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Nutrients Sep 2023Although gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has several short- and long-term adverse effects on the mother and the offspring, no medicine is generally prescribed to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Although gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has several short- and long-term adverse effects on the mother and the offspring, no medicine is generally prescribed to prevent GDM. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of inositol supplementation in preventing GDM and related outcomes. Systematic search was performed in CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and Embase until 13 September 2023. Eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) compared the efficacy of inositols to placebo in pregnant women at high risk for GDM. Our primary outcome was the incidence of GDM, whereas secondary outcomes were oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and maternal and fetal complications. (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021284939). Eight eligible RCTs were identified, including the data of 1795 patients. The incidence of GDM was halved by inositols compared to placebo (RR = 0.42, CI: 0.26-0.67). Fasting, 1-h, and 2-h OGTT glucose levels were significantly decreased by inositols. The stereoisomer myoinositol also reduced the risk of insulin need (RR = 0.29, CI: 0.13-0.68), preeclampsia or gestational hypertension (RR = 0.38, CI: 0.2-0.71), preterm birth (RR = 0.44, CI: 0.22-0.88), and neonatal hypoglycemia (RR = 0.12, CI: 0.03-0.55). Myoinositol decrease the incidence of GDM in pregnancies high-risk for GDM. Moreover, myoinositol supplementation reduces the risk of insulin need, preeclampsia or gestational hypertension, preterm birth, and neonatal hypoglycemia. Based on the present study 2-4 g myoinositol canbe suggested from the first trimester to prevent GDM and related outcomes.
Topics: Pregnancy; Infant, Newborn; Female; Humans; Diabetes, Gestational; Premature Birth; Pre-Eclampsia; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Hypoglycemia; Insulin; Inositol
PubMed: 37836508
DOI: 10.3390/nu15194224 -
The Lancet. Global Health Apr 2024Although mpox has been detected in paediatric populations in central and west Africa for decades, evidence synthesis on paediatric, maternal, and congenital mpox, and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Although mpox has been detected in paediatric populations in central and west Africa for decades, evidence synthesis on paediatric, maternal, and congenital mpox, and the use of vaccines and therapeutics in these groups, is lacking. A systematic review is therefore indicated to set the research agenda.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, searching articles in Embase, Global Health, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO, and WHO databases from inception to April 17, 2023. We included studies reporting primary data on at least one case of confirmed, suspected, or probable paediatric, maternal, or congenital mpox in humans or the use of third-generation smallpox or mpox vaccines, targeted antivirals, or immune therapies in at least one case in our population of interest. We included clinical trials and observational studies in humans and excluded reviews, commentaries, and grey literature. A pooled estimate of the paediatric case fatality ratio was obtained using random-effects meta-analysis. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD420223336648).
FINDINGS
Of the 61 studies, 53 reported paediatric outcomes (n=2123 cases), seven reported maternal or congenital outcomes (n=32 cases), two reported vaccine safety (n=28 recipients), and three reported transmission during breastfeeding (n=4 cases). While a subset of seven observational studies (21 children and 12 pregnant individuals) reported uneventful treatment with tecovirimat, there were no randomised trials reporting safety or efficacy for any therapeutic agent. Among children, the commonest clinical features included rash (86 [100%] of 86), fever (63 [73%] of 86), and lymphadenopathy (40 [47%] of 86). Among pregnant individuals, rash was reported in 23 (100%) of 23; fever and lymphadenopathy were less common (six [26%] and three [13%] of 23, respectively). Most paediatric complications (12 [60%] of 20) arose from secondary bacterial infections. The pooled paediatric case fatality ratio was 11% (95% CI 4-20), I=75%. Data from 12 pregnancies showed half resulted in fetal death. Research on vaccine and immune globulin safety remains scarce for children and absent for pregnant individuals.
INTERPRETATION
Our review highlights critical knowledge gaps in the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of mpox in children and pregnant individuals, especially those residing in endemic countries. Increased funding, international collaboration, and equitable research is needed to inform mpox control strategies tailored for at-risk communities in endemic countries.
FUNDING
None.
