Female genital tract microbiota affecting the risk of preterm birth: What do we know so far? A review.

Spontaneous Preterm birth (SPTB) is a common obstetric complication affecting 12.9 million births worldwide and is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Disruption in the vaginal microbiota has an impact on the maternal immunological profile leading to SPTBs. Scientists have struggled to link maternal infectious agents with the dysregulation of the maternal immune response in cases of SPTBs. Throughout the last decade, important findings regarding the role of microbiota and its genome, the so-called microbiome, have linked alterations within the population of the microorganisms in our bodies with changes in nutrition, immunity, behaviour and diseases. In this review, evidence regarding the female genital tract microbiota and microbiome has been examined to help further our understanding of its role in disrupting the maternal immune system resulting in spontaneous preterm birth.

Dysregulation of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases: implications during pregnancy and beyond.

Glucococorticoids play a critical role in the developmental programing and fetal growth. Key molecules mediating and regulating tissue-specific glucocorticoid actions are 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) type 1 and 2 isozymes, both of which are expressed in the placenta and the fetal membranes. 11beta-HSD1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and its dysregulation has been observed in pregnancy-related complications (pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction). Interestingly, preliminary clinical data have associated certain 11beta-HSD1 gene polymorphisms with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, suggesting, if confirmed by further targeted studies, it's potential as a putative prognostic marker. Animal studies and observations in humans have confirmed that 11beta-HSD2 insufficiency is related with pregnancy adversity (pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth). Importantly, down-regulation or deficiency of placental 11beta-HSD2 is associated with significant restriction in fetal growth and low-birth weight, and unfavorable cardio-metabolic profile in adulthood. The potential association of 11beta-HSD1 tissue-specific dysregulation with gestational diabetes, as well as the plausible utility of 11beta-HSD2, as a biomarker of pregnancy adversity and later life morbidity, are emerging areas of intense scientific interest and future investigation.

Increased nuchal translucency and diaphragmatic hernia. A case report.

Increased nuchal translucency (NT) thickness is present in 40% of fetuses with diaphragmatic hernia, including 80% of those that result in neonatal death and in 20% of the survivors. A 33-year-old nulliparous woman had first trimester scan at 12 weeks. The fetus had a NT of 2.3 mm, normal ductus venosus (DV), and tricuspid doppler and present nasal bone. Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) was 0.59 MoM and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (b-hCG) 2.56 MoM. The couple did not opt for chorionic villous sampling (CVS) and repeat ultrasound examination was advised. At 18 weeks, ultrasound revealed left sided diaphragmatic hernia. The couple consented for termination of the pregnancy. The molecular test showed normal karyotype and male gender. In such cases with intrathoracic herniation of abdominal viscera, the increased NT may be the consequence of venous congestion due to mediastinal compression. The prolonged compression of the lungs causes pulmonary hypoplasia. Increased NT with normal fetal karyotype is associated with structural fetal anomalies like diaphragmatic hernia and screening at 16-18 weeks is imperative.

Fertility sparing management and pregnancy in patients with granulosa cell tumour of the ovaries.

Granulosa cell tumours (GCTs) of the ovary are a rare entity among the neoplasms of gynaecological oncology. Deriving from the stroma of the ovary, GCTs are generally characterised by insidious growth, low malignancy potential and late recurrence. The standard treatment for these tumours is principally surgical, consisting of bilateral adnexectomy and hysterectomy. This is a narrative review of the current literature regarding the role of fertility sparing surgery in ovarian granulosa tumour. In the included studies, fertility sparing surgery was performed in 171 out of 350 patients. Recurrence rates ranged between 9.8-27.4%. Out of 131 patients, 15 achieved pregnancy. The data were limited regarding completion post-pregnancy surgery. Due to the fact that GCTs often affect younger ages, of crucial importance is the preservation of fertility by conserving the uterus and the contralateral ovary, while close monitoring is essential in order to achieve early identification and treatment of a possible recurrence. After completion of family planning, hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy are recommended.

Uterine inversion after controlled cord traction during caesarean section: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Inversion of the uterus during caesarean section is a rare but life-threatening complication of the procedure that requires immediate treatment, which is reversion and awareness due to the very serious adverse effects that it may have. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors present a case of a 34-year-old para 1 woman of Greek ethnicity who underwent a scheduled caesarean section at 39 weeks of gestation. During the procedure, a uterine inversion occurred as a controlled cord traction was applied in order to achieve placental detachment, after the delivery of the baby. It was managed by immediate manual uterine reversion, which was performed after exteriorization of the uterus. There were no adverse effects. CONCLUSION: Uterine inversion during caesarean section is a serious complication, but fortunately very rare. However, the obstetrician should be aware that the complication should be quickly identified and act without hesitation because it is critical for the well being of the patient.

