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Background: Mesenteric cysts are rare intra-abdominal masses and high index of suspicion is required to clinically suspect this pathology and make a definitive diagnosis. They are most commonly located in the ileal mesentery but can be located anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract mesentery and may extend into the retroperitoneum. The rarity of these anomalies and diversity of clinical picture pose challenges in the diagnosis and operative management. The objective of this study is to determine the demographic pattern, clinicopathological diagnosis and management outcome of mesenteric cysts in our hospital.Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on children operated for mesenteric cysts from October 2013 to September 2020. Statistical analysis was performed using Open Epi Version 3.01.Results: Out of 32 children with a diagnosis of mesenteric cyst, 78% were below 5 years of age. Small intestine was affected in 26 cases and large bowel mesentery was the site of origin in six cases. Complete excision of mesenteric cyst was possible in all cases. Bowel resection was required in ten cases (31%) to enable complete excision. Bowel resection was required more often in children operated on emergency than those with elective surgery, and is statistically significant (P = 0.04; confidence interval: 0.05-0.96, odds ratio: 0.23). An uncommon co-existence with ileal atresia and detection of rare chylolymphatic cyst in another infant were also remarkable findings. Histopathology proved the diagnosis in all cases. There was no mortality or recurrence during hospitalisation and follow-up, which ranged from 3 months to 3 years.Conclusions: Mesenteric cysts present with diverse clinical features and children below 5 years of age are most commonly affected. Complete surgical excision is the optimal treatment and may require bowel resection in significant number of cases, especially those operated during emergency. Histopathology is the gold standard for diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Thoracic mass lesions in children are heterogeneous group of disorders, out of which developmental malformations such as Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM), bronchogenic cysts and Congenital Lobar Emphysema (CLE) are common pathology. Primary pulmonary malignancies like carcinoid tumour and pulmonary blastoma may rarely be encountered. Aim: To analyse the clinical pattern, diagnosis and management of children with thoracic mass lesions. Materials and Methods: This prospective interventional study was conducted from June 2018 to May 2021, on 19 patients diagnosed and operated for thoracic mass lesions. It was carried out in the Department of Paediatric Surgery, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate (SVP PG) Institute of Paediatrics, Srirama Chandra Bhanja (SCB) Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha, India. The final diagnosis was only based on histopathological study. The parameters assessed were demographic features, operative findings and pathological diagnosis. Statistical analysis was done using Microsoft Excel Q1 Macros software. Data was presented as mean, median with Confidence Interval (CI) and percentages (%). Results: A total number of 19 cases were operated, out of which 12 were boys and seven were girls. The median age at presentation was three month (range: five days to five years). Right side of thorax was more commonly affected in 14 cases and left side in five cases. CLE was the most common pathology (eight cases) followed by CPAM (six cases). Bronchogenic cysts and lymphangioma were detected in two cases each. Pulmonary blastoma was the only malignant lesion found. There was no mortality in the present study. Conclusion: The patients with thoracic mass lesions usually present before the age of six months and CLE was detected as the most common finding. A conclusive diagnosis can be obtained only from histopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Retroperitoneal Teratomas (RPT) are rare germ cell tumours. Preoperative imaging features often overestimate the tumour size and may be misleading. Surgical exploration of RPT is a challenge because of enormous size and adherence to surrounding organs. The current knowledge on childhood RPT is limited due to rarity of these cases and limited number of studies. Aim: To analyse the demographic pattern, clinical profile and outcome of RPTs managed in a tertiary care paediatric hospital. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on hospital records of the children between June 2013 and May 2020. The diagnosis was based on clinical, radiological, intraoperative findings and histopathology and data were collected for demographic pattern, clinical findings, pathological features and outcomes. Statistical analysis was done using Microsoft Excel software. Fisher's-exact test was used for comparison between various groups. Results: Out of 88 cases of intra-abdominal solid tumours operated during the study period, RPT was found in 16 cases (18.18%). A male preponderance was observed among RPT patients in comparison to other intra-abdominal solid tumours (p=0.26) and 12 patients (75%) were below five years of age. Complete excision of teratoma was performed in all cases. Benign mature teratoma was detected in 81% cases and immature teratoma in 18%. Additionally, two rare observations were made in the present study: (i) In one patient, the histology revealed; teratoma with papillary carcinoma of thyroid as malignant component and chemotherapy was advised; (ii) renal atrophy secondary to RPT was found in another patient. There was no mortality or tumour recurrence; as monitored by serum Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP). Conclusion: RPTs are uncommon childhood tumours, which usually present before five years of age. Complete excision is possible, without damage to surrounding organs, as they are mostly benign. But, finding of malignant component in the tumour warrants further chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Congenital pouch colon (CPC) is an unusual anomaly with an unique geographical distribution. The aim of this study was to find out the incidence of CPC among anorectal malformation (ARM) cases in our institute and to compare the outcome between conventional three-staged surgery versus two-staged management approach.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the department of pediatric surgery over a period of 7 years from 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2020.Results: Out of 754 cases of ARMs, 43 cases of CPC were detected. The incidence of pouch colon among patients with high ARMs was found to be 7.6% with a male predominance (M:F = 4.4:1). The anomaly was diagnosed in 72% of our patients preoperatively and Type IV variety was the most common intra-operative finding. The survival after initial hospitalisation was 82% and 88% in three-stage and two-stage surgical procedures, respectively. However, the final clinical outcome after the completion of all stages of surgery and follow-up was better in two-staged approach (54% vs. 47%).Conclusion: Although, CPC is a rare anomaly, the incidence in our institute is 7.6% among high ARM cases. As compared to conventional three-staged surgery, the two-staged management approach has the advantage of better survival and decreased morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Adrenal tumors can arise either from cortex or from medulla; both the regions being structurally and functionally different. Current knowledge on childhood adrenocortical tumors (ACTs), the management approach, and the outcome is limited due to limited number of cases and studies. Neuroblastoma is a neoplasm of the neural crest origin and 50% arise from adrenal medulla. Pheochromocytoma (PCC) is an exciting and rare neoplasm in childhood. Aims: To evaluate the clinical presentation, spectrum of pathology, and management of adrenal tumors in children. Subjects and Methods: The study was conducted in a tertiary care pediatric institute over 5 years on children with intra-abdominal solid tumors. Adrenal tumors were diagnosed on radiological studies and postoperatively confirmed by histopathology. Results: Sixty-three patients were operated for intra-abdominal solid tumors, and Wilms tumor (39) was the most common finding. Of 11 cases of adrenal tumors confirmed by histopathology, eight were adrenal neuroblastoma, one 14-month-old female baby was detected as PCC, while two female children presented with the features of Cushing syndrome and virilization at the age of 3 and 7 years. Postoperatively, one of them was found to be adrenal adenoma and one was found to be adrenocortical carcinoma. Conclusions: ACTs are rare and potentially fatal in childhood. Complete surgical resection is the mainstay of therapy in adrenal tumors and is curative for associated hypertension. Neuroblastoma was the third common intra-abdominal solid tumor after Wilms tumor and retroperitoneal teratoma. The patient with PCC contributed to "Rule of 10s" because of the absence of hypertension and childhood occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Colonic atresia (CA) is an important cause of congenital intestinal obstruction and frequently associated with other comorbidities. Colon is the least common site of gastrointestinal atresias, and no large series can be documented because of the rarity of the anomaly. Historically, majority of the patients were being managed by staged approach; initial ostomy formation followed by delayed repair. Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the demographic pattern, management approach in our set up and to compare the outcome with similar available studies. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study on infants with CAs managed between October 2016 and March 2019. Results: CAs constituted 10% of all gastrointestinal atresias managed in our study and females were more commonly affected. Atresias were located most commonly in sigmoid colon (7 cases), and Type III was the most common anomaly. Five patients had associated anomalies such as gastroschisis, malrotation, and anorectal malformation (ARM). The initial diversion was done in four cases, and primary repair was done in eight cases. Two neonates died postoperatively due to septicemia. Conclusion: CAs are rare anomalies and often associated with other congenital malformations. Its association should be kept in mind during colostomy formation for high ARM. CAs can be managed successfully by primary anastomosis regardless of the location of atresia. Early diagnosis and intervention are essential for the survival of these neonates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyse non-supersymmetric single centred extremal black hole solutions in N = 2 supergravity theory coupled to n vector multiplets with purely cubic pre-potential in four dimensions. We consider the algebraic attractor equations in their most general form at the black hole horizon. We explicitly construct a new class of solutions for these attractor equations. These solutions are characterised by a set of involutory matrices. These involutions are obtained from a constraint involving the parameters in the pre-potential and generate new attractor points in the moduli space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the four-dimensional N = 2 supergravity theory arising from the compactification of type IIA string theory on a Calabi-Yau manifold. We analyze the supersymmetric flow equations for static, spherically symmetric, single-centered black holes. These flow equations are solved by a set of algebraic equations involving the holomorphic sections and harmonic functions. We examine black hole configurations with D0- D4- D6 charge for which the most general solution of these algebraic equations are considered. Though the black hole solution is unique for a given value of the charges, we find new phases of the black hole solutions upon varying them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss the uniqueness of supersymmetric attractors in four-dimensional N = 2 supergravity theories coupled to n vector multiplets. We prove that for a given charge configuration the supersymmetry preserving axion free attractors are unique. We generalise the analysis to axionic attractors and state the conditions for uniqueness explicitly. We consider the example of a two-parameter model and find all solutions to the supersymmetric attractor equations and discuss their uniqueness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Child stunting (low height-for-age) is a marker of chronic undernutrition and predicts children's subsequent physical and cognitive development. Around one third of the world's stunted children live in India. Our study aims to assess the impact, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of a community intervention with a government-proposed community-based worker to improve growth in children under two in rural India. Methods: The study is a cluster randomised controlled trial in two rural districts of Jharkhand and Odisha (eastern India). The intervention tested involves a community-based worker carrying out two activities: (a) one home visit to all pregnant women in the third trimester, followed by subsequent monthly home visits to all infants aged 0-24 months to support appropriate feeding, infection control, and care-giving; (b) a monthly women's group meeting using participatory learning and action to catalyse individual and community action for maternal and child health and nutrition. Both intervention and control clusters also receive an intervention to strengthen Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees. The unit of randomisation is a purposively selected cluster of approximately 1000 population. A total of 120 geographical clusters covering an estimated population of 121,531 were randomised to two trial arms: 60 clusters in the intervention arm receive home visits, group meetings, and support to Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees; 60 clusters in the control arm receive support to Committees only. The study participants are pregnant women identified in the third trimester of pregnancy and their children (n = 2520). Mothers and their children are followed up at seven time points: during pregnancy, within 72 hours of delivery, and at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months after birth. The trial's primary outcome is children's mean length-for-age Z scores at 18 months. Secondary outcomes include wasting and underweight at all time points, birth weight, growth velocity, feeding, infection control, and care-giving practices. Additional qualitative and quantitative data are collected for process and economic evaluations. Discussion: This trial will contribute to evidence on effective strategies to improve children's growth in India. Trial registration: ISRCTN register 51505201; Clinical Trials Registry of India number 2014/06/004664. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retroperitoneal teratoma (RPT) is an exceedingly rare neoplasm in infancy. We came across a 3-month-old infant with large RPT in the left suprarenal area. The tumor was completely excised, and the patient was successfully discharged. Histopathological examination suggested the diagnosis of mature cystic teratoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an extremely rare finding 'congenital absence of jejunum and ileum' during explorative laparotomy of a 16-day-old female neonate. The dilated duodenum was terminating blindly, and the next segment of intestine was a peanut-sized cecum followed by microcolon. On an extensive survey of literature this type of intestinal atresia is not reported in living babies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been uneven. Inequalities in child health are large and effective interventions rarely reach the most in need. Little is known about how to reduce these inequalities. We describe and explain the equity impact of a women's group intervention in India that strongly reduced the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) in a cluster-randomised trial. We conducted secondary analyses of the trial data, obtained through prospective surveillance of a population of 228,186. The intervention effects were estimated separately, through random effects logistic regression, for the most and less socio-economically marginalised groups. Among the most marginalised, the NMR was 59% lower in intervention than in control clusters in years 2 and 3 (70%, year 3); among the less marginalised, the NMR was 36% lower (35%, year 3). The intervention effect was stronger among the most than among the less marginalised (P-value for difference = 0.028, years 2-3; P-value for difference = 0.009, year 3). The stronger effect was concentrated in winter, particularly for early NMR. There was no effect on the use of health-care services in either group, and improvements in home care were comparable. Participatory community interventions can substantially reduce socio-economic inequalities in neonatal mortality and contribute to an equitable achievement of the unfinished MDG agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been uneven. Inequalities in child health are large and effective interventions rarely reach the most in need. Little is known about how to reduce these inequalities. We describe and explain the equity impact of a women’s group intervention in India that strongly reduced the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) in a cluster-randomised trial. We conducted secondary analyses of the trial data, obtained through prospective surveillance of a population of 228 186. The intervention effects were estimated separately, through random effects logistic regression, for the most and less socio-economically marginalised groups. Among the most marginalised, the