1 00:00:03,290 --> 00:00:08,330 Okay. So could you just begin by saying your name and what your current title is? 2 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:19,550 And my name is Joe Sevilla. I am Professor Perinatal Medicine and the Naval Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Women of Reproductive Health. 3 00:00:19,790 --> 00:00:27,559 This call now, and there's the General Electric Hospital, the University for Women and Reproductive Health. 4 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:35,360 But yes, that's in. So first of all, can you just tell me a little bit about yourself? 5 00:00:35,420 --> 00:00:42,530 So starting from your earliest interest in your subjects, just give me the the main stopping points on your career so far. 6 00:00:43,160 --> 00:00:54,260 Well, I'm an obstetrician gynaecologist by training and being around in different places and conducting always 7 00:00:54,260 --> 00:01:01,610 research on maternal factors and foetal factors affecting perinatal outcomes and long term development. 8 00:01:02,270 --> 00:01:07,010 And then I they work in in rural areas in Central America. 9 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,690 I went back to clinical practice ob gyn, 10 00:01:11,870 --> 00:01:20,740 Johns Hopkins for ten years in the U.S. and then went back to sort of a public health 11 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:31,700 largescale research as a coordinator of maternal but maternal medicine at W.H.O. in Geneva. 12 00:01:32,660 --> 00:01:36,770 Then I was there was a program. 13 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,780 This is an interesting background for the for the second part. 14 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:48,860 The third time was a program called Human to Human Reproduction, A Human Reproduction Program. 15 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:53,120 That was this is 1980 in the middle of 1980s. 16 00:01:54,740 --> 00:02:03,950 It was mostly development and testing and and evaluating, say, think of of contraceptives, different contraceptive methods. 17 00:02:04,460 --> 00:02:13,610 And then at one point, they decided that was too narrow and that women really because it was why they're then then contraception. 18 00:02:14,090 --> 00:02:20,000 Then they eventually went up to the maternal and being the component. 19 00:02:20,510 --> 00:02:27,140 There was there was another component infertility just to why they why there the concept. 20 00:02:27,500 --> 00:02:38,960 No, only on only contraception. Then I went there in 1989 and they built a large scale multinational multicenter training. 21 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:52,610 We should receive training and research component on different factors related you to pregnancy, maternal health and prenatal health. 22 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:57,920 And so just so sorry to interrupt, but just to give a little bit of background. 23 00:02:58,670 --> 00:03:07,370 How much of a public health issue was the kind of additional risks that women faced during pregnancy and childbirth? 24 00:03:10,660 --> 00:03:12,100 What was the question again? 25 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:23,260 So what's what was the kind of scale of the of the public health concern around women at the time of pregnancy and childbirth? 26 00:03:24,750 --> 00:03:30,330 Well, this is a there was basic error. 27 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:32,909 It is the role of the radio. You're supposed to be there. 28 00:03:32,910 --> 00:03:41,070 Although Joe Biden said this because there is the risk of maternal health changes to relatively high maternal death, 29 00:03:41,130 --> 00:03:47,730 for example, relatively high as in rural areas of Africa or Southeast Asia, 30 00:03:48,150 --> 00:04:01,010 or to very low in in developed countries or different diseases have different rates and or some diseases are similar range of complications. 31 00:04:01,290 --> 00:04:03,750 Then the idea was to understand the risk factors. 32 00:04:03,990 --> 00:04:17,940 The issue is the mandate of this program was to understand the risk factors and to understand the environmental conditions and environmental factors. 33 00:04:18,420 --> 00:04:28,700 And try to introduce a. Interventions to ameliorate the risk. 34 00:04:29,030 --> 00:04:30,950 And then there's the question, 35 00:04:30,950 --> 00:04:46,880 because that ranges from sort of a specific risk factors on preterm birth or or foetal malnutrition or being undernourished at birth, 36 00:04:48,260 --> 00:04:58,160 where they have obviously large differences in by vision with other programs that were provided provision of care, 37 00:04:58,190 --> 00:05:05,989 they get the care that women get during pregnancy or the extra care that they get with. 38 00:05:05,990 --> 00:05:12,440 There's increased rate of caesarean sections. Now, now there is an epidemic of caesarean section, everybody. 39 00:05:13,220 --> 00:05:17,690 There is a higher rate of caesarean section than needed for the risk. 40 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:24,660 But in many places, the risk profile of the women then that was then. 41 00:05:24,690 --> 00:05:35,120 Then within that is directly leads to the commitment of our our reaction to react to the 42 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:43,970 reaction to the global pandemic was that we learnt in large scale multi-country studies. 43 00:05:44,210 --> 00:05:48,170 That was my responsibility during 17 years in Geneva. 44 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:52,339 And then one of them, for example, it was the issue of socialisation. 45 00:05:52,340 --> 00:06:06,820 What is the risk of is maternal risk associated with having a male surgery vis a vis the the benefit of saving, saving foetal life? 46 00:06:07,940 --> 00:06:17,950 Then obviously there is a balance between and now we are in the balance of saving fewer foetuses with a 30, 40% of caesarean section. 47 00:06:17,950 --> 00:06:22,790 And then this got this guide of a type of a balance. 48 00:06:22,970 --> 00:06:32,150 Then we did we did a similar large scale study in the whole in the whole world. 49 00:06:32,450 --> 00:06:41,570 No we didn't, we sort of a randomised we, we select randomly selected countries, hospitals and cities in the whole world. 50 00:06:42,170 --> 00:06:49,340 And then this was a is, it is a landmark study on the effect of maternal maternal factor. 51 00:06:49,670 --> 00:06:56,570 But interestingly enough there was, there was a, there was a very good contribution of this research. 52 00:06:56,750 --> 00:06:58,520 And so these contractions, 53 00:06:58,730 --> 00:07:07,640 there was a thing where we were in the it wasn't in the headlines or the newspapers in the UK actually saying that women were to push the push. 54 00:07:10,110 --> 00:07:22,589 I remember I was sort of in a tree with a Jemmy, which was not the case, but I think was it a good, good sense going around with these things? 55 00:07:22,590 --> 00:07:29,220 But I promote the papers as such. That was basically that the the they issue. 56 00:07:30,310 --> 00:07:41,500 No. And in 2008 and 2006, I moved to a firm with M&A to try to, you know, remain the main. 57 00:07:42,100 --> 00:07:45,940 There are there are several there are many maternal conditions affecting pregnancy. 58 00:07:46,900 --> 00:08:00,340 Fortunately, most in most countries where adequate care is provided and environmental factors are acceptable and or other group, these risk are low. 59 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:04,270 But they still they are there and they need the risk. 60 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:11,650 I mean, the risk during the labour and delivery, if conditions are adequate, they are very low. 61 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:17,620 But there are still there are there are risk involved in pregnancy and feeding growth and so on. 62 00:08:18,100 --> 00:08:23,080 Maternal diseases, anxiety, postpartum depression. 63 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:27,030 There are many other factors. Then they they they mandate. 64 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:38,920 I got a good job for inches I think I was to conduct specific research large scale is to try to understand 65 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:46,630 in a relatively short period of time with a large number of big big what is called now a big data a. 66 00:08:50,660 --> 00:09:00,800 What are the risk factors? Possible interventions and targeting subgroup subgroups to reduce the negative pregnancy outcomes. 67 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:13,430 That being in general terms, the most central of these was preterm birth babies born earlier than than it should. 68 00:09:14,100 --> 00:09:20,630 And why is that? Why is that a bad thing for the the outcomes for those children who were born preterm? 69 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:33,590 There's a risk of morbidity and mortality, long term development that that increases every week or every day that you get younger or earlier. 70 00:09:34,730 --> 00:09:40,130 Then that's basically the mandate. Then the problem. 71 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:55,730 Obviously, this is a reason, of course, that then it has a has its extraordinary capability to provide care to southern England, if you will. 72 00:09:55,910 --> 00:10:03,170 But it still was traditionally in the age of the issue of pregnancy. 