Outperformance of interleukin-6 over placental alpha microglobulin-1 in predicting preterm delivery in symptomatic women.

Background: Threatened preterm labor is the major cause of hospital admission during the second half of pregnancy. An early diagnosis is crucial for adopting pharmacologic measures to reduce perinatal mortality and morbidity. Current diagnostic criteria are based on symptoms and short cervical length.

Effect of Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet on Maternal Iron Related Biochemical Parameters during Pregnancy and Gestational Weight Gain.

Gestation is a crucial life stage for both women and offspring, and outcomes are affected by many environmental factors, including diet. The Mediterranean dietary pattern (MD) is considered a healthy eating pattern that can provide the nutritional requirements of pregnancy. Meanwhile, iron deficiency anemia is one of the most frequent complications related to pregnancy.

Does emigration by itself improve birth weight? Study in European newborns of Indo-Pakistan origin.

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the effect of emigration on fetal birth weight (BW) in a group of pregnant women coming from the Indian subcontinent.

Methods: This was a retrospective study in a mixed population of pregnant women from the Indian subcontinent that either moved to Europe or stayed in their original countries. The influence of emigration along with several pregnancy characteristics: GA at delivery, fetal gender, maternal age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and parity on BW was evaluated by means of multivariable linear regression analysis.

Mediterranean Dietary Pattern and Cardiovascular Risk in Pregnant Women.

Nutrition during pregnancy is one of the most important factors that determine the health of a mother and the proper development of her fetus. The main objective of this study was to analyze the association between adherence to a Mediterranean dietary (MedDiet) pattern and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in pregnant women. Accordingly, we carried out an observational, population-based study using data from pregnant women present in a hospital during the entire course of their pregnancy.

Safety of Nicotine Replacement Therapy during Pregnancy: A Narrative Review.

Background: Smoking during pregnancy is a public health problem worldwide and the leading preventable cause of fetal morbidity and mortality and obstetric disease. Although the risk of tobacco-related harm can be substantially reduced if mothers stop smoking in the first trimester, the proportion of women who do so remains modest; therefore, the treatment of smoking in pregnant women will be the first therapeutic measure that health professionals should adopt when providing care to pregnant women. The recommendation of nicotine replacement therapy during pregnancy remains controversial due to the potential effects on the health of the fetus.

Comparison of Maternal-Fetal Outcomes among Unvaccinated and Vaccinated Pregnant Women with COVID-19.

: This study sought to elucidate whether COVID-19 vaccination, during gestation or before conception, entails a decreased incidence of severe COVID-19 disease during pregnancy. : This retrospective cohort study included all pregnant women that were followed up at a tertiary University Hospital with SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnosed between 1 March 2020 and 30 July 2022. The primary outcome of the study was to compare maternal and perinatal outcomes in unvaccinated and vaccinated pregnant patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Social Support and Mental Health in the Postpartum Period in Times of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Spanish Multicentre Cohort Study.

Background: To explore the depression and anxiety symptoms in the postpartum period during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and to identify potential risk factors.

Methods: A multicentre observational cohort study including 536 women was performed at three hospitals in Spain. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), and the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) were assessed after birth.

Cerebroplacental Ratio Prediction of Intrapartum Fetal Compromise according to the Interval to Delivery.

Introduction: A controversy exists about the accuracy of the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) for the prediction of cesarean section for intrapartum fetal compromise (CS-IFC). Our aim was to evaluate whether the interval to delivery modifies the accuracy of CPR either as a single marker or combined with estimated fetal weight centile (EFWc), type of labor onset (TLO), and other clinical variables.

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective study of 5,193 women with singleton pregnancies who underwent an ultrasound scan at 35+0-41+0 weeks and gave birth within 1 month of examination, at any of the participating hospitals in Spain, UK, and Italy.

Healthy mothers with normal cardiotocograms at term. Is maternal age a true determinant of perinatal outcome?

Objective: to study the true determinants of adverse perinatal outcome (APO) in term healthy mothers with normal cardiotocograph (CTG), evaluating the real influence of maternal age.

