Search

Objective: To relate preevacuation platelet count and leukogram findings, especially neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratios with the occurrence of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) after complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) among Brazilian women., Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients with CHM followed at Rio de Janeiro Federal University, from January/2015-December/2020. Before molar evacuation, all patients underwent a medical evaluation, complete blood count and hCG measurement, in addition to other routine preoperative tests. The primary outcome was the occurrence of postmolar GTN., Results: From 827 cases of CHM treated initially at the Reference Center, 696 (84.15%) had spontaneous remission and 131 (15.85%) developed postmolar GTN. Using optimal cut-offs from receiver operating characteristic curves and multivariable logistic regression adjusted for the possible confounding variables of age and preevacuation hCG level (already known to be associated with the development of GTN) we found that ≥2 medical complications at presentation (aOR: 1.96, CI 95%: 1.29-2.98, p<0.001) and preevacuation hCG ≥100,000 IU/L (aOR: 2.16, CI 95%: 1.32-3.52, p<0.001) were significantly associated with postmolar GTN after CHM. However, no blood count profile findings were able to predict progression from CHM to GTN., Conclusion: Although blood count is a widely available test, being a low-cost test and mandatory before molar evacuation, and prognostic for outcome in other neoplasms, its findings were not able to predict the occurrence of GTN after CHM. In contrast, the occurrence of medical complications at presentation and higher preevacuation hCG levels were significantly associated with postmolar GTN and may be useful to guide individualized clinical decisions in post-molar follow-up and treatment of these patients., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Braga et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: To verify whether advanced maternal age (AMA), defined as women of ≥35 years, is associated with premature and early-term birth in Brazil, according to the onset of labor (spontaneous or provider-initiated)., Methods: Cross-sectional population-based study. The "Birth in Brazil" study interviewed 23 894 puerperal women between 2011 and 2012, in all regions of Brazil. The current analysis included 17 994 adult mothers and their newborns (15 448 aged between 20-34 years, and 2536 ≥ 35 years). A propensity score was used to assess the likelihood of AMA women giving birth to premature or early-term infants (spontaneous or provider-initiated) compared to women aged 20-34 years. To balance the groups, we used maternal, prenatal, and childbirth characteristics., Results: The general prematurity rate was 10.24%, of which the majority of births were spontaneous (55.73%). Conversely, early-term births were more often provider-initiated (54.81%). AMA did not increase the chance of premature births, whether spontaneous or provider-initiated. However, AMA was associated with a higher rate of provider-initiated early-term birth (OR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.23-1.77)., Conclusion: AMA alone does not contribute to premature birth; AMA's independent association with provider-initiated early-term birth may not be based solely on clinical indications., (© 2021 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Background: Approximately 5-10 % of newborns require some form of resuscitationupon delivery; several factors, such as maternal abnormal conditions, gestational age and type of delivery could be responsible for this trend. This study aimed to describe the factors associated with the need for positive pressure ventilation (PPV) via a mask or endotracheal tube and the use of supplemental O2 in newborns with a gestational age greater than 34 weeks in Brazil., Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study and obtained data from the Birth in Brazil Survey. The inclusion criterion was a gestational age ≥34 weeks. Exclusion criteria were newborns with congenital malformations, and cases with undetermined gestational age or type of delivery (vaginal, pre labor cesarean section and cesarean section during labor). The primary outcomes were need of PPV via a mask or endotracheal tube and the use of supplemental oxygen without PPV. Confounding variables, including maternal age, source of birth payment, years of maternal schooling, previous birth, newborn presentation, multiple pregnancy, and maternal obstetric risk, were analyzed., Results: We included 22,720 newborns. Of these, 2974 (13.1 %) required supplementary oxygen. PPV with a bag and mask was used for 727 (3.2 %) newborns and tracheal intubation for 192 (0.8 %) newborns. Chest compression was necessary for 136 (0.6 %) newborns and drugs administered in 114 (0.5 %). 51.3 % of newborns were delivered by cesarean section, with the majority of cesarean sections (88.7 %) being performed prior to labor. Gestational age (late preterm infants: (Relative Risk-(RR) 2.46; 95 % (Confidence interval-CI 1.79-3.39), maternal obstetric risk (RR 1.59; 95 % CI1.30-1.94), and maternal age of 12-19 years old (RR 1.36; 95 % CI1.06-1.74) contributed to rates of PPV in the logistic regression analysis. Newborns aged between 37-38 weeks of gestaional age weren´t less likely to require PPV compared with those aged 39-41 weeks of gestational age., Conclusions: Late preterm infants, previous maternal obstetric risks and maternal age contributed to the higher needs of PPV and use of O2 in the delivery room. These variables need to be considered in planning care in the delivery room.