73 00:10:03,470 --> 00:10:15,950 It was sort of a regional hospital then we but the university is a is why it has a wider scope and it has a long tradition of international work. 74 00:10:16,220 --> 00:10:23,600 Then the task was to expand the gynaecological activities to a larger scale, 75 00:10:24,110 --> 00:10:35,150 according to the tradition of the university that has been a training for many tropical diseases or other things globally, 76 00:10:35,570 --> 00:10:44,720 then that's where we started doing it. But the bottleneck was not there wasn't a patient, it was not the university, although, 77 00:10:44,990 --> 00:10:52,430 as you know, huge, slowly, but there wasn't it was not the the University of the Negev. 78 00:10:52,430 --> 00:11:03,620 These large skills and a project was that the the the the clinical and scientific status of pregnancy, 79 00:11:03,620 --> 00:11:13,070 pregnancy care and pregnancy research was rather uncontrollably and not standardised. 80 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:23,620 Then it was, was basically very difficult to conduct multicenter studies with, with people more or less doing whatever they feel better. 81 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:28,220 By the obvious, you can imagine the feeling better. 82 00:11:28,850 --> 00:11:34,640 It changes dramatically with it, which was this person of each institution. 83 00:11:35,030 --> 00:11:47,810 Then the they were task. And then we spent about the 40 or five years until early just ten or 11 a standardisation. 84 00:11:49,430 --> 00:11:53,990 Care occurs globally across those people. 85 00:11:54,020 --> 00:11:59,270 I want you to do it. Obviously, you don't want to do it, but there are those people that were willing to do it. 86 00:11:59,700 --> 00:12:03,110 Standardised care according to the best practices. 87 00:12:03,590 --> 00:12:10,040 So you have participating hospitals in different countries around the world who were agreeing to fund the right thing. 88 00:12:10,290 --> 00:12:14,180 Yes. Then that was that was one issue. 89 00:12:14,390 --> 00:12:24,120 But the other issue was that. And in many areas, the standard of care was unknown. 90 00:12:25,580 --> 00:12:28,790 And in other areas it's done. That care was risky. 91 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:41,420 And that's you know, I don't know if you're expecting this but the amazing is harder to modify and and non effective treatment is harder than 92 00:12:41,660 --> 00:12:50,510 what you find an effective treatment than effective treatment then there are no effective practices or risk there has been. 93 00:12:50,660 --> 00:12:56,400 No, no, I mean historically amazing just being inside the product. 94 00:12:56,420 --> 00:13:00,680 They're amazing. They're very very difficult to take it over. And then the. 95 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:06,360 And this was one of the main challenges. 96 00:13:06,630 --> 00:13:13,880 Fortunately, all four had these been involved in these efforts, 97 00:13:13,890 --> 00:13:20,910 a change of settling practices and collecting data based on best best practices 98 00:13:20,910 --> 00:13:25,980 and more effective effective which was eventually became evidence based medicine. 99 00:13:27,230 --> 00:13:35,820 And a colleague and friend and gentleman, it was the director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit. 100 00:13:36,540 --> 00:13:44,070 And then he introduced promoted the concept of evidence based medicine in obstetrics. 101 00:13:44,430 --> 00:13:52,590 Then with me on background and the university background, we identified which things would be standardised right away. 102 00:13:52,740 --> 00:14:02,400 And but there were other, many other practices that were not ready to be standardised and even there were people having a conflict, the thinking. 103 00:14:02,460 --> 00:14:11,340 Then we spent all this time, particularly in pregnancy and preterm birth and FEDOROV Then we spent all this time and by. 104 00:14:11,610 --> 00:14:16,730 By 2014 or 18. 105 00:14:17,070 --> 00:14:22,440 Can we just get some names so that one of the projects that you set up was called into growth? 106 00:14:22,470 --> 00:14:25,530 Is that correct? You went back and. 107 00:14:25,620 --> 00:14:31,260 Yeah, and then the main the main project, because that was part of the mandate. 108 00:14:31,530 --> 00:14:47,550 The main project was called in the that will be a project to study the potential of foetal growth as a as a the early as a component of human growth, 109 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:58,770 if you will, a that is known to affect early and long term medical conditions, development and so on. 110 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:07,560 Then the the the issue the issue was to study a larger scale and the many different conditions, 111 00:15:08,070 --> 00:15:17,610 the consequences of different growth, foetal growth patterns and as a result of the project is gone that it was calling the road. 112 00:15:18,210 --> 00:15:21,150 The problem is, I don't know if you want to go on this. 113 00:15:21,420 --> 00:15:28,670 The only the only problem was that one of the bottlenecks on the standardisation and implementation of 114 00:15:28,710 --> 00:15:39,300 of large scale research or medical intervention was that it was entrenches and it still no in many, 115 00:15:39,610 --> 00:15:44,850 many areas the concept that the foetal growth. 116 00:15:47,530 --> 00:15:55,500 Is not a universal process and is more more related to a. 117 00:15:57,350 --> 00:16:03,350 Environmental, religious rights, a skin colour and so on. 118 00:16:03,860 --> 00:16:09,260 So the idea that people in but babies in some countries are naturally smaller than babies in other countries. 119 00:16:09,530 --> 00:16:20,530 Exactly. Then obviously, obviously like in other is if you are if you consider a feeding growth, this is abnormal foetal growth. 120 00:16:20,540 --> 00:16:24,920 And this is all bread and butter and this is your backbone earlier. 121 00:16:25,550 --> 00:16:30,560 And that that pathology is associated. 122 00:16:31,700 --> 00:16:39,440 With environmental factors, disease conditions, socioeconomic location, immigration, all the things. 123 00:16:39,990 --> 00:16:44,510 No, but it may. As you said, the main issue is that the. 124 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:56,429 Following that concept. It is entrenched in many places still that that is is is is my is environmental is this is it. 125 00:16:56,430 --> 00:17:08,840 But at the end of the day, foetuses grow differently depending on the race, skin colour, ethnicity or even even more. 126 00:17:08,850 --> 00:17:17,610 Certainly not a country of origin of the mother or a all. 127 00:17:19,380 --> 00:17:25,020 And there is a sort of it genetic conditions associate with ethnicity. 128 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:29,370 Where what did the integral study find. 129 00:17:30,140 --> 00:17:42,240 Well, obviously, obviously this concept where in some area in some in some of its manifestations were rather bizarre. 130 00:17:42,270 --> 00:17:57,690 Oh, I'm sure. And particularly people living in living in the in the in the previous century in in Europe or in in many developing countries 131 00:17:57,690 --> 00:18:11,250 where the borders were changed as there'd be women even now even no women arriving in the UK it you and get pregnant. 132 00:18:12,090 --> 00:18:16,500 Maybe they were living in one country when they left and they know the country has changed. 133 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:20,750 Regions got changed. You know this is this is going suddenly well. 134 00:18:21,420 --> 00:18:26,250 But we we then confront a much larger scale resistance to this. 135 00:18:27,330 --> 00:18:36,510 Now, obviously in the road they originally conceived of, the road that was already there. 136 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:46,080 Even more extraordinary thing was that they paediatricians in early 2000 decided for the 137 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:52,590 attack the same concept because the concept was also extended to the to the children, 138 00:18:53,520 --> 00:19:00,270 that the children were genetically a smaller they were Indians from the subcontinent. 139 00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:08,490 They were smaller than or Chinese. The Chinese were smaller then, obviously by the changed by 200. 140 00:19:08,820 --> 00:19:15,270 Obviously, people start realising that Chinese were not any longer sure that they got it all. 141 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:20,340 And in the subcontinent, there are many millions of people that are totally innocent. 142 00:19:20,670 --> 00:19:28,500 Then it's just to do with the mother being better nutrition environment nourished and the children being baptised and development development. 143 00:19:29,100 --> 00:19:30,420 Then there all these. 144 00:19:30,510 --> 00:19:40,440 Then they be regions immediately and before, which is, I think by the end the gist of it jump to Judaism and starting confronting these issues. 