The infant health effects of starting universal child benefits in pregnancy: Evidence from England and Wales

Child benefits are typically paid from birth. This paper asks whether starting universal child benefits in pregnancy leads to improvements in infant health. Leveraging administrative birth registry and hospital microdata from England and Wales, I study the effects of the Health in Pregnancy Grant, a universal conditional cash transfer equivalent to three months of child benefit (190 GBP) as a lump sum to pregnant mothers from 2009 to 2011. I exploit quasi-experimental variation in eligibility with a regression discontinuity design in the date of birth of the baby. I find that the policy increased birth weight by 8–12 grams on average, reduced low birth weight ($<$2500 g) by 3-6 percent and decreased prematurity by 9–11 percent. Younger mothers, particularly those living in deprived areas, benefit the most. I present evidence that the mechanisms are unlikely to be antenatal care, nutrition or smoking, with reductions in stress remaining a possible explanation.     

Safety profile of the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine: Pooled analysis of two large randomised phase 3 trials

Background

The ZOE-50 (NCT01165177) and ZOE-70 (NCT01165229) phase 3 clinical trials showed that the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) was ≥90% efficacious in preventing herpes zoster in adults. Here we present a comprehensive overview of the safety data from these studies.

Ultrasound Fetal Weight Estimation: How Accurate Are We Now Under Emergency Conditions?

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of sonographic estimation of fetal weight when performed at due date by first-line sonographers. This was a prospective study including 500 singleton pregnancies. Ultrasound examinations were performed by residents on delivery day. Estimated fetal weights (EFWs) were calculated and compared with the corresponding birth weights. The median absolute difference between EFW and birth weight was 200 g (100–330). This difference was within ±10% in 75.2% of the cases. The median absolute percentage error was 5.53% (2.70%–10.03%). Linear regression analysis revealed a good correlation between EFW and birth weight (r = 0.79, p < 0.0001). According to Bland–Altman analysis, bias was −85.06 g (95% limits of agreement: −663.33 to 494.21). In conclusion, EFWs calculated by residents were as accurate as those calculated by experienced sonographers. Nevertheless, predictive performance remains limited, with a low sensitivity in the diagnosis of macrosomia.     

Effect of diabetes mellitus on pregnancy and birth outcomes in Wolaita Zone,Southern Ethiopia: A retrospective cohort study

Background and aimsPresence of diabetes mellitus (DM) during pregnancy is important cause of maternal and fetal complications. Studies that address the effect of DM on pregnancy and birth outcome are scarce in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of DM on maternal and birth outcomes in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was done to compare maternal and birth outcomes of mothers with DM and non-DM who received maternity service in three hospitals and four health centers in Southern Ethiopia. A total of 136 exposed (with DM) and 272 unexposed (non-DM) mothers were included in the study. Data were extracted from medical records of mothers by experienced and trained data collectors. Means were compared for continuous variables. Logistic regression analysis model was used to check the effect of DM on pregnancy and birth outcome. Risk Ratio was calculated and p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsPregnancy of diabetic mothers was significantly complicated by pre-eclampsia when compared with non-diabetic mothers, (RR = 1.8: 95% CI; 1.2–2.7). The risk of macrosomia was higher for neonates of diabetic mothers than non-diabetic mothers, (RR = 1.9: 95% CI; 1.3–2.7). From multivariate analysis, mothers with DM were 2.9 times more likely to be delivered by caesarean section than non-diabetic mothers (RR = 2.9: 95%CI; 1.3–6.2) and the risk of pre-term delivery was 2.5 times higher among mothers with DM, (RR = 2.5: 95% CI; 1.1–6.2).ConclusionsDiabetes mellitus among pregnant mothers is associated with increased risk of pre-term delivery, macrosomia and maternal complications of pre-eclampsia and caesarian delivery. Early detection and management of DM should be one of the key activities to improve maternal and child mortality and morbidity.     

