Pregnancy after kidney and liver transplantation.

Pregnancy in kidney and liver transplant recipients presents unique challenges and risks for both maternal and fetal health. This article examines the management of pregnancy in kidney and liver transplant recipients, focusing on pre-pregnancy counselling, trimester-specific care, the teratogenic effects of immunosuppressive drugs, and the role of the multidisciplinary team. While South African (SA) data on this topic are limited, the Transplant Pregnancy Registry International has provided valuable insights.

Patterns of antibiotic use, pathogens, and prediction of mortality in hospitalized neonates and young infants with sepsis: A global neonatal sepsis observational cohort study (NeoOBS).

Background: There is limited data on antibiotic treatment in hospitalized neonates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to describe patterns of antibiotic use, pathogens, and clinical outcomes, and to develop a severity score predicting mortality in neonatal sepsis to inform future clinical trial design.

Methods And Findings: Hospitalized infants <60 days with clinical sepsis were enrolled during 2018 to 2020 by 19 sites in 11 countries (mainly Asia and Africa).

Myositis ossificans in a child athlete: a case study.

Background: A 13-year-old female athlete presented with a painful lesion in her right buttock for which she had been receiving physiotherapy. It was keeping her from participating in sports.

Aim: To report on a case of traumatic myositis ossificans in a child athlete - including the presentation, investigations, management, and outcome.

A Review of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Pregnancy.

Pregnancy is an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with increased rates of operative delivery, intensive care unit admission, and mechanical ventilation as well as a possible increased risk of death, independent of other risk factors, compared with nonpregnant women with COVID-19. Furthermore, pregnancy outcomes are worse in those with COVID-19 with increased risk for preeclampsia, venous thromboembolism, preterm birth, miscarriage, and stillbirth compared with pregnant women without COVID-19. Importantly, pregnant women of nonwhite ethnicity appear to be at greater risk of severe COVID-19, necessitating improved access to care and closer monitoring in these women.

Association between regular physical activity and the protective effect of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in a South African case-control study.

Background: Both vaccination and physical activity have been shown to independently decrease the likelihood of severe COVID-19 infection.

Objective: To assess the association between regular physical activity and vaccination against COVID-19 among healthcare workers.

Methods: A test negative case-control study design was used to estimate the risk of having an associated COVID-19-related hospital admission, among individuals who were unvaccinated compared with those who were fully vaccinated with Ad26.

Factors influencing survival and short-term outcomes of very low birth weight infants in a tertiary hospital in Johannesburg.

Background: The neonatal mortality rate in South Africa is lower than the global average, but still approximately five times higher than some European and Scandinavian countries. Prematurity, and its complications, is the main cause (35%) of neonatal deaths.

Objective: To review the maternal, delivery period and infant characteristics in relation to mortality in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH).

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Extremely Low Birth Weight Survivors in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Background: Improved survival in extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI) in Sub-Saharan Africa has raised the question whether these survivors have an increased chance of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Objectives: To describe neurodevelopmental outcomes of ELBWI in a neonatal unit in South Africa.

Methods: This was a prospective follow-up study.

Small steps, strong shield: directly measured, moderate physical activity in 65 361 adults is associated with significant protective effects from severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Objective: To determine the association between directly measured physical activity and hospitalisation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ventilation and mortality rates in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.

Methods: Directly measured physical activity data from 65 361 adult patients with a COVID-19 diagnosis from 19 March 2020 to 30 June 2021, were grouped by activity level: low (<60 min/week), moderate (60-149 min/week) and high activity (≥150 min/week). The association of physical activity levels and the risk of adverse outcomes was analysed using modified Poisson regression.

The effects of exposure to HIV in neonates at a referral hospital in South Africa.

Background: Fewer infants are infected with HIV through mother-to-child transmission, making HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) infants a growing population. HIV-exposure seems to affect immunology, early growth and development, and is associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates. Currently, there is a lack of information regarding the clinical effects of HIV-exposure during the neonatal period.

Global research priorities for COVID-19 in maternal, reproductive and child health: Results of an international survey.

Background: The World Health Organization's "Coordinated Global Research Roadmap: 2019 Novel Coronavirus" outlined the need for research that focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and children. More than one year after the first reported case significant knowledge gaps remain, highlighting the need for a coordinated approach. To address this need, the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Working Group (MNCH WG) of the COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition conducted an international survey to identify global research priorities for COVID-19 in maternal, reproductive and child health.

Considerations for COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy.

Pregnant women are at greater risk of severe COVID-19 than non-pregnant women. Despite limited safety data on use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy, many international societies have recommended their use when pregnant women are at particularly high risk of acquiring COVID-19, or have suggested that vaccines should not be withheld from pregnant women where no other contraindications to COVID-19 vaccination exist. A number of vaccines, including those against influenza, tetanus and pertussis, have been shown to reduce both maternal and infant morbidity and mortality when used antenatally.

Medical care and first aid: an interassociation consensus framework for organised non-elite sport during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cessation of amateur and recreational sport has had significant implications globally, impacting economic, social and health facets of population well-being. As a result, there is pressure to resume sport at all levels. The ongoing prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and subsequent 'second waves' require urgent best practice guidelines to be developed to return recreational (non-elite) sports as quickly as possible while prioritising the well-being of the participants and support staff.

Recommendations for the return of spectators to sport stadiums: A South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) position statement - Part 4.

All sports were discontinued in 2020 with the arrival of COVID-19. Since then most have been reinstated, albeit without spectators. However, several countries have put together a number of different risk-mitigating strategies to allow spectators back into stadiums.

Recommendations for athletes and COVID-19 vaccinations: A South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) position statement - Part 3.

The COVID-19 pandemic initially led to the shutdown of all sport at a high cost to both the economy and athlete health. As risk-mitigating protocols evolved and were implemented, the playing of sport returned slowly to normal. The introduction of COVID-19 vaccinations enhances the means of protection and risk management for all.

An analysis of neonates with surgical diagnoses admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, South Africa.

Background: The burden of neonatal surgical conditions is not well documented in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs). These conditions are thought to be relatively common, with a considerable proportion of neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) requiring surgical intervention.

Objectives: To review neonates with surgical conditions admitted to the NICU in our hospital setting.

'Make exercise the elixir across an economic divide': A message to COVID-19 decision makers.

South Africa, like other countries around the world, has used a lockdown strategy to address the initial phases of the COVID-19 epidemic. The significant restrictions on population movement have included initially limiting exercise to the home. There is substantial evidence for the many benefits of exercise.