145 00:19:41,250 --> 00:19:49,889 Then us basically what we did is we made the approach to go to different regions, 146 00:19:49,890 --> 00:19:55,860 extreme regions like extreme related to the Mississippi and geographic areas, 147 00:19:56,100 --> 00:20:06,629 but no by the European adequate regions as we select the populations in which there were different ethnicity, 148 00:20:06,630 --> 00:20:17,160 religious skin, colours and noses and all the things different, but they were living, living under adequate conditions. 149 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:24,920 Then there was the study saying that girls, girls, the world in which there were Chinese. 150 00:20:26,530 --> 00:20:33,940 Sort of just to make the argument simpler middle classes or high or middle middle classes in China? 151 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:37,880 Me the middle classes in Nairobi. Blah, blah, blah. 152 00:20:38,190 --> 00:20:44,140 No different in Brazil. You know, places where in the US and England and in Europe. 153 00:20:44,620 --> 00:20:49,980 In continental Europe. Then there was. And then that's what they say. 154 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:58,000 So. And the. And the hypothesis was. And then people started claiming, you know, the negative reaction was start blaming. 155 00:20:58,210 --> 00:21:01,330 No, we don't. We are not all identical. 156 00:21:01,570 --> 00:21:05,260 This is absurd. We're not identical. We never said that people would be identical. 157 00:21:06,070 --> 00:21:12,430 But the answer to that question, it was the variability. 158 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,250 The answer is that they. Among humans. 159 00:21:16,530 --> 00:21:26,530 In in in the growth of the foetus, the growth of the brain of the foetus, the growth of any brain structures, oh, 160 00:21:26,550 --> 00:21:34,380 the foetuses and the development postnatal development of these multiple, 161 00:21:35,010 --> 00:21:41,170 multiple geographic areas where they studied a standardised and very rigorously. 162 00:21:41,700 --> 00:21:50,700 And when the background were similar in terms of carbon duration care, socioeconomic status, 163 00:21:50,700 --> 00:22:00,450 environmental fibre, the big, the foetal growth and up to two years in terms of any anything you name where. 164 00:22:02,310 --> 00:22:06,140 Unbelievable. Closer. Even age. 165 00:22:06,380 --> 00:22:17,060 Age of language, acquisitions, you know, even even all the things or things that were less and less tangible, 166 00:22:17,060 --> 00:22:21,110 like obviously tie or length is something you can measure. 167 00:22:21,110 --> 00:22:33,140 But then there are many other developmental issues in the one year or two years that they are not a obviously easily measured well, 168 00:22:33,350 --> 00:22:37,730 but then all the things were remarkably similar. More than expected. 169 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:40,290 More than expected. And even yesterday. 170 00:22:41,060 --> 00:22:58,710 Yesterday I have we have a a colleague that is a workshop on artificial machine learning artificial intelligence in the in the in Oxford in the it. 171 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:05,390 And then she was showing me yesterday that they have it they have a special way to 172 00:23:05,570 --> 00:23:12,410 take in three 3D volumes with ultrasound of the foetuses with our our foetuses, 173 00:23:12,410 --> 00:23:17,870 if you will. And then she got a fantastic technique in where they changed that sort of a very complicated 174 00:23:18,020 --> 00:23:25,600 are the individual intelligent things they in their measuring their the the the 175 00:23:25,670 --> 00:23:31,969 volume of the brain and the and different different structures within the brain as she 176 00:23:31,970 --> 00:23:36,770 was showing me yesterday that they they they they grow of children they are identical. 177 00:23:37,490 --> 00:23:44,000 But one if you if you're wrong in a growth language of the brain volumes. 178 00:23:45,260 --> 00:23:49,870 Of the foetuses of the original foetuses. 179 00:23:50,330 --> 00:23:58,670 We're using these most sophisticated things to measure, to quantify and describe the grey matter of the brain of the foetus. 180 00:23:58,850 --> 00:24:02,420 They are absolutely identical, but one line on top of the other. 181 00:24:03,850 --> 00:24:08,350 It's a thrilling because he's obviously, as you can imagine, that there is variability. 182 00:24:09,050 --> 00:24:14,950 They are not all identical, but the distribution, the distribution is the same. 183 00:24:14,980 --> 00:24:18,340 Well, yes, but their variability is a very small. 184 00:24:18,340 --> 00:24:21,700 But there is very religious. Your imagination can be both. 185 00:24:22,030 --> 00:24:25,660 You know, we cannot control these. These are free living individuals. 186 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:33,909 But by the way, the more you get to things that are very specific to human nature, 187 00:24:33,910 --> 00:24:39,730 like the size of the brain, you know, the size of the brain or the or the structures of the brain. 188 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:47,020 These are things that you can't know much about because, you know, people were saying they were completely even these things. 189 00:24:47,020 --> 00:24:52,570 I think they you can grow more grosser than all the other things. 190 00:24:52,960 --> 00:25:03,880 Mm hmm. In order to answer your question overall, we can say that the anything you want to measure we got, if the conditions were adequate, 191 00:25:04,790 --> 00:25:12,010 thereby the ability between sides is always in any measure that you make, there's always less than 10%. 192 00:25:12,310 --> 00:25:21,550 There is the variability. There is a 90% variability, which in humans is either or environmental or errors in they measure. 193 00:25:22,610 --> 00:25:30,080 But between the among sites, the comparison among ethnic geographic areas in the world today, 194 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:43,430 there is never about 10% eight and for, as I said, sort of things that are basic to humanity, like size of the brain or a. 195 00:25:44,510 --> 00:25:51,350 Or even then they had the self-confidence of the head bones, bones that you obviously, 196 00:25:51,350 --> 00:25:57,770 once you get the bone, the length of your femur, you have it there, you can get the shoulder. 197 00:25:58,010 --> 00:26:04,280 Well, all the things there are never, ever more than more than five, 10% of the total body ability. 198 00:26:05,220 --> 00:26:13,380 Well, then this is the answer to this is a long answer to this question. 199 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:18,820 Then let's park for a moment. I mean, that was a fantastic result. 200 00:26:18,830 --> 00:26:23,360 But what was also fantastic was that you had, over a period of years, 201 00:26:23,660 --> 00:26:29,990 set up a research network of committed individuals in hospitals all over the world 202 00:26:30,410 --> 00:26:35,420 who were prepared to adopt common standards in order to pursue answers to questions. 203 00:26:35,660 --> 00:26:40,670 So now I think you can come to say I just I've been asking everybody this question. 204 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:45,650 Can you remember when you first heard about the pandemic? 205 00:26:46,350 --> 00:26:53,120 Yes. There was something going on in China. And that that that that might be something that your research network could become involved with. 206 00:26:54,560 --> 00:27:02,060 And. Yes. Well, actually I but precisely everything because a. 207 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:08,340 And in during the summer. 208 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:11,940 Well, during the the winter of 2020. 209 00:27:13,740 --> 00:27:18,770 In the winter junket agenda because you mean January, January two. 210 00:27:18,790 --> 00:27:20,940 You mean right at the beginning, January 24? Yes. 211 00:27:21,660 --> 00:27:35,250 And one of this is sort of one of the one of the one of the few advantages of getting old is is that I have more flexibility than the summer. 212 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:44,340 You say that you keep working electronically rather than spend three, three months in the in the beach in South America. 213 00:27:45,060 --> 00:27:51,630 Well, in South America, basically. And in the beach, because this summer it was a summer there. 214 00:27:51,810 --> 00:27:55,940 Then I was there. I was preparing to go back. You were prepared. 215 00:27:55,950 --> 00:28:05,700 You go back to your junior jog for in my area at the end of March, early February, early March. 216 00:28:06,090 --> 00:28:11,700 And then we have these cases in June. But obviously, I follow that. 217 00:28:13,770 --> 00:28:18,750 But then at one point, because one of our Winter Warrior Centres, 218 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:31,950 one of the main developed country operation is in northern Italy, in Torino and in Milan, 219 00:28:32,620 --> 00:28:36,059 and particularly in the city of Torino, AC Milan, as I said, 220 00:28:36,060 --> 00:28:48,660 the well-organised is we restudy all the liberties in the city of Torino during basic training for the growth project. 221 00:28:50,350 --> 00:28:59,460 No. Then when they beat me because I'm basically ignorant about infectious diseases. 222 00:28:59,700 --> 00:29:12,880 But when they when they realised that it was it was an infection epidemic or infectious disease, it was a recipe for respiratory transmission. 