scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 infection on the cytokine profile of pregnant women: A prospective case-control study

Cytokine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 155431
Author(s):  
Atakan Tanacan ◽  
Nuray Yazihan ◽  
Seyit Ahmet Erol ◽  
Ali Taner Anuk ◽  
Fatma Didem Yucel Yetiskin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Cytokine Profile ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Control Study ◽  
Prospective Case Control Study

Maternal-Fetal Management in Trombophilia Related and Placenta-Mediated Pregnancy Complications

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 2396-2401
Author(s):  
Costin Berceanu ◽  
Elena Loredana Ciurea ◽  
Monica Mihaela Cirstoiu ◽  
Sabina Berceanu ◽  
Anca Maria Ofiteru ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Placental Insufficiency ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Specific Therapy ◽  
Pregnancy Morbidity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Control Study

It is widely accepted that thrombophilia in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of venous thromboembolism. Pregnancy complications arise, at least partly, from placental insufficiency. Any change in the functioning of the gestational transient biological system, such as inherited or acquired thrombophilia, might lead to placental insufficiency. In this research we included 64 pregnant women with trombophilia and 70 cases non-trombophilic pregnant women, with or without PMPC, over a two-year period. The purpose of this multicenter case-control study is to analyze the maternal-fetal management options in obstetric thrombophilia, the impact of this pathology on the placental structure and possible correlations with placenta-mediated pregnancy complications. Maternal-fetal management in obstetric thrombophilia means preconceptional or early diagnosis, prevention of pregnancy morbidity, specific therapy as quickly as possible and fetal systematic surveilance to identify the possible occurrence of placenta-mediated pregnancy complications.

scholarly journals Covid-19 Infection in Pregnant Women in Dubai: A Case-control Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Komal Hazari ◽  
Rasha Abdeldayem ◽  
Litty Paulose ◽  
Nimmi Kurien ◽  
Zukaa Almahloul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Vertical Transmission ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Late Pregnancy ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Icu Admission ◽  
Risk Pregnancy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Control Study

Abstract Background: Whilst the impact of Covid-19 infection in pregnant women has been examined, there is a scarcity of data on pregnant women in the Middle East. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of Covid-19 infection on pregnant women in the United Arab Emirates population. Methods: A case-control study was carried out to compare the clinical course and outcome of pregnancy in 79 pregnant women with Covid-19 and 85 non-pregnant women with Covid-19 admitted to Latifa Hospital in Dubai between March and June 2020. Results: On admission, most pregnant women (69/79; 87%) were either asymptomatic or suffered mild respiratory symptoms, much like non-pregnant women. The main symptoms, observed in both groups, were fever, cough, headache, runny nose and myalgia. In early pregnancy four women had spontaneous miscarriages. However, severe Covid-19 illness, ICU admission, intubation and complications were observed in late pregnancy in 10/79 (13%) women with prior comorbidities. During the study period, 31/79 women delivered: 22 (70%) had a lower segment Caesarean section, 16 for obstetric reasons and 6 for severe Covid-19 pneumonia; and 12 had a preterm delivery. Postoperatively, none showed significant improvement on account of early delivery. Sepsis, acute renal failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome were the most common complications observed. The neonatal outcome was comparable to that of the general obstetric population, even though 12/31 (38%) were preterm and had to be admitted to the neonatal ICU. Two neonates, born by vaginal delivery, tested positive for Covid-19 after delivery. Both were asymptomatic and tests were negative within 72 hours. It was not possible to ascertain whether vertical transmission occurred in utero.Conclusions: Severe Covid-19 illness, ICU admission, intubation, complications and preterm deliveries were observed in late pregnancy in women with comorbidities. Pregnancy with Covid-19 infection, could, therefore, be categorised as high-risk pregnancy. It was not possible to confirm whether vertical transmission of Covid-19 had occurred during the third trimester of pregnancy.

scholarly journals Disruptions of Anaerobic Gut Bacteria Are Associated with Stroke and Post-stroke Infection: a Prospective Case–Control Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastiaan W. Haak ◽  
Willeke F. Westendorp ◽  
Tjitske S. R. van Engelen ◽  
Xanthe Brands ◽  
Matthijs C. Brouwer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Hemorrhagic Stroke ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Gut Bacteria ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Post Stroke ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Control Study ◽  
Prospective Case Control Study