84例产褥感染的临床特点及常见致病微生物耐药性分析

目的 研究产褥感染的危险因素及常见致病微生物耐药情况，为临床治疗提供参考。方法 回顾性分析我院2017 年1 月～2019 年12 月发生的84 例产褥感染病例的临床资料，与同时期未发生产褥感染的200 例产妇进行对照研究，分析产褥感染的影响因素，并对分离获得的致病微生物进行耐药性分析。结果 感染组妊娠糖尿病、产钳助产、宫口开全后中转剖宫产患者的分布率高于对照组，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）；经多因素Logistic 回归分析，妊娠糖尿病是产褥感染的独立影响因素（P＜0.05）。本研究中共检出致病微生物40 株，其中革兰阴性菌13 株（占32.50%），革兰阳性菌10 株（占25.00%），支原体16 株（占40.00%），衣原体1 株（占2.50%），革兰阴性菌中以大肠埃希菌最常见，对二代头孢菌素类抗生素耐药率20%。革兰阳性菌以金黄色葡萄球菌最常见，对青霉素及头孢菌素耐药率高，未发现对亚胺培南及万古霉素耐药。结论 产钳助产、妊娠糖尿病、宫口开全后中转剖宫产是产褥感染可能的危险因素，其中，妊娠糖尿病是产褥感染的独立危险因素。目前临床常见致病微生物谱及耐药率未发生明显变化。     

三明市第一医院2000年～2005年出生缺陷监测回顾性调查分析

目的了解三明市第一医院2000年～2005年六年间出生缺陷的流行病学特征。方法利用本院六年间出生缺陷资料进行统计分析。结果6年平均出生缺陷发生率178．65／万。前5位顺位依次是：颌面五官系统，骨骼肌肉系统，中枢神经系统，心血管系统，泌尿生殖系统。出生缺陷的发生与围产儿性别，产母居住地没有关系，而与孕母年龄关系很大，〈20岁及≥35岁孕妇出生缺陷发生率大大增加。结论加强全民健康教育，提高环境意识，做好婚前保健，优生保健和孕产期保健，开展产前筛查或产前诊断是减少出生缺陷发生的有力措施。     

妊娠高血压综合征尿蛋白的丢失对新生儿出生体重的影响

目的: 几乎没有研究报道妊娠高血压综合征 (妊高征 ) 患者尿蛋白对新生儿出生体重的影响, 该研究欲探讨妊高征患者不同水平尿蛋白对新生儿出生体重的影响关系。方法: 1997年 1月 ~2004年 6月期间, 住院分娩患中、重度妊高征产妇 136例, 对新生儿出生体重与各种因素进行回归分析及t检验分析。结果: 单变量回归分析尿蛋白、孕龄分别与新生儿出生体重有高度显著性关系 (P<0. 01); 尿蛋白和孕龄一起进入多元回归分析, 校正影响因素, 尿蛋白和孕龄仍然是影响新生儿出生体重显著性因素 (P<0 .01); 与妊高征尿蛋白 ( +) 比较, 尿蛋白 无显著性影响新生儿出生体重 (P>0. 05), 尿蛋白 有显著性影响新生儿出生体重 (P<0. 01)。结论: 新生儿出生体重与妊高征患者尿蛋白丢失有关, 尿蛋白 丢失将严重影响新生儿出生体重。     

The Alcohol Beverage Warning Label: When Did Knowledge Increase?

This article presents data on the awareness of the alcohol beverage warning label among a sample of 5,169 inner city African-American gravidas seeking prenatal care. While the label law was implemented in November 1989, a significant increase in knowledge of the label did not occur until March 1990. Women who predominantly consumed wine coolers and beer, and those under age 30 were more likely to know about the label than their counterparts.     

小儿智商、出生体重与成孕日父母生物节律关系的初步探讨

对107名小儿调查分析其智商及出生体重与成孕日父母生物节律的相关性，获得了有意义的结论：①小儿智商与成孕时父母的智力节律处于高潮期有关，②小儿出生体重与成孕时父母的体力节律处于高潮期有关。本组资料为我们倡导的“先咨询、后受孕”提供了依据，指出选择高潮期妊娠配合孕期保健有助于优生。     

Additive Effects of Older Brothers and Homosexual Brothers in the Prediction of Marriage and Cohabitation

Research has shown that male homosexuality tends to cluster in families and that homosexual males have, on average, a greater number of older brothers than do heterosexual males. This study investigated whether the former, between-families effect and the latter, within-families effect are additive. The subjects were 717 full siblings over age 40 reported by 343 heterosexual and homosexual male probands examined in Southern Ontario in 1994–1995. The sibling's history of legal marriage or cohabitation in a heterosexual relationship was taken as a proxy variable for sexual orientation. There were no significant findings for the female siblings. As expected, the never-married male siblings were more likely to come from the sibships of the homosexual probands, and they had a greater average number of older brothers. A bootstrapped logistic regression analysis showed that an additive model best explained the male siblings' data. The results suggest that the familial aggregation of male homosexuality cannot be explained by the birth order effect and that older brothers and family membership reflect separate influences on sexual orientation or sexual orientation-correlated behavior.