Autotaxin interacts with lipoprotein(a) and oxidized phospholipids in predicting the risk of calcific aortic valve stenosis in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], an important carrier of oxidized phospholipids, is causally related to calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS). Recently, we found that Lp(a) mediates the development of CAVS through autotaxin (ATX). OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive value of circulating ATX mass and activity for CAVS. METHODS: We performed a case-control study in 300 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with CAVS plus CAD (cases, n = 150) were age- and gender-matched (1 : 1) to patients with CAD without aortic valve disease (controls, n = 150). ATX mass and enzymatic activity and levels of Lp(a) and oxidized phospholipids on apolipoprotein B-100 (OxPL-apoB) were determined in fasting plasma samples. RESULTS: Compared to patients with CAD alone, ATX mass (P < 0.0001), ATX activity (P = 0.05), Lp(a) (P = 0.003) and OxPL-apoB (P < 0.0001) levels were elevated in those with CAVS. After adjustment, we found that ATX mass (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03-1.10 per 10 ng mL-1 , P = 0.001) and ATX activity (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.14-2.17 per 10 RFU min-1 , P = 0.005) were independently associated with CAVS. ATX activity interacted with Lp(a) (P = 0.004) and OxPL-apoB (P = 0.001) on CAVS risk. After adjustment, compared to patients with low ATX activity (dichotomized at the median value) and low Lp(a) (<50 mg dL-1 ) or OxPL-apoB (<2.02 nmol L-1 , median) levels (referent), patients with both higher ATX activity (≥84 RFU min-1 ) and Lp(a) (≥50 mg dL-1 ) (OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.40-8.58, P = 0.007) or OxPL-apoB (≥2.02 nmol L-1 , median) (OR 5.48, 95% CI 2.45-12.27, P < 0.0001) had an elevated risk of CAVS. CONCLUSION: Autotaxin is a novel and independent predictor of CAVS in patients with CAD.

[Comparison of two ELISA tests to study the seroprevalence of herpes simplex 1 et 2 infection in a maternity near Paris]. / Comparaison de deux techniques Elisa pour l'étude de la séroprévalence de l'infection à herpes simplex 1 et 2 dans une maternité de la région parisienne.

UNLABELLED: The diagnosis of herpes simplex virus (HSV) genital infection is primarily clinical. The primary indication for serodiagnosis is to detect seronegativity in pregnant women at risk of acquiring the HSV virus during the course of their pregnancy. In this study, two ELISA tests were compared for the detection of HSV infection among a population of 307 pregnant women followed at the maternity of a community-based hospital in France (Robert Ballanger hospital in the Seine-Saint-Denis department). The two tests compared were: Test Captia anti-HSV-1 and anti-HSV-2 specifics IgG of Trinity Biotech and the ELISA IgG HerpesSelect 1 and 2 of FOCUS Diagnostics distributed by Eurobio Courtaboeuf, France. RESULTS: Both tests results were similar in terms of population prevalence for HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections (respectively 86.64% and 85.99% for HSV-1; 17.59% and 15.31% for HSV-2). Whereas the prevalence of the HSV-1 virus was described in the literature as being superior to our current results, the prevalence of HSV-2 according to the results of both ELISA tests studied was similar to the one described in previous cohort studies.

Sepsis due to Clostridium perfringens after pregnancy termination with feticide by cordocentesis: a case report.

We report a case of sepsis due to Clostridium perfringens after termination of pregnancy at 22 weeks with feticide by cordocentesis. Three weeks earlier, the 41-year-old patient had undergone an amniocentesis and a full trisomy 13 karyotype had been discovered. Feticide was performed by injection of thiopental and potassium chloride after percutaneous umbilical foetal blood sampling through the same needle. The patient delivered vaginally with signs of chorioamnionitis and septicaemia. She recovered under broad-spectrum antibiotherapy. C. perfringens was present in maternal blood cultures, placental smears and foetal organs. We discuss the possible mechanisms of infection by C. perfringens, including inoculation of intestinal germs.