Preeclampsia (PE) prevalence studies in Brazil are both scarce and not divided in accordance with gestational age at delivery. We accessed PE prevalence according to delivery before 34, 37 and 42weeks in a cross-sectional study including 4464 single deliveries. PE was diagnosed in 301 cases (6.74%); Prevalence of PE was 0.78%; 1.92% and 6.74% according to deliveries before 34, 37 and 42weeks. PE was associated with fetal death, prematurity and small for gestational age newborns., (Copyright © 2016 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To describe the evolution of the prevalence of anemia in pregnant adolescents attended at a public maternity in the city of Rio de Janeiro from 2004 to 2013., Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study with 628 pregnant/postpartum women divided into 3 groups: Group A (2004-2006), Group B (2007-2010) and Group C (2013). Information about anthropometric, clinical, sociodemographic data and obstetric and prenatal care of adolescents was obtained from medical records of the pregnant women. A hemoglobin concentration n<11 g/dL was considered to be anemia. Data were analyzed statistically by the chi-square test, Student's t-test and ANOVA, and the post hoc Tukey test., Results: The prevalence of gestational anemia over the years was 43% (GA=138), 36% (GB=80) and 47.1% (GC=40) and the overall prevalence for the 2004-2013 period was 41.1% (n=258). The occurrence of anemic pregnant women increased with the progression of pregnancy; however, in the 3rd quarter there was a decrease in the prevalence of anemia in GB (29.3%) compared to GA (38.7%; p=0.04). Factors associated with anemia were number of prenatal visits and prenatal nutritional assistance, place of residence, pre-pregnancy BMI, and gestational weight gain., Conclusion: The results showed that the prevalence of anemia among pregnant adolescents seen at a public maternity is high. There was no reduction of anemia during the study period and other factors in addition to iron deficiency were involved in the genesis of anemia in this population.

OBJECTIVE To analyze if dietary patterns during the third gestational trimester are associated with birth weight.METHODS Longitudinal study conducted in the cities of Petropolis and Queimados, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Southeastern Brazil, between 2007 and 2008. We analyzed data from the first and second follow-up wave of a prospective cohort. Food consumption of 1,298 pregnant women was assessed using a semi-quantitative questionnaire about food frequency. Dietary patterns were obtained by exploratory factor analysis, using the Varimax rotation method. We also applied the multivariate linear regression model to estimate the association between food consumption patterns and birth weight.RESULTS Four patterns of consumption - which explain 36.4% of the variability - were identified and divided as follows: (1) prudent pattern (milk, yogurt, cheese, fruit and fresh-fruit juice, cracker, and chicken/beef/fish/liver), which explained 14.9% of the consumption; (2) traditional pattern, consisting of beans, rice, vegetables, breads, butter/margarine and sugar, which explained 8.8% of the variation in consumption; (3) Western pattern (potato/cassava/yams, macaroni, flour/farofa/grits, pizza/hamburger/deep fried pastries, soft drinks/cool drinks and pork/sausages/egg), which accounts for 6.9% of the variance; and (4) snack pattern (sandwich cookie, salty snacks, chocolate, and chocolate drink mix), which explains 5.7% of the consumption variability. The snack dietary pattern was positively associated with birth weight (β = 56.64; p = 0.04) in pregnant adolescents.CONCLUSIONS For pregnant adolescents, the greater the adherence to snack pattern during pregnancy, the greater the baby's birth weight.

