We conducted a cross-sectional survey of health workers in Africa and Asia in order to profile the availability of health technologies considered to be essential to providing safe childbirth care.\n\nMethods: Health workers in Africa and Asia were surveyed using a web-based questionnaire. A list of essential childbirth-related health technologies was drawn from World Health Organization guidelines for preventing and managing complications associated with

the major causes of maternal and newborn mortality globally. Demographic data describing each birth center were obtained and health workers reported on the availability of essential childbirth-related health technologies at their centers. Comparison analyses were conducted using Rao-Scott chi-square test statistics.\n\nResults: Health workers from 124 birth centers in 26 African and 15 Asian countries participated.

see more All facilities exhibited gaps in the availability of essential childbirth-related health technologies. Availability was significantly reduced in birth centers that had lower birth volumes and those from lower income countries. On average across all centers, health workers reported the availability of 18 of 23 essential childbirth-related health technologies (79%; 95% CI, 74%, 84%). Low-volume facilities suffered severe shortages; on average, these centers reported reliable availability of 13 of 23 technologies (55%; 95% CI, 39%, 71%).\n\nConclusions: Substantial gaps exist in the availability Tubastatin A mw of essential childbirth-related health technologies across health sector levels in Africa and Asia. Strategies that facilitate reliable access to vital health technologies in these regions are an urgent priority.”
“Hirschsprung disease (HD), a neurocristopathy characterized by failed migration of neural crest cells to the distal colon, requires surgical resection of the aganglionic segment. Advances in stem cell and regenerative medicine research have opened the possibility to treat HD less invasively using selleck kinase inhibitor enteric nervous system (ENS) cell replacement therapy. This article

reviews the progress to date of culturing and delivering ENS stem cells in various in vitro and in vivo models, as well as review the available evidence of functionality of the transplant-derived cells. Potential areas of future study are identified, and application of conditions other than HD is briefly discussed.”
“Four alkaloids named hosieines A-D were isolated from the root and stem of Ormosia hosiei. Their flat structures were established by mass spectrometry and by a combination of NMR experiments. These molecules probably share a common biosynthetic origin with the lupin alkaloids but they differ in the formation of the last ring, being here part of a rare 2-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane system. Their absolute configuration was determined by X-ray crystallography using CuK alpha radiation.