E. Alberman - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by E. Alberman
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 1992
ABSTRACTObjective To investigate possible multigenerational influences on birthweight.Design Data... more ABSTRACTObjective To investigate possible multigenerational influences on birthweight.Design Data from the longitudinal study of one week's births in 1958 up to the age of 23 years, the British National Child Development Study, were utilized. These pro‐vide socio‐biological information on the parents of the cohort, on the cohort members from birth onwards, and on the pregnancies and the birthweight of any babies born to the cohort members.Main outcome measure The main outcome was the birthweight of babies born to the cohort members, for whom complete intergenerational data were available for 1638 firstborn. Multiple regression modelling was used to investigate any associ‐ations between their birthweight and characteristics of their parents and grandparents.Results Significant positive associations were found between babies' birthweight and parental birthweight but not gestational age. For the babies born to female cohort members additional findings included associations betw...
BMJ, 1999
The risks of a first occurrence and a recurrence of neural tube defects have been shown to be red... more The risks of a first occurrence and a recurrence of neural tube defects have been shown to be reduced by periconceptional folic acid supplementation-that is by taking folic acid from 3 months before conception to 3 months after conception. 1 2 The Expert Advisory Group in the United Kingdom recommended in 1992 that women who were trying to conceive should take 0.4 mg folic acid per day. 3 We assessed whether there had been any change in the incidence of neural tube defects since this recommendation was made.
Journal of Public Health, 2005
These recommendations represent the first statement by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Pra... more These recommendations represent the first statement by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on the use of a quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on June 8, 2006. This report summarizes the epidemiology of HPV and associated diseases, describes the licensed HPV vaccine, and provides recommendations for its use for vaccination among females aged 9-26 years in the United States. Genital HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States; an estimated 6.2 million persons are newly infected every year. Although the majority of infections cause no clinical symptoms and are self-limited, persistent infection with oncogenic types can cause cervical cancer in women. HPV infection also is the cause of genital warts and is associated with other anogenital cancers. Cervical cancer rates have decreased in the United States because of widespread use of Papanicolaou testing, which can detect precancerous lesions of the cervix before they develop into cancer; nevertheless, during 2007, an estimated 11,100 new cases will be diagnosed and approximately 3,700 women will die from cervical cancer. In certain countries where cervical cancer screening is not routine, cervical cancer is a common cancer in women. The licensed HPV vaccine is composed of the HPV L1 protein, the major capsid protein of HPV. Expression of the L1 protein in yeast using recombinant DNA technology produces noninfectious virus-like particles (VLP) that resemble HPV virions. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine is a mixture of four HPV type-specific VLPs prepared from the L1 proteins of HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 combined with an aluminum adjuvant. Clinical trials indicate that the vaccine has high efficacy in preventing persistent HPV infection, cervical cancer precursor lesions, vaginal and vulvar cancer precursor lesions, and genital warts caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, or 18 among females who have not already been infected with the respective HPV type. No evidence exists of protection against disease caused by HPV types with which females are infected at the time of vaccination. However, females infected with one or more vaccine HPV types before vaccination would be protected against disease caused by the other vaccine HPV types. The vaccine is administered by intramuscular injection, and the recommended schedule is a 3-dose series with the second and third doses administered 2 and 6 months after the first dose. The recommended age for vaccination of females is 11-12 years. Vaccine can be administered as young as age 9 years. Catch-up vaccination is recommended for females aged 13-26 years who have not been previously vaccinated. Vaccination is not a substitute for routine cervical cancer screening, and vaccinated females should have cervical cancer screening as recommended.
Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1994
In 1986 The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) introduced new certificates for stil... more In 1986 The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) introduced new certificates for stillbirths and neonatal deaths. This allowed certifiers more flexibility in the completion of the certificate, and the number and ordering of the causes given. Tabulations have been published of the fetal and maternal causes of death mentioned on the certificates for every year from 1986 to 1991 in annual reference volumes. It has not been possible either to derive a single cause group for each death, however, or to compare the information available on neonatal deaths with that on postneonatal deaths, which are still derived from the standard death certificate. The aim of the work described here was to adapt previous classifications to derive a single cause grouping for stillbirths and infant deaths which would provide the maximum information about preventability and yet meet the national and international responsibilities of OPCS. The methods used and the tests carried out on the validity and consistency of the chosen classification are described.
