Serum S100B Protein Concentrations in SGA/FGR newborns.

OBJECTIVES: Fetal growth restriction is associated with chronic fetal hypoxia, poor perinatal outcome and increased perinatal mortality. There are no reliable methods to detect cell damage in the central nervous system (CNS) in these patients. The findings of increased an acidic calcium-binding protein (S100B) concentration in biological fluids of infants after brain injury have supported the use of S100B as a biochemical marker of CNS damage. The purpose of the study was to assess blood S100B concentrations in small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) newborns and to evaluate the usefulness of S100B for early detection of hypoxia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The investigation was carried out between November 2011 and April 2014. Serum S100B protein level was assessed in cord blood collected from newborns after birth. Medical records of mothers of neonates studied were reviewed for pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), preeclampsia, maternal smoking during pregnancy and abnormalities in umbilical artery (UA) Doppler ultrasound examination. RESULTS: The study was carried out in 88 SGA neonates and 80 AGA neonates. The median value of S100B protein concentration in the SGA study group was significantly higher than in AGA controls (p < 0.001). Cord blood serum S100B concentration in SGA neonates with prenatal normal UA Doppler ultrasound findings (n = 32) did not differ from that SGA neonates with abnormal prenatal UA Doppler findings (n = 25) (p = 0.74), but was significantly higher than in AGA newborns (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated S100B protein levels in cord blood collected from SGA newborns may be helpful in detecting infants at higher risk of postnatal neurologic disturbances at an early stage.

Does pregnancy influence eye parameters? Assessment of choroidal thickness using EDI-OCT before and after labour depending on the way of delivery method.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess the choroidal thickness (CT) with use of EDI-OCT in patients before and after delivery depending on the mode of delivery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 146 eyes of 73 patients aged 20-34 years, after natural labour (66 eyes) and C-section (80 eyes). Main inclusion criteria: Informed consent to participate in the study, age 18-35 years, single pregnancy, spherical refraction error -4.00 to +4.00 D, no eye pathologies, no surgery and ophthalmic procedures-including refractive surgery, childbirth after 36 weeks of pregnancy, BCVA = 1.0. Patients were examined twice: in 36 WG and on 6th week after the birth. All examinations were carried out between 8:00 am and 10:00 am in order to avoid daily cycle fluctuations. CT measurements were made manually by two independent researchers at: subfoveal and 500 µm, 1000 µm, 1500 µm, 3000 µm temporally and nasally. The student's t-test was made. RESULTS: In C-section group CT differences before and after delivery were statistically significant in 7/9 of the analysed areas. Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 370.86 µm vs 388.71 µm in 36 WG and in 6th week postpartum respectively (p = 0.0003). In women after natural labour, differences were statistically significant in 3/9 of the analysed areas. Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 303.27 µm vs 308,34 µm in 36 WG and in 6th week postpartum respectively (p = 0.4800). CONCLUSIONS: The thickness of the choroid was lower in women in 36 WG in comparison to 6th week after birth. Changes in the thickness of the choroid are particularly noticeable in women after caesarean section.

Does Caesarean Section or Preterm Delivery Influence TGF-ß2 Concentrations in Human Colostrum?

Human colostrum (HC) is a rich source of immune mediators that play a role in immune defences of a newly born infant. The mediators include transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) which exists in three isoforms that regulate cellular homeostasis and inflammation, can induce or suppress immune responses, limit T helper 1 cells (Th1) reactions and stimulate secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) production. Human milk TGF-ß also decreases apoptosis of intestinal cells and suppresses macrophage cytokine expression. The aim of the study was to determine the concentration of TGF-ß2 in HC obtained from the mothers who delivered vaginally (VD) or by caesarean section (CS), and to compare the concentrations in HC from mothers who delivered at term (TB) or preterm (PB). In this study, 56% of preterm pregnancies were delivered via CS. The concentrations of TGF-ß2 were measured in HC from 299 women who delivered in the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical University of Warsaw: 192 (VD), 107 (CS), 251 (TB), and 48 (PB). The colostrum samples were collected within 5 days post-partum. TGF-ß2 levels in HC were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test with the Quantikine ELISA Kit-Human TGF-ß2 (cat.no. SB250). Statistical significance between groups was calculated by the Student t-test using StatSoft Statistica 13 software. The mean TGF-ß2 concentration in patients who delivered at term or preterm were comparable. The levels of TGF-ß2 in HC were higher after preterm than term being 4648 vs. 3899 ng/mL (p = 0.1244). The delivery via CS was associated with higher HC concentrations of TGF-ß2. The levels of TGF-ß2 were significantly higher in HC after CS than VD (7429 vs. 5240 ng/mL; p = 0.0017). The data from this study suggest: caesarean section was associated with increased levels of TGF-ß2 in HC. The increased levels of TGF-ß2 in HC of women who delivered prematurely require further research. Early and exclusive breast-feeding by mothers after caesarean section and premature births with colostrum containing high TGF-ß2 levels may prevent the negative impact of pathogens which often colonize the gastrointestinal tract and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases in this group of patients.

