[Management of maternal urologic issues during pregnancy]. / Prise en charge des pathologies urologiques maternelles durant la grossesse.

The management of urologic issues in pregnancy can be complex as the risk assessment of diagnostic and therapeutic options is often a challenge. This article aims to assist obstetrician-gynecologists and general practitioners in their follow-up of common urologic issues in pregnancy, of patients with previous urologic surgery (urinary derivation, urogenital reconstruction, etc.) or with a history of obstetrical complications (placenta percreta, urinary retention, trauma). This article will not cover urologic issues in the fetus.

La prise en charge de pathologies urologiques, même courantes, peut se révéler difficile dans le contexte de la grossesse. Le défi réside notamment dans les risques liés aux procédures d'investigation et aux options thérapeutiques pour cette population unique. Cet article a pour but d'aider les gynécologues-obstétriciens et les médecins de premiers recours dans leur prise en charge des pathologies urologiques courantes dans le contexte de la grossesse, du suivi de patientes avec des antécédents chirurgicaux urologiques (dérivation urinaire, reconstruction urogénitale, etc.) ou des complications obstétricales sur les structures urologiques (placenta percreta, rétention urinaire aiguë, trauma). Il ne traite pas des pathologies urologiques fœtales.

Prediction of spontaneous onset of labor at term (PREDICT study): Research protocol.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that elective induction of labor versus expectant management after 39 weeks of pregnancy result in lower incidence of perinatal complications, while the proportion of cesarean deliveries remains stable, or even decreases. Still, evidence regarding collateral consequences of the potential increase of induction of labor procedures is still lacking. Also, the results of these studies must be carefully interpreted and thoroughly counter-balanced with women's thoughts and opinions regarding the active management of the last weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, it may be useful to develop a tool that aids in the decision-making process by differentiating women who will spontaneously go into labor from those who will require induction. OBJECTIVE: To develop a predictive model to calculate the probability of spontaneous onset of labor at term. METHODS: We designed a prospective national multicentric observational study including women enrolled at 39 weeks of gestation, carrying singleton pregnancies. After signing an informed consent form, several clinical, ultrasonographic, biophysical and biochemical variables will be collected by trained staff. If delivery has not occurred at 40 weeks of pregnancy, a second visit and evaluation will be performed. Prenatal care will be continued according to current hospital guidelines. Once recruitment is completed, the information gathered will be used to develop a logistic regression-based predictive model of spontaneous onset of labor between 39 and 41 weeks of gestation. A secondary exploration of the data collected at 40 weeks, as well as a survival analysis regarding time-to-delivery outcomes will also be performed. A total sample of 429 participants is needed for the expected number of events. CONCLUSION: This study aims to develop a model which may help in the decision-making process during follow-up of the last weeks of pregnancy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05109247 (clinicaltrials.gov).

Preparing an obstetric unit in the heart of the epidemic strike of COVID-19: quick reorganization tips.

COVID-19 is placing considerable strain on healthcare systems. Disaster and military medicine specialists were involved in the outbreak in Italy, after many units were overwhelmed. Health providers were caught off guard and personnel was unprepared to face this unprecedented threat. Local decisions accelerated the rate of the spread. Many countries declared a state of emergency and lockdown to contain the exponential transmission of the disease. The purpose of this review is to suggest quick key points of strategies to implement in obstetric units without delay to respond to the oncoming wave, based on experience and feedback from the field. It is essential in an emergency situation to understand what is at stake and prepare maternity wards in the best possible way.

The role of sFlt1/PlGF ratio in the assessment of preeclampsia and pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders.

Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Early recognition of the disease may be challenging. Complications may precede the onset of clinical symptoms and medical intervention is often delayed. Moreover, in the absence of specific clinical signs, many patients will present symptoms mimicking the disease without ever being diagnosed with preeclampsia. This situation may, however, lead to medical interventions and cause unnecessary stress for the patient. For many years, research tried to evaluate the significance of serum biomarkers as early indicators of preeclampsia. Among many, the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio, given its performance, aroused the greatest interest. This article reviews current knowledge on the subject, focusing on a Swiss perspective.

FertiSTAT: A Potential Tool for Adolescent Sexual Health.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The FertiSTAT (fertility status awareness) tool provides personalized advice on reducing risk factors for infertility and seeking medical advice on the basis of lifestyle and reproductive profile. The aim of our research was to test the FertiSTAT tool in younger patients (14-24 years). A secondary objective was to screen for and evaluate knowledge of risk factors that affect fertility. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients aged 14-24 years attending consultations at Geneva University Hospitals received a quantitative questionnaire before consultations. Questions covered lifestyle, gynecological history, perception of fertility, and pregnancy intent. We investigated respondents' beliefs with regard to risk factors for infertility through "true/false" questions. We selected questions relevant to our population from the original FertiSTAT questionnaire to calculate each respondent's FertiSTAT score. Scores ranged from "blue" (low risk, score 1) to "red" (risk of infertility, score 4). RESULTS: A total of 279 women aged 14-24 years were included. Nonpregnant patients had overall higher FertiSTAT scores (2.7 ± 0.8). Upon logistic regression analysis, with every additional FertiSTAT point, the odds of being pregnant at the time of survey decreased by 0.48. Risk factors for infertility and knowledge of these risk factors were equally distributed between pregnant and nonpregnant women. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest FertiSTAT might be a useful tool in the younger population to whom we extended it, and highlight gaps in knowledge on risk factors for infertility. These findings are of interest when considering FertiSTAT as a starting point to discuss contraception and risk factors for infertility at an age at which risk mitigation would prove most effective in preserving future fertility.

