The role of corticoliberin concentration levels and placental CRH receptors 1 and 2 in the prolongation of pregnancy.

Objective: To examine the changes in CRH concentrations in the blood serum of pregnant women and in the placenta of patients after the 41st week of gestation, and to determine its influence on the effectiveness of inducing labor and its progress.

Materials And Methods: The study group comprised pregnant patients who did not deliver until the 41 week of gestation ( = 114). The control group was divided into two subgroups: patients in whom delivery started spontaneously before the 41st week of gestation ( = 24) and pregnant patients in whom delivery started spontaneously after the 41st week of gestation ( = 23).

The Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians Guideline for the diagnostic assessment and management of multiple-gestation pregnancy complicated by fetal growth restriction.

The aim of the Guideline is to unify the diagnostic-therapeutic management of multiple-gestation pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction in at least one fetus.

Fetal growth trajectory in type 1 pregestational diabetes (PGDM) - an ultrasound study.

Objectives: Growth disorders are frequent in diabetic pregnancies. However, they are difficult to predict and capture early during pregnancy. These newborns are at risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Outcome dependent twin growth curves based on birth weight percentiles for Polish population.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine a healthy fetal growth pattern of twins from a Polish population based on an outcome-dependent growth curve.

Methods: The fetal growth data of live-born twin pregnancies between 25th and 40th week gestation in the period of 1 January 2005 to 31 March 2018 from the database of a tertiary care women's hospital in Western Poland was used to calculate birth weight percentiles. The growth curves of singletons from the same database were used as comparison.

Cortisol metabolism in pregnancies with small for gestational age neonates.

Small for gestational age (SGA) newborns are often born from hypertensive pregnancies. This study aimed to compare the systemic metabolism of cortisol (F) in pregnancies with SGA and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants, considering both the normotensive (NT) and hypertensive patients. We hypothesized that the disturbances in systemic metabolism of F in pre-eclampsia (PE) might be attributed not to hypertension only, but to SGA.

Preeclampsia with Intrauterine Growth Restriction Generates Morphological Changes in Endothelial Cells Associated with Mitochondrial Swelling-An In Vitro Study.

Pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) promotes endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction. Our in vitro study aimed to evaluate the endothelial cell morphology after acute and chronic exposition to medium supplemented with serum taken from healthy pregnant women and women with IUGR and IUGR with PE. In the same condition, ECs viability, proliferation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and serum concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were also measured.

Nutritional behavior in pregnancy.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to characterize nutritional behavior in pregnancy.

Material And Methods: The survey study included 250 pregnant women. The survey concerned dietary behavior refferedto the type of diet, the number of meals per day, snacking between meals, consumption of meat, fish, dairy products,bread, fruits and vegetables.

Serum endocan concentration and its correlation with severity of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

Endocan plays a role in the development of vascular tissue in health and disease and is an indicator of endothelial cells activation and angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between endocan serum levels and various types of hypertensive disorders in pregnant women. We created three study groups (preeclampsia [ = 60], chronic hypertension [ = 39], gestational hypertension [ = 58]) and the control group consisting of 59 healthy pregnant women.

Uterine arteriovenous malformation - diagnosis and management.

Uterine arteriovenous malformations are uncommon but potentially life-threatening conditions. They can be congenital or acquired and should be suspected in cases of severe or persistent uterine bleeding. In recent years, there has been an in-creasing number of reports of acquired vascular lesions of the uterus following pregnancy, abortion, caesarean delivery and curettage.

Differences in the Expression of TLR-2, NOD2, and NF-κB in Placenta Between Twins.

Dizygotic twins share the same type of genetic relationship as non-twin siblings. Whereas monozygotic (MZ) twins are considered to have identical genetic material, they still differ. There is a number of reasons for early MZ twin discordance, including differences in the in utero environment, stochasticity, genetic mosaicism, and epigenetic factors.

Acquired uterine arteriovenous malformation - a diagnostic dilemma.

Uterine arteriovenous malformations are uncommon but potentially life-threatening condition. They can be congenital or acquired and should be suspected in cases of severe or persistent uterine bleeding. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of reports of acquired vascular lesions of the uterus following pregnancy, abortion, caesarean delivery and curettage.

