1. |
- Bergendal, Annica, et al.
(author)
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Limited knowledge on progestogen-only contraception and risk of venous thromboembolism
- 2009
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In: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 88:3, s. 261-266
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective. To assess the current knowledge concerning progestogen-only contraception (POC) and risks of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Design and setting. Systematic review of the literature on observational and analytical studies reporting risk estimates for VTE in women exposed to POCs. Methods and main outcome measures. We performed a computerized literature search in the Pub Med, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for studies published between 1966 and February 13, 2008. Based on the evaluated studies we calculated an overall risk estimate for VTE in association with POC. Results. Four case-control studies and one cohort study were included. Of the case-control studies, three reported an increased risk and one a decreased risk of VTE. The cohort study found divergent results depending on the type of statistical analysis used. None of the results was statistically significant. The overall odds ratio for POC-associated VTE in the four case-control studies was 1.45 (95% CI=0.92-2.26). Conclusions. The risk of VTE associated with use of POCs is poorly investigated. The slightly elevated overall risk estimate might suggest an association between POC and an increased risk for VTE. The results must, however, be interpreted with caution due to the possibility of residual confounding. Well-designed studies with sufficient statistical power to evaluate risks of VTE with POC are warranted.
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2. |
- Bergman, Eva, et al.
(author)
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Self-administered measurement of symphysis-fundus heights
- 2007
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In: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 86:6, s. 671-677
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background. Antenatal identification of infants small for gestational age (SGA) improves their perinatal outcome. Repeated measurements of the symphysis-fundus (SF) heights performed by midwives is the most widespread screening method for detection of SGA. However the insufficiency of this method necessitates improved practices. Earlier start and more frequent SF measurements, which could be acomplished by self-administered measurements, might improve the ability to detect deviant growth. The present study was set up to evaluate wether pregnant wome can reliable perform SF measurements by themself. Method. Forty healthy women with singelton and ultrasound-dated pregancies from 2 antenatal clinics in Uppsala, Sweden, were asked to perform 4 consecutive SF measureemnts once a week, from 20 to 25 weeks of gestation until delivery. The self-administered SF measurements were recorded and systematically compared with midwives' SF measurements. Results. Thirty-three pregnant women performed self-administered SF measurements over a 14-week period (range 1-21). The SF curves constructed from self-admiinistered SF measurements had the same shape as previously constructed population-based reference curves. The variance for self-admiinistered SF measurements was higher than that of the midwives. Conclusions. Pregnant women are capable of measuring SF heights by themselves, but with a higher individual variance than midwives. Repeated measurements at each occasion can compensate for the higher variance. The main advantage of self-administered SF measurements is the opportunity to follow fetal growth earlier and more frequently.
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3. |
- Bergman, Eva, et al.
(author)
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Symphysis-fundus measurements for detection of small for gestational age pregnancies
- 2006
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In: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 85:4, s. 407-412
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background. In Sweden measurements of the symphysis-fundus (SF) distance are used to detect small for gestational age (SGA) pregnancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of Swedish ultrasound-based SF reference curves in detecting SGA pregnancies. Methods. To assess the sensitivity for detection of SGA pregnancies we performed a case-control study. Through the Swedish Medical Birth Register we identified all singleton SGA infants born in Uppsala in 1993-1997 and randomly recruited non-SGA singleton infants as controls. We included 169 term and 73 preterm SGA cases and 296 controls, all born at term. The reference curves constructed by Steingrimsdottir (S curve) and Kieler (K curve) were evaluated. Gestational age at the first alarm in the preterm SGA group was recorded. Results. In term pregnancies the S curve showed a sensitivity of 32% and specificity of 90% at a cut-off of -2 SDs. The corresponding values for the K curve were 51% and 83%, respectively. In preterm SGA pregnancies the sensitivity of the S curve was 49% and of the K curve 58%. The first alarm below 2 SDs was noted before 32 weeks in 37% with the S curve and 43% with the K curve for preterm SGA pregnancies. Conclusions. Both tested Swedish SF reference curves had low sensitivities for term SGA pregnancies. Sensitivity was higher for the preterm group and SF measurements seem to be better for detecting the most severe cases of SGA.
