Percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting in left main disease according to patients' sex: A meta-analysis.

Background: The role of sex in choosing between coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease has gained interest.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials and adjusted observational studies comparing PCI versus CABG in ULMCA patients with outcomes by sex were included. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), with secondary endpoints being all-cause mortality and repeated revascularization.

Biochemical analysis of catecholamine and cortisol for the evaluation of the fetal distress in third trimester stillbirths.

Background: Stress hormones like catecholamine and cortisol are thought to reflect the magnitude of physical stress in adults and were studied in relationship to the cause of death and agony time. Intrauterine distress, intrapartum events, and modes of delivery can affect the fetal endocrine stress response, as reflected by biochemical analyses. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of catecholamines and cortisol as markers of ante-mortem fetal distress.

NK cell receptor profiling of endometrial and decidual NK cells reveals pregnancy-induced adaptations.

Natural killer (NK) cells, with a unique NK cell receptor phenotype, are abundantly present in the non-pregnant (endometrium) and pregnant (decidua) humanuterine mucosa. It is hypothesized that NK cells in the endometrium are precursors for decidual NK cells present during pregnancy. Microenvironmental changes can alter the phenotype of NK cells, but it is unclear whether decidual NK cell precursors in the endometrium alter their NK cell receptor repertoire under the influence of pregnancy.

Correlations between parameters of glycaemic variability and foetal growth, neonatal hypoglycaemia and hyperbilirubinemia in women with gestational diabetes.

The diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is important to prevent maternal and neonatal complications. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of parameters of glycaemic variability to predict neonatal complications in women with GDM. A retrospective study was conducted on pregnant women tested positive at the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) during 16-18 or 24-28 weeks of gestation.

Prenatal Detection of Vesico-Allantoic Cyst: Ultrasound and Autopsy Findings.

The vesico-allantoic cyst is a communication between the fetal bladder and the allantois through a patent urachus. We describe a 17-week of gestational age (WGA) fetus with a 40 x 30 mm vesico-allantoic cyst. At 19 WGA, ultrasound (US) detected bilateral dilatation of renal pelvis (5-6 mm), hydroureters, and hypospadias.

Fulminant Sepsis and Perinatal Death at 23 Weeks Due to .

is a gram-negative anaerobe, a constituent of the oral microflora, responsible for chronic periodontal diseases. We describe a preterm infant with premature rupture of membranes at 23 weeks of gestational age due to . The newborn died soon after birth.

Clinical and Molecular Diagnosis of Osteocraniostenosis in Fetuses and Newborns: Prenatal Ultrasound, Clinical, Radiological and Pathological Features.

Osteocraniostenosis (OCS, OMIM #602361) is a severe, usually lethal condition characterized by gracile bones with thin diaphyses, a cloverleaf-shaped skull and splenic hypo/aplasia. The condition is caused by heterozygous mutations in the gene and is allelic to the non-lethal, dominant disorder Kenny-Caffey syndrome (KCS, OMIM #127000). Here we report two new cases of OCS, including one with a detailed pathological examination.

Second Trimester Fetal Loss Due to Infection: A Rare Cause of Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM).

is a facultative anaerobic, motile, non-spore-forming Gram-negative bacillus, which belongs to the family of Enterobacteriaceae. Severe infections due to spp. have been reported in the urinary tract, respiratory airways, intra-abdominal organs, skin and soft tissue, eye, bone, bloodstream, and central nervous system.

Clinical and Genetic Findings in a Series of Eight Families with Arthrogryposis.

The term "arthrogryposis" is used to indicate multiple congenital contractures affecting two or more areas of the body. Arthrogryposis is the consequence of an impairment of embryofetal neuromuscular function and development. The causes of arthrogryposis are multiple, and in newborns, it is difficult to predict the molecular defect as well as the clinical evolution just based on clinical findings.

Mixed chorangioma and leiomyoma of the placenta, with a brief review of nontrophoblastic placental lesions.

Chorangioma is the most common type of primary non-trophoblastic tumor of the placenta, usually identified incidentally on ultrasound or at delivery. Leiomyomas within the placenta have been described, though they are rare and usually of maternal origin. We present an unusual case of a placental tumor with combined histopathologic and immunohistochemical features of both chorangioma and leiomyoma.

Fetal Presentation of Mediastinal Immature Teratoma: Ultrasound, Autopsy and Cytogenetic Findings.

Teratomas are the most common congenital tumors, occurring along the midline or paraxial sites, or uncommonly, the mediastinum. Teratomas are classified as mature, containing only differentiated tissues from the three germinal layers; and immature, which also present with neuroectodermal elements, ependymal rosettes, and immature mesenchyme. Herein, we describe a new case of fetal mediastinal immature teratoma detected at 21 weeks of gestational age (wga) + 1 day with thorough cytogenetic analysis.