Relationship between the von Willebrand Factor Plasma Concentration and Ultrasonographic Doppler Findings in Pregnancies Complicated by Hypertensive Disorders: A Pilot Study.

Background/aims: Recent evidence suggests that impaired cytotrophoblast proliferation and migration are major factors responsible for the development of hypertension in pregnancy. Studies report that von Willebrand factor (vWf) is a specific endothelial damage plasma marker. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between vWf maternal plasma concentration and maternal and fetal Doppler flow measurements in pregnancies complicated by hypertension.

Increased cortisol metabolism in women with pregnancy-related hypertension.

Purpose: The diminished function of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (11β-HSD2) was found in placentae from preeclamptic pregnancies. Here, we examine the overall maternal glucocorticoid balance in pregnancy-related hypertension. We aim to answer the question if the functions of primary enzymes involved in cortisol metabolism: 11β-HSD1 and 11β-HSD2 and 5-reductases (both 5α- and 5β) are altered in the course of hypertensive pregnancy.

The agonistic autoantibodies to the angiotensin II type 1 receptor in pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders.

The etiology and pathogenesis of pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders is complex and multifactorial. The aim of our study is the investigation of the differences in the autoantibodies against angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1-AA) titers among pregnant patients with chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia compared to the healthy pregnant women. We created three study groups (preeclampsia [ = 16], chronic hypertension [ = 13], gestational hypertension [ = 17]) and the control group consisting of 17 healthy pregnant women.

Prenatal and postnatal detection of congenital heart diseases.

Congenital heart defects are among the most common birth defects and represent a major challenge in prenatal diagnosis and therapy of a newborn.

Screening for trisomy 21 based on maternal age, nuchal translucency measurement, first trimester biochemistry and quantitative and qualitative assessment of the flow in the DV - the assessment of efficacy.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare effects of addition of two methods of ductus venosus (DV) flow assessment: qualitative - the assessment of shape of the A-wave (positive or negative), and quantitative - based on the pulsatility index for veins (DVPI) to the basic screening for trisomy 21 at 11 to 13 + 6 weeks of pregnancy.

Material And Methods: The ultrasound examination was performed in 8230 fetuses in singleton pregnancies at 11- -13 + 6 wks, as a part of a routine screening for chromosomal defects. In DV A-wave was assessed and DVPI was calculated.

HSD11B2, RUNX3, and LINE-1 Methylation in Placental DNA of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Patients.

Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDsP) remain leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Growing evidence suggests the involvement of epigenetic factors, such as gene-specific and global DNA methylation changes, both in the etiology and as an effect of HDsP. In this study, we investigated the potential association between placental DNA methylation status in selected CpGs of HSD11B2 cortisol level controlling gene, RUNX3 tumor suppressor gene, and long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) repetitive elements and HDsP-preeclampsia (PE), gestational hypertension (GH), and chronic hypertension (CH).

Detailed analysis of cortisol, cortisone and their tetrahydro- and allo-tetrahydrometabolites in human urine by LC-MS/MS.

Cortisol (F) and cortisone (E) are metabolized to A-ring reduced metabolites in the reactions catalyzed by 5α- and 5β-reductase. 5α-tetrahydrocortisol (alloTHF) and 5β-tetrahydrocortisol (THF) are produced from F. The metabolism of E takes place in analogy to form alloTHE and THE.

Circulating endothelial cells, circulating endothelial progenitor cells, and von Willebrand factor in pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders.

Problem: We tested the hypothesis that the number of both CECs and CEPCs as well as the vWf blood plasma concentration are altered in pregnant women with hypertensive disorders.

Method Of Study: Seventy-five pregnant women were enrolled in our study. We used multicolor flow cytometry for CEC and CEPC analysis and the commercial human VWF ELISA kit to measure vWf blood plasma concentration.

Effect of morphological and functional changes in the secundines on biometric parameters of newborns from dichorionic twin pregnancies.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine if, and to what extent, structural and functional changes of the secundines influence biometric parameters of neonates from dichorionic twin pregnancies.

Material And Methods: The study included neonates from dichorionic, diamniotic twin pregnancies, along with their secundines. Based on histopathological examination of the secundines, the mass and dimensions of the placenta, length and condition of the umbilical cord, chorionicity, focal lesions, and microscopic placental abnormalities were determined for 445 pairs of twins.