scholarly journals Assessment of the possibility of vertical transmission of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sareh Dashti ◽  
Tahereh Fathi Najafi ◽  
Hamid Reza Tohidinik ◽  
Narjes Bahri

Abstract BackgroundThe novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has put a great burden on global health and healthcare systems. One of the vulnerable groups to COVID-19 infection and complications is the pregnant women. There is controversy regarding the possibility of vertical transmission of COVID-19 from mother to infant. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the possibility of vertical transmission of COVID-19 based on currently published literature including observational studies. All published articles including case reports, case series,MethodsThis study will be conducted on all published observational studies, including cross-sectional studies, cohort, case-control, case reports, and case series, in peer reviewed journals in any language until the end of March 2020. Editorials, commentaries and letter to editors will be excluded from the review. Search will be conducted in international bibliographic databases including PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science based on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) checklist. Primary search will be performed in PubMed and Embase using the Coronavirus 2019 and vertical transmission keywords based on medical subject heading (MeSH) terms along with free text searching in combination with Boolean operations. The search strategy will be improved and finalized based on the results of the primary search. The World Health Organization (WHO) and google scholar websites will be searched as grey literature. Articles will be reviewed by two authors independently for the relevance of titles and abstracts. Data extraction of the included articles will be performed by two researchers using the Zotero and review manager (revMan) software. Heterogeneity of the articles will be assessed using DerSimonian & Laird Q test and I 2 statistic. The pooled estimated prevalence of vertical transmission of COVID-19 will be performed using the Metaprop command. Publication bias will be assessed using the Begg's rank correlation and the Egger weighted regression methods.DiscussionThe findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis will help practitioners and health care providers in decision making for the care and management of COVID-19 infected pregnant women. Systematic review registration In process

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-76
Author(s):  
Sareh Dashti ◽  
◽  
Tahereh Fathi Najafi ◽  
Hamid Reza Tohidinik ◽  
Narjes Bahri ◽  
...  

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has put a great burden on global health and healthcare systems. There is controversy regarding the possibility of vertical transmission of COVID-19. This proposed systematic review will be done to assess the possibility of vertical transmission of COVID-19 based on currently published literature. Methods: In this study, all published observational studies, including cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies, as well as case reports and case series, in peer-reviewed journals in any language until the end of July 2020 will be assessed. Editorials, commentaries, and letters to editors will be excluded from the review. Searching will be conducted using international bibliographic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist. The search strategy will be improved and finalized based on the results of the primary search. Data extraction of the included articles will be performed by two researchers using the Zotero and review manager (revMan) software. The heterogeneity of the articles will be assessed using DerSimonian & Laird Q test and I2 statistic. The pooled estimated prevalence of vertical transmission of COVID-19 will be performed using the Metaprop command. Publication bias will be assessed using Begg’s rank correlation and the Egger weighted regression methods Results: Based on the reviewers comments the results section was deleted because this manuscript was a systematic review protocol. Conclusion: The findings of this study will help practitioners and health care providers in decision-making for the care and management of COVID-19-infected pregnant women.


