A new screening of preterm birth in gestation with short cervix after pessary plus progesterone.

Objective: This study aims to create a new screening for preterm birth < 34 weeks after gestation with a cervical length (CL) ≤ 30 mm, based on clinical, demographic, and sonographic characteristics.

Methods: This is a analysis of a randomized clinical trial (RCT), which included pregnancies, in middle-gestation, screened with transvaginal ultrasound. After observing inclusion criteria, the patient was invited to compare pessary plus progesterone (PP) versus progesterone only (P) (1:1).

Evaluation of ultrasound measurements of abdominal fat for the prediction of gestational diabetes in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate whether ultrasound abdominal fat measurements in the first and second trimesters can predict adverse gestational outcomes, particularly gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and identify early patients at higher risk for complications.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of 126 pregnant women at 11-14 and 20-24 weeks of gestation with normal fasting glucose levels during early pregnancy. From 126 participants with complete data, 13.

COVID-19 and mental health of pregnant women in Ceará, Brazil.

Objective: To assess the perceptions of pregnant women about COVID-19 and the prevalence of common mental disorders during the implemented social distancing period.

Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study using digital media, of pregnant women exposed to social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Fortaleza, Ceará, Northeastern Brazil. Common mental disorders were estimated using the modified Self-Report Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) scale, and the feelings towards COVID-19 were assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 scale through telephone calls made in May 2020.

Low-dose acetylsalicylic acid does not modify maternal vascular reactivity in nulliparas.

Objective: To assess if the low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) would be capable of modifying endothelial function throughout pregnancy in nulliparous patients.

Methods: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial with 277 were included. A total of 139 were orally administered 100 mg/day of ASA, and 138 received placebo.

Associated factors with neonatal near miss in twin pregnancies in a public referral maternity unit in Brazil.

Objective: The aim was to analyze the factors associated with neonatal near miss (NNM) in twin pregnancies in a public referral maternity unit in Brazil.

Material And Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 697 twin newborns. Cases of fetal and neonatal deaths were excluded.

An exploratory study of associations with spontaneous preterm birth in primigravid pregnant women with a normal cervical length.

Background: Predictors of spontaneous preterm birth in primigravid women remain undetermined.

Aim: We evaluated whether biomarkers in vaginal secretions and/or differences in the dominant bacterium in the vaginal microbiome predicted the risk for spontaneous preterm birth in primigravid women with a cervical length >25mm.

Study Design: In a prospective study, 146 second trimester pregnant women with their first conception and a cervix >25mm were enrolled.

SNAPPE II: ANALYSIS OF ACCURACY AND DETERMINATION OF THE CUTOFF POINT AS A DEATH PREDICTOR IN A BRAZILIAN NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.

Objective: To analyze the accuracy of the Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology Perinatal Extension (SNAPPE II) as a death predictor, to determine the cutoff point for mortality, and to analyze the association of independent variables with death.

Methods: Prospective, longitudinal, hospital-based study on newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for the first time from November 1, 2016 to April 30, 2017. Newborns with less than 12 hours of length of stay at the NICU, out-of-hospital births, major congenital malformations, and inter-hospital transfer were excluded.

Influence of evening/night-time birth on maternal/perinatal outcomes in a low-risk population.

Objective: To compare maternal and perinatal outcomes between day-time and evening/night-time births in a low-risk population.

Material And Methods: The present study had a retrospective and cross-sectional design. The study recruited 421 pregnant women admitted for spontaneous or induced labor, with singleton, full-term pregnancy, without comorbidities, and with birthweight between 2,500 and 4,499 g.

The influence of race on cervical length in pregnant women in Brazil.

Objectives: Short cervical length is a predictor of preterm birth. We evaluated if there were racial differences in variables associated with cervical length in pregnant Brazilian women.

Methods: Cervical length was determined by vaginal ultrasound in 414 women at 21 weeks gestation.

Delays in obstetric care increase the risk of neonatal near-miss morbidity events and death: a case-control study.

Background: To evaluate the association between delays in obstetric care and neonatal near-miss mortality events and death in a public maternity referral center.

Methods: This case-control study enrolled 142 neonates, meeting the near-miss criteria of 5-min Apgar < 7, weight < 1500 g, gestational age < 32 weeks, and use of mechanical ventilation or congenital malformation, as well as 284 controls (without the near-miss criteria), at a ratio of 1:2. After follow-up, the following outcomes were reclassified: survival of the neonatal period without the near-miss criteria (true "controls"), "near-miss," and "neonatal death.

Pelvic floor ultrasound finds after episiotomy and severe perineal tear: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: Vaginal delivery is a well-known risk factor for pelvic floor muscle (PFM) injuries, mainly when associated to prolonged labor, instrumental birth and perineal trauma such as episiotomy and perineal tears. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to test the hypothesis that episiotomy and severe perineal tear may increase the risk of pelvic floor damage.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature search through electronic databases including MEDLINE PubMed, LILACS BVS, Embase Elsevier and Cochrane Library up to January 2019.

Ultrasound evaluation of subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat as a predictor of gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review.

