1. Efficacy of direct or indirect use of probiotics for the improvement of maternal depression during pregnancy and in the postnatal period : a systematic review and meta-analysisKlavdija Čuček-Trifkovič, Dušanka Mičetić-Turk, Sergej Kmetec, Maja Strauss, Hannah Dahlen, Jann Foster, Sabina Fijan, 2022, review article Abstract: The mother and infant form a unique bond, with maternal mental health affecting the interactions with the infant and infant behaviours impacting maternal mental health. One of the possible mechanisms influencing maternal mental health is the manipulation of the gut-brain axis by consuming probiotic supplements. Probiotics can also have an indirect influence on maternal mental health via the modulation of the infant microbiome and consequently improving the infant’s health and thus, indirectly leading to an improvement in maternal mood. This systematic review evaluated the efficacy of probiotics on maternal mental health by searching for randomised controlled trials via international databases: Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science until January 2022. A meta-analysis was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration methodology where possible. We found seven clinical trials that included the word probiotics and addressed maternal depression and/or anxiety. Of these, five trials investigated the influence of maternal probiotic supplementation on the gut-brain axis. Two trials investigated the indirect influence of probiotics on maternal depression via supplementation of probiotics by infants and subsequent influence on the crying of colicky infants. Meta-analysis of two studies of pregnant and postnatal women and two studies of infants consuming probiotics on the outcome of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for mothers showed no statistical difference. The findings indicate that maternal depression is very complex and is influenced by various bidirectional factors. One of the factors that can improve maternal mental health is probiotics, however, careful consideration must be given to correct strain selection as strain-specific effectiveness was observed. Further well-designed, robust clinical studies are warranted.
Keywords: probiotics, pregnancy, postpartum, depression, prevention, psychobiotics
Published in DKUM: 05.07.2024; Views: 147; Downloads: 6
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2. Trends on maternal mortality in the Republic of Benin and comparison with the neighboring countriesRomeo Konnon, Said Semyatov, Muhammednazar Soyunov, Zalina Sokhova, Tatevik Zulumyan, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: The maternal mortality ratio in the Republic of Benin in 2015 was still high - 405 per 100,000 live births. The delay in consultation and timely treatment, unavailability of medical facilities and lack of skilled care are the principal factors contributing to maternal deaths in Benin. Consequently, the rate of such preventable causes of maternal deaths like obstetric haemorrhage (38.40 percent and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (14.30 percent) remains high in the country, and even HIV continued being one of the indirect causes of maternal deaths in 2017 - one percent. High rate of complications associated with pregnancy and birth in adolescent girls is another cause of maternal deaths in the Republic of Benin. Despite the efforts of the Government aimed at improving health care, it is unlikely that we will achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3.1. - the reduction of maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Keywords: maternal mortality ratio, adolescent pregnancy, haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, Republic of Benin
Published in DKUM: 15.01.2021; Views: 660; Downloads: 55
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3. Some regulatory dilemmas of artificial termination of pregnancy in Slovenian and comparative lawViktorija Žnidaršič Skubic, 2017 Abstract: The article deals with the issue of the artificial termination of pregnancy through the prism of, typically, conflicting relations between the subjects involved and their interests. It specifically addresses the most contentious and morally-ethically as well as legally complicated relationship between the pregnant woman (the future mother) and the embryo or pre-embryo. The article explains the positions of legal theory and jurisprudence in Slovenia and abroad regarding the status of an embryo as a legal person. The authoress moreover touches the question of legal status of the (potential future) father of such an embryo and presents regulations dealing with artificial termination of pregnancy in domestic and comparative law. Through a schematic summary of typical characteristics of such regulations around the world, which greatly differs in details, the author highlights their basic characteristics as well as individual trends in the field.
Keywords: artificial termination of pregnancy, abortion, legal status of embryo, reproductive autonomy, right to the artificial termination of pregnancy
Published in DKUM: 09.10.2018; Views: 1682; Downloads: 331
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4. Non-invasive prenatal cell-free fetal DNA testing for down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalitiesDarija Strah, Petra Ovniček, Janez Bernik, 2015, original scientific article Abstract: Background: Chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis as definitive diagnostic procedures represent a gold standard for prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities. The methods are invasive and lead to a miscarriage and fetal loss in approximately 0.5–1 %. Non-invasive prenatal DNA testing (NIPT) is based on the analysis of cell-free fetal DNA from maternal blood. It rep- resents a highly accurate screening test for detecting the most common fetal chromosomal abnormalities. In our study we present the results of NIPT testing in the Diagnostic Center Strah, Slovenia, over the last 3 years.
Methods: In our study, 123 pregnant women from 11th to 18th week of pregnancy were included. All of them had First trimester assessment of risk for trisomy 21, done before NIPT testing.
Results: 5 of total 6 high-risk NIPT cases (including 3 cases of Down syndrome and 2 cases of Klinefelter’s syndrome) were confirmed by fetal karyotyping. One case–Edwards syndrome was false positive. Patau syndrome, triple X syndrome or Turner syndrome were not observed in any of the cases. Furthermore, there were no false negative cases reported. In general, NIPT testing had 100 % sensitivity (95 % confidence interval: 46.29 %–100.00 %) and 98.95 % specificity (95 % confidence interval: 93.44 %–99.95 %). In determining Down syndrome alone, specificity (95 % confidence interval: 95.25 %- 100.00 %) and sensitivity (95 % confidence interval: 31.00 %–100.00 %) turned out to be 100 %. In 2015, the average turnaround time for analysis was 8.3 days from the day when the sample was taken. Repeated blood sampling was required in 2 cases (redraw rate = 1.6 %).
Conclusions: Our results confirm that NIPT rep- resents a fast, safe and highly accurate advanced screening test for most common chromosomal abnormalities. In current clinical practice, NIPT would significantly decrease the number of unnecessary invasive procedures and the rate of fetal loss caused by invasive diagnostics.
Keywords: non-invasive prenatal DNA testing, chromosomal abnormalities, Down syndrome, pregnancy, fetal DNA
Published in DKUM: 10.05.2017; Views: 1673; Downloads: 382
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