SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and their neutralizing capacity against live virus in human milk after COVID-19 infection and vaccination: prospective cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: There is limited understanding of the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and vaccination type and interval on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) human milk antibodies and their neutralizing capacity. OBJECTIVES: These cohort studies aimed to determine the presence of antibodies and live virus neutralizing capacity in milk from females infected with COVID-19, unexposed milk bank donors, and vaccinated females and examine impacts of vaccine interval and type. METHODS: Milk was collected from participants infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy or lactation (Cohort-1) and milk bank donors (Cohort-2) from March 2020-July 2021 at 3 sequential 4-wk intervals and COVID-19 vaccinated participants with varying dose intervals (Cohort-3) (January-October 2021). Cohort-1 and Cohort-3 were recruited from Sinai Health (patients) and through social media. Cohort-2 included Ontario Milk Bank donors. Milk was examined for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and live virus neutralization. RESULTS: Of females with COVID-19, 53% (Cohort-1, n = 55) had anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA antibodies in ≥1 milk sample. IgA+ samples (40%) were more likely neutralizing than IgA- samples (odds ratio [OR]: 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03, 4.60; P = 0.04); however, 25% of IgA- samples were neutralizing. Both IgA positivity and neutralization decreased ∼6 mo after symptom onset (0-100 compared with 201+ d: IgA OR: 14.30; 95% CI: 1.08, 189.89; P = 0.04; neutralizing OR: 4.30; 95% CI: 1.55, 11.89; P = 0.005). Among milk bank donors (Cohort-2, n = 373), 4.3% had IgA antibodies; 23% of IgA+ samples were neutralizing. Vaccination (Cohort-3, n = 60) with mRNA-1273 and shorter vaccine intervals (3 to <6 wk) resulted in higher IgA and IgG than BNT162b2 (P < 0.04) and longer intervals (6 to <16 wk) (P≤0.02), respectively. Neutralizing capacity increased postvaccination (P = 0.04) but was not associated with antibody positivity. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination (type and interval) impacted milk antibodies; however, antibody presence did not consistently predict live virus neutralization. Although human milk is unequivocally the best way to nourish infants, guidance on protection to infants following maternal infection/vaccination may require more nuanced messaging. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04453969 and NCT04453982.

Short Cervix Following Initial Cerclage-Reinforcing Cerclage Versus Expectant Management.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether reinforcing cerclage following ultrasound evidence of cerclage failure before 24 weeks is an effective method to delay gestational age at delivery, and to decrease the rate of preterm and peri-viable delivery. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted for all patients who underwent any cervical cerclage procedure at a single tertiary care centre in Toronto, Canada between 1 December 2007 and 31 December 2017. RESULTS: Of 1482 cerclage procedures completed during the study period, 40 pregnant persons who underwent reinforcing cerclage were compared with 40 pregnant persons who were found to have cerclage failure before 24 weeks but were managed expectantly. After adjusting for the shortest cervical length measured prior to 24 weeks, there was no significant difference between the reinforcing cerclage and control group for gestational age at delivery, preterm, or peri-viable birth (P = 0.52, P = 0.54, P = 0.74, respectively). In an unadjusted model, there was a statistically significant increase in placental infection identified on postpartum placenta pathology in the reinforcing cerclage group compared with the expectant management group, 92.9% compared with 66.7% (P = 0.028). CONCLUSION: Reinforcing cerclage is unlikely to successfully delay the gestational age at delivery and reduce rates of preterm and pre-viable birth, especially if irreversible and progressive cervical change has begun. Future work should examine the role of preoperative amniocentesis to explore the impact of pre-existing intra-amniotic infection and reinforcing cerclage success.

