Trends in and Documentation of Refusal of Common Routine Newborn Interventions: 2013-2019

First hepatitis B vaccine uptake in neonates prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

Routine vaccination for hepatitis B is recommended at birth, and most infants should be vaccinated within 24 h of life. Historically, vaccination rates have been less than ideal, and routine vaccination has been further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with decreased uptake of many vaccines. This retrospective study assessed hepatitis B vaccination rates at birth before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and explored the factors associated with lower vaccination rates.

METHODS

Infants born at a single academic medical center in Charleston, South Carolina from November 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021 were identified. Infants were excluded if they died or received ≥ 7 days of systemic steroid therapy within the first 37 days of life. Maternal and infant baseline characteristics and uptake of the first hepatitis B vaccine during hospital admission were recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 7808 infants were included in the final analysis, with an overall vaccine uptake of 91.6 %. Of the 3880 neonates in the pre-pandemic group, 3583 (92.3 %) were vaccinated, versus 3571 (90.9 %) of 3928 neonates in the pandemic group (rate difference = 1.4 %; 95 % confidence interval -2.8 % to 5.7 %, p = 0.52). Factors independently associated with lower vaccine uptake included being of non-Hispanic white race, born to a married mother, birth weight < 2 kg, and parental refusal of erythromycin eye ointment at birth.

CONCLUSION

The COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly affect the uptake of inpatient neonatal hepatitis B vaccination. Several patient-specific factors were associated with suboptimal vaccination rates in this population.

New insights into vitamin K biology with relevance to cancer

Phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinones (vitamin K2 family) are essential for post-translational γ-carboxylation of a small number of proteins, including clotting factors. These modified proteins have now been implicated in diverse physiological and pathological processes including cancer. Vitamin K intake has been inversely associated with cancer incidence and mortality in observational studies. Newly discovered functions of vitamin K in cancer cells include activation of the steroid and xenobiotic receptor (SXR) and regulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy. We provide an update of vitamin K biology, non-canonical mechanisms of vitamin K actions, the potential functions of vitamin K-dependent proteins in cancer, and observational trials on vitamin K intake and cancer.