Search results for: maternal age

Authors: Yu Chen Su

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Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) refers to impaired glucose tolerance in pregnant women, impacting both the mother and newborn with short and long-term effects. It increases risks of preeclampsia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cesarean section, and preterm birth. GDM is associated with fetal macrosomia, shoulder dystocia, neonatal hypoglycemia, and future type 2 diabetes risk. A study on 6,421 pregnant women found 12% experienced high stress, linked to maladaptive coping and depressive emotions. Women with high-risk pregnancies may experience greater stress and depression. Research suggests GDM increases depression prevalence. A study on 632 Hispanic women with GDM showed severe stress and depression tendencies. Involving 95 women with GDM, 33.4% exhibited depression symptoms. Another study compared 180 GDM women to 186 with normal glucose levels, revealing higher depression levels in GDM women. They found GDM women were 1.85 times more likely to receive antidepressants during pregnancy and 1.69 times more likely to experience postpartum depression. Maternal stress and depressive symptoms during pregnancy are significant factors. Early identification by healthcare professionals can greatly benefit GDM women, their infants, and their families. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the risk of depression. Methods: This study reviewed and analyzed relevant literature on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and depression in 6,876 patients. The literature search followed PRISMA guidelines and included databases like Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library. Prospective or retrospective studies with relevant risk ratios and estimates were included, using a random-effects model for the analysis of depression risk correlation. Studies without depression data or relevant risks were excluded. The search period extended until October 2022. Results: Systematic review of 7 studies (6,876 participants) found a significant association (OR = 8.77, CI: 7.98-9.64, p < 0.05) between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and higher depression risk compared to healthy pregnant women. Conclusions: Pregnancy is a significant life transition involving physiological, psychological, and social changes. Gestational diabetes poses challenges to women's physical and mental well-being. Sensitive healthcare professionals identifying issues early can greatly benefit women, babies, and the family.

Keywords: gestational diabetes, depression, systematic review, neta-analysis

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Authors: Shyam lamsal

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Introduction: Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS) has been established in 2011, by an Act of parliament of Nepal, in Jumla, to provide health services in easy way in backward areas, to produce skilled health professionals & conduct research. The backward areas mentioned in act of KAHS are Humla, Jumla, Kalikot, Dolpa, Mugu districts of Karnali zone, Jajarkot district of Bheri zone & Bajura, Baghang & Achham districts of Seti zone in Nepal occupying around 25 % of the total national geography. Backward area of Nepal is specific to having worst health indicators with life expectancy (47 years), HDI (0.35), Literacy rate (58%), global acute malnutrition (13%), crude birth rate (33.6), crude death rate (9.6), Total fertility rate (4.2), infant mortality rate (61.5 per 1000 live births), under five mortality rate (59 per 1000 live births) and maternal mortality ratio (400 per 1000 live births). History of health facilities in backward region: All the nine districts of this region have a district hospital with very few grass root level health manpower. Government of Nepal regularly deploys one or two medical officers to each district who generally are not regular to their care. Jumla district itself was having one medical officer before the establishment of KAHS. Development activities: Establishment of 100 bedded specialty teaching hospital with 10 medical officers and five specialists, accredited its own nursing school for running diploma nursing programme, started “Karnali health survey” which covers 55 thousand households of backward region, started community care and school health camps, planning phase completed for 300 bedded teaching hospital construction. Future Plan: Expansion of the teaching hospital to 300 beds within 3 years, start health assistant and bachelor midwifery course in 2015 AD, start bachelor in laboratory and bachelor in public health course in 2016 AD and start MBBS course in 2018 AD. Deploy the medical officers and family physicians to all the district hospitals within 3 years. KAHS provides reservation up to 45% students from backward region with the commitment to stay for at least five years of their service period. Conclusion: This institution may be the example for the rest of the world in providing nursing care, education in remote areas as well as the best model for nursing manpower retention in remote areas of developing countries.

Keywords: backward area, nursing school

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Authors: Rinat Gabbay-Benziv, Merav Ben-Natan, Ariel Roguin, Benyamine Abbou, Anna Ofir, Adi Klein, Dikla Dahan-Shriki, Mordechai Hallak, Boris Kessel, Mickey Dudkiewicz

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Introduction: Over recent decades, technology has become integral to healthcare, with electronic health records and advanced medical equipment now standard. However, this reliance has made healthcare systems increasingly vulnerable to ransomware attacks. On October 13, 2021, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center experienced a severe ransomware attack that disrupted all IT systems, including electronic health records, laboratory services, and staff communications. The attack, carried out by the group DeepBlueMagic, utilized advanced encryption to lock the hospital's systems and demanded a ransom. This incident caused significant operational and patient care challenges, particularly impacting the obstetrics department. Objective: The objective is to describe the challenges facing the obstetric division following a cyberattack and discuss ways of preparing for and overcoming another one. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted in a mid-sized medical center. Division activities, including the number of deliveries, cesarean sections, emergency room visits, admissions, maternal-fetal medicine department occupancy, and ambulatory encounters, from 2 weeks before the attack to 8 weeks following it (a total of 11 weeks), were compared with the retrospective period in 2019 (pre-COVID-19). In addition, we present the challenges and adaptation measures taken at the division and hospital levels leading up to the resumption of full division activity. Results: On the day of the cyberattack, critical decisions were made. The media announced the event, calling on patients not to come to our hospital. Also, all elective activities other than cesarean deliveries were stopped. The number of deliveries, admissions, and both emergency room and ambulatory clinic visits decreased by 5%–10% overall for 11 weeks, reflecting the decrease in division activity. Nevertheless, in all stations, there were sufficient activities and adaptation measures to ensure patient safety, decision-making, and workflow of patients were accounted for. Conclusions: The risk of ransomware cyberattacks is growing. Healthcare systems at all levels should recognize this threat and have protocols for dealing with them once they occur.

Keywords: ransomware attack, healthcare cybersecurity, obstetrics challenges, IT system disruption

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Authors: Sarah Atalla, Shubham Gupta, Kim Alipio, Tanya Maric

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Background: Chelsea and Westminster Hospital have introduced the Birmingham Symptom Specific Obstetric Triage System (BSOTS) for patients who present acutely to the Maternity Assessment Suite (MAS) to prioritise care by urgency. The primary objective was to evaluate whether BSOTS was used appropriately to assess patients (defined as a 90% threshold). The secondary objective was to assess whether patients were seen within their designated triaged timeframe (defined as a 90% threshold). Methodology: MAS records were retrospectively reviewed for a randomly selected one-week period of data from 2020 (21/09/2020 - 27/09/2020). 189 patients presented to MAS during this time. Data were collected on the presenting complaint, time of attendance (divided into four time categories), and triage colour code for the urgency of a review by a doctor (red: immediately, orange: within 15 minutes, yellow: within 1 hour, green: within 4 hours). The number of triage waiting times that were breached and the outcome of the attendance was noted. Results: 49% of patients presenting to MAS during this time period were triaged, which therefore did not meet the 90% target. 67% of patients who were triaged were seen within their allocated timeframe as designated by their triage colour code, which therefore did not meet the 90% target. The most frequent reason for patient attendance was reduced fetal movements (30.5% of attendances). The busiest time of day (when most patients presented) was between 06:01-12:00, and this was also when the highest number of patients were not triaged (26 patients or 54% of patients presenting in this time category). The most used triage category (59%) was the green colour code (to be seen by a doctor within 4 hours), followed by orange (24%), yellow (14%), and red (3%). 45% of triaged patients were admitted, whilst 55% were discharged. 62% of patients allocated to the green triage category were discharged, as compared to 56% of yellow category patients, 27% of orange category patients, and 50% of red category patients. The time of patient presentation to the hospital was also associated with the level of urgency and outcome. Patients presenting from 12:01 to 18:00 were more likely to be discharged (72% discharged) compared to 00:01-06:00 where only 12.5% of patients were discharged. Conclusion: The triage system for assessing the urgency of acutely presenting obstetric patients is only being effectively utilised for 49% of patients. There is potential for enhancing the employment of the triage system to enable further efficiency and boost the promotion of patient safety. It is noted that MAS was busiest at 06:01 - 12:00 when there was also the highest number of non-triaged patients – this highlights some areas where we can improve, including higher levels of staffing, better use of BSOTS to triage patients, and patient education.