Predicting adverse outcomes in pregnant patients positive for SARS-CoV-2: a machine learning approach- a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant people are particularly vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection and to ensuing severe illness. Predicting adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes could aid clinicians in deciding on hospital admission and early initiation of treatment in affected individuals, streamlining the triaging processes. METHODS: An international repository of 1501 SARS-CoV-2-positive cases in pregnancy was created, consisting of demographic variables, patient comorbidities, laboratory markers, respiratory parameters, and COVID-19-related symptoms. Data were filtered, preprocessed, and feature selection methods were used to obtain the optimal feature subset for training a variety of machine learning models to predict maternal or fetal/neonatal death or critical illness. RESULTS: The Random Forest model demonstrated the best performance among the trained models, correctly identifying 83.3% of the high-risk patients and 92.5% of the low-risk patients, with an overall accuracy of 89.0%, an AUC of 0.90 (95% Confidence Interval 0.83 to 0.95), and a recall, precision, and F1 score of 0.85, 0.94, and 0.89, respectively. This was achieved using a feature subset of 25 features containing patient characteristics, symptoms, clinical signs, and laboratory markers. These included maternal BMI, gravidity, parity, existence of pre-existing conditions, nicotine exposure, anti-hypertensive medication administration, fetal malformations, antenatal corticosteroid administration, presence of dyspnea, sore throat, fever, fatigue, duration of symptom phase, existence of COVID-19-related pneumonia, need for maternal oxygen administration, disease-related inpatient treatment, and lab markers including sFLT-1/PlGF ratio, platelet count, and LDH. CONCLUSIONS: We present the first COVID-19 prognostication pipeline specifically for pregnant patients while utilizing a large SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy data repository. Our model accurately identifies those at risk of severe illness or clinical deterioration, presenting a promising tool for advancing personalized medicine in pregnant patients with COVID-19.

Uterine dehiscence: a laparoscopic uterine repair in early pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To review the existing literature on uterine cesarean scar defect repair in pregnancy and describe an approach to minimally invasive surgical repair in early pregnancy to facilitate a term live birth. DESIGN: A case study and literature review, followed by a demonstration of the procedure with surgical video and concurrent ultrasound footage. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENT(S): This video is a case presentation of a 35-year-old, gravida 2, para 1 woman with a previous cesarean section. She presented at 10 weeks and 3 days gestational age with complete uterine dehiscence at the site of her previous cesarean section scar, which was diagnosed by ultrasound. Surgical video and medical images have been extracted from this patient's chart after consent was obtained. INTERVENTION(S): Ultrasound-guided laparoscopic repair of cesarean scar defect at 11 weeks and 3 days of gestation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The video showed a large 2.6-cm uterine scar defect in early pregnancy confirmed using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. This diagnosis was confirmed by direct visualization at the time of surgery. This video demonstrates our surgical approach as follows: careful uterine manipulation and identification of the defect with laparoscopy and concurrent transvaginal ultrasound; reflection of the bladder using an ultrasound-guided approach to confirm the borders of the defect; and repair with a running 2-layer closure under transvaginal ultrasound guidance. RESULT(S): Through ultrasound-guided laparoscopic repair, we were able to demonstrate a restoration of approximately 8 mm of myometrial thickness across the cesarean scar defect on antenatal follow-up. The patient had a term live birth via cesarean section. CONCLUSION(S): With an increased number of cesarean sections and improved quality of ultrasound imaging, an increase in the incidental findings of cesarean scar defects has been observed. The risk of spontaneous prelabor uterine rupture remains unknown. There is a literature gap in this area regarding the appropriate standard of care. This video demonstrates that ultrasound-guided laparoscopic repair was possible, safe, and effective in our patient. However, further studies are required to establish the safety and efficacy of this approach.

