BACKGROUND Due to difficulties in performing direct measurements as an exposure assessment technique, evidence supporting an association between physical exposures such as neck and shoulder muscle activities and postures and musculoskeletal disorders during computer use is limited. Alternative exposure assessment techniques are needed. METHODS We predicted the median and range of amplitude (9...

BACKGROUND Climate change is expected to have adverse health effects, but the association between extreme ambient temperatures and stillbirth is unclear. OBJECTIVES We investigated acute and chronic associations between extreme ambient temperatures and stillbirth risk, and estimated the attributable risk associated with local temperature extremes in the United States. METHODS We linked 223,...

BACKGROUND Previous reports have described favorable changes in the relationship between systolic blood pressure and age in recent birth cohorts. The obesity epidemic might threaten that pattern. OBJECTIVES To update analyses of differences between birth cohorts in the relationship between systolic blood pressure and age and to determine whether increases in obesity have had adverse effects. ...

There are limited nationwide population-based data about birth weight percentiles by gestational age in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to develop updated intrauterine growth charts that are population based and contain the information of birth weight percentiles by gestational age for singleton newborns in Taiwan. We abstracted and analyzed the birth registration database from the Minist...

OBJECTIVE It remains uncertain whether there is any disadvantage imposed upon women with pituitary disease who are GH-deficient and become pregnant. The aim of this study was to determine whether maternal GH deficiency adversely affects the outcome of pregnancy. DESIGN Retrospective study. METHODS The case notes of 77 female patients with known GH deficiency were examined. Sixteen patients ...

BACKGROUND Environmental lead exposure among adults may increase blood pressure and elevate the risk of hypertension. The availability of data on blood lead levels (BLL) in adult Brazilian population is scarce and population-based studies are important for screening the population exposure and also to evaluate associations with adverse health effects. The goal of this study was to examine the a...

BACKGROUND Dry weight assessment (DWA) is essential to efficient therapy of haemodialysis (HD) patients. However, so far objective methods for DWA have not been applicable to daily routine. Thus, exact fluid management in HD remains difficult and is often based on clinical criteria. The aims of this study were (1) to objectively define pre- and post-dialytic ranges of extracellular volume in a ...

OBJECTIVE We investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) standard deviation score (SDS) and prenatal exposure to hexachlorobenzene, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), dioxin-like compounds, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). METHODS In this prospective birth cohort study, we assessed a random sample of mother-infant pairs (n = 138) living in Flanders, Belgium, with foll...

Copper is an essential trace element that may cause intoxication if intake becomes excessive. Young children are at risk of intoxication because of high consumption of drinking water and immature copper metabolism. The aims of this prospective study were to estimate concentrations of copper in drinking water, volumes of drinking water consumed by children, and children's daily intake of copper....

BACKGROUND The interrelationships between air pollution, lung function and the incidence of childhood asthma have yet to be established. A study was undertaken to determine whether lung function is associated with new onset asthma and whether this relationship varies by exposure to ambient air pollutants. METHODS A cohort of children aged 9-10 years without asthma or wheeze at study entry wer...