Intergenerational transmission of height in a historical population: from taller mothers to larger offspring at birth (and as adults)

Background Changes in growth and height reflect changes in nutritional status and health. The systematic surveillance of growth can suggest areas for interventions. Moreover, phenotypic variation has a strong intergenerational component. There is a lack of historical family data that can be used to track the transmission of height over subsequent generations. Maternal height is a proxy for conditions experienced by one generation that relates to the health/growth of future generations. Cross-sectional/cohort studies have shown that shorter maternal height is closely associated with lower birthweight of offspring. Objective/Methods We analyzed the maternal height and offspring weight at birth in the maternity hospital in Basel, Switzerland, from 1896–1939 (N=ca. 12,000) using GAMs. Results We observed that average height of the mothers increased by ca. 4 cm across 60 birth years, and that average birthweight of their children shows a similarly shaped and upward trend 28 years later. Our final model (adjusted for year, parity, sex of the child, gestational age, and maternal birthyear) revealed a significant and almost linear association between maternal height and birthweight. Maternal height was the second most important variable modeling birthweight, after gestational age. In addition, we found a significant association between maternal height and aggregated average height of males from the same birth years at time of conscription, 19 years later. Conclusions Our results have implications for public health: When (female/maternal) height increases due to improved nutritional status, size at birth—and subsequently also the height in adulthood of the next generation—increases as well. However, the directions of development in this regard may currently differ depending on the world region

Health and lifespan of Swiss men born in an alpine region in 1905–1907

Body height and body mass index (BMI) are associated with later life outcomes in present and historical populations. We examine the case study of the Swiss Alpine canton of Glarus, which was highly industrialised at the beginning of the 20th century. Our study links conscription registers to genealogical registers at the individual level in Switzerland for the first time. We analyse whether body height, BMI, socioeconomic position (HISCLASS), region of residence, fitness to serve (as a proxy for health status in a military context), and goitre status (as a proxy for iodine deficiency) in young adulthood are associated with lifespan. We transcribed conscription records of 1073 men born between 1905 and 1907 and recruited between 1925 and 1927 (coverage birth cohorts 96%). Of the 827 young men residing within the canton, we were able to identify 635 (76.8%) in the cantonal genealogical register. Using body height, chest circumference, and upper arm circumference, we estimated BMI. We find socioeconomic differences for height and estimated BMI at conscription age. Young men with a recorded goitre were taller. We also present a positive association between body height and lifespan, with small men being particularly disadvantaged. In a small subsample of two municipalities, we estimated the heritability of height to be 65%

Health of neonates born in the maternity hospital in Bern, Switzerland, 1880–1900 and 1914–1922

The identification of factors impeding normal fetal development and growth is crucial for improving neonatal health. Historical studies are relevant because they show which parameters have influenced neonatal health in the past in order to better understand the present. We studied temporal changes of neonatal health outcomes (birth weight, gestational age, stillbirth rate) and the influence of different cofactors in two time periods. Moreover, we investigated particularly neonatal health in the wake of the 1918/19 influenza pandemic. Data were transcribed from the Bern Maternity Hospital and consists of two time periods: A) The years 1880, 1885, 1890, 1895 and 1900 (N = 1530, births’ coverage 20%); B) The years 1914–1922 (N = 6924, births’ coverage 40–50%). Linear regression models were used to estimate the effect of birth year on birth weight, and logistic regression models to estimate the effect of birth year and of the exposure to the pandemic on premature birth, stillborn and low birth weight (LBW). Mean birth weight increased only minimally between the two datasets; whereas, in the years 1914–1922, the preterm birth and stillbirth rates were markedly reduced compared with the years 1880–1900. Sex, parity, gestational age and maternal age were significantly associated with birth weight in both time periods. The probability of LBW was significantly increased in 1918 (OR 1.49 (95% CI 1.00–2.23)) and in 1919 (OR 1.55 (95% CI 1.02–2.36)) compared to 1914. Mothers who were heavily exposed to the influenza pandemic during pregnancy had a higher risk of stillbirth (OR 2.27 (95% CI 1.32–3.9)). This study demonstrated that factors influencing neonatal health are multifactorial but similar in both time periods. Moreover, the exposure to the 1918/19 pandemic was less associated with LBW and more associated with an increased risk of stillbirth. If this trend is confirmed by further studies, it could indicate some consistency across pandemics, as similar patterns have recently been shown for COVID-19

Health of neonates born in the maternity hospital in Bern, Switzerland, 1880-1900 and 1914-1922.

