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Scoullar MJL, Melepia P, Peach E, Fidelis R, Supsup H, Davidson EM, Boeuf P, Bradshaw CS, Fehler G, Hezeri P, Kabiu D, Elijah A, Siba PM, Kennedy EC, Umbers AJ, Robinson LJ, Vallely AJ, Badman SG, Vallely LM, Fowkes FJI, Morgan CJ, Pomat W, Crabb BS, Beeson JG. Mycoplasma genitalium in pregnancy, including specific co-infections, is associated with lower birthweight: A prospective cohort study. MED 2024; 5:1123-1136.e3. [PMID: 38870930 DOI: 10.1016/j.medj.2024.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mycoplasma genitalium infection in pregnancy is increasingly reported at similar frequencies to other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Knowledge on its contribution to adverse pregnancy outcomes is very limited, especially relative to other STIs or bacterial vaginosis (BV). Whether M. genitalium influences birthweight remains unanswered. METHODS Associations between birthweight and M. genitalium and other STIs (Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis) and BV in pregnancy were examined in 416 maternal-newborn pairs from a prospective cohort study in Papua New Guinea. FINDINGS Compared to uninfected women, M. genitalium (-166.9 g, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -324.2 to -9.7 g, p = 0.038) and N. gonorrhoeae (-274.7 g, 95% CI: -561.9 to 12.5 g, p = 0.061) infections were associated with lower birthweight in an adjusted analysis. The association for C. trachomatis was less clear, and T. vaginalis and BV were not associated with lower birthweight. STI prevalence was high for M. genitalium (13.9%), N. gonorrhoeae (5.0%), and C. trachomatis (20.0%); co-infections were frequent. Larger effect sizes on birthweight occurred with co-infections of M. genitalium, N. gonorrhoeae, and/or C. trachomatis. CONCLUSION M. genitalium is a potential contributor to lower birthweight, and co-infections appear to have a greater negative impact on birthweight. Trials examining the impact of early diagnosis and treatment of M. genitalium and other STIs in pregnancy and preconception are urgently needed. FUNDING Funding was received from philanthropic grants, the National Health and Medical Research Council, and the Burnet Institute. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Hadlee Supsup
- East New Britain Provincial Health Authority, Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
| | - Eliza M Davidson
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Catriona S Bradshaw
- University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Glenda Fehler
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | | | - Arthur Elijah
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Peter M Siba
- Center for Health Research and Diagnostics, Divine Word University, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Elissa C Kennedy
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Leanne J Robinson
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Andrew J Vallely
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea; The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Steven G Badman
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Lisa M Vallely
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Freya J I Fowkes
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Christopher J Morgan
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - William Pomat
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Brendan S Crabb
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - James G Beeson
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
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Cellich P, Unger HW, Rogerson SJ, Mola GDL. Impact on pregnancy outcomes of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in urban and peri-urban Papua New Guinea: a retrospective cohort study. Malar J 2024; 23:201. [PMID: 38970076 PMCID: PMC11225125 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-05010-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) reduces malaria-attributable adverse pregnancy outcomes and may also prevent low birth weight (< 2,500 g) through mechanisms independent of malaria. Malaria transmission in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is highly heterogeneous. The impact of IPTp-SP on adverse birth outcomes in settings with little or no malaria transmission, such as PNG's capital city Port Moresby, is unknown. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted amongst HIV-negative women with a singleton pregnancy who delivered at Port Moresby General Hospital between 18 July and 21 August 2022. The impact of IPTp-SP doses on adverse birth outcomes and anaemia was assessed using logistic and linear regression models, as appropriate. RESULTS Of 1,140 eligible women amongst 1,228 consecutive births, 1,110 had a live birth with a documented birth weight. A total of 156 women (13.7%) did not receive any IPTp-SP, 347 women (30.4%) received one, 333 (29.2%) received two, and 304 (26.7%) received the recommended ≥ 3 doses of IPTp-SP. A total of 65 of 1,110 liveborn babies (5.9%) had low birth weight and there were 34 perinatal deaths (3.0%). Anaemia (haemoglobin < 100 g/L) was observed in 30.6% (243/793) of women, and 14 (1.2%) had clinical malaria in pregnancy. Compared to women receiving 0-1 dose of IPTp-SP, women receiving ≥ 2 doses had lower odds of LBW (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26, 0.96), preterm birth (aOR 0.58; 95% CI 0.32, 1.04), perinatal death (aOR 0.49; 95% CI 0.18, 1.38), LBW/perinatal death (aOR 0.55; 95% CI 0.27, 1.12), and anaemia (OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.36, 0.69). Women who received 2 doses versus 0-1 had 45% lower odds of LBW (aOR 0.55, 95% CI 0.27, 1.10), and a 16% further (total 61%) reduction with ≥ 3 doses (aOR 0.39, 95% CI 0.14, 1.05). Birth weights for women who received 2 or ≥ 3 doses versus 0-1 were 81 g (95% CI -3, 166) higher, and 151 g (58, 246) higher, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Provision of IPTp-SP in a low malaria-transmission setting in PNG appears to translate into substantial health benefits, in a dose-response manner, supporting the strengthening IPTp-SP uptake across all transmission settings in PNG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Cellich
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Port Moresby General Hospital, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Canterbury Hospital, 575 Canterbury Road, Campsie 2194, NSW, Australia.
| | - Holger W Unger
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, PO Box 41096, Casuarina 0810, NT, Australia.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, NT, Australia.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne, The Doherty Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Stephen J Rogerson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne, The Doherty Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, The Doherty Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Glen D L Mola
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Port Moresby General Hospital, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
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Ward VC, Lee AC, Hawken S, Otieno NA, Mujuru HA, Chimhini G, Wilson K, Darmstadt GL. Overview of the Global and US Burden of Preterm Birth. Clin Perinatol 2024; 51:301-311. [PMID: 38705642 DOI: 10.1016/j.clp.2024.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children globally, yet its prevalence has been difficult to accurately estimate due to unreliable methods of gestational age dating, heterogeneity in counting, and insufficient data. The estimated global PTB rate in 2020 was 9.9% (95% confidence interval: 9.1, 11.2), which reflects no significant change from 2010, and 81% of prematurity-related deaths occurred in Africa and Asia. PTB prevalence in the United States in 2021 was 10.5%, yet with concerning racial disparities. Few effective solutions for prematurity prevention have been identified, highlighting the importance of further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria C Ward
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Li Ka Shing Building, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Anne Cc Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Global Advancement of Infants and Mothers, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Steven Hawken
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Center for Practice Changing Research, 501 Smyth Road, Box 201-B, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Nancy A Otieno
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Centre for Global Health Research, Division of Global Health Protection, Box 1578 Kisumu 40100, Kenya
| | - Hilda A Mujuru
- Department of Child Adolescent and Women's Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, MP 167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Gwendoline Chimhini
- Department of Child Adolescent and Women's Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, MP 167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Kumanan Wilson
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Center for Practice Changing Research, 501 Smyth Road, Box 201-B, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Bruyère Research Institute, 43 Bruyère Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 5C8, Canada
| | - Gary L Darmstadt
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 453 Quarry Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
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Alyahyawi A, Adam GK, AlHabardi N, Adam I. Problems with gestational age estimation by last menstrual period and ultrasound among late antenatal care attendant women in a low-resource setting in Africa, Sudan. J Ultrasound 2024; 27:129-135. [PMID: 38236459 PMCID: PMC10909061 DOI: 10.1007/s40477-023-00844-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Accurate estimation of gestational age is essential to interpret and manage several maternal and perinatal indicators. Last menstrual period (LMP) and ultrasound are the two most common methods used for estimating gestational age. There are few published studies comparing the use of LMP and ultrasound in Sub-Saharan Africa to estimate gestational age and no studies on this topic in Sudan. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in Gadarif Maternity Hospital in Sudan during November through December 2022. Sociodemographic information was collected, and the date of the first day of each participant's LMP was recorded. Ultrasound examinations were performed (measuring crown-rump length in early pregnancy and biparietal diameter and femur length in late pregnancy) using a 3.5-MHz electronic convex sector probe. Bland-Altman analysis was performed. RESULTS Four-hundred seventy-six pregnant women were enrolled. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age and gravidity was 24.0 (20.0‒29.0) years and 2 (1‒4), respectively. There was a strong positive correlation between gestational age determined by LMP and ultrasound (r = 0.921, P < 0.001). The mean gestational age estimate according to LMP was higher than that determined by ultrasound, with a difference, on average, of 0.01 week (95% confidence interval [CI]: - 0.05, 0.07). Bland-Altman analysis showed the limits of agreement varied from - 1.36 to 1.38 weeks. A linear regression analysis showed proportional bias. The coefficient of difference of the mean was equal to 0.26 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.03, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Based on our results, there was a bias in LMP-based gestational age estimates when compared with the reproducible method (ultrasound).
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Affiliation(s)
- Amjad Alyahyawi
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, UK
| | - Gamal K Adam
- Faculty of Medicine, Gadarif University, Gadarif, 32211, Sudan
| | - Nadiah AlHabardi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, 56219, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ishag Adam
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, 56219, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia.
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Sherief ST, Muhe LM, Mekasha A, Demtse A, Ali A. Prevalence and causes of ocular disorders and visual impairment among preterm children in Ethiopia. BMJ Paediatr Open 2024; 8:e002317. [PMID: 38325900 PMCID: PMC10860044 DOI: 10.1136/bmjpo-2023-002317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, causes of ocular disorders and visual impairment among preterm children previously admitted to neonatal intensive care units in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS A prospective screening survey was conducted from February to June 2019 at the paediatric eye clinic of Menelik II Hospital. Children who were preterm at birth and who attended the eye clinic were included in the study. Data on demographic and neonatal characteristics, neonatal and maternal comorbidities and ocular disorders were collected. OR and univariate analysis were used to identify predictors of ocular diseases and visual impairment. RESULTS There were 222 children included in the study with a mean age at presentation of 2.62 years (range 2.08-6.38 years), mean gestational age 34.11 weeks (range 30-36) weeks and mean birth weight 1941.72 g (range 953-3500 g). Nearly two-thirds had ocular disorders with refractive error (51.8%), strabismus (11.3%) and a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (7.2%) being more common. One-fourth of the children had visual impairment, and the prevalence of amblyopia was 40.1%. Uncorrected refractive errors, strabismus and ROP were causes for visual impairment. CONCLUSION Visual impairment and amblyopia are common in Ethiopia. There is a need to develop a screening protocol for ocular disorders for preterm children to enhance early detection and prevention of childhood visual impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadik Taju Sherief
- Department of Ophthalmology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences Program and Centre for Global Child Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lulu M Muhe
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Oromia, Ethiopia
| | - Amha Mekasha
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Oromia, Ethiopia
| | - Asrat Demtse
- Paediatrics and Child Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Asim Ali
- Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Agogo GO, Verani JR, Otieno NA, Nyawanda BO, Widdowson MA, Chaves SS. Correcting for measurement error in assessing gestational age in a low-resource setting: a regression calibration approach. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1222772. [PMID: 37901408 PMCID: PMC10613090 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1222772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Measurement error in gestational age (GA) may bias the association of GA with a health outcome. Ultrasound-based GA is considered the gold standard and is not readily available in low-resource settings. We corrected for measurement error in GA based on fundal height (FH) and date of last menstrual period (LMP) using ultrasound from the sub-cohort and adjusted for the bias in associating GA with neonatal mortality and low birth weight (< 2,500 grams, LBW). Methods We used data collected from 01/2015 to 09/2019 from pregnant women enrolled at two public hospitals in Siaya county, Kenya (N = 2,750). We used regression calibration to correct for measurement error in FH- and LMP-based GA accounting for maternal and child characteristics. We applied logistic regression to associate GA with neonatal mortality and low birth weight, with and without calibrating FH- and LMP-based GA. Results Calibration improved the precision of LMP (correlation coefficient, ρ from 0.48 to 0.57) and FH-based GA (ρ from 0.82 to 0.83). Calibrating FH/LMP-based GA eliminated the bias in the mean GA estimates. The log odds ratio that quantifies the association of GA with neonatal mortality increased by 29% (from -0.159 to -0.205) by calibrating FH-based GA and by more than twofold (from -0.158 to -0.471) by calibrating LMP-based GA. Conclusion Calibrating FH/LMP-based GA improved the accuracy and precision of GA estimates and strengthened the association of GA with neonatal mortality/LBW. When assessing GA, neonatal public health and clinical interventions may benefit from calibration modeling in settings where ultrasound may not be fully available.
