Moderate Exercise Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation and Associated Maternal and Fetal Morbidities in Pregnant Rats.

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) and coagulopathies are often associated with aberrant maternal inflammation. Moderate-intensity exercise during pregnancy has been shown to increase utero-placental blood flow and to enhance fetal nutrition as well as fetal and placental growth. Furthermore, exercise is known to reduce inflammation. To evaluate the effect of moderate-intensity exercise on inflammation associated with the development of maternal coagulopathies and FGR, Wistar rats were subjected to an exercise regime before and during pregnancy. To model inflammation-induced FGR, pregnant rats were administered daily intraperitoneal injections of E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on gestational days (GD) 13.5-16.5 and sacrificed at GD 17.5. Control rats were injected with saline. Maternal hemostasis was assessed by thromboelastography. Moderate-intensity exercise prevented LPS-mediated increases in white blood cell counts measured on GD 17.5 and improved maternal hemostasis profiles. Importantly, our data reveal that exercise prevented LPS-induced FGR. Moderate-intensity exercise initiated before and maintained during pregnancy may decrease the severity of maternal and perinatal complications associated with abnormal maternal inflammation.

The burden of eclampsia: results from a multicenter study on surveillance of severe maternal morbidity in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: Maternal mortality (MM) is a core indicator of disparities in women's rights. The study of Near Miss cases is strategic to identifying the breakdowns in obstetrical care. In absolute numbers, both MM and occurrence of eclampsia are rare events. We aim to assess the obstetric care indicators and main predictors for severe maternal outcome from eclampsia (SMO: maternal death plus maternal near miss). METHODS: Secondary analysis of a multicenter, cross-sectional study, including 27 centers from all geographic regions of Brazil, from 2009 to 2010. 426 cases of eclampsia were identified and classified according to the outcomes: SMO and non-SMO. We classified facilities as coming from low- and high-income regions and calculated the WHO's obstetric health indicators. SPSS and Stata softwares were used to calculate the prevalence ratios (PR) and respective 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess maternal characteristics, clinical and obstetrical history, and access to health services as predictors for SMO, subsequently correlating them with the corresponding perinatal outcomes, also applying multiple regression analysis (adjusted for cluster effect). RESULTS: Prevalence of and mortality indexes for eclampsia in higher and lower income regions were 0.2%/0.8% and 8.1%/22%, respectively. Difficulties in access to health care showed that ICU admission (adjPR 3.61; 95% CI 1.77-7.35) and inadequate monitoring (adjPR 2.31; 95% CI 1.48-3.59) were associated with SMO. CONCLUSIONS: Morbidity and mortality associated with eclampsia were high in Brazil, especially in lower income regions. Promoting quality maternal health care and improving the availability of obstetric emergency care are essential actions to relieve the burden of eclampsia.

Severe maternal morbidity due to abortion prospectively identified in a surveillance network in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the occurrence of severe maternal complications associated with abortion in Brazil. METHODS: In a cross-sectional multicenter study, prospective surveillance was done for cases of potentially life-threatening conditions (PLTC), maternal near miss (MNM), and maternal death (MD) among 9555 women with obstetric complications between June 2009 and May 2010. Abortion was evaluated as a cause, and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics, safety conditions where the abortion was performed, and the medical procedures used were also assessed. Prevalence ratios adjusted for the cluster effect of the design were calculated with 95% confidence intervals. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors independently associated with greater severity. RESULTS: For 237 women (2.5%), abortion resulted in severe complications including PLTC (81.9%), MNM (15.2%), and MD (3%). When abortion was unsafe, infectious causes were more common for PLTC, whereas management criteria were more important for MNM and MD. In multivariate analysis, the presence of previous maternal conditions (sickle cell disease, low weight, neoplasm), being transferred or referred, previous uterine scar, and delays were associated with greater severity. CONCLUSION: Abortion was responsible for only a small percentage of the complications associated with pregnancy; however, the risk of abortion-related complications progressing unfavorably was higher.

From planning to practice: building the national network for the Surveillance of Severe Maternal Morbidity.

BACKGROUND: Improving maternal health is one of the Millennium Development Goals for 2015. Recently some progress has been achieved in reducing mortality. On the other hand, in developed regions, maternal death is a relatively rare event compared to the number of cases of morbidity; hence studying maternal morbidity has become more relevant. Electronic surveillance systems may improve research by facilitating complete data reporting and reducing the time required for data collection and analysis. Therefore the purpose of this study was to describe the methods used in elaborating and implementing the National Network for the Surveillance of Severe Maternal Morbidity in Brazil. METHODS: The project consisted of a multicenter, cross-sectional study for the surveillance of severe maternal morbidity including near-miss, in Brazil. RESULTS: Following the development of a conceptual framework, centers were selected for inclusion in the network, consensus meetings were held among the centers, an electronic data collection system was identified, specific software and hardware tools were developed, research material was prepared, and the implementation process was initiated and analyzed. CONCLUSION: The conceptual framework developed for this network was based on the experience acquired in various studies carried out in the area over recent years and encompasses maternal and perinatal health. It is innovative especially in the context of a developing country. The implementation of the project represents the first step towards this planned management. The system online elaborated for this surveillance network may be used in further studies in reproductive and perinatal health.

