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Inflamm Res 2020 Jun 2. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Department of Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.

Objective And Design: The purpose of the review was to gather information on the role and possibilities of using lipoxin in the treatment of infertility and maintaining a normal pregnancy. Ovulation, menstruation, embryo implantation, and childbirth are reactions representing short-term inflammatory events involving lipoxin activities. Lipoxin A4 (LXA4) is an arachidonic acid metabolite, and in cooperation with its positional isomer lipoxin B4 (LXB4), it is a major lipoxin in mammals. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2020 Jun 1;20(1):336. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, 5, Fu-Shin street, Kei-Shan, Tao-Yuan, 333, The People's Republic of China.

Background: A high incidence of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been observed in women with eclampsia on imaging. However this association was documented mostly after convulsions occurred. This study aimed to detect the development of PRES using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in women with severe preeclampsia and headache, and evaluate the clinical and radiological findings in obstetric outcomes. Read More

Am J Perinatol 2020 Jun 2. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, District of Columbia.

Objective:  Postpartum hypertension is a leading cause of readmission in the postpartum period. We aimed to examine the prevalence of racial/ethnic differences in postpartum readmission due to hypertension in women with antepartum pregnancy-associated hypertension.

Study Design:  This was a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study of all women with antepartum pregnancy-associated hypertension diagnosed prior to initial discharge from January 2009 to December 2016. Read More

Am J Reprod Immunol 2020 Jun 2:e13280. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Laboratory for Reproductive Immunology, Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

The survival of allogeneic fetuses during pregnancy is a rather paradoxical phenomenon with a complex mechanism. Chemokine ligand12 (CXCL12) and its receptors CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR)4 and 7 are extensively found in placenta tissues and cells, including trophoblast cells, vascular endothelial cells, decidual stromal and decidual immune cells (e.g. Read More

Am J Reprod Immunol 2020 Jun 2:e13281. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Laboratory of Morphology, Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Problem: The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the distribution of regulatory CD25 FOXP3 and activated CD4 CD25 T cells in decidua basalis and parietalis of severe and mild pre-eclampsia (PE) to normal healthy pregnancies.

Method Of Study: Decidual tissue (decidua basalis and parietalis) of 13 women with mild PE, 15 women with severe PE and 19 women with healthy term pregnancies were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence.

Results: The total number of CD25 FOXP3 cells/mm in decidua basalis was decreased in the severe and mild PE versus normal pregnancy group. Read More

Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2020 Jun 2. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Surgical Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Parma, Italy.

Objective: To elucidate whether preeclampsia (PE) and the gestational age at onset of the disease (early-onset vs late-onset PE) has an impact on the risk of long-term cardiovascular complications.

Methods: MedLine and Scopus databases were searched until April 15, 2020 utilizing combinations of the relevant MeSH terms, key words, and word variants for "pre-eclampsia" "cardiovascular disease" and "outcome". Inclusion criteria were: (a) cohort or case-control design; (b) inclusion of women with a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia at the time of the first pregnancy; (c) enough data to compare each outcome in: (I) women with a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia versus women with normal pregnancies and/or (II) women with early-onset pre-eclampsia versus women with late-onset pre-eclampsia. Read More

Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet 2020 May 29;42(5):248-254. Epub 2020 May 29.

Departament of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Universidade de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.

Objective:  To assess maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnancies in women with chronic hypertension (CH).

Methods:  Retrospective cohort of women with CH followed at a referral center for a 5 year period (2012-2017). Data were obtained from medical charts review and described as means and frequencies, and a Poisson regression was performed to identify factors independently associated to the occurrence of superimposed pre-eclampsia (sPE). Read More

Drug Discov Today 2020 May 29. Epub 2020 May 29.

