Pregnancy and delivery in women with a high risk of infection in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women with chronic genital and non-genital infections are at a high risk of infections complication during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Preterm birth is one of the leading causes of obstetric and neonatal complications and occurs in one in nine women. Forty per cent of preterm births are considered to be caused by the abnormal vaginal microbiome, and there is currently no consensus on the contribution of combined bacterial and viral infections. AIM: To assess the course of pregnancy and delivery in women with a high risk of chronic infections and the association with the presence of specific microorganisms in the genital microbiome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective controlled observational study in 355 pregnant women with a high risk of chronic infections. The high risk was defined as presence acute or chronic genital or extragenital infections, reactivation of chronic infections/inflammatory diseases during current pregnancy and history of obstetric complications during previous pregnancies such as miscarriages, missed miscarriages, preterm deliveries, postpartum endometritis, and sepsis. RESULTS: In women with a high risk of chronic infections, pregnancy was associated with recurrent threatened pregnancy loss (49.8%), preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes (64.3%), followed by prolonged oligohydramnios. Almost in one in two women (47.9%), pregnancy resulted in the delivery of preterm, low-birth-weight neonates. One in three women (30%) experienced uterine hypotony and bleeding after vaginal and cesarean delivery. Almost a third of women (32.1%) developed inflammatory complications postpartum, and more than half of complications (54.4%) was observed in women giving birth prematurely. Vaginal and cervical cultures in women who experienced preterm birth were dominated by non-obligate pathogens. We observed persistence of the Herpesviridae family both in the cervical canal and uterine cavity, specifically the Epstein-Barr virus (17.2%; 95% CI: 10%, 26.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancies in women with a high risk of chronic infections were associated with high rates of recurrent threatened pregnancy loss, preterm rupture of membranes and preterm delivery.

Efficacy of distal haemostasis during caesarean delivery in women with placenta accreta spectrum disorders.

Pregnancies complicated by the placenta praevia are associated with an increased risk of massive obstetric bleeding and high rates of hysterectomy which are often caused by the placenta accreta. The aim of our study was to identify the risk factors for placenta praevia associated with PAS disorders and the efficacy of distal haemostasis during Cesarean delivery. METHODS: This was a cohort study carried out between 2014 and 2020 in 532 women with abnormal placental localization and attachment. The placental attachment spectrum (PAS) disorder diagnosis was confirmed during the surgery and by the histology results in 164/532 participants. Depending on the surgical approach during the Cesarean delivery, patients were divided into three groups. In Group 1 (n = 52), patients underwent bilateral uterine artery ligation. In Group 2 (n = 33), we used the combined compression haemostasis approach including the placement of tourniquets and insertion of an intrauterine balloon for controlled tamponade. In Group 3 (n = 79), we used the combination of surgical haemostasis with the controlled intrauterine tamponade using the vaginal and intrauterine Zhukovsky balloon. RESULTS: PAS was observed in 30.8% of the placenta praevia cases, and in 93.3% was associated with the presence of a uterine scar. Women with the placenta praevia and PAS had a significantly higher number of past deliveries (р = .001). According to the FIGO classification, 53.8% of women with placenta praevia observed during the Cesarean had РА1 and 46.2% PA2. With regards to the PAS disorders observed in 30.8% of patients, 38.4% had PAS3, 34.7% PAS4, 18.3% PAS5 and 8.5% PAS6. The histology analysis showed normal placental attachment in 42.9% of the total number of study participants, placenta accreta in 28.2%, placenta increta in 16.7%, and placenta percreta in 12.2%. In Group 1, we performed the resection of uterine wall with the attached portion of the placenta in 13.5% of women, in Group 2 in 30.3% women, and in Group 3 in 50.6% women. There was a significant 4.8-fold reduction in the number of hysterectomies in Group 3 versus Group 2 (р = .043) and a 4.4-fold reduction in Group 2 versus Group 1 (р = .003). In Group 2, the volume of blood loss was 1.3-fold lower and in Group 3 1.5-fold lower than in Group 1. Conclusion: The techniques of compression distal haemostasis evaluated in this study in women with PAS are efficacious in the reduction of adverse maternal outcomes and should be used more widely in clinical practice.

Analysis of risk factors and predictors of pregnancy loss and strategies for the management of cervical insufficiency in pregnant women at a high risk of preterm birth.

AIM: To identify risk factors and predictors of pregnancy loss and to compare the efficacy of Arabin's pessary with cervical cerclage in women at a high risk of pregnancy loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a two-center retrospective case-control study that included 240 women at a high risk of preterm delivery. Group I (n = 161) included women who underwent insertion of the Arabin's pessary between 14 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. Group II (n = 79) included women who had undergone circular cervical cerclage during the current pregnancy. All women included in the study received micronized vaginal progesterone at the dose of 200 mg/day until and including 34 weeks of gestation. RESULTS: Threatened pregnancy loss defined as spotting or vaginal bleeding in the first trimester was diagnosed in 29.8% (48/161) of patients in Group I versus 37.9% in Group II (p = .448). Postpartum bleeding occurred in 8.1% (13/161) in women in Group I versus 22.8% in Group II (χ2 = 6.500; p = .011). Our study showed that cervical cerclage was most suitable for patients with history of obstetric complications, cervical length <15 mm, and large isthmic uterine fibroids. The use of the Arabin's pessary reduced the rate of preterm births by 1.7-fold. A cluster analysis demonstrated that predictors of preterm birth in women with a high risk of pregnancy loss included: threatened pregnancy loss associated with chorionic/placental abruption, cervical incompetence, uterine fibroid growth to a large size, history of multiple spontaneous pregnancy losses, cervical tears during past labor, and gestational diabetes diagnosed for the first time during the current pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Women with a high risk of pregnancy loss treated with Arabin's pessary or cerclage plus vaginal progesterone had a term delivery rate of 70.4% (169/240). The combined strategy of pregnancy management allowed to markedly reduce the number of preterm births.

[Hypoglycemia in neonates: a review of the literature and a case report].

Hypoglycemia in the neonatal period is one of the urgent problems of pediatric endocrinology. The main factors that lead to disruption of carbohydrate homeostasis are generally known, but the issues of neonatal hypoglycemia continue to be actively studied. In the last few years, the effect of low blood glucose on brain neurons has been studied, the issues of glycemia monitoring in the first days of life have been outlined, and strategies for managing newborns with hypoglycemic syndrome are being discussed.

[Incidence of chronic myeloid leukemia in 6 regions of Russia according to the data of the 2009-2012 population-based study].

AIM: To assess the main epidemiological characteristics of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the Russian Federation. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A planned epidemiological prospective study was conducted in 2009-2012 in 6 Russian regions with the total number of 10.1 million inhabitants, which notified all new CML cases. RESULTS: The unstandardized (unnormalized, baseline) recorded incidence of CML in the examined regions was 0.58 per 100,000 annually. Its standardized (normalized) incidence was 0.70 for the WHO standard population and 0.72 for the European standard population. The regional variations in the incidence were 0.44 to 0.69. The structural analysis of the incidence in the age strata indicated that the overall morbidity was less due to the decreased rate of registration in old age groups. The morbidity rates in patients aged less than 60 years were nearly similar to the European rates; those in patients aged over 70 years were almost 10 times lower. The lower rate of detection and screening diagnosis of CML in pensioners in primary health care is discussed. CONCLUSION: The data obtained in this study may serve as the starting point for monitoring the CML epidemiological situation.