The COVID-19 Pandemic Can Impact Perinatal Mental Health and the Health of the Offspring

The COVID-19 ongoing pandemic constitutes a major challenge for countries throughout the world due to the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 and devastating consequences in health. No one is free from COVID-19 impact. In this regard, pregnant women are not the exception. The COVID-19 outbreak represents a massive source of stressful agents for women and their babies during the perinatal period. The COVID-19 pandemic has been suggested to potentially have short- and long-term detrimental effects on pregnant women and the baby. These adverse consequences range from mental to medical diseases. During the last centuries, several dreadful and fatal incidents have put pregnant women and their babies at higher risk of mortality and health deterioration. For example, it has been informed that women exposed to the 1918 flu pandemic (commonly known as the Spanish flu) while pregnant showed higher rates of premature delivery in the short term. Long-term consequences have also been reported and individuals (both males and females) who were exposed to the 1918 flu pandemic while in utero had a higher risk of developing schizophrenia, diabetes, coronary heart disease or cancer throughout their lifespan.

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Perinatal COVID-19 Pandemic: Short- and Long-Term Impacts on the Health of Offspring

10.5772/intechopen.99022 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ana Nery Melo Cavalcante ◽

Ana Raquel Jucá Parente ◽

Rosa Lívia Freitas de Almeida ◽

Denise Nunes Oliveira ◽

Candice Torres de Melo Bezerra Cavalcante ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Low Risk ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Fetal Infection ◽

Neuropsychiatric Diseases ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

The Impact

Currently, the consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children of mothers affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during pregnancy are unknown. In addition to pregnancy risks, the impact of COVID-19 on the health of these children can occur in the short, medium, and long term. Initial data reveal a low risk of vertical transmission during the third trimester of pregnancy and through breastfeeding. However, despite this low risk, cases of neonatal COVID-19 have already been reported in the literature. Historically, other viral infections during pregnancy have been associated with an increased risk of neuropsychiatric diseases in the offspring of affected pregnant women, even in the absence of fetal infection. This study aimed to review the impact of viral infections on the offspring of mothers affected in the perinatal period and discuss and determine measures for the possible consequences of COVID-19 in the offspring of pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2.

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When a Neonate Is Born, So Is a Microbiota

Life ◽

10.3390/life11020148 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 148

Author(s):

Alessandra Coscia ◽

Flaminia Bardanzellu ◽

Elisa Caboni ◽

Vassilios Fanos ◽

Diego Giampietro Peroni

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Colonization ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Delivery Mode ◽

Fetal Life ◽

Assisted Reproduction Techniques ◽

Neonatal Nutrition ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Number Of Bacteria

In recent years, the role of human microbiota as a short- and long-term health promoter and modulator has been affirmed and progressively strengthened. In the course of one’s life, each subject is colonized by a great number of bacteria, which constitute its specific and individual microbiota. Human bacterial colonization starts during fetal life, in opposition to the previous paradigm of the “sterile womb”. Placenta, amniotic fluid, cord blood and fetal tissues each have their own specific microbiota, influenced by maternal health and habits and having a decisive influence on pregnancy outcome and offspring outcome. The maternal microbiota, especially that colonizing the genital system, starts to influence the outcome of pregnancy already before conception, modulating fertility and the success rate of fertilization, even in the case of assisted reproduction techniques. During the perinatal period, neonatal microbiota seems influenced by delivery mode, drug administration and many other conditions. Special attention must be reserved for early neonatal nutrition, because breastfeeding allows the transmission of a specific and unique lactobiome able to modulate and positively affect the neonatal gut microbiota. Our narrative review aims to investigate the currently identified pre- and peri-natal factors influencing neonatal microbiota, before conception, during pregnancy, pre- and post-delivery, since the early microbiota influences the whole life of each subject.

