Lessons learnt during establishment of COVID-19 active vaccine safety surveillance in nine African countries.

Background: Globally, several gaps in vaccine safety surveillance exist, particularly in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). Establishing and maintaining vaccine surveillance platforms in resource-constrained settings poses significant challenges. These countries often rely on paper-based medical records and immunization cards, lack unique patient identifiers across the healthcare systems, have limited electronic data capture capabilities, and face a shortage of clinical reviewers for case assessments.

Design and conduct of a full diet-controlled, parallel, 2-week residential trial for diabetes prevention without weight loss in Asian Chinese and European Caucasian adults with prediabetes: the New Zealand SYNERGY study.

Background: The causal underpinning of increased metabolic risk and previously observed dichotomous plasma metabolome in Asian Chinese vs. European Caucasian remains undetermined and may be hypothesised as attributed to ethnicity (genetic background), pathology (dysglycaemia) and/or lifestyle (habitual diet). We aimed to investigate the underlying cause(s) and the effect of dietary intervention on biomarkers of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in cohorts with prediabetes.

Risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome after COVID-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection: A multinational self-controlled case series study.

Background: The association between Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and certain COVID-19 vaccines is inconclusive. We investigated the risk of GBS after COVID-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: Using a common protocol, we conducted a self-controlled case series study from 1 December 2020 to 9 August 2023 at 20 global sites within the Global Vaccine Data Network™ (GVDN®).

Is a voluntary healthy food policy effective? evaluating effects on foods and drinks for sale in hospitals and resulting policy changes.

Background: Healthy food and drink guidelines for public sector settings can improve the healthiness of food environments. This study aimed to assess the implementation and impact of the voluntary National Healthy Food and Drink Policy (the Policy) introduced in New Zealand in 2016 to encourage provision of healthier food and drink options for staff and visitors at healthcare facilities.

Methods: A customised digital audit tool was used to collate data on foods and drinks available for sale in healthcare organisations and to systematically classify items as green ('healthy'), amber ('less healthy'), or red ('unhealthy') according to Policy criteria.

Reduced Weight Gain with Pioglitazone vs Vildagliptin in rs373863828 A-allele Carriers: Insights from the WORTH Trial.

Background/objectives: This subgroup analysis of a randomised, open-label, two-period crossover trial in Aotearoa New Zealand (February 2019 to March 2020) assessed whether the glucose-lowering effects of vildagliptin, vs pioglitazone varied by the (p.Arg457Gln) rs373863828 genotype.

Methods: Adults with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c > 58 mmol/mol (>7.

Neonatal Nutrition and Brain Structure at 7 Years in Children Born Very Preterm.

Importance: Neonatal protein intake following very preterm birth has long lasting effects on brain development. However, it is uncertain whether these effects are associated with improved or impaired brain maturation.

Objective: To assess the association of neonatal protein intake following very preterm birth with brain structure at 7 years of age.

Growth and Eating Behaviours at 2 Years Corrected Age in Extremely Low-Birthweight Babies; Secondary Cohort Analysis from the ProVIDe Trial.

Early postnatal growth following extremely preterm birth may have long-term effects on growth, eating behaviours and health. Background/Objectives: To determine whether growth to age two years is conditional on growth in the NICU, a conditional growth analysis was performed in a cohort of 330 extremely low-birthweight (ELBW; birthweight < 1000 g) participants in the ProVIDe trial who were followed-up at 2 years corrected age (CA); Methods: We used z-score change for weight, length and head circumference from 36 weeks post-menstrual age to 2 years CA as the end-point-adjusted for birth z-score and z-score change from birth to 36 weeks. Growth and body composition were assessed using bioimpedance analysis.

Trends in the healthiness and nutrient composition of packaged products sold by major food and beverage companies in New Zealand 2015 to 2019.

Background: Dietary risk factors are the leading cause of death globally and in New Zealand (NZ). Processed packaged foods are prevalent in the food supply and contribute excess amounts of sodium, saturated fat, and sugar in diets. Improving the nutritional quality of these foods has the potential to reduce population chronic disease risk.

Nourishing the Infant Gut Microbiome to Support Immune Health: Protocol of SUN (Seeding Through Feeding) Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The introduction of complementary foods during the first year of life influences the diversity of the gut microbiome. How this diversity affects immune development and health is unclear.

Objective: This study evaluates the effect of consuming kūmara or kūmara with added banana powder (resistant starch) compared to a reference control at 4 months post randomization on the prevalence of respiratory tract infections and the development of the gut microbiome.

Perception is reality: qualitative insights into how consumers perceive alcohol warning labels.

Aims: This study explores perspectives of on-pack alcohol warning labels, and how they might influence alcohol purchase and/or consumption behavior to inform culturally appropriate label design for effective behavior change.

Methods: New Zealand participants ≥18 years, who reported having purchased and consumed alcoholic beverages in the last month were recruited via a market research panel and grouped into 10 focus groups (n = 53) by ethnicity (general population, Māori, and Pacific peoples), age group, and level of alcohol consumption. Participants were shown six potential alcohol health warning labels, with design informed by relevant literature, label framework, and stakeholder feedback.

