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Heart, Lung & Circulation Jun 2024Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains prevalent within First Nations Australian communities. RHD is more common in females and peak prevalence corresponds with...
BACKGROUND
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains prevalent within First Nations Australian communities. RHD is more common in females and peak prevalence corresponds with childbearing age. Significant valvular disease can complicate pregnancy. Current practice in Northern Australia is to refer pregnant women for echocardiography if there are signs or symptoms of possible cardiac pathology or a history of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) or RHD. It is not currently routine practice to offer echocardiographic screening for all pregnant women at high risk of RHD.
AIM
This study aimed to assess the current referral practices for echocardiography and disease patterns in pregnant women in the Northern Territory, Australia-a region with a known high prevalence of RHD in the First Nations population.
METHOD
A retrospective analysis of all echocardiography referrals of pregnant women over a 4-year period was performed. Data included indication for echocardiography, clinical history, echocardiographic findings, and location of delivery. Comparisons were made using Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney U tests.
RESULTS
A total of 322 women underwent echocardiography during pregnancy: 195 First Nations and 127 non-Indigenous women (median age, 25 vs 30 years, respectively; p<0.01). Indications for echocardiography differed by ethnicity, with history of ARF or RHD being the most common indication in First Nations women, and incidental murmur the most common in non-Indigenous women. First Nations women were more likely to have abnormal echocardiograms (35.9% vs 11.0% in non-Indigenous women; p<0.01) or a history of ARF or RHD (39.4% vs 0.8%; p<0.01), but less likely to have documented cardiac symptoms as an indication for echocardiography (8.2% vs 20.5%; p<0.01). New cardiac diagnoses were made during pregnancy in 11 (5.6%) First Nations and two (1.6%) non-Indigenous women (p=0.02). Moderate or severe valve lesions were detected in 26 (13.3%) First Nations women (all previously diagnosed), and 11 (5.6%) had previous cardiac surgery. No severe valve lesions were identified in the non-Indigenous group. Interstate transfer to a tertiary centre with valve intervention services was required during pregnancy or the puerperium for 12 (6.2%) First Nations women and no non-Indigenous women.
CONCLUSIONS
Amongst pregnant women in the Northern Territory who had an indication for echocardiography, First Nations women were more likely to have abnormal echocardiograms. This was mainly due to valvular disease secondary to RHD. Cardiac symptoms were infrequently recorded as an indication for echocardiography in First Nations women, suggesting possible underappreciation of symptoms. Having a low threshold for echocardiographic investigation, including consideration of universal screening during pregnancy, is important in a high RHD-burden setting such as ours. A better understanding of the true prevalence and spectrum of disease severity in this population would enable health services to invest in appropriate resources.
PubMed: 38918121
DOI: 10.1016/j.hlc.2024.04.301 -
American Journal of Epidemiology Jun 2024Recent studies have suggested that adverse outcomes of postterm birth (≥42 completed weeks of gestation), including increased cardiometabolic risk factors, impaired...
Recent studies have suggested that adverse outcomes of postterm birth (≥42 completed weeks of gestation), including increased cardiometabolic risk factors, impaired glucose metabolism, and obesity, may extend into adulthood. We studied interconnected determinants of cardiovascular health, including physical activity (based on accelerometry for two weeks), muscular strength (handgrip strength), cardiorespiratory fitness (4-min step test), and cardiac autonomic function (heart rate recovery, heart rate variability, and baroreflex sensitivity) among 46-year-old adults from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC) born postterm (n = 805) and at term (n = 2,645). Adults born postterm undertook vigorous-intensity physical activity 2.0 min/day (95% CI 0.4, 3.7) less than term-born adults when adjusted for sex, age, and maternal- and pregnancy-related covariates in multiple linear regression. Postterm birth was associated with reduced cardiorespiratory fitness based on a higher peak heart rate (2.1 bpm, 95% CI 0.9, 3.4) and slower heart rate recovery 30 s after the step test (-0.7 bpm, 95% CI -1.3, -0.1). Postterm birth was associated with lower vigorous-intensity physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness and slower heart rate recovery in middle age. Our findings reinforce previous suggestions that postterm birth should be included as a perinatal risk factor for adult cardiometabolic disease.
PubMed: 38918030
DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwae150 -
PloS One 2024The aim of this research was to evaluate the incidence of congenital syphilis and the ratio between congenital syphilis and syphilis in pregnant women in Brazil...