Effects of maternal dexamethasone administration on fetal Doppler flow velocity waveforms.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of maternal dexamethasone administration on umbilical and fetal cerebral artery flow velocity waveforms. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Robert Ballanger Hospital, Aulnay-sous-Bois, France. SAMPLE: Twenty-six pregnant women with singleton pregnancies considered at risk for preterm delivery. At baseline, all pregnancies had normal fetoplacental vascular resistance. METHODS: These women were given weekly six intravenous doses of 4 mg of dexamethasone eight hours apart. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Doppler studies were performed from both umbilical artery (UA) and fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) before (day 0), during (day 2), immediately after (day 4) and shortly after (day 7) every steroid course. RESULTS: No significant variation was noted in both umbilical artery pulsatility index (PI) and fetal heart rate through dexamethasone therapy. Compared with mean initial values, we found on day 4 a significant decrease in MCA PI of 0.28 (F = 7.17, P < 0.001) and a significant increase in UA:MCA PI ratio of 0.08 (F = 3.85, P = 0.013); in contrast no significant change was documented on days 2 and 7 in both MCA pulsatility index and UA:MCA PI ratio. After multiple regression analysis, only the decrease in fetal middle cerebral artery pulsatility index on day 4 remained significant (F= 5.84, P= 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The current study finds in healthy fetuses a transient, significant and unexplained decrease in fetal middle cerebral artery impedance on the fourth day following maternal dexamethasone administration. Further basic research and clinical studies including larger sample sizes or pregnancies with fetoplacental dysfunction are needed.

[Inherited factor VII deficiency and pregnancy. Apropos of 1 case]. / Déficit constitutionnel en facteur VII et grossesse. A propos d'un cas.

Hereditary factor VII deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive condition. Factor VII's level elevates during pregnancy in normal patients, as well in deficient individuals for some authors. Various treatments (fresh frozen plasma, prothrombin complex or factor VII concentrate) have been used to lessen the peri-partum hemorrhage in those factor VII-deficient pregnant women. We report the case of a pregnant woman presenting a factor VII deficiency (level 4%), without variation of level during her pregnancy. The single infusion of factor VII concentrate, prior to delivery, has elevated factor VII's level at 17% and has likely permitted minimal post-partum bleeding. The peripartum management of factor VII deficiency is discussed.

Changes in umbilical artery, middle cerebral artery, and aorta blood flow Doppler waveform pulsatility indices after funisocentesis.

This study evaluates the effect of funisocentesis on umbilical artery, fetal cerebral artery, and aortic circulation. The pulsatility index in the umbilical artery, fetal middle cerebral artery, and descending aorta was measured by pulsed Doppler ultrasonography before and after 41 diagnostic funisocenteses. Percutaneous umbilical artery blood sampling was associated with a significant decrease in umbilical artery pulsatility index (mean -0.132, standard deviation 0.259, P = 0.002) and in middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (mean -0.143, standard deviation 0.260, P = 0.001). The decline in resistance to flow of the umbilical artery (r = 0.340, P = 0.029) and middle cerebral artery (r = 0.457, P = 0.002) was correlated with gestational age at sampling. These findings suggest that alterations in the waveforms from both the umbilical and the fetal cerebral circulations can be induced by fetal blood sampling.

