scholarly journals Seropositivity in blood donors and pregnant women during 9-months of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Stockholm, Sweden

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xaquin Castro Dopico ◽  
Sandra Muschiol ◽  
Murray Christian ◽  
Leo Hanke ◽  
Daniel J. Sheward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Blood Donors ◽  
Natural Infection ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Ethical Review ◽  
Steep Rise ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Active Adults ◽  
Historical Controls

Structured abstractObjectivesAs Sweden did not enforce social lockdown in response to the pandemic, it is critical to establish seropositivity to SARS-CoV-2 in healthy, active adults – here represented by blood donors and pregnant women. Random sampling was carried out in Stockholm, the country’s most populous region, and the study ran from virus emergence (March 2020) until the end of 2020, shortly prior to the first round of vaccinations, allowing for an estimate of population seropositivity in response to natural infection.DesignIn this cross-sectional prospective study, otherwise-healthy blood donors (n=2,100) and pregnant women (n=2,000) were sampled at random for consecutive weeks (at three intervals) between 14th March and 11th December 2020. Sera from all participants and a large cohort of historical controls (n=595) were screened for IgG responses against the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) trimer and the receptor-binding domain (RBD). As a complement to standard approaches to analyze the data, a probabilistic Bayesian approach that assigns likelihood of past infection was used to analyze the population data. The study was carried out in accordance with Swedish Ethical Review Authority registration no. 2020-01807.SettingHealthy participant samples were selected from their respective pools at random through the Karolinska University Hospital.ParticipantsNone of the participants were symptomatic at the time of sampling and none had previously been hospitalized for COVID-19. No additional metadata was available from the samples.ResultsBlood donors and pregnant women showed a similar seroprevalence. After a steep rise at the start of the pandemic, the seroprevalence trajectory increased steadily in approach to the winter second-wave of infections, approaching 15% of all individuals surveyed by 11th December 2020. Importantly, 96% of antibody-positive healthy donors screened (n=56) developed neutralizing antibody responses at titers comparable to or higher than those observed in clinical trials of SARS-CoV-2 spike mRNA vaccination, supporting that mild infection engenders a competent B cell response.ConclusionsIn agreement with currently rising COVID-19 cases and ICU occupancy during a second winter wave of infections, these data demonstrate that the metropolitan Stockholm area was far from herd immunity nine months after the outbreak, with approximately one-in-six persons in the examined cohort seropositive for SARS-CoV-2.General abstractPublic health strategies to contain the pandemic continue to vary markedly across the world. In Sweden, compared to most advanced economies, social restrictions have primarily relied upon voluntary adherence to a set of recommendations and strict lockdowns have not been enforced. To better understand the development of humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in the Stockholm population before the start of mass vaccinations, healthy blood donors and pregnant women (n=4,100) were sampled at random between 14th March-11th December 2020. All individuals (n=200/sampling week) were screened for anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) trimer- and RBD-specific IgG responses with highly sensitive and specific ELISA assays, and the results were compared with those from historical controls (n=595). Data were modelled using a probabilistic Bayesian framework that considered individual responses to both antigens. We found that after a steep rise at the start of the pandemic, the seroprevalence trajectory increased steadily in approach to the winter second-wave of infections, approaching 15% of all individuals surveyed by 11th December. In agreement with the high transmission rate observed in the Stockholm area, seroprevalence in this cohort of active adults increased during the 9 months from the start of the outbreak, but was far from that required for herd immunity at the end of 2020.

scholarly journals Study protocol: establishment of a multicentre pre-eclampsia database and biobank in Sweden: GO PROVE and UP MOST, a prospective cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. e049559
Author(s):  
Lilja Thorgeirsdottir ◽  
Malin Andersson ◽  
Ove Karlsson ◽  
Sven-Egron Thörn ◽  
Jonatan Oras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Routine Data ◽  
Personal Identification ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Ethical Review ◽  
Multisystem Disorder