New benzopsoralen analogues were synthesized and their inhibitory effect on the growth of tumourtumour cell lines (MDA MB231 and TCC-SUP) was evaluated. The in vitro antitumour activity of the new benzopsoralen analogues was discussed in terms of structure-activity relationship. Molecular docking studies with human-CYP2A6 enzymes were also carried out with the synthesized compounds to evaluate the potential of these molecules to interact with the haem group of the enzymes. The results demonstrated that the compounds that are able to interact with the iron ion of the haem cofactor and at the same time with active site Asn297 are those that have better anti-proliferative activity., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed at assessing the validity of different measures for estimating gestational age and to propose the creation of an algorithm for gestational age at birth estimates for the Birth in Brazil survey--a study conducted in 2011-2012 with 23,940 postpartum women. We used early ultrasound imaging, performed between 7-20 weeks of gestation, as the reference method. All analyses were performed stratifying by payment of maternity care (public or private). When compared to early ultrasound imaging, we found a substantial intraclass correlation coefficient of ultrasound-based gestational age at admission measure (0.95 and 0.94) and of gestational age reported by postpartum women at interview measure (0.90 and 0.88) for the public and private payment of maternity care, respectively. Last menstrual period-based measures had lower intraclass correlation coefficients than the first two measures evaluated. This study suggests caution when using the last menstrual period as the first measure for estimating gestational age in Brazil, strengthening the use of information obtained from early ultrasound imaging results.

This study evaluated the use of best practices (eating, movement, use of nonpharmacological methods for pain relief and partograph) and obstetric interventions in labor and delivery among low-risk women. Data from the hospital-based survey Birth in Brazil conducted between 2011 and 2012 was used. Best practices during labor occurred in less than 50% of women and prevalence of the use of these practices was lower in the North, Northeast and Central West Regions. The rate of use of oxytocin drips and amniotomy was 40%, and was higher among women admitted to public hospitals and in women with a low level of education. The uterine fundal pressure, episiotomy and lithotomy were used in 37%, 56% and 92% of women, respectively. Caesarean section rates were lower in women using the public health system, nonwhites, women with a low level of education and multiparous women. To improve the health of mothers and newborns and promote quality of life, a change of approach to labor and childbirth that focuses on evidence-based care is required in both the public and private health sectors.

The purpose of this article is to describe the factors cited for the preference for type of birth in early pregnancy and reconstruct the decision process by type of birth in Brazil. Data from a national hospital-based cohort with 23,940 postpartum women, held in 2011-2012, were analyzed according to source of funding for birth and parity, using the χ2 test. The initial preference for cesarean delivery was 27.6%, ranging from 15.4% (primiparous public sector) to 73.2% (multiparous women with previous cesarean private sector). The main reason for the choice of vaginal delivery was the best recovery of this type of birth (68.5%) and for the choice of cesarean, the fear of pain (46.6%). Positive experience with vaginal delivery (28.7%), cesarean delivery (24.5%) and perform female sterilization (32.3%) were cited by multiparous. Women from private sector presented 87.5% caesarean, with increased decision for cesarean birth in end of gestation, independent of diagnosis of complications. In both sectors, the proportion of caesarean section was much higher than desired by women.

