Early virus clearance of SARS-CoV-2 among co-infection with malaria.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: India has witnessed significant number of cases of co-infection of malaria or dengue with COVID-19, especially during the monsoon season. It has been speculated that anti-malarial immunity might have a protective role in co-infection. Retrospective analysis of co-infection of vector-borne diseases with COVID-19 was done for comparing their remission with matched controls with COVID-19 by means of epidemiological data. METHODS: Medical case records of patients with co-infection of malaria or dengue with COVID-19 admitted at TNMC and BYL Nair Charitable Hospital from 1 March 2020 to 31 October 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Out of 91 cases of co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 infection with vector-borne diseases, virus clearance (VC) analysis was done for 61 co-infections with malaria. RESULTS: Median duration of VC for co-infection with malaria was 8 days whereas, it was 12 days for controls with COVID-19 (p=0.056). Young patients (≤50 years) with co-infection recovered faster than controls age (p=0.018). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Co-infection with malaria is associated with less severe disease and early recovery in the form of early VC. Genetic and immunological studies are necessary to confirm malaria protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Increased risk of early-onset preeclampsia in pregnant women with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate incidence, risk of early and late-onset preeclampsia (PE) and understand their relationship with severity of COVID-19. METHODS: Pregnant women with COVID-19 (n = 1929) were enrolled from 1 April 2020 to 24 February 2022. Primary outcome measure was incidence and risk of early onset PE in women with COVID-19. RESULTS: The incidence of early and late-onset PE was 11.4% and 5.6%. Moderate to severe COVID-19 was associated with eight times higher risk of early onset PE [aOR = 8.13 (1.56-42.46), p = 0.0129] compared to asymptomatic group. CONCLUSIONS: Risk of early onset PE was higher in pregnant women with symptomatic COVID-19 as compared to asymptomatic women.

Minimally invasive vaginal approach to the uterovestibular anastomosis for cervicovaginal aplasia: a case series and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Congenital cervicovaginal agenesis (CVA) with functioning endometrium is an extremely rare mullerian anomaly. Genital tract patency and fertility preservation are the major challenges in cases of CVA. With the advances in surgical techniques, management has shifted from a radical approach-like hysterectomy towards a more conservative approach of uterine conservation. CASE PRESENTATION AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE: In the present study, we report our experience in managing four cases of congenital CVA with complete vaginal atresia, which were treated with a simple minimally invasive vaginal approach for UVA without using graft for neovagina creation and studied the long-term anatomic and functional result of uterovestibular anastomosis (UVA) in patients with CVA. A literature review was performed for congenital complete vaginal atresia (≤ 2 cm blind vagina), with a functioning uterus. The experience and results of this 4-year study are in accordance with the prior studies with 97% (33/34) success rate, where vestibular mucosa was used for the UVA. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study should encourage more gynaecologists to learn and recreate a complete vaginal approach, as no special surgical equipments are needed. Hysterectomy should only be reserved for cases, where repeated anastomosis attempts fail. This minimally invasive technique should be preferred over canalization procedures and graft, as it is associated with a higher success rate with least complications and recurrence. Conservative end-to-end anastomosis with a completely vaginal approach should be offered as the primary treatment option for CVA with total vaginal atresia.

Clinical presentation, pregnancy complications, and outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 during the Omicron-dominant third wave in Mumbai, India.

OBJECTIVE: To study clinical presentation, disease severity, pregnancy complications, and maternal outcomes in women affected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the third wave compared with the first and second waves of COVID-19. METHODS: A retrospective, observational cohort study was conducted among 2058 pregnant and postpartum women with COVID-19 admitted during three wave periods at a tertiary care COVID-19-dedicated hospital. RESULTS: The number of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) -infected pregnant and postpartum women with symptoms of COVID-19 was four times higher during the third wave compared with the first (odds ratio [OR] 4.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5-6.0, P < 0.001). There was a significantly lower proportion of pregnant and postpartum women with moderate to severe COVID-19 during the third wave (0.6%, 2/318) compared with those during the first wave (2.4%, 27/1143, P < 0.001) and second wave (14.4%, 86/597, P < 0.001). The intensive care/high dependency unit admissions during the third wave were significantly lower (2.5%, 8/318) than during the second wave (14.7%, 88/597; OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.3, P < 0.001) but similar to the first wave (2.4%, 27/1143). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased severity of COVID-19, reduced maternal mortality, and morbidity were reported in the third wave compared with the first wave and second wave of COVID-19 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study is registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (Registration no: CTRI/2020/05/025423).

Protocol for a prospective, hospital-based registry of pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection in India: PregCovid Registry study.

INTRODUCTION: Pregnant women are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 due to several factors and therefore require special attention. However, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women and their newborns remain uncharted. The PregCovid registry aims to document the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on pregnant, postpartum women and their newborns. The aim of the registry is also to determine mother-to-child transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection in India. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: PregCovid is a hospital-based registry for capturing information of pregnant, postpartum women with COVID-19 and their newborns in India. Medical case records of pregnant and postpartum women with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 will be captured in real-time using an online electronic patient record software. The data analysis will be carried out for symptoms, the severity of COVID-19, pregnancy complications, maternal morbidity and mortality, neonatal complications, mother-to-child transmission, etc. Data analysis will be carried out for different waves of the COVID-19 pandemic for rapid response and developing strategies well in advance to manage pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2. The evidence generated from the registry will be regularly shared with the appropriate authorities for policy decisions. Thus, the registry data may be useful for planning the strategies for better management of pregnant women with COVID-19. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the Institutional Ethics Committees of all the participating study sites under the Medical Education and Drugs Department, Government of Maharashtra, Topiwala National Medical College & BYL Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai and ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Mumbai, India. The results from this study will be disseminated with local, state, and national health authorities, collaborators and the general population on the study website (https://pregcovid.com) as well as dissemination through scientific meetings and publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTRI/2020/05/025423.

