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Background: Mali has a high neonatal mortality rate of 38/1000 live births; in addition the fresh stillbirth rate (FSR) is 23/1000 births and of these one-third are caused by intrapartum events.Objectives: The aims are to evaluate the effect of helping babies breathe (HBB) on mortality rate at a district hospital in Kati district, Mali.Methods: HBB first edition was implemented in April 2016. One year later the birth attendants were trained in HBB second edition and started frequent repetition training. This is a before and after study comparing the perinatal mortality during the period before HBB training with the period after HBB training, the period after HBB first edition and the period after HBB second edition. Perinatal mortality is defined as FSR plus neonatal deaths in the first 24 h of life.Results: There was a significant reduction in perinatal mortality rate (PMR) between the period before and after HBB training, from 21.7/1000 births to 6.0/1000 live births; RR 0.27, (95% CI 0.19-0.41; p < 0.0001). Very early neonatal mortality rate (24 h) decreased significantly from 6.3/1000 to 0.8/1000 live births; RR 0.12 (95% CI 0.05-0.33; p = 0.0006). FSR decreased from 15.7/1000 to 5.3/1000, RR 0.33 (95% CI 0.22-0.52; p < 0.0001). No further reduction occurred after introducing the HBB second edition.Conclusion: HBB may be effective in a local first-level referral hospital in Mali. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical activity has been inconsistently associated with risk of preterm birth, and the strength of the association and the shape of the dose-response relationship needs clarification.Objectives: To conduct a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis to clarify the association between physical activity and risk of preterm birth.Search Strategy: PubMed, Embase and Ovid databases were searched for relevant studies up to 9 February 2017.Selection Criteria: Studies with a prospective cohort, case-cohort, nested case-control or randomized study design were included.Data Collection and Analysis: Data were extracted by one reviewer and checked for accuracy by a second reviewer. Summary relative risks (RRs) were estimated using a random effects model.Main Results: Forty-one studies (43 publications) including 20 randomized trials and 21 cohort studies were included. The summary RR for high versus low activity was 0.87 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70-1.06, I2 = 17%, n = 5] for physical activity before pregnancy, and it was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78-0.95, I2 = 0%, n = 30) for early pregnancy physical activity. The summary RR for a 3 hours per week increment in leisure-time activity was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85-0.95, I2 = 0%, n = 5). There was evidence of a nonlinear association between physical activity and preterm birth, Pnonlinearity < 0.0001, with the lowest risk observed at 2-4 hours per week of activity.Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that higher leisure-time activity is associated with reduced risk of preterm birth. Further randomized controlled trials with sufficient frequency and duration of activity to reduce the risk and with larger sample sizes are needed to conclusively demonstrate an association.Tweetable Abstract: Physically active compared with inactive women have an 10-14% reduction in the risk of preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The BD Odon Device™ is a new instrument for operative vaginal birth with potential for preventing maternal, fetal and newborn morbidity/mortality during a complicated second stage of labour. The device is a plastic sleeve with an air chamber inflated around the baby's head which is gently pulled through the birth canal. The aim was to monitor changes in cerebral circulation during constriction of the neck to evaluate a risk of potential malposition of the device.Design: Randomised prospective study.Population or Sample: Twelve newborn piglets.Methods: The anaesthetised piglets were exposed to hypoxia until base excess was -20 mmol/l and/or mean arterial blood pressure had decreased to 20 mmHg. At reoxygenation, an air chamber was inflated around the neck to 300 mmHg and the piglets randomised into three groups: 10 (n = 5), 5 (n = 5) or 2 (n = 2) minutes' occlusion. Cerebral perfusion was evaluated with transcranial contrast-enhanced ultrasound at four time-points, and analysed in the carotid arteries, basal ganglia, cortex and whole brain. Statistical analysis used ANOVA, linear mixed model, Kruskal-Wallis H-test.Main Outcome Measures: Perfusion parameters; peak intensity, time to peak intensity, upslope, mean transit time, area under the curve.Results: The haemodynamic response was comparable between groups. Perfusion parameters showed a slight increase at end hypoxia followed by a decrease during occlusion, especially in the cortex (P = 0.00-0.2). After deflation, perfusion returned towards baseline values.Conclusions: Simulation of malposition of the Odon Device was performed using a newborn hypoxic piglet model. Considerable compression of the neck vessels was applied, with only a moderate decrease in perfusion and with restoration of haemodynamics/cerebral perfusion after decompression.Tweetable Abstract: Malposition of Odon Device™ in a piglet model revealed a reversible decrease in cerebral perfusion during neck constriction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]