Halal Research Center of IRI, FDA, Tehran, Iran; Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Neurogenic Inflammation Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address:

Pre-eclampsia is a significant risk factor for adverse outcomes for both the fetus and mother. Research has suggested that antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin, could prevent pre-eclampsia, although meta-analyses have reported inconsistent outcomes. Therefore, we analyzed 12 such meta-analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of the effects of aspirin during pregnancy. Read More

Med J Armed Forces India 2020 Apr 31;76(2):161-165. Epub 2019 May 31.

Professor & Head, Department of Pathology, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, 411040, India.

Background: Hypertension encountered during pregnancy could be the first sign of a preexisting pathology that can significantly attribute to unfavorable maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. Resolving hypertensive disorders at an early age may not alter the course and proficiency of the disease, but timely detection and treatment can not only prevent hypertensive crisis but also alter unfavorable fetal outcomes. Ipso facto, an early cataloging plays an essential role in predicting the outcome of pregnancy, both for mother and baby. Read More

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2020 May 30. Epub 2020 May 30.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

We read with interest, the article by Gidlöf et al on the management of a twin pregnancy with severe preeclampsia and Coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19) and their call for more liberal testing guidelines in women with high-risk pregnancies, and agree with their suggestion. A severe complication of preeclampsia is eclampsia. Presentations include neurological manifestations such as headache, seizures, loss of consciousness, along with raised blood pressure. Read More

Transplant Proc 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Department of Nephrologic Nursing, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

Introduction: Transplantation is not only the best method for treating end-stage failure of many organs but also the way to improve the quality of life of patients. For women of childbearing age, an organ transplant often brings a restoration of regular reproductive functions, which means, among other things, the possibility of having biological offspring.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the medical records and assess the impact of a liver transplant on the course of pregnancy and labor. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2020 May 29;20(1):327. Epub 2020 May 29.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Background: In women with singleton pregnancies, maternal adaptation is considered a stress test for later life cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to assess maternal adaptation in women with twin pregnancies compared to women carrying singletons during and after pregnancy.

Methods: This was a population based prospective cohort study of 91 women with twin pregnancies and 8107 women carrying singletons. Read More

PLoS One 2020 29;15(5):e0232634. Epub 2020 May 29.

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Objective: During pregnancy, inhibin A is mainly derived from the placenta and regulates the implantation and differentiation of embryos. Our aim was to assess whether second trimester serum inhibin A was associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: We investigated the serum levels of Inhibin A during the second trimester in pregnancy, and analyzed associations between the Inhibin A and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. Read More

Anaesthesia 2020 May 29. Epub 2020 May 29.

Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Fetal Medicine Research Institute, King's College London, UK.

Maternal cardiac dysfunction is associated with pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and haemodynamic instability during obstetric anaesthesia. There is growing interest in the use of non-invasive cardiac output monitoring to guide antihypertensive and fluid therapies in obstetrics. The aim of this study was to validate thoracic bioreactance using the NICOM® instrument against transthoracic echocardiography in pregnant women, and to assess the effects of maternal characteristics on the absolute difference of stroke volume, cardiac output and heart rate. Read More

Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2020 May 29. Epub 2020 May 29.

Nursing Department, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey.

Objective: To investigate the impact of high-fidelity simulation on nursing students' knowledge, critical thinking, and clinical decision-making in the management of pre-eclampsia, and to explore the students' views and learning experiences.

Methods: A mixed-methods design study was conducted on 107 third-year nursing students. The students were randomly assigned to the control group (n=54) or the experimental group (n=53). Read More

Postgrad Med J 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Medicine, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, New Delhi, India.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a neurological disorder which is characterised by variable symptoms, which include visual disturbances, headache, vomiting, seizures and altered consciousness. The exact pathophysiology of PRES has not been completely explained, but hypertension and endothelial injury seem to be almost always present. Vasoconstriction resulting in vasogenic and cytotoxic edema is suspected to be responsible for the clinical symptoms as well as the neuro-radiological presentation. Read More

J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

Aim: Obesity has been associated with changes in autophagy and its increasing prevalence among pregnant women is implicated in higher rates of placental-mediated complications of pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Autophagy is involved in normal placentation, thus changes in autophagy may lead to impaired placental function and development. The aim of this study was to investigate the connection between obesity and autophagy in the placenta in otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies. Read More

Pregnancy Hypertens 2020 May 14;21:96-105. Epub 2020 May 14.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Suite 930, 1125 Howe Street, Vancouver V6Z 2K8, Canada; Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, King's College London, 1 Lambeth Place Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.

