Emotional and Clinical Aspects Observed in Women with Gestational Trophoblastic Disease: A Multidisciplinary Action.

Objective:  To evaluate the emotional and clinical aspects observed in women with gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) followed-up in a reference center (RC) by a multidisciplinary team.

Methods:  Retrospective cohort study of the clinical records of 186 women with GTD and of the emotional aspects (EA) observed in these women by a team of psychologists and reported by the 389 support groups conducted from 2014 to 2018.

Results:  The women were young (mean age: 31.

Evaluation of Angiogenic Factors (PlGF and sFlt-1) in Pre-eclampsia Diagnosis.

Objective:  Recent observations support the hypothesis that an imbalance between angiogenic factors has a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia and is responsible for the clinical manifestations of the disease. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and the best accuracy level of Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in maternal serum and protein/creatinine ratio in urine sample to define the best cutoff point of these tests to discriminate between the patients with gestational hypertension and the patients with pre-eclampsia, to evaluate the possibility of using them as diagnostic methods.

Methods:  A prospective longitudinal study was performed, and blood samples were collected from 95 pregnant patients with hypertension to measure serum concentrations of biomarkers sFlt-1 and PlGF.

Accuracy of Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Cardiac MalformationsAcurácia do diagnóstico pré-natal de cardiopatias congênitas.

Objective:  To evaluate the accuracy of the diagnosis of fetal heart diseases obtained through ultrasound examinations performed during the prenatal period compared with the postnatal evaluation.

Methods:  A retrospective cohort study with 96 pregnant women who were attended at the Echocardiography Service and whose deliveries occurred at the Complexo Hospitalar Santa Casa de Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Risk factor assessment plus sensitivity and specificity analysis were used, comparing the accuracy of the screening for congenital heart disease by means of obstetrical ultrasound and morphological evaluation and fetal echocardiography, considering  < 0.

Metabolic safety of the etonogestrel contraceptive implant in healthy women over a 3-year period.

Objective: To ascertain whether placement of the etonogestrel contraceptive implant induces significant changes in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, as reflected by metabolic parameters, in healthy women.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study of 213 healthy patients who received etonogestrel implants. Weight, BMI, blood pressure and a comprehensive metabolic profile were assessed at baseline, 1, 2 and 3 years.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in pregnant versus non-pregnant women in Brazil.

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical samples of pregnant and non-pregnant women in South-Brazil.

Methods: A prospective study of 91 pregnant and 92 non-pregnant women with no previous history of cervical dysplasia or cancer was carried out. Cervical samples for HPV testing and cytology were collected in each trimester of pregnancy and in the puerperium for pregnant women and at matched intervals for the non-pregnant women.

Maternal physical activity, cervical length and its relation to spontaneous vaginal birth at term.

Objective: Physical activity during pregnancy is known to be beneficial, however there are controversies about the risk of preterm labor, and there is no published data to assess the association between cervical length and maternal physical activity during pregnancy. Therefore, the objective of the study was to describe the cervical length in the second and third trimesters, correlating with physical activity, anthropometric characteristics, and obstetric results.

Methods: Prospective cohort with 56 pregnant women, allocated in two groups according to the answers obtained by a validating questionnaire on physical activity.

Outcomes for pregnant women infected with the influenza A (H1N1) virus during the 2009 pandemic in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Objective: To study the epidemiologic characteristics and underlying conditions that place pregnant women infected with H1N1 virus at increased risk for being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted in Porto Alegre, Brazil, with 57 pregnant women hospitalized with the H1N1 influenza during the 2009 pandemic, we collected epidemiologic characteristics and assessed the rates of ICU admission according to pregnancy duration and the presence or absence of comorbidities.

Results: The median (range) of maternal age was 26 years (15-41 years), the pregnancy duration at the time of infection was 29 weeks (8-41 weeks), and the birth weight was 3180 g (740-3900 g).

High Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus Infection among Brazilian Pregnant Women with and without Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1.

Objective. To estimate HPV prevalence among pregnant women from Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, and the possible influence of HIV-1 infection on this prevalence. Methods.

Evaluation of IGF-2/ApaI polymorphism in pregnant women infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 taking antiretroviral drugs.

Objective: Studies carried out to assess the effects of antiretroviral drugs (ARV) in HIV-1 infected pregnant women have demonstrated carbohydrate intolerance. Some reports also refer to the effect of disturbances in the expression of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system on pancreas beta-cell function in humans and IGF-2/ApaI polymorphisms have been associated with obesity and features of the metabolic syndromes. In the present study, we tested the association between IGF-2/ApaI genotype and hyperglycemia in HIV-1 infected pregnant women receiving ARV.

Visceral leishmaniasis and pregnancy: analysis of cases reported in a central-western region of Brazil.

Objectives: Because of the large number of cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) recorded in Brazil over the last few years, this disease has been showing characteristics different from previously known ones. We report cases of pregnant women treated for VL, describing their course and outcome and the chemotherapeutic medication used according to the clinical signs and symptoms of each patient.

