Bmc Med
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There has been increasing interest in the role of malaria drugs in preventing malaria transmission from humans to mosquitoes, which would help augment malaria control and elimination strategies. Nevertheless, only one stage in the malaria parasite life cycle, the gametocyte, is infectious to mosquitoes. ⋯ Their findings, that some ACTs clear gametocytes faster than others, should be interpreted in light of these limitations and important gaps in our understanding of the biology and epidemiology of malaria transmission. Please see related article: https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-016-0621-7.
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Review Meta Analysis
Maternal antenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation for long-term health benefits in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Multiple micronutrient supplementation for pregnant women reduces low birth weight and has been recommended in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to improve child survival, growth and health. We aimed to review the evidence from long-term follow-up studies of multiple micronutrient supplementation beginning in the later first or second trimester. ⋯ There is currently no evidence that, compared with iron and folic acid supplementation, routine maternal antenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation improves childhood survival, growth, body composition, blood pressure, respiratory or cognitive outcomes.
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Life expectancy is increasing in Europe, yet a substantial proportion of adults still die prematurely before the age of 70 years. We sought to estimate the joint and relative contributions of tobacco smoking, hypertension, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol and poor diet towards risk of premature death. ⋯ While smoking remains the predominant risk factor for premature death in Europe, poor diet, overweight and obesity, hypertension, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol consumption also contribute substantially. Any attempt to minimise premature deaths will ultimately require all six factors to be addressed.
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Preterm birth is now recognized as the primary cause of infant mortality worldwide. Interplay between hormonal and inflammatory signaling in the uterus modulates the onset of contractions; however, the relative contribution of each remains unclear. In this study we aimed to characterize temporal transcriptome changes in the uterus preceding term labor and preterm labor (PTL) induced by progesterone withdrawal or inflammation in the mouse and compare these findings with human data. ⋯ Labor in the mouse can be achieved through inflammatory gene activation yet these changes are not a requisite for labor itself. Human labor more closely resembles LPS-induced PTL in the mouse, supporting an essential role for inflammatory mediators in human "functional progesterone withdrawal." This improved understanding of inflammatory and progesterone influence on the uterine transcriptome has important implications for the development of PTL prevention strategies.
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Review Meta Analysis
Impact of interventions to improve the quality of peer review of biomedical journals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The peer review process is a cornerstone of biomedical research. We aimed to evaluate the impact of interventions to improve the quality of peer review for biomedical publications. ⋯ Despite the essential role of peer review, only a few interventions have been assessed in randomized controlled trials. Evidence-based peer review needs to be developed in biomedical journals.