Associations between iron status and psychosocial wellbeing among pregnant women in Cape Coast, Ghana: a longitudinal study.

Objective: To determine the associations among iron status, depressive/anxiety symptoms, and quality of life (QoL) throughout pregnancy.

Design: This longitudinal study recruited participants in their 1 trimester (< 13 weeks; n=116) and followed in their 2 (n=71) and 3 (n=71) trimesters. Sociodemographic, food security, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and QoL questions were collected.

Iron status and anemia in a representative sample of US pregnant women is not associated with pre-pregnancy BMI: Results from the NHANES (1999-2010) study.

Iron deficiency in pregnancy is related to many poor health outcomes, including anemia and low birth weight. A small number of previous studies have identified maternal body mass index (BMI) as a potential risk factor for poor iron status. Our objective was to examine the association between pre-pregnancy BMI, iron status, and anemia in a nationally representative sample of US adult women.

Sex hormone trajectories and association to outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: Outcomes and susceptibility to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are known to differ by sex, yet little is known about changes in sex hormones after OHCA. We sought to determine the trajectory of sex hormones after OHCA and their association to survival and neurological outcome.

Methods: Plasma samples were collected from those that survived to hospital admission at four time points (1, 6, 24, and 48 h) and estrone, estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone concentrations were quantified via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Association of substance use with outcomes in mildly ill COVID-19 outpatients.

Background: Smoking, alcohol use, and non-prescription drug use are associated with worsened COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalized patients. Whether there is an association between substance use and outcomes in patients with COVID-19 who visited the Emergency Department (ED) but did not require hospitalization has not been well established. We investigated whether smoking, alcohol, and non-prescription drug use were associated with worsened COVID-19 outcomes among such patients presenting to the ED.

Work-Life Balance and Academic Productivity Among College of Medicine Faculty During the Evolution of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The New Normal.

Background: Work and home stress, productivity, and self-care of academic medicine faculty in Spring 2021 was contrasted to faculty's experience in the Spring of 2020, both of which were relatively compared with the prepandemic period.

Methods: A 93-question survey was sent to academic medicine faculty at an urban public university medical center in March 2020 and again in March 2021. Demographic, family, and academic characteristics, work distribution and productivity before and during the pandemic, perceived stress related to work and home activities, and self-care data compared with the prepandemic period were collected.

Observational study of organisational responses of 17 US hospitals over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has required significant modifications of hospital care. The objective of this study was to examine the operational approaches taken by US hospitals over time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design, Setting And Participants: This was a prospective observational study of 17 geographically diverse US hospitals from February 2020 to February 2021.

Medical complications of obesity: heightened importance in a COVID era.

Background: Obesity is a major public health problem associated with significant medical complications.

Main Body: This review examines 8 primary diseases: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dementia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, dyslipidemia, cancer, and their manifestations in obese patients. A total of 39 articles were used for this review.

High levels of depressive symptoms and low quality of life are reported during pregnancy in Cape Coast, Ghana; a longitudinal study.

Background: Significant rates of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and low quality of life (QoL) have been found among pregnant women in developed countries. These psychosocial disturbances have not been adequately assessed during pregnancy in many developing countries.

Methods: Women were recruited in their first trimester of pregnancy (< 13 weeks; n = 116) and followed through to their 2 (n = 71) and 3 (n = 71) trimesters.

Challenges with text-based messaging platform to perform social needs assessments of patients presenting with COVID-19-like illness at an urban academic emergency department.

Objectives: To evaluate the challenges encountered when using technology-based recruitment and electronic consenting to conduct social needs assessment of patients presenting with COVID-19-like illness at an urban academic emergency department.

Methods: COVID-19 Testing Registry (CTR) was established in the emergency department of UI Health in Chicago, Illinois. An online survey platform REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) was used, through which a standardized text message was sent to the mobile devices of eligible patients who tested positive for COVID-19.

Association of serum PUFA and linear growth over 12 months among 6-10 years old Ugandan children with or without HIV.

Objective: To quantify PUFA-associated improvement in linear growth among children aged 6-10 years.

Design: Serum fatty acids (FA), including essential FA (EFA) (linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA)) were quantified at baseline using GC-MS technology. FA totals by class (n-3, n-6, n-9, PUFA and SFA) and FA ratios were calculated.

Work-Life Balance and Productivity Among Academic Faculty During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Latent Class Analysis.

For faculty in academic health sciences, the balance between research, education, and patient care has been impeded by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to identify personal and professional characteristics of faculty to understand the impact of the pandemic on faculty and consequent policy implications. A 93-question survey was sent to faculty at a large urban public university and medical center.

Illinois Unidos: A Community Demands Equity, Justice, and Inclusion.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, neither government officials nor members of the news media fully grasped what was happening in the Latino community. Underreporting of COVID-19 cases led to a systematic neglect of the Latino population and resulted in disproportionately high rates of infection, hospitalization, and death. Illinois Unidos was formed to engage in community mobilization, health communication, advocacy, and policy work in response to inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19 in Latino communities in Illinois.

The prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency among pregnant Ghanaian women, a longitudinal study.

Background: Gestational iron deficiency (ID) can be deleterious to mother and fetus. However, iron status is not routinely measured during pregnancy in Ghana. Therefore, the scope of ID in this population is unknown.

Psychosocial Adjustment in Ugandan Children: Coping With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Exposure, Lifetime Adversity, and Importance of Social Support.

Cumulative lifetime adversity and social support were investigated as determinants of psychosocial adjustment (esteem, distress, hopefulness, positive outlook/future aspirations, and sense of purpose) over 12 months in 6-10-years-old HIV-infected, HIV-exposed uninfected and HIV-unexposed uninfected children from Uganda. Each determinant and psychosocial adjustment indicator was self-reported using standardized questionnaires administered at baseline, 6, and 12 months. Linear mixed effects models were used to relate time-varying lifetime adversity and social support to psychosocial adjustment over 12 months.

Food Insecurity and Micronutrient Status among Ghanaian Women Planning to Become Pregnant.

We examined the association between food insecurity (FIS) and micronutrient status among Ghanaian women planning to become pregnant. A cross-sectional analysis was completed of 95 women aged 18-35 years, living in the Upper Manya Krobo District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Questionnaires were administered to collect sociodemographic and food security data; weight and height were measured.

Concurrent Micronutrient Deficiencies Are Low and Micronutrient Status Is Not Related to Common Health Indicators in Ghanaian Women Expecting to Become Pregnant.

Background: Micronutrients are important for reproductive health and pregnancy, but the status of multiple vitamins and minerals is rarely measured in women before pregnancy.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the status and concurrent deficiencies of micronutrients among women before pregnancy and their relation with common health indicators.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that recruited women who expected to become pregnant within the next 6 mo in Asesewa, Ghana, a semi-urban community.