Material And Methods: In a retrospective study, we assessed a group of 529 term healthy mothers with normal CTGs that regardless of maternal age, evolved spontaneously up to 41 ± 2 weeks. The result of the conservative management was evaluated by means of univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis, determining the association of maternal age and other clinical and ultrasonographical parameters with APO.

MicroRNA-132 is overexpressed in fetuses with late-onset fetal growth restriction.

Background And Aims: To evaluate the expression of microRNA 132 (miR-132) in fetuses with normal growth and in fetuses with late-onset growth restriction (FGR).

Methods: In a prospective cohort study, 48 fetuses (24 with late-onset FGR and 24 with normal growth) were scanned with Doppler ultrasound after 34 weeks to measure the umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery pulsatility indices and followed until birth. Subsequently, blood samples from the umbilical cord were collected to evaluate the expression of miR-132 by means of Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, determining the existence of normality cut-offs and associations with birth weight (BW) centile, cerebroplacental ratio multiples of the median (CPR MoM), and intrapartum fetal compromise (IFC).

Diagnosis of intraamniotic inflammation by measuring vaginal interleukin-6 in patients with cervical insufficiency: could amniocentesis be avoided?

Background: Cervical insufficiency is a recurrent, passive, and painless dilation of the cervix in the second trimester. The etiology is unclear, but there may be an association with subclinical intraamniotic infection. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in the amniotic cavity is induced by bacterial invasion, it is the major proinflammatory cytokine released in response to infection.

Risk of Gestational Diabetes Due to Maternal and Partner Smoking.

Pregnant women are among the most vulnerable to environmental exposure to tobacco smoke (EET); which has been linked to problems in the mothers' health; one of the most frequent is gestational diabetes (GD). For this reason, there are specific interventions and prevention strategies designed to reduce this exposure risk. However, currently, they are mostly aimed only at aiding the pregnant women with smoking cessation during pregnancy and do not assess or address the risk from passive exposure due to partner smoking.

Predictors of adverse perinatal outcome up to 34 weeks, a multivariable analysis study.

The objective was to evaluate the best predictors of adverse perinatal outcome (APO) in foetuses examined up to 34 weeks and delivered by spontaneous or induced labour. This was a retrospective study of 129 pregnancies that underwent an ultrasound Doppler examination at 23-34 weeks and entered into labour within 30 days. Cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and mean uterine artery pulsatility index (mUtA PI) were converted into multiples of the median (MoM) and estimated foetal weight (EFW) into centiles to adjust for gestational age (GA).

Overexpression of microRNAs miR-25-3p, miR-185-5p and miR-132-3p in Late Onset Fetal Growth Restriction, Validation of Results and Study of the Biochemical Pathways Involved.

In a prospective study, 48 fetuses were evaluated with Doppler ultrasound after 34 weeks and classified, according to the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and estimated fetal weight (EFW), into fetuses with normal growth and fetuses with late-onset fetal growth restriction (LO-FGR). Overexpression of miRNAs from neonatal cord blood belonging to LO-FGR fetuses, was validated by real-time PCR. In addition, functional characterization of overexpressed miRNAs was performed by analyzing overrepresented pathways, gene ontologies, and prioritization of synergistically working miRNAs.

MicroRNA-185-5p: a marker of brain-sparing in foetuses with late-onset growth restriction.

To compare the expression of microRNA-185-5p (miR-185-5p) in normal foetuses and in foetuses with late-onset growth restriction (FGR) and to determine the factors influencing this expression. In a prospective study, 40 foetuses (22 of them with late-onset FGR and 18 with normal growth) were scanned with Doppler ultrasound after week 35 and followed until birth. Subsequently, blood samples from umbilical cords were collected after delivery to evaluate the expression of miR-185-5p using real-time qPCR.

Disrupted PGR-B and ESR1 signaling underlies defective decidualization linked to severe preeclampsia.