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COVID-19 Infection during Pregnancy: Risk of Vertical Transmission, Fetal, and Neonatal Outcomes

Journal of Personalized Medicine ◽

10.3390/jpm11060483 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 483

Author(s):

Marwa Saadaoui ◽

Manoj Kumar ◽

Souhaila Al Khodor

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Limited Data ◽

Pregnancy Risk ◽

Public Health Challenge ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Critical Public Health ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide, critical public health challenge and is considered one of the most communicable diseases that the world had faced so far. Response and symptoms associated with COVID-19 vary between the different cases recorded, but it is amply described that symptoms become more aggressive in subjects with a weaker immune system. This includes older subjects, patients with chronic diseases, patients with immunosuppression treatment, and pregnant women. Pregnant women are receiving more attention not only because of their altered physiological and immunological function but also for the potential risk of viral vertical transmission to the fetus or infant. However, very limited data about the impact of maternal infection during pregnancy, such as the possibility of vertical transmission in utero, during birth, or via breastfeeding, is available. Moreover, the impact of infection on the newborn in the short and long term remains poorly understood. Therefore, it is vital to collect and analyze data from pregnant women infected with COVID-19 to understand the viral pathophysiology during pregnancy and its effects on the offspring. In this article, we review the current knowledge about pre-and post-natal COVID-19 infection, and we discuss whether vertical transmission takes place in pregnant women infected with the virus and what are the current recommendations that pregnant women should follow in order to be protected from the virus.

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Clinical impact of sarcopenia assessment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing treatments

Journal of Gastroenterology ◽

10.1007/s00535-020-01711-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 55 (10) ◽

pp. 927-943 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Giovanni Marasco ◽

Matteo Serenari ◽

Matteo Renzulli ◽

Luigina Vanessa Alemanni ◽

Benedetta Rossini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Skeletal Muscle Mass ◽

Appropriate Treatment ◽

Risk Of Mortality ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Poor Outcomes ◽

And Function

Abstract Changes in body composition are associated with poor outcomes in cancer patients including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sarcopenia, defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass, quality and function, has been associated with a higher rate of complications and recurrences in patients with cirrhosis and HCC. The assessment of patient general status before HCC treatment, including the presence of sarcopenia, is a key-point for achieving therapy tolerability and to avoid short- and long-term complications leading to poor patients’ survival. Thus, we aimed to review the current literature evaluating the role of sarcopenia assessment related to HCC treatments and to critically provide the clinicians with the most recent and valuable evidence. As a result, sarcopenia can be predictive of poor outcomes in patients undergoing liver resection, transplantation and systemic therapies, offering the chance to clinicians to improve the muscular status of these patients, especially those with high-grade sarcopenia at high risk of mortality. Further studies are needed to clarify the predictive value of sarcopenia in other HCC treatment settings and to evaluate its role as an additional staging tool for identifying the most appropriate treatment. Besides, interventional studies aiming at increasing the skeletal muscle mass for reducing complications and increasing the survival in patients with HCC are needed.

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SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in neonatals: a literature review

10.5327/1516-3180.031 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sayd Douglas Rolim Carneiro Oliveira ◽

Carlos Jorge Maciel Uchoa Gadelha ◽

Dara da Silva Mesquita ◽

Tereza Cristina Ribeiro Brito

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Neurological Complications ◽

Premature Delivery ◽

Rapid Progression ◽

Exclusion Criteria ◽

Study Results ◽

Wide Range ◽

Rapid Spread

Introduction: With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and its rapid spread, a concern with the pregnant women have increased, since viruses have a wide range of obstetric and neonatal issues. Recent findings indicate that the gestational period and the postpartum period make mothers and their offspring more susceptible to COVID-19 and the rapid progression to the critical stage of the disease. Objectives: To carry out a bibliographic study on SARS-CoV- 2 during pregnancy and the potential risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in neonates. Methods: A review, developed from articles selected on the following bases: PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. In the search, articles indexed until March 2021 and published in English, using the descriptors: “COVID-19”; “Pregnancy”; “Offspring”; “Neonatal”; “Neurodevelopment”; “Anomalies” and “Complications”. Exclusion criteria: duplicates and articles outside the scope of the study. Results: The initial search resulted in 533 articles, 498 from PubMed, 2 from Web of Science and 33 from Scopus. After reading the title and abstract, the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the sample of 48 documents were included. In the studies, 89.0% of all patients had cesarean delivery (n = 201), 33.3% had gestational complications, 35.3% had premature delivery and about 2.5% were stillborn or had neonatal death. Among those tested, 6.45% of neonates diagnosed positive for COVID-19. In another study, the newborn showed neurological issues similar to the adult patients and transient neurological complications due to cerebral vasculitis. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that further investigations are needed to determine the potential for vertical intrauterine transmission in pregnant women with COVID-19 and possibles fetal and neonatal consequences.