Keywords: birmingham, BSOTS, maternal, obstetric, pregnancy, specific, symptom, triage

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Authors: Pierre Mintom, Ebai Patricia, Merlin Dasse, Marlyse Chantal Nyangon Ndongo, Aicha Aretouyap Kouotou, Felix Essiben, Christine Fernande Nyangono Biyegue

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Background: The death of women during and after pregnancy remains a major concern in public health policy in Cameroon. Among the causes of this mortality is eclampsia which is a consequence of the Pre-eclampsia characterized by the double burden of pregnancy-induced hypertension and albuminuria in pregnant women. Objective: To determine the various factors associated with the pre-eclampsia in pregnant women of Foumban. Methodology: A cross-sectional and analytical study was carried out during the period from July to August 2020 and supplemented by another study carried out from August 05 to September 05, 2022, at the Foumban district hospital. A questionnaire was administered to pregnant women. It focused on socio-demographic parameters, the state nutritional, health status, and maternal parameters. Blood pressure was taken using an electronic blood pressure monitor, and urinary albumin was measuring using urine dipstick. Pre-eclampsia was defined by three types of double burden: double burden systolic hypertension–hyperalbuminuria (SHH), defined for SBP≥140 mmHg and hyperalbuminuria ≥1+ on urine dipstick, double burden diastolic hypertension–hyperalbuminuria (DHH), defined for PAD≥90 mmHg and hyperalbuminuria ≥1+ on the urine dipstick, and the double burden systolodiastolic arterial hypertension– hyperalbuminuria (SDHH), defined for SBP ≥ 140mmHg, PAD≥90 mmHg and hyperalbuminuria ≥1+ on urine dipstick. IBM SPSS Software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The results of this study show that the prevalence of pre-eclampsia was 17.3% for the double burden SHH, 19.9% for the double burden DHH and 14.1% for double burden SDHH. Associated factors with pre-eclampsia according to the three types of double burden were marital status (P<0.05), religion (P<0.05), history of hypertension before pregnancy (P<0.05). Associated factors for the double burden of DHH and SDHH were the nutritional status before the pregnancy (P<0.05) and the number of prenatal consultations (P<0.05). In terms of food groups, regular consumption of spices significantly increased the risk of pre-eclampsia by 5.318, 6.277 and 11.271 times respectively for the SHH, DHH and SDHH double burdens, while regular consumption of sweets regular consumption of sweets increased by 2.42 times and 2.053 times respectively the double DHH and SDHH burdens respectively. Conclusion: Our study made it possible to redefine pre-eclampsia by considering the subtypes of hypertension. Certain socio-demographic parameters and certain dietary habits influence the occurrence of pre-eclampsia characterized by the double burden Hypertension-hyperalbuminuria in pregnant women, which may later lead to the occurrence of eclampsia. Moreover, albuminemia could be a good predicitive factor of pre-eclampsia and could be explored.

Keywords: hypertension, hyperalbuminuria, pregnant women, foumban

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Authors: Zhihui Liu, Dongmei Hao, Qian Qiu, Yang An, Lin Yang, Song Zhang, Yimin Yang, Xuwen Li, Dingchang Zheng

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Premature birth, defined as birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality and has long-term adverse consequences for health. It has recently been reported that the worldwide preterm birth rate is around 10%. The existing measurement techniques for diagnosing preterm delivery include tocodynamometer, ultrasound and fetal fibronectin. However, they are subjective, or suffer from high measurement variability and inaccurate diagnosis and prediction of preterm labor. Electrohysterography (EHG) method based on recording of uterine electrical activity by electrodes attached to maternal abdomen, is a promising method to assess uterine activity and diagnose preterm labor. The purpose of this study is to analyze the difference of EHG signal features between term labor and preterm labor. Free access database was used with 300 signals acquired in two groups of pregnant women who delivered at term (262 cases) and preterm (38 cases). Among them, EHG signals from 38 term labor and 38 preterm labor were preprocessed with band-pass Butterworth filters of 0.08–4Hz. Then, EHG signal features were extracted, which comprised classical time domain description including root mean square and zero-crossing number, spectral parameters including peak frequency, mean frequency and median frequency, wavelet packet coefficients, autoregression (AR) model coefficients, and nonlinear measures including maximal Lyapunov exponent, sample entropy and correlation dimension. Their statistical significance for recognition of two groups of recordings was provided. The results showed that mean frequency of preterm labor was significantly smaller than term labor (p < 0.05). 5 coefficients of AR model showed significant difference between term labor and preterm labor. The maximal Lyapunov exponent of early preterm (time of recording < the 26th week of gestation) was significantly smaller than early term. The sample entropy of late preterm (time of recording > the 26th week of gestation) was significantly smaller than late term. There was no significant difference for other features between the term labor and preterm labor groups. Any future work regarding classification should therefore focus on using multiple techniques, with the mean frequency, AR coefficients, maximal Lyapunov exponent and the sample entropy being among the prime candidates. Even if these methods are not yet useful for clinical practice, they do bring the most promising indicators for the preterm labor.

Keywords: electrohysterogram, feature, preterm labor, term labor

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Authors: F. Nur Baran Aksakal, Özge Dinç, H. Tanju Besler, Begüm Mutuş, Özlem Üliç Çatar, Orhan Aydoğdu, Serhat Ünal

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Healthy eating habits are associated not only with the newborn, child, and maternal health but also with longer life expectancy by acting as a protective factor against non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. The role of nutrition in medical education is to provide information about the relationship between healthy nutrition and malnutrition as well as diet-related non-communicable diseases. Considering the information pollution experienced in the field of nutrition and health in the society, it is seen that more than half of the population receives information from family physicians as the closest counseling unit. However, postgraduate nutrition education programs for physicians and other health professionals who wish to improve their current knowledge of the role of nutrition communication in the prevention and management of chronic diseases are limited worldwide. However, nutrition courses are either not included in the undergraduate medical education curriculum of physicians or they are insufficient. Based on this need, the main aim of the study group was to develop a "Nutrition and Nutrition Communication Training for Physicians" program that would be conducted in cooperation with the Sabri Ülker Foundation and the Federation of Family Physicians Associations (AHEF). This program is the first online nutrition and nutrition communication information platform for physicians in Turkey. This program aims to present the concept of adequate and balanced nutrition to physicians, the importance of nutrition in diseases with scientific data, and to gain communication skills that may be necessary while transferring scientific information to the public. A needs assessment questionnaire was applied to identify pre-program training needs. A study plan was made to allow the participation of all family physicians in the population, and a complete inventory was targeted. In other words, we aimed to reach the whole source without taking a section of the population. Participation in the training is based on volunteerism. The needs assessment study is conducted using 25,102 family physicians for whom email addresses are available. The online questionnaire was sent to all the family physicians with a reminder email one week after the first one, and 1308 responded. Considering the topics determined, a training program was prepared for family physicians under eight online training titles, starting in March 2022, and conducted once every two weeks. The number of audience members present at each session was between 1217 and 1673, and a minimum of 17 and a maximum of 53 questions were received in each session. We strongly believe that to prevent individuals' health problems and to have better control over chronic diseases, the information level of physicians should be increased via these kinds of interventions, and better collaboration between family physicians and dieticians should be established.

Keywords: nutrition communication, nutrition training, communication, nutrition

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Authors: I. Bochev, A. Shterev, S. Kyurkchiev

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One of the factors associated with poor success rates in human in vitro fertilization (IVF) is the suboptimal culture conditions in which fertilization and early embryonic growth occur. Co-culture systems with helper cell lines appear to enhance the in vitro conditions and allow embryos to demonstrate improved in vitro development. The co-culture of human embryos with monolayers of autologous endometrial stromal cell (EnSCs) results in increased blastocyst development with a larger number of blastomeres, lower incidence of fragmentation and higher pregnancy rates in patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). The aim of the study was to examine the influence of autologous endometrial stromal cell (EnSC) co-culture on day 3 embryo quality by comparing the morphological status of the embryos from the same patients undergoing consecutive IVF/Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles without and with EnSC co-culture. This retrospective randomized study (2015-2017) includes 20 couples and a total of 46 IVF/ICSI cycles. Each patient couple included had at least two IVF/ICSI procedures – one with and one without autologous EnSC co-culture. Embryo quality was assessed at 68±1 hours in culture, according to Istanbul consensus criteria (2010). Day 3 embryos were classified into three groups: good – grade 1; fair – grade 2; poor – grade 3. Embryos from all cycles were divided into two groups (A – co-cultivated; B – not co-cultivated) and analyzed. Second, for each patient couple, embryos from matched IVF/ICSI cycles (with and without co-culture) were analyzed separately. When an analysis of co-cultivated day 3 embryos from all cycles was performed (n=137; group A), 43.1% of the embryos were graded as “good”, which was not significantly different from the respective embryo quality rate of 42.2% (p = NS) in group B (n=147) with non-co-cultivated embryos. The proportions of fair and poor quality embryos in group A and group B were similar as well – 11.7% vs 10.2% and 45.2% vs 47.6% (p=NS), respectively. Nevertheless, the separate embryo analysis by matched cycles for each couple revealed that in 65% of the cases the proportion of morphologically better embryos was increased in cycles with co-culture in comparison with those without co-culture. A decrease in this proportion after endometrial stromal cell co-cultivation was found in 30% of the cases, whereas no difference was observed in only one couple. The results demonstrated that there is no marked difference in the overall morphological quality between co-cultured and non-co-cultured embryos on day 3. However, in significantly greater percentage of couples the process of autologous EnSC co-culture could increase the proportion of morphologically improved day 3 embryos. By mimicking the in vivo relationship between embryo and maternal environment, co-culture in autologous EnSC system represents a perspective approach to improve the quality of embryos in cases with elevated risk for development of embryos with impaired morphology.

