Publications by authors named "Maria Mar Gil"

Article Synopsis
  • Marginal cord insertion (MCI) is considered a pathological condition that requires early diagnosis and understanding its risk factors can improve prenatal care.
  • A meta-analysis of 18 studies revealed that the prevalence of MCI in singleton pregnancies is 5.71%, identifying significant risk factors such as assisted reproductive technology, chronic hypertension, placenta previa, and nulliparity.
  • The analysis followed strict guidelines and methods to ensure quality, indicating that factors like smoking, maternal age, and prior Cesarean sections were not significantly associated with MCI.
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Article Synopsis
  • This meta-analysis investigates the risk factors associated with velamentous cord insertion (VCI), aiming to improve prenatal identification of the condition.
  • It included data from 14 cohort and 4 case-control studies, encompassing over 952,000 singleton pregnancies, revealing an overall VCI prevalence of 1.54%.
  • Key risk factors identified include assisted reproductive technology, being a first-time mother (nulliparity), smoking, and having placenta previa, which could help refine screening strategies for women at greater risk.
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  • The study assessed the effectiveness of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing for detecting chromosomal abnormalities in multiple pregnancies, specifically twins, triplets, and cases of vanishing twins.
  • Data from 292 pregnancies showed that cfDNA testing was particularly effective for trisomy 21, with a 100% confirmation rate and a 0% false positive rate in twin pregnancies.
  • The research concluded that while cfDNA testing is reliable for assessing trisomy 21 in twin pregnancies, its ability to detect other chromosomal abnormalities is limited due to the small number of cases.
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Background: Preterm delivery is considered the leading cause of mortality worldwide in children under 5 years old. Approximately 45 million pregnant women are hospitalized yearly for threatened preterm labor. However, only 50% of pregnancies complicated by threatened preterm labor end in delivery before the estimated date, classifying the rest as false threatened preterm labor.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated how genome-wide cfDNA testing for chromosomal abnormalities performed differently when additional findings were reported versus when they were not, using data from pregnant women between 2015-2019.
  • It included 3981 women and found that while the concordance rates for trisomy 21 and 18 were both 100%, there were significant discrepancies in other categories, such as trisomy 13 and sex chromosome aneuploidy.
  • The results showed that not reporting extra findings led to a lower false-positive rate (0.17%) compared to reporting them (0.93%), although there was no change in the no-result rates between the two periods.
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Article Synopsis
  • Immediate skin-to-skin care (SSC) during cesarean births offers benefits for both mother and baby, potentially affecting surgical outcomes.
  • This study compared 110 women undergoing primary cesarean births for breech presentation, with half receiving immediate SSC and the other half not.
  • Results showed that SSC did not significantly change operative time or blood loss, but there was a slight decrease in operative time of about 3 minutes in the SSC group.
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Objective: This sequential, prospective meta-analysis sought to identify risk factors among pregnant and postpartum women with COVID-19 for adverse outcomes related to disease severity, maternal morbidities, neonatal mortality and morbidity, and adverse birth outcomes.

Data Sources: We prospectively invited study investigators to join the sequential, prospective meta-analysis via professional research networks beginning in March 2020.

Study Eligibility Criteria: Eligible studies included those recruiting at least 25 consecutive cases of COVID-19 in pregnancy within a defined catchment area.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study evaluated how a patient educational app affects knowledge and preparedness for noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in expectant parents through a randomized control trial across three sites from January 2019 to October 2020.
  • - Results showed significant improvements in knowledge scores for those using the app compared to those who did not, both before and after consultations with healthcare providers.
  • - Most participants who used the app reported high satisfaction, and healthcare providers agreed that the app users were better prepared for their consultations, indicating the app's effectiveness and acceptability in real-world settings.
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Background: Effective screening for term preeclampsia is provided by a combination of maternal factors with measurements of mean arterial pressure, serum placental growth factor, and serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 at 35 to 37 weeks of gestation, with a detection rate of ≈75% at a screen-positive rate of 10%. However, there is no known intervention to reduce the incidence of the disease.

Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 1120 women with singleton pregnancies at high risk of term preeclampsia to receive pravastatin at a dose of 20 mg/d or placebo from 35 to 37 weeks of gestation until delivery or 41 weeks.

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Background: In women with a singleton pregnancy and sonographic short cervix in midgestation, vaginal administration of progesterone reduces the risk of early preterm birth and improves neonatal outcomes without any demonstrable deleterious effects on childhood neurodevelopment. In women with twin pregnancies, the rate of spontaneous early preterm birth is 10 times higher than that in singletons, and in this respect, all twins are at an increased risk of preterm birth. However, 6 trials in unselected twin pregnancies reported that vaginal administration of progesterone from midgestation had no significant effect on the incidence of early preterm birth.

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Objective: To examine the clinical implementation of chromosome-selective sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in maternal blood and an algorithm that relies on the lower fetal fraction contribution of the 2 fetuses in the assessment of risk for trisomies in twin pregnancies.

Methods: Risk for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 by cfDNA testing were estimated in stored plasma samples obtained at 11-13 weeks' gestation from 207 pregnancies with known outcome and prospectively in 68 twin pregnancies undergoing screening at 10-13 weeks.

Results: Risk scores for trisomies were provided for 192 (92.

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Objective: To investigate potential performance of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing in maternal blood in detecting fetal triploidy.

Methods: Plasma and buffy coat samples obtained at 11-13 weeks' gestation from singleton pregnancies with diandric triploidy (n=4), digynic triploidy (n=4), euploid fetuses (n=48) were sent to Natera, Inc. (San Carlos, Calif.

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