Second trimester cervical length screening, in a low-risk European population.

Purpose: The aim of this work is to assess cervical length (CL) distribution in a low-risk population in order to evaluate the applicability of a possible universal CL screening in the second trimester, aimed at preventing preterm birth (PTB).

Methods: In a multicentric, prospective cohort study, singleton pregnant women attending second trimester anatomy scan between 18 + 0 to 22 + 6 weeks of gestation were eligible. Teenage pregnancy and women with previous PTB were excluded.

Risk factors for stillbirth at term: an Italian area-based, prospective cohort study.

Background: Stillbirth at term has great emotional impact on both parents and professionals. In developed countries, efforts to identify risk factors are mandatory to plan area-specific prevention strategies.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify independent risk factors that contribute to stillbirth at 37 weeks' gestation or later.

Stillbirth occurrence during COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based prospective study.

Objectives: Data collected worldwide on stillbirth (SB) rates during the Covid-19 pandemic are contradictory. Variations may be due to methodological differences or population characteristics. The aim of the study is to assess the changes in SB rate, risk factors, causes of death and quality of antenatal care during the pandemic compared to the control periods.

Implementation of guidelines about women with previous cesarean section through educational/motivational interventions.

Objective: To investigate the effect of a quality improvement project with an educational/motivational intervention in northern Italy on the implementation of the trial of labor after cesarean section (CS).

Method: A pre-post study design was used. Every birth center (n = 23) of the Emilia-Romagna region was included.

Childbirth Care among SARS-CoV-2 Positive Women in Italy.

The new coronavirus emergency spread to Italy when little was known about the infection's impact on mothers and newborns. This study aims to describe the extent to which clinical practice has protected childbirth physiology and preserved the mother-child bond during the first wave of the pandemic in Italy. A national population-based prospective cohort study was performed enrolling women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted for childbirth to any Italian hospital from 25 February to 31 July 2020.

[The preparedness of the Italian obstetric surveillance system in the response to the emergency of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: methodological aspects of a population-based study].

This paper aims to describe the Italian obstetric surveillance system (ItOSS) preparedness as an element for a timely response to the new Coronavirus pandemic. ItOSS is a surveillance network that has been collecting data on maternal mortality and conducting population studies on obstetric near misses since 2013. At the beginning of the pandemic, ItOSS launched a new population-based project to monitor SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and post-partum and promptly give back information useful to clinicians and decision-makers.

Neurodevelopmental Trajectories of Preterm Infants of Italian Native-Born and Migrant Mothers and Role of Neonatal Feeding.

There is evidence that preterm infants of migrant mothers are at a higher risk of adverse perinatal outcomes than those of native-born mothers, and that human milk feeding is beneficial to infants' neurodevelopment. Using the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) to classify mother's country of origin, we investigated whether type of neonatal feeding (human milk vs. mixed milk vs.

Short-term and long-term effects of tibolone in postmenopausal women.

Background: Tibolone is a synthetic steroid used for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, on the basis of short-term data suggesting its efficacy. We considered the balance between the benefits and risks of tibolone.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of tibolone for treatment of postmenopausal and perimenopausal women.

[Organisational determinants of adherence to secondary prevention medications after acute myocardial infarction].

Objectives: to identify organisational determinants of adherence to evidence-based drug treatments after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), under the hypothesis that low adherence is associated with higher mortality and risk of reinfarction. In particular, we investigated the effect of group vs. single handed practice and multi-professional practice characteristics on patients' adherence to polytherapy after AMI.

Does age modify the relationship between adherence to secondary prevention medications and mortality after acute myocardial infarction? A nested case-control study.

Purpose: Clinical trials have shown that evidence-based secondary prevention medications reduce mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Yet, these medications are generally underused in daily practice, and older people are often excluded from drug trials. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the relationship between adherence to evidence-based drugs and post-AMI mortality varies with increasing age.

Impact of perinatal practices for early-onset group B Streptococcal disease prevention.

Background: Prevention of residual cases of neonatal group B streptococcus (GBS) early-onset disease (EOGBS) has become a goal in the past decade. This study is aimed at evaluating changes in the incidence of EOGBS over a 9-year period after the implementation of a screening-based approach and comparing 2 different protocols for managing healthy-appearing at-risk newborns (ARNs).

Methods: A screening-based strategy was introduced in Emilia-Romagna (Italy) in 2003.

Group B streptococcus late-onset disease: 2003-2010.

Background: There is insufficient population-based data on group B streptococcus (GBS) late-onset disease (LOD). Risk factors and routes of GBS transmission are poorly understood.

Methods: A prospective, cohort study was conducted to collect incidence data on LOD and evaluate GBS infections over an 8-year period (2003-2010).

Short and long term effects of tibolone in postmenopausal women.

Background: Tibolone is an option available for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, based on short-term data on its efficacy. However, there is a need to consider the balance between the benefits and risks of tibolone as there are concerns about breast and endometrial cancer as well as stroke.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of tibolone in treating postmenopausal women.

[Computerized medical records in monitoring hypertension. Longitudinal and horizontal evaluation of 25 general practitioners in a primary care setting of Modena, Italy].

This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of a computerized-based Clinical Record in monitoring hypertension in a Primary Care Setting. Blood pressure (BP) recording increased by 62% to 70% in the years 2004 to 2006. No improvement, however, was noticeable in the achievement of gold-standard targets in BP control (62% in all period).