Publications by authors named "Zork N"

Aims: This study examined the association of gravida C-peptide with progeny islet function and insulin sensitivity in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Follow-up Study (HAPO FUS).

Methods: Pregnancy 3rd trimester oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), cord blood, and offspring OGTT glucose, C-peptide and insulin at age 10-14 years were analyzed for 4,121 mother-child dyads. Gravida fasting and 1-hour C-peptide concentration correlations with cord blood and childhood C-peptide, insulin, insulinogenic index and insulin sensitivity, and insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]), were assessed by multiple linear regression.

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Article Synopsis
  • Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common pregnancy complication, requiring glycaemic control to prevent negative outcomes for both the mother and baby, with about 25% needing medication like insulin or metformin.
  • A study will compare the effectiveness and safety of metformin versus insulin in a diverse group of 1572 pregnant individuals needing treatment, tracking their health and their children's health for two years.
  • Ethical approval has been obtained, and plans include publishing detailed results on the findings related to treatment experiences and safety outcomes.
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Objective: To estimate the association between maternal metformin use for the treatment of early gestational or pre-existing type 2 diabetes and preterm preeclampsia.

Methods: This is a planned secondary analysis of the MOMPOD study (Medical Optimization of Management of Overt Type 2 Diabetes in Pregnancy), a randomized trial comparing the effect of adding metformin with insulin treatment on composite neonatal outcome in singleton pregnancies with early gestational or type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomized at 11-23 weeks of gestation to 1,000 mg metformin twice daily or placebo until delivery.

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The coordinated biomechanical performance, such as uterine stretch and cervical barrier function, within maternal reproductive tissues facilitates healthy human pregnancy and birth. Quantifying normal biomechanical function and detecting potentially detrimental biomechanical dysfunction (e.g.

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Importance: Insulin is recommended for pregnant persons with preexisting type 2 diabetes or diabetes diagnosed early in pregnancy. The addition of metformin to insulin may improve neonatal outcomes.

Objective: To estimate the effect of metformin added to insulin for preexisting type 2 or diabetes diagnosed early in pregnancy on a composite adverse neonatal outcome.

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Although breastfeeding confers significant benefits to infants, women with diabetes in pregnancy experience unique nutrition and health challenges, which may influence infant feeding practice. This study aimed to determine the association between nutrition and exercise behaviors of women with diabetes in pregnancy and breastfeeding at birth and 6 months. A secondary data analysis of a longitudinal study on maternal pregestational diabetes mellitus (DM) and gestational diabetes (GDM) and infant development was conducted.

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Objective: Antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) administration is standard practice for pregnant individuals delivering in the late preterm period, though no guidelines are in place for those with diabetes. This study aims to characterize the prevalence of neonatal hypoglycemia after ACS administration in pregnant individuals with diabetes delivering in the late preterm period.

Study Design: This is a retrospective, single-center, case-control study of individuals with diabetes who delivered between 34 and 36 weeks' gestation at a large academic medical center from 2016 to 2021.

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Importance: Associations between prenatal SARS-CoV-2 exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes have substantial public health relevance. A previous study found no association between prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection and parent-reported infant neurodevelopmental outcomes, but standardized observational assessments are needed to confirm this finding.

Objective: To assess whether mild or asymptomatic maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection vs no infection during pregnancy is associated with infant neurodevelopmental differences at ages 5 to 11 months.

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Aim: The objective of the parent study was to examine attitudes and experiences regarding counselling about preconception care among Black and/or Latina women in the United States with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Here, we present emergent findings from a secondary analysis of caregiving.

Methods: In this qualitative descriptive study, we used conventional content analysis to identify themes from semi-structured interviews with 32 Black and/or Latina women ages 18-40 who have T2DM in the United States recruited from online platforms and snowball sampling.

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Background: Pregestational diabetes mellitus and its associated risks may be increasing in the obstetrical population.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the trends in delivery hospitalizations with pregestational diabetes mellitus, the prevalence of chronic diabetes complications, and the risk for adverse outcomes.

Study Design: This repeated, cross-sectional study used the United States National Inpatient Sample to identify delivery hospitalizations with pregestational diabetes mellitus between 2000 and 2019.

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Purpose Of Review: Telehealth initiatives are becoming ubiquitous in clinical practice and can be a useful tool in the management of diabetes in pregnancy. The purpose of this review is to summarize new techniques in telemedicine delivery and offer details on how to leverage telehealth in delivering care to pregnant women with diabetes.

Recent Findings: Using mobile phone technology to collect glucose values in women with gestational diabetes has been found to be beneficial by increasing the amount of glucose data available for interpretation.

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Importance: Associations between in utero exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection and neurodevelopment are speculated, but currently unknown.

Objective: To examine the associations between maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, being born during the COVID-19 pandemic regardless of maternal SARS-CoV-2 status, and neurodevelopment at age 6 months.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A cohort of infants exposed to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and unexposed controls was enrolled in the COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes Initiative at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City.