223 00:29:13,900 --> 00:29:17,570 And I started thinking in February just is other than trending, 224 00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:26,760 that is if this kid in northern Italy because northern Italy is in the winter in general. 225 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,760 But most of the cities in northern Italy, they're well developed by. 226 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:37,010 But housing is sometimes they are very, very nice to look at. 227 00:29:37,020 --> 00:29:45,179 But the they are all there are all all buildings and also because they obviously lot in 228 00:29:45,180 --> 00:29:50,870 culture there is many in the family leave the mother and father the children there. 229 00:29:50,940 --> 00:30:00,330 You know it sort of it it very clear that instead of thinking that if this is a respiratory disease, we hit our area. 230 00:30:00,510 --> 00:30:08,820 I mean, Turin or Lombardia, then I think there were these are the easily disseminate around. 231 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:18,209 And particularly because, as you know, the fertility rate is very low among Europeans, 232 00:30:18,210 --> 00:30:27,630 but is relatively high or maybe about above replacement among immigrants and the immigrants living 233 00:30:27,630 --> 00:30:32,580 in the benefiting area of the European cities they live in rather than a chronic condition. 234 00:30:32,820 --> 00:30:43,890 Then I started thinking that maybe where I would bring up population instead of experience is this this epidemic like it happened with the flu? 235 00:30:44,190 --> 00:30:49,740 And if you had been me before, was it was a disaster then. 236 00:30:49,950 --> 00:30:53,970 Then in March, I went back the last day before they closed. 237 00:30:54,210 --> 00:30:58,830 We when we went back to Europe and then immediately in March, 238 00:30:58,830 --> 00:31:08,310 I contacted my geographic clinicians and colleagues in, you know, for the remainder remain active with us. 239 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:17,010 And I said, what we should do, we should do it. We should ask you, as you were thinking, who who is a network to the names of those colleagues? 240 00:31:17,010 --> 00:31:21,780 We should. Stephen Kennedy. Then he was the head of the department. 241 00:31:22,020 --> 00:31:34,890 I think is papageorgiou. That is our main clinical active clinician in charge of all the clinical component of the study. 242 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:42,160 And I remember I had a. A phone conversation within one Sunday in March. 243 00:31:42,340 --> 00:31:47,590 And I said, where we should we should go now immediately and do two things. 244 00:31:47,860 --> 00:31:51,730 One, activate all our centres to look at this. 245 00:31:53,030 --> 00:31:56,359 And you go to these people, you know, 246 00:31:56,360 --> 00:32:02,030 before and in the pharmaceutical industry without any contact and tell them that 247 00:32:02,030 --> 00:32:08,900 we should immediately incorporate a pregnant women to do the vaccine trials. 248 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:18,350 Because if we don't, because in the end we don't incorporate the breakdown, we make a. 249 00:32:19,900 --> 00:32:25,060 Immediately in these vaccine trials. In a year from now, we will be in the same situation. 250 00:32:25,090 --> 00:32:36,730 And now, without knowing with the effect of pregnant women and and it is obvious that these diseases will affect pregnant women. 251 00:32:37,210 --> 00:32:44,010 Then I said, then Stephen Guinea, that has no more people in it for our own. 252 00:32:44,020 --> 00:32:54,220 And then we send a message to John Bell, the visual professor of medicine, that always John helps us support us in many in any way that he can. 253 00:32:54,700 --> 00:33:03,310 Is there where we should get involved with bringing on women immediately and obviously getting back women in the vaccine trust was almost impossible. 254 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:19,299 They didn't do it. But the idea of component there was to activate our network and and and start immediately 255 00:33:19,300 --> 00:33:26,080 we started we were capable of doing start recruiting basically because in the centres were 256 00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:34,980 already standardised and we know that we make only a small modification to our they outright 257 00:33:35,050 --> 00:33:41,500 were a medical record because in the world has a system of electronic medical records. 258 00:33:42,580 --> 00:33:50,770 Then all of these centres participating they have the medical records electronic the same basically. 259 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:59,710 They obviously these hospitals have their own specific things, but the core of the data collection is standardised. 260 00:34:00,100 --> 00:34:03,640 Then we only had you made modifications on the. 261 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:10,370 On the specific issues related to the respiratory condition. 262 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:16,930 At that time, nobody knew much about the disease but about the gore or the outbreak, 263 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:24,710 and children were already there electronically, and then we basically started activating it. 264 00:34:24,830 --> 00:34:30,260 Obviously, there was a problem of testing. There were not there was no testing at the time, universal testing. 265 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:36,080 And there were there were no vaccines then. 266 00:34:36,890 --> 00:34:44,150 But in any case, we in April and May, we started we started collecting collecting data. 267 00:34:44,690 --> 00:34:49,840 And I went to see what was the design of the study that use it and reason I was it 268 00:34:49,940 --> 00:35:00,170 was a prospective design because all are all this is another beauty of having that 269 00:35:00,590 --> 00:35:06,649 the system already in place there all these women and all of them but the most most 270 00:35:06,650 --> 00:35:13,280 of the women in these regions were China through the local medical institutions, 271 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:21,080 but also were channelled through the world. I mean, they wrote a recruitment all women, you know, Netflix video thing. 272 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:27,290 But then we did we did a detailed follow up in a smaller sample because these are some of these are big. 273 00:35:27,650 --> 00:35:35,240 And we all all these were geographic areas. There's no regions, cities or regions. 274 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:38,750 So there should be then there was a this is a large volume of pregnancy. 275 00:35:38,750 --> 00:35:42,290 You can imagine we manage about 50,000 deliveries a year. 276 00:35:42,300 --> 00:35:49,970 This is something completely out of any easy, easy, any possibility to do it. 277 00:35:49,970 --> 00:35:56,090 If you don't have a good commitment from local authorities and colleagues worldwide, 278 00:35:56,660 --> 00:36:04,580 that then basically then then there was a prospect that to say, we know that these women will enter. 279 00:36:05,030 --> 00:36:11,059 And then through the channels of these institutions that we have standardised and we know that we are 280 00:36:11,060 --> 00:36:17,560 going to collect the data that we want to collect because they are already in online or electronically. 281 00:36:18,170 --> 00:36:26,270 Then they we even usually we didn't even we didn't physically contact us. 282 00:36:27,310 --> 00:36:36,760 A woman in the first trimester. The hospitals did contact these women early in pregnancy because they were part of the system and part of the system. 283 00:36:36,970 --> 00:36:46,870 Then we sort of answer your question. We reconstructed a cohort of women who started in April to South and during the 284 00:36:46,870 --> 00:36:53,350 day that were either part of the study because they arrived or were recruited, 285 00:36:53,800 --> 00:37:00,660 by the way, or by our by institutions collaborating with for two or three months earlier. 286 00:37:00,940 --> 00:37:06,940 Then we reconstruct the image created a huge cohort of pregnant women. 287 00:37:07,450 --> 00:37:10,780 The problem was there were not enough testing at that time. 288 00:37:10,990 --> 00:37:17,650 They were not know all old places. Most of the places, even even in developing countries, they have testing. 289 00:37:17,770 --> 00:37:26,020 But no, they didn't have enough test and they were expensive at this and they really didn't have enough test to test all these women then. 290 00:37:26,020 --> 00:37:28,900 Did they actually go for that? We follow. 291 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:42,180 It was with this was smaller than the the the or the in the growth cohort because obviously these were the interviews with older women, 292 00:37:42,330 --> 00:37:45,780 but we didn't we didn't have enough testing for that. 293 00:37:45,990 --> 00:37:54,270 And then we use testing on symptoms at that time because no, they were the women that have already had these symptoms, blah, blah blah. 294 00:37:54,540 --> 00:37:58,140 But they didn't cause it this. Then. 295 00:37:58,300 --> 00:38:04,780 But these were the limitations in April, May and June of 2020. 