Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Maternal Viral Load Monitoring: Coverage And Clinical Action At 4 Kenyan Hospitals., Matthew Sandbulte, Melinda Brown, Catherine Wexler, May Maloba, Brad Gautney, Kathy Goggin, Elizabeth Muchoki, Shadrack Babu, Nicodemus Maosa, Sarah Finocchario-Kessler

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Kenya's guidelines for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) recommend routine viral load (VL) monitoring for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

METHOD: We assessed PMTCT VL monitoring and clinical action occurring between last menstrual period (LMP) and 6 months postpartum at 4 Kenyan government hospitals. Pregnant women enrolled in the HIV Infant Tracking System from May 2016-March 2018 were included. We computed proportions who received VL testing within recommended timeframes and who received clinical action after unsuppressed VL result.

RESULTS: Of 424 participants, any VL testing was documented for 305 (72%) women and repeat VL testing was documented for …

High Report Of Miscarriage Among Women Living With Hiv Who Want To Conceive In Uganda., Sarah Finocchario-Kessler, Kathy Goggin, Vincent S. Staggs, Rhoda K. Wanyenze, Jolly Beyeza-Kashesya, Deborah Mindry, Josephine Birungi, Glenn J Wagner

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: Data on early miscarriage incidence is limited due to various social and methodological barriers. We report on 24-month pregnancy outcomes of 299 female Ugandan HIV clients in committed relationships with an intention to conceive. Miscarriage data are reported as auxiliary findings to a larger study (5R01HD072633).

RESULTS: 127 (42%) participants reported a pregnancy during the study; among the remaining 172, 82 indicated they stopped trying to conceive, and 16 dropped out prior to month 24. Of the 127 pregnancies, 55 (43%) resulted in live births, 67 (53%) in spontaneous miscarriage, 1 (< 1%) in stillbirth, 1 (< 1%) in abortion, and 3 (2%) in unknown outcomes. Three-quarters (75%) of miscarriages for which time until miscarriage was available were reported to occur in the first trimester (mean = 11.3 weeks gestation). The 67 participants who reported a miscarriage tended to be older (mean 33 vs. 30 years), but the significance of age did not persist after adjusting for multiple tests. We observed relatively low rates of pregnancy and high rates of miscarriage among this cohort of HIV-positive women wanting to conceive. Rigorously designed studies are needed to better understand the observed high rate of early miscarriage among HIV-infected women.

Utilization Of Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission (Pmtct) Services Among Pregnant Women In Hiv Care In Uganda: A 24-Month Cohort Of Women From Pre-Conception To Post-Delivery., Rhoda K Wanyenze, Kathy Goggin, Sarah Finocchario-Kessler, Jolly Beyeza-Kashesya, Deborah Mindry, Josephine Birungi, Mahlet Woldetsadik, Glenn J Wagner

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the uptake of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services in a cohort of HIV infected women in care at The AIDS Support Organization Jinja and Kampala in Uganda, who were trying to conceive, over a period of 24 months, to inform the strengthening of PMTCT service access for women in care.

RESULTS: Of the 299 women 127 (42.5%) reported at least one pregnancy within 24 months; 61 women (48.0%) delivered a live child. Of the 55 who had a live birth at the first pregnancy, 54 (98.2%) used antenatal care (ANC) starting at 15.5 weeks of gestation …

Surrogate Pregnancy After Prenatal Diagnosis Of Spina Bifida., Lynnette J. Mazur, Mary Kay Kisthardt, Helen H. Kim, Laura M. Rosas, John Lantos

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Some pregnancies today involve infertile individuals or couples who contract with a fertile woman to carry a pregnancy for them. The woman who carries the pregnancy is referred to as a "gestational carrier." The use of such arrangements is increasing. Most of the time, these arrangements play out as planned; sometimes, however, problems arise. This article discusses a case in which a fetal diagnosis of spina bifida led the infertile couple to request that the gestational carrier terminate the pregnancy, and the gestational carrier did not wish to do so. Experts in the medical and legal issues surrounding surrogacy discuss …

Toward Earlier Inclusion Of Pregnant And Postpartum Women In Tuberculosis Drug Trials: Consensus Statements From An International Expert Panel., Amita Gupta, Jyoti S. Mathad, Susan M. Abdel-Rahman, Jessica D. Albano, Radu Botgros, Vikki Brown, Renee S. Browning, Liza Dawson, Kelly E. Dooley, Devasena Gnanashanmugam, Beatriz Grinsztejn, Sonia Hernandez-Diaz, Patrick Jean-Philippe, Peter Kim, Anne D. Lyerly, Mark Mirochnick, Lynne M. Mofenson, Grace Montepiedra, Jeanna Piper, Leyla Sahin, Radojka Savic, Betsy Smith, Hans Spiegel, Soumya Swaminathan, D Heather Watts, Amina White

