Pulmonary valve stenosis in a recipient twin in twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome with successful balloon valvuloplasty after birth: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary stenosis (PS) is a congenital heart diseases (CHDs) with a spectrum of stenosis. Monochorionic (MC) twins are at increased risk of CHDs, especially acquired CHDs in twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). PS/Pulmonary atresia (PA) is a rare coincidence with TTTS. MC twin pregnancies have increased in last decades due to increasing in maternal age and extensive use of assisted reproductive technologies. Therefore, attention to this group is important for heart abnormalities, especially in twins with TTTS. Multiple cardiac abnormalities in MC twins with TTTS are to be expected due to cardiac hemodynamic changes and may be eliminated by Fetoscopic laser photocoagulation treatment. Prenatal diagnosis of PS is necessary given the importance of treatment after birth. CASE PRESENTATION: We here present a case of coexistence of TTTS with PS in a growth restricted recipient twin who successfully treated with balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty in neonatal period. Also, we detected infundibular PS after valvuloplasty that treated with medical therapy (propranolol). CONCLUSIONS: It is important to detect acquired cardiac abnormalities in MC twins with TTTS, and follow them up after birth to determine the need of intervention in neonatal period.

A global study of the association of cesarean rate and the role of socioeconomic status in neonatal mortality rate in the current century.

INTRODUCTION: Caesarean section (C/S) rates have significantly increased across the world over the past decades. In the present population-based study, we sought to evaluate the association between C/S and neonatal mortality rates. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective ecological study included longitudinal data of 166 countries from 2000 to 2015. We evaluated the association between C/S rates and neonatal mortality rate (NMR), adjusting for total fertility rate, human development index (HDI), gross domestic product (GDP) percentage, and maternal age at first childbearing. The examinations were also performed considering different geographical regions as well as regions with different income levels. RESULTS: The C/S rate and NMR in the 166 included countries were 19.97% ± 10.56% and 10 ± 10.27 per 1000 live birth, respectively. After adjustment for confounding variables, C/S rate and NMR were found correlated (r = -1.1, p < 0.001). Examination of the relationship between C/S rate and NMR in each WHO region resulted in an inverse correlation in Africa (r = -0.75, p = 0.005), Europe (r = -0.12, p < 0.001), South-East Asia (r = -0.41, p = 0.01), and Western Pacific (r = -0.13, p = 0.02), a direct correlation in America (r = 0.06, p = 0.04), and no correlation in Eastern Mediterranean (r = 0.01, p = 0.88). Meanwhile, C/S rate and NMR were inversely associated in regions with upper-middle (r = -0.15, p < 0.001) and lower-middle (r = -0.24, p < 0.001) income levels, directly associated in high-income regions (r = 0.02, p = 0.001), and not associated in low-income regions (p = 0.13). In countries with HDI below the centralized value of 1 (the real value of 0.9), the correlation between C/S rate and NMR was negative while it was found positive in countries with HDI higher than the mentioned cut-off. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that NMR associated with C/S is dependent on various socioeconomic factors such as total fertility rate, HDI, GDP percentage, and maternal age at first childbearing. Further attentions to the socioeconomic status are warranted to minimize the NMR by modifying the C/S rate to the optimum cut-off.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Infant Neurodevelopmental Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Primary studies proposed that aberrant maternal antiviral immunity and/or giving birth in quarantine, such as during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, may be associated with the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) in offspring. Objectives: To evaluate the associations of birth and being raised during the COVID-19 pandemic with risk of NDI among infants and to assess the association of gestational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 with risk of NDI. Data Sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and preprint servers were systematically searched from inception to March 25, 2022. Study Selection: Studies evaluating the neurodevelopment of infants born during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Studies using Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3), were used for quantitative meta-analysis. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses, a random-effects model meta-analysis was used to pool the proportion and odds ratios (ORs) of overall NDI, as well as each developmental domain on ASQ-3 with the corresponding 95% CI. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the risk of overall NDI among infants screened during the pandemic vs prepandemic. The secondary outcome was the comparison of NDI by ASQ-3 domain among infants born to women with known gestational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 vs no exposure. Results: A total of 8 studies were included, including 21 419 infants (11 438 screened in pandemic and 9981 in prepandemic period). NDI was present in 330 of 8992 infants (7%; 95% CI, 4%-10%) screened during the COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to January 2021. Among the pandemic cohort, the prevalence of NDI among infants with gestational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was 77 of 691 (12%; 95% CI, 6%-18%). Compared with the prepandemic cohort (2015-2019), the pandemic cohort was more likely to have communication impairment (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.37-2.11; P < .001), without significant differences in other ASQ-3 domains (eg, gross motor, fine motor, personal-social, and problem-solving). In contrast, maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection was not associated with significant differences in any neurodevelopment domain in offspring, except for increasing the odds of fine motor impairment (OR, 3.46; 95% CI, 1.43-8.38; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In this systematic review and meta-analysis examining the association between COVID-19 pandemic and the risk of NDI, findings suggest that overall neurodevelopment in the first year of life was not changed by either being born or raised during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic or by gestational exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Interestingly, the first year of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of maternal infection, was significantly associated with the risk of communication delay among the offspring.