Probiotics in the Prophylaxis of Premature Rupture of Membranes and Cervical Incompetence.

Unlabelled: Premature rupture of membranes (PROM) and cervical incompetence (CI) are major contributors to preterm birth, a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Background/objectives: Disorders of the vaginal microbiota, such as bacterial vaginosis, have been associated with an increased risk of PROM, CI, and subsequent preterm birth. Probiotics, particularly Lactobacillus strains, have been proposed as a preventive strategy to restore and maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome.

Immune Responses of Healthy Pregnant Women following an Elective Cesarean Section: Effects of Anesthetic Procedures.

A weakened immune system and more inflammatory cytokines being released are possible effects of the surgical stress that a cesarean section induces. This kind of reaction, in addition to the altered reaction to catecholamines, has the potential to significantly affect the immune system of the mother and the patients' general postoperative course. This prospective study compared the plasma levels of catecholamines and cytokines in healthy pregnant patients having cesarean sections under spinal anesthesia versus general anesthesia.

Longitudinal 8-Epi-Prostaglandin F2-Alpha and Angiogenic Profile Mediator Evaluation during Pregnancy in Women with Suspected or Confirmed Pre-eclampsia.

: In this exploratory study, we aimed to evaluate the dynamics of angiogenic [soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble Endoglin (sEng), and sFlt-1/PlGF, PlGF/sFlt-1, and sEng/PlGF ratios] and oxidative stress [8-epi-prostaglandin F2 alpha (8-epi-PGF2α) and 8-epi-PGF2α/PlGF ratio] mediator levels in women with suspected or confirmed pre-eclampsia (PE) at least two times during pregnancy. We also wanted to identify the possible correlations between 8-epi-PGF2α and angiogenic mediator levels at the time of inclusion of pregnant women. : We included 40 pregnant women with suspected or confirmed PE, with a mean age of 29 years (range between 18 and 41 years) and gestational age between 18 and 28 weeks at inclusion in this study.

Clinical Characteristics and Local Histopathological Modulators of Endometriosis and Its Progression.

Unlabelled: Endometriosis (E) and adenomyosis (A) are associated with a wide spectrum of symptoms and may present various histopathological transformations, such as the presence of hyperplasia, atypia, and malignant transformation occurring under the influence of local inflammatory, vascular and hormonal factors and by the alteration of tumor suppressor proteins and the inhibition of cell apoptosis, with an increased degree of lesion proliferation.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study included 243 patients from whom tissue with E/A or normal control uterine tissue was harvested and stained by histochemical and classical immunohistochemical staining. We assessed the symptomatology of the patients, the structure of the ectopic epithelium and the presence of neovascularization, hormone receptors, inflammatory cells and oncoproteins involved in lesion development.

Association between Serum 8-Iso-Prostaglandin F2α as an Oxidative Stress Marker and Immunological Markers in a Cohort of Preeclampsia Patients.

Background: We aimed to analyze the presence and clinical use of serum 8-iso-prostaglandin F2-alpha (8-iso-PGF2α) as an oxidative stress marker and some inflammatory status biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and pentraxin-3 (PTX3)) for patients with preeclampsia (PE).

Methods: Sixty pregnant women, including thirty diagnosed with PE and thirty who were healthy (NP), were included in this study. For the assessment of serum levels of biomarkers, we used the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique.

Conservative treatment of borderline ovarian tumors: a retrospective study.

Borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) are a group of tumors with histological aspects and intermediate biological evolution between benign and malignant tumors, characterized by epithelial proliferation, lack of stromal invasion and nuclear atypia. BOTs account for approximately 10-15% of epithelial ovarian carcinomas. The interest in fertility preservation is very important as most BOTs are diagnosed in patients less than 40 years of age.

Impact of COVID-19 on fertility and assisted reproductive technology (ART): a systematic review.

The appearance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been a major obstacle for the performing of current medical activities throughout the world. COVID-19 has affected humanity in many ways, thus causing a great medical, social, economic, and political instability. The aim of this study was to make an analysis of the scientific data obtained by so far to highlight the impact that COVID-19 has had on fertility and assisted reproductive technology (ART).

A Retrospective Narrative Mini-Review Regarding the Seminal Microbiota in Infertile Male.

: Infertility is a global burden that affects both sexes with the male component remaining as an explored yet crucial research field that might offer novel evidence. : The present narrative mini-review aims to summarize all existing literature regarding the composition of the seminal microflora in infertile men. We performed searches in PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and ScienceDirect between 2018 and 2022 using a combination of keywords.

Morphological and ultrasound findings in multiple pregnancy placentation.

The incidence of multiple pregnancy has significantly increased over the past decades, reaching different statistics to double, triple, or even overcome these numerical orders globally. Zygosity and chorionicity are the key elements in the multiple pregnancy but the placentation issue should be correlated primarily with zygosity, unlike chorionicity that should be correlated with the outcome and complications of multifetal gestation. Multiple pregnancy is by itself a special maternal-fetal condition, and the monochorionic one, moreover, due to specific complications.

Diagnosis problems in a case of ovarian tumor - case presentation.

Ovarian epithelial tumors are the most common ovarian neoplasms, standing for more than half of all ovarian tumors. Borderline ovarian tumors represent a distinct group recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), histologically distinct low ovarian carcinomas. They are tumors with low grade of malignancy with good progress and prognosis.

Delayed interval delivery in twin pregnancy - case reports.

The implementation of assisted reproduction has increased the incidence of multiple pregnancies. Prenatal death of one fetus in the second trimester of twin pregnancy confronts the obstetrician with a difficult problem with regard to the management of pregnancy. The scarcity of the condition and the absence of the large-scale studies make it difficult to advise the parents on the prognosis and optimal management.

Borderline Brenner tumors associated with ovarian cyst - case presentation.

Borderline Brenner tumors represent quite a rare entity of ovarian tumors (about 2%) that develop from the surface ovarian epithelium. They are formed from papillary structures made of fibrovascular conjunctive axes covered by a transition epithelium, similar to the urinary bladder epithelium. According to the WHO classification, Brenner tumors present the following forms: benign, borderline and malignant.

Pregnancy resulting from IMSI after testicular biopsy in a patient with obstructive azoospermia.

In this article, we report a case of pregnancy obtained in an infertile couple diagnosed with severe male factor infertility. The couple attended for fertility examination reporting a history of 10 years of infertility. The cause of infertility was obstructive azoospermia.