Induction of Labor in Women with Previous Cesarean Section and Unfavorable Cervix: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

The efficacy and safety of a cervical ripening balloon (CRB) in women with a previous cesarean section (CS) and unfavorable Bishop score are still controversial. A retrospective cohort study was performed across six tertiary hospitals from 2015 to 2019. Women with one previous transverse CS, singleton cephalic term pregnancy and BS < 6 were included if submitted to labor induction with a CRB.

Anti-SSA/Ro positivity and congenital heart block: obstetric and foetal outcome in a cohort of anti-SSA/Ro positive pregnant patients with and without autoimmune diseases.

Objectives: Neonatal lupus (NL) is an acquired disease caused by the transplacental passage of anti-SSA/Ro antibodies. The rate of congenital heart block (CHB), its most serious manifestation, ranges from 1 to 5%. The aim of this study was to retrospectively assess the prevalence of CHB in anti-SSA/Ro positive pregnant women with or without systemic autoimmune diseases from 2010 to 2020.

Stopping bDMARDs at the beginning of pregnancy is associated with disease flares and preterm delivery in women with rheumatoid arthritis.

Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) can experience flares during pregnancy that might influence pregnancy outcomes. We aimed at assessing the disease course during pregnancy and identifying risk factors for flares. Data about prospectively-followed pregnancies in RA were retrospectively collected before conception, during each trimester and in the post-partum period.

Reproductive Issues and Pregnancy Implications in Systemic Sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease that can influence reproductive health. SSc has a strong female predominance, and the disease onset can occur during fertility age in almost 50% of patients. Preconception counseling, adjustment of treatment, and close surveillance during pregnancy by a multidisciplinary team, are key points to minimize fetal and maternal risks and favor successful pregnancy outcomes.

Disease course and obstetric outcomes of pregnancies in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: are there any differences among disease subtypes? A single-centre retrospective study of prospectively followed pregnancies in a dedicated pregnancy clinic.

To study disease activity during pregnancy and obstetric outcomes in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) upon different subsets and with focus on medication use. Retrospective observational study of 22 pregnancies in 16 JIA patients (95.5% Caucasian) who were followed between 2010 and 2018.

"APS pregnancy - The offspring".

Background: Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease that affects women in childbearing age. In recent years, great improvements were achieved in the management of pregnancies in these women. Prematurity could be an issue in these pregnancies, mainly due to the direct pathogenic effect of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) on the placental surface.

Insulinoma Identified in Puerperium: Association with Pregnancy and Literature Review.

Unlabelled: Postpartum hypoglycemia in non-diabetic women is a rare condition. We report the case of a 34-year-old woman who experienced neuroglycopenia 2 days after delivery. Corresponding to severe hypoglycemia, we found inappropriately elevated insulin and C-peptide levels.

Infertility in women with systemic autoimmune diseases.

Infertility consists by definition in" failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected intercourse" while the term subfertility means a delay to achieve pregnancy. Several factors can contribute to infertility or subfertility in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases. The association of systemic autoimmune conditions with endometriosis, celiac disease and thyroid autoimmunity that are well known causes of infertility and/or subfertility need to be taken in consideration when difficulties in the onset of pregnancy is reported.

Autoimmune diseases and pregnancy.

Pregnancy in autoimmune diseases remains an argument of debate. In last years great improvements were done and with the correct medical support women with disease such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or Antiphospholipid Syndrome can afford a pregnancy and have healthy babies. The starting point is a good counselling.

Triple Antiphospholipid (aPL) Antibodies Positivity Is Associated With Pregnancy Complications in aPL Carriers: A Multicenter Study on 62 Pregnancies.

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are risk factors for thrombosis and adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO). The management of the so called "aPL carriers" (subjects with aPL positivity without the clinical criteria manifestations of APS) is still undefined. This study aims at retrospectively evaluating the outcomes and the factors associated with APO and maternal complications in 62 pregnant aPL carriers.

An observational multicentre study on the efficacy and safety of assisted reproductive technologies in women with rheumatic diseases.

Objectives: The aim was to determine whether assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) confer additional risk in rheumatic patients (in terms of disease flare and fetal-maternal complications) and whether, if performed, their efficacy is affected by maternal disease.

Methods: Sixty infertile rheumatic women undergoing 111 ART cycles were included. Clinical pregnancy rate, live birth rate, maternal disease flares and maternal-fetal complications were recorded.

