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ABSTRACTRumours of a reduced male proportion in offspring of fathers occupied as military air pilots wereconfirmed in two American studies in 1961 and 1987, but not in a German study in 1976. Data of theMedical Birth Registry of Norway were used to assess whether offspring of fathers occupied as military airpilots, had a deviant sex-ratio.Method. Results. Conclusion. NORSK SAMMENDRAGRykter om redusert andel sønner av fedre ansatt som flyvere i forsvaret, ble støttet i to amerikansk studierfra 1961 og 1987, men ikke i en tysk studie fra 1976. Data fra Medisinsk fødselsregister ble brukt til åundersøke om fødte, etter 16. svangerskapsuke, med fedre som flyvere i forsvaret i Norge, hadde en skjevkjønnsratio.Metode. Resultat. Konklusjon. Andel sønner til mannlige flyvere i forsvaret var signifikant redusert. Gruppen er imidlertidliten og resultatet bør bekreftes av andre studier.Flyvere i forsvaret var fedre til 65 barn. Andelen av gutter var 36,9%, i referansepopulasjon varandelen 51,4% med en relativ risiko 0,72 (95% CI 0,57–0,92).Studien var basert på alle fødte i Norge 1970–1993 med tilgjengelig folketellings-informasjon(ca. 1,2 millioner). Kohorten av flyvere ble etablert ut fra opplysninger om yrke og utdannelse i folketellingenefra 1970, 1980 og 1990. Referansepopulasjonen var alle resterende barn.Male proportion in offspring of men occupied as military air pilots was significantly reduced.However, the group is small and the result needs to be confirmed in other studies.Men working as military air pilots had 65 infants. The male proportion was 36.9%, the maleproportion in the reference population was 51.4% with a relative risk 0.72 (95% CI 0.57–0.92).The study was based on all births in Norway 1970–1993 for which linkage with populationcensus data could be obtained (about 1.2 million). Fathers' occupation was derived from census data of1970, 1980 and 1990 on job title and education. The reference population was the group that did not belongto the occupation under study.

Background: The first European Perinatal Health Report showed wide variability between European countries in fetal (2.6– 9.1%) and neonatal (1.6–5.7%) mortality rates in 2004. We investigated gestational age patterns of fetal and neonatal mortality to improve our understanding of the differences between countries with low and high mortality. Methodology/Principal Findings: Data on 29 countries/regions participating in the Euro-Peristat project were analyzed. Most European countries had no limits for the registration of live births, but substantial variations in limits for registration of stillbirths before 28 weeks of gestation existed. Country rankings changed markedly after excluding deaths most likely to be affected by registration differences (22–23 weeks for neonatal mortality and 22–27 weeks for fetal mortality). Countries with high fetal mortality $28 weeks had on average higher proportions of fetal deaths at and near term ($37 weeks), while proportions of fetal deaths at earlier gestational ages (28–31 and 32–36 weeks) were higher in low fetal mortality countries. Countries with high neonatal mortality rates $24 weeks, all new member states of the European Union, had high gestational age-specific neonatal mortality rates for all gestational-age subgroups; they also had high fetal mortality, as well as high early and late neonatal mortality. In contrast, other countries with similar levels of neonatal mortality had varying levels of fetal mortality, and among these countries early and late neonatal mortality were negatively correlated. Conclusions: For valid European comparisons, all countries should register births and deaths from at least 22 weeks of gestation and should be able to distinguish late terminations of pregnancy from stillbirths. After excluding deaths most likely to be influenced by existing registration differences, important variations in both levels and patterns of fetal and neonatal mortality rates were found. These disparities raise questions for future research about the effectiveness of medical policies and care in European countries. ; publishedVersion

Background: The first European Perinatal Health Report showed wide variability between European countries in fetal (2.6-9.1%) and neonatal (1.6-5.7%) mortality rates in 2004. We investigated gestational age patterns of fetal and neonatal mortality to improve our understanding of the differences between countries with low and high mortality. Methodology/Principal Findings: Data on 29 countries/regions participating in the Euro-Peristat project were analyzed. Most European countries had no limits for the registration of live births, but substantial variations in limits for registration of stillbirths before 28 weeks of gestation existed. Country rankings changed markedly after excluding deaths most likely to be affected by registration differences (22-23 weeks for neonatal mortality and 22-27 weeks for fetal mortality). Countries with high fetal mortality >= 28 weeks had on average higher proportions of fetal deaths at and near term (>= 37 weeks), while proportions of fetal deaths at earlier gestational ages (28-31 and 32-36 weeks) were higher in low fetal mortality countries. Countries with high neonatal mortality rates >= 24 weeks, all new member states of the European Union, had high gestational age-specific neonatal mortality rates for all gestational-age subgroups; they also had high fetal mortality, as well as high early and late neonatal mortality. In contrast, other countries with similar levels of neonatal mortality had varying levels of fetal mortality, and among these countries early and late neonatal mortality were negatively correlated. Conclusions: For valid European comparisons, all countries should register births and deaths from at least 22 weeks of gestation and should be able to distinguish late terminations of pregnancy from stillbirths. After excluding deaths most likely to be influenced by existing registration differences, important variations in both levels and patterns of fetal and neonatal mortality rates were found. These disparities raise questions for future research about the ...

