In 1996, the Texas Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention was established as a part of the Birth Defects Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch of the Texas Department of State Health Services in Austin. The mission of the Texas Center is to conduct population-based epidemiologic research studies to understand the causes of specific birth defects, including participation in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study.
The Texas Center is in a unique position to contribute to our understanding of what causes birth defects, especially due to the 1,200-mile border shared with Mexico. Health disparities between Texans living along the border with Mexico and those in non-border communities have long been a concern for public health officials.
The national study area for Texas is currently the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which encompasses Gulf Coast industrial cities such as Corpus Christi, as well as Cameron and Webb Counties. These two counties on the border with Mexico have experienced some of the country's highest neural tube defect rates.
Mark A. Canfield, PhD, is the Co-Principal Investigator for the Texas Center. Dr. Canfield is the Manager for the Birth Defects Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch at the Texas Department of State Health Services. In addition to being a National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) investigator, Dr. Canfield oversees most administrative (i.e. budgetary and contractual) aspects of the Texas Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention...Read More
Peter Langolis, PhD, is the Co-Principal Investigator for the Texas Center...Read More
Local Activities and Research:
In addition to participating in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, the Texas Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention has previously funded local research projects, including studies that examine:
- The interaction of metabolic, genetic, and environmental risk factors for certain birth defects of the brain and spinal cord
- The link between neural tube defects and maternal risk factors, such as maternal diabetes, obesity, smoking, and dieting behaviors
- The link between birth defects and certain environmental factors, such as hazardous waste sites and air pollution
- Patterns and risk factors associated with oral clefts and clubfoot in Texas
The Texas Center is comprised of State Health Department employees and researchers from various Texas universities with expertise in demographic, maternal, and environmental risk factors for birth defects, survey research, and molecular genetics. Our center has a specific interest in the epidemiology of neural tube defects (major birth defects of the brain and spine).
- Baylor College of Medicine – Houston, TX
- Texas A&M University, School of Public Health – College Station
- Texas State University – San Marcos
- The University of Texas School of Public Health – Houston
- The University of Texas Medical School – Houston
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – Dallas
- University of Texas Austin
Vuong AM, Shinde MU, Brender JD, Shipp EM, Huber JC, Jr., Zheng Q, McDonald TJ, Sharkey JR, Hoyt AT, Werler MM, Kelley KE, Langlois PH, Canfield MA. Nitrosatable drug exposure during pregnancy and preterm and small-for-gestational-age births. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2015 Jan;29(1):60–71.
Weyer PJ, Brender JD, Romitti PA, Kantamneni JR, Crawford D, Sharkey JR, Shinde M, Horel SA, Vuong AM, Langlois PH. Assessing bottled water nitrate concentrations to evaluate total drinking water nitrate exposure and risk of birth defects. J Water Health. 2014 Dec;12(4):755–62.
Hoyt AT, Canfield MA, Shaw GM, Waller DK, Polen KN, Ramadhani T, Anderka MT, Scheuerle AE. Sociodemographic and Hispanic acculturation factors and isolated anotia/microtia. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2014 Nov;100(11):825–62.
Case AP, Royle M, Scheuerle AE, Carmichael SL, Moffitt K, Ramadhani T. Birth defects, causal attributions, and ethnicity in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. J Genet Couns. 2014 Oct;23(5):860–73.
Hoyt AT, Browne M, Richardson S, Romitti P, Druschel C. Maternal caffeine consumption and small for gestational age births: Results from a population-based case-control study. Matern Child Health J. 2014 Aug;18(6):1540-51.
Langlois PH, Hoyt AT, Desrosiers TA, Lupo PJ, Lawson CC, Waters MA, Rocheleau CM, Shaw GM, Romitti PA, Gilboa SM, Malik S. Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and small for gestational age offspring. Occup Environ Med. 2014 Aug;71(8):529–35.
Stingone J, Luben T, Daniels J, Fuentes M, Richardson D, Aylsworth A, Herring A, Anderka M, Botto L, Correa A. Maternal exposure to criteria air pollutants and congenital heart defects in offspring: Results from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Environmental health perspectives. 2014 Aug;122(8): 863–72.
Khodr ZG, Lupo PJ, Agopian AJ, Canfield MA, Case AP, Carmichael SL, Mitchell LE. Preconceptional folic acid-containing supplement use in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2014 Jun;100(6):472–82.
Lupo PJ, Mitchell LE, Canfield MA, Shaw GM, Olshan AF, Finnell RH, Zhu H. Maternal-fetal metabolic gene-gene interactions and risk of neural tube defects. Mol Genet Metab. 2014 Jan;111(1):46–51.
Weedn AE, Mosley BS, Cleves MA, Waller DK, Canfield MA, Correa A, Hobbs CA. Maternal reporting of prenatal ultrasounds among women in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2014 Jan;100(1):4–12.
Agopian AJ, Waller DK, Lupo PJ, Canfield MA, Mitchell LE. A case -control study of maternal bathing habits and risk for birth defects in offspring. Environ Health. 2013 Oct;12:88.
Agopian AJ, Lupo PJ, Canfield MA, Mitchell LE. Swimming pool use and birth defect risk. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013 Sep;209(3):219.e211–9.
Brender JD, Weyer PJ, Romitti PA, Mohanty BP, Shinde MU, Vuong AM, Sharkey JR, Dwivedi D, Horel SA, Kantamneni J, Huber Jr JC, Zheng Q, Werler MM, Kelley KE, Griesenbeck JS, Zhan FB, Langlois PH, Suarez L, Canfield MA. Prenatal nitrate intake from drinking water and selected birth defects in offspring of participants in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Environ Health Perspect. 2013 Sep;121(9):1083-9.
Khodr ZG, Lupo PJ, Canfield MA, Chan W, Cai Y, Mitchell LE. Hispanic ethnicity and acculturation, maternal age and the risk of gastroschisis in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2013 Aug;97(8):538-45.
Shinde MU, Vuong AM, Brender JD, Werler MM, Kelley KE, Huber JC, Jr., Sharkey JR, Zheng Q, Suarez L, Langlois PH, Canfield MA, Romitti PA, Malik S. Prenatal exposure to nitrosatable drugs, vitamin c, and risk of selected birth defects. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2013 Aug;97(8):515–31.
Ahrens KA, Anderka MT, Feldkamp ML, Canfield MA, Mitchell AA, Werler MM, Study NBDP. Antiherpetic medication use and the risk of gastroschisis: Findings from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997–2007. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2013 Jul;27(4):340–5.
Langlois PH, Hoyt AT, Lupo PJ, Lawson CC, Waters MA, Desrosiers TA, Shaw GM, Romitti PA, Lammer EJ. Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and risk of oral cleft-affected pregnancies. Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 2013 May;50(3):337–46.
Huber JC, Jr., Brender JD, Zheng Q, Sharkey JR, Vuong AM, Shinde MU, Griesenbeck JS, Suarez L, Langlois PH, Canfield MA, Romitti PA, Weyer PJ. Maternal dietary intake of nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines and selected birth defects in offspring: A case-control study. Nutr J. 2013 Mar;12:34.
Agopian AJ, Tinker SC, Lupo PJ, Canfield MA, Mitchell LE. Proportion of neural tube defects attributable to known risk factors. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2013 Jan;97(1):42–6.