Evaluating the Baby@Home program: Early discharge strategies for (pre)term infants are safe and benefit health outcomes.

AIM: Prolonged hospitalisation in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can emotionally tax newborn infants and their families, resulting in developmental adversities and inadequate parent-infant bonding. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and value of the Baby@Home program in reducing prolonged hospital stays. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 26 infants from a tertiary neonatology department, using qualitative data (gathered through interviews with parents (n = 15) and professionals (n = 5)) and quantitative data (retrieved from medical records and the Luscii application). RESULTS: Our study included 26 newborn infants. 76% were premature, born at an average term of 35 weeks and 2 days. During the study period, all infants thrived, and only two adverse events occurred (an allergic reaction and respiratory incident necessitating readmission). Interviews were conducted based on six major themes concerning the feasibility and value of the program. Despite the challenges of application utilisation, the program's overall value was evident. CONCLUSION: The Baby@Home program effectively facilitated early discharge, promoted family reunification, and yielded favourable safety and health outcomes. Innovative solutions such as Baby@Home have the potential to pave the way for more sustainable and patient-centred care models.

A Retrospective Study Comparing Laparoscopic Transabdominal Cerclage: Pre-Pregnancy Versus in Pregnancy With Their Reproductive Outcomes and Safety.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of laparoscopic transabdominal cerclage (TAC) pre-pregnancy and laparoscopic TAC in pregnancy in treating cervical insufficiency. METHOD: A retrospective analytical study comparing outcomes of laparoscopic TAC pre-pregnancy with laparoscopic TAC in pregnancy. A total of 178 patients who underwent laparoscopic TAC at our hospital were enrolled in the study. In total, 122 patients underwent interval cerclage, and 56 patients underwent cerclage during pregnancy. RESULTS: A total of 178 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. Second-trimester abortions decreased by 50%, with an overall increase in full-term live births (32.53%) in patients undergoing laparoscopic TAC pre-pregnancy. The fetal survival rate was around 90% and 85% with laparoscopic TAC pre-pregnancy and laparoscopic TAC in pregnancy, respectively. Although the obstetric outcomes of laparoscopic TAC pre-pregnancy and in pregnancy were comparable, laparoscopic TAC pre-pregnancy was safer than laparoscopic TAC in pregnancy due to the complications associated with the procedure during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic TAC pre-pregnancy yielded better reproductive outcomes than laparoscopic TAC in pregnancy and was associated with fewer perioperative complications.

Tone-burst elicited auditory brainstem responses in full-term and pre-term infants.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability of tone-burst auditory brainstem response (TB-ABR) latencies and thresholds in pre-term and full-term infants. DESIGN: TB-ABRs to 500 Hz and 4000 Hz tone-burst stimuli were recorded at two-week intervals over the first six weeks of life in a group of full-term infants (40-46 weeks gestational age [GA]) and over ten weeks (36-46 weeks gestation) in a group of preterm infants. Linear mixed model analyses evaluated within-subject changes and the effects of the subject group, age at assessment, and stimulus frequency on ABR latency and threshold. STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty-four infants participated. Nine were full-term (GA: 39-41 weeks) and fifteen were healthy pre-term (GA: 28-34 weeks) at birth. RESULTS: TB-ABR wave V latencies at 70 dBnHL decreased throughout the study (p < 0.001) in pre-term babies for both test frequencies by approximately 0.5 ms. There were, however, no group or GA (at birth) effects indicating that response latency normalized in these children by the due date. Similarly, TB-ABR threshold levels in the premature group were elevated (p = 0.001) by approximately 5 dB in pre-term evaluation but were equivalent to those of full-term participants in the post-term assessment period. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy, pre-term infants, tone-burst ABR testing is reliable from 36 weeks gestation.

Extracellular vesicles as markers and mediators of pregnancy complications: gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, preterm birth and fetal growth restriction.