Intrauterine Infection: An Unusual Cause of Chorioamnionitis and Miscarriage in a Patient with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease.

is a Gram-negative coccobacillus belonging to the family. In children less than 4 years old, invasive infection can induce septic arthritis and osteomyelitis, and more rarely endocarditis, meningitis, ocular infections, and pneumonia. In adults, it may be a cause of endocarditis.

Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Trisomy 5 Mosaicism with Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation Type 3: A Case Report.

Trisomy mosaicism of chromosome 5 is uncommon with few cases described. A 41-year-old woman underwent ultrasound (US) at 16 weeks, which showed oligohydramnios and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Amniocentesis discovered a karyotype of 47,XX,+5/46,XX.

Chorioamnionitis: An Underrecognized Cause of Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes in the Second Trimester.

is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium, responsible for hospital and community acquired pneumonia, urinary tract and wound infections, and bloodstream dissemination. infection in pregnancy, leading to acute chorioamnionitis (AC), preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and early pregnancy loss in the second trimester, has been rarely reported. Herein, we present a case of AC that caused intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD) at 19 weeks + 5 days.

Large Subchorionic Cyst Located at Umbilical Cord Insertion with Vascular Displacing and Intracystic Hemorrhage/Hematoma: A Case Report.

Large subchorionic cysts usually arise close to the placental cord insertion site (PCIS) inducing traction on the umbilical cord, impairing blood flow and favoring fetal growth restriction (FGR). Intracystic hemorrhage/hematoma is likely due to the prothrombotic properties of X cells secretion (extravillous trophoblast), which line the cyst wall. We describe a large subchorionic cyst located exactly at the PCIS, displacing the umbilical cord vessel branches running along the cyst surface.

Mosaic Trisomy 12: Prenatal Diagnosis at Amniocentesis and Molecular Genetic Analysis on Fetal Tissues.

: Mosaic trisomy 12 is a genetic condition with few cases diagnosed prenatally and postnatally. Phenotypic variability is wide ranging from normal patients to severe congenital anomalies. A 35-year-old woman underwent amniocentesis at 17 weeks of gestation because of advanced maternal age.

Pregnancy-related reference intervals for serum thyrotropin based on real-life clinical data.

Aim: During pregnancy, thyroid homeostasis is physiologically modified, leading to altered levels of thyrotropin (TSH): hence, the adoption of pregnancy-related, population- and method-specific reference ranges is recommended. This monocentric and retrospective study was conducted to establish local pregnancy-related reference intervals for serum TSH in singleton pregnant women using real-life clinical data.

Methods: We included women who measured serum TSH during pregnancy at our Laboratory over six years, excluding pregnant women with current or past history of thyroid disease, pituitary or autoimmune diseases, use of medications known to influence thyroid function, multiple and/or pathological pregnancies, BMI >30 Kg/m.

Amniotic fluid stem cell exosomes: Therapeutic perspective.

It is widely accepted that the therapeutic potential of stem cells can be largely mediated by paracrine factors, also included into exosomes. Thus, stem cell-derived exosomes represent a major therapeutic option in regenerative medicine avoiding, if compared to stem cells graft, abnormal differentiation and tumor formation. Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) induce damaged tissue repair, and can also exert immunomodulatory effects on the differentiation, activation and function of different lymphocytes.

Development of a novel method for amniotic fluid stem cell storage.

Background Aims: Current procedures for collection of human amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFSCs) indicate that cells cultured in a flask for 2 weeks can then be used for research. However, hAFSCs can be retrieved directly from a small amount of amniotic fluid that can be obtained at the time of diagnostic amniocentesis. The aim of this study was to determine whether direct freezing of amniotic fluid cells is able to maintain or improve the potential of a sub-population of stem cells.

Sonographic fetal weight estimation in normal and overweight/obese healthy term pregnant women by gestation-adjusted projection (GAP) method.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to assess the ultrasound accuracy in fetal weight estimation related to the time distance between the actual weight recorded at delivery and the period of sonography among normal and overweight/obese pregnant women within 3 weeks prior birth at term.

Methods: Four-hundred and ninety patients with healthy pregnancy were studied in a cohort study. The absolute percent error in estimation was achieved by gestation-adjusted projection method from Hadlock model for weight calculation as measure of accuracy.

Hydrops fetalis in a preterm newborn heterozygous for the c.4A>G SHOC2 mutation.

Fetal hydrops is a condition resulting from interstitial fluid accumulation in fetal compartments secondary to increased capillary permeability and characterized by high rates of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Clinical features include skin edema, hydrothorax, pericardial effusion, ascites with or without polyhydramnios, and placental edema. While it may occur as associated feature in multiple disorders, it has been documented to recur in Noonan syndrome, the most common disorder among RASopathies, but also in cardiofaciocutaneous and Costello syndromes.

Myelomeningocele and pregnancy: a case report and review of the literature.

The improvement of antenatal management and surgical techniques has greatly increased the survival rate of infants with spina bifida. More of these women are reaching adulthood and reproductive age and therefore could become pregnant. Pregnancy complications depend on the kind of spina bifida and subject's condition.