1. |
- Calvert, Clara, et al.
(author)
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Changes in preterm birth and stillbirth during COVID-19 lockdowns in 26 countries
- 2023
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In: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-3374. ; 7:4, s. 529-544
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. Changes in PTB rates, ranging from -90% to +30%, were reported in many countries following early COVID-19 pandemic response measures ('lockdowns'). It is unclear whether this variation reflects real differences in lockdown impacts, or perhaps differences in stillbirth rates and/or study designs. Here we present interrupted time series and meta-analyses using harmonized data from 52 million births in 26 countries, 18 of which had representative population-based data, with overall PTB rates ranging from 6% to 12% and stillbirth ranging from 2.5 to 10.5 per 1,000 births. We show small reductions in PTB in the first (odds ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.95-0.98, P value <0.0001), second (0.96, 0.92-0.99, 0.03) and third (0.97, 0.94-1.00, 0.09) months of lockdown, but not in the fourth month of lockdown (0.99, 0.96-1.01, 0.34), although there were some between-country differences after the first month. For high-income countries in this study, we did not observe an association between lockdown and stillbirths in the second (1.00, 0.88-1.14, 0.98), third (0.99, 0.88-1.12, 0.89) and fourth (1.01, 0.87-1.18, 0.86) months of lockdown, although we have imprecise estimates due to stillbirths being a relatively rare event. We did, however, find evidence of increased risk of stillbirth in the first month of lockdown in high-income countries (1.14, 1.02-1.29, 0.02) and, in Brazil, we found evidence for an association between lockdown and stillbirth in the second (1.09, 1.03-1.15, 0.002), third (1.10, 1.03-1.17, 0.003) and fourth (1.12, 1.05-1.19, <0.001) months of lockdown. With an estimated 14.8 million PTB annually worldwide, the modest reductions observed during early pandemic lockdowns translate into large numbers of PTB averted globally and warrant further research into causal pathways.
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2. |
- KC, Ashish, 1982-, et al.
(author)
-
Changes in preterm birth and stillbirth during COVID-19 lockdowns in 26 countries.
- 2023
-
In: Nature human behaviour. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3374. ; 7:4, s. 529-544
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. Changes in PTB rates, ranging from -90% to +30%, were reported in many countries following early COVID-19 pandemic response measures ('lockdowns'). It is unclear whether this variation reflects real differences in lockdown impacts, or perhaps differences in stillbirth rates and/or study designs. Here we present interrupted time series and meta-analyses using harmonized data from 52 million births in 26 countries, 18 of which had representative population-based data, with overall PTB rates ranging from 6% to 12% and stillbirth ranging from 2.5 to 10.5 per 1,000 births. We show small reductions in PTB in the first (odds ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.95-0.98, P value <0.0001), second (0.96, 0.92-0.99, 0.03) and third (0.97, 0.94-1.00, 0.09) months of lockdown, but not in the fourth month of lockdown (0.99, 0.96-1.01, 0.34), although there were some between-country differences after the first month. For high-income countries in this study, we did not observe an association between lockdown and stillbirths in the second (1.00, 0.88-1.14, 0.98), third (0.99, 0.88-1.12, 0.89) and fourth (1.01, 0.87-1.18, 0.86) months of lockdown, although we have imprecise estimates due to stillbirths being a relatively rare event. We did, however, find evidence of increased risk of stillbirth in the first month of lockdown in high-income countries (1.14, 1.02-1.29, 0.02) and, in Brazil, we found evidence for an association between lockdown and stillbirth in the second (1.09, 1.03-1.15, 0.002), third (1.10, 1.03-1.17, 0.003) and fourth (1.12, 1.05-1.19, <0.001) months of lockdown. With an estimated 14.8 million PTB annually worldwide, the modest reductions observed during early pandemic lockdowns translate into large numbers of PTB averted globally and warrant further research into causal pathways.
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3. |
- Andersson, Cecilia K., et al.
(author)
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Impaired airway epithelial cell wound-healing capacity is associated with airway remodelling following RSV infection in severe preschool wheeze
- 2020
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In: Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0105-4538. ; 75:12, s. 3195-3207
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes exacerbations of asthma and preschool wheeze (PSW). However, the anti-viral and repair responses of the bronchial epithelium in children with severe therapy-resistant asthma (STRA) and PSW are poorly understood. Methods: Children with STRA (age 12 [6-16] years), PSW (age 2 [1-5] years) and non-asthmatic controls (age 7 [2-14] years) underwent bronchoscopy with endobronchial brushings and biopsies. Anti-viral, wound injury responses were quantified in biopsies and primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs) in response to RSV, poly(I:C), house dust mite (HDM) or IL-33 using RT-qPCR, Luminex and live cell imaging. Collagen deposition and tissue expression of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), IL-33 and receptor ST2 were investigated in bronchial biopsies. Results: PBECs from STRA and PSW had increased TLR3 gene expression and increased secretion of anti-viral and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-6 and IL-13) in response to RSV compared to controls. Exposure of PBECs to concomitant TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) and HDM resulted in a significant reduction in epithelial cell proliferation in PSW compared to controls. Wound-healing was also impaired in PSW compared to controls at baseline and following IL-33 stimulation. In addition, tissue EGFR expression was significantly reduced in PSW and correlated with collagen deposition in endobronchial biopsies. Conclusions: Despite increased anti-viral responses, preschool children with severe wheeze had impaired airway epithelial proliferative responses following damage. This might be connected to the low expression of EGFR in PSW which may affect epithelial function and contribute to asthma pathogenesis.
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