Keywords: autologous endometrial stromal cells, co-culture, day 3 embryo, morphological quality

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Authors: Chia-Ching Sun, Li-Yin Chien, Chun-Ting Hsiao

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Background: Appropriate gestation weight gain benefits pregnant women and their children; however, excessive weight gain could raise the risk of adverse health outcomes and chronicle diseases. Nevertheless, there is currently limited evidence on the effect of physical activities on pregnant women’s gestational weight gain. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the correlation between the level of physical activity and gestation weight gain during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Methods: This longitudinal study enrolled 800 healthy pregnant women aged over 20 from six hospitals in northern Taiwan. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data twice for each participant during 14-27 and 28-40 weeks of gestation. Variables included demographic data, maternal health history, and lifestyle. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short form was used to measure the level of physical activity from walking and of moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity before and during pregnancy. Weight recorded at prenatal checkups were used to calculate average weight gain in each trimester of pregnancy. T-tests, ANOVA, chi-squared tests, and multivariable logistic regression models were applied to determine the predicting factors for weight gain during the second and third trimester. Result: Participants who had achieved recommended physical activity level (150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity a week) before pregnancy (aOR=1.85, 95% CI=1.27-2.67) or who achieved recommended walking level (150 minutes a week) during the second trimester of pregnancy (aOR=1.43, 95% CI= 1.00-2.04) gained significantly more weight during the second trimester. Compared with those who did not reach recommended level of moderate-intensity physical activity (150 minutes a week), women who had reached that during the second trimester were more likely to be in the less than recommended weight gain group than in the recommended weight gain group (aOR=2.06, CI=1.06-4.00). However, there was no significant correlation between physical activity level and weight gain in the third trimester. Other predicting factors of excessive weight gain included education level which showed a negative correlation (aOR=0.38, CI=0.17-0.88), whereas overweight and obesity before pregnancy showed a positive correlation (OR=3.97, CI=1.23-12.78). Conclusions/implications for practice: Participants who had achieved recommended physical activity level before pregnancy significantly reduced exercise during pregnancy and gained excessive weight during the second trimester. However, women who engaged in the practice of physical activity as recommended could effectively control weight gain in the third trimester. Healthcare professionals could suggest that pregnant women who exercise maintain their pre-pregnancy level of physical activity, given activities requiring physical contact or causing falls are avoided. For those who do not exercise, health professionals should encourage them to gradually increase the level of physical activity. Health promotion strategies related to weight control and physical activity level achievement should be given to women before pregnancy.

Keywords: pregnant woman, physical activity, gestation weight gain, obesity, overweight

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Authors: Li Wang, Dan Shu, Shiguang Pang, Lixiu Wang, Bing Xiang Yang, Qian Liu

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Background: Cancer is one of the most severe diseases in childhood; long-term treatment and its side effects significantly impact the patient's physical, psychological, social functioning and quality of life while also placing substantial physical and psychological burdens on caregivers and families. Family resilience is crucial for children with cancer, helping them cope better with the disease and supporting the family in facing challenges together. As a family-level variable, family resilience requires information from multiple family members. However, to our best knowledge, there is currently no research investigating family resilience from both the perspectives of pediatric cancer patients and their caregivers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the family resilience and quality of life of pediatric cancer patients from a patient–caregiver dyadic perspective. Methods: A total of 149 dyads of patients diagnosed with pediatric cancer patients and their principal caregivers were recruited from oncology departments of 4 tertiary hospitals in Wuhan and Taiyuan, China. All participants completed questionnaires that identified their demographic and clinical characteristics as well as assessed their family resilience and quality of life for both the patients and their caregivers. K-means cluster analysis was used to identify different clusters of family resilience based on the reports from patients and caregivers. Multivariate logistic regression and linear regression are used to analyze the factors influencing family resilience and quality of life, as well as the relationship between the two. Results: Three clusters of family resilience were identified: a cluster of high family resilience (HR), a cluster of low family resilience (LR), and a cluster of discrepant family resilience (DR). Most (67.1%) families fell into the cluster with low resilience. Characteristics such as the types of caregivers perceived social support of the patient were different among the three clusters. Compared to the LR group, families where the mother is the caregiver and where the patient has high social support are more likely to be assigned to the HR. The quality of life for caregivers was consistently highest in the HR cluster and lowest in the LR cluster. The patient's quality of life is not related to family resilience. In the linear regression analysis of the patient's quality of life, patients who are the first-born have higher quality of life, while those living with their parents have lower quality of life. The participants' characteristics were not associated with the quality of life for caregivers. Conclusions: In most families, family resilience was low. Families with maternal caregivers and patients receiving high levels of social support are more inclined to be higher levels of family resilience. Family resilience was linked to the quality of life of caregivers of pediatric cancer patients. The clinical implications of this findings suggest that healthcare and social support organizations should prioritize and support the participation of mothers in caregiving responsibilities. Furthermore, they should assist families in accessing social support to enhance family resilience. This study also emphasizes the importance of promoting family resilience for enhancing family health and happiness, as well as improving the quality of life for caregivers.

Keywords: pediatric cancer, cluster analysis, family resilience, quality of life

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Authors: Jayeon Kim, Eunjung Yu, Taeki Yoon

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Most spontaneous miscarriage is believed to be a consequence of embryo aneuploidies. Transferring eukaryotic embryos selected by PGS is expected to decrease the miscarriage rate. Current PGS indications include advanced maternal age, recurrent pregnancy loss, repeated implantation failure. Recently, use of PGS for healthy women without above indications for the purpose of improving in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes is on the rise. However, it is still controversy about the beneficial effect of PGS in this population, especially, in women with a history of no more than 2 miscarriages or miscarriage of eukaryotic abortus. This study aimed to investigate if karyotyping result of abortus is a good indicator of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) in subsequent IVF cycle in women with a history of spontaneous abortion. A single-center retrospective cohort study was performed. Women who had spontaneous abortion(s) (less than 3) and dilatation and evacuation, and subsequent IVF from January 2016 to November 2016 were included. Their medical information was extracted from the charts. Clinical pregnancy was defined as presence of a gestational sac with fetal heart beat detected on ultrasound in week 7. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Total 234 women were included. 121 out of 234 (51.7%) underwent karyotyping of the abortus, and 113 did not have the abortus karyotyped. Embryo biopsy was performed on 3 or 5 days after oocyte retrieval, followed by embryo transfer (ET) on a fresh or frozen cycle. The biopsied materials were subjected to microarray comparative genomic hybridization. Clinical pregnancy rate per ET was compared between PGS and non-PGS group in each study group. Patients were grouped by two criteria: karyotype of the abortus from previous miscarriage (unknown fetal karyotype (n=89, Group 1), eukaryotic abortus (n=36, Group 2) or aneuploidy abortus (n=67, Group 3)), and pursuing PGS in subsequent IVF cycle (pursuing PGS (PGS group, n=105) or not pursuing PGS (non-PGS group, n=87)). The PGS group was significantly older and had higher number of retrieved oocytes and prior miscarriages compared to non-PGS group. There were no differences in BMI and AMH level between those two groups. In PGS group, the mean number of transferable embryos (eukaryotic embryo) was 1.3 ± 0.7, 1.5 ± 0.5 and 1.4 ± 0.5, respectively (p = 0.049). In 42 cases, ET was cancelled because all embryos biopsied turned out to be abnormal. In all three groups (group 1, 2, and 3), clinical pregnancy rates were not statistically different between PGS and non-PGS group (Group 1: 48.8% vs. 52.2% (p=0.858), Group 2: 70% vs. 73.1% (p=0.730), Group 3: 42.3% vs. 46.7% (p=0.640), in PGS and non-PGS group, respectively). In both groups who had miscarriage with eukaryotic and aneuploidy abortus, the clinical pregnancy rate between IVF cycles with and without PGS was not different. When we compare miscarriage and ongoing pregnancy rate, there were no significant differences between PGS and non-PGS group in all three groups. Our results show that the routine application of PGS in women who had less than 3 miscarriages would not be beneficial, even in cases that previous miscarriage had been caused by fetal aneuploidy.

