COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-mediated antibodies in human breast milk and their association with breast milk microbiota composition

Newborns can acquire immunological protection to SARS-CoV-2 through vaccine-conferred antibodies in human breast milk. However, there are some concerns around lactating mothers with regards to potential short- and long-term adverse events and vaccine-induced changes to their breast milk microbiome composition, which helps shape the early-life microbiome. Thus, we sought to explore if SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine could change breast milk microbiota and how the changes impact the levels of antibodies in breast milk. We recruited 49 lactating mothers from Hong Kong who received two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine between June 2021 and August 2021. Breast milk samples were self-collected by participants pre-vaccination, one week post-first dose, one week post-second dose, and one month post-second dose. The levels of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific IgA and IgG in breast milk peaked at one week post-second dose. Subsequently, the levels of both antibodies rapidly waned in breast milk, with IgA levels returning to baseline levels one month post-second dose. The richness and composition of human breast milk microbiota changed dynamically throughout the vaccination regimen, but the abundances of beneficial microbes such as Bifidobacterium species did not significantly change after vaccination. Additionally, we found that baseline breast milk bacterial composition can predict spike-specific IgA levels at one week post-second dose (Area Under Curve: 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.85). Taken together, our results identified specific breast milk microbiota markers associated with high levels of IgA in the breast milk following BNT162b2 vaccine. Furthermore, in lactating mothers, BNT162b2 vaccines did not significantly reduce probiotic species in breast milk.

Feasibility and effectiveness of WhatsApp online group on breastfeeding by peer counsellors: a single-blinded, open-label pilot randomized controlled study

INTRODUCTION

With mobile technologies becoming more advanced and accessible, mobile health (mHealth) has been incorporated in delivering timely and convenient breastfeeding support. However, its feasibility and potential efficacy remain to be examined. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an online instant messaging peer support group for breastfeeding. The secondary objective is to evaluate the effect of the intervention on breastfeeding outcomes.

METHODS

A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 33 primiparous women were recruited in the antenatal clinic at a public hospital in Hong Kong between March and April 2021. They were randomized to receive either standard care (n = 18) or standard care and receive peer-group support in an online instant messaging app (n = 15). Participants received telephone follow-up for up to six months postpartum or until they stopped breastfeeding. After completing the study, six participants in the intervention group were interviewed to understand their perceptions of the intervention.

RESULTS

This pilot study shows that online messaging peer support group is feasible and acceptable to women. In total, 54.4% of the eligible women agreed to participate, and 97.0% completed the follow-up. Participants perceived that providing peer support through instant messaging app is appropriate. It serves as a channel for the participants to ask questions and obtain information. Furthermore, meetings of the peer supporters and group members can be held to enhance the effectiveness of the intervention. In addition, no significant differences were found in any and exclusive breastfeeding rates, breastfeeding attitude, and breastfeeding self-efficacy between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that online messaging peer support group is feasible and acceptable. A full-scale study should be conducted to understand the effect of the online instant messaging peer support group on breastfeeding outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study protocol is registered on Clinicaltrial.gov (NCT04826796) on 1 April 2021.

Intimacy during the COVID-19 pandemic: an online survey examining the impact of COVID-19 on the sexual practices and dating app usage of people living in Hong Kong

BACKGROUND

Little attention has been paid to understanding the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on sexual practices and dating app usage among the Chinese population. To fill this gap, we examined the sexual practices and dating app usage of Hong Kong residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHOD

An online survey was developed to collect data, and the participants were recruited via online social media. The respondents were asked to report on their sexual practices and dating app usage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

In total, 249 participants met the inclusion criteria for the analysis. We found that more than 70% of the participants began masturbating more. Almost half of the participants reported decreases in various sexual activities with sexual partners, including vaginal, anal and oral sex. The vast majority of the study participants also reported a decline in sexual activities with casual partners, regular non-romantic partners and sex workers. Meanwhile, dating apps were used more frequently for chatting/texting, swapping photos, sexting and virtual dating. More than 50% of the participants reported less use of dating apps for face-to-face dates and sexual encounters.

CONCLUSION

It is evident that the COVID-19 pandemic and its corresponding public health measures impacted the sexual practices and dating app usage of Hong Kong residents.

Using the Revised Health Care System Distrust Scale to evaluate healthcare distrust among Chinese men in Hong Kong: An analysis from a prostate cancer screening behaviours survey

Information about the level of distrust in healthcare systems is very limited in Chinese populations, and no validated instrument has been developed to measure this distrust. Therefore, to begin addressing this research gap, this study evaluated the psychometric properties of a traditional Chinese version of the Revised Health Care System Distrust Scale and used it to assess the level of distrust in a healthcare system. The study involved a community-based personal interview survey of individuals in Hong Kong. A total of 340 men were randomly recruited. In addition to the distrust instrument, the two-item Trust in Physician Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were used. The two-factor structure of the distrust scale was confirmed. The item-total correlations corrected for overlap were >0.4 for both the Competence and Values Distrust subscales, confirming the internal construct validity of the scale. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.77 for both subscales. The scores of both the Competence and Values subscales were moderately negatively correlated with the total score of the Trust in Physician Scale, providing support for convergent validity. Regarding known-group validity, the scale could differentiate people according to marital status, monthly personal income and severity of depressive symptoms. Moreover, we found that men who had previously undergone prostate cancer screening had higher Values Distrust scores than those who had not. The descriptive analysis showed that only about half of the participants reported that they received high-quality medical care and that the healthcare system provided excellent medical care, suggesting that more effort is needed to improve the quality of care and people's satisfaction with healthcare in Hong Kong. In summary, the translated traditional Chinese version of the Revised Health Care System Distrust Scale used in this study is a valid and reliable scale for assessing the level of distrust in a healthcare system.