Awareness, support, and opinions of healthy food and drink policies: a survey of staff and visitors in New Zealand healthcare organisations.

Background: In 2016, a voluntary National Healthy Food and Drink Policy (hereafter, "the Policy") was released to encourage public hospitals in New Zealand to provide food and drink options in line with national dietary guidelines. Five years later, eight (of 20) organisations had adopted it, with several preferring to retain or update their own institutional-level version. This study assessed staff and visitors' awareness and support for and against the Policy, and collected feedback on perceived food environment changes since implementation of the Policy.

Early hypophosphataemia and refeeding syndrome in extremely low birthweight babies and outcomes to 2 years of age: secondary cohort analysis from the ProVIDe trial.

Objective: To investigate in extremely low birthweight (ELBW; <1000 g) babies the associations between refeeding syndrome (serum phosphate <1.4 mmol·L and serum total calcium>2.8 mmol·L) and hypophosphataemia in the first week and death or neurodisability at 2 years' corrected age (CA).

Long-term cost-effectiveness analysis of rugby fans in training-New Zealand: a body weight reduction programme for males.

Objectives: We sought to extrapolate the long-term costs and clinical impacts attributed to the rugby fans in training-New Zealand (RUFIT-NZ) trial in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Design: A modelled cost-effectiveness analysis using efficacy data from RUFIT-NZ was conducted from the Aotearoa New Zealand healthcare perspective.

Setting: A Markov cohort model was constructed with a lifetime time horizon.

Investigating the relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure and children's behavioural and emotional development: analysis of the Growing Up in New Zealand study.

Aims: To examine the relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and children's behavioural and emotional development in a large generalizable sample of women and their children in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Methods: Using data from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal cohort, we investigated the relationship between maternal PAE and behavioural and emotional development in 8-year-old children. We explored secondary outcomes including measures of language, executive function, academic achievement, and adaptive behaviour.

Nutritional Support for Moderate-to-Late-Preterm Infants - A Randomized Trial.

Background: Most moderate-to-late-preterm infants need nutritional support until they are feeding exclusively on their mother's breast milk. Evidence to guide nutrition strategies for these infants is lacking.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, factorial, randomized trial involving infants born at 32 weeks 0 days' to 35 weeks 6 days' gestation who had intravenous access and whose mothers intended to breast-feed.

Examining the impact of COVID-19 on Māori:non-Māori health inequities in Aotearoa, New Zealand: an observational study protocol.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had both direct and indirect impacts on the health of populations worldwide. While racial/ethnic health inequities in COVID-19 infection are now well known (and ongoing), knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic management on non-COVID-19-related outcomes for Indigenous peoples is less well understood. This article presents the study protocol for the Health Research Council of New Zealand funded project 'Mā te Mōhio ka Mārama: Impact of COVID-19 on Māori:non-Māori inequities'.

Serum Olink Proteomics-Based Identification of Protein Biomarkers Associated with the Immune Response in Ischemic Stroke.

The immune response is considered essential for pathology of ischemic stroke (IS), but it remains unclear which immune response-related proteins exhibit altered expression in IS patients. Here, we used Olink proteomics to examine the expression levels of 92 immune response-related proteins in the sera of IS patients ( = 88) and controls ( = 88), and we found that 59 of these proteins were differentially expressed. Feature variables were screened from the differentially expressed proteins by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and the random forest and by determining whether their proteins had an area under the curve (AUC) greater than 0.

Plasma lipidomic profiling reveals six candidate biomarkers for the prediction of incident stroke in patients with hypertension.

Introduction: The burden of stroke in patients with hypertension is very high, and its prediction is critical.

Objectives: We aimed to use plasma lipidomics profiling to identify lipid biomarkers for predicting incident stroke in patients with hypertension.

Methods: This was a nested case-control study.

New Zealand household purchases of sugar-sweetened, artificially sweetened, and unsweetened beverages: 2015-2019.

Objective: To assess annual household purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), artificially sweetened beverages (AFSBs), and unsweetened beverages (USBs) by household composition and income, and over time.

Design: Observational cohort study using beverage purchasing data linked to a supermarket database. ANOVA was used to compare total household purchase volumes (L) and the contribution of beverages purchased by category, household composition (size), household income (four categories from New Zealand (NZ) < $30 000 to > $90 000), and over time (trend from 2015 to 2019).

Associations between neonatal nutrition and visual outcomes in 7-year-old children born very preterm.

Purpose: There is uncertainty about the effect of increased neonatal protein intake on neurodevelopmental outcomes following preterm birth. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a change in neonatal nutrition protocol at a major tertiary neonatal intensive care unit intended to increase protein intake on ophthalmic and visual development in school-age children born very preterm.

Methods: The study cohort comprised children (n = 128) with birthweight <1500 g or gestational age < 30 weeks born at Auckland City Hospital before (OldPro group, n = 55) and after (NewPro group, n = 73) a reformulation of parenteral nutrition that resulted in increased total protein intake during the first postnatal week and decreased carbohydrate, total parenteral fluid and sodium intake.