Labor induction with misoprostol vaginal insert compared with dinoprostone vaginal insert.

Introduction: Misoprostol vaginal insert could lead to a significant reduction in the time to vaginal delivery, and an increase in the proportion of women achieving vaginal delivery, compared with dinoprostone vaginal insert. We compared the delivery outcomes of misoprostol 200 μg vaginal insert and dinoprostone 10 mg vaginal insert for induction of labor in women with an unfavorable cervix.

Material And Methods: This is a retrospective observational study conducted on a cohort of 220 women with a Bishop score ≤4 admitted for induction of labor at a single institution.

First Report of the Italian Registry on Immune-Mediated Congenital Heart Block (Lu.Ne Registry).

Neonatal Lupus (NL) is a rare syndrome caused by placental transfer of maternal anti-SSA/Ro and anti-La/SSB autoantibodies to the fetus. The rarity of this condition requires the establishment of multidisciplinary registries in order to improve our knowledge. Inclusion criteria in this retrospective study were the maternal confirmed positivity for anti-SSA/Ro and/or anti-SSB/La antibodies, and the presence of II or III degree congenital heart block (CHB) or neonatal period (up to 27 days after birth).

Risk Factors for Adverse Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Women With Confirmed aPL Positivity: Results From a Multicenter Study of 283 Pregnancies.

Objective: Antiphospholipid antibodies positivity (aPL) is considered as a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcome (APO). The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for APO in patients with confirmed aPL positivity, isolated (aPL carriers) or associated with a definite primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS).

Methods: The clinical and laboratory features of 283 pregnancies occurring between 2000 and 2014 in 200 women were collected in three institutions.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) induce ex vivo proliferation and erythroid commitment of cord blood haematopoietic stem cells (CB-CD34+ cells).

A human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (MSCs) and cord blood-derived CD34+ stem cell co-culture system was set up in order to evaluate the proliferative and differentiative effects induced by MSCs on CD34+ stem cells, and the reciprocal influences on gene expression profiles. After 10 days of co-culture, non-adherent (SN-fraction) and adherent (AD-fraction) CD34+ stem cells were collected and analysed separately. In the presence of MSCs, a significant increase in CD34+ cell number was observed (fold increase = 14.

A comprehensive review of the clinical approach to pregnancy and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Nowadays, most of the young women affected by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) can carry out one or more pregnancies thanks to the improvement in treatment and the consequent reduction in morbidity and mortality. Pregnancy outcome in these women has also greatly improved in the last decades. A correct timing for pregnancy (tailored on disease activity and established during a preconception counselling), together with a tight monitoring during the three trimesters and the post-partum period (to timely identify and treat possible obstetric complications or maternal disease flares), as well as the concept of multidisciplinary management, are currently milestones of the management of pregnancy in SLE patients.

The Efficacy and Safety of Cyclosporin A in Pregnant Patients with Systemic Autoimmune Diseases.

Problem: Cyclosporin A (CYS A) is an immunosuppressant agent administered in autoimmune diseases, and its use during pregnancy and lactation is a debated topic.

Method Of Study: The demographic characteristics, the activity of the underlying disease, and the onset of fetal-maternal complications have been investigated in 21 consecutive patients (2 RA, 14 SLE, 2 PA, 1 SjS, 1 DM, 1 Churg-Strauss vasculitis), treated with CYS A throughout 29 gestations. A subanalysis of the SLE group was performed.

Prospectively-followed pregnancies in patients with inflammatory arthritis taking biological drugs: an Italian multicentre study.

Objectives: Information on new drugs does not include their possible effects on pregnancy because pregnant women are excluded from clinical trials. Although not classified as teratogenic in animals, limited data is available on biological anti-rheumatic agents and their safety in human pregnancy. The aim of the study is to evaluate the safety of biological drugs in pregnant patients with chronic arthritis.

Systemic vasculitis and pregnancy: a multicenter study on maternal and neonatal outcome of 65 prospectively followed pregnancies.

Objective: Systemic vasculitis (SV) are uncommon diseases that rarely affect women during their reproductive age; little data, mainly retrospective, is available on this topic. The aim of our study was to evaluate maternal/neonatal outcome and disease course before, during and after pregnancy.

Methods: Sixty-five pregnancies in 50 women with SV were followed by a multispecialistic team in 8 institutions between 1995 and 2014.