Abnormal placentation

Fetal growth restriction associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (FGR-HDP) is a prevalent pathology with a higher risk of perinatal morbimortality. In this condition, placental insufficiency and endothelial dysfunction serve key roles. The present prospective cohort study monitored 11 patients with an FGR-HDP and 15 with full-term normotensive pregnancies and studied post-natal intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+ ]i ) signals in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Small fetuses with placental insufficiency were identified using fetal biometry with Doppler velocimetry...

AIM: The refinement of assisted reproductive technology, including the development of cryopreservation techniques (vitrification) and ovarian stimulation protocols, makes frozen embryo transfer (FET) an alternative to fresh ET and has contributed to the success of assisted reproductive technology. Compared with fresh ET cycles, FET cycles were associated with better in vitro fertilization outcomes; however, the occurrence of pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, and placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) was higher in FET cycles...

The amniotic fluid is a protective liquid found in amniotic found in the amniotic sac and mainly containing water and some solid substances including epitheloid and fibroblastic type cells. Most of the studies conducted about amniotic fluid volume (AFV) reported fetal and placental factors as a determinant of AFV. The aim of this study is to examine maternal and obstetric conditions in relation to AFV among women with term pregnancies. A multicenter institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among clients attending selected public hospitals of South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia from January 01, 2023 to May 30, 2023...

The etiopathogenesis of preeclampsia, a leading hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, has been proposed to involve an abnormal circulating sex hormone profile and misexpression of placental estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR, respectively). However, existing research is vastly confined to third trimester preeclamptic placentas. Consequently, the placental-uterine molecular crosstalk and the dynamic ER and PR expression pattern in the peri-conception period remain overlooked. Herein, our goal was to use the BPH/5 mouse to elucidate pre-pregnancy and early gestation Er and Pr dynamics in a preeclamptic-like uterus...

We report a 4-year-old girl with neurodevelopmental abnormalities who has maternal uniparental isodisomy of chromosome 2 leading to homozygosity for a likely pathogenic variant in SPR , and a variant of uncertain significance in ZNF142 . Biallelic pathogenic variants in SPR lead to sepiapterin reductase deficiency (SRD), a dopa-responsive dystonia. Pathogenic variants in ZNF142 are associated with an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired speech and hyperkinetic movements, which has significant clinical overlap with SRD...

Uterine torsion is defined as torsion of the uterus along its longitudinal axis greater than 45 degrees. It is observed in all age groups of the reproductive period, in all parity groups, and at all stages of pregnancy. Torsion from 60 degrees to 720 degrees has been described. It is not possible to clarify why it occurs, but numerous abnormalities have appeared with uterine torsion. It is a rare complication that can result in placental abruption and intrauterine foetal death. Pregnancy, giant fibroids, and ovarian cysts are among the most common causes...

UNLABELLED: 1. INTRODUCTION: This study investigates the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on placental histopathology in pregnant women, comparing outcomes between vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals. Despite known adverse pregnancy outcomes linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection, the specific effects on the placenta remain unclear. Although vaccination has demonstrated a substantial reduction in infection severity, its impact on placental health requires more insight...

The placenta is a unique organ for ensuring normal embryonic growth in the uterine. Here, we found that maternal RNA transcription in Dlk1-Dio3 imprinted domain is essential for placentation. PolyA signals were inserted into Gtl2 to establish a mouse model to prevent the expression of maternal RNAs in the domain. The maternal allele knock-in (MKI) and homozygous (HOMO) placentas showed an expanded junctional zone, reduced labyrinth and poor vasculature impacting both fetal and maternal blood spaces. The MKI and HOMO models displayed dysregulated gene expression in the Dlk1-Dio3 domain...

INTRODUCTION: red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are of utmost importance in the management of severe post-partum haemorrhage. Although the recommendations for blood transfusion protocols are regularly issued, there are significant differences in management depending on the context and the medical teams involved. OBJECTIVE: to determine during the first 24 hours, the clinical and biological factors associated with the decision for RBC transfusion during severe PPH (≥1000 mL) for vaginal and caesarean deliveries...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cell-free non-invasive prenatal testing (cfNIPT) in pregnancies affected by mosaicism. METHOD: We assessed paired cfNIPT and chorionic villus sample (CVS) results from the same pregnancies in a case series of mosaicism detected in Central and North Denmark Regions from April 2014 to September 2018. Indications for the clinically obtained CVS, pregnancy markers and outcome were retrieved from The Danish Fetal Medicine Database. RESULTS: Mosaicisms in CVS involved common aneuploidy, n = 14; sex chromosomal aneuploidies, n = 14; rare autosomal trisomies (RATs), n = 16 and copy number variants (CNVs) >5Mb, n = 9...

