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Objective: To compare the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) lesions before and after pregnancy. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: A single French university tertiary referral hospital. Patients: Twenty-one women without a prior history of surgery for endometriosis with a radiological diagnosis by MRI with two sets of examinations performed before and after pregnancy. Interventions: The volumes of the lesions were compared using the same protocol before and after pregnancy based on MRI (1.5 T) examinations by a single experienced radiologist who is a referring practitioner for image-based diagnosis of endometriosis. Main outcome measure(s): The DIE lesion volume. Measurements and main results: Between October 2012 and December 2016, a total of 21 patients (67 lesions) were included and compared before and after pregnancy. The mean time interval between the MRI before pregnancy and delivery was 19.6 ± 8.5 months (median: 17.6, IQR 13.5–25.2 months). The mean time interval between delivery and the MRI after pregnancy was 11.0 ± 6.4 months (median: 8.3, IQR 6–15.2 months). The mean overall DIE lesion volume by MRI was significantly higher before pregnancy compared to after pregnancy (2,552 ± 3,315 mm3 vs. 1,708 ± 3,266 mm3, respectively, p < 0.01). The mean volume by MRI of the largest lesion of each patient was significantly higher before pregnancy compared to after pregnancy (4,728 ± 4,776 mm3 vs. 3165 ± 5299 mm3; p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our data indicate a favorable impact of pregnancy on DIE lesion volumes as measured by MRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Data pertaining to maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with the complete spectrum of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDPs) is sparse in low resource settings. This study aimed to determine adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes among women admitted with HDPs in a tertiary hospital in Ghana, and directly compare these outcomes among women with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and those with chronic/gestational hypertension. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among women who were admitted with HDPs to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital from July 1, 2014 to September 30, 2014. Data was collected on their socio-demographic and reproductive characteristics using a pretested structured questionnaire and review of their antenatal records. Crude and adjusted relative risks (RRs), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes were compared using multivariable binomial regression. P ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 451 women with HDPs were studied: 5.3%, 32.4%, 48.8% and 13.5% had chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia respectively. Over 80% were either referrals or “self-referred” from other facilities. Overall, 87% had adverse maternal or perinatal outcomes. Women with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were at increased risks of caesarean section (adjusted RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.01–1.87), preterm delivery at <34 weeks’ gestation (adjusted RR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.40–5.36) and preterm delivery at <37 weeks’ gestation (adjusted RR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.25–2.85), compared to women with chronic/gestational hypertension. Conclusion: Women with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcome compared to those with chronic/gestational hypertension. Strategies for prevention and management of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia to improve pregnancy outcomes are required in this major maternity care centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quality improvement collaboratives (QICs) have been used to improve health care for decades. Evidence on QIC effectiveness has been reported, but systematic reviews to date have little information from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objective: To assess the effectiveness of QICs in LMICs. Methods: We conducted a systematic review following Cochrane methods, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach for quality of evidence grading, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement for reporting. We searched published and unpublished studies between 1969 and March 2019 from LMICs. We included papers that compared usual practice with QICs alone or combined with other interventions. Pairs of reviewers independently selected and assessed the risk of bias and extracted data of included studies. To estimate strategy effectiveness from a single study comparison, we used the median effect size (MES) in the comparison for outcomes in the same outcome group. The primary analysis evaluated each strategy group with a weighted median and interquartile range (IQR) of MES values. In secondary analyses, standard random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the weighted mean MES and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the mean MES of each strategy group. This review is registered with PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews): CRD42017078108. Results: Twenty-nine studies were included; most (21/29, 72.4%) were interrupted time series studies. Evidence quality was generally low to very low. Among studies involving health facility-based health care providers (HCPs), for “QIC only”, effectiveness varied widely across outcome groups and tended to have little effect for patient health outcomes (median MES less than 2 percentage points for percentage and continuous outcomes). For “QIC plus training”, effectiveness might be very high for patient health outcomes (for continuous outcomes, median MES 111.6 percentage points, range: 96.0 to 127.1) and HCP practice outcomes (median MES 52.4 to 63.4 percentage points for continuous and percentage outcomes, respectively). The only study of lay HCPs, which used “QIC plus training”, showed no effect on patient care-seeking behaviors (MES -0.9 percentage points), moderate effects on non-care-seeking patient behaviors (MES 18.7 percentage points), and very large effects on HCP practice outcomes (MES 50.4 percentage points). Conclusions: The effectiveness of QICs varied considerably in LMICs. QICs combined with other invention components, such as training, tended to be more effective than QICs alone. The low evidence quality and large effect sizes for QIC plus training justify additional high-quality studies assessing this approach in LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, and optimization of glycemic control during pregnancy can help mitigate risks associated with diabetes. However, studies seldom focus precisely on maternal blood glucose level prior to pregnancy. We aimed to evaluate the associations between preconception blood fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level and subsequent pregnancy outcomes.Methods and Findings: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study among 6,447,339 women aged 20-49 years old who participated in National Free Pre-Pregnancy Checkups Project and completed pregnancy outcomes follow-up between 2010 and 2016 in China. During the preconception health examination, serum FPG concentration was measured, and self-reported history of DM was collected. Women were classified into three groups (normal FPG group: FPG < 5.6 mmol/L and no self-reported history of DM; impaired fasting glucose [IFG]: FPG 5.6-6.9 mmol/L and no self-reported history of DM; and DM: FPG ≥ 7.0 mmol/L or self-reported history of DM). The primary outcomes were adverse pregnancy outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, preterm birth (PTB), macrosomia, small for gestational age infant (SGA), birth defect, and perinatal infant death. Logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) after adjusting for confounding variables. The mean age of women was 25.24 years, 91.47% were of Han nationality, and 92.85% were from rural areas. The incidence of DM and IFG was 1.18% (76,297) and 13.15% (847,737), respectively. Only 917 (1.20%) women reported a history of DM (awareness of their DM status), of whom 37.28% (337) had an elevated preconception FPG level (≥ 5.6 mmol/L), regarded as noncontrolled DM. A total of 1,005,568 (15.60%) women had adverse pregnancy outcomes. Compared with women with normal FPG, women with IFG had higher risks of spontaneous abortion (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.06-1.09; P < 0.001), PTB (1.02; 1.01-1.03; P < 0.001), macrosomia (1.07; 1.06-1.08; P < 0.001), SGA (1.06; 1.02-1.10; P = 0.007), and perinatal infant death (1.08; 1.03-1.12; P < 0.001); the corresponding ORs for women with DM were 1.11 (95% CI 1.07-1.15; P < 0.001), 1.17 (1.14-1.20; P < 0.001), 1.13 (1.09-1.16; P < 0.001), 1.17 (1.04-1.32; P = 0.008), and 1.59 (1.44-1.76; P < 0.001). Women with DM also had a higher risk of birth defect (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.15-1.91; P = 0.002). Among women without self-reported history of DM, there was a positive linear association between FPG levels and spontaneous abortion, PTB, macrosomia, SGA, and perinatal infant death (P for trend <0.001, <0.001, <0.001, 0.001, <0.001). Information about hypoglycemic medication before or during pregnancy was not collected, and we cannot adjust it in the analysis, which could result in underestimation of risks. Data on 2-hour plasma glucose level and HbA1c concentration were not available, and the glycemic control status was evaluated according to FPG value in women with DM.Conclusions: Women with preconception IFG or DM had higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, PTB, macrosomia, SGA, and perinatal infant death. Preconception glycemic control through appropriate methods is one of the most important aspects of preconception care and should not be ignored by policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify pathways between stress indicators and adverse pregnancy outcomes, we applied a nonparametric graph-learning algorithm, PC-KCI, to data from an observational prospective cohort study. The Measurement of Maternal Stress study (MOMS) followed 744 women with a singleton intrauterine pregnancy recruited between June 2013 and May 2015. Infant adverse pregnancy outcomes were prematurity (<37 weeks' gestation), infant days spent in hospital after birth, and being small for gestational age (percentile gestational weight at birth). Maternal adverse pregnancy outcomes were pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension. PC-KCI replicated well-established pathways, such as the relationship between gestational weeks and preterm premature rupture of membranes. PC-KCI also identified previously unobserved pathways to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including 1) a link between hair cortisol levels (at 12–21 weeks of pregnancy) and pre-eclampsia; 2) two pathways to preterm birth depending on race, with one linking Hispanic race, pre-gestational diabetes and gestational weeks, and a second pathway linking black race, hair cortisol, preeclampsia, and gestational weeks; and 3) a relationship between maternal childhood trauma, perceived social stress in adulthood, and low weight for gestational age. Our approach confirmed previous findings and identified previously unobserved pathways to adverse pregnancy outcomes. It presents a method for a global assessment of a clinical problem for further study of possible causal pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One in 5 women experience mental illness in pregnancy or post partum. Universal preventive interventions have not lowered the incidence of perinatal mental illness, perhaps because those at highest risk were not targeted. Outside of pregnancy, chronic physical conditions are known to confer increased risk for mental illness. Our objective was to examine the association between chronic physical conditions and risk of perinatal mental illness.Methods and Findings: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using linked health administrative data sets in Ontario, Canada, in 2005 to 2015. We compared 77,385 women with chronic physical conditions to 780,619 women without such conditions, all of whom had a singleton live birth. Excluded were women with a mental illness diagnosis within 2 years before pregnancy. Chronic physical conditions were captured using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Chronic Condition Indicator, applied to acute healthcare encounters in the 2 years before pregnancy. The outcome was perinatal mental illness, defined by a mental illness or addiction diagnosis arising between conception and 365 days post partum. The outcome was further defined by timing (prenatal or post partum) and specific diagnosis (psychotic disorder, mood or anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, self-harm, or other). Modified Poisson regression generated relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for age, parity, rural residence, income quintile, and remote history of mental health care. Women in the cohort had an average age of 29.6 years (standard deviation 5.4), 44.2% were primiparous, 11.0% lived in a rural area, 40.1% were in the lowest 2 income quintiles, and 47.9% had a remote history of mental health care. More women with (20.4%) than without (15.6%) a chronic physical condition experienced perinatal mental illness-an adjusted relative risk (aRR) of 1.20 (95% CI 1.18-1.22, p < 0.0001). The aRRs were statistically significant for mental illness in pregnancy (1.12, 95% CI 1.10-1.15, p < 0.0001) and post partum (1.25, 95% CI 1.23-1.28, p < 0.0001). Psychotic disorders (aRR 1.50, 95% CI 1.36-1.65, p < 0.0001), mood or anxiety disorders (aRR 1.19, 95% CI 1.17-1.21, p < 0.0001), substance use disorders (aRR 1.47, 95% CI 1.34-1.62, p < 0.0001), and other mental illness (aRR 1.68, 95% CI 1.50-1.87, p < 0.0001) were more likely in women with than without chronic physical conditions, but not self-harm (aRR 1.14, 95% CI 0.87-1.48, p = 0.34). The study was limited by reliance on acute health care encounters to measure chronic physical conditions and the inability to capture undiagnosed mental health problems.Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that women with a chronic physical condition predating pregnancy may be at heightened risk of developing mental illness in the perinatal period. These women may require targeted efforts to lower the severity of their condition and improve their coping strategies and supports in pregnancy and thereafter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Due to the lack of effective preventive measures, its prediction is essential to its prompt management. This study aimed to develop models using machine learning to predict late-onset preeclampsia using hospital electronic medical record data. The performance of the machine learning based models and models using conventional statistical methods were also compared. A total of 11,006 pregnant women who received antenatal care at Yonsei University Hospital were included. Maternal data were retrieved from electronic medical records during the early second trimester to 34 weeks. The prediction outcome was late-onset preeclampsia occurrence after 34 weeks’ gestation. Pattern recognition and cluster analysis were used to select the parameters included in the prediction models. Logistic regression, decision tree model, naïve Bayes classification, support vector machine, random forest algorithm, and stochastic gradient boosting method were used to construct the prediction models. C-statistics was used to assess the performance of each model. The overall preeclampsia development rate was 4.7% (474 patients). Systolic blood pressure, serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels, platelet counts, serum potassium level, white blood cell count, serum calcium level, and urinary protein were the most influential variables included in the prediction models. C-statistics for the decision tree model, naïve Bayes classification, support vector machine, random forest algorithm, stochastic gradient boosting method, and logistic regression models were 0.857, 0.776, 0.573, 0.894, 0.924, and 0.806, respectively. The stochastic gradient boosting model had the best prediction performance with an accuracy and false positive rate of 0.973 and 0.009, respectively. The combined use of maternal factors and common antenatal laboratory data of the early second trimester through early third trimester could effectively predict late-onset preeclampsia using machine learning algorithms. Future prospective studies are needed to verify the clinical applicability algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the action of molecules in carbohydrate metabolism disorders during pregnancy. The concentration of different types of cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the plasma were measured in 4 groups of women: Group I, normal pregnancy (n = 10); Group II, patients with gestational DM (n = 12); Group III, pregnant patients with preexisting DM (n = 16); and Group IV, diabetic non-pregnant women (n = 22). The plasma VEGF concentration was significantly higher in the women in Group IV than in other groups (P <0.01). The concentration of the soluble form of the VEGF receptor-1 (sVEGFR-1) was significantly higher in Group I than in other groups (P <0.01). The concentration of soluble form of the VEGF receptor-2 (sVEGFR-2) was significantly lower in Groups I than in other groups (P <0.05). The concentrations of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and eotaxin were significantly lower in Group I than in Groups III and IV. The levels of interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were significantly higher in Group I than in Group IV. Both the VEGF-related molecules and the Inflammatory cytokines are altered in pregnant women with the carbohydrate metabolism disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infectious disease that causes tubal occlusion and other pelvic and abdominal adhesions. The incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) has increased due to the sexually active status of the young population. This leads to a more serious problem and a larger effect than previously observed. However, there have been few studies on this topic in Asian populations. Aim: We aimed to evaluate the risk of preterm labor and/or ectopic pregnancy in Taiwanese women following PID. Design: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database, we designed a retrospective cohort study that included 12- to 55-year-old pregnant women between 2000 and 2010. We selected a 1:3 age-matched control group of non-PID women. The endpoint was any episode of preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy; otherwise, the patients were tracked until 31 December 2010. Methods: The risk factors for preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy were explored. For cases included from the index date until the end of 2010, we analyzed the risk of incident preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy. With the use of a multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, we calculated the hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% CI and compared it with that of the control group. Results: This study examined 30,450 patients with PID and 91,350 controls. During the follow-up period, patients in the PID group were more likely to develop preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy than patients in the control group. The cumulative incidence rates for developing preterm labor were 1.84% (561/30,450 individuals) in patients with PID and 1.63% (1492/91,350 individuals) in patients without PID. On the other hand, the cumulative incidence rate for developing ectopic pregnancy in patients with PID was 0.05% (14/30,450 individuals) but was only 0.04% (33/91,350 individuals) in patients without PID. Compared with those without PID, the patients with PID had a 1.864 times (P<0.001) higher risk of developing preterm labor and a 2.121 times (P = 0.003) higher risk of developing ectopic pregnancy. Conclusion: Our study provided evidence of an increased risk of preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy in PID patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although kidney transplant improves reproductive function in women with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), pregnancy in kidney transplant recipients’ remains challenging due to the risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Methods: We evaluated a retrospective cohort of 7,966 women who were aged 15–45 years and received a kidney transplant between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2011 from the United States Renal Data System with Medicare as the primary payer for the entire three years after the date of transplantation. Unadjusted and adjusted rates of pregnancy in the first three post-transplant years were calculated, using Poisson regression for the adjustment. Factors associated with pregnancy, including race, were examined using logistic regression. Results: Overall, 293 pregnancies were identified in 7966 women. The unadjusted pregnancy rate was 13.8 per thousand person-years (PTPY) (95% confidence interval (CI), 12.3–15.5). Pregnancy rates were roughly constant in the years 2005–2011 except in 2005 and 2010. The rate of pregnancy was highest in Hispanic women (21.4 PTPY; 95% CI, 17.2–26.4) and Hispanic women had a higher likelihood of pregnancy as compared to white women (OR, 1.56; CI, 1.12–2.16). Pregnancy rates were lowest in women aged 30–34 years and 35–45 years at transplant, and women aged 30–34 years and 35–45 years at transplant were less likely to ever become pregnant during the follow-up (odds ratio [OR], 0.69; CI, 0.49–0.98 and OR, 0.14; CI 0.09–0.21 respectively) as compared to women aged 25–29 years at time of transplant. Women had higher rates of pregnancy in the second and third-year post-transplant (16.0 PTPY, CI 13.2–19.2 and 16.9 PTPY, CI 14.0–20.4) than in the first-year post-transplant (9.0 PTPY, CI 7.0–11.4). In transplant recipients, pregnancy was more likely in women with ESKD due to cystic disease (OR, 2.42; CI, 1.02–5.74) or glomerulonephritis (OR, 2.14; CI, 1.07–4.31) as compared to women with ESKD due to diabetes. Conclusion: Hispanic race, younger age, and ESKD cause due to cystic disease or glomerulonephritis are significant factors associated with a higher likelihood of pregnancy. Pregnancy rates have been fairly constant over the last decade. This study improves our understanding of factors associated with pregnancy in kidney transplant recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, Caesarean section (CS) rates are mounting and currently exceed the safe upper limit of 15%. Monitoring CS rates using clinical indications and obstetric sub-group analysis could confirm that women in need have been served. In Bangladesh, the reported CS rate was 31% in 2016, and almost twice that rate in urban settings. Delivering in the private healthcare sector was a strong determinant. This study uses Robson Ten Group Classification System (TGCS) to report CS rates in urban Bangladesh. The clinical causes and determining factors for CS births have also been examined. Methods: This record linkage cross-sectional survey was undertaken in 34 urban for-profit private hospitals having CS facilities during the period June to August 2015. Data were supplied by inpatient case records and operation theatre registers. Descriptive analyses were performed to calculate the relative size of each group; the group-specific CS rate, and group contribution to total CS and overall CS rate. CS indications were grouped into eleven categories using ICD 10 codes. Binary logistic regression was performed to explore the determinants of CS. Results: Out of 1307 births, delivery by CS occurred in 1077 (82%). Three obstetric groups contributed the most to overall CS rate: previous CS (24%), preterm (23%) and term elective groups (22%). The major clinical indications for CS were previous CS (35%), prolonged and obstructed labor (15%), fetal distress (11%) and amniotic fluid disorder (11%). Multiple gestation, non-cephalic presentation, previous bad obstetric history were positive predictors while oxytocin used for labour induction and increased parity were negative predictors of CS. Conclusions: As the first ever study in urban private for-profit health facilities in Bangladesh, this study usefully identifies the burden of CS and where to intervene. Engagement of multiple stakeholders including the private sector is crucial in planning effective strategies for safe reduction of CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The associations of individual antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) with pregnancy duration and size at birth, and potential dose relations, are not well characterized. Methods: This cohort study used nationwide Swedish register data (1996–2013). Adjusting for smoking, epilepsy and other AED indications, we used linear and quantile regression to explore associations with pregnancy duration, and birth weight, length, and head circumference (the last three operationalized as z-scores). We used logistic regression for preterm delivery, small for gestational age, and microcephaly. Lamotrigine was the reference drug. Results: 6,720 infants were exposed to AEDs in utero; AED exposure increased over the study period. Relative to lamotrigine-exposed infants, carbamazepine-exposed infants were born, on average, 1.3 days earlier (mean [95% confidence interval]: -1.3 [-2.3 to -0.3]); were 0.1 standard deviations (SDs) lighter (-0.1 [-0.2 to 0.0]); and had a head