Abstract In recent years, preclinical studies have illustrated the potential role of intestinal bacterial composition in the risk of stroke and post-stroke infections. The results of these studies suggest that bacteria capable of producing volatile metabolites, including trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) and butyrate, play opposing, yet important roles in the cascade of events leading to stroke. However, no large-scale studies have been undertaken to determine the abundance of these bacterial communities in stroke patients and to assess the impact of disrupted compositions of the intestinal microbiota on patient outcomes. In this prospective case–control study, rectal swabs from 349 ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients (median age, 71 years; IQR: 67–75) were collected within 24 h of hospital admission. Samples were subjected to 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and subsequently compared with samples obtained from 51 outpatient age- and sex-matched controls (median age, 72 years; IQR, 62–80) with similar cardiovascular risk profiles but without active signs of stroke. Plasma protein biomarkers were analyzed using a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Alpha and beta diversity analyses revealed higher disruption of intestinal communities during ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke compared with non-stroke matched control subjects. Additionally, we observed an enrichment of bacteria implicated in TMAO production and a loss of butyrate-producing bacteria. Stroke patients displayed two-fold lower plasma levels of TMAO than controls (median 1.97 vs 4.03 μM, Wilcoxon p < 0.0001). Finally, lower abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria within 24 h of hospital admission was an independent predictor of enhanced risk of post-stroke infection (odds ratio 0.77, p = 0.005), but not of mortality or functional patient outcome. In conclusion, aberrations in trimethylamine- and butyrate-producing gut bacteria are associated with stroke and stroke-associated infections.

Assessment of fetal Doppler parameters in pregnant women with COVID-19 infection: a prospective case-control study

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sule Goncu Ayhan ◽  
Atakan Tanacan ◽  
Aysegul Atalay ◽  
Selcan Sinaci ◽  
Eda Ozden Tokalioglu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Ductus Venosus ◽  
Control Group ◽  
City Hospital ◽  
Fetal Doppler ◽  
Control Study ◽  
Prospective Case Control Study ◽  
Demographic Features

Abstract Objectives To investigate the effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on fetal Doppler parameters. Methods This was a prospective case-control study conducted in Ankara City Hospital with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infected pregnants between August 1, 2020 and October 1, 2020. There were 54 COVID-19 confirmed pregnant women and 97 age-matched pregnant women as a control group between 28 and 39 weeks. Infection was confirmed based on positive real-time polymerase-chain reaction results. Demographic features, uterine artery (right, left), umblical artery, middle cerebral artery, ductus venosus, cerebro-placental ratio, and cerebral-placental-uterine ratio Doppler parameters were investigated in both groups. Results Two groups were similar in terms of demographic features and no difference was found for fetal Doppler parameters. Conclusions COVID-19 seems to have no adverse effect on fetoplacental circulation in mild and moderate patients during the acute phase of the infection.

scholarly journals Ticking on Pandora’s box: a prospective case-control study into ‘other’ tick-borne diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Hoornstra ◽  
M. G. Harms ◽  
S. A. Gauw ◽  
A. Wagemakers ◽  
T. Azagi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Burden ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Tick Bite ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Control Study ◽  
Prospective Case Control Study

Abstract Background Tick-borne pathogens other than Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato – the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis – are common in Ixodes ricinus ticks. How often these pathogens cause human disease is unknown. In addition, diagnostic tools to identify such diseases are lacking or reserved to research laboratories. To elucidate their prevalence and disease burden, the study ‘Ticking on Pandora’s Box’ has been initiated, a collaborative effort between Amsterdam University Medical Center and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. Methods The study investigates how often the tick-borne pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia species, Borrelia miyamotoi, Neoehrlichia mikurensis, spotted fever group Rickettsia species and/or tick-borne encephalitis virus cause an acute febrile illness after tick-bite. We aim to determine the impact and severity of these tick-borne diseases in the Netherlands by measuring their prevalence and describing their clinical picture and course of disease. The study is designed as a prospective case-control study. We aim to include 150 cases – individuals clinically suspected of a tick-borne disease – and 3 matched healthy control groups of 200 persons each. The controls consist respectively of a group of individuals with either a tick-bite without complaints, the general population and of healthy blood donors. During a one-year follow-up we will acquire blood, urine and skin biopsy samples and ticks at baseline, 4 and 12 weeks. Additionally, participants answer modified versions of validated questionnaires to assess self-reported symptoms, among which the SF-36, on a 3 monthly basis. Discussion This article describes the background and design of the study protocol of ‘Ticking on Pandora’s Box’. With our study we hope to provide insight into the prevalence, clinical presentation and disease burden of the tick-borne diseases anaplasmosis, babesiosis, B. miyamotoi disease, neoehrlichiosis, rickettsiosis and tick-borne encephalitis and to assist in test development as well as provide recommendations for national guidelines. Trial registration NL9258 (retrospectively registered at Netherlands Trial Register, trialregister.nl in in February 2021).

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