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Background: The objective of this study is to analyze the transplacental transmission of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, their persistence in newborns, the factors that may influence this transmission, and the protection these antibodies confer over time. Methods: This prospective cohort was conducted in a tertiary pediatric hospital in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, Spain. It included neonates born to mothers who had SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy or delivery between August 2020 and January 2022. We followed the recruited children for at least six months, and blood tests were performed to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Results: A total of 101 children were recruited. Among the serologies performed on children under three months of age, 44/82 were positive (53.7%). Newborns whose mothers presented more severe disease exhibited higher seropositivity odds (coefficient 9.747; p = 0.002). There were increased preterm deliveries when maternal infection occurred closer to the time of delivery. No severe SARS-CoV-2 infections were detected in children during the follow-up. Conclusions: Slightly more than half of the SARS-CoV-2 serologies performed in the first three months were positive. This appears to confer protection during early childhood. The severity of maternal infection is the most significant factor influencing the transmission of antibodies in children born to unvaccinated mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a frequent cause of respiratory infections in all age groups. Infections in infants and older adults frequently result in severe disease and complications. There is no specific antiviral treatment against RSV. The characterization of the structure of the fusion (F) protein in its immunogenic prefusion conformation has enabled the development of novel vaccines directed against the prefusion protein as the antigen. These include an adjuvanted monovalent vaccine (Arexvy) and a nonadjuvanted bivalent vaccine (Abrysvo). Both are approved and indicated for use in older adults, in whom they have been shown to be over 80% effective in the protection against symptomatic RSV infections and associated lower respiratory tract diseases. Abrysvo is approved for use in pregnancy to protect the newborn through the transplacental transfer of high-titer maternal antibodies. The vaccine has been shown to have an efficacy of over 80% in the first 3 months of life to protect the infant from severe RSV-associated lower respiratory disease but slightly deceases after an age of 6 months. The clinical studies demonstrated the safety of the vaccines in both adults and pregnant women. The rate of undesired side effects was low in all studies and severe side effects were very rare. The new vaccines are efficacious new tools to prevent RSV-associated disease and complications in high-risk groups. For infants, an alternative strategy can be passive immunization with monoclonal antibodies, including the recently developed nirsevimab, which has also shown high efficacy., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC) stands as a rare genetic contributor to cholestasis, aligning itself within the spectrum of inherited intrahepatic cholestasis syndromes, such as progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Manifesting in infancy or early adulthood, BRIC is marked by recurrent episodes of jaundice accompanied by intense pruritus, enduring from weeks to years across the lifespan. Normal gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels are a characteristic laboratory finding. Initially considered unlikely to progress to chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, some reports suggest BRIC may evolve into a continuous and progressive form of cholestasis. Moreover, these recurrent cholestatic episodes significantly impact quality of life, and certain mutations elevate the risk of hepatobiliary malignancy. Between episodes, histological findings of centrilobular cholestasis and abnormal laboratory parameters revert to normal, potentially obviating the need for liver biopsy. This review focuses on the genetic aspects of BRIC, its pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and prognosis. Additionally, it outlines triggering factors and available treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is the most common pregnancy-related liver disease, usually presented in the third trimester with pruritus, elevated transaminase, and serum total bile acids. Evidence shows that it can be developed in the first trimester, more commonly after in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures, with the presence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Methods: A literature search was conducted in the PubMed/MEDLINE database of case reports/studies reporting early-onset ICP in spontaneous and IVF pregnancies published until July 2023. Results: Thirty articles on early-onset ICP were