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This systematic review aimed to identify the benefits and possible harms of tocolytic therapy for preterm labour management in the context of pregnant women with extremely preterm birth, multiple gestations, or growth-restricted foetuses. A comprehensive search using MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and the WHO Global Index Medicus databases was conducted from 10 to 15 July 2021. We included randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies that assessed the effects of tocolysis compared with placebo or no treatment. We found 744 reports and, finally, nine studies (three randomized controlled trials and six cohort studies) pertaining to women with <28 weeks of gestation were included. No eligible studies were identified among women with a multiple pregnancy or a growth-restricted foetus. A meta-analysis of the trial data showed that there were no clear differences in perinatal death nor for a delay in birth. Non-randomized evidence showed that tocolysis delayed birth by 7 days, though there was no clear difference for preterm birth. In summary, it remains unclear whether tocolytic therapy for inhibiting preterm labour is beneficial for these subgroups of women and their newborns. Further well-designed randomized controlled trials and observational studies are needed to address the lack of evidence regarding tocolytic agents in these populations.

Objective: To explore the knowledge, experiences, and perceptions of childbirth educators about providing childbirth education to women with physical disability., Design: Qualitative descriptive design., Setting: Telephone interviews., Participants: Seventeen childbirth educators., Methods: We used a semistructured interview guide to explore participants' knowledge, experiences, and perceptions of providing childbirth education to women with physical disability. We audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed the interviews using content analysis., Results: We identified four themes: Importance of Childbirth Education for All Women, Inadequate Knowledge About Physical Disability, Willingness to Learn About Physical Disability, and Misconceptions and Assumptions About Women With Physical Disability., Conclusion: Participants reported little knowledge about the needs of pregnant women with physical disability and limited experience with them in childbirth education classes. They reported eagerness to learn about disability and its effect on pregnancy to help provide meaningful education to women with physical disability. Childbirth educators need to develop and implement innovative approaches to reach women with physical disability, provide information relevant to their needs, and address the misconceptions and assumptions they may have about women with physical disability and pregnancy., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors report no conflicts of interest or relevant financial relationships., (Copyright © 2022 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The persistent, difficult-to-treat, allergic contact dermatitis from hexavalent chromium in European construction workers has diminished significantly since the legislative measurements that came into force in January 2005. However, sensitization to hexavalent chromium continues to be a problem. Barrier creams have been tried for various allergens with divergent results., Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the protective capacity of barrier cream candidates against hexavalent chromium in a patch test situation., Methods: An experimental study was performed to investigate the reductive properties of glutathione and iron sulfate on the patch test reactivity in chromium-allergic individuals when exposed to hexavalent chromium. In this study, we also investigated the protective properties of a commercially available barrier cream., Conclusions: A higher number of volunteers (16/18) showed reactions on the skin treated with the commercially available barrier cream, compared with the untreated skin (13/18) on test reading day 3/4 or day 7. The skin treated with petrolatum or Essex cream showed fewer and less prominent allergic reactions than the skin treated with the commercially available barrier cream.

Host immunity exerts strong selective pressure on pathogens. Population-level genetic analysis can identify signatures of this selection, but these signatures reflect the net selective effect of all hosts and vectors in a population. In contrast, analysis of pathogen diversity within hosts provides information on individual, host-specific selection pressures. Here, we combine these complementary approaches in an analysis of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum using haplotype sequences from thousands of natural infections in sub-Saharan Africa. We find that parasite genotypes show preferential clustering within multi-strain infections in young children, and identify individual amino acid positions that may contribute to strain-specific immunity. Our results demonstrate that natural host defenses to P. falciparum act in an allele-specific manner to block specific parasite haplotypes from establishing blood-stage infections. This selection partially explains the extreme amino acid diversity of many parasite antigens and suggests that vaccines targeting such proteins should account for allele-specific immunity.

Objective: The first aim of the study was to make an inventory of the currently available ultrasound imaging devices on the market. The second aim was to identify portable ultrasound devices which could be used in general dental offices to image salivary glands, masticatory muscles and lymph nodes. Material and Methods : A list of ultrasound devices was collected from 11 international and American manufacturers using company websites and ultrasound retailer's websites using the search engine Google(®). Results : A total of 86 ultrasound machines from 11 different manufacturers were identified, of which only 14 devices are portable. Transducers are usually transferrable between devices of the same brand, and the non-portable machines have multiple transducer ports (three or four), while portable machines typically have only one or two ports. Portable machine weights range from 10 to 20 pounds, and often resemble large laptops, which are convenient to carry and take up minimal space in clinics. Conclusion : Some manufacturers provide portable and non-portable ultrasound devices. The first ones could be valuable in dental settings, as they can easily be moved around in the office.