Bi-Hua Cheng

Adverse pregnancy outcome in a petrochemical polluted area in Taiwan.

The petrochemical industry is the main source of industrial air pollution in Taiwan. Reported here are the results from an ongoing study of outdoor air pollution and the health of individuals living in a community in close proximity to petrochemical industrial complexes. The prevalences of term low birth weight (LBW) in the petrochemical municipality and control municipality were 3.22% and 1.84%, respectively. After controlling for several possible confounders (including maternal age, season, marital status, maternal education, and infant sex), the adjusted odds ratio was 1.767 (1.002-3.116) for term LBW in the petrochemical municipality. Data provide further support for the hypothesis that air pollution can affect the outcome of pregnancy.

Increased risk of preterm delivery in areas with air pollution from a petroleum refinery plant in Taiwan.

The petrochemical and petroleum industries are among the main sources of industrial air pollution in Taiwan. Data in this study concern outdoor air pollution and the health of individuals living in communities in close proximity to a petroleum refinery plant. The prevalence of delivery of preterm birth infants was significantly higher in mothers living in a petroleum refinery area compared to controls in Taiwan. After controlling for several possible confounders (including maternal age, season, marital status, maternal education, and infant sex), the adjusted odds ratio was 1.41 (95% CI = 1.08-1.82) for delivery of preterm infants in the polluted region. Data support the view that air pollution can affect the outcome of pregnancy.

Calcium and magnesium in drinking water and the risk of death from breast cancer.

The relationship between mortality from breast cancer and the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water was examined using an ecological design. The study area consisted of 252 municipalities in Taiwan. Data on the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water were collected from the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The age-standardized mortality rate (ASR) for breast cancer (1982?1991) was compared among municipalities with different levels of magnesium and calcium in drinking water. Weighted multivariate regression analysis was used, and after adjusting for fertility rates and urbanization, there was a significant inverse relationship between the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water and risk of death from breast cancer.The relationship between mortality from breast cancer and the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water was examined using an ecological design. The study area consisted of 2.52 municipalities in Taiwan. Data on the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water were collected from the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The age-standardized mortality rate (ASR) for breast cancer ( 1982-1991) was compared among municipalities with different levels of magnesium and calcium in drinking water. Weighted multivariate regression analysis was used, and after adjusting for fertility rates and urbanization, there was a significant inverse relationship between the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water and risk of death from breast cancer.The relationship between mortality from breast cancer and the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water was examined using an ecological design. The study area consisted of 252 municipalities in Taiwan. Data on the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water were collected from the Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The age-standardized mortality rate (ASR) for breast cancer (1982?1991) was compared among municipalities with different levels of magnesium and calcium in drinking water. Weighted multivariate regression analysis was used, and after adjusting for fertility rates and urbanization, there was a significant inverse relationship between the levels of calcium and magnesium in drinking water and risk of death from breast cancer.

Association between petrochemical air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Taiwan.

Abstract The petrochemical industry is the main source of industrial air pollution in Taiwan. To date, little is known about the possible effects of such pollution on the human fetus. In this study, the authors investigated the relationship between term low birthweight and preterm delivery and residence in a petrochemical industrial municipality (PIM). The study areas included 16 PIMs (which were defined as municipalities in which the number of workers in the petroleum and petrochemical industry made up at least 2% of the municipalitys total population) and 16 matched reference municipalities (RFMs). Among 39,750 1st-parity singleton live births, the prevalences of preterm delivery in the PIMs and RFMs were 4.72% and 4.58%, respectively, and the prevalences of term low birthweight were 2.51% and 2.35%, respectively. When PIMs were compared with RFMs, and after controlling for possible confounders (including maternal age, marital status, maternal education, and gender of the baby), the adjusted odds ratios were 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.95, 1.22) for term low birthweight and 1.03 (95% CI = 0.94, 1.13) for preterm delivery, respectively.