In high income countries, approximately 10% of pregnancies are complicated by pre-eclampsia (PE), preterm birth (PTB), fetal growth restriction (FGR) and/or macrosomia resulting from gestational diabetes (GDM). Despite the burden of disease this places on pregnant people and their newborns, there are still few, if any, effective ways of preventing or treating these conditions. There are also gaps in our understanding of the underlying pathophysiologies and our ability to predict which mothers will be affected. The placenta plays a crucial role in pregnancy, and alterations in placental structure and function have been implicated in all of these conditions. As extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important molecules in cell-to-cell communication in health and disease, recent research involving maternal- and placental-derived EV has demonstrated their potential as predictive and diagnostic biomarkers of obstetric disorders.  This review will consider how placental and maternal EVs have been investigated in pregnancies complicated by PE, PTB, FGR and GDM and aims to highlight areas where further research is required to enhance the management and eventual treatment of these pathologies.

Fertility-Sparing Treatment for Early-Stage Cervical Cancer ≥ 2 cm: Can One Still Effectively Become a Mother? A Systematic Review of Fertility Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Fertility-sparing treatments (FSTs) have played a crucial role in the management of early-stage cervical cancer (ECC); however, there is currently no standard of care for women with ECC ≥ 2 cm who wish to preserve their fertility. The current orientation of the scientific community comprises upfront surgical techniques and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by minor surgery such us conization. However these approaches are not standardized. This systematic review aimed to collect the evidence in the literature regarding the obstetric outcomes of the different techniques for applying FSTs in ECC ≥ 2 cm. METHODS: A systematic review was performed in September 2022 using the Pubmed and Scopus databases, from the date of the first publication. We included all studies containing data regarding pregnancy, birth, and preterm rates. RESULTS: Fifteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and 352 patients were analyzed regarding fertility outcomes. Surgery-based FST showed the pregnancy rate (22%), birth rate (11%), and preterm rate (10%). Papers regarding FST using the NACT approach showed a pregnancy rate of 44%, with a birth rate of 45% in patients who managed to get pregnant. The preterm rate amounted to 44%, and pregnancy rates and birth rates were significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Fertility preservation in patients with ECC > 2 cm is challenging. The endpoint for evaluating the best treatment should include oncological and fertility outcomes together. From this prospective, NACT followed by less radical surgery could be a reasonable compromise.

No major differences in perinatal and maternal outcomes between uninterrupted embryo culture in time-lapse system and conventional embryo culture.