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Affiliation(s)
- George O. Agogo
- Division of Global Health Protection, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Jennifer R. Verani
- Division of Global Health Protection, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Nancy A. Otieno
- Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Bryan O. Nyawanda
- Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Marc-Alain Widdowson
- Division of Global Health Protection, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sandra S. Chaves
- Influenza Program, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, Kenya
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Erchick DJ, Hazel EA, Katz J, Lee ACC, Diaz M, Wu LSF, Yoshida S, Bahl R, Grandi C, Labrique AB, Rashid M, Ahmed S, Roy AD, Haque R, Shaikh S, Baqui AH, Saha SK, Khanam R, Rahman S, Shapiro R, Zash R, Silveira MF, Buffarini R, Kolsteren P, Lachat C, Huybregts L, Roberfroid D, Zeng L, Zhu Z, He J, Qiu X, Gebreyesus SH, Tesfamariam K, Bekele D, Chan G, Baye E, Workneh F, Asante KP, Kaali EB, Adu-Afarwuah S, Dewey KG, Gyaase S, Wylie BJ, Kirkwood BR, Manu A, Thulasiraj RD, Tielsch J, Chowdhury R, Taneja S, Babu GR, Shriyan P, Ashorn P, Maleta K, Ashorn U, Mangani C, Acevedo-Gallegos S, Rodriguez-Sibaja MJ, Khatry SK, LeClerq SC, Mullany LC, Jehan F, Ilyas M, Rogerson SJ, Unger HW, Ghosh R, Musange S, Ramokolo V, Zembe-Mkabile W, Lazzerini M, Rishard M, Wang D, Fawzi WW, Minja DTR, Schmiegelow C, Masanja H, Smith E, Lusingu JPA, Msemo OA, Kabole FM, Slim SN, Keentupthai P, Mongkolchati A, Kajubi R, Kakuru A, Waiswa P, Walker D, Hamer DH, Semrau KEA, Chaponda EB, Chico RM, Banda B, Musokotwane K, Manasyan A, Pry JM, Chasekwa B, Humphrey J, Black RE. Vulnerable newborn types: analysis of subnational, population-based birth cohorts for 541 285 live births in 23 countries, 2000-2021. BJOG 2023. [PMID: 37156239 DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.17510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine prevalence of novel newborn types among 541 285 live births in 23 countries from 2000 to 2021. DESIGN Descriptive multi-country secondary data analysis. SETTING Subnational, population-based birth cohort studies (n = 45) in 23 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) spanning 2000-2021. POPULATION Liveborn infants. METHODS Subnational, population-based studies with high-quality birth outcome data from LMICs were invited to join the Vulnerable Newborn Measurement Collaboration. We defined distinct newborn types using gestational age (preterm [PT], term [T]), birthweight for gestational age using INTERGROWTH-21st standards (small for gestational age [SGA], appropriate for gestational age [AGA] or large for gestational age [LGA]), and birthweight (low birthweight, LBW [<2500 g], nonLBW) as ten types (using all three outcomes), six types (by excluding the birthweight categorisation), and four types (by collapsing the AGA and LGA categories). We defined small types as those with at least one classification of LBW, PT or SGA. We presented study characteristics, participant characteristics, data missingness, and prevalence of newborn types by region and study. RESULTS Among 541 285 live births, 476 939 (88.1%) had non-missing and plausible values for gestational age, birthweight and sex required to construct the newborn types. The median prevalences of ten types across studies were T+AGA+nonLBW (58.0%), T+LGA+nonLBW (3.3%), T+AGA+LBW (0.5%), T+SGA+nonLBW (14.2%), T+SGA+LBW (7.1%), PT+LGA+nonLBW (1.6%), PT+LGA+LBW (0.2%), PT+AGA+nonLBW (3.7%), PT+AGA+LBW (3.6%) and PT+SGA+LBW (1.0%). The median prevalence of small types (six types, 37.6%) varied across studies and within regions and was higher in Southern Asia (52.4%) than in Sub-Saharan Africa (34.9%). CONCLUSIONS Further investigation is needed to describe the mortality risks associated with newborn types and understand the implications of this framework for local targeting of interventions to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes in LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Erchick
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - E A Hazel
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - J Katz
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - A C C Lee
- Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - M Diaz
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - L S F Wu
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - S Yoshida
- Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - R Bahl
- Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - C Grandi
- Argentine Society of Paediatrics, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - A B Labrique
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - M Rashid
- IntraHealth International, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - S Ahmed
- Projahnmo Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - A D Roy
- Projahnmo Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - R Haque
- JiVitA Maternal and Child Health Research Project, Rangpur, Bangladesh
| | - S Shaikh
- JiVitA Maternal and Child Health Research Project, Rangpur, Bangladesh
| | - A H Baqui
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - S K Saha
- Child Health Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - R Khanam
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - S Rahman
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R Shapiro
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - R Zash
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - M F Silveira
- Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - R Buffarini
- Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - P Kolsteren
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - C Lachat
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - L Huybregts
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - D Roberfroid
- Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - L Zeng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Z Zhu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - J He
- Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - X Qiu
- Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - S H Gebreyesus
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - K Tesfamariam
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - D Bekele
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - G Chan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - E Baye
- Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - F Workneh
- Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - K P Asante
- Kintampo Health Research Centre, Research and Development Division, Kintampo, Ghana
| | - E B Kaali
- Kintampo Health Research Centre, Research and Development Division, Kintampo, Ghana
| | - S Adu-Afarwuah
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - K G Dewey
- Institute for Global Nutrition, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - S Gyaase
- Department of Statistics, Kintampo Health Research Centre, Kintampo, Ghana
| | - B J Wylie
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - B R Kirkwood
- Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - A Manu
- Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - J Tielsch
- Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - R Chowdhury
- Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, Delhi, India
| | - S Taneja
- Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies, Delhi, India
| | - G R Babu
- Department of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - P Shriyan
- Indian Institute of Public Health, Public Health Foundation of India, Bengaluru, India
| | - P Ashorn
- Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - K Maleta
- School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - U Ashorn
- Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - C Mangani
- School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - S Acevedo-Gallegos
- National Institute of Perinatology, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Department, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - M J Rodriguez-Sibaja
- National Institute of Perinatology, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Department, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - S K Khatry
- Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project - Sarlahi (NNIPS), Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - S C LeClerq
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project - Sarlahi (NNIPS), Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - L C Mullany
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - F Jehan
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - M Ilyas
- The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - S J Rogerson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne, Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - H W Unger
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - R Ghosh
- Institute for Global Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - S Musange
- School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - V Ramokolo
- HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- Gertrude H Sergievsky Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - W Zembe-Mkabile
- Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- College Graduate of Studies, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - M Lazzerini
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS 'Burlo Garofolo', WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Child Health, Trieste, Italy
| | - M Rishard
- University Obstetrics Unit, De Soysa Hospital for Women, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - D Wang
- Department of Global and Community Health, College of Public Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
| | - W W Fawzi
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - D T R Minja
- National Institute for Medical Research, Tanga Centre, Tanga, Tanzania
| | - C Schmiegelow
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department for Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - H Masanja
- Ifakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - E Smith
- Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | - J P A Lusingu
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - O A Msemo
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - F M Kabole
- Ministry of Health Zanzibar, Zanzibar, Tanzania
| | - S N Slim
- Ministry of Health Zanzibar, Zanzibar, Tanzania
| | - P Keentupthai
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Ubon Ratchathani University, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand
| | - A Mongkolchati
- ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand
| | - R Kajubi
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - A Kakuru
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - P Waiswa
- Department of Health Policy Planning and Management, Makerere University School of Public Health, New Mulago Hospital Complex, Kampala, Uganda
- Division of Global Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - D Walker
- Institute for Global Health Sciences and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - D H Hamer
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - K E A Semrau
- Ariadne Labs, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Global Health Equity & Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - E B Chaponda
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - R M Chico
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - B Banda
- Research Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - K Musokotwane
- Health Specialist PMTCT and Pediatric AIDS, UNICEF, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - A Manasyan
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - J M Pry
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - B Chasekwa
- Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - J Humphrey
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - R E Black
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Vitral GLN, Romanelli RMDC, Leonel TA, Souza Gaspar JD, Aguiar RALPD, Reis ZSN. Influence of different methods for calculating gestational age at birth on prematurity and small for gestational age proportions: a systematic review with meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2023; 23:106. [PMID: 36774458 PMCID: PMC9921121 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-05411-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recognizing premature newborns and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) is essential for providing care and supporting public policies. This systematic review aims to identify the influence of the last menstrual period (LMP) compared to ultrasonography (USG) before 24 weeks of gestation references on prematurity and SGA proportions at birth. METHODS Systematic review with meta-analysis followed the recommendations of the PRISMA Statement. PubMed, BVS, LILACS, Scopus-Elsevier, Embase-Elsevier, and Web-of-Science were searched (10-30-2022). The research question was: (P) newborns, (E) USG for estimating GA, (C) LMP for estimating GA, and (O) prematurity and SGA rates for both methods. Independent reviewers screened the articles and extracted the absolute number of preterm and SGA infants, reference standards, design, countries, and bias. Prematurity was birth before 37 weeks of gestation, and SGA was the birth weight below the p10 on the growth curve. The quality of the studies was assessed using the New-Castle-Ottawa Scale. The difference between proportions estimated the size effect in a meta-analysis of prevalence. RESULTS Among the 642 articles, 20 were included for data extraction and synthesis. The prematurity proportions ranged from 1.8 to 33.6% by USG and varied from 3.4 to 16.5% by the LMP. The pooled risk difference of prematurity proportions revealed an overestimation of the preterm birth of 2% in favor of LMP, with low certainty: 0.02 (95%CI: 0.01 to 0.03); I2 97%). Subgroup analysis of USG biometry (eight articles) showed homogeneity for a null risk difference between prematurity proportions when crown-rump length was the reference: 0.00 (95%CI: -0.001 to 0.000; I2: 0%); for biparietal diameter, risk difference was 0.00 (95%CI: -0.001 to 0.000; I2: 41%). Only one report showed the SGA proportions of 32% by the USG and 38% by the LMP. CONCLUSIONS LMP-based GA, compared to a USG reference, has little or no effect on prematurity proportions considering the high heterogeneity among studies. Few data (one study) remained unclear the influence of such references on SGA proportions. Results reinforced the importance of qualified GA to mitigate the impact on perinatal statistics. TRIAL REGISTRATION Registration number PROSPERO: CRD42020184646.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Luiza Nogueira Vitral
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 30.130.100, Belo Horizonte, Avenida Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 601, Brazil. .,Faculdade de Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais, Alameda Ezequiel Dias, 275, Belo Horizonte, 30130-110, Brazil.