296 00:38:05,170 --> 00:38:12,520 Those that's what you were looking to do was very simply to compare women who but whether it was by testing or by looking at their symptoms, 297 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:15,810 you were pretty certain had COVID. I did not. 298 00:38:15,820 --> 00:38:22,899 And look at the outcomes. Yes. And this is exactly the way we did it, because we didn't call women with COVID. 299 00:38:22,900 --> 00:38:32,510 These were women diagnosed. Of having COVID because they were diagnosed, whatever, whatever method they have, they were they were they not. 300 00:38:32,510 --> 00:38:38,480 Somebody at the end of the day said, this woman hasn't gone and we recreate it prospectively. 301 00:38:39,560 --> 00:38:46,400 And the other thing that was unique was we compare these women with pregnant women that they know are going. 302 00:38:46,970 --> 00:38:53,000 And this is interesting because you you know, people always say, oh, that's obvious. 303 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,430 We're building a enabling. It isn't. 304 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:05,030 And there was no because there were there were many, many publications of ten, five, nine, nine in cases. 305 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,380 Of course, within this place, another place and so on. 306 00:39:09,590 --> 00:39:15,080 Compare with Norway man with no comparison or compare with a known pregnant women. 307 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:27,000 And then we said, this is not possible. This is this is a this is a this is a wrong comparison. 308 00:39:27,180 --> 00:39:31,500 And then at that time, the issue was, don't worry, this is a flu. 309 00:39:31,950 --> 00:39:38,460 And pregnant women are not at different risk of a flu than non-pregnant. 310 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:43,260 That's was what it was known. Therefore, this is an old flu. 311 00:39:43,260 --> 00:39:47,069 Women, pregnant women should be taken. This is not a problem. 312 00:39:47,070 --> 00:39:59,740 And so on. But then, then, then our study and we were lucky also that, as I said, following the teaching, 313 00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:07,800 the young children, we had a system already in place also doing continuous, systematic reviews. 314 00:40:08,370 --> 00:40:17,630 We continuously review the literature in in collaboration with a group being bringing in that we continue to collect the data 315 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:28,360 any paper published in 2002 and the own respiratory diseases where were collected and read and classify and and summarise. 316 00:40:28,650 --> 00:40:33,450 Then we were saying, listen, we are here saying that this is a new flu. 317 00:40:33,450 --> 00:40:38,850 No problem. There is you are a pregnancy is not a problem. 318 00:40:39,310 --> 00:40:46,810 And. And but but they don't have control groups. 319 00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:50,920 Even if they do, they have their own control because it's a no brainer. 320 00:40:50,950 --> 00:40:57,370 Women are different from their women for many, many working condition reasons, whatever. 321 00:40:57,670 --> 00:41:04,840 Then there should be a concomitant control group of pregnant women with some symbol. 322 00:41:05,020 --> 00:41:12,550 But then there was the difficult to convince people was difficult to convince a donors. 323 00:41:14,890 --> 00:41:15,850 But immediately. 324 00:41:16,180 --> 00:41:27,819 But interesting that neither one of centre we have Junes in February and in April 2002 ended with like a 5050 hospitals around the world as it were, 325 00:41:27,820 --> 00:41:31,590 willing to participate on this. And it wasn't really anything. 326 00:41:31,740 --> 00:41:38,610 It was that many of them did not exist because, you know, the pyramid was moved from China to northern Italy, 327 00:41:38,790 --> 00:41:41,820 then in Europe and then eventually disseminated many other places. 328 00:41:42,060 --> 00:41:45,390 But they were just because we don't have any place, any for any guys. 329 00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:49,790 We don't get guys who want to be part of the study, but we all have cases and we said, 330 00:41:50,090 --> 00:41:58,380 Don't worry, you will get away with it because you will get these cases is moving it. 331 00:41:58,610 --> 00:42:02,899 And then fortunately, which is the reality is always rather complicated. 332 00:42:02,900 --> 00:42:13,100 You have this diverse diversity in the U.S. We we really have immediately because we have had an integral jump from the U.S. and other. 333 00:42:13,340 --> 00:42:17,350 And then, of course, with us in Boston that they're participating in gigabit. 334 00:42:17,350 --> 00:42:21,350 But we're always satellites, friend friendly to us. 335 00:42:21,590 --> 00:42:22,729 They jump in immediately. 336 00:42:22,730 --> 00:42:30,350 Then we have a very nice, very nice representation with a concomitant contrast, I think that makes it make the whole difference. 337 00:42:30,740 --> 00:42:34,520 And then by October 2020, the study was over. 338 00:42:35,420 --> 00:42:39,640 We finished we have the largest study with controls and. 339 00:42:42,930 --> 00:42:47,100 They only want one thing before I tell you. 340 00:42:47,370 --> 00:42:51,210 They find that it was the funding issue. 341 00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:59,520 Yeah. And the we there was a completely these violence. 342 00:43:01,070 --> 00:43:08,719 Logical, logical. These balance between the investment made on many other things, 343 00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:23,690 including vaccines and the investment made in systematically analysing and documenting the risk associated with with COVID, with pregnant women. 344 00:43:23,990 --> 00:43:33,530 We we we did it before. The other thing for which we were already prepared is because we did it the same the same process with a sick epidemic, 345 00:43:34,970 --> 00:43:44,180 the virus infection in north in Brazil, we have we were participated and documented, I think, for the first time. 346 00:43:44,450 --> 00:43:48,260 And this this is another benefit of the decision. 347 00:43:48,500 --> 00:43:57,049 We documented for the first time the magnitude of the effect of Zika on brain development of the foetuses because that that's 348 00:43:57,050 --> 00:44:04,340 where they made their main problem was and because we were standardised already with the same way to measure the head. 349 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:11,880 Oh, they feed us and then you work. We were able to document the exact magnitude of the effect. 350 00:44:12,060 --> 00:44:17,610 Then with all these background and then the funding was appropriate, 351 00:44:17,610 --> 00:44:24,540 we have in the reserves have been always grateful and lucky to have very good donors. 352 00:44:24,990 --> 00:44:32,160 And then with with good donors, we in general was blessed, which we conducted otherwise would have been impossible. 353 00:44:32,340 --> 00:44:40,200 And who are the who are the donors? Well, then the use of usual suspects by the church. 354 00:44:41,270 --> 00:44:54,410 By the. By the. If the pandemic was moving in a different direction, obviously, logically on on or on vaccine vaccine development. 355 00:44:55,760 --> 00:45:01,860 But. If we were not, we were not lucky. 356 00:45:02,490 --> 00:45:07,320 We were limited to lucky funding. 357 00:45:07,650 --> 00:45:18,000 Then we operated in a in a rather a rather not a or a budget for the question that we thought that was the obvious question. 358 00:45:18,330 --> 00:45:24,240 Then what is the concept? Pregnant women, particularly many in Europe and many, many. 359 00:45:24,870 --> 00:45:35,100 There were all the time working. They were working in conditions that were conditions that they were at high risk. 360 00:45:35,610 --> 00:45:48,240 Nurses and doctors and and a services restaurants support care and general care of the elderly. 361 00:45:49,370 --> 00:45:57,509 They were always were working on a risky front line of risk and many of young women what 362 00:45:57,510 --> 00:46:02,040 was there would be a large number of them pregnant eventually one woman and one boy. 363 00:46:02,040 --> 00:46:16,470 And then just to me, still, I mean, this is this is why there was a high risk population, a pregnant woman in direct contact with a basis. 364 00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:29,130 And then we still I don't understand why there were not a support or B or jump being donors to. 365 00:46:31,290 --> 00:46:38,239 And you you of these and the sort of money that you needed would have been very 366 00:46:38,240 --> 00:46:41,690 small compared with the money needed for a big amount of the money that we 367 00:46:41,690 --> 00:46:48,589 needed was very small compared with the growth and compare with the gigantic 368 00:46:48,590 --> 00:46:54,040 amount of money that was invested that logically I'm not complaining wasn't the. 369 00:46:54,490 --> 00:47:01,930 But then then the interesting thing is we didn't get from the university and we are grateful to the universities 370 00:47:01,940 --> 00:47:12,140 where we some yeah we get support just a minimum to operate but they we did get it and we gave for that. 371 00:47:12,620 --> 00:47:17,600 But the interesting thing is that most of the other the rest of the countries. 