The aim of this research was to evaluate the incidence of congenital syphilis and the ratio between congenital syphilis and syphilis in pregnant women in Brazil according to socioeconomic indicators (inadequate water supply and sanitation; illiteracy at 15 years of age or older; household income per capita; proportion of poor people; Gini index; human development index; and average health expenditure per inhabitant by the health system) and prenatal quality-of-care indicators. We conducted an ecological study using a sample composed of 257 municipalities, each with ≥ 100,000 inhabitants. Data was collected from four public databases: the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, comprising socioeconomical data from the 2010 census; and the data of 2019 available in the databases of the Department of Informatics of the Brazilian Health System, Information and Management of Primary Care, and the Electronic Citizen Information System. Descriptive analysis of dependent and independent variables and bivariate analysis by Negative Binomial regression were carried out. The mean incidence of congenital syphilis was 38% higher in municipalities with a Human Development Index up to 0.785 (ratio of means [RM] = 1.38; p = 0.049) and 57% higher among populations where less than 50% of primary healthcare services provided a rapid test for syphilis (RM = 1.57; p < 0.001). The ratio between congenital syphilis and syphilis in pregnant women was 29% higher in municipalities with a low household income per capita (RM = 1.29; p < 0.001) and 28% higher in locations where less than 50% of the primary healthcare services provided a rapid test for syphilis (RM = 1.28; p < 0.001). There was no statistical significance of the quality of prenatal care compared to the outcomes. This result underscores the challenges in detecting syphilis infections among pregnant women during prenatal care, consequently increasing the risk of vertical transmission of the disease to the fetus. Traits of inequality in the occurrence of congenital syphilis also draw attention to strategies to reduce health inequities and improve prenatal care.
Topics: Humans; Pregnancy; Female; Brazil; Syphilis, Congenital; Prenatal Care; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; Incidence; Adult; Socioeconomic Factors; Syphilis; Adolescent; Young Adult
PubMed: 38917233
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306120 -
Journal of Molecular Histology Jun 2024Chemical carcinogen-induced oxidative stress has a key role in cell signaling linked to the development of cancer. Oxidative stress leads to oxidative damage to cellular...
Chemical carcinogen-induced oxidative stress has a key role in cell signaling linked to the development of cancer. Oxidative stress leads to oxidative damage to cellular membranes, proteins, chromosomes and genetic material. It is thought that compounds like hesperidin with high antioxidant and anticancer potential can reduce development of cancer induced by chemical carcinogens via neutralizing their oxidative damages. We investigated protective effect of hesperidin against N-Ethyl-N-Nitrosourea (ENU)-induced neurotoxicity, congenital abnormalities and possible brain cancer after exposure of mice during pregnancy as model of glioma. The mice were divided to four groups; control (normal saline), ENU (40 mg/kg daily for three consecutive days from the 17th to the 19th of pregnancy), hesperidin (pretreated with 25 mg/kg for 30 consecutive days, before mating) + ENU and hesperidin alone. Developmental toxicity parameters (the number of pregnant mice, stillbirths, abortion, live and dead offspring), behavioral tests (novel object recognition, open field and elevated plus maze) were performed. Moreover, the activity of butrylcholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase enzymes, oxidative markers and histopathological abnormalities were detected in brain tissue. Our data showed that conversely, the pretreatment of hesperidin reduces various degrees of developmental toxicity, neurobehavioral dysfunction, neurotoxicity, oxidative stress and histopathological abnormalities induced by ENU as a neurotoxic and carcinogenic agent in the next generation. In conclusion, pre-mating exposure with hesperidin may open new avenues for prevention of primary brain cancer in next generation and could be valuable for enhancing the antioxidant defense and minimizing the developmental and neurotoxicity of DNA alkylating agents.
PubMed: 38916842
DOI: 10.1007/s10735-024-10218-0 -
Radiology Jun 2024A 30-year-old female patient with a history of infertility and no pregnancy presented to the gynecologic endometriosis clinic for follow-up 1 month after oocyte...
A 30-year-old female patient with a history of infertility and no pregnancy presented to the gynecologic endometriosis clinic for follow-up 1 month after oocyte retrieval, to be evaluated for pelvic optimization before potential embryo transfer, with worsening dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and overall pelvic pain. Eleven years prior, the patient had undergone left ovarian cystectomy for treatment of endometrioma, as well as excision of deep infiltrative endometriosis. The oocyte retrieval procedure, where more than 30 eggs were retrieved, was complicated by ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and intraperitoneal bleeding, which necessitated admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) for 3 days. Following discharge from the ICU, the patient experienced occasional on-and-off pressure of the urinary bladder and persistent aching pelvic pain. At the 1-month follow-up appointment, the patient's vital signs were assessed (blood pressure, 142/94 mm Hg; pulse rate, 95 per minute; temperature, 96.8 °F [36 °C]). Routine blood investigations, including white blood cell count, were within normal limits. Physical examination showed the abdomen was soft but there was mild pelvic tenderness. The serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin test result was negative for pregnancy, and urinalysis testing showed no leukocyte esterase or nitrites. MRI of the pelvis (Figs 1-3) was performed to evaluate the worsening pain.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adult; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Endometriosis; Diagnosis, Differential; Pelvic Pain
PubMed: 38916503
DOI: 10.1148/radiol.231863 -
Journal of the Pediatric Infectious... Jun 2024Screening for perinatal hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections remains low despite increases in the number of at-risk infants. It is unknown if pediatric screening varies by...