| | - Roberta Maia de Castro Romanelli
- grid.8430.f0000 0001 2181 4888Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 30.130.100, Belo Horizonte, Avenida Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 601 Brazil
| | - Tiago Alves Leonel
- grid.8430.f0000 0001 2181 4888Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 30.130.100, Belo Horizonte, Avenida Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 601 Brazil
| | - Juliano de Souza Gaspar
- grid.8430.f0000 0001 2181 4888Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 30.130.100, Belo Horizonte, Avenida Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 601 Brazil
| | - Regina Amélia Lopes Pessoa de Aguiar
- grid.8430.f0000 0001 2181 4888Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 30.130.100, Belo Horizonte, Avenida Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 601 Brazil
| | - Zilma Silveira Nogueira Reis
- grid.8430.f0000 0001 2181 4888Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 30.130.100, Belo Horizonte, Avenida Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 601 Brazil
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9
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Vitral GLN, Romanelli RMDC, Reis ZSN, Guimarães RN, Dias I, Mussagy N, Taunde S, Neves GS, de São José CN, Pantaleão AN, Pappa GL, Gaspar JDS, de Aguiar RAPL. Gestational age assessed by optical skin reflection in low-birth-weight newborns: Applications in classification at birth. Front Pediatr 2023; 11:1141894. [PMID: 37056944 PMCID: PMC10086374 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1141894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction A new medical device was previously developed to estimate gestational age (GA) at birth by processing a machine learning algorithm on the light scatter signal acquired on the newborn's skin. The study aims to validate GA calculated by the new device (test), comparing the result with the best available GA in newborns with low birth weight (LBW). Methods We conducted a multicenter, non-randomized, and single-blinded clinical trial in three urban referral centers for perinatal care in Brazil and Mozambique. LBW newborns with a GA over 24 weeks and weighing between 500 and 2,500 g were recruited in the first 24 h of life. All pregnancies had a GA calculated by obstetric ultrasound before 24 weeks or by reliable last menstrual period (LMP). The primary endpoint was the agreement between the GA calculated by the new device (test) and the best available clinical GA, with 95% confidence limits. In addition, we assessed the accuracy of using the test in the classification of preterm and SGA. Prematurity was childbirth before 37 gestational weeks. The growth standard curve was Intergrowth-21st, with the 10th percentile being the limit for classifying SGA. Results Among 305 evaluated newborns, 234 (76.7%) were premature, and 139 (45.6%) were SGA. The intraclass correlation coefficient between GA by the test and reference GA was 0.829 (95% CI: 0.785-0.863). However, the new device (test) underestimated the reference GA by an average of 2.8 days (95% limits of agreement: -40.6 to 31.2 days). Its use in classifying preterm or term newborns revealed an accuracy of 78.4% (95% CI: 73.3-81.6), with high sensitivity (96.2%; 95% CI: 92.8-98.2). The accuracy of classifying SGA newborns using GA calculated by the test was 62.3% (95% CI: 56.6-67.8). Discussion The new device (test) was able to assess GA at birth in LBW newborns, with a high agreement with the best available GA as a reference. The GA estimated by the device (test), when used to classify newborns on the first day of life, was useful in identifying premature infants but not when applied to identify SGA infants, considering current algohrithm. Nonetheless, the new device (test) has the potential to provide important information in places where the GA is unknown or inaccurate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Luiza Nogueira Vitral
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Faculdade Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Correspondence: Gabriela Luiza Nogueira Vitral
| | | | | | | | - Ivana Dias
- Hospital Central de Maputo, Maputo, Mozabique
| | | | | | - Gabriela Silveira Neves
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Hospital Sofia Feldman, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | | | - Gisele Lobo Pappa
- Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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10
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Reis ZSN, Romanelli RMDC, Guimarães RN, Gaspar JDS, Neves GS, do Vale MS, Nader PDJ, de Moura MDR, Vitral GLN, Dos Reis MAA, Pereira MMM, Marques PF, Nader SS, Harff AL, Beleza LDO, de Castro MEC, Souza RG, Pappa GL, de Aguiar RAPL. Newborn Skin Maturity Medical Device Validation for Gestational Age Prediction: Clinical Trial. J Med Internet Res 2022; 24:e38727. [PMID: 36069805 PMCID: PMC9494223 DOI: 10.2196/38727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Early access to antenatal care and high-cost technologies for pregnancy dating challenge early neonatal risk assessment at birth in resource-constrained settings. To overcome the absence or inaccuracy of postnatal gestational age (GA), we developed a new medical device to assess GA based on the photobiological properties of newborns’ skin and predictive models. Objective This study aims to validate a device that uses the photobiological model of skin maturity adjusted to the clinical data to detect GA and establish its accuracy in discriminating preterm newborns. Methods A multicenter, single-blinded, and single-arm intention-to-diagnosis clinical trial evaluated the accuracy of a novel device for the detection of GA and preterm newborns. The first-trimester ultrasound, a second comparator ultrasound, and data regarding the last menstrual period (LMP) from antenatal reports were used as references for GA at birth. The new test for validation was performed using a portable multiband reflectance photometer device that assessed the skin maturity of newborns and used machine learning models to predict GA, adjusted for birth weight and antenatal corticosteroid therapy exposure. Results The study group comprised 702 pregnant women who gave birth to 781 newborns, of which 366 (46.9%) were preterm newborns. As the primary outcome, the GA as predicted by the new test was in line with the reference GA that was calculated by using the intraclass correlation coefficient (0.969, 95% CI 0.964-0.973). The paired difference between predicted and reference GAs was −1.34 days, with Bland-Altman limits of −21.2 to 18.4 days. As a secondary outcome, the new test achieved 66.6% (95% CI 62.9%-70.1%) agreement with the reference GA within an error of 1 week. This agreement was similar to that of comparator-LMP-GAs (64.1%, 95% CI 60.7%-67.5%). The discrimination between preterm and term newborns via the device had a similar area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.970, 95% CI 0.959-0.981) compared with that for comparator-LMP-GAs (0.957, 95% CI 0.941-0.974). In newborns with absent or unreliable LMPs (n=451), the intent-to-discriminate analysis showed correct preterm versus term classifications with the new test, which achieved an accuracy of 89.6% (95% CI 86.4%-92.2%), while the accuracy for comparator-LMP-GA was 69.6% (95% CI 65.3%-73.7%). Conclusions The assessment of newborn’s skin maturity (adjusted by learning models) promises accurate pregnancy dating at birth, even without the antenatal ultrasound reference. Thus, the novel device could add value to the set of clinical parameters that direct the delivery of neonatal care in birth scenarios where GA is unknown or unreliable. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027442
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Affiliation(s)
- Zilma Silveira Nogueira Reis
- Health Informatics Center, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Center for Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and Health, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | | | - Juliano de Souza Gaspar
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Marynea Silva do Vale
- Maternal and Child Unit, University Hospital, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luis, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Patrícia Franco Marques
- Maternal and Child Unit, University Hospital, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luis, Brazil
| | | | - Augusta Luize Harff
- University Hospital of Canoas, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Canoas, Brazil
| | | | | | - Rayner Guilherme Souza
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Gisele Lobo Pappa
- Center for Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and Health, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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11
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Whelan R, Schaeffer L, Olson I, Folger LV, Alam S, Ajaz N, Ladhani K, Rosner B, Wylie BJ, Lee ACC. Measurement of symphysis fundal height for gestational age estimation in low-to-middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272718. [PMID: 36007078 PMCID: PMC9409500 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), measurement of symphysis fundal height (SFH) is often the only available method of estimating gestational age (GA) in pregnancy. This systematic review aims to summarize methods of SFH measurement and assess the accuracy of SFH for the purpose of GA estimation. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, POPLINE, and WHO Global Health Libraries from January 1980 through November 2021. For SFH accuracy, we pooled the variance of the mean difference between GA confirmed by ultrasound versus SFH. Of 1,003 studies identified, 37 studies were included. Nineteen different SFH measurement techniques and 13 SFH-to-GA conversion methods were identified. In pooled analysis of five studies (n = 5838 pregnancies), 71% (95% CI: 66-77%) of pregnancies dated by SFH were within ±14 days of ultrasound confirmed dating. Using the 1 cm SFH = 1wk assumption, SFH underestimated GA compared with ultrasound-confirmed GA (mean bias: -14.0 days) with poor accuracy (95% limits of agreement [LOA]: ±42.8 days; n = 3 studies, 2447 pregnancies). Statistical modeling of three serial SFH measurements performed better, but accuracy was still poor (95% LOA ±33 days; n = 4 studies, 4391 pregnancies). In conclusion, there is wide variation in SFH measurement and SFH-to-GA conversion techniques. SFH is inaccurate for estimating GA and should not be used for GA dating. Increasing access to quality ultrasonography early in pregnancy should be prioritized to improve gestational age assessment in LMIC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Whelan
- Global Advancement of Infants and Mothers (AIM) Lab, Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Lauren Schaeffer
- Global Advancement of Infants and Mothers (AIM) Lab, Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Ingrid Olson
- Global Advancement of Infants and Mothers (AIM) Lab, Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Lian V. Folger
- Global Advancement of Infants and Mothers (AIM) Lab, Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of North Carolina Chapel, Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Saima Alam
- Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, MA, United States of America
| | - Nayab Ajaz
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Karima Ladhani
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Bernard Rosner
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Blair J. Wylie
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States of America
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Anne C. C. Lee
- Global Advancement of Infants and Mothers (AIM) Lab, Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
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12
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Contrepois K, Chen S, Ghaemi MS, Wong RJ, Jehan F, Sazawal S, Baqui AH, Nisar MI, Dhingra U, Khanam R, Ilyas M, Dutta A, Mehmood U, Deb S, Hotwani A, Ali SM, Rahman S, Nizar A, Ame SM, Muhammad S, Chauhan A, Khan W, Raqib R, Das S, Ahmed S, Hasan T, Khalid J, Juma MH, Chowdhury NH, Kabir F, Aftab F, Quaiyum MA, Manu A, Yoshida S, Bahl R, Rahman A, Pervin J, Price JT, Rahman M, Kasaro MP, Litch JA, Musonda P, Vwalika B, Stringer JSA, Shaw G, Stevenson DK, Aghaeepour N, Snyder MP. Prediction of gestational age using urinary metabolites in term and preterm pregnancies. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8033. [PMID: 35577875 PMCID: PMC9110694 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11866-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Assessment of gestational age (GA) is key to provide optimal care during pregnancy. However, its accurate determination remains challenging in low- and middle-income countries, where access to obstetric ultrasound is limited. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop clinical approaches that allow accurate and inexpensive estimations of GA. We investigated the ability of urinary metabolites to predict GA at time of collection in a diverse multi-site cohort of healthy and pathological pregnancies (n = 99) using a broad-spectrum liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC–MS) platform. Our approach detected a myriad of steroid hormones and their derivatives including estrogens, progesterones, corticosteroids, and androgens which were associated with pregnancy progression. We developed a restricted model that predicted GA with high accuracy using three metabolites (rho = 0.87, RMSE = 1.58 weeks) that was validated in an independent cohort (n = 20). The predictions were more robust in pregnancies that went to term in comparison to pregnancies that ended prematurely. Overall, we demonstrated the feasibility of implementing urine metabolomics analysis in large-scale multi-site studies and report a predictive model of GA with a potential clinical value.
