Understanding high rates of stillbirth and neonatal death in a disadvantaged, high-migrant district in France: A perinatal audit.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study is to investigate factors associated with risks of perinatal death in a disadvantaged, high-migrant French district with mortality rates above the national average. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study design is a perinatal audit in 2014 in all 11 maternity units in the Seine-Saint-Denis district (25 037 births). The data come from medical chart abstraction, maternal interviews and peer assessor confidential review of deaths. A representative sample of live births in the same district, from the 2010 French Perinatal Survey, was used for comparisons (n = 429). The main outcome measures were stillbirth and neonatal death (0-27 days) at ≥22 weeks of gestation. RESULTS: The audit included 218 women and 227 deaths (156 stillbirths, 71 neonatal deaths); 75 women were interviewed. In addition to primiparity and multiple pregnancy, overweight and obesity increased mortality risks (50% of cases, adjusted odds ratios [aOR] 1.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.8, and aOR 1.9 [95% CI 1.1-3.2], respectively) as did the presence of preexisting medical/obstetric conditions (28.6% of cases, aOR 3.2, 95% CI 2.0-5.3). Problems accessing or complying with care were noted in 25% of medical records and recounted in 50% of interviews. Assessors identified suboptimal factors in 73.2% of deaths and judged 33.9% to be possibly or probably preventable. Care not adapted to risk factors and poor healthcare coordination were frequent suboptimal factors. Possibly preventable deaths were higher (P < .05) for women with gestational diabetes or hypertension (44.6%) than women without (29.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Preventive actions to improve healthcare referral and coordination, especially for overweight and obese women and women with medical and obstetrical risk factors, could reduce perinatal mortality in disadvantaged areas.

Intensity of perinatal care for extremely preterm babies and outcomes at a higher gestational age: evidence from the EPIPAGE-2 cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Perinatal decision-making affects outcomes for extremely preterm babies (22-26 weeks' gestational age (GA)): more active units have improved survival without increased morbidity. We hypothesised such units may gain skills and expertise meaning babies at higher gestational ages have better outcomes than if they were born elsewhere. We examined mortality and morbidity outcomes at age two for babies born at 27-28 weeks' GA in relation to the intensity of perinatal care provided to extremely preterm babies. METHODS: Fetuses from the 2011 French national prospective EPIPAGE-2 cohort, alive at maternal admission to a level 3 hospital and delivered at 27-28 weeks' GA, were included. Morbidity-free survival (survival without sensorimotor (blindness, deafness or cerebral palsy) disability) and overall survival at age two were examined. Sensorimotor disability and Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) result below threshold among survivors were secondary outcomes. Perinatal care intensity level was based on birth hospital, grouped using the ratio of 24-25 weeks' GA babies admitted to neonatal intensive care to fetuses of the same gestation alive at maternal admission. Sensitivity analyses used ratios based upon antenatal steroids, Caesarean section, and newborn resuscitation. Multiple imputation was used for missing data; hierarchical logistic regression accounted for births nested within centres. RESULTS: 633 of 747 fetuses (84.7%) born at 27-28 weeks' GA survived to age two. There were no differences in survival or morbidity-free survival: respectively, fully adjusted odds ratios were 0.96 (95% CI: 0.54 to 1.71) and 1.09 (95% CI: 0.59 to 2.01) in medium and 1.12 (95% CI: 0.63 to 2.00) and 1.16 (95% CI: 0.62 to 2.16) in high compared to low-intensity hospitals. Among survivors, there were no differences in sensorimotor disability or ASQ below threshold. Sensitivity analyses were consistent with the main results. CONCLUSIONS: No difference was seen in survival or morbidity-free survival at two years of age among fetuses alive at maternal hospital admission born at 27-28 weeks' GA, or in sensorimotor disability or presence of an ASQ below threshold among survivors. There is no evidence for an impact of intensity of perinatal care for extremely preterm babies on births at a higher gestational age.

Predictive factors of preterm delivery in French Guiana for singleton pregnancies: definition and validation of a predictive score.