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Short- and long-term reproducibility of the 1-h 50-g glucose challenge test

Clinical Chemistry ◽

10.1093/clinchem/42.2.255 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 255-257 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

G Phillipov

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Challenge Test ◽

Total Sample ◽

Oral Glucose ◽

True Value ◽

Glucose Challenge Test ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Glucose Challenge ◽

Short And Long Term

Abstract A study was undertaken to assess the short-term (intrapregnancy) and long-term (interpregnancy) variability of the 1-h 50-g oral glucose challenge test (GCT). Two groups of pregnant women had GCTs in consecutive pregnancies, 1 (n = 77) and 2 (n = 43) years apart. Their results were compared with published results for a group (n = 53) who had GCTs on consecutive days. Robust estimates of the mean error variance (sigma2 error = sigma2 within-individual + sigma2 analytical) were calculated on log10-transformed data and were for the three groups 0.003995, 0.002603, and 0.0026249 (mg/dL)2, respectively. There was no significant difference between the group variances, establishing that the short- and long-term reliability of the GCT is comparable. Sigma2 between-individuals was estimated from the GCT values for 2695 pregnant women tested during the same period and was the main component (67.1%) of the total sample variation (sigma2 between-individuals / sigma2 population). Estimates of the population mean, sigma2 between-individuals, and sigma2 error were used to compute the probability that an observed GCT value had a true value equal to or greater than the consensus threshold of 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL).

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Smoking cessation in pregnancy

Obstetric Medicine ◽

10.1258/om.2010.090059 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 90-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Renee Bittoun ◽

Giuseppe Femia

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Treatment Modality ◽

Low Dose ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Current Smoking ◽

Safety And Efficacy ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

In Pregnancy

Managing smoking cessation during pregnancy is vital to the wellbeing of the fetus and the mother. Women who continue to smoke during pregnancy expose the fetus to thousands of chemicals which have been shown to cause deleterious short- and long-term effects. Although a large majority of women cease smoking early in the pregnancy, many of them relapse following delivery. Following a review of current research, an overview of the safety and efficacy of smoking cessation treatments for pregnant women will be considered. Limited research has been performed in this field; however, it can be concluded that low-dose intermittent nicotine replacement therapy is a safe treatment modality for women who smoke during pregnancy. At present there has been no research on other current smoking cessation treatments; however, we will suggest techniques to improve cessation rates and strategies to reduce relapse.

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Menuju Evolusi Ibadah Kristen di Masa Pandemi Covid-19

Jurnal Teologi Berita Hidup ◽

10.38189/jtbh.v3i2.87 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 150-159

Author(s):

Irwan Widjaja ◽

Fredik Melkias Boiliu ◽

Didimus SB Prasetya ◽

Haposan Simanjuntak ◽

Vicky BGD Paat

Keyword(s):

Evaluation Method ◽

Religious Life ◽

Qualitative Approach ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Rapid Spread ◽

The World ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Evolution Of Religion ◽

