Alternative infant feeding methods to breast or bottle for healthy term infants up to one year of age: a scoping review

A review of the literature surrounding alternative infant feeding methods to breast and bottle for term health babies up to one year of ag

“Whatsapping” the continuity of postpartum care in Switzerland: A socio-anthropological study

Background: Digital media such as Apps, Internet and social networks have become integral parts of the maternity experience for more than a decade. These media can support or undermine women’s experiences as has been shown in digital sociology research. Using Immediate Messaging Applications to provide information and support to women during the perinatal period is an emerging practice. Aim : This article analyses how health and social care professionals – with a focus on community midwives – and women communicate between postpartum home visits through Immediate Message Applications in Switzerland. Methods : A socio-anthropological study that relied on qualitative methods including semi-directed interviews with midwives and health and social care professionals (n = 30) and immigrant women (n = 20). Findings: Since the introduction of Immediate Messaging Applications, women and their carer converse more regularly between post-partum home visits. Women send questions, pictures and videos to them, often allowing swift responses to their concerns. Midwives encounter difficulties answering women’s questions when they cannot be solved through quick communication (e.g. infant crying). To them, texting frequency forms a clinical clue to women’s mental health. Not all women contact their carer through digital messages; immigrant women are less likely to know and use this service. Discussion and conclusion: Immediate Messaging Applications form a promising communication tool, complementary to home visits, and contribute to woman-centered care and continuity of care. As an emergent practice, it has not been framed by a guideline yet. Policy makers and practitioners should ensure that its use does not contribute to unequal access to care

“Whatsapping” the continuity of postpartum care in Switzerland ::a socio-anthropological study

Background: Digital media such as Apps, Internet and social networks have become integral parts of the maternity experience for more than a decade. These media can support or undermine women’s experiences as has been shown in digital sociology research. Using Immediate Messaging Applications to provide information and support to women during the perinatal period is an emerging practice. Aim : This article analyses how health and social care professionals – with a focus on community midwives – and women communicate between postpartum home visits through Immediate Message Applications in Switzerland. Methods : A socio-anthropological study that relied on qualitative methods including semi-directed interviews with midwives and health and social care professionals (n = 30) and immigrant women (n = 20). Findings: Since the introduction of Immediate Messaging Applications, women and their carer converse more regularly between post-partum home visits. Women send questions, pictures and videos to them, often allowing swift responses to their concerns. Midwives encounter difficulties answering women’s questions when they cannot be solved through quick communication (e.g. infant crying). To them, texting frequency forms a clinical clue to women’s mental health. Not all women contact their carer through digital messages; immigrant women are less likely to know and use this service. Discussion and conclusion: Immediate Messaging Applications form a promising communication tool, complementary to home visits, and contribute to woman-centered care and continuity of care. As an emergent practice, it has not been framed by a guideline yet. Policy makers and practitioners should ensure that its use does not contribute to unequal access to care

Immigrant women looking for information about the perinatal period on digital media ::a qualitative study

Background Smartphones’ development has allowed continuous access to information about the perinatal period on digital media. Knowing about immigrant women’s experience on digital media may help health and social care professionals to fine-tune their care. Aim Our primary aim is to analyse how immigrant women experience information about the perinatal period on digital media. Our secondary aim is to discuss how health and social care professionals perceive the experiences of these women. Methods A qualitative study conducted in Switzerland encompassing semi-directed interviews with immigrant women (n = 20), health and social care professionals (n = 30) and interpreters (n = 12) completed with ethnographic observations and interviews. Findings and discussion Immigrant women form a diverse social group. They consequently use an array of social media to find information about the perinatal period depending on their linguistic and digital skills. Reflexively, they expect information found online to be of unequal quality and value information provided by professionals. They adapt their practices to their experience and may avoid media that negatively affects them. Their experience with digital media reflects the overall perinatal experience, providing clues for carers. Professionals worry about the difficult situations some immigrant women live in and stress that digital portals form barriers to services. Professionals may overlook immigrant women’s use of digital media and their need for guidance. Conclusions Immigrant women use digital media to find information about the perinatal period to prepare for birth and the post-partum. They rely on unequal capabilities to do so and need translated information and holistic woman-centred support

