Medical Specialties Commons^™

Impact Of Prophylactic Oral Azithromycin During Labor On Azithromycin Resistance (Amr) In Nasal Staphylococcus Aureus And Streptococcus Pneumoniae In Women And Infants In The Multi-Country Azithromycin Prevention In Labor Use Study (A-Plus)., Patricia L. Hibberd, Jean H. Kim, Marissa Trotta, Sixto M. Leal, Anna Aceituno, Doyle V. Ward, Archana Patel, Akila Subramaniam, Waldemar A. Carlo, Imran Ahmed, Sarah Saleem, Sk Masum Billah, Rashidun Haque, Manolo Mazariegos, Fabian Esamai, Manjunath S. Somannavar, Shivaprasad S. Goudar, Elwyn Chomba, Muska Mwenchanya, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu, Robert L. Goldenberg, Melissa Bauserman, Nancy F. Krebs, Sherri Bucher, Richard J. Derman, William A. Petri, Marion Koso-Thomas, Denise C. Babineau, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Alan T. N. Tita

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Prophylactic oral azithromycin vs. placebo reduced maternal, but not neonatal, mortality/sepsis in the A-PLUS Randomized Trial. While prophylactic intrapartum azithromycin reduces maternal mortality/sepsis, it may promote antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commensal bacteria,.

METHODS: Randomly selected women and their infants participating in A-PLUS were enrolled in a longitudinal cross-sectional sub-study to assess the presence of azithromycin resistance in selected bacteria in nasal cultures. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae were cultured on selective agar, then azithromycin-containing agar to select for azithromycin resistant bacteria, identified biochemically. Azithromycin susceptibility was assessed by E-test. Nasal cultures were collected from women and infants between August …

Osmotic Dilators Vs. Foley Balloons: Bayesian Secondary Analyses Of The Dilafol Trial, Antonio F. Saad, Elenir B. C. Avritscher, Claudia Pedroza, Xiao Han, George R. Saade

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Background: Dilapan-S, a synthetic osmotic dilator used for pre-induction cervical ripening, has proven to be as effective as the Foley balloon in terms of vaginal versus cesarean delivery and has been associated with increased patient satisfaction. Nevertheless, its ability to lower cesarean rates and its cost-effectiveness remain poorly studied.

Objectives: To estimate the likelihood that synthetic osmotic dilators reduce cesarean deliveries and to evaluate their health system costs (2026 US$) and incremental cost-effectiveness compared to the Foley balloon during cervical ripening.

Study Design: Secondary Bayesian analyses were conducted using data from the single-center DILAFOL randomized controlled trial, which enrolled 419 …

Adjunctive Technologies To Electronic Fetal Monitoring: Promise, Pitfalls, And Lessons Learned, Rebecca Horgan, George Saade

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Despite widespread use, electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) has not demonstrably reduced perinatal morbidity or mortality, and likely contributed to the rise in cesarean delivery. To improve its utility, a number of adjunctive approaches have been introduced over the past three decades, including fetal pulse oximetry, ST segment analysis (STAN), and maternal oxygen supplementation. Each intervention was supported by strong physiologic rationale, yet none achieved widespread clinical adoption due to inconsistent evidence of benefit and, in some cases, potential harm. This review critically evaluates landmark studies on EFM adjuncts, highlights the limitations that have impeded progress, and outlines emerging innovations, including …

Acute Fatty Liver Of Pregnancy And Fetal Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders: A Systematic Review, Dante Varotsis, Sarah Araji, Rebecca Horgan, Jennifer E. Powel, Rodney Mclaren Jr., Brian Kirmse, Mona Makhamreh, Huda B. Al-Kouatly

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the association between maternal acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) and fetal fatty acid oxidation (FAO) disorders and to define the clinical and genetic characteristics of mothers with AFLP and their fetuses affected by FAO disorders, we performed a systematic literature review of all reported cases of AFLP that underwent genetic testing for FAO disorders.

