Pregnancy

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: The concurrent existence of Omphalocele and Meckel's diverticulum is not unheard of but is relatively uncommon. A few cases of their coexistence have been reported. Due to the uncommon dual presentation, it is easy to delay or even miss the diagnosis, delaying management. Meckel's diverticulum should be considered if there is a bowel opening on an omphalocele. CASE PRESENTATION: Herein we present a newborn male baby who was referred to us presenting with an omphalocele that was leaking faeces...

BACKGROUND: We aimed to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) which evaluated the efficacy of adjunctive psychosocial interventions to improve outcomes during the perinatal period for women with bipolar disorder (BD). METHODS: We scanned the literature to identify RCTs evaluating the efficacy of adjunctive psychosocial therapies or interventions provided during the perinatal period to women with BD. We searched from 1946 to July 2020 using Embase, Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, and Scopus...

BACKGROUND: A few endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been associated with pregnancy loss often as reported by women, though there has been no study of EDC mixtures and pregnancy loss in keeping with the nature of human exposure. OBJECTIVES: To investigate preconception exposure to a mixture of EDCs to identify important drivers and inform multi-pollutant models of EDCs in relation to incident human gonadrophin chorionic (hCG) pregnancy loss. METHODS: A cohort of 501 couples were recruited from the general population and prospectively followed until a hCG-confirmed pregnancy or 12 months of trying to become pregnant...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between demographic and ultrasound variables and major intra-operative blood loss during surgical transcervical evacuation of live caesarean scar pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary referral center between 2008 and 2019. We included all women diagnosed with a live caesarean scar ectopic pregnancy who chose to have surgical management in the study center. A preoperative ultrasound was performed in each patient...

OBJECTIVE: To compare birth and neonatal outcomes in low-risk women undergoing induced labour with those undergoing spontaneous onset. METHODS: This retrospective multicentre study included 30 public maternity hospitals in Catalonia between 2016 and 2017. The study population consisted of 5,717 women. RESULTS: Of the 5,717 births, 75.8% had spontaneous onset and 24.2% had an induction. Induced labour was more likely at week 41 of gestation and in nulliparous women...

INTRODUCTION: The development of fetal brain is intricately dependent upon placental functions. Recently, we showed that the placenta and fetal brain express genes in a coordinated manner in mice. But, how the brain-placental axis is regulated at the molecular level remains poorly understood. The microRNAs (miRNAs) play diverse roles in pregnancy including regulation of placenta function as well as brain development. Thus, we hypothesized that specific miRNAs are expressed in the placenta and fetal brain to coordinate gene regulation in the brain-placental axis...

We investigated the effect of the antioxidant lycopene supplemented into the in vitro maturation medium (TCM-199 with 20 ng/mL epidermal growth factor and 50 mg/mL gentamycin) in a heat shock (HS) model to mimic in vivo heat stress conditions. Bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes were supplemented with 0.2 μM lycopene (or not supplemented; control) under HS (40.5 °C) and non-HS (NHS; 38.5 °C) during maturation. After 22 h of maturation, we evaluated the nuclear status of the oocytes, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and the respective blastocyst development and quality (via differential staining)...

OBJECTIVE: Several studies have documented changes in the rates preterm birth and stillbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic. We carried out a study to examine obstetric intervention, preterm birth, and stillbirth rates in Canada from March to August 2020. METHODS: The study included all singleton hospital deliveries in Canada (excluding Québec) from March to August 2020 (and March to August for the years 2015-2019) with information obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health Information...

OBJECTIVES: Identify risk factors associated with increased hospital admission and mortality due to dengue fever (DF), and estimate the risk magnitude associated with each individual variable. METHODS: Records of patients diagnosed with dengue were obtained from the Mexican National Epidemiological Surveillance System. Descriptive statistics were performed in all variables. Demographic characteristics and comorbidities were compared between patients based on type of care and mortality...

Maternal infection during pregnancy is an environmental risk factor for neurodevelopmental dysfunction, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigated the effect of maternal immune activation (MIA) on the behavior profile of prepubertal offspring and whether MIA alters the neuronal activation pattern of brain areas related to social play behavior. Pregnant Wistar rats received 500 µg/kg of lipopolysaccharide or saline solution on gestational day 16. Their offspring were tested using behavioral tasks to capture some of the core and associated ASD-like symptoms...