Factors that influence the sustainability of human milk donation to milk banks ::a systematic review

Donor human milk is the recommended alternative for feeding preterm or low birth weight infants when the mother’s own milk is unavailable or not in sufficient quantity. Globally, the needs of vulnerable infants for donor human milk exceed the supply. This review aimed to identify the factors impacting the sustainability of human milk donation to milk banks. A systematic review of the literature was performed on eight databases to retrieve articles published until December 2021. The study protocol is available in PROSPERO (#CRD42021287087). Among the 6722 references identified, 10 studies (eight quantitative observational and two qualitative) met the eligibility criteria for a total of 7053 participants. Thirty factors influencing the sustainability of the donations to milk banks were identified and categorized as follows: (1) donation duration, (2) donors’ infant features (e.g., gestational age, birth weight), (3) donors’ features (e.g., socio-demographic characteristics, milk donation history), and (4) factors related to the milk bank and health care systems (awareness and support). The available evidence suggests that larger volumes of donated milk are associated with a longer duration of donation, as are early donation, previous milk donation, and donors with an infant of smaller weight and gestational age. Supporting and encouraging early donation and recruiting donors with infants of low birth weight and low gestational age could support longer donation times and greater volumes of milk donated. To identify efficient strategies and to draw appropriate recommendations to improve donor milk access, future studies should further explore the issues of the sustainability of human milk donation to milk banks

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternity services in Europe ::a mixed methods systematic review protocol

Objective: This review will synthesize and integrate the best available evidence on the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in access to and the provision of maternity services in Europe. The review will also consider health care professionals’ experiences in providing maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Introduction: Governments and maternity services have introduced various protective sanitary and organizational measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect the global population, including health care professionals. Since March 2020, the number of publications on this topic has soared, yet little is known about the effect of the pandemic and the accompanying measures on access to and the provision of maternity care in Europe. Inclusion criteria: The review will consider quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies on the impact of COVID-19 on European maternity services. For the quantitative component, the review will consider studies evaluating maternity services outcomes across all types of maternity care settings. For the qualitative component, the review will consider studies exploring maternity health care providers’ experiences and perceptions of the impact of the pandemic on care provided to women and their babies. Methods: Six bibliographic databases will be searched for published and unpublished studies since March 2020. Study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will follow JBI's segregated mixed methods approach. The quantitative component will be adapted to follow the JBI requirements for systematic reviews of etiology and risk. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD4202128387

Human papillomavirus infection and vaccination ::knowledge, attitude and perception among undergraduate men and women healthcare university students in Switzerland

Background: Human Papillomavirus is a common sexually transmitted infection, representing the main cause of genital warts and cervical cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate basic knowledge and beliefs regarding HPV infection and HPV vaccine among undergraduate healthcare men and women students, as well as their attitudes towards HPV vaccine. Methods: Undergraduate women and men (nursing and midwifery curses) attending three Schools of Health Sciences located in Switzerland. A total of 427 women and 223 men have completed the web questionnaire, which included questions on their socio-demographic background and about basic knowledge and attitudes toward the HPV infection and vaccination. Results: Women undergraduate students have a better knowledge of HPV infection than their men counterparts, although there was a significant gap in knowledge of the disease’s mode of transmission and prevention. Among women, 72.6% of respondents reported having received at least one dose of HPV vaccines versus 31.4% for men respondents. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed a poor understanding among undergraduate healthcare men and women students about the HPV infection, its mode of transmission and its prevention. Our findings highlight the need to improve education on HPV for undergraduate healthcare students in order to increase the awareness of the disease

Accès au lait de donneuses en Suisse et création de la première banque de lait maternel romande au CHUV ::enjeux et perspectives