IntroductionPre-eclampsia, a multisystem disorder in pregnancy, is one of the most common causes of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, we lack methods for objective assessment of organ function in pre-eclampsia and predictors of organ impairment during and after pre-eclampsia. The women’s and their partners’ experiences of pre-eclampsia have not been studied in detail. To phenotype different subtypes of the disorder is of importance for prediction, prevention, surveillance, treatment and follow-up of pre-eclampsia.The aim of this study is to set up a multicentre database and biobank for pre-eclampsia in order to contribute to a safer and more individualised treatment and care.Methods and analysisThis is a multicentre cohort study. Prospectively recruited pregnant women ≥18 years, diagnosed with pre-eclampsia presenting at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Uppsala University Hospital and at Södra Älvsborgs Hospital, Sweden, as well as normotensive controls are eligible for participation. At inclusion and at 1-year follow-up, the participants donate biosamples that are stored in a biobank and they are also asked to participate in various organ-specific evaluations. In addition, questionnaires and interviews regarding the women’s and partner’s experiences are distributed at follow-up.Ethics and disseminationBy creating a database and biobank, we will provide the means to explore the disorder in a broader sense and allow clinical and laboratory discoveries that can be translated to clinical trials aiming at improved care of women with pre-eclampsia. Further, to evaluate experiences and the psychological impact of being affected by pre-eclampsia can improve the care of pregnant women and their partners. In case of incidental pathological findings during examinations performed, they will be handled in accordance with clinical routine. Data are stored in a secure online database. Biobank samples are identified through the women’s personal identification number and pseudonymised after identification in the biobank before analysis.This study was approved by the regional ethical review board in Gothenburg on 28 December 2018 (approval number 955-18) and by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority on 27 February 2019 (approval number 2019-00309).Results from the study will be published in international peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberISRCTN13060768

scholarly journals A second dramatic rise in seroprevalence rates of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among adult healthy blood donors in Jordan; have we achieved herd immunity?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maher A. Sughayer ◽  
Asem Mansour ◽  
Abeer Al Nuirat ◽  
Lina Souan ◽  
Rashid Abdel-Razeq ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Donors ◽  
Healthy Adult ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Seroprevalence Rate ◽  
Protein Receptor ◽  
Healthy Donors ◽  
Dramatic Rise ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Second Wave

Objectives: To determine the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 and the vaccination campaign on the seroprevalence rates of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthy blood donors in Jordan. Methods: Sera from 536 healthy adult blood donors collected in June -2021 were tested using a commercially available quantitative assay for the total antibodies including IgG against the spike (S) protein receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2. Results: 399 (74.4%) of the donors tested positive for the antibodies of whom 69 (17.3%) were confirmed to have been previously infected, 245(61.4%) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 123(30.8%) were neither diagnosed nor vaccinated. The seropositive donors were significantly more likely to have been vaccinated or previously infected. Conclusion: The crude seroprevalence rate of 74.4% among this group of healthy donors may be encouraging in terms of approaching herd immunity, however with predominance of the delta variant and the uncertainty regarding the required level of herd immunity this goal appears to be far from full achievement in Jordan.

Risk Factors and Outcome of Pretrem Labor in Pregnant Women Attending Zagazig Maternity University Hospital

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
Hassan Hassan Nassar ◽  
Ali Ali ◽  
Sherin Shazly ◽  
Ahmed Mansour
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
University Hospital

scholarly journals Health-related quality of life in different trimesters during pregnancy

