Rate Of Low Birth Weight Infants Research Articles

Noise and PM2.5 levels in children's park adjacent to airport

Background: Sanuki Kodomo-no-Kuni Children's park adjacent to Takamatsu airport is a facility where visitors can watch airplanes take off and land up close and learn about science and technology. However, because it is not a school facility, the hygienic conditions such as noise and PM2.5 levels are not well known despite the current situation where many infants and elementary school students use this facility. Method: Noise and PM2.5 levels were measured at a point in the park 170 m from the runway center. Rsults: Three takeoffs and three landings were made during the measurement period. Instantaneous noise levels of 92.5 to 96.5 dB(A) were recorded during takeoff and 79.9 to 82.2 dB(A) during landing. The PM2.5 level every 30 minutes was 8 μg/m3 at the beginning of the measurement, but 21 μg/m3 was measured at the end, and a trend of increasing PM2.5 levels over time was observed. Conclusion: Noise levels during takeoffs and landings were instantaneous but high. Since previous studies have reported health effects of chronic exposure to aircraft noise, including misbehaviours in young children, memory loss in school children, increased birth rate of low birthweight infants, and hearing loss due to chronic exposure. It was considered desirable to avoid excessive exposure to aviation noise.

Effect of behavior change communication through the health development army on birth weight of newborns in Ambo district, Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled community trial

BackgroundPoor behavior change communication on maternal nutrition and health throughout pregnancy is thought to be to blame for Ethiopia’s high rate of low birthweight babies, and this has implications for neonatal morbidity and mortality. The effect of behavior change communication on birth weight in the study district was not examined. This study was to determine whether improving neonatal birthweight using nutrition and health behavior change communication (NHBCC) interventions was successful.MethodsA cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Ambo district of Ethiopia from May 5, 2018–January 30, 2019. At the beginning of the study, 385 women in the 24 intervention groups and 385 women in the 24 control groups were recruited. In the intervention group, health development armies delivered the NHBCC core message every two weeks for four months by grouping pregnant women in specific clusters. Pregnant women in the control group received the routine treatment offered by the healthcare system during their ANC visits. Within 24 h of birth, the birthweights of 302 and 292 neonates in the intervention and control groups, respectively, were measured at the end point of the study. A binary generalized linear model analysis was employed.ResultThe control group had a larger absolute risk of neonates with low birthweight (0.188 vs. 0.079, p < 0.001) than the intervention group. Pregnant women in the intervention group had an absolute risk difference of 10.9% for low birthweight. Pregnant women who received the intervention were 62% less likely to have low-risk birthweight compared to pregnant women who were in the control group (ARR = 0.381, 95% CI: 0.271–0.737).ConclusionNutrition and health behavior change Communication by health development armies improves birthweight. The findings demonstrated that to improve birthweight, NHBCC must be administered to pregnant women in groups via health development armies in their communities.Trial registration numberPACTR201805003366358.

Maternal Factors Affecting Birth Weight of New Born Babies Born in Combined Military Hospital Dhaka

Introduction: Low birth weight (LBW) is one of the pernicious outcomes of pregnancy. To recognize the factors contributing to LBW is therefore of vital significance. But due attention had not been paid to address the issue. This study was carried out to candle the light on maternal demographic and health services factors on birth weight of a newborn baby. Objective: To depict the pattern of birth weight of newborn babies born at CMH Dhaka and to ascertain selected demographic (age, height) pattern and utilization of health service factors of the mothers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Dhaka from September to December 2011 among 110 respondents. Data were collected by interview using a semi-structured questionnaire and were checked, edited, coded, categorized, cleaned and analyzed by using SPSS version 16. Results: Mothers’ age ranged from 19 to 36 years. Highest 43.6% of mothers belonged to the 20-25 years age group. Teenage mothers were 15.5%. Mothers above 25 years of age gave birth to higher percentage of average weight babies (88.9%) and teenaged (&lt;20 years) mothers gave birth to a higher percentage of LBW babies (17.7%). About 44.5% mothers belonged to height 150-155 cm. Short stature mothers with height 150 cm and below were 16.4% and produced more (33.3%) LBW babies. As the height of the mothers increases, the babies born with better birth weight. The result was statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). All the mothers had antenatal check-up. Highest number of mothers had 4-6 visits. Rate of LBW babies were found highest (31.8%) among the mothers who had minimum number of visits (1-3 visits). Mothers with 7-9 visits had lowest number of LBW babies (4.3%). Proportion of higher birth weight babies (&gt;3500 gm) increased as the number of visits increased. The result was statistically significant (p &lt; .05). Conclusion: All these findings suggests that a substantial evidence of demographic factors like age of the mother during pregnancy and height of the mother and utilizing the health care facilities for antenatal care has an effect on birth weight. Ensuring health care facilities and addressing demographic factors like age of women during marriage, condition can be improved. JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 18, No 1 (June) 2022: 26-29

INOVASIA Study: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Pravastatin to Prevent Preeclampsia in High-Risk Patients.

