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The emergence of COVID-19 affected all facets of life. Lockdown restrictions, introduced in various countries, meant the majority of people had to stay home in the interests of social distancing. Schools and other learning institutions in Zimbabwe and elsewhere were closed and the phenomenon of home-schooling was introduced to ensure that learners do not lag behind. Home-schooling meant that in addition to the parenting role, parents- in particular mothers, had to become teachers. The impact of this sudden change of roles on the mental health of mothers and, in particular, teen suicide, a form of borderline personality disorder, is yet to be studied. Is the growing scourge of teen suicide in Zimbabwe a result of COVID-19 inspired home-schooling experiences? Data solicited through face-to-face interviews and documents analyses and analysed through the lens of family systems theory seem to suggest that family disruptions and most mothers’ terrible experience with home-schooling was in part responsible for children’s (learners’) suicide ideation. To this end, we suggest that when teen education and child development catastrophe in the mould of COVID-19 occurs, manuals and toolkits on home-schooling should be developed to guide parents and children.

The emergence of COVID-19 affected all facets of life. Lockdown restrictions, introduced in various countries, meant the majority of people had to stay home in adherence to social distancing regulations as stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Schools and other learning institutions in Zimbabwe and elsewhere were closed and the phenomenon of home-schooling was introduced to ensure that learners do not lag behind. Home-schooling meant that in addition to the parenting role, parents- in particular mothers, had to become teachers. The impact of this sudden change of roles on the mental health of mothers and, in particular, teen suicide, a form of borderline personality disorder, is yet to be studied. Is the growing scourge of teen suicide in Zimbabwe a result of COVID-19 inspired home-schooling experiences? Data solicited through face-to-face interviews and documents analyses and analysed through the lens of family systems theory seem to suggest that family disruptions and most mothers' terrible experience with home-schooling was in part responsible for children's (learners') suicide ideation. To this end, we suggest that when teen education and child development catastrophe in the mould of COVID-19 occurs, manuals and toolkits on home-schooling should be developed to guide parents and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with higher rates of pregnancy and birth complications, despite that vertical transmission rates are thought to be low. Here, multi-omics analyses of human placental tissues, cord tissues/plasma, and amniotic fluid from 23 COVID-19 mother-infant pairs revealed robust inflammatory responses in both maternal and fetal compartments. Pronounced expression of complement proteins (C1q, C3, C3b, C4, C5) and inflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-1α, and IL-17A/E) was detected in the fetal compartment of COVID-19-affected pregnancies. While ~26% of fetal tissues were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, more than 60% of fetal tissues contained SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 proteins, suggesting transplacental transfer of this viral accessory protein. ORF8-positive fetal compartments exhibited increased inflammation and complement activation compared to ORF8-negative COVID-19 pregnancies. In human placental trophoblasts in vitro, exogenous ORF8 exposure resulted in complement activation and inflammatory responses. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that ORF8 binds to C1q specifically by interacting with a 15-peptide region on ORF8 (C37-A51) and the globular domain of C1q subunit A. In conclusion, an ORF8-C1q-dependent complement activation pathway was identified in COVID-19-affected pregnancies, likely contributing to fetal inflammation independently of fetal virus exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic individuals and their families are recently emerging. This study investigated these effects in 40 mother-child dyads by measuring the behavioral problems of autistic individuals (via Aberrant Behavior Checklist) and their mothers' anxiety levels (via Beck Anxiety Inventory) during the pre-pandemic period, one month after, and one year after its onset. One year into the pandemic, aberrant behaviors of autistic individuals worsened only for those whose mothers had high anxiety levels. The continued negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the behavior of autistic individuals is related to their mother's anxiety level, highlighting the need to support maternal mental health in families with individuals with autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increasing number of women giving birth while also grappling with SARS-CoV-2. The objective of this review is to examine the possibility of transmission of the virus from mother to infant through breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, and rooming-in and to explore methods for managing COVID-19-positive mother–infant dyads. (2) Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was employed that covered pertinent studies from the Cochrane Library, PubMed Central, and Scopus databases. The Matrix Method and PRISMA guidelines were utilized by the researchers, with the search being updated until 20 December 2021, one year after the initial vaccine delivery. The inclusion criteria for the study involved articles published in English, those employing broad search terms, and those comprising full-text reviews. Additionally, the researchers required that the articles be published from December 2019 onwards. To further analyze the data, a meta-analysis was performed to estimate the rate of infant infection from mothers who engaged in breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, and rooming-in practices. (3) Results: Eighteen studies were analyzed in this review, with an infected infant rate of 2.8%. The maternal practices used in these studies ranged from direct separation of the infant to direct skin-to-skin contact, rooming-in, and exclusive breastfeeding. One study investigated the factors associated with positive test results in newborns and found that only the maternal social vulnerability index >90 was a significant predictor. The type of delivery, rooming-in, and the mother's symptom status were not associated with positive neonatal outcomes. (4) Conclusions: According to current data, the incidence of perinatal infection with SARS-CoV-2 is relatively low. It is advised that mothers adhere to several supportive care measures, including engaging in breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, and rooming-in. These measures ought to be complemented by diligent hand hygiene, the wearing of masks, and the cleansing of breasts solely when necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effect of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus in the neonatal period on developing brain is still unknown. This study aims to investigate the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of newborns exposed to SARS-CoV-2 & Delta variant. Methods: At a tertiary referral center, a prospective observational cohort research was carried out. All babies who were equal to or more than 34 gestational weeks gestation and were admitted to the NICU between January 2021 and January 2022 due to SARS-CoV-2 infection (Delta - or Delta +) were included in the study. Infants who were hospitalized for non-SARS-CoV-2 reasons at similar dates and who had no history of invasive mechanical ventilation were incorporated as a control group using a 2:1 gender and gestational age match. Thirty infants were assigned to the study group and sixty newborns to the control group based on the sample size calculation. These toddlers' neurodevelopment was evaluated between the ages of 18 and 24 months using the Bayley-II scale. Results: We enrolled 90 infants. SARS-CoV-2-positive infants had poorer psychomotor development index (PDI) scores and significantly greater mildly delayed performances (MDPs) at 18–24 months (PDI p = 0.05, MDPs p = 0.03, respectively). Delta variant showed statistically significant lower MDI and PDI scores (MDI p=0.03, PDI p=0.03, respectively). A smaller head circumference of SARS-CoV-2-positive toddlers was detected in the first year (p < 0.001), which improved at the second age. Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2-positive neonates revealed lower PDI scores and greater MDPs at 18th-24th months. The effect is most noticeable in Delta variant. Longer-term examination of neurodevelopmental outcomes and reevaluation of these children between the ages of 5 and 12 are critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy has greatly improved, there is still a lack of information on its role in the later stages of gestation. The aim of this study is to investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 discovered at delivery is associated with any obstetric or neonatal complications. A retrospective case-control study was conducted at Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy, from March 2020 to March 2023. Pregnant women admitted were tested for SARS-CoV-2. 