STUDY QUESTION: How does ovarian stimulation (OS), which is used to mature multiple oocytes for ART procedures, impact the principal cellular compartments and transcriptome of the human endometrium in the periovulatory and mid-secretory phases? SUMMARY ANSWER: During the mid-secretory window of implantation, OS alters the abundance of endometrial immune cells, whereas during the periovulatory period, OS substantially changes the endometrial transcriptome and impacts both endometrial glandular and immune cells...

Studying placental functions is crucial for understanding pregnancy complications. However, imaging placenta is challenging due to its depth, volume, and motion distortions. In this study, we have developed an implantable placenta window in mice that enables high-resolution photoacoustic and fluorescence imaging of placental development throughout the pregnancy. The placenta window exhibits excellent transparency for light and sound. By combining the placenta window with ultrafast functional photoacoustic microscopy, we were able to investigate the placental development during the entire mouse pregnancy, providing unprecedented spatiotemporal details...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the impact of micronized progesterone (VMP4) supplementation on pregnancies with low serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) multiples of the median (MoM) values during first-trimester screening. METHODS: Out of 8933 patients evaluated, 116 pregnant women with low PAPP-A concentrations in their blood and no fetal chromosomal anomalies (CAs) were included. Three groups were formed: group 1 received VMP4 from 11 to 16 weeks (29 women, 25%), group 2 received VMP4 from 11 to 36 weeks (25 women, 21...

The placenta is the organ that dictates the reproductive outcome of mammalian pregnancy by supplying nutrients and oxygen to the developing fetus to sustain its normal growth. During early mammalian development, trophoblast cells are the earliest cell type to differentiate with multipotent capacity to generate the trophoblast components of the placenta. The isolation and use of mouse trophoblast stem cells (mTSCs) to model in vitro trophoblast differentiation, in combination with CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology, has provided tremendous insight into the molecular mechanisms governing early mouse placentation...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of the umbilicocerebral ratio (UCR) with adverse perinatal outcome in late preterm small-for-gestational age (SGA) fetuses and to investigate the effect on perinatal outcomes of immediate delivery. DESIGN: Multicentre cohort study with nested randomised controlled trial (RCT). SETTING: Nineteen secondary and tertiary care centres. POPULATION: Singleton SGA pregnancies (estimated fetal weight [EFW] or fetal abdominal circumference [FAC] <10th centile) from 32 to 36+6  weeks...

AIM: Abnormal uterine vascular pattern can be observed during transvaginal ultrasound examination used for investigating post-abortion bleeding and secondary postpartum hemorrhage. The purpose of this series of cases was to evaluate almost all the rare causes of uterine vascular abnormalities linked to pregnancy complications, and determine how to arrive at the diagnosis to optimize patient management, which is crucial for preventing life-threatening massive vaginal bleeding. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective observational case series study including 20 women with postpartum or post-abortion vaginal bleeding who were found to have an abnormal uterine vascular pattern during a transvaginal color duplex assessment...

Non-invasive maternal cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) is a promising biomarker for screening common genetic syndromes. Alterations in the expression levels of cffDNA in the maternal circulation have been demonstrated in abnormal pregnancies. However, the results are conflicting. The present study aimed to investigate whether cffDNA levels are associated with pregnancy complications. The study group comprised pregnant women who presented with pregnancy complications, such as preterm birth, gestational hypertension, intrauterine growth retardation, gestational diabetes, polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, vaginal bleeding and placental abruption...

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) comprises a heterogeneous group of inherited hemolytic disorders that increases the risk of maternal and perinatal complications due to chronic systemic inflammatory response, endothelial damage and vaso-occlusion. The contribution of genotypes to the severity of outcomes during pregnancy is not completely established. METHODS: A retrospective study of medical charts was performed to compare maternal and perinatal outcomes in Hb SS, Hb SC disease and sickle-beta thalassemia (Hb Sβ) pregnancies followed at a high-risk antenatal care unit over a 6-year period...

The objective of this study is to investigate the value of early pregnancy ultrasound combined with ultrasound score (USS) for the evaluation of placenta accreta (PA) in scar uteri. Thirty cases of PA in scar uteri diagnosed by ultrasound at our hospital between June 2021 and June 2022 were selected retrospectively (observation group). In addition, 30 patients had placenta attached to the anterior wall of the uterus and covered the internal orifice of the cervix; however, no PA was selected in the same period (control group)...

Twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence is a rare complication of monochorionic twinning whereby a donor twin perfuses an acardiac twin via aberrant vascular anastomoses. The resulting paradoxical retrograde blood flow supplying the acardiac twin is oxygen-poor, leading to some of the most severe malformations encountered in humans. Though the first descriptions of acardiac twins date back to at least the 16th century, the pathophysiologic processes which underpin the development of TRAP sequence are still being elucidated...