Our objective was to determine if treatment with pravastatin prevents preeclampsia in pregnant patients at risk of preeclampsia. The study was performed in four major tertiary hospitals in Surabaya, Bandung, and Makassar between 2017 and 2021. Pregnant women at high risk of developing preeclampsia were recruited and randomized into an intervention group and control group. The control group received low-dose aspirin (80 mg) and calcium (1 g) daily, while the intervention group received additional pravastatin (20 mg twice daily) starting from 14 to 20 weeks' gestation until delivery. The pregnancy was followed until delivery, and the clinical data were collected. The primary outcome was the occurrence of preeclampsia. A total of 173 people participated in this study, including 86 in the control group and 87 in the pravastatin group. The pravastatin group had a significantly lower rate of preterm preeclampsia (13.8 vs. 26.7%; p = 0.034; odds ratio [OR] = 0.034, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.202-0.905) and preterm birth (16.1 vs. 36%; p = 0.003; OR = 0.340, 95% CI = 0.165-0.7), mostly indicated preterm birth. Preeclampsia occurred later in the pravastatin group than in the control group (36.39 + 2.32 vs. 34.89 + 3.38 weeks, p = 0.048). Overall, the pravastatin group showed better perinatal outcomes. Neonates with low Apgar scores (<7) at 1 minute (5.7 vs. 25.6%, p = 0.000) and 5 minutes (2.3 vs. 25.6%, p = 0.028) were significantly less common in the pravastatin group. Additionally, the rate of low birthweight babies (<2,500 g) was lower in the pravastatin group (27.6 vs. 40.7%; p = 0.069). Pravastatin (20 mg bid) significantly reduces the risk of preterm preeclampsia and preterm birth in women at a high risk of developing preeclampsia. · This is an open-label multicenter RCT to evaluate pravastatin effect to prevent preeclampsia.. · Pravastatin significantly reduces the risk of preterm preeclampsia (PE) and preterm birth in high risk PE women.. · Pravastatin had a beneficial effect on perinatal outcomes, including Apgar scores and birth weight..

PREGNANCY OUTCOMES AFTER PGT-A BY RACE: MISCARRIAGE, LOW BIRTHWEIGHT, AND PRETERM BIRTH

To evaluate the associations between race, PGT-A use, and rates of miscarriage, low birthweight, and preterm birth. This was a retrospective cohort study using national Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) data from 2014-2016. Autologous first embryo transfers in women 18-50 years-old were included. Embryo transfer type was categorized as PGT-A tested, fresh untested, and thawed untested. Only cycles resulting in singleton gestations were included for analyses on preterm birth and low birthweight. Low birthweight was defined as <2,500 grams. Age groups were defined as: 18-34, 35-37, 38-40, 41-50 yrs. Of the 110,843 first embryo transfers, 64,331 (58%) resulted in a clinical pregnancy and 53,880 (49%) resulted in a live birth of at least one infant. Miscarriage rate was significantly lower from cycles using PGT-A (13.5%) compared to both fresh (14.7%) and frozen (17.1%) untested embryos (p<0.0001). African American women had the highest miscarriage rates regardless of PGT-A use. Whereas white women had a 13.5% rate of miscarriage after PGT-A, African American women had a 22.4% rate (p<0.0001). Hispanic women had a slightly higher rate of miscarriage (16.9%), but this difference was not statistically significant. Among all cycles, miscarriage rates increased with increasing age, but this was less pronounced with PGT-A use. In multivariate regression for PGT-A cycles, only the oldest age group (41-50) had a statistically significant increased risk of miscarriage compared to the youngest group (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.06-1.48, p=0.009). African American women had 80% greater odds of miscarriage (OR 1.80; 95% CI 1.34-2.42, p=0.0001) than white women. Among 42,811 singleton live births, preterm birth was lower for cycles after PGT-A (16.6%) than for either fresh (18.3%) or frozen (17.4%) untested embryo transfers (p=0.01). Among women using PGT-A, African American women had the highest rate of preterm birth (24%), followed by Hispanic women (23%). Cycles after PGT-A use were less likely to have a low birthweight infant (6.6%) than either fresh (9.8%) or frozen (7.8%) untested cycles (p<0.001). Among cycles after PGT-A use, African American women had the highest rate of low birthweight infants (13%), over twice that of white women (5.9%) (p<0.001). PGT-A use is associated with reduced rates of miscarriage, preterm birth, and low birthweight infants. However, African American women using this technology still had significantly higher rates of these pregnancy outcomes. Limitations of this study include the fact that approximately 40% of women had unknown race; it is unknown what proportion of prematurity was iatrogenic; and that medical comorbidities predisposing to prematurity and low birthweight are unknown.

