Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Res Pract Thromb Haemost 2021 May 4;5(4):e12491. Epub 2021 May 4.

Division of Hematology Department of Medicine and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology St. Michael's Hospital Toronto ON Canada.

Neuraxial anesthesia can be complicated by spinal or epidural hematoma and may result in permanent neurologic injury. There is a paucity of literature characterizing this serious complication in patients with congenital and acquired hemorrhagic disorders or tendencies. The objective of this scoping review was to describe the hemostatic laboratory parameters where neuraxial anesthesia has been administered with and without spinal and epidural hematoma in patients with preexisting hemorrhagic disorders and tendencies, including immune thrombocytopenia, gestational thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopenia associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, platelet function disorders, von Willebrand disease, coagulation factor deficiencies, and fibrinogen disorders. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 May 11;14(5). Epub 2021 May 11.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul Medical Center, Jungnang-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Acute appendicitis is the most common nonobstetric condition requiring surgery in pregnancy. However, the diagnosis of acute appendicitis during pregnancy is challenging because of obscure clinical manifestations and laboratory findings. Intravenous antibiotic treatment is not preferred over operation because of the poor outcome. Read More

Trop Med Infect Dis 2021 Apr 29;6(2). Epub 2021 Apr 29.

United States Virgin Islands Department of Health, Christiansted, VI 00820, USA.

Among children born with laboratory-confirmed Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, visual impairment (VI) can occur despite normal ocular structure. The objective of this report is to describe ocular findings and visual function among children examined during the Department of Health Zika Health Brigade (ZHB) in the United States Virgin Islands in March 2018. This analysis is based on a retrospective chart review of children eligible to participate in the ZHB (i. Read More

Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2021 May;103(5):e151-e155

Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, UK.

The diagnosis of visceral perforation during pregnancy is often delayed and the management complex. A 32-year-old primigravid woman in her second trimester presented with abdominal pain and a pre-existing ileoanal pouch. Initial imaging was negative but later imaging was suggestive of serious pathology. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Apr;100(17):e25695

Laboratory of Paediatric Infectology, Jundiaí School of Medicine.

Rationale: The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was first isolated in a Tanzanian epidemic area between 1952 and 1953. The best description of the CHIKV transmission during pregnancy can be found in a well-documented epidemic in 2005, in the "La Reunion" island, a French territory located in the Indian Ocean, in which about one-third of the population was infected. Reports of arbovirus infections in pregnancy are increasing over time, but the spectrum of clinical findings remains an incognita among researchers, including CHIKV. Read More

Pol Merkur Lekarski 2021 Apr;49(290):146-149

Department of Radiological Diagnostics and and Isotope Therapy, University Clinical Hospital of the Military Medical Academy - Central Veterans Hospital, Łódź, Poland.

Cerebral venous infarction also known as cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare disease. It is more common in young adults, but three times more common in women than in men. The clinical picture of CVT may vary and non-specific manifestations often delay correct diagnosis. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 Apr 21;14(4). Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Anesthesiology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte EPE, Lisbon, Portugal.

Postpartum peripheral nerve disorders are an uncommon obstetrical complication, with most cases resulting from intrinsic obstetric palsies. We present the case of a full-term nulliparous pregnant 33-year-old woman with a vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery due to a prolonged second stage of labour and occipitoposterior position of the fetal head. For analgesia, a combined spinal-epidural technique was used. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Apr;100(14):e25261

Department of Neurology.

Rationale: Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a rare immune-mediated movement disorder, mostly of paraneoplastic or idiopathic origin. The disease usually has an acute onset, serious course and leads rapidly to disability in adult patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fourth presented case of OMS with a severe course and complete reversibility of neurological symptoms in a pregnant woman. Read More

Medicina (Kaunas) 2021 Mar 5;57(3). Epub 2021 Mar 5.

Bissaya Barreto Maternity-Obstetrics Service B, Coimbra Hospital and University Center, 3000 Coimbra, Portugal.

COVID-19, a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a public health emergency. Data on the effect of the virus on pregnancy are limited. We carried out a retrospective descriptive study, in order to evaluate the obstetric results on pregnant women in which SARS-CoV-2 was detected through RT-PCR of the nasopharyngeal swab, at admission to the maternity hospital. Read More

J Clin Med 2021 Mar 17;10(6). Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Pediatric Rheumatology, Institute of Rheumatology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder mainly characterised by increased risks of thrombosis and pregnancy morbidity and persistent positive test results for antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs). The criteria for diagnosing juvenile APS have yet to be validated, while the Sydney classification criteria do not contain several non-thrombotic clinical manifestations associated with the presence of aPLs. As such, difficulties have been encountered in the diagnosis of patients who have no certain thrombotic occlusions. Read More

Ann Agric Environ Med 2021 Mar 11;28(1):183-188. Epub 2020 Sep 11.

Department of Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy and Balneotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University, Lublin, Poland.

