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Small for gestational age (SGA) is considered an adverse birth outcome. Per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS) have become increasingly investigated as contributing environmental factors, thus far with inconclusive results. The current study aimed to investigate the hypothesized association between increased maternal PFAS levels in early pregnancy and an increased risk for SGA birth. This population-based study used data from a sample of children born in Scania, Southern Sweden, between 1995 and 2009. Two groups were compared: cases born with SGA ( n = 298) and non-SGA controls ( n = 580). The cases consisted of two subgroups: one included women whose children's growth in late pregnancy was in the lowest quartile, and another included women from the remaining growth quartiles. Corresponding maternal serum samples were collected from a biobank and analyzed for concentrations of four types of PFAS: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The results were combined with information from birth registers and analyzed using Mann-Whitney U-tests and logistic regression-unadjusted as well as adjusted for potential confounders. In conclusion, elevated maternal concentrations of PFAS were not associated with an increased risk of SGA birth. However, significant ORs were observed in a subgroup analysis restricted to women of Nordic origin (unadjusted OR 3.2 and adjusted OR 2.4) for PFHxS.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the relationship between the SSW and a battery of auditory-language tests in a group of children suspected of auditory processing problems. Thirty-one children between the ages of 6.2 and 10.4 were referred by their classroom teachers. All children were administered a pure tone and an acoustic immittance battery, the SSW test, selected subtests of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Functions, the Goldman-Fristoe-Woodcock Auditory Skills Battery, an elicited language sample, and the Observational Profile of Classroom Communication. No significant correlations were found between the SSW right competing and left competing conditions and the auditory-language test battery. The findings suggest that these two test approaches measure different aspects of auditory processing abilities in children, and both are required to adequately describe auditory processing abilities at all levels.