Pregnancy and delivery in patients with Crohn's disease who had a history of abdominal surgery

A few studies have focused on pregnancy and childbirth in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who had a history of abdominal surgery. The objective of this study is to analyze the problems of pregnant patients with CD with a history of abdominal surgery. The rates of pregnancy-related complications and adverse birth outcomes were retrospectively analyzed in 29 patients with CD (45 pregnancies) with previous intestinal surgery. In this study, the following outcomes were observed:normal births occurred in 55.6% of the pregnancies, preterm births in 13.3%, and spontaneous abortions in 20.0%. The vaginal birth and cesarean section rates were 45.7% and 40.0%, respectively. The rate of low-birth weight infants was 14.3%. Overall, patients with CD with previous abdominal surgery can conceive and give birth. However, care needs to be taken to avoid preterm birth, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, and cesarean delivery.

Maternal and child delivery charges, postpartum charges, and utilization of care among women with bipolar disorder: a cohort study.

Bipolar disorder (BD) during pregnancy is known to be a morbid condition associated with poor outcomes for both the mother and her infant. We aimed to determine if women with BD and their children have higher charges and health service utilization than mother-infant dyads with and without other mental health (MH) diagnoses. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD9) codes were used to identify mutually exclusive groups of women who gave birth between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, coding first for BD, then diagnoses that comprised an "other MH diagnoses group" that included post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. Health service utilization and related charges were obtained for the dyad for delivery and for 2 years post-delivery at a single tertiary care center. Analyses included 4440 dyads. A BD diagnosis occurred in 1.8% of medical record codes, other MH diagnoses in 10%, and no known MH diagnosis in 88%. Compared with women with both other MH and no known MH diagnoses, women with BD had higher delivery charges (p < 0.001), higher cumulative charges in the 2 years postpartum (p < 0.001), higher preterm birth and low birthweight rates (15.5% v. 6.9% and 20.8% v. 6.4%, p < 0.001, BD v. no known MH, respectively), and greater utilization of inpatient and emergency psychiatric care services (p < 0.001). Compared with women with and without other mental health diagnoses, women with BD have the highest care utilization and charges. They also have higher preterm birth and low birthweight infant rates, two clinically relevant predictors of long-term health for the child. Given the low prevalence of BD and severity of the disease versus the magnitude of systems costs, women with BD, and their children, deserve the heightened attention afforded to other high-risk perinatal conditions.

Strategy to Reduce Low Birthweight Babies in West Aceh Regency

Low birthweight babies are babies with a birth weight of 1,500 grams to less than 2,500 grams. Low birthweight babies are the cause of increase in babies’ mortality (death) and morbidity (pain). One of the primary risk factors of low birthweight babies is poor pregnant mother’s nutrition. Iron can provide a reserve or storage of nutrition that is very much needed by pregnant mothers to prevent anemia and maintain optimal growth of fetuses. The occurrence of low birthweight babies in Aceh Barat Regency is still very high. The design of this research was observational with an intervention of providing iron for 90 days to pregnant mothers and nutritional guidance for pregnant mothers in the effort of reducing the prevalence of low birthweight babies. The research was done in 10 villages from 3 rural sub-districts that contribute to high rates of low birthweight babies in Aceh Barat Regency, with 146 pregnant mothers. The results of the research showed that the application of the informal guidance strategy in a non-formal setting accompanied with discussions among family members and guidance targets resulted in 69.2% of guidance targets becoming motivated to consume Fe tablets and maintain eating patterns, while guidance targets that have been motivated yet did not consume Fe tablets and maintain eating patterns gave low income of guidance and Fe tablets were observed for 3 months; the result was 13 mothers (86.7%) gave birth to babies of normal weight and 2 mothers (13,3%) gave birth to underweight babies. The application of the guidance strategy in the effort to reduce the occurrence of low birthweight babies, from the results of this research, requires commitment from the Department of Health to provide suitable funds, facilities, and infrastructure to provide services to pregnant mothers, and commitment of all health officials in particular village nurses and health cadres, as well as involving the husband in the role to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

Trauma-informed care in a patient-centered medical home for adolescent mothers and their children.