[Severe hemolytic disease of the newborn as a result of late and undiagnosed alloimmunization--case report]. / Ciezka choroba hemolityczna noworodka w wyniku póznej i nierozpoznanej immunizacji--opis przypadku.

We report a case of a hemolytic disease in a newborn from the first pregnancy due to anti-D antibodies. The maternal blood group was A Rhesus negative. She had an antibody screening test twice during the pregnancy (in the second trimester) and it was negative. The pregnancy was uneventful, without any invasive procedures and bleeding. The infant was born at 39 weeks of gestation in good overall condition. After the delivery the blood group of the neonate was indicated - A Rhesus positive, BOC positive. Anti-D antibodies were detected in maternal blood. Neonatal blood tests revealed severe anemia (hemoglobin level: 6.0g/dl, hematocrit: 22.2%, erythrocytes: 2.01T/L). During the first day of neonatal life, the newborn received two transfusions of red blood cells. Bilirubin level and rate of rise were not recommendation enough for exchange transfusion. The newborn was treated with continuous phototherapy since the delivery The perinatal period was complicated with intrauterine infection and respiratory failure. Hematopoietic vitamins and iron supplementation was initiated in the second week of neonatal life due to persistent anemia. The child remained under medical care of a hematologic clinic and received human recombinant erythropoietin treatment.

Study of the ophthalmic system of babies delivered to transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was the analysis of ophthalmologic disorders in children born to mothers after liver transplantation (LTx) or renal transplantation (RTx) with the assessment of certain neonatal parameters. METHODS: In the period between 01 January 2010 and 30 June 2012, ophthalmologic examinations were performed in 37 children born to mothers after LTx and 35 children after RTx, as well as 66 children from a control group, born at the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Warsaw, from 01 January 2001 to 30 June 2012. Certain parameters of the neonatal period of the child and the mother were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Good first-minute states of neonates were observed in 89.2% LTx and 97.1% RTx but in the fifth minute in more than 97% of neonates in both groups. In the LTx and RTx groups, the percentage of preterm deliveries was 48.8% (68.8% in the RTx and 43.2% in the LTx; P=0.0306). There were differences in the immunosuppressant drug therapy in monotherapy as well as two to three drug combinations between the two groups. Children from the LTx, RTx, and control groups had no ophthalmologic disorders in more than 80%. In the LTx and RTx groups, there were convergence insufficiency (6 of 72), strabismus (2 of 72), and hyperopia (2 of 72). The differences in disorders between LTx and RTx groups, as well as LTx+RTx and control groups, were not statistically significant (P=1.00 vs. 0.6206). Retinopathy of prematurity was diagnosed in only two neonates in the RTx group. CONCLUSIONS: Immunosuppressive treatment during pregnancy, regardless of kind, did not affect the ocular organ's development.

[Interstitial laser coagulation in Twin Reversed Arterial Perfusion sequence]. / Mikroinwazyjna laserowa koagulacja naczyn wewnatrzbrzusznych w zespole odwróconej perfuzji tetniczej.

