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In this study, we evaluated the value of the uterocervical angle (UCA), myometrial thickness (MT), sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) levels in women with threatened preterm labour (TPL) in predicting spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) within 14 days in symptomatic women with cervical length (CL) measurements between 10 and 25 mm. Forty-six patients diagnosed with TPL, 47 healthy pregnant women were evaluated in a case-control study. sE-selectin (AUC = 0.744, p =.007) and PTX3 (AUC = 0.711, p =.019) were found to be effective in predicting preterm delivery within 14 days. In conclusion, maternal sE-selectin and PTX3 levels may be helpful in identifying pregnancies that will deliver within 14 days in symptomatic women with CL measurements between 10 and 25 mm. However, maternal sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 levels, MT and UCA are not effective in the prediction of sPTB in TPL pregnancies. What is already known on this subject? Aetiology of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) is unclear and believed to be multifactorial, infection, inflammation, vascular endothelial dysfunction and uteroplacental ischaemia are all considered to be related to preterm delivery syndrome. Transvaginal cervical length (CL) measurement is a good indicator of increased risk of sPTB. Inflammation is accepted to have a central role in the process of labour. Whatdothe results of this study add? soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) levels may be helpful in identifying pregnancies that will deliver within 14 days in symptomatic women with CL measurements between 10 and 25 mm. Whatarethe implicationsof these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This study will help understand the important role of the inflammatory process in predicting spontaneous preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of pregnancies with maternal heart disease. Material and Method: The results of 115 patients in our clinic between 2013 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The type of heart disease and functional classification of the New York Heart Association were taken into consideration when evaluating the cases. Results: According to the New York Heart Association classification, the distribution of patients was 67.1% for stage I, 18.2% for stage II, and 14.7% for stage III-IV. There was no maternal or perinatal mortality. The incidence of rheumatic and congenital heart diseases was 51.3% and 27.8%, respectively. Maternal morbidity was observed in 18 cases (15.6%). Mean gestational age and birth weight were significantly higher in the stage I-II functional capacity group (p<0.001). Maternal morbidity and admission rates to neonatal intensive care unit were significantly higher in the stage III-IV functional capacity group (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between stage I-II and stage III-IV groups in terms of cesarean delivery rates and fetal growth restriction (p>0.05). Conclusion: It is possible to obtain satisfactory results for both mother and fetus in the majority of pregnant women with heart disease when managed with a multidisciplinary approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Endothelial dysfunction is a major feature of preeclampsia. sVE-cadherin plays a role in the preservation and regulation of the endothelial barrier. For that reason, to evaluation of sVE-cadherin may help elucidate the disease pathophysiology of preeclampsia. Methods: The sample size was calculated as a minimum of 46 pregnant women for each group based on serum sVE-Cadherin levels in a pilot study of 10 preeclamptic and 10 control groups. Hundred-twenty pregnancies complicated with early-onset (n = 60) and late-onset (n = 60) preeclampsia were compared with 120 gestational-age (GA)-matched (±1 week) uncomplicated pregnancies. The venous blood sampling was performed upon preeclampsia diagnosis prior to the onset of the labor in the preeclampsia group and the matching (±1 week) pregnancy week in the control group. Demographic and biochemical parameters were evaluated. Results: Mean serum sVE-Cadherin was significantly higher in women with EOPE compared to that of the GA-matched control group (5.86 ± 1.57 ng/mL vs. 2.28 ± 0.80 ng/mL, p < 0.001), in women with LOPE compared to that of the GA-matched control group (3.11 ± 0.97 ng/mL vs. 1.69 ± 0.87 ng/mL, p < 0.001), and in women with EOPE compared to that of LOPE group (5.86 ± 1.57 ng/mL vs. 3.11 ± 0.97 ng/mL, p < 0.001) after correction for GA. Serum sVE-Cadherin positively correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a negative correlation with gestational age at sampling. Conclusion: The serum level of sVE-Cadherin was higher in women with preeclampsia than that of GA-matched healthy pregnant women, in women with EOPE compared to that of LOPE. sVE-Cadherin is an important marker in early-onset pre-eclampsia with severe clinical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate retinal vascular changes in pregnant women using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Materials and Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study included 97 pregnant women and age-matched 34 healthy control subjects. The OCTA parameters of one eye (left) of pregnancy group and control group were compared. Besides, the OCTA parameters of three trimesters were compared between themselves and the control group. The foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area and the vessel density percentages of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) of all the groups were evaluated by OCTA. Results: In the pregnancy group, the vessel density of DCP was higher in all regions than the control group except the foveal region, but this difference could not reach statistical significance. On the other hand, the vessel density of SCP in the pregnancy group did not show a manifest change in all regions except the foveal region as in DCP. Although the FAZ area was wider in pregnancy group, this difference was not statistically significant (p:0.661). There was no statistically significant difference observed in vessel density of SCP, DCP, and RPC between the different trimesters and the control group, and none of these data correlated with the gestational week. Conclusion: This study showed retinal vascular changes secondary to pregnancy, especially in the vessel density of DCP. These results can provide information that should be taken into account in the evaluation and investigation of pregnancy-specific retinal vascular pathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A potentially fatal complication of gynecological cancer surgery is venous thromboembolism (VTE). Low-molecular-weight heparin prophylaxis does not reduce the risk of VTE. This research determined the incidence of VTE and to identify the risk factors in patients having surgery for gynecological malignancy with extended dual prophylaxis. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, all patients with gynecological cancer undergone surgery at the Division of Gynecologic Oncology of İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine were identified between January 2008 and April 2018. Age, body mass index (BMI), menopausal status, comorbidities, the primary site of the neoplasm in gynecology, surgical details, and operative time, the need for intensive care unit admission, perioperative complications, the patient's smoking habits, the diagnosis of VTE, and follow-up assessments up to one month after surgery were among the data collected. Results: With a 2.4% incidence rate, 29 of 1,201 analyzed patients experienced postoperative VTE events. BMI >30, operation duration >180 min, paraaortic and/or pelvic lymphadenectomy, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, smoking, and chronic renal failure were revealed to be significant variables [odds ratio (OR): 5.357; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.833-15.654; p=0.002; OR: 5.698; 95% CI: 1.971-16.474; p=0.001; OR: 0.252; 95% CI: 0.068-0.933; p=0.039; OR: 0.002; 95% CI: 0.001-0.025; p=0.001; OR: 0.217; 95% CI: 0.082-0.577; p=0.002; OR: 0.033; 95% CI: 0.003-0.379; p=0.006, respectively]. Conclusion: We suggest that every patient undergoing gynecological oncology surgery should have preoperative pharmacological and postoperative extended dual prophylaxis to achieve the lowest incidence of VTE in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]