The mixed effects of a package of multilevel interventions on the health and care of pregnant women in Zinder, Niger.

Background: Anaemia is prevalent among pregnant women in rural Niger and antenatal care (ANC) attendance is suboptimal. We designed a programmatic intervention including community-based behaviour change communication, provision of essential drugs (including iron folic acid (IFA) supplements) and quality improvement activities at selected integrated health centres (IHCs).

Objective: To assess the impact of the programmatic intervention on: (1) utilisation of ANC, (2) adherence to daily IFA supplementation and (3) prevalence of adequate gestational weight gain (GWG) and anaemia among pregnant women in Zinder, Niger.

Baseline trachoma prevalence in Guinea: Results of national trachoma mapping in 31 health districts.

Background: Based on previous studies, historical records and risk factors, trachoma was suspected to be endemic in 31 health districts (HDs) in Guinea. To facilitate planning for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem, national trachoma surveys were conducted between 2011 and 2016 to determine the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) and trachomatous trichiasis (TT) in all 31 endemic HDs.

Methodology/principal Findings: A total of 27 cross-sectional surveys were conducted, each using two-stage cluster sampling (one survey in 2011 covered five HDs).

Using formative research to promote antenatal care attendance and iron folic acid supplementation in Zinder, Niger.

In Niger, use of antenatal care (ANC) and iron folic acid (IFA) supplements is suboptimal. The objectives of this paper are as follows: (a) to conduct formative research to understand barriers and beliefs among pregnant women related to ANC, IFA supplementation, and pregnancy outcomes; (b) assess the quality of currently provided ANC services; (c) use the findings to guide the development of programmatic interventions to improve coverage of ANC services and IFA supplementation of pregnant women. Structured in-home interviews (n = 72) and focus groups (n = 4) were conducted with pregnant women in 4 randomly selected villages in rural Zinder.

Urinary iodine concentration identifies pregnant women as iodine deficient yet school-aged children as iodine sufficient in rural Niger.

Objective: To assess iodine status among pregnant women in rural Zinder, Niger and to compare their status with the iodine status of school-aged children from the same households.

Design: Seventy-three villages in the catchment area of sixteen health centres were randomly selected to participate in the cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Salt iodization is mandatory in Niger, requiring 20-60 ppm iodine at the retail level.

Large scale production of vesicles by hollow fiber extrusion: a novel method for generating polymersome encapsulated hemoglobin dispersions.

Vesicles, which include both liposomes and polymersomes (polymer vesicles), are being developed as therapeutic drug carriers. In this study, we present a fully scalable low pressure extrusion methodology for preparing vesicles. Vesicles were generated by continuous extrusion through a 200 nm pore diameter hollow fiber (HF) membrane.