circumference that was 0.2 SDs smaller (-0.2 [-0.3 to -0.1]). Pregabalin-exposed infants were born, on average, 1.1 days earlier (-1.1 [-3.0 to 0.8]); were 0.1 SDs lighter (-0.1 [-0.3 to 0.0]); and had the same head circumference as lamotrigine-exposed infants. Levetiracetam-exposed infants were born, on average, 0.5 days earlier (-0.5 [-2.6 to 1.6]); were 0.1 SDs lighter (-0.1 [-0.3 to 0.0]); and had a head circumference 0.1 SDs smaller (-0.1 [-0.3 to 0.1]). Valproic acid–exposed infants had, on average, the same duration of gestation and birth weight z-score as lamotrigine-exposed infants, but had a head circumference 0.2 SDs smaller (-0.2 [-0.2 to -0.1]). Associations between carbamazepine exposure and pregnancy duration and between valproic acid exposure and pregnancy duration and birth weight z-score were more negative at the left than at the right tails of the outcome distributions. Effect-measure modification and dose-response relations were noted for some of the associations. Conclusions: Relative to lamotrigine, valproic acid and carbamazepine were associated with smaller head circumference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preeclampsia has been suggested to increase the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD); however, most studies were unable to adjust for potential confounders including pre-existing comorbidities such as renal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed to examine the association between preeclampsia and the risk of ESKD in healthy women, while taking into account pre-existing comorbidity and potential confounders.Methods and Findings: Using data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register (MBR), women who had singleton live births in Sweden between 1982 and 2012, including those who had preeclampsia, were identified. Women with a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD), CVD, hypertension, or diabetes prior to the first pregnancy were excluded. The outcome was a diagnosis of ESKD, identified from the Swedish Renal Registry (SRR) from January 1, 1991, onwards along with the specified cause of renal disease. We conducted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to examine the association between preeclampsia and ESKD adjusting for several potential confounders: maternal age, body mass index (BMI), education, native country, and smoking. This analysis accounts for differential follow-up among women because women had different lengths of follow-up time. We performed subgroup analyses according to preterm preeclampsia, small for gestational age (SGA), and women who had 2 pregnancies with preeclampsia in both. The cohort consisted of 1,366,441 healthy women who had 2,665,320 singleton live births in Sweden between 1982 and 2012. At the first pregnancy, women's mean (SD) age and BMI were 27.8 (5.13) and 23.4 (4.03), respectively, 15.2% were smokers, and 80.7% were native Swedish. The overall median (interquartile range [IQR]) follow-up was 7.4 years (3.2-17.4) and 16.4 years (10.3-22.0) among women with ESKD diagnosis. During the study period, 67,273 (4.9%) women having 74,648 (2.8% of all pregnancies) singleton live births had preeclampsia, and 410 women developed ESKD with an incidence rate of 1.85 per 100,000 person-years. There was an association between preeclampsia and ESKD in the unadjusted analysis (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.93-6.33; p < 0.001), which remained in the extensively adjusted (HR = 4.96, 95% CI 3.89-6.32, p < 0.001) models. Women who had preterm preeclampsia (adjusted HR = 9.19; 95% CI 5.16-15.61, p < 0.001) and women who had preeclampsia in 2 pregnancies (adjusted HR = 7.13, 95% CI 3.12-16.31, p < 0.001) had the highest risk of ESKD compared with women with no preeclampsia. Considering this was an observational cohort study, and although we accounted for several potential confounders, residual confounding cannot be ruled out.Conclusions: The present findings suggest that women with preeclampsia and no major comorbidities before their first pregnancy are at a 5-fold increased risk of ESKD compared with parous women with no preeclampsia; however, the absolute risk of ESKD among women with preeclampsia remains small. Preeclampsia should be considered as an important risk factor for subsequent ESKD. Whether screening and/or preventive strategies will reduce the risk of ESKD in women with adverse pregnancy outcomes is worthy of further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnant women with metabolic risk factors are at high risk of complications. We aimed to assess whether a Mediterranean-style diet reduces adverse pregnancy outcomes in high-risk women.Methods and Findings: We conducted a multicentre randomised trial in 5 maternity units (4 in London and 1 in Birmingham) between 12 September 2014 and 29 February 2016. We randomised inner-city pregnant women with metabolic risk factors (obesity, chronic hypertension, or hypertriglyceridaemia) to a Mediterranean-style diet with high intake of nuts, extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nonrefined grains, and legumes; moderate to high consumption of fish; low to moderate intake of poultry and dairy products; low intake of red and processed meat; and avoidance of sugary drinks, fast food, and food rich in animal fat versus usual care. Participants received individualised dietary advice at 18, 20, and 28 weeks' gestation. The primary endpoints were composite maternal (gestational diabetes or preeclampsia) and composite offspring (stillbirth, small for gestational age, or admission to neonatal care unit) outcomes prioritised by a Delphi survey. We used an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis with multivariable models and identified the stratification variables and prognostic factors a priori. We screened 7,950 and randomised 1,252 women. Baseline data were available for 593 women in the intervention (93.3% follow-up, 553/593) and 612 in the control (95.6% follow-up, 585/612) groups. Over a quarter of randomised women were primigravida (330/1,205; 27%), 60% (729/1,205) were of Black or Asian ethnicity, and 69% (836/1,205) were obese. Women in the intervention arm consumed more nuts (70.1% versus 22.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 6.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.3-10.6, p ≤ 0.001) and extra virgin olive oil (93.2% versus 49.0%; aOR 32.2, 95% CI 16.0-64.6, p ≤ 0.001) than controls; increased their intake of fish (p < 0.001), white meat (p < 0.001), and pulses (p = 0.05); and reduced their intake of red meat (p < 0.001), butter, margarine, and cream (p < 0.001). There was no significant reduction in the composite maternal (22.8% versus 28.6%; aOR 0.76, 95% CI 0.56-1.03, p = 0.08) or composite offspring (17.3% versus 20.9%; aOR 0.79, 95% CI 0.58-1.08, p = 0.14) outcomes. There was an apparent reduction in the odds of gestational diabetes by 35% (aOR 0.65, 95% CI 0.47-0.91, p = 0.01) but not in other individual components of the composite outcomes. Mothers gained less gestational weight (mean 6.8 versus 8.3 kg; adjusted difference -1.2 Kg, 95% CI -2.2 to -0.2, p = 0.03) with intervention versus control. There was no difference in any of the other maternal and offspring complications between both groups. When we pooled findings from the Effect of Simple, Targeted Diet in Pregnant Women With Metabolic Risk Factors on Pregnancy Outcomes (ESTEEM) trial with similar trials using random effects meta-analysis, we observed a significant reduction in gestational diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 0.67, 95% CI 0.53-0.84, I2 = 0%), with no heterogeneity (2 trials, 2,397 women). The study's limitations include the use of participant reported tools for adherence to the intervention instead of objective biomarkers.Conclusions: A simple, individualised, Mediterranean-style diet in pregnancy did not reduce the overall risk of adverse maternal and offspring complications but has the potential to reduce gestational weight gain and the risk of gestational diabetes.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02218931. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mild hyperbilirubinemia is inversely associated with cardiometabolic diseases in adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between neonatal serum bilirubin levels and childhood hypertension. Data were obtained from the U.S. Collaborative Perinatal Project conducted at 12 U.S. medical centers from 1959 to 1965. This multicenter study recruited participants before phototherapy was routinely used, thereby excluding the influence of phototherapy. In 37,544 newborns (31,819 term and 5,725 preterm births), a generalized linear model and a logistic regression model were used to calculate the linear coefficients and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of blood pressure and hypertension at 7 years of age based on neonatal serum bilirubin levels. No significant correlation was observed between serum bilirubin at 48 hours after birth and blood pressure at the age of 7 years in the whole study population and in the subgroup of term infants. In preterm infants, a lower total serum bilirubin and unconjugated bilirubin of 3 mg/dl were associated with a higher systolic blood pressure of 62 mmHg (0.38–0.86, p <0.001) and 0.70 mmHg (0.10–1.30, p <0.05) respectively. Relative to a total serum bilirubin level <3 mg/dl among preterm infants, total serum bilirubin levels of 3–6 mg/dl (adjusted OR 1.36; 95% CI: 0.98–1.89), 6–9 mg/dl (adjusted OR 1.35; 95% CI: 0.98–1.85), 9–12 mg/dl (adjusted OR 1.55; 95% CI: 1.10–2.19), and ≥12 mg/dl (adjusted OR 1.42; 95% CI: 1.01–2.00) were associated with higher risks of hypertension. After stratifying for the subtypes of bilirubin, the associations only existed for unconjugated bilirubin. In addition, consistent findings existed when using maximum neonatal serum bilirubin as an exposure factor. Neonatal serum bilirubin levels are positively associated with childhood blood pressure/hypertension in preterm infants. Our findings may shed some light on the role of bilirubin in the prevention of hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We described the medication use during pregnancy in the French population using the French Pregnancy Cohort (FPC). Methods: The FPC was built with the sampling of all pregnant women included in the French Echantillon généraliste des bénéficiaires (EGB), which is a 1/97th representative sample of the population covered by the French health insurance. The EGB includes anonymized information on the socio-demographic and medical characteristics of beneficiaries, and the health care services they have received such as diagnoses and procedure codes as well as data on filled reimbursed medication; EGB also includes data on hospital stays in all public and private French health facilities. Each filled prescription record contains information on drug brand and generic names, date of prescription and date of dispensing, quantity dispensed, mode of administration, duration of prescription, dosage, and prescribing physician specialty. FPC includes data on all pregnancies of women in the EGB (2010–2013). Date of entry in the FPC is the first day of pregnancy regardless of pregnancy outcome (spontaneous abortions or planned abortions (with or without medical reasons), deliveries), and data on women are collected retrospectively for a period of one year before pregnancy, and prospectively during pregnancy, and up to one year after delivery. The prevalence of prescribed medications before, during and after pregnancy was compared; comparison was also done between trimesters. Pregnancy outcomes are described and include spontaneous and planned abortions, livebirths, and stillbirths. Results: FPC includes data on 36,065 pregnancies. Among them, 27,253 (75.6%) resulted in a delivery including 201 stillbirths (0.7%). The total number of spontaneous abortions was 6,718 (18.6%), and planned abortions 2,094 (5.8%). The prevalence of filled medication use was 91.1%, 89.9%, and 95.6% before, during and after pregnancy, respectively. Although there was a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of use once the pregnancy was diagnosed (first trimester exposure, 76.4% vs. exposure in the year prior to pregnancy, 91.1% (p < .01)), post-pregnancy medication use was above the pre-pregnancy level (95.6%). Maternal depression was the most prevalent comorbidity during pregnancy (20%), and post-partum depression was higher in those who delivered a stillborn infant (38.8%) as well as in those with a spontaneous (19.5%) or planned abortion (22.4%) compared to those with a liveborn (12.0%). Conclusion: FPC is an excellent tool for the study of the risk and benefit of drug use during the perinatal period. FPC has the advantage of including a representative sample of French pregnant women, and study medications only available in France in addition to others available worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prenatal psychological stress may increase the risk of placental abruption (PA). This study aimed to clarify the effects of psychological distress during pregnancy and exposure to stressful life events in the year before or during pregnancy on the occurrence of PA in Japanese women. Methods: Using a nationwide prospective birth cohort study, we obtained data from 103,099 women between January 2011 and March 2014. Information on exposure to 14 stressful life events and psychological distress (Kessler 6 scale) was collected using a self-administered questionnaire during pregnancy. Clinical diagnoses of PA were obtained from medical records. A total of 80,799 women with singleton births were analyzed using logistic regression models that adjusted for possible confounders. Results: PA was diagnosed in 335 (0.4%) women. There was no significant difference in the Kessler 6 score during pregnancy between the PA group and non-PA group. Exposure to the death of a child in the year before or during pregnancy was significantly associated with PA in multigravid women (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.50–8.34). A spouse’s loss of employment was significantly associated with PA in parous women (aOR 3.25; 95% CI 1.40–7.56). Conclusions: This study identified the possible effects of exposure to the death of a child on PA occurrence that adjusted for important confounding factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Different methods are used to assess the growth of preterm infants during neonatal hospital stay. The primary objective was to compare two methods for assessing growth velocity: g/kg/d according to the Patel exponential model (EM) and change in weight z-score (ZS) according to Fenton curves. The secondary objective was to highlight factors influencing the level of agreement between the two methods. Methods: Preterm infants born before 33 weeks were included. Growth velocity was computed by EM and ZS methods and linear regression was used to predict what growth velocity by EM method would be obtained using the ZS method. Differences between EM growth velocity and EM growth velocity predicted by ZS method were then used to assess the level of agreement between the two methods. A difference between -2 and +2 g/kg/day was considered as fair agreement, greater than ± 4 g/kg/day as poor agreement, and as disagreement otherwise. Results: Among the 3954 children included, we observe a fair agreement in 2471 children (62.5%), a poor agreement in 1278 (32.3%) and a disagreement in 205 children (5.2%). Birth weight and gestational age explained 31% and 25%, respectively, of the variance in the difference between the two methods. Conclusions: In more than a third of enrolled children, the two methods for measuring growth velocity disagreed substantially. As variation of weight Z-score takes into account infant gestational age and gender, it could be more suitable to analyze a population of preterm infants with a wide range of gestational age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There is limited evidence on the effect of exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) in non-smoking pregnant mothers and infant health. We assessed the effects of maternal antenatal exposure to SHS on infant growth rate, and secondarily, on birth weight, birth length and head circumference at birth. Methods: In this prospective cohort, 305 mother-infant pairs were studied. Mothers filled out questionnaires about exposure to SHS in pregnancy at the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Infant anthropometry was performed at birth, day 7, and months 1, 2, 4, and 6, postnatally. Linear mixed modeling and linear regression were used to calculate growth rates over the first 6 months. The association between SHS-exposure with growth rate and birth sizes was assessed using multivariate linear regression adjusted for confounders, with SHS as both number of cigarettes and as groups (no exposure, SHS < 23 cigarettes, SHS ≥ 23 cigarettes). Results: Seventy-three mothers were not exposed and 232 were exposed. SHS exposure (per cigarette) was not related to gain in weight, length, head circumference, and weight for length. However, infants born to mothers exposed to ≥ 23 cigarettes/d had lower head circumference gain (-0.32 mm/m, 95% CI -0.60, -0.03) than those born to non-exposed mothers. SHS exposure (per cigarette) was not related to birth weight, length, and head circumference, but exposure to ≥ 23 cigarettes was related to lower head circumference at birth (-11.09 mm, -20.03, -2.16). Conclusions: Heavy antenatal exposure to SHS in non-smoking mothers results in reduced neonatal head circumference at birth and head circumference gain over the first 6 months of life. Our findings show no clear relations between exposure to SHS during pregnancy and other markers of neonatal growth and birth size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective evidence-based breastfeeding support interventions can bolster breastfeeding practices. This study investigated the effect of a multi-component breastfeeding support intervention delivered in hospital and home settings on six-month exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) relative to standard care. Methods: This is a parallel group, randomized clinical trial, in which 362 healthy pregnant women with singleton pregnancy were randomly allocated to a multi-component intervention that included antenatal breastfeeding education, professional, and peer support, delivered in hospital and home settings for six months (experimental, n = 174), or to standard care (control, n = 188). The primary outcome was six-month EBF rate. Secondary outcomes were exclusive and any breastfeeding rates at one and three months, maternal breastfeeding knowledge, attitude, and behavior at six months, and satisfaction with the intervention. Results: The crude six-month EBF rate was similar in both groups (35.2% vs. 28.1% in the experimental and control groups, respectively, p = 0·16). In adjusted analysis, six-month exclusivity was twice as likely in the experimental group relative to standard care (OR = 2.02; 95%CI: 1.20 to 3.39); whereas the odds for any breastfeeding were similar. Participants compliant with all three components were six times more likely to practice EBF for six months relative to standard care (OR = 6.63; 95% CI: 3.03 to 14.51). Breastfeeding knowledge of the experimental group, at six months, was significantly improved compared to the control. No changes were observed in breastfeeding attitude or behavior. Conclusions: Combining education with peer and professional breastfeeding support improved six-month breastfeeding exclusivity and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem that affects millions of women worldwide and can occur during both pregnancy and the perinatal period. We aimed to evaluate if the experience of psychological and physical intimate partner violence (IPV) adversely affects pregnancy outcomes. We established a cohort of 779 consecutive mothers receiving antenatal care including ultrasound and giving birth in 15 public hospitals, drawn using cluster sampling of all obstetric services in Andalusia, Spain (February-June 2010). Trained midwives gathered IPV data using the Index of Spouse Abuse validated in the Spanish language (score ranges: 0–100, higher scores reflect more severe IPV; cut-offs: physical IPV = 10, psychological IPV = 25). Socio-demographic data, including lack of kin support, maternal outcomes, and hospitalization were collected. Multivariate logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (AOR), with 95% confidence intervals (CI), of the relationship between psychological and physical IPV and maternal outcomes, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. Response rate was 92.2%. Psychological IPV, reported by 21.0% (n = 151), was associated significantly with urinary tract infection (127 (23%) vs 56 (37%); AOR = 1.9; 95%CI = 1.2–3.0), vaginal infection (30 (5%) vs 20 (13%); AOR = 2.4; 95%CI = 1.2–4.7) and spontaneous preterm labour (32 (6%) vs 19 (13%); AOR = 2.2; 95%CI = 1.1–4.5). Physical IPV, reported by 3.6% (n = 26), was associated with antenatal hospitalizations (134 (19%) vs 11 (42%); AOR = 2.6; 95%CI = 1.0–7.1). Lack of kin support was associated with spontaneous preterm labour (AOR = 4.7; 95%CI = 1.7–12.8). Mothers with IPV have higher odds of complications. Obstetricians, gynaecologists and midwives should act as active screeners, particularly of the undervalued psychological IPV, to reduce or remedy its effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether exposure to hyperemesis gravidarum (hyperemesis) is associated with subsequent maternal cardiovascular morbidity. Design: Nationwide cohort study. Setting: Medical Birth Registry of Norway (1967–2002) linked to the nationwide Cardiovascular Disease in Norway project 1994–2009 (CVDNOR) and the Cause of Death Registry. Population: Women in Norway with singleton births from 1967 to 2002, with and without hyperemesis, were followed up with respect to cardiovascular outcomes from 1994 to 2009. Methods: Cox proportional hazards regression model was applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Main outcome measures: The first hospitalisation due to nonfatal stroke, myocardial infarction or angina pectoris, or cardiovascular death. Results: Among 989 473 women with singleton births, 13 212 (1.3%) suffered from hyperemesis. During follow-up, a total of 43 482 (4.4%) women experienced a cardiovascular event. No association was found between hyperemesis and the risk of a fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular event (adjusted HR 1.08; 95% CI 0.99–1.18). Women with hyperemesis had higher risk of hospitalisation due to angina pectoris (adjusted HR 1.28; 95% CI 1.15–1.44). The risk of cardiovascular death was lower among hyperemetic women in age-adjusted analysis (HR 0.73; 95% CI 0.59–0.91), but the association was no longer significant when adjusting for possible confounders. Conclusion: Women with a history of hyperemesis did not have increased risk of a cardiovascular event (nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke, angina pectoris or cardiovascular death) compared to women without. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We investigated whether the extent of fetal growth restriction (FGR) in terms of not only birth weight but length and head circumference at birth is correlated with an increased risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Study design: A total of 4,940 very low birth weight (VLBW) infants born between 23 and 31 weeks of gestation from 2013 to 2015 who were registered in the Korean Neonatal Network (KNN) database were enrolled. Infants with major congenital malformations and those with incomplete data were excluded. Z-scores for weight, length, and head circumference at birth were calculated from the Fenton 2013 growth curve. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether the z-score for length at birth was associated with BPD or death before 36 postmenstrual weeks. Results: A total of 4,662 VLBW infants were analyzed: 518 infants died before 36 postmenstrual weeks; 1,388 infants developed BPD. Decreased length at birth z-scores were significantly associated with an increased risk of BPD or death when adjusted for covariates (odds ratio (OR) 1.25 per 1-point decrease of length at birth z-score, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14–1.37). The association was particularly evident in infants born earlier than 29 weeks of gestation (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.31–1.89 in infants born at 23–25 weeks; OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.09–1.42 in infants born at 26–28 weeks). Conclusion: Length at birth was inversely associated with an increased risk of BPD or death in VLBW infants born earlier than 32 weeks of gestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adherence clubs, where groups of 25-30 patients who are virally suppressed on antiretroviral therapy (ART) meet for counseling and medication pickup, represent an innovative model to retain patients in care and facilitate task-shifting. This intervention replaces traditional clinical care encounters with a 1-hour group session every 2-3 months, and can be organized at a clinic or a community venue. We performed a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to compare loss from club-based care between community- and clinic-based adherence clubs.Methods and Findings: Patients on ART with undetectable viral load at Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, were randomized 1:1 to a clinic- or community-based adherence club. Clubs were held every other month. All participants received annual viral load monitoring and medical exam at the clinic. Participants were referred back to clinic-based standard care if they missed a club visit and did not pick up ART medications within 5 days, had 2 consecutive late ART medication pickups, developed a disqualifying (excluding) comorbidity, or had viral rebound. From February 12, 2014, to May 31, 2015, we randomized 775 eligible adults into 12 pairs of clubs-376 (49%) into clinic-based clubs and 399 (51%) into community-based clubs. Characteristics were similar by arm: 65% female, median age 38 years, and median CD4 count 506 cells/mm3. Overall, 47% (95% CI 44%-51%) experienced the primary outcome of loss from club-based care. Among community-based club participants, the cumulative proportion lost from club-based care was 52% (95% CI 47%-57%), compared to 43% (95% CI 38%-48%, p = 0.002) among clinic-based club participants. The risk of loss to club-based care was higher among participants assigned to community-based clubs than among those assigned to clinic-based clubs (adjusted hazard ratio 1.38, 95% CI 1.02-1.87, p = 0.032), after accounting for sex, age, nationality, time on ART, baseline CD4 count, and employment status. Among those who were lost from club-based care (n = 367), the most common reason was missing a club visit and the associated ART medication pickup entirely (54%, 95% CI 49%-59%), and was similar by arm (p = 0.086). Development of an excluding comorbidity occurred in 3% overall of those lost from club-based care, and was not different by arm (p = 0.816); no deaths occurred in either arm during club-based care. Viral rebound occurred in 13% of those lost from community club-based care and 21% of those lost from clinic-based care (p = 0.051). In post hoc secondary analysis, among those referred to standard care, 72% (95% CI 68%-77%) reengaged in clinic-based care within 90 days of their club-based care discontinuation date. The main limitations of the trial are the lack of a comparison group receiving routine clinic-based standard care and the potential limited generalizability due to the single-clinic setting.Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that overall loss from an adherence club intervention was high in this setting and that, importantly, it was worse in community-based adherence clubs compared to those based at the clinic. We urge caution in assuming that the effectiveness of clinic-based interventions will carry over to community settings, without a better understanding of patient-level factors associated with successful retention in care.Trial Registration: Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR201602001460157). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between pregnancy-specific anxiety and elective cesarean section, and identify the critical period in which pregnancy-specific anxiety will affect the elective cesarean section. Primiparous women in the 1st trimester of pregnancy were invited to participate in the cohort. General information on maternal socio-demographic characteristics and environmental exposure were collected using questionnaires. Pregnancy-specific anxiety was assessed by using pregnancy-specific anxiety questionnaire in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester, respectively. Delivery modes and pregnancy complications were abstracted from medical notes. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was adopted to examine the relationship between pregnancy-specific anxiety and elective cesarean section. Results indicated the overall elective cesarean section rate in this study was 45%. Among 1 874 pregnant women, 30.9% women experienced anxiety at least once during pregnancy, and 6.9% women suffered from anxiety in all three trimesters. Anxiety in the 2nd trimester was a significant predictor for elective cesarean section. Young maternal age and low educational level had indirect effects on women’s choice of elective caesarean section through affecting pregnancy-specific anxiety. More attention should be paid to maternal psychological problems, and professional counseling needs to be strengthened to protect women from pregnancy-specific anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim is to evaluate and characterize cardiovascular autonomic control and baroreflex function and their response to an orthostatic stressor in the second trimester of pregnancy via time, frequency, information and symbolic analyses. Methods: We evaluated 22 women at 18 weeks of pregnancy, labeled as pregnant group (PG) (30.8±4.4 years), and 22 non-pregnant women (29.8±5.4 years), labeled as control group (CG). Electrocardiogram, non-invasive photoplethysmographic arterial pressure (AP) and respiratory signals were recorded at rest at left lateral decubitus (REST) and during active standing (STAND) for 10 minutes. The heart period (HP) variability and systolic AP (SAP) variability were assessed in the frequency domain. High frequency (HF) and low frequency (LF) spectral indexes were computed. Nonlinear indexes such as symbolic markers (0V%, 1V%, 2LV% and 2UV% indexes), Shannon entropy (SE) and normalized complexity index (NCI) were calculated as well. Baroreflex control was assessed by cross-spectral HP-SAP analysis. We computed baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), HP-SAP squared coherence (K2) and phase in LF and HF bands. Results: At REST, the PG had lower mean, variance and HF power of HP series and lower K2(LF), BRS(LF) and BRS(HF) than the CG. During STAND, CG and PG decreased the mean, CI, NCI and 2UV% and increased 0V% of the HP series and augmented the SAP variance. LFabs of SAP series increased during STAND solely in CG. BRS(HF) was reduced during in both PG and CG, while HFabs of HP series did not diminish during STAND either in PG or CG. Complexity of the autonomic control was similar in PG and CG regardless of the experimental condition. Conclusion: We conclude that the second trimester of pregnancy was characterized by a lower parasympathetic modulation and reduced BRS at REST, preserved complexity of cardiac and vascular controls, limited sympathetic response to STAND and general conservation of the baroreflex responses to posture changes. Trial registration: Begistro Brasileiro de Ensaios clínicos, Number: . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is today universally diagnosed during late pregnancy. Treating hyperglycaemia during pregnancy reduces the risk of complications, the effect of interventions is however limited due to the late diagnosis. It is thus important to identify biomarkers reaching a high precision for GDM development in early pregnancy. Here we aim to investigate soluble CD163 (sCD163) and soluble tumour necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK) in early pregnancy GDM and their association to the development of later glucose intolerance. In this case-control study, women diagnosed with GDM in early pregnancy (n = 70) at Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden in 2011–2015 were age- and BMI matched to pregnant volunteers without diabetes (n = 70) recruited in early pregnancy from maternal health care centres in 2014–2015. Plasma levels of sCD163 and sTWEAK were analysed using commercial ELISA. Plasma levels of sCD163 did not differ between patients with and without GDM in early pregnancy (p = 0.86), plasma levels of sTWEAK however was decreased in women with GDM (0.71 [0.4–1.75] ng/ml) compared to controls (1.38 [0.63–4.86] ng/ml; p = 0.003). Women with sTWEAK levels in the lowest tertile had an increased risk of GDM in early pregnancy (p = 0.014). Neither sCD163 nor sTWEAK were associated with later glucose intolerance in women with GDM. This study reports decreased levels of sTWEAK in women with early pregnancy GDM, independent of age and BMI. Neither sCD163 nor sTWEAK were found to be associated to later glucose intolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Antepartum depression is a contributing factor for adverse maternal and perinatal outcome. The study aimed to assess the antepartum depressive symptoms in selected public health facilities of Nepal. Methodology: This is a mixed-method cross-sectional study that included 143 pregnant women attending the antenatal checkup in four public health facilities of Kathmandu. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) tool with cut-off score > = 10 was used to assess the antepartum depressive symptoms. Bivariate and multivariable analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with the depressive symptoms. Further semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 pregnant women identified with the depressive symptoms. Result: Of the total 143 pregnant women, 26 (18%, CI at 95% 12.6–25.5) reported depressive symptoms. Multivariable analysis reported higher odds of antepartum depressive-symptoms with health problem, early gestational age, sex preference, and spousal alcohol intake. Thematic analysis of qualitative data further revealed participants’ apprehension on; birth outcome, a family expectation of male child, inadequate support from the family/husband and disturbed family environment. Conclusion: Notable proportion of pregnant women were reported with antepartum depressive symptoms. Women’s perception on patriarchal values for childbirth was revealed to be important factor for the depressive symptoms. The study draws an attention to a need for screening for antepartum depression into primary health care system. Strengthening ongoing efforts on gender equity could contribute the psychological well-being of pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2015, approximately 42,000 women died as a result of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy worldwide; over 99% of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this paper is to describe the incidence and characteristics of eclampsia and related complications from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy across 10 low- and middle-income geographical regions in 8 countries, in relation to magnesium sulfate availability.Methods and Findings: This is a secondary analysis of a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Haiti. This trial implemented a novel vital sign device and training package in routine maternity care with the aim of reducing a composite outcome of maternal mortality and morbidity. Institutional-level consent was obtained, and all women presenting for maternity care were eligible for inclusion. Data on eclampsia, stroke, admission to intensive care with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, and maternal death from a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy were prospectively collected from routine data sources and active case finding, together with data on perinatal outcomes in women with these outcomes. In 536,233 deliveries between 1 April 2016 and 30 November 2017, there were 2,692 women with eclampsia (0.5%). In total 6.9% (n = 186; 3.47/10,000 deliveries) of women with eclampsia died, and a further 51 died from other complications of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (0.95/10,000). After planned adjustments, the implementation of the CRADLE intervention was not associated with any significant change in the rates of eclampsia, stroke, or maternal death or intensive care admission with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. Nearly 1 in 5 (17.9%) women with eclampsia, stroke, or a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy causing intensive care admission or maternal death experienced a stillbirth or neonatal death. A third of eclampsia cases (33.2%; n = 894) occurred in women under 20 years of age, 60.0% in women aged 20-34 years (n = 1,616), and 6.8% (n = 182) in women aged 35 years or over. Rates of eclampsia varied approximately 7-fold between sites (range 19.6/10,000 in Zambia Centre 1 to 142.0/10,000 in Sierra Leone). Over half (55.1%) of first eclamptic fits occurred in a health-care facility, with the remainder in the community. Place of first fit varied substantially between sites (from 5.9% in the central referral facility in Sierra Leone to 85% in Uganda Centre 2). On average, magnesium sulfate was available in 74.7% of facilities (range 25% in Haiti to 100% in Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe). There was no detectable association between magnesium sulfate availability and the rate of eclampsia across sites (p = 0.12). This analysis may have been influenced by the selection of predominantly urban and peri-urban settings, and by collection of only monthly data on availability of magnesium sulfate, and is limited by the lack of demographic data in the population of women delivering in the trial areas.Conclusions: The large variation in eclampsia and maternal and neonatal fatality from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy between countries emphasises that inequality and inequity persist in healthcare for women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Alongside the growing interest in improving community detection and health education for these disorders, efforts to improve quality of care within healthcare facilities are key. Strategies to prevent eclampsia should be informed by local data.Trial Registration: ISRCTN: 41244132. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The preterm birth rate is rising in high-income countries and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Although the risks increase with greater prematurity and risk factors have been found to vary with gestational age and labour onset, few studies have focused on the myriad pathways to extreme preterm birth (20–27 weeks’ gestation). The current study investigated trends in extreme preterm birth by labour onset type and examined the antecedent risks to further our understanding around the identification of high-risk pregnancies. Methods: Retrospective cohort study including all singleton extreme preterm births in Western Australia between 1986 and 2010. De-identified data from six core population health datasets were linked and used to ascertain extreme preterm births (excluding medical terminations and birth defects) after spontaneous onset of labour, preterm pre-labour rupture of membranes, and medically indicated labour onset. Trends over time in extreme preterm birth were analysed using linear regression. Multivariable regression techniques were used to assess the relative risks associated with each salient, independent risk factor and to calculate Population Attributable Risks (PARs). Results: The extreme preterm birth rate including medical terminations and birth defects significantly increased over time whereas the extreme preterm birth rate excluding medical terminations and birth defects did not change. After medical terminations and birth defects were excluded, the rate of medically indicated extreme preterm births significantly increased over time whereas the rate of preterm pre-labour rupture of membranes extreme preterm births significantly reduced, and the rate of spontaneous extreme preterm births did not significantly change. In the multivariate analyses, factors associated with placental dysfunction accounted for >10% of the population attributable risk within each labour onset type. Conclusions: First study to show that the increase in extreme preterm birth in high-income jurisdiction is no longer evident after medical terminations and birth defects are excluded. Interventions that identify and target women at risk of placental dysfunction presents the greatest opportunity to reduce extreme preterm births. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal health still remains a major challenge in almost all developing countries. In Myanmar, the country met only 62% of its target for the maternal mortality rate (130 per 100,000 live birth) even though proportion of skilled birth attendant (SBA) and antenatal care (ANC) coverage was 80% in 2015. Despite the estimated large maternal complications, most maternal healthcare program ignored the burden of those morbidity because of limited understanding of the incidence and prevalence of morbidity conditions and cost of those morbidity burdens on society. The present study provides a general idea of the scope of obstetric complication, incidence of obstetric complication, and cost of those morbidity burdens on society. We conducted a retrospective incidence-based cost of illness study related to obstetric complication from the healthcare system perspective at 25 bedded township hospital in Yedashae during the fiscal year of 2015–2016. For the cost of obstetric complication, average treatment cost was 26.83 USD (±8.59). When looking by disease category, average treatment cost for incomplete abortion was 35.45 USD (±1.75); pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) was 16.01 USD; pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) was 21.02 USD (±4.68); ante-partum hemorrhage (APH) was 14.24(± 0.25); post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) was 27.04 USD (±1.56); prolonged labor was 37.55 USD (±0.42); and septicemia was 16.51 USD (±2.15). Significant predicting variables in obstetric complication cost model were incomplete abortion, prolonged labor, post-partum hemorrhage (PPH), pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), patient age and septicemia. From this study, we can summarize the most frequently occurred obstetric complication in that township area, actual cost burden of those complications and obstetric complication cost model which can be useful for hospital financial management. This study can be considered as a starting point for cost of illness analysis in Myanmar to prioritize and target specific health problem at a country level for policy maker to set priorities for health care intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preterm birth continues to be an important problem in modern obstetrics and a large public health concern and is related to increased risk for neonatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the data in the literature to determine the relationships between mode of delivery (cesarean section and vaginal birth) in the first pregnancy and the risk of subsequent preterm birth from a multi-year population based cohorts (PROSPERO registration number: 42018090788). Five electronic databases were searched. Observational studies that provided mode of delivery and subsequent preterm birth were eligible. Ten cohort studies, involving 10333501 women, were included in this study. Compared with vaginal delivery, women delivering by previous cesarean section had a significantly higher risk of preterm birth in subsequent births (RR 1.10, 95%CI 1.01–1.20). After adjusting confounding factors, there was still statistical significance (aRR 1.12, 95%CI 1.01–1.24). However, both before and after adjustment, there was no difference among very preterm birth (RR 1.14, 95%CI 0.90–1.43; aRR 1.16, 95%CI 0.80–1.68; respectively). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis that suggests previous cesarean section could increase the risk of preterm birth in subsequent pregnancies. The result could provide policy makers, clinicians, and expectant parents to reduce the occurrence of unnecessary cesarean section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy (HDP) complicate about 10% of pregnancies. It accounts to 50% of maternal death in sub-Saharan Africa and precedes 15% of perinatal deaths worldwide. In this study, we looked at the perinatal outcomes and factors associated with unfavorable perinatal outcomes among women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy at Wolaita Sodo teaching and referral hospital, southern Ethiopia. Methods: A hospital based retrospective cross-sectional study design was employed among women hospitalized for hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. Socio-demographic, obstetrics, clinical laboratory, pregnancy complications and outcome were checked from patient records. Descriptive statistics were used to describe parameters collected from patient records. Bivariate and multiple logistic regressions were done to determine factors associated with unfavorable perinatal outcome. A P-value of less than 0.05 and 95% confidence interval not including 1 were considered statically significant. Results: There were 168 (2.3%) cases of HDP of the total 7, 347 deliveries during the period of the study from January 2014-December 2016. 72.5% of mothers (72.5%) had vaginal delivery and 26.1% had Caesarean Section. This study revealed a perinatal mortality rate of 111.1 per 1000 live births. On bivariate logistic regression variables such as referral status, diastolic blood pressure, ANC use, types of HDP, fetal weight at birth, maternal complication and maternal outcome were found to be associated with unfavorable perinatal outcomes. On multiple logistic regression fetal weight at birth and maternal outcome were found to be an independent predictors of unfavorable perinatal outcome. Conclusion: Our study shows higher perinatal mortality in a tertiary hospital where emergency obstetric and newborn care is set and quality obstetric care is expected. However, tertiary facilities manage difficult cases which can explain the high PMR. But it is high which means there is enough room for improvement. Hence, the referral hospital and neighboring health facilities should give due emphasis for early detection and management of women with HDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Births by cesarean section (CS) usually require longer recovery time, and as a result women remain hospitalized longer following CS than vaginal delivery (VD). A number of strategies have been proposed to reduce avoidable health care costs associated with childbirth. Among these, the containment of length of hospital stay (LoS) has been identified as an important quality indicator of obstetric care and performance efficiency of maternity centres. Since improvement of obstetric care at hospital level needs quantitative evidence, we compared the maternity services of an Italian region on LoS post CS. Methods: We conducted a population-based study in Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), a region of North-Eastern Italy, collecting data from all its 12 maternity centres (coded from A to K) during 2005–2015. We fitted a multivariable logistic regression using LoS as a binary outcome, higher/lower than the international early discharge (ED) cutoffs for CS (4 days), controlling for hospitals as well as several factors related to the clinical conditions of the mothers and the newborn, the obstetric history and socio-demographic background. Results were expressed as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Population attributable risks (PARs) were also calculated as proportional variation of LoS>ED for each hospital in the ideal scenario of having the same performance as centre J (the reference) during calendar year 2015. Results were expressed as PAR with 95%CI. Differences in mean LoS were also investigated with a multivariable linear regression model including the same explanatory factors of the above multiple logistic regression. Results were expressed as adjusted regression coefficients (aRC) with 95%CI. Results: Although decreasing over the years (5.0 ± 1.7 days in 2005 vs. 4.4 ± 1.7 days in 2015), the pooled mean LoS in the whole FVG during these 11 years was still 4.7 ± 1.7 days, higher than respective international ED benchmark. The significant decreasing trend of LoS>ED over time in FVG (aOR = 0.89; 95%CI: 0.88; 0.90) was marginal as compared to the variability of LoS>ED observed among the various maternity services. Regardless it was expressed as aRC or aOR, LoS after CS was lowest in hospital C, highest in hospital D and intermediate in centres I, K, G, F, A, H, E, B and J (in descending order). The aOR of LoS being longer than ED ranged from 1.63 (95%CI:1.46; 1.81) in hospital B up to 32.09 (95%CI: 25.68; 40.10) in facility D. When hospitals were ranked by PAR the same pattern was found, even if restricting the analysis to low risk pregnancies. Conclusions: Although significantly decreasing over time, the mean LoS in FVG during 2005–2015 was 4.7 days, higher than the international threshold recommended for CS. There was substantial variability in LoS by facility centre, suggesting that internal organizational processes of single hospitals should be improved by enforcing standardized guidelines and using audits, economic incentives and penalties if need be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a serious cardiac disorder occurring late in pregnancy or early in the postpartum period. We examined associations between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP: preeclampsia and gestational hypertension) and PPCM, accounting for other pregnancy-related risk factors for PPCM. Methods: Using nationwide Danish register data, we constructed a cohort of all women with ≥1 live birth or stillbirth in Denmark between 1978 and 2012. Using log-linear binomial regression and generalized estimating equations, we estimated risk ratios (RRs) for PPCM associated with HDP of varying severity. Results: In a cohort of 1,088,063 women with 2,078,822 eligible pregnancies, 126 women developed PPCM (39 in connection with an HDP-complicated pregnancy). The risks of PPCM were significantly higher in women with HDP-complicated pregnancies than in women with normotensive pregnancies (severe preeclampsia, RR 21.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 12.0–37.4; moderate preeclampsia, RR 10.2, 95% CI 6.18–16.9; gestational hypertension, RR 5.16, 95% CI 2.11–12.6). The RRs for moderate preeclampsia and gestational hypertension were not significantly different from one another (p = 0.18); the RR for severe preeclampsia was significantly different from the RR for moderate preeclampsia and gestational hypertension combined (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Although 70% of PPCM occurred in women with normotensive pregnancies, HDPs were associated with substantial increases in PPCM risk that depended on HDP severity. The heart’s capacity to adapt to a normal pregnancy may be exceeded in some women already susceptible to cardiac insult, contributing to PPCM. HDPs, severe preeclampsia in particular, probably represent an additional cardiac stressor during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a meta-data analysis exploring the interrelationship between maternal body mass index, gestational weight gain, and the risk of being overweight or obese throughout childhood, using data taken from Europe, North America, and Australia.. Topics explored include US Institute of Medicine,, individual participant data, Maternal Obesity and Childhood Outcomes; odds ratio, population attributable risk fraction, standard deviation score, and World Health Organization

