Maternal Health, Neonatology and Perinatology

BACKGROUND: Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is a rare mesenchymal malignancy of the lung and is the most common pulmonary malignancy in infants and children. Cystic PPB, the earliest form of PPB occurring from birth to approximately two years of age, is often mistaken for a congenital pulmonary airway malformation, as the two entities can be difficult to distinguish on imaging and pathology. Diagnosis of PPB should prompt workup for DICER1 syndrome, an autosomal dominant tumor predisposition syndrome...

BACKGROUND: The rate of low birth weight or preterm birth is known to vary according to the birth place of mothers. However, in Japan, studies that investigated the association between maternal nationalities and adverse birth outcomes are few. In this study, we investigated the association between maternal nationalities and adverse birth outcomes. METHODS: We obtained live birth data from the Vital Statistics 2016-2020 of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare...

INTRODUCTION: The vasculitis diagnosed specifically in the post-partum period are less well known. We report here such a case followed by a descriptive review of the literature. CASE REPORT: A 25 year-old French nurse reported abrupt-onset musculoskeletal pain 15 days after delivery of her first infant. Her first pregnancy was uneventful. The physical examination yielded only bilateral conjunctivitis and purpuric eruption of lower limbs, and complementary investigations evidenced pulmonary renal syndrome in connection with the diagnosis of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis...

BACKGROUND: For women of advanced maternal age or couples with high risk of genetic mutations, the ability to screen for embryos free of certain genetic mutations is reassuring, as it provides opportunity to address age-related decline in fertility through preimplantation genetic testing. This procedure has potential to facilitate better embryo selection, improve implantation rates with single embryo transfer and reduce miscarriage rates, among others, yet confers some risk to the embryo and additional costs of assisted reproductive technology...

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BACKGROUND: Reducing the global new-born mortality is a paramount challenge for humanity. There are approximately 786,323 live births in the UK each year according to the office for National Statistics; around 10% of these newborn infants require assistance during this transition after birth. Each year around, globally around 2.5 million newborns die within their first month. The main causes are complications due to prematurity and during delivery. To act in a timely manner and prevent further damage, health professionals should rely on accurate monitoring of the main vital signs heart rate and respiratory rate...

BACKGROUND: Several international studies have indicated an association between socioeconomic deprivation levels and adverse birth outcomes. In contrast, those investigating an association between socioeconomic status and low birth weight using nationwide data are limited in Japan. In this study, we investigated an association between municipal socioeconomic deprivation level and low birth weight by an ecological study. METHODS: Nationwide municipal-specific Vital Statistics data from 2013 to 2017 were used...

BACKGROUND: Methemoglobinemia can be an acquired or congenital condition. The acquired form occurs from exposure to oxidative agents. Congenital methemoglobinemia is a rare and potentially life-threatening cause of cyanosis in newborns that can be caused by either cytochrome B5 reductase or hemoglobin variants known as Hemoglobin M. CASE PRESENTATION: A term male infant developed cyanosis and hypoxia shortly after birth after an uncomplicated pregnancy, with oxygen saturations persistently 70-80% despite 1...

BACKGROUND: Fetal exposure to tobacco increases the risk for many adverse birth outcomes, but whether diet mitigates these risks has yet to be explored. Here, we examined whether maternal folate intake (from foods and supplements) during pregnancy modified the association between prenatal exposure to tobacco and with preterm delivery, small-for-gestational age (SGA) births, or neonatal adiposity. METHODS: Mother-child pairs (n = 701) from Healthy Start were included in this analysis...

INTRODUCTION: Gangrene is the death of an organ or tissue due to lack of blood supply or bacterial infection. In neonates, gangrene is usually caused by sepsis, dehydration, maternal diabetes, asphyxia, or congenital anticoagulant deficiency. It commonly occurs in the extremities. Gangrene may lead to death or amputation of the limb. Early diagnosis and prompt management of the underlying cause halts the progression of the disease. CASE PRESENTATION: A 12-day-old neonate presented with a complaint of black discoloration of the nose and feet for 2 days...