Objective: Given the high rate of premature birth in French Guiana (13.5%), and its stability in time, the aim of the present study was to define a predictive score for preterm birth in women with a unique pregnancy in order to help prioritize health resources in the local context.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on all deliveries of unique pregnancies in French Guiana collected between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2014 in the Registre d'Issue de Grossesse Informatisé (RIGI), a registry that collects data on live births over 22 weeks of amenorrhea on the territory. Statistically significant predictors (p < .05) of preterm delivery were included in a logistic regression model. The selected variables were chosen to be available during the first trimester. Coefficients were used to establish a score which was categorized and prospectively validated using data from 2015.Results: Seven explanatory variables, all measurable during the first trimester of pregnancy, were significantly associated with preterm birth. The predictive score divided in deciles allowed to establish sensitivity and specificity thresholds. Overall, depending on the chosen threshold the score sensitivity was low and the specificity was high. Lowering the threshold identified half of women as "at risk" for preterm birth.Conclusion: This first trimester score was insufficiently sensitive to identify individual women at risk for preterm delivery.

A big-data approach to producing descriptive anthropometric references: a feasibility and validation study of paediatric growth charts.

BACKGROUND: Both national and WHO growth charts have been found to be poorly calibrated with the physical growth of children in many countries. We aimed to generate new national growth charts for French children in the context of huge datasets of physical growth measurements routinely collected by office-based health practitioners. METHODS: We recruited 32 randomly sampled primary care paediatricians and ten volunteer general practitioners from across the French metropolitan territory who used the same electronic medical records software, from which we extracted all physical growth data for the paediatric patients, with anonymisation. We included measurements from all children born from Jan 1, 1990, and aged 1 month to 18 years by Feb 8, 2018, with birthweight greater than 2500 g, to which an automated process of data cleaning developed to detect and delete measurement or transcription errors was applied. Growth charts for weight and height were derived by using generalised additive models for location, scale, and shape with the Box-Cox power exponential distribution. We compared the new charts to WHO growth charts and existing French national growth charts, and validated our charts using growth data from recent national cross-sectional surveys. FINDINGS: After data cleaning, we included 1 458 468 height and 1 690 340 weight measurements from 238 102 children. When compared with the existing French national and WHO growth charts, all height SD and weight percentile curves for the new growth charts were distinctly above those for the existing French national growth charts, as early as age 1 month, with an average difference of -0·75 SD for height and -0·50 SD for weight for both sexes. Comparison with national cross-sectional surveys showed satisfactory calibration, with generally good fit for children aged 5-6 years and 10-11 years in height and weight and small differences at age 14-15 years. INTERPRETATION: We successfully produced calibrated paediatric growth charts by using a novel big-data approach applied to data routinely collected in clinical practice that could be used in many fields other than anthropometry. FUNDING: The French Ministry of Health; Laboratoires Guigoz-General Pediatrics section of the French Society of Pediatrics-Pediatric Epidemiological Research Group; and the French Association for Ambulatory Pediatrics.

Intensity of perinatal care, extreme prematurity and sensorimotor outcome at 2 years corrected age: evidence from the EPIPAGE-2 cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests intensity of perinatal care influences survival for extremely preterm babies. We evaluated the effect of differences in perinatal care intensity between centres on sensorimotor morbidity at 2 years of age. We hypothesised that hospitals with a higher intensity of perinatal care would have improved survival without increased disability. METHODS: Foetuses alive at maternal admission to a level 3 hospital in France in 2011, subsequently delivered between 22 and 26 weeks gestational age (GA) and included in the EPIPAGE-2 national prospective observational cohort study formed the baseline population. Level of intensity of perinatal care was assigned according to hospital of birth, categorised into three groups using 'perinatal intensity' ratios (ratio of 24-25 weeks GA babies admitted to neonatal intensive care to foetuses of the same GA alive at maternal admission to hospital). Multiple imputation was used to account for missing data; hierarchical logistic regression accounting for births nested within centres was then performed. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred twelve foetuses were included; 473 survived to 2 years of age (126 of 358 in low-intensity, 140 of 380 in medium-intensity and 207 of 374 in high-intensity hospitals). There were no differences in disability (adjusted odds ratios 0.93 (95% CI 0.28 to 3.04) and 1.04 (95% CI 0.34 to 3.14) in medium- and high- compared to low-intensity hospitals, respectively). Compared to low-intensity hospitals, survival without sensorimotor disability was increased in the population of foetuses alive at maternal admission to hospital and in live-born babies, but there were no differences when considering only babies admitted to NICU or survivors. CONCLUSIONS: No difference in sensorimotor outcome for survivors of extremely preterm birth at 2 years of age was found according to the intensity of perinatal care provision. Active management of periviable births was associated with increased survival without sensorimotor disability.