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 1998
Objective-To demonstrate the use of aggregated, locally collected birth notification data to exam... more Objective-To demonstrate the use of aggregated, locally collected birth notification data to examine trends in birthweight specific survival for singleton and multiple births. Design-Retrospective analysis of 171 527 notified births and subsequent infant survival data derived from computerised community child health records. Validation of data completeness and quality was undertaken by comparison with birth and death registration records for the same period. Setting-Notifications of births in 1989-1991 to residents of the North Thames (East) Region (formerly North East Thames Regional Health Authority). Outcome measures-Birthweight specific stillbirth, neonatal, and postneonatal death rates. Results-There was close correspondence between the notification and registration data. For 96% of the registered deaths a birth notification record was identified and for the majority of these the death was already known to the Community Child Health Computer. Completeness of birthweight data, particularly at the lower end of the range, was substantially better in birth notification data. Comparison with the most recent published national data relating to birthweight specific survival of very low birthweight singleton and multiple births suggests that the downward trend of mortality is continuing, at least in this Region. Conclusions-The use of routinely collected aggregated birth notification data provides a valuable adjunct to existing sources of information about perinatal and infant survival, as well as other information regarding process and outcome of maternity services. Such data are required for comparative audit and may be more complete than that obtained from registration or hospital generated data.
The Lancet, 2000
Among babies born at term, low birthweight predicts cardiovascular risk factors and disease in ad... more Among babies born at term, low birthweight predicts cardiovascular risk factors and disease in adulthood. This study shows that babies born prematurely, whether or not they have intrauterine growth retardation, are predisposed to similar risks as adults.
Annals of human …, 2001
... Hum. Genet. (2001), 65, 167176 Printed in Great Britain 167 Mortality and cancer incidence i... more ... Hum. Genet. (2001), 65, 167176 Printed in Great Britain 167 Mortality and cancer incidence in persons with Down's syndrome, their parents and siblings C. HERMON", E. ALBERMAN#, V. BERAL" AJ SWERDLOW, MD$. ... Correspondence: C. Hermon, Fax: 01865 310545. ...
CrossRef Listing of Deleted DOIs, 1981
The Lancet, 1979
1. Lancet. 1979 Jan 6;1(8106):50. Planning an amniocentesis service for Down syndrome. Alberman E... more 1. Lancet. 1979 Jan 6;1(8106):50. Planning an amniocentesis service for Down syndrome. Alberman E, Berry AC, Polani PE. PMID: 83501 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. Publication Types: Letter. MeSH Terms. Adult; Amniocentesis ...
Journal of medical screening, 2002
Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 1998
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1991
I have tried to show, using a contemporary international data set, the overall consistency in sha... more I have tried to show, using a contemporary international data set, the overall consistency in shape of curves of national birthweight distributions which reflect the biological and social characteristics of the population from which they are derived, and the effects of changes in these characteristics. For several countries, including the United States and England and Wales, the trends in recent years have been such as to shift the main distribution upwards, so that the median weight has increased. Also shown has been the close and specific relationship within each population group between infant mortality and birthweight, with sharp falls of mortality with increasing birthweight. It has been shown elsewhere that similar patterns are seen with short- and long-term morbidity, thus underlining the importance to be attached to increasing birthweight particularly in underprivileged groups. In the short term this can be done by reducing the frequency of parental smoking, where this is a ...
CrossRef Listing of Deleted DOIs, 1979
Over the past 3 or 4 years the practice of prenatal diagnosis of certain congenital defects, coup... more Over the past 3 or 4 years the practice of prenatal diagnosis of certain congenital defects, coupled with the termination of pregnancies with affected fetuses, has moved from the research into the service field. While the methods were still in the early stages of develop-ment the ...
Novartis Foundation Symposia, 1978
The prevalence of educational subnormality of a severe form (between 3 and 3.6 per thousand child... more The prevalence of educational subnormality of a severe form (between 3 and 3.6 per thousand children of school age) and the prevalence of cerebral palsy (between 2 and 2.4 per thousand) have been fairly stable up to recent years. This stability has also applied to the relative proportions of the different major causes contributing to the handicaps. Where the ascertainment of such conditions is good, their prevalence monitored and the life expectancy of affected individuals estimated, any changes in prevalence can be used to measure the effectiveness of new forms of prevention, or alternatively to indicate the existence of new environmental hazards. Only a multi-pronged campaign against many of the recognized causes will have a substantial impact on prevalence.
