A tripartite circRNA/mRNA/miRNA interaction regulates glutamatergic signaling in the mouse brain.

Functional studies of circular RNAs (circRNAs) began quite recently, and few data exist on their function in vivo. Here, we have generated a knockout (KO) mouse model to study circDlc1(2), a circRNA highly expressed in the prefrontal cortex and striatum. The loss of circDlc1(2) led to the upregulation of glutamatergic-response-associated genes in the striatal tissue, enhanced excitatory synaptic transmission in neuronal cultures, and hyperactivity and increased stereotypies in mice.

Computerized cardiotocography and fetal heart response to maternal coffee intake: a prospective study.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of caffeine on fetal heart rate (FHR) as determined by computerized cardiotocography (cCTG) parameters.

Methods: Term pregnancies that performed a fetal antepartum cCTG were included. Two physicians recorded coffee habits before the cCTG, and pregnant women were divided into two groups: the coffee group and the control group.

Racial and ethnic disparities in non-invasive prenatal testing adherence: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Fetal aneuploidies, including trisomies 21, 13, and 18, represent a significant issue in prenatal care. The advent of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) through the detection of cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) in maternal blood has modified screening for chromosomal abnormalities. This study evaluates NIPT adherence among pregnant of different ethnicities, addressing potential disparities in prenatal care.

Opportunities for, and barriers to, uterus-preserving surgical techniques for placenta accreta spectrum.

Introduction: Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) can lead to major peripartum morbidity. Appropriate management approaches depend on the clinical severity, each individual's preference, and the treating team's expertise. Peripartum hysterectomy is the most frequently used treatment option.

Randomized trial of screening for preterm birth in low-risk women - the preterm birth screening study.

Background: Preterm birth is a major cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. It is unclear whether the introduction of a universal transvaginal ultrasound cervical length screening program in women at low risk for preterm delivery is associated with a reduction in the frequency of preterm birth.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that the introduction of a midtrimester universal transvaginal ultrasound cervical length screening program in asymptomatic singleton pregnancies without prior preterm delivery would reduce the rate of preterm birth at <37 weeks of gestation.

Reproductive outcome after cesarean scar pregnancy.

Cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) rate is rising worldwide, in parallel with the rising rates of cesarean delivery. Multiple therapeutic strategies and a timely diagnosis have led to a successful management in most cases, with many women preserving fertility after treatment. Despite this, still little is known regarding pregnancy outcomes after a CSP.

Fetal aortic isthmus Doppler assessment to predict the adverse perinatal outcomes associated with fetal growth restriction: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) management and delivery planning is based on a multimodal approach. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prognostic accuracies of the aortic isthmus Doppler to predict adverse perinatal outcomes in singleton pregnancies with FGR.

Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.

The association between fetal Doppler and uterine artery blood volume flow in term pregnancies: a pilot study.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between uterine artery blood volume flow and fetal Doppler indices in term pregnancies.

Materials And Methods: A prospective observational study in a tertiary-care university hospital was performed between December 2021 and May 2022. We included only term pregnancies that received accurate ultrasound scans until a week before the birth.

Correlations between Gut Microbial Composition, Pathophysiological and Surgical Aspects in Endometriosis: A Review of the Literature.

: Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent, inflammatory, gynecological disorder represented by the migration of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. It can manifest through gynecological and gastrointestinal (GI) signs. Given the hormonal imbalances in endometriosis and the effect of microbiota on immune dysfunction, it has been thought that the human microbiome may play a role in its pathogenesis, acting differently before and after laparotomy.

FUS Alters circRNA Metabolism in Human Motor Neurons Carrying the ALS-Linked P525L Mutation.

Deregulation of RNA metabolism has emerged as one of the key events leading to the degeneration of motor neurons (MNs) in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) disease. Indeed, mutations on RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) or on proteins involved in aspects of RNA metabolism account for the majority of familiar forms of ALS. In particular, the impact of the ALS-linked mutations of the RBP FUS on many aspects of RNA-related processes has been vastly investigated.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Clinical and Histopathological Study in Pregnancy.

