Validation of an automated software (Smartpelvic™) in assessing hiatal area from three dimensional transperineal pelvic volumes of pregnant women: comparison with manual analysis.

Objectives: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the agreement between a manual and an automatic technique in assessing levator hiatus area (LHA) during pregnancy from three-dimensional (3D) pelvic floor volumes obtained by trans-perineal ultrasound (TPUS).

Methods: 3D volumes were acquired during rest, maximum pelvic floor contraction and Valsalva maneuver from 66 pregnant women. Manual selection of LHA and automatic software (Smart Pelvic™) were applied on TPUS volume starting from a C-plane view.

Role of Cerebroplacental Ratio in Predicting the Outcome of Pregnancies Complicated by Diabetes.

Introduction: Our objective was to evaluate the strength of association and diagnostic performance of cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) in predicting the outcome of pregnancies complicated by pre- and gestational diabetes mellitus.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases were searched. Inclusion criteria were pregnancies complicated by gestational or pregestational diabetes undergoing ultrasound assessment of CPR.

Umbilical Cord Diseases Affecting Obstetric and Perinatal Outcomes.

(1) The aim of this article is to describe the physiopathology underlying umbilical cord diseases and their relationship with obstetric and perinatal outcomes. (2) Methods: Multicenter case series of umbilical cord diseases with illustrations from contributing institutions are presented. (3) Results: Clinical presentations of prenatal ultrasound findings, clinical prenatal features and postnatal outcomes are described.

Modeling fetal cavum septum pellucidi width by quantile regression at 18-34 weeks of gestation: A prospective cross-sectional study.

Objective: Develop charts for cavum septum pellucidi (CSP) following a standardized methodology and using quantile regression. The secondary objective was to assess the influence of fetal gender on the generated reference curves.

Methods: In a cross-sectional prospective study 453 low-risk singleton pregnancies were evaluated at a gestational age interval between 18 and 34 weeks.

Validation of an automatic software in assessing fetal brain volume from three dimensional ultrasonographic volumes: Comparison with manual analysis.

Objective: This study was aimed to test the agreement between a manual and an automatic technique in measuring fetal brain volume (FBV) from three-dimensional (3D) fetal head datasets.

Methods: FBV were acquired independently by two operators from low risk singleton pregnancies at a gestational age between 19 and 34 weeks. FBV measurements were obtained using an automatic software (Smart ICV™) and manually by Virtual Organ Computer-aided AnaLysis (VOCAL™).

Thiostrepton, a resurging drug inhibiting the stringent response to counteract antibiotic-resistance and expression of virulence determinants in .

Due to the increased resistance to all available antibiotics and the lack of vaccines, (the gonococcus) poses an urgent threat. Although the mechanisms of virulence and antibiotic resistance have been largely investigated in this bacterium, very few studies have addressed the stringent response (SR) that in pathogenic bacteria controls the expression of genes involved in host-pathogen interaction and tolerance and persistence toward antibiotics. In this study, the results of the transcriptome analysis of a clinical isolate of , after induction of the SR by serine hydroxamate, provided us with an accurate list of genes that are transcriptionally modulated during the SR.

Placental Volume and Uterine Artery Doppler in Pregnancy Following In Vitro Fertilization: A Comprehensive Literature Review.

The number of pregnancies achieved using in vitro fertilization (IVF) is rapidly increasing around the world. The chance of obtaining a successful pregnancy is also significantly improved due to technological advances and improvement in infertility treatment. Despite this success, there is evidence that pregnancy conceived by IVF has an increased risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcome mainly represented by the development of hypertensive diseases, pre-eclampsia, and fetal growth restriction.

Supported Eosin Y as a Photocatalyst for C-H Arylation of Furan in Batch and Flow.

Eosin Y is one of the most popular organic dyes used as a photoredox catalyst and is largely employed in photochemical reactions both as a homogeneous and heterogeneous photocatalyst after immobilization. Immobilization of Eosin Y onto a solid support has many advantages, such as the possibility of recovery and reuse of the photocatalyst and the possibility of its use under flow conditions. In this paper, we report our findings on the immobilization of Eosin Y onto Merrifield resin and its application in the direct photochemical arylation of furan with aryldiazonium salts.

HrpA anchors meningococci to the dynein motor and affects the balance between apoptosis and pyroptosis.

Background: In Neisseria meningitidis the HrpA/HrpB two-partner secretion system (TPS) was implicated in diverse functions including meningococcal competition, biofilm formation, adherence to epithelial cells, intracellular survival and vacuolar escape. These diverse functions could be attributed to distinct domains of secreted HrpA.

Methods: A yeast two-hybrid screening, in vitro pull-down assay and immunofluorescence microscopy experiments were used to investigate the interaction between HrpA and the dynein light-chain, Tctex-type 1 (DYNLT1).

Phenotyping of Fecal Microbiota of Winnie, a Rodent Model of Spontaneous Chronic Colitis, Reveals Specific Metabolic, Genotoxic, and Pro-inflammatory Properties.

Winnie, a mouse carrying a missense mutation in the MUC2 mucin gene, is a valuable model for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with signs and symptoms that have multiple similarities with those observed in patients with ulcerative colitis. MUC2 mucin is present in Winnie, but is not firmly compacted in a tight inner layer. Indeed, these mice develop chronic intestinal inflammation due to the primary epithelial defect with signs of mucosal damage, including thickening of muscle and mucosal layers, goblet cell loss, increased intestinal permeability, enhanced susceptibility to luminal inflammation-inducing toxins, and alteration of innervation in the distal colon.

Electrochemical Organic Synthesis of Electron-Rich Biaryl Scaffolds: An Update.