Background The first European Perinatal Health Report showed wide variability between European countries in fetal (2.6–9.1‰) and neonatal (1.6–5.7‰) mortality rates in 2004. We investigated gestational age patterns of fetal and neonatal mortality to improve our understanding of the differences between countries with low and high mortality. ; Methodology/Principal Findings Data on 29 countries/regions participating in the Euro-Peristat project were analyzed. Most European countries had no limits for the registration of live births, but substantial variations in limits for registration of stillbirths before 28 weeks of gestation existed. Country rankings changed markedly after excluding deaths most likely to be affected by registration differences (22–23 weeks for neonatal mortality and 22–27 weeks for fetal mortality). Countries with high fetal mortality ≥28 weeks had on average higher proportions of fetal deaths at and near term (≥37 weeks), while proportions of fetal deaths at earlier gestational ages (28–31 and 32–36 weeks) were higher in low fetal mortality countries. Countries with high neonatal mortality rates ≥24 weeks, all new member states of the European Union, had high gestational age-specific neonatal mortality rates for all gestational-age subgroups; they also had high fetal mortality, as well as high early and late neonatal mortality. In contrast, other countries with similar levels of neonatal mortality had varying levels of fetal mortality, and among these countries early and late neonatal mortality were negatively correlated. ; Conclusions For valid European comparisons, all countries should register births and deaths from at least 22 weeks of gestation and should be able to distinguish late terminations of pregnancy from stillbirths. After excluding deaths most likely to be influenced by existing registration differences, important variations in both levels and patterns of fetal and neonatal mortality rates were found. These disparities raise questions for future research about the effectiveness of medical policies and care in European countries. ; peer-reviewed

Background: In 2013, an estimated 2.8 million newborns died and 2.7 million were stillborn. A much greater number suffer from long term impairment associated with preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, congenital anomalies, and perinatal or infectious causes. With the approaching deadline for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015, there was a need to set the new research priorities on newborns and stillbirth with a focus not only on survival but also on health, growth and development. We therefore carried out a systematic exercise to set newborn health research priorities for 2013–2025. Methods: We used adapted Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) methods for this prioritization exercise. We identified and approached the 200 most productive researchers and 400 program experts, and 132 of them submitted research questions online. These were collated into a set of 205 research questions, sent for scoring to the 600 identified experts, and were assessed and scored by 91 experts. Results: Nine out of top ten identified priorities were in the domain of research on improving delivery of known interventions, with simplified neonatal resuscitation program and clinical algorithms and improved skills of community health workers leading the list. The top 10 priorities in the domain of development were led by ideas on improved Kangaroo Mother Care at community level, how to improve the accuracy of diagnosis by community health workers, and perinatal audits. The 10 leading priorities for discovery research focused on stable surfactant with novel modes of administration for preterm babies, ability to diagnose fetal distress and novel tocolytic agents to delay or stop preterm labour. Conclusion: These findings will assist both donors and researchers in supporting and conducting research to close the knowledge gaps for reducing neonatal mortality, morbidity and long term impairment. WHO, SNL and other partners will work to generate interest among key national stakeholders, governments, NGOs, and research institutes in these priorities, while encouraging research funders to support them. We will track research funding, relevant requests for proposals and trial registers to monitor if the priorities identified by this exercise are being addressed ; publishedVersion

A search for dark matter linelike signals iss performed in the vicinity of the Galactic Center by the H.E.S.S. experiment on observational data taken in 2014. An unbinned likelihood analysis iss developed to improve the sensitivity to linelike signals. The upgraded analysis along with newer data extend the energy coverage of the previous measurement down to 100 GeV. The 18 h of data collected with the H.E.S.S. array allow one to rule out at 95% C.L. the presence of a 130 GeV line (at l=-1.5°, b=0° and for a dark matter profile centered at this location) previously reported in Fermi-LAT data. This new analysis overlaps significantly in energy with previous Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. RESULTS: No significant excess associated with dark matter annihilations was found in the energy range of 100 GeV to 2 TeV and upper limits on the gamma-ray flux and the velocity weighted annihilation cross section are derived adopting an Einasto dark matter halo profile. Expected limits for present and future large statistics H.E.S.S. observations are also given. ; The support of the Namibian authorities and of the University of Namibia in facilitating the construction and operation of H.E.S.S. is gratefully acknowledged, as is the support by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), the Max Planck Society, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the French Ministry for Research, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules and the Astroparticle Interdisciplinary Programme of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the United Kingdom Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics of the Charles University, the Czech Science Foundation, the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the South African Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation, and the University of Namibia. We appreciate the excellent work of the technical support staff in Berlin, Durham, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Palaiseau, Paris, Saclay, and Namibia in the construction and operation of the equipment. R. C. G. Chaves Funded by European Union Seventh Framework Programme Marie Curie, Grant Agreement No. PIEF-GA-2012-332350. ; Peer-reviewed ; Publisher Version