STUDY QUESTION: Is embryo culture in a closed time-lapse system associated with any differences in perinatal and maternal outcomes in comparison to conventional culture and spontaneous conception? SUMMARY ANSWER: There were no significant differences between time-lapse and conventional embryo culture in preterm birth (PTB, <37 weeks), low birth weight (LBW, >2500 g) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy for singleton deliveries, the primary outcomes of this study. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Evidence from prospective trials evaluating the safety of time-lapse incubation for clinical use show similar embryo development rates, implantation rates, and ongoing pregnancy and live birth rates when compared to conventional incubation. Few studies have investigated if uninterrupted culture can alter risks of adverse perinatal outcomes presently associated with IVF when compared to conventional culture and spontaneous conceptions. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This study is a Swedish population-based retrospective registry study, including 7379 singleton deliveries after fresh embryo transfer between 2013 and 2018 from selected IVF clinics. Perinatal outcomes of singletons born from time-lapse-cultured embryos were compared to singletons from embryos cultured in conventional incubators and 71 300 singletons from spontaneous conceptions. Main perinatal outcomes included PTB and LBW. Main maternal outcomes included hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (pregnancy hypertension and preeclampsia). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: From nine IVF clinics, 2683 singletons born after fresh embryo transfer in a time-lapse system were compared to 4696 singletons born after culture in a conventional incubator and 71 300 singletons born after spontaneous conception matched for year of birth, parity, and maternal age. Patient and treatment characteristics from IVF deliveries were cross-linked with the Swedish Medical Birth Register, Register of Birth Defects, National Patient Register and Statistics Sweden. Children born after sperm and oocyte donation cycles and after Preimplantation Genetic testing cycles were excluded. Odds ratio (OR) and adjusted OR were calculated, adjusting for relevant confounders. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: In the adjusted analyses, no significant differences were found for risk of PTB (adjusted OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.87-1.41) and LBW (adjusted OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.66-1.14) or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy; preeclampsia and hypertension (adjusted OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.67-1.45 and adjusted OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.62-1.53, respectively) between time-lapse and conventional incubation systems. A significantly increased risk of PTB (adjusted OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.08-1.60) and LBW (adjusted OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.08-1.72) was found for singletons born after time-lapse incubation compared to singletons born after spontaneous conceptions. In addition, a lower risk for pregnancy hypertension (adjusted OR 0.72 95% CI 0.53-0.99) but no significant difference for preeclampsia (adjusted OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.68-1.12) was found compared to spontaneous conceptions. Subgroup analyses showed that some risks were related to the day of embryo transfer, with more adverse outcomes after blastocyst transfer in comparison to cleavage stage transfer. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: This study is retrospective in design and different clinical strategies may have been used to select specific patient groups for time-lapse versus conventional incubation. The number of patients is limited and larger datasets are required to obtain more precise estimates and adjust for possible effect of additional embryo culture variables. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Embryo culture in time-lapse systems is not associated with major differences in perinatal and maternal outcomes, compared to conventional embryo culture, suggesting that this technology is an acceptable alternative for embryo incubation. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): The study was financed by a research grant from Gedeon Richter. There are no conflicts of interest for all authors to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Adding creatinine to routine pregnancy tests: a decision tree for calculating the cost of identifying patients with CKD in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Even in its early stages, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The current guidelines for pregnancy management suggest identifying risk factors for adverse outcomes but do not mention kidney diseases. Since CKD is often asymptomatic, pregnancy offers a valuable opportunity for diagnosis. The present analysis attempts to quantify the cost of adding serum creatinine to prenatal screening and monitoring tests. METHODS: The decision tree we built takes several screening scenarios (before, during and after pregnancy) into consideration, following the hypothesis that while 1:750 pregnant women are affected by stage 4-5 CKD and 1:375 by stage 3B, only 50% of CKD cases are known. Prevalence of abortions/miscarriages was calculated at 30%; compliance with tests was hypothesized at 50% pre- and post-pregnancy and 90% during pregnancy (30% for miscarriages); the cost of serum creatinine (production cost) was set at 0.20 euros. A downloadable calculator, which makes it possible to adapt these figures to other settings, is available. RESULTS: The cost per detected CKD case ranged from 111 euros (one test during pregnancy, diagnostic yield 64.8%) to 281.90 euros (one test per trimester, plus one post-pregnancy or miscarriage, diagnostic yield 87.7%). The best policy is identified as one test pre-, one during and one post-pregnancy (191.80 euros, diagnostic yield 89.4%). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the feasibility of early CKD diagnosis in pregnancy by adding serum creatinine to routinely performed prenatal tests and offers cost estimates for further discussion.

Respiratory outcomes after delivery room stabilisation with a new respiratory support system using nasal prongs.