During pregnancy, SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with several adverse outcomes, including an increased risk of pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery, hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, and fetal growth restriction related to the development of placenta vascular abnormalities. We analyzed human placenta from full-term, uncomplicated pregnancies with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first, second, or third trimesters of gestation. We studied, by the immunohistochemistry technique, the expression of CD34 and podoplanin (PDPN) as markers of vasculogenesis to find any differences.

From Serendipity to Rational Identification of the 5,6,7,8-Tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-]pyrimidin-4(3)-one Core as a New Chemotype of AKT1 Inhibitors for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematopoietic malignancy whose prognosis is globally poor. In more than 60% of AML patients, the PI3K/AKTs/mTOR signaling pathway is aberrantly activated because of oncogenic driver alterations and further enhanced by chemotherapy as a mechanism of drug resistance. Against this backdrop, very recently we have started a multidisciplinary research project focused on AKT1 as a pharmacological target to identify novel anti-AML agents.

The diagnostic performance of the ductus venosus for the detection of cardiac defects in the first trimester: a systematic review and diagnostic test accuracy meta-analysis.

Purpose: Abnormal flow in the ductus venosus (DV) has been reported to be associated with adverse perinatal outcome, chromosomal abnormalities, and congenital heart defects (CHD). Aneuploid fetuses have increased risk of CHD, but there are discrepancies on the performance of this markers in euploid fetuses. The aim of this meta-analysis was to establish the predictive accuracy of DV for CHD.

Best practice standards for circular RNA research.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are formed in all domains of life and via different mechanisms. There has been an explosion in the number of circRNA papers in recent years; however, as a relatively young field, circRNA biology has an urgent need for common experimental standards for isolating, analyzing, expressing and depleting circRNAs. Here we propose a set of guidelines for circRNA studies based on the authors' experience.

Accuracy of Fetal Biacromial Diameter and Derived Ultrasonographic Parameters to Predict Shoulder Dystocia: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background And Objectives: Shoulder dystocia (ShD) is one of most dangerous obstetric complication. The objective of this study was to determine if the ultrasonographic fetal biacromial diameter (BA) and derived parameters could predict ShD in uncomplicated term pregnancies.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in a tertiary care university hospital from March 2021 to February 2022.

Incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus before and after the Covid-19 lockdown: A retrospective cohort study.

Aim: To evaluate whether the first Covid-19 lockdown for Italian citizens (March to July 2021) might have altered the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods: A retrospective single-center study in a tertiary referral center. Primary outcome was the incidence of GDM among pregnant women.

Circ-Hdgfrp3 shuttles along neurites and is trapped in aggregates formed by ALS-associated mutant FUS.

CircRNAs belong to a family of RNA molecules which are conserved in evolution, have tissue-specific expression, and are abundant in neuronal cells. Here, we define several features of circ-Hdgfrp3 and describe interesting alterations occurring in motor neurons (MNs) carrying ALS-associated FUS mutations. Through a highly sensitive approach we describe that circ-Hdgfrp3 traffics along neurites, while upon oxidative stress it is retained in the perinuclear region.

Microbiome and Gestational Diabetes: Interactions with Pregnancy Outcome and Long-Term Infant Health.

Microbiota composition is progressively being connected to different physiologic effects, such as glucose metabolism, and also to different pathologies, such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). GDM is a public health concern that affects an important percentage of pregnancies and is correlated with many adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. An increasing number of studies are showing some connections between specific microbial composition of the gut microbiota and development of GDM and adverse outcomes in mothers and neonates.

Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Women with Diabetes in Pregnancy Treated before and after the Introduction of a Standardized Multidisciplinary Management Protocol.

Background: Diabetes in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk to the woman and to the developing fetus. Currently, there is no consensus on the optimal management strategies for the follow-up and the timing of delivery of pregnancies affected by gestational and pregestational diabetes, with different international guidelines suggesting different management options.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study from January 2017 to January 2021, to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by gestational and pregestational diabetes, followed-up and delivered in a third level referral center before and after the introduction of a standardized multidisciplinary management protocol including diagnostic, screening, and management criteria.