Introduction: Premature babies are a special group at risk of persistent brain damage caused by diseases, the most serious of which are cerebral palsy(CP), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and mental retardation, among others. These conditions may occur concurrently, but appear more often as separate disease syndromes in the same group of at-risk children. Long-term observation of psychomotor development by an interdisciplinary medical team closely cooperating with parents is necessary. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2021 Mar 16;47:24-29. Epub 2021 Mar 16.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, 3841 Roger Brooke Dr, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, United States. Electronic address:

Introduction: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an uncommon neurologic emergency associated with significant morbidity and mortality that can be difficult to differentiate from other conditions. It is important for the emergency clinician to be familiar with this disease as it requires a high index of suspicion, and early diagnosis and management can lead to improved outcomes.

Objective: This narrative review provides an evidence-based update concerning the presentation, evaluation, and management of CVT for the emergency clinician. Read More

West Afr J Med 2021 03;38(3):246-254

Nordica Fertility Center, Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: One gynecological disorder which is often a mystery to premenopausal women who are affected is endometriosis, a benign condition characterized by ectopic endometrium growing outside the uterus but behaving as if it is still within the uterus.

Materials And Methods: Hospital records of 226 women who consulted for fertility management at Nordica Fertility Center were surveyed retrospectively. These women were stratified by age into <35 years and >35 years and by BMI into <18. Read More

Obstet Gynecol 2021 04;137(4):581-583

University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, and the Division of Research, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Department of Graduate Medical Education, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California.

Neuroradiology 2021 Mar 11. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Serviço de Imagiologia Neurológica, CHULN - Hospital Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal.

Purpose: Imaging studies are crucial adjuncts when studying acute and chronic diseases, so pregnant and lactating women are as likely to be evaluated with one of the available imaging modalities. Due to the specific condition of the mother and child in this time period it is crucial to make an appropriate selection of imaging studies.

Methods: We review the existing literature and analyse the latest evidence and guidelines regarding neuroimaging safety during pregnancy and lactation, proposing an algorithm of action based on risk/benefits assessment. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Mar 8;15(3):e0009216. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Background: While Zika virus (ZIKV) is now widely recognized as a teratogen, the frequency and full spectrum of adverse outcomes of congenital ZIKV infection remains incompletely understood.

Methods: Participants in the MERG cohort of pregnant women with rash, recruited from the surveillance system from December/2015-June/2017. Exposure definition was based on a combination of longitudinal data from molecular, serologic (IgM and IgG3) and plaque reduction neutralization tests for ZIKV. Read More

Mult Scler Relat Disord 2021 May 24;50:102862. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Kansas City, KS, USA.

Background: Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a rare neuroimmunologic disorder characterized by opsoclonus, myoclonic jerks mostly in the face and limbs, cerebellar ataxia, tremors, and encephalopathy. OMS is rare in adults and exceedingly rarer in pregnancy, as only a few cases in pregnancy have been reported. We present what we understand is the first case of postpartum OMS. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 Mar 1;14(3). Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Department of Medicine, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Manipal, Karnataka, India.

COVID-19 is caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 and is a potentially fatal disease that is of great global public health concern. In addition to respiratory symptoms, neurological manifestations have been associated with COVID-19. This is attributed to the neurotropic nature of coronaviruses. Read More

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2021 Apr 29;259:95-99. Epub 2021 Jan 29.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center (Formerly Assaf Harofeh Medical Center), Zerifin 70300, Israel; Affiliated to the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. Electronic address:

Objective: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic there was a decrease in emergency room arrivals. There is limited evidence about the effect of this change in behavior on women's health. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis, treatment and complications of women presenting with a tubal Ectopic Pregnancy (EP). Read More

JAMA 2021 02;325(8):765-779

Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center, Cleveland, Ohio.

Importance: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune-mediated neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by inflammatory demyelination with axonal transection. MS affects an estimated 900 000 people in the US. MS typically presents in young adults (mean age of onset, 20-30 years) and can lead to physical disability, cognitive impairment, and decreased quality of life. Read More

Sao Paulo Med J 2021 Mar-Apr;139(2):190-195

MD, PhD. Neurologist and Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Health Sciences, Konya Education and Research Hospital, Konya, Turkey.

Background: Although it is known that the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was first seen in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and has affected the whole world, mainly targets the respiratory tract, cases of this disease with a wide clinical spectrum are emerging as information is shared.

Case Report: We present the case of a pregnant woman who was diagnosed with venous sinus thrombosis after she developed headache and hemiparesis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity lasted for two weeks after COVID-19 had been diagnosed. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 Feb 18;14(2). Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Obstetrics-Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

A 31-year-old woman at 30 weeks gestation presented to the emergency department following multiple seizures. Her history was significant for extranodal Rosai-Dorfman Disease (RDD) with central nervous system (CNS) lesions. RDD, a rare form of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis, commonly presents with non-tender cervical lymphadenopathy. Read More

Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 2021 Mar;48(1):97-129

Dent Neurologic Institute, 3980 Sheridan Drive, Amherst, NY 14226, USA.

New onset or exacerbation of preexisting neurologic symptoms during pregnancy often necessitates brain or spinal cord imaging. Magnetic resonance techniques are preferred imaging modalities during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Ionizing radiation with computed tomography and intravenous contrast material with magnetic resonance or computed tomography should be avoided during pregnancy. Read More