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The effect and control of malaria in pregnancy and lactating women in the Asia-Pacific regionHalf of all pregnancies at risk of malaria worldwide occur in the Asia-Pacific region, where Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax co-exist. Despite substantial reductions in transmission, malaria remains an important cause of adverse health outcomes for mothers and offspring, including pre-eclampsia. Malaria transmission is heterogeneous, and infections are commonly subpatent and asymptomatic.
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Supporting Maternal and Child Mental Health Through Dietary Changes Focused on the Gut MicrobiotaGrowing evidence from preclinical studies, epidemiology, and randomized controlled trials supports a causal role for diet quality in mental disorder risk, and clinical psychiatric guidelines now place diet, along with other life-style behaviors, as foundational treatment targets for mood disorders.
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Perceived stress in mothers of children with and without islet and coeliac autoimmunity in the ENDIA studyWe aimed to assess perceived stress and influencing factors in mothers with children at risk of type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease who did, or did not, develop islet autoantibodies or coeliac autoantibodies by 4 years of age.
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Care provided to women during and after a pregnancy complicated by hyperglycaemia: the impacts of a multi-component health systems interventionAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience a disproportionate burden of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy. A multi-component health systems intervention aiming to improve antenatal and postpartum care was implemented across Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) and Far North Queensland (FNQ) between 2016 and 2019. Components included clinician education, improving recall systems, enhancing policies and guidelines, and embedding Diabetes in Pregnancy (DIP) Clinical Registers in systems of care. This program was evaluated to determine impacts on clinical practice and maternal health.
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Antibodies in breast milk: Pro-bodies designed for healthy newborn developmentThis manuscript sheds light on the impact of maternal breast milk antibodies on infant health. Milk antibodies prepare and protect the newborn against environmental exposure, guide and regulate the offspring's immune system, and promote transgenerational adaptation of the immune system to its environment.
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Artemisinin combination therapy at delivery to prevent postpartum malaria: A randomised open-label controlled trialAlthough the incidence of malaria is increased in women in endemic areas after delivery compared to non-pregnant women, no studies have assessed the benefit of presumptive antimalarial treatment given postpartum.
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Effect of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO)-based asthma management during pregnancy versus usual care on infant development, temperament, sensory function and autism signsAsthma during pregnancy is associated with a range of adverse perinatal outcomes. It is also linked to increased rates of neurodevelopmental conditions in the offspring. We aimed to assess whether fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO)-based asthma management during pregnancy improves child developmental and behavioural outcomes compared to usual care. The Breathing for Life Trial was a randomised controlled trial that compared FENO-based asthma management during pregnancy to usual care.
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Epigenetics of the non-coding RNA nc886 across blood, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in offspring exposed to diabetes in pregnancyDiabetes in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of long-term metabolic disease in the offspring, potentially mediated by in utero epigenetic variation. Previously, we identified multiple differentially methylated single CpG sites in offspring of women with gestational diabetes mellitus, but whether stretches of differentially methylated regions can also be identified in adolescent GDM offspring is unknown.
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The role of fathers in supporting the development of their NICU infantContemporary models of NICU care emphasize the critical role of parents in supporting their infant's development. Fathers play an important, but underutilized, role throughout their infant's NICU journey. This narrative review describes the main direct and indirect mechanisms through which fathers support the development of their NICU infant, and the barriers and facilitators to this support as described in current research.
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RISING STARS: The heat is on: how does heat exposure cause pregnancy complications?The incidence and severity of heatwaves are increasing globally with concomitant health complications. Pregnancy is a critical time in the life course at risk of adverse health outcomes due to heat exposure. Dynamic physiological adaptations, which include altered thermoregulatory pathways, occur in pregnancy.