Ryan MA, et al. - Using data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS), a population-based case-control study of non-chromosomal structural birth defects in the US, investigators studied 699 infants with anotia or microtia (cases) vs 11,797 non-malformed infants (controls) to estimate the sociodemographic, health behavioral, and clinical characteristics for anotia/microtia. They noted that newborns with anotia/microtia were from a multifetal pregnancy and more likely to be male. They observed an association of maternal health conditions including obesity and pre-pregnancy diabetes with increased odds of anotia/microtia. They reported a reduction in odds for black mothers and mothers detailing daily intake of folic acid-containing supplements.