TRANSLATIONS
For the French, Spanish and Portuguese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Child; Humans; Mpox (monkeypox); Family; Exanthema; Lymphadenopathy; Vaccines
PubMed: 38401556
DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00607-1 -
BMC Cancer Jul 2023Associations between reproductive factors and breast cancer (BC) risk vary by molecular subtype (i.e., luminal A, luminal B, HER2, and triple negative/basal-like... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Associations between reproductive factors and breast cancer (BC) risk vary by molecular subtype (i.e., luminal A, luminal B, HER2, and triple negative/basal-like [TNBC]). In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we summarized the associations between reproductive factors and BC subtypes.
METHODS
Studies from 2000 to 2021 were included if BC subtype was examined in relation to one of 11 reproductive risk factors: age at menarche, age at menopause, age at first birth, menopausal status, parity, breastfeeding, oral contraceptive (OC) use, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), pregnancy, years since last birth and abortion. For each reproductive risk factor, BC subtype, and study design (case-control/cohort or case-case), random-effects models were used to estimate pooled relative risks and 95% confidence intervals.
RESULTS
A total of 75 studies met the inclusion criteria for systematic review. Among the case-control/cohort studies, later age at menarche and breastfeeding were consistently associated with decreased risk of BC across all subtypes, while later age at menopause, later age of first childbirth, and nulliparity/low parity were associated with increased risk of luminal A, luminal B, and HER2 subtypes. In the case-only analysis, compared to luminal A, postmenopausal status increased the risk of HER2 and TNBC. Associations were less consistent across subtypes for OC and HRT use.
CONCLUSION
Identifying common risk factors across BC subtypes can enhance the tailoring of prevention strategies, and risk stratification models can benefit from subtype specificity. Adding breastfeeding status to current BC risk prediction models can enhance predictive ability, given the consistency of the associations across subtypes.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms; Risk Factors; Reproductive History; Parity; Breast
PubMed: 37430191
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11049-0 -
American Journal of Obstetrics and... Mar 2024Accelerated female reproductive events represent the early onset of reproductive events involving puberty, menarche, pregnancy loss, first sexual intercourse, first... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
Accelerated female reproductive events represent the early onset of reproductive events involving puberty, menarche, pregnancy loss, first sexual intercourse, first birth, parity, and menopause. This study aimed to explore the association between childhood adversity and accelerated female reproductive events.
DATA SOURCES
PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were systematically searched from September 22, 2022 to September 23, 2022.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Observational cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies in human populations were included if they reported the time of reproductive events for female individuals with experience of childhood adversity and were published in English.
METHODS
Two reviewers independently screened studies, obtained data, and assessed study quality, and conflicts were resolved by a third reviewer. Dichotomous outcomes were evaluated using meta-analysis, and pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were generated using random-effects models. Moderation analysis and meta-regression were used to investigate heterogeneity.
RESULTS
In total, 21 cohort studies, 9 cross-sectional studies, and 3 case-control studies were identified. Overall, female individuals with childhood adversity were nearly 2 times more likely to report accelerated reproductive events than those with no adversity exposure (odds ratio, 1.91; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-2.76; I=99.6%; P<.001). Moderation analysis indicated that effect sizes for the types of childhood adversity ranged from an odds ratio of 1.61 (95% confidence interval, 1.23-2.09) for low socioeconomic status to 2.13 (95% confidence interval, 1.14-3.99) for dysfunctional family dynamics. Among the 7 groups based on different reproductive events, including early onset of puberty, early menarche, early sexual initiation, teenage childbirth, preterm birth, pregnancy loss, and early menopause, early sexual initiation had a nonsignificant correlation with childhood adversity (odds ratio, 2.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-8.30; I=99.9%; P<.001). Considerable heterogeneity (I>75%) between estimates was observed for over half of the outcomes. Age, study type, and method of data collection could explain 35.9% of the variance.
