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The risk of congenital anomalies following first-trimester medication exposure is an important indicator of medication safety during pregnancy. Retrospective cohort studies using routinely collected data are commonly used to assess this risk, yet methodological inconsistencies-such as how cohorts, exposures, timings and outcomes are defined-can compromise reproducibility and validity. This scoping review examined the methodologies used in retrospective cohort studies assessing the association between first-trimester prenatal medication exposure and congenital anomalies.

Developing dietary guidelines for lactating women presents significant challenges, due to limited evidence being available on their specific nutrient needs and the biological impacts of various dietary dimensions. Current dietary recommendations often rely on data from nonlactating women, leading to potential inaccuracies.

A birth acellular pertussis vaccine may be a valuable alternative for immunity against infant pertussis when a pregnancy pertussis vaccine has not been administered. We assessed whether a birth dose may impair immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses to childhood pertussis boosters.

Skin care for very and extremely preterm infant is an important and previously underappreciated topic. Coconut oil skin care for preterm infants is a promising option, but several important questions remain including the theoretical potential for allergic sensitization.

Pregnant women are a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination due to their vulnerability as a high-risk cohort. However, the currentCOVID-19 vaccine uptake rate for COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women in Western Australia remains largely unknown.

Acquisition and development of the oral microbiome are dynamic processes that occur over early life. This study aimed to characterize the temporal development of the oral microbiome of predominantly breastfed infants during the first two years of life.

Mothers with asthma or atopy have a higher likelihood of having autistic children, with maternal immune activation in pregnancy implicated as a mechanism. This study aimed to determine, in a prospective cohort of mothers with asthma and their infants, whether inflammatory gene expression in pregnancy is associated with likelihood of future autism. 

Studies reported the prevalence of herbal medicines used for various maternal conditions across regions in Tanzanian communities. However, the lack of a national estimate of herbal medicine use makes it challenging for policymakers, herbal medicine regulators, and healthcare practitioners to make informed decisions on herbal medicine-related policies and practices to optimize their contribution to maternal healthcare.

Neonatal sepsis remains one of the key challenges of neonatal medicine, and together with preterm birth, causes almost 50% of all deaths globally for children younger than 5 years. Compared with advances achieved for other serious neonatal and early childhood conditions globally, progress in reducing neonatal sepsis has been much slower, especially in low-resource settings that have the highest burden of neonatal sepsis morbidity and mortality.

Infants at risk of HIE require early identification and initiation of therapeutic hypothermia (TH). Earlier treatment with TH is associated with better outcomes. aEEG is frequently used when making the decision whether to commence TH. As this is often limited to tertiary centers, TH may be delayed if the infant requires transport to a center that provides it.