[Predictive value of cervical-vaginal prolactin in the evaluation of premature labor risk]. / Valeur prédictive de la prolactine cervico-vaginale dans l'évaluation du risque d'accouchement prématuré.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the presence of cervico-vaginal prolactin during pregnancy is significantly associated with preterm delivery. STUDY DESIGN: A cohort of 64 pregnant women between 21 and 34 weeks of amenorrhea underwent a washing of the exocervix and vaginal fornices with a normal saline solution. The fluid was then aspirated and centrifuged. Samples were stored at -70 degrees C and later prolactin level was determined by radioimmunoassay. Test was considered as positive for a prolactin concentration higher than 2 ng/ml. Statistical analysis were realized by Student's t test, Fisher's exact test and chi 2 test. RESULTS: In patients with preterm labor, positive cervico-vaginal prolactin had a positive predictive value of 36% and a negative predictive value of 94% for a preterm delivery before 34 weeks of gestation (respectively 45% and 79% before 37 weeks). The sensitivity of a positive test was 31% for preterm delivery before 37 weeks of gestation and specificity was 87% (respectively 57% and 88% before 34 weeks). Patients with a positive prolactin test had a significantly shorter latency between testing and delivery (33.7 days vs 52.4 days; p < 10(-9)). No delivery occurred during the following weeks for patients with a negative prolactin test and, among those, only one delivery occurred during the second week following the test. Positive prolactin tests correlated with a mean cervical dilatation of 1 centimetre at the time of testing, while it was of 0.6 centimetre for patients with a negative prolactin test. CONCLUSIONS: Cervico-vaginal prolactin seems to be a non convincing marker for preterm delivery but indicative of a shorter latency from testing to delivery in symptomatic patients. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate accuracy of cervico-vaginal prolactin as a biochemical marker for imminent delivery in patients with preterm labor.

[Doppler velocimetry in the umbilical, middle cerebral and aortic arteries, before and after cordocentesis]. / Vélocimétries Doppler des artères ombilicales, cérébrales moyennes et aortiques, avant et après cordocentèse.

OBJECTIVE: Prospectively evaluate the effect of cordocentesis on the umbilical, fetal cerebral and aortic circulation. METHOD: Fetal blood was sampled for diagnostic purposes in 21 pregnant women at 21 to 38 weeks gestation. Ten patients undergoing amniocentesis served as controls. The resistance index (RI) in the umbilical and middle cerebral arteries and the mean blood velocity (Vm) in the descending aorta were measured with pulsed Doppler before and after blood sampling. Variations in umbilical and cerebral RI and in aortic Vm were recorded. RESULTS: There was a significant drop in both umbilical RI (mean +/- SD = -0.049 +/- 0.078; p = 0.009) and middle cerebral RI (-0.077 +/- 0.058; p < 0.0001) after cordocentesis. The drop in umbilical RI was greater when the second Doppler measurement was made early, when the blood was sampled transplacentally and in early gestational age. Reduction in fetal cerebral artery RI was also greater for transplacental puncture. The fetal descending aorta Vm did not change significantly after blood sampling. There were no variations in Doppler index before and after amniocentesis. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in blood flow velocity waveforms as measured by pulsed Doppler in the umbilical and fetal cerebral arteries can be induced by fetal blood sampling. Decreased resistance in the placenta and fetal circulation would imply release of nitric oxide.

[Are unexpected pregnancy over age 40 at high risk?]. / Les grossesses survenant après 40 ans sont-elles à haut risque?

A study concerning 5 years of activity at the Maternity of La Pitié, has shown differences in the population of pregnant women after the age of 40: decreased absolute number, relative increase of primiparous women, improvement of the socio-economic level, resulting in a decreased maternal and fetal pathology. The perinatal mortality remains almost 3 times higher than for the overall population.

[Rupture of a cerebral aneurysm and pregnancy: apropos of a case of neurosurgical intervention during pregnancy]. / Rupture d'anévrysme cérébral et grossesse: a propos d'une observation d'intervention neurochirurgicale en cours de grossesse.

The authors report a case of an aneurysm of the posterior cerebral artery that was operated on after 28 weeks of amenorrhoea without any sequelae for the mother or the fetus. The article gives precise details of the neurosurgical procedures carried out in this pregnant woman and how and what neurosurgical anaesthesia was administered while the aneurysm was cured and the pregnancy continued. Finally the obstetrical and neurosurgical care is discussed. The neurosurgeons decided on the operation in view of the neurological findings. Once the neurosurgical decision has been made, the obstetrical procedures depend practically on the length of amenorrhoea. Briefly, we would suggest the following: before 31 weeks of amenorrhoea: curing the aneurysm and going on with the pregnancy; after 32 weeks of amenorrhoea: first to carry out a caesarean section and during the same operation to treat the vascular malformation.