Clinical decision analysis of elective delivery vs expectant management for pregnant individuals with COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant individuals are vulnerable to COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome. There is a lack of high-quality evidence on whether elective delivery or expectant management leads to better maternal and neonatal outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether elective delivery or expectant management are associated with higher quality-adjusted life expectancy for pregnant individuals with COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome and their neonates. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a clinical decision analysis using a patient-level model in which we simulatedpregnant individuals and their unborn children. We used a patient-level model with parallel open-cohort structure, daily cycle length, continuous discounting, lifetime horizon, sensitivity analyses for key parameter values, and 1000 iterations for quantification of uncertainty. We simulated pregnant individuals at 32 weeks of gestation, invasively ventilated because of COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome. In the elective delivery strategy, pregnant individuals received immediate cesarean delivery. In the expectant management strategy, pregnancies continued until spontaneous labor or obstetrical decision to deliver. For both pregnant individuals and neonates, model outputs were hospital or perinatal survival, life expectancy, and quality-adjusted life expectancy denominated in years, summarized by the mean and 95% credible interval. Maternal utilities incorporated neonatal outcomes in accordance with best practices in perinatal decision analysis. RESULTS: Model outputs for pregnant individuals were similar when comparing elective delivery at 32 weeks' gestation with expectant management, including hospital survival (87.1% vs 87.4%), life-years (difference, -0.1; 95% credible interval, -1.4 to 1.1), and quality-adjusted life expectancy denominated in years (difference, -0.1; 95% credible interval, -1.3 to 1.1). For neonates, elective delivery at 32 weeks' gestation was estimated to lead to a higher perinatal survival (98.4% vs 93.2%; difference, 5.2%; 95% credible interval, 3.5-7), similar life-years (difference, 0.9; 95% credible interval, -0.9 to 2.8), and higher quality-adjusted life expectancy denominated in years (difference, 1.3; 95% credible interval, 0.4-2.2). For pregnant individuals, elective delivery was not superior to expectant management across a range of scenarios between 28 and 34 weeks of gestation. Elective delivery in cases where intrauterine death or maternal mortality were more likely resulted in higher neonatal quality-adjusted life expectancy, as did elective delivery at 30 weeks' gestation (difference, 1.1 years; 95% credible interval, 0.1 - 2.1) despite higher long-term complications (4.3% vs 0.5%; difference, 3.7%; 95% credible interval, 2.4-5.1), and in cases where intrauterine death or maternal acute respiratory distress syndrome mortality were more likely. CONCLUSION: The decision to pursue elective delivery vs expectant management in pregnant individuals with COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome should be guided by gestational age, risk of intrauterine death, and maternal acute respiratory distress syndrome severity. For the pregnant individual, elective delivery is comparable but not superior to expectant management for gestational ages from 28 to 34 weeks. For neonates, elective delivery was superior if gestational age was ≥30 weeks and if the rate of intrauterine death or maternal mortality risk were high. We recommend basing the decision for elective delivery vs expectant management in a pregnant individual with COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome on gestational age and likelihood of intrauterine or maternal death.

Adapting obstetric and neonatal services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The provision of care to pregnant persons and neonates must continue through pandemics. To maintain quality of care, while minimizing physical contact during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) pandemic, hospitals and international organizations issued recommendations on maternity and neonatal care delivery and restructuring of clinical and academic services. Early in the pandemic, recommendations relied on expert opinion, and offered a one-size-fits-all set of guidelines. Our aim was to examine these recommendations and provide the rationale and context to guide clinicians, administrators, educators, and researchers, on how to adapt maternity and neonatal services during the pandemic, regardless of jurisdiction. METHOD: Our initial database search used Medical subject headings and free-text search terms related to coronavirus infections, pregnancy and neonatology, and summarized relevant recommendations from international society guidelines. Subsequent targeted searches to December 30, 2020, included relevant publications in general medical and obstetric journals, and updated society recommendations. RESULTS: We identified 846 titles and abstracts, of which 105 English-language publications fulfilled eligibility criteria and were included in our study. A multidisciplinary team representing clinicians from various disciplines, academics, administrators and training program directors critically appraised the literature to collate recommendations by multiple jurisdictions, including a quaternary care Canadian hospital, to provide context and rationale for viable options. INTERPRETATION: There are different schools of thought regarding effective practices in obstetric and neonatal services. Our critical review presents the rationale to effectively modify services, based on the phase of the pandemic, the prevalence of infection in the population, and resource availability.

Carbetocin versus oxytocin following vaginal and Cesarean delivery: a before-after study.

