ObjectiveTo evaluate liver perfusion in pregnant women with hepatitis between 13 and 41 weeks of gestation by three-dimensional color power Doppler angiography (3D-CPA) vascular indexes. MethodsThis study involved 73 pregnant women with hepatitis and 44 healthy pregnant women who had the pregnancy examination between February 2012 and June 2013. We sampled in the area which was near the right lobe of the pregnant women liver's portal vein branch, and obtained the vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularization flow index (VFI) via the virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) method. Then, we compared the liver perfusion differences between the pregnant women with hepatitis and healthy pregnant women. ResultsThe hepatic flow indexes obtained by 3D-CPA were significantly different between the HBV-DNA viral load and the control groups. The cutoff values of the three vascular indexes of patients with hepatitis with HBV-DNA viral load and the healthy pregnant women were respectively VI=8.760 (P<3×10-4); FI=22.180 (P<6×10-7); and VFI=1.575 (P<3×10-5). ConclusionApplication of the 3D-CPA on liver perfusion may differentiate pregnant women with hepatitis B from normal ones, thus offer a support for clinical prevention and treatment for pregnant women with hepatitis B.
Objective To investigate the incidence of full-term prelabor rupture of membranes (FPROM) and risk factors for FPROM. Methods A prospective nested case-control study was performed on pregnant women in early pregnancy and their spouses, who underwent prenatal examination for the first time in Zhuhai Center for Maternal and Child Health Care from May 2021 to December 2022. Pregnant women with a clear diagnosis of FPROM were included in the case group, and pregnant women without FPROM were randomly selected at a 1∶3 ratio for inclusion in the control group. A questionnaire survey was performed to collect exposure information possibly related to FPROM. The hospital's medical record system was used for information verification and to record the pregnancy outcomes. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for FPROM. Results The incidence of FPROM in this study was 24.27%. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that obesity pregnant women, smoking, drinking, unbalanced diet, high-intensity physical activity during pregnancy, eating areca nut before pregnancy, using glucocorticoids during pregnancy, older at the time of first pregnancy, a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes, a history of pregnancy complications, a history of diabetes, a history of scar uterus, no folate supplementation during pregnancy, repeated intrauterine operations, polyembryony, polyhydramnios, transverse fetus and fetal cephalopelvic disproportion as the way of conception were risk factors for FPROM (P<0.05). Additionally, the pregnant women whose spouses were obese or smoked or drinking had an increased risk of FPROM (P<0.05). Lower gravidity and lower parity were protective factors against FPROM (P<0.05). Conclusion There are many risk factors for FPROM. Special attention should be given to the life behaviors of pregnant women during pregnancy, and health education should be strengthened for pregnant women and their spouses to help them develop good living habits and reduce the incidence of FPROM.
Objective To compare the central foveal thickness (CFT) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in healthy pregnant women and patients with pre-eclampsia. Methods A prospective control study. Twenty normal subjects, 20 healthy pregnant women and 20 patients with pre-eclampsia were included. The difference of gestational weeks between healthy pregnant women and patients with pre-eclampsia was not significant (χ2=0.012, P=0.913). The differences of age and spherical equivalent among normal subjects, healthy pregnant women and patients with pre-eclampsia were not significant (χ2=1.760, 0.087; P=0.413, 0.957). All eyes underwent optical coherence tomography examination to measure the CFT and SFCT. Results The mean CFT of normal subjects, healthy pregnant women and patients with pre-eclampsia were (194.40±16.17), (201.2±17.33), (199.00±15.46) μm, there was no significant difference among the three groups (χ2=0.888, P=0.641). The mean SFCT of normal subjects, healthy pregnant women and patients with pre-eclampsia were (263.45±69.66), (330.00±49.20), (373.40±52.00) μm, there was significant difference among the three groups (χ2=22.818, P=0.000). The mean SFCT of healthy pregnant women was increased than that of normal subjects (Z=−2.991, P=0.002). The mean SFCT of patients with pre-eclampsia was increased than that of healthy pregnant women (Z=−2.638, P=0.007). Conclusion The mean SFCT of patients with pre-eclampsia is increased than healthy pregnant women.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical data of pregnant females and children infected with H1N1 during the global pandemic in 2009, and summarize the epidemiological characteristics.MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data databases were searched to collect studies on H1N1 infection in pregnant females and children during the 2009 pandemic from January 1st, 2009 to February 17th, 2020. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed risk of bias of included studies, then, epidemiological characteristics were descriptively analyzed.ResultsA total of 33 studies involving 939 children, 5 newborns and 2 416 maternal infections were included. The results showed that the age span of children was 0 to 18, the male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1, and the history of close contact accounts was 18.8% (80/425). The primary symptoms were fever, cough, headache, vomiting and other symptoms in some children. More than half of the children received oseltamivir antiviral treatment (545/807, 67.5%), and 6 died (6/861, 0.7%). The primary symptoms of pregnant females were fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, and so on. The majority of patients received antiviral therapy (1 571 to 1 783, 88.1%). A total of 178 mortalities (178/2 335, 7.6%), 48 stillbirths (48/966, 5.0%), and 9 live birth mortalities (9/494, 1.8%) were reported. All 5 newborns were positive for RT-PCR detection, including 4 premature infants. The mode of transmission was close contact in 3 cases (including 1 case in contact with sick medical staff), 1 case of vertical transmission from mother to child, and 1 case of unknown. The primary clinical manifestation of newborns was dyspnea. After treatment with oseltamivir, 4 cases were cured and 1 case deceased.ConclusionsPregnant females and children are at high risk of serious complications of H1N1 influenza. H1N1 infection in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The symptoms of H1N1 infection in children and pregnant females are similar to those in adults, primarily respiratory and systemic symptoms. Oseltamivir and zanamivir are effective antiviral drugs.
