Therapeutic Plasma Exchange for Fibrinogen-Associated Hyperviscosity: Results of the COPLEX Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is the primary intervention for treating symptomatic hyperviscosity from hypergammaglobulinemia, yet its efficacy for treating hyperviscosity related to hyperfibrinogenemia is unclear.

Objective: Define the safety and efficacy of TPE for critically ill COVID-19 patients with elevated blood viscosity from hyperfibrinogenemia.

Method: A prospective, randomized controlled trial in critically ill COVID-19 patients at a single US healthcare system.

Parent-reported offering of allergen foods to infants during complementary feeding: An observational study of New Zealand infants.

The prevalence of food allergies in New Zealand infants is uncertain but is believed to be similar to Australia, exceeding 10%. Current recommendations for reducing food allergy risk are to offer all major food allergens to infants from as early as six months of age (start of complementary feeding), and before 12 months of age. However, little is known regarding parental practices around introducing major food allergens.

Household food insecurity and novel complementary feeding methods in New Zealand families.

Optimal nutrition during infancy is critical given its influence on lifelong health and wellbeing. Two novel methods of infant complementary feeding, commercial baby food pouch use and baby-led weaning (BLW), are becoming increasingly popular worldwide. Household food insecurity may influence complementary feeding practices adopted by families, but no studies have investigated the use of BLW and baby food pouches in families experiencing food insecurity.

Voices that matter: A community-driven intervention framework for Black women who have experienced traumatic loss.

Although Black women face disproportionately high rates of gun violence and incarceration loss, there is a scarcity of culturally relevant interventions for this population. The aims of this study were to (a) examine the need for a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and evidence-based grief intervention and to (b) identify key program components and considerations. Using a community-based participatory research framework, co-collaborators interviewed and surveyed 13 Black women who experienced gun violence and/or incarceration loss.

Equations to estimate human milk intake in infants aged 7 to 10 months: prediction models from a cross-sectional study.

Background: Obtaining valid estimates of nutrient intake in infants is currently limited by the difficulties of accurately measuring human milk intake. Current methods are either unsuitable for large-scale studies (i.e.

Baby Food Pouches, Baby-Led Weaning, and Iron Status in New Zealand Infants: An Observational Study.

Iron deficiency in infants can impact development, and there are concerns that the use of baby food pouches and baby-led weaning may impair iron status. First Foods New Zealand (FFNZ) was an observational study of 625 New Zealand infants aged 6.9 to 10.

Baby food pouches and Baby-Led Weaning: Associations with energy intake, eating behaviour and infant weight status.

Although concern is frequently expressed regarding the potential impact of baby food pouch use and Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) on infant health, research is scarce. Data on pouch use, BLW, energy intake, eating behaviour and body mass index (BMI) were obtained for 625 infants aged 7-10 months in the First Foods New Zealand study. Frequent pouch use was defined as ≥5 times/week during the past month.

Adherence to Infant Feeding Guidelines in the First Foods New Zealand Study.

Infant feeding guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations to support optimal infant health, growth, and development, and exploring adherence to guidelines is a useful way of assessing diet quality. The aim of this study was to determine adherence to the recently updated Ministry of Health "Healthy Eating Guidelines for New Zealand Babies and Toddlers (0-2 years old)". Data were obtained from First Foods New Zealand, a multicentre observational study of 625 infants aged 7.

Prevalence of low and high BMI during the first 3 years of life: using New Zealand national electronic health data.

Background: Data on body mass index (BMI) in infants and toddlers worldwide are lacking, relative to older age groups.

Objectives: To describe the growth (weight, length/height, head circumference, and BMI z-score) of New Zealand children under the age of 3 years, and examine differences by sociodemographic characteristics (sex, ethnicity, and deprivation).

Methods: Electronic health data were collected by Whānau Āwhina Plunket, who provide free 'Well Child' services for approximately 85% of newborn babies in New Zealand.

The care of infants with rapid weight gain: Should we be doing more?

Rapid weight gain (RWG) during infancy is a known risk factor for later childhood obesity. It can be measured using a range of definitions across various time periods in the first 2 years of life. In recent years, some early childhood obesity prevention trials have included a focus on preventing RWG during infancy, with modest success.

Selenium intakes and plasma selenium of New Zealand toddlers: secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.

Little is known about Se intakes and status in very young New Zealand children. However, Se intakes below recommendations and lower Se status compared with international studies have been reported in New Zealand (particularly South Island) adults. The Baby-Led Introduction to SolidS (BLISS) randomised controlled trial compared a modified version of baby-led weaning (infants feed themselves rather than being spoon-fed), with traditional spoon-feeding (Control).

Old Dog, New Trick: Efficacy of Self-Directed Procedural Training for Attending Critical Care Physicians.

Background: In teaching hospitals, the majority of central venous lines (CVL) are placed by trainees, resulting in little opportunity for attending critical care physicians to maintain this procedural skill. Additionally, not all attending critical care physicians have been trained in the most up-to-date method of dynamic ultrasound (US) guided CVL placement. Furthermore, there is no standardized method to assess procedural competency of attending critical care physicians or to train them in the evolving practice of CVL placement.