PURPOSE: A nationwide shortage of oxytocin in Canada resulted in a temporary switch from oxytocin to carbetocin for all postpartum women at our institution. This change offered a unique opportunity to conduct a pragmatic comparative assessment of the efficacy of carbetocin and oxytocin. METHODS: In a retrospective before-after study, we reviewed the medical records from 641 women in the carbetocin group and 752 women in the oxytocin group . The standard carbetocin dosing was 100 µg iv following vaginal and intrapartum Cesarean delivery, while for elective Cesarean delivery it was 50 µg, with an additional 50 µg if required. The standard oxytocin dosing was 5 IU iv followed by 2.4 IU·hr-1 for four to six hours after vaginal delivery, while for Cesarean delivery it was 1-3 IU iv, three minutes apart, up to 10 IU if required, followed by the same maintenance. In both modalities of delivery, if uterine tone was suboptimal, the maintenance dose of oxytocin could be increased to 4.8 IU·hr-1. In both groups, additional uterotonics were used as required. The primary outcome was the need for additional uterotonics. Secondary outcomes included estimated and calculated blood loss, the occurrence of postpartum hemorrhage, and the need for blood transfusion. RESULTS: The incidence of additional uterotonic use was not different between the carbetocin and oxytocin groups (12.0% vs 8.8%; P = 0.05; odds ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.97 to 2.00). The incidence of postpartum hemorrhage was higher in the carbetocin group than in the oxytocin group (10.3% vs 6.6%; P = 0.01). Blood transfusion was more common in the carbetocin group (1.4% vs 0.3%; P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: There was no difference in the use of additional uterotonics when carbetocin or oxytocin were used in a cohort of women undergoing vaginal deliveries and both elective and emergency Cesarean deliveries.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Une pénurie nationale d'ocytocine au Canada a entraîné l'utilisation temporaire de la carbétocine en remplacement de l'ocytocine pour toutes les femmes en post-partum dans notre établissement. Grâce à cette substitution, nous avons bénéficié d'une occasion unique de mener une évaluation comparative pragmatique de l'efficacité de la carbétocine et de l'ocytocine. MéTHODE: Dans une étude rétrospective avant-après, nous avons examiné les dossiers médicaux de 641 femmes dans le groupe carbétocine et de 752 femmes dans le groupe ocytocine. Le dosage standard de carbécotine était de 100 µg iv après un accouchement vaginal et pendant un accouchement par césarienne intrapartum, tandis que pour un accouchement par césarienne élective, le dosage était de 50 µg, avec 50 µg supplémentaires au besoin. Le dosage standard d'ocytocine était de 5 UI iv suivi de 2,4 UI·h-1 pendant quatre à six heures après un accouchement vaginal, tandis que pour un accouchement par césarienne, il était de 1 à 3 UI iv, à trois minutes d'intervalle, jusqu'à 10 UI au besoin, suivi du même dosage d'entretien. Dans les deux types d'accouchement, si le tonus utérin était sous-optimal, la dose d'entretien d'ocytocine pouvait être augmentée à 4,8 UI·h-1. Dans les deux groupes, des utérotoniques supplémentaires ont été utilisés au besoin. Le critère d'évaluation principal était le besoin d'utérotoniques supplémentaires. Les critères d'évaluation secondaires comprenaient la perte de sang estimée et calculée, la survenue d'une hémorragie du post-partum et la nécessité d'une transfusion sanguine. RéSULTATS: L'incidence d'utilisation d'utérotoniques supplémentaires n'était pas différente entre les groupes carbétocine et ocytocine (12,0 % vs 8,8 %; P = 0,05; rapport de cotes,1,39; intervalle de confiance à 95 %, 0,97 à 2,00). L'incidence d'hémorragie du post-partum était plus élevée dans le groupe carbétocine que dans le groupe ocytocine (10,3 % vs 6,6 %; P = 0,01). Les transfusions sanguines étaient plus fréquentes dans le groupe carbétocine (1,4 % vs 0,3 %; P = 0,02). CONCLUSION: Aucune différence dans l'utilisation d'utérotoniques supplémentaires n'a été observée lors de l'utilisation de carbétocine ou d'ocytocine dans une cohorte de femmes accouchant par voie vaginale ou par césarienne élective ou en urgence.