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Tuberculosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women of childbearing age (15-44 years). Despite increased tuberculosis risk during pregnancy, optimal clinical treatment remains unclear: safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic data for many tuberculosis drugs are lacking, and trials of promising new tuberculosis drugs exclude pregnant women. To advance inclusion of pregnant and postpartum women in tuberculosis drug trials, the US National Institutes of Health convened an international expert panel. Discussions generated consensus statements (>75% agreement among panelists) identifying high-priority research areas during pregnancy, including: (1) preventing progression of latent tuberculosis infection, especially in women coinfected with human …

Multi-Level Correlates Of Safer Conception Methods Awareness And Attitudes Among Ugandan Hiv Clients With Fertility Intentions., Glenn J. Wagner, Mahlet A. Woldetsadik, Jolly Beyeza-Kashesya, Kathy Goggin, Deborah Mindry, Sarah Finocchario-Kessler, Sarah Khanakwa, Rhoda K. Wanyenze

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Many people living with HIV desire childbearing, but low cost safer conception methods (SCM) such as timed unprotected intercourse (TUI) and manual self-insemination (MSI) are rarely used. We examined awareness and attitudes towards SCM, and the correlates of these constructs among 400 HIV clients with fertility intentions in Uganda. Measures included awareness, self-efficacy, and motivation regarding SCM, as well as demographics, health management, partner and provider characteristics. Just over half knew that MSI (53%) and TUI (51%) reduced transmission risk during conception, and 15% knew of sperm washing and pre-exposure prophylaxis. In separate regression models for SCM awareness, motivation, and …

Down-Regulation Of Placental Neuropilin-1 In Fetal Growth Restriction., Dev Maulik, Alok De, Louis Ragolia, Jodi Evans, Dmitry Grigoryev, Kamani Lankachandra, David Mundy, Jolene Muscat, Mary M. Gerkovich, Shui Qing Ye

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is associated with adverse outcomes extending from fetal to adult life, and thus, constitutes a major health care challenge. Fetuses with progressive growth restriction show increasing impedance in the umbilical artery flow, which may become absent during end-diastole. Absent end-diastolic flow (AEDF) is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes including stillbirths and perinatal asphyxia. Placentas from such pregnancies demonstrate deficient fetoplacental vascular branching. Current evidence, moreover, indicates an antiangiogenic state in maternal circulation in several pregnancy complications including preeclampsia, small-for-gestational-age births, fetal death, and preterm labor. The angiogenic mediators in maternal circulation are predominantly of placental …

Factors Associated With Interest In Same-Day Contraception Initiation Among Females In The Pediatric Emergency Department., Melissa K. Miller, Kimberly A. Randell, Romina Barral, Ashley K. Sherman, Elizabeth Miller

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

PURPOSE: The purposes were to describe interest in hormonal contraception initiation among female adolescent in the emergency department (ED) and to assess for associations with factors known to increase pregnancy risk such as violence victimization.

METHODS: We used a computerized survey to assess sexual and dating practices, pregnancy history/likelihood, contraception use (including long-acting reversible contraception [LARC]) and concerns, contraception initiation interest, violence victimization, medical utilization, and demographics among sexually experienced females aged 14-19 years in our ED. The primary outcome was interest in contraception initiation. We compared responses between subgroups using the chi-square test.

RESULTS: A total of 168 adolescents …

Tough Decisions For Premature Triplets., Ashley Hurst, Scott And Emily (Parents), Brooke D. Vergales, Alix Paget-Brown, Mark Mercurio, John Lantos

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

When infants are born at the borderline of viability, doctors and parents have to make tough decisions about whether to institute intensive care or provide only palliative care. Often, these decisions are made in moments of profound emotional turmoil, and parents receive different information from different health professionals. Communication can become garbled. It may be difficult to tell when and whether the patient's clinical condition has changed enough so that certain choices that had once been permissible become impermissible. In this "Ethics Rounds," we present a case of triplets born at the borderline of viability. We sought comments from the …

Contraceptive Provision To Adolescent Females Prescribed Teratogenic Medications., Stephani L. Stancil, Melissa K. Miller, Holley Briggs, Daryl Lynch, Kathy Goggin, Gregory Kearns

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rates of adult women receiving contraceptive provision when simultaneously prescribed a known teratogen are alarmingly low. The prevalence of this behavior among pediatric providers and their adolescent patients is unknown. The objective of this study was to describe pediatric provider behaviors for prescribing teratogens concurrently with counseling, referral, and/or prescribing of contraception (collectively called contraceptive provision) in the adolescent population.

METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted examining visits in 2008-2012 by adolescents aged 14 to 25 years in which a known teratogen (US Food and Drug Administration pregnancy risk category D or X) was prescribed. The electronic …

Recognition Of Left Atrial Aneurysm By Fetal Echocardiography., R R. Fountain-Dommer, H B. Wiles, C O. Shuler, S M. Bradley, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

No abstract provided.