Keywords: preimplantation genetic diagnosis, miscarriage, kpryotyping, in vitro fertilization

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Authors: Mercy Marimirofa, Farai Machinga, Alfred Zvoushe, Tsitsidzaishe Musvosvi

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Adolescent Birth rate (ABR) is an important indicator of both gender equality and equity in the country. This is the number of births to women aged between 15 and 19 years per 1000 live births. There has been a decreasing trend in ABR in Zimbabwe since 2014. However, the difference between rural areas and urban areas has continued to widen. A secondary analysis was conducted to assess the differences in ABR between the rural areas of Zimbabwe and the urban areas. This was also done to determine the root causes of high ABR in rural areas compared to urban areas and the impact this may cause to the economic development of the nation. The analysis was done according to geographical characteristics (provinces). A total of 69,335 females aged 10 to 19 years had live births among a total population of 791,914 females aged 15 to 19 years. The total Adolescent Birth rate in Zimbabwe is 87/1000 live births, while in rural areas, it is 114.4/1000 live births compared to urban areas, which is 49.7/1000 live births. A decrease in the ABR trends has been recorded since 2014 from 143/1000 live births among adolescents in rural areas to 97/1000 live births in urban areas. This shows that rural areas still have high rates of ABR compared to their urban counterparts, and the gap is still wide. High ABR is a result of early child marriages, teenage pregnancies as well as poverty. Most of these marriages (46%) are intergenerational relationships and have resulted in an increase in gender-based violence cases among adolescents, poor health outcomes, including pregnancy complications such as eclampsia, Cephalous Pelvic Disproportion (CPD), and obstructed labour. Maternal deaths among adolescence is also high compared to adults. Furthermore, the increase of school dropouts among adolescent girls is on the rise due to teen pregnancies. These challenges are being faced mostly by rural adolescent girls as compared to their urban counterparts. The widening gap in ABR between urban areas and rural areas is a matter of concern and needs to be addressed. There is a need to inform policy, programming, and interventions targeting rural areas to address the challenges and gaps in reducing ABR. This abstract is to inform policymakers on the strategies and resources required to address the challenges currently distressing adolescents. There is a need to improve access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Services by adolescents and reduce the age of consent to access SRH services should be reduced from 18 years for ease access to young people to reduce teenage pregnancies. Comprehensive sexuality education, both in-school and out of school, should be strengthened to increase knowledge among young people on sexuality.

Keywords: adolescence birth rate, live birth, teenage pregnancies, SRH services

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Authors: Tin Yee Ling, Kavita Maravar, Ruzica Ardalic

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Background: Uterine torsion (UT) in pregnancy of more than 45-degree along the longitudinal axis is a rare occurrence, and the aetiology remains unclear. Case: A 34-year-old G2P1 woman with a history of one previous caesarean section presented at 36+2 weeks with sudden onset lower abdominal pain, syncopal episode, and tender abdomen on examination. She was otherwise haemodynamically stable. Cardiotocography showed a pathological trace with initial prolonged bradycardia followed by a subsequent tachycardia with reduced variability. An initial diagnosis of uterine dehiscence was made, given the history and clinical presentation. She underwent an emergency caesarean section which revealed a 180-degree UT along the longitudinal axis, with oedematous left round ligament lying transverse anterior to the uterus and a segment of large bowel inferior to the round ligament. Detorsion of uterus was performed prior to delivery of the foetus, and anterior uterine wall was intact with no signs of rupture. There were no anatomical uterine abnormalities found other than stretched left ovarian and round ligaments, which were repaired. Delivery was otherwise uneventful, and she was discharged on day 2 postpartum. Discussion: UT is rare as the number of reported cases is within the few hundreds worldwide. Generally, the uterus is supported in place by uterine ligaments, which limit the mobility of the structure. The causes of UT are unknown, but risk factors such as uterine abnormalities, increased uterine ligaments’ flexibility in pregnancy, and foetal malposition has been identified. UT causes occlusion of uterine vessels, which can lead to ischaemic injury of the placenta causing premature separation of the placenta, preterm labour, and foetal morbidity and mortality if delivery is delayed. Diagnosing UT clinically is difficult as most women present with symptoms similar to placenta abruption or uterine rupture (abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, shock), and one-third are asymptomatic. The management of UT involves surgical detorsion of the uterus and delivery of foetus via caesarean section. Extra vigilance should be taken to identify the anatomy of the uterus experiencing torsion prior to hysterotomy. There have been a few cases reported with hysterotomy on posterior uterine wall for delivery of foetus as it may be difficult to identify and reverse a gravid UT when foetal well-being is at stake. Conclusion: UT should be considered a differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in pregnancy. It is crucial that the torsion is addressed immediately as it is associated with maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality.

Keywords: uterine torsion, pregnancy complication, abdominal pain, torted uterus

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Authors: Leila Fozouni, Anahita Mazandarani

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Background: Maternal infections are the most common cause of infections in infants, and the level of infection and its severity highly depends on the degree of colonization of the bacteria in the mother; so, the occurrence of aggressive diseases is not unpredictable in mothers with very high colonization. Group B Streptococcus is part of the normal flora of the gastrointestinal and genital tracts in women and is the leading cause of septicemia and meningitis in newborns. Today Zinc oxide nanoparticle is regarded as one of the most commonly used and safest nanoparticles for defeating Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This study aims to determine the antibacterial effects of Zinc oxide on the growth of drug-resistant group B Streptococcus strains isolated from pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 pregnant women of 28–37 weeks admitted to seven hospitals and maternity wards in Golestan province, northeast of Iran. For bacterial identification, rectovaginal swabs were firstly inoculated to the Todd-Hewitt Broth and cultured in blood agar (containing 5% sheep blood). Then microbiologic and PCR methods were performed to detect group B Streptococci. Disk diffusion and broth microdilution tests were used to determine the bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics according to CLSI M100(2021) criteria. The antibacterial properties of Zinc oxide nanoparticles were evaluated using the agar well-diffusion method. Results: The prevalence of group B Streptococcus was 18% in pregnant women. Out of twenty-seven positive cultures, 62.96% were higher than thirty years old. Ninety percent and 45% of isolates were resistant to clindamycin and erythromycin, respectively, and susceptibility to cefazolin was 71%. In addition, susceptibility to ampicillin and penicillin were 74% and 55%, respectively. The results showed that 82% of erythromycin-resistant, 92% clindamycin-resistant, and 78% of cefazolin-resistant isolates were eliminated by zinc oxide nanoparticles at a concentration of 100 mg/L of the nanoparticle. Furthermore, ZnONPs could inhibit all drug-resistant isolates at a concentration of 200 mg/mL (MIC90 ≥ 200). Conclusion: Since the drug resistance of group B streptococci against various antibiotics is increasing, determining and investigating the drug-resistance pattern of this bacterium to different antibiotics in order to prevent arbitrary consumption of antibiotics by pregnant women and ultimately prevent Infant mortality seems necessary. Generally, ZnONPs showed a high antimicrobial effect, and it was revealed that the bactericide effect increases upon the increase in the concentration of the nanoparticle.

Keywords: group B beta-hemolytic streptococcus, pregnant women, zinc oxide nanoparticles, drug resistance

Procedia PDF Downloads 99

Authors: Ayesha Akbar

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Pakistan is moving from a security state to a welfare state despite several security challenges both internal and external. Human security signifies a varied approach in different regions depending upon the leadership and policy priorities. The link between human development and economic growth is not automatic. It has to be created consciously by forward-looking policies and strategies by national governments. There are seven components or categories of human security these include: Economic Security, Personal Security, Health Security, Environmental Security, Food Security, Community Security and Political Security. The increasing interest of the international community to clearly understand the dimensions of human security provided the grounds to Pakistani scholars as well to ponder on the issue and delineate lines of human security. A great deal of work has been either done or in process to evaluate human security indicators in Pakistan. Notwithstanding, after having been done a great deal of work the human security in Pakistan is not satisfactory. A range of deteriorating indicators of human development that lies under the domain of human security leaves certain inquiries to be answered. What are the dimensions of human security in Pakistan? And how are they being dealt from the perspective of policy and institution in terms of its operationalization in Pakistan? Is the human security discourse reflects evidence-based policy changes. The methodology is broadly based on qualitative methods that include interviews, content analysis of policy documents. Pakistan is among the most populous countries in the world and faces high vulnerability to climate change. Literacy rate has gone down with the surge of youth bulge to accommodate in the job market. Increasing population is creating food problems as the resources have not been able to compete with the raising demands of food and other social amenities of life. Majority of the people are facing acute poverty. Health outcomes are also not satisfactory with the high infant and maternal mortality rate. Pakistan is on the verge of facing water crisis as the water resources are depleting so fast with the high demand in agriculture and energy sector. Pakistan is striving hard to deal with the declining state of human security but the dilemma is lack of resources that hinders in meeting up with the emerging demands. The government requires to bring about more change with scaling-up economic growth avenues with enhancing the capacity of human resources. A modern performance drive culture with the integration of technology is required to deliver efficient and effective service delivery. On an already fast track process of reforms; e-governance and evidence based policy mechanism is being instilled in the government process for better governance and evidence based decisions.