BACKGROUND
Screening for perinatal hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections remains low despite increases in the number of at-risk infants. It is unknown if pediatric screening varies by maternal HCV infection status during pregnancy.
METHODS
Using a retrospective cohort of mother-infant pairs born from 2015 to 2019, we identified women with HCV and classified their infection status during pregnancy as active, probable or previous based on HCV RNA testing obtained during pregnancy. We used logistic regression to assess odds (OR) of infant screening based on maternal HCV infection status.
RESULTS
Of the 503 HCV-exposed infants, 137 (27%) were born to women with previous infection, 106 (21%) to women with probable infection, and 260 (52%) to women with active infection. Completion of pediatric screening varied by maternal infection status (43% previous infection; 49% probable infection; 58% active; p=0.014). Pediatric HCV infection ranged from 1.7-7.7% by maternal VL status. Infants born to women with active infection were 2.5 times more likely (95%CI: 1.5-4.4) to have a screening test ordered versus infants of previously infected women; there was no difference for infants of women with probable infection (OR:1.6; 95%CI: 0.9-3.2). Test ordering was also associated with maternal smoking status, a visit at ≥18 months of age and outpatient documentation of HCV exposure. If a test was ordered, there was no difference in test completion by maternal infection status. However, test completion was associated with living with a non-biologic parent and earlier birth year.
CONCLUSION
Infants born to women with active infection are more likely to be screened for HCV, but many children continue to be unscreened and pediatric HCV infections are going undetected. New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pediatric HCV screening guidelines recommending earlier screening may improve screening rates.
PubMed: 38915257
DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piae066 -
Human Resources For Health Jun 2024Physicians and associate (non-physician) clinicians conduct cesarean sections in Tanzania and Malawi. Urogenital fistulas may occur as complications of cesarean section....
BACKGROUND
Physicians and associate (non-physician) clinicians conduct cesarean sections in Tanzania and Malawi. Urogenital fistulas may occur as complications of cesarean section. Location and circumstances can indicate iatrogenic origin as opposed to ischemic injury following prolonged, obstructed labor.
METHODS
This retrospective review assessed the frequency of iatrogenic urogenital fistulas following cesarean sections conducted by either associate clinicians or physicians in Tanzania and Malawi. It focuses on 325 women with iatrogenic fistulas among 1290 women who had fistulas after cesarean birth in Tanzania and Malawi between 1994 and 2017. An equivalence test compared the proportion of iatrogenic fistulas after cesarean sections performed by associate clinicians and physicians (equivalence margin = 0.135). Logistic regression was used to model the occurrence of iatrogenic fistula after cesarean section, controlling for cadre, date, maternal age, previous abdominal surgery and parity.
RESULTS
Associate clinicians attended 1119/1290 (86.7%) cesarean births leading to fistulas, while physicians attended 171/1290 (13.3%). Iatrogenic fistulas occurred in 275/1119 (24.6%) cesarean births by associate clinicians and in 50/171 (29.2%) cesarean births by physicians. The risk difference and 90% confidence interval were entirely contained within an equivalence margin of 13.5%, supporting a conclusion of equivalence between the two cadres. The odds of iatrogenic fistula after cesarean section were not statistically significantly different between associate clinicians and physicians (aOR 0.90; 95% CI 0.61-1.33).
CONCLUSIONS
Associate clinicians appear equivalent to physicians performing cesarean sections in terms of iatrogenic fistula risk. Lower iatrogenic proportions for associate clinicians could reflect different caseloads. The occurrence of iatrogenic fistulas illustrates the importance of appropriate labor management and cesarean section decision-making, irrespective of health provider cadre. Given the noninferior performance and lower costs of employing associate clinicians, other countries with insufficient and/or unequally distributed health workforces could consider task-shifting cesarean sections to associate clinicians.
Topics: Humans; Female; Cesarean Section; Malawi; Tanzania; Retrospective Studies; Pregnancy; Adult; Iatrogenic Disease; Physicians; Young Adult; Fistula
PubMed: 38915096
DOI: 10.1186/s12960-024-00927-8 -
BMC Public Health Jun 2024To collect maternal maternity information on preterm births in two tertiary hospitals in the urban area of Baota District, Yan'an City, from January 2018 to December...
OBJECTIVE
To collect maternal maternity information on preterm births in two tertiary hospitals in the urban area of Baota District, Yan'an City, from January 2018 to December 2020, to explore the long-term and short-term effects of air pollutants (PM, PM, SO, NO, CO and O) and preterm births, and to explore changes in blood cell counts due to air pollutants.
