England's neonatal service reorganisation fails to iron out regional variation in death rates

sea-maid submitted, created time 6 months 2 weeks (www.bmj.com)

Five years after a major reorganisation of England's neonatal services, large and unexplained variations between regions in mortality among neonates still exist, concludes a new report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.

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Effect of 50 000 IU vitamin A given with BCG vaccine on mortality in infants in Guinea-Bissau

sea-maid submitted, created time 6 months 3 weeks (www.bmj.com)

Vitamin A supplementation reduces mortality in older children, but a global recommendation of high dose supplementation for all newborn infants may not contribute to better survival, say the authors of this randomised controlled trial. The accompanying editorial says that benefit depends on the setting, baseline infant mortality, and vitamin A deficiency.

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Ban on first-cousin marriages "not necessary"

sea-maid submitted, created time 7 months 2 weeks (www.newscientist.com)

It found that infant mortality is only 1.2 per cent higher among the children of first cousins compared with children that have more distantly related parents.

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