Risk of autoimmune diseases and human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines: Six years of case-referent surveillance.

BACKGROUND: Safety of HPV vaccines is still in question due to reports of autoimmune diseases (ADs) following HPV immunization. OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk of ADs associated with HPV vaccination of female adolescents/young adults in France. METHODS: Systematic prospective case-referent study conducted to assess the risks associated with real-life use of HPV vaccines. Cases were female 11-25 years old with incident ADs [central demyelination/multiple sclerosis (CD/MS), connective tissue disease (CTD), Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), type-1 diabetes (T1D), autoimmune thyroiditis (AT), and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)]. Cases were consecutively and prospectively identified at specialized centers across France (2008-2014) and individually matched by age and place of residence to referents recruited in general practice. Risk was computed using multivariate conditional logistic regression models adjusted for family history of ADs, living in France (north/south), co-medications and co-vaccinations. RESULTS: With a total of 478 definite cases matched to 1869 referents, all ADs combined were negatively associated to HPV vaccination with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.58 (95% confidence interval: 0.41-0.83). Similar results were obtained for CD/MS, AT, CT, and T1D, the last two not reaching statistical significance. No association was found for ITP and GBS. Sensitivity analyses combining definite and possible cases with secondary time window showed similar results. CONCLUSION: Exposure to HPV vaccines was not associated with an increased risk of ADs within the time period studied. Results were robust to case definitions and time windows of exposure. Continued active surveillance is needed to confirm this finding for individual ADs.

Postpartum practice: guidelines for clinical practice from the French College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF).

OBJECTIVE: To make evidence-based recommendations for the postpartum management of women and their newborns, regardless of the mode of delivery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Systematic review of articles from the PubMed database and the Cochrane Library and of recommendations from the French and foreign societies or colleges of obstetricians. RESULTS: Because breast-feeding is associated with reductions in neonatal, infantile, and childhood morbidity (lower frequency of cardiovascular, infectious, and atopic diseases and infantile obesity) (LE2) and improved cognitive development in children (LE2), exclusive and extended breastfeeding is recommended (grade B) for at least 4-6 months (professional consensus). Pharmacological treatments for inhibition of lactation should not be given routinely to women who do not wish to breastfeed (professional consensus). Because of potentially serious adverse effects, bromocriptine is contraindicated in inhibiting lactation (professional consensus). For women aware of the risks of pharmacological treatments to inhibit lactation but choose to take them, lisuride and cabergoline are the preferred drugs (professional consensus). Regardless of the mode of delivery, only women with bleeding or symptoms of anemia should be tested for it (professional consensus). Immediate postoperative monitoring after cesarean delivery should be performed in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). An analgesic multimodal protocol for analgesia, preferring oral administration, should be developed by the medical team and be available for all staff (professional consensus) (grade B). Thromboprophylaxis with compression stockings should begin the morning of all cesarean deliveries and maintained for at least 7 postoperative days (professional consensus) with or without the addition of LMWH, depending on the presence and severity (major or minor) of additional risk factors. It is recommended that women be informed of the dangers of closely spaced pregnancies (LE3), that effective contraception begin no later than 21 days post partum for women who do not want such a pregnancy (grade B), and that it be prescribed at the maternity ward (professional consensus). In view of the postpartum risk of venous thromboembolism, use of combination hormonal contraception is not recommended before six weeks post partum (grade B). Pelvic floor rehabilitation in asymptomatic women to prevent urinary or anal incontinence in the medium or long term is not recommended (professional consensus). Rehabilitation using pelvic floor muscle contraction exercises is recommended to treat persistent urinary incontinence at 3 months post partum (grade A), regardless of the type of incontinence. Postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation is recommended to treat anal incontinence (grade C), but not to treat or prevent prolapse (grade C) or dyspareunia (grade C). The months following the birth are a period of transition and of psychological changes for all parents (LE2) and are still more difficult for those with psychosocial risk factors (LE2). Situations of evident psychological difficulties can have a significant effect on the child's psychological and emotional development (LE3). Among these difficulties, postpartum depression is most common, but the risk of all mental disorders is generally higher in the perinatal period (LE3). CONCLUSION: The postpartum period presents clinicians with a unique and privileged opportunity to address the physical, psychological, social, and somatic health of women and babies.