Background: Decidualization of the uterine mucosa drives the maternal adaptation to invasion by the placenta. Appropriate depth of placental invasion is needed to support a healthy pregnancy; shallow invasion is associated with the development of severe preeclampsia (sPE). Maternal contribution to sPE through failed decidualization is an important determinant of placental phenotype.

Which is the best ultrasound parameter for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome within 1 day of delivery?

Objective: To compare the accuracies of several sonographic parameters for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome (APO) prior to delivery.

Methods: This was a prospective study of fetuses attending the day hospital unit of a tertiary referral hospital that were scanned at 34-41 weeks and gave birth within 24 h of examination. APO was defined as a composite of abnormal intrapartum fetal heart rate or intrapartum fetal scalp pH < 7.

The Diagnostic Ability of the Cerebroplacental Ratio for the Prediction of Adverse Perinatal Outcome and Intrapartum Fetal Compromise within One Day of Delivery.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic abilities of the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome (APO) and cesarean section for intrapartum fetal compromise (CS-IFC) within 1 day of delivery.

Design: Retrospective observational case-control study.

Methods: This was a study of 254 high-risk fetuses attending the day hospital unit of a tertiary referral hospital that underwent an ultrasound examination at 32-41 weeks and gave birth within 1 day of examination.

Optimization of Imminent Labor Prediction Systems in Women with Threatened Preterm Labor Based on Electrohysterography.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of death in newborns and the survivors are prone to health complications. Threatened preterm labor (TPL) is the most common cause of hospitalization in the second half of pregnancy. The current methods used in clinical practice to diagnose preterm labor, the Bishop score or cervical length, have high negative predictive values but not positive ones.

Gestational Age-Specific Reference Ranges for the sFlt-1/PlGF Immunoassay Ratio in Twin Pregnancies.

Objective: Establish reference ranges for the Elecsys® soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1)/placental growth factor (PlGF) immunoassay ratio in twin pregnancies.

Methods: Data analyzed were from 3 prospective studies: Prediction of Short-Term Outcome in Pregnant Women with Suspected Preeclampsia (PE) (PROGNOSIS), Study of Early-onset PE in Spain (STEPS), and a multicenter case-control study. Median, 5th, and 95th percentiles for sFlt-1, PlGF, and the sFlt-1/PlGF ratios were determined for normal twin pregnancies for 7 gestational windows and compared with the previous data for singleton pregnancies.

Transitory Fetal Skin Edema in a Pregnant Patient with a Mild SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Background: Vertical transmission of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still controversial. Additionally, the consequences of the infection during pregnancy in the offspring also are unknown.

Case: A transitory fetal skin edema and polyhydramnios have been demonstrated by ultrasound in a pregnant patient with COVID-19 after a negative RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2.

Association of first trimester fetal heart rate and nuchal translucency with preterm birth.

Objective: To evaluate whether first trimester fetal heart rate (FHR) and nuchal translucency (NT) associate with preterm birth (PTB).

Methods: This was a comparative case-control study of 518 normal pregnancies with no history of PTB, of which 272 delivered at term (TB) and 246 progressed to spontaneous PTB prior to 37, 34, 32, and 28 weeks. Fetal heart rate (FHR) and NT values at the first-trimester scan were compared by means of univariable (Mann-Whitney) and multivariable logistic regression analysis considering hourglass membranes (HM) as the most severe PTB subgroup.

GESTACOVID project: psychological and perinatal effects in Spanish pregnant women subjected to confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and confinement with movement restriction measures were applied in Spain. Postnatal mental disorders are common but frequently undiagnosed, being a risk period to develop anxiety and depression symptoms. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of confinement as depressive and anxiety symptoms in pregnant women (PrW) and puerperal women (PuW) mental health, as well as obstetric and perinatal outcomes during this period.

Perinatal and Obstetric Predictors for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The objective is to identify obstetric and perinatal factors that could be significant predictors of ASD and may lead to early detection and intervention. A population-based case-control study including 128 children diagnosed with ASD and 311 controls was conducted. Information was collected through self-reported questionnaires.