Nodal Response and Survival After Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer: 20-Year Experience from a Single Institution.

Introduction: Axillary response to neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (HR+ BC) is not well-described. This study was designed to characterize nodal response after NET.

Methods: Patients receiving NET followed by curative intent surgery at a comprehensive cancer center from 1998 to 2022 in a prospectively collected registry were included.

The impact of a maternal mental health intervention on intimate partner violence in Northern Ghana and the mediating roles of social support and couple communication: secondary analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Backgrounds: Diverse intervention efforts are implemented to address intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. Via a syndemics theory lens and emerging empirical evidence, mental health interventions demonstrate promise to partially ameliorate IPV. However, the mechanisms of change underlying many IPV interventions are not well understood.

Correlates of early stimulation activities among mothers of children under age two in Siaya County, Kenya: Maternal mental health and other maternal, child, and household factors.

Rationale: The first two to three years of life are critical for early child development (ECD), which affects later life trajectories in health, development, and earning potential. Global calls for early stimulation activities to support optimal development among young children are increasing and there is a need to better understand the factors associated with maternal engagement in early stimulation activities, particularly maternal mental health.

Objective: This study examined important factors associated with early stimulation activities performed by mothers of children ages 0-2 in rural Kenya.

The Effects of Antenatal Depression and Women's Perception of Having Poor Health on Maternal Health Service Utilization in Northern Ghana.

Objectives: To examine the effects of antenatal depression and women's perceived health during the antenatal period on maternal health service utilization in rural northern Ghana; including how the effect of antenatal depression on service use might be modified by women's perceived health.

Methods: Probable antenatal depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Linear regression was used for the outcome of number of antenatal care (ANC) visits, and logistic regression was used for the outcomes of facility delivery, postnatal care (PNC) within 7 days and completion of continuum of care.

Effect of a lay counselor delivered integrated maternal mental health and early childhood development group-based intervention in Siaya County, Kenya: A quasi-experimental longitudinal study.

Background: Maternal mental health is linked to early childhood development; yet there is a gap in evidence-based interventions for low-resource settings. This study estimates the impact of 'Integrated Mothers and Babies Course and Early Childhood Development' (iMBC/ECD), a cognitive-behavioral, group-based intervention, on maternal depression and early childhood social-emotional development in Siaya County, Kenya.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study enrolled 417 pregnant women and mothers of children under age 2 across two sub-counties in Siaya County.

Effect of a lay counselor-delivered integrated maternal mental health and early childhood development group-based intervention in Northern Ghana: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Background: Caregiver mental health is linked to early childhood development, yet more robust evidence of community-based interventions to prevent maternal depression and optimize socio-emotional development of young children is needed. Objectives of this cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT), based in Northern Ghana, are to assess the impact of the lay counselor-delivered, group-based Integrated Mothers and Babies Course and Early Childhood Development (iMBC/ECD) program on (1) the mental health of mothers of children under age 2; and (2) the socio-emotional development of their children.

Methods: This cRCT randomized 32 women's groups - 16 received iMBC/ECD content (intervention) and 16 received general health education content (control).

Prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Per UNICEF's Nurturing Care Framework, early childhood development (ECD) begins during pregnancy and many lower-resource settings need data to inform their programs for optimal child development. The maternal-fetal relationship can be partly examined via a series of bonding activities called early stimulation behaviors (ESB). This study describes early stimulation behaviors and the associated correlates among pregnant women in Ghana.

Prevalence and Correlates of Depression Among Pregnant Women Enrolled in a Maternal and Newborn Health Program in Rural Northern Ghana: a Cross-sectional Survey.

Women in many sub-Saharan African countries are at elevated risk of depression during pregnancy. However, there are still gaps in the estimates of antenatal depression and associated risk factors in very low-resource settings such as Northern Ghana. This study describes the prevalence of depression among rural pregnant women, participating in a maternal and child health program, in Ghana, and examines associated risk factors for depression.

Nutritional status among young adolescents attending primary school in Tanzania: contributions of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) for adolescent assessment.

Background: Adolescence is a critical time of development and nutritional status in adolescence influences both current and future adult health outcomes. However, data on adolescent nutritional status is limited in low-resource settings. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) has the potential to offer a simple, low-resource alternative or supplement to body mass index (BMI) in assessing nutrition in adolescent populations.