This paper describes the sample design for the National Survey into Labor and Birth in Brazil. The hospitals with 500 or more live births in 2007 were stratified into: the five Brazilian regions; state capital or not; and type of governance. They were then selected with probability proportional to the number of live births in 2007. An inverse sampling method was used to select as many days (minimum of 7) as necessary to reach 90 interviews in the hospital. Postnatal women were sampled with equal probability from the set of eligible women, who had entered the hospital in the sampled days. Initial sample weights were computed as the reciprocals of the sample inclusion probabilities and were calibrated to ensure that total estimates of the number of live births from the survey matched the known figures obtained from the Brazilian System of Information on Live Births. For the two telephone follow-up waves (6 and 12 months later), the postnatal woman's response probability was modelled using baseline covariate information in order to adjust the sample weights for nonresponse in each follow-up wave.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the care of healthy full-term newborns and to identify variations in childbirth care and practices in the first hour of life. We used data from the Birth in Brazil survey. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio (OR) of hospital-delivered care for the mother and during childbirth were estimated for the following outcomes: upper airways and gastric aspiration, use of inhaled oxygen, use of incubator, skin-to-skin contact after birth, rooming-in and breastfeeding in the delivery room and within the first hour of life. We observed wide variations in the care of healthy full-term newborn in the delivery room. Practices considered inadequate, such as use of inhaled oxygen, (9.5%) aspiration of airways (71.1%) and gastric suctioning (39.7%), and the use of incubator (8.8%) were excessively used. Breastfeeding in the delivery room was low (16%), even when the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative had been implemented (24%). The results suggest poor knowledge and compliance by health practitioners to good clinical practice. Such noncompliance was probably not due to the differences in resources, since most births take place in hospitals where the necessary resources are available.

New tetracyclic benzofurocoumarin (benzopsoralen) analogues were synthesized and their inhibitory effect on the growth of tumor cell lines was evaluated. The human tumor cell lines used were MDA MB231 (breast adenocarcinoma), HeLa (cervix adenocarcinoma) and TCC-SUP (bladder transitional cell carcinoma). The in vitro antitumor activity of the new benzopsoralens was discussed in terms of structure-activity relationship. Molecular docking studies with human-CYP2A6 enzymes were also carried out with the synthesized compounds in order to evaluate the potential of these compounds to interact with the heme group of the enzymes. The results have demonstrated that the linear compounds have the most pronounced activity against tumor cell lines and this might be related to the better accessibility that these compounds have to the active site in relation to the angular ones that have shown in the majority of the cases multiple binding poses in the active site of CYP2A6., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mushroom extracts or isolated compounds may be useful in the search of new potent antimicrobial agents. Herein, it is described the synthesis of protected (acetylated) glucuronide derivatives of p-hydroxybenzoic and cinnamic acids, two compounds identified in the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum. Their antimicrobial and demelanizing activities were evaluated and compared to the parent acids and G. lucidum extract. p-Hydroxybenzoic and cinnamic acids, as also their protected glucuronide derivatives revealed high antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal) activity, even better than the one showed by commercial standards. Despite the variation in the order of parent acids and the protected glucuronide derivatives, their antimicrobial activity was always higher than the one revealed by the extract. Nevertheless, the extract was the only one with demelanizing activity against Aspergillus niger. The acetylated glucuronide derivatives could be deprotected to obtain glucuronide metabolites, which circulate in the human organism as products of the metabolism of the parent compounds., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: A valid, accurate method for determining gestational age (GA) is crucial in classifying early and late prematurity, and it is a relevant issue in perinatology. This study aimed at assessing the validity of different measures for approximating GA, and it provides an insight into the development of algorithms that can be adopted in places with similar characteristics to Brazil. A follow-up study was carried out in two cities in southeast Brazil. Participants were interviewed in the first trimester of pregnancy and in the postpartum period, with a final sample of 1483 participants after exclusions. The distribution of GA estimates at birth using ultrasound (US) at 21-28 weeks, US at 29+ weeks, last menstrual period (LMP), and the Capurro method were compared with GA estimates at birth using the reference US (at 7-20 weeks of gestation). Kappa, sensitivity, and specificity tests were calculated for preterm (<37 weeks of gestation) and post-term (>=42 weeks) birth rates. The difference in days in the GA estimates between the reference US and the LMP and between the reference US and the Capurro method were evaluated in terms of maternal and infant characteristics, respectively., Results: For prematurity, US at 21-28 weeks had the highest sensitivity (0.84) and the Capurro method the highest specificity (0.97). For postmaturity, US at 21-28 weeks and the Capurro method had a very high sensitivity (0.98). All methods of GA estimation had a very low specificity (≤0.50) for postmaturity. GA estimates at birth with the algorithm and the reference US produced very similar results, with a preterm birth rate of 12.5%., Conclusions: In countries such as Brazil, where there is less accurate information about the LMP and lower coverage of early obstetric US examinations, we recommend the development of algorithms that enable the use of available information using methodological strategies to reduce the chance of errors with GA. Thus, this study calls into attention the care needed when comparing preterm birth rates of different localities if they are calculated using different methods.