Study Design: We report five cases of pregnant women treated for VL in a central-western region of Brazil.

Effects of antiretroviral agents during pregnancy on liver enzymes and amylase in HIV-exposed, uninfected newborn infants.

This study assessed the effect of antiretroviral drugs administered to pregnant women on amylase and liver enzymes of the neonate. A prospective study was conducted on 52 neonates divided into three groups: infants born to HIV-infected mothers taking zidovudine (ZDV group, n = 18), infants born to mothers taking zidovudine + lamivudine + nelfinavir (TT group, n = 22) and infants born to normal women (control group, n = 12). Umbilical cord blood from the newborn infant was used to determine liver transaminases and amylase.

Antiretroviral agents during pregnancy: consequences on hematologic parameters in HIV-exposed, uninfected newborn infant.

Objectives: To study the effect of antiretroviral drugs administered to pregnant women on hematologic parameters of the neonate.

Study Design: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 52 neonates divided into three groups: ZDV group, infants born to HIV-infected mothers taking zidovudine (n=18); triple therapy (TT) group, infants born to mothers taking zidovudine+lamivudine+nelfinavir (n=22), and control group, infants born to normal women (n=12). Umbilical cord blood from the newborn infant was used to determine hemoglobin, lymphocyte and platelet.

Amniotic fluid volumetry by three-dimensional ultrasonography during the first trimester of pregnancy.

In a longitudinal prospective study, we quantitated the amniotic fluid volume (AFV) of 25 normal fetuses by endovaginal 3-D ultrasonography (3D-US) from the 8th to the 11th week of pregnancy. AFV by 3D-US was obtained by subtracting the volumetric measurement of the embryo (EV) from the amniotic sac volume (ASV). EV and ASV were obtained by virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL), using 6 degrees of rotation.

Group B Streptococcus carriers among HIV-1 infected pregnant women: prevalence and risk factors.

Objective: The objective was to determine the frequency and risk factors of anogenital colonization by Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) in pregnant women infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1).

Study Design: A prospective study was conducted on 207 pregnant women divided into two groups: HIV group (n=101) and a control group consisting of HIV-uninfected pregnant women (n=106) to assess regional colonization by GBS. Anal and vaginal swabs were collected and cultured in Todd-Hewitt broth, followed by a confirmatory test.

Colonization by Streptococcus agalactiae during pregnancy: maternal and perinatal prognosis.

We reviewed colonization by group B Streptococcus beta-haemolyticus of Lancefield (SGB), or Streptococcus agalactiae, in pregnant women, and the consequences of infection for the mother and newborn infant, including factors that influence the risk for anogenital colonization by SGB. We also examined the methods for diagnosis and prophylaxis of SGB to prevent early-onset invasive neonatal bacterial disease. At present, it is justifiable to adopt anal and vaginal SGB culture as part of differentiated obstetrical care in order to reduce early neonatal infection.

Effect of antiretroviral agents on carbohydrate metabolism in HIV-1 infected pregnant women.

Background: Despite the correlation between the use of protease inhibitors (PI) and adverse metabolic glycemic events, no prospective study has examined these parameters in pregnant women who use these drugs.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 57 pregnant women to investigate the effect of antiretroviral drugs (ARV) on the carbohydrate metabolism during pregnancy. The women were divided into three groups: ZDV Group, 20 HIV-1 infected women taking ZDV; TT Group, 25 patients on triple antiretroviral treatment (ZDV + 3TC + NFV); and Control Group, 12 pregnant women.

[Serum vitamin A during pregnancy and effects on obstetrics and perinatal outcomes in HIV infected pregnant women].

To evaluate serum vitamin levels and its association with obstetrics and perinatal results in HIV infected pregnant women. Observational and prospective study carried out at Division of Infectious-Contagious Diseases in Gynecology and Obstetrics of the University Hospital, Medicine School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, involving 57 pregnant women divided into 3 groups: Group 1, with 12 normal pregnant women, it was the control group; Group 2, with 20 HIV infected pregnant women, using ZDV; and Group 3, with 25 HIV infected pregnant women, using therapy I contend ZDV, 3TC and nelfinavir. The evaluation of the serum vitamin level was obtained three times during pregnancy at equidistant time intervals and in the immediate period after birth.

Effect of antiretroviral drugs on maternal CD4 lymphocyte counts, HIV-1 RNA levels, and anthropometric parameters of their neonates.

Purpose: To study the effect of antiretroviral drugs administered during pregnancy on CD4 lymphocyte counts and HIV-1 RNA levels of pregnant women and on the anthropometric parameters of their neonates.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 57 pregnant women and their neonates divided into 3 groups: ZDV Group, HIV-infected mothers taking zidovudine (n=20); triple therapy (TT) Group, mothers taking zidovudine+lamivudine+nelfinavir (n=25), and Control Group, normal women (n=12). CD4 lymphocyte counts and HIV-1 RNA levels of pregnant women were analyzed during two periods of pregnancy.