included in the review analysis, with 19 patients who developed ICP in spontaneous pregnancy and 15 patients who developed ICP in IVF pregnancies with or without OHSS. Cases of 1st and 2nd trimester ICP in terms of "early-onset" ICP were pooled to gather additional findings. Conclusions: Proper monitoring should be applied even before expected pregnancy and during IVF procedures in patients with known risk factors for OHSS and ICP development (patient and family history), with proper progesterone supplementation dosage and genetic testing in case of ICP recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, we introduce a simple and efficient method for the synthesis of a new heterogeneous nanocatalyst including [Fe3O4@SiO2-L-Cu(II)] via immobilizing Cu (II) on the surfaces of Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs). The prepared nanocatalyst was characterized by vibration sample magnetometer (VSM), EDS, X-ray diffraction (XRD), TGA, and Field emission scanning microscopy (FE-SEM) spectroscopic methods. The obtained magnetic nanocomposite showed excellent catalytic activity for the preparation of some chromene derivatives via a three-component reaction of aldehydes, 4‐hydroxycoumarin, and 2‐hydroxynaphthalene‐1,4‐dione. This synthetic procedure provides various benefits, including cost-saving, excellent yields in short reaction times (88–98%), low catalyst loading, and catalyst reusability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperdais a highly destructive pest of cereals and is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of North, Central and South America. The insect is polyphagous with a host range of 353 plant species in 76 families and was reported to cause 8.3 to 20.6 million tones losses in maize yield/year which represents 21 - 53% of the total production. A total of 48 parasitoids (6 species of egg parasitoids, 4 species of egglarval parasitoids, 34 species of larval parasitoids, 3 species of larval-pupal parasitoids and one pupal parasitoid) of Spodoptera frugiperda have been recorded in African countries since its invasion in 2016. In addition, 18 predator species have been found to be associated with this insect in maize and rice fields. In Asian countries, a total of 24 parasitoids (6 egg parasitoids, 2 egg-larval parasitoids and 16 larval parasitoids) have been recorded as well as 11 predator species. The most common egg parasitoid is Telenomus remus which is recorded in 8 countries of Africa as well as three countries of Asia (out of the 4 countries mentioned in Asia). The most common egg-larval parasitoid in Africa is Chelonus bifoveolatus as it is recorded in 8 countries whereas Ch. formosanus and Ch. nr blackburni are recorded in India (Asia). The most common larval parasitoids in Africa are Coccygidium luteum (7 countries), Cotesia icipe (6 countries) and Charops sp. (6 countries), whereas the most common one in India (Asia) is Campoletis chlorideae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cholinium N‐Tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl‐3‐amino‐2‐hydroxypropanesulfonate [Ch][TAPSO] has been found as an efficient ionic liquid catalyst for the synthesis of tetrahydro‐4H‐chromenes and 3,4‐dihydropyrano[c]chromenes in water and EtOH : Water (3 : 2) respectively. [Ch][TAPSO] being a basic IL has also been observed to extract acidic compounds such as rhodamine B from IL‐ immiscible organic solvent such as acetone through acid‐base interaction. The extraction process of fluorescent dye rhodamine B was determined by ultraviolet‐visible (UV‐Vis) spectroscopy. The observed percentage extraction rate is 100 % upto 6 mM solution of rhodamine in acetone. This method results in faster reaction with operational simplicity and excellent yields of the products. Furthermore, the catalyst has a great capacity for reutilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, some studies describing different aspects of the infection included very similar participants, rising suspicion about double reporting. We aimed to evaluate the Gantt chart as a tool to highlight possible double reporting. The chart is routinely used in business applications to depict tasks of a project, by plotting horizontal bars against time, showing their time span and overlaps. Methods: All case reports and case series of pregnant women with COVID-19, published by July 15, 2020, were included. Initial and final dates of participants' enrollment, country, city, hospital, and number of pregnancies were plotted in the Gantt chart. Bars stand for enrollment dates of each study, according to hospital and city, thus allowing comparisons. Results: We included 116 articles in the present analysis. The Gantt chart highlighted papers in which some participants were likely the same, thus allowing easier identification of double reporting of cases. Combining all information and pregnancy characteristics and outcomes helped to recognize duplications when the authors did not acknowledged the previous publication. Conclusions: Unintended double