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4. |
- Cederholm, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Low agreement was found between pharmacy data and physician reported use of hospital-administered antenatal corticosteroids
- 2007
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In: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0895-4356 .- 1878-5921. ; 60:5, s. 512-517
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To evaluate physicians' recall accuracy on starting year of routine use of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) to women facing imminent preterm delivery. Study Design and Setting: Starting year of routine treatment with ACS was evaluated by a questionnaire mailed to all 52 Swedish maternity wards. The information was compared with that obtained from a telephone interview with physicians involved in the introduction of routine ACS and with pharmacy data. From pharmacy data, routine use of ACS was defined as >= 20 mg betamethasone or dexamethasone purchased per maternity ward, year, and preterm delivery. Results: 24 hospitals with >= 10 preterm deliveries/year, having started ACS 1976-1997 and with information from questionnaire, interview, and pharmacy data were included in the analyses. There was fair agreement (kappa = 0.38, P < 0.001) on starting year between questionnaires and telephone interviews with physicians and slight agreement (kappa = 0.06, P = 0.098) between questionnaires and pharmacy data. Three hospitals had complete agreement on starting year according to questionnaire, telephone interview, and pharmacy data. Conclusion: Agreement between information obtained from questionnaires, telephone interviews with physicians, and pharmacy data on use of ACS was low. Physician reported past drug use needs to be validated and pharmacy data can be useful for such purpose.
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5. |
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6. |
- Eriksson, Lena, et al.
(author)
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Short and long-term effects of antenatal corticosteroids assessed in a cohort of 7,827 children born preterm
- 2009
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In: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 88:8, s. 933-938
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To study the benefits of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) in clinical settings and to evaluate the occurrence of long-term neuro-sensory effects such as epilepsy and cerebral palsy (CP). DESIGN: Observational population-based study including all births between gestational weeks 24 and 34 during 1976-1997 in Sweden. Exposure to ACS was evaluated at hospital level. Children were followed up to their ninth birthday. SAMPLE AND METHODS: Seven thousand eight hundred twenty-seven infants of which 5,632 were exposed to ACS. Data on hospital ACS routines was based on questionnaires and interviews with physicians and pharmacy sales. Outcomes were obtained from the national health registers and assessed according to gender of the child. Logistic regression was used to assess associations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Neonatal death, low Apgar score, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), CP, and epilepsy. RESULTS: After adjustment, exposed infants had reduced risks of RDS (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.70-0.92), late neonatal death (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.57-1.29), BPD (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.62-1.22), ROP (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.48-1.32), IVH (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.67-1.3), and CP (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.58-1.15). Males had a higher risk of epilepsy (OR 1.74, 95% CI 0.85-3.55) than females (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.25-1.03). CONCLUSION: The results confirm the beneficial effect of ACS regarding RDS in clinical settings. Except for a tendency to increased risk of epilepsy among male infants there were no increased risks of neuro-sensory outcomes.
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7. |
- Glimskär Stålberg, Karin, 1971-
(author)
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Prenatal Ultrasound and X-ray - Potentially Adverse Effects on the CNS
- 2008
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim with this thesis was to assess the impact of prenatal ultrasound exposure on psychotic illness, childhood brain tumors (CBT) and school achievement, and to evaluate prenatal X-ray exposure and the risk of CBT.In a cohort study, children born in Malmö 1973-1978, where prenatal ultrasound was used routinely, were considered exposed (n=13, 212) and children born at hospitals with no use of ultrasound, were considered unexposed (n=357,733). Exposed men had a tendency toward a higher risk of schizophrenia. For other psychoses there were no differences between groups. Other factors related to place of birth might have influenced the results. In a case control study, children born 1975-1984 with a diagnosis of CBT (n=512), and randomly selected control children (n=524) were included. Exposure data on X-ray and ultrasound from antenatal records was completed with information from the Medical Birth Register. We found no overall increased risk for CBT after prenatal X-ray exposure. When stratifying by histological subgroups, primitive neuroectodermal tumors had the highest risk estimates. For ultrasound exposure, no increased risk for CBT was seen and numbers of examinations or gestational age at exposure had no substantial impact on the results. In a follow-up of a randomized trial on prenatal ultrasound scanning 1985-87, we assessed the children’s school grades when graduating from primary school (15-16 years of age). We performed analyses according to randomization, ultrasound exposure in the second trimester and exposure at any time during pregnancy. There were no differences in school performance for boys or girls according to randomization or exposure in the second trimester. Boys exposed to ultrasound any time during fetal life had a reduced mean score in physical education and small, non-significant increased risk of poor school performance in general.
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8. |
- Hultman, Christina M, et al.
(author)
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Ethical Issues in Cancer Register Follow-Up of Hormone Treatment in Adolescence
- 2009
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In: Public Health Ethics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1754-9973 .- 1754-9981. ; 2:1, s. 30-36
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Since the 1970s, estrogen have sometimes been used in adolescent girls to reduce very tall adult expected height.Worries about long-term effects have led to a proposal to link treatment data with cancer registers. How shouldone deal with informed consent for such a study?We designed a qualitative study with semi-structured telephoneinterviews. From 1200 women who were to be followed-up in cancer registers, we randomly selected 22 women.Major themes were a wish to be involved and a positive attitude to the proposed register research. The womendid not express worry after reading the study protocol, but did convey considerable frustration that this researchhad not been initiated earlier. Active consent was not seen as crucial. We found strong interest in a high participationrate and a concern over missing data. The selection of information and consent or the decision to goahead without consent in register follow-up is a delicate balancing act. Study participants wish to be contacted,but acknowledge the primary goal of answering important questions. Our study provides support for safeguardingprivacy in epidemiological linkage studies and in follow-up of medical treatment without losing the scientificvalue by requesting for informed consent.
