We investigated the association between total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and risk of stillbirth and low and very low birth weight in three water regions in England, 1992-1998; associations with individual trihalomethanes (THMs) were also examined. Modeled estimates of quarterly TTHM concentrations in water zones, categorized as low (< 30 microg/L), medium (30-59 microg/L), or high (> or = 60 micro...

To investigate the role of neutrophils in the pathogenesis of respiratory distress after premature birth, we assessed the relationship between circulating neutrophil concentration and neutrophil accumulation in the lung, lung lymph and pleural liquid flow, and extravascular lung water in 10 chronically catheterized preterm lambs (127 +/- 1 days gestation) that were mechanically ventilated for 8...

BACKGROUND Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a potential cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but previous studies have been limited by low exposures and small study size. OBJECTIVES Using birth certificate information, we examined the relation between estimated PFOA exposure and birth outcomes in an area of West Virginia and Ohio whose drinking water was contaminated by a chemical plant. ME...

Previous investigations have shown that women exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are at increased risk of giving birth to an infant with low birth weight (< 2,500 g), and that this relationship is stronger for male than for female infants. We have tested the hypothesis that residents in a zip code that contains a PCB hazardous waste site or abuts a body of water contaminated with PCBs ...

The objective of this study was to show infant mortality differentials in different areas of Recife, analyzing the relationship between living conditions and mortality risk. An ecological study design compared infant mortality coefficients in 1995 with living conditions indicators obtained from the 1991 National Demographic Census. Information on the 770 infant deaths and 27,965 live births wer...

BACKGROUND Studies of unconventional gas development (UGD) and preterm birth (PTB) have not presented risk estimates by well development phase or trimester. OBJECTIVE We examined phase and trimester-specific associations between UGD activity and PTB. METHODS We conducted a case-control study of women with singleton births in the Barnett Shale area, Texas, from 30 November 2010 to 29 Novembe...

Unconventional gas drilling (UGD) has enabled extraordinarily rapid growth in the extraction of natural gas. Despite frequently expressed public concern, human health studies have not kept pace. We investigated the association of proximity to UGD in the Marcellus Shale formation and perinatal outcomes in a retrospective cohort study of 15,451 live births in Southwest Pennsylvania from 2007-2010...

In Birth without Violence (1975), French obstetrician Frederick Leboyer [4] describes in poetic form the possible perceptions and feelings of embryos and fetuses before, during, and after birth. His work has helped to promote a gentler and more sensitive birthing method with the goal of easing the newborn?s transition from the womb [5] to the outside world. Leboyer?s birthing method influenced ...