Prenatal Diagnosis, 1990
Two series of pregnancies were studied to investigate the relationship between maternal smoking a... more Two series of pregnancies were studied to investigate the relationship between maternal smoking and the risk of fetal Down's syndrome. In the first series, ascertained in the 1960s, in which smoking habits were determined after the outcome of pregnancy was known, the proportion of smokers (47 per cent) among the 461 women whose pregnancies ended in the birth of an infant with Down's syndrome was similar to that in the 461 controls (46 per cent) who had pregnancies affected by other congenital disorders. In the second series, ascertained between 1973 and 1984, smoking habits were determined by measurement of cotinine in antenatal serum samples that were routinely collected and stored or, if a serum sample was not available, from information in the antenatal notes. In this series, the proportion of smokers (14 per cent) among the 91 women who had pregnancies associated with Down's syndrome was lower than that among 413 controls (19 per cent), though this was not statistically significant. Collectively, our results provide no evidence for an association between fetal Down's syndrome and smoking. Other published studies found a deficit of smokers among women who had pregnancies associated with Down's syndrome. This may be partly due to some studies not taking adequate account of maternal age (older women are more likely to have had a Down's syndrome pregnancy but are less likely to be smokers) and partly due to the greater tendency for positive findings to be published than negative ones.
Prenatal Diagnosis, 2003
To pilot the use of linked routine records for auditing Down syndrome prenatal serum screening an... more To pilot the use of linked routine records for auditing Down syndrome prenatal serum screening and diagnostic tests. The cohort studied were 110 272 patients of 4 London maternity units that offered the Bart's maternal serum tests any time between 1990 and 1999. Audit was based on linked data derived from obstetric records, referral data on maternal serum screening and/or prenatal diagnoses. Cytogenetic reports without matching obstetric data were retained in the cohort as they included fetal deaths or terminations. (1) Significant independent influences on uptake of serum screening (58% overall) were maternal age, ethnicity, year and referring hospital, and those on uptake of prenatal diagnosis (4% overall) were screening result (54% uptake after positive screen), maternal age, year and referring hospital; (2) detection, false-positive rates and odds of being affected after positive results were respectively 49%, 4% and 1 : 59 between 1990 and 1994, and 78%, 7% and 1 : 58 after 1994. Using maternal age alone (cut-off > or =37 at delivery), these would have been respectively 40%, 7% and 1 : 96 between 1990 and 1994, and 40%, 9% and 1 : 107 between 1995 and 1999. Ongoing audit of DS prenatal programmes could be derived from computerised maternity data sets if they included fetal deaths, and relevant laboratory and ultrasound findings.
Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 1998
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 1992
ABSTRACTObjective To investigate possible multigenerational influences on birthweight.Design Data... more ABSTRACTObjective To investigate possible multigenerational influences on birthweight.Design Data from the longitudinal study of one week's births in 1958 up to the age of 23 years, the British National Child Development Study, were utilized. These pro‐vide socio‐biological information on the parents of the cohort, on the cohort members from birth onwards, and on the pregnancies and the birthweight of any babies born to the cohort members.Main outcome measure The main outcome was the birthweight of babies born to the cohort members, for whom complete intergenerational data were available for 1638 firstborn. Multiple regression modelling was used to investigate any associ‐ations between their birthweight and characteristics of their parents and grandparents.Results Significant positive associations were found between babies' birthweight and parental birthweight but not gestational age. For the babies born to female cohort members additional findings included associations betw...
BMJ, 1999
The risks of a first occurrence and a recurrence of neural tube defects have been shown to be red... more The risks of a first occurrence and a recurrence of neural tube defects have been shown to be reduced by periconceptional folic acid supplementation-that is by taking folic acid from 3 months before conception to 3 months after conception. 1 2 The Expert Advisory Group in the United Kingdom recommended in 1992 that women who were trying to conceive should take 0.4 mg folic acid per day. 3 We assessed whether there had been any change in the incidence of neural tube defects since this recommendation was made.
