Prognostic prediction models for adverse birth outcomes: A systematic review.

Background: Despite progress in reducing maternal and child mortality worldwide, adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), and stillbirth continue to be a major global health challenge. Developing a prediction model for adverse birth outcomes allows for early risk detection and prevention strategies. In this systematic review, we aimed to assess the performance of existing prediction models for adverse birth outcomes and provide a comprehensive summary of their findings.

Intermittent preventive treatment regimens for malaria in HIV-positive pregnant women.

Background: Malaria and HIV infection overlap geographically in sub-Saharan Africa and share risk factors. HIV infection increases malaria's severity, especially in pregnant women. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for pregnant women living in areas of stable malaria transmission.

Birth outcomes and survival by sex among newborns and children under 2 in the Birhan Cohort: a prospective cohort study in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia.

Introduction: Despite the progress in reducing child mortality, the rate remains high, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries. Limited data exist on child survival and other birth outcomes by sex. This study compared survival rates and birth outcomes by sex among neonates and children under 2 in Ethiopia.

Estimates and determinants of health facility delivery in the Birhan cohort in Ethiopia.

Health facility delivery is one of the critical indicators to monitor progress towards the provision of skilled delivery care and reduction in perinatal mortality. In Ethiopia, utilization of health facilities for skilled delivery care has been increasing but varies greatly by region and among specific socio-demography groups. We aimed to measure the prevalence and determinants of health facility delivery in the Amhara region in Ethiopia.

Efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevention of COVID-19 severity in pregnant and postpartum women: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Pregnant women have an increased risk of severe COVID-19. Evaluation of drugs with a safety reproductive toxicity profile is a priority. At the beginning of the pandemic, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was recommended for COVID-19 treatment.

Antenatal care coverage in a low-resource setting: Estimations from the Birhan Cohort.

Antenatal care (ANC) coverage estimates commonly rely on self-reported data, which may carry biases. Leveraging prospectively collected longitudinal data from the Birhan field site and its pregnancy and birth cohort, the Birhan Cohort, this study aimed to estimate the coverage of ANC, minimizing assumptions and biases due to self-reported information and describing retention patterns in ANC in rural Amhara, Ethiopia. The study population were women enrolled and followed during pregnancy between December 2018 and April 2020.

Prevalence of molecular markers of resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine before and after community delivery of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-country evaluation.

Background: The effectiveness of community delivery of intermittent preventive treatment (C-IPT) of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine has been evaluated in selected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Nigeria. We aimed to assess the effect of C-IPTp on the potential development of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, since it could threaten the effectiveness of this strategy.

Methods: Health facility-based cross-sectional surveys were conducted at baseline and 3 years after C-IPTp implementation in two neighbouring areas per country, one with C-IPTp intervention, and one without, in the four project countries.

Cost-effectiveness of community-based distribution of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Introduction: Malaria in pregnancy is a major driver of maternal and infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO recommends the administration of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) at antenatal care (ANC) visits. Despite being a highly cost-effective strategy, IPTp-SP coverage and uptake remains low.

The economic costs of malaria in pregnancy: evidence from four sub-Saharan countries.

Background Malaria in pregnancy is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which imposes a significant economic burden. We provide evidence on the costs of malaria care in pregnancy to households and the health system in four high-burden countries in SSA.  Methods Household and health system economic costs associated with malaria control in pregnancy were estimated in selected areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar (MDG), Mozambique (MOZ) and Nigeria (NGA).

Development of risk prediction models for preterm delivery in a rural setting in Ethiopia.

Background: Preterm birth complications are the leading causes of death among children under five years. However, the inability to accurately identify pregnancies at high risk of preterm delivery is a key practical challenge, especially in resource-constrained settings with limited availability of biomarkers assessment.

Methods: We evaluated whether risk of preterm delivery can be predicted using available data from a pregnancy and birth cohort in Amhara region, Ethiopia.

The impact of community delivery of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy on its coverage in four sub-Saharan African countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Nigeria): a quasi-experimental multicentre evaluation.

Background: Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is recommended at each antenatal care clinic visit in high-moderate transmission areas. However, its coverage remains unacceptably low in many countries. Community health workers can effectively deliver malaria preventive interventions.

