Social Determinants of Health and Parenting Self-Efficacy Among Mothers of Preterm Infants

Objective: To explore the relationships between social and environmental factors and parenting self-efficacy (PSE) among mothers of preterm infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) using a social determinants of health (SDoH) framework. Method: We analyzed data from a prospective cohort study that included 187 mother-infant dyads admitted to four NICUs in the Mountain West region between June 2017 and December 2019. We used multivariable linear regression models to assess the independent associations between maternal and infant characteristics and PSE. Results: Our final multiple linear regression model predicting the efficacy score including maternal race/ethnicity, age, insurance, employment status before giving birth, gestational age, depression, and having other children was significant (F(12,160) = 3.17, p = .0004, adjusted R¬2 = .131). Significant predictors of PSE were race/ethnicity (β= 3.3, p = .022), having another child/children (β= 4.2, p = .005), and depression (β= -4.2, p = .004). Conclusions: Findings suggest that social workers and medical practitioners should consider SDoH, such as insurance type, household income, and employment, along with traditional clinical indicators when assessing families’ infant care needs. Social workers, medical practitioners, and researchers should be mindful of how implicit bias may influence the allocation of care and parental supports

Linitis plastica. Presentation as hypertrophic gastropathy

Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 78 años, que presentaba importante pérdida de peso y su endoscopia digestiva alta demostró pliegues gástricos gigantes. Se realizaron biopsias con asa de polipectomía en busca del diagnóstico y posible enfermedad neoplásica. La histopatología documentó gastropatía hipertrófica. La ecoendoscopia gástrica demostró una pared muy gruesa y aunque se sospechó neoplasia no podía ser conclusiva, solamente después de realizada la gastrectomía total se diagnosticó linitis plástica. Presentamos la revisión de pliegues gástricos gigantes así como las causas y clasificación de la gastropatía hipertrófica.We present 78 year old Colombian lady who had lost weight and had giant gastric folds in her upper endoscopy. Intensive work up was done including extra large biopsies done with polipectomy snares. The pathology diagnosed hypertrophic gastropathy. Endoscopic ultrasound of the stomach diagnosed a very thick gastric wall. Only after total gastrectomy was done, Linitis Plastica was diagnosed. We review giant gastric folds as well as causes and classification of the hypertrophic gastropathy

Intraperitoneal Granulomas Unexpectedly Found during a Cesarean Delivery: A Late Complication of Dropped Gallstones

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis. Spillage of gallstones into the abdominal cavity during laparoscopic cholecystectomy occurs in approximately one-third of cases. Although retained gallstones remain asymptomatic, few cases may develop complications. We report the case of a 29-year-old nulliparous woman presenting with several hard nodules in the omentum, raising the possibility of a metastatic disease. Histological examination demonstrated a bile-stained material and a foreign body-type granulomatous response without neoplastic tissue. Our case demonstrates an example of a complication resulting two years after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy that was unexpectedly found during a cesarean delivery. Pathologists should be aware of this entity to avoid interpretation errors

Vitamin K Deficiency Presenting in an Infant with an Anterior Mediastinal Mass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

We report a case of a 1-month-old infant with spontaneous thymic hemorrhage secondary to severe vitamin K deficiency. He was brought to medical attention due to scrotal bruising and during evaluation was noted to be tachypneic and hypoxemic. Chest X-ray revealed an enlarged cardiothymic silhouette, and a follow-up echocardiogram revealed a mass in the anterior mediastinum. Routine laboratory work-up revealed severe coagulopathy. Further questioning revealed the patient had not received prophylactic vitamin K at birth. The coagulopathy resolved with administration of vitamin K, and a biopsy confirmed the anterior mediastinal mass was due to spontaneous thymic hemorrhage

Unusual morphology of desmoplastic small round cell tumor from an ascitic fluid in the postchemotherapy setting

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a malignant neoplasm that most often presents in male adolescents as an abdominal mass. Cytological features have been previously described, but only two reports noted post chemotherapy changes on effusions. We report a case of a 15-year-old male with DSRCT status postchemotherapy that presented with ascitis. Unusual morphology was seen: Numerous malignant large and single cells with prominent nucleoli and abundant cytoplasm in a background without the stroma, occasional mitosis, and the abundant apoptosis. Cell block immunocytochemistry was confirmatory. Awareness of the postchemotherapy changes in this tumor will allow us to diagnose recurrence