Journal of Public Health, 2005
These recommendations represent the first statement by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Pra... more These recommendations represent the first statement by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on the use of a quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on June 8, 2006. This report summarizes the epidemiology of HPV and associated diseases, describes the licensed HPV vaccine, and provides recommendations for its use for vaccination among females aged 9-26 years in the United States. Genital HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States; an estimated 6.2 million persons are newly infected every year. Although the majority of infections cause no clinical symptoms and are self-limited, persistent infection with oncogenic types can cause cervical cancer in women. HPV infection also is the cause of genital warts and is associated with other anogenital cancers. Cervical cancer rates have decreased in the United States because of widespread use of Papanicolaou testing, which can detect precancerous lesions of the cervix before they develop into cancer; nevertheless, during 2007, an estimated 11,100 new cases will be diagnosed and approximately 3,700 women will die from cervical cancer. In certain countries where cervical cancer screening is not routine, cervical cancer is a common cancer in women. The licensed HPV vaccine is composed of the HPV L1 protein, the major capsid protein of HPV. Expression of the L1 protein in yeast using recombinant DNA technology produces noninfectious virus-like particles (VLP) that resemble HPV virions. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine is a mixture of four HPV type-specific VLPs prepared from the L1 proteins of HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 combined with an aluminum adjuvant. Clinical trials indicate that the vaccine has high efficacy in preventing persistent HPV infection, cervical cancer precursor lesions, vaginal and vulvar cancer precursor lesions, and genital warts caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, or 18 among females who have not already been infected with the respective HPV type. No evidence exists of protection against disease caused by HPV types with which females are infected at the time of vaccination. However, females infected with one or more vaccine HPV types before vaccination would be protected against disease caused by the other vaccine HPV types. The vaccine is administered by intramuscular injection, and the recommended schedule is a 3-dose series with the second and third doses administered 2 and 6 months after the first dose. The recommended age for vaccination of females is 11-12 years. Vaccine can be administered as young as age 9 years. Catch-up vaccination is recommended for females aged 13-26 years who have not been previously vaccinated. Vaccination is not a substitute for routine cervical cancer screening, and vaccinated females should have cervical cancer screening as recommended.
Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1994
In 1986 The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) introduced new certificates for stil... more In 1986 The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) introduced new certificates for stillbirths and neonatal deaths. This allowed certifiers more flexibility in the completion of the certificate, and the number and ordering of the causes given. Tabulations have been published of the fetal and maternal causes of death mentioned on the certificates for every year from 1986 to 1991 in annual reference volumes. It has not been possible either to derive a single cause group for each death, however, or to compare the information available on neonatal deaths with that on postneonatal deaths, which are still derived from the standard death certificate. The aim of the work described here was to adapt previous classifications to derive a single cause grouping for stillbirths and infant deaths which would provide the maximum information about preventability and yet meet the national and international responsibilities of OPCS. The methods used and the tests carried out on the validity and consistency of the chosen classification are described.
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 1998
Objective-To demonstrate the use of aggregated, locally collected birth notification data to exam... more Objective-To demonstrate the use of aggregated, locally collected birth notification data to examine trends in birthweight specific survival for singleton and multiple births. Design-Retrospective analysis of 171 527 notified births and subsequent infant survival data derived from computerised community child health records. Validation of data completeness and quality was undertaken by comparison with birth and death registration records for the same period. Setting-Notifications of births in 1989-1991 to residents of the North Thames (East) Region (formerly North East Thames Regional Health Authority). Outcome measures-Birthweight specific stillbirth, neonatal, and postneonatal death rates. Results-There was close correspondence between the notification and registration data. For 96% of the registered deaths a birth notification record was identified and for the majority of these the death was already known to the Community Child Health Computer. Completeness of birthweight data, particularly at the lower end of the range, was substantially better in birth notification data. Comparison with the most recent published national data relating to birthweight specific survival of very low birthweight singleton and multiple births suggests that the downward trend of mortality is continuing, at least in this Region. Conclusions-The use of routinely collected aggregated birth notification data provides a valuable adjunct to existing sources of information about perinatal and infant survival, as well as other information regarding process and outcome of maternity services. Such data are required for comparative audit and may be more complete than that obtained from registration or hospital generated data.
The Lancet, 2000
Among babies born at term, low birthweight predicts cardiovascular risk factors and disease in ad... more Among babies born at term, low birthweight predicts cardiovascular risk factors and disease in adulthood. This study shows that babies born prematurely, whether or not they have intrauterine growth retardation, are predisposed to similar risks as adults.
Annals of human …, 2001
... Hum. Genet. (2001), 65, 167176 Printed in Great Britain 167 Mortality and cancer incidence i... more ... Hum. Genet. (2001), 65, 167176 Printed in Great Britain 167 Mortality and cancer incidence in persons with Down's syndrome, their parents and siblings C. HERMON", E. ALBERMAN#, V. BERAL" AJ SWERDLOW, MD$. ... Correspondence: C. Hermon, Fax: 01865 310545. ...
CrossRef Listing of Deleted DOIs, 1981
The Lancet, 1979
1. Lancet. 1979 Jan 6;1(8106):50. Planning an amniocentesis service for Down syndrome. Alberman E... more 1. Lancet. 1979 Jan 6;1(8106):50. Planning an amniocentesis service for Down syndrome. Alberman E, Berry AC, Polani PE. PMID: 83501 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. Publication Types: Letter. MeSH Terms. Adult; Amniocentesis ...
