Maternal & perinatal outcome of fever in pregnancy in the context of dengue - A retrospective observational study

Background & objectives: Pregnant women with dengue infection may be at increased risk of adverse maternal-foetal outcomes. This study was conducted to assess the maternal and perinatal outcomes in women who presented with fever and diagnosed to have dengue infection during pregnancy. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on pregnant women admitted with fever, in a tertiary referral centre in South India, during January 2015 to December 2018. We compared outcomes of women diagnosed with dengue with that of women without dengue. The study outcomes included pre-term birth, stillbirth, low-birth weight (LBW), maternal mortality and thrombocytopenia. Results: During the study period, there were six maternal deaths following complications from dengue infection. Higher rates of thrombocytopenia (24.7% vs. 14.6%, P=0.02) were noted among those with recent dengue infection. The risk of still birth was 2.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09, 6.57], LBW [risk ratio (RR) 1.13, 95% CI 0.87, 1.45] and pre-term birth (RR 1.33, 95% CI 0.89, 1.97) among the cases. Interpretation & conclusions: Occurrence of adverse maternal and foetal outcomes was increased in pregnant women with fever diagnosed with dengue infection. Future studies are needed to formulate the optimum monitoring and treatment strategies in pregnant women, where dengue can have additive adverse effects to other obstetric complications.

Protective effect of phellodendrine on bacterial vaginosis mice / 中草药

Objective To investigate the impact of phellodendrine on treating bacterial vaginosis (BV) mice. Methods BV model mice were induced by vaginal injecting with EPEC and MRSA. After the mice in control and model groups being administrated with phellodendrine (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) for 7 d, the mice were sacrificed under deep anesthesia. The mice vaginal pathology changes were observed using HE staining method. IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α secretion in vagina and PGE2, PGF2α levels in uterus were detected using ELISA assay. Uterine MMP-9, TLR4, and NF-κB expression levels were measured using western blotting. Results Vaginal pathology changes were improved by phellodendrine. Specifically, phellodendrine could reduce IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α secretion in vagina, it could also reduce PGE2 and PGF2α content, and inhibit MMP-9, TLR4, and NF-κB expression levels in uterus tissue. Conclusion Phellodendrine could effectively treat BV and reduce the rise of pre-term birth by simultaneously inhibiting endovaginal inflammatory response and regulating intrauterine TLR4/NF-κB signal pathway in BV mice.

Salud mental familiar en recién nacidos hospitalizados / Hospitalized new borns and family mental health

Un equipo multidisciplinario inicia en la Unidad de Neonatología de un hospital público el programa de “Apoyo al Desarrollo Biopsicosocial”. En familias de RN que permanecen en UCI, hospitalizados más de 20 días, embarazos no controlados y en aquellas en quienes se observan dificultades emocionales para el vínculo, se investiga factores de riesgo y protección en salud mental. Con un enfoque de vulnerabilidad-resiliencia se estudian factores biológicos, psicológicos y sociocomunitarios que intervienen en el desarrollo de un vínculo de apego seguro, detectándose una alta frecuencia de alteraciones de la salud mental susceptibles de tratamiento, en un momento del ciclo vital familiar que ofrece una ventana de oportunidad para el cambio. Es un trabajo exploratorio de investigación acción, que ha ofrecido contención emocional y apoyo a las familias estudiadas.

A multidisciplinary team works on a newborn unit at a public hospital beginning a “Biopsycosocial development help program”. In families of UCI babies, over 20 days hospitalization babies, uncontrolled pregnancies and observed bonding difficulties on goes a mental health research under vulnerability-resilience paradigm. Biological, psychological and sociocomunitary factors involved in attachment are studied, founding high frecuency of treatable mental health problems, in a very sensible moment of family life cicle, proper to changes. It is an exploratory action research, that offered emotional holding and support on studied families.

Seasonal Variation of Pre-term Births in Korea / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: To investigate possible seasonal patterns of pre-term birth in Korea. METHODS: A total number of 2,669,357 single live births reported to the National Statistical Office from 1995 to 1998 were analyzed. Composite monthly cohorts of ongoing pregnancies were constructed for each month of the year and the probability of pre-term birth was estimated. RESULTS: Increases in the probability of a pre-term birth occurred during winter for the birth of first child and during summer for the birth of second or later child. This seasonal variation was similar among groups divided by sex, residency, age of mother, and education of mother. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggests that some environmental factors related to season may partially explain the incidence of premature births.