Expecto Patronum! Leveraging the Positive Force of COVID-19 Vaccines for Pregnant and Lactating Individuals.

For over a year, the world has been gripped by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has had far-reaching effects on society. The integrity of national health care systems has also been challenged, owing to shifts in guidance and misinformation. Although initial reports suggested that pregnant people were not at increased risk of severe COVID-19, current data arising from the "third wave" paint a much more concerning picture. In addition, pregnant and lactating people were excluded from vaccine trials, which has hindered the ability of health care professionals to provide evidence-based counselling regarding the safety and efficacy of the available vaccines in these populations. This commentary reviews the current data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy. The evidence is clear that the risks of hospitalization and severe maternal and potentially fetal morbidity from COVID-19 in pregnancy far outweigh the very minimal risks of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy.

The "DUC" trial: a pilot randomized controlled trial of immediate versus delayed cord clamping in preterm infants born between 24 and 32 weeks gestation.

PURPOSE: To determine the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial of delayed umbilical cord clamping in preterm infants. METHODS: Following informed consent, women between 24 to 32 weeks gestation experiencing imminent preterm birth were randomly assigned to either an immediate cord clamping (ICC) or delayed cord clamping (DCC) group. Umbilical cord clamping directions were 0-15 s for the ICC group and 30-45 s for the DCC group. Information regarding recruitment rate and trial compliance was collected. Neonatal outcomes of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), sepsis, anemia, and hyperbilirubinemia were also compared between the two groups. This trial was registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00562536). RESULTS: Thirty-eight women were recruited in total, 19 each to the ICC and DCC groups respectively. The study recruitment rate was 33% and study compliance rate was 97%. The average time for cord clamping was 5.4 s in the ICC group and 39.7 s in the DCC group (p < .05). The incidence of IVH and sepsis was the same in both groups (16 and 11% respectively). Thirty-seven percent of the ICC group and 21% of the DCC group required a blood transfusion. Hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy occurred in 37% of the ICC group and 26% of the DCC group. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that a trial of a short delay in umbilical cord clamping (30-45 s) is feasible for women and physicians. Larger scale studies of long term outcomes are warranted.

COVID-19 and acute coagulopathy in pregnancy.

We present a putative link between maternal COVID-19 infection in the peripartum period and rapid maternal deterioration with early organ dysfunction and coagulopathy. The current pandemic with SARS-CoV-2 has already resulted in high numbers of critically ill patients and deaths in the non-pregnant population, mainly due to respiratory failure. During viral outbreaks, pregnancy poses a uniquely increased risk to women due to changes to immune function, alongside physiological adaptive alterations, such as increased oxygen consumption and edema of the respiratory tract. The laboratory derangements may be reminiscent of HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count) syndrome, and thus knowledge of the COVID-19 relationship is paramount for appropriate diagnosis and management. In addition to routine measurements of D-dimers, prothrombin time, and platelet count in all patients presenting with COVID-19 as per International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) guidance, monitoring of activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and fibrinogen levels should be considered in pregnancy, as highlighted in this report. These investigations in SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant women are vital, as their derangement may signal a more severe COVID-19 infection, and may warrant pre-emptive admission and consideration of delivery to achieve maternal stabilization.

Failure of Decidualization and Maternal Immune Tolerance Underlies Uterovascular Resistance in Intra Uterine Growth Restriction.