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13
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Jasper EA, Oltman SP, Rogers EE, Dagle JM, Murray JC, Kamya M, Kakuru A, Kajubi R, Ochieng T, Adrama H, Okitwi M, Olwoch P, Jagannathan P, Clark TD, Dorsey G, Ruel T, Jelliffe-Pawlowski LL, Ryckman KK. Targeted newborn metabolomics: prediction of gestational age from cord blood. J Perinatol 2022; 42:181-186. [PMID: 35067676 PMCID: PMC8830770 DOI: 10.1038/s41372-021-01253-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Our study sought to determine whether metabolites from a retrospective collection of banked cord blood specimens could accurately estimate gestational age and to validate these findings in cord blood samples from Busia, Uganda. STUDY DESIGN Forty-seven metabolites were measured by tandem mass spectrometry or enzymatic assays from 942 banked cord blood samples. Multiple linear regression was performed, and the best model was used to predict gestational age, in weeks, for 150 newborns from Busia, Uganda. RESULTS The model including metabolites and birthweight, predicted the gestational ages within 2 weeks for 76.7% of the Ugandan cohort. Importantly, this model estimated the prevalence of preterm birth <34 weeks closer to the actual prevalence (4.67% and 4.00%, respectively) than a model with only birthweight which overestimates the prevalence by 283%. CONCLUSION Models that include cord blood metabolites and birth weight appear to offer improvement in gestational age estimation over birth weight alone.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott P Oltman
- University of California, San Francisco, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Kampala, Uganda.,UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Elizabeth E Rogers
- University of California San Francisco, Department of Pediatrics, Kampala, Uganda
| | - John M Dagle
- University of Iowa, Department of Pediatrics, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Moses Kamya
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda.,Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Abel Kakuru
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Richard Kajubi
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Teddy Ochieng
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Harriet Adrama
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Martin Okitwi
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Peter Olwoch
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Tamara D. Clark
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA
| | - Grant Dorsey
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA
| | - Theodore Ruel
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA
| | - Laura L Jelliffe-Pawlowski
- University of California, San Francisco, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Kampala, Uganda.,UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Kelli K Ryckman
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
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14
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de Souza IMF, Vitral GLN, Caliari MV, Reis ZSN. Association between the chronology of gestation and the morphometrical skin characteristics at childbirth: a development of predictive model. BMJ Health Care Inform 2021; 28:bmjhci-2021-100476. [PMID: 34876452 PMCID: PMC8655593 DOI: 10.1136/bmjhci-2021-100476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective The structural maturation of the skin is considered a potential marker of pregnancy dating. This study investigated the correlation between the morphometrical skin characteristics with the pregnancy chronology to propose models for predicting gestational age. Methods A cross-sectional analysis selected 35 corpses of newborns. The biopsy was performed up to 48 hours after death in the periumbilical abdomen, palm and sole regions. Pregnancy chronology was based on the obstetric ultrasound before 14 weeks. The dimensions of the skin layers, area of glands and connective fibrous tissue were measured with imaging software support. Univariate and multivariate regression models on morphometric values were used to predict gestational age. Results Gestational age at birth ranged from 20.3 to 41.2 weeks. Seventy-one skin specimens resulted in the analysis of 1183 digital histological images. The correlation between skin thickness and gestational age was positive and strong in both regions of the body. The highest univariate correlation between gestational age and skin thickness was using the epidermal layer dimensions, in palm (r=0.867, p<0.001). The multivariate modelling with the thickness of the abdominal epidermis, the dermis and the area of the sebaceous glands adjusted had the highest correlation with gestational age (r=0.99, p<0.001). Conclusion The thickness of the protective epidermal barrier is, in itself, a potential marker of pregnancy dating. However, sets of values obtained from skin morphometry enhanced the estimation of the gestational age. Such findings may support non-invasive image approaches to estimate pregnancy dating with various clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marcelo Vidigal Caliari
- Department of General Pathology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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15
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Unger HW, Laurita Longo V, Bleicher A, Ome-Kaius M, Karl S, Simpson JA, Karahalios A, Aitken EH, Rogerson SJ. The relationship between markers of antenatal iron stores and birth outcomes differs by malaria prevention regimen-a prospective cohort study. BMC Med 2021; 19:236. [PMID: 34607575 PMCID: PMC8491429 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-021-02114-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Iron deficiency (ID) has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, maternal anaemia, and altered susceptibility to infection. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), monthly treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus azithromycin (SPAZ) prevented low birthweight (LBW; <2500 g) through a combination of anti-malarial and non-malarial effects when compared to a single treatment with SP plus chloroquine (SPCQ) at first antenatal visit. We assessed the relationship between ID and adverse birth outcomes in women receiving SPAZ or SPCQ, and the mediating effects of malaria infection and haemoglobin levels during pregnancy. METHODS Plasma ferritin levels measured at antenatal enrolment in a cohort of 1892 women were adjusted for concomitant inflammation using C-reactive protein and α-1-acid glycoprotein. Associations of ID (defined as ferritin <15 μg/L) or ferritin levels with birth outcomes (birthweight, LBW, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age birthweight [SGA]) were determined using linear or logistic regression analysis, as appropriate. Mediation analysis assessed the degree of mediation of ID-birth outcome relationships by malaria infection or haemoglobin levels. RESULTS At first antenatal visit (median gestational age, 22 weeks), 1256 women (66.4%) had ID. Overall, ID or ferritin levels at first antenatal visit were not associated with birth outcomes. There was effect modification by treatment arm. Amongst SPCQ recipients, ID was associated with a 81-g higher mean birthweight (95% confidence interval [CI] 10, 152; P = 0.025), and a twofold increase in ferritin levels was associated with increased odds of SGA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.25; 95% CI 1.06, 1.46; P = 0.007). By contrast, amongst SPAZ recipients, a twofold increase in ferritin was associated with reduced odds of LBW (aOR 0.80; 95% CI 0.67, 0.94; P = 0.009). Mediation analyses suggested that malaria infection or haemoglobin levels during pregnancy do not substantially mediate the association of ID with birth outcomes amongst SPCQ recipients. CONCLUSIONS Improved antenatal iron stores do not confer a benefit for the prevention of adverse birth outcomes in the context of malaria chemoprevention strategies that lack the non-malarial properties of monthly SPAZ. Research to determine the mechanisms by which ID protects from suboptimal foetal growth is needed to guide the design of new malaria prevention strategies and to inform iron supplementation policy in malaria-endemic settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01136850 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger W Unger
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.,Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.,Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Valentina Laurita Longo
- Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, San Pietro-Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Andie Bleicher
- Department of Medicine (RMH), Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Maria Ome-Kaius
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Stephan Karl
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - Julie A Simpson
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Amalia Karahalios
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Elizabeth H Aitken
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stephen J Rogerson
- Department of Medicine (RMH), Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. .,Department of Infectious Diseases, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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16
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Vallely LM, Smith R, Laman M, Riddell MA, Mengi A, Au L, Polomon C, Vogel JP, Pomat WS, Vallely AJ, Homer CS. Early neonatal death review from two provinces in Papua New Guinea: A retrospective analysis. J Paediatr Child Health 2021; 57:841-846. [PMID: 33450113 DOI: 10.1111/jpc.15333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AIM To determine the causes of early neonatal death and the avoidable factors associated with these deaths among women participating in a cluster-randomised crossover trial in Papua New Guinea. METHODS Early neonatal deaths were identified by retrospective chart review of the Women and Newborn Trial of Antenatal Interventions and Management study participants between July 2017 and January 2020. Causes of death and avoidable factors were identified using the Perinatal Problem Identification Program system. RESULTS There were 35 early neonatal deaths among 2499 livebirths (14 per 1000 births). Fifty-seven percent (20/35) of deaths occurred on the first day of life. Idiopathic preterm birth was the leading obstetric cause of perinatal death (29%; 10/35). Extreme multi-organ immaturity (23%; 8/35) and hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (17%; 6/35) were the most common final causes of neonatal death. Forty-six avoidable factors were identified among 26 deaths, including delays in care-seeking, insufficient resources at health facilities, poor intrapartum care and immediate care of the newborn, including neonatal resuscitation. CONCLUSION In this study, potentially preventable causes and avoidable factors were identified in the majority of early neonatal deaths. Addressing these factors will require health system strengthening, particularly the upskilling of primary level health staff, as well as targeted health education of women and the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Vallely
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Rachel Smith
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Moses Laman
- Infection and Immunity Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Michaela A Riddell
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Infection and Immunity Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Alice Mengi
- Infection and Immunity Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Lucy Au
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Cherolyn Polomon
- School of Nursing and Midwfery, Pacific Adventist University, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Joshua P Vogel
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - William S Pomat
- Infection and Immunity Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Andrew J Vallely
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Caroline Se Homer
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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17
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Sarker BK, Rahman M, Rahman T, Rahman T, Rahman F, Khalil JJ, Hasan M, Mahfuz SN, Ahmmed F, Miah MS, Ahmed A, Mitra D, Mridha MK, Rahman A. Factors associated with calendar literacy and last menstrual period (LMP) recall: a prospective programmatic implication to maternal health in Bangladesh. BMJ Open 2020; 10:e036994. [PMID: 33318107 PMCID: PMC7737077 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-036994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the prevalence and determinants of calendar literacy and last menstrual period (LMP) recall among women in Bangladesh. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTINGS Two rural subdistricts and one urban area from three Northern districts of Bangladesh. PARTICIPANTS We interviewed 2731 women who had a live birth in the last 1 year. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome variable was LMP recall and the secondary outcome was calendar literacy. RESULTS The majority of participants (65%) correctly mentioned the current date according to the English calendar while 12% mentioned according to the Bengali calendar. During the interview sessions, we used three different calendars: Bengali, English and Hijri to assess calendar literacy. We asked women to mark the current date using the calendar on the day of the interview. Almost 61% women marked the English calendar, 16% marked the Bengali calendar and 4% marked the Hijri calendar correctly. Sixty-three per cent women were found as calendar literate who marked any of the calendars. Among the participants, 58% had calendars available at their home and only 10% of women used calendars to track their LMPs. Overall, 53% women were able to recall their recent LMP. Among the calendar literate, 60% could recall their LMPs. Factors found associated with recalling LMP were: completed eight or more years of schooling (adj.OR 1.39), primigravida (adj.OR 1.88), the richest wealth quintile (adj.OR 1.55) and calendar literacy (adj.OR 1.59). CONCLUSIONS Despite having reasonable calendar literacy and availability, the use of calendars for tracking LMP found very low. Calendar literacy and sociodemographic characteristics were found as the key factors associated with LMP recall. Maternal, neonatal and child health programmes in low-resource settings can promote a simple tool like calendar and target the communities where ultrasound is not available to ensure accurate LMP recall for early pregnancy registration and timely antenatal care coverage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Musfikur Rahman
- Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tanjina Rahman
- Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tawhidur Rahman
- Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Fariya Rahman
- Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Mehedi Hasan
- Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sadia Nishat Mahfuz
- School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Faisal Ahmmed
- Infectious Diseases Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Muhammad Salim Miah