AIM: To study if stabilisation using a new respiratory support system with nasal prongs compared to T-piece with a face mask is associated with less need for mechanical ventilation and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. METHODS: A single-centre follow-up study of neonates born <28 weeks gestation at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm included in the multicentre Comparison of Respiratory Support after Delivery (CORSAD) trial and randomised to initial respiratory support with the new system versus T-piece. Data on respiratory support, neonatal morbidities and mortality were collected up to 36 weeks post-menstrual age. RESULTS: Ninety-four infants, 51 female, with a median (range) gestational age of 25 + 2 (23 + 0, 27 + 6) weeks and days, were included. Significantly fewer infants in the new system group received mechanical ventilation during the first 72 h, 24 (52.2%) compared with 35 (72.9%) (p = 0.034) and during the first 7 days, 29 (63.0%) compared with 39 (81.3%) (p = 0.045) in the T-piece group. At 36 weeks post-menstrual age, 13 (28.3%) in the new system and 13 (27.1%) in the T-piece group were diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. CONCLUSION: Stabilisation with the new system was associated with less need for mechanical ventilation during the first week of life. No significant difference was seen in the outcome of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Impact of breastfeeding on the incidence and severity of respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis in infants: systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Breastfeeding practices have demonstrated a protective effect against severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease outcomes. RSV is the principal cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants worldwide, and an important cause of morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality. The primary aim is to determine the impact of breastfeeding on the incidence and severity of RSV bronchiolitis in infants. Secondly, the study aims to determine if breastfeeding contributes to reduction of hospitalization rates, length of stay and oxygen use in confirmed cases. METHODS: A preliminary database search was conducted using agreed keywords and MeSH headings in MEDLINE, PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, MedRχiv and Cochrane Reviews. Articles were screened based on inclusion/exclusion criteria for infants aged 0-12 months. Full text, abstract and conference articles published in English were included from 2000 to 2021. Covidence® software was used for evidence extraction using paired investigator agreement and PRISMA guidelines were followed. RESULTS: 1368 studies were screened and 217 were eligible for full text review. 188 were excluded. Twenty-nine articles were selected for data extraction: RSV-bronchiolitis (18) and viral bronchiolitis (13), with two articles discussing both. Results showed that non-breastfeeding practices are a significant risk factor for hospitalization. Exclusive breastfeeding for >4-6 months significantly lowered admission rates, length of stay and supplemental oxygen use, reducing unscheduled GP visits and emergency department presentation. DISCUSSION: Exclusive and partial breastfeeding reduce severity of RSV bronchiolitis, length of hospital stay and supplemental oxygen requirement. Breastfeeding practices should be supported and encouraged as a cost-effective method to prevent infant hospitalization and severe bronchiolitis infection.

Lack of Enteral Feeding Associated with Mortality in Prematurity and Necrotizing Enterocolitis.

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Recently, there has been an increased recognition of the importance of intestinal immunity and the associations with antibiotics and enteral feeds in the pathophysiology of NEC. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the association of enteral feeds on the survival of premature neonates with NEC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective review using the Vermont Oxford Network for a Level IV NICU from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2019 was performed. All neonates had a gestational age between 22 to 29 weeks, weighed at least 300 grams (n = 653), had a reported enteral feed status and were treated for NEC (n = 43). Data analysis utilized two-tailed t-tests for NEC and infection rates then Fisher's exact tests for survival status. RESULTS: The incidence of NEC in the population was 6.6% (43/653). Of the 43 neonates treated for NEC, 27 were enterally fed, while the other 16 were not. All 27 neonates with NEC that were able to achieve enteral feeds survived and had an infection rate of 22.2%. Meanwhile, all 16 neonates with NEC that were unable to achieve enteral feeds died and had an infection rate of 62.5%. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between enteral feeds and NEC, survival, and infection rates in premature neonates. These findings support the importance of intestinal immunity and the microbiota in NEC. Given the limitations of the retrospective review, the profound survival advantage with enteral feeds reinforces the need for further study.

What a paediatric nephrologist should know about preeclampsia and why it matters.

Preeclampsia is a protean syndrome causing a kidney disease characterised by hypertension and proteinuria, usually considered transitory and reversible after delivery. Its prevalence ranges from 3-5 to 10% if all the related disorders are considered. This narrative review, on behalf of the Kidney and Pregnancy Study Group of the Italian Society of Nephrology, focuses on three reasons why preeclampsia should concern paediatric nephrologists and how they can play an important role in its prevention, as well as in the prevention of future kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Firstly, all diseases of the kidney and urinary tract diagnosed in paediatric age are associated with a higher risk of adverse pregnancy-related outcomes, including preeclampsia. Secondly, babies with low birth weights (small for gestational age, born preterm, or both) have an increased risk of developing the full panoply of metabolic diseases (obesity, hypertension, early-onset cardiopathy and chronic kidney disease) and girls are at higher risk of developing preeclampsia when pregnant. The risk may be particularly high in cases of maternal preeclampsia, highlighting a familial aggregation of this condition. Thirdly, pregnant teenagers have a higher risk of developing preeclampsia and the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and should be followed up as high risk pregnancies. In summary, preeclampsia has come to be seen as a window on the future health of both mother and baby. Identification of subjects at risk, early counselling and careful follow-up can contribute to reducing the high morbidity linked with this disorder.