372 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:33,110 The funding was only for coordination and standardisation as a priority because we knew that there were no standardised credibility will not be it. 373 00:47:33,140 --> 00:47:35,440 We would have concerns about it. 374 00:47:35,930 --> 00:47:47,780 The standardisation and data management and local issues were ignored by the rest of the institutions that participated. 375 00:47:47,990 --> 00:47:53,420 We didn't provide any cash to them, but they immediately jumped in, saying, 376 00:47:53,420 --> 00:47:59,660 this is the opportunity to do good research in a dramatic situation and finish it. 377 00:47:59,810 --> 00:48:05,690 Then, by by October, November 2020, we finished. 378 00:48:06,320 --> 00:48:16,610 There was a five month, five months, six months study from the first the first day from April to October. 379 00:48:16,610 --> 00:48:24,499 November. We we kept we kept a month more in the way we were writing the paper because we 380 00:48:24,500 --> 00:48:29,570 wanted to have more complete cases and cover more cases in other places and so on. 381 00:48:29,880 --> 00:48:38,150 Then that was a no. That was perhaps the easiest part. 382 00:48:38,360 --> 00:48:43,790 Then the results were clear. This was a very bad thing for women, for pregnant women, 383 00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:51,979 compared with women that the pregnant women that did not have COVID then completely a throw 384 00:48:51,980 --> 00:48:59,090 away the issue that what this was is just a fluke and they didn't have to worry and that the. 385 00:49:01,040 --> 00:49:06,499 Then the the concept and that this was the same risk that non-pregnant women 386 00:49:06,500 --> 00:49:13,250 therefore therefore if pregnant women were in the when when the vaccine appeared, 387 00:49:13,940 --> 00:49:19,070 pregnant women were in the in the priority list of a woman. 388 00:49:20,230 --> 00:49:23,920 25 year old or 28 years old. 389 00:49:24,430 --> 00:49:28,270 That means it was very low, very, very low priority. 390 00:49:28,540 --> 00:49:34,290 Then our I think our research a map provided a scientific foundation. 391 00:49:34,300 --> 00:49:41,930 The first solid thing difficult and danger with proper controls that the women pregnant women should be jumping to in the 392 00:49:41,950 --> 00:49:55,270 in the due to a high risk because it was a dramatic increase of maternal mortality and preterm birth on preeclampsia. 393 00:49:55,540 --> 00:50:00,370 Then there was a dramatic effect, all of it on on preterm birth. 394 00:50:02,320 --> 00:50:08,140 Can you just put some some numbers on that? What what was the risk, double or no double? 395 00:50:09,070 --> 00:50:12,670 You can get there. We can get the exact numbers on the papers. 396 00:50:12,670 --> 00:50:16,510 But the basically overall was double the risk. 397 00:50:17,730 --> 00:50:23,879 On any major outcomes, plus a maternal severe maternal mortality. 398 00:50:23,880 --> 00:50:33,030 The mortality was like 15 to 16 times higher than the norm, not known to pregnant women without COVID. 399 00:50:33,600 --> 00:50:41,130 Then there was a massive effect. And perhaps because of that, is that the second? 400 00:50:41,460 --> 00:50:50,490 The second process was that we got problems, even if it is a struggling me. 401 00:50:50,800 --> 00:50:56,310 And it goes back to what I said before about that the medicine is worse, 402 00:50:56,460 --> 00:51:08,260 it's more difficult to change but a habit that good habit and and is a we send it we I think in the growth yes and I think we 403 00:51:08,260 --> 00:51:15,360 we personally also we have a very good track record of publication we publish in the best job and I think that's what it is. 404 00:51:15,600 --> 00:51:23,640 Then we thought here with the first study, the most important study on COVID in pregnancy with concomitant controls, 405 00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:28,200 not a sample, you know, road for the subject. 406 00:51:29,330 --> 00:51:34,700 We go, we go and publish the paper from November, November, 2008. 407 00:51:34,700 --> 00:51:39,110 You, April, Justin and Judy, when we send it to paper this, 408 00:51:39,500 --> 00:51:47,470 this exactly the same to normal journals that we always getting with no problem during a war. 409 00:51:47,780 --> 00:51:51,290 The paper was rejected in the New England Journal of Medicine. 410 00:51:51,290 --> 00:51:54,870 It was rejected without even without even sending to reviewers. 411 00:51:57,300 --> 00:52:01,740 We gave up a five month delay in the publication. 412 00:52:03,970 --> 00:52:13,600 And there was no delay. Five months through the process of publishing and then the literature was still being evaluated because we had as I said, 413 00:52:13,990 --> 00:52:21,910 we got these a whole life systematic review that everything their papers published was updated. 414 00:52:22,100 --> 00:52:29,560 We're still seeing these things that were probably five cases in the rural provinces, whatever. 415 00:52:31,450 --> 00:52:36,400 And then we got there. We have about 3000 women. 416 00:52:36,430 --> 00:52:40,120 These are the women that are monitoring all their like. 417 00:52:40,900 --> 00:52:49,120 And we publish the the most the most bizarre out of all of this, of the peer review, 418 00:52:49,570 --> 00:52:55,540 all the reviewers we got and things that were or things that were obvious. 419 00:52:56,810 --> 00:53:00,410 As I said at the beginning, no women have tested. 420 00:53:01,510 --> 00:53:04,719 But because there were people to tend to be tested. 421 00:53:04,720 --> 00:53:07,960 I mean really long queues and you got two weeks. 422 00:53:08,230 --> 00:53:11,680 I think things are obvious, but they were. That's where they lived it. 423 00:53:11,920 --> 00:53:15,480 And it was. Then a. 424 00:53:17,360 --> 00:53:22,530 We have we spent about five months where it was rejected in the three main. 425 00:53:22,580 --> 00:53:32,230 Maybe you got to make a journalist got to sit lance it in the in the in the unilateral 426 00:53:32,240 --> 00:53:39,680 amazing a and they and and they and they they basically the comments were. 427 00:53:41,810 --> 00:53:49,340 And then finally, like in in April or March, April something changing. 428 00:53:49,340 --> 00:53:55,160 Once JAMA Paediatrics was in the JAMA, we sent it to JAMA and JAMA. 429 00:53:55,770 --> 00:53:59,390 It was rejected in the in the main JAMA. 430 00:54:01,760 --> 00:54:05,440 Just for the benefit of those who don't know. It's the Journal of the American Medical Association. 431 00:54:05,450 --> 00:54:08,990 But the paediatric specialists? No, the journal. 432 00:54:09,230 --> 00:54:12,860 JAMA mother is a Journal of American Medical Association. 433 00:54:12,920 --> 00:54:17,090 My daughters are. Yes, a. 434 00:54:17,390 --> 00:54:24,690 The then a. But at the same time, most of these are published in other papers. 435 00:54:24,780 --> 00:54:31,260 The most bizarre things in one case of a blessing that we find out by year. 436 00:54:32,220 --> 00:54:40,120 I'm not saying they were not relevant, but they definitely the implications for pregnant women at this point there, 437 00:54:40,140 --> 00:54:43,860 where it will happen with you, I want you die and die. 438 00:54:44,040 --> 00:54:48,300 What is your risk? Well, there is a preterm birth. Sure, we get a sensation. 439 00:54:48,570 --> 00:54:53,670 And the other thing is, should we stop breastfeeding? He was the most dramatic thing. 440 00:54:55,040 --> 00:55:03,919 Because there was, I believe, the time that they chose to grow the placenta, which is none of these babies placenta. 441 00:55:03,920 --> 00:55:13,700 But anyway, there was a believer that that will be contaminating the milk and then the foetus in the newborn will get then the the a because. 442 00:55:15,520 --> 00:55:20,350 Every day. People were scared of that. Then women were separated from the newborn. 443 00:55:21,010 --> 00:55:26,980 Then not only they beat the virus, it was bad for the mother, and mother was there with the respiratory condition. 444 00:55:27,160 --> 00:55:29,590 Then the baby was separated. Maybe it was breeding. 445 00:55:29,950 --> 00:55:35,920 And another issue was stopping breastfeeding, which is maybe, you know, for you it's not such a big deal. 446 00:55:36,070 --> 00:55:45,060 But in many rural areas around the world, if you stop breastfeeding, there was there was a death sentence for for these prisoners. 447 00:55:45,400 --> 00:55:50,860 If you are 15, 34 weeks of gestation, no breastfeeding, no water. 448 00:55:51,940 --> 00:55:55,360 It was a disaster. It was a how people and our babies. 449 00:55:55,360 --> 00:56:02,229 Sure, there was no risk of breastfeeding. There was a double risk of preterm delivery. 450 00:56:02,230 --> 00:56:05,889 So preeclampsia, high mortality and we couldn't prep. 451 00:56:05,890 --> 00:56:11,360 I probably. Finally, Gemma, for whatever reason. 452 00:56:12,520 --> 00:56:20,080 Decided that was no good enough for for Mother JAMA, but was good for JAMA Paediatrics. 453 00:56:23,080 --> 00:56:27,440 So it's sort of a where we want to keep these guys going. 454 00:56:27,500 --> 00:56:38,959 We're going to publish. And they and they were extraordinary because they publish they publish elegies over 21 April, May. 455 00:56:38,960 --> 00:56:45,600 I can't remember exactly. And a front from from early May. 456 00:56:45,620 --> 00:56:49,190 Major Jonathan and Judy went to the end in six months. 