Obstetrics

Selenium is essential for the synthesis and function of various selenoenzymes, such as glutathione peroxidases, selenoprotein P, and thioredoxin reductase. These enzymes play a critical role in both antioxidant defense and in limiting oxidative damage. Numerous studies have reported associations between serum selenium concentration, obstetric complications and pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether the dietary intake of selenium, its serum concentration, and the activity of glutathione peroxidase in subsequent trimesters of pregnancy affect the birth condition of newborns...

BACKGROUND: Maternal breast volume is determined by the quantity of glandular and adipose tissue, and it undergoes significant changes during pregnancy. These changes are intricately linked to the development of glandular tissue, which most likely reflects lactation capacity. Evidence indicates that women with overweight or obesity exhibit larger breast volume compared to those with a normal body mass index (BMI), emphasizing the close relationship between breast volume and maternal adiposity...

Objectives: Pregnant women are considered a high-risk group because they may be particularly susceptible to COVID-19. Our study tried to relate fetomaternal outcomes and trimester-specific infection. Methods: A prospective study on 224 pregnant women with confirmed antenatal infections at a tertiary hospital. Data from the antenatal clinic records, admission files, labor ward and neonatal notes, lab results, respiratory consultations, and ICU admission were analyzed using Jamovi 2.2.5, with p < 0.05 indicating significance...

Objective: This study explored whether assessing flexibility levels in clinical settings might predict the odds of oxytocin administration and caesarean section to stimulate labour. Methods: Pregnant women from the GESTAFIT Project (n = 157), participated in this longitudinal study. Maternal upper-body flexibility was assessed at 16 gestational weeks (g.w.) through the Back-scratch test. Clinical data, including oxytocin administration and type of birth, were registered from obstetric medical records. Results: Pregnant women who required oxytocin administration or had caesarean sections showed lower flexibility scores ( p < 0...

This review article aims to summarize current tools used in the diagnosis of adenomyosis with relative pharmacological and surgical treatment and to clarify the relative association between adenomyosis and infertility, considering the importance of an accurate diagnosis of this heterogeneous disease. Among different reported concepts, direction invagination of gland cells from the basalis endometrium deep into the myometrium is the most widely accepted opinion on the development of adenomyosis. Adenomyosis has been increasingly identified in young women with pain, AUB, infertility, or no symptoms by using imaging techniques such as transvaginal ultrasound and magnetic resonance...

Objectives: 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. Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis of pregnancies in women with Fontan circulation was conducted between 2018 and 2023...

Background : Variability in obstetric outcomes in terms of the number and type of deliveries related to the day-night cycle has been described in previous studies. This 11-year retrospective analysis explores the effects of nighttime versus daytime delivery with labor epidural on obstetric outcomes. Methods : Data on deliveries performed between 1 October 2008 and 1 October 2019 were collected and differentiated into daytime, occurring from 8:00 a.m. to 7:59 p.m., and nighttime deliveries, occurring from 8:00 p...

Objective : We analyzed the obstetric and cardiac characteristics and results of pregnant women with heart disease (HD) and compared their results with those of healthy controls. Methods : In this retrospective single-center case-control study, women with HD attended between 2010 and 2018 were matched at a 1:2 ratio (according to date of delivery, parity, and singleton or twin pregnancy) with controls without heart disease treated in the same referral center. Results : We identified 141 pregnant women with HD, of whom 132 reached 22 weeks of gestation and were paired with 264 healthy controls, for a total of 396 participants and 408 newborns...

UNLABELLED: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of cancer death in women. Less than 1% of breast cancer cases are male breast cancers. Although there has been significant progress made in the management of breast cancer, due to its rarity among men, the question of whether men and women with breast cancer have the same treatment response and survival rate still needs to be answered. The primary goal of this study is to compare survival outcomes between male and female breast cancer patients...

Clinical fetal monitoring devices can only be operated by medical professionals and are overly costly, prone to detrimental false positives, and emit radiation. Thus, highly accurate, easily accessible, simplified, and cost-effective fetal monitoring devices have gained an enormous interest in obstetrics. In this study, a cost-effective and user-friendly wearable home fetal movement and distress detection device is developed and assessed for early-stage design progression by facilitating continuous, comfortable, and non-invasive monitoring of the fetus during the final trimester...

" Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. " This maxim underscores the importance of historical awareness in medicine, particularly for obstetricians and gynecologists (ObGyns). ObGyns significantly impact societal health through their care for pregnant women, fetuses, and newborns, uniquely positioning them to advocate for health initiatives with lasting societal benefits. Despite its importance, the history of medicine is underrepresented in medical curricula, missing opportunities to foster critical thinking and ethical decision-making...

BACKGROUND: The formation of macrosomia is associated with excessive nutrition and/or unable to regulate effectively. This case-control study aims to explore the relationship between macrosomia and glucose, lipids and hormones levels in maternal and cord serum. METHODS: In the case-control study, 78 pairs of mothers and newborns were recruited who received care at one hospital of Hebei, China between 2016 and 2019. According to the birth weight (BW) of newborns, participants were divided into macrosomia group (BW ≥ 4000 g, n = 39) and control group (BW between 2500 g and 3999 g, n = 39)...

BACKGROUND: Leadership is a critical competency for medical professionals, yet it is often neglected in medical training. For ObGyn residents, leadership training is particularly crucial as it significantly impacts both maternal and newborn outcomes, as well as the operational efficiency of healthcare teams. The main objective of this study was to assess the perceptions of obstetrics and gynecology residents who served as group leaders in the emergency team at the Department of Gynecology, Ward 3, Dr...

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) presents considerable difficulties in prognostication and treatment strategy development. Bevacizumab, an anti-angiogenic medication, has demonstrated potential in enhancing progression-free survival (PFS) in EOC patients. Nevertheless, the identification of individuals at elevated risk of disease progression following treatment remains a challenging task. This study was to develop and validate a deep learning (DL) model using retrospectively collected computed tomography (CT) plain scans of inoperable and recurrent EOC patients receiving bevacizumab treatment diagnosed between January 2013 and January 2024...

BACKGROUND: Most pregnancy-related deaths in Illinois are preventable. Many of those who died in recent years had at least one emergency department (ED) visit during pregnancy or the postpartum period. This suggests that with the proper training and education, EDs can play an important role in reducing maternal mortality. METHODS: A Task Force of 33 interdisciplinary stakeholders from across Illinois met monthly over 1 year to gather and develop educational content focused on obstetric emergency medicine and produce the Maternal Health Emergency Department Toolkit (Toolkit) training...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to summarize the available evidence examining the association between prenatal ultrasound findings and adverse fetal, obstetric, and neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to evaluate whether the predictive value of ultrasound findings for adverse outcomes varies between T1DM and T2DM pregnancies. DATA SOURCES: We conducted a systematic review of the existing literature through August 12, 2024...

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BACKGROUND: Vasomotor symptoms (VMS) affect 70% of menopausal women and are considered as hallmark symptoms of the menopausal transition experienced by over three quarters of women and severely by 25% of women. Estrogen withdrawal alone is not fully responsible for the onset of the menopausal vasomotor symptoms and the mechanism of altered thermoregulation appears to be centrally mediated with alterations in hypothalamic neurotransmitters playing a key part. The loss of thermoregulatory control coexists with the altered Kisspeptin- Neurokinin B-Dynorphin-expressing (KNDy) neurons of the arcuate nucleus signaling triggered by menopause...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy emerges as a compelling and urgent concern within the domain of public health, casting a long shadow over a substantial cohort of women. Its pernicious consequences extend beyond the individual, enveloping the well-being of both the mother and the fetus, giving rise to an elevated risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, fetal harm, and maternal psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and, tragically, maternal mortality...

This paper discusses ethical issues arising in the context of prenatal genomic testing. While genomic information in the prenatal context might increase reproductive choice, e.g. to better understand a phenotype detected during screening, the availability of ever broader screens, even in the absence of a suspicion of abnormality, will generate increasingly complex and uncertain information. This raises questions of how much and what information should be provided prior to testing and what information should be returned (and to whom) once testing has been performed...