NMR was 59% lower in intervention than in control clusters in years 2 and 3 (70%, year 3); among the less marginalised, the NMR was 36% lower (35%, year 3). The intervention effect was stronger among the most than among the less marginalised (P-value for difference = 0.028, years 2-3; P-value for difference = 0.009, year 3). The stronger effect was concentrated in winter, particularly for early NMR. There was no effect on the use of health-care services in either group, and improvements in home care were comparable. Participatory community interventions can substantially reduce socio-economic inequalities in neonatal mortality and contribute to an equitable achievement of the unfinished MDG agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Around a quarter of the world's neonatal and maternal deaths occur in India. Morbidity and mortality are highest in rural areas and among the poorest wealth quintiles. Few interventions to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes with government-mandated community health workers have been rigorously evaluated at scale in this setting.The study aims to assess the impact of a community mobilisation intervention with women's groups facilitated by ASHAs to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes among rural tribal communities of Jharkhand and Orissa.Methods/design: The study is a cluster-randomised controlled trial and will be implemented in five districts, three in Jharkhand and two in Orissa. The unit of randomisation is a rural cluster of approximately 5000 population. We identified villages within rural, tribal areas of five districts, approached them for participation in the study and enrolled them into 30 clusters, with approximately 10 ASHAs per cluster. Within each district, 6 clusters were randomly allocated to receive the community intervention or to the control group, resulting in 15 intervention and 15 control clusters. Randomisation was carried out in the presence of local stakeholders who selected the cluster numbers and allocated them to intervention or control using a pre-generated random number sequence. The intervention is a participatory learning and action cycle where ASHAs support community women's groups through a four-phase process in which they identify and prioritise local maternal and newborn health problems, implement strategies to address these and evaluate the result. The cycle is designed to fit with the ASHAs' mandate to mobilise communities for health and to complement their other tasks, including increasing institutional delivery rates and providing home visits to mothers and newborns. The trial's primary endpoint is neonatal mortality during 24 months of intervention. Additional endpoints include home care practices and health care-seeking in the antenatal, delivery and postnatal period. The impact of the intervention will be measured through a prospective surveillance system implemented by the project team, through which mothers will be interviewed around six weeks after delivery. Cost data and qualitative data are collected for cost-effectiveness and process evaluations.Study Registration: ISRCTN: ISRCTN31567106. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pheochromocytoma (PCC) is a neuroendocrine tumor originating from chromaffin tissue in adrenal medulla. Its diagnosis and treatment are well defined in adults, but experience in children is limited. Children constitute only 10% of reported cases, the average age at presentation being 11 years. The most common presentation is sustained hypertension, which is absent in only 10% of children. We managed a 14-month-old female child with PCC, but she was not hypertensive. We report two unusual features, in this case, an extremely young age at presentation and a childhood case of nonhypertensive PCC contributing for "rule of 10s." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which assessed the effectiveness of community mobilisation through participatory women's groups to improve birth outcomes in poor rural communities in three districts in India. The researchers assigned 18 clusters to intervention or control using stratified randomisation from 36 clusters in Jharkhand and Orissa. Strategies were implemented to address maternal and newborn health problems. It was discovered that there were reductions in neonatal mortality rate and maternal depression scores.

The article focuses on the improvement for infancy care and infants' survivability in South Asia. It mentions the relevance of improving the infants' survivability in mitigating infant mortality. It cites the essence of the community-based approach to pediatric care. Moreover, the role of the government is also mentioned.

We study extremal solutions arising in M-theory compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds, focussing on non-BPS attractors for their importance in relation to the Weak Gravity Conjecture (WGC); M2 branes wrapped on two-cycles give rise to black holes, whereas M5 branes wrapped on four-cycles result in black strings. In the low-energy/field theory limit one obtains minimal N = 2, D = 5 supergravity coupled to Abelian vector multiplets. By making use of the effective black hole potential formalism with Lagrange multipliers and of the Attractor Mechanism, we obtain the explicit expressions of the attractor moduli for BPS and non-BPS solutions, and we compute the Bekenstein-Hawking black hole entropy and the black string tension. Furthermore, by focussing on one modulus complete intersection (CICY) or toric hypersurface (THCY) Calabi-Yau threefolds, we investigate the possible non-uniqueness of the attractor solutions, as well as the stability of non-BPS black holes and black strings (restricting to doubly-extremal solutions, for simplicity’s sake). In all models taken into consideration, we find that both BPS and non-BPS extremal black hole attractors are always unique for a given, supporting electric charge configuration; moreover, non-BPS black holes are always unstable, and thus they decay into constituent BPS/anti-BPS pairs: this confirms the WGC, for which macroscopic non-supersymmetric solutions are bound to decay. For what concerns extremal black strings, it is well known they are unique in the BPS case; we confirm uniqueness also for non-BPS strings in one-modulus CICY models. On the other hand, we discover multiple non-BPS extremal black string attractors (with different tensions) in most of the one-modulus THCY models, and we determine the corresponding magnetic configurations supporting them; this indicates the existence of volume-minimizing representatives in the same homology class having different values of their local minimal volume. Moreover, we find that non-BPS (doubly-) extremal black strings, both for single and multiple solutions, are kinematically stable against decay into their constituent BPS/anti-BPS pairs; in Calabi-Yau geometry, this means that the volume of the representative corresponding to the black string is less than the volume of the minimal piecewise-holomorphic representative, predicting recombination for those homology classes and thus leading to stable, non-BPS string solutions, which for the WGC are microscopic with small charges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: India faces a high burden of child undernutrition. We evaluated the effects of two community strategies to reduce undernutrition among children under 3 years in rural Jharkhand and Odisha, eastern India: (1) monthly Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) meetings with women's groups followed by home visits; (2) crèches for children aged 6 months to 3 years combined with monthly PLA meetings and home visits.Methods: We tested these strategies in a non-randomised, controlled study with baseline and endline cross-sectional surveys. We purposively selected five blocks of Jharkhand and Odisha, and divided each block into three areas. Area 1 served as control. In Area 2, trained local female workers facilitated PLA meetings and offered counselling to mothers of children under three at home. In Area 3, workers facilitated PLA meetings, did home visits, and crèches with food and growth monitoring were opened for children aged 6 months to 3 years. We did a census across all study areas and randomly sampled 4668 children under three and their mothers for interview and anthropometry at baseline and endline. The evaluation's primary outcome was wasting among children under three in areas 2 and 3 compared with area 1, adjusted for baseline differences between areas. Other outcomes included underweight, stunting, preventive and care-seeking practices for children.Results: We interviewed 83% (3868/4668) of mothers of children under three sampled at baseline, and 76% (3563/4668) at endline. In area 2 (PLA and home visits), wasting among children under three was reduced by 34% (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 0.66, 95%: 0.51-0.88) and underweight by 