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J Clin Med 2020 May 18;9(5). Epub 2020 May 18.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.

Since the declaration of the global pandemic of COVID-19 by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, we have continued to see a steady rise in the number of patients infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, there is still very limited data on the course and outcomes of this serious infection in a vulnerable population of pregnant patients and their fetuses. International perinatal societies and institutions including SMFM, ACOG, RCOG, ISUOG, CDC, CNGOF, ISS/SIEOG, and CatSalut have released guidelines for the care of these patients. Read More

Health Serv Res 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.

Objective: To evaluate episode-based payments for upper respiratory tract infections (URI) and perinatal care in Arkansas's Medicaid population.

Study Setting: Upper respiratory infection and perinatal episodes among Medicaid-covered individuals in Arkansas and comparison states from fiscal year (FY) 2011 to 2014.

Study Design: Cross-sectional observational analysis using a difference-in-difference design to examine outcomes associated with URI and perinatal episodes of care (EOC) from 2011 to 2014. Read More

J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2020 May 1;21(5):394-399. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

Department of Psychiatry, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.

At the end of 2019, a new form of pneumonia disease known as the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly spread throughout most provinces of China, and the total global number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 500 000 by Mar. 27, 2020 (WHO, 2020). On Jan. Read More

BMC Public Health 2020 May 15;20(1):694. Epub 2020 May 15.

Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Background: The 'Primary HIV Prevention among Pregnant and Lactating Ugandan Women' (PRIMAL) randomized controlled trial aimed to assess an enhanced counseling strategy linked to extended postpartum repeat HIV testing and enhanced counseling among 820 HIV-negative pregnant and lactating women aged 18-49 years and 410 of their male partners to address the first pillar of the WHO Global Strategy for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV transmission (PMTCT). This paper presents findings of qualitative studies aimed at evaluating participants' and service providers' perceptions on the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention and at understanding the effects of the intervention on risk reduction, couple communication, and emotional support from women's partners.

Methods: PRIMAL Study participants were enrolled from two antenatal care clinics and randomized 1:1 to an intervention or control arm. Read More

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020 May 15;69(19):582-586. Epub 2020 May 15.

Although mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is preventable through antiretroviral treatment (ART) during pregnancy and postpartum, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 160,000 new HIV infections occurred among children in 2018 (1). Child survival and HIV-free survival rates* are standard measures of progress toward eliminating MTCT (2). Nationally representative Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA) survey data, pooled from eight sub-Saharan African countries were used to calculate survival probability among children aged ≤3 years by maternal HIV status during pregnancy and HIV-free survival probability among children aged ≤3 years born to women with HIV infection, stratified by maternal ART** status during pregnancy. Read More

Am J Perinatol 2020 May 5. Epub 2020 May 5.

Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.

Objective:  This study aimed to analyze whether hospital safety-net burden status is associated with increased risk for severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and postpartum readmissions.

Study Design:  The 2010 to 2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database was utilized for this retrospective cohort study. Hospitals were categorized as high-burden hospitals (25% of hospitals with the highest safety-net burden), medium-burden hospitals (50% of hospitals with intermediate safety-net burden), and low-burden hospitals (25% of hospitals with the lowest safety-net burden) based on the proportions of Medicaid or uninsured patients. Read More

Am J Perinatol 2020 May 4. Epub 2020 May 4.

Department of Pediatrics and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.

Objective:  The aim of this study is to assess whether the risk of postpartum readmission within 6 weeks of giving birth differs for women who had stillbirths compared with live births.

Study Design:  Using data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development in California, we performed a population-based cohort study of 7,398,640 births between 1999 and 2011. We identified diagnoses and procedures associated with the first postpartum hospital readmission that occurred within 6 weeks after giving birth. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Apr 23;17(8). Epub 2020 Apr 23.

Department of Clinical Medicine, Miguel Hernández University, Av de la Universitat d'Elx s/n, 03202 Elche, Spain.

: Despite the fact that tobacco use during pregnancy produces adverse perinatal effects, some women continue to smoke. Health literacy (HL) is essential for health outcomes in adults. However, little is known about HL in pregnant women or postpartum women. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020 04 26;4:CD007892. Epub 2020 Apr 26.

Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

Background: Cesarean delivery is one of the most common surgical procedures performed by obstetricians. Infectious morbidity after cesarean delivery can have a tremendous impact on the postpartum woman's return to normal function and her ability to care for her baby. Despite the widespread use of prophylactic antibiotics, postoperative infectious morbidity still complicates cesarean deliveries. Read More

Obstet Gynecol 2020 May;135(5):e221-e229

Pregnant women should be advised of the significant perinatal risks associated with tobacco use, including orofacial clefts, fetal growth restriction, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, preterm prelabor rupture of membranes, low birth weight, increased perinatal mortality, ectopic pregnancy, and decreased maternal thyroid function. Children born to women who smoke during pregnancy are at an increased risk of respiratory infections, asthma, infantile colic, bone fractures, and childhood obesity. Pregnancy influences many women to stop smoking, and approximately 54% of women who smoke before pregnancy quit smoking directly before or during pregnancy. Read More

Obstet Gynecol 2020 May;135(5):1244-1246

Pregnant women should be advised of the significant perinatal risks associated with tobacco use, including orofacial clefts, fetal growth restriction, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, preterm prelabor rupture of membranes, low birth weight, increased perinatal mortality, ectopic pregnancy, and decreased maternal thyroid function. Children born to women who smoke during pregnancy are at an increased risk of respiratory infections, asthma, infantile colic, bone fractures, and childhood obesity. Pregnancy influences many women to stop smoking, and approximately 54% of women who smoke before pregnancy quit smoking directly before or during pregnancy. Read More

Rinsho Biseibutshu Jinsoku Shindan Kenkyukai Shi 2020 Apr;29(2):53-58

Department of Clinical Laboratory, Ehime University Hospital. Department of Infection Control Team, Ehime University Hospital.

Objective: usually colonizes the lower urogenital tract and has been occasionally associated with pelvic inflammatory disease, postpartum fever, preterm labor in pregnant females. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and antimicrobial susceptibilities of isolated from the urogenital tracts of pregnant females.

Methods: Specimens were obtained from the urogenital tract of pregnant females at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ehime University Hospital, between November 2014 and December 2017. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 2020 Apr 9:100118. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York.

The novel coronavirus 2019, or COVID-19, infection has rapidly spread through the New York metropolitan area since the first reported case in the state on March 1, 2020. New York currently represents an epicenter for COVID-19 infection in the United States, with 84,735 cases reported as of April 2, 2020. We previously presented an early experience with seven COVID-positive patients in pregnancy, including two women who were diagnosed with COVID-19 following an asymptomatic initial presentation. Read More

Anasthesiol Intensivmed Notfallmed Schmerzther 2020 Apr 9;55(4):266-274. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

The most common human corona viruses cause common colds. But three of these viruses cause more serious, acute diseases; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS by MERS-CoV), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) by SARS-CoV and COVID-19 by SARS-CoV-2. The current outbreak was classified by the WHO as a "global public health emergency". Read More

JAMA 2020 04;323(13):1286-1292

Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.

Importance: Bacterial vaginosis is common and is caused by a disruption of the microbiological environment in the lower genital tract. In the US, reported prevalence of bacterial vaginosis among pregnant women ranges from 5.8% to 19. Read More

Curr Med Sci 2020 Apr 26;40(2):285-289. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.

Based on the New Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme for Novel Coronavirus Infected Pneumonia (Trial Edition 5), combined with our current clinical treatment experience, we recently proposed a revision of the first edition of "Guidance for maternal and fetal management during pneumonia epidemics of novel coronavirus infection in the Wuhan Tongji Hospital". This article focused on the issues of greatest concern of pregnant women including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection diagnostic criteria, inspection precautions, drug treatment options, indications and methods of termination of pregnancy, postpartum fever, breastfeeding considerations, mode of mother-to-child transmission, neonatal isolation and advice on neonatal nursing, to provide valuable experience for better management of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women and newborns. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020 03 26;3:CD004455. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.

Background: Vacuum and forceps assisted vaginal deliveries are reported to increase the incidence of postpartum infections and maternal readmission to hospital compared to spontaneous vaginal delivery. Prophylactic antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent these infections. However, the benefit of antibiotic prophylaxis for operative vaginal deliveries is still unclear. Read More

J Heart Lung Transplant 2020 May 13;39(5):473-480. Epub 2020 Feb 13.

Transplant Pregnancy Registry International, Gift of Life Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Surgery, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania; Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.

Background: The population of female heart transplant recipients of reproductive age is growing, and counseling regarding reproductive decisions is important. We describe maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancy in the Transplant Pregnancy Registry International.

Methods: Data regarding pregnancies between 1987 and 2016 were collected via questionnaires, phone interviews, and medical records review. Read More

BMC Public Health 2020 Mar 18;20(1):366. Epub 2020 Mar 18.

