The Prevalence of Domestic Verbal Abuse in Pregnant Women in a Semi-urban Area.

Introduction Domestic violence (DV) in the form of verbal abuse is very common among women, especially pregnant women, posing as a serious public health issue that could lead to complications in pregnancy and threaten maternal and fetal outcomes. Studies have determined that domestic verbal abuse (DVA) in pregnancy was more common in women less than 25 years of age as well as in those with low education levels. This study determined the overall prevalence of verbal abuse in pregnant women, in a semi-urban population and is unique in that the verbal abuse in pregnant women with a previous girl child was also determined. This study helps healthcare providers identify the potential causes of DVA in pregnancy and provide timely interventions in the form of counseling for pregnant women and families. Objective This observational study was carried out to assess the prevalence of DVA among pregnant women, to determine the trimester of occurrence of DVA among pregnant women, and to explore the associations of DVA with age, employment status, parity gestational age, and birth weight.  Materials and methods This was a six-month hospital-based observational study conducted at Dr D. Y. Patil Medical College's in-patient department (IPD) of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Pimpri, Pune. Consent was obtained from 200 pregnant women who received admission for delivery and provided a validated modified copy of a DV assessment screening questionnaire. A statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 10. A Chi-square test was employed wherever required, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results The study included 200 pregnant women, who were admitted to the hospital for delivery. The prevalence of DV in the form of verbal abuse was noted to be 74 out of 200 (37%). The working status of the woman showed an influence on DVA. There was also a significant increase in verbal abuse (68%) among the age group between 18 and 23 years. The previous delivery of a female child also had a significant impact on DVA, which turned out to be more prevalent, particularly if two female children were born previously (80%). The study also noted higher rates of preterm deliveries in pregnant women with DVA being 57%. Conclusion The study demonstrates that women, even in modern times, experience DVA during pregnancy, especially among the younger age group. It has also been found that it is more common among women who are financially dependent due to maternal unemployment. As a result, there is a need to routinely screen pregnant women for DVA to avoid potentially detrimental pregnancy outcomes and to prevent ongoing abuse.

Medical Management of Cesarean Scar Ectopic Pregnancy: A Unique Approach.

One of the rarest types of ectopic pregnancy, with an incidence of 1:1,800, is cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy. Here, we report the case of a 28-year-old woman who had undergone two previous cesarean sections. She arrived at our labor room with per vaginal spotting and abdominal pain with an ultrasound that revealed a cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy. The initial beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-hCG) value upon admission was 27,133 mIU/mL. Her ultrasound findings were confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging. Opting for combined medical management, we successfully treated her using systemic methotrexate and mifepristone, avoiding surgical intervention despite high ß-hCG values. There is currently no established standardized treatment for cesarean scar ectopic pregnancies, and we feel that treatment must be tailored to every patient's individual needs. Our experience suggests that combining mifepristone and systemic methotrexate can be an effective approach with better curative effects, emphasizing the need for further research.

Rescue Cerclage by McDonald's Technique at 18 Weeks for Cervical Insufficiency With Intravaginal Amniotic Sac: A Case Report.

Recurrent pregnancy loss, premature birth, and associated complications exhibit a multifactorial etiology and persist as substantial challenges during pregnancy, despite the notable advancements in the medical field. Among several factors, cervical insufficiency or incompetence emerges as a prominent causal factor, characterized by painless softening and shortening of the cervix associated with absent contractions. The implementation of emergency cerclage represents a pivotal intervention in mitigating preterm birth among individuals with advanced cervical insufficiency. By extending gestational age, this procedure increases the likelihood of neonatal survival without elevating the risk of chorioamnionitis or preterm rupture of the membranes. In this study, an antenatal woman presented with advanced changes in the cervix along with intravaginal bulging amniotic membranes at 18 weeks and underwent a rescue cervical cerclage, resulting in a successful pregnancy.

True Knot of the Umbilical Cord and Associated Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: A Case Series.

An actual knot that forms during pregnancy is known as a true knot of the umbilical cord (TKUC) which is seen in 0.3% to 1.2% of pregnancies. TKUC is noteworthy because it can lead to a variety of adverse perinatal outcomes, including infants with low Apgar scores, small for gestational age (SGA) fetuses, fetal hypoxia, and also in some cases fetal death. Here, we present instances of TKUC of three patients and the various associated perinatal outcomes.

Yeast extract mediated autoinduction of lacUV5 promoter: an insight.

We report a simple and cost-effective autoinducible media component responsible for the autoinduction of proteins in Escherichia coli under lacUV5 promoter system. Yeast extract (YE) at high concentration was found to stimulate the expression of T7 RNA polymerase in BL21(DE3) cells while such an effect was not seen in BL21A1 cells. A systematic study on the effect of varying concentrations of YE indicated several folds higher expression of genes viz., human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhGCSF), human interferon alpha 2b (rhIFN-alpha2b) and Staphylokinase (rSAK) in BL21(DE3) cells in the absence of any specific inducer like IPTG or additional lactose. Additional investigations on the inducible component of the YE revealed the presence of significant amount of endogenous lactose as the contributory factor for the observed autoinduction phenomenon. This paper highlights the easy scalability of the use of the present media component for large-scale production in biotechnology industry.