Room-temperature Polymerisation Of Ethylene On A Tio2 (anatase) Surface; Infrared Spectroscopic Evidence For An Alkylidene-ti4+ Polymer End-group And For A 'hydrogen-bonding' Type Of Interaction Of Ch Bonds Of The Polymer Chain With The Oxide Surface

An infrared spectroscopic study of the spontaneous polymerisation of ethylene on a sulphate-containing TiO2 (anatase) sample shows evidence for an alkylidene surface end-group of the polymer and for substantial perturbation of CH2 groups of the polymer chain by interaction with the oxide surface.2112581259DARPA; Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; NSF; Defense Advanced Research Projects Agenc

Management of the mother-infant dyad with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in a highly epidemic context

In the context of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the hospital management of mother-infant pairs poses to obstetricians and neonatologists previously unmet challenges. In Lombardy, Northern Italy, 59 maternity wards networked to organise the medical assistance of mothers and neonates with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Six "COVID-19 maternity centres" were identified, the architecture and activity of obstetric and neonatal wards of each centre was reorganised, and common assistance protocols for the management of suspected and proven cases were formulated. Here, we present the key features of this reorganization effort, and our current management of the mother-infant dyad before and after birth, including our approach to rooming-in practice, breastfeeding and neonatal follow-up, based on the currently available scientific evidence. Considered the rapid diffusion of COVID-19 all over the world, we believe that preparedness is fundamental to assist mother-infant dyads, minimising the risk of propagation of the infection through maternity and neonatal wards

A case report of accidental intoxication following ingestion of foxglove confused with borage : high digoxinemia without major complications

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea L.) leaves are frequently confused with borage (Borago officinalis L.), which is traditionally used as a food ingredient. Due to the presence of the cardiac glycosides, mostly digitoxin, foxglove leaves are poisonous to human and may be fatal if ingested. A 55-year-old Caucasian woman complaining weakness, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting was admitted to the Emergency Department. Her symptoms started following consumption of a home-made savory pie with 5 leaves from a plant bought in a garden nursery as borage. Digoxinemia was high (10.4\u2009\u3bcg/L). The patient was admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit for electrocardiographic monitoring. Two days after admission, a single episode of advanced atrioventricular (AV) block was recorded by telemetry, followed by a second-degree AV block episode. Plasma samples at day 11 were analysed by LC-MS spectrometry, and gitoxin was identified suggesting that this compound may be responsible for the clinical toxicity rather than digoxin. In the case of Digitalis spp. poisoning, laboratory data should be interpreted according to the clinical picture and method of analysis used since a variety of glycosides, which are chemically similar to the cardioactive glycosides but without or with fewer cardiac effects, may be incorrectly recognized as digoxin by the test, giving misleading results

Levels and Correlates of Non-Adherence to WHO Recommended Inter-Birth Intervals in Rufiji, Tanzania.

Poorly spaced pregnancies have been documented worldwide to result in adverse maternal and child health outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum inter-birth interval of 33 months between two consecutive live births in order to reduce the risk of adverse maternal and child health outcomes. However, birth spacing practices in many developing countries, including Tanzania, remain scantly addressed. METHODS: Longitudinal data collected in the Rufiji Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) from January 1999 to December 2010 were analyzed to investigate birth spacing practices among women of childbearing age. The outcome variable, non-adherence to the minimum inter-birth interval, constituted all inter-birth intervals <33 months long. Inter-birth intervals >=33 months long were considered to be adherent to the recommendation. Chi-Square was used as a test of association between non-adherence and each of the explanatory variables. Factors affecting non-adherence were identified using a multilevel logistic model. Data analysis was conducted using STATA (11) statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 15,373 inter-birth intervals were recorded from 8,980 women aged 15--49 years in Rufiji district over the follow-up period of 11 years. The median inter-birth interval was 33.4 months. Of the 15,373 inter-birth intervals, 48.4% were below the WHO recommended minimum length of 33 months between two live births. Non-adherence was associated with younger maternal age, low maternal education, multiple births of the preceding pregnancy, non-health facility delivery of the preceding birth, being an in-migrant resident, multi-parity and being married. CONCLUSION: Generally, one in every two inter-birth intervals among 15--49 year-old women in Rufiji district is poorly spaced, with significant variations by socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of mothers and newborns. Maternal, newborn and child health services should be improved with a special emphasis on community- and health facility-based optimum birth spacing education in order to enhance health outcomes of mothers and their babies, especially in rural settings

