Role of collagen type IV in the pathogenesis of increased prenasal thickness in Down syndrome fetuses: sonographic and immunohistological findings.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to compare the presence and localization of collagen type IV in the prenasal tissue of fetuses with and without Down syndrome (DS). METHODS: Products of conception were obtained from mid-gestation uterine evacuations of 14 DS fetuses and 15 unaffected controls. Microdissection of the prenasal area and an analysis of the prenasal tissue specimens were performed by a single pathologist, blinded to the karyotype results. Immunohistological presence and localization of type IV collagen were analyzed in the basement membrane (BM), blood vessels, and stroma of the tissues. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the presence and localization of antibodies for collagen IV in the blood vessels and stroma between the two groups. However, the presence and localization of type IV collagen in the BM of the prenasal skin were significantly higher in DS specimens compared to the control group (P=0.023). When combining both groups altogether, a significant correlation was found between the increased prenasal thickness (PT) and the high presence and location of collagen type IV, irrespective of the karyotype results (Spearman's correlation; R=0.459; P=0.012). CONCLUSION: Using the immunohistochemistry technique, we were able to confirm the overexpression of collagen type IV in the BM of the prenasal area. This may explain the sonographic finding of increased PT seen mainly in DS fetuses.

Intranasal ketamine for acute traumatic pain in the Emergency Department: a prospective, randomized clinical trial of efficacy and safety.

BACKGROUND: Ketamine has been well studied for its efficacy as an analgesic agent. However, intranasal (IN) administration of ketamine has only recently been studied in the emergency setting. The objective of this study was to elucidate the efficacy and adverse effects of a sub-dissociative dose of IN Ketamine compared to IV and IM morphine. METHODS: A single-center, randomized, prospective, parallel clinical trial of efficacy and safety of IN ketamine compared to IV and IM morphine for analgesia in the emergency department (ED). A convenience sample of 90 patients aged 18-70 experiencing moderate-severe acute traumatic pain (≥80 mm on 100 mm Visual Analog Scale [VAS]) were randomized to receive either 1.0 mg/kg IN ketamine, 0.1 mg/kg IV MO or 0.15 mg/kg IM MO. Pain relief and adverse effects were recorded for 1 h post-administration. The primary outcome was efficacy of IN ketamine compared to IV and IM MO, measured by "time-to-onset" (defined as a ≥15 mm pain decrease on VAS), as well as time to and degree of maximal pain reduction. RESULTS: The 3 study groups showed a highly significant, similar maximal pain reduction of 56 ± 26 mm for IN Ketamine, and 59 ± 22 and 48 ± 30 for IV MO and IM MO, respectively. IN Ketamine provided clinically-comparable results to those of IV MO with regards to time to onset (14.3 ± 11.2 v. 8.9 ± 5.6 min, respectively) as well as in time to maximal pain reduction (40.4 ± 16.3) versus (33.4 ± 18), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: IN ketamine shows efficacy and safety comparable to IV and IM MO. Given the benefits of this mode of analgesia in emergencies, it should be further studied for potential clinical applications. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered on 27 June 2016. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02817477.

Systemic Inflammation and Autoimmunity in Women with Chronic Endometritis.

PROBLEM: To determine in women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and/or implantation failure (RIF) the prevalence of chronic endometritis (CE), systemic inflammation and autoimmunity, and whether they relate. METHOD OF STUDY: This retrospective study examined inflammatory (adiponectin, CRP, leptin, and IL6) and autoimmune (total immunoglobulins, ANA, thyroid antibodies, antiphospholipid antibodies) markers in a group of 55 women with RPL/RIF. A diagnosis of CE was reached by endometrial biopsy, demonstrating CD138-positive plasma cells on histology. The prevalence of markers of systemic inflammation and autoimmunity was compared between women with and without CE. RESULTS: Among all RPL/RIF patients, 32.7% demonstrated at least one positive inflammatory marker, 61.8% at least one autoimmune marker, and 45.5% CE. Moreover, CE patients did not differ in systematic inflammatory or autoimmune profiles from those without CE. CONCLUSIONS: Endometritis and elevated inflammatory and autoimmune markers are common in women with RPL/RIF, but endometritis cannot be predicted based on either peripheral inflammatory or autoimmune markers.

