Experiences, acceptability and barriers to calcium supplementation during pregnancy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Calcium supplementation in pregnancy is recommended in contexts with low dietary calcium intake to reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia and its complications. The World Health Organisation suggested high-dose calcium supplementation (1500-2000 mg/day), divided into three doses and taken at different times from daily iron-folic supplements. We conducted a mixed methods evaluation study to assess experiences, acceptability and barriers to high-dose calcium supplementation from the perspectives of pregnant women and antenatal health care providers at two public health facilities in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Two Randomized Trials of Low-Dose Calcium Supplementation in Pregnancy.

Background: The World Health Organization recommends 1500 to 2000 mg of calcium daily as supplementation, divided into three doses, for pregnant persons in populations with low dietary calcium intake in order to reduce the risk of preeclampsia. The complexity of the dosing scheme, however, has led to implementation barriers.

Methods: We conducted two independent randomized trials of calcium supplementation, in India and Tanzania, to assess the noninferiority of a 500-mg daily dose to a 1500-mg daily dose of calcium supplementation.

Impact of azithromycin and nitazoxanide on the enteric infections and child growth: Findings from the Early Life Interventions for Childhood Growth and Development in Tanzania (ELICIT) trial.

Background: Early childhood enteric infection with Shigella/EIEC, enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), Campylobacter, and Giardia has been associated with reduced child growth, yet a recent randomized trial of antimicrobial therapy to reduce these infections did not improve growth outcomes. To interrogate this discrepancy, we measured the enteric infections from this study.

Mediastinoscopy as a diagnostic tool in a South African tertiary hospital.

Background: Mediastinoscopy is an effective and safe diagnostic tool for anterior mediastinal lesions. The study was done to assess the usefulness of mediastinoscopy as a diagnostic modality for mediastinal lesions.

Methods: A retrospective study of patients who had mediastinoscopy over 12 years at the Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town.

Non-inferiority of low-dose compared to standard high-dose calcium supplementation in pregnancy: study protocol for two randomized, parallel group, non-inferiority trials in India and Tanzania.

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are important causes of maternal morbidity and mortality, as well as preterm birth, the leading cause of death for children under 5 years globally. The World Health Organization currently recommends that pregnant women receive high-dose calcium supplementation (1500-2000 mg elemental calcium) for prevention of preeclampsia in populations with low dietary calcium intake. Trials of low-dose calcium supplementation (< 1000 mg elemental calcium/day) during pregnancy have also shown similar reductions in the risk of preeclampsia; however, no trials to date have directly compared low-dose to the standard high-dose calcium supplementation.