Pandemic stress and SARS-CoV-2 infection are associated with pathological changes at the maternal-fetal interface.

Introduction: The reported effects of SARS-CoV-2 on pregnancy outcomes are conflicting; studies frequently overlook the placenta, which is critical for the health of the mother and infant(s). This study aimed to determine the effect of pandemic stress ± SARS CoV-2 infection on placental histopathology.

Methods: Women were recruited in Canada (n = 69); France (n = 21) or in the UK (n = 25), between March and October 2020.

Placental Morphology and Cellular Characteristics in Stillbirths in Women With Diabetes and Unexplained Stillbirths.

Context.—: Women with diabetes have increased stillbirth risk. Although the underlying pathophysiological processes are poorly understood, stillbirth is frequently related to abnormal placental structure and function.

Chronic histiocytic intervillositis: A breakdown in immune tolerance comparable to allograft rejection?

Chronic histiocytic intervillositis (CHI) is a pregnancy disorder characterized by infiltration of maternal macrophages into the intervillous space of the human placenta, often with accompanying perivillous fibrin deposition. CHI is associated strongly with foetal growth restriction and increased risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. Although rare, affecting 6 in every 10 000 pregnancies beyond 12 weeks' gestation, the rate of recurrence is high at 25%-100%.

A structured review of placental morphology and histopathological lesions associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus, was first identified after a cluster of cases in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Whether vertical transmission or placental pathology might occur following maternal infection during pregnancy remains unknown. This review aimed to summarise all studies that examined the placenta or neonates following infection with SARS-CoV-2, or closely related highly pathogenic coronavirus (SARS-CoV-1, or the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)).

Increased placental macrophages and a pro-inflammatory profile in placentas and maternal serum in infants with a decreased growth rate in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Problem: There is growing evidence for the role of placental inflammation in the pathophysiology of pregnancy complications including fetal growth restriction (FGR). This study aimed to characterize the inflammatory profile in the maternal circulation and the placenta of infants who were growth restricted and those that were small for gestational age (SGA).

Method Of Study: Placental villous tissue and maternal serum were obtained from pregnancies where infants were SGA at birth or who had a decreasing growth rate (≥25 centiles) across the third trimester.

Current Issues in the Development of Foetal Growth References and Standards.

Purpose Of Review: This paper discusses the current issues in the development of foetal charts and is informed by a scoping review of studies constructing charts between 2012 and 2018.

Recent Findings: The scoping review of 20 articles revealed that there is still a lack of consensus on how foetal charts should be constructed and whether an international chart that can be applied across populations is feasible. Many of these charts are in clinical use today and directly affect the identification of at risk newborns that require treatment and nutritional strategies.