Symptomatic Dengue infection during pregnancy and infant outcomes: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that is common in many tropical and subtropical areas. Dengue infections can occur at any age and time in the lifespan, including during pregnancy. Few large scale studies have been conducted to determine the risk of preterm birth (PTB) and low birthweight (LBW) for infants born to women who had symptomatic dengue infection during pregnancy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study is a retrospective cohort study using medical records from 1992-2010 from pregnant women who attended a public regional referral hospital in western French Guiana. Exposed pregnancies were those with laboratory confirmed cases of dengue fever during pregnancy. Each of the 86 exposed infants was matched to the three unexposed births that immediately followed them to form a stratum. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze these matched strata. Three groups were examined: all infants regardless of gestational age, only infants> = 17 weeks of gestational age and their strata, and only infants> = 22 weeks of age and their strata. Odds ratios were adjusted (aOR) for maternal age, maternal ethnicity, maternal gravidity, interpregnancy interval and maternal anemia. There was an increased risk of PTB among women with symptomatic dengue; (aOR all infants: 3.34 (1.13, 9.89), aOR 17 weeks: 1.89 (0.61, 5.87), aOR 22 weeks: 1.41 (0.39, 5.20)) but this risk was only statistically significant when all infants were examined (p value = 0.03). Adjusted results for LBW were similar, with an increased risk in the exposed group (aOR All infants: 2.23 (1.01, 4.90), aOR 17 weeks: 1.67 (0.71, 3.93), aOR 22 weeks: 1.43 (0.56, 3.70)) which was only statistically significant when all infants were examined (p value = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Symptomatic dengue infection during pregnancy may increase the risk of PTB and LBW for infants. More research is needed to confirm these results and to examine the role of dengue fever in miscarriage.

Dengue epidemics and adverse obstetrical outcomes in French Guiana: a semi-ecological study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether dengue epidemics are associated with an increase in adverse obstetrical outcomes. METHODS: Semi-ecological study combining individual data on obstetrical events from the perinatal registry and aggregated exposure data from the epidemiologic surveillance of dengue in Cayenne, French Guiana between 2004 and 2007. RESULTS: After adjustment for individual risk factors, analysis showed that an epidemic level of dengue transmission during the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of post-partum haemorrhage and preterm birth. The associated risks seemed to depend on the epidemic level. CONCLUSIONS: Despite its limitations, this study suggests that dengue in the first trimester may be related to preterm birth and to post-partum bleeding, thus leading to specific hypotheses that should be tested in prospective studies.

Sociodemographic characteristics of mother's population and risk of preterm birth in Chile.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a global problem in Perinatal and infant Health. Currently is gaining a growing attention. Rates of preterm birth have increased in most countries, producing a dramatic impact on public health. Factors of diverse nature have been associated to these trends. In Chile, preterm birth has increased since 90. Simultaneously, the advanced demographic transition has modified the characteristics of woman population related to maternity. The principal objective of this study is to analyze some sociodemographic characteristics of the maternal population over time, and their possible association to rates of preterm birth. The second aim is to identify groups of mothers at high risk of having a preterm child. METHODS: This population-based study examined all liveborn singletons in Chile from 1991 to 2008; divided in three periods. Preterm birth rates were measured as % births <37 weeks of gestation. Logistic regression assessed the risk of preterm birth associated with mother's age, parity, and marital status, expressed as crude and adjusted odds ratios. RESULTS: Over time, rates of preterm birth increased in overall population, especially during the third period (2001-2008). In the same time, characteristics of maternal population changed: significant increase of extreme reproductive ages, significant decrease in parity and increase in mothers living without a partner. Risk of preterm birth remained higher in groups of mothers: <18 and >38 years of age; without a partner; primiparas and grandmultiparas. However, global increase in preterm birth was not explained by the modification of socio demographics characteristics of maternal population. CONCLUSIONS: Some socio demographic characteristics remained associated with preterm birth over time. These associations allowed identifying five groups of mothers at higher risk to have a preterm child in the population. Increase in overall preterm birth affected all women, even those considered at "low sociodemographic risk" and the contribution of more recent period (2001-2008) to this increase is greater. Then, studied factors couldn't explain the increase in preterm birth. Further research will have to consider other factors affecting maternal population that could explain the observed trend of preterm birth.

