Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology

AIM: In this study, the authors aimed to determine the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin-l (ang-1) and angiopoietin-2 (ang-2) factors as indicators of placental angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in abortion cases. Materials and Meth- ods: This study was conducted in 40 women who were pregnant for 7-20 weeks and diagnosed with an incipient abortion and 40 pregnant healthy women with similar ages, gestational weeks, and body mass index (BMI) values. Serum VEGF, ang-1, and ang-2 levels were measured with ELISA methods...

PURPOSE: To develop and evaluate an algorithm for computerized evaluation and measurement of the endometrial-myometrial junction (EMJ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The advanced image processing toolbox of the Matlab software package was used for identificiation and quantitative analysis of the EMJ area on three-dimensional (3D) rendered coronal plane uterine images, with clear-cut borders of the EMJ. The algorithm was used to process the images and calculate the geometric parameters characterizing the identified EM The manual measurements of the maximum thickness of the EMJ were compared to automated measurements performed by the algorithm on the same images...

OBJECTIVES: To construct a lentiviral vector for RNA interference (RNAi) of the HJURP gene and to identify the silencing efficiency in the human embryo villus cells and to provide a human embryo villus cells multiplication and chromosome segregation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In accordance with the study, three specific sequences of siRNA targeting HJURP gene were designed, synthesized, then the complementary DNA containing both sense and antisense oligonucleotides of the targeting sequences were annealed and inserted into the lentiviral vector...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of abnormal vaginal flora (AVF) and predictive factors for intrauterine infection in pregnant Korean women with preterm labor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors reviewed the medical records of 106 pregnant Korean women with preterm labor admitted to Eulji Medical Center between January 2006 and August 2011. The results of vaginal discharge tests and maternal serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level at admission, placental biopsy, and perinatal outcomes were searched...

PURPOSE: To determine the role of fetal multiples of the median of middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity (MoM MCA-PSV), in predicting the degree of fetal anemia for determination of the best timing for the second intrauterine intravascular transfusion (IUIVT) in hydropic fetuses with Rh alloimmunization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study of 30 monofetal pregnancies with maternal Rh D alloimmunization and hydrops fetalis, from 2005 to 2012 that underwent first and second IUIVT were assessed...

Endocan is a novel marker for inflammation but its significance in preeclampsia remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to delineate the changes of maternal endocan in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia and to explore its possible role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples were taken from 42 non-pregnant women, from 43 normal pregnant women at third trimester, and from 41 preeclamptic women. Serum endocan levels were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared among the groups...

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the responsiveness of the Endometriosis Health Profile-30 (EHP-30) questionnaire in a Swedish sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two patients with endometriosis were included in a prospective observational study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The changes on the EHP-30 questionnaire after pertubation treatment were compared with the patients' self-estimated change in pain intensity. The responsiveness to change was evaluated with effect sizes and significance of change (paired t-test)...

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: To explore the ultrasonographic methods towards cleft lip and palate (CLP) in first-trimester. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3,795 fetuses were scanned for facial structures including cross section of upper alveolar process, oblique coronal section of upper lip, and postnasal triangle section when measuring nuchal translucency (NT). The abnormal cases underwent ultrasonography for clear diagnosis at 17-18 gestational weeks (GWs), while the negative cases underwent systemic ultrasonography at 20-26 GWs, and followed up until birth...

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: To analyse the quality of life in postmenopausal women after prophylactic bilateral ovariectomy depending on the time from menopause. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 252 postmenopausal women grouped according to the time from last menstruation: one to five years (group A), five to ten years (group B), and > ten years (group C). All women were ovariectomized during laparotomy performed for benign diseases of the uterus. Climacteric symptoms were measured with the Kupperman Index one day before and three months after surgery...

OBJECTIVE: The pathological mechanisms of gestational trophoblastic disease have not yet been clearly determined. It is thought that oxidative damage contributes to the process. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ 10), DNA damage, and lipid peroxidation in patients with hydatidiform mole. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors studied the levels of CoQ10, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), malondialdehyde (MDA) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) by spectrophotometric method in blood obtained from patients with a complete hydatidiform mole (n=29), healthy pregnant women (n=29), and healthy non-pregnant women (n=29)...