Maternal & perinatal outcome of fever in pregnancy in the context of dengue - A retrospective observational study.

Background & objectives: Pregnant women with dengue infection may be at increased risk of adverse maternal-foetal outcomes. This study was conducted to assess the maternal and perinatal outcomes in women who presented with fever and diagnosed to have dengue infection during pregnancy. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on pregnant women admitted with fever, in a tertiary referral centre in South India, during January 2015 to December 2018. We compared outcomes of women diagnosed with dengue with that of women without dengue. The study outcomes included pre-term birth, stillbirth, low-birth weight (LBW), maternal mortality and thrombocytopenia. Results: During the study period, there were six maternal deaths following complications from dengue infection. Higher rates of thrombocytopenia (24.7% vs. 14.6%, P=0.02) were noted among those with recent dengue infection. The risk of still birth was 2.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09, 6.57], LBW [risk ratio (RR) 1.13, 95% CI 0.87, 1.45] and pre-term birth (RR 1.33, 95% CI 0.89, 1.97) among the cases. Interpretation & conclusions: Occurrence of adverse maternal and foetal outcomes was increased in pregnant women with fever diagnosed with dengue infection. Future studies are needed to formulate the optimum monitoring and treatment strategies in pregnant women, where dengue can have additive adverse effects to other obstetric complications.

Respiratory responses to hypoxia during rest and exercise in individuals born pre-term: a state-of-the-art review.

The pre-term birth survival rate has increased considerably in recent decades, and research investigating the long-term effects of premature birth is growing. Moreover, altitude sojourns are increasing in popularity and are often accompanied by various levels of physical activity. Individuals born pre-term appear to exhibit altered acute ventilatory responses to hypoxia, potentially predisposing them to high-altitude illness. These impairments are likely due to the use of perinatal hyperoxia stunting the maturation of carotid body chemoreceptors, but may also be attributed to limited lung diffusion capacity and/or gas exchange inefficiency. Aerobic exercise capacity also appears to be reduced in this population. This may relate to the aforementioned respiratory impairments, or could be due to physiological limitations in pulmonary blood flow or at the exercising muscle (e.g. mitochondrial efficiency). However, surprisingly, the debilitative effects of exercise when performed at altitude do not seem to be exacerbated by premature birth. In fact, it is reasonable to speculate that pre-term birth could protect against the consequences of exercise combined with hypoxia. The mechanisms that underlie this assertion might relate to differences in oxidative stress responses or in cardiopulmonary morphology in pre-term individuals, compared to their full-term counterparts. Further research is required to elucidate the independent effects of neonatal treatment, sex differences and chronic lung disease, and to establish causality in some of the proposed mechanisms that could underlie the differences discussed throughout this review. A more in-depth understanding of the acclimatisation responses to chronic altitude exposures would also help to inform appropriate interventions in this clinical population.

Pre-term delivery and long-term risk of heart failure in women: a national cohort and co-sibling study.