CONCLUSION
The literature tentatively corroborates that female individuals who reported adverse events in childhood are more likely to experience accelerated reproductive events. This association is especially strong for exposure to abuse and dysfunctional family dynamics. However, the heterogeneity among studies was high, requiring caution in interpreting the findings and highlighting the need for further evaluation of the types and timing of childhood events that influence accelerated female reproductive events.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Adverse Childhood Experiences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Parturition; Premature Birth; Reproduction
PubMed: 37820985
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.10.005 -
The Journal of Maternal-fetal &... Dec 2024Maternal high blood pressure (BP) was associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to synthesize evidence on the association between high BP prior to or... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Maternal high blood pressure (BP) was associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to synthesize evidence on the association between high BP prior to or in early pregnancy with maternal and fetal complications.
METHODS
We searched the cohort studies assessing the effect of high BP in the Medline, Embase, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Internet databases. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The protocol was registered in PROSPERRO (CRD 42023414945).
RESULTS
23 eligible studies were identified. High BP prior to or in early pregnancy was associated with higher odds of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.91-3.89), gestational hypertension (2.56, 2.01-3.12), preeclampsia (3.20, 2.66-3.74), gestational diabetes mellitus (1.71, 1.36-2.06), preterm birth (1.66, 1.39-1.93), stillbirth (2.01, 1.45-2.58) and neonatal intensive care unit admission (1.22, 1.08-1.37). Subgroup analyses indicated that pre-hypertension could significantly increase the odds of these outcomes except for stillbirth, though the odds were lower than hypertension.
CONCLUSIONS
High BP prior to or in early pregnancy was associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and this association increased with hypertension severity. The findings emphasized an urgent need for heightened surveillance for maternal BP, especially pre-hypertensive status.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Infant, Newborn; Humans; Stillbirth; Premature Birth; Pregnancy Outcome; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced; Pre-Eclampsia
PubMed: 38151254
DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2023.2296366 -
American Journal of Obstetrics and... Feb 2024This study aimed to evaluate the association between human chorionic gonadotropin and adverse pregnancy outcomes. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to evaluate the association between human chorionic gonadotropin and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
DATA SOURCES
Medline, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane were searched in November 2021 using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and relevant key words.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
This analysis included published full-text studies of pregnant women with serum human chorionic gonadotropin testing between 8 and 28 weeks of gestation, investigating fetal outcomes (fetal death in utero, small for gestational age, preterm birth) or maternal factors (hypertension in pregnancy: preeclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, placental abruption, HELLP syndrome, gestational diabetes mellitus).
METHODS
Studies were extracted using REDCap software. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess for risk of bias. Final meta-analyses underwent further quality assessment using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) method.
RESULTS
A total of 185 studies were included in the final review, including the outcomes of fetal death in utero (45), small for gestational age (79), preterm delivery (62), hypertension in pregnancy (107), gestational diabetes mellitus (29), placental abruption (17), and HELLP syndrome (2). Data were analyzed separately on the basis of categorical measurement of human chorionic gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin measured on a continuous scale. Eligible studies underwent meta-analysis to generate a pooled odds ratio (categorical human chorionic gonadotropin level) or difference in medians (human chorionic gonadotropin continuous scale) between outcome groups. First-trimester low human chorionic gonadotropin levels were associated with preeclampsia and fetal death in utero, whereas high human chorionic gonadotropin levels were associated with preeclampsia. Second-trimester high human chorionic gonadotropin levels were associated with fetal death in utero and preeclampsia.
CONCLUSION
Human chorionic gonadotropin levels are associated with placenta-mediated adverse pregnancy outcomes. Both high and low human chorionic gonadotropin levels in the first trimester of pregnancy can be early warning signs of adverse outcomes. Further analysis of human chorionic gonadotropin subtypes and pregnancy outcomes is required to determine the diagnostic utility of these findings in reference to specific cutoff values.
