Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Gender, age and geographical representation over the past 50 years of schizophrenia research

Previous studies have suggested that subjects participating in schizophrenia research are not representative of the demographics of the global population of people with schizophrenia, particularly in terms of gender and geographical location. We here explored if this has evolved throughout the decades, examining changes in geographical location, gender and age of participants in studies of schizophrenia published in the last 50 years. We examined this using a meta-analytical approach on an existing database including over 3,000 studies collated for another project. We found that the proportion of studies and participants from low-and-middle income countries has significantly increased over time, with considerable input from studies from China. However, it is still low when compared to the global population they represent. Women have been historically under-represented in studies, and still are in high-income countries. However, a significantly higher proportion of female participants have been included in studies over time. The age of participants included has not changed significantly over time. Overall, there have been improvements in the geographical and gender representation of people with schizophrenia. However, there is still a long way to go so research can be representative of the global population of people with schizophrenia, particularly in geographical terms

The enduring gap in educational attainment in schizophrenia according to the last 50 years of published research: a meta-analysis

Background. Educational attainment is associated with well-being and health. Unfortunately, patients with schizophrenia achieve lower levels of education. Several effective interventions can ameliorate this. However, the magnitude of the education gap in schizophrenia and changes over time are unclear. Methods. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis including all studies reporting on patients with schizophrenia and describing their years of education, with or without healthy controls. There were no other design constraints on studies. 22 reviewers participated in retrieving data from a search in PubMed and PsycINFO (January 1st, 1970, to November 24th, 2020). We estimated the birth date of participants from their mean age and publication date, and metaanalyzed these data, focusing on educational attainment, the education gap, and changes over time. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020220546). Outcomes. From 32,593 initial references, we included 3,321 studies reporting on 318,632 patients alongside 138,675 healthy controls (170,941 women and 275,821 men from studies describing gender; ethnicity was not collected). Patients educational attainment increased over time mirroring the controls.  However, patients achieved 19 months less than patients, and this remained unchanged throughout the decades. Studies were biased to include more educated patients and controls than their respective larger population, but results were unchanged in studies with groups with similar parental education. Interpretation. Patients with schizophrenia have faced persistent inequality in educational attainment in the last century, despite advances in psychosocial and pharmacological treatment. Reducing this gap should become a priority to improve their functional outcomes

Tópicos de marketing

Lograr un equilibrio entre acciones humanas, armonía con la naturaleza, y satisfacer las necesidades del mercado actual sin poner en riesgo aquellos recursos que pudieran precisar las futuras generaciones, es lo importante de impulsar la aplicación del marketing sostenible en las organizaciones. Esto se logra a través de la elaboración de un plan de marketing sostenible que permitirá promover un consumo responsable a través de información clara y oportuna sobre los beneficios personales y sociales que genera la adquisición de productos sostenibles; implantar el reciclado a través de la logística de reversa, procedimiento que origina poca o nula generación de desechos, proporcionar empleos seguros, apoyar al medio ambiente y con responsabilidad social, son algunos beneficios que aporta. El presente capítulo tiene como objetivo proporcionar los principales aspectos que abordan el marketing sostenible, mostrar la importancia de la realización de este marketing para las empresas, así como aportar los pasos para desarrollar un plan de marketing sostenible