by Alexander Amone, Grace Gabagaya, Priscilla Wavamunno, Gordon Rukundo, Joyce Namale-Matovu, Samuel S. Malamba, Irene Lubega, Jaco Homsy, Rachel King, Clemensia Nakabiito, Zikulah Namukwaya, Mary Glenn Fowler, Philippa Musoke Introduction Despite the scale-up of Option B+, long-term retention of women in HIV care during pregnancy and the postpartum period remains an important challenge. We compared adherence to clinic appointments and antiretroviral therapy (ART) at 6 weeks, 6, and and 24 months postpartum among pregnant women living with HIV and initiating Option B+. Women were randomized to ..read more

by Mohammad S. Razai, Rania Mansour, Pahalavi Ravindran, Samuel Freeman, Charlotte Mason-Apps, Joan Morris, Azeem Majeed, Michael Ussher, Sally Hargreaves, Pippa Oakeshott Introduction Vaccination during pregnancy protects both the mother and the foetus from vaccine-preventable diseases. However, uptake of the recommended vaccines (influenza, pertussis, COVID-19) by pregnant women remains low in Europe and the USA. Understanding the reasons for this is crucial to inform strategies to increase vaccination rates in pregnant women. This qualitative systematic review aimed to identify the barriers ..read more

by Thomas J. Nichting, Zoé A. van Lier, Chantelle de Vet, Myrthe van der Ven, Daisy A. A. van der Woude, Sally A. Clur, Noortje H. M. van Oostrum, S. Guid Oei, Judith O. E. H. van Laar Background Fetal two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) is an emerging technique for assessing fetal cardiac function by measuring global longitudinal strain. Alterations in global longitudinal strain may serve as early indicator of pregnancy complications, making 2D-STE a potentially valuable tool for early detection. Early detection can facilitate timely interventions to reduce fetal and ma ..read more

by Nawrah Khader, Virlana M. Shchuka, Anna Dorogin, Oksana Shynlova, Jennifer A. Mitchell The uterine muscular layer, or myometrium, undergoes profound changes in global gene expression during its progression from a quiescent state during pregnancy to a contractile state at the onset of labor. In this study, we investigate the role of SOX family transcription factors in myometrial cells and provide evidence for the role of SOX4 in regulating labor-associated genes. We show that Sox4 has elevated expression in the murine myometrium during a term laboring process and in two mouse models of prete ..read more

by Nisha Jacob, Brian Rice, Alexa Heekes, Leigh F. Johnson, Samantha Brinkmann, Tendesayi Kufa, Andrew Boulle Background Accurate measurement of antenatal antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage in pregnancy is imperative in tracking progress towards elimination of vertical HIV transmission. In the Western Cape, South Africa, public-sector individual-level routine data are consolidated from multiple sources, enabling the description of temporal changes in population-wide antenatal antiretroviral coverage. We evaluated the validity of different methods for measuring ART coverage among pregnant ..read more

by Kristine Schmitz, Manuel E. Jimenez, Hope Corman, Kelly Noonan, Nancy E. Reichman Objective To investigate associations between postpartum depression in fathers and children’s behaviors at age 5 in a national high-risk U.S. sample. Study design A secondary data analysis of 1,796 children in a national birth cohort study that oversampled non-marital births was conducted. Paternal depression was assessed 1 year after the child was born and children’s behaviors were assessed by their primary caregivers when the children were 5 years old. Unadjusted and adjusted negative binomial regression mod ..read more

by Mihret Getnet, Wullo Sisay Sisay, Adugnaw Zeleke Alem Background Overweight/obesity is one of the major public health problems that affect both developed and developing nations. The co-occurrence of overweight/obesity and anemia is thought to be largely preventable if detected early. To date, no spatial analyses have been performed to identify areas of hotspots for the co-occurrence of overweight/obesity and anemia among reproductive women in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the spatial distribution and associated factors of the co-occurrence of overweight/obesity a ..read more

by Taco J. Prins, Aung Myat Min, Mary E. Gilder, Nay Win Tun, Janneke Schepens, Kathryn McGregor, Verena I. Carrara, Jacher Wiladphaingern, Mu Koh Paw, Eh Moo, Julie A. Simpson, Chaisiri Angkurawaranon, Marcus J. Rijken, Michele van Vugt, François Nosten, Rose McGready Background In low- and middle-income countries twin births have a high risk of complications partly due to barriers to accessing hospital care. This study compares pregnancy outcomes, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality of twin to singleton pregnancy in refugee and migrant clinics on the Thai Myanmar border. Methods A ..read more

by Feleke Hailemichael Astawesegn, Haider Mannan, Virginia Stulz, Elizabeth Conroy Background Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV service is conceptualized as a series of cascades that begins with all pregnant women and ends with the detection of a final HIV status in HIV-exposed infants (HEIs). A low rate of cascade completion by mothers’ results in an increased risk of HIV transmission to their infants. Therefore, this review aimed to understand the uptake and determinants of key PMTCT services cascades in East Africa. Methods We searched CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus ..read more

by Hannah van der Woude, Khoi Phan, Diane N. Kenwright, Louise Goossens, Kathryn Elizabeth Hally, Margaret Jane Currie, John Kokkinos, George Sharbeen, Phoebe A. Phillips, Claire Elizabeth Henry Incidence of endometrial cancer (EC) is rising in the developed world. The current standard of care, hysterectomy, is often infeasible for younger patients and those with high body mass index. There are limited non-surgical treatment options and a lack of biologically relevant research models to investigate novel alternatives to surgery for EC. The aim of the present study was to develop a long-term, p ..read more