Topics: Pregnancy; Humans; Female; Infant, Newborn; Pre-Eclampsia; Abruptio Placentae; Diabetes, Gestational; HELLP Syndrome; Placenta; Premature Birth; Biomarkers; Chorionic Gonadotropin; Pregnancy Outcome; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced; Fetal Death
PubMed: 37572838
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.08.007 -
The Journal of Maternal-fetal &... Dec 2023The majority of expectant mothers report sleep alterations during pregnancy and almost 40% report poor sleep quality. There is growing evidence that sleep quality (SQ)... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The majority of expectant mothers report sleep alterations during pregnancy and almost 40% report poor sleep quality. There is growing evidence that sleep quality (SQ) during pregnancy influences maternal health. This review focuses on how SQ during pregnancy relates to maternal health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The review also aims to identify whether this relation varies between pregnancy trimesters, and for different subdomains of HRQoL.
METHODS
A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines and registered on Prospero in August 2021 with ID no: CRD42021264707. Pubmed, Psychinfo, Embase, Cochrane, and trial registries were searched up to June 2021. Studies with any design that investigated the relation between SQ and quality of life/HRQoL in pregnant women, published in English, and peer-reviewed, were included. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts, and extracted data from the included papers. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
RESULTS
Three hundred and thirteen papers were identified in the initial search, of which 10 met the inclusion criteria. Data included 7330 participants from six different countries. The studies had longitudinal ( = 1) or cross-sectional designs ( = 9). In nine studies SQ was reported subjectively by self-report questionnaires. Actigraphic data was available from two studies. HRQoL was assessed by validated questionnaires in all studies. Due to high levels of clinical and methodological heterogeneity in included studies, a narrative synthesis was employed. Nine studies found that poor sleep quality was related to a lower overall HRQoL during pregnancy. Effect sizes were low to medium. This relation was reported most during the third trimester. Especially sleep disturbances and subjective low SQ seemed to be related consistently to lower HRQoL. Furthermore, an indication was found that SQ might have a relation with the mental and physical domain of HRQoL. The social and environmental domain may also be associated with overall SQ.
CONCLUSION
Despite the scarcity of studies available, this systematic review found evidence that low SQ is related to low HRQoL during pregnancy. An indication was found that the relationship between SQ and HRQoL during the second trimester might be less prominent.
Topics: Humans; Female; Pregnancy; Quality of Life; Sleep Quality; Cross-Sectional Studies; Pregnant Women; Sleep; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
PubMed: 37197986
DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2023.2212829 -
BMC Cancer Jan 2024The use of taxanes following the first trimester of pregnancy is endorsed by current clinical guidelines. However, evidence regarding their safety in terms of obstetric...
BACKGROUND
The use of taxanes following the first trimester of pregnancy is endorsed by current clinical guidelines. However, evidence regarding their safety in terms of obstetric and neonatal outcomes is limited.
METHODS
A comprehensive literature search was performed using the MEDLINE, CENTRAL and Web of Sciences databases from their inception up to 12/16/2022. Eligibility criteria included gestational taxane use, presentation of original findings, and individual case data presented. A descriptive statistical analysis was undertaken.
RESULTS
A total of 159 patients treated with taxane-containing regimens during pregnancy were identified, resulting in 162 fetuses exposed in utero. The majority of patients had breast cancer (n = 88; 55.3%) or cervical cancer (n = 45; 28.3%). The most commonly employed taxane was paclitaxel (n = 131; 82.4%). A total of 111 (69.8%) patients were also treated with other cytotoxic drugs during pregnancy, including platinum salts (n = 70; 63.0%) and doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (n = 20; 18.0%). While most patients received taxanes during the second trimester of pregnancy (n = 79; 70.0%), two were exposed to taxanes in the first trimester. Obstetric outcomes were reported in 105 (66.0%) cases, with the most frequent adverse events being preterm contractions or premature rupture of membranes (n = 12; 11.4%), pre-eclampsia/HELLP syndrome (n = 6; 5.7%), and oligohydramnios/anhydramnios (n = 6; 5.7%). All cases with pregnancy outcome available resulted in live births (n = 132). Overall, 72 (54.5%) neonates were delivered preterm, 40 (30.3%) were classified as small for gestational age (SGA), and 2 (1.5%) had an Apgar score of < 7 at 5 min. Perinatal complications included acute respiratory distress syndrome (n = 14; 10.6%), hyperbilirubinemia (n = 5; 3.8%), and hypoglycemia (n = 2; 1.5%). In addition, 7 (5.3%) cases of congenital malformations were reported. At a median follow-up of 16 months, offspring health status was available for 86 (65.2%), of which 13 (15.1%) had a documented complication, including delayed speech development, recurrent otitis media, and acute myeloid leukemia.
