Parental cigarette smoking before and during pregnancy in a cohort of 21 472 pregnancies.

Smoking during pregnancy is one of the leading causes for adverse pregnancy outcomes. We studied parental smoking both before and during pregnancy in a retrospective cohort of 21 472 singleton pregnancies. Although most smoking women (74%) ceased tobacco use, there was possible gestational exposure to maternal cigarette smoking in every fifth pregnancy. Continued smoking throughout pregnancy was more prevalent in the partners (22%) than in the pregnant women (7%). The smoking behaviour of the women, especially the number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD), before and in early pregnancy predicted the continuation of smoking throughout the pregnancy and could be used in identifying high risk groups. In addition, their partner's smoking habits both before and during pregnancy, were associated with the likelihood that the woman would continue to smoke during her pregnancy (rs ≈ 0.4). Furthermore, continued smoking of both parents were associated with decreased birth weight, head circumference and Apgar score, and increased duration of hospital stay and need for special care after birth. Consequently, addressing the lifestyles of both parents in the health care and maternity clinics could help in reducing maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy and the adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with smoking.

Self-reported alcohol consumption of pregnant women and their partners correlates both before and during pregnancy: A cohort study with 21,472 singleton pregnancies.

BACKGROUND: The partners' role in determining the alcohol consumption behavior of pregnant women is not well studied. We measured alcohol use before and during pregnancy in pregnant women and their partners to evaluate the correlation in their levels of consumption. METHODS: We evaluated the self-reported alcohol use of 14,822 women and their partners during 21,472 singleton pregnancies delivered in Kuopio University Hospital, Finland during the period 2009-2018. The information was gathered during pregnancy and at the time of childbirth and recorded in two databases that were merged to yield a single cohort. Missing data were accounted for by multiple imputation using the predictive mean matching method. RESULTS: In 86% of the pregnancies, women reported alcohol use before pregnancy, whereas in 4.5% of the pregnancies women reported alcohol use during pregnancy. In contrast, no decrease was detected in their partners' alcohol use before or during pregnancy. In 26% of the pregnancies, the woman reported stopping alcohol use only after recognizing that she was pregnant. Before pregnancy, there were strong correlations between the pregnant women and their partners in the total Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score (r s  = 0.69, p < 0.0001) and the self-reported average weekly amount of alcohol consumed (r s  = 0.56, p < 0.0001). During pregnancy, there were weak correlations between the pregnant women and their partners in the frequency of drinking (r s  = 0.20, p < 0.0001) and the average weekly amount of alcohol consumed (r s  = 0.18, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The self-reported alcohol consumption of pregnant women and their partners was positively correlated both before and during pregnancy, though the correlation declined substantially during pregnancy. Evaluating the alcohol consumption of both parents before pregnancy could assist in identifying women at risk of prenatal alcohol exposure. Supporting a reduction in partners' alcohol use could help to reduce pregnant women's alcohol consumption and prevent its associated harms.

Changes in the Human Metabolome Associated With Alcohol Use: A Review.

AIMS: The metabolome refers to the functional status of the cell, organ or the whole body. Metabolomic methods measure the metabolome (metabolite profile) which can be used to examine disease progression and treatment responses. Here, our aim was to review metabolomics studies examining effects of alcohol use in humans. METHODS: We performed a literature search using PubMed and Web of Science for reports on changes in the human metabolite profile associated with alcohol use; we found a total of 23 articles published before end of 2018. RESULTS: Most studies had investigated plasma, serum or urine samples; only four studies had examined other sample types (liver, faeces and broncho-alveolar lavage fluid). Levels of 51 metabolites were altered in two or more of the reviewed studies. Alcohol use was associated with changes in the levels of lipids and amino acids. In general, levels of fatty acids, phosphatidylcholine diacyls and steroid metabolites tended to increase, whereas those of phosphatidylcholine acyl-alkyls and hydroxysphingomyelins declined. Common alterations in circulatory levels of amino acids included decreased levels of glutamine, and increased levels of tyrosine and alanine. CONCLUSIONS: More studies, especially with a longitudinal study design, or using more varied sample materials (e.g. organs or saliva), are needed to clarify alcohol-induced diseases and alterations at a target organ level. Hopefully, this will lead to the discovery of new treatments, improved recognition of individuals at high risk and identification of those subjects who would benefit most from certain treatments.