Adolescent mothers experience higher rates of trauma and abuse, as well as increased risks for mental health disorders, compared to adolescent girls who are not mothers, making them a particularly vulnerable population and contributing to them feeling less supported by or allied with their medical provider. Women with a history of childhood abuse face increased rates of obstetric complications; their infants are at increased risk for low birthweight, developmental and intellectual delays, and behavioral problems. Trauma-informed care has become widespread in mental health settings; however, this model has not been as commonly applied to other settings, such as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). The Colorado Adolescent Maternity Program (CAMP) is an obstetric and pediatric medical home for pregnant and parenting adolescent girls through age 22 and their children located within Children's Hospital Colorado. With the integration of behavioral health into CAMP, and given the prevalence of trauma histories among adolescent mothers reported in the literature, programmatic and operational changes to clinical care were made using the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. Data showed that nearly 30% of participants reported a history of trauma. Following the inclusion of trauma-informed principles, patients had significantly higher rates of attendance at prenatal appointments (p < .001) and significantly lower rates of low birthweight babies (p = .02). Future programmatic changes and long-term assessment outcomes of this trauma-informed approach in a PCMH are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Risk Factors for Low Birth Weight Infants in Japanese Pregnancies: A One-year Study of 2551 Cases in Tokyo

Background: The rate of low-birth weight infants in Japan has been increasing. Being underweight and increasing maternal age are risk factors for delivering low birthweight infants. Currently, pregnant Japanese women exhibit these risk factors for delivering low birthweight infants; however, little research has been conducted. This study aimed to investigate the associations between pregnancy characteristics in Japanese women and low birth weight infants. Methods: We enrolled 2551 pregnant women at >36 weeks of gestation and who delivered in metropolitan Tokyo. Pre-pregnancy body mass index was categorized using the World Health Organization classification. Gestational weight gain and birth weight were categorized based on the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan. The differences in pregnancy characteristics among three birth-weight categories,i.e., low birth weight, normal, and macrosomia, were assessed using the chisquare test. The risk ratios of low birth weight were estimated using logistic regression analysis. Results: In Japanese pregnancies, birth weight was associated with gestational week at delivery, gestational weight gain, pre-pregnancy body mass index, sex, parity, and maternal age (P<0.05). In particular, the risk of low birth weight increased with advanced maternal age (odds ratio=1.97), insufficient gestational week at delivery (odds ratio=9.00), low gestational weight gain (odds ratio=2.76), and female infant (odds ratio=2.06). Further, it decreased in multiparous women compared with that in primiparous women (odds ratio=0.57). Conclusions: These findings suggest that pregnant Japanese women who are ≥40 years old with a gestational weight gain of <7.0 kg, <37 gestational weeks at delivery, female baby, and primiparous should be checked carefully during the gestational period. In order to decrease the risk of low birth weight babies, women should be educated early about childbearing and pregnancy.

A study on the factors affecting the follow-up participation in birth cohorts.

ObjectivesA stable follow-up participation rate is a very important factor for validity in a cohort study. This study analyzed the factors that affect the participation rate at one hospital-based birth cohort in South Korean.MethodsThe participants were recruited from the Mothers’ and Children’s Environmental Health study between 2006 and 2010. The analysis targeted 1751 mothers who participated in a birth cohort. We conducted analyses of general characteristics during pregnancy and those of infants at birth that affect the participation rate of the 6-month follow-up survey.ResultsThe participation rate for the 6-month follow-up survey was 60.4%. The participation rate in the follow-up of the subsequent period decreased within a 5% to 10% range compared to the number of subjects. The participation rate of premature infants was 16.9% lower than that of a full-term infant (52.6% vs. 69.5%). Analysis showed a 16.7% difference between the participation rate of low-birthweight infants in follow-ups (53.7%) and the participation rate of infants with normal weight (70.4%). The participation rate of mothers who were employed during pregnancy was significantly lower for the 6-month follow-up compared to the participation rate of mothers who were unemployed during pregnancy.ConclusionsIn this study, factors such as premature birth, low-birthweight, and the employment status of the mother during pregnancy affected the participation rate of the follow-up survey for the birth cohort at six months. A specific strategy is needed to encourage survey participation for the high risk groups in the follow-ups.

