Birth rate decline in the later phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of policy interventions, vaccination programmes, and economic uncertainty.

Study Question: What are the factors influencing the decline in the birth rates observed in higher-income countries in the later phase of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Summary Answer: Our results suggest that economic uncertainty, non-pharmaceutical policy interventions, and the first wave of the population-wide vaccination campaign were associated with the decline in birth rates during 2022.

What Is Known Already: During the COVID-19 pandemic, birth rates in most higher-income countries first briefly declined and then shortly recovered, showing no common trends afterwards until early 2022, when they unexpectedly dropped.

Study Design Size Duration: This study uses population-wide data on monthly total fertility rates (TFRs) adjusted for seasonality and calendar effects provided in the Human Fertility Database (HFD).

Peripheral white blood cell patterns in children with hydrocephalus as a response to ventriculo-peritoneal shunt infection.

Shunt infection is one of the most common complications of conventional hydrocephalus treatment. The route of invasion of a pathogen can modify the immune response of the CNS. The aim of the study is to analyze the immune response to shunt infection caused by S.

Acute Effect of E-Cigarette Inhalation on Mucociliary Clearance in E-Cigarette Users.

Recent studies show e-cigarette (EC) users have increased rates of chronic bronchitic symptoms that may be associated with depressed mucociliary clearance (MCC). Little is known about the acute or chronic effects of EC inhalation on MCC. MCC was measured in young adult vapers ( = 5 males, mean age = 21) after controlled inhalation of a radiolabeled (Tc99m sulfur colloid) aerosol.