Coastal permafrost landscape development since the Late Pleistocene in the western Laptev Sea, Siberia

The palaeoenvironmental development of the western Laptev Sea is understood primarily from investigations of exposed cliffs and surface sediment cores from the shelf. In 2005, a core transect was drilled between the Taymyr Peninsula and the Lena Delta, an area that was part of the westernmost region of the non-glaciated Beringian landmass during the late Quaternary. The transect of five cores, one terrestrial and four marine, taken near Cape Mamontov Klyk reached 12km offshore and 77m below sea level. A multiproxy approach combined cryolithological, sedimentological, geochronological (C-14-AMS, OSL on quartz, IR-OSL on feldspars) and palaeoecological (pollen, diatoms) methods. Our interpretation of the proxies focuses on landscape history and the transition of terrestrial into subsea permafrost. Marine interglacial deposits overlain by relict terrestrial permafrost within the same offshore core were encountered in the western Laptev Sea. Moreover, the marine interglacial deposits lay unexpectedly deep at 64m below modern sea level 12km from the current coastline, while no marine deposits were encountered onshore. This implies that the position of the Eemian coastline presumably was similar to today's. The landscape reconstruction suggests Eemian coastal lagoons and thermokarst lakes, followed by Early to Middle Weichselian fluvially dominated terrestrial deposition. During the Late Weichselian, this fluvial landscape was transformed into a poorly drained accumulation plain, characterized by widespread and broad ice-wedge polygons. Finally, the shelf plain was flooded by the sea during the Holocene, resulting in the inundation and degradation of terrestrial permafrost and its transformation into subsea permafrost

Vaccine Willingness and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women's Perinatal Experiences and Practices-A Multinational, Cross-Sectional Study Covering the First Wave of the Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic may be of particular concern for pregnant and breastfeeding women. We aimed to explore their beliefs about the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccine willingness and to assess the impact of the pandemic on perinatal experiences and practices. A multinational, cross-sectional, web-based study was performed in six European countries between April and July 2020. The anonymous survey was promoted via social media. In total, 16,063 women participated (including 6661 pregnant and 9402 breastfeeding women). Most responses were collected from Belgium (44%), Norway (18%) and the Netherlands (16%), followed by Switzerland (11%), Ireland (10%) and the UK (3%). Despite differences between countries, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was identified among 40-50% of the respondents at the end of the first wave of the pandemic and was higher among pregnant women. Education level and employment status were associated with vaccine hesitancy. The first wave had an adverse impact on pregnancy experiences and disrupted access to health services and breastfeeding support for many women. In the future, access to health care and support should be maintained at all times. Evidence-based and tailored information on COVID-19 vaccines should also be provided to pregnant and breastfeeding women to avoid unfounded concerns about the vaccines and to support shared decision making in this population

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Swiss pregnant and breastfeeding women - a cross-sectional study covering the first pandemic wave.

Information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnancy and breastfeeding experiences, as well as on perinatal mental health in Switzerland is limited. In Switzerland, there are few national studies and little information. Using an anonymous online survey accessible after the first wave of the outbreak in Switzerland, we have investigated how this pandemic affected pregnant and breastfeeding women. Among women who completed the survey, 69.0% (1050/1518) indicated the first wave of the pandemic affected their personal habits, 61.0% (689/1131) were affected in their work and 40.0% (632/1573) reported impaired relations with healthcare services (different denominators correspond to the number of participants who answered the question). 36.8% (110/299) of women reported an impact of the pandemic on their current pregnancy experience or breastfeeding experience (8.2%, 46/555). Overall, 11.6% (170/1467) of participants who completed the validated screening tests for mental health symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7, Perceived Stress Scale) presented a score compatible with symptoms of major depression, severe anxiety or high perceived stress, which is higher than in the pre-pandemic period according to literature. Risk factors independently associated with impaired mental health were being hospitalized, having symptoms of COVID-19, living with a person with COVID-19 symptoms, having comorbidities, having experienced reduced healthcare services, having restricted usual activities and being a housewife. Protective factors independently associated were a high level of education and living with a partner. Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic might have significantly affected the well-being and mental health of pregnant and breastfeeding women, directly in the case of exposure, and indirectly as a result of the potential modifications in their life habits and in healthcare facilities

Antiepileptika bei Frauen im gebärfähigen Alter und in der Schwangerschaft: Vergleich der Fachinformationen in Deutschland und der Schweiz mit dem aktuellen Wissensstand

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Viele Heilberufler nutzen Fachinformationen als eine von verschiedenen möglichen Informationsquellen zu Risiken einer Arzneimittelanwendung bei Frauen im gebärfähigen Alter und in der Schwangerschaft. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, eine Übersicht über das teratogene Potenzial verschiedener Antiepileptika zu präsentieren und mit den Angaben ausgewählter Fachinformationen zu vergleichen. Methoden: Es wurde eine Literaturrecherche zum teratogenen Risiko von 19 Antiepileptika durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit den Angaben der Fachinformationen von 38 in der Schweiz und in Deutschland erhältlichen Fertigarzneimitteln verglichen. Ergebnisse: In allen Fachinformationen wird das teratogene Risiko anhand epidemiologischer Daten diskutiert. Eine Quantifizierung des Fehlbildungsrisikos und die Anzahl dokumentierter Schwangerschaften fehlen jedoch meistens. Angaben zur Notwendigkeit der Überwachung von Plasmaspiegeln während der Schwangerschaft mit etwaiger Dosisanpassung fehlen in fünf schweizer und zwei deutschen Fachinformationen. Diskussion: Die Angaben in den Fachinformationen der untersuchten Antiepileptika zur Anwendung bei Frauen im gebärfähigen Alter und in der Schwangerschaft sind heterogen und entsprechen überwiegend nicht dem aktuellen Kenntnisstand. Eine durch die zuständigen Behörden angestoßene Überarbeitung der Fachinformationen scheint notwendig zu sein, damit diese Dokumente für Heilberufler tatsächlich von Nutzen sein können

Reproductive Safety of Trazodone After Maternal Exposure in Early Pregnancy: A Comparative ENTIS Cohort Study.