25% (aOR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59-0.95), with no change in stunting (aOR: 1.23, 95% CI: 0.96-1.57). In area 3, (PLA, home visits, crèches), wasting was reduced by 27% (aOR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.55-0.97), underweight by 40% (aOR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.47-0.75), and stunting by 27% (aOR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.57-0.93).Conclusions: Crèches, PLA meetings and home visits reduced undernutrition among children under three in rural eastern India. These interventions could be scaled up through government plans to strengthen home visits and community mobilisation with Accredited Social Health Activists, and through efforts to promote crèches.Trial Registration: The evaluation was registered retrospectively with Current Controlled Trials as ISCRTN89911047 on 30/01/2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal obstruction in children is frequently caused by intussusception and intestinal malrotation and when these two conditions coexist, it is called Waugh's syndrome. Intussusception cases in children are mostly ileocolic, whereas, the colocolic variety is a rare entity and very few cases have been reported in literature. In all the reported cases of Waugh's syndrome, the intussusceptions were ileocolic type except one case, where colocolic type was mentioned with lymphangoima as Pathological Lead Point (PLP). We report a sevenyear- old child of colocolic intussusception with juvenile polyp being the PLP along with intestional malrotation. It is an extremely rare association which has not been reported previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deregulated immune response and raised inflammation are the cardinal laboratory features in COVID‑19 infection reflecting severity of condition. Detection of the markers will help in early diagnosis with timely therapeutic implementation and effective outcome. Observational studies have suggested alteration in these parameters with severity of the condition. This systematic review and meta‑analysis was conducted to assess the relevance of the fact. Observational studies from databases were scrutinised and 3669 articles were identified. Further screening, based on the inclusion criteria a total of 19 articles with 3115 participants, were reviewed for meta‑analysis using random effects model. Any data in median and interquartile range were converted to mean ± SD. There was a significant rise in total leukocyte count, C‑reactive protein, ferritin, IL‑6, IL‑10, procalcitonin in severe cases but absolute lymphocyte count, CD4+ and CD8+ registered a fall in severe cases in comparison to non‑severe group. Immune and inflammatory markers are significantly altered and related to severity of manifestation in COVID‑19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Global, Regional, and National Causes of Child Mortality in 2008: A Systematic Analysis," by R. E. Black and colleagues, published in the June 5, 2010 issue.

Background: Child stunting (low height-for-age) is a marker of chronic undernutrition and predicts children's subsequent physical and cognitive development. Around one third of the world's stunted children live in India. Our study aims to assess the impact, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of a community intervention with a government-proposed community-based worker to improve growth in children under two in rural India.Methods: The study is a cluster randomised controlled trial in two rural districts of Jharkhand and Odisha (eastern India). The intervention tested involves a community-based worker carrying out two activities: (a) one home visit to all pregnant women in the third trimester, followed by subsequent monthly home visits to all infants aged 0-24 months to support appropriate feeding, infection control, and care-giving; (b) a monthly women's group meeting using participatory learning and action to catalyse individual and community action for maternal and child health and nutrition. Both intervention and control clusters also receive an intervention to strengthen Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees. The unit of randomisation is a purposively selected cluster of approximately 1000 population. A total of 120 geographical clusters covering an estimated population of 121,531 were randomised to two trial arms: 60 clusters in the intervention arm receive home visits, group meetings, and support to Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees; 60 clusters in the control arm receive support to Committees only. The study participants are pregnant women identified in the third trimester of pregnancy and their children (n = 2520). Mothers and their children are followed up at seven time points: during pregnancy, within 72 hours of delivery, and at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months after birth. The trial's primary outcome is children's mean length-for-age Z scores at 18 months. Secondary outcomes include wasting and underweight at all time points, birth weight, growth velocity, feeding, infection control, and care-giving practices. Additional qualitative and quantitative data are collected for process and economic evaluations.Discussion: This trial will contribute to evidence on effective strategies to improve children's growth in India.Trial Registration: ISRCTN register 51505201 ; Clinical Trials Registry of India number 2014/06/004664. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the effect of Freudenthal duality on supersymmetric extremal black hole attractors in , ungauged supergravity. Freudenthal duality acts on the dyonic black hole charges as an anti-involution which keeps the black hole entropy and the critical points of the effective black hole potential invariant. We analyze its effect on the recently discovered distinct, mutually exclusive phases of axionic supersymmetric black holes, related to the existence of nontrivial involutory constant matrices. In particular, we consider a supersymmetric black hole and we explicitly Freudenthal-map it to a supersymmetric black hole. We thus show that the charge representation space of a supersymmetric black hole also contains mutually exclusive domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Research conducted over the past decade has shown that community-based interventions can improve the survival and health of mothers and newborns in low- and middle-income countries. Interventions engaging women''s groups in participatory learning and action meetings and other group activities, for example, have led to substantial increases in neonatal survival in high-mortality settings. Participatory interventions with women''s groups work by providing a forum for communities to develop a common understanding of maternal and neonatal problems, as well as locally acceptable and sustainable strategies to address these. Potential partners for scaling up interventions with women''s groups include government community health workers and volunteers, as well as organizations working with self-help groups. It is important to tailor scale-up efforts to local contexts, while retaining fidelity to the intervention, by ensuring that the mobilization of women''s groups complements other local programs (e.g. home visits), and by providing capacity building for participatory learning and action methods across a range of nongovernmental organizations and government stakeholders. Research into scale-up mechanisms and effectiveness is needed to inform further implementation, and prospective surveillance of maternal and neonatal mortality in key scale-up sites can provide valuable data for measuring impact and for advocacy. There is a need for further research into the role of participatory interventions with women''s groups to improve the quality of health services, health, and nutrition beyond the perinatal period, as well as the role of groups in influencing non-health issues, such as women''s decision-making power. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Neonatal mortality remains unacceptably high in many low and middle-income countries, including India. A community mobilisation intervention using participatory learning and action with women's groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) was conducted to improve maternal and newborn health. The intervention was evaluated through a cluster-randomised controlled trial conducted in Jharkhand and Odisha, eastern India. This aims to assess the cost-effectiveness this intervention. Methods: Costs were estimated from the provider's perspective and calculated separately for the women's group intervention and for activities to strengthen Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHNSC) conducted in all trial areas. Costs were estimated at 2017 prices and converted to US dollar (USD). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated with respect to a do-nothing alternative and compared with the WHO thresholds for cost-effective interventions. ICERs were calculated for cases of neonatal mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted. Results: The incremental cost of the intervention was USD 83 per averted DALY (USD 99 inclusive of VHSNC strengthening costs), and the incremental cost per newborn death averted was USD 2545 (USD 3046 inclusive of VHSNC strengthening costs). The intervention was highly cost-effective according to WHO threshold, as the cost per life year saved or DALY averted was less than India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. The robustness of the findings to assumptions was tested using a series of one-way sensitivity analyses. The sensitivity analysis does not change the conclusion that the intervention is highly cost-effective. Conclusion: Participatory learning and action with women's groups facilitated by ASHAs was highly cost-effective to reduce neonatal mortality in rural settings with low literacy levels and high neonatal mortality rates. This approach could effectively complement facility-based care in India and can be scaled up in comparable high mortality settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few large and rigorous evaluations of participatory interventions systematically describe their context and implementation, or attempt to explain the mechanisms behind their impact. This study reports process evaluation data from the Ekjut cluster-randomised controlled trial of a participatory learning and action cycle with women's groups to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes in Jharkhand and Orissa, eastern India (2005- 2008). The study demonstrated a 45% reduction in neonatal mortality in the last two years of the intervention, largely driven by improvements in safe practices for home deliveries. Methods: A participatory learning and action cycle with 244 women's groups was implemented in 18 intervention clusters covering an estimated population of 114 141. We describe the context, content, and implementation of this intervention, identify potential mechanisms behind its impact, and report challenges experienced in the field. Methods included a review of intervention documents, qualitative structured discussions with group members and non-group members, meeting observations, as well as descriptive statistical analysis of data on meeting attendance, activities, and characteristics of group attendees. Results: Six broad, interrelated factors influenced the intervention's impact: (1) acceptability; (2) a participatory approach to the development of knowledge, skills and 'critical consciousness'; (3) community involvement beyond the groups; (4) a focus on marginalized communities; (5) the active recruitment of newly pregnant women into groups; (6) high population coverage. We hypothesize that these factors were responsible for the increase in safe delivery and care practices that led to the reduction in neonatal mortality demonstrated in the Ekjut trial. Conclusions: Participatory interventions with community groups can influence maternal and child health outcomes if key intervention characteristics are preserved and tailored to local contexts. Scaling-up such interventions requires (1) a detailed understanding of the way in which context affects the acceptability and delivery of the intervention; (2) planned but flexible replication of key content and implementation features; (3) strong support for participatory methods from implementing agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In places with poor vital registration, measurement of maternal mortality and monitoring the impact of interventions on maternal mortality is difficult and seldom undertaken. Mortality ratios are often estimated and policy decisions made without robust evidence. This paper presents a prospective key informant system to measure maternal mortality and the initial findings from the system. Methods: In a population of 228 186, key informants identified all births and deaths to women of reproductive age, prospectively, over a period of 110 weeks. After birth verification, interviewers visited households six to eight weeks after delivery to collect information on the ante-partum, intra-partum and post-partum periods, as well as birth outcomes. For all deaths to women of reproductive age they ascertained whether they could be classified as maternal, pregnancy related or late maternal and if so, verbal autopsies were conducted. Results: 13 602 births were identified, with a crude birth rate of 28.2 per 1000 population (C.I. 27.7-28.6) and a maternal mortality ratio of 722 per 100 000 live births (C.I. 591-882) recorded. Maternal deaths comprised 29% of all deaths to women aged 15-49. Approximately a quarter of maternal deaths occurred ante-partum, a half intra-partum and a quarter post-partum. Haemorrhage was the commonest cause of all maternal deaths (25%), but causation varied between the ante-partum, intra-partum and post-partum periods. The cost of operating the surveillance system was US$386 a month, or US$0.02 per capita per year. Conclusion: This low cost key informant surveillance system produced high, but plausible birth and death rates in this remote population in India. This method could be used to monitor trends in maternal mortality and to test the impact of interventions in large populations with poor vital registration and thus assist policy makers in making evidence-based decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Almost one in three married Indian women have ever experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence from husbands in their lifetime. We aimed to investigate the preliminary effects of community mobilisation through participatory learning and action groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), coupled with access to counselling, to prevent violence against women and girls in Jharkhand, eastern India. Methods: We piloted a cycle of 16 participatory learning and action meetings with women's groups facilitated by ASHAs in rural Jharkhand. Participants identified common forms of violence against women and girls, prioritised the ones they wanted to address, developed locally feasible strategies to address them, implemented the strategies, and evaluated the process. We also trained two counsellors and two ASHA supervisors to support survivors, and gave ASHAs information about legal, health, and police services. We did a before-and-after pilot study involving baseline and endline surveys with group members to estimate preliminary effects of these activities on the acceptability of violence, prevalence of past year emotional and physical violence, and help-seeking. Results: ASHAs successfully conducted monthly participatory learning and action meetings with 39 women's groups in 22 villages of West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand, between June 2016 and September 2017. We interviewed 59% (679/1149) of women registered with groups at baseline, and 63% (861/1371) at endline. More women reported that violence was unacceptable in all seven scenarios presented to them at endline compared to baseline (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 1.87, 95%: 1.39–2.52). Fewer women reported experiencing emotional violence from their husbands in the last 12 months (aOR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.43–0.71), and more sought help if it occurred (aOR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.51–3.17). In addition, fewer women reported experiencing emotional or physical violence from family members other than their husbands in the last 12 months (aOR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.32–0.53, and aOR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.26–0.50, respectively). Conclusion: Combining participatory learning and action meetings facilitated by ASHAs with access to counselling was an acceptable strategy to address violence against women and girls in rural communities of Jharkhand. The approach warrants further implementation and evaluation as part of a comprehensive response to violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Improving the health and development of adolescents aged 10-19 years is a global health priority. One in five adolescents globally live in India. The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), India's national adolescent health strategy, recommends supporting community-based peer educators to conduct group meetings with boys and girls. Groups aim to give adolescents a space to discuss the social and health issues affecting them and build their capacity to become active community members and leaders. There have been no evaluations of the community component of RKSK to date. In this protocol, we describe the evaluation of the Jharkhand Initiative for Adolescent Health (JIAH), a community intervention aligned with RKSK and designed to improve school attendance, dietary diversity and mental health among adolescent girls aged 10-19 years in rural Jharkhand, eastern