Validating the use of the revised childbirth experience questionnaire in Hong Kong

Objective

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the traditional Chinese version of the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ 2.0) and assess the childbirth experiences of Chinese women.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Hong Kong from July 2020 to February 2021. In total, 975 mothers, who could read traditional Chinese and gave birth in 2020 or 2021, were included in the analysis. Data were fitted into the model proposed by the original developers using the confirmatory factor analysis. The data were then randomly split into training and validation sets for exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Childbirth experiences were assessed. Factor structure, internal construct validity, internal consistency, and known-group validity were assessed.

Results

The originally proposed CEQ2.0 model showed a poor fit. An exploratory factor analysis identified a revised four-factor model (CEQ2.0-R) on a randomly split sample, which showed a satisfactory fit (CFI=0.912; TLI=0.884; SRMR=.053; RMSEA=0.072) on the other split sample. The revised scale comprised 13 items and four domains: (1)“Own capacity” (6 items), (2) “General support” (3 items), (3) “Perceived safety” (2 items), and (4) “Professional support” (2 items). CEQ2.0-R showed high internal construct validity and reliability. It can differentiate between participants with different characteristics, including parity, oxytocin augmentation, and companionship during labour. The childbirth experiences of the participants were merely positive, and participants reported that more support from midwives is needed.

Conclusions

CEQ2.0-R can adequately describe the childbirth experiences of women in Hong Kong. The questionnaire is easy to be administer and can be used to assess several domains of the childbirth experiences. It may be useful to evaluate the aspects of support needed during childbirth.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-022-04456-x.

Effects of Mindfulness Yoga vs Stretching and Resistance Training Exercises on Anxiety and Depression for People With Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Clinical practice guidelines support exercise for patients with Parkinson disease (PD), but to our knowledge, no randomized clinical trials have tested whether yoga is superior to conventional physical exercises for stress and symptom management.

Objective

To compare the effects of a mindfulness yoga program vs stretching and resistance training exercise (SRTE) on psychological distress, physical health, spiritual well-being, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with mild-to-moderate PD.

Design, Setting, and Participants

An assessor-masked, randomized clinical trial using the intention-to-treat principle was conducted at 4 community rehabilitation centers in Hong Kong between December 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017. A total of 187 adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD who were able to stand unaided and walk with or without an assistive device were enrolled via convenience sampling. Eligible participants were randomized 1:1 to mindfulness yoga or SRTE.

Interventions

Mindfulness yoga was delivered in 90-minute groups and SRTE were delivered in 60-minute groups for 8 weeks.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Primary outcomes included anxiety and depressive symptoms assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Secondary outcomes included severity of motor symptoms (Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale [MDS-UPDRS], Part III motor score), mobility, spiritual well-being in terms of perceived hardship and equanimity, and HRQOL. Assessments were done at baseline, 8 weeks (T1), and 20 weeks (T2).

Results

The 138 participants included 65 men (47.1%) with a mean (SD) age of 63.7 (8.7) years and a mean (SD) MDS-UPDRS score of 33.3 (15.3). Generalized estimating equation analyses revealed that the yoga group had significantly better improvement in outcomes than the SRTE group, particularly for anxiety (time-by-group interaction, T1: β, -1.79 [95% CI, -2.85 to -0.69; P = .001]; T2: β, -2.05 [95% CI, -3.02 to -1.08; P < .001]), depression (T1: β, -2.75 [95% CI, -3.17 to -1.35; P < .001]); T2: β, -2.75 [95% CI, -3.71 to -1.79; P < .001]), perceived hardship (T1: β, -0.92 [95% CI, -1.25 to -0.61; P < .001]; T2: β, -0.76 [95% CI, -1.12 to -0.40; P < .001]), perceived equanimity (T1: β, 1.11 [95% CI, 0.79-1.42; P < .001]; T2: β, 1.19 [95% CI, 0.82-1.56; P < .001]), and disease-specific HRQOL (T1: β, -7.77 [95% CI, -11.61 to -4.38; P < .001]; T2: β, -7.99 [95% CI, -11.61 to -4.38; P < .001]).

Conclusions and Relevance

Among patients with mild-to-moderate PD, the mindfulness yoga program was found to be as effective as SRTE in improving motor dysfunction and mobility, with the additional benefits of a reduction in anxiety and depressive symptoms and an increase in spiritual well-being and HRQOL.

Trial Registration

Centre for Clinical Research and Biostatistics identifier: CUHK_CCRB00522.