Leea Keski-Nisula

Maternal intrapartum antibiotics and decreased vertical transmission of Lactobacillus to neonates during birth.

To estimate the transmission of maternal vaginal microbiota to neonates during term delivery, focusing on Lactobacillus flora in relation to various obstetric clinical factors.

The Burden of Childhood Asthma and Late Preterm and Early Term Births

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between gestational age at birth and the risk of subsequent development of asthma. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a retrospective observational hospital-based birth case-control study in a university-based obstetrics and gynecology department in Finland. A total of 44,173 women delivering between 1989 and 2008 were linked with the social insurance register to identify asthma reimbursements for their offspring (n = 2661). Pregnancy factors were recorded during pregnancy. Infants were categorized as moderately preterm (≤ 32 weeks), late preterm (33-36 weeks), early term (37-38 weeks), term (39-40 weeks), or late term and postterm (≥ 41 weeks). The main outcome measure was asthma among the infants. RESULTS Children born moderately preterm (≤ 32 weeks gestation) had a significantly increased risk of asthma (aOR, 3.9; 95% CI, 3.2-4.8). The risk of asthma was also increased in those born late preterm (aOR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.4-2.0) and early term (aOR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.4). In contrast, delivery at 41 weeks or later seemed to decrease the risk of asthma (aOR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.8-1.0). The burden of asthma associated with preterm birth was associated mainly with early term infants, in whom 108 extra cases of asthma were observed. CONCLUSION Even though the individual risk of asthma was inversely correlated with gestational age at birth, the overall burden brought about by delivery before term was associated with late preterm and early term deliveries. Furthermore, delivery after term was protective against asthma.

Exposure to microbial agents in house dust and wheezing, atopic dermatitis and atopic sensitization in early childhood: a birth cohort study in rural areas

Early‐life exposure to environmental microbial agents may be associated with development of wheezing and allergic diseases.

Quantity and diversity of environmental microbial exposure and development of asthma: a birth cohort study

Early‐life exposure to environmental microbial agents may be associated with the development of allergies. The aim of the study was to identify better ways to characterize microbial exposure as a predictor of respiratory symptoms and allergies.

Myometrial Inflammation in Human Delivery and Its Association With Labor and Infection

The presence of inflammation in decidual and myometrial samples as defined by histopathologic examination and the association between the myometrial inflammation and different maternal infectious morbidity and labor-related clinical variables were evaluated in 648 consecutive women who underwent cesarean section at various gestational periods. Altogether, 1,205 histologic (559 decidual and 646 myometrial) samples were studied. In normal pregnancies, myometrial inflammatory lesions were detected rarely before parturition, indicating their abnormality in these cases. After ruptured fetal membranes with advanced cervical dilatation and in patients with clinical chorioamnionitis, myometrial samples commonly were infiltrated by leukocytes, up to moderate and marked densities. Moderate to marked myometrial inflammation showed no diagnostic value in high-risk term parturients for the prediction of postoperative endometritis. Our study is the first to show the frequency of myometrial inflammation in nonselected consecutive pregnant women and, thus, is important for better understanding the myometrial inflammatory response during human parturition.

MTHFR C677T Polymorphism is Not Associated with Placental Abruption or Preeclampsia in Finnish Women

Objective: The aim of our study was to examine genetic variability in the gene encoding methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and individual susceptibility to the placental abruption or preeclampsia. Methods: 362 women (133 with preeclampsia, 117 with placental abruption, and 112 healthy controls) were genotyped for C677T polymorphism in the MTHFR gene. Results: Similar genotype distributions were observed in the frequencies of C/C homozygotes (58.6%, 64.1%, and 57.1% for the three groups, respectively) and mutant homozygotes T/T (9.0%, 5.1% and 5.4%). No significant differences were detected in T allele frequencies (25.2%, 20.5%, and 24.1% for the three groups, respectively). Conclusions: MTHFR C677T polymorphism does not have a major role in the development of preeclampsia or placental abruption in the Finnish population.

