The significance of Syndecan 1, a new marker for endothelial dysfunction, in cases of fetal growth retardation.

PROBLEM: In the current study we aimed to investigate Syndecan 1 (SDC1) levels in pregnant women diagnosed with fetal growth restriction (FGR) and the relationship between SDC1 levels and clinical and doppler parameters in FGR cases associated with endothelial dysfunction, angiogenesis and uteroplacental insufficiency METHOD OF STUDY: A total of 90 pregnant women included in the study, (45 with FGR, 45 healthy control) matched by week of gestation and maternal age. Venous blood samples were collected and plasma concentrations of SDC1 were determined by a specific immunoassay. Doppler examination was performed to evaluate the relationship between the SDC1 levels and placental blood supply. RESULTS: Doppler parameters; mean UtA-PI (p < .001), CPR (p = .002) and CPUR (p < .001) were different between the groups, however MCA PI, umbilical artery PI and umbilical artery S/D were not (p > .05). While gestational age at delivery, birth weight, APGAR score at 1 and 5 min were significantly lower (all, p < .001) in the study group, non-reassure fetal heart rate tracing (p = .09) and NICU admission (p = .02) were significantly higher. SDC 1 level was 2,00 ± 1,47 ng/mL and 2,34 ± 1,12 ng/mL in the FGR and control groups, respectively (p = .008). In the study group SDC 1 level was 1,69 ± 2,00 in those with gestational age below 32 weeks and 2,13 ± 1,18 in those with gestational age above 32 weeks and there was a statistically significant difference between the groups (p = .015). Plasma SDC 1 concentration of 2,1850 ng/mL or less had a sensitivity of 70%, a specificity of 72%, area under the ROC curve .65 (p < .005). CONCLUSIONS: Low maternal plasma SDC1 level may be associated with placental insufficiency and FGR. Low levels of SDC1 may be helpful as a predictor for the development of FGR during gestation.

The use of late preterm antenatal corticosteroids in women with gestational diabetes : a puzzle worth solving.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between late preterm antenatal corticosteroid treatment and outcome in late preterm neonates born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus, METHODS: All patients with gestational diabetes mellitus who had a late preterm delivery at Etlik Lady Zübeyde Hospital between 2017 and 2021 were included. Women who met the inclusion criteria and were not given antenatal corticosteroid treatment during current pregnancy before 34 0/7 weeks of gestation were divided into two groups according to whether or not they received late preterm antenatal corticosteroid treatment. The two groups were compared in terms of adverse neonatal complications. The main outcomes were composite respiratory outcome and composite neonatal outcome. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine additional potential predictors of neonatal outcome. RESULTS: This retrospective cohort study included a total of 400 participants with gestational diabetes mellitus who had a late preterm delivery within the study period. Of these women, 196 (49%) received late preterm antenatal corticosteroid treatment. Main outcomes showed no difference. Decreasing gestational age at birth was identified as an independent risk factor predicting both composite respiratory outcome and composite neonatal outcome in multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Antenatal corticosteroid treatment at or after 34 0/7 weeks of gestation in women with gestational diabetes mellitus who had a late preterm delivery was not associated with improvement in adverse neonatal outcomes. Decreasing gestational age at birth was the only independent risk factor predicting composite neonatal and composite respiratory outcomes.

The role of first trimester serum inflammatory indexes (NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, SIRI, and PIV) and the ß-hCG to PAPP-A ratio in predicting preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of inflammation parameters and indices measured in the first trimester for the detection of preeclampsia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, we examined the medical records of 276 eligible pregnancies at a tertiary referral center from 2022 to 2023. The cases were categorized into the Control group (n = 171), the Mild Preeclampsia group (n = 63), and the Severe Preeclampsia group (n = 42). We examined the demographic characteristics and perinatal outcomes of all participants. Additionally, we analyzed laboratory parameters, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), systemic immune inflammation index (SII) (neutrophil*platelet/lymphocyte), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) (neutrophil*monocyte/lymphocyte), pan-immune inflammation value (PIV) (neutrophil*platelet*monocyte/lymphocyte), and the ß-hCG to PAPP-A ratio in the first trimester. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to identify the optimal cut-off levels for inflammatory markers in predicting preeclampsia. RESULTS: SIRI and PIV exhibited statistical significance in differentiating between the preeclampsia and control groups for predicting preeclampsia. The determined cut-off value for SIRI was 1.5, providing a sensitivity of 56.2% and a specificity of 55.6% (p = 0.012). Likewise, the cut-off value for PIV was 394.4, with a sensitivity of 55.2% and a specificity of 55% (p = 0.013). NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, and ß-hCG to PAPP-A ratio could not predict preeclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that SIRI and PIV hold promise as potential tools for predicting the risk of preeclampsia during the first trimester.