Knowledge and attitude of spouses of puerperas towards breastfeeding.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent of knowledge about breastfeeding and attitudes towards infant feeding among spouses of puerperas at the time of discharge from hospital, and explore the factors influencing spousal attitudes toward breastfeeding. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey among 204 spouses of puerperas who were admitted in the maternity wards at a tertiary hospital in Shaanxi Province between October 2021 and December 2021. Respondents who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were identified using convenient sampling. RESULTS: (1) The score of breastfeeding knowledge among spouses prior to discharge from the hospital was (10.56 ± 3.78), with an accuracy rate of 59.6%, and the lowest accuracy rate was for Item 1 "Newborns should be fed on time, not on demand" (42.6%) and Item 5 "Breastfeeding can prevent infant rickets" (49.5%). (2) The average score of spouses' infant feeding attitudes was (58.15 ± 5.55), and the lowest scoring was for Item 17 "Daily urine volume of infants is a reliable indicator to judge whether they get enough breast milk" (1.99 ± 1.14). (3) Generalized linear model analysis showed a more positive attitude (higher score) among spousal attitudes towards infant feeding in those who had received breastfeeding education [OR = 4.588, 95% CI (0.160 ∼ 3.598)] and those with a master's degree or above [OR = 18.278, 95% CI (3.471 ∼ 9.346)]. CONCLUSION: (1) Spouses that received breastfeeding education and those that had a Masters Degree and above had more positive attitude towards infant feeding. (2) Medical staff should focus on puerperas'spouses with degrees below master's level who had not received breastfeeding education. We recommend using a variety of education methods to enable them to acquire more knowledge on breastfeeding and develop a more positive attitude towards breastfeeding, which will further enhance spousal support for breastfeeding, thus positivizing postpartum co-parenting attitudes and improving the rate of exclusive breastfeeding.

The Influencing Factors of Breastfeeding for Full-Term Singleton Within Six Months of Birth in Xi'an Before the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Objective: The study is designed to understand the situation of full-term infants breastfeeding within 6 months of birth in Xi'an before the Covid-19 pandemic and analyze the influencing factors of exclusive breastfeeding. Methods: Five hospitals in Xi'an province have been selected as research centers. Full-term infants who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited from these centers between January 1 and February 28, 2019. The feeding situation at 10 days, 42 days, 3 months, and 6 months after birth were investigated. A self-designed breastfeeding questionnaire was used for investigation and follow-up. SPSS 22.0 was applied for statistical analysis of the data. Results: The exclusive breastfeeding rate of full-term infants on days 10 and 42 and at months three and six after birth was 61.38%, 54.78%, 48.83%, and 38.78%, respectively, with a decreasing trend over time. During breastfeeding within 48 h after delivery, 1,653 cases (91.83%) of puerpera had different grades of pain, including 1,325 cases (80.16%) of mild discomfort, 321 cases (19.42%) of moderate pain, and seven cases (0.42%) of severe pain. Within 24-48 h postpartum, 1,607 (89.27%) mothers faced problems related to postpartum breastfeeding. Among them, 694 (43,19%) neonates could not be fed effectively; 665 (41.38%) mothers had wound pain and had inconvenience to turn over; 598 (37.21%) neonates were difficult to wake up; 439 (27.32%) mothers had incorrect feeding posture; 181 (11.26%) mothers experienced other problems. The Cox risk regression model showed that weight gain during pregnancy was higher than the recommended standard. Living in suburban counties was a risk factor of exclusive breastfeeding for full-term infants. Participation in breastfeeding courses during pregnancy, feeding more than eight times daily after delivery, were the protective factors of exclusive breastfeeding for full-term infants. Conclusion: The body weight gain of parturients should be controlled within a reasonable range during pregnancy. Parturients were encouraged by medical staff to participate in breastfeeding courses or watch the breastfeeding process during pregnancy to increase their self-confidence and improve the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for full-term infants. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the publicity of breastfeeding in suburban areas to promote breastfeeding.

Bone turnover markers in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma after levothyroxine withdrawal.

BACKGROUND: Patients receiving postoperative radioiodine therapy for advanced differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) are repeatedly in short-term thyroid hormone deficiency, whose bone turnover state is not fully understood. METHODS: Serum bone turnover markers (BTMs), bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), type 1 procollagen N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), osteocalcin (OC), and the beta-isomerized C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (beta-CTx) were measured in 50 adult male DTC patients after 4-week suspension of levothyroxine replacement therapy and 40 matched euthyroid controls. Relationships between parameters of thyroid function (free triiodothyronine, FT3; free thyroxine, FT4; thyroid stimulating hormone, TSH) and the BTMs were studied. RESULTS: The patients had significantly decreased OC (-37.6%, P<0.001) and beta-CTx (-35.5%, P<0.001) compared with the controls, showing FT3 as the independent risk factor for OC (R2=0.425, P<0.001) and beta-CTx (R2=0.124, P<0.001). Partial correlation analysis showed that only FT3 was significantly correlated with OC after controlling FT4 and TSH (r=0.362, P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: DTC patients have moderately decreased bone turnover after short-term suspension of thyroxine suppressive therapy, with serum FT3 concentration as the predominant and independent risk factor.