Factors associated with breastfeeding duration and exclusivity in mothers returning to paid employment postpartum

postprin

Brief education to increase uptake of influenza vaccine among pregnant women: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

published_or_final_versionpublished_or_final_versio

Practices, predictors and consequences of expressed breast-milk feeding in healthy full-term infants

To investigate the prevalence and predictors of expressed breast-milk feeding in healthy full-term infants and its association with total duration of breast-milk feeding. Prospective cohort study. In-patient postnatal units of four public hospitals in Hong Kong. A total of 2450 mother–infant pairs were recruited in 2006–2007 and 2011–2012 and followed up prospectively for 12 months or until breast-milk feeding had stopped. Across the first 6 months postpartum, the rate of exclusive expressed breast-milk feeding ranged from 5·1 to 8·0 % in 2006–2007 and from 18·0 to 19·8 % in 2011–2012. Factors associated with higher rate of exclusive expressed breast-milk feeding included supplementation with infant formula, lack of previous breast-milk feeding experience, having a planned caesarean section delivery and returning to work postpartum. Exclusive expressed breast-milk feeding was associated with an increased risk of early breast-milk feeding cessation when compared with direct feeding at the breast. The hazard ratio (95 % CI) ranged from 1·25 (1·04, 1·51) to 1·91 (1·34, 2·73) across the first 6 months. Mothers of healthy term infants should be encouraged and supported to feed directly at the breast. Exclusive expressed breast-milk feeding should be recommended only when medically necessary and not as a substitute for feeding directly at the breast. Further research is required to explore mothers’ reasons for exclusive expressed breast-milk feeding and to identify the health outcomes associated with this practice.postprin

Prevalence and predictors of maternal seasonal influenza vaccination in Hong Kong

Poster Presentation: no. P75-Ab0034Conference Theme: Translating Health Research into Policy and Practice for Health of the Populationpublished_or_final_versio

Professional breastfeeding support to increase the exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding: a randomised controlled trial

Modest postnatal support interventions such as providing early support with breastfeeding and conducting brief weekly telephone support can improve both the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding.published_or_final_versio

Professional breastfeeding support for first-time mothers: a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial

Conference Theme: Translating Health Research into Policy and Practice for Health of the PopulationPoster Presentations: Delivery of Health Servicespublished_or_final_versio

Professional breastfeeding support for first-time mothers: a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial

Objective To evaluate the effect of two postnatal professional support interventions on the duration of any and exclusive breastfeeding. Design Multicentre, three-arm, cluster randomised controlled trial. Population A cohort of 722 primiparous breastfeeding mothers with uncomplicated, full-term pregnancies. Methods The three study interventions were: (1) standard postnatal maternity care; (2) standard care plus three in-hospital professional breastfeeding support sessions, of 30–45 minutes in duration; or (2) standard care plus weekly post-discharge breastfeeding telephone support, of 20–30 minutes in duration, for 4 weeks. The interventions were delivered by four trained research nurses, who were either highly experienced registered midwives or certified lactation consultants. Main outcome measures Prevalence of any and exclusive breastfeeding at 1, 2, and 3 months postpartum. Results Rates of any and exclusive breastfeeding were higher among participants in the two intervention groups at all follow-up points, when compared with those who received standard care. Participants receiving telephone support were significantly more likely to continue any breastfeeding at 1 month (76.2 versus 67.3%; odds ratio, OR 1.63, 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 1.10–2.41) and at 2 months (58.6 versus 48.9%; OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.04–2.10), and to be exclusively breastfeeding at 1 month (28.4 versus 16.9%; OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.24–2.90). Participants in the in-hospital support group were also more likely to be breastfeeding at all time points, but the effect was not statistically significant. Conclusions Professional breastfeeding telephone support provided early in the postnatal period, and continued for the first month postpartum, improves breastfeeding duration among first-time mothers. It is also possible that it was the continuing nature of the support that increased the effectiveness of the intervention, rather than the delivery of the support by telephone specifically.postprin

Stabilization of monodomain polarization in ultrathin PbTiO3 films

Using in situ high-resolution synchrotron x-ray scattering, the Curie temperature T-C has been determined for ultrathin c-axis epitaxial PbTiO3 films on conducting substrates (SrRuO3 on SrTiO3), with surfaces exposed to a controlled vapor environment. The suppression of T-C was relatively small, even for the thinnest film (1.2 nm). We observe that 180 degrees stripe domains do not form, indicating that the depolarizing field is compensated by free charge at both interfaces. This is confirmed by ab initio calculations that find polar ground states in the presence of ionic adsorbates.open15511

Brief Education to Promote Maternal Influenza Vaccine Uptake: A Randomized Controlled Trial

postprin

β-Arrestin-2 regulates the development of allergic asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that is coordinated by Th2 cells in both human asthmatics and animal models of allergic asthma. Migration of Th2 cells to the lung is key to their inflammatory function and is regulated in large part by chemokine receptors, members of the seven-membrane-spanning receptor family. It has been reported recently that T cells lacking β-arrestin-2, a G protein-coupled receptor regulatory protein, demonstrate impaired migration in vitro. Here we show that allergen-sensitized mice having a targeted deletion of the β-arrestin-2 gene do not accumulate T lymphocytes in their airways, nor do they demonstrate other physiological and inflammatory features characteristic of asthma. In contrast, the airway inflammatory response to LPS, an event not coordinated by Th2 cells, is fully functional in mice lacking β-arrestin-2. β-arrestin-2-deficient mice demonstrate OVA-specific IgE responses, but have defective macrophage-derived chemokine-mediated CD4+ T cell migration to the lung. This report provides the first evidence that β-arrestin-2 is required for the manifestation of allergic asthma. Because β-arrestin-2 regulates the development of allergic inflammation at a proximal step in the inflammatory cascade, novel therapies focused on this protein may prove useful in the treatment of asthma