Author(s):  
Juan Juan ◽  
María M. Gil ◽  
Zhihui Rong ◽  
Yuanzhen Zhang ◽  
Huixia Yang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo perform a systematic review of available published literature on pregnancies affected by COVID-19 to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on maternal, perinatal and neonatal outcomes.MethodsWe performed a systematic review to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancy, perinatal and neonatal outcomes. We conducted a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database and Wan Fang Data until April 20, 2020 (studies were identified through PubMed alert after April 20, 2020). For the research strategy, combinations of the following keywords and MeSH terms were used: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019, pregnancy, gestation, maternal, mothers, vertical transmission, maternal-fetal transmission, intrauterine transmission, neonates, infant, delivery. Eligibility criteria included laboratory-confirmed and/or clinically diagnosed COVID-19, patient was pregnant on admission, availability of clinical characteristics, including maternal, perinatal or neonatal outcomes. Exclusion criteria were unpublished reports, unspecified date and location of the study or suspicion of duplicate reporting, and unreported maternal or perinatal outcomes. No language restrictions were applied.ResultsWe identified several case-reports and case-series but only 19 studies, including a total of 266 pregnant women with COVID-19, met eligibility criteria and were finally included in the review. In the combined data from seven case-series, the maternal age ranged from 20 to 41 years and the gestational age on admission ranged from 5 to 41 weeks. The most common symptoms at presentation were fever, cough, dyspnea/shortness of breath and fatigue. The rate of severe pneumonia was relatively low, with the majority of the cases requiring intensive care unit admission. Almost all cases from the case-series had positive computer tomography chest findings. There were six and 22 cases that had nucleic-acid testing in vaginal mucus and breast milk samples, respectively, which were negative for SARS-CoV-2. Only a few cases had spontaneous miscarriage or abortion. 177 cases had delivered, of which the majority by Cesarean section. The gestational age at delivery ranged from 28 to 41 weeks. Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes ranged from 7 to 10 and 8 to 10, respectively. A few neonates had birthweight less than 2500 grams and over one-third of cases were transferred to neonatal intensive care unit. There was one case each of neonatal asphyxia and neonatal death. There were 113 neonates that had nucleic-acid testing in throat swab, which was negative for SARS-CoV-2. From the case-reports, two maternal deaths among pregnant women with COVID-19 were reported.ConclusionsThe clinical characteristics of pregnant women with COVID-19 are similar to those of nonpregnant adults with COVID-19. Currently, there is no evidence that pregnant women with COVID-19 are more prone to develop severe pneumonia, in comparison to nonpregnant patients. The subject of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 remains controversial and more data is needed to investigate this possibility. Most importantly, in order to collect meaningful pregnancy and perinatal outcome data, we urge researchers and investigators to reference previously published cases in their publications and to record such reporting when the data of a case is being entered into a registry or several registries.ContributionWhat are the novel findings of this work?Amongst a few cases from the case-series that had qRT-PCR testing in vaginal mucus and breast milks, the results were negative for SARS-CoV-2. Similarly, some of the cases from the case-series had qRT-PCR testing in amniotic fluid, cord blood, neonatal throat swab and neonatal feces, and the results were negative for SARS-CoV-2. Amongst the case-reports, there were two maternal deaths and two neonates tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at 16 / 24 hours of life.What are the clinical implications of this work?The subject of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 remains controversial and more data is needed to investigate this possibility. In order to collect meaningful pregnancy and perinatal outcome data, we urge researchers and investigators to reference previously published cases in their publications and to record such reporting when the data of a case is being entered into a registry or several registries.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Pluddemann ◽  
Elizabeth A Spencer ◽  
Carl Heneghan ◽  
Jon Brassey ◽  
Igho J Onakpoya ◽  
...  

Background Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been reported but does not appear to be common. This study aims to systematically review the evidence for vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Methods This review is part of an Open Evidence Review on the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of intrauterine mother to fetus transmission. Literature searches were performed in the WHO Covid-19 Database, LitCovid, medRxiv, and Google Scholar for SARS-CoV-2 using keywords and associated synonyms, search date up to 20 December 2020, no language restrictions. Results We included 106 studies assessing vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from pregnant women to their neonates: these studies comprised 40 reviews (21 fulfilled systematic review methodology, including risk of bias assessment of included studies) and 66 primary studies including 32 case reports (of up to two cases) and 34 prospective and retrospective cohort studies, prospective and retrospective case series, observational studies (including asymptomatic screening), database studies and a quality improvement project. Almost all were conducted in a hospital setting. The 32 case reports were considered to be at high risk of bias, due to the study design; across the 34 remaining primary studies, risk of bias was low to moderate. Sixteen case reports examined vertical transmission, which was not related to maternal symptomatology. For the cohort and case series studies, the percentage of positive neonates ranged from 0% to 22% across the studies. Twenty studies reported no positive vertical transmission. Three studies that reported the highest positivity rates of 11%, 15% and 22% had specifically selected neonates with a positive test (within up to 35 days) within the study population and were therefore more selective populations. Across the cohort and case series studies there were 65/2391 (2.7%) neonates born to mothers with a diagnosis of COVID-19 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 within 24 hours of birth. No evidence correlated maternal symptomatology to vertical transmission. Mode of delivery did not correlate with rates of vertical transmission. Of 25 studies, 7 identified SARS-CoV-2 in placental tissue; some of these did not demonstrate vertical transmission to the neonate. No study reported the results of viral culture to detect SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions The results of these studies indicate that vertical transmission is possible, but is not frequent, and factors that influence when vertical transmission occurs are unknown. Further studies using standardised methods to establish viral infection are needed to establish vertical transmission rates and to assess clinical and other conditions affecting transmission.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Oltean ◽  
Dina El Demellawy ◽  
Margaret Sampson