Predictors of Chikungunya rheumatism: a prognostic survey ancillary to the TELECHIK cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Long-lasting relapsing or lingering rheumatic musculoskeletal pain (RMSP) is the hallmark of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) rheumatism (CHIK-R). Little is known on their prognostic factors. The aim of this prognostic study was to search the determinants of lingering or relapsing RMSP indicative of CHIK-R. METHODS: Three hundred and forty-six infected adults (age≥15 years) having declared RMSP at disease onset were extracted from the TELECHIK cohort study, Reunion island, and analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression model. We also searched for the predictors of CHIKV-specific IgG titres, assessed at the time of a serosurvey, using multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Of these, 111 (32.1%) reported relapsing RMSP, 150 (43.3%) lingering RMSP, and 85 (24.6%) had fully recovered (reference group) on average two years after acute infection. In the final model controlling for gender, the determinants of relapsing RMSP were the age 45-59 years (adjusted OR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.0, 8.6) or greater or equal than 60 years (adjusted OR: 10.4, 95% CI: 3.5, 31.1), severe rheumatic involvement (fever, at least six joints plus four other symptoms) at presentation (adjusted OR: 3.6, 95% CI: 1.5, 8.2), and CHIKV-specific IgG titres (adjusted OR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.8, 5.5, per one unit increase). Prognostic factors for lingering RMSP were age 45-59 years (adjusted OR: 6.4, 95% CI: 1.8, 22.1) or greater or equal than 60 years (adjusted OR: 22.3, 95% CI: 6.3, 78.1), severe initial rheumatic involvement (adjusted OR: 5.5, 95% CI: 2.2, 13.8) and CHIKV-specific IgG titres (adjusted OR: 6.2, 95% CI: 2.8, 13.2, per one unit increase). CHIKV specific IgG titres were positively correlated with age, female gender and the severity of initial rheumatic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the roles of age, severity at presentation and CHIKV specific IgG titres for predicting CHIK-R. By identifying the prognostic value of the humoral immune response of the host, this work also suggest a significant contribution of the adaptive immune response to the physiopathology of CHIK-R and should help to reconsider the paradigm of this chronic infection primarily shifted towards the involvement of the innate immune response.

Trends in gestational age and birth weight in Chile, 1991-2008. A descriptive epidemiological study.

BACKGROUND: Gestational age and birth weight are the principal determinants of newborn's health status. Chile, a middle income country traditionally has public policies that promote maternal and child health. The availability of an exhaustive database of live births has allows us to monitor over time indicators of newborns health. METHODS: This descriptive epidemiological study included all live births in Chile, both singleton and multiple, from 1991 through 2008. Trends in gestational age affected the rate of prevalence (%) of preterm births (<37 weeks, including the categories < 32 and 32-36 weeks), term births (37-41) and postterm births (42 weeks or more). Trends in birth weight affected the prevalence of births < 1500 g, 1500-2499 g, 2500-3999 g, and 4000 g or more. RESULTS: Data from an exhaustive register of live births showed that the number of term and postterm births decreased and the number of multiple births increased significantly. Birth weights exceeding 4000 g did not vary.Total preterm births rose from 5.0% to 6.6%, with increases of 28% for the singletons and 31% for multiple births (p for trend < 0.0001). Some categories increased even more: specifically preterm birth < 32 weeks increased 32.3% for singletons and 50.6% for multiple births (p for trend 0.0001).The overall rate of low birth weight infants (<2500 g) increased from 4.6% to 5.3%. This variation was not statistically significant for singletons (p for trend = 0.06), but specific analyses exhibited an important increase in the category weighing <1500 g (42%) similar to that observed in multiple births (43%). CONCLUSIONS: The gestational age and birth weight of live born child have significantly changed over the past two decades in Chile. Monitoring only overall rates of preterm births and low-birth-weight could provide restricted information of this important problem to public health. Monitoring them by specific categories provides a solid basis for planning interventions to reduce adverse perinatal outcomes.This epidemiological information also showed the need to assess several factors that could contribute to explain these trends, as the demographics changes, medical interventions and the increasing probability of survival of extremely and very preterm child.

Is prenatal identification of fetal macrosomia useful?

