Publications by authors named "V Eckert"
To investigate COVID-19 surveillance among pregnant women, the California Genetic Disease Screening Program conducted a screening performance and seroprevalence evaluation of maternal SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detected in banked newborn dried blood spots (DBS). We obtained seropositive results for 2890 newborn DBS from cohorts in 2020 and 2021 using Enable Bioscience's Antibody Detection by Agglutination-PCR (ADAP) assay for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. To infer maternal infection, we linked 312 women with a known laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 episode with their newborn's DBS SARS-CoV02 antibody result.
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- During the Zika Virus Response by the CDC, birth defects surveillance was adapted to track issues potentially linked to Zika virus infections in pregnant women from January 2016 to June 2017 across 22 U.S. states and territories.
- Researchers categorized areas by their level of Zika transmission and calculated the prevalence of brain and eye defects per 10,000 live births, finding significant increases in areas with widespread transmission.
- Nine specific birth defects showed notably higher prevalence in regions with extensive Zika spread, particularly intracranial calcifications and chorioretinal abnormalities, suggesting that ongoing monitoring of certain defects could be beneficial.
Article Synopsis
- Anorectal malformations can vary widely, and researchers created a minimally invasive method called percutaneous anorectoplasty (PARP) for repairing certain types of these lesions.
- A study analyzed 10 patients who underwent the PARP procedure between 2008 and 2021, with most procedures using imaging techniques like ultrasound, and found high satisfaction rates regarding continence and functionality post-surgery.
- The PARP technique is particularly effective for boys with perineal fistulae and works well for patients without fistulae, with the choice of imaging guidance tailored to the individual anatomy of the lesions.