Call for Posters

 
The National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) Annual Meeting Committee invites submissions of poster abstracts for the 2020 NBDPN Annual Meeting, from March 9 - 11, 2020, at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View in Arlington, VA.  We are requesting posters that address the following topics, with suggested sub-topics listed below each topic.  Presenters may cover a topic in general terms or in detail.
 
Suggested Poster Topics
 
  1. Case ascertainment – Innovative approaches, use of physician office data, record linkage, prenatal surveillance, surveillance methodologies, pediatric disease registries, quality assurance/quality control, program evaluation, multi-state collaborative projects
  2. Birth defects risk factors – Prescription and over-the-counter medication, alcohol and illegal drugs, infectious agents, hazardous, substances, environmental or genetic risk factors, maternal risk factors such as diabetes and obesity, fertility treatments
  3. Birth Defects rates and trends – Graphical presentation of data, statistical assessment (simple or complex), cluster evaluations, meta-analyses, multilevel analysis, use of surveillance data to measure outcomes
  4. Prevention, intervention, and public policy – Evaluation of prevention or intervention activities, use of birth defect registries to link to services, preconception care, state based prevention programs, improving access to services, health services utilization, analysis of public policy, analysis of public awareness, use of data to affect public policy
  5. National Birth Defects Prevention Study

Extended Deadline for submission is Friday, January 10, 2020.   
 
Submit your abstract(s) online at here.  If you have questions, please email nbdpn@nbdpn.org.
 
Your poster abstract should be structured in the following manner (see sample abstract):
  • Contact information for corresponding author – name, e-mail address, phone number, organization/affiliation
  • Poster category - 1 (case ascertainment), 2 (risk factors), 3 (rates/trends), 4 (prevention/intervention/policy), or 5 (NBDPS) 
  • Header/Abstract format -  Co-authors and Co-Author Organization/Affiliations, Word Count, Objective/Background, Methods, Results, and Discussion/Conclusions
  • Poster Title

The entire submission, including poster title, and abstract should not exceed 500 words. Do not include figures or tables in the abstract.  Avoid using acronyms, but if necessary define with first use.

Submitters will be notified no later than January 24, 2020 of their acceptance.   If you submit an abstract earlier, you will receive notice of acceptance earlier.  For all accepted abstracts, a final abstract and PDF will be due no later than Friday, January 31, 2020.  If a PDF copy of the poster is not received, the poster will not be eligible for awards.
 
Information about the specific time and location for the poster presentations will be included with conference materials.  Posters must fit on a 4' by 4' poster board.  Materials should be legible from a viewing distance of 3'; presenters are encouraged to provide handouts/flyers for those interested in learning more about the project described in the poster.
 
Sample Abstract
 
Corresponding Contact: Name, E-mail address, Phone number, Organization/Affiliation

Poster Category: 3-Birth defects rates and trends

Co-Authors: RE Meyer; G Liu; SM Gilboa; MK Ethen; AS Aylsworth; CM Powell; TJ Flood; CT Mai; Y Wang; MA Canfield

Co-Author Affiliations: List each separated by a semicolon (;)

Word Count: 377
                                                            
Objective/Background: Trisomy 13 (T13) and trisomy 18 (T18) are among the most prevalent autosomal trisomies.  Both conditions are associated with a very high risk of mortality.  Numerous instances, however, of long-term survival of children with T13 or T18 have prompted some clinicians to pursue aggressive treatment instead of the traditional approach of providing mainly comfort care.  The purpose of this study is to examine current mortality data for these conditions.
 
Methods: This study is part of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network’s larger multi-state project on infant and childhood survival among individuals with birth defects. The present analysis examines survival data on children born during 1999-2007 with T13 or T18 from nine of the surveillance programs participating in the larger study. Participating programs were those that used either active surveillance or passive surveillance with follow-up case confirmation, and included Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Texas.  Information on children’s vital status and selected maternal and infant risk factors was obtained from matched birth and death certificates and other data sources. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate age-specific survival probabilities and predictors of survival up to age five.
 
Results: There were 693 children with T13 and 1,113 children with T18 identified from the participating states. Among children with T13, 5-year survival was 9.7%; among children with T18, it was 12.3%. For both trisomies, gestational age was the strongest predictor of mortality, with two-fold or greater adjusted hazard ratios seen for children born < 32 weeks gestation compared to those born at term. Females and children of non-Hispanic black mothers had the lowest mortality. Omphalocele was associated with an increased risk of death for children with T18 but not for those with T13.  There were also some survival differences by state.
 
Discussion/Conclusions: This study found survival estimates among children with T13 and T18 to be somewhat higher than those previously reported in the literature. This is consistent with some recent studies that reported improved survival following more aggressive medical intervention for these children. Future studies using population-based birth defect registries linked with hospital discharge and/or medical claims data could examine this issue in greater depth.
 
Title: Survival of Children with Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18:  A Population-Based Study from Nine U.S. States