Household exposure to pesticides and bladder exstrophy in a newborn baby boy: a case report and review of the literature

© 2009 Martin et al; licensee Cases Network Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

My partner and my neighbourhood: The built environment and social networks' impact on alcohol consumption during early pregnancy.

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is responsible for negative health outcomes. The literature shows that socio-economic and lifestyle factors are both related with alcohol consumption during pregnancy; nevertheless, the role of other factors is unclear. The objective of this study is to assess the role that partners' alcohol consumption plays, that played by accessibility to alcohol, and by social influence - when considering pregnant women's behaviour as regards alcohol. It presents the results from a follow-up study of children at risk of negative health outcomes associated with prenatal alcohol exposure; it shows that 68% of pregnant women included in the study reported alcohol consumption during early pregnancy. Results of the analysis showed association with partners' alcohol use, with density of bars and/or restaurants and with the number of pregnant women who drank in the neighbourhood. We concluded that the involvement of men in pregnancy healthcare, and urban policies which target the built environment and improve social networks could be important aspects for the control and prevention alcohol consumption during pregnancy in public health programs. Interventions and recommendations should include an ecological perspective on prenatal community-health programs - focusing on individual, social, and natural factors as well as the built environment.The authors gratefully acknowledge the project “Nacer y Crecer sin OH” (PND 2016. Murcia’s Drug Commissioner Office and the National Plan on Drugs, Ministry of Health, Spain. Prof. Fernando A. López-Hernández, is also grateful for the financial support provided by the projects from the Programa de Ayudas a Grupos de Excelencia de la Región de Murcia, Fundación Séneca(#19884-GERM-15). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Carlos III Institute of Health.S

Environmental tobacco smoke exposure in childhood cancer survivors

Introduction Survival rates of childhood cancer have increased in recent decades to reach 80% in high-income countries. At the same time, the appearance of late effects derived from the treatments has been increasing, estimating that up to 70% of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) will experience some late effect throughout their life. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) will increase the likelihood of these late effects. Therefore, it is an important mission in long-term follow-up programs to address smoking status in all household members. Aim: To present the prevalence of exposure to ETS in a group of CCS who attend a long-term follow-up program and observe the differences at one year after a brief tobacco intervention. Material and Methods Descriptive cross-sectional study. Smoking status was analyzed in the cohabitants of 135 CCS (7 - 34 years) who attend the Long-Term Follow-Up Program in the Clinical University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (Murcia, Spain) between January 2016 and December 2017 after a brief tobacco intervention. Results In the first visit, 52.6% of CCS lived with a smoker in the home. 37.7% of mothers and 33.6% of fathers were smokers. In 8.9% of households there were other smokers. One year after the first visit, exposure to ETS in the houses decreased to 43.7% (30% mothers, 27.8% parents, 8.9% others). Conclusions The parents of CCS smoke more than the national average, exposing their children to the harmful effects of tobacco. However, it is observed that it is a population group with a strong motivation to abandon consumption. More intensive interventions are needed to increase the dropout rate. Funding Statement The authors received no specific funding for this work

Smoking in adolescents and young adults childhood cancer survivors

Introduction It is estimated that 70% of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) will present a late effect derived from the treatments used during the acute phase of cancer throughout their life, some of them potentially serious as cardiac dysfunctions or subsequent neoplasms. Smoking may increase the frequency and severity of these late effects. AIM: To present the prevalence of smokers in adolescents and young adults attending a long-term follow-up consultation in a Mediterranean Region. Methods Descriptive cross-sectional study. Smoking status was analyzed in adolescents and young adults CCS attending the Long-Term Follow-Up Program in the Clinical University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (Murcia, Spain) during 2017. Results 113 adolescents and young adults were analyzed (54.9% males) with ages between 15 and 34 years (median = 20 years). 14.2% of the CCS were smokers (11.5% daily smokers and 2.7% occasional smokers) with a median consumption of 32.5 cigarette / week; 2.7% were ex-smokers. The average age of onset in smoking was 16.4 years. In their residence, 52.2% were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, with 36.6% of mothers and 34.6% of parents smoking. Conclusions The percentage of smokers in our group is similar to that of other studies in CCS (8 - 29%) and is below the Spanish average. However, in a group so sensitive to the harmful effects of tobacco, it is essential to carry out intensive interventions in order to eliminate consumption. The prevention work in children and non-smokers is basic to prevent them from starting the consumption. Funding The authors received no specific funding for this work

Non-motor symptoms burden, mood, and gait problems are the most significant factors contributing to a poor quality of life in non-demented Parkinson's disease patients: Results from the COPPADIS Study Cohort

[Objective] To identify factors related to a poor health-related and global quality of life (QoL) in a cohort of non-demented Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and compare to a control group.[Methods] The data correspond to the baseline evaluation of the COPPADIS-2015 Study, an observational, 5-year follow-up, multicenter, evaluation study. Three instruments were used to assess QoL: (1) the 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), (2) a subjective rating of global QoL (PQ-10), and (3) the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index (EUROHIS-QOL8). Multiple linear regression methods were used to evaluate the direct impact of different variables on these QoL measures.[Results] QoL was worse in PD patients (n = 692; 62.6 ± 8.9 years old, 60.3% males) than controls (n = 206; 61 ± 8.3 years old, 49.5% males): PDQ-39, 17.1 ± 13.5 vs 4.4 ± 6.3 (p < 0.0001); PQ-10, 7.3 ± 1.6 vs 8.1 ± 1.2 (p < 0.0001); EUROHIS-QOL8, 3.8 ± 0.6 vs 4.2 ± 0.5 (p < 0.0001). A high correlation was observed between PDQ-39 and Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) (r = 0.72; p < 0.0001), and PDQ-39 and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) (r = 0.65; p < 0.0001). For health-related QoL (PDQ-39), non-motor symptoms burden (NMSS), mood (BDI-II), and gait problems (Freezing Of Gait Questionnaire [FOGQ]) provided the highest contribution to the model (β = 0.32, 0.28, and 0.27, respectively; p < 0.0001); whereas mood and gait problems contributed the most to global QoL (PQ-10, β = -0.46 and −0.21, respectively; EUROHIS-QOL8, β = -0.44 and −0.23, respectively).[Conclusions] QoL is worse in PD patients than in controls. Mood, non-motor symptoms burden, and gait problems seem to be the most relevant factors affecting health-related and global perceived QoL in non-demented PD patients.Peer reviewe