457 00:56:49,400 --> 00:57:02,900 They have 600 citations. The then top citation of a better unit of time that we can help in any of our papers and obviously the journals. 458 00:57:04,430 --> 00:57:08,830 This is a massive citation for it, for the paediatric or for the obstetric. 459 00:57:09,240 --> 00:57:13,210 And you had quite a lot of press coverage as well, didn't do this service. 460 00:57:13,430 --> 00:57:27,110 And we we published it after that because we were reanalysing more and more details and the effect on different pregnant women that were 461 00:57:27,140 --> 00:57:37,850 overweight and diabetic and preeclampsia and the newborn I on with with a obsession on on reassuring people that never stop breastfeeding. 462 00:57:39,900 --> 00:57:47,280 Because in these videos you have to get at content. 463 00:57:47,550 --> 00:57:55,650 But they all their measures are cleaning the place cleaned enabled it put in the baby and the mother 464 00:57:55,650 --> 00:58:04,620 with it with a cover the face and so on a demonstrate it with all these normal basic measures. 465 00:58:04,950 --> 00:58:08,940 They were not risk. They were no risk. 466 00:58:09,060 --> 00:58:13,700 And if there was any potential risk was minor compared with the stoppage. 467 00:58:13,710 --> 00:58:18,390 But as we know then they were desperate there, frankly. 468 00:58:19,650 --> 00:58:22,890 But I think they got another cover press covered. 469 00:58:23,170 --> 00:58:32,660 The the newspapers I have a very good interview with a journalist that they promoted all over that and. 470 00:58:36,340 --> 00:58:39,820 And they have citations. I think we have them by now. 471 00:58:40,000 --> 00:58:52,930 All the papers together, about 750 citations, them for for a less than a year for their for their specialised topic. 472 00:58:53,260 --> 00:58:57,640 It's a massive thing. And there was a. 473 00:58:59,700 --> 00:59:07,590 There was a whole process. And then exactly at that time when when a vaccine was available. 474 00:59:09,270 --> 00:59:15,690 Then. Then at that point, then the issue was, one, you didn't pay attention to us. 475 00:59:15,780 --> 00:59:20,880 We honestly put the finger and now we had to vaccinate these women and nobody knows the risk. 476 00:59:21,820 --> 00:59:28,540 But we do at least know that the risk of no vaccinated is very high. 477 00:59:29,140 --> 00:59:32,890 Then at least you get just that vaccinated women. And there was. 478 00:59:32,920 --> 00:59:39,670 And I think things to be honest with our papers, there was a clear evidence. 479 00:59:39,940 --> 00:59:43,060 This is this is a bad thing. This is really bad. 480 00:59:43,090 --> 00:59:47,200 If you have an instrument that can prevent this, you should vaccinated. 481 00:59:48,210 --> 00:59:54,250 Obviously, as you can imagine, there were many, many negative reaction about vaccinating pregnant women. 482 00:59:54,490 --> 01:00:01,540 And I know even the anti-vaccine groups, but the general public know that it was going to happen, 483 01:00:01,540 --> 01:00:07,150 this and that and the virus is going to cross the placenta where most of the vaccines don't have virus. 484 01:00:07,510 --> 01:00:09,970 But then that's basically what it is. 485 01:00:11,710 --> 01:00:20,020 And and to what extent did the results that you were finally able to publish affect public policy around the world on on public health? 486 01:00:20,120 --> 01:00:27,850 Large, large effect. Because, as I said, the citation is one measure, but immediately the CDC. 487 01:00:29,490 --> 01:00:33,090 It is interesting because in. 488 01:00:34,450 --> 01:00:43,509 Thus the Centres for Disease Control, the Centre for Disease Control in the in the U.S. have adopted a lot and say that our our 489 01:00:43,510 --> 01:00:48,780 paper because I think the key issue is that they have concomitant controls does age does it. 490 01:00:48,970 --> 01:00:54,820 That was a make a big difference they have a concomitant controls and a standardised condition. 491 01:00:55,400 --> 01:01:00,160 No, don't do that. And then they they start promoting that. 492 01:01:00,370 --> 01:01:11,589 But is throwing anything is that the people you got to believe always and people are not much in the scientific 493 01:01:11,590 --> 01:01:22,240 community is that the is interesting because a the the most of the provision on the incision took longer. 494 01:01:23,130 --> 01:01:28,020 They were dragging their feet to recommend a vaccination of pregnant women. 495 01:01:28,360 --> 01:01:32,070 Bigger. I didn't have any. 496 01:01:32,550 --> 01:01:37,530 We really didn't have any contact with the vaccine. There were no vaccine policies in any way. 497 01:01:37,860 --> 01:01:42,780 But it was clear that these vaccines, they were they didn't have the virus divide us. 498 01:01:42,780 --> 01:01:44,760 And then there was not that much of a risk, 499 01:01:45,030 --> 01:01:53,459 but it was a massive risk you have to have if you are pregnant then we were pretty much by the provision organisation. 500 01:01:53,460 --> 01:02:02,250 Was they the companies, you know, the subcommittee, the subcommittee was going to decide, well, maybe only high risk women that you'll be selected. 501 01:02:02,880 --> 01:02:07,890 You know, this is sort of combining the political background to go in there. 502 01:02:07,890 --> 01:02:19,020 But you know interesting is because I went but then in the US where the epidemic hit very hard, then nurses, 503 01:02:19,530 --> 01:02:31,170 midwives and residents, the large proportion of women, nurses and midwife all and then residents are going after the and ecology. 504 01:02:31,910 --> 01:02:35,280 That's what we call them. Junior doctors. Yeah. 505 01:02:35,550 --> 01:02:46,890 Junior doctors. Yes. And in training there is a large proportion and then the these these women. 506 01:02:48,360 --> 01:02:51,180 Many of them would bring them because they're just young women. 507 01:02:52,500 --> 01:02:59,110 And many of them they said, well, I don't care the recommendation of the professor as it is or I'm going to get it, 508 01:02:59,280 --> 01:03:06,820 you know, because I've seen all these people dying here and then the first the first massive baby. 509 01:03:07,480 --> 01:03:15,299 But promoting or contributing the the the the promotion of actually nation 510 01:03:15,300 --> 01:03:19,680 building as it was a paper in the US in which about three I think they started it 511 01:03:19,680 --> 01:03:22,889 with a population account resulting but the public is about 30 something 512 01:03:22,890 --> 01:03:27,750 pregnant women that were health professionals though they were there they said, 513 01:03:27,750 --> 01:03:30,660 well I don't get the recommendation, I get the vaccine immediately. 514 01:03:30,870 --> 01:03:38,700 And then there was the massive cohort that was the first published, about 30,000 and then was expanded to countries. 515 01:03:38,760 --> 01:03:40,409 I think we've been there was virtually zero. 516 01:03:40,410 --> 01:03:48,000 The risk of the foetus imbalance along with the vaccine is no, no risk associated with the vaccine itself. 517 01:03:48,240 --> 01:03:58,230 Then we strongly recommended vaccination, but it was based in a study of women that basically refused to follow the recommendation. 518 01:03:58,680 --> 01:04:03,629 But because they were there, the nurses and they saw well, they saw the people dying, 519 01:04:03,630 --> 01:04:08,100 they said, well, I better get get the get the vaccine for myself then. 520 01:04:08,100 --> 01:04:12,940 That's interesting how people are not generally provided a cohort of them. 521 01:04:14,250 --> 01:04:21,540 Well, that's that's what it is. The last commercial for you is the second study. 522 01:04:22,760 --> 01:04:26,960 Focusing only on Omega. Aye aye. 523 01:04:27,380 --> 01:04:30,800 Aye. Started in January 2002. Did you. I would. 524 01:04:31,820 --> 01:04:40,720 We repeated the next round. Of the original study in the in the in the same network. 525 01:04:42,820 --> 01:04:44,709 Maybe a little bit more expanded, 526 01:04:44,710 --> 01:04:54,570 but the same network repeated a senior study to evaluate the risk of Omicron because a new variant is said that is another flu. 527 01:04:54,600 --> 01:04:59,659 Don't worry, The A.V. Club. Nothing's going to happen that we said we did. 528 01:04:59,660 --> 01:05:04,330 The ones we're going to do again. A What? 529 01:05:04,420 --> 01:05:09,550 What is the risk associated with Omega in pregnant women? 530 01:05:10,030 --> 01:05:14,980 This time we were even worse. We didn't get any any money at all. 531 01:05:15,360 --> 01:05:18,880 They said this topic is over or migraine is nothing, and so on. 532 01:05:19,210 --> 01:05:22,960 And then we study 50 something women. 533 01:05:23,800 --> 01:05:30,280 It started in January 2000 to do, and it started in preparation. 534 01:05:31,140 --> 01:05:38,860 And we we started the study in April and finished in September. 535 01:05:39,100 --> 01:05:54,280 And paper is ready. It has been submitted for publication and got got a favourable response the first time and we are waiting now 536 01:05:54,460 --> 01:06:06,310 for the reviewers to have a set or come back with Gone with our responses to the reviewers in The Lancet. 537 01:06:06,610 --> 01:06:16,450 Therefore, we are willing to move it up after the first round, and I don't know if we're going to be accepted or not, but the first paper. 