Brazilian network for the surveillance of maternal potentially life threatening morbidity and maternal near-miss and a multidimensional evaluation of their long term consequences.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the study of women who survive life-threatening complications related to pregnancy (maternal near-miss cases) may represent a practical alternative to surveillance of maternal morbidity/mortality since the number of cases is higher and the woman herself is able to provide information on the difficulties she faced and the long-term repercussions of the event. These repercussions, which may include sexual dysfunction, postpartum depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, may persist for prolonged periods of time, affecting women's quality of life and resulting in adverse effects to them and their babies. OBJECTIVE: The aims of the present study are to create a nationwide network of scientific cooperation to carry out surveillance and estimate the frequency of maternal near-miss cases, to perform a multicenter investigation into the quality of care for women with severe complications of pregnancy, and to carry out a multidimensional evaluation of these women up to six months. METHODS/DESIGN: This project has two components: a multicenter, cross-sectional study to be implemented in 27 referral obstetric units in different geographical regions of Brazil, and a concurrent cohort study of multidimensional analysis. Over 12 months, investigators will perform prospective surveillance to identify all maternal complications. The population of the cross-sectional component will consist of all women surviving potentially life-threatening conditions (severe maternal complications) or life-threatening conditions (the maternal near miss criteria) and maternal deaths according to the new WHO definition and criteria. Data analysis will be performed in case subgroups according to the moment of occurrence and determining cause. Frequencies of near-miss and other severe maternal morbidity and the association between organ dysfunction and maternal death will be estimated. A proportion of cases identified in the cross-sectional study will comprise the cohort of women for the multidimensional analysis. Various aspects of the lives of women surviving severe maternal complications will be evaluated 3 and 6 months after the event and compared to a group of women who suffered no severe complications in pregnancy. Previously validated questionnaires will be used in the interviews to assess reproductive function, posttraumatic stress, functional capacity, quality of life, sexual function, postpartum depression and infant development.

The prolongation of somatic support in a pregnant woman with brain-death: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Medical literature has increasingly reported cases of maternal brain death during pregnancy. This is a rare situation which demands the decision and, depending on the gestational age, the implementation of a set of measures to prolong the homeostasis of the human body after brain death for the purpose of maintaining the foetus alive until its viability. CASE PRESENTATION: A 40 year old woman suffered an intracranial haemorrhage during the 25th week of pregnancy. Despite neurosurgical drainage of a gross intraparenchymatous haematoma, the patient developed brain death. Upon confirmation of this diagnosis, she received full ventilatory and nutritional support, vasoactive drugs, maintenance of normothermia, hormone replacement and other supportive measures required to prolong gestation and improve the survival prognosis of her foetus. All decisions regarding the patient's treatment were taken in consensus with her family. She also received corticosteroids to accelerate foetal lung maturity. During the twenty-five days of somatic support, the woman's condition remained stable; however, during the last seven days the foetus developed oligohydramnios and brain-sparring, which led the medical team to take the decision to perform a Caesarean section at that moment. After delivery, the patient's organs were removed for donation. The male infant was born weighing 815 g, with an Apgar score of 9 and 10 at the first and fifth minutes, respectively. The infant was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, but did not require mechanical ventilation and had no major complications. He was discharged at 40 days of life, with no sequelae and weighing 1850 g. CONCLUSION: These results are in accordance with findings from previous studies and case reports suggesting the appropriateness and safety of extended somatic support during pregnancy under certain circumstances. They also suggest the need for prompt diagnosis of brain death before the occurrence of physiological degeneration, rapid evaluation of foetal status and the decision of the family together with the medical team to prolong maternal somatic support. The occurrence of maternal brain death is a tragedy, but it may also represent a challenging opportunity to save the life of the foetus and, in addition, permit donation of the maternal organs.

[Are breastfeeding and complementary feeding of children of adolescent mothers different from those of adult mothers?]. / A amamentação e a alimentação complementar de filhos de mães adolescentes são diferentes das de filhos de mães adultas?

OBJECTIVE: To study breastfeeding during the first year of life and the kind of complementary food provided at one year of life to children of adolescent mothers. To compare these data with breastfeeding and complementary food received by children of adult mothers. METHOD: A dual cohort was performed. Children were selected from the files of CAISM/UNICAMP and assessed when they were one year old. This study consisted of 122 children born from adolescent mothers and 123 children born from adult mothers--full-term births, birthweight was 2,500 g or higher. When the children were one year old, the mothers were interviewed at home or at CIPED/UNICAMP. The results were compared using the chi-square test and the Fisher's test; alpha=5%; the Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the duration of breastfeeding and the Wilcoxon test (Breslow) to compare the exclusive, predominant, full and total breastfeeding curves. RESULTS: 94.3% of children of adolescent mothers and 95.9% of children of adult mothers left the maternity hospital being breastfed (p=0.544). The median exclusive breastfeeding duration for both groups was 90 days. After completing one year, 35.3% and 28.5% of children of adolescent and adult mothers, respectively, continued breastfeeding (p=0.254): only breastfeeding 11.5% vs. 8.9% and mixed feeding 23.8% vs. 19.5% (p=0.519). Meat intake by children of adolescent mothers was lower than that of children of adult mothers (13.9% vs. 26.0%; Fisher's test: p=0.031). With regard to egg intake, 11.5% vs. 19.5% of children of adolescent mothers and adult mothers did not eat egg but the results suggested that the egg intake of children of adolescent mothers was higher (p=0.082). CONCLUSION: Duration and pattern of breastfeeding were similar between children of adolescent mothers and of adult mothers. The complementary nutrition was similar, except for a lower intake of meat and a higher intake of eggs among the children of adolescent mothers.