PURPOSE: To investigate the outcomes of pregnancies with a sonographically detected nuchal cord (NC) from a single center in south-eastern Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out at Maternity and Child Health Hospital Diyarbakir, Turkey, between 2011 and 2013. A-total of 477 pregnancies with sonographically detected NC during the second and third trimesteri of gestation (20-40 weeks) were included. The control group consisted of 1,043 randomly selected pregnancies without NC matched for gestational age at the time of ultrasound examination...

PURPOSE: Chromosome analysis of 10,286 cases with male infertility and to discuss the genetic causes of male infertility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 10,286 patients with azoospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia were collected in the present center from January 2009 to January 2013.Peripheral blood lymphocyte culture and chromosome analysis were performed. RESULTS: In all the 10,286 cases with azoospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia, 8,401 cases showed normal karyotype, 538 cases had chromosome polymorphism, accounting for 5...

In this study, the authors investigated: (1) whether elevated preconception peripheral blood proportion of CD56+/CD3- lymphocytes (NK cells) was associated with low delivery birthweight in high risk women, and (2) whether intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy could be used to improve the delivery outcome in these women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-six women who had singleton deliveries were divided into four groups. Group 1: 16 women with elevated preconception NK cells (>12%) using IVIg, group 2: eight women with similar elevated preconception NK cells not using IVIg, group 3: 32 women with non-elevated preconception NK cells (≤12%) using IVIg, and group IV: ten women with similar non-elevated preconception NK cells not using IVIg...

PURPOSE: To examine the interobserver variability for fetal biometry parameters and to investigate whether this variability affects the second-trimester maternal serum screening test (STMSS) results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 singleton pregnancies who were scheduled for STMSS were investigated. Two experienced sonographers performed all examinations at the same visit. The risk calclations of screening were performed according to the each operator's biometric measurements separately...

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: To report a ten-year experience in management of a highly morbid obstetrical condition in placenta accreta (PA) at a tertiary referral centre, uniquely equipped with an integrated Interventional Radiology theatre, with a primary aim to guide best practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of all histologically proven PA cases at a tertiary centre in Australia between January 2004 and December 2013. Medical records were reviewed for obstetrics history, operative details, post-operative management and neonatal outcome...

PURPOSE: The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate and compare MTAI andMTA3 antigens expression in normal and preeclamptic placentas in order to demonstrate their possible functional relationship during pathogenesis of preeclampsia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series including 20 paraffin-embedded placentas, ten of which originated from normal patients and ten from preeclamptic patients, that were examined by immunohistochemistry using the polyclonal antibodies MTAI and MTA3...

Ghrelin, an endogenous for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, has been shown to participate in fetal growth. Obestatin, encoded by the same gene as ghrelin, is described as a physiological opponent of ghrelin. This study was designed to determine the changes of ghrelin/obestatin ratio in maternal serum in pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The authors found that the ghrelin levels in maternal serum were significent lower in IUGR group than in control group (236.34 ± 14.58 pg/ml vs...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of warm normal saline distention solution versus a standard, room-temperature normal saline as distention medium for pain relief during outpatient hysteroscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective randomized case-placebo controlled study was conducted in tertiary care centre - Central Clinical Hospital of Ministry of Interior and Administration. Study group consisted of 100 women referred for outpatient hysteroscopy between January 2015 and July 2015...

PURPOSE: The authors aimed to compare early embryo cleavage with pregnancy rates in intracytoplasmic sperm injection/embryo transfer (ICSI/ET) cycles due to male infertility or tubal factor infertility (TFI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 412 ICSI/embryo transfer cycles undergoing treatment for over two years were prospectively analyzed; 337 of the cycles were due to male infertility, whereas 75 suffered from tubal factors. Non-early cleaved (NEC) embryos were used for ET in 271 male factor and 67 tubal factor cycles, whereas early cleavage embryos were used for embryo transfer in 66 male factor and eight tubal factor cycles...

OBJECTIVE: io compare two-step method ot shoulder delivery with one-step for the maternal and neonatal outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a randomized controlled clinical trial. Women scheduled for vaginal delivery without severe complications were enrolled and randomly arranged into two groups. Women in study group were delivered by two-step method for shoulder delivery, that is to wait for at least one contraction after head delivery, and naturally delivery of shoulder...