School of Nursing and Public Health, Discipline of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Background: Adolescent pregnancy has been a persistent area of interest and concern in the field of public health. The debate about adolescents' sexual risk behaviour has also gained prominence due to findings that have demonstrated that adolescent girls between 15 and 19 years of age give birth to 16 million infants and account for 62% of new HIV infections in the Caribbean and African regions. Health compromising behaviours often develop in adolescence, yet the sexual and reproductive health of adolescent mothers is often marginalised in the healthcare field. Read More

Cureus 2020 Feb 10;12(2):e6938. Epub 2020 Feb 10.

Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, SAU.

Background Thyroid disorder is common among pregnant women. Hashimoto thyroiditis is the most common etiology of hypothyroidism among pregnant women. Many studies showed that hypothyroidism during pregnancy has been associated with negative outcomes for the mother and for child as well including miscarriage, intrauterine growth retardation, preterm delivery and cognitive impairment in the offspring. Read More

N Engl J Med 2020 03;382(12):1184

INSERM Unité 1219, Bordeaux, France.

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2020 Mar 17;20(1):167. Epub 2020 Mar 17.

Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.

Background: Postpartum febrile morbidity is relatively common, occurring in approximately 5-7% of births. Differentiating between potentially serious and benign causes of postpartum pyrexia (PP) is fundamental in curbing the mortality rate from sinister causes such as sepsis. The paucity of data on PP in Cameroon makes it difficult to access its actual burden. Read More

Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2020 05 20;55(5):700-708. Epub 2020 Mar 20.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

Pan Afr Med J 2019 20;34:155. Epub 2019 Nov 20.

Département de Promotion de la Santé, Institut Régional de Santé Publique, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Bénin.

Introduction: Malaria is a major public health problem, responsible for many complications during pregnancy including inadequate intra-uterine growth and hypotrophies. The aim of this study was to determine the adherence to the 3 doses of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine-based intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) on birthweight in the Cotonou health zone II and III.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study focusing on 630 women in the postpartum period residing in the Cotonou health zone II and III and selected using a two stage sample. Read More

Zhonghua Fu Chan Ke Za Zhi 2020 Mar;55(3):166-171

Department of Obstetrics, The Central Hospital of Qianjiang City, Qianjiang 433199, China.

To study the effect of COVID-19 on pregnancy outcomes and neonatal prognosis in Hubei Province. s A retrospective comparison of the pregnancy outcomes was done between 16 women with COVID-19 and 45 women without COVID-19. Also, the results of laboratory tests, imaging examinations, and the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) nucleic acid test were performed in 10 cases of neonatal delivered from women with COVID-19. Read More

Zhonghua Bing Li Xue Za Zhi 2020 May;49(5):418-423

Department of Pathology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.

To investigate the clinical characteristics and placental pathology of 2019-nCoV infection in pregnancy,and to evaluate intrauterine vertical transmission potential of 2019-nCoV infection. The placentas delivered from pregnant women with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection which were received in the Department of Pathology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology by February 4, 2020 were retrospectively studied. Their clinical material including placental tissue and lung CT, and laboratory results were collected, meanwhile, nucleic acid detection of 2019-nCoV of the placentas were performed by RT-PCR. Read More

PLoS One 2020 27;15(2):e0229592. Epub 2020 Feb 27.

Population Dynamics and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Unit, African Population and Health Research Center, APHRC Campus, Manga Close, Nairobi, Kenya.

Background: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), especially during the postpartum period, remains a major challenge in the efforts towards eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This study examined the levels and determinants of postpartum adherence to ART among mothers with HIV in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, we interviewed 495 postpartum women with HIV between January and May 2018. Read More

PLoS One 2020 13;15(2):e0229111. Epub 2020 Feb 13.

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Background: Despite the success of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) program in South Africa, the 30% HIV prevalence among women of childbearing age requires the PMTCT program to be maximally efficient to sustain gains in the prevention of vertical HIV transmission. We aimed to determine the immunologic and virologic status at entry into antenatal care (ANC) and at childbirth among HIV positive women who conceived under the CD4<500 cells/μl antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligibility threshold and universal test and treat (UTT) policies in the Gauteng province of South Africa.

Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 692 HIV positive adult (>18 years) postpartum women who gave birth between September 2016 and December 2017. Read More

BMC Public Health 2020 Feb 10;20(1):205. Epub 2020 Feb 10.