Intrauterine bacterial growth at birth and risk of asthma and allergic sensitization among offspring at the age of 15 to 17 years

BACKGROUND Microbial colonization of the airways and intestine during birth might have an effect on the risk of asthma and allergic diseases later in life. OBJECTIVE We sought to evaluate the association between intrauterine microbial growth at the time of delivery and the development of asthma and allergic sensitization among offspring. METHODS Intrauterine bacterial culture results were recorded at the time of cesarean delivery of 460 children who were born at Kuopio University Hospital during 1990-1992. When the children reached the age of 15 to 17 years, self-administered questionnaires were sent to the mothers, and 382 of the children were also examined by using skin prick tests. RESULTS Intrauterine growth of potential pathogenic anaerobic bacteria and Streptococcus species at birth was associated with an increased risk of doctor-diagnosed asthma ever (odds ratio [OR], 4.51 [95% CI, 1.56-13.0]; OR, 2.53 [95% CI, 1.19-5.38]) and doctor-diagnosed current asthma (OR, 7.34 [95% CI, 2.44-22.03]; OR, 3.37 [95% CI, 1.46-7.76]) at the age of 15 to 17 years compared with the risk seen in subjects with negative microbial cultures. These findings remained significant also after applying the Bonferroni correction. No significant association after the Bonferroni correction was detected between intrauterine microbial growth and allergic sensitization among offspring. CONCLUSION The results of this study indicated that specific intrauterine microbial growth at the time of birth might increase the risk of asthma among offspring through inflammatory mechanisms. These results indicate new potential targets for future studies on the effects of maternal vaginal microflora and intrauterine infection in the development of asthma among children.

Risk factors and adverse pregnancy outcomes among births affected by velamentous umbilical cord insertion: a retrospective population-based register study

OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors associated with velamentous cord insertion (VCI) and to evaluate the association between adverse pregnancy outcomes and VCI in singleton pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN The total population of women (n=26,849) with singleton pregnancies delivered in Kuopio University Hospital during the study period between 2000 and 2011 was reviewed. Risk factors and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (admission to a neonatal unit, fetal death, preterm delivery, low birth weight (LBW< 2500 g), the infant being small for its gestation age (SGA), low Apgar scores (<7) at 1 and 5 min and fetal venous pH<7.15) were evaluated separately among women with and without VCI by means of logistic regression analyses. RESULTS The incidence of VCI among women with singleton pregnancies was 2.4% (n=633 of 26,849). Independent risk factors for VCI were nulliparity, obesity, fertility problems, placenta previa and maternal smoking. VCI was associated with a 1.38-, 2.01-, 3.93- and 1.39-fold increased risk of admission to a neonatal unit, preterm delivery (<37 gestation weeks), LBW and SGA, respectively compared to pregnancies involving normal cord insertion. Of the women with VCI, 15.3% underwent non-elective cesarean section compared to 8.3% (p ≤ 0.001) of women without VCI. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the incidence of VCI increases along with an increase in fertility problems and maternal obesity. VCI is a moderate risk condition increasing the risks of prematurity and impaired fetal growth.

Umbilical cord length in singleton gestations: a Finnish population-based retrospective register study.

INTRODUCTION Many complications of pregnancy and delivery are associated with umbilical cord length. It is important to examine the variation in length, in order to identify normal and abnormal conditions. Moreover, the factors influencing cord growth and development are not precisely known. OBJECTIVE The main objectives were to provide updated reference charts for umbilical cord length in singleton pregnancies and to evaluate potential factors affecting cord length. METHODS Birth register data of 47,284 singleton pregnant women delivering in Kuopio University Hospital, Finland was collected prospectively. Gender-specific centile charts for cord length from 22 to 44 gestational weeks were obtained using generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS). Gestational, fetal, and maternal factors were studied for their potential influence on cord length with single variable analysis and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS Cord length increased according to gestational age, while the growth decelerated post-term. Birth weight, placental weight, pregravid maternal body mass index, parity, and maternal age correlated to cord length. Gestational diabetes and previous miscarriages were associated with longer cords, while female gender and placental abruption were associated with shorter cords. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Girls had shorter cords throughout gestation although there was substantial variation in length in both genders. Cord length associated significantly with birth weight, placental weight, and gestational age. Significantly shorter cords were found in women with placental abruption. This important finding requires further investigation.

Vacuum‐assisted delivery is associated with late‐onset asthma

Background:  Perinatal factors during delivery might modulate fetal immunological development and thereby be associated with the development of allergic diseases and asthma later.