An investigation into placental pathology in pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 has not yet been examined extensively; however, this knowledge would be beneficial in understanding the potential for vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy, via the placenta. Currently, results are conflicting, with some evidence suggesting rare placental infection. Conversely, compared to controls, one study determined that third trimester placentas were significantly more likely to show one feature of maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM), and intervillous thrombi, fetal vascular malperfusion or fetal vascular thrombosis, and increased perivillous fibrin deposition and intervillositis. In contrast, another study reported no significant differences in individual or group gross or microscopic pathological features. As well, no ACE2 expression has yet been detected in villous stroma, Hofbauer cells, or endothelial cells, and TMPRSS2 expression is only weakly present in villous endothelium. In light of the inconclusive evidence, the burden of placental pathologies potentially related to SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women and their neonates or infants, remains at the forefront of medical attention, particularly among pathologists, and obstetricians worldwide. This protocol describes the steps of our systematic review, which aims to investigate differences in placental pathologies in pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 versus pregnant women without the virus. Our study will identify case series, case-control and cohort studies of asymptomatic and symptomatic pregnant women, who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 during any stage of their pregnancy, as validated by laboratory confirmed positive antibody testing or using real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). Studies examining pregnant women who test positive during the first, second or third trimester, are eligible. Only articles written in English or French will be included. Literature reviews, systematic reviews, editorials, letters to the editor, conference abstracts, and commentaries will be excluded. The following databases will be searched: MEDLINE including Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations (1946- November 17, 2020) and Embase (1980- November 17, 2020). Two specialized COVID-19 resources will also be searched November 18, 2020; Cochrane Covid-19 study register which indexes according to study design, and the WHO Covid-19 Collection which includes material from numerous sources including preprint servers. Primary outcomes of interest are: retroplacental hematoma, diffuse parenchymal consolidation, maternal vascular malperfusion, fetal vascular malperfusion, and other diseases of the placenta as detailed in this protocol. Observational studies will be assessed using the Ottawa-Newcastle scale. Data will be aggregated or synthesized at the level of individual participants. Tables will be used to summarize the general characteristics of the studies included. Depending on the data and the level of variation between studies, a meta-analysis will be used to synthesize data. Count and dichotomous data will be expressed as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals, while continuous data will be expressed as a mean or standardized mean difference with 95% confidence intervals. Statistical heterogeneity of the included studies will be assessed using the I-squared test with 95% confidence intervals, and publication bias will be determined using a funnel plot and Egger’s test when possible (>10 included studies). This review will ultimately aid in informing pathologists, obstetricians, and gynecologists when managing and treating pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2. If no evidence of vertical transmission or changes to placenta can be elucidated, then this work can inform future research investigating alternate routes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 558-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kartik Bhatia ◽  
Hans Kortman ◽  
Christopher Blair ◽  
Geoffrey Parker ◽  
David Brunacci ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEThe role of mechanical thrombectomy in pediatric acute ischemic stroke is uncertain, despite extensive evidence of benefit in adults. The existing literature consists of several recent small single-arm cohort studies, as well as multiple prior small case series and case reports. Published reports of pediatric cases have increased markedly since 2015, after the publication of the positive trials in adults. The recent AHA/ASA Scientific Statement on this issue was informed predominantly by pre-2015 case reports and identified several knowledge gaps, including how young a child may undergo thrombectomy. A repeat systematic review and meta-analysis is warranted to help guide therapeutic decisions and address gaps in knowledge.METHODSUsing PRISMA-IPD guidelines, the authors performed a systematic review of the literature from 1999 to April 2019 and individual patient data meta-analysis, with 2 independent reviewers. An additional series of 3 cases in adolescent males from one of the authors’ centers was also included. The primary outcomes were the rate of good long-term (mRS score 0–2 at final follow-up) and short-term (reduction in NIHSS score by ≥ 8 points or NIHSS score 0–1 at up to 24 hours post-thrombectomy) neurological outcomes following mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke in patients < 18 years of age. The secondary outcome was the rate of successful angiographic recanalization (mTICI score 2b/3).RESULTSThe authors’ review yielded 113 cases of mechanical thrombectomy in 110 pediatric patients. Although complete follow-up data are not available for all patients, 87 of 96 (90.6%) had good long-term neurological outcomes (mRS score 0–2), 55 of 79 (69.6%) had good short-term neurological outcomes, and 86 of 98 (87.8%) had successful angiographic recanalization (mTICI score 2b/3). Death occurred in 2 patients and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in 1 patient. Sixteen published thrombectomy cases were identified in children < 5 years of age.CONCLUSIONSMechanical thrombectomy may be considered for acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (ICA terminus, M1, basilar artery) in patients aged 1–18 years (Level C evidence; Class IIb recommendation). The existing evidence base is likely affected by selection and publication bias. A prospective multinational registry is recommended as the next investigative step.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e042350
Author(s):  
Maximilian Sohn ◽  
Ayman Agha ◽  
Igors Iesalnieks ◽  
Anna Tiefes ◽  
Alfred Hochrein ◽  
...  