AIMS: Women who deliver pre-term have higher future risks of hypertension and ischaemic heart disease, but long-term risks of heart failure (HF) are unknown. We examined these risks in a large national cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: All 2 201 284 women with a singleton delivery in Sweden during 1973-2015 were followed up for inpatient or outpatient HF diagnoses through 2015. Cox regression was used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) for HF associated with pregnancy duration, adjusting for other maternal factors. Co-sibling analyses assessed for confounding by shared familial (genetic and/or environmental) factors. In 48.2 million person-years of follow-up, 19 922 women were diagnosed with HF (median age: 60.7 years). Within 10 years after delivery, the adjusted HR was 2.96 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.48-3.53] for HF associated with pre-term (gestational age: <37 weeks) compared with full-term (39-41 weeks) delivery. Stratified HRs were 4.27 (2.54-7.17) for extremely pre-term (22-27 weeks), 3.39 (2.57-4.48) for moderately pre-term (28-33 weeks), 2.70 (2.19-3.32) for late pre-term (34-36 weeks), and 1.70 (1.45-1.98) for early term (37-38 weeks). These HRs declined but remained elevated at 10-19 years (pre-term vs. full term: HR: 2.19; 95% CI: 1.94-2.46), 20-29 years (1.80; 1.67-1.95), and 30-43 years (1.56; 1.47-1.66) after delivery, and were not explained by shared familial factors. CONCLUSION: Pre-term and early term delivery were associated with markedly increased future hazards for HF, which persisted after adjusting for other maternal and familial factors and remained elevated 40 years later. Pre-term and early-term delivery should be recognized as risk factors for HF across the life course. KEY QUESTION: What are the long-term hazards for heart failure (HF) across the life course in women who deliver preterm? KEY FINDING: Preterm and early term delivery were associated with ∼3- and 1.7-fold adjusted hazards for HF in the next 10 years vs. full-term delivery. These hazards declined but remained elevated 40 years later, and were not explained by shared familial factors. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Preterm and early term delivery were associated with increased future hazards for HF, which persisted for 40 years after adjusting for other maternal and familial factors. Preterm and early term delivery should be recognized as lifelong risk factors for HF.

Continuous glucose monitoring: A cost-effective tool to reduce pre-term birth rates in women with type one diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Women with type one diabetes experience poorer obstetric outcomes than normoglycaemic women in pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cost and clinical effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring (GCM) compared to self-monitoring of blood glucose in improving obstetric outcomes in women with type one diabetes during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included women with type one diabetes referred to a state-wide tertiary obstetric centre before and after the introduction of government-funded CGMs in Australia in March 2019. Forty-nine women using CGMs were propensity matched on a range of clinical features with a historical group of 49 women with type one diabetes who exclusively used intermittent self-monitoring of blood in the year prior to the introduction of funding of sensors. Medical records and administrative cost data were audited to quantify cost and clinical effectiveness. RESULTS: There were significantly lower pre-term (95% CI 0.39-0.922; P = 0.026) and very pre-term birth rates (95% CI 1.002-1.184; P = 0.041) in the CGM group. There was a significant reduction in the length of antenatal inpatient hospital stay (P < 0.01) and adult special care unit stay (P = 0.013) and neonatal admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (P = 0.0262) in the continuous glucose monitoring group. CGMs represented a net cost saving to the health care sector of $12 063 per pregnancy where the device was used, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $3275 per prevented pre-term birth. CONCLUSIONS: CGM use in pregnancy is a cost-effective intervention for reducing the risk of pre-term birth in women with type one diabetes, resulting in a net cost benefit to the health sector.

Vaginal microbiome: normalcy vs dysbiosis.

It has been long understood that the vaginal microflora is crucial in maintaining a normal physiological environment for the host and its involvement is deemed indispensable for reproductive success. A global concept of normalcy vs. dysbiosis of vaginal microbiome is debatable as women of different races have a unique vaginal microflora with regional variations. Vaginal microflora is a dynamic microenvironment affected by gestational status, menstrual cycle, sexual activity, age, and contraceptive use. Normal vaginal flora is dominated by lactobacilli especially in women of European descent vs. African American women. These microbes confer the host vagina protection from potentially pathogenic microbes that may lead to urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases. Changes in the vaginal microbiota including reduced lactobacilli abundance and increased facultative and anaerobic organism populations result in bacterial vaginosis, that predisposes the host to several conditions like low birth weight and increased risk of contracting bacterial infections. On the other hand, the vaginal microbiome is also reshaped during pregnancy, with less microbial diversity with a dominance of Lactobacillus species. However, an altered vaginal microbiota with low lactobacilli abundance especially during pregnancy may result in induction of excessive inflammation and pre-term labor. Since the vaginal microbiome plays an important role during embryo implantation, it is not surprising that bacterial vaginosis is more common in infertile women and associated with reduced rates of conception. Probiotic has great success in treating bacterial vaginosis and restoring the normal microbiome in recent. This report, reviewed the relationships between the vaginal microbiome and women's reproductive health.