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huailiang Wu ◽  
Weiwei Sun ◽  
Hanqing Chen ◽  
Yanxin Wu ◽  
Wenjing Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Background Pregnant women experience physical, physiological, and mental changes. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a relevant indicator of psychological and physical behaviours, changing over the course of pregnancy. This study aims to assess HRQoL of pregnant women during different stages of pregnancy. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed using the The EuroQoL Group’s five-dimension five-level questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) to assess the HRQoL of pregnant women, and demographic data were collected. This study was conducted in a regional university hospital in Guangzhou, China. Results A total of 908 pregnant women were included in this study. Pregnant women in the early 2nd trimester had the highest HRQoL. The HRQoL of pregnant women rose from the 1st trimester to the early 2nd trimester, and dropped to the bottom at the late 3rd trimester due to some physical and mental changes. Reports of pain/discomfort problem were the most common (46.0%) while self-care were the least concern. More than 10% of pregnant women in the 1st trimester had health-related problems in at least one dimension of whole five dimensions. In the whole sample, the EuroQoL Group’s visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) was 87.86 ± 9.16. Across the gestational stages, the HRQoL remained stable during the pregnancy but the highest value was observed in the 1st trimester (89.65 ± 10.13) while the lowest was in the late 3rd trimester (87.28 ± 9.13). Conclusions During pregnancy, HRQoL were associated with gestational trimesters in a certain degree. HRQoL was the highest in the early 2nd trimester and then decreased to the lowest in the late 3rd trimester due to a series of physical and psychological changes. Therefore, obstetric doctors and medical institutions should give more attention and care to pregnant women in the late 3rd trimester.

scholarly journals Multidisciplinary Unit Improves Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Rheumatic Diseases and Hereditary Thrombophilias: An Observational Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1487
Author(s):  
Isabel Añón-Oñate ◽  
Rafael Cáliz-Cáliz ◽  
Carmen Rosa-Garrido ◽  
María José Pérez-Galán ◽  
Susana Quirosa-Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Rheumatic Diseases ◽  
Absolute Risk ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Obstetric Outcomes ◽  
Number Needed To Treat ◽  
Foetal Death

Rheumatic diseases (RD) and hereditary thrombophilias (HT) can be associated with high-risk pregnancies. This study describes obstetric outcomes after receiving medical care at a multidisciplinary consultation (MC) and compares adverse neonatal outcomes (ANOs) before and after medical care at an MC. This study is a retrospective observational study among pregnant women with RD and HT treated at an MC of a university hospital (southern Spain) from 2012 to 2018. Absolute risk reduction (ARR) and number needed to treat (NNT) were calculated. A total of 198 pregnancies were registered in 143 women (112 with RD, 31 with HT), with 191 (96.5%) pregnancies without ANOs and seven (3.5%) pregnancies with some ANOs (five miscarriages and two foetal deaths). Results previous to the MC showed 60.8% of women had more than one miscarriage, with 4.2% experiencing foetal death. MC reduced the ANO rate by AAR = 60.1% (95%CI: 51.6−68.7%). The NNT to avoid one miscarriage was 1.74 (95%CI: 1.5–2.1) and to avoid one foetal death NNT = 35.75 (95CI%: 15.2–90.9). A total of 84.8% of newborns and 93.2% of women did not experience any complication. As a conclusion, the follow-up of RD or HT pregnant women in the MC drastically reduced the risk of ANOs in this population with a previous high risk.

scholarly journals The myth of pre-operative isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 003685042110261
Author(s):  
Filip Mijovic ◽  
Stuart James ◽  
Bindhiya Thomas ◽  
Mohit Bhatia ◽  
Guillaume Lafaurie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Patient Adherence ◽  
Elective Surgery ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Retrospective Data ◽  
Second Wave

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic called for the restructuring of National Health Service (NHS) surgical departments across the country. Initial guidance advised that patients undergoing elective surgery isolate for 14 days prior to their operation. As we learnt more about COVID-19 and its incubation period, at the Princess Royal University Hospital this guidance has been decreased to 72 h. We collected retrospective data for two patient cohorts that underwent elective surgery in June and September 2020, isolating for 14 days and 72 h, respectively. We followed-up these patients with several questions allowing us to categorise the cohorts into three groups based on their compliance with isolation measures and also to assess their satisfaction with the isolation process. Our data shows that only 16% of the June cohort and 53% of the September cohort isolated in accordance with the guidelines whilst patient satisfaction was 16% and 64% respectively. These results highlight a suboptimal compliance to pre-operative guidelines as well as an adverse effect on patient mental health and raise the issue of both patient and NHS staff safety. With the possibility of a COVID-19 second wave and for future pandemics, a clear evidence-based plan for pre-operative isolation is vital. Furthermore, consideration of patient adherence and satisfaction is key in deciding which guideline will be most effective.

