Seasonal variation in the incidence of preterm births.

Objectives: To examine the influence of the season of conception, and the season of birth on the incidence of preterm birth (PTB) and neonatal outcomes.

Study Design: This is a single center, retrospective cohort study of singleton births that took place in The Coombe Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, between January 2013 and December 2022. A comprehensive database was analyzed to determine the incidence of PTB per season of conception and season of birth.

In Spiderman we trust: The influence of familiar media characters on the decision-making of primary school children.

Children are increasingly active consumers in the media world and are thus confronted with a wide range of information. Making good decisions in such an environment is a major challenge. Weighting valid information in decision-making is an important skill that children must learn and apply.

Delayed interval delivery and survivability of the second twin with and without emergency cerclage in dichorionic diamniotic pregnancy. A systematic review.

Background: There are no systematic reviews analyzing cervical cerclage's role in improving the perinatal outcome of the second twin in dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) pregnancies following a second trimester or very early preterm birth of the first twin.

Objective: The primary objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the effect of rescue cervical cerclage on delaying the delivery of the second twin after the delivery of the first twin in DCDA twin pregnancies. The secondary objective was to analyze the effect of rescue cervical cerclage on the perinatal outcome of the second twin in DCDA pregnancies compared to the non-cerclage group.

Phylogenomic analyses and comparative genomics of Pseudomonas syringae associated with almond (Prunus dulcis) in California.

We sequenced and comprehensively analysed the genomic architecture of 98 fluorescent pseudomonads isolated from different symptomatic and asymptomatic tissues of almond and a few other Prunus spp. Phylogenomic analyses, genome mining, field pathogenicity tests, and in vitro ice nucleation and antibiotic sensitivity tests were integrated to improve knowledge of the biology and management of bacterial blast and bacterial canker of almond. We identified Pseudomonas syringae pv.

Homelessness in pregnancy.

Objectives: To evaluate the association, if any, of homelessness or refuge accommodation on delivery and short term perinatal outcomes in an Irish tertiary maternity hospital.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 133 singleton pregnancies in women reporting to be homeless or living in refuge at their booking antenatal appointment between 2013 and 2022. Analysis compared sociodemographic characteristics and perinatal outcomes in this cohort to a reference population of 76,858 women with stable living arrangements.

Preterm Birth: Screening and Prediction.

Preterm birth (PTB) affects approximately 10% of births globally each year and is the most significant direct cause of neonatal death and of long-term disability worldwide. Early identification of women at high risk of PTB is important, given the availability of evidence-based, effective screening modalities, which facilitate decision-making on preventative strategies, particularly transvaginal sonographic cervical length (CL) measurement. There is growing evidence that combining CL with quantitative fetal fibronectin (qfFN) and maternal risk factors in the extensively peer-reviewed and validated QUanititative Innovation in Predicting Preterm birth (QUiPP) application can aid both the triage of patients who present as emergencies with symptoms of preterm labor and high-risk asymptomatic women attending PTB surveillance clinics.

A Meta-Analysis of the Global Stillbirth Rates during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 has been shown to have variable adverse effects on pregnancy. Reported data on stillbirth rates during the pandemic have, however, been inconsistent-some reporting a rise and others no change. Knowing the precise impact of COVID-19 on stillbirths should help with the planning and delivery of antenatal care.

Conspecific versus heterospecific transmission shapes host specialization of the phyllosphere microbiome.

In disease ecology, pathogen transmission among conspecific versus heterospecific hosts is known to shape pathogen specialization and virulence, but we do not yet know if similar effects occur at the microbiome level. We tested this idea by experimentally passaging leaf-associated microbiomes either within conspecific or across heterospecific plant hosts. Although conspecific transmission results in persistent host-filtering effects and more within-microbiome network connections, heterospecific transmission results in weaker host-filtering effects but higher levels of interconnectivity.

Control of Pierce's Disease of Grape with PsJN in the Field.

Replicated field studies were conducted to evaluate the factors that could influence the efficacy of PsJN for the control of Pierce's disease of grape, as well as to determine the extent to which disease control was systemic within plants. Topical applications of PsJN with an organosilicon surfactant was an effective way to introduce this bacterium under field conditions and provided similar levels of disease control as its mechanical inoculation. Disease incidence in inoculated shoots was often reduced two- to threefold when PsJN was inoculated a single time as much as 3 weeks before and up to 5 weeks after the pathogen.

Cell free DNA screening for fetal aneuploidy in Ireland: An observational study of outcomes following insufficient fetal fraction.

Objectives: To determine maternal factors associated with low fetal fraction (FF). To determine the proportion of women who receive a result from repeat non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) testing. To identify any significant associations between pregnancy interventions or outcomes and low FF.

