A possible association between maternal glomerulonephritis and congenital intestinal atresia/stenosis--a population-based case-control study

Delayed development of vacuoles and recanalization in the duodenum: a study in human fetuses to understand susceptibility to duodenal atresia/stenosis

ObjectiveWe compared the cross-sectional areas of the duodenum to the distal small intestine during early gestation to determine if there is a difference in age for recanalization.MethodsSerial sagittal sections of six fetuses of gestational age (GA) 8-10 weeks were examined morphologically to compare the degree of recanalization of the duodenum with to the more distal small intestine.ResultsAt GA 8-9 weeks, the duodenum had more epithelial plugs and vacuoles with no or narrower spaces compared to the distal small bowel. Quantitative assessment at GA 10 weeks showed that the cross-sectional area of the duodenal cavity was significantly less than the distal small bowel.ConclusionThe development and recanalization of vacuoles in the duodenum occurs later than the jejunum and ileum may be involved in the more frequent development of atresia/stenosis of the duodenum compared to more distal gastrointestinal tract.

Genetic and nongenetic etiology of nonsyndromic anorectal malformations: a systematic review

Congenital anorectal malformations (ARMs) are one of the most frequently observed birth defects of the digestive system. However, their etiology remains elusive. Therefore, we aim to summarize and critically appraise all existing literature on the genetic and nongenetic etiology of nonsyndromic ARM and to conclude with unifying hypotheses and directions for future research. A structured literature search on English language human studies was conducted in PubMed and Embase up to October 1, 2013, resulting in 112 included articles. Research on the identification of genes underlying nonsyndromic ARM is remarkably scarce. Most studies were focused on screening of candidate genes for mutations or single-nucleotide polymorphisms, which did not yield any substantial evidence. Nongenetic factors fairly consistently found to be associated with ARM are assisted reproductive techniques, multiple pregnancy, preterm delivery, low birth weight, maternal overweight or obesity, and preexisting diabetes. This review provides indications for the involvement of both genes and nongenetic risk factors in the etiology of ARM. In future studies, large cohorts of patients with ARM from national and international collaborations are needed to acquire new hypotheses and knowledge through hypothesis-generating approaches. Challenges for future studies may also lie in the investigation of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions.

Twelve-year prevalence of common neonatal congenital malformations in Zhejiang Province, China

BACKGROUND

One of the challenges that pediatricians face when examining birth defects is to understand the trends in its occurrence and provide clues to etiology. This study was undertaken to retrospectively assess the prevalence of 10 common neonatal congenital malformations by reviewing a database of all deliveries from 28 weeks up until 7 days of birth from January 1998 to December 2009 in Zhejiang Province, China.

METHODS

Ten common neonatal congenital malformations were selected for analysis. The incidence and the Cochran-Armitage Trend were assessed via SAS9.2. A P value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Of 83 888 perinatals, 374 (4.46‰) suffered from congenital heart diseases (CHD), 77 (0.92‰) from congenital hydrocephalus, 32 (0.38‰) from intestinal atresia/stenosis, 36 (0.43‰) from anorectal malformations, 149 (1.78‰) from kidney malformations, 139 (3.31‰) from hypospadias (male), 178 (2.12‰) from orofacial clefts (OFC), 188 (2.24‰) from polydactyly, 62 (0.74‰) from syndactyly, and 269 (3.21‰) from accessory auricle anomaly. Their trend of prevalence varied as follows: CHD, P=0.0026; hydrocephalus, P=0.0042; intestinal atresia/stenosis, P=0.0103; anorectal malformations, P=0.4332; kidney malformations, P<0.0001; hypospadias, P=0.0021; OFC, P=0.005; polydactyly, P=0.0867; syndactyly, P=0.1941; and accessory auricle anomaly, P=0.0011. The upward trend was as follows: CHD (P=0.0026), intestinal atresia/stenosis (P=0.0103), kidney malformations (P<0.0001), hypospadias (P=0.0021), OFC (P=0.005), and accessory auricle anomaly (P=0.0011). The incidence of hydrocephalus (P=0.0042) showed a downward trend. No statistical significant trend was found in anorectal malformations (P=0.4332), polydactyly (P=0.0867) and syndactyly (P=0.1941).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidences of CHD, intestinal atresia/stenosis, kidney malformations, hypospadias, OFC, and accessory auricle anomaly have increased in the last 12 years, but the incidences of anorectal malformations, polydactyly and syndactyly remain stable. The incidence of hydrocephalus shows a downward trend.