Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Pregnant Women Towards COVID-19: An On-site Cross-sectional Survey.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of pregnant women towards coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: This on-site cross-sectional survey was conducted in the antenatal and fetal medicine clinics in a tertiary care hospital in North India. Pregnant women attending the maternal-fetal unit filled out a 31-item questionnaire assessing their KAP towards COVID-19. Correlation between KAP was assessed by using Spearman's rank correlation. RESULTS: Some 302 questionnaires were analyzed: more than 90% of women had correct general knowledge of COVID, but only 12.3% scored 50% or more for pregnancy-related knowledge. Some 67% of women reported more than usual anxiety, and 7.7% reported severe anxiety levels. General knowledge improved with age, education, and occupation but pregnancy-related knowledge and anxiety score were unaffected by these variables. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women's knowledge of COVID-19 infection, in general, is excellent and they have the correct attitude towards preventive strategies. However, knowledge and attitude towards its effect on pregnancy are limited.

A missing kidney and a hidden congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Congenital intrathoracic kidney (ITK) is a rare condition, which is usually discovered incidentally in asymptomatic children who do not need any intervention. However, it may be associated with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), in which case it requires urgent surgical intervention. We present a case of prenatally diagnosed ITK associated with a left CDH that was operated on day 5 of life. The neonate is currently well at 15 months of age.

Augmentation of IL-6 production contributes to development of gestational diabetes mellitus: An Indian study.

AIM: Inflammatory mediators like interleukin-6 (IL-6) and acute phase protein like C-reactive protein (CRP) are supposed to contribute to development of GDM, however clinical data supporting this hypothesis is limited. This study was designed to analyze the association of IL-6 and CRP with development of GDM in Indian females. METHODS: This case control study included pregnant women diagnosed as GDM (n = 53) and those having normal glucose tolerance (n = 50). Serum levels of IL-6 and CRP were analysed and correlated with various clinical parameters. RESULTS: Serum IL-6 levels were significantly high (p < 0.05) in GDM females as compared to control females. IL-6 levels correlated with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), fasting blood sugar (FBS) and postprandial sugar (PPBS). Unlike IL-6, CRP levels did not show significant differences between GDM and control females. However, positive correlation of CRP levels with BMI, FBS and PPBS was observed. CONCLUSION: High IL-6 levels in gestational diabetes may indicate a possible role for inflammation in pathophysiology of GDM.