Lower systolic blood pressure levels in early pregnancy are associated with a decreased risk of early-onset superimposed preeclampsia in women with chronic hypertension: a multicenter retrospective study.

To clarify the impact of blood pressure (BP) management ranges on pregnancy outcomes, we conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis of 215 women with singleton pregnancies diagnosed with essential hypertension either before or within 14 weeks of gestation. Patients were classified according to systolic BP (sBP; <130, 130-139, 140-159, and ≥160 mmHg) or diastolic BP (dBP; <80, 80-89, 90-109, and ≥110 mmHg) at 8-11, 12-15, and 16-19 weeks of gestation. The risk of early-onset superimposed preeclampsia and small-for-gestational-age neonates was assessed in each BP group.

Three-dimensional human placenta-like bud synthesized from induced pluripotent stem cells.

Placental dysfunction is related to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction, but there is no effective treatment for it. Recently, various functional three-dimensional organs have been generated from human induced-pluripotent cells (iPSCs), and the transplantation of these iPSCs-derived organs has alleviated liver failure or diabetes mellitus in mouse models. Here we successfully generated a three-dimensional placental organ bud from human iPSCs.

CGG expansion in NOTCH2NLC is associated with oculopharyngodistal myopathy with neurological manifestations.

Oculopharyngodistal myopathy (OPDM) is a rare hereditary muscle disease characterized by progressive distal limb weakness, ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, bulbar muscle weakness and rimmed vacuoles on muscle biopsy. Recently, CGG repeat expansions in the noncoding regions of two genes, LRP12 and GIPC1, have been reported to be causative for OPDM. Furthermore, neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) has been recently reported to be caused by CGG repeat expansions in NOTCH2NLC.

Placental Sonic Hedgehog Pathway Regulates Fetal Growth via the IGF Axis in Preeclampsia.

Context: Placental dysfunction is the underlying cause of common major disorders of pregnancy, such as fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia. However, the mechanisms of placental dysfunction are not entirely elucidated. We previously reported 10 reliable preeclampsia pathways based on multiple microarray data sets, among which was the sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway.

Impaired Wnt5a signaling in extravillous trophoblasts: Relevance to poor placentation in early gestation and subsequent preeclampsia.

Background: Defective decidual endovascular trophoblast invasion and subsequent impaired spiral artery remodeling is highly associated with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE). Since there are scant and conflicting data regarding the function of Wnt5a signaling in extravillous trophoblasts (EVT), the aim of this study was to investigate whethere impaired Wnt5a signaling affects the invasive and tube forming capabilities of EVT.

Methods: Expression levels of Wnt ligands were compared between first trimester chorionic villi of women who later developed PE and women with unaffected pregnancies using publicly available microarray data (GSE12767).

Rupture of a degenerated uterine fibroid as a cause of acute abdomen: a case report.

Background: Uterine fibroid is one of the most common pelvic neoplasms. It is rare for this condition to manifest as acute symptoms necessitating emergency surgical intervention.

Case: A 46-year-old, Japanese woman was referred to our emergency room for sudden epigastric discomfort.

Narrow-line-width 1.31-μm wavelength tunable quantum dot laser using sandwiched sub-nano separator growth technique.

A wide wavelength tunable quantum dot (QD) external cavity laser operating in the 1.31-μm waveband with a narrow line-width is successfully demonstrated. A high-density, high-quality InAs/InGaAs QD optical gain medium for the 1.

Construction and characterization of a Yarrowia lipolytica mutant lacking genes encoding cytochromes P450 subfamily 52.

The initial hydroxylation of n-alkane is catalyzed by cytochrome P450ALK of the CYP52 family in the n-alkane-assimilating yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. A mutant with a deletion of all 12 genes, ALK1 to ALK12, which are deduced to encode cytochromes P450 of the CYP52 family in Y. lipolytica, was successfully constructed.

Efficient microwelding of glass substrates by ultrafast laser irradiation using a double-pulse train.

Efficient microwelding of glass substrates by irradiation by a double-pulse train of ultrafast laser pulses is demonstrated. Temporal beam shaping techniques such as double-pulse irradiation enabled increased flexibility for high-quality, high-efficiency material processing. The bonding strength of two photostructurable glass substrates welded by double-pulse irradiation was evaluated to be 22.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation as the presenting sign of gastric cancer during pregnancy.

Gastric cancer during pregnancy is rare and the outcome is generally poor. A 36-year-old woman in the 28th week of gestation was complicated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and she was diagnosed with gastric cancer with bone marrow metastasis. Cesarean delivery followed by sequential methotrexate (100 mg/m2) and 5-fluorouracil (600 mg/m2) chemotherapy was conducted.

Femtosecond laser microprocessing with three-dimensionally isotropic spatial resolution using crossed-beam irradiation.

We describe the use of a crossed-beam irradiation system in three-dimensional femtosecond laser microprocessing to obtain three-dimensionally isotropic spatial resolution. In the crossed-beam geometry, two orthogonal objective lenses are arranged to share a common focal point. The synthesized focal spot produces an isotropic illumination volume.

Peripheral MR angiography: separation of arteries from veins with flow-spoiled gradient pulses in electrocardiography-triggered three-dimensional half-Fourier fast spin-echo imaging.

The authors evaluated a nonenhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiographic technique that allows separation of arteries from veins. In 15 healthy subjects, peripheral MR angiography was performed with readout flow-spoiled gradient pulses in electrocardiography-triggered three-dimensional half-Fourier fast spin-echo MR imaging. Appropriate flow-spoiled gradient pulses were measured and applied in the three-dimensional acquisition to differentiate arteries and veins in the peripheral vasculature.