Maryam Kasraeian; Maryam Zarekhafri; Homeira Vafaei; Behrouz Gharesi-Fard; Azam Faraji; Nasrin Asadi; Asieh Seraj; Shaghayegh Moradi Alamdarloo; Khadijeh Bazrafshan; Marjan Zare
Abstract
Background: No vertical transmission has been reported for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2); Yet, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody was detected against SARS-CoV-2 amongst infants. The present study aimed to compare maternal IgG antibody concentration from infected SARS-CoV-2 mothers to newborns ...
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Background: No vertical transmission has been reported for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2); Yet, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody was detected against SARS-CoV-2 amongst infants. The present study aimed to compare maternal IgG antibody concentration from infected SARS-CoV-2 mothers to newborns in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. As a secondary outcome, the interval between the onset of infection and delivery and COVID-19 severity were compared.Methods: An observational cohort study was conducted on COVID-19 positive pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters in Fars province, Iran between 21 March and 22 October 2021. A questionnaire was completed to record background characteristics of the study participants. Real-time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction tests were taken from newborns immediately after birth to diagnose COVID-19. Maternal and cord blood specimen were taken to measure IgG concentrations; generalized linear models were used to report the crude and adjusted Rate Ratios with 95% confidence interval (cRR and aRR (95% C.I)), and IBM SPSS Statistics version 22 was used, at the significance level of 0.05.Results: From 37 patients, 15 and 22 patients were in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy, respectively. After adjusting on maternal age, Cord IgG concentration was positively associated with maternal IgG concentration and interval between the onset of infection and delivery in the 3rd trimester (aRR (95% CI); 2.86 (2.27-3.6) and 1.23 (1.01-1.51)); however, no association was observed with COVID-19 severity (aRR (95% CI); 0.88 (0.09-8.66)). A positive association was also seen between high levels of cord IgG and maternal IgG (≥1.1 U/mL) (aRR (95% CI); 2.31 (1.05-5.09)). No significant associations were seen in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy (P>0.05 for all).Conclusions: In late pregnancy, Cord IgG concentration was positively associated with maternal IgG and interval between the onset of infection and delivery. Also, high levels of IgG antibody (≥1.1 U/mL) resulted in significantly higher level of cord IgG (≥1.1 U/mL).
Khadije Rezaie-Kheikhaie; Marie Hastings-Tolsma; Mohammadreza Firouzkouhi; Abdolghani Abdollahimohammad; Fatemeh Mirzaie; Sanaz Nehbandani
Abstract
Background: Pregnant women represent a vulnerable demographic to COVID-19. In addition to the physical health risks posed to both the mother and fetus, COVID-19 engenders intricate and unique post-recovery experiences among pregnant women. This study explored the lived experiences of pregnant women who ...
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Background: Pregnant women represent a vulnerable demographic to COVID-19. In addition to the physical health risks posed to both the mother and fetus, COVID-19 engenders intricate and unique post-recovery experiences among pregnant women. This study explored the lived experiences of pregnant women who have recovered from COVID-19.Methods: A descriptive phenomenological approach was employed for this research, conducted in southeastern Iran from January to May 2021. A purposive sampling method was utilized to select 12 participants, and data collection was accomplished through semi-structured interviews. The Colaizzi approach was employed for data analysis.Results: The study initially generated 278 codes, from which three principal themes aligned with the research objective. These primary themes encompass health risks, maternal responsibilities, and challenges associated with recovery.Conclusion: Pregnant women in the process of recovering from COVID-19 confront various health-related challenges, as well as those about child health. Policymakers, obstetricians, and midwives must provide support to enhance these individuals’ postrecovery quality of health.
Najmeh Maharlouei; Mohammadamin Sadeghdoust; Niloufar Salemi; Kamran Bagheri Lankarani
Abstract
Background: Anxiety disorders during pregnancy can lead to adverse neonatal outcomes in different ways. This research aimed to investigate the association between anxiety levels in pregnant women and neonatal health outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This was a prospective cohort study in which ...
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Background: Anxiety disorders during pregnancy can lead to adverse neonatal outcomes in different ways. This research aimed to investigate the association between anxiety levels in pregnant women and neonatal health outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This was a prospective cohort study in which pregnant women were recruited via a prenatal teaching clinic between March and July 2020, at Hafez Hospital in Shiraz, Iran. Neonate health outcomes were recorded, including the living status, gestational age, route of delivery, the APGAR at the 1st and the 5th minutes of life, anomalies, head circumference, weight, and height. To compare the effect of stress and anxiety of mothers during the first trimester of pregnancy on neonate health outcomes, we used the short form of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) score available from the previous phase of the study.Results: In the present work, 146 pregnant women were recruited. There was no significant difference in terms of living status, APGAR scores, and congenital anomalies of neonates born to mothers without anxiety (n=121) compared to those with an abnormal level of COVID-19-related anxiety (n=25) during their pregnancy (P>0.05 for all). Furthermore, our results revealed no association between COVID-19-related anxiety during pregnancy and poor neonatal outcomes, such as low birth weight, NICU admission, macrocephaly, or microcephaly (P=0.85).Conclusions: The obtained findings revealed that COVID-19-induced anxiety did not affect neonatal clinical outcomes. However, the concern still exists regarding the potential effect of COVID-19-induced anxiety on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Further investigation could be thus recommended using laboratory assessments.
Zeinab Karimi; Fatemeh Masjedi; Aida Doostkam; Jamshid Roozbeh; Leila Malekmakan
Abstract
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a highly contagious disease, which led to a pandemic health emergency. However, age distribution and sex, regarding factors affecting the severity of COVID-19, are controversial. Therefore, this study is designed to investigate ...