BACKGROUND: Exposure to air pollutants is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. But evidence on the effects of preconceptional air pollution exposure on the risk of termination of pregnancy (TOP) caused by pregnancy losses and congenital malformations is lacking. METHODS: The distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to evaluate the impact of short-term air pollutants exposure on the risk of TOP. Stratified analyses by age (<35 years old, ≥ 35 years old) and season (warm season, cold season) were further conducted...

BACKGROUND: As early life interventions for congenital heart disease (CHD) improve, more patients are living to adulthood and considering pregnancy. Scoring and classification systems predict maternal cardiovascular risk of pregnancy in the context of congenital heart disease but these scoring systems do not assess the potential subsequent risks following pregnancy. Data on long-term cardiac outcomes after pregnancy are unknown for most lesion types. This limits healthcare practitioners' ability to thoroughly counsel patients considering pregnancy in the setting of congenital heart disease...

BACKGROUND: Next generation sequencing is increasingly used in prenatal diagnosis. Targeted gene panels and exome sequencing are both available, but the comparative diagnostic yields of these approaches are not known. OBJECTIVE: We compared the diagnostic yield of exome sequencing with simulated application of commercial targeted gene panels in a large cohort of fetuses with nonimmune hydrops fetalis (NIHF). STUDY DESIGN: This is a secondary analysis of a cohort study of exome sequencing for NIHF, in which recruitment, exome sequencing, and phenotype-driven variant analysis was completed in 127 pregnancies with features of NIHF...

BACKGROUND: The safest mode of delivery for very preterm infants is an ongoing topic of debate. There are many reasons for cesarean delivery (CD) in extremely preterm and very preterm infants, including labor, fetal distress, maternal indications, and malpresentation. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine whether CD is associated with significantly improved neonatal morbidity. STUDY DESIGN: This study is a retrospective cohort study of all singleton pregnancies delivered at 22...

BACKGROUND: Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are a genetically heterogeneous group of disorders caused by defects in the synthesis and processing of glycoproteins. COG6-CDG is a kind of disorder caused by conserved oligomeric golgi complex 6 (COG6) deficiency. To date, only 19 patients with COG6-CDG have been reported. METHODS: We report a girl in a Chinese family with developmental delay, growth retardation, microcephaly, abnormal liver function, and hypohidrosis...

Pregnant women with influenza-A have an increased risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used as salvage therapy, with lung transplantation as a therapeutic option. However, successful bilateral lung transplantation during pregnancy has never been reported before. We herein report the case of a 34-year-old primipara, who was diagnosed with acute ARDS caused by influenza-A-induced pneumonia at early gestation. After considering all possible therapeutic options and being fully dependent on VV-ECMO support, she underwent bilateral lung transplantation...

BACKGROUND: Group B Streptococcus (GBS), also known as Streptococcus agalactiae, is a Gram-positive bacterium known for its ability to colonise the vaginal and rectal areas of the mother and is a leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. This study aimed at determining the prevalence, associated risk factors and antimicrobial susceptibility of GBS colonization among pregnant women attending antenatal Care (ANC) at Dschang District Hospital. METHODS: This hospital-based cross-sectional study used a multistage sampling method to recruit a total of 621 consented pregnant women who attended ANC in Dchang District Hospital...

OBJECTIVE: To identify successes to date and opportunities for improvement in the implementation of a complex health systems intervention aiming to improve antenatal and postpartum care and health outcomes for women with hyperglycemia in pregnancy in regional and remote Australia. METHODS: A qualitative evaluation, underpinned by the RE-AIM framework (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance), was conducted mid-intervention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 participants, including clinicians; regional policymakers and managers; and study implementation staff...

OBJECTIVES: Smoking in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (PTB), intrauterine growth restriction, placental abruption and perinatal death. The association between smoking and other delivery outcomes, such as chorioamnionitis, mode of delivery or post partum hemorrhage (PPH), however, is insufficient as only few studies addressed these issues. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between prenatal smoking and delivery outcomes in a large database, while controlling for confounding effects...

AIMS: To explore the experiences of care for pregnant and birthing people, and the nurses who cared for them, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with special emphasis on the impact of visitor restrictions policies. DESIGN: Qualitative study using critical thematic analysis. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 community members who were pregnant and/or gave birth and 14 nurses who worked in the perinatal setting between April and August 2020...