Economic consequences of over-diagnosis of threatened preterm labor.

Objective: To investigate whether adherence to a cervical length-based protocol can reduce both unnecessary admissions and the socioeconomic costs associated with inappropriately admitted patients.

Methods: The present retrospective observational study included women admitted for threatened preterm labor (TPL) at 24-34 weeks of pregnancy to a tertiary hospital in the Canary Islands, 2009-2014. Data were reviewed from all patients admitted for TPL.

Cost-effectiveness of cell-free DNA in maternal blood testing for prenatal detection of trisomy 21, 18 and 13: a systematic review.

The aim of this paper was to conduct a systematic review of the cost-effectiveness of the analysis of cell-free DNA in maternal blood, often called the non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT), in the prenatal screening of trisomy in chromosomes 21, 18 and 13. MEDLINE, MEDLINE in process, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched in April 2017. We selected: (1) economic evaluations that estimated the costs and detected cases of trisomy 21, 18 or 13; (2) comparisons of prenatal screening with NIPT (universal or contingent strategies) and the usual screening without NIPT, (3) in pregnant women with any risk of foetal anomalies.

Short and long term outcomes associated with fetal cholelithiasis: a report of two cases with antenatal diagnosis and postnatal follow-up.

The aims of this study were to present and discuss ultrasound findings of prenatal fetal cholelithiasis in two cases with different etiology and evolution. Case 1: a pregnant woman from sub-Saharan Africa, suffering from Lyme disease, was treated with ceftriaxone sodium. Six weeks later, biliary sludge associated with polyhydramnios was detected in the fetus and the fetal growth percentile was 14.

Determinants of organochlorine levels detectable in the amniotic fluid of women from Tenerife Island (Canary Islands, Spain).

Organochlorines (OCs) tend to accumulate in human tissues and can be measured in amniotic fluid (AF). The detection of OCs in AF samples reflects intrauterine exposure of human beings to these persistent organic pollutants. The present study was performed to evaluate the level of contamination of AF by OCs in 100 pregnant women from Tenerife Island (Canary Islands, Spain).

Genetic counseling in a case of congenital hemivertebrae.

A case of in utero spondylothoracic dysostoses is diagnosed during a routine third trimester ultrasound scan in a low-risk patient. Ultrasound showed spine deformation, hemivertebrae and crab-like ribs. The newborn had no other associated anomalies except inguinal hernia, and karyotype was normal.

Evolution and management of a hepatocellular carcinoma during pregnancy.

Coexistence of a hepatocellular carcinoma with pregnancy is extremely rare. The authors present the case of an African woman positive for hepatitis B surface antigen and referred to our hospital for suspected cervical incompetence in which a surgically unapproachable hepatocellular carcinoma was diagnosed. The patient refused termination of pregnancy or liver transplantation because of religious beliefs.

Estradiol prevents neural tau hyperphosphorylation characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is three times more prevalent in women than men, and epidemiological studies have shown that estrogen replacement in aging women forestalls the onset of AD. Hyperphosphorylation of the tau protein that forms the neurofibrillary tangles found in AD brains might be responsible for the breakdown of microtubules in affected neurons. The mechanisms by which tau protein is phosphorylated in the AD brain are not fully understood.