Project description:Study questionIs there a relation between ART and DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns in cord blood, including any differences between IVF and ICSI?Summary answerDNAm at 19 CpGs was associated with conception via ART, with no difference found between IVF and ICSI.What is known alreadyPrior studies on either IVF or ICSI show conflicting outcomes, as both widespread effects on DNAm and highly localized associations have been reported. No study on both IVF and ICSI and genome-wide neonatal DNAm has been performed.Study design, size, durationThis was a cross-sectional study comprising 87 infants conceived with IVF or ICSI and 70 conceived following medically unassisted conception. The requirement for inclusion in the study was an understanding of the Swedish language and exclusion was the use of donor gametes.Participants/materials, setting, methodsParticipants were from the UppstART study, which was recruited from fertility and reproductive health clinics, and the Born into Life cohort, which is recruited from the larger LifeGene study. We measured DNAm from DNA extracted from cord blood collected at birth using a micro-array (450k array). Group differences in DNAm at individual CpG dinucleotides (CpGs) were determined using robust linear models and post-hoc Tukey's tests.Main results and the role of chanceWe found no association of ART conception with global methylation levels, imprinted loci and meta-stable epialleles. In contrast, we identify 19 CpGs at which DNAm was associated with being conceived via ART (effect estimates: 0.5-4.9%, PFDR < 0.05), but no difference was found between IVF and ICSI. The associated CpGs map to genes related to brain function/development or genes connected to the plethora of conditions linked to subfertility, but functional annotation did not point to any likely functional consequences.Limitations, reasons for cautionWe measured DNAm in cord blood and not at later ages or in other tissues. Given the number of tests performed, our study power is limited and the findings need to be replicated in an independent study.Wider implications of the findingsWe find that ART is associated with DNAm differences in cord blood when compared to non-ART samples, but these differences are limited in number and effect size and have unknown functional consequences in adult blood. We did not find indications of differences between IVF and ICSI.Study funding/competing interest(s)E.W.T. was supported by a VENI grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (91617128) and JPI-H2020 Joint Programming Initiative a Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life (JPI HDHL) under proposal number 655 (PREcisE Project) through ZonMw (529051023). Financial support was provided from the European Union's Seventh Framework Program IDEAL (259679), the Swedish Research Council (K2011-69X-21871-01-6, 2011-3060, 2015-02434 and 2018-02640) and the Strategic Research Program in Epidemiology Young Scholar Awards, Karolinska Institute (to A.N.I.) and through the Swedish Initiative for Research on Microdata in the Social And Medical Sciences (SIMSAM) framework grant no 340-2013-5867, grants provided by the Stockholm County Council (ALF-projects), the Strategic Research Program in Epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation and Danderyd University Hospital (Stockholm, Sweden). The funders had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. The authors declare no competing interests.Trial registration numberN/A.
Project description:Here, it is shown that YTHDC1 was significantly increased in the human preterm placenta after ART and the murine preterm placenta after E2 exposure. Overexpression of YTHDC1 significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of trophoblast cells, but inhibited their apoptosis. Knockdown or knockout of YTHDC1 played an opposite effect. Mechanistically, E2 promoted YTHDC1 expression through retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRA) upregulation. YTHDC1 could activate WNT and JAK/STAT signaling pathways in the human trophoblast cells. Meanwhile, YTHDC1 could fine-tone the translation of ribosomal protein L37 (RPL37) in a m6A-dependent manner, which then influence the cellular total protein synthesis. Importantly, administration of siRNA targeting YTHDC1 effectively delays preterm birth in vivo. Collectively, these findings uncover the epigenetic mechanism underlying ART preterm birth and provide a potential target for therapeutic intervention.
