Lack of evidence for effects of lockdowns on stillbirth rates during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Bavaria: analysis of the Bavarian perinatal survey from 2010 to 2020.

Background: Internationally, potential effects of national SARS-CoV-2-related lockdowns on stillbirth rates have been reported, but data for Germany, including risk factors for fetal pregnancy outcome, are lacking. The aim of this study is to compare the stillbirth rates during the two first lockdown periods in 2020 with previous years from 2010 to 2019 in a large Bavarian cohort.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of the Bavarian perinatal data from 2010 to 2020, including 349,245 births.

Limited Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic-related Lockdowns and Reduced Population Mobility on Preterm Birth Rates: A Secondary Analysis of Bavarian Obstetric Quality Parameters from 2010 to 2020.

International studies on preterm birth rates during COVID-19 lockdowns report different results. This study examines preterm birth rates during lockdown periods and the impact of the mobility changes of the population in Bavaria, Germany. This is a secondary analysis of centrally collected data on preterm births in Bavaria from 2010 to 2020.

Influence of Timing of Antenatal Corticosteroid Administration on Morbidity of Preterm Neonates.

Background/aim: We investigated the impact of the timing of antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) administration on the clinical outcome of preterm infants.

Patients And Methods: Two hundred and fifty-five preterm infants between 28+0 and 34+0 weeks of gestation were retrospectively assigned to one of two groups: In the first group, ACS was given within 7 days before birth; the second group, did not receive ACS during that period. The primary outcome parameter was respiratory failure (defined by need for continuous positive airway pressure or mechanical ventilation) due to grade 1-4 respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Amniotic-Umbilical-to-Cerebral Ratio - A Novel Ratio Combining Doppler Parameters and Amniotic Fluid Volume to Predict Adverse Perinatal Outcome in SGA Fetuses At Term.

Purpose:  Introduction of a novel ratio - the amniotic-umbilical-to-cerebral ratio (AUCR) - to predict adverse perinatal outcome in SGA fetuses at term and comparison of its predictive accuracy with established parameters.

Materials And Methods:  This retrospective cohort study included 165 singleton pregnancies with SGA fetuses (birth weight < 10 percentile) at term. Cases with planned vaginal delivery and documented pulsatility indices (PI) of the umbilical artery (UA), middle cerebral artery (MCA), and single deepest pocket (SDP) were included.

Filarial extract of induces a type 2 immune response and attenuates plaque development in hyperlipidemic ApoE-knockout mice.

A type 1 immune response is involved in atherosclerosis progression, whereas the role of a type 2 polarization, especially with regard to an enhanced T helper (T)2 cell differentiation, is still unclear. Helminths trigger type 2 immune responses, protecting the host from inflammatory disorders. We investigated whether an increased type 2 polarization by administration of adult worm extract (LsAg) affects atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE) mice.

Can Sonographic Fetal Biometry Predict Adverse Perinatal Outcome?

Objective:  To evaluate the association of sonographic fetal biometry (sonographic head circumference (soHC), sonographic abdominal circumference (soAC), estimated fetal weight (EFW)) with mode of delivery and adverse perinatal outcome.

Methods:  Singleton pregnancies with a gestational age ≥ 37 weeks and an ultrasound examination with complete biometric parameters within 7 days before delivery were retrospectively included. The association between soHC, soAC, EFW and fetal (5-min Apgar < 7, pH < 7.