AIM To assess the relative effect of birth weight and gestational age on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) using preterm twin pairs discordant for birth weigh in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit in China. METHODS Fifty-six discordant twin pairs of 112 preterm infants were retrospectively analyzed. The twin pairs were divided into two subgroups based on birth weight in each pair. The occ...

The recognition that some low birthweight babies (<2500 g) were the victims of intrauterine growth retardation rather than premature birth was a milestone in perinatal medicine.'3 Up to 10% of all liveborn babies and at least 30% of those of low birth weight suffer from intrauterine growth retardation; their perinatal mortality is four to 10 times higher than that of normally grown babies-both ...

BACKGROUND While seasonality of birth outcomes has been documented in a variety of settings, data from rural South Asia are lacking. We report a descriptive study of the seasonality of prematurity, low birth weight, small for gestational age, neonatal deaths, and stillbirths in the plains of Nepal. METHODS Using data collected prospectively during a randomized controlled trial of neonatal ski...

Pregnancy characteristics are associated with risk of cardiovascular diseases, but their independent associations with hypertension or blood pressure (BP) levels remain uncertain. We linked the Swedish Medical Birth Register with Västerbotten Intervention Program data (Northern Sweden). Using linear and logistic regression, we related pregnancy factors in any prior pregnancy with BP and hyperte...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of income inequality and parental socioeconomic status on several birth outcomes in Japan. Data were collected on birth outcomes and parental socioeconomic status by questionnaire from Japanese parents nationwide (n = 41,499) and then linked to Gini coefficients at the prefectural level in 2001. In multilevel analysis, z scores of birth we...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of income inequality and parental socioeconomic status on several birth outcomes in Japan. Data were collected on birth outcomes and parental socioeconomic status by questionnaire from Japanese parents nationwide (n = 41,499) and then linked to Gini coefficients at the prefectural level in 2001. In multilevel analysis, z scores of birth we...

OBJECTIVE Since January 2008, obese women with type 2 diabetes were advised to gain 0-5 kg during pregnancy. The aim with this study was to evaluate fetal growth and perinatal morbidity in relation to gestational weight gain in these women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A retrospective cohort comprised the records of 58 singleton pregnancies in obese women (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2)) with type 2 diabetes...

BACKGROUND The best method of gestational age assessment is by ultrasound in the first trimester; however, this method is impractical in large field trials in rural areas. Our objective was to assess the validity of gestational age estimated from prospectively collected date of last menstrual period (LMP) using crown-rump length (CRL) measured in early pregnancy by ultrasound. METHODS As part...

OBJECTIVE To study the association of perinatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 transmission with birth outcomes, including birth weight, gestational age, ponderal index, head circumference, and weight/head ratio. METHODS Data from a prospective cohort study of 627 pregnant women and their infants in Butare, Rwanda, from October 1989 until April 1994 were analyzed. A total of 318 HIV-1-i...