Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2021;43(5):347-350
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2021;43(5):351-356
Most prenatal screening programs for toxoplasmosis use immunoassays in serum samples of pregnant women. Few studies assess the accuracy of screening tests in dried blood spots, which are of easy collection, storage, and transportation. The goals of the present study are to determine the performance and evaluate the agreement between an immunoassay of dried blood spots and a reference test in the serum of pregnant women from a population-based prenatal screening program for toxoplasmosis in Brazil.
A cross-sectional study was performed to compare the immunoassays Imunoscreen Toxoplasmose IgM and Imunoscreen Toxoplasmose IgG (Mbiolog Diagnósticos, Ltda., Contagem, Minas Gerais, Brazil)in dried blood spots with the enzymelinked fluorescent assay (ELFA, BioMérieux S.A., Lyon, France) reference standard in the serum of pregnant women from Minas Gerais Congenital Toxoplasmosis Control Program.
The dried blood spot test was able to discriminate positive and negative results of pregnant women when comparedwith the reference test, with an accuracy of 98.2% for immunoglobulin G (IgG), and of 95.8% for immunoglobulin M (IgM).
Dried blood samples are easy to collect, store, and transport, and they have a good performance,making this a promisingmethod for prenatal toxoplasmosis screening programs in countries with continental dimensions, limited resources, and a high prevalence of toxoplasmosis, as is the case of Brazil.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2021;43(5):357-361
To study a sample of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients for their gynecological/obstetric history and compare them to controls to determine their influences on number of pregnancies, menarche, menopause and reproductive years following RA onset.
This is a cross-sectional study of 122 RA patients and 126 controls. Patients and controls were questioned about age of menarche, age of menopause, number of pregnancies and abortions. Reproductive years were calculated as the difference between age at menopause and age at menarche. For comparison, we used the Mann-Whitney, unpaired t, chi-squared, and Spearman tests. The adopted significance was 5%.
In the RA patients with disease beginning in the postmenopausal years, the period of reproductive years (age at menopause - age of menarche) showed a positive correlation with age at disease onset (rho=0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.20- 0.55 with p=0.0008). The number of pregnancies was higher in patients with postmenopausal disease onset when compared with those with premenopausal disease onset (median of 3 with interquartile range [IQR]=2-4 versus median of 2 with IQR=1-3; p=0.009), and RA patients had more pregnancies than controls (p=0.0002).
The present study shows that, in our population, the duration of reproductive years and the number of pregnancies are linked to the onset of RA.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2021;43(5):362-367
The aim of the present study is to explain the barriers to puberty talk between mothers and daughters.
In the present study, the conventional content analysis method was used. The present study was conducted from September 2018 to August 2019 in Iran. The study population consisted of mothers and adolescent girls. The data was collected using purposeful sampling method. The sample consisted of 4 mothers and 6 girls that were interviewed using semistructured interviews. Data collection continued until data saturation was achieved. Data analysis was conducted as described by Graneheimet al. using NVivo 11 software.
In the present study, after exploring the views of the participants about barriers to puberty talk between mothers and daughters, one dominant theme emerged. Puberty talk is seen as an “inappropriate talk with a girl.” There were several subthemes, including “lack of mother’s awareness regarding the school role, the busy schedule of the mother, and the adoption of alternatives to mother’s talk with girls”.
Different sociocultural factors affect puberty talk between mothers and adolescent girls. It is important thatmothers and policymakers take these barriers intoaccount.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2021;43(5):368-373
To evaluate the antitumoral role of γδ TDC cells and αβ TDC cells in an experimental model of breast cancer.
Thirty female Balb/c mice were divided into 2 groups: control group (n=15) and induced-4T1 group (n=15), in which the mice received 2 x 105 4T1 mammary tumor cell line. Following the 28-day experimental period, immune cells were collected from the spleen and analyzed by flow cytometry for comparison of αβ TDC (TCRαβ+ CD11c+MHCII+) and γδ TDC (TCRγδ+CD11c+MHCII+) cells regarding surface markers (CD4+ and C8+) and cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12 and IL-17).
A total of 26.53% of γδ TDC- control group (p<0.0001) - the proportion of αβ TDC was lower in splenic cells than γδ TDC; however, these 2 cell types were reduced in tumor conditions (p<0.0001), and the proportion of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12 and IL-17 cytokines produced by γδ TDC was higher than those produced by αβ TDC, but it decreased under conditions of tumor-related immune system response (p<0.0001).
Healthy mice engrafted with malignant cells 4T1 breast tumor presented TDC with γδ TCR repertoire. These cells express cytotoxic molecules of lymphocytes T, producing anti-tumor proinflammatory cytokines.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2021;43(5):374-376
To analyze effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumption of personal protective equipment and products (PPEP), as well as the frequency of surgical site infection (SSI) among non-COVID-19 patients submitted to cesarean sections.
A retrospective study was conducted in a maternity unity of a public teaching hospital which was not part of the reference service for COVID-19 treatment. It compared PPEP consumption and the occurrence of SSI after cesarean sections in monthly periods before and after the occurrence of the first case of COVID-19 in Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Personal protective equipment and products consumption was measured as units of masks, gloves, gowns, and caps, and use of alcohol-based products or soap for hand sanitation asml/patient/day. The SSI index was calculated as the proportion of cases of SSI over the number of cesarean sections performed monthly during the study period.
There was an increase in all measured items of PPEP, with consumption of disposable masks with a median of 1,450 units in the pre-COVID period, and of 2550 in the post-COVID period (a 75.9% increase). A decrease of 49% in SSI was detected, with a median of 1.74 in the pre-COVID period and of 0.89 in the post-COVID period.
The increase in consumption of PPEP could be a result of safer practices adopted by healthcare workers with the advent of COVID-19, of which the following reduction in the occurrence of SSI could be a direct consequence. Despite the severity of the crisis, one could state that extreme situations can lead to valuable reflections and opportunities for improvement.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2021;43(5):384-394
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), which usually leads to non-specific respiratory symptoms. Although pregnant women are considered at risk for respiratory infections by other viruses, such as SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), little is known about their vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, this study aims to identify and present the main studies on the topic, including the postpartum period.
In this narrative review, articles were searched in various databases, organizations, and health entities using keywords compatible with medical subject headings (MeSH), such as: COVID-19, pregnancy, vertical transmission, coronavirus 2019, and SARS-CoV-2.
The review of the scientific literature on the subject revealed that pregnant women with COVID-19 did not present clinical manifestations significantly different from those of non-pregnant women; however, there are contraindicated therapies. Regarding fetuses, studies were identified that reported that infection by SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women can cause fetal distress, breathing difficulties and premature birth, but there is no substantial evidence of vertical transmission.
Due to the lack of adequate information and the limitations of the analyzed studies, it is necessary to provide detailed clinical data on pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 and on the maternal-fetal repercussions caused by this infection. Thus, this review may contribute to expand the knowledge of professionals working in the area as well as to guide more advanced studies on the risk related to pregnant women and their newborns. Meanwhile, monitoring of confirmed or suspected pregnant women with COVID-19 is essential, including in the postpartum period.