- Department of Anthropology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Anisuddin Ahmed
- Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Dipak Mitra
- Department of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Malay Kanti Mridha
- Centre of Excellence for Non-Communicable Diseases and Nutrition, James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Anisur Rahman
- Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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18
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Robbers G, Vogel JP, Mola G, Bolgna J, Homer CSE. Maternal and newborn health indicators in Papua New Guinea - 2008-2018. Sex Reprod Health Matters 2020; 27:1686199. [PMID: 31790637 PMCID: PMC7888046 DOI: 10.1080/26410397.2019.1686199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the most populous country in the Pacific with more than 9 million people. Difficult terrain, poor roads and limited infrastructure mean providing effective health care – especially in rural areas, where most people live – is challenging. Women and newborns in PNG experience high rates of preventable morbidity and mortality; however, reliable data are often limited or unavailable. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of research on key maternal and neonatal health (MNH) indicators conducted approximately over the past 11 years in PNG comparing research findings to global MNH estimates of the indicators. There was considerable variation in mortality indicators (maternal mortality ratio, neonatal mortality rate and stillbirth) reported across studies in PNG. Mortality was generally higher in rural areas. Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in pregnancy were consistently high, while anaemia in pregnancy, preterm birth and low birth weight varied widely between studies and settings. Breastfeeding seems to have been under-researched. There was a lack of data available on other indicators such as the adolescent birth rate, postnatal care provided to women and newborns, intermittent preventative treatment to prevent malaria in pregnancy and treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Studies demonstrate the high burden of preventable maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality across PNG. Efforts to improve MNH outcomes need to be escalated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianna Robbers
- International Health Project Officer, Maternal and Child Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Joshua P Vogel
- Principal Research Fellow, Maternal and Child Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Glen Mola
- Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea and the University of Papua New Guinea
| | - John Bolgna
- Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Modilion Hospital, Madang and the PNG Institute for Medical Research, Papua New Guinea
| | - Caroline S E Homer
- Co-Director, Maternal and Child Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne; Visiting Distinguished Professor of Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
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19
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Valderrama CE, Marzbanrad F, Hall-Clifford R, Rohloff P, Clifford GD. A Proxy for Detecting IUGR Based on Gestational Age Estimation in a Guatemalan Rural Population. Front Artif Intell 2020; 3:56. [PMID: 33733173 PMCID: PMC7861337 DOI: 10.3389/frai.2020.00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In-utero progress of fetal development is normally assessed through manual measurements taken from ultrasound images, requiring relatively expensive equipment and well-trained personnel. Such monitoring is therefore unavailable in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where most of the perinatal mortality and morbidity exists. The work presented here attempts to identify a proxy for IUGR, which is a significant contributor to perinatal death in LMICs, by determining gestational age (GA) from data derived from simple-to-use, low-cost one-dimensional Doppler ultrasound (1D-DUS) and blood pressure devices. A total of 114 paired 1D-DUS recordings and maternal blood pressure recordings were selected, based on previously described signal quality measures. The average length of 1D-DUS recording was 10.43 ± 1.41 min. The min/median/max systolic and diastolic maternal blood pressures were 79/102/121 and 50.5/63.5/78.5 mmHg, respectively. GA was estimated using features derived from the 1D-DUS and maternal blood pressure using a support vector regression (SVR) approach and GA based on the last menstrual period as a reference target. A total of 50 trials of 5-fold cross-validation were performed for feature selection. The final SVR model was retrained on the training data and then tested on a held-out set comprising 28 normal weight and 25 low birth weight (LBW) newborns. The mean absolute GA error with respect to the last menstrual period was found to be 0.72 and 1.01 months for the normal and LBW newborns, respectively. The mean error in the GA estimate was shown to be negatively correlated with the birth weight. Thus, if the estimated GA is lower than the (remembered) GA calculated from last menstruation, then this could be interpreted as a potential sign of IUGR associated with LBW, and referral and intervention may be necessary. The assessment system may, therefore, have an immediate impact if coupled with suitable intervention, such as nutritional supplementation. However, a prospective clinical trial is required to show the efficacy of such a metric in the detection of IUGR and the impact of the intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo E Valderrama
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Faezeh Marzbanrad
- Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Rachel Hall-Clifford
- Department of Sociology, Center for the Study of Human Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Peter Rohloff
- Wuqu' Kawoq
- Maya Health Alliance, Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.,Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Gari D Clifford
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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20
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Lourenço BH, Lima DL, Vivanco E, de Brito Fernandes R, Duarte M, Ribeiro Neves PA, de Castro MC, Cardoso MA. Agreement between antenatal gestational age by ultrasound and clinical records at birth: A prospective cohort in the Brazilian Amazon. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0236055. [PMID: 32663227 PMCID: PMC7360033 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to assess agreement between antenatal estimates of gestational age by ultrasound and clinical records at birth in the Brazilian Amazon. Ultrasound examinations were scheduled during the second trimester for 578 pregnant women prospectively screened at primary health care units, following a standardized protocol for image quality control. A multistage algorithm was used to assess the best estimate of gestational age during the antenatal period, considering reliability of last menstrual period (LMP) and acceptable differences in relation to ultrasound estimates derived from fetal biparietal diameter and femur length. Agreement of antenatal estimates of gestational age confirmed by ultrasound and clinical records at birth was analyzed with Bland-Altman plots and kappa coefficients (preterm and postterm births). Overall, ultrasound examinations presented high quality (>90% of satisfactory images), and were adopted as the best estimate of gestational age among 83.4% of pregnant women, confirming reliable LMP in the remaining proportion. On average, difference in gestational age between antenatal estimates and clinical records was 0.43 week (95% CI: 0.32, 0.53). Classification of preterm births had a good agreement (kappa: 0.82, p<0.001), but a poor performance was observed for postterm births (kappa: -0.06, p = 0.92). Higher differences in gestational age were noted for participants with >11 years of education and cases of caesarean deliveries. In conclusion, high-quality ultrasound images from the second trimester of pregnancy based the assessment of gestational age, while reliability of LMP was limited. Information from clinical records at birth presented an acceptable agreement on average and for classification of preterm births, which is relevant for properly interpreting perinatal outcomes. Discrepancies in caesarean deliveries may warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Edwin Vivanco
- Juruá Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil
| | | | - Mirian Duarte
- Private Practice in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Paulo Augusto Ribeiro Neves
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Marcia Caldas de Castro
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Marly Augusto Cardoso
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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21
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Reis ZSN, Gaspar JDS, Vitral GLN, Abrantes VB, de-Souza IMF, Moreira MTS, Lopes Pessoa Aguiar RA. Quality of Pregnancy Dating and Obstetric Interventions During Labor: Retrospective Database Analysis. JMIR Pediatr Parent 2020; 3:e14109. [PMID: 32293572 PMCID: PMC7191349 DOI: 10.2196/14109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The correct dating of pregnancy is critical to support timely decisions and provide obstetric care during birth. The early obstetric ultrasound assessment before 14 weeks is considered the best reference to assist in determining gestational age (GA), with an accuracy of ±5 to 7 days. However, this information is limited in many settings worldwide. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to analyze the association between the obstetric interventions during childbirth and the quality of GA determination, according to the first antenatal ultrasound assessment, which assisted the calculation. METHODS This is a hospital-based cohort study using medical record data of 2113 births at a perinatal referral center. The database was separated into groups and subgroups of analyses based on the reference used by obstetricians to obtain GA at birth. Maternal and neonatal characteristics, mode of delivery, oxytocin augmentation, and forceps delivery were compared between groups of pregnancies with GA determination at different reference points: obstetric ultrasound assessment 14 weeks, 20 weeks, and ≥20 weeks or without antenatal ultrasound (suboptimal dating). Ultrasound-based GA information was associated with outcomes between the interest groups using chi-square tests, odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI, or the Mann-Whitney statistical analysis. RESULTS The chance of nonspontaneous delivery was higher in pregnancies with 14 weeks ultrasound-based GA (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.35-1.98) and 20 weeks ultrasound-based GA (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.31-1.90) when compared to the pregnancies with ≥20 weeks ultrasound-based GA or without any antenatal ultrasound. The use of oxytocin for labor augmentation was higher for 14 weeks and 20 weeks ultrasound-based GA, OR 1.41 (95% CI 1.09-1.82) and OR 1.34 (95% CI 1.04-1.72), respectively, when compared to those suboptimally dated. Moreover, maternal blood transfusion after birth was more frequent in births with suboptimal ultrasound-based GA determination (20/657, 3.04%) than in the other groups (14 weeks ultrasound-based GA: 17/1163, 1.46%, P=.02; 20 weeks ultrasound-based GA: 25/1456, 1.71%, P=.048). Cesarean section rates between the suboptimal dating group (244/657, 37.13%) and the other groups (14 weeks: 475/1163, 40.84%, P=.12; 20 weeks: 584/1456, 40.10%, P=.20) were similar. In addition, forceps delivery rates between the suboptimal dating group (17/657, 2.6%) and the other groups (14 weeks: 42/1163, 3.61%, P=.24; 20 weeks: 46/1456, 3.16%, P=.47) were similar. Neonatal intensive care unit admission was more frequent in newborns with suboptimal dating (103/570, 18.07%) when compared with the other groups (14 weeks: 133/1004, 13.25%, P=.01; 20 weeks: 168/1263, 13.30%, P=.01), excluding stillbirths and major fetal malformations. CONCLUSIONS The present analysis highlighted relevant points of health care to improve obstetric assistance, confirming the importance of early access to technologies for pregnancy dating as an essential component of quality antenatal care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Vitor Barbosa Abrantes
- Center of Health Informatics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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22
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Agbota G, Accrombessi M, Cottrell G, Martin-Prével Y, Milet J, Ouédraogo S, Courtin D, Massougbodji A, Garcia A, Cot M, Briand V. Increased Risk of Malaria During the First Year of Life in Small-for-Gestational-Age Infants: A Longitudinal Study in Benin. J Infect Dis 2020; 219:1642-1651. [PMID: 30535153 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiy699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND According to the Developmental Origins of Health and Diseases paradigm, the fetal period is highly vulnerable and may have profound effects on later health. Few studies assessed the effect of small-for-gestational age (SGA), a proxy for fetal growth impairment, on risk of malaria during infancy in Africa. METHODS We used data from a cohort of 398 mother-child pairs, followed from early pregnancy to age 1 year in Benin. Malaria was actively and passively screened using thick blood smear. We assessed the effect of SGA on risk of malaria infection and clinical malaria from birth to 12 months, after stratifying on the infant's age using a logistic mixed regression model. RESULTS After adjustment for potential confounding factors and infant's exposure to mosquitoes, SGA was associated with a 2-times higher risk of malaria infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-4.51; P = .039) and clinical malaria (aOR = 2.33; 95% CI, 1.09-4.98; P = .030) after age 6 months. CONCLUSION Results suggest higher risk of malaria during the second semester of life in SGA infants, and argue for better follow-up of these infants after birth, as currently for preterm babies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gino Agbota
- Mère et Enfant Face aux Infections Tropicales, Institut Français de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris 5, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France.,Centre d'Etude et de Recherche sur le Paludisme Associé à la Grossesse et à l'Enfance, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Manfred Accrombessi
- Mère et Enfant Face aux Infections Tropicales, Institut Français de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris 5, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France.,Centre d'Etude et de Recherche sur le Paludisme Associé à la Grossesse et à l'Enfance, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Gilles Cottrell
- Mère et Enfant Face aux Infections Tropicales, Institut Français de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris 5, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
| | - Yves Martin-Prével
- UMR204, Institut Français de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Montpellier, SupAgro Montpellier, France
| | - Jacqueline Milet