Machine learning guided postnatal gestational age assessment using new-born screening metabolomic data in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Babies born early and/or small for gestational age in Low and Middle-income countries (LMICs) contribute substantially to global neonatal and infant mortality. Tracking this metric is critical at a population level for informed policy, advocacy, resources allocation and program evaluation and at an individual level for targeted care. Early prenatal ultrasound examination is not available in these settings, gestational age (GA) is estimated using new-born assessment, last menstrual period (LMP) recalls and birth weight, which are unreliable. Algorithms in developed settings, using metabolic screen data, provided GA estimates within 1-2 weeks of ultrasonography-based GA. We sought to leverage machine learning algorithms to improve accuracy and applicability of this approach to LMICs settings. METHODS: This study uses data from AMANHI-ACT, a prospective pregnancy cohorts in Asia and Africa where early pregnancy ultrasonography estimated GA and birth weight are available and metabolite screening data in a subset of 1318 new-borns were also available. We utilized this opportunity to develop machine learning (ML) algorithms. Random Forest Regressor was used where data was randomly split into model-building and model-testing dataset. Mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to evaluate performance. Bootstrap procedures were used to estimate confidence intervals (CI) for RMSE and MAE. For pre-term birth identification ROC analysis with bootstrap and exact estimation of CI for area under curve (AUC) were performed. RESULTS: Overall model estimated GA had MAE of 5.2 days (95% CI 4.6-6.8), which was similar to performance in SGA, MAE 5.3 days (95% CI 4.6-6.2). GA was correctly estimated to within 1 week for 85.21% (95% CI 72.31-94.65). For preterm birth classification, AUC in ROC analysis was 98.1% (95% CI 96.0-99.0; p < 0.001). This model performed better than Iowa regression, AUC Difference 14.4% (95% CI 5-23.7; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning algorithms and models applied to metabolomic gestational age dating offer a ladder of opportunity for providing accurate population-level gestational age estimates in LMICs settings. These findings also point to an opportunity for investigation of region-specific models, more focused feasible analyte models, and broad untargeted metabolome investigation.

Clinical characteristics, outcomes, & mortality in pregnant women with COVID-19 in Maharashtra, India: Results from PregCovid registry.

Background & objectives: The PregCovid registry was established to document the clinical presentations, pregnancy outcomes and mortality of pregnant and post-partum women with COVID-19. Methods: The PregCovid registry prospectively collects information in near-real time on pregnant and post-partum women with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 from 19 medical colleges across the State of Maharashtra, India. Data of 4203 pregnant women collected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-January 2021) was analyzed. Results: There were 3213 live births, 77 miscarriages and 834 undelivered pregnancies. The proportion of pregnancy/foetal loss including stillbirths was six per cent. Five hundred and thirty-four women (13%) were symptomatic, of which 382 (72%) had mild, 112 (21%) had moderate, and 40 (7.5%) had severe disease. The most common complication was preterm delivery (528, 16.3%) and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (328, 10.1%). A total of 158 (3.8%) pregnant and post-partum women required intensive care, of which 152 (96%) were due to COVID-19 related complications. The overall case fatality rate (CFR) in pregnant and post-partum women with COVID-19 was 0.8 per cent (34/4203). Higher CFR was observed in Pune (9/853, 1.1%), Marathwada (4/351, 1.1%) regions as compared to Vidarbha (9/1155, 0.8%), Mumbai Metropolitan (11/1684, 0.7%), and Khandesh (1/160, 0.6%) regions. Comorbidities of anaemia, tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus were associated with maternal deaths. Interpretation & conclusions: The study demonstrates the adverse outcomes including severe COVID-19 disease, pregnancy loss and maternal death in women with COVID-19 in Maharashtra, India.