IntroductionAcute diverticulitis of the sigmoid colon is increasingly treated by a non-operative approach. The need for colectomy after recovery from a flare of acute diverticulitis of the left colon, complicated diverticular abscess is still controversial. The primary aim of this study is to assess the risk of interval emergency surgery by systematic review and meta-analysis.Methods and analysisThe systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols statement. PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and EMBASE will be screened for the predefined searching term: (Diverticulitis OR Diverticulum) AND (Abscess OR pelvic abscess OR pericolic abscess OR intraabdominal abscess) AND (surgery OR operation OR sigmoidectomy OR drainage OR percutaneous drainage OR conservative therapy OR watchful waiting). All studies published in an English or German-speaking peer-reviewed journal will be suitable for this analysis. Case reports, case series of less than five patients, studies without follow-up information, systematic and non-systematic reviews and meta-analyses will be excluded. Primary endpoint is the rate of interval emergency surgery. Using the Review Manager Software (Review Manager/RevMan, V.5.3, Copenhagen, The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration, 2012) meta-analysis will be pooled using the Mantel-Haenszel method for random effects. The Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions tool will be used to assess methodological quality of non-randomised studies. Risk of bias in randomised studies will be assessed using the Cochrane developed RoB 2-tool.Ethics and disseminationAs no new data are being collected, ethical approval is exempt for this study. This systematic review is to provide a new insight on the need for surgical treatment after a first attack of acute diverticulitis, complicated by intra-abdominal or pelvic abscesses. The results of this study will be presented at national and international meetings and published in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020164813.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 666
Author(s):  
Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani ◽  
Marzieh Saei Ghare Naz ◽  
Razieh Bidhendi Yarandi ◽  
Samira Behboudi-Gandevani

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the impact of different gestational-diabetes (GDM) diagnostic-criteria on the risk of adverse-maternal-outcomes. The search process encompassed PubMed (Medline), Scopus, and Web of Science databases to retrieve original, population-based studies with the universal GDM screening approach, published in English language and with a focus on adverse-maternal-outcomes up to January 2020. According to GDM diagnostic criteria, the studies were classified into seven groups. A total of 49 population-based studies consisting of 1409018 pregnant women with GDM and 7,667,546 non-GDM counterparts were selected for data analysis and knowledge synthesis. Accordingly, the risk of adverse-maternal-outcomes including primary-cesarean, induction of labor, maternal-hemorrhage, and pregnancy-related-hypertension, overall, regardless of GDM diagnostic-criteria and in all diagnostic-criteria subgroups were significantly higher than non-GDM counterparts. However, in meta-regression, the increased risk was not influenced by the GDM diagnostic-classification and the magnitude of the risks among patients, using the IADPSG criteria-classification as the most strict-criteria, was similar to other criteria. In conclusion, a reduction in the diagnostic-threshold increased the prevalence of GDM, but the risk of adverse-maternal-outcome was not different among those women who were diagnosed through more or less intensive strategies. Our review findings can empower health-care-providers to select the most cost-effective approach for the screening of GDM among pregnant women.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Cristina Biguetti ◽  
Joel Ferreira Santiago Junior ◽  
Matthew William Fiedler ◽  
Mauro Toledo Marrelli ◽  
Marco Brotto