Keywords: governance, human development index, human security, Pakistan, policy

Procedia PDF Downloads 253

Authors: Carmela Nardelli, Laura Iaffaldano, Valentina Capobianco, Antonietta Tafuto, Maddalena Ferrigno, Angela Capone, Giuseppe Maria Maruotti, Maddalena Raia, Rosa Di Noto, Luigi Del Vecchio, Pasquale Martinelli, Lucio Pastore, Lucia Sacchetti

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Maternal obesity and nutrient excess in utero increase the risk of future metabolic diseases in the adult life. The mechanisms underlying this process are probably based on genetic, epigenetic alterations and changes in foetal nutrient supply. In mammals, the placenta is the main interface between foetus and mother, it regulates intrauterine development, modulates adaptive responses to sub optimal in uterus conditions and it is also an important source of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hA-MSCs). We previously highlighted a specific microRNA (miRNA) profiling in amnion from obese (Ob) pregnant women, here we compared the miRNA expression profile of hA-MSCs isolated from (Ob) and control (Co) women, aimed to search for any alterations in metabolic pathways that could predispose the new-born to the obese phenotype. Methods: We isolated, at delivery, hA-MSCs from amnion of 16 Ob- and 7 Co-women with pre-pregnancy body mass index (mean/SEM) 40.3/1.8 and 22.4/1.0 kg/m2, respectively. hA-MSCs were phenotyped by flow cytometry. Globally, 384 miRNAs were evaluated by the TaqMan Array Human MicroRNA Panel v 1.0 (Applied Biosystems). By the TargetScan program we selected the target genes of the miRNAs differently expressed in Ob- vs Co-hA-MSCs; further, by KEGG database, we selected the statistical significant biological pathways. Results: The immunophenotype characterization confirmed the mesenchymal origin of the isolated hA-MSCs. A large percentage of the tested miRNAs, about 61.4% (232/378), was expressed in hA-MSCs, whereas 38.6% (146/378) was not. Most of the expressed miRNAs (89.2%, 207/232) did not differ between Ob- and Co-hA-MSCs and were not further investigated. Conversely, 4.8% of miRNAs (11/232) was higher and 6.0% (14/232) was lower in Ob- vs Co-hA-MSCs. Interestingly, 7/232 miRNAs were obesity-specific, being expressed only in hA-MSCs isolated from obese women. Bioinformatics showed that these miRNAs significantly regulated (P<0.001) genes belonging to several metabolic pathways, i.e. MAPK signalling, actin cytoskeleton, focal adhesion, axon guidance, insulin signaling, etc. Conclusions: Our preliminary data highlight an altered miRNA profile in Ob- vs Co-hA-MSCs and suggest that an epigenetic miRNA-based mechanism of gene regulation could affect pathways involved in placental growth and function, thereby potentially increasing the newborn’s risk of metabolic diseases in the adult life.

Keywords: hA-MSCs, obesity, miRNA, biosystem

Procedia PDF Downloads 528

Authors: Abiola O. Temitayo-Oboh, Olugbenga L. Abodunrin, Wasiu O. Adebimpe, Micheal C. Asuzu

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Introduction: Many women who are sexually active would prefer to avoid becoming pregnant but are not using any method of contraception. These women are considered to have an unmet need for contraception. In an ideal situation, all women who want to space or limit their births and are exposed to the risk of conception would use some kind of conception; in practice, however, some women fail to use contraception which put them at risk of having mistimed or unwanted births, induced abortion, or maternal death. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the determinants of unmet need for contraception among currently married women in rural and urban communities of Osun State, South-West Nigeria. Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional comparative study, which was carried out among currently married women. Three hundred and twenty respondents each were selected for the rural and urban groups from four Local Government Areas using multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and focus group discussion (FGD) guide; data analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 and detailed content analysis method respectively. Statistical analysis of the difference between proportions was done by the use of the Chi-square test and T-test was used to compare the means of the continuous variables. The study also utilized descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analytical techniques to examine the effect of some variables on unmet need. Level of statistical significance was set at p-value < 0.05 for all values. Results: Two hundred and ninety-six (92.5%) of the rural and 306 (95.6%) of the urban study population had heard of contraception, 365 (57.0 %) of the total respondents had good knowledge [162 (50.6 %) for rural respondents and 203 (63.4 %) for urban respondents]. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Five hundred and twenty-one (81.4%) respondents had a positive attitude towards contraception [243 (75.9%) in the rural and 278 (86.9%) in the urban area], and the difference was also statistically significant (p < 0.001). Only 47 (14.7%) and 59 (18.4%) of rural and urban women were current contraceptive users respectively. The total unmet need for contraception among rural women was 138 (43.1%) of which 82 (25.6%) was for spacing and 56 (17.5%), for limiting. While the total unmet need for contraception among urban women was 145 (45.3%) of which 96 (30.0%) was for spacing and 49 (15.3%) for limiting. Number of living children, knowledge of contraceptive methods, discussion with health workers about family planning, couples discussion about family planning and availability of family planning services were found to be predictors of women’s unmet need for contraception (p < 0.05). Conclusion: It is, therefore, recommended that there is need to intensify reproductive health education in bridging the knowledge gap, improving attitude and modifying practices regarding use of contraception in Nigeria. Hence, this will help to enhance the utilization of family planning services among Nigerian women.

Keywords: contraception, married women, Nigeria, rural, urban, unmet need

Procedia PDF Downloads 198

Authors: Vanessa Bennemann, Gabriela Laste, Márcia Inês Goettert

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The gestational period is a phase in which the pregnant woman undergoes constant physiological and hormonal changes, which are part of the woman’s biological cycle, the development of the fetus, childbirth, and lactation. These are factors of response to the immunological adaptation of the human reproductive process that is directly related to the pregnancy’s well-being and development. Although most pregnancies occur without complications, about 15% of pregnant women will develop potentially fatal complications, implying maternal and fetal risk. Therefore, requiring specialized care for high-risk pregnant women (HRPW) with obstetric interventions for the survival of the mother and/or fetus. Among the risk factors that characterize HRPW are the women's age, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases such as syphilis and HIV, hypertension (SAH), preeclampsia, eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, uterine contraction abnormalities, and premature placental detachment (PPD), thyroid disorders, among others. Thus, pregnancy has an impact on the thyroid gland causing changes in the functioning of the mother's thyroid gland, altering the thyroid hormone (TH) profiles and production as pregnancy progresses. Considering, throughout the gestational period, the interpretation of the results of the tests to evaluate the thyroid functioning depends on the stage in which the pregnancy is. Thyroid disorders are directly related to adverse obstetric outcomes and in child development. Therefore, the adequate release of TH is important for a pregnancy without complications and optimal fetal growth and development. Objective: Investigate the physiological effects caused by thyroid disorders in the gestational period. Methods: A search for articles indexed in PubMed, Scielo, and MDPI databases, was performed using the term “AND”, with the descriptors: Pregnancy, Thyroid. With several combinations that included: Melatonin, Thyroidopathy, Inflammatory processes, Cytokines, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, High-risk pregnancy. Subsequently, the screening was performed through the analysis of titles and/or abstracts. The criteria were: including clinical studies in general, randomized or not, in the period of 10 years prior to the research, in the English literature; excluded: experimental studies, case reports, research in the development phase. Results: In the preliminary results, a total of studies (n=183) were found, (n=57) excluded, such as studies of cancer, diabetes, obesity, and skin diseases. Conclusion: To date, it has been identified that thyroid diseases can impair the fetus’s brain development. Further research is suggested on this matter to identify new substances that may have a potential therapeutic effect to aid the gestational period with thyroid diseases.

Keywords: pregnancy, thyroid, melatonin, high-risk pregnancy

Procedia PDF Downloads 144

Authors: Kavita Khoiwal, Vatsla Dadhwal, K. Aparna Sharma, Dipika Deka, Plabani Sarkar

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Introduction: About 2.4 million (1.93 - 3.04 million) people are living with HIV/AIDS in India. Of all HIV infections, 39% (9,30,000) are among women. 5.4% of infections are from mother to child transmission (MTCT), 25,000 infected children are born every year. Besides the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV, these women are at risk of the higher adverse pregnancy outcome. The objectives of the study were to compare the obstetric and neonatal outcome in women who are HIV positive with low-risk HIV negative women and effect of antiretroviral drugs on preterm birth and IUGR. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective case record analysis of 212 HIV-positive women delivering between 2002 to 2015, in a tertiary health care centre which was compared with 238 HIV-negative controls. Women who underwent medical termination of pregnancy and abortion were excluded from the study. Obstetric outcome analyzed were pregnancy induced hypertension, HIV positive intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth, anemia, gestational diabetes and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Neonatal outcome analysed were birth weight, apgar score, NICU admission and perinatal transmission.HIV-positiveOut of 212 women, 204 received antiretroviral therapy (ART) to prevent MTCT, 27 women received single dose nevirapine (sdNVP) or sdNVP tailed with 7 days of zidovudine and lamivudine (ZDV + 3TC), 15 received ZDV, 82 women received duovir and 80 women received triple drug therapy depending upon the time period of presentation. Results: Mean age of 212 HIV positive women was 25.72+3.6 years, 101 women (47.6 %) were primigravida. HIV positive status was diagnosed during pregnancy in 200 women while 12 women were diagnosed prior to conception. Among 212 HIV positive women, 20 (9.4 %) women had preterm delivery (< 37 weeks), 194 women (91.5 %) delivered by cesarean section and 18 women (8.5 %) delivered vaginally. 178 neonates (83.9 %) received exclusive top feeding and 34 neonates (16.03 %) received exclusive breast feeding. When compared to low risk HIV negative women (n=238), HIV positive women were more likely to deliver preterm (OR 1.27), have anemia (OR 1.39) and intrauterine growth restriction (OR 2.07). Incidence of pregnancy induced hypertension, diabetes mellitus and ICP was not increased. Mean birth weight was significantly lower in HIV positive women (2593.60+499 gm) when compared to HIV negative women (2919+459 gm). Complete follow up is available for 148 neonates till date, rest are under evaluation. Out of these 7 neonates found to have HIV positive status. Risk of preterm birth (P value = 0.039) and IUGR (P value = 0.739) was higher in HIV positive women who did not receive any ART during pregnancy than women who received ART. Conclusion: HIV positive pregnant women are at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. Multidisciplinary team approach and use of highly active antiretroviral therapy can optimize the maternal and perinatal outcome.