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Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a highly contagious disease, which led to a pandemic health emergency. However, age distribution and sex, regarding factors affecting the severity of COVID-19, are controversial. Therefore, this study is designed to investigate the effect of gender difference on the severity of COVID-19 infection in the studied age groups.Methods: Patients with COVID-19 of Valiasr Hospital (Khorrambid, Fars, Iran) from February 20, 2020, to February 20, 2021, are included in this retrospective study. The inclusion criteria were the age of above 15 years old and being residents of Khorrambid. COVID‐19 severity was classified as mild and moderate/severe according to the WHO standards. The obtained demographical and clinical data from the patient registry forms were analyzed using SPSS-24; P value <0.05 was considered as the level of significance. Chi-square and independent t-test were used to assess the variables.Results: Herein, 218 patients were recruited with a mean age of 45.6±17.2 and a relatively equal distribution of men and women population. Out of this population, 23.8% had comorbid diseases, 48.2% had mild, and 51.8% had moderate/severe infections. Our results indicated that male gender and the age range of 25-64 years in men are the most important risk factors associated with the disease severity (P<0.0001).Conclusions: The current study revealed that the leading risk factor of the disease severity was higher age (≥65 years) in the studied women. Meanwhile, in the men group, this factor was the age range of 25-64 years. These results suggest that further research is required to identify the possible impacts of gender and age on various aspects of the ongoing epidemic.
Zahra Chaharbaghi; Fatemeh Beigom Hosseini; Tayebeh Baniasadi; Lida Moradi; Amir Dana
Abstract
Background: A significant factor associated with well-being and health is to find a method which can increase resilience during the pandemics. The present research aimed to examine the impact of physical activity level on resilience of teenage girls during the COVID-19 pandemic with an emphasis on self-esteem ...
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Background: A significant factor associated with well-being and health is to find a method which can increase resilience during the pandemics. The present research aimed to examine the impact of physical activity level on resilience of teenage girls during the COVID-19 pandemic with an emphasis on self-esteem as a mediator.Methods: The present study utilized a descriptive-correlation approach. The statistical sample included 384 teenage females from Golestan, Iran, in 2020. We employed standard surveys for collecting the data. Statistical methods included Kolmogorov- Smirnov test, Spearman correlation test, and structural relationships through Lisrel.Results: Physical activity was found to affect resilience (β=0.396, T=6.284) and self-esteem (β=0.628, T=11.594). Furthermore, self-esteem significantly affected resilience (β=0.530, T=9.509). Finally, self-esteem significantly mediated the correlation between physical activity and resilience (Z=6.780, p <0.001).Conclusions: Physical activity could be considered as an important factor in coping with severe condition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, in a pandemic situation, by increasing physical activity, better conditions can be created for children and adolescents, especially girls, to ensure their resilience.
Antonio Mastroianni; Sonia Greco; Luciana Chidichimo; Maria Vittoria Mauro; Francesca Greco; Filippo Urso; Valeria Vangeli
Abstract
Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic has so far been characterized by significant morbidity and a high mortality rate worldwide. People who are frail due to age and / or the presence of comorbidities, including pregnant women, are exposed to a greater risk of developing a very serious disease. However, ...
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Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic has so far been characterized by significant morbidity and a high mortality rate worldwide. People who are frail due to age and / or the presence of comorbidities, including pregnant women, are exposed to a greater risk of developing a very serious disease. However, only recently, certain experimental studies have focused on the role of anti- Covid-19 drugs during pregnancy. Convalescent plasma (CP), derived from the people who recover from Covid-19, can represent an interesting therapeutic option for improving the antiviral immune response, owing to its specific neutralizing content and different immune mediators against SarsCov-2. It can also improve the survival of the patients who are diagnosed with the disease early and treated in the primary stages of the disease.Case Presentation: We reported the case of a pregnant patient safely treated with CP at our hospital and conducted a comprehensive literature search using extensive database for similar case reports published from February 12, 2020 to May 31, 2021.Conclusions: An extensive literature search documented the publication of a limited number of case reports concerning Covid-19 hyperimmune plasma treatment (CPT) during pregnancy. The available results are not homogeneous; however, a very early use of CPT may possibly be effective in pregnancy. The evolution of Covid-19-related pneumonia, due to a reduction in both viremia and the concentration of proinflammatory cytokines, can be positively influenced by CPT, together with the standards of care treatment.
Christina Pavlov; Christine Limbers
Abstract
Background: The pandemic of Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) has exposed working mothers to a disproportionate amount of stress. The present study aimed to examine the coping strategies associated with depression in this group during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Methods: ...
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Background: The pandemic of Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) has exposed working mothers to a disproportionate amount of stress. The present study aimed to examine the coping strategies associated with depression in this group during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Methods: The cross-sectional sample consisted of 192 working mothers from the United States (76% married, 70.3% white, mean age=33.4 years). The participants were recruited through a Qualtrics panel in April 2020 and completed the questionnaires of the Brief-COPE and the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) online. The results from t-tests, ANOVAs, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical linear regression analyses were examined. Results: The coping styles of self-distraction (r=0.17, P=0.02), denial (r=0.32, p <0.001), substance abuse (r=0.39, p <0.001), instrumental support (r=0.22, P=0.002), behavioral disengagement (r=0.464, p <0.001), venting (r=0.44, p <0.001), planning (r=0.22, P=002), humor (r=0.26, p <0.001), and self-blame (r=0.57, p <0.001) were found to be significantly correlated with depression. The hierarchical linear regression revealed the followings: venting (B=0.561 and P=0.033) and self-blame (B=1.212 and p <0.001). Conclusion: These results, coupled with the elevated prevalence of depression in the sample, highlighted the importance of considering coping strategies when evaluating the depression-related risk factors in working mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