[Clinical value of angiogenic and anti-angiogenic marker assay in preeclampsia]. / Intérêt du dosage des marqueurs angiogéniques et antiangiogéniques dans la prise en charge de la prééclampsie.

Preeclampsia is a disease which originates in the placenta and is specific to human pregnancy. It is one of the main causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The introduction of assays for angiogenic and anti-angiogenic markers reflecting placental dysfunction, which lies at the root of preeclampsia, is a turning point in the management of women with suspected preeclampsia or with an atypical form of the disease. The sFlt1/PlGF ratio assay, which has been covered by health insurance since July 2019, is a valuable diagnostic aid : the disease can be ruled out, with a high negative predictive value, when the ratio is low, thus avoiding unnecessary hospital admission and premature delivery. A high ratio can help to confirm the diagnosis of preeclampsia, albeit with a lower positive predictive value.

La prééclampsie est une pathologie d'origine placentaire spécifique à la grossesse humaine. C'est l'une des principales causes de morbi-mortalité maternelle et périnatale. L'utilisation du dosage de marqueurs angiogéniques et antiangiogéniques qui reflètent la dysfonction placentaire, cause de la prééclampsie, représente une évolution majeure dans la prise en charge des femmes présentant une suspicion de prééclampsie. Le ratio sFlt1/PlGF, pris en charge par les caisses d'assurance depuis juillet 2019, permet d'assister la démarche diagnostique. Le rule out permet, lorsque le ratio est bas, d'exclure la pathologie avec une haute valeur prédictive négative et ainsi d'éviter une hospitalisation inutile ou une naissance prématurée. En revanche, le rule in a une moindre performance (faible valeur prédictive positive) pour confirmer la pathologie.

HPV self-sampling as primary screening test in sub-Saharan Africa: implication for a triaging strategy.

Our objective was (i) to assess if a self-collected test for human papillomavirus (HPV) may serve as a primary cervical cancer screening method in a low-resource setting, (ii) to evaluate its implication in a screen and treat approach and (iii) to identify the most eligible age group in a screening program. Women were recruited through a cervical cancer screening campaign conducted in Cameroon. Written and oral instructions were given to participants by a health-care professional to carry out an unsupervised self-collected HPV-test (Self-HPV), followed by a physician-collected cervical sample for HPV testing (Physician-HPV) and cytology. Differences in performance between Self-HPV versus Physician-HPV and their ability to detect abnormal cytology results (ASC-US+) were evaluated. Descriptive analyses were used to examine the correlation between HPV positivity and cervical abnormalities by age. A sample of 789 women was prospectively enrolled. HPV prevalence was 14.6% and 12.7% for Self-HPV and Physician-HPV, respectively (Cohen's kappa = 0.74). HPV positivity by cytological diagnosis for ASC-US+ was similar with the two tests. positive predictive value of the Self-HPV for ASC-US+ was 20.4; odds ratio and number needed to treat were 6.5 (3.2-13.4) and 6 (4.2-10.9), respectively. We observed a trend of increasing cytological abnormalities in 30-49 year-old women and a concomitant trend of decreasing HPV prevalence supporting that this age group might be the most eligible group for screening. In conclusion, Self-HPV can be used as a primary screening test but needs to be followed by a triaging test that would identify the subset of women affected by clinically significant precancer or cancer.

Awareness of HPV and cervical cancer prevention among Cameroonian healthcare workers.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer, although largely preventable, remains the most common cause of cancer mortality among women in low-resource countries.The objective of this study was to assess knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer prevention among Cameroonian healthcare workers. METHODS: A cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire in 5 parts with 46 items regarding cervical cancer etiology and prevention was addressed to healthcare workers in six hospitals of Yaoundé, Cameroon. The investigators enlisted heads of nursing and midwifery to distribute questionnaires to their staff, recruited doctors individually, in hospitals and during conferences and distributed questionnaires to students in Yaoundé University Hospital and Medical School. Eight hundred and fifty questionnaires were distributed, 401 collected. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 16.0. Chi-square tests were used and P-values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: Mean age of respondents was 38 years (range 20-71 years). Most participants were aware that cervical cancer is a major public health concern (86%), were able to identify the most important etiological factors (58%) and believed that screening may prevent cervical cancer (90%) and may be performed by Pap test (84%). However, less than half considered VIA or HPV tests screening tests (38 and 47%, respectively). Knowledge about cancer etiology and screening was lowest among nurse/midwives. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of cervical cancer and prevention by screening showed several gaps and important misconceptions regarding screening methods.Creating awareness among healthcare workers on risk factors and current methods for cervical cancer screening is a necessary step towards implementing effective prevention programs.