- Mère et Enfant Face aux Infections Tropicales, Institut Français de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris 5, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
| | - Smaïla Ouédraogo
- Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Université de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - David Courtin
- Mère et Enfant Face aux Infections Tropicales, Institut Français de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris 5, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
| | - Achille Massougbodji
- Centre d'Etude et de Recherche sur le Paludisme Associé à la Grossesse et à l'Enfance, Cotonou, Benin
| | - André Garcia
- Mère et Enfant Face aux Infections Tropicales, Institut Français de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris 5, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
| | - Michel Cot
- Mère et Enfant Face aux Infections Tropicales, Institut Français de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris 5, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
| | - Valérie Briand
- Mère et Enfant Face aux Infections Tropicales, Institut Français de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris 5, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
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Rolfes MA, Vonglokham P, Khanthamaly V, Chitry B, Pholsena V, Chitranondh V, Mirza SA, Moen A, Bresee JS, Xeuatvongsa A, Olsen SJ. Measurement of birth outcomes in analyses of the impact of maternal influenza vaccination. Influenza Other Respir Viruses 2019; 13:547-555. [PMID: 31424627 PMCID: PMC6800304 DOI: 10.1111/irv.12673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The estimated association of maternal influenza vaccination and birth outcomes may be sensitive to methods used to define preterm birth or small‐for‐gestational age (SGA). Methods In a cohort of pregnant women in Lao People's Democratic Republic, we estimated gestational age from: (a) date of last menstrual period (LMP), (b) any prenatal ultrasound, (c) first trimester ultrasound, (d) Ballard Score at delivery, and (e) an algorithm combining LMP and ultrasound. Infants were classified as SGA at birth using a Canadian, global, and equation‐based growth reference. We estimated the association of maternal influenza vaccination and birth outcomes, by influenza activity, using multivariable log‐binomial regression and Cox proportional hazards regression with vaccination as a time‐varying exposure. Results The frequency of preterm birth in the cohort varied by method to estimate gestational age, from 5% using Ballard Score to 15% using any ultrasound. Using LMP, any ultrasound, or the algorithm, we found statistically significant reductions in preterm birth among vaccinated women during periods of high influenza activity and statistically significant increases in SGA, using a Canadian growth reference. We did not find statistically significant associations with SGA when using global or equation‐based growth references. Conclusions The association of maternal influenza vaccination and birth outcomes was most affected by the choice of a growth reference used to define SGA at birth. The association with pre‐term birth was present and consistent across multiple statistical approaches. Future studies of birth outcomes, specifically SGA, should carefully consider the potential for bias introduced by measurement choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa A Rolfes
- Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Viengphone Khanthamaly
- Influenza Program, U.S. CDC-Lao PDR, American Embassy, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
| | - Bounlap Chitry
- Mother and Child Hospital, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
| | | | - Visith Chitranondh
- Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital, Luang Prabang, Lao People's Democratic Republic
| | - Sara A Mirza
- Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ann Moen
- Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Joseph S Bresee
- Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Sonja J Olsen
- Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
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24
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Reis ZSN, Guimarães RN, Rego MAS, Maia de Castro Romanelli R, Gaspar JDS, Vitral GLN, Dos Reis MAA, Colósimo EA, Neves GS, Vale MS, Nader PDJH, de Moura MDR, de Aguiar RAPL. Prematurity detection evaluating interaction between the skin of the newborn and light: protocol for the preemie-test multicentre clinical trial in Brazilian hospitals to validate a new medical device. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e027442. [PMID: 30842119 PMCID: PMC6429838 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recognising prematurity is critical in order to attend to immediate needs in childbirth settings, guiding the extent of medical care provided for newborns. A new medical device has been developed to carry out the preemie-test, an innovative approach to estimate gestational age (GA), based on the photobiological properties of the newborn's skin. First, this study will validate the preemie-test for GA estimation at birth and its accuracy to detect prematurity. Second, the study intends to associate the infant's skin reflectance with lung maturity, as well as evaluate safety, precision and usability of a new medical device to offer a suitable product for health professionals during childbirth and in neonatal care settings. METHODS AND ANALYSIS Research protocol for diagnosis, single-group, single-blinding and single-arm multicenter clinical trial with a reference standard. Alive newborns, with 24 weeks or more of pregnancy age, will be enrolled during the first 24 hours of life. Sample size is 787 subjects. The primary outcome is the difference between the GA calculated by the photobiological neonatal skin assessment methodology and the GA calculated by the comparator antenatal ultrasound or reliable last menstrual period (LMP). Immediate complications caused by pulmonary immaturity during the first 72 hours of life will be associated with skin reflectance in a nested case-control study. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Each local independent ethics review board approved the trial protocol. The authors intend to share the minimal anonymised dataset necessary to replicate study findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER RBR-3f5bm5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zilma Silveira Nogueira Reis
- Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Faculty of Medicine, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Health Informatics Center, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodney Nascimento Guimarães
- Health Informatics Center, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | | | - Juliano de Souza Gaspar
- Health Informatics Center, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Luiza Nogueira Vitral
- Doctoral Pediatrics Postgraduate Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Marynea Silva Vale
- Pediatrics, Hospital Universitario da Universidade Federal do Maranhao, Sao Luis, Maranhão, Brazil
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25
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Unger HW, Hansa AP, Buffet C, Hasang W, Teo A, Randall L, Ome-Kaius M, Karl S, Anuan AA, Beeson JG, Mueller I, Stock SJ, Rogerson SJ. Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus azithromycin may improve birth outcomes through impacts on inflammation and placental angiogenesis independent of malarial infection. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2260. [PMID: 30783215 PMCID: PMC6381158 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38821-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and SP plus azithromycin (SPAZ) reduces low birthweight (<2,500 g) in women without malarial and reproductive tract infections. This study investigates the impact of SPAZ on associations between plasma biomarkers of inflammation and angiogenesis and adverse pregnancy outcomes in 2,012 Papua New Guinean women. Concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), α-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), soluble endoglin (sEng), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) were measured at enrolment and delivery in a trial comparing SPAZ to SP plus chloroquine (SPCQ). At antenatal enrolment higher CRP (adjusted odds ratio 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–2.25), sEng (4.35; 1.77, 10.7) and sFlt1 (2.21; 1.09, 4.48) were associated with preterm birth, and higher sEng with low birthweight (1.39; 1.11,3.37), in SPCQ recipients only. Increased enrolment sFlt1:PlGF ratios associated with LBW in all women (1.46; 1.11, 1.90). At delivery, higher AGP levels were strongly associated with low birthweight, preterm birth and small-for-gestational age babies in the SPCQ arm only. Restricting analyses to women without malaria infection did not materially alter these relationships. Women receiving SPAZ had lower delivery AGP and CRP levels (p < 0.001). SPAZ may protect against adverse pregnancy outcomes by reducing inflammation and preventing its deleterious consequences, including dysregulation of placental angiogenesis, in women with and without malarial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger W Unger
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Annjaleen P Hansa
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Central Clinical School and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christelle Buffet
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Wina Hasang
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew Teo
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louise Randall
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Maria Ome-Kaius
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea.,Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stephan Karl
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea.,Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - Ayen A Anuan
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - James G Beeson
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Central Clinical School and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.,Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Sarah J Stock
- Tommy's Centre for Maternal and Fetal Health, MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Stephen J Rogerson
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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26
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Unger H, Thriemer K, Ley B, Tinto H, Traoré M, Valea I, Tagbor H, Antwi G, Gbekor P, Nambozi M, Kabuya JBB, Mulenga M, Mwapasa V, Chapotera G, Madanitsa M, Rulisa S, de Crop M, Claeys Y, Ravinetto R, D’Alessandro U. The assessment of gestational age: a comparison of different methods from a malaria pregnancy cohort in sub-Saharan Africa. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2019; 19:12. [PMID: 30621604 PMCID: PMC6323786 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-018-2128-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Determining gestational age in resource-poor settings is challenging because of limited availability of ultrasound technology and late first presentation to antenatal clinic. Last menstrual period (LMP), symphysio-pubis fundal height (SFH) and Ballard Score (BS) at delivery are therefore often used. We assessed the accuracy of LMP, SFH, and BS to estimate gestational age at delivery and preterm birth compared to ultrasound (US) using a large dataset derived from a randomized controlled trial in pregnant malaria patients in four African countries. METHODS Mean and median gestational age for US, LMP, SFH and BS were calculated for the entire study population and stratified by country. Correlation coefficients were calculated using Pearson's rho, and Bland Altman plots were used to calculate mean differences in findings with 95% limit of agreements. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated considering US as reference method to identify term and preterm babies. RESULTS A total of 1630 women with P. falciparum infection and a gestational age > 24 weeks determined by ultrasound at enrolment were included in the analysis. The mean gestational age at delivery using US was 38.7 weeks (95%CI: 38.6-38.8), by LMP, 38.4 weeks (95%CI: 38.0-38.9), by SFH, 38.3 weeks (95%CI: 38.2-38.5), and by BS 38.0 weeks (95%CI: 37.9-38.1) (p < 0.001). Correlation between US and any of the other three methods was poor to moderate. Sensitivity and specificity to determine prematurity were 0.63 (95%CI 0.50-0.75) and 0.72 (95%CI, 0.66-0.76) for LMP, 0.80 (95%CI 0.74-0.85) and 0.74 (95%CI 0.72-0.76) for SFH and 0.42 (95%CI 0.35-0.49) and 0.77 (95%CI 0.74-0.79) for BS. CONCLUSIONS In settings with limited access to ultrasound, and in women who had been treated with P. falciparum malaria, SFH may be the most useful antenatal tool to date a pregnancy when women present first in second and third trimester. The Ballard postnatal maturation assessment has a limited role and lacks precision. Improving ultrasound facilities and skills, and early attendance, together with the development of new technologies such as automated image analysis and new postnatal methods to assess gestational age, are essential for the study and management of preterm birth in low-income settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Unger
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, UK
- Department of Medicine at the Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kamala Thriemer
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Australia
| | - Benedikt Ley
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Australia
| | - Halidou Tinto
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé - Clinical Trial Unit of Nanoro (IRSS-CRUN), Nanoro, Burkina Faso
| | - Maminata Traoré
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé - Clinical Trial Unit of Nanoro (IRSS-CRUN), Nanoro, Burkina Faso
| | - Innocent Valea
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé - Clinical Trial Unit of Nanoro (IRSS-CRUN), Nanoro, Burkina Faso
| | - Harry Tagbor
- School of Medicine, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana
| | - Gifty Antwi
- School of Medicine, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana
| | | | | | | | | | - Victor Mwapasa
- Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | | | | | - Stephen Rulisa
- University of Rwanda, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Kigali, Rwanda
| | | | - Yves Claeys
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Umberto D’Alessandro
- MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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27