Twin Reversed Arterial Perfusion (TRAP) sequence complicates about 1% of all monochorionic twin pregnancies and about 1 to 35000 of all pregnancies. It involves an acardiac twin whose structural defects are incompatible with life, and an otherwise normal "pump" co-twin. As the blood flow in the acardiac twin is reversed, it keeps on growing owing to the oxygenated blood from the co-twin. Here we report a case of monochorionic, diamniotic twin pregnancy after ICS/-ET complicated with TRAP sequence, diagnosed at 11 weeks of pregnancy The unusual finding in this case was the residual heart in the so called acardiac twin. Gradually the normal twin developed signs of hemodynamic compromise. Reversed a-wave in ductus venosus was observed. The acardiac twin showed subcutaneous oedema. On 24 November 2011 a successful interstitial ultrasound-guided laser coagulation was performed at 16 weeks of gestation. 17G needle and 0.6 mm laser fibre were used. The needle was introduced into the pelvic region of the acardiac twin through the abdominal wall. A series of laser bursts lasting 5-10 seconds were fired, until cessation of blood flow in the pelvic vessels and umbilical cord of the acardiac twin was confirmed using colour Doppler. The course of the intervention was uneventful. Routine steroid therapy was administered at 27 weeks of gestation. At 32 weeks the patient was hospitalized and oral antibiotics were administered due to premature rupture of the membranes and suspicion of intrauterine growth retardation of the pump twin. The patient delivered spontaneously at completed 33 weeks of pregnancy (weight 1805g, Apgar 10). After the delivery a stage 2 intraventricular hemorrhage and jaundice were observed in the neonate. Phototherapy was administered and the mother and the child were eventually discharged from the hospital, both in good general condition. Since then, two more successful interstitial laser coagulations in TRAP sequence were performed in our institution. The essence of the treatment of TRAP sequence is cessation of the blood flow from the pump to the acardiac twin. Fetoscopic cord ligature or coagulation, and laser or radiofreqency ablations of the acardiac twin vessels, are the possible methods of intervention. The interstitial laser coagulation of the acardiac twin is less invasive than fetoscopic umbilical cord coagulation, as the outer diameter of the 17G needle is much smaller. A meticulous comparison of these methods would require a randomised study but at 16 weeks of MCDA twin pregnancy interstitial laser coagulation seems to be the method of choice. The outcome of the procedure and possible treatment options in case of TRAP together with the review of literature, are presented in the article.

Ultrasonography of the brain, abdomen, and heart in neonates born to liver or renal transplant recipient mothers.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancies in graft recipients are associated with increased risk of a number of pathologies. The aim of the study was to analyze results of brain and abdominal ultrasonography and echocardiography (ECHO) in neonates born to liver (LTx) or renal recipients (RTx). MATERIAL/METHODS: The study group consisted of 82 neonates born to transplanted women (46 neonates of liver recipients and 36 neonates of renal recipients), enrolled in a retrospective study. The control group consisted of 74 neonates from the general population. Sonographic examination of the brain was performed to check for the presence of intra-/periventricular hemorrhage (IVH/PVH) according to Papile, and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL).The results of abdominal ultrasonography and 2-dimensional echocardiography (ECHO) were compared between the groups. The immunosuppressive therapy used during pregnancy was also analyzed. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between the frequency of IVH in LTx and RTx groups and LTx, RTx, and control groups. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed 1 case of suprarenal hemorrhage, 1 case of cystic kidney, and 3 cases of pyelocalyceal system dilatation in the study group. There were no abnormalities in the echocardiography in 97.8% of children born to mothers after LTx and in 94.4% after RTx. There were significant differences in the immunosuppressive therapy between the pregnant women after LTx and RTx. CONCLUSIONS: The risk was not increased in intra-/periventricular hemorrhage and congenital abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract and heart in neonates of mothers after organ transplantation, regardless of the immunotherapy used, and risk was similar to that of the general population.

Successful complex management of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia--a case report.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a very serious congenital defect associated with high mortality rate. The syndrome is characterized by migration of abdominal viscera to thoracic cavity a variable degree of pulmonary hypoplasia associated with pulmonary hypertension caused by alteration of pulmonary vessels diameter increased muscularisation of pulmonary arteries and decreased compliance of the lungs resulting in increased afterload of the right ventricle, decreased cardiac output and impaired oxygenation. We describe a case of congenital diaphragmatic hernia with migration of the stomach, the small and the large bowels and the left hepatic lobe into the left pleural space, diagnosed by ultrasound in utero at 24 weeks of gestation. The child was initially placed on high-frequency oscillation and nitric oxide and required vigorous inotropic support. The defect was repaired after stabilization of the cardiac output and gas exchange. The patient made successful recovery.