Project description:Birth defects prevalence may vary seasonally, but previous studies have focused on a few commonly occurring phenotypes. We performed a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) in order to evaluate the associations between season of conception and a broad range of birth defects. Date of conception was estimated for all livebirths and birth defect cases in Texas from 1999-2015 using data from vital records, provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services Center for Health Statistics. Birth defects diagnoses were obtained from the Texas Birth Defects Registry, a statewide, active surveillance system. We estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) for phenotypes with ≥50 cases according to conception in spring (March-May), summer (June-August) or fall (September-November) relative to winter (December-February), using Poisson regression. Season of conception was associated with 5% of birth defects studied in models adjusted for maternal age, education, race/ethnicity, and number of previous livebirths. Specifically, summer conception was associated with any monitored birth defect (PR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.04) and five specific phenotypes, most notably Hirschsprung disease (PR 1.46, 95% CI 1.22-1.75). These findings suggest that seasonally variable exposures influence the development of several birth defects and may assist in identifying novel environmental risk factors.
Project description:BackgroundGenitourinary infections (GUIs) are common among sexually active women. Yet, little is known about the risk of birth defects associated with GUIs.MethodsUsing data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a multisite, population-based, case-control study, we assessed self-reported maternal GUIs in the month before through the third month of pregnancy (periconception) from 29,316 birth defect cases and 11,545 unaffected controls. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals to estimate the risk of 52 major structural birth defects associated with GUIs. We also calculated risk of birth defects associated with each type of GUI: urinary tract infection (UTI) and sexually transmitted infection (STI).ResultsIn our analysis, 10% (n = 2,972) of case and 9% (n = 1,014) of control mothers reported a periconceptional GUI. A GUI was significantly associated with 11 of the 52 birth defects examined (ORs ranging from 1.19 to 2.26): encephalocele, cataracts, cleft lip, esophageal atresia, duodenal atresia/stenosis, small intestinal atresia/stenosis, colonic atresia/stenosis, transverse limb deficiency, conoventricular septal defect, atrioventricular septal defect, and secundum atrial septal defect. A periconceptional UTI was significantly associated with nine birth defects (ORs from 1.21 to 2.48), and periconceptional STI was significantly associated with four birth defects (ORs ranging from 1.63 to 3.72).ConclusionsWhile misclassification of GUIs in our analysis is likely, our findings suggest GUIs during the periconceptional period may increase the risk for specific birth defects.
Project description:BackgroundEvidence regarding associations between maternal asthma medication use and birth defects is mixed.ObjectiveEstimate associations between asthma medciation use and 52 birth defects using National Birth Defects Prevention Study data from 1997 to 2011.MethodsWe compared self-reported maternal asthma medication use for 28,481 birth defect cases and 10,894 nonmalformed controls. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) to estimate the risk of birth defects associated with early pregnancy asthma medication use (the month before through the third month of pregnancy), controlling for maternal age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, smoking, folic acid-containing supplement use, and parity. We calculated risks by medication groupings: bronchodilators, anti-inflammatories, and both.ResultsOverall, 1304 (5%) case and 449 (4%) control women reported early pregnancy asthma medication use. We observed an association between asthma medication use and longitudinal limb deficiency (1.81; 95% CI, 1.27-2.58). Early pregnancy bronchodilator-only use was associated with cleft palate (1.50; 95% CI, 1.11-2.02), cleft lip (1.58; 95% CI, 1.12-2.23), longitudinal limb deficiency (2.35; 95% CI, 1.55-3.54), and truncus arteriosus (2.48; 95% CI, 1.13-5.42). Although early pregnancy anti-inflammatory-only use was not associated with the birth defects studied, use of both medications was associated with biliary atresia (3.60; 95% CI, 1.55-8.35) and pulmonary atresia (2.50; 95% CI, 1.09-5.78).ConclusionsConsistent with previous National Birth Defects Prevention Study analyses, asthma medication use was not associated with most birth defects examined, but we observed modest risks for bronchodilator use and several birth defects. Our findings support maintaining adequate asthma treatment during pregnancy, because early pregnancy asthma exacerbations have been associated with adverse birth outcomes, including birth defects.