When separation is not the answer : breastfeeding mothers and infants affected by COVID-19

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has provided detailed guidance on the care of infants of women who are a person under investigation (PUI) or confirmed to have COVID-19, which supports immediate postpartum mother-infant contact and breastfeeding with appropriate respiratory precautions. Although many countries have followed WHO guidance, others have implemented infection prevention and control policies (IPC) that impose varying levels of postpartum separation and discourage or prohibit breastfeeding or provision of expressed breastmilk. These policies aim to protect infants from the potential harm of infection from their mothers, yet they may fail to fully account for the impact of separation. Global COVID-19 data are suggestive of potentially lower susceptibility and a typically milder course of disease among children, although the potential for severe disease in infancy remains. Separation causes cumulative harms, including disrupting breastfeeding and limiting its protection against infectious disease, which has disproportionate impacts on vulnerable infants. Separation also presumes the replaceability of breastfeeding – a risk that is magnified in emergencies. Moreover, separation does not ensure lower viral exposure during hospitalizations and post-discharge, and contributes to the burden on overwhelmed health systems. Finally, separation magnifies maternal health consequences of insufficient breastfeeding and compounds trauma in communities who have experienced long-standing inequities and violence, including family separation. Taken together, separating PUI/confirmed SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers and their infants may lead to excess preventable illnesses and deaths among infants and women around the world. Health services must consider the short-and-long-term impacts of separating mothers and infants in their policies. This article is protected by copyright

Quality and Safety Aspects of Infant Nutrition

Quality and safety aspects of infant nutrition are of key importance for child health, but oftentimes they do not get much attention by health care professionals whose interest tends to focus on functional benefits of early nutrition. Unbalanced diets and harmful food components induce particularly high risks for untoward effects in infants because of their rapid growth, high nutrient needs, and their typical dependence on only one or few foods during the first months of life. The concepts, standards and practices that relate to infant food quality and safety were discussed at a scientific workshop organized by the Child Health Foundation and the Early Nutrition Academy jointly with the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and a summary is provided here. The participants reviewed past and current issues on quality and safety, the role of different stakeholders, and recommendations to avert future issues. It was concluded that a high level of quality and safety is currently achieved, but this is no reason for complacency. The food industry carries the primary responsibility for the safety and suitability of their products, including the quality of composition, raw materials and production processes. Introduction of new or modified products should be preceded by a thorough science based review of suitability and safety by an independent authority. Food safety events should be managed on an international basis. Global collaboration of food producers, food-safety authorities, paediatricians and scientists is needed to efficiently exchange information and to best protect public health. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Sibling death clustering in India : genuine scarring vs unobserved heterogeneity

Data from a range of environments indicate that the incidence of death is not randomly distributed across families but, rather, that there is a clustering of death among siblings. A natural explanation of this would be that there are (observed or unobserved) differences across families, e.g. in genetic frailty, education or living standards. Another hypothesis that is of considerable interest for both theory and policy is that there is a causal process whereby the death of a child influences the risk of death of the succeeding child in the family. Drawing language from the literature on the economics of unemployment, the causal effect is referred to here as state dependence (or scarring). The paper investigates the extent of state dependence in India, distinguishing this from family level risk factors that are common to siblings. It offers some methodological innovations on previous research. Estimates are obtained for each of three Indian states, which exhibit dramatic differences in socio-economic and demographic variables. The results suggest a significant degree of state dependence in each of the three regions. Eliminating scarring, it is estimated, would reduce the incidence of infant mortality (among children who are born after the first child) by 9.8% in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 6.0% in West Bengal and 5.9% in Kerala