Keywords: antiretroviral therapy, HIV infection, IUGR, preterm birth

Procedia PDF Downloads 260

Authors: Dieudonne Uwizeye, Reuben Muhayiteto

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Teenage pregnancy is a challenging problem for sustainable development due to restrictions it poses to socioeconomic opportunities for young mothers, their children and families. Being unable to take appropriate economic and social responsibilities, teen mothers get trapped into poverty and become economic burden to their family and country. Besides, teenage pregnancy is also a health problem because children born to very young mothers are vulnerable with greater risk of illnesses and deaths, and teenage mothers are more likely to be exposed to greater risk of maternal mortality and to other health and psychological problems. In Kigali city, in Rwanda, teenage pregnancy rate is currently high and its increase in recent years is worrisome. However, only individual factors influencing the teenage pregnancy tend to be the basis of interventions. It is important to understand the important socioeconomic factors at the household level that are associated with teenage pregnancy to help government, parents, and other stakeholders to appropriately address the problem with sustainable measures. This study analyzed secondary data from the Fifth Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS-V 2014-2015) conducted by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). The aim was to examine household socio-economic factors that are associated with incidence of teenage pregnancies in Kigali city. In addition to descriptive analysis, Pearson’s Chi Square and Binary Logistic Regression were used in the analysis. Findings indicate that marital status and age of household head, number of members in a household, number of rooms used for sleeping, educational level of the household head and household's wealth are significantly associated with teenage pregnancy in Rwanda ( p< 0.05). It was found that teenagers living with parents, those having parents with higher education and those from richer families are less likely to become pregnant. Age of household head was pinpointed as factor to teenage pregnancy, with teenage-headed households being more vulnerable. The findings also revealed that household composition correlates with the probability of teenage pregnancy (p < 0.05) with teenagers from households with less number of members being more vulnerable. Regarding the size of the house, the study suggested that the more rooms available in households, the less incidences of teenage pregnancy are likely to be observed (p < 0.05). However, teenage pregnancy was not significantly associated with physical violence among parents (p = 0.65) and sex of household heads (p = 0.52), except in teen-headed households of which female are predominantly heads. The study concludes that teenage pregnancy remains a serious social, economic and health problem in Rwanda. The study informs government officials, parents and other stakeholders to take interventions and preventive measures through community sex education, policies and strategies to foster effective parental guidance, care and control of young girls through meeting their necessary social and financial needs within households.

Keywords: household socio-economic factors, Rwanda, Rwanda demographic and health survey, teenage pregnancy

Procedia PDF Downloads 179

Authors: Tanvi Rajesh Sanghavi

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Introduction: Neurodiversity is a concept which captures the different ways in which everyone's brain functions and is considered as part of normal variation. It is a strength-based approach which focuses on the individual's strengths and capabilities and believes in providing support wherever necessary. In many parts of the world, those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder have been ostracized and ridiculed due to their sensory and communication differences. Hence, it becomes important for the teachers to have knowledge about autism and understand the needs of children with Autism. Need: India is rich in terms of culture, languages and religious diversity. It is important to study neurodiversity in such a population for better understanding of neurodiverse individuals and appropriate intervention. Aim & objectives: This study seeks teachers' knowledge of the causes, traits and educational requirements of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It also aims to find out whether mainstream schools actually provide training programs to the teachers to manage such children along with the necessary accommodations. Method: The current study was a cross-sectional study conducted among school teachers. A total of 30 school teachers were taken for the study. The participants were enrolled after informed consent. The participants were directed to a google form consisting of objective questions. The first part of the questionnaire elicited information about school, teaching experience, qualification, etc. There were specific questions extracting details on attending/conducting sensitization and professional programs in regard to care for autistic children. The second part of the questionnaire consisted of some basic questions on the teacher’s understanding of diagnosis, traits, causes, road to recovery and understanding the educational and communication needs of autistic children from the teacher’s perspective. The responses were tabulated and analyzed descriptively. Results: Most of the teachers had 5–10 years of teaching experience. The majority of the teachers used the term “special child” for autistic children. Around 54.8% (17 teachers) of the total teachers felt that the parents of autistic children should teach their child to learn adaptive skills and 41.9% of the teachers felt that they should take medical intervention. About 50% of the teachers felt that the cause of autism is related to pre-natal maternal factors and about 40% felt that its cause is genetic. Only a small percentage of teachers felt that they were trained to manage the children with autism. More than 50% of the teachers mentioned that their schools do not conduct training programs for managing these children. Discussion & Conclusion: In this study, the knowledge and perspectives of teachers on children with ASD were studied. The most widely held contemporary belief is that genetic factors play a major part in the development of ASD, although the existing evidence is muddled, with numerous opposing perspectives on the nature of this mechanism. It is worth noting that any culture's level of humanity is mirrored in how that society "treats" its vulnerable population.

Keywords: autism, neurodiversity, awareness, education

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Authors: Nouha Bouayed Abdelmoula, Rim Louati, Nawel Abdellaoui, Balkiss Abdelmoula, Oldez Kaabi, Walid Smaoui, Samir Aloulou

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Background and Aims: Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFC) is an autosomal dominant disorder with the vast majority of cases arising by a new mutation of BRAF, MEK1, MEK2, or rarely, KRAS genes. Here, we report a rare Tunisian case of CFC syndrome for whom we identify SOS1 mutation. Methods: Genomic DNA was obtained from peripheral blood collected in an EDTA tube and extracted from leukocytes using the phenol/chloroform method according to standard protocols. High resolution melting (HRM) analysis for screening of mutations in the entire coding sequence of PTPN11 was conducted first. Then, HRM assays to look for hot spot mutations coding regions of the other genes of the RAS-MAPK pathway (RAt Sarcoma viral oncogene homolog Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Pathway): SOS1, SHOC2, KRAS, RAF1, KRAS, NRAS, CBL, BRAF, MEK1, MEK2, HRAS, and RIT1, were applied. Results: Heterozygous SOS1 point mutation clustered in exon 10, which encodes for the PH domain of SOS1, was identified: c.1655 G > A. The patient was a 9-year-old female born from a consanguineous couple. She exhibited pulmonic valvular stenosis as congenital heart disease. She had facial features and other malformations of Noonan syndrome, including macrocephaly, hypertelorism, ptosis, downslanting palpebral fissures, sparse eyebrows, a short and broad nose with upturned tip, low-set ears, high forehead commonly associated with bitemporal narrowing and prominent supraorbital ridges, short and/or webbed neck and short stature. However, the phenotype is also suggestive of CFC syndrome with the presence of more severe ectodermal abnormalities, including curly hair, keloid scars, hyperkeratotic skin, deep plantar creases, and delayed permanent dentition with agenesis of the right maxillary first molar. Moreover, the familial history of the patient revealed recurrent brain malignancies in the paternal family and epileptic disease in the maternal family. Conclusions: This case report of an overlapping RASopathy associated with SOS1 mutation and familial history of brain tumorigenesis is exceptional. The evidence suggests that RASopathies are truly cancer-prone syndromes, but the magnitude of the cancer risk and the types of cancer partially overlap.

Keywords: cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome, CFC, SOS1, brain cancer, germline mutation

Procedia PDF Downloads 153

Authors: Luisa Windhagen, Atsumi Hirose, Alex Bottle

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Global urbanization has resulted in the expansion of slums, leaving over 10 million Tanzanians in urban poverty and at risk of poor health. Whilst rural residence has historically been associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, recent studies found higher perinatal mortality rates in urban Tanzania. This study aims to understand to what extent slum neighborhoods may account for the spatial disparities seen in Tanzania. We generated a slum indicator based on UN-HABITAT criteria to identify slum clusters within the 2015-2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey. Descriptive statistics, disaggregated by urban slum, urban non-slum, and rural areas, were produced. Simple and multivariable logistic regression examined the association between cluster residence type and neonatal mortality and stillbirth. For neonatal mortality, we additionally built a multilevel logistic regression model, adjusting for confounding and clustering. The neonatal mortality ratio was highest in slums (38.3 deaths per 1000 live births); the stillbirth rate was three times higher in slums (32.4 deaths per 1000 births) than in urban non-slums. Neonatal death was more likely to occur in slums than in urban non-slums (aOR=2.15, 95% CI=1.02-4.56) and rural areas (aOR=1.78, 95% CI=1.15-2.77). Odds of stillbirth were over five times higher among rural than urban non-slum residents (aOR=5.25, 95% CI=1.31-20.96). The results suggest that slums contribute to the urban disadvantage in Tanzanian neonatal health. Higher neonatal mortality in slums may be attributable to lack of education, lower socioeconomic status, poor healthcare access, and environmental factors, including indoor and outdoor air pollution and unsanitary conditions from inadequate housing. However, further research is required to ascertain specific causalities as well as significant associations between residence type and other pregnancy outcomes. The high neonatal mortality, stillbirth, and slum formation rates in Tanzania signify that considerable change is necessary to achieve international goals for health and human settlements. Disparities in access to adequate housing, safe water and sanitation, high standard antenatal, intrapartum, and neonatal care, and maternal education need to urgently be addressed. This study highlights the spatial neonatal mortality shift from rural settings to urban informal settlements in Tanzania. Importantly, other low- and middle-income countries experiencing overwhelming urbanization and slum expansion may also be at risk of a reversing trend in residential neonatal health differences.