ObjectiveTo perform a meta-analysis on the positive rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody among pregnant females in China from 2008 to 2018, so as to provide scientific references for the prevention and treatment of HCV infection among pregnant females.MethodsDatabases including PubMed, Web of Science, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, and WanFang Data were electronically searched to collect observational studies on the positive rate of HCV antibody among pregnant females in China from January, 2008 to December, 2018. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and evaluated risk of bias of included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using Stata 15.0 software.ResultsA total of 108 studies involving 657 765 individuals were included. Results of meta-analysis showed that the overall positive rate of HCV antibody among pregnant females in Chinese was 0.235% (95%CI 0.189% to 0.286%). Subgroup analysis showed that the positive rate of HCV antibody among pregnant females in western China to be the highest 0.291% (95%CI 0.221% to 0.378%), the northeast China to be 0.240% (95%CI 0.099% to 0.442%), the central China to be 0.235% (95%CI 0.016% to 0.319%), and the east China to be the lowest 0.193 % (95%CI 0.119% to 0.281%). The HCV antibody positive rate of pregnant females from hospital was 0.291% (95%CI 0.221% to 0.372%) and was higher than that from AIDS surveillance site which was 0.164% (95%CI 0.122% to 0.207%).ConclusionsThe prevalence of HCV antibody among pregnant females maintains at a low level in China.
Objective To compare the economic effectiveness of universal screening, high-risk population screening, and no screening strategies for thyroid disease prevention and control among pregnant women in China through cost-effectiveness analysis, providing evidence-based support for optimizing health policy decisions on prenatal thyroid disease screening. Methods Based on the characteristics of thyroid disorders during pregnancy, a combined decision tree and Markov model was developed to conduct a lifetime cost-effectiveness analysis across three strategies: no screening, high-risk population screening, and universal screening. Sensitivity analyses were performed on key parameters. Results Base-case analysis demonstrated that universal screening was the most cost-effective strategy when the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended payment threshold of 1×gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was used, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 20636.18 yuan per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) compared to no screening, followed by high-risk population screening (ICER=21071.71 yuan/QALY). The results of the sensitivity analysis showed a strong stability of the model. Conclusions Of the 3 screening programs for thyroid disease in pregnancy, universal screening is the most cost-effective when the WHO-recommended payment threshold of 1×GDP per capita is used.
Intravitreal anti-VEGF injection have been widely used in retinal vascular diseases and achieved good efficacy. Early pregnancy is an important period for fetal organ formation and vascular development. Studies have proved that VEGF plays an important role in maintaining the fetal and placental vascular system, and its loss or decline will affect embryonic development and lead to abortion. The use of intravitreal anti-VEGF during pregnancy is controversial, which may cause systemic side effects to the mother and fetus. This paper summarizes the literature of 23 cases on the use of anti-VEGF during pregnancy. Three cases reported loss of pregnancy with concomitant exposure to intravitreal bevacizumab, which suggested that we should be careful about the use of anti-VEGF during pregnancy and explain the possibility of ocular and systemic side effects to patients in detail. When deciding whether to use anti-VEGF, we should consider the relationship between exposure time and the critical period of vascular development and the systemic exposure of different drugs. Currently, there is a lack of large sample size studies on the use of anti-VEGF in pregnancy, and its safety needs to be further observed.
