International journal of epidemiology
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Foetal exposure to excess glucocorticoids has been associated with altered development of multiple foetal systems that may persist after birth and lead to an increased risk of diseases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of prenatal prescription corticosteroids for the development of diabetes among offspring. ⋯ There may be a relation between prenatal prescription corticosteroid use and childhood diabetes but further studies with more extensive assessment of foetal exposures are warranted. If prenatal prescription corticosteroids contribute to the development of offspring diabetes, the public health implications could be substantial.
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Previous studies on the association between childhood infections and childhood leukaemia have produced inconsistent results, likely due to the recall error/bias of infection data reported by the parents. The current study used a population-based and record-based case-control design to evaluate the association between childhood leukaemia and infections using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. ⋯ Children with leukaemia may have a dysregulated immune function present at an early age, resulting in more episodes of symptomatic infections compared with healthy controls. However, confounding by other infectious measures such as birth order and day care attendance could not be ruled out. Finally, the results are only relevant to the medically diagnosed infections.
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Regular alcohol drinking contributes both favourably and adversely to health in the Western populations, but its effects on overall and cause-specific mortality in China are still poorly understood. ⋯ Among Chinese men aged 40-79 years, regular alcohol drinking was associated with a small but definite excess risk of overall mortality, especially among smokers.