Keywords: urban health, slum residence, neonatal mortality, stillbirth, global urbanisation

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Authors: Frank Dorrian, Aniket Adhikari

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The placenta accreta spectrum (PAS), which includes placenta accreta, increta, and percreta, is characterized by the abnormal implantation of placental chorionic villi beyond the decidua basalis. Key risk factors include placenta previa, prior cesarean sections, advanced maternal age, uterine surgeries, multiparity, pelvic radiation, and in vitro fertilization (IVF). The incidence of PAS has increased tenfold over the past 50 years, largely due to rising cesarean rates. PAS is associated with significant peripartum and postpartum hemorrhage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound assist in the evaluation of PAS, enabling a multidisciplinary approach to mitigate morbidity and mortality. This study retrospectively analyzed PAS cases at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia. Using the SAR-ESUR joint consensus statement, seven imaging signs were reassessed for their sensitivity and specificity in predicting PAS, with histopathological correlation. The standardized MRI protocols for PAS at the institution were also reviewed. Data were collected from the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) records from 2010 to July 2024, focusing on cases where MR imaging and confirmed histopathology or operative notes were available. This single-center, observational study provides insights into the reliability of MRI for PAS detection and the optimization of imaging protocols for accurate diagnosis. The findings demonstrate that intraplacental dark bands serve as highly sensitive markers for diagnosing PAS, achieving sensitivities of 88.9%, 85.7%, and 100% for placenta accreta, increta, and percreta, respectively, with a combined specificity of 42.9%. Sensitivity for abnormal vascularization was lower (33.3%, 28.6%, and 50%), with a specificity of 57.1%. The placenta bulge exhibited sensitivities of 55.5%, 57.1%, and 100%, with a specificity of 57.1%. Loss of the T2 hypointense interface had sensitivities of 66.6%, 85.7%, and 100%, with 42.9% specificity. Myometrial thinning showed high sensitivity across PAS conditions (88.9%, 71.4%, and 100%) and a specificity of 57.1%. Bladder wall thinning was sensitive only for placenta percreta (50%) but had a specificity of 100%. Focal exophytic mass displayed variable sensitivity (22.9%, 42.9%, and 100%) with a specificity of 85.7%. These results highlight the diagnostic variability among markers, with intraplacental dark bands and myometrial thinning being useful in detecting abnormal placentation, though they lack high specificity. The literature and the results of our study highlight that while no single feature can definitively diagnose PAS, the presence of multiple features -especially when combined with elevated clinical risk- significantly increases the likelihood of an underlying PAS. A thorough understanding of the range of MRI findings associated with PAS, along with awareness of the clinical significance of each sign, helps the radiologist more accurately diagnose the condition and assist in surgical planning, ultimately improving patient care.

Keywords: placenta, accreta, spectrum, MRI

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Authors: Giovana Vesentini, Fernanda Piculo, Gabriela Marini, Debora Damasceno, Angelica Barbosa, Selma Martheus, Marilza Rudge

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Problem statement: Skeletal muscle is highly adaptable, muscle fiber composition and size can respond to a variety of stimuli, such physiologic, as pregnancy, and metabolic abnormalities, as Diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to analyze the effects of pregnancy-associated diabetes on the rectus abdominis muscle (RA), and to compare this changes in rats and women. Methods: Female Wistar rats were maintained under controlled conditions and distributed in Pregnant (P) and Long-term mild pregnant diabetic (LTMd) (n=3 r/group). Diabetes in rats was induced by streptozotocin (100mg/Kg, sc) on the first day of life, for a hyperglycemic state between 120-300 mg/dL in adult life. Female rats were mated overnight, at day 21 of pregnancy were anesthetized, and killed for the harvesting of maternal RA. Pregnant women who attended the Diabetes Prenatal Care Clinic of Botucatu Medical School were distributed in Pregnant non-diabetic (Pnd) and Gestational Diabetic (GDM) (n=3 w/group). The diagnosis of GDM was established according to ADA’s criteria (2016). The harvesting of RA was during the cesarean section. Transversal cross-sections of the RA of both women and rats were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. All procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Experiments of the Botucatu Medical School (Protocol Number 1003/2013) and by the Botucatu Medical School Ethical Committee for Human Research in Medical Sciences (CAAE: 41570815.0.0000.5411). Results: The photomicrographs of the RA of rats revealed disorganized Z lines, thinning sarcomeres, and a usual quantity of intermyofibrillar mitochondria in the P group. The LTMd group showed swollen sarcoplasmic reticulum, dilated T tubes and areas with sarcomere disruption. The ultrastructural analysis of Pnd non-diabetic women in the RA showed well-organized myofibrils forming intact sarcomeres, organized Z lines and a normal distribution of intermyofibrillar mitochondria. The GDM group revealed increase in intermyofibrillar mitochondria, areas with sarcomere disruption and increased lipid droplets. Conclusion: Pregnancy and diabetes induce adaptations in the ultrastructure of the rectus abdominis muscle for both women and rats, changing the architectural design of these tissues. However, in rats these changes are more severe maybe because, besides the high blood glucose levels, the quadrupedal animal may suffer an excessive mechanical tension during pregnancy by gravity. Probably, these findings may suggest that these alterations are a risk factor that contributes to the development of muscle dysfunction in women with GDM and may motivate treatment strategies in these patients.

Keywords: gestational diabetes, muscle dysfunction, pregnancy, rectus abdominis

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Authors: Rakesh Mishra

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India’s Demography has always amazed the world because of its unprecedented outcomes in the presence of multifaceted socioeconomic and geographical characteristics. Being the first one to implement family panning in 1952, it occupies 2nd largest population of the world, with some of its state like Uttar Pradesh contributing 5th largest population to the world population surpassing Brazil. Being the one with higher in number it is more prone to the demographic disparity persisting into its territories brought upon by the inequalities in availability, accessibility and attainability of socioeconomic and various other resources. Fifth goal of Millennium Development Goal emphasis to improve maternal and child health across the world as Children’s development is very important for the overall development of society and the best way to develop national human resources is to take care of children. The target is to reduce the infant deaths by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. Child health status depends on the care and delivery by trained personnel, particularly through institutional facilities which is further associated with the status of the mother. However, delivery in institutional facilities and delivery by skilled personnel are rising slowly in India. The main objective of the present study is to measure the child health status on based on the educational and occupational background of the women in India. Study indicates that women education plays a very crucial role in deciding the health of the new born care and access to family planning, but the women autonomy indicates to have mixed results in different states of India. It is observed that rural women are 1.61 times more likely to exclusive breastfed their children compared to urban women. With respect to Hindu category, women belonging to other religious community were 21 percent less likely to exclusive breastfed their child. Taking scheduled caste as reference category, the odds of exclusive breastfeeding is found to be decreasing in comparison to other castes, and it is found to be significant among general category. Women of high education status have higher odds of using family planning methods in most of the southern states of India. By and large, girls and boys are about equally undernourished. Under nutrition is generally lower for first births than for subsequent births and consistently increases with increasing birth order for all measures of nutritional status. It is to be noted that at age 12-23 months, when many children are being weaned from breast milk, 30 percent of children are severely stunted and around 21 percent are severely underweight. So, this paper presents the evidence on the patterns of prevailing child health status in India and its states with reference to the mother socioeconomics and biological characteristics and examines trends in these, and discusses plausible explanations.