Large Groups

The rapid spread of COVID-19 throughout the world is changing the way everyone lives in socializing; the environment most used for a living has rapidly shrunk into homes. Business, schools, and religious services all move quickly online. No one knows precisely how long these physical and social restrictions will last -or what are the short and long-term impacts on religious life? In standard times, the presence of religious adherents in houses of worship is used by sociologists as a condition of religiosity for every religious devotee. But how can religiosity be measured in a time when people are alone? And in a time when people are not allowed to meet in large groups or even leave their homes. What will the Religiosity of Religion look like in the future? And how will the coronavirus affect the religious practices of the Nusantara religions? This paper aims to provide a way forward for studying post-pandemic evolutionary religions that are significant in Indonesia. This study uses an evaluation method in a qualitative approach. The exploration into the evolution of human religiosity is often distorted by assumptions made about religion's nature. This review explores developments in the evolution of religion and provides critical evaluations of different theoretical positions. In general, scholars believe that religion is adaptive. In this set of ideas, theologians' evolutionary insight is not a threat but rather an essential clarification of cross-cultural religion's evolution.Penyebaran COVID-19 yang cepat ke seluruh dunia mengubah cara hidup setiap orang dalam bersosialisasi; lingkungan yang paling banyak digunakan untuk hidup telah dengan cepat menyusut menjadi rumah. Bisnis, sekolah, dan layanan keagamaan semuanya bergerak cepat secara online. Tidak ada yang tahu persis berapa lama pembatasan fisik dan sosial ini akan bertahan atau apa dampak jangka pendek dan jangka panjangnya terhadap kehidupan beragama. Pada zaman standar, kehadiran pemeluk agama di rumah ibadah dimanfaatkan para sosiolog sebagai syarat religiusitas setiap pemeluk agama. Tapi bagaimana religiusitas bisa diukur di saat orang sendirian? Dan di saat orang tidak diperbolehkan bertemu dalam kelompok besar atau bahkan meninggalkan rumah. Seperti apa Religiusitas Agama di masa depan? Dan bagaimana virus corona akan mempengaruhi praktik keagamaan agama-agama Nusantara? Makalah ini bertujuan untuk memberikan jalan ke depan untuk mempelajari agama-agama evolusioner pasca-pandemi yang signifikan di Indonesia. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kajian pustaka dan studi literature. Penjelajahan ke dalam evolusi religiusitas manusia sering kali terdistorsi oleh asumsi-asumsi yang dibuat tentang hakikat agama. Ulasan ini mengeksplorasi perkembangan dalam evolusi agama dan memberikan evaluasi kritis tentang posisi teoritis yang berbeda. Secara umum, para sarjana percaya bahwa agama itu adaptif. Dalam kumpulan gagasan ini, wawasan evolusioner para teolog bukanlah ancaman, melainkan klarifikasi esensial dari evolusi agama lintas budaya.

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Prevalence of maternal antenatal anxiety and its association with demographic and socioeconomic factors: A multicentre study in Italy

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/j.eurpsy.2020.82 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

Author(s):

L. Cena ◽

F. Mirabella ◽

G. Palumbo ◽

A. Gigantesco ◽

A. Trainini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Socioeconomic Factors ◽

Indirect Costs ◽

The State ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Early Evaluation ◽

History Of ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Antenatal Anxiety

Abstract Background. Maternal antenatal anxiety is very common, and despite its short- and long-term effects on both mothers and fetus outcomes, it has received less attention than it deserves in scientific research and clinical practice. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of state anxiety in the antenatal period, and to analyze its association with demographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods. A total of 1142 pregnant women from nine Italian healthcare centers were assessed through the state scale of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory and a clinical interview. Demographic and socioeconomic factors were also measured. Results. The prevalence of anxiety was 24.3% among pregnant women. There was a significantly higher risk of anxiety in pregnant women with low level of education (p < 0.01), who are jobless (p < 0.01), and who have economic problems (p < 0.01). Furthermore, pregnant women experience higher level of anxiety when they have not planned the pregnancy (p < 0.01), have a history of abortion (p < 0.05), and have children living at the time of the current pregnancy (p < 0.05). Conclusion. There exists a significant association between maternal antenatal anxiety and economic conditions. Early evaluation of socioeconomic status of pregnant women and their families in order to identify disadvantaged situations might reduce the prevalence of antenatal anxiety and its direct and indirect costs.

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