Incidence of congenital complications related to COVID-19 infection during pregnancy.

PURPOSE: Infection with COVID-19 during pregnancy has been associated with a hypercoagulable state. It is unknown if maternal COVID-19 infection results in congenital anomalies secondary to intrauterine vascular accidents. This study sought to determine if the rate of in-utero vascular complications (intestinal atresia and limb abnormalities) that may be attributable to the hypercoagulable states associated with COVID-19 and pregnancy increased after the onset of the pandemic. METHODS: Pregnancy, neonatal, and congenital defect data from a single academic medical center and the partner's children's hospital were collected and compared to the period prior to onset of the pandemic. A subanalysis including pregnant woman 18 years or greater with documented COVID-19 infection during gestation between March 2020-2021 was performed. RESULTS: Rates of intestinal atresia did not differ prior to or after the onset of the pandemic (3.78% vs 7.23%, p = 0.21) nor did rates of limb deficiency disorders (4.41% vs 9.65%, p = 0.09). On subanalysis, there were 194 women with COVID-19 infection included in analysis: 135 (69.6%) were positive during delivery admission and 59 (30.4%) were positive earlier in their pregnancy. There was one infant born with intestinal atresia. CONCLUSION: We report a low incidence of congenital anomalies in infants born to mothers with COVID-19 infection. It remains unclear if the impact of COVID-19 on the coagulative state augments the normal pro-thrombotic state of pregnancy; ongoing surveillance is warranted.

Are Thyroid Hormone Values Obtained in Hospitalized Elderly Patients Reproducible? - A Cohort Study.

It is unclear whether TSH should be obtained in elderly hospitalized patients as several factors associated with hospitalization influence these levels, which may not truly represent the thyroid status of the individual. All patients≥65 years old hospitalized in a geriatric ward in the years 2012-2014 had TSH measured irrespective of the cause for hospitalization. All patients in whom TSH levels were performed in an ambulatory setting 2-12 months following hospitalization were identified and these TSH levels were correlated with levels recorded during hospitalization. Factors influencing TSH reproducibility were identified through review of patients' medical records. Of 562 patients hospitalized during the study period, 198 had repeat ambulatory TSH measurements during follow-up. The Katz Index of Independence was higher (9.43±2.98 vs. 8.43±3.67 p=0.002) and cerebrovascular disease was less prevalent (15.6 vs. 25.2% p=0.014) in those who had a repeat TSH measurement compared with those who did not, but other baseline characteristics and TSH levels on admission were similar. Ambulatory TSH values were significantly correlated with those obtained during hospitalization (correlation coefficient=0.677), irrespective of baseline systolic blood pressure, cause of hospitalization, or admission albumin levels. Mean TSH difference between in-hospital and ambulatory was 0.65±2.36 mIU/l and in more than 94% of cases TSH values differed by less than 2 mIU/l between the 2 measurements. In hospitalized patients≥65 years old, TSH levels are highly concordant with ambulatory values. TSH obtained during hospitalization may be used for making treatment decisions and has clinical utility in this population.

A factor analytic study of the demographic characteristics of incarcerated females.

Produced 10 identifiable factors in a factor analytic study of demographic and behavioral variables on female (N = 100) inmates of an adult correctional facility in the South. While the items were those frequently cited as contributory--abuse, neglect, etc.--they did not cluster as expected, but took on a more unitary structure, except for behavioral data from the interviews that were highly interrelated either positively or negatively.

A factor analytic study of the demographic characteristics of incarcerated males.

A factor analytic study of demographic and behavioral variables on adult male inmates (N = 200) of a correctional facility in the South produced eight identifiable factors. The clusters formed appeared in agreement with clinical impressions of commonalities, though some surprises were found, such as no clustering related to seriousness of offense. Labels and descriptions of factors were presented.

A factor analytic study of the demographic characteristics of incarcerated male and female juvenile offenders.

A factor analytic study of the behavioral and demographic variables that describe male and female juvenile offenders (N = 172) in a southern correctional facility identified 10 factors for females and 6 for males. Items clustered much as anticipated for both groups, with family conflicts and individual neurotic traits forming clusters.

A factor analytic study of the demographic characteristics of adult and juvenile incarcerates.

Carried out a factor analytic study of the demographic and behavioral characteristics of adult and juvenile male and female incarcerates (N = 559) to determine whether there were meaningful commonalities that exist for all persons involved in offenses. The obtained clusters suggest a number of consistent relationships contributory to incarceration and childhood experiences that predict difficulty in that period of life and in later adjustment.