CONCLUSIONS
Taxanes appear to be safe following the first trimester of pregnancy, with obstetric and fetal outcomes being similar to those observed in the general obstetric population. Future studies should aim to determine the most effective taxane regimen and dosage for use during gestation, with a specific focus on treatment safety.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Taxoids; Paclitaxel; Pregnancy Outcome; Bridged-Ring Compounds; Oligohydramnios
PubMed: 38166767
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11704-6 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2023This study aimed to evaluate the association between blood heavy metal (zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd)) concentrations and spontaneous abortion (SA)... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to evaluate the association between blood heavy metal (zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd)) concentrations and spontaneous abortion (SA) and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and explore the possible endocrine dysfunction associated with it.
METHODS
A literature search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases up to April 2023. The overall effects were expressed as the standard mean difference (SMD). Subgroup analysis was performed according to the type of abortion (SA or RPL). Stata 16.0 was utilized for data analysis.
RESULTS
Based on the integrated findings, abortion women showed significantly lower Zn (SMD = -1.05, 95% CI: -1.74 to -0.36, = 0.003) and Cu concentrations (SMD = -1.42, 95% CI: -1.97 to -0.87, 0.001) and higher Pb (SMD = 1.47, 95% CI: 0.89-2.05, 0.001) and Cd concentrations (SMD = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.45-1.85, = 0.001) than normal pregnant women. Subgroup analysis showed that Zn and Cu deficiency and Cd and Pb exposure were significantly (0.05) associated with RPL, whereas Cu deficiency and Cd and Pb exposure were significantly (0.05) associated with SA.
CONCLUSION
Zn and Cu deficiencies and Pb and Cd exposure were associated with abortion. Endocrine dysfunction, such as insulin resistance, vitamin D insufficiency, and abnormal thyroid and sex hormone concentrations, is thought to be involved in heavy metal-related abortion.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Abortion, Spontaneous; Cadmium; Lead; Metals, Heavy; Zinc
PubMed: 37711903
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1216507 -
BMJ Open Jan 2024Literature surrounding the association between antidepressant use during pregnancy and miscarriage is conflicting. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Literature surrounding the association between antidepressant use during pregnancy and miscarriage is conflicting. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies among pregnant women regarding the association between exposure to antidepressants during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage, compared with pregnant women not exposed to antidepressants.
DESIGN
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of non-randomised studies.
DATA SOURCES
We searched Medline, Embase and PsychINFO up to 6 August 2023.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND OUTCOMES
Case-control, cohort and cross-sectional study designs were selected if they compared individuals exposed to any antidepressant class during pregnancy to comparator groups of either no antidepressant use or an alternate antidepressant.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Effect estimates were extracted from selected studies and pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using the Risk of Bias in Non-Randomised Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool, and heterogeneity assessed using the I statistic. Subgroup analyses were used to explore antidepressant classes and the impact of confounding by indication.
RESULTS
1800 records were identified from the search, of which 29 were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The total sample included 5 671 135 individuals. Antidepressant users initially appeared to have a higher risk of miscarriage compared with unexposed individuals from the general population (summary effect estimate: 1.24, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.31, I=69.2%; number of studies (n)=29). However, the summary estimate decreased when comparing against unexposed individuals with maternal depression (1.16, 1.04 to 1.31; I=58.6%; n=6), suggesting confounding by indication may be driving the association. 22 studies suffered from serious RoB, and only two of the 29 studies were deemed at moderate RoB.
CONCLUSIONS
After accounting for maternal depression, there is little evidence of any association between antidepressant use during pregnancy and miscarriage. Instead, the results indicate the biasing impact of confounding by indication.
Topics: Humans; Female; Pregnancy; Abortion, Spontaneous; Cross-Sectional Studies; Antidepressive Agents
PubMed: 38272551
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-074600