Placental Sonomorphologic Appearance and Fetomaternal Outcome in Fontan Circulation.

Pregnancies in women with Fontan circulation are on the rise, and they are known to imply high maternal and fetal complication rates. The altered hemodynamic profile of univentricular circulation affects placental development and function. This study describes placental sonomorphologic appearance and Doppler examinations and correlates these to histopathologic findings and pregnancy outcomes in women with Fontan circulation.

Infective Endocarditis Requiring Mitral Valve Replacement During Second Trimester of Pregnancy.

Infective endocarditis requiring mitral valve replacement during pregnancy is a rare event. We present a case of infective endocarditis of the mitral valve during second trimester and report maternal and perinatal outcomes. Prompt identification and interdisciplinary treatment is crucial; maternal and fetal follow-up including serial fetal neurosonography is recommended.

Immune Profiling of Vulvar Squamous Cell Cancer Discovers a Macrophage-rich Subtype Associated with Poor Prognosis.

Unlabelled: The incidence rates of vulvar squamous cell cancer (VSCC) have increased over the past decades, requiring personalized oncologic approaches. Currently, lymph node involvement is a key factor in determining prognosis and treatment options. However, there is a need for additional immune-related biomarkers to provide more precise treatment and prognostic information.

Placenta Accreta Spectrum Prophylactic Therapy for Hyperfibrinolysis with Tranexamic Acid.

Background: To report on prophylactic therapy for hyperfibrinolysis with tranexamic acid (TXA) during expectant management (EM) in the placenta accreta spectrum (PAS).

Methods: This is a monocentric retrospective study of women with PAS presenting at our hospital between 2005 and 2021. All data were retrospectively collected through the departmental database.

Maternal and Perinatal Outcome in a Contemporary Cohort of Patients with Portal Hypertension: A Single-Center Experience.

Background: Portal hypertension in pregnancy is characterized by an increased perinatal and maternal complication rate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perinatal and maternal outcomes of these high-risk pregnancies at our tertiary center.

Methods: We identified pregnancies with portal hypertension in our departmental database for the years 2013 to 2021.

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in the Acute Stage.

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance in acute peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). A total of 17 patients with PPCM in the acute stage and 15 healthy controls were retrospectively analyzed regarding myocardial function, edema, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), and T1 and T2 mappings (T1, T2). Echocardiographic follow-ups were performed.

Alpha-Fetoprotein- and CD40Ligand-Expressing Dendritic Cells for Immunotherapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Dendritic cells (DC) as professional antigen presenting cells are able to prime T-cells against the tumor-associated antigen α-fetoprotein (AFP) for immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, a strong immunosuppressive tumor environment limits their efficacy in patients. The co-stimulation with CD40Ligand (CD40L) is critical in the maturation of DC and T-cell priming.

Tumoral PD-L1 expression defines a subgroup of poor-prognosis vulvar carcinomas with non-viral etiology.

Vulvar cancer is rare but incidence rates are increasing due to an aging population and higher frequencies of young women being affected. In locally advanced, metastatic or recurrent disease prognosis is poor and new treatment modalities are needed. Immune checkpoint blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is one of the most important advancements in cancer therapy in the last years.

Preoperative breast MRI-examination for all patients with histologically proven breast cancer? A concept for a prospective multicenter trial.

Background A published retrospective data of our study group demonstrated that premenopausal women, patients with lobular invasive breast cancer or patients with high breast density [American College of Radiology (ACR) classification 3+4] significantly benefit from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) leading to additional detection of malignant foci of 20.2% in the index and 2.5% in the contralateral breast, which would otherwise not be detected by routine imaging.

Impact of Chemotherapy on Retroperitoneal Lymph Nodes in Ovarian Cancer.

Background: Complete cytoreduction is the most important prognostic factor in ovarian cancer. However, there exist conflicting data on whether the removal of microscopic tumor metastasis in macroscopically unsuspicious retroperitoneal lymph nodes is beneficial.

Patients And Methods: Ovarian cancer tissues and tissues from lymph node metastasis of 30 patients with FIGO IIIC or IV disease undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) were obtained and assessed using a validated regression score.

Accumulation of ALDH1-positive cells after neoadjuvant chemotherapy predicts treatment resistance and prognosticates poor outcome in ovarian cancer.

Although ovarian cancer is a highly chemosensitive disease, it is only infrequently cured. One of the major reasons lies in the presence of drug-resistant cancer stem-like cells, sufficient to fuel recurrence. We phenotyped cancer stem-like cells by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry in 55 matched samples before and after taxane/platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Prognostic significance of tumor-associated macrophages in endometrial adenocarcinoma.

Objective: Endometrial adenocarcinoma is one of the most common gynecologic malignancies worldwide and in stages confined to the uterus considered to have an excellent prognosis. However, in advanced or recurrent cases when surgery fails to achieve disease control other treatment options are less effective. Thus, new therapeutic avenues are needed.