Endometriosis mimicking glandular atypia in a cervical cytology

Endometriosis involving the uterine cervix is a rare condition that can lead to diagnostic errors in the interpretation of Pap smear. We report the case of a 41-year-old patient in whom the initial Pap smear revealed three-dimensional clusters of glandular cells with elongated nuclei, occasional mitosis, and atypia, which was interpreted as atypical glandular cells, not otherwise specified (NOS). The patient was taken to colposcopy and endocervical biopsy. Colposcopy was normal and the biopsy presented glands with elongated nuclei and surrounded by endometrial stroma admixed with normal endocervical glands. Immunohistochemical studies were reactive for CD10 in the stromal cells and vimentin in endometrioid glands. The findings were consistent with cervical endometriosis. Endometriosis in the cervix is an uncommon pathology that mimics malignancy and may be interpreted as atypical or glandular neoplasia in the cytology

Comparisons of Three Measures of Maternal Engagement Activities in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background: Mothers’ engagement with their hospitalized preterm infant(s) is recognized as an important aspect of treatment in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). However, no gold standard exists for measuring maternal engagement, and the various methods used to measure mothers’ time have documented limitations. Objectives This study sought to compare three measurement methods of maternal engagement (a five-item maternal cross-sectional survey, time use diaries, and electronic health records [EHRs]) to identify whether these methods capture consistent data and patterns in detected differences in measures of engagement. Methods Maternal engagement was defined as time spent visiting the infant in the NICU (presence), holding (blanket holding in the mother’s arms or by kangaroo care [KC]), and caregiving (e.g., bathing and changing diapers). The survey estimating daily maternal engagement was administered in two Level III NICUs and one Level IV NICU at study enrollment, at least 2 weeks after admission. Mothers then completed the daily time use diaries until infant discharge. Data were also collected from participants’ EHRs, charted by nursing staff. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for pairwise analysis of the three measures for maternal engagement activities. Results A total of 146 participants had data across all three measurement types and were included in the analysis. In the Level III NICUs (n = 101), EHR data showed significantly more time spent with all engagement activities than the diary data. In the Level IV data, only differences in time holding were significant when comparing EHR data with survey data, with mothers reporting more time doing KC and less time blanket holding. Comparison of EHR data with diary data showed more time in all activities except KC. Discussion: In most cases, time spent in engagement activities measured in the EHR was higher than in the surveys or time use diaries. Accuracy of measurements could not be determined because of limitations in data collection, and there is no gold standard for comparison. Nevertheless, findings contribute to ongoing efforts to develop the most valuable and accurate strategies for measuring maternal engagement—a significant predictor of maternal and infant health

NICU Visitation Time and Adherence to Safe Sleep Practices Among Mothers of Very Preterm Infants.

Sleep-associated infant death is the leading cause of postneonatal mortality in the United States. Preterm infants are at higher risk for sleep-associated death, but maternal adherence to safe sleep practices is lower than for mothers of full-term infants. Data are lacking on whether maternal neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) visitation time impacts safe sleep compliance after hospital discharge

The Association of Social Factors and Time Spent in the NICU for Mothers of Very Preterm Infants.

METHODS In this prospective observational cohort study, we enrolled mother–infant dyads whose infants were bornweeks\u27 gestation. Enrollment occurred after 2 weeks of NICU exposure, when maternal social factors and demographic information was collected. Maternal time spent in the NICU was abstracted from the electronic medical record and was dichotomized into 0 to 6 days and ≥6 days per week. Demographic differences between the 2 groups were compared by using χ2 tests. Logistic regression was used to assess the independent association between maternal social factors and the average number of days per week spent in the NICU. RESULTS A total of 169 mother–infant dyads were analyzed. Maternal social factors associated with more time spent in the NICU included an annual household income of \u3e$100 000, compared with those with an annual household income of60 minutes [aOR: 7.85; 95% CI 2.81–21.96]), and the lack of other children in the household, compared with women with other children (aOR: 3.15; 95% CI 1.39–7.11). CONCLUSIONS Maternal time spent in the NICU during a prolonged birth hospitalization of a very preterm infant differed by socioeconomic status, travel time, and presence of other dependents. Strategies to better identify and reduce these disparities to optimize engagement and, subsequently, improve infant health outcomes is needed