Keywords: immunization, exclusive breastfeeding, under five mortality, binary logistic regression, ordinal regression and life table

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Authors: Sandra Smieszek, Jonathan Haines

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Introduction: Numerous research efforts have focused on searching for ‘longevity genes’. However, attempting to decipher the genetic component of the longevous phenotype have resulted in limited success and the mechanisms governing longevity remain to be explained. We conducted a genome-wide homozygosity analysis (GWHA) of the founder population of the Amish community in central Ohio. While genome-wide association studies using unrelated individuals have revealed many interesting longevity associated variants, these variants are typically of small effect and cannot explain the observed patterns of heritability for this complex trait. The Amish provide a large cohort of extended kinships allowing for in depth analysis via family-based approach excellent population due to its. Heritability of longevity increases with age with significant genetic contribution being seen in individuals living beyond 60 years of age. In our present analysis we show that the heritability of longevity is estimated to be increasing with age particularly on the paternal side. Methods: The present analysis integrated both phenotypic and genotypic data and led to the discovery of a series of variants, distinct for stratified populations across ages and distinct for paternal and maternal cohorts. Specifically 5437 subjects were analyzed and a subset of 893 successfully genotyped individuals was used to assess CHIP heritability. We have conducted the homozygosity analysis to examine if homozygosity is associated with increased risk of living beyond 90. We analyzed AMISH cohort genotyped for 614,957 SNPs. Results: We delineated 10 significant regions of homozygosity (ROH) specific for the age group of interest (>90). Of particular interest was ROH on chromosome 13, P < 0.0001. The lead SNPs rs7318486 and rs9645914 point to COL4A2 and our lead SNP. COL25A1 encodes one of the six subunits of type IV collagen, the C-terminal portion of the protein, known as canstatin, is an inhibitor of angiogenesis and tumor growth. COL4A2 mutations have been reported with a broader spectrum of cerebrovascular, renal, ophthalmological, cardiac, and muscular abnormalities. The second region of interest points to IRS2. Furthermore we built a classifier using the obtained SNPs from the significant ROH region with 0.945 AUC giving ability to discriminate between those living beyond to 90 years of age and beyond. Conclusion: In conclusion our results suggest that a history of longevity does indeed contribute to increasing the odds of individual longevity. Preliminary results are consistent with conjecture that heritability of longevity is substantial when we start looking at oldest fifth and smaller percentiles of survival specifically in males. We will validate all the candidate variants in independent cohorts of centenarians, to test whether they are robustly associated with human longevity. The identified regions of interest via ROH analysis could be of profound importance for the understanding of genetic underpinnings of longevity.

Keywords: regions of homozygosity, longevity, SNP, Amish

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Authors: Saimir Cenameri, Arjana Tereziu, Kastriot Dallaku

Abstract:

Introduction: Intra-uterine death is a common problem in obstetrical practice, and can lead to complications if left to resolve spontaneously. The cervix is unprepared, making inducing of labor difficult. Misoprostol is a synthetic prostaglandin E1 analogue, inexpensive, and is presented valid thanks to its ability to bring about changes in the cervix that lead to the induction of uterine contractions. Misoprostol is quickly absorbed when taken orally, resulting in high initial peak serum concentrations compared with the vaginal route. The vaginal misoprostol peak serum concentration is not as high and demonstrates a more gradual serum concentration decline. This is associated with many benefits for the patient; fast induction of labor; smaller doses; and fewer side effects (dose-depended). Mostly it has been used the regime of 50 μg/4 hour, with a high percentage of success and limited side effects. Objective: Evaluation of the efficiency of the use of oral and vaginal misoprostol in inducing labor, and comparing it with its use not by a previously defined protocol. Methods: Participants in this study included patients at U.H.O.G. 'Koco Gliozheni', Tirana from April 2004-July 2006, presenting with an indication for inducing labor in the third trimester for pregnancy termination. A total of 37 patients were randomly admitted for birth inducing activity, according to protocol (26), oral or vaginal protocol (10 vs. 16), and a control group (11), not subject to the protocol, was created. Oral or vaginal misoprostol was administered at a dose of 50 μg/4 h, while the fourth group participants were treated individually by the members of the medical staff. The main result of interest was the time between induction of labor to birth. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the average age, parity, women weight, gestational age, Bishop's score, the size of the uterus and weight of the fetus between the four groups in the study. The Fisher exact test was used to compare day-stay and causes in the four groups. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the time of the expulsion and the number of doses between oral and vaginal group. For all statistical tests used, the value of P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The four groups were comparable with regard to woman age and weight, parity, abortion indication, Bishop's score, fetal weight and the gestational age. There was significant difference in the percentage of deliveries within 24 hours. The average time from induction to birth per route (vaginal, oral, according to protocol and not according to the protocol) was respectively; 10.43h; 21.10h; 15.77h, 21.57h. There was no difference in maternal complications in groups. Conclusions: Use of vaginal misoprostol for inducing labor in the third trimester for termination of pregnancy appears to be more effective than the oral route, and even more to uses not according to the protocols approved before, where complications are greater and unjustified.

Keywords: inducing labor, misoprostol, pregnancy termination, third trimester

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Authors: Rajender Singh, Nidhi Sharma, Aastha Chauhan, Meenakshi Barsaul, Jyoti Deswal, Chetan Chhikara

Abstract:

Introduction: Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with multisystem involvement and are common causes of morbidity and mortality in obstetrics. It is believed that changes in retinal arterioles may indicate similar changes in the placenta. Therefore, this study was undertaken to evaluate the ocular manifestations in cases of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia and to deduce any association between the retinal changes and blood pressure, the severity of disease, gravidity, proteinuria, and other lab parameters so that a better approach could be devised to ensure maternal and fetal well-being. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted over a period of one year, from April 2021 to May 2022. 350 admitted patients with diagnosed pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, and pre-eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension were included in the study. A pre-structured proforma was used. After taking consent and ocular history, a bedside examination to record visual acuity, pupillary size, corneal curvature, field of vision, and intraocular pressure was done. Dilated fundus examination was done with a direct and indirect ophthalmoscope. Age, parity, BP, proteinuria, platelet count, liver and kidney function tests were noted down. The patients with positive findings only were followed up after 72 hours and 6 weeks of termination of pregnancy. Results: The mean age of patients was 26.18±4.33 years (range 18-39 years).157 (44.9%) were primigravida while 193(55.1%) were multigravida.53 (15.1%) patients had eclampsia, 128(36.5%) had mild pre-eclampsia,128(36.5%) had severe pre-eclampsia and 41(11.7%) had chronic hypertension with superimposed pre-eclampsia. Retinal changes were found in 208 patients (59.42%), and grade I changes were the most common. 82(23.14%) patients had grade I changes, 75 (21.4%) had grade II changes, 41(11.71%) had grade III changes, and 11(3.14%) had serous retinal detachment/grade IV changes. 36 patients had unaided visual acuity <6/9, of these 17 had refractive error and 19(5.4%) had varying degrees of retinal changes. 3(0.85%) out of 350 patients had an abnormal field of vision in both eyes. All 3 of them had eclampsia and bilateral exudative retinal detachment. At day 4, retinopathy in 10 patients resolved, and 3 patients had improvement in visual acuity. At 6 weeks, retinopathy in all the patients resolved spontaneously except persistence of grade II changes in 23 patients with chronic hypertension with superimposed pre-eclampsia, while visual acuity and field of vision returned to normal in all patients. Pupillary size, intraocular pressure, and corneal curvature were found to be within normal limits at all times of examination. There was a statistically significant positive association between retinal changes and mean arterial pressure. The study showed a positive correlation between fundus findings and severity of disease (p value<0.05) and mean arterial pressure (p value<0.005). Primigravida had more retinal changes than multigravida patients. A significant association was found between fundus changes and thrombocytopenia and deranged liver and kidney function tests (p value<0.005). Conclusion: As the severity of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia increases, the incidence of retinopathy also increases, and it affects visual acuity and visual fields of the patients. Thus, timely ocular examination should be done in all such cases to prevent complications.

Keywords: eclampsia, hypertensive, ocular, pre-eclampsia

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Authors: Priyanka Patil, Logan Manikam

Abstract:

Background: The first 1000 days of life are a critical window and can result in adverse health consequences due to inadequate nutrition. South-Asian (SA) communities face significant health disparities, particularly in maternal and child health. Community-based interventions, often employing Participatory-Learning and Action (PLA) approaches, have effectively addressed health inequalities in lower-income nations. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of implementing a PLA intervention to improve infant feeding and care practices in SA communities living in London. Methods: Comprehensive analyses were conducted to assess the feasibility/fidelity of this pilot randomized controlled trial. Summary statistics were computed to compare key metrics, including participant consent rates, attendance, retention, intervention support, and perceived effectiveness, against predefined progression rules guiding toward a definitive trial. Secondary outcomes were analyzed, drawing insights from multiple sources, such as The Children’s-Eating-Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ), Parental-Feeding-Style Questionnaires (PFSQ), Food-diary, and the Equality-Impact-Assessment (EIA) tool. A video analysis of children's mealtime behavior trends was conducted. Feedback interviews were collected from study participants. Results: Process-outcome measures met predefined progression rules for a definitive trial, which deemed the intervention as feasible and acceptable. The secondary outcomes analysis revealed no significant changes in children's BMI z-scores. This could be attributed to the abbreviated follow-up period of 6 months, reduced from 12 months, due to COVID-19-related delays. CEBQ analysis showed increased food responsiveness, along with decreased emotional over/undereating. A similar trend was observed in PFSQ. The EIA tool found no potential discrimination areas, and video analysis revealed a decrease in force-feeding practices. Participant feedback revealed improved awareness and knowledge sharing. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a co-adapted PLA intervention is feasible and well-received in optimizing infant-care practices among South-Asian community members in a high-income country. These findings highlight the potential of community-based interventions to enhance health outcomes, promoting health equity.

Keywords: child health, childhood obesity, community-based, infant nutrition

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