Screening for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Women with Twin Pregnancies

Background: The main purpose of screening and treatment for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is to reduce dystocia arising from fetal overgrowth. This study was conducted to determine the risks of low-birth weight infants (LBWI) and overgrowth infants (OGI) defined as infants with birth weight<2,500 g and ≥3500 g, respectively in Japanese newborns. Methods and Findings: Retrospective observational study in 9,024 twins born to 4,512 women and 127,907 singletons born at gestational week ≥ 35 at the obstetric facilities participating in a registry system in Japan. GDM was diagnosed based on the previous criteria used in Japan until 2009. In twin vs. singleton pregnancies, GDM/ diabetes mellitus (DM) was diagnosed in 1.7% vs. 2.7%, birth weight was 2,356 ± 327 g vs. 2,970 ± 426 g, rate of LBWI was 68% (6,098/9,024) vs. 12% (15,189/127,907) and rate of OGI was 0.22% (10/9,024) vs. 9.9% (12,629/127,907), respectively. There were no significant differences in risk of LBWI (70% [105/150] vs. 68% [5,993/8,874]) or OGI (0.67% [1/150] vs. 0.10% [9/8,874]) between twins born to women with and without GDM/DM, respectively, while the risk of OGI (20% [673/3,413] vs. 9.6% [11,956/124,494], P = 0.000) was significantly higher among singletons born to women with than without GDM/DM, with similar risk of LBWI (11% [369/3,413] vs. 12% [14,820/124,494]). Conclusions: The risk of OGI was extremely lower and the risk of LBWI was extremely higher in twins compared to singletons born to Japanese women. Research is needed to determine whether treatment for GDM is beneficial for women with twin pregnancies.

Using an Optimality Index to Understand Perinatal Health Disparities

This study demonstrates preliminary evidence of the utility of an optimality index as a simple tool for monitoring complications across the perinatal period. The medical records of 147 Latina women participating in a preventive randomized controlled trial for perinatal depression were reviewed for outcomes across the perinatal period. Application of the optimality index found optimality scores ranging from 77.3% to 97.7% in a Latina immigrant population known to have low rates of low-birthweight infants and preterm birth. Optimality scores were significantly lower among women who had a preterm birth or low-birthweight infant. The ability of optimality indices to capture within-group variability will allow for a more nuanced understanding of the antecedents and sequelae of negative birth outcomes. Increasing reliance on electronic medical records will facilitate the calculation of optimality scores that can be used to track patterns of perinatal health disparities.

Ensuring neurologically intact survival in low birth weight newborns

Eight million low birth weight (LBW) infants constituting one third of the total annual births are born each year in India as a result of intrau terine growth restriction and/or prematurity [1]. Combined efforts of the obstetricians and neonatologist along with advancement in technology and perinatal care have greatly improved the survival rates of LBW infants over the last two decades. However, these infants remain at risk of developing a wide array of complications not only in the immediate neonatal period but also in later life. Although most organs are immature, brain in particular is especially susceptible to the perinatal insult which leads to high rates of long-term neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Association between the rate of low-birth weight newborns and the incidence of end-stage renal disease in 47 prefectures in Japan

An ecological study is a useful epidemiologic tool for public health surveillance and establishment of a new hypothesis. Here, we used an ecological study to analyze the association between birth weight and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We performed ecological regression analysis by using data obtained from the national database of Japan. The data include regional incidence of ESRD beginning maintenance dialysis therapy, regional rate of low-birth weight (LBW) newborn babies of all newborn babies, the average birth weight of newborns, the body mass index (BMI) score, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, and the amount of payment for drugs, in the 47 prefectures of Japan. The mean regional rates of LBW newborn babies from 1999 to 2008 statistically correlated with the mean incidences of ESRD during the same time periods in each prefecture. The correlation coefficients between the yearly rate of LBW newborns and the yearly incidence of ESRD in each prefecture became higher after statistically considering the effects of the cost per resident for prescriptions of angiotensin II receptor blocker and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor. Furthermore, the final model predicting the regional incidence of ESRD by a stepwise multiple regression analysis consisted of the average BMI score and the rate of LBW newborns in each prefecture. Although this study cannot explain the reason for this unexpected correlation between the regional rate of LBW babies and the regional incidence of ESRD at the same time points, the statistically significant correlations shown in this study should be taken into consideration.