University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing, 845 S. Damen Avenue (M/C 806), Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest rates of maternal and perinatal mortality and accounts for two-thirds of new HIV infections and 25% of preterm births. Antenatal care, as the entry point into the health system for many women, offers an opportunity to provide life-saving monitoring, health promotion, and health system linkages. Change is urgently needed, because potential benefits of antenatal care are not realized when pregnant women experience long wait times and short visits with inconsistent provisioning of essential services and minimal health promotion, especially for HIV prevention. Read More

West Afr J Med 2020 Jan-Mar;37(1):74-78

Department of Histopathology, Delta State university Teaching Hospital Oghara, Delta State,Nigeria.

Purpose: Identification of health problems of women of reproductive age, using a reliable mortality data, is essential in evading preventable female deaths. This study aimed at investigating mortality profile of women of reproductive age group in Nigeria.

Materials And Methods: This is a descriptive, retrospective study involving women of reproductive age group of 15-49 years that died at DELSUTH from 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2018. Read More

Theriogenology 2020 Jul 20;150:201-209. Epub 2020 Jan 20.

Department of Veterinary Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, United States; Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of Sao Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil.

After parturition, dairy cows rely on an effective innate immune response, through the actions of neutrophils, macrophages, and antimicrobial peptides, to clear the uterus from pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli, Bacteroides spp, F. necrophorum and T. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020 01 24;14(1):e0007992. Epub 2020 Jan 24.

Médecins Sans Frontières, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is endemic in South Sudan, where outbreaks occur frequently. Because of changes in the immune system during pregnancy, pregnant women are considered particularly vulnerable for developing complications of VL disease, including opportunistic infections. There is limited evidence available about clinical aspects and treatment outcomes of VL in pregnancy. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020 03;102(3):634-636

Department of Neurology, King George Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, India.

In posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals bilateral occipital, parietal, and subcortical white matter hyperintensities on T2/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences. After treatment, imaging abnormalities are usually reversible. Eclampsia is the most frequent cause of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in pregnancy. Read More

Malar J 2020 Jan 22;19(1):40. Epub 2020 Jan 22.

Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, P.O. Box 46, 68/31 Bann Tung Road, Mae Sot, 63110, Thailand.

Background: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) call for increased gender equity and reduction in malaria-related mortality and morbidity. Plasmodium vivax infections in pregnancy are associated with maternal anaemia and increased adverse perinatal outcomes. Providing radical cure for women with 8-aminoquinolines (e. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020 Jan 18. Epub 2020 Jan 18.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York. Electronic address:

Background: Fragmentation of care, wherein a patient is readmitted to a hospital different from the initial point of care, has been shown to be associated with worse patient outcomes in other medical specialties. However, postpartum fragmentation of care has not been well characterized in obstetrics.

Objective: To characterize risk for and outcomes associated with fragmentation of postpartum readmissions wherein the readmitting hospital is different than the delivery hospital. Read More

Obstet Gynecol 2020 Feb;135(2):396-400

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, and the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut.

Background: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes only 2-4% of all acute hepatitis but has high morbidity and mortality. Pregnancy is a risk factor for HSV hepatitis. We describe a case of gestational HSV hepatitis. Read More

Indian J Crit Care Med 2019 Nov;23(11):503-508

Department of Anaesthesiology, Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Ch. Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Background And Aim: Thrombocytopenia in pregnancy varies from benign to severe with fetomaternal complications. We aimed to evaluate thrombocytopenia in pregnant Indian females in third trimester mainly during labor and delivery.

Materials And Methods: It was a prospective observational study done in a tertiary care teaching public hospital over 1 year. Read More

PLoS One 2019 30;14(12):e0226144. Epub 2019 Dec 30.

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and South African Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.

Objective: To investigate the association between maternal antenatal and/or postnatal psychosocial risk factors (including depression, psychological distress, alcohol abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV) and infant lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in a low- and middle-income-country (LMIC).

Study Design: Pregnant women (n = 1137) enrolled in a South African birth cohort study, the Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS) were longitudinally assessed for psychosocial risk factors including depression, psychological distress, alcohol abuse and/or intimate partner violence (IPV). Infants were followed from birth until one year of age for the development of LRTI by active surveillance. Read More

J Dairy Sci 2020 Feb 19;103(2):1541-1552. Epub 2019 Dec 19.

