Association between cooking fuel and folate insufficiency among pregnant women in Northern China

Background: Considering the respiratory health risk of exposure to biomass cooking fuel emissions, this study was conducted to elucidate the relationship between cooking fuel choices and declined pulmonary function in rural and urban population in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study of 1,170 healthy nonsmoking pregnant women from Masaiti and Ndola predominantly using biomass fuel for cooking. Questionnaire based data was acquired along with standardized measures of lung function. MIR Spirobank G (Italy) was used in spirometry based on American Thoracic Standards. Results: The present study found that over two thirds (69.2%) of pregnant women in the study population use biomass for cooking and only 12.4 % use electricity only. Declined lung function was found to be statistically significantly associated with cooking fuel choices (p – value 0.005) and a weak association was observed with gravida at a p-value of 0.056. Pregnant women using crop residues as cooking fuel were two times more likely to have a declined lung function [AOR 2.33 (1.27, 4.30)] compared with pregnant women using mixed fuel type (biomass and electricity) and those using electricity only were 57% less likely to have a declined lung function [AOD 0.43 (0.26, 0.69)]. Conclusion: Use of biomass for cooking among pregnant women is a strong determinant of declined lung function. Interventions to improve maternal respiratory health outcomes in Zambia and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa should involve making cleaner cooking fuel energy options available and accessible by ordinary women from both rural and urban areas.

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Mobile phone application use in pregnant women: does it make a difference? Usage and perinatal outcomes in China (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.29644 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Puhong Zhang ◽

Huan Chen ◽

Jie Shang ◽

Jun Ge ◽

Huichen Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Child Health ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Maternal And Child Health ◽

Pregnancy Outcomes ◽

Adverse Pregnancy Outcome ◽

Perinatal Outcomes ◽

Northern China ◽

Mobile Phone Application ◽

Adverse Pregnancy ◽

And Child Health

BACKGROUND Maternal and child health (MCH) related mobile applications (apps) are becoming increasingly popular amongst pregnant women, however, few have demonstrated they lead to improvements in pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the use of MCH apps amongst pregnant women and explore associations with pregnancy outcomes in China. METHODS A retrospective study was conducted in six maternal and child health hospitals in Northern China. Women who delivered a singleton baby greater than 28 weeks gestation in the study hospitals were sequentially recruited from postnatal wards during October 2017 to January 2018. Information was collected on self-reported MCH app use during their pregnancy, with clinical outcomes. Women were categorized as non-users of MCH apps, and users (further divided into intermittent users and continuous users). The primary outcome was a composite adverse pregnancy outcome (CAPO) comprising preterm birth, birth weight <2500 grams, birth defects, stillbirth and neonatal asphyxia. The association between app use and CAPO was explored using multivariable logistic analysis. RESULTS The 1850 participants reported using 127 different MCH apps during pregnancy. App use frequency was reported as never, 457 (24.7%); intermittent 876 (47.4%); and continuous 517 (27.9%). Amongst app users, the most common reasons for app use were for health education (100.0%), self-monitoring (54.2%) and antenatal appointment reminders (43.2%). Non-users were older, with fewer years of education, lower incomes, and higher parity (P<0.01). No association was found between “any app” use and the CAPO (6.8% in non-users compared to 6.3% in any users, OR 0.77, 95% CI: 0.48-1.25). CONCLUSIONS Women in China access a large number of different MCH apps, with social disparities in access and frequency of use. “Any app” use was not found associated with improved pregnancy outcomes, highlighting the needs for rigorous development and testing of apps before recommendation for use in clinical settings.

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Awareness and use of folic acid, and blood folate concentrations among pregnant women in northern China—An area with a high prevalence of neural tube defects

Reproductive Toxicology ◽

10.1016/j.reprotox.2006.02.003 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 431-436 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Aiguo Ren ◽

Le Zhang ◽

Zhiwen Li ◽

Ling Hao ◽

Yihua Tian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Folic Acid ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Neural Tube ◽

Neural Tube Defects ◽

Northern China ◽

High Prevalence

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Predominance of III/ST19 and Ib/ST10 Lineages With High Multidrug Resistance in Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Group B Streptococci Isolates in Which a New Integrative and Conjugative Element Was Identified

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2020.609526 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Kankan Gao ◽

Chunyan Gao ◽

Lianfen Huang ◽

Xiaoshan Guan ◽

Wenjing Ji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Southern China ◽

Northern China ◽

Cross Resistance ◽

Molecular Characteristics ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Double Mutation ◽

