The association between threatened preterm labour and perinatal outcomes at term: a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association between threatened preterm labour (TPTL) and perinatal outcomes of infants born at term. DESIGN: A population-based cohort study of perinatal outcomes following TPTL <37 weeks of gestation with delivery at term. SETTING: Nova Scotia, Canada. POPULATION: All non-anomalous, singleton pregnancies ≥37 weeks of gestation without antepartum haemorrhage from 1988 to 2019. METHODS: Using data from the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database, TPTL was defined as pregnancies with a hospital admission between 20 and 37 weeks of gestation, with a diagnosis code denoting TPTL with administration of antenatal corticosteroids, or with administration of any tocolysis. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the risk ratios (RR) with 95% CI of maternal and perinatal outcomes in women who had an episode of TPTL relative to those who did not. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Birthweight for gestational age below the tenth centile and a composite of perinatal mortality or severe perinatal morbidity. RESULTS: Of 256 599 term deliveries meeting the inclusion criteria, 2278 (0.9%) involved TPTL. The risks of the primary outcomes were higher among those with TPTL relative to those without: birthweight for gestational age below the tenth centile (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.11-1.39) and the composite of perinatal mortality/severe perinatal morbidity (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.15-1.54). CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of TPTL in term deliveries is low, affected pregnancies are at increased risk for adverse perinatal outcomes. Increased fetal surveillance should be considered in the management of pregnancies affected by TPTL.

Adiposity changes after a 1-year aerobic exercise intervention among postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effects of an aerobic exercise intervention on adiposity outcomes that may be involved in the association between physical activity and breast cancer risk. DESIGN: This study was a two-centre, two-armed, randomized controlled trial. The 1-year-long exercise intervention included 45 min of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise five times per week, with at least three of the sessions being facility based. The control group was asked not to change their activity and both groups were asked not to change their diet. SUBJECTS: A total of 320 postmenopausal, sedentary, normal weight-to-obese women aged 50-74 years who were cancer-free, nondiabetic and nonhormone replacement therapy users were included in this study. MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometric measurements of height, weight and waist and hip circumferences; dual energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements of total body fat; and computerized tomography measurements of abdominal adiposity were carried out. RESULTS: Women in the exercise group exercised a mean of 3.6 days (s.d.=1.3) per week and 178.5 min (s.d.=76.1) per week. Changes in all measures of adiposity favored exercisers relative to controls (P<0.001). The mean difference between groups was: -1.8 kg for body weight; -2.0 kg for total body fat; -14.9 cm(2) for intra-abdominal fat area; and -24.1 cm(2) for subcutaneous abdominal fat area. A linear trend of greater body fat loss with increasing volume of exercise was also observed. CONCLUSION: A 1-year aerobic exercise program consistent with current public health guidelines resulted in reduced adiposity levels in previously sedentary postmenopausal women at higher risk of breast cancer.

Association between caesarean section and childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Birth by caesarean section has been recently implicated in the aetiology of childhood obesity, but studies examining the association have varied with regard to their settings, designs, and adjustment for potential confounders. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the available evidence and to explore study characteristics as sources of heterogeneity. A search of Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science identified 28 studies. Random effects meta-analysis was used to calculate pooled risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Caesarean section had a RR of 1.34 (CI 1.18-1.51) for obesity in the child compared with vaginal birth. The RR was lower for studies that adjusted for maternal pre-pregnancy weight than for studies that did not (1.29, CI 1.16-1.44 vs. 1.55, CI 1.11-2.17). Studies that examined multiple early life factors reported lower RRs than studies that specifically examined caesarean section (1.39, CI 1.23-1.57 vs. 1.23, CI 0.97-1.56). Effect estimates did not vary by child's age at obesity assessment, study design or country income. Children born by caesarean section are at higher risk of developing obesity in childhood. Findings are limited by a moderate heterogeneity among studies and the potential for residual confounding and publication bias.

Case-control study of colon and rectal cancers and chlorination by-products in treated water.