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Vitral GLN, Aguiar RAPL, de Souza IMF, Rego MAS, Guimarães RN, Reis ZSN. Skin thickness as a potential marker of gestational age at birth despite different fetal growth profiles: A feasibility study. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196542. [PMID: 29698511 PMCID: PMC5919437 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND New methodologies to estimate gestational age (GA) at birth are demanded to face the limited access to obstetric ultrasonography and imprecision of postnatal scores. The study analyzed the correlation between neonatal skin thickness and pregnancy duration. Secondarily, it investigated the influence of fetal growth profiles on tissue layer dimensions. METHODS AND FINDINGS In a feasibility study, 222 infants selected at a term-to-preterm ratio of 1:1 were assessed. Reliable information on GA was based on the early ultrasonography-based reference. The thicknesses of the epidermal and dermal skin layers were examined using high-frequency ultrasonography. We scanned the skin over the forearm and foot plantar surface of the newborns. A multivariate regression model was adjusted to determine the correlation of GA with skin layer dimensions. The best model to correlate skin thickness with GA was fitted using the epidermal layer on the forearm site, adjusted to cofactors, as follows: Gestational age (weeks) = -28.0 + 12.8 Ln (Thickness) - 4.4 Incubator staying; R2 = 0.604 (P<0.001). In this model, the constant value for the standard of fetal growth was statistically null. The dermal layer thickness on the forearm and plantar surfaces had a negative moderate linear correlation with GA (R = -0.370, P<0.001 and R = -0.421, P<0.001, respectively). The univariate statistical analyses revealed the influence of underweight and overweight profiles on neonatal skin thickness at birth. Of the 222 infants, 53 (23.9%) had inappropriate fetal growths expected for their GA. Epidermal thickness was not fetal growth standard dependent as follows: 172.2 (19.8) μm for adequate for GA, 171.4 (20.6) μm for SGA, and 177.7 (15.2) μm for LGA (P = 0.525, mean [SD] on the forearm). CONCLUSIONS The analysis highlights a new opportunity to relate GA at birth to neonatal skin layer thickness. As this parameter was not influenced by the standard of fetal growth, skin maturity can contribute to clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Luiza Nogueira Vitral
- Postgraduation Program of Women’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Regina Amélia P. Lopes Aguiar
- Postgraduation Program of Women’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Michelle Fonseca de Souza
- Postgraduation Program of Women’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Maria Albertina Santiago Rego
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodney Nascimento Guimarães
- Postgraduation Program of Women’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Zilma Silveira Nogueira Reis
- Postgraduation Program of Women’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Morgan MC, Maina B, Waiyego M, Mutinda C, Aluvaala J, Maina M, English M. Pulse oximetry values of neonates admitted for care and receiving routine oxygen therapy at a resource-limited hospital in Kenya. J Paediatr Child Health 2018; 54:260-266. [PMID: 29080284 PMCID: PMC5873449 DOI: 10.1111/jpc.13742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
AIM There are 2.7 million neonatal deaths annually, 75% of which occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Effective treatment of hypoxaemia through tailored oxygen therapy could reduce neonatal mortality and prevent oxygen toxicity. METHODS We undertook a two-part prospective study of neonates admitted to a neonatal unit in Nairobi, Kenya, between January and December 2015. We determined the prevalence of hypoxaemia and explored associations of clinical risk factors and signs of respiratory distress with hypoxaemia and mortality. After staff training on oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) target ranges, we enrolled a consecutive sample of neonates admitted for oxygen and measured SpO2 at 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h post-admission. We estimated the proportion of neonates outside the target range (≥34 weeks: ≥92%; <34 weeks: 89-93%) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS A total of 477 neonates were enrolled. Prevalence of hypoxaemia was 29.2%. Retractions (odds ratio (OR) 2.83, 95% CI 1.47-5.47), nasal flaring (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.51-4.75), and grunting (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.27-4.80) were significantly associated with hypoxaemia. Nasal flaring (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.25-6.54), and hypoxaemia (OR 3.06, 95% CI 1.54-6.07) were significantly associated with mortality; 64% of neonates receiving oxygen were out of range at ≥2 time points and 43% at ≥3 time points. CONCLUSION There is a high prevalence of hypoxaemia at admission and a strong association between hypoxaemia and mortality in this Kenyan neonatal unit. Many neonates had out of range SpO2 values while receiving oxygen. Further research is needed to test strategies aimed at improving the accuracy of oxygen provision in low-resource settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa C Morgan
- Department of PaediatricsUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUnited States
| | - Beth Maina
- Department of PaediatricsPumwani Maternity HospitalNairobiKenya
| | - Mary Waiyego
- Department of PaediatricsPumwani Maternity HospitalNairobiKenya
| | | | - Jalemba Aluvaala
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthUniversity of NairobiNairobiKenya,Kenya Medical Research InstituteWellcome Trust Research ProgrammeNairobiKenya
| | - Michuki Maina
- Kenya Medical Research InstituteWellcome Trust Research ProgrammeNairobiKenya
| | - Mike English
- Kenya Medical Research InstituteWellcome Trust Research ProgrammeNairobiKenya,Nuffield Department of Medicine and Department of PaediatricsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
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29
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Reis ZSN, Vitral GLN, de Souza IMF, Rego MAS, Guimaraes RN. Newborn skin reflection: Proof of concept for a new approach for predicting gestational age at birth. A cross-sectional study. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184734. [PMID: 28931040 PMCID: PMC5607181 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current methods to assess the gestational age during prenatal care or at birth are a global challenge. Disadvantages, such as low accessibility, high costs, and imprecision of clinical tests and ultrasonography measurements, may compromise health decisions at birth, based on the gestational age. Newborns' organs and tissues can indirectly indicate their physical maturity, and we hypothesized that evolutionary changes in their skin, detected using an optoelectronic device meter, may aid in estimating the gestational age. This study analyzed the feasibility of using newborn skin reflectance to estimate the gestational age at birth noninvasively. METHODS AND FINDINGS A cross-sectional study evaluated the skin reflectance of selected infants, preferably premature, at birth. The first-trimester ultrasound was the reference for gestational age. A prototype of a new noninvasive optoelectronic device measured the backscattering of light from the skin, using a light emitting diode at wavelengths of 470 nm, 575 nm, and 630 nm. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis models were employed to predict gestational age, combining skin reflectance with clinical variables for gestational age estimation. The gestational age at birth of 115 newborns from 24.1 to 41.8 weeks of gestation correlated with the light at 630 nm wavelength reflectance 3.3 mm/6.5 mm ratio distant of the sensor, at the forearm and sole (Pearson's correlation = 0.505, P < 0.001 and 0.710, P < 0.001, respectively). The best-combined variables to predict the gold standard gestational age at birth was the skin reflectance at wavelengths of 630 nm and 470 nm in combination with birth weight, phototherapy, and adjusted to include incubator stay, and sex (R2 = 0.828, P < 0.001). The main limitation of the study is that it was very specific to the premature population we studied and needs to be studied in a broader spectrum of newborns. CONCLUSIONS A novel automated skin reflectometer device, in combination with clinical variables, was able to predict the gestational age and could be useful when the information is in doubt or is unknown. Multivariable predictive models associated the skin reflectance with easy to obtain clinical parameters, at the birth scenario. External validation needs to be proven in an actual population with the real incidence of premature infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zilma Silveira Nogueira Reis
- Center of Health Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Postgraduation Program of Women’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Gabriela Luiza Nogueira Vitral
- Postgraduation Program of Women’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Maria Albertina Santiago Rego
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodney Nascimento Guimaraes
- Postgraduation Program of Women’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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30
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Kochhar S, Bonhoeffer J, Jones CE, Muñoz FM, Honrado A, Bauwens J, Sobanjo-Ter Meulen A, Hirschfeld S. Immunization in pregnancy clinical research in low- and middle-income countries - Study design, regulatory and safety considerations. Vaccine 2017; 35:6575-6581. [PMID: 28479177 PMCID: PMC5714435 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.03.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Immunization of pregnant women is a promising public health strategy to reduce morbidity and mortality among both the mothers and their infants. Establishing safety and efficacy of vaccines generally uses a hybrid design between a conventional interventional study and an observational study that requires enrolling thousands of study participants to detect an unknown number of uncommon events. Historically, enrollment of pregnant women in clinical research studies encountered many barriers based on risk aversion, lack of knowledge, and regulatory ambiguity. Conducting research enrolling pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries can have additional factors to address such as limited availability of baseline epidemiologic data on disease burden and maternal and neonatal outcomes during and after pregnancy; challenges in recruiting and retaining pregnant women in research studies, variability in applying and interpreting assessment methods, and variability in locally acceptable and available infrastructure. Some measures to address these challenges include adjustment of study design, tailoring recruitment, consent process, retention strategies, operational and logistical processes, and the use of definitions and data collection methods that will align with efforts globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonali Kochhar
- Global Healthcare Consulting, Delhi, India; Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Jan Bonhoeffer
- Brighton Collaboration Foundation, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel Children's Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christine E Jones
- Faculty of Medicine and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | | | - Angel Honrado
- Synapse Research Management Partners, Barcelona, Spain
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31
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Ome-Kaius M, Karl S, Wangnapi RA, Bolnga JW, Mola G, Walker J, Mueller I, Unger HW, Rogerson SJ. Effects of Plasmodium falciparum infection on umbilical artery resistance and intrafetal blood flow distribution: a Doppler ultrasound study from Papua New Guinea. Malar J 2017; 16:35. [PMID: 28103875 PMCID: PMC5248505 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-017-1689-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Doppler velocimetry studies of umbilical artery (UA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) flow help to determine the presence and severity of fetal growth restriction. Increased UA resistance and reduced MCA pulsatility may indicate increased placental resistance and intrafetal blood flow redistribution. Malaria causes low birth weight and fetal growth restriction, but few studies have assessed its effects on uteroplacental and fetoplacental blood flow. Methods Colour-pulsed Doppler ultrasound was used to assess UA and MCA flow in 396 Papua New Guinean singleton fetuses. Abnormal flow was defined as an UA resistance index above the 90th centile, and/or a MCA pulsatility index and cerebroplacental ratio (ratio of MCA and UA pulsatility index) below the 10th centile of population-specific models fitted to the data. Associations between malaria (peripheral infection prior to and at ultrasound examination, and any gestational infection, i.e., ‘exposure’) and abnormal flow, and between abnormal flow and birth outcomes, were estimated. Results Of 78 malaria infection episodes detected before or at the ultrasound visit, 62 (79.5%) were Plasmodium falciparum (34 sub-microscopic infections), and 16 were Plasmodium vivax. Plasmodium falciparum infection before or at Doppler measurement was associated with increased UA resistance (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.3 95% CI 1.0–5.2, P = 0.047). When assessed by ‘exposure’, P. falciparum infection was significantly associated with increased UA resistance (all infections: 2.4, 1.1–4.9, P = 0.024; sub-microscopic infections 2.6, 1.0–6.6, P = 0.051) and a reduced MCA pulsatility index (all infections: 2.6, 1.2–5.3, P = 0.012; sub-microscopic infections: 2.8, 1.1–7.5, P = 0.035). Sub-microscopic P. falciparum infections were additionally associated with a reduced cerebroplacental ratio (3.64, 1.22–10.88, P = 0.021). There were too few P. vivax infections to draw robust conclusions. An increased UA resistance index was associated with histological evidence of placental malaria (5.1, 2.3–10.9, P < 0.001; sensitivity 0.26, specificity 0.93). A low cerebroplacental Doppler ratio was associated with concurrently measuring small-for-gestational-age, and with low birth weight. Discussion/conclusion Both microscopic and sub-microscopic P. falciparum infections impair fetoplacental and intrafetal flow, at least temporarily. Increased UA resistance has high specificity but low sensitivity for the detection of placental infection. These findings suggest that interventions to protect the fetus should clear and prevent both microscopic and sub-microscopic malarial infections. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01136850. Registered 06 April 2010 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-017-1689-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ome-Kaius
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNG IMR), Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Stephan Karl
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | | | - John Walpe Bolnga
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Modilon General Hospital, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Glen Mola
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Jane Walker
- Department of Radiology, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4SA, UK
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Institut Pasteur, 28 Rue de Dr. Roux, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Holger Werner Unger
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4SA, UK.,Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Post Office Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, 3050, Australia
| | - Stephen John Rogerson
- Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Post Office Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, 3050, Australia.