The blood levels of most vitamins decrease during pregnancy if un-supplemented, including vitamins A, C, D, K, B1, B3, B5, B6, folate, biotin, and B12. Sub-optimal intake of vitamins from preconception through pregnancy increases the risk of many pregnancy complications and infant health problems. In the U.S., dietary intake of vitamins is often below recommended intakes, especially for vitamin D, choline and DHA. Many studies suggest that insufficient vitamin intake is associated with a wide range of pregnancy complications (anemia, Cesarean section, depression, gestational diabetes, hypertension, infertility, preeclampsia, and premature rupture of membranes) and infant health problems (asthma/wheeze, autism, low birth weight, congenital heart defects, intellectual development, intrauterine growth restriction, miscarriage, neural tube defects, orofacial defects, and preterm birth)...

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth, low birth weight and perinatal deaths are common adverse perinatal outcomes that are linked with each other, and a public health problems contributing to neonatal mortality, especially in developing countries. Although more than half of women in Ethiopia become pregnant within a short interval after the preceding childbirth, whether the short intervals increase the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes or not is understudied. We, therefore, aimed to assess the effects of inter-pregnancy intervals (IPIs) on the adverse perinatal outcomes...

Prematurity and low birth weight are of concern in neonatal health. In this work, geospatial analysis was performed to identify the existence of statistically significant clusters of prematurity and low birth weight using Moran's I. Data was obtained from March of Dimes and the National Center for Health Statistics for the years 2015 to 2019. Analysis demonstrated the presence of hotspot (High-High) and coldspot (Low-Low) geographic clusters of these variables in regions across the United States. Additionally, factorial ANOVA was performed, and revealed the significance of demographic variables of interest...

Structural brain anomalies are relatively common and may be detected either prenatally or postnatally. Brain malformations can be characterized based on the developmental processes that have been perturbed, either by environmental, infectious, disruptive or genetic causes. Fetuses and neonates with brain malformations should be thoroughly surveilled for potential other anomalies, and depending on the nature of the brain malformation, may require additional investigations such as genetic testing, ophthalmological examinations, cardiorespiratory monitoring, and screening laboratory studies...

BACKGROUND: The available data regarding morbidity and mortality associated with multiple gestation births is conflicting and contradicting. OBJECTIVE: To compare morbidity, mortality, and length of stay (LOS) outcomes between multiple gestation (twin, triplet and higher-order) and singleton births. METHODS: Data from the national multicenter Kids' Inpatient Database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project from the years 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2016 were analyzed using a complex survey design using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) 9...

BACKGROUND: Neonatal admission hypothermia (HT) is a frequently encountered problem in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and it has been linked to a higher risk of mortality and morbidity. However, there is a disparity in data in the existing literature regarding the prevalence and outcomes associated with HT in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. This review aimed to provide further summary and analyses of the association between HT and adverse clinical outcomes in VLBW infants...

BACKGROUND: In Uganda, the incidence and determinants of perinatal death in obstructed labour are not well documented. We determined the incidence and determinants of perinatal mortality among women with obstructed labour in Eastern Uganda. METHODS: Between July 2018 and September 2019, 584 with obstructed labour were recruited and followed up to the 7th day postnatal. Information on maternal characteristics, obstetric factors and laboratory parameters was collected...

AIMS: Gestational diabetes (GDM) increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and thus warrants earlier and more frequent screening. Women who give birth to a macrosomic infant, as defined as a birthweight greater than 9 lbs. (or approximately 4000 g), are encouraged to also get early type 2 diabetes screening, as macrosomia may be a surrogate marker for GDM. This study investigates whether a macrosomic infant, as defined as 9lbs, apart from GDM, increases the risk for diabetes later in life...

The premature infant gut microbiome plays an important part in infant health and development, and recognition of the implications of microbial dysbiosis in premature infants has prompted significant research into these issues. The approaches to designing investigations into microbial populations are many and varied, each with its own benefits and limitations. The technique used can influence results, contributing to heterogeneity across studies. This review aimed to describe the most common techniques used in researching the preterm infant microbiome, detailing their various limitations...

BACKGROUND: Globally over 2.6 million pregnancy ends with stillbirth annually. Despite this fact, only a few sherds of evidence were available about factors associated with stillbirth in Ethiopia. Therefore, the study aimed to spot factors related to stillbirth among women who gave birth at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital Hawassa, Sidama Ethiopia, 2019. METHODS: Facility-based unmatched case-control study was conducted at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital...