Contemporary OB/GYN Staff

Articles by Contemporary OB/GYN Staff

One in 3 women nulliparous women with a short cervix is prescribed some type of activity restriction, despite lack of benefit in prevention of preterm birth (PTB). Those are the findings from a secondary analysis of data from the Short Cervix and Nulliparity trial. Published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, it is accompanied by a commentary titled “Bed Rest in Pregnancy: Time to Put the Issue to Rest” and an ethical argument for dismissing the practice.

Maternal-fetal exchange of cells may result in deposition of male DNA to the mother’s brain that lasts a lifetime and has potential health effects. So say the results of a study published in PLoS One of autopsied brain tissue from women aged 32 to 101 without neurologic disease or with Alzheimer’s disease.

A large prospective study links onset of snoring in pregnancy with increased risk of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. The results, published in The American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, suggest that simply asking pregnant patients about snoring could result in better maternal and fetal outcomes.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 studies representing experience in 68,680 patients shows that use of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation does not improve cardiovascular risk factors. Published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, the report examined evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from as early as 1989 through August 2012.

A large population-based Australian cohort study suggests that incidence of pregnancy-associated cancer may be on the rise and suggests a link between multiple gestation and large-for-gestational age (LGA) size at birth. Published in BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the study finding of increased incidence is only partially explained by increases in maternal age.

Annual screening with transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) and CA-125 doesn’t reduce deaths from ovarian cancer, and the harms outweigh the benefits for asymptomatic women. So says the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in reaffirming a 2004 recommendation, based on a new literature review.

A longitudinal study of more than 10,000 children born in the United States suggests that maternal depressive symptoms are connected to growth patterns in preschool- and school-aged children. The research, by investigators from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, underscores the importance of prevention, early detection, and treatment of depression in the first year postpartum.

Prone—rather than supine—positioning during breast radiation therapy for breast cancer reduces the amount of radiation that reaches the heart and lungs without sacrificing efficacy, according to a research letter published in JAMA. The finding, according to the letter, is important considering that the risks to the heart and lungs can remain for up to 20 years after treatment.

Children exposed in the womb to the commonly used pesticide bolstering agent piperonyl butoxide (PBO) are more likely to suffer from a noninfectious cough at ages 5 to 6 years than those with no such prenatal exposure, according to researchers from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health and of Columbia University Medical Center.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has once again issued a lengthy report indicting the US healthcare system as falling abysmally short, using just about any means of measure. The report says that based on 2009 figures, the United States is wasting approximately $750 billion per year on the care of its people.