Circulating syndecan-1 is reduced in pregnancies with poor fetal growth and its secretion regulated by matrix metalloproteinases and the mitochondria.

Fetal growth restriction is a leading cause of stillbirth that often remains undetected during pregnancy. Identifying novel biomarkers may improve detection of pregnancies at risk. This study aimed to assess syndecan-1 as a biomarker for small for gestational age (SGA) or fetal growth restricted (FGR) pregnancies and determine its molecular regulation.

Extracellular Vesicles and Preeclampsia: Current Knowledge and Future Research Directions.

Preeclampsia (PE) is associated with long-term morbidity in mothers and lifelong morbidities for their children, ranging from cerebral palsy and cognitive delay in preterm infants, to hypertension, diabetes and obesity in adolescents and young adults. There are several processes that are critical for development of materno-fetal exchange, including establishing adequate perfusion of the placenta by maternal blood, and the formation of the placental villous vascular tree. Recent studies provide persuasive evidence that placenta-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a significant intercellular communication pathway, and that they may play an important role in placental and endothelial cell (both fetal and maternal) function.

Female genital mutilation: Obstetric outcomes in metropolitan Sydney.

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) and its impact on women's health are becoming relevant in Australia due to increases in numbers of refugees and migrants from affected countries. Notwithstanding the psychological trauma from FGM, there is a broad range of sequelae relevant to obstetrics and gynaecology, particularly related to maternal morbidity from labour and delivery.

Aims: To assess the prevalence of FGM in our unit and document its effect on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Brugada syndrome.

As a clinical entity the Brugada syndrome has existed since 1992 and has been associated with a high risk of sudden cardiac death predominately in younger males. Patients can present with symptoms (ie syncope, palpitations, aborted sudden cardiac death) and asymptomatically. Its three characteristic electrocardiographic patterns can occur both spontaneously or after provocation with sodium channel-blocking agents.

Combining imaging and vascularity assessment of breast lesions.

Two separate series of patients were investigated to determine the improvement in diagnostic accuracy obtained by combining the results of ultrasonic imaging and vascularity assessment for the detection and diagnosis of breast disease. In the first series, ninety-five patients were examined with a hand-held Doppler probe to verify that abnormal flow could be detected in the presence of breast disease. To determine the clinical efficacy of combining the two examination procedures, a second series of patients was examined with the Doppler transducers incorporated into the water-bath scanner so that the sample volume could be accurately positioned into specific regions previously imaged.

[Differentiation of breast cancers by Doppler ultrasound].

Breast sonography is a well-accepted diagnostic method. For differentiation between benign and malignant lesions quantified sonography is gaining increased importance. In addition to measurements of velocity, attenuation and elastic properties of tissue, analysis of blood flow by CW Doppler ultrasound plays an important role.

[Breast sonography with the new water bath scanning technics].

At 1188 patients we investigated the value of sonography of the breast in the detection of malignancies. We used 2 automatic multitransducer water-bath scanners, at first the 3 MH Octoson, then System 1, a dedicated 4 MH water-bath breast scanner which allows for compound and simple scans in any scanning plane. The sensitivity for detection of 63 malignancies was 87%.

Parathyroid lesions localized by radionuclide subtraction and ultrasound.

Radionuclide subtraction technique and gray-scale echography were used to localize parathyroid lesions in 6 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. In 3 cases, surgery verified the scintigraphic findings. All lesions weighed less than 1 g, with the smallest weighing 350 mg.

Grey scale ultrasonic examination of the thyroid gland.

High resolution grey scale echography is an accurate, non-invasive means of investigating thyroid lesions. The structural information which it provides complements that of the functional status of the gland obtained from radionuclide scanning. The principles and practice of the technique are discussed and clinical examples are presented.

Ultrasonic visualization of breast cancer.

Ultrasonic examination of the breast with grey scale echography gives considerable information about the composition of the constituent tissues. This information alone is sometimes of major assistance in the management of the individual patient, particularly in young women with nodular breasts due to dysplastic changes. The method is complementary to the more commonly used visualization techniques and should be considered, particularly in young women, as the first imaging technique to examine palpable masses in the breast, prior to the utilization of ionizing radiation.

Gray-scale echographic visualization of a parathyroid adenoma.

A large parathyroid adenoma and a smaller follicular thyroid adenoma were visualized with a combination of radionuclide imaging and gray-scale ultrasound in a patient with primary hyperparathyroidism.

Detection and classification of liquid-filled masses in the breast by gray scale echography.

Gray scale ultrasonic visualization of the breast is a simple and safe technique for the detection of liquid-filled masses. Cysts and enlarged ducts as small as 2 mm in diameter can be reliably detected with a greater accuracy than is possible with any other imaging technique. The ultrasonic examination provides considerable information about the nature of the constituent tissues, and this information alone is often sufficient for a determination of the correct treatment.

A comparative evaluation of a case of cystosarcoma phylloides: ultrasound, xeroradiography and thermography.

The results of xeroradiography, thermography, and ultrasonic gray scale echography in a case of cystosarcoma phylloides are presented. Echography better described the lesion than the other techniques. Gray scale echography displays the infrastructure of the breast tissues and differentiates between types of soft tissue.