Interventions for preventing postpartum constipation

Occupational Therapy Practitioners' Perceptions of Providing Services for the Acute Postpartum Population

Occupational therapy practitioners' (OTP's) perceptions of their role in working on the acute postpartum hospital unit are unknown. The objective of this research was to determine the perspectives of OTP's enrolled in a continuing education course to gain competency in providing services to acute postpartum patients. Investigators engaged in a phenomenology consisting of semi-structured interviews with six OTP's working in acute care hospitals preparing to work on the postpartum unit. Three themes emerged from transcripts: (a) Its' Not THAT Different; (b) Willing To Try; and (c) Shifting Focus To Mom. OTPs working in hospitals identified existing skills applicable to working with acute postpartum patients, a need for additional learning to enhance competence, and a desire to focus support for the birthing person to improve maternal outcomes. Hospital onboarding and/or entry-level OTP programs should consider including education on the postpartum population. Future research should focus on program implementation on acute postpartum hospital units.

Association between functional constipation and vaginal wind in women at 6 weeks postpartum

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

The pathogenesis of vaginal wind remains unclear. This study was aimed at assessing the association between functional constipation and vaginal wind in women at 6 weeks postpartum.

METHODS

This is a multicenter cross-sectional study. We collected data, such as baseline demographic, clinical characteristics, pelvic organ prolapse quantification score. and surface electromyography parameters of pelvic floor muscles, of women at 6 weeks postpartum who visited the postpartum rehabilitation clinic between May 2022 and September 2022. The cohort data were from women who visited the postpartum rehabilitation clinic of the First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University and the Women and Children's Health Care Hospital of Yudu County. Follow-up for the control and study cohorts was conducted until 6 weeks postpartum.

RESULTS

Among the 377 women, 101 (26.79%) reported vaginal wind. Multivariate regression analysis showed that postpartum women with functional constipation were at a higher risk for vaginal wind than women without functional constipation (odds ratio [OR], 2.41). The results remained stable across the propensity score analyses (OR, 1.86-2.30). In addition, we found age, body mass index, mode of delivery, changes in the anatomical location of Bp points, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor muscle strength, and birth weight of the neonate were not associated with increased odds of vaginal wind in women at 6 weeks postpartum.

CONCLUSIONS

Vaginal wind is common among women at 6 weeks postpartum and is associated with functional constipation. Functional constipation may serve as a reference for the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of vaginal wind.

Association of delivery mode and number of pregnancies with anorectal manometry data in patients with postpartum constipation

OBJECTIVE

To explore the association of delivery mode and the number of pregnancies with anorectal manometry data in patients with postpartum constipation.

METHODS

This retrospective study included women with postpartum constipation treated at the pelvic floor rehabilitation department of Huzhou Maternity & Child Health Care Hospital between January 2018 and December 2019.

RESULTS

Among 127 patients included, 55 (43.3%) had one pregnancy, 72 (56.7%) had two pregnancies, 96 (75.6%) delivered spontaneously, 25 (16.7%) underwent Cesarean section, and six (4.7%) needed a Cesarean section despite spontaneous labor. The median duration of constipation was 12 months (range, 6-12). There were no differences between the two groups for any manometry parameters (all P > 0.05). The patients with a spontaneous delivery had a lower change in maximal contracting sphincter pressure compared with those with Cesarean section (14.3 (4.5-25.0) vs. 19.6 (13.4-40.0), P = 0.023). Only the delivery mode (Cesarean vs. spontaneous) independently affected the changes in contracting sphincter pressure (B = 10.32, 95%CI: 2.95-17.69, P = 0.006); age (P = 0.201), number of pregnancies (P = 0.190), and constipation duration (P = 0.161) were not associated.

CONCLUSION

The patients with a spontaneous delivery had a lower change in maximal contracting sphincter pressure compared with those with a Cesarean section, suggesting that patients with Cesarean may retain a better "push" function during defecation.

The prebiotic effects of soluble dietary fiber mixture on renal anemia and the gut microbiota in end-stage renal disease patients on maintenance hemodialysis: a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study

BACKGROUND

Renal anemia is caused by end-stage renal disease (ESRD) but has a complex etiology. The application of dietary fiber (DF) to regulate the gut microbiota has shown effective therapeutic effects in some diseases, but its role in renal anemia is not clear. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of DF on renal anemia by regulating the gut microbiota and its metabolite, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

METHODS

A total of 162 ESRD patients were enrolled and randomly distributed into a DF or a control group (received oral DF or potato starch, 10 g/day for 8 weeks). Hemoglobin (Hb), serum iron (Fe²⁺), serum ferritin (SF), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), hepcidin and the dosage of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) before and after intervention in patients were analyzed. The gut microbiota and SCFAs in both groups were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively. Spearman's correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between the gut microbiota, SCFAs and the hematological indicators.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, (1) the patients in the DF group had higher Hb [117.0 (12.5) g/L vs. 94.0 (14.5) g/L, p < 0.001], Fe²⁺ [13.23 (4.83) μmol/L vs. 10.26 (5.55) μmol/L, p < 0.001], and SF levels [54.15 (86.66) ng/ml vs. 41.48 (36.60) ng/ml, p = 0.003]. (2) The rhEPO dosage in the DF group was not significantly decreased (p = 0.12). (3) Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Lactobacillus and Lactobacillaceae were increased in the DF group, and Lactobacillus and Lactobacillaceae were positively correlated with Hb (r = 0.44, p < 0.001; r = 0.44, p < 0.001) and Fe²⁺ levels (r = 0.26, p = 0.016; r = 0.26, p = 0.016) and negatively correlated with rhEPO dosage (r = - 0.45, p < 0.001; r = - 0.45, p < 0.001). (4) Patients in the DF group had elevated serum butyric acid (BA) levels [0.80 (1.65) vs. 0.05 (0.04), p < 0.001] and BA levels were positively correlated with Hb (r = 0.26, p = 0.019) and Fe²⁺ (r = 0.31, p = 0.005) and negatively correlated with rhEPO dosage (r = - 0.36, p = 0.001). Lactobacillus and Lactobacillaceae were positively correlated with BA levels (r = 0.78, p < 0.001; r = 0.78, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

DF may improve renal anemia in ESRD patients by regulating the gut microbiota and SCFAs. Trial registration This study was registered in the China Clinical Trial Registry ( www.chictr.org.cn ) on December 20, 2018 ( ChiCTR1800020232 ).

Analysis of the Outcome of Treatment of Brain Metastases from Malignant Trophoblastic Tumours and Risk Factors for Prognosis during Pregnancy

Temozolomide combined with whole-brain radiotherapy has good near-term efficacy and safety in the treatment of brain metastases from nonsmall cell lung cancer. In this study, we analyzed the risk factors for treatment and prognosis of brain metastases in gestational trophoblastic neoplasm (GTN) during pregnancy. Thirty-one patients with brain metastases were included in the study. All patients had a pathological diagnosis of primary lesions, including 23 adenocarcinomas, 7 squamous carcinomas, and 1 adenosquamous carcinoma, and had ≥3 intracranial metastases, controlled primary lesions (including resected primary lesions or unresectable primary lesions in partial remission (PR)/complete remission (CR) for ≥2 months) by cranial enhancement MRI and no extracranial metastases. Presence or control of extracranial metastases was for ≥2 months. The common adverse toxic effects were nausea, vomiting, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia, but most patients tolerated them with symptomatic management.