Is selective prenatal iron prophylaxis better than routine prophylaxis: final results of a trial (PROFEG) in Maputo, Mozambique.

Objective: To compare routine versus selective (ie, screening and treatment for anaemia) prenatal iron prophylaxis in a malaria-endemic and HIV-prevalent setting, an extended analysis including previously missing data.

Design: A pragmatic randomised controlled clinical trial.

Setting: 2 health centres in Maputo, Mozambique.

Decisions by Finnish Medical Research Ethics Committees: A Nationwide Study of Process and Outcomes.

Review by research ethics committees (RECs) is the key in medical research regulation. Data from meeting notes and project summaries were abstracted from all projects submitted in 2002 (n = 1,004) and 2007 (n = 1,045) to the official medical RECs in Finland. Data from consecutive submissions were combined per project.

How do prostitution customers value health and position health in their discussions? Qualitative analysis of online forums.

Aim: Information on the health values and positioning of health among prostitution customers is limited. The aim is to explore the positioning of health among prostitution customers using data from Internet forums in Finland.

Methods: Qualitative study using a purposive sample of public online forums among prostitution customers in 2002-2012.

Adherence in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial on prophylactic iron supplementation during pregnancy in Maputo, Mozambique.

Objective: Assessing the level of adherence and its determinants is important in appraising the overall effectiveness of trials. The present study aimed to evaluate the extent of adherence and its determinants in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of Fe prophylaxis during pregnancy in Maputo, Mozambique.

Design: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

Socioeconomic differences in self-rated health among women: a comparison of St. Petersburg to Estonia and Finland.

Introduction: Social determinants of health have not been intensively studied in Russia, even though the health divide has been clearly demonstrated by an increased mortality rate among those with low education. A comparative analysis of social health determinants in countries with different historical and economic backgrounds may provide useful evidence for addressing health inequalities. We aimed to assess socioeconomic determinants of self-rated health in St.

Sociodemographic characteristics and attitudes of men buying sex in Finland.

Aim: To study the sociodemographic characteristics and attitudes associated with buying sex among Finnish men residing in different areas of Finland.

Methods: A population-based questionnaire survey among 18-74-year-old Finns in 1999 with a response rate among men of 38%. The data on 575 men were analysed with descriptive statistics and logistic regression.

Clinical research in Finland in 2002 and 2007: quantity and type.

Background: Regardless of worries over clinical research and various initiatives to overcome problems, few quantitative data on the numbers and type of clinical research exist. This article aims to describe the volume and type of clinical research in 2002 and 2007 in Finland.

Methods: The research law in Finland requires all medical research to be submitted to regional ethics committees (RECs).

Comparison of routine prenatal iron prophylaxis and screening and treatment for anaemia: pregnancy results and preliminary birth results from a pragmatic randomised controlled trial (PROFEG) in Maputo, Mozambique.

Objective: To present the pregnancy results and interim birth results of a pragmatic randomised controlled trial comparing routine iron prophylaxis with screening and treatment for anaemia during pregnancy in a setting of endemic malaria and HIV.

Design: A pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Two health centres (1° de Maio and Machava) in Maputo, Mozambique, a setting of endemic malaria and high prevalence of HIV.

Variability of bothersome menopausal symptoms over time--a longitudinal analysis using the Estonian postmenopausal hormone therapy trial (EPHT).

Background: Very little data are available on the natural course or level of disturbance of vasomotor symptoms among middle-aged women. Using readily collected trial data we studied the persistence of vasomotor symptoms among untreated women.

Methods: In a trial comparing combined hormone therapy to placebo or no treatment (control groups), a cohort of women aged 50-59 at recruitment were followed annually by questionnaires.

A pragmatic randomised controlled trial on routine iron prophylaxis during pregnancy in Maputo, Mozambique (PROFEG): rationale, design, and success.

The effects of prophylactic iron during pregnancy on maternal and child health in developing settings with endemic malaria and high prevalence of HIV remain unclear. This paper describes the rationale, implementation and success of a pragmatic randomised controlled trial comparing routine iron supplementation vs. screening and treatment for anaemia during pregnancy.

Impact of financial and educational interventions on maternity care: results of cluster randomized trials in rural China, CHIMACA.

To report on the design and basic outcomes of three interventions aimed at improving the use and quality of maternity care in rural China: financial interventions, training in clinical skills, and training in health education. Community-based cluster randomized trials were carried out in one central and two western provinces between 2007 and 2009: (1) financial interventions covered part of women's costs for prenatal and postnatal care, (2) training of midwives in clinical skills was given by local maternity care experts in two- or three-group training courses, (3) health education training for midwives and village doctors were given by local experts in health education in two- or three-group training courses. A survey was conducted in a stratified random sample of women who had been pregnant in the study period.

Unauthorised pregnancies and use of maternity care in rural China.

Objectives: To describe the use of maternity care in rural China by the legal status of the pregnancy.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey wherein information was obtained about 2576 women who gave birth in 2006. Logistic regression was used to compare women having an unauthorised pregnancy with those having an authorised second birth, adjusting for confounding factors.

Is HIV testing normal or special? Opinions of health professionals in four European countries in 2008.

The special norms in testing for HIV infection are not typical of testing or screening for other diseases. In four European countries, we studied health professionals' views on HIV testing This study is based on cross-sectional surveys of two groups of health professionals: presidents of selected health professional societies and head physicians and nurses of selected hospital clinics in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, and Portugal in 2008. A common structured semi-anonymous questionnaire was used in the four countries.

The determinants of sexually transmitted infections among reproductive age women in St. Petersburg, Estonia and Finland.

Objectives: Sexually transmitted infections' (STIs) rate vary in St. Petersburg, Estonia and Finland; the aim was to compare the determinants of self-reported sexually transmitted infections in these areas.

Methods: Data from four population-based questionnaire surveys were used (Finland in 1992 and 1999; St.

Risk factors for induced abortions in St Petersburg, Estonia and Finland. Results from surveys among women of reproductive age.

Objectives: To compare the risk factors of self-reported abortion in St Petersburg, Estonia and Finland, which are neighbouring areas having different abortion rates.

Methods: Data from four population-based questionnaire surveys (Finland 1992 and 1999; St Petersburg 2003; Estonia 2004) were used. With the exception of the 1992 Finnish survey (based on interviews) all were postal surveys.

Contraceptive use and abortion among women of reproductive age in st. Petersburg, Russia.

Context: Although the characteristics associated with contraceptive use among Russian women have been studied, no large-scale research has been conducted on women's use of different contraceptive methods and abortion.

Methods: A random sample of 1,147 women aged 18-44 completed questionnaires at local women's clinics in St. Petersburg in 2003-2004.