Diagnosis and management of selective fetal growth restriction in monochorionic twin pregnancies: A cross-sectional international survey.

Objective: To identify current practices in the management of selective fetal growth restriction (sFGR) in monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twin pregnancies.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: International.

Perspectives on administration of COVID-19 vaccine to pregnant and lactating women: a challenge for low- and middle-income countries.

Women who are in the pregnancy-puerperal cycle or are lactating have been deliberately excluded from participating in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials that aimed to evaluate either the efficacy of the vaccines in inducing the formation of neutralizing antibodies or the investigational products' safety profile. The exclusion of pregnant and lactating women from such studies certainly and inequitably denies these women access to COVID-19 vaccines, since these products have become increasingly available to nonpregnant people and even to those who are pregnant and are in high-income settings. In this clinical opinion article, we discuss some aspects of the prolonged pandemic, the emergence of viral variants, the risks of severe complications of COVID-19 in pregnant women, and the disproportionate impact of the above on low- and middle-income countries.

Magnetic resonance imaging of skull and brain parameters in fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction.

Objective: To compare fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and those with normal growth, in terms of skull and brain measurements obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective cohort study including 26 single fetuses (13 with IUGR and 13 with normal growth), evaluated from 26 to 38 weeks of gestation. Using MRI, we measured skull and brain biparietal diameters (BPDs); skull and brain occipitofrontal diameters (OFDs); corpus callosum length and area; transverse cerebellar diameter; extracerebral cerebrospinal fluid (eCSF); and right and left interopercular distances (IODs).

Previous preeclampsia and its association with the future development of cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Preeclampsia is a multifactorial disease. Among these factors, untreated hypertension during pregnancy can result in high morbidity and mortality rates and may also be related to the future development of cardiovascular diseases.Therefore, this systematic review aimed to determine the association of previous preeclampsia with the future development of cardiovascular diseases.

SARS-CoV-2 and Pregnancy: A Review of the Facts.

Objective:  The present comprehensive review aims to show the full extent of what is known to date and provide a more thorough view on the effects of SARS-CoV2 in pregnancy.

Methods:  Between March 29 and May, 2020, the words , , , , and were searched in the PubMed and Google Scholar databases; the guidelines from well-known societies and institutions (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists [RCOG], American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG], International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology [ISUOG], Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO]) were also included.

Conclusion:  The COVID-19 outbreak resulted in a pandemic with > 3.

A minimum estimate of the prevalence of 22q11 deletion syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities in a combined prenatal and postnatal cohort.

Study Question: What is the frequency of major chromosome abnormalities in a population-based diagnostic data set of genomic tests performed on miscarriage, fetal and infant samples in a state with >73 000 annual births?

Summary Answer: The overall frequency of major chromosome abnormalities in the entire cohort was 28.2% (2493/8826), with a significant decrease in the detection of major chromosome abnormalities with later developmental stage, from 50.9% to 21.

Treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy: we still do not know what the best option is.

Intracranial hemorrhage and stroke are primary causes of maternal mortality in pregnancies affected by hypertensive disorders. As such antihypertensive therapy plays a crucial role in the management of severe hypertension. However, the target level to achieve the best outcome for both - mother and fetus - is still unclear.

Acrania-exencephaly-anencephaly sequence phenotypic characterization using two- and three-dimensional ultrasound between 11 and 13 weeks and 6 days of gestation.

The study presents a pictorial essay of acrania-exencephaly-anencephaly sequence using two-(2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography, documenting the different phenotypic characterization of this rare disease. Normal and abnormal fetuses were evaluated during the first trimester scan. The International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology practice guidelines were adopted to standardize first trimester anatomical ultrasound screening.

Uterine Artery Doppler in Screening for Preeclampsia and Fetal Growth Restriction.

Objective:  To perform a comprehensive review of the current evidence on the role of uterine artery Doppler, isolated or in combination with other markers, in screening for preeclampsia (PE) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) in the general population. The review included recently published large cohort studies and randomized trials.

Methods:  A search of the literature was conducted using Medline, PubMed, MeSH and ScienceDirect.

Second trimester cervical length measurement for prediction spontaneous preterm birth in an unselected risk population.

Objective: To assess the predictive capacity of cervical length (CL) measurement underwent during the second trimester ultrasound for prediction preterm birth <32, 34, and 37 weeks of gestation in an unselected risk population.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed with 751 singleton pregnancies between 20 and 24+6 weeks of gestation. The CL measurement (mm) using the transvaginal route was obtained in a sagittal view and the calipers positioned to measure the linear distance between the triangular area of echodensity at the external os and the internal os.

Maternal HtrA3 optimizes placental development to influence offspring birth weight and subsequent white fat gain in adulthood.

High temperature requirement factor A3 (HtrA3), a member of the HtrA protease family, is highly expressed in the developing placenta, including the maternal decidual cells in both mice and humans. In this study we deleted the HtrA3 gene in the mouse and crossed females carrying zero, one, or two HtrA3-expressing alleles with HtrA3 males to investigate the role of maternal vs fetal HtrA3 in placentation. Although HtrA3 mice were phenotypically normal and fertile, HtrA3 deletion in the mother resulted in intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR).

Three-dimensional imaging of the uterus: The value of the coronal plane.

Advent in three-dimensional (3D) imaging technology has seen 3D ultrasound establish itself as a useful adjunct complementary to traditional two-dimensional imaging of the female pelvis. This advantage largely arises from its ability to reconstruct the coronal plane of the uterus, which allows further delineation of many gynecological disorders. 3D imaging of the uterus is now the preferred imaging modality for assessing congenital uterine anomalies and intrauterine device localization.

Reference range for the pulsatility index ductus venosus Doppler measurement between 11 and 13 + 6 weeks of gestation in a Brazilian population.

Objective: To establish reference range for the pulsatility index (PI) ductus venosus (DV) Doppler measurement between 11 and 13 + 6 weeks of gestation in a Brazilian population.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed with 430 singleton pregnancies. The PI DV Doppler measurement was performed as routine during the first trimester screening.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and reproductive medicine: A review.

Background: Recently, the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been proposed to improve pregnancy outcomes in reproductive medicine.

Objective: A systematic review of the current use of G-CSF in patients who have difficulty conceiving and maintaining pregnancy was performed.

Materials And Methods: Two electronic databases (PubMed/ Medline and Scopus) were searched.

Brachial Artery Flow Mediated Dilation in the First Trimester to Predict the Occurrence of Hypertensive Disorders during Pregnancy.

Objectives: To determine whether brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) assessed by ultrasonography during the late first trimester is able to predict the occurrence of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.

Methods: Maternal endothelial function was assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery in 487 pregnant women at 11-13(+6) weeks' gestation. Subjects were prospectively followed and grouped according to the outcomes related to hypertensive disorders.

Risk factors for cerebral palsy in premature infants identified during the pre and perinatal periods: a case-control study.

Background: The aim of this paper was to assess the pre and perinatal risk factors for cerebral palsy in premature infants, comparing them with full-term infants.

Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional cohort study on 48 infants between four and eight months of life, of whom 20 were born prematurely (<37 weeks of gestational age) and 28 at full term (37 to 42 weeks). A questionnaire was used, which investigated maternal reproductive, obstetric and neonatal factors, along with an evaluation scale for neurosensory-motor development of infants at risk of neuromotor alterations.