The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy is 2-10% and is associated with both maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes as pyelonephritis and preterm delivery. Antibiotic treatment ...is reported to decrease these adverse outcomes although the existing evidence is of poor quality.
We plan a combined screen and treat study in women with a singleton pregnancy. We will screen women between 16 and 22 weeks of gestation for ASB using the urine dipslide technique. The dipslide is considered positive when colony concentration ≥105 colony forming units (CFU)/mL of a single microorganism or two different colonies but one ≥105 CFU/mL is found, or when Group B Streptococcus bacteriuria is found in any colony concentration. Women with a positive dipslide will be randomly allocated to receive nitrofurantoin or placebo 100 mg twice a day for 5 consecutive days (double blind). Primary outcomes of this trial are maternal pyelonephritis and/or preterm delivery before 34 weeks. Secondary outcomes are neonatal and maternal morbidity, neonatal weight, time to delivery, preterm delivery rate before 32 and 37 weeks, days of admission in neonatal intensive care unit, maternal admission days and costs.
This trial will provide evidence for the benefit and cost-effectiveness of dipslide screening for ASB among low risk women at 16-22 weeks of pregnancy and subsequent nitrofurantoin treatment.
Dutch trial registry: NTR-3068.
Purpose
Between 0.1—3% of injured children who present at a hospital emergency department ultimately die as a result of their injuries. These events are typically reported as unnatural causes of ...death and may result from either accidental or non-accidental trauma (NAT). Examples of the latter include trauma that is inflicted directly or resulting from neglect. Although consultation with a forensic physician is mandatory for all deceased children, the prevalence of fatal inflicted trauma or neglect among children is currently unclear.
Methods
This is a retrospective study that included children (0–18 years) who presented and died at one of the 11 Level I trauma centers in the Netherlands between January 1, 2014, and January 1, 2019. Outcomes were classified based on the conclusions of the Child Abuse and Neglect team or those of forensic pathologists and/or the court in cases referred for legally mandated autopsies. Cases in which conclusions were unavailable and there was no clear accidental cause of death were reviewed by an expert panel.
Results
The study included 175 cases of childhood death. Seventeen (9.7%) of these children died due to inflicted trauma (9.7%), 18 (10.3%) due to neglect, and 140 (80%) due to accidents. Preschool children (< 5 years old) were significantly more likely to present with injuries due to inflicted trauma and neglect compared to older children (44%
versus
6%,
p
< 0.001, odds ratio OR 5.80, 95% confidence interval CI 2.66–12.65). Drowning accounted for 14 of the 18 (78%) pediatric deaths due to neglect, representing 8% of the total cases. Postmortem radiological studies and autopsies were performed on 37 (21%) of all cases of childhood death.
Conclusion
One of every five pediatric deaths in our nationwide Level I trauma center study was attributed to NAT; 44% of these deaths were the result of trauma experienced by preschool-aged children. A remarkable number of fatal drownings were due to neglect. Postmortem radiological studies and autopsies were performed in only one-fifth of all deceased children. The limited use of postmortem investigations may have resulted in missed cases of NAT, which will result in an overall underestimation of fatal NAT experienced by children.
Abstract INTRODUCTION The established link between DNA methylation and pathophysiology of dementia, along with its potential role as a molecular mediator of lifestyle and environmental influences, ...positions blood‐derived DNA methylation as a promising tool for early dementia risk detection. METHODS In conjunction with an extensive array of machine learning techniques, we employed whole blood genome‐wide DNA methylation data as a surrogate for 14 modifiable and non‐modifiable factors in the assessment of dementia risk in independent dementia cohorts. RESULTS We established a multivariate methylation risk score (MMRS) for identifying mild cognitive impairment cross‐sectionally, independent of age and sex ( P = 2.0 × 10 −3 ). This score significantly predicted the prospective development of cognitive impairments in independent studies of Alzheimer's disease (hazard ratio for Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)‐Learning = 2.47) and Parkinson's disease (hazard ratio for MCI/dementia = 2.59). DISCUSSION Our work shows the potential of employing blood‐derived DNA methylation data in the assessment of dementia risk. Highlights We used whole blood DNA methylation as a surrogate for 14 dementia risk factors. Created a multivariate methylation risk score for predicting cognitive impairment. Emphasized the role of machine learning and omics data in predicting dementia. The score predicts cognitive impairment development at the population level.
The clinical and endocrine effects of progestogen therapy in early pregnancy were investigated using a double-blind randomized trial in 64 patients who had a viable fetus at 6 weeks gestation and had ...an increased risk of miscarriage. The patients were randomly allocated to receive either 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate or a placebo between 7 and 12 weeks gestation. Four fetal ultrasonographic variables and 17 maternal endocrine variables were studied in each woman. Only four maternal serum variables (17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, prolactin, thyroxin and thyroxin binding globulin) rose significantly. The serum progesterone levels in the hormone supplemented group were on average 20% higher than in the placebo group but the difference was not statistically significant. However, the relation between the progesterone levels and the fetal outcome was not clear. Therefore it is not advisable to prescribe 17-OHP-C during early pregnancy to prevent a miscarriage.
A 66-year-old woman presented with autoimmune hemolytic anemia of the cold antibody type as one of the first symptoms of a non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) localized primarily in the uterine cervix. ...Cold-reacting autoantibody-mediated hemolytic anemia is a rare complication of NHL. Its occurrence as one of the presenting symptoms of NHL is even more unusual. The incidence of a primary malignant lymphoma in the genital tract is low. The combination of these phenomena in one patient make this case unique in the English literature.
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