ObjectiveTo discuss clinical characteristics and nursing countermeasure of pregnant/delivery women with tuberculosis. MethodsFrom January 2012 to December 2013, 52 cases of pregnant women complicated with tuberculosis were included. We offered specific nursing according to the psychological counseling, reasonable administration, diet nursing, fever and prevention of hospital infection on the base of their clinical features, and then analyzed the effect. ResultsIn 52 patients who had undergone the tuberculosis and obsterrics and gynecology treatment, 4 puerperal patients died of severe pneumonia and multiple organ failure; in 48 gestational patients with tuberculosis, 23 early-middle term patients accept termination of pregnancy, and in 25 middle-late term patients, 3 had full-term natural labor, 4 underwent full-term cesarean section, 5 had premature labor, and 13 continued the pregnacy. Sixteen neonatus (including 4 given at the other hospitals) had normal results of physical examination without any deformity, in whom 5 had low body weight (body weight less than 2500 g), with negative results of tuberculin test and the result of 3-moth follow-up was normal. Three months after the anti-tuberculosis treatment, the lesion was obviously absorbed in 25 patients and in 23 patients within half of a year. No patients had hospital infection. ConclusionNursing care of pregnant patients with tuberculosis should strengthen the guidance on the patients health education, improve their compliance and self-protection knowledge. Also should strengthen the basic level medical personnel training and improve the ability of early diagnosis of tuberculosis and early treatment to reduce maternal mortality.
Objective To investigate the methodological characteristics of observational studies on the correlation between drug exposure during pregnancy and birth defects. Methods The PubMed database was searched from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 to identify observational studies investigating the correlation between drug use during pregnancy and birth defects. Literature screening and data extraction were conducted by two researchers and statistical analysis was performed using R 3.6.1 software. Results A total of 40 relevant articles were identified, of which 8 (20.0%) were published in the four major medical journals and their sub-journals, 21 (42.5%) were conducted in Europe and the United States, and 4 were conducted (10.0%) in China. Cohort studies (30, 75.0%) and case-control studies (10, 25%) were the most commonly used study designs. Sixteen studies (40.0%) did not specify how the databases were linked. Sixteen studies (40.0%) did not report a clear definition of exposure, while 17 studies (42.5%) defined exposure as prescribing a drug that could not be guaranteed to have been taken by the pregnant women, possibly resulting in misclassification bias. Six studies (15.0%) did not report the diagnostic criteria for birth defects and 18 studies (45.0%) did not report the types of birth defects. In addition, 33 studies (82.5%) did not control for confounding factors in the study design, while only 19 studies (47.5%) considered live birth bias. Conclusion Improvements are imperative in reporting and conducting observational studies on the correlation between drug use during pregnancy and birth defects. This includes the methods for linking data sources, definition of exposure and outcomes, and control of confounding factors. Methodological criteria are needed to improve the quality of these studies to provide higher quality evidence for policymakers and researchers.
ObjectiveTo compare and observe the changes in choroidal thickness between healthy pregnant women and healthy non-pregnant women.MethodsA prospective clinical study. From January 2019 to August 2019, healthy pregnant women (pregnant women group) and healthy non-pregnant women age-matched were enrolled during the same period (the normal group) in the obstetrics of Zhuji People's Hospital. All patients were enrolled with their right eyes. Frequency-domain OCT-enhanced depth imaging technology was used to measure the subfoveal macular and 1000 μm above, below, nasal, and temporal choroidal thickness and foveal retinal thickness (CMT). The choroidal thickness and CMT of the pregnant women group and the normal group were compared by t test, and the choroidal thickness and CMT of the normal group and the eyes of different gestational weeks were compared by one-way analysis of variance.ResultsThe pregnant women group and the normal group included 161 patients (161 eyes) and 40 patients (40 eyes). According to the different gestational weeks, the pregnant women were divided into the first trimester group, the second trimester group, and the third trimester group, with 47 patients (47 eyes), 66 patients (66 eyes), and 48 patients (48 eyes) respectively. There was no significant difference in age, axial length, intraocular pressure, and CMT between the different gestational week groups and the normal group (F=1.433, 1.558, 0.416, 2.288; P＞0.05). The subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) of the pregnant women group and normal group were 317.7±73.9 μm and 279.7±44.1 μm, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (t=3.113, P=0.002). Compared with the normal group, the choroid at the upper, lower, nasal, and temporal sides of the pregnant group 1000 μm from the fovea was thickened. The difference between the upper, nasal and temporal sides was statistically significant (t=2.699, 3.474, 2.595; P＜0.05). The SFCT of the eyes in the first trimester group, the middle group, and the late group were 305.8±72.3, 327.7±69.8, 315.8±80.5 μm, respectively. Compared with the normal group, the difference was statistically significant (F=4.180, P=0.007). Pairwise comparison between the two groups, the second trimester group was significantly different from the normal group (P=0.003). There was no significant difference among the first trimester group、the third trimester group and the other groups (P＞0.05).ConclusionThe choroidal thickness of pregnant women is thicker than normal, and the choroidal thickness in the second trimester reaches the maximum value; while the macular CMT during pregnancy has no significant change.