A cross-sectional survey of women's views and preferences for preterm birth screening and treatment.

Objectives: Primary outcomes were to determine; 1) the desire for more patient information from healthcare professionals on preterm birth (PTB) prevention 2) the desire for PTB screening surveillance or participation in research or 3) the acceptability of transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) or vaginal examinations to predict spontaneous PTB.

Methods: A 19-question, piloted, self-administered survey was completed by unselected pregnant women in a tertiary maternity hospital in Dublin, Ireland. Data was collected to include maternal socio-demographics, past obstetric history, and current pregnancy details, in addition to views and preferences on PTB screening and preventative treatments.

Assisted vaginal delivery in the obese patient.

Appropriate use of ventouse or obstetric forceps as options in the management of the second-stage of labor is good medical practice. The instruments are not inherently dangerous, however, the manner in which they are used may be. In addition to a working knowledge of the instruments, the operator must have the willingness to abandon an unsuccessful procedure.

Large pilin subunits provide distinct structural and mechanical properties for the type IV pilus.

Type IV pili (T4P) are ubiquitous bacterial cell surface filaments important for surface motility, adhesion to biotic and abiotic surfaces, DNA uptake, biofilm formation, and virulence. T4P are built from thousands of copies of the major pilin subunit and tipped by a complex composed of minor pilins and in some systems also the PilY1 adhesin. While the major pilins of structurally characterized T4P have lengths of up to 161 residues, the major pilin PilA of is unusually large with 208 residues.

Leaf side determines the relative importance of dispersal versus host filtering in the phyllosphere microbiome.

Leaves harbor distinct microbial communities that can have an important impact on plant health and microbial ecosystems worldwide. Nevertheless, the ecological processes that shape the composition of leaf microbial communities remain unclear, with previous studies reporting contradictory results regarding the importance of bacterial dispersal versus host selection. This discrepancy could be driven in part because leaf microbiome studies typically consider the upper and lower leaf surfaces as a single entity despite these habitats possessing considerable anatomical differences.

Impact of timing and severity of COVID-19 infection in pregnancy on intrauterine fetal growth- a registry-based study from Qatar.

Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted pregnant women, increasing maternal and neonatal morbidity. The placenta is a potential target for the pathophysiological processes due to the increased thrombotic inflammatory activation and inadequate uteroplacental perfusion and oxygenation, potentially causing intrauterine growth restriction. This study investigates the impact of gestational age at diagnosis of COVID-19 and the presence of symptoms on intrauterine fetal growth in pregnant women.

Evaluation of a new Perinatal Mental Health Service in a University Maternity Hospital.

Objectives: Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services (SPMHS) are a new development in Ireland. This service evaluation examined the impact of the introduction of a SPMHS multidisciplinary team (MDT) on prescribing practices and treatment pathways in an Irish maternity hospital.

Methods: Clinical charts were reviewed to collect data on all referrals, diagnoses, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions delivered in a SPMHS over a 3-week period in 2019.

A retrospective observational study of labour ward work Intensity: The challenge of maternity staffing.

Background: The UK and Ireland are facing significant challenges in the recruitment and retention of midwifery staff. Deficiencies in staffing, training and leadership have been cited as contributory factors to substandard care in both regional and global independent maternity safety reports. Locally, workforce planning is critical to maintaining 'one to one' care for all women in labor and to meet the peaks of daily birthing suite activity.

The duration of labor in spontaneous preterm deliveries: A retrospective observational study in a tertiary Irish maternity hospital.

Background: Preterm deliveries account for 10% of all births, and are the most important cause of neonatal mortality globally. Despite their frequency, there is a paucity of information known about usual patterns of preterm labor, as previous studies which critically defined the normal progression of labor excluded preterm gestations.

Objective: To compare the durations of the first, second and third stages of spontaneous preterm labor in nulliparous and multiparous women at varying preterm gestations.

Drug use in pregnancy in Ireland's capital city: A decade of trends and outcomes.

Objective: The aim of this study was to present contemporary trends in opiate use disorder (OUD) and substance use in pregnancy in Ireland, with associated obstetric outcomes, over the last ten years.

Study Design: This retrospective observational cohort study was conducted at an Irish tertiary maternity unit. All women with OUD or substance use in pregnancy delivered under this service between 2010 and 2019 were included.

A Phosphate Uptake System Is Required for pv. Virulence in Soybean.

The genes encoding the phosphate uptake system in pv. 12-2 were previously found to be upregulated when in soybean leaves. This study thus explored the role of the phosphate uptake system on its virulence to soybean.