Respiratory and irritant health effects in tollbooth collectors in Taiwan

Toll collectors are potentially exposed to high concentrations of a variety of automotive emissions. The purpose of this study is to assess if there is an excess of adverse health outcomes among toll collectors. Self-reported chronic respiratory symptoms and acute irritative symptoms were assessed in a cross-sectional study among 363 toll collectors (exposure group) and 147 office workers (control group). The prevalence rates for chronic respiratory symptoms were not significantly different between the exposure group and the control group. This could be related to the short length of employment for the toll collectors. Another likely explanation for not detecting apparent respiratory effects might be that symptomatic workers drop out of this work a few years after starting the job. Acute irritative symptoms (nose, throat, nausea, and headache), however, were significantly more common among the toll collectors than among the controls.

Effects of depression and antidepressant medications on hip fracture: A population-based cohort study in Taiwan

AbstractThis study was conducted to investigate the effects of depression and antidepressant medications on hip fracture. The database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance with medical records of more than 1,000,000 individuals was searched for patients who had hip fracture with or without depression from 1998 to 2009. Patients with the following conditions were excluded: hip fracture due to cancer or traffic accidents, hip fracture that occurred before the diagnosis of depression, and use of antidepressants before the diagnosis of depression. A matched cohort of 139,110 patients was investigated, including 27,822 (17,309 females; 10,513 males) with depression and 111,288 (69,236 females; 42,052 males) without depression (1:4 randomly matched with age, sex, and index date). Among these patients, 232 (158 females and 74 males) had both hip fracture and depression, and 690 (473 females and 217 males) had hip fracture only. The Cox proportional-hazards regression method was used to determine the effect of depression on hip fracture. The hazard ratio (HR) for each clinical parameter was calculated after adjusting for confounders including sex, age, Charlson comorbidity index, urbanization, osteoporosis, and antidepressants. Results showed that patients with major depressive disorder had a 61% higher incidence of hip fracture than those without depression (HR 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19–2.18, P = 0.002). The risk of hip fracture for patients with less severe depressive disorder (dysthymia or depressive disorder, not otherwise specified) was not statistically higher than that of patients with no depression (HR 1.10, 95% CI = 0.91–1.34, P = 0.327). Among the patients with depression, females had a 49% higher incidence for hip fracture than males (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.30–1.72, P < 0.001). The incidence of hip fracture also increased with age and Charlson comorbidity index scores. Analyses of both all (139,110) patients and only patients (27,822) with depression revealed that antidepressants had no negative impact on the incidence of hip fracture. In conclusion, major depression was found to be a risk factor for hip fracture and that use of antidepressants had no adverse effect on hip fracture in the Taiwanese population.

Risk of depression following uterine cancer: A nationwide population-based study

Depression happens commonly in cancer patients. However, there is limited literature on uterine cancer. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between uterine cancer and depression as well as the moderating effect of age and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Second-trimester placental volume and vascular indices in the prediction of small-for-gestational-age neonates.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of second-trimester placental volume and vascular indices to predict small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth weight pregnancies. Material and Methods: Women with singleton pregnancies were prospectively evaluated at 17-20 weeks of gestation. Second-trimester placental volume and vascular indices were obtained and calculated using volume organ computer-aided analysis and three-dimensional (3D) power Doppler ultrasound. Participants were followed until delivery and their medical records were reviewed, including maternal age, parity and pregestational body weight and body height, as well as the gestational age, birth weight and gender of the fetus. Results: Of the 163 women with complete follow-up, 20 gave birth to SGA and 143 to appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) neonates. The mean second-trimester placental volume was significantly lower in the SGA than in the AGA group (170.6 ± 49.8 vs. 213.5 ± 75.8 cm3, p = 0.015). None of the vascular indices, including the vascularization index, flow index and vascularization flow index, differed significantly between the two groups. We also found that the optimum cutoff for placental volume at a gestational age of 17-18 weeks was 189.7 cm3. Discussion: Second-trimester placental volume was positively correlated with neonatal birth weight. Second-trimester placental volume measured on 3D ultrasound may be predictive of SGA neonates.