Le lait maternel (LM) est idéal pour la croissance et la santé des nourrissons. En l’absence de LM, le lait de donneuses (LD) est préférable au lait artificiel pour les nouveau-nés (NN) à risques, prématurés ou présentant certaines pathologies, au vu de ses effets protecteurs. Les banques de lait (BL) collectent, sécurisent, traitent et distribuent le LD. Il existe en Suisse une insuffisance et une inégalité d’accès au LD, faute de cadre national. Avec le soutien de l’État de Vaud, le CHUV et la Transfusion interrégionale de la Croix-Rouge suisse ouvriront en 2022 la première BL romande. Cette BL propose un système novateur en Suisse, fondé sur une complémentarité d’expertises, afin d’optimiser la qualité et la sécurité du LD et de soutenir la promotion de l’allaitement et du don.Mother’s own milk (MOM) is ideal for infant growth and health. When MOM is unavailable, donor human milk (DHM), rather than infant formula, is recommended for at-risk, preterm or sick neonates (NN), in view of its protective effects. Human milk banks (HMB) collect, secure, process and distribute DHM. In Switzerland, there is insufficient and unequal access to DHM in the absence of a national policy framework. With the support of the State of Vaud, the CHUV and the Interregional Blood Transfusion of the Swiss Red Cross will open the first HMB in Romandy in 2022. This HMB offers an innovative system in Switzerland, based on complementary expertise, in order to guarantee the quality and safety of DHM and to support the promotion of breastfeeding and human milk donation

Bimodal modulation of tau protein phosphorylation and conformation by extracellular Zn2+ in human-tau transfected cells.

Abnormal homeostasis of heavy metals is a well-documented physiopathological mechanism in Alzheimer's disease. An exacerbation of these abnormalities is best illustrated in the amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease brain tissue, in which zinc reaches the enormous concentration of 1000 microM. Zinc in the plaques is thought to originate from impaired glutamatergic neurons distributed in the associative cortex and limbic structures of normal brain. Although the characteristics of zinc binding to Abeta and its role in promotion of Abeta aggregation have been intensively studied, the contribution of zinc to the development of tau pathology remains elusive. To further document the effect of zinc we have investigated the modifications of tau phosphorylation, conformation and association to microtubules induced by zinc in clonal cell lines expressing a human tau isoform. A bimodal dose dependent effect of zinc was observed. At 100 microM zinc induced a tau dephosphorylation on the PHF-1 epitope, and at higher zinc concentrations induced the appearance of the abnormal tau conformational epitope MC1 and reduced the electrophoretic mobility of tau, known to be associated to increased tau phosphorylation. High zinc concentrations also increased glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) phosphorylation on tyrosine 216, a phosphorylation associated with increased activity of this tau kinase. Live imaging of tau-EGFP expressing cells demonstrated that high zinc concentrations induced a release of tau from microtubules. These results suggest that zinc plays a significant role in the development of tau pathology associated to Alzheimer's disease.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Prions hijack tunnelling nanotubes for intercellular spread.

International audienceIn variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, prions (PrP(Sc)) enter the body with contaminated foodstuffs and can spread from the intestinal entry site to the central nervous system (CNS) by intercellular transfer from the lymphoid system to the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Although several means and different cell types have been proposed to have a role, the mechanism of cell-to-cell spreading remains elusive. Tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs) have been identified between cells, both in vitro and in vivo, and may represent a conserved means of cell-to-cell communication. Here we show that TNTs allow transfer of exogenous and endogenous PrP(Sc) between infected and naive neuronal CAD cells. Significantly, transfer of endogenous PrP(Sc) aggregates was detected exclusively when cells chronically infected with the 139A mouse prion strain were connected to mouse CAD cells by means of TNTs, identifying TNTs as an efficient route for PrP(Sc) spreading in neuronal cells. In addition, we detected the transfer of labelled PrP(Sc) from bone marrow-derived dendritic cells to primary neurons connected through TNTs. Because dendritic cells can interact with peripheral neurons in lymphoid organs, TNT-mediated intercellular transfer would allow neurons to transport prions retrogradely to the CNS. We therefore propose that TNTs are involved in the spreading of PrP(Sc) within neurons in the CNS and from the peripheral site of entry to the PNS by neuroimmune interactions with dendritic cells