Non-hypertensive gestational diabetes mellitus: Placental histomorphology and its association with perinatal outcomes.

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) exerts a great impact on the placenta and reflects changes on placentas both morphological and functionally. The aims of this study are to evaluate the prevalence of placental histopathological lesions in pregnancies complicated by GDM compared to gestational age-matched controls, and their association with maternal and fetal complications.

Methods: Fifty-four singleton GDM-complicated pregnancies were recruited and compared to 33 consecutive normal pregnancies.

Is alternate day dosing of oral iron an effective option for iron-deficiency anaemia?

Kaundal R, Bhatia P, Jain A, et al. Randomized controlled trial of twice-daily versus alternate-day oral iron therapy in the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia. Ann Hematol.

Diagnostic Utility of TSSC3 and RB1 Immunohistochemistry in Hydatidiform Mole.

The general notion of complete hydatidiform moles is that most of them consist entirely of paternal DNA; hence, they do not express p57, a paternally imprinted gene. This forms the basis for the diagnosis of hydatidiform moles. There are about 38 paternally imprinted genes.

Dapagliflozin in people with chronic kidney disease.

Heerspink HJL, Stefánsson BV, Correa-Rotter R, Dapagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease. 2020;383:1436-46. Dr Teck Khong, DTB Associate Editor, Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK.

What does the TIME study tell us about morning and evening dosing of antihypertensive medication?

Mackenzie IS, Rogers A, Poulter NR, Cardiovascular outcomes in adults with hypertension with evening vs morning dosing of usual antihypertensives in the UK (TIME study): a prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoint clinical trial. 2022;400:1417-25.

Evidence for empagliflozin in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Anker SD, Butler J, Filippatos G, Empagliflozin in heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction. , 2021; 385:1451-61.

Short-term effect of deprescribing antihypertensives in older people.

Sheppard JP, Burt J, Lown M, Effect of antihypertensive medication reduction vs usual care on short-term blood pressure control in patients with hypertension aged 80 years and older: The OPTIMISE randomized clinical trial. 2020;323:2039-51. Dr Teck Khong, DTB Associate Editor, Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK.

Treating hypertension with a pill containing very low doses of four antihypertensive agents compared with standard dose irbesartan.

Chow CK, Atkins ER, Hillis GS, Initial treatment with a single pill containing quadruple combination of quarter doses of blood pressure medicines versus standard dose monotherapy in patients with hypertension (QUARTET): a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, active-controlled trial. 2021;398:1043-52. Dr Teck Khong, DTB Associate Editor Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK.

Gardnerella vaginalis infection in pregnancy: Effects on placental development and neonatal outcomes.

Introduction: Gardnerella vaginalis (GV)-associated bacterial vaginosis is recognised for its detrimental effects on pregnancy resulting in poor obstetric and neonatal outcomes. There is limited knowledge of the effects on placental histomorphology following GV infection in pregnancy. We investigated the effects of GV infection on the placenta, particularly with regards to the syncytiotrophoblasts and vascular development, and related these to neonatal outcomes.

What role for PCI in stable ischaemic heart disease?

Maron DJ, Hochman JS, Reynolds HR, Initial Invasive or Conservative Strategy for Stable Coronary Disease. 2020;382:1395-1407. Dr Teck Khong, DTB Associate Editor Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK.

A Review of Placenta and Umbilical Cord-Derived Stem Cells and the Immunomodulatory Basis of Their Therapeutic Potential in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a devastating lung disorder of preterm infants as a result of an aberrant reparative response following exposures to various antenatal and postnatal insults. Despite sophisticated medical treatment in this modern era, the incidence of BPD remains unabated. The current strategies to prevent and treat BPD have met with limited success.

Effect of dapagliflozin in patients with heart failure.

McMurray JJV, Solomon SD, Inzucchi SE, Dapagliflozin in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. 2019;381:1995-2008. Dr Joshua Au Yeunga, Clinical Pharmacology, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK and Dr Teck Khong, Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK.

Effect of PCI of culprit and non-culprit lesions for patients with STEMI compared with culprit lesion-only PCI.

Mehta SR, Wood DA, Storey RF, Complete Revascularization with Multivessel PCI for Myocardial Infarction. 2019; 381:1411-21. Dr Emma Magavern and Dr Teck Khong Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK.

A multi-centre, open label, randomised, parallel-group, superiority Trial to compare the efficacy of URsodeoxycholic acid with RIFampicin in the management of women with severe early onset Intrahepatic Cholestasis of pregnancy: the TURRIFIC randomised trial.

Background: Severe early onset (less than 34 weeks gestation) intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) affects 0.1% of pregnant women in Australia and is associated with a 3-fold increased risk of stillbirth, fetal hypoxia and compromise, spontaneous preterm birth, as well as increased frequencies of pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. ICP is often familial and overlaps with other cholestatic disorders.

The Effects of COVID-19 on Placenta and Pregnancy: What Do We Know So Far?

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has inflicted a serious health crisis globally. This virus is associated with a spectrum of respiratory illness ranging from asymptomatic, mild to severe pneumonia, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Accumulating evidence supports that COVID-19 is not merely a respiratory illness per se, but potentially affects other organ systems including the placenta.

Effect of dapagliflozin on cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Wiviott SD, Raz I, Bonaca MP, Dapagliflozin and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes. 2019;380:347-57. Dr Emma Magavern and Dr Teck Khong Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK Dr Teck Khong, DTB Associate Editor Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK.

Consensus Definition of Fetal Growth Restriction in Intrauterine Fetal Death: A Delphi Procedure.

Context.—: Fetal growth restriction is a risk factor for intrauterine fetal death. Currently, definitions of fetal growth restriction in stillborns are heterogeneous.

Moderate calorie restriction improves cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy individuals.

Dr James Kimpton and Dr Teck Khong Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK Dr Teck Khong, DTB Associate Editor Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK Kraus WE, Bhapkar M, Huffman KM, 2 years of calorie restriction and cardiometabolic (CALERIE): exploratory outcomes of a multicentre, phase 2, randomised controlled trial. 2019; 7: 673-83.