Resistant Group ◽

Group B ◽

Integrative And Conjugative Element

Fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant Group B Streptococcus (GBS) has been reported with considerable cross-resistance, worsening the crisis of multidrug-resistant (MDR) GBS in clinical settings. However, national epidemiological data on FQ-resistant GBS in mainland China have not been well-characterized. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of FQ resistance among GBS from neonatal invasive infections and maternal colonization in northern and southern China, to investigate the serotyping, multilocus sequence typing, and antibiotic cross-resistance, and to characterize the mutations in gyrA and parC genes in quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR). In order to provide a comprehensive view of the location and structure of resistance genes, whole-genome sequencing on III/ST19 MDR isolates were performed. Among 426 GBS, 138 (32.4%) were FQ resistant, with higher prevalence in northern China than in southern China in both neonates (57.8%, 37/64 vs. 21.7%, 39/180) and pregnant women (50.9%, 29/57 vs. 26.4%, 33/125). Serotypes were distributed as III (48.5%), Ib (39.9%), V (6.5%), and Ia (5.1%). Sequence types were mainly ST19 (53.6%) and ST10 (39.1%), followed by ST12 (1.4%), ST17 (1.4%), ST23 (1.4%), and 0.7% each of ST27, ST188, ST197, and ST597. ST19 isolates were more prevalent in southern China than in northern China in both neonates (64.1%, 25/39 vs. 27.0%, 10/37) and pregnant women (81.8%, 27/33 vs. 41.4%, 12/29), whereas ST10 isolates were more common in northern China than in southern China in both neonates (64.9%, 24/37 vs. 20.5%, 8/39) and pregnant women (58.6%, 17/29 vs. 15.2%, 5/33). Serotype III isolates were mainly ST19 (89.6%, 60/67), while Ib isolates were largely ST10 (94.5%, 52/55). Sequencing data revealed several mutations in QRDR, including Ser81Leu in gyrA (99.2%, 130/131), Ser79Phe or Tyr in parC (76.2%, 48/63), and a previously unreported Ile218Thr and Ile219Phe double mutation pattern (49.2%, 31/63) in parC. ST10 isolates were associated with Ser79Phe (84%, 21/25), while ST19 isolates were limited to Ser79Tyr (95.7%, 22/23). A new integrative and conjugative element (ICE) harboring tetM and gyrA genes was identified in a III/ST19 isolate. This study investigates the molecular characteristics of FQ-resistant GBS in northern and southern China, emphasizing the need for continuous surveillance geographically and further research to characterize the mechanisms of ICE transfer.

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Exposure to triclosan among pregnant women in northern China: urinary concentrations, sociodemographic predictors, and seasonal variability

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-019-07294-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

pp. 4840-4848 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chenye Jin ◽

Qian Yao ◽

Yijun Zhou ◽

Rong Shi ◽

Yu Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Seasonal Variability ◽

Northern China ◽

Sociodemographic Predictors

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Nutritional Status of Selenium and Its Association with Diet and Indoor Air Pollution among Pregnant Women in a Rural Area of Northern China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182212090 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (22) ◽

pp. 12090

Author(s):

Jiahe Liu ◽

Lei Jin ◽

Aiguo Ren

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Rural Area ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Indoor Air Pollution ◽

Northern China ◽

Blood Levels ◽

Logistic Regression Models

The nutritional status of selenium (Se) in pregnant women in rural areas of northern China and its association with diet and indoor air pollution are rarely reported. We recruited 273 pregnant women in early or middle term in Shanxi and Hebei province and detected their fasting blood selenium. Demographic characteristics, food habits, and indoor air pollution exposure were collected with a questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and their 95% confidence intervals for the factors and relatively low blood levels of Se (below the lower quartile). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) blood concentration of Se was 117.35 (103.90, 129.23) μg/L. The rate of Se deficiency was 4.8%, and the rate of overnutrition was 23.8%. The AORs for the risk for relatively low blood levels of Se were 2.26 (1.15, 4.44) for consuming less beef and pork/mutton; 0.39 (0.19, 0.80) for a lower frequency of vinegar consumption; and 1.41 (0.76, 2.60) and 1.18 (0.59, 2.36) for passive smoking and indoor coal pollution, respectively. In conclusion, the nutritional status of Se in pregnant women in a rural area of northern China was acceptable; diet was the main determinant; no conclusive association was found between indoor air pollution and Se nutritional status.

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