Prediction and prevention of pre-eclampsia in Asian subpopulation.

The benefit of the early administration of aspirin to reduce preterm pre-eclampsia among screened positive European women from multivariate algorithmic approach (ASPRE trial) has opened an intense debate on the feasibility of universal screening. This review aims to assess the new perspectives in the combined screening of pre-eclampsia in the first trimester of pregnancy and the chances for prevention using low-dose aspirin with special emphasis on the particularities of the Asian population. PubMed, CENTRAL and Embase databases were searched from inception until 15 November 2017 using combinations of the search terms: preeclampsia, Asian, prenatal screening, early prediction, ultrasonography, pregnancy, biomarker, mean arterial pressure, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1, placental growth factor, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and pulsatility index. This is not a systematic review or meta-analysis, so the risk of bias of the selected published articles and heterogeneity among the studies need to be considered. The prevalence of pre-eclampsia and serum levels of biochemical markers in Asian are different from Caucasian women; hence, Asian ethnicity needs to be corrected for in the algorithmic assessment of multiple variables to improve the screening performance. Aspirin prophylaxis may still be viable in Asian women, but resource implication needs to be considered. Asian ethnicity should be taken into account before implementing pre-eclampsia screening strategies in the region. The variables included can be mixed and matched to achieve an optimal performance that is appropriate for economical restriction in individual countries.

Associated risk factors of human papillomavirus cervical infection among human immunodificiency virus-seropositive women at Siriraj Hospital.

This cross sectional type sub-study was established to assess the potential risk factor associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) cervical infection in Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive women. The series of 178 HIV-seropositive women was enrolled in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Siriraj Hospital. Demographic, obstetrical and behavioral risk factors were interviewed. Laboratory results were recorded. Clinical gynecologic examination was performed including Pap smear. The patients were assigned into two groups, HPV and non-HPV group. The comparison of the potential risk factors between the groups was calculated statistically. It was found that the prevalence of HPV infection was reported in 17 patients (9.6%). HIV-seropositive women, who were infected with HPV, had a significantly more probability to have a single partner in their lifetime than those who were not infected. It could be that HPV cervical infection and HIV-seropositive women share common potential risk factors, as well as, the recognition of sexual intercourse as the important route of HPV transmission.