reporting may occur, especially in exceptional times. The Gantt chart may help researchers to visually identify potential duplications, thus avoiding biased estimates in systematic reviews or meta-analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have suggested that cesarean birth in pregnant women with COVID‐19 may decrease maternal adverse events and perinatal transmission. This systematic review aimed to evaluate variations in clinical presentation, laboratory findings, and maternal/neonatal outcomes in COVID‐19 patients who delivered vaginally versus via cesarean. Methods: A comprehensive search following PRISMA guidelines was performed for studies published up to May 23, 2020, using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, Science Direct, and clinicaltrials.gov. Original retrospective and prospective studies, case reports, or case series with sufficient data for estimating the association of COVID‐19 with different pregnancy outcomes with no language restriction and published in peer‐reviewed journals were included. Pooled mean and arcsine transformation proportions were applied. Next, a two‐arm meta‐analysis was performed comparing the perinatal outcomes between the study groups. Results: Forty‐two studies with a total of 602 pregnant women with COVID‐19 were included. The mean age was 31.8 years. Subgroup analysis showed that Americans had the lowest gestational age (mean = 32.7, 95%CI = 27.0‐38.4, P < 0.001) and the highest incidence of maternal ICU admission (95%CI = 0.45%‐2.20, P < 0.001) of all nationalities in the study. There was no significant difference in perinatal complications, premature rupture of membrane, placenta previa/accreta, or gestational hypertension/pre‐eclampsia between women who delivered vaginally versus by cesarean. Importantly, there were also no significant differences in maternal or neonatal outcomes. Conclusion: Vaginal delivery was not associated with worse maternal or neonatal outcomes when compared with cesarean. The decision to pursue a cesarean birth should be based on standard indications, not COVID‐19 status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Evans syndrome presents as concurrent autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most frequent autoimmune disorder associated with Evans syndrome. We herein report a case of new-onset Evans syndrome associated with SLE after BNT162b2 mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in a 53-year-old woman. Blood examination at diagnosis showed hemolytic anemia with a positive Coombs test and thrombocytopenia. Hypocomplementemia and the presence of lupus anticoagulant indicated a strong association with SLE. Prednisolone administration rapidly restored hemoglobin level and platelet count. This case suggests that mRNA COVID-19 vaccination may cause an autoimmune disorder. Physicians should be aware of this adverse reaction by mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and should consider the benefits and risks of vaccination for each recipient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Cuidarte is the property of Universidad de Santander and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As COVID-19 is a new emerging disease, the hematological/immunological changes that develop in the infected patients remain unknown. This study aims to systematically review the hematologic autoimmune complications in these patients. Data from three online databases including Medline (via PubMed), Scopus and Web of Science were searched on 19 December 2020, and after excluding duplicate, irrelevant and inappropriate records, eligible documents were identified. Afterwards, information such as patients' history, presentations, paraclinical data, treatment course and outcome were extracted from the records. A total of 58 documents were considered to be eligible for data extraction which described 94 patients with COVID-19 who developed hematologic autoimmune disorder in their course of infection. Of these patients with COVID-19, the most common hematologic autoimmune disorder was immune thrombocytopenic purpura (55 cases) followed by autoimmune hemolytic anemia (22 cases). Other hematologic autoimmune disorders include antiphospholipid syndrome, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, Evans syndrome and autoimmune neutropenia. The current study would help us to always consider an autoimmune etiology for cases with abnormal hematologic finding which further lead to an appropriate treatment of the patients, especially when the symptoms present in about 1–2 weeks after the first manifestation of the infection symptoms. Maybe, at least in this pandemic, it should be recommended to evaluate patients with unexpected and unexplained decrease in their hemoglobulin or platelet count for COVID-19. Another challenging issue is the treatment options. Given the multiorgan involvement and multifaceted nature of the infection, an individualized approach should be taken for each patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recent