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.

Test Weight Validation in Preterm Infants.

Accuracy in the assessment of feed intake is important for preterm infants at risk of growth failure. Clinical observation tools are unvalidated in this population, and test weight measurement may be inaccurate in preterm infants taking small feed volumes. Test weights were performed to assess agreement between weights using a standardized protocol and a feed of known weight in preterm infants (born at <35 weeks gestational age [GA]) during their transition to oral feeding.

A prospective study of antenatal anxiety and depression in pregnant women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Background: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) experience higher rates of depression and anxiety. There is limited research relating to perinatal mental health in women with PCOS. Studies suggest PCOS is associated with a higher prevalence of perinatal mental health disorders.

Exploring patient involvement in obstetrics and gynaecology education for medical students: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: It is important to incorporate the patient perspective into healthcare education, as we know that patients are experts in their own conditions. The expertise gained through lived experience serves to complement the theoretical knowledge that healthcare educators can provide. This scoping review aims to explore patient involvement in medical education within obstetrics and gynaecology, a specialty that can provide unique challenges and complexities to patient involvement due to its potentially highly sensitive and intimate nature.

Delivery room dextrose gel for preterm hypoglycaemia (the GEHPPI study): a randomised placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: Early hypoglycaemia at the time of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission is common in very/extreme preterm infants. This study aimed to determine whether buccal dextrose gel in the delivery room (DR) would improve rates of early hypoglycaemia in this population.

Design: Randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Causes and Terminology in Neonatal Encephalopathy: What is in a Name? Neonatal Encephalopathy, Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy or Perinatal Asphyxia.

Neurologic depression in term/near-term neonates (neonatal encephalopathy, NE) is uncommon with modern obstetric care. Asphyxial birth, with or without co-factors, accounts for a minority of NE, while maldevelopment (congenital malformations, growth aberrations, genetic, metabolic and placental abnormalities) plays an enlarging role in identifying etiologic subgroups of NE. The terms NE and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) have not been employed uniformly, hampering research and clinical care.

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.

Clinical assessment of breastfeeding in preterm infants.

Breastmilk confers empirical benefits for preterm infants, however direct breastfeeding rates in this population remain low. For preterm infants, it may be useful to assess the volume of breastmilk transferred from mother to baby when breastfeeding, particularly during transition to oral feeding when breastfeeding attrition is high. Establishing breastfeeding in preterm infants is complex and without knowledge of milk intake during breastfeeds there is risk of inaccurate feed supplementation with subsequent effects on growth and nutrition.

Bronchiolitis: evidence-based management in high-risk infants in the intensive care setting.

Aim: Systematically review the management of infants with severe bronchiolitis in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) setting with a focus on high-risk infants to identify gaps in evidence-based knowledge.

Methods: This systematic review utilised Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) to examine the literature on the PICU management of bronchiolitis in infants <24 months old. Three databases, Embase, PubMed and Medline, were searched and higher levels of evidence I, II and III were included.

Consensus definition and diagnostic criteria for neonatal encephalopathy-study protocol for a real-time modified delphi study.

Background: 'Neonatal encephalopathy' (NE) describes a group of conditions in term infants presenting in the earliest days after birth with disturbed neurological function of cerebral origin. NE is aetiologically heterogenous; one cause is peripartum hypoxic ischaemia. Lack of uniformity in the terminology used to describe NE and its diagnostic criteria creates difficulty in the design and interpretation of research and complicates communication with families.

Advanced optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy for comprehensive characterization of microplastics from intravenous fluid delivery systems.

Growing attention is being directed towards exploring the potential harmful effects of microplastic (MP) particles on human health. Previous reports on human exposure to MPs have primarily focused on inhalation, ingestion, transdermal routes, and, potentially, transplacental transfer. The intravenous transfer of MP particles in routine healthcare settings has received limited exploration in existing literature.

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.

Perinatal and neonatal outcomes of high-risk asymptomatic women from a specialist preterm birth surveillance clinic.

Objectives: To report the perinatal outcomes of high-risk asymptomatic women who attended a specialist preterm surveillance clinic (PSC) to undergo screening for spontaneous preterm birth (PTB) in Ireland.

Methods: Single center, retrospective cohort study of asymptomatic high risk women who attended the PSC between January 2019 and December 2022. A comprehensive database of all patients who attended the clinic during the study period was constructed and analyzed.

Performance of QUiPP App v.2 tool for prediction of preterm birth in asymptomatic high-risk women attending preterm specialist clinic: external validation study.

Objective: To validate externally the QUiPP App v.2 algorithms in an independent cohort of high-risk asymptomatic women attending a preterm birth (PTB) surveillance clinic in Ireland.

Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center, observational study assessing discrimination and calibration of the QUiPP App v.

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.

Evaluation of the 'Sip Til Send' regimen before elective caesarean delivery using bedside gastric ultrasound: A paired cohort pragmatic study.

Background: Pre-operative fasting is routinely advocated to avoid pulmonary aspiration. The European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) recommends a fasting period of 2 h for liquids before surgery. Liberal drinking policies such as the 'Sip Til Send' are a suggested alternative to maintain hydration before surgery.

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.

Innate immune dysregulation in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

MIS-C is a systemic inflammation disorder with poorly characterised immunopathological mechanisms. We compared changes in the systemic immune response in children with MIS-C (n = 12, 5-13 years) to healthy controls (n = 14, 5-15 years). Analysis was done in whole blood treated with LPS.

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.