The identification of factors impeding normal fetal development and growth is crucial for improving neonatal health. Historical studies are relevant because they show which parameters have influenced neonatal health in the past in order to better understand the present. We studied temporal changes of neonatal health outcomes (birth weight, gestational age, stillbirth rate) and the influence of different cofactors in two time periods. Moreover, we investigated particularly neonatal health in the wake of the 1918/19 influenza pandemic. Data were transcribed from the Bern Maternity Hospital and consists of two time periods: A) The years 1880, 1885, 1890, 1895 and 1900 (N = 1530, births' coverage 20%); B) The years 1914-1922 (N = 6924, births' coverage 40-50%). Linear regression models were used to estimate the effect of birth year on birth weight, and logistic regression models to estimate the effect of birth year and of the exposure to the pandemic on premature birth, stillborn and low birth weight (LBW). Mean birth weight increased only minimally between the two datasets; whereas, in the years 1914-1922, the preterm birth and stillbirth rates were markedly reduced compared with the years 1880-1900. Sex, parity, gestational age and maternal age were significantly associated with birth weight in both time periods. The probability of LBW was significantly increased in 1918 (OR 1.49 (95% CI 1.00-2.23)) and in 1919 (OR 1.55 (95% CI 1.02-2.36)) compared to 1914. Mothers who were heavily exposed to the influenza pandemic during pregnancy had a higher risk of stillbirth (OR 2.27 (95% CI 1.32-3.9)). This study demonstrated that factors influencing neonatal health are multifactorial but similar in both time periods. Moreover, the exposure to the 1918/19 pandemic was less associated with LBW and more associated with an increased risk of stillbirth. If this trend is confirmed by further studies, it could indicate some consistency across pandemics, as similar patterns have recently been shown for COVID-19

From pandemic to endemic: Spatial-temporal patterns of influenza-like illness incidence in a Swiss canton, 1918-1924

In pandemics, past and present, there is no textbook definition of when a pandemic is over, and how and when exactly a respiratory virus transitions from pandemic to endemic spread. In this paper we have compared the 1918/19 influenza pandemic and the subsequent spread of seasonal flu until 1924. We analysed 14,125 reports of newly stated 32,198 influenza-like illnesses from the Swiss canton of Bern. We analysed the temporal and spatial spread at the level of municipalities, regions, and the canton. We calculated incidence rates per 1000 inhabitants of newly registered cases per calendar week. Further, we illustrated the incidences of each municipality for each wave (first wave in summer 1918, second wave in fall/winter 1918/19, the strong later wave in early 1920, as well as the two seasonal waves in 1922 and 1924) on a choropleth map. We performed a spatial hotspot analysis to identify spatial clusters in each wave, using the Gi* statistic. Furthermore, we applied a robust negative binomial regression to estimate the association between selected explanatory variables and incidence on the ecological level. We show that the pandemic transitioned to endemic spread in several waves (including another strong wave in February 1920) with lower incidence and rather local spread until 1924 at least. At the municipality and regional levels, there were different patterns of spread both between pandemic and seasonal waves. In the first pandemic wave in summer 1918 the probability of higher incidence was increased in municipalities with a higher proportion of manufacturing factories (OR 2.60, 95%CI 1.42-4.96), as well as in municipalities that had access to a railway station (OR 1.50, 95%CI 1.16-1.96). In contrast, the strong fall/winter wave 1918 was very widespread throughout the canton. In general, municipalities at higher altitude showed lower incidence. Our study adds to the sparse literature on incidence in the 1918/19 pandemic and subsequent years. Before Covid-19, the last pandemic that occurred in several waves and then became endemic was the 1918-19 pandemic. Such scenarios from the past can inform pandemic planning and preparedness in current and future outbreaks

Celecoxib: considerations regarding its potential disease-modifying properties in osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive loss of articular cartilage, subchondral bone sclerosis, osteophyte formation, and synovial inflammation, causing substantial physical disability, impaired quality of life, and significant health care utilization. Traditionally, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors, have been used to treat pain and inflammation in OA. Besides its anti-inflammatory properties, evidence is accumulating that celecoxib, one of the selective COX-2 inhibitors, has additional disease-modifying effects. Celecoxib was shown to affect all structures involved in OA pathogenesis: cartilage, bone, and synovium. As well as COX-2 inhibition, evidence indicates that celecoxib also modulates COX-2-independent signal transduction pathways. These findings raise the question of whether celecoxib, and potentially other coxibs, is more than just an anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug. Can celecoxib be considered a disease-modifying osteoarthritic drug? In this review, these direct effects of celecoxib on cartilage, bone, and synoviocytes in OA treatment are discussed

Diagnostic du Projet d'agglomération franco-valdo-genevois de 2ème génération

Ce document répond à l’exigence de base 3 (EB3) de la directive pour l’examen et le cofinancement des projets d’agglomération de deuxième génération (DETEC, ARE, 2010). Le rapport présente une analyse de l’état actuel et des tendances de développement dans l'agglomération franco-valdo-genevoise et fait ressortir, pour tous les domaines (urbanisation, transport et environnement) les principales forces et faiblesses de l’agglomération. En lien avec les tendances de développement, il identifie les opportunités, les menaces et les besoins d’action. Ce document est l'annexe 1 du dossier de Projet d'agglomération 2012