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9. |
- Stålberg, Karin, et al.
(author)
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Prenatal ultrasound and the risk of childhood brain tumour and its subtypes
- 2008
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In: British Journal of Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0007-0920 .- 1532-1827. ; 98:7, s. 1285-1287
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We carried out a nationwide case-control study of childhood brain tumours in Sweden (n=512) by histological subtype in relation to prenatal ultrasound, extracting data from antenatal records and the Medical Birth Register. We found no increased risk for brain tumour after ultrasound exposure, either for all tumours or for any subgroup.
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10. |
- Stålberg, Karin, et al.
(author)
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Prenatal ultrasound exposure and children’s school performance at age 15-16; follow-up of a randomised controlled trial
- 2009
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In: Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. - : Wiley. - 0960-7692 .- 1469-0705. ; 34:3, s. 297-303
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective To evaluate the association between prenatal ultrasound exposure and school performance at 15-16 years of age. Methods The study population consisted of children born to women who participated in a randomized controlled trial on the second-trimester ultrasound examination in Sweden from 1985 to 1987. Information about the children's grades when graduating from primary school and information on socioeconomic factors was obtained from Swedish nationwide registers. Comparisons were made using linear and logistic regression analyses according to randomization to ultrasound, ultrasound exposure in the second trimester and ultrasound exposure at an), time during pregnancy. Boys and girls were analyzed separately. Results Of the 4756 singleton children from the randomized trial, we identified 4458 (94%) in the National School Register. There were no statistically significant differences in school performance for boys or girls according to randomization or exposure to ultrasound in the second trimester. Compared to those who were unexposed, boys exposed to ultrasound at least once at any time during fetal life bad a tendency towards lower mean school grades in general (-4.39 points; 95% CI, -9.59 to 0.81. (max possible, 320) points) and in physical education (-0.45 points; 95% CI, -0.91 to 0.01 (max possible, 20) points), but the differences did not reach significance. Conclusion In general, routine ultrasound examination in the second trimester bad no effect on overall school performance in teenagers.
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11. |
- Stålberg, Karin, et al.
(author)
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Prenatal ultrasound scanning and the risk of schizophrenia and other psychoses
- 2007
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In: Epidemiology. - 1044-3983 .- 1531-5487. ; 18:5, s. 577-582
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Prenatal ultrasound exposure has been associated with increased prevalence of left-hand or mixed-hand preference, and has been suggested to affect the normal lateralization of the fetal brain. Atypical lateralization is more common in patients with schizophrenia. We evaluated possible associations of prenatal ultrasound with schizophrenia and other psychoses. METHODS: We identified a cohort of individuals born in Sweden 1973-1978. During this period, one Swedish hospital (Malmö University Hospital) performed prenatal ultrasound on a routine basis, and all individuals born at that hospital were considered exposed to ultrasound. Children born at hospitals where ultrasound was not used routinely or selectively were considered unexposed. We used Poisson regression analysis to estimate the effect of ultrasound exposure on the incidence of schizophrenia and other psychoses. RESULTS: In all, 370,945 individuals were included in the study, of whom 13,212 were exposed to ultrasound. The exposed group demonstrated a tendency toward a higher risk of schizophrenia (among men, crude incidence rate ratio = 1.58 [95% confidence interval = 0.99-2.51]; among women, 1.26 [0.62-2.55]). However, men and women born in several of the 7 tertiary level hospitals without ultrasound scanning also had higher risks of schizophrenia compared with those born in other hospitals. For other psychoses there were no differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: No clear associations between prenatal ultrasound exposure and schizophrenia or other psychoses were found. Other factors related to place of birth might have influenced the results.
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12. |
- Stålberg, Karin, et al.
(author)
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Prenatal X-ray and childhood brain tumours : A population-based case-control study on tumour subtypes
- 2007
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In: British Journal of Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0007-0920 .- 1532-1827. ; 97:11, s. 1583-1587
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We investigated childhood brain tumours by histological subtype in relation to prenatal X-ray among all children, less than 15 years of age, born in Sweden between 1975 and 1984. For each case, one control was randomly selected from the Medical Birth Register, and exposure data on prenatal X-ray were extracted blindly from antenatal medical records. Additional information on maternal reproductive history was obtained from the Medical Birth Register. We found no overall increased risk for childhood brain tumour after prenatal abdominal X-ray exposure (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64–1.62); primitive neuroectodermal tumours had the highest risk estimate (OR: 1.88, 95% CI: 0.92–3.83).
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