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Objective: To review obstetric personnel absences at a hospital during the initial peak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection risk in New York City from March 25 to April 21, 2020.

Study Design: This retrospective study evaluated absences at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. Clinical absences for (1) Columbia University ultrasonographers, (2) inpatient nurses, (3) labor and delivery operating room (OR) technicians, (4) inpatient obstetric nurse assistants, and (5) attending physicians providing inpatient obstetric services were analyzed.

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During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, infection prevention and control (IP&C) for women in labor and mothers and newborns during delivery and receiving post-partum care was quite challenging for staff, patients, and support persons due to a relative lack of evidence-based practices, high rates of community transmission, and shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE). We present our IP&C policies and procedures for the obstetrical population developed from mid-March to mid-May 2020 when New York City served as the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S.

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When New York City became the international epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth at Columbia University Irving Medical Center was expanded in the inpatient and outpatient settings. The goals of telehealth during the pandemic were to maintain patient access to care while reducing the risk for COVID-19 exposure for patients and staff. Recommendations are made on how telehealth can be implemented and utilized to accomplish these goals.

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Objective: To describe inpatient management strategies and considerations for pregnant patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

Findings: The novel coronavirus has posed challenges to both obstetric patients and the staff caring for them, due to its variable presentation and current limited knowledge about the disease. Inpatient antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum management can be informed by risk stratification, severity of disease, and gestational age.

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The novel coronavirus disease 2019 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has become a pandemic. It has quickly swept across the globe, leaving many clinicians to care for infected patients with limited information about the disease and best practices for care. Our goal is to share our experiences of caring for pregnant and postpartum women with novel coronavirus disease 2019 in New York, which is the coronavirus disease 2019 epicenter in the United States, and review current guidelines.

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In the spring of 2020, expeditious changes to obstetric care were required in New York as cases of COVID-19 increased and pandemic panic ensued. A reduction of in-person office visits was planned with provider appointments scheduled to coincide with routine maternal blood tests and obstetric ultrasounds. Dating scans were combined with nuchal translucency assessments to reduce outpatient ultrasound visits.

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Background: Women with twin pregnancies and a dilated cervix in the second trimester are at increased risk of pregnancy loss and early preterm birth; there is currently no proven therapy to prevent preterm birth in this group of women.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether physical examination-indicated cerclage reduces the incidence of preterm birth in women with a diagnosis of twin pregnancies and asymptomatic cervical dilation before 24 weeks of gestation.

Study Design: Multicenter, parallel group, open-label, randomized controlled trial of women with twin pregnancies and asymptomatic cervical dilation of 1 to 5 cm between 16 weeks 0/7 days of gestation and 23 weeks 6/7 days of gestation were enrolled from July 2015 to July 2019 in 8 centers.

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Objective: This study aimed to (1) determine to what degree prenatal care was able to be transitioned to telehealth at prenatal practices associated with two affiliated hospitals in New York City during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and (2) describe providers' experience with this transition.

Study Design: Trends in whether prenatal care visits were conducted in-person or via telehealth were analyzed by week for a 5-week period from March 9 to April 12 at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)-affiliated prenatal practices in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visits were analyzed for maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) and general obstetrical faculty practices, as well as a clinic system serving patients with public insurance.

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Objective: To characterize symptoms and disease severity among pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, along with laboratory findings, imaging, and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Pregnant women with COVID-19 infection were identified at two affiliated hospitals in New York City from March 13 to April 19, 2020, for this case series study. Women were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection based on either universal testing on admission or testing because of COVID-19-related symptoms.

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As New York City became an international epicenter of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telehealth was rapidly integrated into prenatal care at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, an academic hospital system in Manhattan. Goals of implementation were to consolidate in-person prenatal screening, surveillance, and examinations into fewer in-person visits while maintaining patient access to ongoing antenatal care and subspecialty consultations via telehealth virtual visits. The rationale for this change was to minimize patient travel and thus risk for COVID-19 exposure.

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Novel coronavirus disease 2019 is rapidly spreading throughout the New York metropolitan area since its first reported case on March 1, 2020. The state is now the epicenter of coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in the United States, with 84,735 cases reported as of April 2, 2020. We previously presented an early case series with 7 coronavirus disease 2019-positive pregnant patients, 2 of whom were diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 after an initial asymptomatic presentation.

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Background: Gluten avoidance among patients without celiac disease has become increasingly popular, especially among young and female demographics; however, no research has explored gluten avoidance during pregnancy, when nutrition is particularly important.

Aims: To determine whether avoiding gluten in pregnancy is associated with any medical, obstetric, or neonatal characteristics.

Methods: In this single-center retrospective cohort study, we identified women with singleton pregnancies who avoid gluten based on antenatal intake questionnaire responses and inpatient dietary orders, excluding those with celiac disease.

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