Objectives: Pregnancy hypertension is the third leading cause of maternal mortality in Mozambique and contributes significantly to fetal and neonatal mortality. The objective of this trial was to assess whether task-sharing care might reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes related to delays in triage, transport, and treatment.

Study Design: The Mozambique Community-Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia (CLIP) cluster randomised controlled trial (NCT01911494) recruited pregnant women in 12 administrative posts (clusters) in Maputo and Gaza Provinces. Read More

Curr Hypertens Rep 2020 May 27;22(6):41. Epub 2020 May 27.

Discipline of Optics and Imaging, Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Purpose Of The Review: In our innate immune system, neutrophils are the first cells to sense signals of infection and to proceed to kill the invading pathogen. This is mediated by their production of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETS) to entrap pathogenic micro-organisms, preventing their amplification and dissemination. Pre-eclampsia (PE) is the leading cause of global maternal mortality, yet to date, there is no cure nor a gold-standard diagnostic strategy. Read More

Front Physiol 2020 8;11:450. Epub 2020 May 8.

Research Group Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Genetics, Pharmacology and Physiopathology of Heart, Blood Vessels and Skeleton, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia, occur in up to 10% of pregnancies and are associated with increased life-long cardiovascular risk. Physical activity improves cardiovascular health in pregnancy and may lower the risk of developing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. However, a minority of pregnant women comply with the recommended level of physical activity. Read More

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2020 Mar 19;251:1-7. Epub 2020 Mar 19.

Optics and Imaging Centre, Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Objective: To evaluate the levels of serum beta-2-glycoprotein I (βGP1) and clusterin in the duality of Pre-eclampsia and HIV.

Method: Stored serum samples collected from 72 pregnant women were stratified according to the pregnancy type (pre-eclamptic and healthy normotensive groups) and HIV status (positive or negative). A Bio-Plex multiplex immunoassay was used to determine the concentrations of clusterin and βGP1. Read More

Nutrients 2020 May 20;12(5). Epub 2020 May 20.

Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI) and Centre of Cardiovascular Research and Education in Therapeutics (CCRET), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne 3168 VIC, Australia.

Vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), the main carrier of vitamin D, has recently been implicated in reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), pre-eclampsia, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Improved methods for measuring VDBP and an increased understanding of its role in biological processes have led to a number of newly published studies exploring VDBP in the context of pregnancy. Here, we synthesize the available evidence regarding the role of VDBP in reproductive health and pregnancy, and we highlight areas requiring further study. Read More

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2020 Apr 29;250:155-161. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Division of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.

Objective: To evaluate histological alterations in placentas of women affected by breast cancer and treated with chemotherapy during pregnancy.

Study Design: We retrospectively reviewed histological slides of 23 placentas of patients affected by breast cancer and treated with chemotherapy during pregnancy and 23 control placentas of women without breast cancer and with physiological pregnancies of the same gestational age.

Results: All the patients had breast ductal infiltrating carcinoma, 19 of 23 cases had a G3 cancer. Read More

Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2020 May 22. Epub 2020 May 22.

Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, UK.

Objective: First-trimester screening for preeclampsia (PE) is useful because treatment of the high-risk group with aspirin reduces the rate of early-PE with delivery at <34 weeks' gestation by about 80% and preterm-PE with delivery at <37 weeks by 60%. In previous studies we reported that the best way of identifying the high-risk group is by a combination of maternal factors, mean arterial pressure (MAP), uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI), and serum placental growth factor (PLGF). An alternative biochemical marker is pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), which is widely used as part of early screening for trisomies. Read More

Hum Reprod Update 2020 May 22. Epub 2020 May 22.

Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QP, UK.

Background: In humans, inadequate trophoblast invasion into the decidua is associated with the 'great obstetrical syndromes' which include pre-eclampsia, foetal growth restriction (FGR) and stillbirth. The mechanisms regulating invasion remain poorly understood, although interactions with the uterine environment are clearly of central importance. Extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells invade the uterus and transform the spiral arteries. Read More

Drug Ther Bull 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, West Middlesex University Hospital, Middlesex, UK

Reproduction 2020 May 1. Epub 2020 May 1.

E Jauniaux, EGA Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Development of the human placenta takes place in contrasting oxygen concentrations at different stages of gestation, from ~20 mmHg during the first trimester rising to ~60 mmHg at the start of the second trimester before gradually declining to ~40 mmHg at term. In view of these changes the early placenta has been described as 'hypoxic'. However, placental metabolism is heavily glycolytic, supported by the rich supply of glucose from the endometrial glands, and there is no evidence of energy compromise. Read More

Cell Death Discov 2020 13;6:35. Epub 2020 May 13.

2School of Biosciences, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261053 Shandong China.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a life-threatening disorder of human pregnancy affecting 5-8% of all pregnancies. Currently, PE remains an elusive complicated and heterogenous medical condition with no early marker or symptoms is recognized for this serious pregnancy complications. Here, we profiled the plasma miRNA expression patterns associated with preeclampsia and found 16 miRNAs were deregulated ( < 0. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2020 May 20:1-9. Epub 2020 May 20.

Department of Fetal Medicine, Nahas Hospital, Malappuram, Kerala, India.

Pre-eclampsia complicating 2-5% of pregnancies is an obstetrical syndrome associated with deleterious short-and long-term consequences to the gravid women, the fetus and the neonate. Majority of the obstetrical complications occur in early pre-eclampsia (requiring delivery <34 weeks). The risk factor based approach recommended by the professional organizations for pre-eclampsia screening has shown suboptimal clinical performance. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 May 18;13(5). Epub 2020 May 18.

Department of OB/GYN, Trinity Health of New England, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

We present a case of a pregnant woman with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura and chronic hypertension who developed pre-eclampsia with severe features warranting delivery. Her overall clinical picture and liver enzymes improved in the immediate postpartum period, however, aggressively progressing thrombocytopenia posed a diagnostic dilemma to the interdisciplinary care team. After failing to respond to first-line therapies including high-dose corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin, she was successfully managed with a trial of the thrombopoietin receptor agonist, Romiplostim. Read More

J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2020 May 19. Epub 2020 May 19.

UMAE Hospital de Gineco-Obstetricia No. 3, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City, Mexico.

Aim: The objective of this review is to describe the immunological mechanisms which facilitate maternal tolerance at the maternal-placental interface, and to discuss how these mechanisms are disrupted in pre-eclampsia.

Methods: A literature review was performed based on the analysis of papers available on PubMed. The most important and relevant studies regarding the immunological mechanisms which facilitate maternal tolerance in healthy pregnancy and pre-eclampsia are presented in this article. Read More

Hypertens Pregnancy 2020 May 19:1-6. Epub 2020 May 19.

High Risk Pregnancy Study Group, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

: To assess the predictive abilities of serum and urinary cystatin C levels for glomerular lesions in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia.: In this study, kidney function markers were compared between38 pregnant women with pre-eclampsia and 22 healthy pregnant women.: The serum and urine levels of cystatin C and urea were significantly higher in the pre-eclampsia group than in the control group. Read More

BMJ Open 2020 May 17;10(5):e035507. Epub 2020 May 17.