Trazodone is indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder, but more frequently prescribed off-label at lower doses for insomnia in women of childbearing age. The aim of this study was to assess the risks linked to trazodone exposure during pregnancy for which limited safety data are available. This multicenter, observational prospective cohort study compared pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to trazodone in early pregnancy against those in a reference group of women exposed to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) between 1996 and 2021. The sample included 221 trazodone and 869 SSRI-exposed pregnancies. Exposure to trazodone in the first trimester was not associated with a significant difference in the risk of major congenital anomalies (trazodone [1/169, 0.6%]; SSRI [19/730, 2.6%]; adjusted odds ratio, 0.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.03-1.77). The cumulative incidences of live birth were 61% and 73% in the trazodone and reference group, respectively (25% vs 18% for pregnancy loss and 14% vs 10% for pregnancy termination). Trazodone exposure was not associated with a significantly increased risk of pregnancy termination and pregnancy loss. The rate of small for gestational age infants did not differ between the groups. This study did not reveal a significant difference in the risk of major congenital anomalies after first trimester exposure to trazodone, compared with SSRI exposure. Although this study is the largest so far, these results call for confirmation through further studies

Improving Data Collection in Pregnancy Safety Studies: Towards Standardisation of Data Elements in Pregnancy Reports from Public and Private Partners, A Contribution from the ConcePTION Project

\ua9 2023, The Author(s).Introduction and Objective: The ConcePTION project aims to improve the way medication use during pregnancy is studied. This includes exploring the possibility of developing a distributed data processing and analysis infrastructure using a common data model that could form a foundational platform for future surveillance and research. A prerequisite would be that data from various data access providers (DAPs) can be harmonised according to an agreed set of standard rules concerning the structure and content of the data. To do so, a reference framework of core data elements (CDEs) recommended for primary data studies on drug safety during pregnancy was previously developed. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of several public and private DAPs using different primary data sources focusing on multiple sclerosis, as a pilot, to map their respective data variables and definitions with the CDE recommendations framework. Methods: Four pregnancy registries (Gilenya, Novartis; Aubagio, Sanofi; the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists [OTIS]; Aubagio, Sanofi; the Dutch Pregnancy Drug Register, Lareb), two enhanced pharmacovigilance programmes (Gilenya PRIM, Novartis; MAPLE-MS, Merck Healthcare KGaA) and four Teratology Information Services (UK TIS, Jerusalem TIS, Zerifin TIS, Swiss TIS) participated in the study. The ConcePTION primary data source CDE includes 51 items covering administrative functions, the description of pregnancy, maternal medical history, maternal illnesses arising in pregnancy, delivery details, and pregnancy and infant outcomes. For each variable in the CDE, the DAPs identified whether their variables were: identical to the one mentioned in the CDE; derived; similar but with a divergent definition; or not available. Results: The majority of the DAP data variables were either directly taken (85%, n = 305/357, range 73–94% between DAPs) or derived by combining different variables (12%, n = 42/357, range 0–24% between DAPs) to conform to the CDE variables and definitions. For very few of the DAP variables, alignment with the CDE items was not possible, either because of divergent definitions (1%, n = 3/357, range 0–2% between DAPs) or because the variables were not available (2%, n = 7/357, range 0–4% between DAPs). Conclusions: Data access providers participating in this study presented a very high proportion of variables matching the CDE items, indicating that alignment of definitions and harmonisation of data analysis by different stakeholders to accelerate and strengthen pregnancy pharmacovigilance safety data analyses could be feasible

Environmental enrichment has no effect on the development of dopaminergic and GABAergic fibers during methylphenidate treatment of early traumatized gerbils

It is widely believed, that environmental factors play a crucial role in the etiology and outcome of psychiatric diseases such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A former study from our laboratory has shown that both methylphenidate (MP) and handling have a positive effect on the dopaminergic fiber density in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of early traumatized gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). The current study was performed to investigate if enriched environment during MP application has an additional influence on the dopaminergic and GABAergic fiber densities in the PFC and amygdala in this animal model

Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain: an update

A large number of scientists from a wide range of medical and surgical disciplines have reported on the existence and characteristics of the clinical syndrome of pelvic girdle pain during or after pregnancy. This syndrome refers to a musculoskeletal type of persistent pain localised at the anterior and/or posterior aspect of the pelvic ring. The pain may radiate across the hip joint and the thigh bones. The symptoms may begin either during the first trimester of pregnancy, at labour or even during the postpartum period. The physiological processes characterising this clinical entity remain obscure. In this review, the definition and epidemiology, as well as a proposed diagnostic algorithm and treatment options, are presented. Ongoing research is desirable to establish clear management strategies that are based on the pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for the escalation of the syndrome's symptoms to a fraction of the population of pregnant women