Further reductions in the prevalence of obesity in 4-year-old New Zealand children from 2017 to 2019.

Objective: To examine whether the prevalence of age- and sex-adjusted BMI at, or above, the 85th, 95th and 99.7th percentiles continues to decline in New Zealand preschool children, over time.

Methods: As part of a national screening programme, 438,972 New Zealand 4-year-old children had their height and weight measured between 2011 and 2019.

Longitudinal trends using a point-of-care gelatin-based model for ultrasound-guided central venous catheter insertion.

Ultrasound (US)-guided central venous catheter (CVC) insertion is a procedure that carries the risk of significant complications. Simulation provides a safe learning atmosphere, but most CVC simulators are not available outside of simulation centers. To explore longitudinal trends in US-guided CVC insertion competency in internal medicine (IM) interns, we studied the use of a low-fidelity, gelatin-based, US-guided CVC insertion simulation model combined with a simulation curriculum.

Nutritional Implications of Baby-Led Weaning and Baby Food Pouches as Novel Methods of Infant Feeding: Protocol for an Observational Study.

Background: The complementary feeding period is a time of unparalleled dietary change for every human, during which the diet changes from one that is 100% milk to one that resembles the usual diet of the wider family in less than a year. Despite this major dietary shift, we know relatively little about food and nutrient intake in infants worldwide and virtually nothing about the impact of baby food "pouches" and "baby-led weaning" (BLW), which are infant feeding approaches that are becoming increasingly popular. Pouches are squeezable containers with a plastic spout that have great appeal for parents, as evidenced by their extraordinary market share worldwide.

Presence of Spontaneous Echo Contrast on Point-of-Care Vascular Ultrasound and the Development of Major Clotting Events in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients.

Unlabelled: The presence of spontaneous echo contrast on ultrasonography is a predisposition to increased thromboembolic risk. The purpose of this study was to assess for the prevalence and consequences of spontaneous echo contrast on point-of-care vascular ultrasound in coronavirus disease 2019.

Design Setting And Patients: This was a retrospective cohort study of 39 adult patients admitted to the ICU with a confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 diagnosis at a large tertiary-care academic medical center.

Modeling thiamine fortification: a case study from Kuria atoll, Republic of Kiribati.

In 2014, there was an outbreak of beriberi on Kuria, a remote atoll in Kiribati, a small Pacific Island nation. A thiamine-poor diet consisting mainly of rice, sugar, and small amounts of fortified flour was likely to blame. We aimed to design a food fortification strategy to improve thiamine intakes in Kuria.

Experience With Cardiology-Oriented Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 is associated with high mortality rates and multiple organ damage. There is increasing evidence that these patients are at risk for various cardiovascular insults; however, there are currently no guidelines for the diagnosis and management of such cardiovascular complications in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. We share data and recommendations from a multidisciplinary team to highlight our institution's clinical experiences and guidelines for managing cardiovascular complications of coronavirus disease 2019.

Thrombolysis and use of argatroban for the treatment of massive pulmonary embolism following anticoagulation failure in a patient with COVID-19.

Purpose: Successful use of alteplase and argatroban to treat a patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated massive pulmonary embolism with cardiac arrest is reported.

Summary: This case report describes a 42-year-old male with COVID-19 who developed a massive pulmonary embolism resulting in cardiac arrest after suspected failure of low-molecular-weight heparin therapy for a deep venous thrombosis. Administration of two 50-mg doses of intravenous alteplase resulted in return of spontaneous circulation, and low-dose argatroban was used as follow-up anticoagulation therapy without complications.

Why BMI should still be on the table.

Childhood obesity is common in New Zealand with one in three 4-5 year-old children identified as overweight or obese in the before school check (B4SC) programme. Recently, the use of BMI for assessing childhood obesity in the B4SC programme has been questioned. This article provides evidence in support of the assessment of BMI during the B4SC, including specific key points: 1.

Micronutrient intakes of lactating mothers and their association with breast milk concentrations and micronutrient adequacy of exclusively breastfed Indonesian infants.

Background: Breast milk is the sole source of nutrition for exclusively breastfed infants in the first 6 mo of life, yet few studies have measured micronutrient concentrations in breast milk in light of maternal diet and subsequent infant micronutrient intakes.

Objectives: We evaluated the adequacy of micronutrient intakes of exclusively breastfed Indonesian infants by measuring milk volume and micronutrient concentrations and assessed maternal micronutrient intakes and their relationship with milk concentrations.

Methods: Mother-infant (2-5.

Development of a nutrient quality score for the complementary diets of Indonesian infants and relationships with linear growth and stunting: a longitudinal analysis.

Reducing multifactorial stunting is a priority for the 2025 WHO Global Nutrition Target. In the plant-based complementary diets of low-income countries, deficits in several growth-limiting micronutrients may contribute to stunting. Hence the intercorrelation between multiple micronutrients in terms of their intake and impact is important.

Micronutrient status differs among Maasai and Kamba preschoolers in a supplementary feeding programme in Kenya.

Since 2001, ChildFund Kenya has supplied micronutrient fortified school meals to preschoolers from two tribes (Kamba and Maasai) attending early childhood development (ECD) centres in Emali, S.E. Kenya.