Folic acid supplementation and malaria susceptibility and severity among people taking antifolate antimalarial drugs in endemic areas.

Background: Description of the condition Malaria, an infectious disease transmitted by the bite of female mosquitoes from several Anopheles species, occurs in 87 countries with ongoing transmission (WHO 2020). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that, in 2019, approximately 229 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide, with 94% occurring in the WHO's African region (WHO 2020). Of these malaria cases, an estimated 409,000 deaths occurred globally, with 67% occurring in children under five years of age (WHO 2020).

Burden of malaria in pregnancy among adolescent girls compared to adult women in 5 sub-Saharan African countries: A secondary individual participant data meta-analysis of 2 clinical trials.

Background: Malaria is among the top causes of death in adolescent girls (10 to 19 years) globally. Adolescent motherhood is associated with increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. The interaction of malaria, adolescence, and pregnancy is especially relevant in malaria endemic areas, where rates of adolescent pregnancy are high.

Drugs for Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy: Current Knowledge and Way Forward.

Malaria infection during pregnancy is an important driver of maternal and neonatal health in endemic countries. Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is recommended for malaria prevention at each scheduled antenatal care visit, starting at the second trimester, in areas of high and moderate transmission. However, the increased resistance to SP in some endemic areas challenges its effectiveness.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in HIV-infected pregnant women: protocol of a multicentre, two-arm, randomised, placebo-controlled, superiority clinical trial (MAMAH project).

Introduction: Malaria infection during pregnancy is an important driver of maternal and neonatal health especially among HIV-infected women. Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine is recommended for malaria prevention in HIV-uninfected women, but it is contraindicated in those HIV-infected on cotrimoxazole prophylaxis (CTXp) due to potential adverse effects. Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ) has been shown to improve antimalarial protection, constituting a promising IPTp candidate.

Acceptability of Clinical Trials on COVID-19 during Pregnancy among Pregnant Women and Healthcare Providers: A Qualitative Study.

Participation of pregnant women in clinical trials entails challenges mainly related to concerns about the risks for fetuses. We undertook a qualitative study from June to October 2020 to assess the acceptability of participating in COVID-19 clinical trials among pregnant women in Spain. Phenomenology and grounded theory were used as methodological approaches.

Adolescent, Pregnant, and HIV-Infected: Risk of Adverse Pregnancy and Perinatal Outcomes in Young Women from Southern Mozambique.

Sub-Saharan Africa concentrates the burden of HIV and the highest adolescent fertility rates. However, there is limited information about the impact of the interaction between adolescence and HIV infection on maternal health in the region. Data collected prospectively from three clinical trials conducted between 2003 and 2014 were analysed to evaluate the association between age, HIV infection, and their interaction, with the risk of maternal morbidity and adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes in women from southern Mozambique.

Community delivery of malaria intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy: protocol of a quasi-experimental evaluation through multistage cluster sampling household surveys in four sub-Saharan African countries.

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), millions of pregnant women are exposed to malaria infection. The cornerstone of the WHO strategy to prevent malaria in pregnancy in moderate to high-transmission areas is the administration of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine at each scheduled antenatal care (ANC) visit. However, overall coverage remains low.

Coverage of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in four sub-Saharan countries: findings from household surveys.

Background: Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is a key malaria prevention strategy in areas with moderate to high transmission. As part of the TIPTOP (Transforming IPT for Optimal Pregnancy) project, baseline information about IPTp coverage was collected in eight districts from four sub-Saharan countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar, Mozambique and Nigeria.

Methods: Cross-sectional household surveys were conducted using a multistage cluster sampling design to estimate the coverage of IPTp and antenatal care attendance.

Systematic review of artemisinin embryotoxicity in animals: Implications for malaria control in human pregnancy.

Pregnant women are one of the most susceptible and vulnerable groups to malaria, the most important parasitic disease worldwide. Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are recommended for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in all population groups including pregnant women. However, due to the embryotoxicity observed in animal studies, ACTs have long been contraindicated during the first trimester in pregnant women.

Hydroxychloroquine efficacy and safety in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease severity during pregnancy (COVID-Preg): a structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised placebo controlled trial.

Objectives: The primary objectives of the study are: 1. To assess the effect of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in reducing SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding by PCR in infected pregnant women with mild symptoms. 2.