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether prenatal identification of macrosomia (≥4000g) reduces neonatal complications and maternal perineal lesions during delivery. STUDY DESIGN: This historical cohort study (n=14,684 from the National perinatal database of the Audipog Association, France) included women with cephalic singleton term pregnancies. Among the babies born with macrosomia, we compared those who had been identified as such in utero (n=1211) with those who were not (n=13,473). The principal outcome was a composite variable defined as resuscitation in the delivery room, death in the delivery room or the immediate postpartum period, or transfer to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The secondary outcome measures were neonatal trauma, 5-min Apgar score (≤4 and <7), and maternal perineal lesions. Results are expressed as crude relative risks and adjusted odds ratios. RESULTS: The mean birthweight in the cohort was 4229g±219. The adjusted OR for the principal outcome defined above was 1.15 (95% CI: 0.89-1.50) in the group identified prenatally as macrosomic compared with the others (10.8% vs. 8.5%). The risk of neonatal trauma was higher in prenatally identified babies (adjusted OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.34-2.42). The 5-min Apgar score and the perineal lesion rate did not differ significantly between the groups. The a posteriori study power according to our results with α=0.05 was 84% (one-sided test). CONCLUSIONS: Among babies born with macrosomia, in utero identification did not improve neonatal or maternal outcomes.

Prediction of moderate and high grade vesicoureteral reflux after a first febrile urinary tract infection in children: construction and internal validation of a clinical decision rule.

PURPOSE: Urinary tract infection leads to a diagnosis of moderate or high grade (III or higher) vesicoureteral reflux in approximately 15% of children. Predicting reflux grade III or higher would make it possible to restrict cystography to high risk cases. We aimed to derive a clinical decision rule to predict vesicoureteral reflux grade III or higher in children with a first febrile urinary tract infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of prospective series including all children with a first febrile urinary tract infection from the 8 European participating university hospitals. RESULTS: A total of 494 patients (197 boys, reflux grade III or higher in 11%) were included. Procalcitonin and ureteral dilatation on ultrasound were significantly associated with reflux grade III or higher and then combined into a prediction model with an ROC AUC of 0.75 (95% CI 0.69-0.81). Given the prespecified constraint of achieving at least 85% sensitivity, our model led to the clinical decision rule, for children with a first febrile urinary tract infection cystography should be performed in cases with ureteral dilatation and serum procalcitonin level 0.17 ng/ml or higher, or without ureteral dilatation (ie ureter not visible) when serum procalcitonin level is 0.63 ng/ml or higher. The rule had 86% sensitivity (95% CI 74-93) with 47% specificity (95% CI 42-51). Internal cross-validation produced 86% sensitivity (95% CI 79-93) and 43% specificity (95% CI 39-47). CONCLUSIONS: A clinical decision rule was derived to enable a selective approach to cystography in children with urinary tract infection. The rule predicts high grade vesicoureteral reflux with approximately 85% sensitivity and avoids half of the cystograms that do not find reflux grade III or higher. Further validation is needed before its widespread use.

Special care and school difficulties in 8-year-old very preterm children: the Epipage cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate school difficulties, special care and behavioral problems in 8 year-old very preterm (VPT) children. PATIENT AND METHODS: Longitudinal population-based cohort in nine regions of France of VPT children and a reference group born at 39-40 weeks of gestation (WG). The main outcome measures were information about school, special care and behavioral problems using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire from a questionnaire to parents. RESULTS: Among the 1439 VPT children, 5% (75/1439) were in a specialised school or class, 18% (259/1439) had repeated a grade in a mainstream class and 77% (1105/1439) were in the appropriate grade-level in mainstream class; these figures were 1% (3/327) , 5% (16/327) and 94% (308/327) , respectively, for the reference group. Also, 15% (221/1435) of VPT children in a mainstream class received support at school versus 5% (16/326) of reference group. More VPT children between the ages of five and eight years received special care (55% (794/1436)) than children born at term (38% (124/325)); more VPT children (21% (292/1387)) had behavioral difficulties than the reference group (11% (35/319)). School difficulties, support at school, special care and behavioral difficulties in VPT children without neuromotor or sensory deficits varied with gestational age, socioeconomic status, and cognitive score at the age of five. CONCLUSIONS: Most 8-year-old VPT children are in mainstream schools. However, they have a high risk of difficulty in school, with more than half requiring additional support at school and/or special care. Referral to special services has increased between the ages of 5 and 8 years, but remained insufficient for those with borderline cognitive scores.