DATA SOURCES:

We searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL (EBSCO), Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Terms included were related to AFLP and FAO testing.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION:

We conducted a systematic literature review from inception through May 18, 2025, to evaluate the …

A Quality Improvement Project To Enhance Early And Consistent Prenatal Care In The Spanish Speaking Female Population At The Fqhc West Ashley Fetter Clinic, Ana Martinez Conde, Sophia Zia, Joye Fordham, Dennis Besong

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

A Case Of Disseminated Peritoneal Leiomyomatosis Status Post Total Abdominal Hysterectomy Without Morcellation, Ashley Brodrick, Katherine Bishara, Ricardo Estape

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Postcryoablation Endometritis Secondary To Peptoniphilus Harei, A Rare Bacterium Associated With Bacterial Vaginosis, Leading To Septic Shock: A Case Report, Katherine Bishara, Whitney Sommers

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

One In A Hundred Million: Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Originating From An Ovarian Borderline Mucinous Tumor, Lilly Mcincrow, Michael Phillips, Samantha Perez, Tanner Fincher, Carolyn April

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Consecutive Offspring With Major Midline Anomalies In The Setting Of Maternal Spastic Diplegia And A Wes-Identified Genetic Mutation, Kaitlyn Vu, Lillian Fagan, Alison Macleod, Anthony Royek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Don't Forget The Zebras: A Case Of Placental Mesenchymal Dysplasia, Grace Fawcett, Kaitlyn Vu, Victoria Blaisdell, Anthony Royek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of A Model-Based Anatomy Curriculum For Obgyn Residents, Erika R. Olsen, Sashia Malone, Stephanie Tootle

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Axillary Web Syndrome: A “Common” Diagnosis Of Exclusion, Zachary Franklin, Olivia Piscano, Andrew Royek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Correlation Between Manual Dexterity And Medical Students' And Interns' Match Results, Bethany Bowling, Lilly Mcinrow, Sara Hitt, Peyton Matt, Joe Slattery, Anthony Royek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

A Low-Cost, High Fidelity Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries (Oasis) Repair Model, Bailey Brown, Jordan Mattern, Mary Kathryn Ball, Stephanie Tootle

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Gestational Diabetes Insipidus, A Rare Presentation In The Postpartum Period: A Case Report, Margaret Ligon, Himani Patel, Jace Degarmo, Anthony Royek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Hyperechoic Amniotic Fluid In The Setting Of Fetal Bowel Distention And Echogenicity, Abigail Haythorn, Katherine Cuadrado, Anthony Royek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Maternal Cleidocranial Dysplasia – An Exceptionally Rare Skeletal Syndrome With Clinical Implications, Abigail Haythorn, Katherine Cuadrado, Anthony Royek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Fetal Trisomy 9 In The Setting Of Low Risk Nipt Aneuploidy Screening, Andrew Royek, Shea Mcgrinder, Lauren Boyle, Anthony Royek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

A Sentinel Case Of Maternal Atrial Fibrillation In Active Labor, Kaitlyn Vu, Zachary Franklin, Shea Mcgrinder, Anthony Royek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Prenatal Detection Of Grade Iv Germinal Matrix-Intraventricular Hemorrhage With White Matter Loss And Corpus Callosum Thinning Confirmed By Fetal Mri, Avery G. Kanemasu, Sara K. Wiggins, Keisha L. Reddick

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

An Unusual Cause Of Postpartum Bleeding: Choriocarcinoma Following Term Pregnancy, Erika R. Olsen, Sarah Hitt, James Burke

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Seasonal And Geographic Patterns Of Gastroschisis In Canada: Protective Effect Of Periconceptional Sunlight Exposure, Shiliang Liu, Shin Jie Yong, Dunjin Chen, Gavin C. Hughes, Claude L. Hughes