Background: Caesarean section rates in Brazil have been steadily increasing. In 2009, for the first time, the number of children born by this type of procedure was greater than the number of vaginal births. Caesarean section is associated with a series of adverse effects on the women and newborn, and recent evidence suggests that the increasing rates of prematurity and low birth weight in Brazil are associated to the increasing rates of Caesarean section and labour induction., Methods: Nationwide hospital-based cohort study of postnatal women and their offspring with follow-up at 45 to 60 days after birth. The sample was stratified by geographic macro-region, type of the municipality and by type of hospital governance. The number of postnatal women sampled was 23,940, distributed in 191 municipalities throughout Brazil. Two electronic questionnaires were applied to the postnatal women, one baseline face-to-face and one follow-up telephone interview. Two other questionnaires were filled with information on patients' medical records and to assess hospital facilities. The primary outcome was the percentage of Caesarean sections (total, elective and according to Robson's groups). Secondary outcomes were: post-partum pain; breastfeeding initiation; severe/near miss maternal morbidity; reasons for maternal mortality; prematurity; low birth weight; use of oxygen use after birth and mechanical ventilation; admission to neonatal ICU; stillbirths; neonatal mortality; readmission in hospital; use of surfactant; asphyxia; severe/near miss neonatal morbidity. The association between variables were investigated using bivariate, stratified and multivariate model analyses. Statistical tests were applied according to data distribution and homogeneity of variances of groups to be compared. All analyses were taken into consideration for the complex sample design., Discussion: This study, for the first time, depicts a national panorama of labour and birth outcomes in Brazil. Regardless of the socioeconomic level, demand for Caesarean section appears to be based on the belief that the quality of obstetric care is closely associated to the technology used in labour and birth. Within this context, it was justified to conduct a nationwide study to understand the reasons that lead pregnant women to submit to Caesarean sections and to verify any association between this type of birth and it's consequences on postnatal health.

Purpose: To evaluate sociodemographic, behavioral and reproductive factors and morbidities associated with inadequate weight gain during pregnancy., Methods: Cohort study conducted from December 2007 to August 2008 with women in the first trimester of pregnancy looking for prenatal care in the Public Health System who lived in the cities of Petrópolis or Queimados, Rio de Janeiro state (Brazil). Women with multiple pregnancy, who had a miscarriage in the index pregnancy or who lacked information for the assessment of pregravid nutritional status or weight gain were excluded. Pregravid nutritional status and weight gain during pregnancy were determined according to the criterion established by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Statistical analysis was performed using a multinomial logistic regression model., Results: A total of 1,287 women were included in the study; 26.6% of them were overweight or obese while 11% were underweight. Inadequate weight gain during pregnancy was observed in 71.4% of pregnant women; 35.6% of them did not gain enough weight while 35.8% gained more weight than recommended by the IOM. In the multivariate analysis, women with hypertension (OR=2.1; 95%CI 1.4-3.1), pregravid overweight (OR=2.5; 95%CI 1.4-4.5) or obesity (OR=2.7; 95%CI 1.8-3.9) and who had a higher educational level were more likely to gain more weight than recommended, while pregravid underweight (OR=0.6; 95%CI 0.4-0.9) represented a protection against excessive gain., Conclusion: Pregravid nutritional diagnosis and weight gain monitoring should be actions effectively instituted in the routine of health professionals.