scholarly journals Group B streptococcus colonization of pregnant women and their children observed on obstetric and neonatal wards of the University Hospital in Krakow, Poland

2009 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Strus ◽  
Dorota Pawlik ◽  
Monika Brzychczy-Włoch ◽  
Tomasz Gosiewski ◽  
Krzysztof Rytlewski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Molecular Typing ◽  
Horizontal Transmission ◽  
Group B Streptococcus ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Hospital Environment ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Group B ◽  
Complicated Pregnancy

The study was arranged to assess the actual rates of colonization of pregnant women and their children with group B streptococcus (GBS) in a Polish university hospital. Resistance of these cocci to macrolides and clindamycin was also tested and routes of transmission of GBS were followed in some cases using molecular typing. Colonization with GBS was checked in 340 pregnant women living in the south-eastern region of Poland (Małopolska) in the years 2004–2006. Women with a complicated pregnancy were more often colonized than those with a normal pregnancy (20.0 % versus 17.2 %). Moreover, women with a complicated pregnancy were twice as often colonized with GBS strains with the MLSB phenotype indicating resistance to macrolides and clindamycin. Regarding neonatal colonization by GBS, we found that neonates born from the colonized mothers with a complicated pregnancy were more often colonized with GBS than those from the mothers with a normal pregnancy (35 % versus 26.7 %). By molecular typing of the GBS strains isolated from mothers and their newborns we have been able to suggest the possibility of horizontal transmission of the strains from the hospital environment to newborns. Our results clearly indicate that rates of GBS colonization among pregnant women and neonates in a Polish university hospital have reached levels comparable to those reported in other European clinical centres.

scholarly journals Circulating Heme Oxygenase-1: Not a Predictor of Preeclampsia but Highly Expressed in Pregnant Women Who Subsequently Develop Severe Preeclampsia

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valéria C. Sandrim ◽  
Mayara Caldeira-Dias ◽  
Heloisa Bettiol ◽  
Marco Antonio Barbieri ◽  
Viviane Cunha Cardoso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Heme Oxygenase ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Severe Preeclampsia ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Heme Oxygenase 1 ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Potential Biomarker

Preeclampsia is the major cause of maternal and fetal deaths worldwide. Circulating biomarker concentrations to predict preeclampsia must be determined. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) concentration in both plasma and urine samples from pregnant women before the development of preeclampsia and to identify a potential biomarker for preeclampsia development. We performed a case-control study nested in a prospective study cohort at University Hospital of the Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (HCFMRP-USP), Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. Of 1400 pregnant women evaluated at 20–25 weeks of gestation, 460 delivered in hospitals outside our institution. Of 940 pregnant women who completed the protocol, 30 developed preeclampsia (cases, 14 cases of severe preeclampsia and 16 cases of mild preeclampsia). Healthy pregnant women (controls, n=90) were randomly selected from the remaining 910 participants. HO-1 concentration was evaluated in plasma/urine samples by using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. We found similar HO-1 levels in the plasma and urine for case and control groups. In the subgrouped preeclampsia, lower plasma HO-1 levels were found in mild compared with severe preeclampsia. We conclude that plasma HO-1 levels were not altered at 20–25 weeks of gestation before the manifestation of preeclampsia symptoms. Pregnant women who subsequently develop severe preeclampsia show higher expression of HO-1. This may be indicative of important underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms that differentiate between mild and severe preeclampsia and may possibly be related to a higher prooxidative status even before the development of clinical symptoms.

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