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Gastroschisis is a right-sided, full-thickness defect with extra-amnionic herniation of abdominal contents directly into the amniotic cavity. The causes of gastroschisis remain obscure. We hypothesized that limited periconceptional sunlight exposure might lead to insufficient vitamin D during fetal development and play a role in gastroschisis etiology.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study of infants conceived in Canada between April 2006 and March 2020. We used winter months (i.e., November and December) and northern geographic latitudes as indicators of insufficient sunlight exposure, while summer months (July and August) and southern geographic latitudes were considered as reference. We examined the …

Micrornas Regulated By Pregnancy Target Antiviral And Cancer Immunity Overlapping With The Hiv Interactome, Paula F. T. Cezar-De-Mello, Jonathan M. Dreyfuss, Pai-Lien Chen, Hidemi Yamamoto, Xiaoming Gao, Hui Pan, Charles Morrison, Gustavo F. Doncel, Robert L. Barbieri, Raina N. Fichorova

CONRAD Publications

Innate immunity predictors of HIV-1 risk and pathogenesis vary with reproductive hormones, pregnancy, and lactation, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that pregnancy-associated physiological adaptations alter systemic microRNA (miRNA) expression, thereby regulating immunity, pathogenesis and susceptibility to infection. We analyzed 174 serum samples from 88 participants in a longitudinal cohort from Uganda and Zimbabwe across pre-pregnancy (PP), pregnancy (P), and postpartum breastfeeding (BF). Cell-free peripheral blood miRNAs (n = 2083) were profiled using HTG EdgeSeq. Pregnancy-specific miRNAs were identified by intersecting differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs from P vs. PP and P vs. BF comparisons. miRNA targets and pathways …

The Association Between Social Vulnerability And Racial Disparities In Preterm Birth, Anita Pershad, Gabby Adams, Lindsay Robbins, George Saade, Tetsuya Kawakita

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Objective

To evaluate the association between county-level social vulnerability and preterm birth and assess whether racial disparities vary across levels of vulnerability.

Methods

This cross-sectional study utilized restricted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention natality data from 2023. We included Black or White births with singleton pregnancies across 3123 US counties from 50 US states and the District of Columbia. Participants were grouped into quartiles based on the county-level Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), with quartile 4 representing the most socially vulnerable populations. The primary outcome was preterm birth, defined as delivery before 37 weeks. Secondary outcomes included small for gestational …

The Association Between Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physician Density And Pregnancy Outcomes, Tetsuya Kawakita, Rula Atwani, Misa Hayasaka, Lindsay Robbins, George Saade

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Objective

We sought to examine the association between maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) physician density and adverse pregnancy outcomes at the state level.

Study Design

This was a cross-sectional analysis of publicly available, state-level data from 2018 to 2021, including Natality, Multiple Cause-of-Death, and Fetal Death databases. The number of active MFM physicians per year was obtained for each state from the American Medical Association Masterfile. The primary exposure was the density of MFM per state, categorized into three groups: (1) low density (< 30 MFM physicians per 100,000 live births), (2) moderate density (30-59 MFM physicians per 100,000 live births), and (3) high density (≥60 MFM physicians per 100,000 live births). Our primary outcome was maternal mortality during pregnancy and up to 42 days postdelivery. Our secondary outcomes were pregnancy-related mortality up to 365 days postdelivery and stillbirth. We calculated adjusted incident rate ratios (aIRR) and average marginal effect (AME) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) using multivariable negative binomial mixed effects regression models.

Results

Overall, there were 14,792,743 live births, 3,440 maternal mortalities, 4,980 pregnancy-related mortalities, and 90,848 stillbirths included. The …

Mediating Effect Of Social Determinants Of Health Between Race And Phthalate Biomarkers In Pregnancy, Tetsuya Kawakita, Misa Hayasaka, Carole Barake, Trinity Soto, Jillian Fleming, Amir Lueth, Stevens Danielle, Alfred Abuhamad, Ann Pryzybylska, Elena Sinkovskaya, Kelly K. Ferguson, George Saade

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Introduction

Prenatal phthalate exposure is linked to adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes and is consistently higher among non‐Hispanic Black compared to non‐Hispanic White pregnant individuals, yet the factors responsible for these disparities are poorly characterized. We sought to quantify Black–White differences in repeated urinary concentrations of phthalate biomarkers during pregnancy and to estimate the extent to which neighborhood‐level social determinants of health (SDoH) mediate these disparities.