538 01:06:19,020 --> 01:06:28,559 A to go to Mosul in five months. The whole process, which we did in October and started then in February, was. 539 01:06:28,560 --> 01:06:31,770 March. June. April-June. May. 540 01:06:32,220 --> 01:06:41,800 June. Six month. Therefore Brussels. Then and then they just for you to listen to anything for so long. 541 01:06:43,410 --> 01:06:46,510 And I think it is it is a mercy. 542 01:06:46,510 --> 01:06:49,089 I think I have seen corroborating the it myself. 543 01:06:49,090 --> 01:07:00,160 I gather MAXINE corroborates that a a and that the only current is less aggressive the previous variant. 544 01:07:00,310 --> 01:07:09,250 But still, if you are not vaccinated and you have been not in a risk, you have been not exposed to COVID before. 545 01:07:09,550 --> 01:07:16,630 If your building if you were for COVID, this variant is not as aggressive the previous, 546 01:07:16,780 --> 01:07:29,829 but during pregnancy it does increase the risk of morbidity and mortality and should should be an incentive for a vaccination for pregnant women 547 01:07:29,830 --> 01:07:43,820 actively because still we are with a with a complete said and and the and and the three with three doses is still in in most of the country. 548 01:07:43,840 --> 01:07:58,810 We are not above 50% of vaccination. Then this then is it is a sort of a choo choo times all the same study and I would experience wonderful story. 549 01:07:58,960 --> 01:08:10,000 Well let's just to the for the last few minutes talk about how the pandemic impacted you personally and and how you were able to work. 550 01:08:10,000 --> 01:08:14,310 So you say you move back to the UK just as the first lockdown was beginning. 551 01:08:15,310 --> 01:08:19,630 So what what circumstances where you personally working in during that time. 552 01:08:20,200 --> 01:08:22,209 Well is it the is. Yeah. 553 01:08:22,210 --> 01:08:40,390 Well we move completely we we were affected but not I personally but they were it was not much affected because we were already electronic. 554 01:08:43,030 --> 01:08:46,359 The we already have one. 555 01:08:46,360 --> 01:08:55,180 All the hospitals were connected already electronically. Then our our we're a statistical unit. 556 01:08:55,600 --> 01:08:58,840 We very collaboratively unit in organisation. 557 01:08:59,140 --> 01:09:10,990 Then our in our statistical and data analysis unit is a collaboration that we have with University of California, Berkeley. 558 01:09:11,800 --> 01:09:15,640 Then our unit is in summer in the Bay Area in Berkeley. 559 01:09:17,050 --> 01:09:25,510 Then we, we already we were already electronically then that didn't affect much. 560 01:09:25,510 --> 01:09:32,889 And that is that these point that we are analysing a large amount of data and the knowledge is that 561 01:09:32,890 --> 01:09:42,160 these networks and maybe these and this network works very well but require a lot of physical presence. 562 01:09:43,530 --> 01:09:56,910 And you you look at you go and teach physically A and B, if we're truly a full colleague of all the colleagues that people you know, 563 01:09:56,930 --> 01:10:09,870 the expression of vampire research, the research in which people go go take your blood and disappear and go back to joining Sofia's. 564 01:10:09,870 --> 01:10:19,740 You get a lot then that can create a lot of us is that we don't do much of that but in any way by the I think does it I want to say that the 565 01:10:19,980 --> 01:10:28,170 these people that the college in many places that live in a working condition that are not like the one that we work in in Europe in the UK, 566 01:10:28,890 --> 01:10:35,310 then that, then they go in, they are teaching and being there and say, well we, we are here with you. 567 01:10:35,370 --> 01:10:38,690 You know, the, that thing is a fantastic reward, 568 01:10:38,720 --> 01:10:50,220 more than sometimes more than money then the issues that we did a lot of travelling then I was, I was travelling a lot of time then I didn't. 569 01:10:50,220 --> 01:10:59,070 How did you time to say that the pandemic did not affect much our day to day 570 01:10:59,070 --> 01:11:04,960 activities in the air because we are already moving a lot busier than that. 571 01:11:05,880 --> 01:11:19,680 And then. And I benefit because I took the opportunity to write a lot and then the jail remained closed for a while. 572 01:11:19,680 --> 01:11:23,460 And now I still say my career is not closed, 573 01:11:23,640 --> 01:11:32,430 but people people remain working at home and the university got extended a policy then it did not affect much. 574 01:11:32,640 --> 01:11:41,470 They knew they were. But colleagues that because I'm retired like several times, then I don't do any legal work. 575 01:11:41,920 --> 01:11:49,780 But people that were cleaning the front line, they were a scare and they've been tested all the time because, you know, 576 01:11:49,810 --> 01:11:56,050 I was going to ask you whether you personally, I mean, AdSense or if I may put it politely as an older person. 577 01:11:56,890 --> 01:12:03,370 But were you at any time, did you feel personally threatened by the possibility of being infected before the vaccine was available? 578 01:12:04,180 --> 01:12:07,469 Well. Yes. 579 01:12:07,470 --> 01:12:15,900 But you know, the bigger the pandemic and just trendy the A there were still ignorance at least. 580 01:12:15,940 --> 01:12:20,700 And then I spent time in Switzerland, daughter in Switzerland. 581 01:12:21,000 --> 01:12:34,950 Then there was I ended up passing the pandemic personally in Nomad in a small village it was small communities or sort of say my rural areas. 582 01:12:35,610 --> 01:12:40,890 Then it didn't have much of a social activity before. 583 01:12:41,280 --> 01:12:51,390 And there was a I personally about people that live in the main in London, for example, the Irish population, like I say, 584 01:12:51,690 --> 01:13:02,820 including St George, and he was being tested all the time and in the in the country there with patients and cases and so on. 585 01:13:03,180 --> 01:13:09,870 Then that did affect to me personally I think the more. 586 01:13:11,260 --> 01:13:22,060 And this is how I got my oldest son, those intensive care units in the Bay Area in San Francisco, and then in the intensive care unit, 587 01:13:22,330 --> 01:13:31,150 they were very much affected these people, because normally the death rate of intensive care units, Kyra. 588 01:13:31,450 --> 01:13:37,270 But with Kobe, they kind of 70% or minimum of death. 589 01:13:37,780 --> 01:13:42,010 And then they were they were devastated by these. 590 01:13:43,200 --> 01:13:51,030 And thus, I think the more the closer, the closer I get to myself as I really remain. 591 01:13:52,050 --> 01:13:57,000 And I got immediately a vaccine. As soon as I get it, I got I got the vaccine. 592 01:13:57,000 --> 01:14:00,700 And then the. And that's it. 593 01:14:01,540 --> 01:14:09,160 I think that's. But people that were reluctant to vaccinate and they were more exposed and they were really scared. 594 01:14:09,850 --> 01:14:16,890 And I think everybody. But I remain at home and I'm writing. 595 01:14:17,180 --> 01:14:21,840 Then that was it. There was a way to do it. 596 01:14:22,050 --> 01:14:26,140 And I'm publishing all this. All the all the first verse. 597 01:14:26,160 --> 01:14:30,060 The first thing they wrote in the first Kobe started every day. 598 01:14:30,540 --> 01:14:37,020 Then there's a. Well, it was a good opportunity to do that. 599 01:14:37,470 --> 01:14:45,090 Yes, yes, yes. And must have given you a tremendous sense that however difficult living through the pandemic was, 600 01:14:45,090 --> 01:14:48,230 you had done you and your colleagues had done a really good thing. 601 01:14:48,240 --> 01:14:52,920 And that was something you could feel good about. Well, thank you. 602 01:14:54,820 --> 01:15:01,320 So finally, has your experience of the pandemic changed your attitude or your approach to your work? 603 01:15:03,540 --> 01:15:08,520 Um. Well, no, actually, it was reinforces. 604 01:15:09,860 --> 01:15:19,090 In the force that we were we were on the right track and then one, we will remain that, he said. 605 01:15:19,880 --> 01:15:28,280 Is it true that with globalisation is a global activity and there is nothing better to have it, 606 01:15:28,480 --> 01:15:34,430 it's nothing better to have a large sample size in any area in India accommodating, 607 01:15:34,790 --> 01:15:41,910 having a large sample size and is the best thing that can happen because you can do what you're going to explore. 608 01:15:41,930 --> 01:15:47,250 QUESTION The results are solid and you don't need much statisticians. 609 01:15:47,840 --> 01:15:59,120 There is, there is, is. And also importantly, is that immediately a contribution dissemination? 610 01:16:00,120 --> 01:16:07,409 Because immediate reorg for within the rule book for forecasting it has a no limit. 611 01:16:07,410 --> 01:16:14,430 The cost has a network of maybe a hundred institutions that follow immediately. 612 01:16:14,700 --> 01:16:21,150 Where we recommend because they were part of is that they were somehow one way or the other. 613 01:16:21,270 --> 01:16:32,800 There were policies then then is it is a massive army of people, committed people and they disseminated results. 614 01:16:32,980 --> 01:16:38,190 This is it. This is a fantastic experience. And I think we reinforces our effort. 615 01:16:38,790 --> 01:16:41,820 Yes. Thank you very much. 616 01:16:42,600 --> 01:16:43,680 No, my pleasure.