection, measures, background characteristics as well as ongoing and planned analyses in STOPPA. Potential gains of the study include the identification of biomarkers, the emergence of candidates for drug development and new leads for prevention of asthma and allergic disease.
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| 5. |
- Almqvist, Catarina, et al.
(author)
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Individual maternal and child exposure to antibiotics in hospital : a national population-based validation study
- 2015
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In: Acta Paediatrica: Nurturing the Child. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: Exposure to antibiotics in early life may affect future health. Most antibiotics are prescribed in outpatient care, but inpatient exposure is also important. We estimated how specific diagnoses in hospitals corresponded to individual antibiotic exposure. Methods: All pregnant women and children from birth to five-years-of-age with infectious diseases and common inpatient diagnoses between July 2005 and November 2011were identified from the Swedish National Patient Register. Random samples of individuals from pre-defined groups were drawn and medical records received from the clinics were manually reviewed for antibiotics. Results: Medical records for 4,319 hospital visits were requested and 3,797 (88%) were received. A quarter (25%) of children diagnosed as premature had received antibiotics and in children from one to five-years-of-age, diagnoses associated with bacterial infections were more commonly treated with antibiotics (62.4-90.6%) than those associated with viruses (6.3-22.2%). Pregnant women who had undergone a Caesarean section were more likely to be treated with antibiotics than those who had had a vaginal delivery (40.1% versus 11.1%). Conclusions: This study defines the proportion of new mothers and young children who received individual antibiotic treatment for specific inpatient diagnoses in Sweden and provides a useful basis for future studies focusing on antibiotic use.
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| 8. |
- Arrhenius, Mattias, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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Processes and earthquakes - investigating Swedish students conceptions and relational thinking
- 2019
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In: Book of Abstracts. ; , s. 92-92
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study is to investigate students´ conceptions of causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes in relation to plate boundaries. We also focus on students´ conceptions of earthquakes in relation to society, and why some societies are more affected than others. Data consist of 134 written responses on two assignments from the Swedish national test in geography with 12-13 year old students. The responses were sampled and then analysed using content and thematic analysis. Results show that the majority of students relate earthquakes to convergent boundaries rather than to divergent or transform boundaries, holding alternative conceptions on the processes involved. Furthermore, students often describe different geological events such as tsunami and volcanoes, but rarely explain where and how earthquakes occur. The results also show that many students have developed a geographical relational understanding on why consequenses of earthquakes are more severe in poor countries by addressing socioeconomic processes including weak buildings or lack of preparedness related to poor economy, whereas some students hold alternative conceptions relating earthquakes in poor countries directly to a general increase in heat, proximity to the equator, or presence of plate boundaries in only poor countries. We believe these finding will help provide insights for teachers when designing classroom instruction aiming at changing alternative conceptions and strenghtening scientific understanding.
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| 9. |
- Arrhenius, Mattias, et al.
(author)
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Student´s conceptions of causes and processes forming eskers and erratics
- 2018
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In: Programme and Book of Abstracts. ; , s. 39-39
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study is to investigate students’ conceptions of causes and processes concerning the formation of eskers and erratics. Landforms, and natural processes - relating to time and space - are central to both geoscience and geography education. Given the lack of research on students´ understanding of glacial processes and landforms in geoscience education, this study contributes theoretically by investigating students’ alternative conceptions and scientific conceptions, and empirically by extending our body of knowledge of students’ understandings of a topic and generic concept at the core of geography education. Data consists of 135 written responses on an assignment with 12-13 year old students from the Swedish national test in geography (year 2013). The responses were sampled and then analysed using qualitative content analysis. In order gain a richer understanding of students´ conceptions, focus group interviews were conducted in schools with 12-13 year old students in 2017. Results show that more than a third of the students hold alternative conceptions on the causes for these landforms such as landslides, meteor impacts or human activity. The results also shows that majority of the students, who relate these landforms to a scientific cause (glaciers /ice sheets) have problems understanding the processes involved in formation of eskers and erratics, in terms of extraction, transport and deposition of material. We believe these findings will help provide insights for teachers and are useful when designing classroom instructions aiming at changing alternative conceptions and strengthening scientific conception.
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| 10. |
- Brew, Bronwyn K., et al.
(author)
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Academic achievement of adolescents with asthma or atopic disease
- 2019
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In: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : Wiley. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 49:6, s. 892-899
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundOver a fifth of children and adolescents suffer with asthma or atopic disease. It is unclear whether asthma impacts academic performance in children and adolescents, and little is known about the association of eczema, food allergy or hayfever and academic performance.ObjectiveTo examine whether asthma, eczema, food allergy or hayfever impacts on adolescent academic performance and to assess the role of unmeasured confounding.MethodsThis study used the Childhood and Adolescent Twin Study of Sweden cohort born 1992‐1998. At age 9‐12 years, parents reported on their child's ever or current asthma, eczema, food allergy and hayfever status (n = 10 963). At age 15, linked national patient and medication register information was used to create current and ever asthma definitions including severe and uncontrolled asthma for the same children. Academic outcomes in Grade 9 (age 15‐16 years) included: eligibility for high school (Grades 10‐12), and total mark of the best 16 subject units, retrieved from the Grade 9 academic register. Whole cohort analyses adjusted for known covariates were performed, and co‐twin control analyses to assess unmeasured confounders.ResultsThere were no associations found for asthma or food allergy at 9‐12 years and academic outcomes in adolescence. In addition, at age 15, there were no statistically significant associations with current, ever, severe or uncontrolled asthma and academic outcomes. Eczema and hayfever at age 9‐12 years were found to be positively associated with academic outcomes; however, co‐twin control analyses did not support these findings, suggesting the main analyses may be subject to unmeasured confounding.Conclusion and clinical relevanceHaving asthma or an atopic disease during childhood or adolescence does not negatively impact on academic performance. This information can be used by clinicians when talking with children and parents about the implications of living with asthma or atopic disease.
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