METHODS
Daily average mass concentration data of six air pollutants in the urban area of Yan'an City from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2020 were collected from the monitoring station in Baota District, Yan'an City. Meteorological information was obtained from the Meteorological Bureau of Yan'an City, including temperature,relative humidity and wind speed for the time period. The mass concentration of air pollutants in each exposure window of pregnant women was assessed by the nearest monitoring station method, and conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between air pollutants and preterm births, as well as the lagged and cumulative effects of air pollutants. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the relationship between air pollutants and blood tests after stepwise linear regression was used to determine confounders for each blood test.
RESULTS
The long-term effects of pollutants showed that PM, PM, SO, NOand CO were risk factors for preterm birth. In the two-pollutant model, PM, PM, SO and NO mixed with other pollutants were associated with preterm birth. The lagged effect showed that PM, PM, SO, NO, and CO were associated with preterm birth; the cumulative effect showed that other air pollutants except O were associated with preterm birth. The correlation study between air pollutants and blood indicators showed that air pollutants were correlated with leukocytes, monocytes, basophils, erythrocytes, hs-CRPand not with CRP.
CONCLUSION
Exposure to air pollutants is a risk factor for preterm birth. Exposure to air pollutants was associated with changes in leukocytes, monocytes, basophils and erythrocytes and hs-CRP.
Topics: Humans; Premature Birth; Female; Air Pollutants; Pregnancy; Adult; China; Particulate Matter; Infant, Newborn; Risk Factors; Air Pollution; Maternal Exposure; Environmental Monitoring
PubMed: 38915004
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19140-2 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance and feasibility of transabdominal ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) in assessing sonoelastographic...
Aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance and feasibility of transabdominal ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) in assessing sonoelastographic features of the uterus. Twenty-seven premenopausal women were enrolled between 2021 and 2022. Transabdominal SWE measured myometrial stiffness in various uterine segments. Additionally, tissue stiffness of the quadriceps femoris muscle and autochthonous back muscle was measured. Statistical analysis employed non-parametric tests, t test, and a robust mixed linear model. Stiffness values of the uterus and the two investigated muscle types exhibited a similar spectrum: 6.38 ± 2.59 kPa (median 5.61 kPa; range 2.76-11.31 kPa) for the uterine myometrium, 7.22 ± 1.24 kPa (6.82 kPa; 5.11-9.39 kPa) for the quadriceps femoris musle, and 7.43 ± 2.73 kPa (7.41 kPa; 3.10-13.73 kPa) for the autochthonous back muscle. A tendency for significant differences in myometrial stiffness was observed concerning the type of labor mode (mean stiffness of 9.17 ± 1.35 kPa after vaginal birth vs. 3.83 ± 1.35 kPa after Caesarian section, p = 0.01). No significant differences in myometrial stiffness were observed concerning age, BMI, previous pregnancies, uterine flexion and menstrual cycle phase. Transabdominal SWE of uterine stiffness seems to be a fast and practicable method in a clinical setting. Uterine stiffness appears to be largely independent of various factors, except for the mode of delivery. However, further studies are needed to validate these results.
Topics: Humans; Female; Elasticity Imaging Techniques; Adult; Uterus; Myometrium; Pregnancy; Middle Aged; Young Adult
PubMed: 38914622
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65238-3 -
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior Jun 2024There has been an increasing use of cannabis during pregnancy in recent years. Studies have indicated that THC exposure in utero may increase the risk of attention...
There has been an increasing use of cannabis during pregnancy in recent years. Studies have indicated that THC exposure in utero may increase the risk of attention deficits and memory impairments in adolescence. The goal of the present study is to investigate the effects of vaporized THC exposure during pregnancy on offspring memory and attention performance in early and late adolescence. Pregnant dams were exposed to vaporized THC (10 mg or 40 mg) daily from gestational day 2 until labor. Pups were given either a standard or a high-fat diet at weaning and tested in early and late adolescence in two memory tests, the Novel Object Recognition (NOR) test and the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test, and a test of attention, the Object-Based Attention (OBA) test. Rats exposed to low-dose THC showed significantly decreased object exploration in both the NOR and OBA tests, indicating decreased attention. Object exploration time in OBA was significantly lower in females than males. Additionally, post hoc analysis of MWM tests showed some differences in learning patterns for HD THC offspring in early adolescence, possibly due to diet interaction, but ultimate performance was not impacted. While there are existing studies examining prenatal exposure to THC in rodents, this is the first to our knowledge examining memory and attention in adolescence following vaporized THC exposure in utero, and we find indications that prenatal THC exposure may lead to attention deficits and altered memory performance.
PubMed: 38914267
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173808