Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27856821›Full record

ArticleThorax2017

Determinants of early-life lung function in African infants.

Diane Gray, Lauren Willemse, Ane Visagie, Dorottya Czövek, Polite Nduru, Aneesa Vanker, Dan J Stein, Nastassja Koen, Peter D Sly, Zoltán Hantos and 2 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Thorax, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
47citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.9field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

47 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 95 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Early dysanapsis in experimental bronchopulmonary dysplasia: implications for lifelong lung disease.American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Diane GrayDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7712-6774
Lauren WillemseDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Ane VisagieDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Dorottya CzövekChildren's Lung, Environment and Asthma Research, Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Polite NduruDivision of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Aneesa VankerDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Dan J SteinDepartment of Psychiatry and MRC Unit on Anxiety and Stress Disorder, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Nastassja KoenDepartment of Psychiatry and MRC Unit on Anxiety and Stress Disorder, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Peter D SlyChildren's Lung, Environment and Asthma Research, Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Zoltán HantosChildren's Lung, Environment and Asthma Research, Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Graham L HallTelethon Kids Institute, Australia Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Heather J ZarDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
University of Cape Town · ZAChildren's Medical Research Institute · AUThe Kids Research Institute Australia · AU

Funding

Wellcome Trust 204755/Z/16/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLow lung function in early life is associated with later respiratory illness. There is limited data on lung function in African infants despite a high prevalence of respiratory disease.

aimTo assess the determinants of early lung function in African infants.

methodInfants enrolled in a South African birth cohort, the Drakenstein child health study, had lung function measured at 6-10 weeks of age. Measurements, made with the infant breathing via a facemask during natural sleep, included tidal breathing, sulfur hexafluoride multiple breath washout and the forced oscillation technique. Information on antenatal and early postnatal exposures was collected using questionnaires and urine cotinine. Household benzene exposure was measured antenatally.

resultsSuccessful tests were obtained in 645/675 (95%) infants, median (IQR) age of 51 (46-58) days. Infant size, age and male gender were associated with larger tidal volume. Infants whose mothers smoked had lower tidal volumes (-1.6 mL (95% CI -3.0 to -0.1), p=0.04) and higher lung clearance index (0.1 turnovers (95% CI 0.01 to 0.3), p=0.03) compared with infants unexposed to tobacco smoke. Infants exposed to alcohol in utero or household benzene had lower time to peak tidal expiratory flow over total expiratory time ratios, 10% (95% CI -15.4% to -3.7%), p=0.002) and 3.0% (95% CI -5.2% to -0.7%, p=0.01) lower respectively compared with unexposed infants. HIV-exposed infants had higher tidal volumes (1.7 mL (95% CI 0.06 to 3.3) p=0.04) compared with infants whose mothers were HIV negative.

conclusionWe identified several factors including infant size, sex, maternal smoking, maternal alcohol, maternal HIV and household benzene associated with altered early lung function, many of which are factors amenable to public health interventions. Long-term study of lung function and respiratory disease in these children is a priority to develop strategies to strengthen child health.

Indexed as

BenzeneEnvironmental ExposureFemaleHumansInfantLungMaleMaternal-Fetal ExchangePregnancyPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsRespiratory Function TestsRisk FactorsSex FactorsSouth AfricaSurveys and QuestionnairesBenzeneClinical EpidemiologyPaediatric Lung DisaeseRespiratory MeasurementTobacco and the lung

Identifiers

PMID27856821
PMCPMC5520243
OpenAlexW2552126703

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.