Breastfeeding and presence of the companion of woman's choice during COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: regional population-based routine data and best practices at birth.

Objectives: to describe the monthly trend of breastfeeding during hospitalization and the presence of companion of woman's choice during labour and birth, and the key regional responders' perspective of homogeneity/heterogeneity of the presence of the support person, before, during (February-May 2020), and after the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in a few Italian Regions.

Design: two-phase study.

Setting And Participants: data from the italian birth certificate of six Italian Regions between 01.

Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging as a Monitoring Tool for On-Demand Manufacturing of Inkjet-Printed Formulations.

This study evaluates the potential use of near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) for quantitative determination of the drug amount in inkjet-printed dosage forms. We chose metformin hydrochloride as a model active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and printed it onto gelatin films using a piezoelectric inkjet printing system. An industry-ready NIR-HSI sensor combined with a motorized movable linear stage was applied for spectral acquisition.

in pregnancy and the impact of recommendations on adherence to guidelines: an Italian area-based study.

Introduction: Streptococcus agalactiae, a species of β-haemolytic streptococcus belonging to Lancefield's group B (GBS), is known as a common infecting agent transmitted to infants during childbirth, causing sepsis, meningitis, or both, with a high incidence of mortality. Following the observation of a great variability between regional laboratories both in the methodology and in the results of tests for the detection of GBS in pregnancy, with high percentages of false negative results, in 2010 the Department for Health Policies of Piedmont, Italian region, issued specific recommendations for adhere to international guidelines. Our aim was to assess whether the impact of the publication of the recommendations has been lasting over time.

Feeding of particle-based materials in continuous solid dosage manufacturing: a material science perspective.

The pharmaceutical industry today is experiencing a paradigm shift from batch to continuous manufacturing, which promises greater flexibility to target diverse populations, as well as more-consistent product quality to ensure best efficacy. However, shifting to continuous processing means that even basic process steps, such as feeding, can become unexpected but are crucially important. In this review, we will present the fundamental differences between dispensing (batch) and feeding (continuous) and how they impact the formulation design space.

Selection bias and patterns of confounding in cohort studies: the case of the NINFEA web-based birth cohort.

Background: Several studies have examined the effects of sample selection on the exposure-outcome association estimates in cohort studies, but the reasons why this selection may induce bias have not been fully explored.

Aims: To investigate how sample selection of the web-based NINFEA birth cohort may change the confounding patterns present in the source population.

Methods: The characteristics of the NINFEA participants (n=1105) were compared with those of the wider source population-the Piedmont Birth Registry (PBR)-(n=36 092), and the association of two exposures (parity and educational level) with two outcomes (low birth weight and birth by caesarean section), while controlling for other risk factors, was studied.

[Periconceptional supplementation with folic acid for the primary prevention of congenital malformations].

Most international trials support the recommendation that all women planning or at risk of pregnancy take a daily multivitamin supplement containing folic acid, beginning one month before conception and continuing through the first trimester for primary prevention of neural tube defects and other congenital malformations. Recently an intervention project started also in Italy, in order to support and maintain the periconceptional supplementation and to evaluate the efficacy of a national preventive campaign on parents' behaviour.