First Trimester Placental Biomarkers for Pregnancy Outcomes.

The placenta plays a key role in several adverse obstetrical outcomes, such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction and gestational diabetes mellitus. The early identification of at-risk pregnancies could significantly improve the management, therapy and prognosis of these pregnancies, especially if these at-risk pregnancies are identified in the first trimester. The aim of this review was to summarize the possible biomarkers that can be used to diagnose early placental dysfunction and, consequently, at-risk pregnancies.

Before Is Better: Innovative Multidisciplinary Preconception Care in Different Clinical Contexts.

Context: Implementation of pre-conception care units is still very limited in Italy. Nowadays, the population's awareness of the reproductive risks that can be reduced or prevented is very low. Purpose and main findings: We presented a new personalized multidisciplinary model of preconception care aimed at identifying and possibly reducing adverse reproductive events.

Endometrial Microbiota and Immune Tolerance in Pregnancy.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the uterus has its own microbiota. However, there is no consensus on endometrial microbiota composition, thus its role in the healthy uterine environment is still a frontier topic. Endometrial receptivity is key to embryo implantation, and in this specific context immunological tolerance against fetal antigens and the tightly regulated expression of inflammatory mediators are fundamental.

Labour induction at term: clinical, biophysical and molecular predictive factors.

Purpose: The aim of this multicentric study is to compare clinical, biophysical and molecular parameters in the prediction of the success of labour induction with prostaglandins.

Methods: We included 115 women, who underwent to labour induction at term with vaginal prostaglandin gel. We evaluated the diagnostic efficiency of endocervical phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (phIGFBP-1), cervicovaginal interleukins 6 (IL-6) and 8 (IL-8).

Combination of biochemical markers in predicting pre-term delivery.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive performances of some biochemical markers in predicting pre-term delivery in asymptomatic women.

Methods: We included 491 asymptomatic women at 24 weeks' gestation, who underwent the endocervical phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor binding protein (phIGFBP-1) test, cervico-vaginal interleukins 6 (IL-6) and 8 (IL-8), and serum C-reactive protein (CRP). A receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to determine the most useful cut off point.

Biochemical markers predicting pre-term delivery in symptomatic patients: phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 and fetal fibronectin.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (phIGFBP-1) and of the fetal fibronectin test (fFN) in predicting pre-term delivery in symptomatic women.

Methods: We included 210 symptomatic women at 24-34 weeks' gestation, who underwent the phIGFBP-1 and fFN test. We analyzed the prevalence of pre-term delivery in these patients within 7 days upon admission, before the 34th and the 37th weeks' gestation.

Cervical phIGFBP-1 in the evaluation of the risk of preterm delivery.

Background: To evaluate the accuracy of the decidual phosphorylated isoform of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 in endocervical secretions to predict premature delivery in symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women.

Methods: The study included 332 pregnant women: 109 symptomatic patients (study group) and 223 asymptomatic women (control group). For all women, qualitative and quantitative assessment of the decidual phosphorylated isoform of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 in endocervical secretions was carried out, but the quantitative assay was finally performed in 282 of 332.