Objective: Studies of subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat thickness evaluated by ultrasound as a predictor of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been published, but the best technique and standardization are unknown. To identify, critically evaluate, and analyze studies using subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat as a model for predicting GDM in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and evaluate their methodological quality.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched from May to July 2019.

Pubic Arch Angle Measurement by Transperineal Ultrasonography: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective:  To evaluate the ability of the pubic arch angle (PAA) as measured by transperineal ultrasonography during labor to predict the delivery type and cephalic pole disengagement mode.

Methods:  The present prospective cross-sectional study included 221 women in singleton-gestational labor ≥ 37 weeks with cephalic fetuses who underwent PAA measurement using transperineal ultrasonography. These measurements were correlated with the delivery type, cephalic pole disengagement mode, and fetal and maternal characteristics.

Gestational Outcomes in Patients with Severe Maternal Morbidity Caused by Hypertensive Syndromes.

Purpose:  To evaluate the impact of the presence of criteria for severe maternal morbidity and maternal near miss associated with hypertensive disorders on maternal and perinatal outcomes in a maternity school.

Methods:  The present is a sub-analysis of a larger study involving 27 centers in Brazil that estimated the prevalence of serious maternal morbidity and near miss. It is an analytical and cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, involving 928 women who were cared for at Maternidade Escola Assis Chateaubriand (MEAC, in Portuguese), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC, in Portuguese), from July 2009 to June 2010.

Vaginal Biomarkers That Predict Cervical Length and Dominant Bacteria in the Vaginal Microbiomes of Pregnant Women.

In many impoverished regions of the world, it may not be possible to assess two major risk factors for preterm birth: a short cervical length and the depletion of vaginal lactobacilli. We determined whether measuring specific compounds in vaginal fluid might be a simple, noninvasive, and cost-effective way to predict the bacteria that dominate the vaginal microbiome and indicate the presence of a shortened cervix (<25 mm). Vaginal fluid samples were prospectively collected from mid-trimester pregnant women, and the concentrations of d- and l-lactic acid, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-8, the 70-kDa heat shock protein, a2 isoform of vacuolar ATPase, and sequestrome-1 were quantified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Assessment of the angle of progression and distance perineum-head in the prediction of type of delivery and duration of labor using intrapartum ultrasonography.

Objective: To evaluate the relevance of the angle of progression (AOP) and head-perineum distance (HPD) for predicting the type of delivery and duration of the second stage of labor using intrapartum ultrasonography.

Methods: In total, 221 women in labor with a single gestational sac at ≥37 weeks of gestation and fetuses in cephalic presentation underwent two-dimensional ultrasonography by transperineal route for measurements of AOP and HPD. Correlations between the type of delivery (vaginal or surgical (cesarean section and forceps)), duration of the second stage of labor, and fetal and maternal characteristics were assessed.

Pregnancies with an outcome of fetal death present higher risk of delays in obstetric care: A case-control study.

The objective of this study was identify the association between delays in the care provided to pregnant women and the fetal death outcome, in a tertiary reference maternity hospital in the Northeastern Brazil. A case-control study, with 72 cases of fetal death and 144 controls (live births) in women admitted to the Obstetrics Service of the Assis Chateaubriand Teaching Maternity Hospital, in Fortaleza, Ceará. Controls were matched (2:1) by the approximate gestational age of the case.

Comparison between near miss criteria in a maternal intensive care unit.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of different criteria of maternal near miss in women admitted to an obstetric intensive care unit and their sensitivity and specificity in identifying cases that have evolved to morbidity.

Method: A cross-sectional analytical epidemiological study was conducted with women admitted to the intensive care unit of the Maternity School Assis Chateaubriand in Ceará, Brazil. The Chi-square test and odds ratio were used.

Assessment of Sensitivity and Specificity of Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Placenta Accreta.

Objective:  To assess and compare the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of placenta accreta in patients with placenta previa.

Methods:  This retrospective cohort study included 37 women, and was conducted between January 2013 and October 2015; 16 out of the 37 women suffered from placenta accreta. Histopathology was considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of placenta accreta; in its absence, a description of the intraoperative findings was used.

Maternal predictors related to quality of life in pregnant women in the Northeast of Brazil.

Background: Gestation is a period that can positively or negatively influence the life of a woman in the pregnancy-puerperal cycle. Thus, evaluating the quality of life of this population can redirect the implementation of innovative practices, with the goal of making them more effective and practical or the promotion of humanized care. The present study aimed to evaluate the predictors that influence the health-related quality of life of low-risk pregnant women, as well as to describe the main areas affected in the quality of life of pregnant women.

Late umbilical cord clamping does not increase rates of jaundice and the need for phototherapy in pregnancies at normal risk.

To verify the relationship between the time of clamping of the umbilical cord and the development of neonatal jaundice, the dosage of bilirubin and the need for phototherapy. Cross-sectional, retrospective study with 398 parturients at normal risk (single term gestation, no complications during gestation or delivery, birth weight between 2500 and 4499 g). The population was divided into three groups regarding the time of cord clamping: <1 min(117, 29.