Echogenic intracardiac foci detection and location in the second-trimester ultrasound and association with fetal outcomes: A systematic literature review.

Background: Echogenic Intracardiac Foci (EIF) are non-structural markers identified during the routine 18-20-week foetal anomaly ultrasound scan yet their clinical significance on future outcomes for the infant is unclear.

Objective: To examine the association between EIF and risk of preterm birth, chromosomal abnormalities, and cardiac abnormalities.

Design: A review across four databases to identify English language journal articles of EIF using a cohort study design.

Systematic review of survival following liver or lung metastasectomy for metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma.

Introduction: Metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) carries a poor prognosis and the evidence base for surgical resection of metastases remains limited. The aim of this study was to establish the survival outcomes for patients undergoing metastasectomy for anal SCC.

Methods: A systematic review was performed using the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane and PubMed databases.

A critical systematic review and meta-analyses of risk factors for fertility problems in a globalized world.

Globally, fertility awareness efforts include well-established risk factors for fertility problems. Risks disproportionately affecting women in the Global South, however, are neglected. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses of relevant risk factors to examine the association between risk factors and fertility problems.

Consensus building on definitions and types of child maltreatment to improve recording and surveillance in Europe: protocol for a multi-sectoral, European, electronic Delphi study.

Introduction: Child maltreatment (CM) is a complex global public health issue with potentially devastating effects on individuals' physical and mental health and well-being throughout the life course. A lack of uniform definitions hinders attempts to identify, measure, respond to, and prevent CM. The aim of this electronic Delphi (e-Delphi) study is to build consensus on definitions and types of CM for use in surveillance and multi-sectoral research in the 34 countries in the Euro-CAN (Multi-Sectoral Responses to Child Abuse and Neglect in Europe) project (COST Action CA19106).

Isolated choroid plexus cysts and health and developmental outcomes in childhood and adolescence - A systematic review.

Objectives: Choroid plexus cysts (CPCs) are incidental findings on ultrasound examination of the fetal brain. It is not known if isolated CPCs are associated with any adverse health or neurodevelopmental outcomes during the life course. This systematic review aimed to collate and synthesize the evidence on whether or not isolated choroid plexus cysts are associated with an increased risk of adverse health or developmental outcomes during childhood and adolescence.

Oral antibiotics and mechanical bowel preparation for colorectal surgery: A prospective observational study of surgical site infection and microbial analysis.

Purpose: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common in colorectal surgery. Mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) in conjunction with oral antibiotics (OABs) have been shown to reduce SSI rates. It however is still unclear which OABs to use, and how this can be implemented in practice.

Childhood Outcomes in Children with and without Cardiac Echogenic Foci: An Electronic Birth Cohort Study in Wales, UK.

There is uncertainty about outcomes associated with cardiac echogenic foci (CEF) seen at the midtrimester ultrasound scan because of limited population-based follow-up data. This can lead to unnecessary invasive testing and significant parental anxiety. We analysed data from a cohort study, The Welsh Study of Mothers and Babies, to examine whether children with CEF had more adverse outcomes during childhood compared with children without CEF.

What matters to families about the healthcare of preterm or low birth weight infants: A qualitative evidence synthesis.

Objective: We examined what matters to families about the healthcare provided to preterm or LBW infants in hospital and the community, to ensure that care meets the needs of infants and parents.

Methods: We searched databases to identify eligible studies examining the views and expectations of families. Study quality was assessed using the CASP checklist for qualitative studies.

Current issues and challenges in the definition and operationalization of child maltreatment: A scoping review.

Background: Studies show considerable variability in the definitions and operationalization of child maltreatment (CM), which limits research, policy formation, surveillance, and cross-country and cross-sector comparisons.

Objective: To review the recent literature (2011-2021) to understand current issues and challenges in defining CM, to assist in the planning, testing and implementing of CM conceptualizations.

Methods: We searched eight international databases.

Effect of early childhood development interventions delivered by healthcare providers to improve cognitive outcomes in children at 0-36 months: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To determine the effect of early childhood development interventions delivered by healthcare providers (HCP-ECD) on child cognition and maternal mental health.

Design: Systematic review, meta-analysis.

Setting: Healthcare setting or home.

Non-specific effects of BCG and DTP vaccination on infant mortality: An analysis of birth cohorts in Ghana and Tanzania.

Background: Vaccines may induce non-specific effects on survival and health outcomes, in addition to protection against targeted pathogens or disease. Observational evidence suggests that infant Baccillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination may provide non-specific survival benefits, while diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccination may increase the risk of mortality. Non-specific vaccine effects have been hypothesized to modify the effect of neonatal vitamin A supplementation (NVAS) on mortality.

Infection History and Current Coinfection With Schistosoma mansoni Decreases Plasmodium Species Intensities in Preschool Children in Uganda.

Malaria-schistosomiasis coinfections are common in sub-Saharan Africa but studies present equivocal results regarding the interspecific relationships between these parasites. Through mixed-model analyses of a dataset of Ugandan preschool children, we explore how current coinfection and prior infection with either Schistosoma mansoni or Plasmodium species alter subsequent Plasmodium intensity, Plasmodium risk, and S mansoni risk. Coinfection and prior infections with S mansoni were associated with reduced Plasmodium intensity, moderated by prior Plasmodium infections, wealth, and host age.

