While several studies have investigated maternal exposures as risk factors for oral clefts, few have examined paternal factors. We conducted an international multi-centered case–control study to better understand paternal risk exposures for oral clefts (cases = 392 and controls = 234). Participants were recruited from local hospitals and oral cleft repair surgical missions in Vietnam, the Philippines, Honduras, and Morocco. Questionnaires were administered to fathers and mothers separately to elicit risk factor and family history data. Associations between paternal exposures and risk of clefts were assessed using logistic regression adjusting for potential confounders. A father’s personal/family history of clefts was associated with significantly increased risk (adjusted OR: 4.77; 95% CI: 2.41–9.45). No other significant associations were identified for other suspected risk factors, including education (none/primary school v. university adjusted OR: 1.29; 95% CI: 0.74–2.24), advanced paternal age (5-year adjusted OR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.84–1.16), or pre-pregnancy tobacco use (adjusted OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.67–1.37). Although sample size was limited, significantly decreased risks were observed for fathers with selected occupations. Further research is needed to investigate paternal environmental exposures as cleft risk factors.

Introduction: The pain prevalence in hospitalized infants and preschool children has not been accurately identified in high-income countries, and in low and medium-income countries it has not been extensively studied. The assessment instruments are limited. Objective: To describe the prevalence and management of pain in infants and preschool children during the first 24 hours of hospitalization in a third level institution in Colombia, using the CRIES scale. Methods: An observational study was conducted during the first 24 hours of hospitalization. Demographic information was recorded, pain was assessed at admission, after 4, and 24 hours using the CRIES scale. Pharmacological therapy was also documented. Results: 250 children between one month and 5 years old were studied. The pain prevalence at admission was 12 %. The pain prevalence per subgroups was higher among the surgical patients, as compared to the clinical patients (35.9 % vs. 7.6 %). The pharmacological analysis revealed that 70.8 % of patients received treatment; the most widely used medications were oral acetaminophen and intravenous dipyrone. Conclusions: Pain prevalence was lower than the levels described for the general pediatric population. This result may be due to the sensitivity of the CRIES instrument, or to a particular pain behavior. Further studies are needed to identify the sensitivity of the assessment instruments in early life and to accurately investigate any associated phenomena.

Background: The majority of research to understand the risk factors of nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NSOFCs) has been conducted in high-income populations. Although patients with NSOFCs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at the highest risk of not receiving care, global health infrastructure allows innovative partnerships to explore the etiologic mechanisms of cleft and targets for prevention unique to these populations. Methods: The International Family Study (IFS) is an ongoing case–control study with supplemental parental trio data designed to examine genetic, environmental, lifestyle, and sociodemographic risk factors for NSOFCs in 8 LMICs (through August 2020). Interview and biological samples are collected for each family. The interview includes demographics, family history of cleft, diet and water sources, maternal pregnancy history, and other lifestyle and environmental factors. Results: Seven of 8 countries are currently summarized (2012-2017) for a total of 2955 case and 2774 control families with 11 946 unique biological samples from Vietnam, Philippines, Honduras, Madagascar, Morocco, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nicaragua. The phenotype distribution was 1641 (55.5%) cases with cleft lip and palate, 782 (26.5%) with cleft lip (CL), and 432 (14.6%) with cleft palate (CP). Discussion: The International Family Study is the largest case set of NSOFCs with an associated biobank in LMICs currently assembled. The biobank, family, and case–control study now include samples from 8 LMICs where local health care infrastructure cannot address the surgical burden of cleft or investigate causal mechanisms. The International Family Study can be a source of information and may collaborate with local public health institutions regarding education and interventions to potentially prevent NSOFCs.