Non-Life Threatening Maternal Morbidity: Cross Sectional Surveys from Malawi and Pakistan.

Background: For more accurate estimation of the global burden of pregnancy associated disease, clarity is needed on definition and assessment of non-severe maternal morbidity. Our study aimed to define maternal morbidity with clear criteria for identification at primary care level and estimate the distribution of and evaluate associations between physical (infective and non-infective) and psychological morbidities in two different low-income countries.

Methods: Cross sectional study with assessment of morbidity in early pregnancy (34%), late pregnancy (35%) and the postnatal period (31%) among 3459 women from two rural communities in Pakistan (1727) and Malawi (1732).

Improving care for patients on antiretroviral therapy through a gap analysis framework.

Objective: To improve quality of care through decreasing existing gaps in the areas of coverage, retention, and wellness of patients receiving HIV care and treatment.

Design: The antiretroviral therapy (ART) Framework utilizes improvement methods and the Chronic Care Model to address the coverage, retention, and wellness gaps in HIV care and treatment. This is a time-series study.

Factors associated with preterm, early preterm and late preterm birth in Malawi.

Background: Assessment of risk factors for preterm birth in a population with high incidence of preterm birth and HIV infection.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data for 2,149 women included in a community based randomized placebo controlled trial for the prevention of preterm birth (APPLe trial (ISRCTN84023116) with gestational age at birth determined through ultrasound measurement in early pregnancy. Multivariate Logistic Regression analyses to obtain models for three outcome variables: all preterm, early preterm, and late preterm birth.

Introducing new technology safely.

Aim: This report considers the introduction of new technology and the implications for patient safety.

Methods And Discussion: A distinction is made between 'conceptually' new and 'contextually' new technology. The life cycle of technology from development to routine use is discussed and the key role for regulation, health technology assessment, clinical engineering and surveillance in this life cycle considered.

Influence of context on the production of complex sentences by typically developing children.

Purpose: This study was designed to identify types of complex-sentence meanings (i.e., content) produced in selected elicitation contexts by typically developing children within 3 different age groups.

Determinants of salt sensitivity in black and white normotensive and hypertensive women.

Salt sensitivity (SS) has been linked to human hypertension. We examined ethnic differences in the relation between SS; erythrocyte sodium (Na+i), calcium (Ca2+i), potassium (K+i), and magnesium (Mg2+i); and sodium pump activity in African-American (AA) and white women. In a crossover protocol, similar numbers of normotensive, hypertensive, AA, and white women were randomized to 7 days of a 20 meq/d and a >200 meq/d salt diet (n=199).