Abdominal wall endometriosis after a caesarian section--an interesting case report.

BACKGROUND: Endometriotic foci can be rarely found on the surgical incision following caesarean delivery and on perineotomy site following vaginal delivery. CASE: A 33-year-old woman with a history of caesarian section five years prior was admitted to the present clinic due to right groin pain with increasing intensity during menstruation. Ultrasound revealed an endometrioma-like subcutaneous mass directly under the right edge of the Pfannenstiel scar. The mass (3.5 x 2.4 x 2 cm) was removed en bloc with ultrascissor. CONCLUSION: The prevailing argument supports that it is a complication caused by the iatrogenic dispersal of endometrial material. Symptoms onset vary from one to five years postoperatively and mainly include pain and enlargement of the mass during menstruation. Diagnosis may be demanding due to the atypical presentation of the disease. Symptoms exacerbate during menstruation in only 20% of all cases. Abdominal ultrasound is extremely useful for diagnosis. The treatment of choice is surgical excision.

A unique case of ruptured ectopic pregnancy in a patient with negative preg-nancy test - a case report and brief review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the major advances made in the diagnosis and management of ectopic pregnancies in the last two decades, an accurate diagnosis can sometimes still be quite challenging, since it relies on the combination of ultrasound findings and serial serum beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (ß-hCG) measurements. CASE PRESENTATION: This paper describes the case of a 36-year-old woman of Caucasian origin who was admitted to the emergency department of our clinic with clinical symptoms of hemorrhagic shock in combination with two negative pregnancy tests done by her at home and a negative urine test which was performed on her admission to the hospital. Quantitative measurement of ß-hCG in the serum of the patient was 13 mIU/mL. On admission, right tubal pregnancy was diagnosed on ultrasound and she underwent an emergency laparotomy due to signs of hemodynamic shock. CONCLUSION: It is sometimes a considerable challenge to identify a patient with an ectopic pregnancy at risk of rupture. This case of ectopic pregnancy which was followed by a negative pregnancy test illustrates the magnitude of the difficulties involved in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. It also demonstrates the need to maintain a high clinical index of suspicion and to undertake careful clinical examination of the patient on the basis of the clinician's diagnostic research. Hippokratia 2014; 18 (3): 282-284.

Reactive oxygen species in the follicular fluid of subfertile women undergoing In Vitro Fertilization: a short narrative review.

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are produced as a normal product of aerobic metabolism. Naturally, there is an array of protective mechanisms that neutralize ROS, while any potential imbalance between ROS and antioxidants results in oxidative stress. In an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) setting, existing literature suggests a favorable outcome in terms of oocyte quality/maturation and fertilization rate with increased ROS levels, while other study groups have presented significant data on the detrimental effect of increased ROS concentration in the quality of embryos exposed and their potential to advance. In this study, we examine the conflicting views of the role of ROS in fertilization and embryo quality, especially through their concentration in the follicular fluid of subfertile women undergoing IVF. The current debate could possibly be attributed to the different assay methods and end-point outcomes employed by each research group, along with the noted limited number of the relevant studies published on the subject. Properly conducted studies can further validate and elicit the exact role of ROS as well as their association to female reproduction, and especially to women undergoing IVF.

Expression of E-cadherin in primary endometrial carcinomas: clinicopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of 30 cases.

INTRODUCTION: Decreased expression of E-cadherin has been associated with poorly differentiated endometrial carcinomas and poorer outcomes. AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution of E-cadherin immunohistochemical expression in specimens from primary endometrial carcinomas and its relation to classical clinicopathological prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Surgically-resected tissues of 30 patients with primary endometrial carcinomas were studied. Histological type and grade, depth of myometrial invasion, lymph-vascular space invasion, fallopian tube or ovarian invasion, and the presence of tumoral necrosis were evaluated. Immunohistochemical examination was performed on deparaffinized four-microm-thick sections. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 65 years (+/- 11.41). The 63.54% of carcinomas were moderately/poorly differentiated. No statistical correlation was found between the score or intensity of E-cadherin immunohistochemical staining (strong or moderate positive expression) and the clinicopathological factors tested. CONCLUSIONS: The association of E-cadherin immunoreactivity with the standard clinicopathological factors seemed to be contradictory. The classical clinicopathological factors remain the most important prognostic parameters.

