Research ArchiveResearch Archive
December 2011
Costs Associated with Low Birth Weight in a Rural Area
of Southern Mozambique
Low Birth Weight (LBW) is prevalent in low-income countries. Even though the economic evaluation of interventions to reduce this burden is essential to guide health policies, data on costs associated with LBW are scarce. This study aimed to estimate the costs to the health system and to the household and the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) arising from infant deaths associated with LBW in Southern Mozambique.
Adverse effects of falciparum and vivax malaria and the
safety of antimalarial treatment in early pregnancy:
a population-based studyThe effects of malaria and its treatment in the first trimester of pregnancy remain an area of concern. We aimed to assess the outcome of malaria-exposed and malaria-unexposed first-trimester pregnancies of women from
the Thai–Burmese border and compare outcomes after chloroquine-based, quinine-based, or artemisinin-based
treatments.
Effects of malaria and its treatment in early pregnancy
Malaria can have devastating consequences for pregnant women and their developing fetuses. The lack of information on the effect of malaria in the first trimester has been previously identified as an important knowledge gap in estimating the burden of malaria in pregnancy.
November 2011
Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA PQ) is a fixed dose artemisinin-based combination treatment. Some antimalarials have altered pharmacokinetics in pregnancy. Pregnant women in the 2nd or 3rd trimester and matched non-pregnant women with uncomplicated falciparum malaria were treated with DHA PQ once daily for 3 days. Results analysis suggests that there are no clinically important differences in the pharmacokinetics of DHA or PQ between pregnant and non-pregnant women. However, a more detailed analysis using population pharmacokinetic modelling is needed.
August 2011
Estimation of gestational age from fundal height: a solution for resource-poor settings
Many women in resource-poor settings lack access to reliable gestational age assessment because they do not know their last menstrual period; there is no ultrasound and methods of newborn gestational age dating are not practised by birth attendants. A bespoke multiple-measures model was developed to predict expected date of delivery determined by ultrasound.
July 2011
Superiority of 3 Over 2 Doses of Intermittent Preventive Treatment With Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine for the Prevention of Malaria During Pregnancy in MaliIn 2003, Mali introduced intermittent preventive therapy in pregnancy (ITPp) with sulfadoxinepyrimethamine (SP) for the control of malaria in pregnancy, consisting of 2 doses of SP given in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of 3-dose versus 2-dose IPTp-SP for the prevention of placental malaria and associated low birth weight (LBW).
Social and Cultural Factors Affecting Uptake of Interventions for Malaria in Pregnancy in Africa: A Systematic Review
Malaria during pregnancy (MiP) results in adverse birth outcomes and poor maternal health. MiP-related morbidity and mortality is most pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa, where recommended MiP interventions include intermittent preventive treatment, insecticide-treated bednets and appropriate case management.
April 2011
Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy: at the crossroads of public health policy
The urgency to identify efficacious drugs and/or new strategies to prevent malaria in pregnancy remains as great as ever. This review summarises the results of recently published SP-IPTp studies from areas of high drug resistance and/or low malaria transmission.
Malaria in pregnancy: small babies, big problem
In this review in Trend in Parasitology, recent discoveries regarding the mechanisms of pathogenesis by which malaria causes fetal growth retardation are discussed in the wider context of placental function and fetal growth.
Effectiveness of interventions to screen and manage infections during pregnancy on reducing stillbirths
Infection is a well acknowledged cause of stillbirths and may account for about half of all perinatal deaths today, especially in developing countries. This review presents the impact of interventions targeting important infections during pregnancy, including malaria, on stillbirth or perinatal mortality.
Jan 2011
Protection of pregnant women against malaria still inadequate
A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases finds that methods to protect pregnant women from malaria are still underutilised in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sept 2010
Women and malaria research in the 21st Century
Clara Menendez and colleagues in a Plos Medicine Community blog offer reflections on the roles of women in malaria research.