Methods

This secondary analysis used data from the Human Placenta Project Study, a prospective observational cohort study conducted at two academic institutions between 2016 and 2018. Eligible participants had singleton pregnancies, were recruited before …

Contribution Of Comorbidities And Pregnancy Complications To Severe Maternal Morbidity In The United States, Tetsuya Kawakita, Sora A. Jones, Natsume Furukawa, George Saade

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Objective: To quantify the extent to which rising rates of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in the United States from 2016 to 2022 are attributable to increasing prevalence of maternal risk factors, including advanced maternal age, obesity, pregestational diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes, chronic hypertension, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2016 to 2022, representing more than 25 million weighted delivery hospitalizations. The primary outcome of SMM was identified with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 21-condition algorithm; a secondary outcome excluded transfusion to improve specificity. Temporal trends …

Cervicovaginal Lavage Fluid Iron And Manganese Levels In Women With And Without Vaginitis, Barbara Kozma, David Ratonyi, Bence Kozma, Peter Takacs, Attila G. Sipos

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Transition metals such as iron and manganese are critical for cellular metabolism, redox balance, and immune function, and they also influence host–pathogen interactions. Vaginitis is characterized by mucosal inflammation that may alter local trace-element homeostasis. We hypothesize that inflammatory conditions such as vaginitis may be associated with altered cervicovaginal iron and manganese levels. We performed a prospective, single-center cohort study at the University of Debrecen (Hungary) between April 2023 and April 2024, enrolling 80 women ≥ 18 years with vulvovaginal complaints. Participants were assessed at baseline and at weeks 4, 8, and 12 with clinical evaluation and cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) …

Estetrol (E4) For The Treatment Of Moderate To Severe Vasomotor Symptoms In Postmenopausal Women - Efficacy And Safety Results From The Phase 3 E4comfort I Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled Study, Tommaso Simoncini, Céline Bouchard, Marie Cloes, Mélanie Taziaux, Santiago Palacios, Sebastião Freitas De Medeiros, Valeriu Vrabii, David F. Archer, Nick Panay

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of estetrol in reducing moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women.

Methods

Multicenter, randomized, parallel group (1:1:1), placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 3 study in hysterectomized and non-hysterectomized participants aged 40-65 years. A total of 640 participants with seven or more moderate to severe hot flashes daily or 50 weekly received estetrol 15 mg, estetrol 20 mg, or placebo for 12 weeks. Co-primary endpoints were the change in frequency and severity of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms from baseline to weeks 4 and 12. Comparisons versus placebo were made using a mixed-effects model for …

Evaluating The Mediating Role Of Gestational Phthalate And Replacement Biomarkers In The Associations Between Race/Ethnicity And Birthweight, Amir J. Lueth, Danielle R. Stevens, Sarahna A. Moyd, Elena Sinkovskaya, Ann Przybylska, Antonia M. Calafat, Julianne C. Botelho, George Saade, Alfred Abuhamad, Kelly K. Ferguson

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Background

Gestational exposure to phthalates is higher among non-Hispanic black (NHB) women than non-Hispanic white (NHW) women and may contribute to racial/ethnic differences in birthweight z-scores.

Objective

We aimed to investigate whether gestational phthalate and replacement biomarkers mediate the association between race/ethnicity and birthweight z-scores.

Methods

We analyzed data from 271 pregnancies in the Human Placenta and Phthalates study, a prospective cohort recruited from 2017 to 2020. Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations were measured at up to eight time points during pregnancy and averaged to represent gestational exposure. Metabolites were grouped by parent compound. Linear regression models estimated associations in phthalate …