Failure of uterine vascular transformation is associated with pregnancy complications including Intra Uterine Growth Restriction (IUGR). The decidua and its immune cell populations play a key role in the earliest stages of this process. Here we investigate the hypothesis that abnormal decidualization and failure of maternal immune tolerance in the second trimester may underlie the uteroplacental pathology of IUGR. Placental bed biopsies were obtained from women undergoing elective caesarian delivery of a healthy term pregnancy, an IUGR pregnancy or a pregnancy complicated by both IUGR and preeclampsia. Decidual tissues were also collected from second trimester terminations from women with either normal or high uterine artery Doppler pulsatile index (PI). Immunohistochemical image analysis and flow cytometry were used to quantify vascular remodeling, decidual leukocytes and decidual status in cases vs. controls. Biopsies from pregnancies complicated by severe IUGR with a high uterine artery pulsatile index (PI) displayed a lack of: myometrial vascular transformation, interstitial, and endovascular extravillous trophoblast (EVT) invasion, and a lower number of maternal leukocytes. Apoptotic mural EVT were observed in association with mature dendritic cells and T cells in the IUGR samples. Second trimester pregnancies with high uterine artery PI displayed a higher incidence of small for gestational age fetuses; a skewed decidual immunology with higher numbers of; CD8 T cells, mature CD83 dendritic cells and lymphatic vessels that were packed with decidual leukocytes. The decidual stromal cells (DSCs) failed to differentiate into the large secretory DSC in these cases, remaining small and cuboidal and expressing lower levels of the nuclear progesterone receptor isoform B, and DSC markers Insulin Growth Factor Binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) and CD10 as compared to controls. This study shows that defective progesterone mediated decidualization and a hostile maternal immune response against the invading endovascular EVT contribute to the failure of uterovascular remodeling in IUGR pregnancies.

Aplastic anaemia in pregnancy - a single centre, North American series.

Aplastic anaemia (AA) is infrequently observed in pregnancy. We describe 19 pregnancies in 9 women at a tertiary care centre over a period of 30 years. Spontaneous resolution of AA did not occur postpartum in the five pregnancies where AA was first diagnosed in pregnancy. In the remaining pregnancies, although haematological indices declined and transfusion support was needed in 35% of pregnancies, relapses were not observed. There were no deaths, but complications occurred in 79% of pregnancies. Preterm delivery and postpartum haemorrhage were observed in 21% and 26% of pregnancies, respectively.

Zika virus infection in a pregnant Canadian traveler with congenital fetal malformations noted by ultrasonography at 14-weeks gestation.

BACKGROUND: Following emergence of Zika virus in the Americas, a devastating new congenital syndrome has been documented, leading to significant morbidity among Zika-infected fetuses and neonates. CASE PRESENTATION: A 29-year-old pregnant woman infected with Zika virus at 9-weeks gestation in Trinidad presented with one-month of fever, headache, and myalgia with persistent viremia. Significant fetal abnormalities were identified at 14-week ultrasound, which is the earliest ultrasound to describe a severely affected fetus following Zika virus infection to our knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the implications of prolonged maternal viremia and the spectrum of congenital Zika syndrome detectable by fetal ultrasound.

Obstetrical and neonatal outcomes of triplet births - spontaneous versus assisted reproductive technology conception.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the average gestational age at birth and to compare obstetrical and neonatal outcomes of triplet births conceived spontaneously versus via assisted reproductive technology (ART). METHODS: A retrospective chart review of triplet pregnancies that resulted in three live babies was conducted at Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto, Canada) from January 2000 to June 2013. RESULTS: A total of 230 women and 690 fetuses were identified. The mean gestational age at birth was 32.0 ± 3.8 weeks. Obstetrical outcomes included preterm premature rupture of the membranes in 29%, preterm labor in 26%, preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome in 19% and gestational diabetes in 10%. The mean birth weight of infants born after 24 weeks was 1655 ± 550 g and the rate of small for gestational age was 28%. The neonatal mortality rate prior to discharge was 7%. Aside from respiratory distress syndrome (30.6 versus 46.6%; p = 0.02), there were no differences in gestational age at birth, obstetrical or neonatal outcomes between spontaneous versus ART triplet conception. Monochorionicity carried a higher risk of small for gestational age, congenital anomalies and neonatal mortality compared to trichorionicity. CONCLUSION: Rates of preterm birth and related complications remain high in triplet gestation. However, obstetrical and neonatal outcomes were similar for triplets conceived spontaneously versus via ART.