Church and Dwight Animal Nutrition, Princeton, NJ 08543.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast (EHY; Celmanax Arm and Hammer Animal Nutrition, Princeton, NJ) on transition dairy cattle. Forty multiparous Holstein cows were blocked by predicted transmitting ability and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments (EHY, n = 20; or control, CON, n = 20) from 21 d before expected calving to 60 d postpartum. The EHY cows received 56 and 28 g/d in close-up and lactating diets, respectively. Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(12):e0226673. Epub 2019 Dec 19.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

Background: Postpartum infections are a common cause of morbidity after childbirth. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase the risk for several infections in a non-pregnant population. Vitamin D deficiency has been described as common in pregnant women. Read More

J Immunol Res 2019 15;2019:9020519. Epub 2019 Nov 15.

Laboratory of Study Design and Scientific Writing, Department of Morphology and Physiology, Centro Universitário Saúde ABC (FMABC), Santo André, São Paulo 09060-870, Brazil.

The resurgence of cases of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, accompanied by epidemic of microcephaly in Brazil, has aroused worldwide interest in understanding the biological mechanisms of the virus that allow patient management and the viral dissemination control. Colostrum and human milk are possible sources of virus spread. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the repercussions of ZIKV infection on rheological parameters and inflammatory cytokines of colostrum. Read More

Ceska Gynekol 2019 ;84(5):341-344

Objective: This article stresses an impact of appropriate management work up in the diagnosis of acute apendicitis in puerperium. Atypical clinical symptoms may cause doubts in diagnosis and may delay necessary surgical intervention.

Design: Case report. Read More

PLoS Med 2019 12 10;16(12):e1002984. Epub 2019 Dec 10.

Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Infection is an important, preventable cause of maternal morbidity, and pregnancy-related sepsis accounts for 11% of maternal deaths. However, frequency of maternal infection is poorly described, and, to our knowledge, it remains the one major cause of maternal mortality without a systematic review of incidence. Our objective was to estimate the average global incidence of maternal peripartum infection. Read More

Sex Reprod Health Matters 2019 Dec;27(1):1686199

Co-Director, Maternal and Child Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne; Visiting Distinguished Professor of Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the most populous country in the Pacific with more than 9 million people. Difficult terrain, poor roads and limited infrastructure mean providing effective health care - especially in rural areas, where most people live - is challenging. Women and newborns in PNG experience high rates of preventable morbidity and mortality; however, reliable data are often limited or unavailable. Read More

J Glob Health 2019 Dec;9(2):020432

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas - Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, but it mainly affects women from low- and middle-income countries. Despite being a treatable condition, the high number of maternal deaths resulting from PPH is outstanding for at least 25 years. Late diagnosis and difficulties in identifying women who will develop severe postpartum bleeding can, in part, explain the high incidence of PPH. Read More

Afr J Reprod Health 2019 Sep;23(3):30-41

Department of Health Administration, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Wonju, Korea.

Maternal mortality is attracting attention worldwide, but maternal health problems after delivery have received less attention. Most studies focus on prenatal maternal health problems. We aimed to identify factors associated with postpartum health problems among married women of reproductive age in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020 01;102(1):28-30

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

Globally, diarrheal and respiratory infections are responsible for more than 24% of deaths in children aged less than 5 years. Historically, these disease entities have been studied separately; recent evidence suggests that preceding diarrheal disease may be a risk factor for subsequent respiratory illness. We used data from a community-based, prospective randomized trial of maternal influenza immunization of 3,693 pregnant women and their 3,646 infants conducted in rural Nepal from 2011 to 2014. Read More

PLoS One 2019 22;14(11):e0225642. Epub 2019 Nov 22.

Department of Family Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America.

Background: At-birth and point-of-care (POC) HIV testing are emerging strategies to streamline infant HIV diagnosis and expedite ART initiation for HIV-positive infants. The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate factors influencing the provision and acceptance of at-birth POC testing among both HIV care providers and parents of HIV-exposed infants in Kenya.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 HIV care providers and 35 parents of HIV-exposed infants (including 23 mothers, 6 fathers, and 3 mother-father pairs) at four study hospitals prior to POC implementation. Read More

Obstet Gynecol Surv 2019 Nov;74(11):674-678

Associate Professor of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR.

Importance: The incidence and severity of Bell's palsy are increased in pregnancy, with most cases arising in the third trimester or postpartum period. It has been indicated that pregnancy-related Bell's palsy has worse long-term outcomes, such as complete facial paralysis, compared with nonpregnant women and males.

Objective: This article outlines the existing literature diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of Bell's palsy, specifically looking at the implications during pregnancy. Read More