High risk of recurrent torsion in premenarchal girls with torsion of normal adnexa.

OBJECTIVE: To compare adnexal torsion characteristics and torsion recurrence rates in a pre- and postmenarchal pediatric and adolescent population. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: University-affiliated medical center. PATIENT(S): Females <18 years old with surgically diagnosed adnexal torsion. INTERVENTION(S): Adnexal detorsion, cystectomy, salpingectomy, or salpingo-oophorectomy by laparoscopy or laparotomy. Oophoropexy using the utero-ovarian ligament plication technique was performed in cases of recurrent torsion of normal adnexa. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The clinical presentation, laboratory and ultrasound characteristics, surgical findings, surgical procedures, pathologic diagnosis, and torsion recurrence rates were analyzed and compared between pre- and postmenarchal patients. RESULT(S): Twenty premenarchal and 24 postmenarchal patients were identified. The clinical presentation, laboratory findings, and ultrasound characteristics were similar between the two groups, except for a higher prevalence of paraovarian cysts on preoperative ultrasound in the postmenarchal compared with in the premenarchal group (20.8% vs. 0%). For the whole cohort, torsion of normal adnexa constituted 25.0% (11/44) of cases, while torsion of "pathologic" adnexa constituted 75.0% (33/44) of torsion cases. Torsion recurrence was significantly more common among girls whose first torsion episode occurred in the premenarchal period compared with in postmenarche (35% vs. 4.2%). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, torsion recurrence was significantly associated with premenarchal status (odds ratio [OR] = 12.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-152.0) and with torsion involving normal adnexa (OR = 19.1; 95% CI, 2.3-154.5). CONCLUSION(S): Recurrent torsion is common in patients whose first torsion episode occurred in the premenarchal period and involved otherwise normal adnexa. Ovarian fixation procedures may be considered in patients at risk for torsion recurrence.

Similar But Different: A Comparison of Adnexal Torsion in Pediatric, Adolescent, and Pregnant and Reproductive-Age Women.

BACKGROUND: We sought to investigate and compare the clinical presentation, ultrasound findings, surgical characteristics, and causes of adnexal torsion among three groups: pediatric and adolescent population, reproductive-age women, and pregnant women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred twenty-seven surgically confirmed episodes of adnexal torsion in 199 patients treated in our department from January 2008 to December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Abdominal pain duration of >24 hours before emergency room presentation was more common in pediatric and adolescent patients compared with reproductive-age and pregnant women (42.3% vs. 28.4% and 15.5%, respectively, p = 0.04). However, there was no difference between the groups in the time interval from their emergency room admission to surgery. Torsion of "normal adnexa" occurred in 11/44 (25.0%) of pediatric and adolescent patients, 30/99 (30.3%) of reproductive-age patients, and 12/56 (21.4%) of pregnant patients, while torsion involving multicystic ovaries occurred in 0%, 4%, and 32.1%, respectively, torsion involving paraovarian cysts occurred in 20.5%, 14.1%, and 1.8%, respectively, and torsion involving benign dermoid cysts occurred in 4.5%, 15.2%, and 5.4%, respectively (p < 0.001). Torsion involving supposedly functional ovarian cysts occurred in 45.5%, 34.3%, and 69.6%, respectively (p < 0.001). The torsion recurrence rates were 18.2% in the pediatric subjects, 19.2% in reproductive-age women, and 10.7% in pregnant women (p = 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: The presentation of adnexal torsion is similar in pediatric and reproductive-age and pregnant women, although the underlying adnexal pathology may be different. Functional ovarian cysts cause the majority of torsion cases in pregnant women. Recurrence of torsion may occur in any age group.