India.Methods: The JIAH intervention is delivered by a community youth team consisting of yuva saathis (friends of youth), youth leadership facilitators and livelihood promoters. Teams conduct (a) peer-led Participatory Learning and Action meetings with girls and boys, mobilising adolescents, parents, health workers, teachers and the wider community to make changes for adolescent health and development; (b) group-based youth leadership activities to build adolescents' confidence and resilience; and (c) livelihood promotion with adolescents and their families to provide training and practical skills. We are evaluating the JIAH intervention through a parallel-group, two-arm, superiority, cluster-randomised controlled trial. The unit of randomisation is a geographic cluster of ~1000 people. A total of 38 clusters covering an estimated population of 40,676 have been randomised to control or intervention arms. Nineteen intervention clusters have adolescent groups, youth leadership activities and livelihood promotion. Nineteen control clusters receive livelihood promotion only. Study participants are adolescent girls aged 10-19 years, married or unmarried, in or out of school, living in the study area. Intervention activities are open to all adolescent boys and girls, regardless of their participation in surveys. We will collect data through baseline and endline surveys. Primary trial outcomes are school attendance, dietary diversity and internalising and externalising mental health problems. Secondary outcomes include access to school-related entitlements, emotional or physical violence, self-efficacy and resilience.Trial Registration: ISRCTN17206016. Registered on 27 June 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent data suggest that case fatality from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in India may be lower than the 10%-20% estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO). A contemporary quantification of mortality and recovery from acute malnutrition in Indian community settings is essential to inform policy regarding the benefits of scaling up prevention and treatment programmes.Methods and Findings: We conducted a cohort study using data collected during a recently completed cluster-randomised controlled trial in 120 geographical clusters with a total population of 121,531 in rural Jharkhand and Odisha, eastern India. Children born between October 1, 2013, and February 10, 2015, and alive at 6 months of age were followed up at 9, 12, and 18 months. We measured the children's anthropometry and asked caregivers whether children had been referred to services for malnutrition in the past 3 months. We determined the incidence and prevalence of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and SAM, as well as mortality and recovery at each follow-up. We then used Cox-proportional models to estimate mortality hazard ratios (HRs) for MAM and SAM. In total, 2,869 children were eligible for follow-up at 6 months of age. We knew the vital status of 93% of children (2,669/2,869) at 18 months. There were 2,704 children-years of follow-up time. The incidence of MAM by weight-for-length z score (WLZ) and/or mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) was 406 (1,098/2,704) per 1,000 children-years. The incidence of SAM by WLZ, MUAC, or oedema was 190 (513/2,704) per 1,000 children-years. There were 36 deaths: 12 among children with MAM and six among children with SAM. Case fatality rates were 1.1% (12/1,098) for MAM and 1.2% (6/513) for SAM. In total, 99% of all children with SAM at 6 months of age (227/230) were alive 3 months later, 40% (92/230) were still SAM, and 18% (41/230) had recovered (WLZ ≥ -2 standard deviation [SD]; MUAC ≥ 12.5; no oedema). The adjusted HRs using all anthropometric indicators were 1.43 (95% CI 0.53-3.87, p = 0.480) for MAM and 2.56 (95% CI 0.99-6.70, p = 0.052) for SAM. Both WLZ < -3 and MUAC ≥ 11.5 and < 12.5 were associated with increased mortality risk (HR: 3.33, 95% CI 1.23-8.99, p = 0.018 and HR: 3.87, 95% CI 1.63-9.18, p = 0.002, respectively). A key limitation of our analysis was missing WLZ or MUAC data at all time points for 2.5% of children, including for two of the 36 children who died.Conclusions: In rural eastern India, the incidence of acute malnutrition among children older than 6 months was high, but case fatality following SAM was 1.2%, much lower than the 10%-20% estimated by WHO. Case fatality rates below 6% have now been recorded in three other Indian studies. Community treatment using ready-to-use therapeutic food may not avert a substantial number of SAM-related deaths in children aged over 6 months, as mortality in this group is lower than expected. Our findings strengthen the case for prioritising prevention through known health, nutrition, and multisectoral interventions in the first 1,000 days of life, while ensuring access to treatment when prevention fails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In poor settings, where many births and neonatal deaths occur at home, prediction models of neonatal mortality in the general population can aid public-health policy-making. No such models are available in the international literature. We developed and validated a prediction model for neonatal mortality in the general population in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.Methods: Using data (49 632 live births, 1742 neonatal deaths) from rural and urban surveillance sites in South Asia, we developed regression models to predict the risk of neonatal death with characteristics known at (i) the start of pregnancy, (ii) start of delivery and (iii) 5 minutes post partum. We assessed the models' discriminative ability by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), using cross-validation between sites.Results: At the start of pregnancy, predictive ability was moderate {AUC 0.59 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58-0.61]} and predictors of neonatal death were low maternal education and economic status, short birth interval, primigravida, and young and advanced maternal age. At the start of delivery, predictive ability was considerably better [AUC 0.73 (95% CI 0.70-0.76)] and prematurity and multiple pregnancy were strong predictors of death. At 5 minutes post partum, predictive ability was good [AUC: 0.85 (95% CI 0.80-0.89)]; very strong predictors were multiple birth, prematurity and a poor condition of the infant at 5 minutes.Conclusions: We developed good performing prediction models for neonatal mortality. Neonatal deaths are highly concentrated in a small group of high-risk infants, even in poor settings in South Asia. Risk assessment, as supported by our models, can be used as a basis for improving community- and facility-based newborn care and prevention strategies in poor settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Socioeconomic inequalities in neonatal mortality are substantial in many developing countries. Little is known about how to address this problem. Trials in Asia and Africa have shown strong impacts on neonatal mortality of a participatory learning and action intervention with women's groups. Whether this intervention also reduces mortality inequalities remains unknown. We describe the equity impact of this women's groups intervention on the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) across socioeconomic strata.Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of all four participatory women's group interventions that were shown to be highly effective in cluster randomized trials in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Malawi. We estimated intervention effects on NMR and health behaviours for lower and higher socioeconomic strata using random effects logistic regression analysis. Differences in effect between strata were tested.Results: Analysis of 69120 live births and 2505 neonatal deaths shows that the intervention strongly reduced the NMR in lower (50-63% reduction depending on the measure of socioeconomic position used) and higher (35-44%) socioeconomic strata. The intervention did not show evidence of 'elite-capture': among the most marginalized populations, the NMR in intervention areas was 63% lower [95% confidence interval (CI) 48-74%] than in control areas, compared with 35% (95% CI: 15-50%) lower among the less marginalized in the last trial year (P-value for difference between most/less marginalized: 0.009). The intervention strongly improved home care practices, with no systematic socioeconomic differences in effect.Conclusions: Participatory women's groups with high population coverage benefit the survival chances of newborns from all socioeconomic strata, and perhaps especially those born into the most deprived households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The World Health Organization recommends participatory learning and action (PLA) in women's groups to improve maternal and newborn health, particularly in rural settings with low access to health