Biaryl scaffolds are widely spread in biologically important natural products, in numerous therapeutic agents, but they are also considered a privileged class of ligands and (organo)catalysts; therefore, the development of efficient alternative methodologies to prepare such compounds is always attracting much attention. The present review discusses the organic electrosynthesis of biaryls starting from phenols, anilines, naphthols, and naphthylamines. The most significant examples of the works reported in the last decade are presented and classified according to the single class of molecules: after the introduction, the first three sections relate to the reactions of phenols, naphthols, and anilines, respectively; the other two sections refer to cross-coupling and miscellaneous reactions.

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging at 36 weeks predicts neonatal macrosomia: the PREMACRO study.

Background: Large-for-gestational-age fetuses are at increased risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Magnetic resonance imaging seems to be more accurate than ultrasound in the prediction of macrosomia; however, there is no well-powered study comparing magnetic resonance imaging with ultrasound in routine pregnancies.

Objective: This study aimed to prospectively compare estimates of fetal weight based on 2-dimensional ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging with actual birthweights in routine pregnancies.

Surface architecture of Neisseria meningitidis capsule and outer membrane as revealed by atomic force microscopy.

An extensive morphological analysis of the Neisseria meningitidis cell envelope, including serogroup B capsule and outer membrane, based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) together with mechanical characterization by force spectroscopic measurements, has been carried out. Three meningococcal strains were used: the encapsulated serogroup B strain B1940, and the isogenic mutants B1940 siaD(+C) (lacking capsule), and B1940 cps (lacking both capsule and lipooligosaccharide outer core). AFM experiments with the encapsulated strain B1940 provided unprecedented images of the meningococcal capsule, which seems to be characterized by protrusions ("bumps") with the lateral dimensions of about 30 nm.

Design, Synthesis, and In Vitro Evaluation of Hydroxybenzimidazole-Donepezil Analogues as Multitarget-Directed Ligands for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.

A series of multi-target-directed ligands (MTDLs), obtained by attachment of a hydroxyphenylbenzimidazole (BIM) unit to donepezil (DNP) active mimetic moiety (benzyl-piperidine/-piperazine) was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as potential anti-Alzheimer's disease (AD) drugs in terms of biological activity (inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation), metal chelation, and neuroprotection capacity. Among the DNP-BIM hybrids studied herein, the structural isomerization did not significantly improve the biological properties, while some substitutions, namely fluorine atom in each moiety or the methoxy group in the benzyl ring, evidenced higher cholinergic AChE activity. All the compounds are able to chelate Cu and Zn metal ions through their bidentate BIM moieties, but compound , containing a three-dentate chelating unit, is the strongest Cu(II) chelator.

The use of magnetic resonance imaging in the prediction of birthweight.

Extremes of fetal growth can increase adverse pregnancy outcomes, and this is equally applicable to single and multiple gestations. Traditionally, these cases have been identified using simple two-dimensional ultrasound which is quite limited by its low precision. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has now been used for many years in obstetrics, mainly as an adjunct to ultrasound for congenital abnormalities and increasingly as part of the post-mortem examination.

Impact of the delay between fetal death and delivery on the success of postmortem ultrasound following termination of pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the delay between fetal death and delivery on the nondiagnostic rates of post-mortem ultrasound (PM-US), following the termination of pregnancy (TOP).

Methods: We reviewed 204 cases of fetal two-dimensional PM-US performed in our center as part of a post-mortem imaging research program, over the last 5 years. Informed consent was obtained from the parents for all cases.

Magnetic resonance imaging for prenatal estimation of birthweight in pregnancy: review of available data, techniques, and future perspectives.

Fetuses at the extremes of growth abnormalities carry a risk of perinatal morbidity and death. Their identification traditionally is done by 2-dimensional ultrasound imaging, the performance of which is not always optimal. Magnetic resonance imaging superbly depicts fetal anatomy and anomalies and has contributed largely to the evaluation of high-risk pregnancies.

Profile of women choosing the Harmony® Prenatal Test.

The Harmony® Prenatal Test, a noninvasive cell-free DNA (cfDNA) method for major trisomies has been available since January 2013 at our unit, and tests were sent to the Ariosa Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) laboratory in California. From July 2017 onward, prenatal cfDNA has been reimbursed in Belgium for all pregnancies; however, since then samples are sent to a local laboratory. Little data are available on patient's profile and choices toward cfDNA and on the performance of local technology transfer centers.

The Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Predicting Pain Related to Endometriosis: A Preliminary Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the sacral nerve root features by the means of magnetic resonance imaging-diffusion tensor imaging (MRI-DTI) tractography in women with endometriosis and/or adenomyosis, and to analyze the correlations among DTI abnormalities, pain symptoms, and endometriotic lesions found at surgery.

Design: A cross-sectional, observational study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).

Setting: University hospital.

Endometriosis and Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia.

Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia (GT) is a rare bleeding syndrome characterized by deficiency or defect of platelet aggregation complex. The pathogenesis of endometriosis is controversial but the strongest evidence leans towards retrograde menstruation. GT probably predisposes to endometriosis.

Are mood and anxiety disorders and alexithymia associated with endometriosis? A preliminary study.

Objective: The aim of this preliminary study was to determine whether psychiatric disorders, psychopathological symptoms, and alexithymia are associated with endometriosis in an Italian population.

Study Design: A preliminary study comprising 37 Italian patients with surgically confirmed endometriosis and 43 controls, without clinical and ultrasound signs of endometriosis, was carried out. Both patients and controls were evaluated for the presence/absence of psychiatric disorders, psychopathological symptoms, alexithymia, and pain symptoms (nonmenstrual pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and dyspareunia).