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Objective: To evaluate the impact of Covid‐19 vaccination (Pfizer–BioNTech BNT162b2) during the third trimester of pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Design: A multicentre, retrospective computerised database. Population: Women who gave birth at >24 weeks of gestation in Israel, between January and April 2021, with full records of Covid‐19 disease and vaccination status. Methods: Women who received two doses of the vaccine were compared with unvaccinated women. Women who were recorded as having disease or a positive Covid‐19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab during pregnancy or delivery were excluded from both study groups. Univariate analysis was followed by multivariate logistic regression. Main outcome measures: Composite adverse maternal outcomes. Secondary outcomes were vaccination rate and composite adverse neonatal outcomes. Results: The overall uptake of one or both vaccines was 40.2%; 712 women who received two doses of the Covid‐19 vaccine were compared with 1063 unvaccinated women. Maternal composite outcomes were comparable between the groups; however, women who received the vaccine had higher rates of elective caesarean deliveries (CDs) and lower rates of vacuum deliveries. An adjusted multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that Covid‐19 vaccination was not associated with maternal composite adverse outcome (aOR 0.8, 95% CI 0.61–1.03); a significant reduction in the risk for neonatal composite adverse outcomes was observed (aOR 0.5, 95% CI 0.36–0.74). Conclusions: In a motivated population covered by a National Health Insurance Plan, we found a 40.2% rate of vaccination for the Covid‐19 vaccine during the third trimester of pregnancy, which was not associated with adverse maternal outcomes and, moreover, decreased the risk for neonatal adverse outcomes. Covid‐19 vaccine during pregnancy is safe for both mother and fetus. Covid‐19 vaccine during pregnancy is safe for both mother and fetus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the risk for major malformations following first-trimester exposure to vaginal azoles.Design: A population-based retrospective cohort study of women exposed to vaginal azoles from the first day of the last menstrual period until the 90th gestational day.Setting: A combination of four computerised databases: medications, birth, infant hospitalizations, and pregnancy terminations.Population: All women who gave birth or underwent a pregnancy termination at Soroka Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel, between 1999 and 2009.Methods: Crude and adjusted relative risks for major congenital malformations and for specific malformations according to organ systems were calculated using a multivariate negative binomial regression. Potential confounders were assessed and controlled for included parity, maternal age, ethnicity, maternal diabetes, smoking, and year of birth or pregnancy termination. Additional analysis using propensity score matching was performed for selected malformations.Main Outcome Measures: Major malformations as well as specific malformations according to organ systems.Results: Of 101 615 pregnancies, 1993 (1.96%) were exposed to clotrimazole vaginal tablets and 313 (0.31%) to miconazole vaginal tablets during the first trimester of pregnancy. No association was found between first-trimester exposure to clotrimazole and major or specific malformations. An association was found between miconazole exposure and musculoskeletal malformation in general and other congenital musculoskeletal anomalies in particular. However, no association was detected when propensity score matching was used.Conclusions: Intrauterine exposure to vaginal azoles during the first trimester of pregnancy was not associated with either major or specific malformations according to organ systems.Tweetable Abstract: First-trimester exposure to vaginal azoles is not associated with either major or specific malformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cites findings of a study which reveals that plant stress hormones are capable of suppressing apoptosis in various transformed human cells including leukemia, melanoma, prostate and breast cell cancer. Revelation that methyl jasmonate (MJ) was determined to be the most potent agent in suppressing apoptosis; Information that MJ killed Molt-4 human lymphoblastic leukemia cells in efficient manner; Observation that MJ did not affect normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes; Details of methodology adopted for the study to assess the effectiveness of MJ against lymphoblastic leukemia cells.

Presents a corrected reprint of an article published in the periodical "Leukemia".