Obstetric Outcomes After Treatment of Periodontal Disease During Pregnancy

Objective To examine whether treatment of periodontal disease with scaling and root planing during pregnancy is associated with a reduction in the preterm birth rate. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Data sources Cochrane Central Trials Registry, ISI Web of Science, Medline, and reference lists of relevant studies to July 2010; hand searches in key journals. Study selection Randomised controlled trials including pregnant women with documented periodontal disease randomised to either treatment with scaling and root planing or no treatment. Data extraction Data were extracted by two independent investigators, and a consensus was reached with the involvement a third. Methodological quality of the studies was assessed with the Cochrane’s risk of bias tool, and trials were considered either high or low quality. The primary outcome was preterm birth ( Results 11 trials (with 6558 women) were included. Five trials were considered to be of high methodological quality (low risk of bias), whereas the rest were low quality (high or unclear risk of bias). Results among low and high quality trials were consistently diverse; low quality trials supported a beneficial effect of treatment, and high quality trials provided clear evidence that no such effect exists. Among high quality studies, treatment had no significant effect on the overall rate of preterm birth (odds ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 0.95 to 1.40; P=0.15). Furthermore, treatment did not reduce the rate of low birthweight infants (odds ratio 1.07, 0.85 to 1.36; P=0.55), spontaneous abortions/stillbirths (0.79, 0.51 to 1.22; P=0.28), or overall adverse pregnancy outcome (preterm births Conclusion Treatment of periodontal disease with scaling and root planing cannot be considered to be an efficient way of reducing the incidence of preterm birth. Women may be advised to have periodical dental examinations during pregnancy to test their dental status and may have treatment for periodontal disease. However, they should be told that such treatment during pregnancy is unlikely to reduce the risk of preterm birth or low birthweight infants.

Causes of neonatal admissions and deaths at a rural hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

One of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG-4) is to reduce child mortality by up to two-thirds by 2015. In most developing countries, a higher proportion of neonatal deaths are observed. We quantify the causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality at a rural hospital. A retrospective review of consecutive neonatal admissions to Empangeni Hospital, between January and December 2005, was conducted. Of 1,573 admissions, male babies made up 57.8% of admissions and 63% of the deaths. The most common causes of admission were birth asphyxia (38.2%), prematurity (23.5%), and infection (21%). The average length of stay was 9.2 days (SD 12 days). The overall mortality rate was 13.8% but higher (23.4%) among the referred babies. Admission and death rates of low birthweight babies (<2,500g) were 53% and 84%, respectively. Two-thirds (67.7%) of those babies who died were born preterm. Over half (56.6%) of the deaths took place within the frst three days of life. Logistic regression showed that extremely low birthweigh...

Obstetric outcomes after treatment of periodontal disease during pregnancy: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To examine whether treatment of periodontal disease with scaling and root planing during pregnancy is associated with a reduction in the preterm birth rate.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of...

Risk of perinatal mortality associated with asthma during pregnancy

Background:Thirteen studies investigating the association between asthma during pregnancy and perinatal mortality reported generally no increased risk. Most of these studies should be interpreted with caution because they were limited...

Detrimental effects of high levels of antioxidant vitamins C and E on placental function: Considerations for the Vitamins in Preeclampsia (VIP) trial

Supplementation with antioxidant vitamins has been proposed to reduce the risk of preeclampsia and perinatal complications. In a recent study, it has been shown that this supplementation to above physiological doses does not reduce the risk of preeclampsia, but increases the rate of low birthweight babies, suggesting a detrimental effect on placental function, given the lower birthweight. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of high levels of antioxidants vitamins C and E on placental cells in vitro. Isolated fresh human cytotrophoblasts were exposed to high concentrations of vitamins C and E for 48 h. Then the secretion of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were assessed. High levels of vitamins C and E, separately or combined, decrease the secretion of hCG by cytotrophoblasts and increase their production of TNF-alpha. Exposure of cytotrophoblasts to high levels of antioxidant vitamins C and E may affect placental function, as reflected by decreased secretion of hCG; and placental immunity, as reflected by increased production of TNF-alpha. Such alterations are known to lead to endothelial dysfunction and adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as fetal growth restriction (FGR).