168 women resulted positive at the time of delivery; the women were asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic. 170 negative women were selected as controls, selecting, for each SARS-CoV-2 positive patient, the patient who gave birth right before, if negative. Demographic and anamnestic characteristics, pregnancy, labor, and neonatal outcomes were evaluated. SARS-CoV-2 positive patients were more likely to have gestational diabetes (13.7 vs. 5.3 %) and required less frequently intrapartum analgesia (11.3 vs. 27 %) and labor augmentation (7.3 vs. 16.5 %). Post-partum hemorrhage rate was lower (13.7 vs. 22.9 %) and a shorter length of first and second stage of labor occurred. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the mode of delivery and neonatal outcomes. SARS-CoV-2 positive patients have shorter labor length and a lower incidence of postpartum hemorrhage. Fewer obstetric interventions, as well as less use of intrapartum analgesia and oxytocin, could explain these findings. Moreover, gestational diabetes could increase susceptibility to infection. SARS-CoV-2 infection discovered at the time of delivery in asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic patients does not appear to increase the rate of cesarean delivery or other obstetric complications, and neonatal outcomes have not worsened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has caused continuous effects on the global public, especially for susceptible and vulnerable populations like pregnant women. COVID-19-related studies and publications have shown blowout development, making it challenging to identify development trends and hot areas by using traditional review methods for such massive data. Aimed to perform a bibliometric analysis to explore the status and hotspots of COVID-19 in obstetrics. An online search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database from January 01, 2020 to November 31, 2022, using the following search expression: (((TS= ("COVID 19" OR "coronavirus 2019" OR "coronavirus disease 2019" OR "SARS-CoV-2" OR "2019-nCoV" OR "2019 novel coronavirus" OR "SARS coronavirus 2" OR "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2" OR "SARS-COV2")) AND TS= ("obstetric*" OR "pregnancy*" OR "pregnant" OR "parturition*" OR "puerperium"))). VOSviewer version 1.6.18, CiteSpace version 6.1.R6, R version 4.2.0, and Rstudio were used for the bibliometric and visualization analyses. 4144 articles were included in further analysis, including authors, titles, number of citations, countries, and author affiliations. The United States has contributed the most significant publications with the leading position. "Sahin, Dilek" has the largest output, and "Khalil, Asma" was the most influential author with the highest citations. Keywords of "Cov," "Experience," and "Neonate" with the highest frequency, and "Systematic Review" might be the new research hotspots and frontiers. The top 3 concerned genes included ACE2, CRP, and IL6. The new research hotspot is gradually shifting from the COVID-19 mechanism and its related clinical research to reviewing treatment options for pregnant women. This research uniquely delves into specific genes related to COVID-19's effects on obstetrics, a focus that has not been previously explored in other reviews. Our research enables clinicians and researchers to summarize the overall point of view of the existing literature and obtain more accurate conclusions., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection of mothers may increase the risk of complications and adverse birth outcomes among newborn infants born more than 37 weeks' gestation., Purpose: The aim of this scoping review is to identify the research gaps in the literature on SARS-CoV-2 positive newborn infants born at more than 37 weeks' gestation in United States (U.S.)., Data Sources: A search for relevant articles was conducted using multiple resources including three databases CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, and Web of Science. This scoping review included case reports, case series, cohort, and retrospective studies focusing on newborn infants born more than 37 weeks of gestation with SARS-CoV-2 infection., Study Selection: A total of 4262 citations were screened, and 12 articles met the eligibility criteria., Data Extraction: Two authors independently screened the articles using a multi-step approach., Results: This review identified the gaps in literature on newborn infants up to one month of age. Few studies have focused on SARS-CoV-2 positive newborn infants born more than 37 gestational weeks. This review demonstrates a higher prevalence of community-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections among infants following discharge., Implications of Practice and Research: Few U.S. based studies have focused on newborn infants born more than 37 weeks' gestation with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Future follow-up studies are essential on these infants especially during the first 30 days of life. Discharge teaching on SARS-CoV-2 infection is vital in reducing community transmission, admissions, and emergency department visits., (Copyright © 2024 by The National Association of Neonatal Nurses.)