Joint spatio-temporal modelling of adverse pregnancy outcomes sharing common risk factors at sub-county level in Kenya, 2016-2019.

BACKGROUND: Adverse pregnancy outcomes jointly account for a high proportion of mortality and morbidity among pregnant women and their infants. Furthermore, the burden attributed to adverse pregnancy outcomes remains high and inadequately characterised due to the intricate interplay of its etiology and shared set of important risk factors. This study sought to quantify and map the underlying risk of multiple adverse pregnancy outcomes in Kenya at sub-county level using a shared component space-time modelling framework. METHODS: Reported sub-county level adverse pregnancy outcomes count from January 2016 - December 2019 were obtained from the Kenyan District Health Information System. A Bayesian hierarchical spatio-temporal model was used to estimate the joint burden of adverse pregnancy outcomes in space (sub-county) and time (year). To improve the precision of our estimates over time and space, information across the outcomes were combined via the shared and the outcome-specific components using a shared component model with spatio-temporal interactions. RESULTS: Overall, the total number of adverse outcomes in pregnancy increased by 14.2% (95% UI: 14.0-14.5) from 88,816 cases in 2016 to 101,455 cases in 2019. Between 2016 and 2019, the estimated low birth weight rate and the pre-term birth rate were 4.5 (95% UI: 4.4-4.7) and 2.3 (95% UI: 2.2-2.5) per 100 live births. The stillbirth and neonatal death rates were estimated to be 18.7 (95% UI: 18.0-19.4) and 6.9 (95% UI: 6.4-7.4) per 1000 live births. The magnitude of the spatio-temporal variation attributed to shared risk was high for pre-term births, low birth weight, neonatal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths, respectively. The shared risk patterns were dominant in sub-counties located along the Indian ocean coastline, central and western Kenya. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the usefulness of a Bayesian joint spatio-temporal shared component model in exploiting specific and shared risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes sub-nationally. By identifying sub-counties with elevated risks and data gaps, our estimates not only assert the need for bolstering maternal health programs in the identified high-risk sub-counties but also provides a baseline against which to assess the progress towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.

Preimplantation genetic testing and frozen embryo transfer synergistically decrease very pre-term birth in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization with elective single embryo transfer.

PURPOSE: To study the effects of frozen embryo transfer (FET) and FET post-PGT on pre-term and very pre-term births in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A study was conducted using the SART National Summary Report from 2014 to 2017. Cycle inclusion criteria were eSET, fresh embryo transfers (ET), frozen embryo transfers without PGT (FET), and frozen embryo transfers with PGT (FET/PGT). Exclusion criteria were use of gestational carriers and donor eggs. Pregnancy outcomes included live births and gestational age at birth. RESULTS: A total of 161,550 eSETs were analyzed for the effect of FET and FET/PGT on IVF outcome and pre-term births including 43,618 ET, 58,812 FET, and 59,120 FET/PGT cycles. Live birth rates in patients with FET/PGT were significantly higher than those in ET (52.9% vs 46.4%, P < 0.0001) and FET (52.9% vs 43.1%, P < 0.0001). Patients with FET had a significantly lower live birth rate compared with that of ET (43.1% vs 46.4%, P < 0.0001). Both FET and FET/PGT significantly decreased total pre-term births compared with ET (10.8% and 10.5% vs 11.5%, P < 0.05 and < 0.001). FET/PGT significantly reduced very pre-term births when compared with ET and FET (1.5% vs 2.0%, P < 0.0001 and 1.5% vs 1.9%, P = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that PGT significantly improves IVF outcome. Moreover, patients undergoing FET/PGT had significantly decreased total pre-term births. More importantly, patients with FET/PGT had significantly lower very pre-term births.