medical literature has drawn attention to the possible influence of COVID-19 on the course of pregnancies. As the coherence of results seems to vary, especially in relation to first and second trimester pregnancies, a concise qualitative systematic review can shed light on the most recent data.Material and Methods: A structured systematic search was performed to collect all COVID-19 pregnancy-related articles published between January 1 and September 16, 2020. Two independent reviewers evaluated studies using the STROBE statement in combination with the CERQual quality assessment of findings.Results: In total 1387 articles were screened and finally 22 studies were evaluated (179 1st/2nd trimesters of pregnant women with COVID-19). The majority of reported mothers who contracted COVID-19 during 1st/2nd trimesters are yet to complete their pregnancy.Conclusions: Evidently a limited amount of data is available. Usually, mothers and newborns are discharged from the hospital without any serious complications. Further observations are imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus‐19 disease is still a pandemic health problem and uncertainty in the management of severe or critically ill pregnant women confuses continually the obstetricians. The nationwide maternal mortality rate due to covid‐19 still has not been presented in any study in Turkey. The study includes four maternal mortality cases in a referral single pandemic center in our country. Case 1, a 34‐year‐old, 34 weeks of gestation with moderate disease. The cesarean section was performed due to nonreassuring nonstress tests. She died on the postpartum seventh day. Case 2, a 37‐year‐old, at 36 weeks of gestation. The symptoms consisted of dry cough, shortness of breath and labor pain, and 3 cm cervical opening. Her second cesarean section was performed and she died at postpartum ninth day. Case 3, 33 years old, 33 weeks of gestation with moderate/severe stage of the disease. A few days after the treatment, CS was performed due to her severe condition and she died at postpartum 15th day. Case 4, 39 years old, 35 weeks of gestation, she was at a severe stage of the disease. On the second day after the treatment, CS was performed due to her severe condition and she died at postpartum seventh day. The postpartum period after cesarean section should be followed cautiously under the appropriate treatment of the COVID‐19 disease. Unfortunately, the reason for this rapid deterioration which we observed in our cases is not well known and appropriate medications and algorithms should be established as soon as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Due to the lack of effective treatments for COVID-19, it becomes imperative to assess the geographical differences and trends in the current clinical care and outcomes of COVID-19 in pregnant women.Methods: A PubMed search was performed to screen articles reporting therapeutics and outcomes of confirmed COVID-19 in pregnant women prior to August 27, 2020. We performed searches, quality assessments of eligible studies, extracted and reported data according to PRISMA guidelines. Meta-analyses and cumulative meta-analyses of proportions were performed for estimating each outcome and their pattern over time respectively.Results: One thousand two hundred thirty nine pregnant women with COVID-19 from 66 studies were analyzed. In case series analysis reflecting average-risk patients, the proportion of oxygen support, antibiotics, antivirals, and plasma therapy administration except for hydroxychloroquine was substantially higher in Asian studies (55, 78, 80, 6, and 0%) compared to the US (7, 1, 12, 0, and 7%) or European (33, 12, 14, 1, and 26%) studies, respectively. The highest preterm birth and the average length of hospital stay (35%, 11.9 days) were estimated in Asian studies compared to the US studies (13%, 9.4 days) and European studies (29%, 7.3 days), respectively. Even in case reports reflecting severe cases, the use of antivirals and antibiotics was higher in Asian studies compared to the US, Latin American, and European studies. A significant decline in the use of most therapeutics along with adverse outcomes of COVID-19 in pregnant women was observed.Conclusions: Geographical differences in therapeutic practice of COVID-19 were observed with differential rates of maternal and clinical outcomes. Minimizing the use of some therapeutics particularly antibiotics, antivirals, oxygen therapy, immunosuppressants, and hydroxychloroquine by risk stratification and careful consideration may further improve maternal and clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnant women are potentially more susceptible to respiratory tract infections making them a high‐risk group. We describe the successful management of a 35‐year‐old pregnant woman, G3, P1, with a history of a cesarean section who tested positive for COVID‐19 at 26 weeks and required critical care support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As pregnancy is a physiological prothrombotic