Assessment of the validity of the measurement of newborn and maternal health-care coverage in hospitals (EN-BIRTH): an observational study.

Background: Progress in reducing maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths is impeded by data gaps, especially regarding coverage and quality of care in hospitals. We aimed to assess the validity of indicators of maternal and newborn health-care coverage around the time of birth in survey data and routine facility register data.

Methods: Every Newborn-BIRTH Indicators Research Tracking in Hospitals was an observational study in five hospitals in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Tanzania.

Clinical Outcome in Pediatric Patients with Philadelphia Chromosome Positive ALL Treated with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Plus Chemotherapy-The Experience of a Polish Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Study Group.

The treatment of children with Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL Ph+) is currently unsuccessful. The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) combined with chemotherapy has modernized ALL Ph+ therapy and appears to improve clinical outcome. We report herein the toxicity events and results of children with ALL Ph+ treated according to the EsPhALL2010 protocol (the European intergroup study of post-induction treatment of Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL) in 15 hemato-oncological centers in Poland between the years 2012 and 2019.

Birthweight and gestational age-specific neonatal mortality rate in tertiary care facilities in Eastern Central Uganda.

Background: An estimated 2.8 million neonatal deaths occur each year globally, which accounts for at least 45% of deaths in children aged less than 5 years. Birthweight and gestational age-specific mortality estimates are limited in low-resource countries like Uganda.

Neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm babies during infancy in Eastern Uganda: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Complications due to prematurity are a threat to child survival and full developmental potential particularly in low-income settings.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the neurodevelopmental outcomes among preterm infants and identify any modifiable factors associated with neurodevelopmental disability (NDD).

Methods: We recruited 454 babies (242 preterms with birth weight <2.

Rambling-trembling analysis of postural control in children aged 3-6 years diagnosed with developmental delay during infancy.

Background: Preschool age is fundamental for the development of gross motor skills. Timely detection of postural stability deficits using objective methods would facilitate early implementation of therapeutic strategies.

Research Question: What are the age- and gender-related differences in postural control between preschool children diagnosed with developmental delay in their first year of life and children with typical development?

Methods: The study group consisted of 59 children diagnosed with developmental delay during infancy, who had received physiotherapy in the first year of their life for disorders of postural control and prone locomotion as well as abnormal distribution and magnitude of postural tone.

TLR4 inhibition ameliorates mesencephalic substantia nigra injury in neonatal rats exposed to lipopolysaccharide via regulation of neuro-immunity.

Dopaminergic neurons play a key role in motor function of the extrapyramidal system. Previous studies have shown that septic neonates may have cognitive dysfunction in later life. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a transmembrane protein which is widely distributed in nerve cells.

Developmental changes in ACLs and semitendinosus tendons dimensions according to age in children.

Purpose: Managing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in skeletally immature patients remains difficult. The main aim of this study was to retrospectively compile normative data on the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the semitendinosus tendon (ST) and the diameter of the ACL in children and young adults.

Methods: Knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations were performed for a 2-year period in 132 patients (83 female and 49 male patients).

Early intervention for children with developmental disabilities in low and middle-income countries - the case for action.

In the last two decades, the global community has made significant progress in saving the lives of children <5 y of age. However, these advances are failing to help all children to thrive, especially children with disabilities. Most early child development research has focussed on the impact of biological and psychosocial factors on the developing brain and the effect of early intervention on child development.

Effect of a quality improvement package for intrapartum and immediate newborn care on fresh stillbirth and neonatal mortality among preterm and low-birthweight babies in Kenya and Uganda: a cluster-randomised facility-based trial.

Background: Although gains in newborn survival have been achieved in many low-income and middle-income countries, reductions in stillbirth and neonatal mortality have been slow. Prematurity complications are a major driver of stillbirth and neonatal mortality. We aimed to assess the effect of a quality improvement package for intrapartum and immediate newborn care on stillbirth and preterm neonatal survival in Kenya and Uganda, where evidence-based practices are often underutilised.

Institutionalization of Projects Into Districts in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Needs Stewardship, Autonomy, and Resources.

Important attributes for project institutionalization include strong stewardship and champions, affordability, demand for the intervention and perceived benefit, minimal complexity, and optimal intervention design and period of support.

Late mortality in survivors of childhood cancer in Hungary.

The Hungarian Pediatric Oncology Network provides centralized treatment and population-based registration for cases of childhood cancer since 1973. We collected and analized data on late mortality, secondary malignancies and cardiac diseases in survivors (> 5 years) of childhood cancer to evaluate long-term risks. We extracted all solid tumour cases (3,650 followed up for 5-39.

Cerebral Palsy: Current Opinions on Definition, Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Classification and Treatment Options.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most frequent causes of motor disability in children. According to the up-to-date definition, CP is a group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitations that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing foetal or infant brain. The CP definition has evolved over time; the problem is aetiologically and clinically very heterogeneous.

Investigation of sequential outbreaks of Burkholderia cepacia and multidrug-resistant extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Klebsiella species in a West African tertiary hospital neonatal unit: a retrospective genomic analysis.

Background: Sick newborns admitted to neonatal units in low-resource settings are at an increased risk of developing hospital-acquired infections due to poor clinical care practices. Clusters of infection, due to the same species, with a consistent antibiotic resistance profile, and in the same ward over a short period of time might be indicative of an outbreak. We used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to define the transmission pathways and characterise two distinct outbreaks of neonatal bacteraemia in a west African neonatal unit.