Project description:PURPOSE:To compare the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and/or opioids to the use of acetaminophen without NSAIDs or opioids with respect to associations with birth defects. METHODS:We used data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (1997-2011). Exposure was self-reported maternal analgesic use from the month before through the third month of pregnancy (periconceptional). Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were calculated to examine associations with 16 birth defects. RESULTS:Compared to acetaminophen, mothers reporting NSAIDs were significantly more likely to have offspring with gastroschisis, hypospadias, cleft palate, cleft lip with cleft palate, cleft lip without cleft palate, anencephaly, spina bifida, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, pulmonary valve stenosis, and tetralogy of Fallot (aOR range, 1.2-1.6). Opioids were associated with tetralogy of Fallot, perimembranous ventricular septal defect, and ventricular septal defect with atrial septal defect (aOR range, 1.8-2.3), whereas use of both opioids and NSAIDs was associated with gastroschisis, cleft palate, spina bifida, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and pulmonary valve stenosis (aOR range, 2.0-2.9). CONCLUSIONS:Compared to periconceptional use of acetaminophen, selected birth defects occurred more frequently among infants of women using NSAIDs and/or opioids. However, we could not definitely determine whether these risks relate to the drugs or to indications for treatment.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Benzodiazepine medications can be used to treat anxiety, a condition affecting 15% of women of childbearing age in the United States. Studies have shown conflicting results for the association between benzodiazepine use during pregnancy and birth defects. METHODS:We analyzed 1997-2011 data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a multisite, population-based case-control study. We assessed the prevalence of and factors associated with benzodiazepine use in pregnancy among mothers of live-born infants without a birth defect (control mothers). We used logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between specific birth defects and benzodiazepine use; we estimated crude odds ratios (cORs) for defect categories with 3-4 exposed cases. RESULTS:Exposure to benzodiazepines during pregnancy was rare (N?=?93/11,614; 0.8%). Benzodiazepine use was more common among control mothers who were ?30?years, non-Hispanic white, had more education, smoked, and took antidepressant medication. We observed significantly elevated ORs for any benzodiazepine and Dandy-Walker malformation (cOR: 3.1; 95% CI: 1.1, 8.6); for alprazolam and anophthalmia or microphthalmia (cOR: 4.0; 95% CI: 1.2, 13.1) and esophageal atresia or stenosis (aOR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.2, 5.9); and lorazepam and pulmonary valve stenosis (cOR: 4.1; 95% CI: 1.2, 14.2), but sample sizes were limited and therefore CIs were wide. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings suggest that benzodiazepines use is rare and may be associated with risk for certain birth defects. However, these results need replication and should be interpreted with caution.
Project description:BackgroundPrevious studies found consistent associations between pregestational diabetes and birth defects. Given the different biological mechanisms for type 1 (PGD1) and type 2 (PGD2) diabetes, we used National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) data to estimate associations by diabetes type.MethodsThe NBDPS was a study of major birth defects that included pregnancies with estimated delivery dates from October 1997 to December 2011. We compared self-reported PGD1 and PGD2 for 29,024 birth defect cases and 10,898 live-born controls. For case groups with ≥5 exposed cases, we estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between specific defects and each diabetes type. We calculated crude ORs (cORs) and 95% CIs with Firth's penalized likelihood for case groups with 3-4 exposed cases.ResultsOverall, 252 (0.9%) cases and 24 (0.2%) control mothers reported PGD1, and 357 (1.2%) cases and 34 (0.3%) control mothers reported PGD2. PGD1 was associated with 22/26 defects examined and PGD2 was associated with 29/39 defects examined. Adjusted ORs ranged from 1.6 to 70.4 for PGD1 and from 1.6 to 59.9 for PGD2. We observed the strongest aORs for sacral agenesis (PGD1: 70.4, 32.3-147; PGD2: 59.9, 25.4-135). For both PGD1 and PGD2, we observed elevated aORs in every body system we evaluated, including central nervous system, orofacial, eye, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and cardiac defects.ConclusionsWe observed positive associations between both PGD1 and PGD2 and birth defects across multiple body systems. Future studies should focus on the role of glycemic control in birth defect risk to inform prevention efforts.