This study investigated the relationship between social capital and social support and the adequate use of prenatal care. A follow-up study involving 1,485 pregnant women was conducted in two cities in the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, social support and social capital data were collected during the first trimester of pregnancy. The post-partum period included information on levels of prenatal care utilization, social networks, parity, obstetric and gestational risk and prenatal care attendance. Hierarchized multinomial logistic regression was used in the statistical analysis. Prenatal care use above adequate levels was associated with high social capital at the city level (aggregated social capital), socioeconomic status and working during pregnancy. Lower non-aggregated contextual and compositional social capital, gestational risk and pattern of prenatal care were associated with inadequate prenatal care utilization. Contextual social capital and social support were found to be social determinants for the appropriate use of prenatal care.

Cesarean section rates are very high in Brazil mainly in private hospitals, probably due to socioeconomic and cultural factors. The objective of this study was to describe socioeconomic, demographic, cultural and reproductive characteristics of women in the postpartum period and the factors that had determined their decision for caesarean section in two units of the supplementary health care system of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The study population was composed of 437 women that had vaginal or caesarean childbirths in the two selected units. Data were collected by means of interviews with mothers and consultation of hospital records. The factors associated with the decision for cesarean section as mode of delivery were evaluated using non-conditional logistic regression analysis and following the hierarchic models established at three definite moments. Although 70% of the women had no initial preference for cesarean section, 90% of them had this mode of birth. It was verified that, despite their initial desire, the interaction with the health services resulted in cesarean section as mode of birth. Educative actions directed to pregnant women and to the public at large as well as changes in the childbirth care model can be promising strategies for reverting this picture.

Some pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines, structurally related with allopurinol, a well known xanthine oxidase inhibitor, clinically used in the therapy of gout, have also been reported as potent inhibitors of xanthine oxidase and the growth of several human tumour cell lines. Considering the potential interest of this family of compounds, the aim of the present study was to synthesise and provide a full chemical characterization of new N-aryl-5-amino-4-cyanopyrazole derivatives and their corresponding pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines. Their biological activity pertaining to the xanthine oxidase inhibition and effect on the growth of three tumour cell lines (MCF-7, NCI-H460, and SF-268) are also provided. With only one exception, the synthesised compounds showed no effect on the growth of the three tumour cell lines. However, a strong xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity was observed for almost all pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines tested, revealing some of them IC(50) values below 1 microM. The results of the molecular docking studies of these compounds, against xanthine oxidoreductase are also described, providing an atomistic explanation of the differences in the inhibitory efficiency. MEP calculations were used to explain different inhibitory efficiency of similar inhibitors.

Cyclic voltammetry and controlled-potential electrolysis have been employed to investigate and characterize the reductive intramolecular cyclization of ethyl 2-bromo-3-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(propargyloxy)propanoate (1) promoted by (1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane)nickel(I), [Ni(tmc)](+), electrogenerated at glassy carbon cathodes in dimethylformamide containing tetraalkylammonium salts. Cyclic voltammograms for reduction of [Ni(tmc)](2+) in the presence of 1 reveal that [Ni(tmc)](+) catalytically reduces 1 at potentials more positive than those required for direct reduction of 1. During controlled-potential electrolyses of solutions containing [Ni(tmc)](2+) and 1, catalytic reduction of the latter proceeds via one-electron cleavage of the carbon-bromine bond to form a radical intermediate that undergoes cyclization to afford 2-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-methylenetetrahydrofuran (2). In the presence of a base (either electrogenerated or deliberately added as potassium tert-butoxide), 2 rearranges to give 2-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-methyl-2,5-dihydrofuran (3). A mechanistic scheme is proposed to explain the results obtained by means of cyclic voltammetry and controlled-potential electrolysis.