Matrix Metallopeptidase 9 Promotes Contraction in Human Uterine Myometrium.

Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9) is a secreted zinc-dependent peptidase known for extracellular remodeling. MMP9 is elevated in tissues from women experiencing preterm labor, and previous research has shown that the addition of combined matrix metallopeptidases 2 and 9 (MMP2/9) enhances uterine contractions. We hypothesized that adding MMP9 alone would enhance myometrial contractions and that specific MMP9 inhibition would suppress uterine contractions.

The perception of artificial intelligence and infertility care among patients undergoing fertility treatment.

Purpose: To characterize the opinions of patients undergoing infertility treatment on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their care.

Methods: Patients planning or undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) or frozen embryo transfers were invited to complete an anonymous electronic survey from April to June 2024. The survey collected demographics, technological affinity, general perception of AI, and its applications to fertility care.

Finding the Value: Identifying the Key Elements of Recorded Clinic Visits From the Perspective of Patients, Clinicians, and Caregivers.

Objective: We aimed to understand what patients, caregivers and clinicians identified as the most important information from their audio-recorded clinic visits and why.

Methods: We recruited patients, caregivers and clinicians from primary and speciality care clinics at an academic medical centre in New Hampshire, U.S.

Rural Canadian emergency physician experiences using point-of-care ultrasound.

Objectives: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a rapidly evolving and clinically significant skill set that has potential for improving patient care for the approximately 7 million Canadians living in rural and under-resourced environments. A national appraisal of rural POCUS training and utilization is needed to understand barriers to funding and training for rural emergency physicians in Canada. The primary objective of this study was to determine the current level of training and types of POCUS utilization by rural emergency physicians in Canada.

Application of genetic testing criteria for hereditary breast cancer in South Africa.

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) is the commonest cancer in South African women. A proportion are associated with a pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) variant in a BC susceptibility gene. Clinical guidelines for genetic testing are used to optimise variant detection while containing costs.

Subcortical Maternal Complex in Female Infertility: A Transition from Animal Models to Human Studies.

Female infertility is a significant healthcare burden that is frequently encountered among couples globally. While environmental factors, comorbidities, and lifestyle determine reproductive health, certain genetic variants in key reproductive genes can potentially cause unsuccessful pregnancies. Such crucial proteins have been identified within the subcortical maternal complex (SCMC) and play an integral role in the early stages of embryogenesis before embryo implantation.

Racial and Ethnic Trends in Cesarean Delivery on Maternal Request.

Objective: To evaluate race and ethnicity differences in rates of cesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR) in nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex presentation (NTSV) cesarean deliveries.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of NTSV cesarean deliveries within our institution from 2016 to 2020. The primary outcome was CDMR and the primary predictor was maternal race and ethnicity.

Challenges for implementing culturally competent obstetric services in an Indigenous context in Mexico.

Obstetric healthcare for Indigenous women remains a severe problem in low-income countries with great cultural diversity and a colonial past. The work of health professionals to prevent complications leading to maternal deaths is paramount, yet in these contexts, they face significant challenges in implementing culturally competent services. This paper aims to present findings from an ethnographic study that attempted to document the experience of health professionals providing obstetric services in order to show the complex sociocultural contexts in which they perform their work.

Prevalence and factors associated with female genital mutilation/cutting among Tanzanian women who gave birth in the five years prior to the survey: A population-based study.

Background: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) poses a significant public health challenge in developing countries, leading to increased risks of adverse obstetric outcomes such as caesarean section, postpartum hemorrhage, episiotomy, difficult labor, obstetric tears/lacerations, instrumental delivery, prolonged labor, and extended maternal hospital stays. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with FGM/C among Tanzanian women who had given birth within five years preceding the Survey.

Method: This study utilized an analytical cross-sectional design based on data from the 2015-2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicators Survey (TDHS-MIS).

Vaginal versus caesarean delivery in fetal macrosomia-a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The aims of this study were to determine the incidence of macrosomic births over a 5-year period and to examine the childbirth complications for both mother and newborn.

Patients And Methods: During the study period there were a total of 16,126 deliveries, of which 1905 were macrosomic fetuses (defined as those with a birthweight of 4000 g or more). Data on the course of pregnancy and childbirth were collected from existing maternal and peripartum medical records.

Bioinformation study of immune microenvironment characteristics of disulfidptosis-related subtypes in ovarian cancer and prognostic model construction.

Objective: Ovarian cancer significantly impacts women's reproductive health and remains challenging to diagnose and treat. Despite advancements in understanding DNA repair mechanisms and identifying novel therapeutic targets, additional strategies are still needed. Recently, a novel form of cell death called disulfidptosis, which is triggered by glucose deprivation, has been linked to treatment resistance and changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME).

The burden of generational harm due to alcohol use in Tanzania: A mixed method study of pregnant women.