Objective: Given the prevalence of neonatal hearing loss (HL) associated with intrauterine viral exposures, the goal of this study is to provide information on neonatal HL in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: Data were drawn from the COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes (COMBO) Initiative. 1007 participants completed the newborn hearing screen as part of routine clinical care (COMBO-EHR cohort) and 555 completed the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) at 2 and/or 3 years of age for research purposes (COMBO-RSCH cohort). Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection status during pregnancy was determined through electronic health records and maternal-reported questionnaires., Results: In adjusted multivariate logistic regression models covarying for newborn age at assessment, mode of delivery, and gestational age at delivery, there was no significant association between intrauterine SARS-CoV-2 exposure and newborn hearing screening failure (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.39-2.42, p = 0.91) in the COMBO-EHR cohort. In the COMBO-RSCH cohort, there were similar non-significant associations between intrauterine exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and maternal-reported concern for HL on the NSCH (OR = 1.19 [95% CI = 0.30-4.24], p = 0.79)., Conclusion: There is no association between intrauterine exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and failed hearing screen in neonates. Similarly, based on the NSCH, there is no association between intrauterine exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and maternal-reported concern for hearing in toddlers. These results offer reassurance given the widespread nature of this pandemic with tens of millions of fetuses having a history of intrauterine exposure., Level of Evidence: Level 4 Laryngoscope, 2024., (© 2024 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

The pandemic Covid-19 affects mainly adult causing fatal illness specially who have co-morbidities. But as days pass by with increasing surveillances it's gradually obvious that this devastating disease also affects the children as well as neonates with greater number. The aim of study was to determine the Covid-19 in neonates. So, we can give proper emphasis on neonatal Covid-19. This cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2020 to September 2020 at Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital in Bangladesh. Neonates with suspected Covid-19 were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT- PCR. Newborn who had suspected or confirmed COVID-19 mother, exposed to relatives infected with Covid-19, related with cluster outbreak or with abnormal clinical courses such as respiratory distress, not responded to conventional treatment and also abnormal chest x-ray was selected for Covid-19 test. Data regarding gestational age, birth weight, gender, positive cases and other findings were collected and analyzed. Statistics analysis was done by SPSS version 26.0. Forty three cases were Covid-19 positive. Among them 28(65.1%) cases were male and 15(34.9%) female. Term was 39(90.6%) cases and preterm 4(9.4%). Twenty nine (67.5%) cases were belonged to medicine and 14(32.6%) surgical cases. Fourteen (32.5%) cases with Covid-19 lived in Dhaka and 29(67.5%) cases in outside of Dhaka. Eleven (25.5%) cases were positive for SARS -CoV-2 by RT- PCR within 3 days, among them 5 (11.6%) cases were within 24 hours of age. Nine (20.9%) and 23(53.5%) cases were test positive at day 4-7 and 8-28 days respectively. The main symptoms at admission were respiratory difficulty (12/43, 27.9%), fever (8/43, 18.6%), convulsion (8/43, 18.6%) and reluctance to feed (7/43, 16.6%). In neonate two or more diseases coexist in same cases. Sepsis was present in 20 (46.5%) cases with COVID-19. Perinatal asphyxia was present in 10(23.3%) and pneumonia in 8 (18.6%) cases. In laboratory findings low Hb% was present in 2/43(4.7%) cases, leukopenia in 4/43(9.3%), leukocytosis in 2/43(4.7%) and thrombocytopenia in 5/43(11.6%). Elevated CRP was present in 14/29 (32.6%) cases, hypernatremia in 10/33 (30.3%), hyponatremia in 1/33(3%), increased serum creatinine in 10/18(55.6%), and prolonged PT, aPTT in 2/2(100%). Hyperglycaemia was found in 1/15(6.7%) cases and hypoglycaemia in 2/15(13.3%). No organism was found in blood C/S. In chest X-ray, one showed patchy opacities in right lower lobe, another showed bilateral ground-glass opacity and third one revealed few patchy opacities in the right perihilar region. Among 43 cases 21(48.9%) were discharged with advice, 12(27.9%) cases referred to Covid-19 designated hospital, 2(4.7%) cases LAMA (Leave against medical advice) and 8(18.6%) cases died including one surgical case. A good number (43) of Covid-19 cases were found in this study. In neonates the clinical features could not be differentiated properly between Covid-19 or associated diseases unlike children and adult. The neonate may be a source of transmission of this disease. So, we should give proper emphasis on test, tracing and management of neonatal Covid-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is considered an infectious disease which is caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Neonatal COVID-19 had been occurred in many countries which would indicate the need of effective and safe treatment for these vulnerable group. In this study, we showed symptoms of corona virus in neonates, investigation of coronavirus in neonates and radiological features of neonatal COVID-19. In addition, we discussed management of neonates with COVI-19, antiviral treatment, monoclonal antibodies administration, immunomodulatory therapy, antibiotics, vitamins, and minerals in the treatment of neonatal COVID-19, and also telemedicine in neonatal COVID-19 and feeding the newborn of COVID-19 mother. We also discussed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in neonates (MIS-N), management of affected COVID-19 neonates and discussion of the complication of the neonatal COVID-19. We further discussed the methods of dealing with COVID-19 neonates and the research done on the neonatal COVID-19 treatment.