Establishing Correlates of Maternal-Fetal Cytomegalovirus Transmission-One Step Closer Through Predictive Modeling.

Background: Determinants of maternal-fetal cytomegalovirus (CMV) transmission and factors influencing the severity of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection are not well understood.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive, multicenter study in pregnant women ≥18 years old with primary CMV infection and their newborns to explore maternal immune responses to CMV and determine potential immunologic/virologic correlates of cCMV following primary infection during pregnancy. We developed alternative approaches looking into univariate/multivariate factors associated with cCMV, including a participant clustering/stratification approach and an interpretable predictive model-based approach using trained decision trees for risk prediction (post hoc analyses).

Impact of the angle used in 2D Ultrasonography on the foetal femur diaphysis measurement.

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study is to compare the 2D scanning measurement of the foetal femoral diaphysis using anterior or lateral/external incidence at ultrasound.

Methods: In August 2016, 30 consecutive patients underwent a second trimester morphology ultrasound between 21 and 24 weeks of gestation by a senior sonographist. In each case, the femur length was measured either with an anterior angle, estimating the straight aspect of the diaphysis or with a lateral angle, assessing its curved aspect.

Local applications of GM-CSF induce the recruitment of immune cells in cervical low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions.

Problem: Quantitative alterations of antigen-presenting cells (APC) in (pre)neoplastic lesions of the uterine cervix associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection suggest a diminished capacity to capture viral antigens and to induce a protective immune response.

Method Of Study: To test whether a cervical application of GM-CSF could restore an immune response against HPV in women with cervical low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), we performed two clinical trials with 11 healthy women and 15 patients with LSIL.

Results: GM-CSF applications were well tolerated in all enrolled women, and no difference in toxicity between the treated and placebo groups was observed during the follow-up (until 30 months).

Phase I/II trial of immunogenicity of a human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 E7 protein-based vaccine in women with oncogenic HPV-positive cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Purpose: Infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV-16 in particular is a leading cause of anogenital neoplasia. High-grade intraepithelial lesions require treatment because of their potential to progress to invasive cancer. Numerous preclinical studies have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of E7-directed vaccination strategies in mice tumour models.