objective: to analyze the trend in maternal mortality ratio in a tertiary care centre and the effect of various maternity schemes on it. materials and methods:  retrospective analysis of all maternal deaths occurring in the guru gobind singh medical college & hospital, faridkot, punjab, india was done from jan 2010 to dec 2012. every maternal death was scrutinized from various aspects like dire...

OBJECTIVE Quantified risks of congenital Toxoplasma gondii infection and abnormal pregnancy outcomes following primary maternal infection were evaluated with meta- analysis based on published studies. METHODS The related literatures were searched in multiple literature databases regardless of languages. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the risks of vertic...

Editor's Note: These short reviews of a recent paper in the Journal, written exclusively by graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, are intended to mimic the journal clubs that exist in your own departments or institutions. For more information on the format and purpose of the Journal Club, please see Review of Meyer et al. Infections are a common complication of pregnancy that can lead to m...

Premature rupture of membrane (PROM) is produced when amniotic membranes tear before labor onset and recorded in around 8 % full-term gestations. Preterm PROMs (PPROMs) take place the 37th week gestation, with an incidence 2–4 pregnancies, it associated higher maternal perinatal morbidity mortality, mainly related to infectious processes prematurity. Among complications, which include postpartu...

Mammalian pregnancy requires protection against immunological rejection of the developing fetus bearing discordant paternal antigens. Immune evasion in this developmental context entails silenced expression of chemoattractant proteins (chemokines), thereby preventing harmful immune cells from penetrating the maternal-fetal interface. Here, we demonstrate that fetal wastage triggered by prenatal...

Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common complications following cesarean section, and has an incidence of 3%-15%. It places physical and emotional burdens on the mother herself and a significant financial burden on the health care system. Moreover, SSI is associated with a maternal mortality rate of up to 3%. With the global increase in cesarean section rate, it is expected that...

A functional health system is a necessary part of efforts to achieve maternal mortality reduction in developing countries. Puerperal sepsis is an infection contracted during childbirth and one of the commonest causes of maternal mortality in developing countries, despite the discovery of antibiotics over eighty years ago. Infections can be contracted during childbirth either in the community or...

Recent evidence suggests that local immunoregulation may prevent rejection of the placenta by the mother. This local immunoregulation may also compromise the response to placental infection. Listeria monocytogenes infection in 121 pregnant mice and 1,050 fetoplacental units was examined and the kinetics of bacterial growth in various maternal and fetal tissues were determined. A subset of pregn...

Accumulating evidence suggests that maternal infection is a risk factor for schizophrenia. Prospective epidemiological studies indicate that maternal influenza, toxoplasmosis, and genital/reproductive infection are associated with this disorder in offspring. Preclinical models of maternal immune activation have supported the neurobiological plausibility of these microbes in schizophrenia. Previ...

QUESTION One of my pregnant patients tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus. Will HIV therapy put her pregnancy outcome at risk? ANSWER The biggest risk is vertical transmission of HIV to her baby. She should be treated with combination therapy; triple therapy is required to reduce vertical transmission. Zidovudine is not teratogenic in humans, but information on other antiretrovira...