Background: Rates of prenatal alcohol use in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are increasing despite regulatory bodies urging pregnant women to abstain from alcohol. Tanzania has minimal policies, interventions, and educational programs addressing prenatal alcohol exposure. Consequently, a considerable number of mothers and their fetuses are exposed to alcohol, leading to serious health consequences like fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

Marital and living status and biological ageing trajectories: a longitudinal cohort study with a 20-year follow-up.

Biomarkers of ageing (BA) can predict health risks beyond chronological age, but little is known about how marital/living status affects longitudinal changes in BA. We examined the association between marital/living status and BA over time using the-Swedish-Adoption/Twin-Study-of-Aging (SATSA) cohort. Four BAs were analyzed: telomere length (TL) (638 individuals; 1603 measurements), DNAmAge (535 individuals; 1392 measurements), cognition (823 individuals; 3218 measurements), and frailty index (FI) (1828 individuals; 9502 measurements).

Angiogenic factors versus fetomaternal Doppler for fetal growth restriction at term: an open-label, randomized controlled trial.

Small fetuses, with estimated fetal weight (EFW) below the tenth percentile, are classified as fetal growth restriction (FGR) or small for gestational age (SGA) based on prenatal ultrasound. FGR fetuses have a greater risk of stillbirth and perinatal complications and may benefit from serial ultrasound scans to guide early delivery. Abnormal serum angiogenic factors, such as the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1):placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio, have shown potential to more accurately distinguish FGR from SGA, with fewer false positives.

Multi-omics-based mapping of decidualization resistance in patients with a history of severe preeclampsia.

Endometrial decidualization resistance (DR) is implicated in various gynecological and obstetric conditions. Here, using a multi-omic strategy, we unraveled the cellular and molecular characteristics of DR in patients who have suffered severe preeclampsia (sPE). Morphological analysis unveiled significant glandular anatomical abnormalities, confirmed histologically and quantified by the digitization of hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue sections.

Enhanced D614G and Omicron Variants Antibody Persistence in Infants at 2 Months of Age Following Maternal mRNA Booster Vaccination During Pregnancy or Postpartum.

Background: Following maternal COVID-19 vaccination, the persistence of antibodies in sera and breast milk for mothers and infants is not well characterized. We sought to describe the persistence of antibodies through 2 months after delivery in maternal and infant serum and breast milk following maternal COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and to examine differences by receipt of booster dose during pregnancy or postpartum.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study with enrollment from July 2021 to January 2022 at 9 US academic sites.

Prevalence of urinary tract infections in women with vulvovaginal atrophy and the impact of vaginal prasterone on the rate of urinary tract infections.

Objective: The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of urinary tract infections (UTI) in women newly diagnosed with vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) versus women without VVA and to evaluate the potential of vaginal prasterone to be used in postmenopausal VVA women with UTI as prophylaxis to reduce the future UTI risk. As a first subgroup analysis, women using aromatase inhibitors, medications that stop the production of estrogen were analyzed. As a second subgroup analysis, we looked at women with diabetes to investigate whether the same prophylaxis approach should be considered.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) is a standard treatment for non-metastatic breast cancer and is associated with acute and late toxicities. Intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) may decrease toxicity and is convenient for patients.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of IMRT in women with early stage breast cancer.

Extracranial and nonvaginal extragonadal malignant germ cell tumors: 12 cases at a Chinese institution over the last 38 years.

Purpose: To provide a comprehensive understanding and propose a strategy for the management of extragonadal malignant germ cell tumors (EMGCTs) arising from extracranial and nonvaginal sites.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 12 patients with EMGCTs arising from extracranial and nonvaginal sites treated in our center over the past 38 years. Data on clinicopathological characteristics, treatment modalities, and follow-up information were analyzed.

Outcomes Associated With Care Models for Neonates With Complex Medical Needs: A Scoping Review to Support Program Evaluation.

Background: Neonates with complex medical needs (NCMNs) are a small proportion of neonatal intensive care unit admissions but are high healthcare utilizers. Since 2018, NCMNs at our hospital have been cared for by the Neonatal Complex Care Team. This model has yet to be evaluated.

Low-input redoxomics facilitates global identification of metabolic regulators of oxidative stress in the gut.

Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in organ aging and related diseases, yet the endogenous regulators involved remain largely unknown. This work highlights the importance of metabolic homeostasis in protecting against oxidative stress in the large intestine. By developing a low-input and user-friendly pipeline for the simultaneous profiling of five distinct cysteine (Cys) states, including free SH, total Cys oxidation (Sto), sulfenic acid (SOH), S-nitrosylation (SNO), and S-glutathionylation (SSG), we shed light on Cys redox modification stoichiometries and signaling with regional resolution in the aging gut of monkeys.

Neonatal outcomes in offspring of mothers with pregestational diabetes: a hospital-based multicentre prospective cohort study protocol.

Introduction: Pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) occurs when a woman becomes pregnant after having diabetes mellitus. The presence of diabetes during the entire pregnancy can have an adverse impact on fetal and neonatal outcomes. The objective of this study is to examine the association between PGDM and neonatal outcomes at birth.