Soluble Fas and Fas-ligand levels in mid-trimester amniotic fluid and their associations with severe small for gestational age fetuses: a prospective observational study.

We aimed to determine the second-trimester amniotic fluid (AF) levels of soluble Fas (sFas) and Fas-ligand (FasL) and investigate their association with fetal growth. Therefore, sFas and FasL levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay in the AF of 21 small for gestational age (SGA), 13 large for gestational age (LGA), and 44 appropriate for gestational age (AGA) fetuses of pregnant women who underwent amniocentesis at between 15 and 22 weeks gestation. Our study results showed that sFas and FasL levels were detectable in AF. sFAS median (25th-75th centile) levels were 3.8 (2.8-4.6) ng/ml in SGA, 3.6 (3.1-4.5) ng/ml in AGA, and 4.0 (3.1-4.4) ng/ml in LGA. FasL median (25th-75th centile) levels were 26.0 (20.3-32.7) pg/ml in SGA, 22.7 (18.4-28.5) pg/ml in AGA, and 21.5 (15.8-30.9) pg/ml in LGA. The differences were not statistically significant. Nevertheless, statistically significant differentiation of FasL levels existed when SGA fetuses in the extremes of distribution (≤5th, ≤2.5th centile) were considered. This is the first study presenting sFas and FasL concentrations in early second-trimester amniotic fluid in AGA, SGA, and LGA fetuses. We found indications that severe and very severe SGA fetuses (≤5th and ≤2.5th centile) have high levels of FasL in the amniotic fluid. This finding probably reflects the increased rate of apoptosis that is assumed to exist in cases of extreme growth restriction.

Resistin in mid-trimester amniotic fluid in trisomy 21.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether resistin is present in second trimester amniotic fluid from trisomy 21 (also known as Down's syndrome) pregnancies and whether its concentration differs compared with euploid pregnancies. METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 58 women in the mid-trimester of pregnancy who underwent amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis, 31 of whom carried a single fetus with diagnosed trisomy 21 (study group) and the rest with normal karyotype (control group, n = 27). Groups were matched for maternal and gestational age. Levels of resistin in amniotic fluid were measured by a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. RESULTS: Resistin was detected in all amniotic fluid samples. Its median concentration in the second trimester amniotic fluid of trisomy 21 pregnancies (2.1 ng/ml) was statistically significantly lower (p value <0.001) in comparison with that in euploid pregnancies (3.3 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: Resistin is a physiologic constituent of second trimester amniotic fluid. Lower levels of amniotic fluid resistin in pregnancies with trisomy 21 may reflect altered metabolic pathways in utero that could possibly be related with phenotypic features of the syndrome.

The practical role of anti-Müllerian hormone in assisted reproduction.

The objective of this study was to offer a brief critical summary of the literature on the role of AMH in the subfertility work up and during ART, while exploring its role in predicting ART success.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone and progesterone plasma levels association with the onset and progression of labor.

UNLABELLED: PURPOSE OF LNVESTIGATION: To examine the relationship between maternal plasma progesterone along with corticotropin- releasing hormone (CRH) plasma levels and the progression of labor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Maternal serum CRH and progesterone were measured during the latent phase of labor, active labor, and 24 hours postpartum in women who went into spontaneous labor and delivered vaginally at term. Progesterone (P) levels in women delivered by an elective cesarean section at term were also measured as baseline. RESULTS: Mean maternal plasma P was 18% higher in the active phase than in the latent phase of labor (p < 0.01), and declined significantly by 24 hours postpartum (p < 0.001). Mean level of serum CRH was 24% higher in the active phase than in the latent phase of labor (p < 0.01), and subsequently declined significantly by 24 hours postpartum (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: As labor progresses, P and CRH increase and subsequently decrease precipitously in the immediate postpartal period. P levels tend to drop in women who are in early labor compared with non-laboring full-term women.

Female genital mutilation in Greece.

The number of migrants and refugees with a female genital mutilation (FGM) living in Greece is rising. This study explores the characteristics and psychosexual issues of women with FGM who were examined in the 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens Medical School, Greece during the year 2009. The women were asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaire asking for demographic data, obstetric history, current complaints, and psychosexual problems. The results are presented and discussed, as FGM is a new reality for Greece. Healthcare providers have to familiarize themselves with issues related to FGM and improve their skills in transcultural care, so as to manage and support women with FGM adequately.