state, pregnant women may be at increased risk of developing coagulopathic and/or thromboembolic complications associated with COVID-19.Methods: Two biomedical databases were searched between September 2019 and June 2020 for case reports and series of pregnant women with a diagnosis of COVID-19 based either on a positive swab or high clinical suspicion where no swab had been performed. Additional registry cases known to the authors were included. Steps were taken to minimise duplicate patients. Information on coagulopathy based on abnormal coagulation test results or clinical evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and on arterial or venous thrombosis, were extracted using a standard form. If available, detailed laboratory results and information on maternal outcomes were analysed.Results: One thousand sixty-three women met the inclusion criteria, of which three (0.28, 95% CI 0.0 to 0.6) had arterial and/or venous thrombosis, seven (0.66, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.1) had DIC, and a further three (0.28, 95% CI 0.0 to 0.6) had coagulopathy without meeting the definition of DIC. Five hundred and thirty-seven women (56%) had been reported as having given birth and 426 (40%) as having an ongoing pregnancy. There were 17 (1.6, 95% CI 0.85 to 2.3) maternal deaths in which DIC was reported as a factor in two.Conclusions: Our data suggests that coagulopathy and thromboembolism are both increased in pregnancies affected by COVID-19. Detection of the former may be useful in the identification of women at risk of deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During COVID-19 pandemic the care of onco-hematologic and autoimmune patients has raised the question whether they are at higher risk of infection and/or worse outcome. Here, we describe the clinical course of COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with autoimmune cytopenias (AIC) regularly followed at a reference center in Northern Italy. The study period started from COVID-19 outbreak (February 22, 2020) until the time of writing. Moreover, we provide a review of the literature, showing that most cases reported so far are AIC developed during or secondary to COVID-19 infection. At variance, data about AIC pre-existing to COVID infection are scanty. The 4 patients here described (2 autoimmune hemolytic anemias, AIHA, 1 Evans syndrome, and 1 immune thrombocytopenia) with COVID-19 pneumonia belong to a large cohort of 500 AIC patients, making this study nearly population-based. The observed frequency (4/501; 0.7%) is only slightly superior to that of the general population admitted to hospital/intensive care unit (0.28/0.03%, respectively) in Lombardy in the same period of observation. All cases occurred between March 21 and 25, whilst no more AIC were recorded later on. Although different in intensity of care needed, all patients recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia, with apparently no detrimental effect of previous/current immunomodulatory treatments. AIHA relapse occurred in two patients, but promptly responded to therapy. With limitations due to sample size, these results suggest a favorable outcome and a lower-than-expected incidence of COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with previously diagnosed AIC, and allow speculating that immunomodulatory drugs used for AIC may play a beneficial rather than a harmful effect on COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence‐based treatment involving multidisciplinary decision making is warranted to treat COVID‐19 in pregnancy. This case presents the management of a critically ill pregnant women infected with SARS‐CoV‐2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has led to a global public health emergency with the need to identify vulnerable populations who may benefit from increased screening and healthcare resources. Initial data suggest that overall, pregnancy is not a significant risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). However, case series have suggested that maternal obesity is one of the most important comorbidities associated with more severe disease. In obese individuals, suppressors of cytokine signaling are upregulated and type I and III interferon responses are delayed and blunted leading to ineffective viral clearance. Obesity is also associated with changes in systemic immunity involving a wide range of immune cells and mechanisms that lead to low‐grade chronic inflammation, which can compromise antiviral immunity. Macrophage activation in adipose tissue can produce low levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6). Further, adipocyte secretion of leptin is pro‐inflammatory and high circulating levels of leptin have been associated with mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. The synergistic effects of obesity‐associated delays in immune control of COVID‐19 with mechanical stress of increased adipose tissue may contribute to a greater risk of pulmonary compromise in obese pregnant women. In this review, we