Increased spontaneous preterm births during the second wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in India.

OBJECTIVE: To compare spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) and iatrogenic preterm birth (IPTB) rates during both waves of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the PregCovid registry of pregnant women with COVID-19 was performed at a dedicated COVID-19 hospital in Mumbai, India. The data of 1630 women were analyzed for this study between April 4, 2020 and July 4, 2021. Prepandemic data were analyzed and compared with pandemic data. Main outcome measure was spontaneous preterm birth rate. RESULTS: Preterm deliveries were higher during the second wave (46/329; 14%) compared with the first wave (82/807; 10.2%) of the COVID-19 pandemic (P = 0.065). Higher SPTBs were reported during the second wave than the first wave (12.5% versus 8.3%) (P = 0.03) as well as the prepandemic period (12.5% versus 10.5%) (P = 0.286). IPTBs were significantly lower in the pandemic period than in the prepandemic period (1.8 versus 3.3) (P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: In Mumbai, India, we found an unusual change in SPTBs during the 6 months of the second wave of COVID-19 compared with the previous 10 months of the first wave of pandemic and 1 year of prepandemic.

Ventral clitoroplasty preserves dorsal nerves in case of partial androgen insensitivity syndrome: 4 years follow-up.

Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) causes feminization of the external genitalia, in 46XY individuals. We report a notable case of partial AIS (PAIS), which was treated with ventral clitoroplasty and vaginal dilatation. The patient is a 17-year-old phenotypically female, presented with primary amenorrhea, infantile vagina, clitoromegaly, and presence of testes. Feminizing genitoplasty was done in form of ventral clitoroplasty with gonadectomy and was put on hormone replacement therapy and advised regular use of vaginal dilators to improve vaginal length. In ventral approach, the erectile tissues are excised without disturbing the neurovascular structure. Vibratory threshold perception of clitoris assessed by biothesiometer was normal 4 years after the surgery. Vaginal corrective surgery is not required when presentation is at later stage and has some vaginal depth to work out with vaginal dilators. Regular psychiatric consultations and support are needed in patients with PAIS to develop their confidence in gender identity and sexual orientation.

Clinical characteristics, outcomes, & mortality in pregnant women with COVID-19 in Maharashtra, India: Results from PregCovid registry.

Background & objectives: The PregCovid registry was established to document the clinical presentations, pregnancy outcomes and mortality of pregnant and post-partum women with COVID-19. Methods: The PregCovid registry prospectively collects information in near-real time on pregnant and post-partum women with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 from 19 medical colleges across the State of Maharashtra, India. Data of 4203 pregnant women collected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-January 2021) was analyzed. Results: There were 3213 live births, 77 miscarriages and 834 undelivered pregnancies. The proportion of pregnancy/foetal loss including stillbirths was six per cent. Five hundred and thirty-four women (13%) were symptomatic, of which 382 (72%) had mild, 112 (21%) had moderate, and 40 (7.5%) had severe disease. The most common complication was preterm delivery (528, 16.3%) and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (328, 10.1%). A total of 158 (3.8%) pregnant and post-partum women required intensive care, of which 152 (96%) were due to COVID-19 related complications. The overall case fatality rate (CFR) in pregnant and post-partum women with COVID-19 was 0.8 per cent (34/4203). Higher CFR was observed in Pune (9/853, 1.1%), Marathwada (4/351, 1.1%) regions as compared to Vidarbha (9/1155, 0.8%), Mumbai Metropolitan (11/1684, 0.7%), and Khandesh (1/160, 0.6%) regions. Comorbidities of anaemia, tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus were associated with maternal deaths. Interpretation & conclusions: The study demonstrates the adverse outcomes including severe COVID-19 disease, pregnancy loss and maternal death in women with COVID-19 in Maharashtra, India.

Clinical Presentation of Cases with SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection/ Reactivation.

BACKGROUND: Reinfection/reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 has been a matter of great interest from the immunological and vaccine perspective. However, little is known about the clinical presentation of such reinfection/reactivation. We report a case series of 9 COVID-19 patients having experienced two clinically- and/or virologically-confirmed episodes of COVID-19. METHODS: Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 9 healthcare workers (HCWs) with two episodes of SARS-CoV-2 are described. RESULTS: The incidence of reinfection/reactivation amongst the HCWs was 2% (9 out of 491) with an average remission period of 66 days (range 43-78 days). Amongst the cases of reinfection 4/9 were asymptomatic in first episode were symptomatic in second episode. There is negative correlation between numbers of days the patients took to become SARS-CoV-2 negative by RT-CPR and/or clinically recover in the first episode and the second episode irrespective for the time spent in remission. CONCLUSION: Shorter durations of SARS-COV-2 infection in the first episode are associated with longer time to recovery in the second episode in patients with re-infection/reactivation.