Project description:OBJECTIVE:To estimate the risk of stillbirth (fetal death at 20 weeks of gestation or more) associated with specific birth defects. METHODS:We identified a population-based retrospective cohort of neonates and fetuses with selected major birth defects and without known or strongly suspected chromosomal or single-gene disorders from active birth defects surveillance programs in nine states. Abstracted medical records were reviewed by clinical geneticists to confirm and classify all birth defects and birth defect patterns. We estimated risks of stillbirth specific to birth defects among pregnancies overall and among those with isolated birth defects; potential bias owing to elective termination was quantified. RESULTS:Of 19,170 eligible neonates and fetuses with birth defects, 17,224 were liveborn, 852 stillborn, and 672 electively terminated. Overall, stillbirth risks ranged from 11 per 1,000 fetuses with bladder exstrophy (95% CI 0-57) to 490 per 1,000 fetuses with limb-body-wall complex (95% CI 368-623). Among those with isolated birth defects not affecting major vital organs, elevated risks (per 1,000 fetuses) were observed for cleft lip with cleft palate (10; 95% CI 7-15), transverse limb deficiencies (26; 95% CI 16-39), longitudinal limb deficiencies (11; 95% CI 3-28), and limb defects due to amniotic bands (110; 95% CI 68-171). Quantified bias analysis suggests that failure to account for terminations may lead to up to fourfold underestimation of the observed risks of stillbirth for sacral agenesis (13/1,000; 95% CI 2-47), isolated spina bifida (24/1,000; 95% CI 17-34), and holoprosencephaly (30/1,000; 95% CI 10-68). CONCLUSION:Birth defect-specific stillbirth risk was high compared with the U.S. stillbirth risk (6/1,000 fetuses), even for isolated cases of oral clefts and limb defects; elective termination may appreciably bias some estimates. These data can inform clinical care and counseling after prenatal diagnosis.
Project description:BackgroundHydroxychloroquine is generally considered safe in pregnancy for the treatment of rheumatic conditions, but studies have been too small to evaluate teratogenicity. Quantifying the risk of congenital malformations associated with early pregnancy exposure to hydroxychloroquine is important in both the context of its ongoing use for rheumatological disorders and its potential future use for coronavirus disease 2019 prophylaxis, for which a number of clinical trials are ongoing despite initial trials for coronavirus disease 2019 treatment having been negative.ObjectiveThe study objective was to evaluate the risk of major congenital malformations associated with exposure to hydroxychloroquine during the first trimester of pregnancy, the period of organogenesis.Study designWe performed a population-based cohort study nested in the Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX, 2000-2014) and IBM MarketScan Research Database (MarketScan, 2003-2015). The source cohort included 2045 hydroxychloroquine-exposed pregnancies and 3,198,589 pregnancies not exposed to hydroxychloroquine continuously enrolled in their respective insurance program for 3 months before the last menstrual period through at least 1 month after delivery; infants were enrolled for at least 3 months after birth. We compared the risk of congenital malformations in women using hydroxychloroquine during the first trimester of pregnancy with that of those not using hydroxychloroquine, restricting the cohort to women with rheumatic disorders and using propensity score matching to control for indication, demographics, medical comorbidities, and concomitant medications (1867 hydroxychloroquine-exposed pregnancies and 19,080 pregnancies not exposed to hydroxychloroquine). The outcomes considered included major congenital malformations diagnosed during the first 90 days after delivery and specific malformation types for which there were at least 5 exposed events: oral cleft, cardiac, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genital, urinary, musculoskeletal, and limb defects.ResultsOverall, 54.8 per 1000 infants exposed to hydroxychloroquine were born with a major congenital malformation versus 35.3 per 1000 unexposed infants, corresponding to an unadjusted relative risk of 1.51 (95% confidence interval, 1.27-1.81). Patient characteristics were balanced in the restricted, propensity score-matched cohort. The adjusted relative risk was 1.26 (95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.54); it was 1.33 (95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.65) for a daily dose of ≥400 mg and 0.95 (95% confidence interval, 0.60-1.50) for a daily dose of <400 mg. Among the different malformation groups considered, more substantial increases in the risk of oral clefts, respiratory anomalies, and urinary defects were observed, although estimates were imprecise. No pattern of malformation was identified.ConclusionOur findings suggest a small increase in the risk of malformations associated with first-trimester hydroxychloroquine use. For most patients with autoimmune rheumatic disorders, the benefits of treatment during pregnancy will likely outweigh this risk. If hydroxychloroquine were shown to be effective for coronavirus disease 2019 prophylaxis in ongoing trials, the risk of malformations would need to be balanced against such benefits.