Introduction: At the end of 2015, the first cases of Zika were identified in southern Mexico. During 2016, Zika spread as an outbreak to a large part of the country's coastal zones. Methodology: The Zika epidemiological surveillance system records cases with clinical symptoms of Zika virus disease (ZVD) and those confirmed by means of a reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. This report includes the suspected and confirmed cases from 2016. Incidence rates were estimated by region and in pregnant women based on the proportion of confirmed cases. Results: In total, 43,725 suspected cases of ZVD were reported. The overall incidence of suspected cases of ZVD was 82.0 per 100,000 individuals and 25.3 per 100,000 Zika cases. There were 4,168 pregnant women with suspected symptoms of ZVD, of which infection was confirmed in 1,082 (26%). The estimated incidence rate of ZVD for pregnant women nationwide was 186.1 positive Zika cases per 100,000 pregnant women. Conclusions: The incidence of Zika in Mexico is higher than that reported previously in the National System of Epidemiological Surveillance. Positive cases of Zika must be estimated and reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lead toxicity is a cause of intellectual disability in children and majority of affected children live in developing countries. Its adverse effect on pregnancy outcome has also been documented. Objectives: To assess the relationship between maternal blood lead levels and umbilical cord blood lead levels in their corresponding newborn infants; to determine factors associated with high blood lead levels and the pregnancy outcome in participants. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out at a tertiary Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Four hundred and forty pregnant women and their respective newborns delivered at the study centre. Blood samples were obtained from the mothers and umbilical cord of the newborns at delivery and analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Socio-demographic and obstetric data was obtained by questionnaires administered to the mothers. The anthropometric measurements of the babies were taken at birth and clinical data recorded. Main outcome measures were blood lead levels in mother and baby pair, socio-demographic factors, birth weight, gestational age, length, occipito-frontal circumference. Results: The median maternal and umbilical blood lead level was 64.3μg/dl and 39.2μg/dl respectively. The levels were above 5μg/dl in 75.6% and 66.8% of mothers and umbilical cord respectively. There was a strong positive correlation between the maternal and umbilical cord blood lead levels (rs = 0.80). Use of calcium supplements during pregnancy was significantly associated with a lower maternal blood lead level (p = 0.010) while recent painting and renovation of residential accommodation were associated with a higher umbilical cord blood lead level (p = 0.025). There were no statistically significant associations between the maternal and umbilical cord blood lead levels and the gestational age and anthropometry of the newborns at birth. Conclusions: The blood lead levels in newborns of women residing in Lagos, Nigeria are high and administration of antenatal calcium is associated with lower blood lead levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to investigate the values and the changes of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cardiac troponin in pregnant women. Methods and results: We prospectively collected the data of 405 pregnant women who were treated at Japanese general hospital between 2012 and 2013. We analyzed their laboratory data and echocardiographic findings during the third trimester (28–30 weeks’ gestation) and within 4 days of delivery. In addition, we evaluated the factors associated with elevation of BNP and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels. The pregnant women were 33.8 ± 5.0 years old and the prevalence of pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and placental abnormality was 4.2% and 2.5%, respectively. BNP levels increased after delivery (13.2 pg/mL vs. 23.5 pg/mL; P <0.001), correlated with increased left ventricular diastolic dimension (P = 0.035), left atrial dimension (P <0.001), and decreased hemoglobin (P <0.001). Moreover, cTnI levels increased to over 0.015 ng/mL after delivery in 4.0% of pregnant women. In multivariate analysis, PIH (OR: 18.71, P = 0.003), placental abnormality (OR: 26.78, P = 0.007), and decreased hemoglobin after delivery (OR: 2.59, P <0.001) were the factors associated with elevated cTnI. Conclusions: BNP levels increased in association with cardiac chamber enlargement and decreased hemoglobin after delivery. Additionally, the factors affecting elevated cTnI levels were related to labor and delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association between maternal BMI>50kg/m2 during pregnancy and maternal and perinatal outcomes. Materials and methods: An international cohort study was conducted using data from separate national studies in the UK and Australia. Outcomes of pregnant women with BMI>50 were compared to those of pregnant women with BMI<50. Multivariable logistic regression estimated the association between BMI>50 and perinatal and maternal outcomes. Results: 932 pregnant women with BMI>50 were compared with 1232 pregnant women with BMI<50. Pregnant women with BMI>50 were slightly older, more likely to be multiparous, and have pre-existing comorbidities. There were no maternal deaths, however, extremely obese women had a nine-fold increase in the odds of thrombotic events compared to those with a BMI<50 (uOR: 9.39 (95%CI:1.15–76.43)). After adjustment, a BMI>50 during pregnancy had significantly raised odds of preeclampsia/eclampsia (aOR:4.88(95%CI: 3.11–7.65)), caesarean delivery (aOR: 2.77 (95%CI: 2.31–3.32)), induction of labour (aOR: 2.45(95% CI:2.00–2.99)) post caesarean wound infection (aOR:7.25(95%CI: 3.28–16.07)), macrosomia (aOR: 8.05(95%CI: 4.70–13.78)) compared a BMI<50. Twelve of the infants born to women in the extremely obese cohort died in the early neonatal period or were stillborn. Conclusions: Pregnant women with BMI>50 have a high risk of inferior maternal and perinatal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Twins with discordant growth have increased risks of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Previous studies have identified a number of risk factors for inter-twin birth weight discordance, yet no study has examined the effect of maternal hepatitis C infection. Methods: We used the twin birth records extracted from the 2011 to 2015 United States birth records created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outcome variable of this study was inter-twin birth weight discordance, defined as [(birth weight of larger twin–birth weight of smaller twin) / birth weight of larger twin]. The independent association of hepatitis C infection with birth weight discordance was examined using the gamma regression or log binomial regression, adjusted by potential confounders. Results: Of the 270,256 twin pairs included in the final analysis, 850 (0.31%) had positive hepatitis C. Compared to mothers without hepatitis C, mothers with hepatitis C positive tended to have higher risk of birth weight discordance, but with no statistical significance. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, hepatitis C positive became a significant risk factor for birth weight discordance >25% (relative risk 1.14, 95% confidence interval 1.02−1.29). Sensitivity analyses (by treating birth weight discordance as a continuous outcome or dichotomizing into by different cutoffs) yielded similar results, with relative risks ranging from 1.07 to 1.12 (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Maternal hepatitis C positive is associated with inter-twin birth weight discordance, an important adverse infant outcome in twin pregnancies, although the effect size is small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is major complication of maternal-fetal outcomes in obstetric field. Although HDP is mainly defined by high blood pressure, the information about the relationship between prehypertension (preHTN, 120-139mmHg and 80-89mmHg) and HDP development is limited. The objective of this study is to determine the usefulness of preHTN before 20 weeks gestation and uterine artery (UtA) Doppler velocimetry as a predictor of HDP. A total of 2039 singleton pregnant women who had received continuous prenatal care were included in this study. The participants were classified into 2 groups based on the highest blood pressure (BP) under 20 gestational weeks as defined by the Joint National Committee 7: Normotensive (n = 1816) and preHTN pregnant women (n = 223). All preHTN pregnant women were assessed using UtA Doppler velocimetry, and the numbers of preHTN assessments were recorded. The risk of HDP was assessed in the PreHTN groups through patient history and Doppler velocimetry. Compared to normotensive patients, a total of 223 preHTN patients had a higher risk of preeclampsia (OR: 2.3; CI: 1.2–4.3), gestational hypertension (OR: 3.3; CI: 2.0–5.4) and any HDP (OR: 3.0; CI: 2.0–4.5). In the preHTN group, 134 (60.1%) patients had preHTN measured at least twice and 89 (39.9%) patients had preHTN. The results showed that two or more preHTN measurements have high sensitivity for predicting HDP (OR: 1.9; CI: 1.0–3.1; sensitivity: 83.8%; specificity: 47.2%). Additionally, the combination of abnormal UtA Doppler velocimetry results and at least two preHTN measurements showed a high accuracy in predicting HDP (OR: 2.9; CI: 1.1–4.1; sensitivity: 67.6%; specificity: 98.4%). In conclusion, close BP monitoring and recording of every preHTN event are important for pregnant women with preHTN history, and UtA Doppler examination in those women during the 2nd trimester can be a further aid in determining the risk of HDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Denmark, the cesarean section rate has increased by 49% between 1998 and 2015 and accounts for 21% of all births. Cesarean sections may cause short- as well as long-term consequences for both the mother and the child and impose further risks in future pregnancies. Delaying pregnancy until advanced maternal age at childbirth has been suggested as contributing to the increase. The proportion of women giving birth at 35 years or above increased from 15% (1998) to 21% (2015). Advanced maternal age at childbirth has been found to be related to increased pre-pregnancy morbidity and associated risk factors that may contribute to an increased risk of cesarean section. The aim of this study was to examine the association between advanced maternal age and cesarean section in a Danish population and the influence of demographic, anthropometric, health, and obstetric factors on this association. Methods: This study draws on a national population-based cohort study of all Danish births between 1998 and 2015 (N = 1,122,964). Maternal age less than 30 years serves as reference with the following age categories: (30–34 years); (35–39 years), and (40 years and above). The primary outcome was a cesarean section. Multivariate regression models with adjustment for demographic, health, pregnancy, fetal, and obstetric characteristics were performed with the results further stratified by parity. Results: In general, a positive association between advanced maternal age and cesarean section was found. Only minor changes in the risk estimate occurred after adjustment for relevant confounders. In comparison with the reference category, nulliparous women aged 35-39- years had twice the risk for cesarean section (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) [2.11–2.26]) whereas for women of 40 years or above, the risk was more than tripled (AOR 3.64, 95% CI [3.41–3.90]). For multiparous women aged 35-39-years the risk was more moderate, but still with an AOR of 1.56, 95% CI [1.53–1.60], and for those 40 years and above, the AOR was 2.02, 95% CI [1.92–2.09]. Conclusions: Overall, cesarean section increased with increasing maternal age. Adjustment for maternal and obstetric risk factors had only a minor influence on the association. The association was stronger in nulliparous women compared to multiparous women. Given the lack of impact of demographic and health risks on the relationship between maternal age and cesarean section, the authors suggest obstetric culture could be added to the list of risk factors for a cesarean. Future research on obstetric culture is recommended as are studies on a possible age-related decrease in the ability to maintain the progression of labor. Trial registration: The study uses depersonalized register data and has been approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency (2015-41-4168). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence derived from human clinical studies and experimental animal models shows a causal relationship between adverse pregnancy and increased cardiovascular disease in the adult offspring. However, translational studies isolating mechanisms to design intervention are lacking. Sheep and humans share similar precocial developmental milestones in cardiovascular anatomy and physiology. We tested the hypothesis in sheep that maternal treatment with antioxidants protects against fetal growth restriction and programmed hypertension in adulthood in gestation complicated by chronic fetal hypoxia, the most common adverse consequence in human pregnancy. Using bespoke isobaric chambers, chronically catheterized sheep carrying singletons underwent normoxia or hypoxia (10% oxygen [O2]) ± vitamin C treatment (maternal 200 mg.kg−1 IV daily) for the last third of gestation. In one cohort, the maternal arterial blood gas status, the value at which 50% of the maternal hemoglobin is saturated with oxygen (P50), nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, oxidative stress, and antioxidant capacity were determined. In another, naturally delivered offspring were raised under normoxia until early adulthood (9 months). Lambs were chronically instrumented and cardiovascular function tested in vivo. Following euthanasia, femoral arterial segments were isolated and endothelial function determined by wire myography. Hypoxic pregnancy induced fetal growth restriction and fetal oxidative stress. At adulthood, it programmed hypertension by enhancing vasoconstrictor reactivity and impairing NO-independent endothelial function. Maternal vitamin C in hypoxic pregnancy improved transplacental oxygenation and enhanced fetal antioxidant capacity while increasing NO bioavailability, offsetting constrictor hyper-reactivity and replenishing endothelial function in the adult offspring. These discoveries provide novel insight into mechanisms and interventions against fetal growth restriction and adult-onset programmed hypertension in an animal model of complicated pregnancy in a species of similar temporal developmental milestones to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains a leading cause of maternal death worldwide, and it is important to understand the relative contributions of different risk factors. We assessed the incidence of these among cases of transvaginal delivery. Between June 2013 and July 2016, a prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary perinatal medical facility in Japan. Women were administered a questionnaire to ascertain risk factors for PPH, defined as a blood loss of 1,000 ml or more assessed using a calibrated under-buttocks drape and collection vessel at childbirth. We analyzed 1,068 transvaginal deliveries of singleton pregnancies. The incidence of PPH was 8.7%, and of severe PPH (1,500 ml blood loss or more) was 2.1%. Risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage among the deliveries were: fetal macrosomia (over 4000 g); pregnancy-induced hypertension; pregnancy generated by assisted reproductive technology; severe vaginal or perineal lacerations; and weight gain over 15 kg during pregnancy. Such high weight gain significantly increased the incidence of PPH compared with women showing less than 10 kg weight gain during pregnancy. Monitoring these identified risk factors could enable extra vigilance during labor, and preparedness for managing PPH in all women giving birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the effect of intramuscular progesterone on the vaginal immune response of pregnant women with a history of prior preterm birth. Methods: A prospective, cohort study of women at 11–16 weeks gestation, ≥18 years of age, and carrying a singleton pregnancy was conducted from June 2016 to August 2017 after IRB approval. Women in the progesterone arm had a history of preterm birth and received weekly intramuscular 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate. Controls comprised of women with healthy, uncomplicated pregnancies. Excluded were women with vaginitis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or other chronic diseases affecting the immune response. A vaginal wash was performed at enrollment, at 26–28 weeks, and at 35–36 weeks gestation. Samples underwent semi-quantitative detection of human inflammatory markers. Immunofluorescence pixel density data was analyzed and a P value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: There were 39 women included, 10 with a prior preterm birth and 29 controls. The baseline demographics and pregnancy outcomes for both groups were similar in age, parity, race, BMI, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, and birth weight. Enrollment cytokines in women with a prior preterm birth, including IL-1 alpha (39.2±25.1% versus 26.1±13.2%; P = 0.04), IL-1 beta (47.9±26.4% versus 24.9±17%; P<0.01), IL-2 (16.7±9.3% versus 11.3±6.3%; P = 0.03), and IL-13 (16.9±12.4% versus 8.2±7.4%; P = 0.01) were significantly elevated compared to controls. In the third trimester the cytokine densities for IL-1 alpha (26.0±18.2% versus 22.3±12.0%; P = 0.49), IL-1 beta (31.8±15.9% versus 33.1±16.8%; P = 0.84), IL-2 (10.0±8.4% versus 10.9±5.9%; P = 0.71), and IL-13 (9.1±5.9% versus 10.0±6.5%; P = 0.71) were all statistically similar between the progesterone arm and controls, respectively. Conclusion: There is an increased cytokine presence in vaginal washings of women at risk for preterm birth which appears to be modified following the administration of 17- hydroxyprogesterone caproate to levels similar to healthy controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal lipid profiles during pregnancy are associated with risk for preterm birth. This study investigates the association between maternal dyslipidemia and subsequent preterm birth among pregnant women in the state of California. Births were identified from California birth certificate and hospital discharge records from 2007–2012 (N = 2,865,987). Preterm birth was defined as <37 weeks completed gestation and dyslipidemia was defined by diagnostic codes. Subtypes of preterm birth were classified as preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), spontaneous labor, and medically indicated, according to birth certificate data and diagnostic codes. The association between dyslipidemia and preterm birth was tested with logistic regression. Models were adjusted for maternal age at delivery, race/ethnicity, hypertension, pre-pregnancy body mass index, insurance type, and education. Maternal dyslipidemia was significantly associated with increased odds of preterm birth (adjusted OR: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.39, 1.59). This finding was consistent across all subtypes of preterm birth, including PPROM (adjusted OR: 1.54, 95%CI: 1.34, 1.76), spontaneous (adjusted OR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.39, 1.65), and medically indicated (adjusted OR: 1.454, 95%CI: 1.282, 1.649). This study suggests that maternal dyslipidemia is associated with increased risk for all types of preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The main objective of the study was to elicit beliefs about hypertension among Nigerian Primary Health Care clients and workers. Background: In many regions of Nigeria, the primary health care facility is usually the only source of formal health care available. Since hypertension is a chronic condition that requires lifelong life style modification and drug treatment, it is important to understand the context and background to the condition through the beliefs and perceptions among both lay persons and health care providers who manage the condition. Setting: Rural and urban primary health care facilities in the Federal Capital Territory Nigeria. Participants: A total of Eighty-one (81) primary health care clients and workers participated in the study. Methods and outcome measure: A qualitative research using interviews, focus group discussions and reflective work as sources of data collection. The outcome measures were emerging themes from thematic framework analysis. Results: There were four themes that summarize beliefs of both PHC workers and clients namely: (1) Meaning of hypertension (2) causes of hypertension, (3) Consequences of hypertension (4) Perceptions of treatment, one additional distinct theme was elicited among PHC workers “contextual explanation”. However, under each of the shared four themes, there were both similarities and differences in beliefs expressed between PHC workers and clients. Conclusions: This study highlights important similarities and differences in beliefs about hypertension among primary health care clients and primary health care workers that have significant implications for management of hypertension in primary care settings in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertensive disorders complicate up to 10% of pregnancies. Evidence suggests a potential association between maternal hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, particularly preeclampsia, and adverse neurodevelopment in the offspring, but existing studies are subject to limitations. We aimed to assess whether in-utero exposure to preeclampsia/eclampsia negatively impacts academic performance at ages 9, 12 and 15 years. Methods: Using individually linked, nationwide data from the Icelandic registries we followed all children born in 1989–2004 (N = 68,580), from birth until the end of 2014, thereof 63,014 (91.9%) took at least one standardized test. Using a stepwise, mixed-effects approach, we modelled the hypothesized relationship while adjusting for maternal, perinatal and childhood variables of interest. We compared test scores, measured on a normalized scale ranging from 0–60 with a mean of 30 and a standard deviation of 10, in the 4th, 7th, and 10th grades, between children exposed to preeclampsia or eclampsia in-utero versus children from normotensive pregnancies in the population. Results: Children exposed to preeclampsia/eclampsia scored lower than those unexposed in mathematics across all grade levels, corresponding to a difference of 0.44 points (95% CI: 0.00, 0.89), 0.59 points (95% CI: 0.13, 1.06) and 0.59 points (95% CI: 0.08, 1.10), respectively. No differences were observed in the language arts. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a minimal effect of maternal preeclampsia/eclampsia on children’s academic performance at ages 9, 12 and 15 years. The differences observed in mathematic scores between exposed and unexposed children were minimal, less than one tenth of a standard deviation per measurement occasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop a model for prediction of stillbirth after the 28th gestational week in singleton pregnancies of women with overweight or obesity. Method: This is a register-based cohort study. The first trimester screening database including data from 2006 until 2015 was cross-linked with the Swedish Medical Birth Register and the Swedish Register of Total Population. The final study cohort comprised 145,319 pregnancies, out of which 45,859 pregnancies were complicated by overweight or obesity and without pre-gestational diabetes. There were in total 282 stillbirths. Prediction models for stillbirth in pregnancies with overweight or obesity were constructed based on maternal characteristics, pregnancy complications and biochemical markers. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) and area under curve (AUC) were calculated, based on logistic regression analyses. Results: The prevalence of stillbirth was 1.6/1000 births and 2.6/1000 births in normal weight and overweight/obese women, respectively. The final predictive model had an AUC of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.64–0.74) with a sensitivity of 28% at a 90% fixed specificity. Conclusions: It is possible to predict 28% of stillbirths in overweight or obese women, at a false positive rate of 10%. In particular, growth-restricted fetuses are at increased risk of stillbirth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]