Growth hormone therapy in children with partial growth hormone deficiency. Are we treating the right patients?

Introduction: Diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children with short stature, whose height is below -2SD for the population norm, is based on the assessment of growth hormone (GH) peaks in stimulation tests. However, cut-off values for GH secretion are arbitrary and vary in different centres. Indications for recombinant GH therapy remain disputable in children with GH concentrations between 5 and 10 ng/ml (pGHD).

Pregnancy outcomes in facility deliveries in Kenya and Uganda: A large cross-sectional analysis of maternity registers illuminating opportunities for mortality prevention.

Introduction: As facility-based deliveries increase globally, maternity registers offer a promising way of documenting pregnancy outcomes and understanding opportunities for perinatal mortality prevention. This study aims to contribute to global quality improvement efforts by characterizing facility-based pregnancy outcomes in Kenya and Uganda including maternal, neonatal, and fetal outcomes at the time of delivery and neonatal discharge outcomes using strengthened maternity registers.

Methods: Cross sectional data were collected from strengthened maternity registers at 23 facilities over 18 months.

Preconception Risk Factors for Autism Spectrum Disorder - A Pilot Study.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder of multifactorial etiology. Preconception risk factors are still poorly understood. A survey on preconception risk factors for ASD was conducted among parents of 121 ASD patients aged 3-12 years and parents of 100 healthy children aged 3-12 years.

Cohort study of neonatal resuscitation skill retention in frontline healthcare facilities in Bihar, India, after PRONTO simulation training.

Background: Use of simulation in neonatal resuscitation (NR) training programmes has increased throughout low-income and middle-income countries. Many of such programmes have demonstrated a positive impact on NR knowledge and skill acquisition along with reduction of early neonatal mortality and fresh stillbirth rates. However, NR skill retention after simulation programmes remains a challenge.

The Fallacy of Using Administrative Data in Assessing the Effectiveness of Food Fortification. Comment on: "Folic Acid Fortification and Neural Tube Defect Risk: Analysis of the Food Fortification Initiative Dataset. 2020, , 247".

Our objective in this comment is to highlight several limitations in an ecological research study that was published in by Murphy and Westmark (2020) in January 2020. The study used data from the Food Fortification Initiative (FFI) website, and applying an ecological study design, made an error of "ecologic fallacy" in concluding that "national fortification with folic acid is not associated with a significant decrease in the prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) at the population level". We list study limitations that led to their erroneous conclusions, stemming from incorrect considerations regarding NTD prevalence, the average grain availability for a country, the fortification coverage in a country, the population reach of fortified foods within a country, and the absence of the consideration of fortification type (voluntary vs.

Determinants of growth measurements in rural Cambodian infants: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Inappropriate feeding and hygiene practices and poor environment are associated with malnutrition. We aimed to investigate the contributions of feeding, hygiene practices and recent illness to the nutritional status of rural Cambodian infants and any sex-specific differences.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, nested within an ongoing birth cohort, trained fieldworkers conducted anthropometry and collected information from the main caregiver during home visits.

Human resources and curricula content for early child development implementation: multicountry mixed methods evaluation.

Objective: The WHO recommends responsive caregiving and early learning (RCEL) interventions to improve early child development (ECD), and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals' vision of a world where all children thrive. Implementation of RCEL programmes in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) requires evidence to inform decisions about human resources and curricula content. We aimed to describe human resources and curricula content for implementation of RCEL projects across diverse LMICs, using data from the Grand Challenges Canada Saving Brains ECD portfolio.

Assessment of Selected Parameters of Liver Fibrosis and Inflammation in Patients with Diagnosed Cystic Fibrosis.

Changes in the liver and bile ducts observed in patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis result from inflammatory processes as well as fibrosis, remodeling, apoptosis, and cholestasis. As a consequence, portal hypertension, cirrhosis, and hepatic failure may develop. So far, the complexity of these processes has not been elucidated.

Frequent unregulated use of antibiotics in rural Cambodian infants.

Background: Despite a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Cambodia, few studies have assessed health-seeking behaviour and the use of antibiotics by caregivers of young children in Cambodia.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of infants <12 months of age and their caregivers, assessing the frequency of reported illness, common symptoms and associated health-seeking behaviour through structured questionnaires administered by trained fieldworkers at a home visit. In a subset of these participants, ages 4-8 months with no acute malnutrition, we conducted a 3-month surveillance with fortnightly home visits.

Macro- and Micronutrients in Milk from Healthy Cambodian Mothers: Status and Interrelations.

Background: Except for low thiamin content, little is known about vitamins or macronutrients in milk from Cambodian mothers, and associations among milk nutrients.

Objectives: We measured fat-soluble vitamins (FSVs) and water-soluble vitamins (WSVs), and macronutrients, and explored internutrient associations in milk from Cambodian mothers.

Methods: Milk from women (aged 18-45 y, 3-27 wk postpartum, n = 68) who participated in a thiamin-fortification trial were analyzed for vitamins B-2 (riboflavin, FAD), B-3 (nicotinamide), B-5, B-6 (pyridoxal, pyridoxine), B-7, B-12, A, E [α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol (γ-TPH)], carotenoids, carbohydrate (CHO), fat, and protein.