Inter-delivery birthweight difference greater than 1000 grams and its effects on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between actual birth weight difference of more than 1000 g between the second and first delivery and short-term maternal and neonatal outcomes including mode of delivery. METHODS: Retrospective database cohort study of single large academic center, between the years 2005 and 2019. Study population included all women who had their first and second live fetus singleton delivery in our center. Women who had cesarean delivery at first delivery were excluded. Primary outcome was mode of delivery in second delivery. Secondary outcomes were composite adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Univariate analysis was followed by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 22,751 women were included. Of those, 316 (1.4%) gave birth to neonates with inter-delivery birth weight interval ≥1000 g from their first delivery. Women in the study group had higher rates of Oxytocin augmentation of labor, longer first and second stages of labor, episiotomy, vacuum extraction, shoulder dystocia and 1-min Apgar score ≤7. Cesarean delivery was more prevalent among the study group (7.9% vs 3.2%, aOR 3.31 [1.78-6.17], p < .001), including in-labor cesarean delivery (3.2% vs 1.5%, aOR 2.97 [1.46-6.06], p = .01) as were the composite adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes - (12.7% vs 8.4%, aOR 1.69 [1.20-2.38], p < .01), and (15.5% vs 11,9% aOR 1.95 [1.40-2.72], p < .001), respectively. CONCLUSION: Birth weight interval ≥1000 g is associated with higher rates of cesarean deliveries, as well as an increase in maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes, making it worthwhile to screen women for significant birth weight differences.

Allergic-like disorders and asthma in patients with common variable immunodeficiency: a multi-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: Common variable immune deficiency (CVID) encompasses a variety of diseases characterized by disturbed immunoglobulin (Ig) production and various immune dysregulations. Scarce data are available regarding relationships between CVID and allergic diseases. Here we examined possible associations between allergies and CVID. METHODS: For this multicenter study, we prospectively enrolled 79 adult CVID patients (≥18 years) who were diagnosed and treated between 2002-2017 at the Hadassah-Hebrew University and Shaare Zedek Medical Centers, Jerusalem, Israel. These patients were examined for allergic manifestations. Patient evaluation comprised medical history, physical examination, skin allergen testing, complete blood count, serum immunoglobulins, IgE levels, and pulmonary function tests. RESULTS: After implementing exclusion criteria, 29 patients were included in the final analysis. Allergic-like disorders were diagnosed in 65% of CVID patients with non-elevated serum IgE levels. Moreover, allergic CVID patients exhibited a higher prevalence of bronchiectasis on chest CT. Autoimmunity was diagnosed in 41.3% of CVID subjects. The type I allergy detected in our study was non-IgE mediated. CONCLUSIONS: Timely diagnosis and stratification of allergy in CVID patients is expected to improve their outcome and quality of life, as well as promote appropriate treatment and better management of pulmonary exacerbations.

Management of Pregnancy in Women of Advanced Maternal Age: Improving Outcomes for Mother and Baby.

Pregnancy at advanced maternal age (age >35 years old) is considered a risk factor for adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Yet, pregnancies of advanced maternal age have become more prevalent over the last few decades. Possible maternal complications of pregnancy at age 35 or older include increased risk of spontaneous miscarriage, preterm labor, gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-eclampsia, stillbirth, chromosomal abnormalities, and cesarean delivery. Possible adverse fetal outcomes include infants small for gestational age and intrauterine growth restrictions, low Apgar score, admission to neonatal intensive care units, and an autism spectrum disorder. This paper aims to present an up-to-date review of the literature, summarizing the most current studies and implications for the management of pregnancy of advanced maternal age.