HUNT Research Centre, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Levanger, Norway

Introduction: Compared to women with normotensive pregnancies, women with a history of pre-eclampsia have a roughly fourfold increased risk of developing chronic arterial hypertension and a twofold increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Lifestyle changes, such as increased physical activity, weight loss, smoking cessation and healthy diet, are effective for CVD prevention in the general population. However, no scoping review or systematic review of postpartum lifestyle interventions among women with pre-eclampsia have, to our best knowledge, been performed. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2020 May 18;20(1):301. Epub 2020 May 18.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, P.O. Box 65001, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy is the second most common direct cause of maternal deaths accounting for 14% of maternal deaths worldwide. Severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are among the hypertensive disorders in pregnancy causing significant morbidity and mortality, hence categorized as Maternal Near Miss. At Muhimbili National Hospital these are the leading causes of maternal deaths accounting for 19. Read More

Mil Med 2020 May 18. Epub 2020 May 18.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, San Antonio Military Medical Center, 3551 Roger Brooke Drive, San Antonio, TX 78234.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is a well-known entity in assisted reproductive technology. However, it is unusual for this entity to occur without any medications that stimulate follicle stimulating hormone. Herein, we describe a case where a partial molar pregnancy with high human chorionic gonadotropin promiscuously activated follicle stimulating hormone receptors has resulted in spontaneous ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Read More

Eur J Prev Cardiol 2020 May 16:2047487320925646. Epub 2020 May 16.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University and ASST Spedali Civili, Italy.

Am J Reprod Immunol 2020 May 17:e13266. Epub 2020 May 17.

Insitute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous group of myeloid-origin cells which have immunosuppressive activities in several conditions, such as cancer and inflammation. Recent research has also associated MDSCs with numerous obstetrical and gynecological diseases. During pregnancy, MDSCs accumulate to ensure maternal-fetal immune tolerance, whereas they are decreased in patients who suffer from early miscarriage or pre-eclampsia. Read More

BJOG 2020 May 16. Epub 2020 May 16.

Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

Objective: To develop a core outcome set for pre-eclampsia.

Design: Consensus development study.

Setting: International. Read More

Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2020 May 16. Epub 2020 May 16.

Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics, Shenzhou City Hospital, Shenzhou, Hebei, China.

Objective: To evaluate patterns of insulin secretion in pregnancy and analyze the association between insulin patterns and risks of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods: A prospective study was conducted to collect and analyze pregnant women's materials from January 2015 to December 2018. Pregnant women were grouped according to results of 75-g oral glucose tolerance test at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy: normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and GDM. Read More

Transl Res 2020 May 12. Epub 2020 May 12.

Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address:

Antiphospholipid syndrome is one of the more common acquired causes of hypercoagulability. Its major presentations are thrombotic (arterial, venous, or microvascular) and pregnancy morbidity (miscarriages, late intrauterine fetal demise, and severe pre-eclampsia). Classification criteria include 3 different antiphospholipid antibodies: lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin, and anti-beta 2 glycoprotein I. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2020 May 14;20(1):297. Epub 2020 May 14.

Global Women's Health, King's College, London, UK.

Background: The Majority (99%) of maternal deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. The three most important causes of maternal deaths in these regions are postpartum hemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and puerperal sepsis. There are several diagnostic criteria used to identify sepsis and one of the commonly used criteria is systematic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2020 May 14;20(1):292. Epub 2020 May 14.

Archbishop Antony Mayala School of Nursing, Catholic University of Health and Allied Health Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania.

Background: Timely intrapartum referral between facilities is pivotal in reducing maternal/neonatal mortality and morbidity but is distressing to women, resource-intensive and likely to cause delays in care provision. We explored the complexities around referrals to gain understanding of the characteristics, experiences and outcomes of those being transferred.

Methods: We used a mixed-method parallel convergent design, in Tanzania and Zambia. Read More

Heart 2020 May 13. Epub 2020 May 13.

Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States

Background And Objective: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) affect 5%-10% of pregnancies and have been associated with excess maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The primary aim of this study was to reliably estimate absolute and relative risks of CVD after HDP.

