Number of decidual natural killer cells & macrophages in pre-eclampsia.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The process of human placentation is complex and still not well understood. This study was aimed to examine the relationship between clinical features of pre-eclampsia and degree of trophoblastic invasion after its immunohistochemical visualization in the context of possible alterations in the number of natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages in the decidua. METHODS: This prospective study included a study group comprising 30 pregnant women with pre-eclampsia delivered by caesarean section and a control group comprising 20 healthy pregnant women also delivered by caesarean section. Samples of placental bed obtained during caesarean section were analyzed after immunohistochemical labelling CD56 + NK cells, CD68 + macrophages and cytokeratin 7 trophoblastic cells. RESULTS: In pre-eclampsia, there was a significantly lower number of CD56 + NK cells in the decidua (P<0.001) and a higher number of CD68 + macrophages (P<0.001) compared to control group. In the subgroup of pre-eclampsia with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), a significantly greater number of NK cells (P<0.05) was recorded, as well as an increased number of macrophages, but not significantly compared to pre-eclampsia without IUGR. There was no significant difference in the distribution of these cells in the decidua in relation to the severity of pre-eclampsia. CD56 + NK cells were significantly less (P<0.05) and macrophages were more (P<0.05) in the group with poor trophoblastic invasion. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in the number of immune cells in relation to the degree of trophoblastic invasion indicated their role in aetiopathogenesis of pre-eclampsia, while the direct association between their number and severity of pre-eclampsia was not confirmed.

[Pregnancy after conservative surgical treatment of ovarial mucinous adenocarcinoma].

BACKGROUND: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) accounts for 25% of all malignancies in the female genital tract and it is the most common cause of death among women who develop gynecologic malignancies. According to recent reports at least 20% of EOC are diagnosed at stage I of the disease. Because women tend to give birth to their first child at an older age, and due to the usage of more sensitive diagnostic procedures, the diagnosis of EOC during reproductive age has become more frequent. Therefore, the demand for fertility-sparing surgery in early-stage of EOC is increased. CASE REPORT: We presented the case of accomplished reproduction at 41 after the conservative treatment of mucinous ovarian cancer. In the absence of a complete surgical staging, her decision was to spare her fertility capacities opposed to the treatment recommendations of the oncological council. The bottom-line of this report was to give its contribution to the ongoing controversies in the decision to recommend the conservative surgical treatment of the EOC and also to reveal the need of reconsideration of the necessity of a complete surgical staging in patients with stage I of mucinous ovarian cancer. CONCLUSION: The profile of EOC cases in which a conservative surgical approach is the appropriate one has not yet been defined. Correct surgical staging is still an indispensable guideline for that kind of clinical decision. In the case of stage I of mucinous ovarian cancer with the low tumor grade, the necessity of a complete surgical staging should be reconsidered.

[Perinatal outcome of growth restricted fetus with absent end-diastolic umbilical blood flow--case report].

INTRODUCTION: Absent or reversed end-diastolic blood flow in the umbilical artery is usually associated with poor perinatal outcome and high perinatal mortality rate. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a pregnant woman with absent end-diastolic blood flow in the umbilical artery in the 27th week of pregnancy with initial restriction of fetal growth. Allthough it was more and more obvious that the fetal growth was hindered, the Doppler, cardiotocographic and biophysical parameters did not get any worse as the pregnancy developed. The full fetal maturation was reached after the intense monitoring of the fetal condition and the pregnancy was terminated in the 37th week by elective Cesarean section. CONCLUSION: The basic purpose of prenatal fetal monitoring in the situation of hindered fetal growth with chronic hypoxia is to predict the phase of decompensation and to terminate pregnancy before it is developed. The major problem is in great individual variations at the moment of development of decompensation phase, so the major obstetric aim in the monitoring of the fetus hindered in growth is to determine the optimal time and way of delivery.

The tinea capitis campaign in Serbia in the 1950s.

In this Historical Review we describe the 1950-59 UNICEF-supported campaign to eliminate tinea capitis, also known as ringworm, in Yugoslavia. Medical treatment for this infectious disease involved the use of ionising radiation. We discuss the possible health implications for the treated population. Data were collected from archive documents, newspapers from the 1950s, Yugoslavian scientific reports, interviews with patients who received treatment, and interviews with physicians who gave treatment during the campaign. The campaign screened 878 659 individuals and treated 49 389. On the basis of Israeli tinea capitis research, late health consequences (mainly cancer in the irradiated area) can be expected in the treated Serbian population. The discovery of treatment records for a substantial number of patients makes public-health action and further research possible. The findings are relevant to the Serbian medical community and populations in other countries that used a radiation-based technique for the treatment of tinea capitis.

[Kell immunization--a case report]. / Kell imunizacija--prikaz slucaja.

INTRODUCTION: The frequency of occurrence of RhD alloimmunization, due to preventive protocols, is decreased in our country, but more often there are other antigens that emerge as a cause of hemolytic disease of fetus. The most prominent is Kell antigen, which promotes specific course of disease based on an innate pathogenetic mechanism. Anti-Kell antibody production is, just as in other atypical antibodies, provoked with transfusion of incompatible blood. Except for the immune-mediated hemolysis, anti-Kell antibodies can also inhibit the function of progenitor (erytroid and megakariocyte) cell lines. CASE REPORT: We present the case of G1P1 woman in whom a distinct fetal hydrops was sonographically detected in the 28th week of pregnancy. The results of immunological tests undoubtedly pointed to Kell immunization (anti-Kell antibody titer was more than 1:32), and antenatal tests for evaluation of fetal condition (Doppler ultrasound and CTG) clearly showed the severe form of hemolytic disease. We concluded that the fetus was in a hopeless, terminal stage of the disease, and then decided to terminate the pregnancy. CONCLUSION: The only clinical approach to a problem of Kell alloimunization is active one. Early cordocentesis is recommended as the optimal method for evaluation of fetal condition. The clinical outcome of the fetus will strictly depend on a timely intrauterine transfusion (IUT) procedure. Prophylaxis emerges as a crucial factor in prevention of Kell-alloimmunization. It is to be considered that all females in childhood and throughout the reproductive period should take only K1-negative blood transfusion in order to decrease the incidence of Kell-alloimmunization.

[Placental complications after a previous cesarean section].

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of cesarean section has been rising in the past 50 years. With the increased number of cesarean sections, the number of pregnancies with the previous cesarean section rises as well. The aim of this study was to establish the influence of the previous cesarean section on the development of placental complications: placenta previa, placental abruption and placenta accreta, as well as to determine the influence of the number of previous cesarean sections on the complication development. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research was conducted at the Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Nis covering 10-year-period (from 1995 to 2005) with 32358 deliveries, 1280 deliveries after a previous cesarean section, 131 cases of placenta previa and 118 cases of placental abruption. The experimental groups was presented by the cases of placenta previa or placental abruption with prior cesarean section in obstetrics history, opposite to the control group having the same conditions but without a cesarean section in medical history. RESULTS: The incidence of placenta previa in the control group was 0.33%, opposite to the 1.86% incidence after one cesarean section (p<0.001), 5.49% after two cesarean sections and as high as 14.28% after three cesarean sections in obstetric history. Placental abruption was recorded as placental complication in 0.33% pregnancies in the control group, while its incidence was 1.02% after one cesarean section (p<0.001) and 2.02% in the group with two previous cesarean sections. The difference in the incidence of intrapartal hysterectomy between the group with prior cesarean section (0.86%) and without it (0.006%) shows a high statistical significance (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The previous cesarean section is an important risk factor for the development of placental complications.