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CompletedNCT03429257Updated Feb 12, 2018

Maternal EED and Aflatoxin Birth Outcomes Study Uganda

An observational study in Birth Weight, Pregnancy Preterm and Aflatoxins Toxicity, sponsored by Tufts University. Completed at 1 site in Uganda. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-02-12.

Sponsored by Tufts University · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
258
Ages
18 Years to 45 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

This prospective cohort study focuses on the relationship between maternal environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) and maternal aflatoxin B1 exposure and birth outcomes, particularly infant anthropometry and gestational age, in Mukono, Uganda.

Read the detailed description

The problem of stunting, which has long-term health and economic consequences both at the individual and population level, persists in low and middle income countries (LMICs). It has been recognized that an estimated 20% of stunting begins in-utero. Although poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy is often blamed, it has been hypothesized that maternal EED status and maternal aflatoxin exposure during pregnancy may also play a role. However, to date, there have been no studies which have attempted to show the association between EED in pregnant women and negative birth outcomes. Furthermore, few studies have examined the association between maternal aflatoxin exposure during pregnancy and negative birth outcomes.

In this prospective cohort study, pregnant women were enrolled at their first prenatal visit and birth outcome data was assessed within 48 hours of delivery. EED was measured via lactulose: mannitol (L:M) ratios and serum concentrations of antibodies to the bacterial components flagellin and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Aflatoxin exposure was assessed by measuring the serum concentration of AFB1-lysine adduct from a blood sample taken at enrollment. Data on covariates were obtained from two surveys, one at enrollment and one three weeks prior to participant's estimated date of delivery.

The specific aims of this study were as follows:

  1. To evaluate the relationship between markers of EED in pregnancy and negative birth outcomes, including low birth weight, stunting at birth, small head circumference, and premature delivery.
  2. To evaluate the relationship aflatoxin B1 exposure in pregnancy and negative birth outcomes, including low birth weight, stunting at birth, small head circumference, and premature delivery.
02

Conditions studied

  • Birth Weight
  • Pregnancy Preterm
  • Aflatoxins Toxicity
  • Inflammatory Response

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Keywords

  • Aflatoxin B1
  • Environmental Enteric Dysfunction
  • L:M Test
  • Pregnancy
  • Linear Growth Faltering
  • Birth Outcomes
  • Uganda
03

In context

Birth Weight

185 studies on the registry are indexed under Birth Weight; 25 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 258 is close to the median of 240 across 63 observational studies indexed under Birth Weight.

Browse Birth Weight studies →

Lead sponsor

Tufts University is the lead sponsor of 228 studies on the registry; 23 are open to participants now.

Of its 11 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 8 (73%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 45 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

All pregnant women aged 18-45 years who visited Mukono Health Center IV in Mukono, Uganda for their first prenatal visit and who qualified for the study based on inclusion/exclusion criteria were invited to join the study until enrollment target was met.

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Carrying a singleton pregnancy
  • 18-45 years old
  • Residing within 10 kilometers of Mukono Town

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Younger than 18 years old or older than 45 years old
  • -positive (verified via routine rapid HIV test conducted at first prenatal visit)
  • Severely malnourished (defined as \<16.0 kg/m\^2)
  • Severely anemic (defined as \<7 g/dl)
  • Planning to move away from Mukono District prior to delivery
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
258 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Pregnant Women in Mukono Uganda

    Single-group study

    Other: Exposures of interest: Maternal EED and Aflatoxin Exposure

Interventions

  • OtherExposures of interest: Maternal EED and Aflatoxin Exposure

    Maternal EED, measured via lactulose: mannitol (L:M) ratios and serum concentrations of antibodies to the bacterial components flagellin and lipopolysaccharide (LPS); Maternal aflatoxin exposure, measured via serum concentration of AFB1-lysine adduct

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Infant Birth Weight

    Low birth weight \< 2500 grams

    Time frame: Measured within 48 hours of delivery

  2. Infant Birth Length

    Time frame: Measured within 48 hours of delivery

  3. Infant Gestational Age at Birth

    Preterm birth \<37 weeks gestation

    Time frame: Measured within 48 hours of delivery

  4. Infant Head Circumference

    Time frame: Measured within 48 hours of delivery

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Mukono Health Center IV
    Mukono, Uganda
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Feb 2017 to primary completion in Dec 2017, 10 months.

Of 33 non-industry observational studies under Birth Weight, half reached primary completion within 25 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 52. This study's 10 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 34 studies reached it within 25 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 53.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Feb 5, 2018
First posted
Feb 12, 2018
StartActual
Feb 1, 2017
Primary completionActual
Dec 1, 2017
CompletionActual
Dec 1, 2017
Last update
Feb 12, 2018
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 12, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03429257
Lead sponsor
Tufts University
Collaborators
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
Responsible party
Shibani Ghosh (Adjunct Assistant Professor, Tufts University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 12, 2018
Start date
Feb 1, 2017
Primary completion
Dec 1, 2017
Completion
Dec 1, 2017
Last update
Feb 12, 2018

Study contacts

Shibani Ghosh, PhD
principal investigator · Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2018. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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