services. There have been calls to understand the pathways through which this community intervention may affect neonatal mortality. We examined the effect of women's groups on key antenatal, delivery, and postnatal behaviours in order to understand pathways to mortality reduction.Methods and Findings: We conducted a meta-analysis using data from 7 cluster-randomised controlled trials that took place between 2001 and 2012 in rural India (2 trials), urban India (1 trial), rural Bangladesh (2 trials), rural Nepal (1 trial), and rural Malawi (1 trial), with the number of participants ranging between 6,125 and 29,901 live births. Behavioural outcomes included appropriate antenatal care, facility delivery, use of a safe delivery kit, hand washing by the birth attendant prior to delivery, use of a sterilised instrument to cut the umbilical cord, immediate wrapping of the newborn after delivery, delayed bathing of the newborn, early initiation of breastfeeding, and exclusive breastfeeding. We used 2-stage meta-analysis techniques to estimate the effect of the women's group intervention on behavioural outcomes. In the first stage, we used random effects models with individual patient data to assess the effect of groups on outcomes separately for the different trials. In the second stage of the meta-analysis, random effects models were applied using summary-level estimates calculated in the first stage of the analysis. To determine whether behaviour change was related to group attendance, we used random effects models to assess associations between outcomes and the following categories of group attendance and allocation: women attending a group and allocated to the intervention arm; women not attending a group but allocated to the intervention arm; and women allocated to the control arm. Overall, women's groups practising PLA improved behaviours during and after home deliveries, including the use of safe delivery kits (odds ratio [OR] 2.92, 95% CI 2.02-4.22; I2 = 63.7%, 95% CI 4.4%-86.2%), use of a sterile blade to cut the umbilical cord (1.88, 1.25-2.82; 67.6%, 16.1%-87.5%), birth attendant washing hands prior to delivery (1.87, 1.19-2.95; 79%, 53.8%-90.4%), delayed bathing of the newborn for at least 24 hours (1.47, 1.09-1.99; 68.0%, 29.2%-85.6%), and wrapping the newborn within 10 minutes of delivery (1.27, 1.02-1.60; 0.0%, 0%-79.2%). Effects were partly dependent on the proportion of pregnant women attending groups. We did not find evidence of effects on uptake of antenatal care (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.77-1.38; I2 = 86.3%, 95% CI 73.8%-92.8%), facility delivery (1.02, 0.93-1.12; 21.4%, 0%-65.8%), initiating breastfeeding within 1 hour (1.08, 0.85-1.39; 76.6%, 50.9%-88.8%), or exclusive breastfeeding for 6 weeks after delivery (1.18, 0.93-1.48; 72.9%, 37.8%-88.2%). The main limitation of our analysis is the high degree of heterogeneity for effects on most behaviours, possibly due to the limited number of trials involving women's groups and context-specific effects.Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that women's groups practising PLA improve key behaviours on the pathway to neonatal mortality, with the strongest evidence for home care behaviours and practices during home deliveries. A lack of consistency in improved behaviours across all trials may reflect differences in local priorities, capabilities, and the responsiveness of health services. Future research could address the mechanisms behind how PLA improves survival, in order to adapt this method to improve maternal and newborn health in different contexts, as well as improve other outcomes across the continuum of care for women, children, and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organisation has called for global action to reduce child stunting by 40% by 2025. One third of the world's stunted children live in India, and children belonging to rural indigenous communities are the worst affected. We sought to identify the strongest determinants of stunting among indigenous children in rural Jharkhand and Odisha, India, to highlight key areas for intervention. We analysed data from 1227 children aged 6–23.99 months and their mothers, collected in 2010 from 18 clusters of villages with a high proportion of people from indigenous groups in three districts. We measured height and weight of mothers and children, and captured data on various basic, underlying and immediate determinants of undernutrition. We used Generalised Estimating Equations to identify individual determinants associated with children's height‐for‐age z‐score (HAZ; p < 0.10); we included these in a multivariable model to identify the strongest HAZ determinants using backwards stepwise methods. In the adjusted model, the strongest protective factors for linear growth included cooking outdoors rather than indoors (HAZ +0.66), birth spacing ≥24 months (HAZ +0.40), and handwashing with a cleansing agent (HAZ +0.32). The strongest risk factors were later birth order (HAZ −0.38) and repeated diarrhoeal infection (HAZ −0.23). Our results suggest multiple risk factors for linear growth faltering in indigenous communities in Jharkhand and Odisha. Interventions that could improve children's growth include reducing exposure to indoor air pollution, increasing access to family planning, reducing diarrhoeal infections, improving handwashing practices, increasing access to income and strengthening health and sanitation infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Jharkhand, a state with substantial tribal population in Eastern India has very high rate of undernutrition. The study tries to understand the social determinants of inequities in under-nutrition (weight-for-age) among children aged less than 5 years, in Gumla District of the State. Methods: Cross sectional study of 1070 children from 32 villages of 4 Blocks of Gumla District. Results: 54.3 % (95 % CI 51.3-57.3) children were found to be underweight (less than -2SD), with insignificant difference between girls and boys. Multivariate analysis showed that poverty was the single most important predictor of undernutrition, where a child from the poorest quintile was 70 % more likely to be underweight (aOR 1.70, CI 1.13-2.57), compared to one from the least poor group (Quintile 5). While the difference in weight-for-age status between Scheduled Tribes and "OBC and other communities" was non-significant (95 % OR 1.12, CI 0.88-1. 42) in the study context; community disaggregated data revealed that there were large variations within the tribal community, and numerically smaller communities also ranked lower in wealth, and their children showed poorer nutritional status. Other factors like maternal education beyond matriculation level also had some bearing. Bivariate analysis showed that chances of a child being underweight (<-2SD) was 43 % more and being severely underweight (<-3SD) was 26 % more for mothers with less than 10 years of schooling compared to those who had attended school for more than 10 years. Educational attainment of mothers did not show any significant difference between tribal and non-tribal communities. Conclusion: Overall nutritional status of children in Gumla is very grim and calls for immediate interventions, with universal coverage. Risk was almost equal for both genders, and for tribal and non-tribal population, though within tribal communities, it was slightly higher for smaller tribal communities, calling for soft targeting. Comprehensive programme addressing poverty and higher education for girls would be important to overcome the structural barriers, and should be integral part of any intervention. The study highlights the importance of soft targeting vulnerable communities within the universal coverage of government programmes for better nutritional outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Efforts to end preventable newborn deaths will fail if the poor are not reached with effective interventions. To understand what works to reach vulnerable groups, we describe and explain the uptake of a highly effective community-based newborn health intervention across social strata in Asia and Africa. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of seven randomised trials of participatory women's groups to reduce newborn mortality in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Malawi. We analysed data on 70 574 pregnancies. Socioeconomic and sociodemographic differences in group attendance were tested using logistic regression. Qualitative data were collected at each trial site (225 focus groups, 20 interviews) to understand our results. Results Socioeconomic differences in women's group attendance were small, except for occasional lower attendance by elites. Sociodemographic differences were large, with lower attendance by young primigravid women in African as well as in South Asian sites. The intervention was considered relevant and interesting to all socioeconomic groups. Local facilitators ensured inclusion of poorer women. Embarrassment and family constraints on movement outside the home restricted attendance among primigravid women. Reproductive health discussions were perceived as inappropriate for them. Conclusions Community-based women's groups can help to reach every newborn with effective interventions. Equitable intervention uptake is enhanced when facilitators actively encourage all women to attend, organise meetings at the participants' convenience and use approaches that are easily understandable for the less educated. Focused efforts to include primigravid women are necessary, working with families and communities to decrease social taboos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, puerperal sepsis accounts for an estimated 8–12% of maternal deaths, but evidence is lacking on the extent to which clean delivery practices could improve maternal survival. We used data from the control arms of four cluster-randomised controlled trials conducted in rural India, Bangladesh and Nepal, to examine associations between clean delivery kit use and hand washing by the birth attendant with maternal mortality among home deliveries. Methods: We tested associations between clean delivery practices and maternal deaths, using a pooled dataset for 40,602 home births across sites in the three countries. Cross-sectional data were analysed by fitting logistic regression models with and without multiple imputation, and confounders were selected a priori using causal directed acyclic graphs. The robustness of estimates was investigated through sensitivity analyses. Results: Hand washing was associated with a 49% reduction in the odds of maternal mortality after adjusting for confounding factors (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.51, 95% CI 0.28–0.93). The sensitivity analysis testing the missing at random assumption for the multiple imputation, as well as the sensitivity analysis accounting for possible misclassification bias in the use of clean delivery practices, indicated that the association between hand washing and maternal death had been over estimated. Clean delivery kit use was not associated with a maternal death (AOR 1.26, 95% CI 0.62–2.56). Conclusions: Our evidence suggests that hand washing in delivery is critical for maternal survival among home deliveries in rural South Asia, although the exact magnitude of this effect is uncertain due to inherent biases associated with observational data from low resource settings. Our findings indicating kit use does not improve maternal survival, suggests that the soap is not being used in all instances that kit use is being reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Delivery of essential newborn care is key to reducing neonatal mortality rates, yet coverage of protective birth practices remains incomplete and variable, with or without skilled attendance. Evidence of changes over time in newborn care provision, disaggregated by care practice and delivery type, can be used by policymakers to review efforts to reduce mortality. We examine such trends in four areas using control arm trial data. Methods and Findings: We analysed data from the control arms of cluster randomised controlled trials in Bangladesh (27 553 births), eastern India (8 939), Dhanusha, Nepal (15 344) and Makwanpur, Nepal (6 765) over the period 2001–2011. For each trial, we calculated the observed proportion of attended births and the coverage of WHO essential newborn care practices by year, adjusted for clustering and stratification. To explore factors contributing to the observed trends, we then analysed expected trends due only to observed shifts in birth attendance, accounted for stratification, delivery type and statistically significant interaction terms, and examined disaggregated trends in care practice coverage by delivery type. Attended births increased over the study periods in all areas from very low rates, reaching a maximum of only 30% of deliveries. Newborn care practice trends showed marked heterogeneity within and between areas. Adjustment for stratification, birth attendance and interaction revealed that care practices could change in opposite directions over time and/or between delivery types – e.g. in Bangladesh hygienic cord-cutting and skin-to-skin contact fell in attended deliveries but not home deliveries, whereas in India birth attendant hand-washing rose for institutional deliveries but fell for home deliveries. Conclusions: Coverage of many essential newborn care practices is improving, albeit slowly and unevenly across sites and delivery type. Time trend analyses of birth patterns and essential newborn care practices can inform policy-makers about effective intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Provision of essential newborn care (ENC) can save many newborn lives in poor resource settings but coverage is far from universal and varies by country and place of delivery. Understanding gaps in current coverage and where coverage is good, in different contexts and places of delivery, could make a valuable contribution to the future design of interventions to reduce neonatal mortality. We sought to describe the coverage of essential newborn care practices for births in institutions, at home with a skilled birth attendant, and at home without a skilled birth attendant (SBA) in rural areas of Bangladesh, Nepal, and India. Methods: We used data from the control arms of four cluster randomised controlled trials in Bangladesh, Eastern India and from Makwanpur and Dhanusha districts in Nepal, covering periods from 2001 to 2011. We used these data to identify essential newborn care practices as defined by the World Health Organization. Each birth was allocated to one of three delivery types: home birth without an SBA, home birth with an SBA, or institutional delivery. For each study, we calculated the observed proportion of births that received each care practice by delivery type with 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for clustering and, where appropriate, stratification. Results: After exclusions, we analysed data for 8939 births from Eastern India, 27 553 births from Bangladesh, 6765 births from Makwanpur and 15 344 births from Dhanusha. Across all study areas, coverage of essential newborn care practices was highest in institutional deliveries, and lowest in home non-SBA deliveries. However, institutional deliveries did not provide universal coverage of the recommended practices, with relatively low coverage (20%-70%) across all study areas for immediate breastfeeding and thermal care. Institutions in Bangladesh had the highest coverage for almost all care practices except thermal care. Across all areas, fewer than 20% of home non-SBA deliveries used a clean delivery kit, the use of plastic gloves was very low and coverage of recommended thermal care was relatively poor. There were large differences between study areas in handwashing, immediate breastfeeding and delayed bathing. Conclusions: There remains substantial scope for health facilities to improve thermal care for the newborn and to encourage immediate and exclusive breastfeeding. For unattended home deliveries, increased handwashing, use of clean delivery kits and basic thermal care offer great scope for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine whether a women's group intervention involving participatory learning and action has a sustainable and replicable effect on neonatal survival in rural, eastern India. Methods From 2004 to 2011, births and neonatal deaths in 36 geographical clusters in Jharkhand and Odisha were monitored. Between 2005 and 2008, these clusters were part of a randomized controlled trial of how women's group meetings involving participatory learning and action influence maternal and neonatal health. Between 2008 and 2011, groups in the original intervention clusters (zone 1) continued to meet to discuss post-neonatal issues and new groups in the original control clusters (zone 2) met to discuss neonatal health. Logistic regression was used to examine neonatal mortality rates after 2008 in the two zones. Findings Data on 41 191 births were analysed. In zone 1, the intervention's effect was sustained: the cluster-mean neonatal mortality rate was 34.2 per 1000 live births (95% confidence interval, CI: 28.3-40.0) between 2008 and 2011, compared with 41.3 per 1000 live births (95% CI: 35.4-47.1) between 2005 and 2008. The effect of the intervention was replicated in zone 2: the cluster-mean neonatal mortality rate decreased from 61.8 to 40.5 per 1000 live births between two periods: 2006-2008 and 2009-2011 (odds ratio: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.57-0.83). Hygiene during delivery, thermal care of the neonate and exclusive breastfeeding were important factors. Conclusion The effect of participatory women's groups on neonatal survival in rural India, where neonatal mortality is high, was sustainable and replicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]