Implementing effective community-based surveillance in research studies of maternal, newborn and infant outcomes in low resource settings.

Background: Globally adopted health and development milestones have not only encouraged improvements in the health and wellbeing of women and infants worldwide, but also a better understanding of the epidemiology of key outcomes and the development of effective interventions in these vulnerable groups. Monitoring of maternal and child health outcomes for milestone tracking requires the collection of good quality data over the long term, which can be particularly challenging in poorly-resourced settings. Despite the wealth of general advice on conducting field trials, there is a lack of specific guidance on designing and implementing studies on mothers and infants.

Hospital admissions in infants with Down syndrome: a record-linked population-based cohort study in Wales.

Background: Despite recent advances, mortality in children with Down syndrome remains five times higher than in the general population. This study aims to describe the burden, patterns and causes of hospital admissions in infants with Down syndrome, and compare this with infants without Down syndrome in a population-based cohort.

Methods: This study used data from the Wales Electronic Cohort for Children, a cohort of all children born in Wales between 1990 and 2012.

Developing and evaluating a model of public involvement and engagement embedded in a national longitudinal study: HealthWise Wales.

Introduction: Worldwide large cohort studies have invested in community engagement to promote studies and aid recruitment. HealthWise Wales, a national population study, aims to create a register of 'research ready' participants and provide long-term follow up data on health behaviours, outcomes and wider social and environmental determinants. Public involvement and engagement was key to the development of HealthWise Wales.

An epidemiological investigation of COVID-19 outbreaks in a group of care homes in Wales, UK: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: This study describes the epidemiology of COVID-19 outbreaks in four care homes in terms of spread, severity, presentation and interventions.

Methods: Participants were 100 residents and 102 staff from four co-located care homes in Wales. Data were collected from the homes and Public Health Wales, including demographics, presentations, test status and results, hospital admissions and deaths.

Where have all the appendicectomies gone?

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic stimulated a national lockdown in the UK. The public were advised to avoid unnecessary hospital attendances and health professionals were advised to avoid aerosol-generating procedures wherever possible. The authors hypothesised that these measures would result in a reduction in the number of patients presenting to hospital with acute appendicitis and alter treatment choices.

Use of telehealth for facilitating the diagnostic assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A scoping review.

There is a significant delay between seeking help and a confirmed diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This delay can lead to poor outcomes for both the families and individuals. Telehealth potentially offers a way of improving the diagnostic pathway for ASD.

Brief evidence-based interventions for universal child health services: a restricted evidence assessment of the literature.

Background: Universal child health services (UCHS) provide an important pragmatic platform for the delivery of universal and targeted interventions to support families and optimize child health outcomes. We aimed to identify brief, evidence-based interventions for common health and developmental problems that could be potentially implemented in UCHS.

Methods: A restricted evidence assessment (REA) of electronic databases and grey literature was undertaken covering January 2006 to August 2019.

Cohort profile: HealthWise Wales. A research register and population health data platform with linkage to National Health Service data sets in Wales.

Purpose: Recruitment and follow-up in epidemiological studies are time-consuming and expensive. Combining online data collection with a register of individuals who agree to be contacted about research opportunities provides an efficient, cost-effective platform for population-based research. HealthWise Wales (HWW) aims to facilitate research by recruiting a cohort of individuals who have consented to be informed about research projects, advertising studies to participants, supporting data collection on specific topics and providing access to linked healthcare data for secondary analyses.

Testing the assumptions of an indicator of unmet need for obstetric surgery in Ghana: A cross-sectional study of linked hospital and population-based delivery data.

Background: The Unmet Obstetric Need (UON) indicator has been widely used to estimate unmet need for life-saving surgery at birth; however, its assumptions have not been verified. The objective of this study was to test two UON assumptions: (a) Absolute maternal indications (AMIs) require surgery for survival and (b) 1%-2% of deliveries develop AMIs, implying that rates of surgeries for AMIs below this threshold indicate excess mortality from these complications.

Methods: We used linked hospital and population-based data in central Ghana.

Mild-to-moderate renal pelvis dilatation identified during pregnancy and hospital admissions in childhood: An electronic birth cohort study in Wales, UK.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing contributor to the global burden of noncommunicable diseases. Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the severity of kidney damage and the need for dialysis or transplantation. It is not known whether mild-to-moderate renal pelvis dilatation (RPD) identified at 18-20 weeks gestation is an early indicator of renal pathology.

Does facility birth reduce maternal and perinatal mortality in Brong Ahafo, Ghana? A secondary analysis using data on 119 244 pregnancies from two cluster-randomised controlled trials.

Background: Maternal and perinatal mortality are still unacceptably high in many countries despite steep increases in facility birth. The evidence that childbirth in facilities reduces mortality is weak, mainly because of the scarcity of robust study designs and data. We aimed to assess this link by quantifying the influence of major determinants of facility birth (cluster-level facility birth, wealth, education, and distance to childbirth care) on several mortality outcomes, while also considering quality of care.