Fetal thrombocytopenia in pregnancies with fetal human parvovirus-B19 infection.

OBJECTIVE: Fetal infection with human parvovirus B19 (hParvo-B19) has been associated mainly with fetal anemia, although data regarding other fetal hematologic effects are limited. Our aim was to assess the rate and consequences of severe fetal thrombocytopenia after fetal hParvo-B19 infection. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective study of pregnancies that were complicated by fetal hParvo-B19 infection that underwent fetal blood sampling (FBS). The characteristics and outcomes of fetuses with severe thrombocytopenia (<50 × 10(9)/L) were compared with those of fetuses with a platelet concentration of ≥50 × 10(9)/L (control fetuses). Fetuses in whom 3 FBSs were performed (n = 4) were analyzed to assess the natural history of platelet levels after fetal hParvo-B19 infection. RESULTS: A total of 37 pregnancies that were affected by fetal hParvo-B19 infection were identified. Of the 29 cases that underwent FBS and had information regarding fetal platelets, 11 cases (38%) were complicated by severe fetal thrombocytopenia. Severely thrombocytopenic fetuses were characterized by a lower hemoglobin concentration (2.6 ± 0.9 g/dL vs 5.5 ± 3.6 g/dL; P = .01), lower reticulocyte count (9.1% ± 2.8% vs 17.3% ± 10.6%; P = .02), and lower gestational age at the time of diagnosis (21.4 ± 3.1 wk vs 23.6 ± 2.2 wk; P = .03). Both the fetal death rate within 48 hours of FBS (27.3% vs 0%; P = .02) and the risk of prematurity (100.0% vs 13.3%; P < .001) were higher in fetuses with severe thrombocytopenia. Fetal thrombocytopenia was more common during the second trimester but, in some cases, persisted into the third trimester. Intrauterine transfusion (IUT) of red blood cells resulted in a further mean decrease of 40.1% ± 31.0% in fetal platelet concentration. CONCLUSION: Severe fetal thrombocytopenia is relatively common after fetal hParvo-B19 infection, can be further worsened by IUT, and may be associated with an increased risk of procedure-related fetal loss after either FBS or IUT.

Oral neutrophil levels: a screening test for oral inflammatory load in pregnancy in a medical setting.

BACKGROUND: A multitude of studies suggest an association between periodontal disease and adverse birth outcomes, but the findings have been equivocal. Although the evidence is controversial, it is biologically plausible, and the key link may be inflammation. Because periodontitis is at times either active or inactive, trying to correlate the presence of pockets, for example, to adverse outcome of pregnancy might be preordained to failure or at least confusion. Alternatively, if inflammatory activity associated with periodontitis could be measured, it might be possible to correlate oral inflammatory load (OIL) to adverse pregnancy outcomes more precisely, but given the low incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes, large populations must be studied. This underscores the need to use a means for assessment of OIL that is reliable, reproducible, and so simple to perform that it does not require dental expertise and can be used for large numbers of patients attending obstetrics units. The objective of this study was to demonstrate that OIL can be measured in a cohort of pregnant females presenting for obstetric care and secondarily to ensure that there was a realistic correlation to the presence of periodontitis. METHODS: Sixty-three pregnant females were recruited, and 15-second saline rinses were collected to measure OIL as represented by counts of oral neutrophil levels. Periodontal examinations were performed to determine the extent of the correlation between the presence of clinical markers of periodontitis, such as pockets and clinical attachment loss to the OIL. RESULTS: Using this small cohort of patients, a test for oral inflammatory disease could be administered successfully in a non-dental setting. In addition, there was a statistically significant increase (two-fold, P < 0.05) in oral neutrophil counts found in patients with periodontitis compared with those without periodontitis. CONCLUSION: The rinse assay can be used as a screening tool for oral inflammation, which was also related to the presence of periodontitis, in pregnant females attending a medical clinic.