Adverse reactions and drug-drug interactions in the management of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

The pharmacological management of disease should involve consideration of the balance between the beneficial effects of treatment on outcome and the probability of adverse effects. The aim of this review is to explore the risk of adverse drug reactions and drug-drug interactions with treatments for postmenopausal osteoporosis. We reviewed evidence for adverse reactions from regulatory documents, randomized controlled trials, pharmacovigilance surveys, and case series. Bisphosphonates are associated with gastrointestinal effects, musculoskeletal pain, and acute-phase reactions, as well as, very rarely, atrial fibrillation, atypical fracture, delayed fracture healing, osteonecrosis of the jaw, hypersensitivity reactions, and renal impairment. Cutaneous effects and osteonecrosis of the jaw are of concern for denosumab (both very rare), though there are no pharmacovigilance data for this agent yet. The selective estrogen receptor modulators are associated with hot flushes, leg cramps, and, very rarely, venous thromboembolism and stroke. Strontium ranelate has been linked to hypersensitivity reactions and venous thromboembolism (both very rare) and teriparatide with headache, nausea, dizziness, and limb pain. The solidity of the evidence base depends on the frequency of the reaction, and causality is not always easy to establish for the very rare adverse reactions. Drug-drug interactions are rare. Osteoporosis treatments are generally safe and well tolerated, though they are associated with a few very rare serious adverse reactions. While these are a cause for concern, the risk should be weighed against the benefits of treatment itself, i.e., the prevention of osteoporotic fracture.

Perceived morbidity and community burden after a Chikungunya outbreak: the TELECHIK survey, a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Persistent disabilities are key manifestations of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection, especially incapacitating polyarthralgia and fatigue. So far, little is known about their impact on health status. The present study aimed at describing the burden of CHIKV prolonged or late-onset symptoms on the self-perceived health of La Réunion islanders. METHODS: At 18 months after an outbreak of Chikungunya virus, we implemented the TELECHIK survey; a retrospective cohort study conducted on a random sample of the representative SEROCHIK population-based survey. A total of 1,094 subjects sampled for CHIKV-specific IgG antibodies in the setting of La Réunion island in the Indian Ocean, between August 2006 and October 2006, were interviewed about current symptoms divided into musculoskeletal/rheumatic, fatigue, cerebral, sensorineural, digestive and dermatological categories. RESULTS: At the time of interview, 43% of seropositive (CHIK+) subjects reported musculoskeletal pain (vs 17% of seronegative (CHIK-) subjects, P < 0.001), 54% fatigue (vs 46%, P = 0.04), 75% cerebral disorders (vs 57%, P < 0.001), 49% sensorineural impairments (vs 37%, P = 0.001), 18% digestive complaints (vs 15%, P = 0.21), and 36% skin involvement (vs 34%, P = 0.20) on average 2 years after infection (range: 15-34 months). After controlling for confounders such as age, gender, body mass index or major comorbidities in different Poisson regression models, 33% of joint pains were attributable to CHIKV, 10% of cerebral disorders and 7.5% of sensorineural impairments, while Chikungunya did not enhance fatigue states, digestive and skin disorders. CONCLUSIONS: On average, 2 years after infection 43% to 75% of infected people reported prolonged or late-onset symptoms highly attributable to CHIKV. These manifestations carry a significant burden in the community in the fields of rheumatology, neurology and sensorineural health.

Predictors of the risk of cognitive deficiency in very preterm infants: the EPIPAGE prospective cohort.

AIM: To assess cerebral lesions and other medical as well as social characteristics as predictors of risk of mild and severe cognitive deficiencies in very preterm infants. METHODS: As part of the EPIPAGE population-based prospective cohort study, perinatal data and cognitive outcome at 5 years of age were recorded for 1503 infants born before 33 weeks of gestation in nine regions of France in 1997. Mild cognitive deficiency was defined as a Mental Processing Composite score on the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children test of between 70 and 84, and severe cognitive deficiency as a score of <70. RESULTS: After controlling for cerebral lesions and other medical as well as social factors, low parental socio-economic status and lack of breastfeeding were significant predictors of mild and severe cognitive deficiencies, whereas presence of cerebral lesions, being small for gestational age and having a large number of siblings were predictors of severe cognitive deficiency. CONCLUSION: Predictors of poor cognitive outcome in very preterm infants are low social status, lack of breastfeeding, presence of cerebral lesions on ultrasound scan, being born small for gestational age and having a high number of siblings. Social factors predicted both mild and severe cognitive deficiencies, whereas medical factors predicted mostly severe cognitive deficiencies.