Methods: A retrospective cohort of women who had singleton pregnancies in New South Wales, Australia, between 2002 and 2016 and identified using linked population health administrative databases. Read More

BMJ Open 2020 May 12;10(5):e035574. Epub 2020 May 12.

Reproductive Health, University of Gondar College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Introduction: Preterm birth (PTB) complications are the leading cause of death among neonates globally. The reduction in neonatal mortality is not remarkable in Ethiopia. Therefore, this review will assess the magnitude and associated factors of PTB in Ethiopia. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2020 May 13:1-7. Epub 2020 May 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.

To determine the prevalence of virus in a previously uncharacterized matched maternal-infant preterm cohort and test if viral presence or viral load correlate with histologic chorioamnionitis, spontaneous preterm labor or pre-eclampsia. Using qRT-PCR/qPCR we tested plasma or whole blood samples from 56 matched maternal and premature infant dyads for: adenovirus, anellovirus (alphatorquevirus and betatorquevirus), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), enterovirus, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6), parechovirus, and parvovirus B19. Viral detection was more common in maternal samples 29/56 (52%) than in cord blood from their infants (4/56 (7%)) ( ≤ . Read More

Scand J Clin Lab Invest 2020 May 13:1-7. Epub 2020 May 13.

Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.

Multiple small studies have suggested that women with pre-eclampsia present elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). However, little is known regarding the source of this CRP and IL-6 increase. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between CRP and IL-6 levels with pre-eclampsia considering different confounding factors. Read More

Biol Sex Differ 2020 May 11;11(1):26. Epub 2020 May 11.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Background: Since the placenta also has a sex, fetal sex-specific differences in the occurrence of placenta-mediated complications could exist.

Objective: To determine the association of fetal sex with multiple maternal pregnancy complications.

Search Strategy: Six electronic databases Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, Web-of-Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar were systematically searched to identify eligible studies. Read More

Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2020 May 10. Epub 2020 May 10.

Fetal Medicine Research Institute, King's College Hospital, London, UK.

Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a significant contributor to maternal and perinatal adverse outcome, however accurate prediction and early diagnosis of this condition remain a challenge.

Objectives: To compare serum levels of growth-differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) at three different gestational ages between asymptomatic women who subsequently developed preterm or term PE and healthy controls.

Methods: This was a case-control study drawn from a prospective observational study for adverse pregnancy outcomes in women attending for their routine second and third trimester hospital visits. Read More

Pregnancy Hypertens 2020 Apr 22;21:35-37. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Women's Health Academic Centre, St Thomas' Hospital, King's College London, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

We aimed to establish a rule-in threshold for the DELFIA Xpress placental growth factor (PlGF) 1-2-3 test. Plasma EDTA samples from 305 women presenting with suspected pre-eclampsia before 35 weeks' gestation were analysed using three different PlGF-based tests: PlGF 1-2-3 test (Perkin Elmer); Triage PlGF test (Quidel); Elecsys immunoassay sFlt-1/PlGF ratio (Roche). The rule-in threshold for PlGF 1-2-3 test created with equivalent specificity of the Quidel and Roche tests was 50 pg/ml. Read More

Periodontol 2000 2020 Jun;83(1):175-188

Division of Periodontology & Endodontology, Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Health Sciences, University of Hokkaido, Hokkaido, Japan.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) have been defined as (a) pre-term birth, when there is a delivery before 37 completed weeks (<259 days); (b) pre-eclampsia, which is a multisystem disorder of pregnancy characterized by maternal hypertension and proteinuria after the 20th gestational week; (c) low and very low birthweight, depending on whether the weight of the baby is less of 2500 g or <1500 g and (d) the spontaneous death of the fetus with <20 weeks (miscarriage) or between 20 and 36 weeks (stillbirth). In 2012, during the Consensus Report from the Joint EFP/AAP workshop on periodontitis and systematic diseases the role of periodontal diseases on APOs was reviewed. Some years later, this evidence has grown, and an update on the literature regarding the mechanisms related to this potential association (APOs and periodontal diseases) needs to be presented. Read More