AbstractThe aim of this systematic review was to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis on the toxic effects of chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on skeletal muscles. We designed the study according to PRISMA guidelines. Studies for qualitative and quantitative analyses were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: English language; size of sample (> 5 patients), adult (> age of 18) patients, treated with CQ/HCQ for inflammatory diseases, and presenting and not presenting with toxic effects on skeletal muscles. We collected data published from 1990 to April 2020 using PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and SciELO. Risk of bias for observational studies was assessed regarding the ROBIN-I scale. Studies with less than five patients (case reports) were selected for an additional qualitative analysis. We used the software Comprehensive Meta-Analysis at the confidence level of 0.05. We identified 23 studies for qualitative analysis (17 case-reports), and five studies were eligible for quantitative analysis. From case reports, 21 patients presented muscle weakness and confirmatory biopsy for CQ/HCQ induced myopathy. From observational studies, 37 patients out of 1,367 patients from five studies presented muscle weakness related to the use of CQ/HCQ, and 252 patients presented elevated levels of muscle enzymes (aldolase, creatine phosphokinase, and lactate dehydrogenase). Four studies presented data on 34 patients with confirmatory biopsy for drug-induced myopathy. No study presented randomized samples. The chronic use of CQ/HCQ may be a risk for drug-induced myopathy. There is substantiated need for proper randomized trials and controlled prospective studies needed to assess the clinical and subclinical stages of CQ/HCQ -induced muscle myopathy.


Author(s):  
Heidi F. A. Moossdorff-Steinhauser ◽  
Bary C. M. Berghmans ◽  
Marc E. A. Spaanderman ◽  
Esther M. J. Bols

Abstract Introduction and hypothesis Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common and embarrassing complaint for pregnant women. Reported prevalence and incidence figures show a large range, due to varying case definitions, recruited population and study methodology. Precise prevalence and incidence figures on (bothersome) UI are of relevance for health care providers, policy makers and researchers. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence and incidence of UI in pregnancy in the general population for relevant subgroups and assessed experienced bother. Methods All observational studies published between January 1998 and October 2018 reporting on prevalence and/or incidence of UI during pregnancy were included. All women, regardless of weeks of gestation and type of UI presented in all settings, were of interest. A random-effects model was used. Subgroup analyses were conducted by parity, trimester and subtype of UI. Results The mean (weighted) prevalence based on 44 included studies, containing a total of 88.305 women, was 41.0% (range of 9–75%). Stress urinary incontinence (63%) is the most prevalent type of UI; 26% of the women reported daily loss, whereas 40% reported loss on a monthly basis. Bother was experienced as mild to moderate. Conclusions UI is very prevalent and rising with the weeks of gestation in pregnancy. SUI is the most common type and in most cases it was a small amount. Bother for UI is heterogeneously assessed and experienced as mild to moderate by pregnant women.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e021793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Bunch ◽  
Nia Roberts ◽  
Marian Knight ◽  
Manisha Nair

ObjectiveTo conduct a systematic review to investigate the safety of induction and/or augmentation of labour compared with spontaneous-onset normal labour among pregnant women with iron-deficiency anaemia.DesignSystematic review.SettingStudies from all countries, worldwide.PopulationPregnant women with iron-deficiency anaemia at labour and delivery.InterventionAny intervention related to induction and/or augmentation of labour.Outcome measuresPrimary: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), heart failure and maternal death. Secondary: Emergency caesarean section, hysterectomy, admission to intensive care unit.MethodWe searched 10 databases, including Medline and Embase, from database inception to 1 October 2018. We included all study designs except cross-sectional studies without a comparator group, case reports, case series, ecological studies, and expert opinion. The searches were conducted by a healthcare librarian and two authors independently screened and reviewed the studies. We used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approachto ascertain risk of bias and conducted a narrative synthesis.ResultsWe identified 3217 journal articles, 223 conference papers, 45 dissertations and 218 registered trials. Ten articles were included for full-text review and only one was found to fulfil the eligibility criteria. This was a retrospective cohort study from India, which showed that pregnant women with moderate and severe anaemia could have an increased risk of PPH if they underwent induction and/or augmentation of labour, but the evidence was weak (graded as ‘high risk of bias’).ConclusionThe best approach is to prevent anaemia, but a large number of women in low-to-middle-income countries present with severe anaemia during labour. In such women, appropriate peripartum management could prevent complications and death. Our review showed that at present we do not know if induction and augmentation of labour is safe in pregnant women with iron-deficiency anaemia and further research is required.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42015032421.


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