Antenatal Corticosteroid Treatment During the Late-Preterm Period and Neonatal Outcomes for Twin Pregnancies.

Importance: Antenatal corticosteroid treatment of individuals with singletons at risk for delivery during the late-preterm period has been academically recommended. However, the evidence on the use of antenatal corticosteroid treatment for twins at risk for delivery during the late-preterm period is still lacking.

Objective: To evaluate whether antenatal corticosteroid treatment during the late-preterm period in twin pregnancies was associated with a lower risk of newborn morbidity.

Hsa_circ_0002348 regulates trophoblast proliferation and apoptosis through miR-126-3p/BAK1 axis in preeclampsia.

Background: Preeclampsia is a common pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and damage to organs. Abnormal placenta and vascular function can lead to preeclampsia. Accumulating evidence has suggested a potential link between circular RNAs (circRNAs) and preeclampsia.

Optimal cutoffs of growth discordance for the risk of preeclampsia in twin pregnancies: A single-center retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To explore the optimal cutoffs of growth discordance for the risk of preeclampsia in twin pregnancies.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study in a university hospital which included twins delivered from February 2013 to September 2020. Restrictive cubic spline (RCS) model was applied to the trend of intertwin birthweight difference (BWD) with the risk of preeclampsia.

Genome-wide methylation analysis reveals differentially methylated CpG sites and altered expression of heart development-associated genes in fetuses with cardiac defects.

DNA methylation, as an epigenetic mechanism, has a vital role in heart development. An increasing number of studies have investigated aberrant DNA methylation in pediatric or adult heart samples from patients with congenital heart defects (CHD). Placenta tissue, umbilical cord blood, or newborn blood have also been used to detect DNA methylation biomarkers for CHD.

Prenatal ultrasound measurements of mild congenital pulmonary airway malformation and long-term prognosis: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between mild congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) and its long-term prognosis in childhood and to explore whether surgery is necessary.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort of fetuses with mild CPAM diagnosed prenatally with available long-term outcomes in childhood from 2004 to 2016. The patients were divided into two groups according to the fetal CPAM-to-volume ratio (CVR) of less than 1.

Three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography indicates that increased placental blood perfusion during the third trimester is associated with the risk of macrosomia at birth.

Purpose: To investigate the association between placental blood perfusion and the occurrence of macrosomia at birth.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study including women with singleton pregnancies that aimed to measure placental blood perfusion using three-dimensional (3D) power Doppler ultrasonography in the second and third trimester. We acquired three indices of placental blood flow, including vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), vascularization flow index (VFI), along with routine two-dimensional (2D) biometric measurements, including abdominal circumference (AC) and estimated fetal weight (EFW).

Quantitative proteomic analysis of serum from pregnant women carrying a fetus with conotruncal heart defect using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) labeling.

Objective: To identify differentially expressed proteins from serum of pregnant women carrying a conotruncal heart defects (CTD) fetus, using proteomic analysis.

Methods: The study was conducted using a nested case-control design. The 5473 maternal serum samples were collected at 14-18 weeks of gestation.

Relationship between isolated mild tricuspid valve regurgitation in second-trimester fetuses and postnatal congenital cardiac disorders.

Objectives: In most cases, the clinical importance of fetal isolated mild tricuspid valve regurgitation is not known. This study evaluated the relationship between fetal isolated mild tricuspid regurgitation in the general obstetric population and postnatal congenital cardiac disorders.

Methods: Detailed fetal echocardiography was done between 18 and 24 weeks' gestation to detect tricuspid regurgitation and to exclude complicated cardiac defects.

microRNA expression profiling of heart tissue during fetal development.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are important both in early cardiogenesis and in the process of heart maturation. The aim of this study was to determine the stage-specific expression of miRNAs in human fetal heart in order to identify valuable targets for further study of heart defects. Affymetrix microarrays were used to obtain miRNA expression profiles from human fetal heart tissue at 5, 7, 9 and 23 weeks of gestation.