Pregnancy and childbirth among adolescents have a higher risk of adverse outcomes than among older women. Adolescent mothers often lack physiological, psychological, social and financial capabilities, risking adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), asphyxia and stillbirth. We investigated birth outcomes and associated factors among adolescent mothers in the Nabdam District of Ghana.

Retrospective, health facility-based, cross-sectional study.

12 health facilities in Nabdam District, January 2021 to December 2022.

Census of all 373 births recorded in the maternity registers of the selected health facilities.

The main outcome measure was adverse birth outcome, a composite outcome measured as the presence of at least one of PTB, LBW, asphyxia and stillbirth. The data collected were analysed using SPSS V.22. Proportion, mean, ² and binary logistic regression models were used.

141 (37.8%) of the adolescent mothers in the selected health facilities had at least one adverse birth outcome: PTB (78, 20.9%), newborn with asphyxia (56, 15.0%), LBW (55, 14.7%) and stillbirth (1, 0.3%). Adolescents in the Pelungu subdistrict were 2.95 times (95% CI 1.44 to 6.05) more likely to have an adverse birth outcome compared with those in the Zanlerigu subdistrict. Lower odds of adverse birth outcomes were found among adolescents aged 16–19 years (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.26, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.89) and those with eight or more antenatal care (ANC) visits (aOR 0.30, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.96) compared with those younger than 16 years and those with fewer than eight ANC visits, respectively.

Adverse birth outcomes were common among adolescent mothers in the district and were more likely among younger adolescents, those living in disadvantaged subdistricts and those with fewer ANC visits. These findings indicate the urgent need for targeted interventions and support for this vulnerable population, as well as those directed towards improving access to comprehensive prenatal care, promoting proper nutrition during pregnancy and enhancing the overall well-being of adolescent mothers in resource-limited settings, in order to facilitate the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals 3.1 and 3.2 on reducing maternal mortality and improving foetal health outcomes.

The rapidly growing population of older adults (individuals aged 65 years and older) presents a new set of challenges for healthcare providers in the emergency department (ED), given the prevalence of severe and life-threatening conditions among this group, such as chronic cancer, Alzheimer’s disease/dementia and congestive heart failure. ED encounters often represent a critical point in an older patient’s trajectory of care and can thus be an important opportunity for various interventions such as palliative care consultation. Therefore, identifying those who will benefit most from palliative care is of high importance, especially in determining the course of future treatment. Thus, we aim to conduct a systematic review assessing the efficacy of palliative care screening in the ED by assessing inpatient length of stay as the primary outcome and quality of life, percentage of hospitalisation and cost of care as secondary outcomes.

This study will use Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, EBSCO CINAHL, Web of Science and Cochrane as databases. The study population comprises adults aged 60 years and older, with no focus on any specific clinical specialty or disease. Patients who have not received palliative care screening will serve as the comparator. Only studies with an applicable comparator will be considered. Studies published from 1 January 2000 to 1 July 2025 will be included.

All articles will be reviewed independently and in duplicate, and every author will participate in the review, data abstraction and conflict resolution process.

Ethical approval is not required as it is a protocol for a systematic review. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

CRD42024562389.

Perineal trauma is one of the most common complications of childbirth, impacting approximately 9 out of 10 women who undergo a vaginal delivery. Perineal trauma is a public health issue leading to increased maternal morbidity and decreased quality of life. Although race is being studied as a potential risk factor and predictor of perineal trauma, other contributing factors like racism and social determinants of health have not been adequately studied in the same context. We set out to synthesise the available peer-reviewed evidence evaluating the prognostic association between race and perineal trauma.

This systematic review and meta-analysis adheres to the PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols) and PROGRESS (Prognosis Research Strategy) guidelines and is registered with PROSPERO. The review explores the association between racial status (non-Hispanic white vs non-white) and perineal birth trauma using the PECOTS (Population, Intervention/Exposure, Comparator, Outcome, Timing and Setting) framework. We will search PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science and Embase. Peer-reviewed observational studies will be included. Data extraction and screening will be done in duplicate. Analyses will use random-effects models in R, reporting both unadjusted and adjusted risk differences. Risk of bias will be assessed using ROBINS-I (Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies of Interventions). Heterogeneity and certainty of evidence will be evaluated using I² and GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation), respectively.

This is a systematic review based on previously published data, and therefore ethical approval is not required. The findings of this review will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at academic conferences.

CRD42025590093.

Patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are at high risk of developing post-treatment recurrences (50–78%) during follow-up. As more effective treatments are now available, especially for patients with oligometastatic disease, earlier detection of recurrences may prolong survival and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). With the use of 2'-deoxy-2'-[¹⁸F]fluoroglucose positron emission tomography/CT ([¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT) during follow-up, recurrences may be detected earlier. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to compare the 3-year overall survival of patients with stage III NSCLC during follow-up surveillance with [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT versus follow-up with conventional CT (usual care). Secondary objectives address the number, location and timing of recurrences, as well as HRQOL, cost-effectiveness and patient experiences of PET/CT scans.

In this multicentre randomised controlled clinical trial, 690 patients with stage III NSCLC (8th edition International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Tumor, Nodes, Metastasis (TNM) classification) who completed curative intended treatment and started follow-up care (which may include adjuvant therapy) will be randomised 1:1 to either the intervention ([¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT) or the control group (CT). Patients will undergo follow-up scans during visits at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months. Data will be collected using validated questionnaires, electronic case report forms and data extractions from the electronic health records. Additionally, blood samples will be collected, and interviews will be conducted.

The study protocol has been approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of the Radboudumc and review boards of all participating centres. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Study results will be published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at relevant scientific conferences. Data will be published in a data repository or other online data archive.

NCT06082492.