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Wylie BJ, Kishashu Y, Matechi E, Zhou Z, Coull B, Abioye AI, Dionisio KL, Mugusi F, Premji Z, Fawzi W, Hauser R, Ezzati M. Maternal exposure to carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter during pregnancy in an urban Tanzanian cohort. INDOOR AIR 2017; 27:136-146. [PMID: 26880607 PMCID: PMC4987269 DOI: 10.1111/ina.12289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Low birthweight contributes to as many as 60% of all neonatal deaths; exposure during pregnancy to household air pollution has been implicated as a risk factor. Between 2011 and 2013, we measured personal exposures to carbon monoxide (CO) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) in 239 pregnant women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. CO and PM2.5 exposures during pregnancy were moderately high (geometric means 2.0 ppm and 40.5 μg/m3 ); 87% of PM2.5 measurements exceeded WHO air quality guidelines. Median and high (75th centile) CO exposures were increased for those cooking with charcoal and kerosene versus kerosene alone in quantile regression. High PM2.5 exposures were increased with charcoal use. Outdoor cooking reduced median PM2.5 exposures. For PM2.5 , we observed a 0.15 kg reduction in birthweight per interquartile increase in exposure (23.0 μg/m3 ) in multivariable linear regression; this finding was of borderline statistical significance (95% confidence interval 0.30, 0.00 kg; P = 0.05). PM2.5 was not significantly associated with birth length or head circumference nor were CO exposures associated with newborn anthropometrics. Our findings contribute to the evidence that exposure to household air pollution, and specifically fine particulate matter, may adversely affect birthweight.
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Affiliation(s)
- B J Wylie
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Y Kishashu
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - E Matechi
- Africa Academy of Public Health, Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Z Zhou
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - B Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - A I Abioye
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - K L Dionisio
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - F Mugusi
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Z Premji
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - W Fawzi
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - R Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M Ezzati
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, UK
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Lee ACC, Mullany LC, Ladhani K, Uddin J, Mitra D, Ahmed P, Christian P, Labrique A, DasGupta SK, Lokken RP, Quaiyum M, Baqui AH. Validity of Newborn Clinical Assessment to Determine Gestational Age in Bangladesh. Pediatrics 2016; 138:peds.2015-3303. [PMID: 27313070 PMCID: PMC4925072 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-3303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gestational age (GA) is frequently unknown or inaccurate in pregnancies in low-income countries. Early identification of preterm infants may help link them to potentially life-saving interventions. METHODS We conducted a validation study in a community-based birth cohort in rural Bangladesh. GA was determined by pregnancy ultrasound (<20 weeks). Community health workers conducted home visits (<72 hours) to assess physical/neuromuscular signs and measure anthropometrics. The distribution, agreement, and diagnostic accuracy of different clinical methods of GA assessment were determined compared with early ultrasound dating. RESULTS In the live-born cohort (n = 1066), the mean ultrasound GA was 39.1 weeks (SD 2.0) and prevalence of preterm birth (<37 weeks) was 11.4%. Among assessed newborns (n = 710), the mean ultrasound GA was 39.3 weeks (SD 1.6) (8.3% preterm) and by Ballard scoring the mean GA was 38.9 weeks (SD 1.7) (12.9% preterm). The average bias of the Ballard was -0.4 weeks; however, 95% limits of agreement were wide (-4.7 to 4.0 weeks) and the accuracy for identifying preterm infants was low (sensitivity 16%, specificity 87%). Simplified methods for GA assessment had poor diagnostic accuracy for identifying preterm births (community health worker prematurity scorecard [sensitivity/specificity: 70%/27%]; Capurro [5%/96%]; Eregie [75%/58%]; Bhagwat [18%/87%], foot length <75 mm [64%/35%]; birth weight <2500 g [54%/82%]). Neonatal anthropometrics had poor to fair performance for classifying preterm infants (areas under the receiver operating curve 0.52-0.80). CONCLUSIONS Newborn clinical assessment of GA is challenging at the community level in low-resource settings. Anthropometrics are also inaccurate surrogate markers for GA in settings with high rates of fetal growth restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne CC Lee
- Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts;,Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Luke C. Mullany
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Karima Ladhani
- Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts;,Department of Global Health & Population, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jamal Uddin
- Child Health Research Foundation, Shishu Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Dipak Mitra
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Parvez Ahmed
- International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh; and
| | - Parul Christian
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alain Labrique
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sushil K. DasGupta
- International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh; and
| | - R. Peter Lokken
- Department of Radiology, University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Mohammed Quaiyum
- International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh; and
| | - Abdullah H Baqui
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
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Atwell JE, Thumar B, Robinson LJ, Tobby R, Yambo P, Ome-Kaius M, Siba PM, Unger HW, Rogerson SJ, King CL, Karron RA. Impact of Placental Malaria and Hypergammaglobulinemia on Transplacental Transfer of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Antibody in Papua New Guinea. J Infect Dis 2016; 213:423-31. [PMID: 26238686 PMCID: PMC4704666 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiv401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Passively acquired respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) neutralizing antibody protects against RSV-associated lower respiratory infections, but placental malaria (PM) and maternal hypergammaglobulinemia might interfere with transplacental immunoglobulin transport. METHODS We measured RSV plaque-reduction neutralization (PRN) antibody in 300 full-term maternal/cord serum pairs in 2 cohorts in malaria-endemic Papua New Guinea: Alexishafen (2005-2008) and the Fetal Immunity Study (FIS) (2011-2013). We defined impaired transport as a cord-to-maternal titer ratio <1.0 and a protective RSV PRN titer (PRNT) ≥1:200. RESULTS PM and hypergammaglobulinemia occurred in 60% and 54% of Alexishafen mothers versus 8% and 9% of FIS mothers, respectively. 34% of Alexishafen and 32% of FIS pairs demonstrated impaired transport. Multivariate modeling revealed significant associations between increasing maternal IgG (log2) and impaired transport (adjusted OR, Alexishafen: 2.68 [1.17-6.14], FIS: 6.94 [1.94-24.8]) but no association with PM. 34% of Alexishafen and 31% of FIS cord PRNTs were <1:200. CONCLUSIONS Impaired RSV antibody transport was observed in approximately one-third of maternal/cord pairs. Hypergammaglobulinemia, but not PM, was associated with impaired transport, particularly among women with low RSV PRNT. Detection of RSV PRNT <1:200 in one-third of cord sera confirms the need to increase levels of RSV neutralizing antibody in pregnant women through maternal immunization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E Atwell
- Department of International Health, Center for Immunization Research, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Bhagvanji Thumar
- Department of International Health, Center for Immunization Research, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Leanne J Robinson
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang & Goroka Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria
| | - Roselyn Tobby
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang & Goroka
| | - Phantica Yambo
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang & Goroka
| | - Maria Ome-Kaius
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang & Goroka
| | - Peter M Siba
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang & Goroka Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville City, Queensland
| | - Holger W Unger
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Christopher L King
- Center for Global Health and Disease, Case Western Reserve University and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Ruth A Karron
- Department of International Health, Center for Immunization Research, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
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35
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Divala TH, Mungwira RG, Laufer MK. Moving targets: The challenges of studying infectious diseases among pregnant women in resource limited settings. Vaccine 2015; 33:6401-5. [PMID: 26319059 PMCID: PMC4920047 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.08.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Conducting clinical trials to prevent and treat infectious diseases in pregnancy is essential to saving maternal and newborn lives, though it is fraught with challenges. We have been conducting research in malaria treatment and prevention in children and pregnant women in Blantyre, Malawi for over a decade. Here, we review some of the unique challenges that we have faced in leading research studies that with rigor and integrity and maintaining the highest ethical standard. We conclude with concrete strategies to overcome some of the apparent obstacles that frequently focus on building trust through bidirectional communication with local health workers and communities. We also highlight the key role of local and international investigators to advocate for the health of the communities in which they work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Titus H Divala
- Blantyre Malaria Project, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Randy G Mungwira
- Blantyre Malaria Project, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Miriam K Laufer
- Institute for Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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