Maternal Preconception Serum Alanine Aminotransferase Levels and Risk of Preterm Birth among Reproductive-Aged Women—China,2013-2017

Summary What is already known about this topic?The significance of maternal liver health concerning preterm birth(PTB)is well recognized;however,there is a gap in understanding the precise influence of preconception serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT)levels on the risk of PTB.What is added by this report?

Association of psychological stress with wives’hypertension across over 10 million Chinese married female population aged 20-49 years

Background:Psychological stress has been reported to be a potential risk factor for hypertension among females,but it remains unclear whether spousal chronic stress levels alter the risk of hypertension among women.We examined the associations between stress within the family and hypertension among married women.Methods:Reproductive-aged women who were planning for pregnancy and their husbands were recruited from the National Free Pre-pregnancy Checkup Projects(NFPCP)across 31 provinces in China in 2016 and 2017.Perceived stress of wives or husbands was measured with a 5-point Likert-type scale,and assessed from three domains:work/life-related stress,economic stress,and overall stress.Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between stress status and the prevalence of hypertension.Results:Of 10,027,644 couples,261,098(2.60%)women had hypertension.The results showed that higher stress levels among themselves or their husbands were associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension in women(P_(for trend)<0.001).Compared with non-stressed participants,female participants with the highest stress themselves were at a greater risk of hypertension,with adjusted odds ratio(OR)of 1.31(95%confidence interval[CI]:1.25-1.37);and compared with participants whose husbands had no stress,those whose husbands had the highest stress level were at a higher risk of hypertension with adjusted OR of 1.24(95%CI:1.20-1.29).Moreover,compared with non-stressed status for both couples,only-wife-stressed,only-husband-stressed,and both-stressed couples were found to be significantly associated with increased risks of wives’hypertension,with adjusted ORs of 1.28(95%CI:1.25-1.31),1.19(95%CI:1.17-1.21),and 1.28(95%CI:1.26-1.31),respectively.Conclusion:Moderate to severe stress in both spouses might be associated with female hypertension prevalence,which highlights the importance of paying attention to the psychological stresses of couples within the family.

Effects of greenness on preterm birth: A national longitudinal study of 3.7 million singleton births

Exposure to greenness may lead to a wide range of beneficial health outcomes.However,the effects of greenness on preterm birth(PTB)are inconsistent,and limited studies have focused on the subcategories of PTB.A total of 3,751,672 singleton births from a national birth cohort in China's Mainland were included in this study.Greenness was estimated using the satellitebased Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)and Enhanced Vegetation Index with 500-m and 1,000-m buffers around participants’addresses.The subcategories of PTB(20-36 weeks)included extremely PTB(EPTB,20-27 weeks).

Improved air quality and reduced burden of preterm birth in China:2013–2017

Preterm birth(PTB)is a leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide[1].Since maternal and fetal health protection has been included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,identification of modifiable risk factors for PTB is particularly crucial.The Global Burden of Disease(GBD)Study 2019 recognized fine particulate matter(PM2.5)pollution as a risk factor for decreased gestational age and low birth weight.