Journal of medical screening, 2002
Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 1998
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1991
I have tried to show, using a contemporary international data set, the overall consistency in sha... more I have tried to show, using a contemporary international data set, the overall consistency in shape of curves of national birthweight distributions which reflect the biological and social characteristics of the population from which they are derived, and the effects of changes in these characteristics. For several countries, including the United States and England and Wales, the trends in recent years have been such as to shift the main distribution upwards, so that the median weight has increased. Also shown has been the close and specific relationship within each population group between infant mortality and birthweight, with sharp falls of mortality with increasing birthweight. It has been shown elsewhere that similar patterns are seen with short- and long-term morbidity, thus underlining the importance to be attached to increasing birthweight particularly in underprivileged groups. In the short term this can be done by reducing the frequency of parental smoking, where this is a ...
CrossRef Listing of Deleted DOIs, 1979
Over the past 3 or 4 years the practice of prenatal diagnosis of certain congenital defects, coup... more Over the past 3 or 4 years the practice of prenatal diagnosis of certain congenital defects, coupled with the termination of pregnancies with affected fetuses, has moved from the research into the service field. While the methods were still in the early stages of develop-ment the ...
Novartis Foundation Symposia, 1978
The prevalence of educational subnormality of a severe form (between 3 and 3.6 per thousand child... more The prevalence of educational subnormality of a severe form (between 3 and 3.6 per thousand children of school age) and the prevalence of cerebral palsy (between 2 and 2.4 per thousand) have been fairly stable up to recent years. This stability has also applied to the relative proportions of the different major causes contributing to the handicaps. Where the ascertainment of such conditions is good, their prevalence monitored and the life expectancy of affected individuals estimated, any changes in prevalence can be used to measure the effectiveness of new forms of prevention, or alternatively to indicate the existence of new environmental hazards. Only a multi-pronged campaign against many of the recognized causes will have a substantial impact on prevalence.
Prenatal Diagnosis, 1990
Two series of pregnancies were studied to investigate the relationship between maternal smoking a... more Two series of pregnancies were studied to investigate the relationship between maternal smoking and the risk of fetal Down's syndrome. In the first series, ascertained in the 1960s, in which smoking habits were determined after the outcome of pregnancy was known, the proportion of smokers (47 per cent) among the 461 women whose pregnancies ended in the birth of an infant with Down's syndrome was similar to that in the 461 controls (46 per cent) who had pregnancies affected by other congenital disorders. In the second series, ascertained between 1973 and 1984, smoking habits were determined by measurement of cotinine in antenatal serum samples that were routinely collected and stored or, if a serum sample was not available, from information in the antenatal notes. In this series, the proportion of smokers (14 per cent) among the 91 women who had pregnancies associated with Down's syndrome was lower than that among 413 controls (19 per cent), though this was not statistically significant. Collectively, our results provide no evidence for an association between fetal Down's syndrome and smoking. Other published studies found a deficit of smokers among women who had pregnancies associated with Down's syndrome. This may be partly due to some studies not taking adequate account of maternal age (older women are more likely to have had a Down's syndrome pregnancy but are less likely to be smokers) and partly due to the greater tendency for positive findings to be published than negative ones.
Prenatal Diagnosis, 2003
To pilot the use of linked routine records for auditing Down syndrome prenatal serum screening an... more To pilot the use of linked routine records for auditing Down syndrome prenatal serum screening and diagnostic tests. The cohort studied were 110 272 patients of 4 London maternity units that offered the Bart's maternal serum tests any time between 1990 and 1999. Audit was based on linked data derived from obstetric records, referral data on maternal serum screening and/or prenatal diagnoses. Cytogenetic reports without matching obstetric data were retained in the cohort as they included fetal deaths or terminations. (1) Significant independent influences on uptake of serum screening (58% overall) were maternal age, ethnicity, year and referring hospital, and those on uptake of prenatal diagnosis (4% overall) were screening result (54% uptake after positive screen), maternal age, year and referring hospital; (2) detection, false-positive rates and odds of being affected after positive results were respectively 49%, 4% and 1 : 59 between 1990 and 1994, and 78%, 7% and 1 : 58 after 1994. Using maternal age alone (cut-off > or =37 at delivery), these would have been respectively 40%, 7% and 1 : 96 between 1990 and 1994, and 40%, 9% and 1 : 107 between 1995 and 1999. Ongoing audit of DS prenatal programmes could be derived from computerised maternity data sets if they included fetal deaths, and relevant laboratory and ultrasound findings.
Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 1998