bring together data regarding obesity as a key co‐morbidity for COVID‐19 in pregnancy with known changes in the antiviral immune response associated with obesity. We also describe how the global burden of obesity among reproductive age women has serious public health implications for COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evans syndrome is a rare and chronic autoimmune disease seen in both paediatric and adult age groups. We present a case of severe thrombocytopenia in a neonate born to a mother with Evans syndrome who showed no response to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy initially and improved after treatment with methylprednisolone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have suggested that cesarean birth in pregnant women with COVID-19 may decrease maternal adverse events and perinatal transmission. This systematic review aimed to evaluate variations in clinical presentation, laboratory findings, and maternal/neonatal outcomes in COVID-19 patients who delivered vaginally versus via cesarean., Methods: A comprehensive search following PRISMA guidelines was performed for studies published up to May 23, 2020, using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, Science Direct, and clinicaltrials.gov. Original retrospective and prospective studies, case reports, or case series with sufficient data for estimating the association of COVID-19 with different pregnancy outcomes with no language restriction and published in peer-reviewed journals were included. Pooled mean and arcsine transformation proportions were applied. Next, a two-arm meta-analysis was performed comparing the perinatal outcomes between the study groups., Results: Forty-two studies with a total of 602 pregnant women with COVID-19 were included. The mean age was 31.8 years. Subgroup analysis showed that Americans had the lowest gestational age (mean = 32.7, 95%CI = 27.0-38.4, P < 0.001) and the highest incidence of maternal ICU admission (95%CI = 0.45%-2.20, P < 0.001) of all nationalities in the study. There was no significant difference in perinatal complications, premature rupture of membrane, placenta previa/accreta, or gestational hypertension/pre-eclampsia between women who delivered vaginally versus by cesarean. Importantly, there were also no significant differences in maternal or neonatal outcomes., Conclusion: Vaginal delivery was not associated with worse maternal or neonatal outcomes when compared with cesarean. The decision to pursue a cesarean birth should be based on standard indications, not COVID-19 status., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Three series of new cyclic sulfones have been prepared by a one-pot multi-component reaction (MCR) starting from the readily available dihydro-2H-thiopyran-3(4H)-one-1,1-dioxide. The in silico screening of the synthesized compounds revealed their high anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, antiasthmatic and antiallergic potential coupled with the strong probability levels of cystinyl aminopeptidase inhibition. The key structures were confirmed by 2D NMR techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease has been severe and a cause for major concern around the world. Due to immunological and physiological changes during pregnancy, pregnant women have a higher risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to collect and integrate the results of previous studies to get an accurate representation and interpretation of the clinical symptoms, laboratory and radiological findings, and characteristics of pregnant women with COVID-19. We conducted a scientific search in main databases with a combination of related MESH terms and keywords. The outcomes included common clinical symptoms at the time of onset of the disease, common laboratory and radiological findings, the rates of vaginal delivery and Cesarean section, Cesarean section indications, maternal complications, and vertical transmission rates. A total of 51 studies comprising 571 pregnant women with COVID-19 pneumonia were included in the study. The most common symptoms were fever, cough, and dyspnea, respectively. Elevated C-reactive protein and ground-glass opacities were the most common laboratory and radiological findings of COVID-19 pneumonia, respectively. A total of 114 Cesarean sections were performed due to COVID-19-related concerns. There were 55 cases of intubation (11.6%) and 13 maternal deaths (2.3%). The vertical transmission rate was 7.9%. We conclude that the characteristics of pneumonia caused by COVID-19 in pregnant women do not appear to be different from those in the general population with COVID-19 infections. However, pregnant women with underlying diseases were more likely to develop COVID-19 than others, and, in those infected with the virus, the rate of Cesarean delivery and preterm birth increased.

Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) is a key enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and widely expressed in several types of cancers. The inhibition of PDE4 results in an increased concentration of intracellular cAMP levels that imparts the anti-inflammatory response in the target cells. In the present report, two series of triazolo-pyridine dicarbonitriles and substituted dihydropyridine dicarbonitriles were synthesized using green protocol (TBAB in refluxed water). We next evaluated the title compounds for their cytotoxicity towards lung cancer (A549) cells and identified 7'-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-5'-oxo-1',5'-dihydrospiro[cyclohexane-1,2'-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridine]-6',8'-dicarbonitrile (5h) and 7'-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-5'-oxo-1',5'-dihydrospiro[cyclohexane-1,2'-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridine]-6',8'-dicarbonitrile (5j) as lead analogs with the IC 50 values of 15.2 and 24.1 μm, respectively. Furthermore, all the new compounds were tested for PDE4 inhibitory activity and 5j showed relatively good inhibitory activity towards PDE4 with inhibition of 50.9 % at 10 μm. In silico analysis demonstrated the favorable interaction of the title compounds with the target enzyme. Taken together, the present study introduces a new scaffold for the development of novel PDE4 inhibitors to fight against inflammatory diseases., (© 2019 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

The concept of intrauterine neo-vascular lesions after pregnancy, initially called placental polyps, has changed gradually. Now, based on diagnostic imaging, such lesions are defined as retained products of conception (RPOC) with vascularization. The lesions appear after delivery or miscarriage, and they are accompanied by frequent abundant vascularization in the myometrium attached to the remnant. Many of these vascular lesions have been reported to resolve spontaneously within a few months. Acquired arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) must be considered in the differential diagnosis of RPOC with vascularization. AVMs are errors of morphogenesis. The lesions start to be constructed at the time of placenta formation. These lesions do not show spontaneous regression. Although these two lesions are recognized as neo-vascular lesions, neo-vascular lesions on imaging may represent conditions other than these two lesions (e.g., peritrophoblastic flow, uterine artery pseudoaneurysm, and villous-derived malignancies). Detecting vasculature at the placenta–myometrium interface and classifying vascular diseases according to hemodynamics in the remnant would facilitate the development of specific treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the possibility of the precise determination of mechanical vibrations using metamaterial split ring resonator (SRR) structure. The amplitude of the interacting electromagnetic wave in the range of GHz frequency is directly varied in accordance with the amplitude of mechanical vibration, using a Broadside Coupled SRR (BCSRR) acting as a vibration sensor. Dependence of the spacing between the two rings on the resonance frequency of the BCSRR is used for the detection of vibration and it is achieved by allowing the spacing to change in accordance with the amplitude of mechanical vibration. For the effective sensing of mechanical vibration, the electromagnetic wave frequency is chosen at the center of the linear portion of the rising or the falling slope of the resonant curve of the BCSRR. By properly choosing the parameters of the BCSRR along with the effective tuning of the operating frequency, it is possible to detect even very weak vibrations. The chances of various distortions in the detected vibration waveform in connection with selection of the operating frequency and intensity of vibrations are also analyzed. The qualitative formulation of the detection process along with its experimental verification is presented. This novel method may find applications in the detection of mechanical vibrations caused by various man made and natural sources and may find manifold possibilities in the field of communication and instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a negative permeability metamaterial structure —Wire Split Ring Resonator (WSRR)— constructed using conducting wires and experimentally investigates its tunable properties at microwave frequencies. The structure is fabricated by fixing conducting rings made of copper wires on a thin flexible polymer film. The resonance properties of a single WSRR are studied by placing it between two monopole antennas connected to a vector network analyser. For the analysis of bulk samples, two horn antennas are used. The structure shows strong magnetic response with high-quality factor and is observed to be very sensitive to parameter variations. A comparitive study with conventional SRR is made and the results are verified by simulation. The proposed WSRR structure is easy to construct and is superior to conventional SRR in frequency selective and tunable applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]