This population-based case-control study was conducted in southern Ontario, Canada from 1992 to 1994 to assess the relationship between chlorination by-products in public water supplies and cancers of the colon and rectum. Interviews providing residence and water source histories were completed by 76% of eligible cancer cases and 72% of eligible controls. Supplemental data from municipal water supplies were used to estimate individual exposure to water source, chlorination status, and by-product levels as represented by trihalomethanes (THMs) during the 40-year period before the interview. The analyses included 767 colon cases, 661 rectal cases, and 1545 controls with exposure information for at least 30 of these years (75% of subjects with completed interviews). Among males, colon cancer risk was associated with cumulative exposure to THMs, duration of exposure to chlorinated surface water, and duration of exposure to a THM level > or = 50 microg/liter and 75 microg/liter. Males exposed to chlorinated surface water for 35-40 years had an increased risk of colon cancer compared with those exposed for < 10 years (odds ratio, 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.09). Males exposed to an estimated THM level of 75 microg/liter for > or = 35 years had double the risk of those exposed for < 10 years (odds ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-3.66). In contrast, these relationships were not observed among females. No relationship was observed between rectal cancer risk and any of the measures of exposure to chlorination by-products. The results of this study should be interpreted with caution because they are only partially congruent with the limited amount of literature addressing this issue.

Breast adipose tissue concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls and other organochlorines and breast cancer risk.

Numerous studies have examined the relationship between organochlorines and breast cancer, but the results are not consistent. In most studies, organochlorines were measured in serum, but levels in breast adipose tissue are higher and represent cumulative internal exposure at the target site for breast cancer. Therefore, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Ontario, Canada to evaluate the association between breast cancer risk and breast adipose tissue concentrations of several organochlorines. Women scheduled for excision biopsy of the breast were enrolled and completed a questionnaire. The biopsy tissue of 217 cases and 213 benign controls frequency matched by study site and age in 5-year groups was analyzed for 14 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, total PCBs, and 10 other organochlorines, including p,p'-1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the magnitude of risk. While adjusting for age, menopausal status, and other factors, odds ratios (ORs) were above 1.0 for almost all organochlorines except five pesticide residues. The ORs were above two in the highest concentration categories of PCB congeners 105 and 118, and the ORs for these PCBs increased linearly across categories (Ps for trend < or =0.01). Differences by menopausal status are noted especially for PCBs 105 and 118, with risks higher among premenopausal women, and for PCBs 170 and 180, with risks higher among postmenopausal women. Clear associations with breast cancer risk were demonstrated in this study for some PCBs measured in breast adipose tissue.

Coffee and tea consumption and cancers of the bladder, colon and rectum.

Coffee has been observed to be associated weakly or not at all with bladder cancer risk, inversely with colon cancer risk, and inconsistently with rectal cancer risk. The association between these cancers and consumption of coffee and tea was examined in a single case-control study conducted in Ontario, Canada from 1992 to 1994. A questionnaire was filled out by 927 bladder cancer cases, 991 colon cancer cases, 875 rectal cancer cases, and 2118 population controls. Although bladder cancer risk was not associated with coffee or tea, risk estimates associated with coffee among subjects who had never smoked were non-significantly increased. Colon cancer risk was inversely associated with coffee. Relative to those drinking less than 1 cup of coffee per day, the odds ratios (OR) for those drinking 1-2 cups was 0.9 (95% CI 0.8-1.1), for those drinking 3-4 cups was 0.8 (95% CI 0.7-1.0), and for those drinking 5 or more cups was 0.7 (95% CI 0.5-0.9); these ORs decreased linearly (P = 0.008). The reduced risk estimates were more pronounced with cancer of the proximal colon than the distal colon. Rectal cancer risk was not associated with either coffee or tea. Coffee consumption was observed to have a different relationship for each of the cancer sites and tea consumption was not related to any cancer site.

Organochlorines and breast cancer risk by receptor status, tumor size, and grade (Canada).

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the association between organochlorines and breast cancer subtype defined by the tumor characteristics: estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, tumor size, and grade. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted from 1995 to 1997 in Kingston and Toronto, Canada. Breast adipose tissue, taken from 217 cases and 213 biopsy controls frequency-matched on age, was analysed for 14 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and 10 pesticides. RESULTS: Adjusting for age, geometric means of several organochlorines differed by estrogen receptor status and tumor grade (p < 0.05). Odds ratios (ORs) for each organochlorine relative to the common control group for breast cancers of differing subtype were compared using polytomous logistic regression. Although the ORs did not differ significantly by subtype, the ORs of PCBs and p, p'-1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) were higher with risk of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer than estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. One of the most extreme differences was with DDE, where the OR for the association with risk of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer was 2.4 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-5.4) in the uppermost tertile relative to the lowest, whereas the corresponding OR for risk of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer was 1.1 (95% CI 0.6-1.9). PCBs also tended to be more strongly positively associated with risk of larger and higher-grade tumors. CONCLUSIONS: The association between organochlorines and breast cancer risk did not significantly differ by subtype, but many PCBs were more strongly associated with tumors of poor prognosis.