Czy łagodny stan przedrzucawkowy powoduje sztywność tętnic i przebudowę komory serca poprzez zapalenie?

Background: A link between preeclampsia (PE) and excessive maternal morbidity and mortality is a commonly recognized fact. Moreover, it has been suggested that chronic inflammatory state connected with PE contributes to accelerated atherosclerosis. There is also an association between PE and maternal cardiac remodeling and biventricular diastolic dysfunction. The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of impaired myocardial performance and increased arterial stiffness in patients who experienced a mild case of PE five years previously. Methods: The study included forty PE patients (40 women; mean age 33.75±7.95) and 27 healthy volunteers (27 women; mean age 36.44±10.45)Transthoracic echocardiography, including Doppler echocardiography combined with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), and aortic stiffness index (AoSI), aortic distensibility (AoD), and aortic elastic modulus (AoEM) values were measured in each study participant. Results: There was a statistically significant increase in hsCRP, aortic stiffness index, and aortic elastic modulus in PE patients as compared to controls (2.43±1.91 vs. 3.80±2.06, p=0.007; 3.09±2.41 vs. 7.32±6.89, p=0.001; 2.89±2.11 vs. 7.00± 6.83, p=0.001), while a significant decrease was observed in the aortic strain and distensibility (respectively, 22.35±15.99 vs. 12.24±9.22, p=0.005; 11.17±9.68 vs. 6.13±4.99, p=0.018). No differences between the two groups were observed with regard to the left ventricular myocardial performance index (MPI) (0.55±0.16 vs. 0.53± 0.19, p= 0.630). Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this has been the first study to demonstrate impaired aortic elasticity and unaffected myocardial performance index in patients with mild PE. Moreover, these effects turned out to be significantly correlated with inflammation.Wstęp: Istnieje powiązanie pomiędzy stanem przedrzucawkowym (PE) a nadmierną zachorowalnością i śmiertelnością. Ponadto, sugeruje się, że przewlekły stan zapalny udzielający się w PE przyczynia się do przyspieszenia miażdżycy. Istnieje również związek między PE przebudowy mięśnia sercowego ze strony matki i dwukomorową dysfunkcją rozkurczową. Zaplanowaliśmy ocenić w tym badaniu, czy nie została osłabiona wydolność mięśnia sercowego oraz zwiększenie sztywności tętnic u pacjentek, które pięć lat wcześniej miały łagodny przypadek PE. Metody: W badanie włączonych zostało czterdzieści pacjentek (40 kobiet; średnia wieku 33,75±7,95) oraz 27 zdrowych ochotniczek (27 kobiet: średnia wieku: 36,44±10,45). Każda z pacjentek została zbadana za pomocą echokardiografii przezklatkowej, w tym echokardiografii dopplerowskiej w połączeniu z tkankową echokardiografią dopplerowską (TDI). Zostały również zmierzone takie wartości, jak wskaźnik sztywności aorty (AoSI), rozciągliwość aorty, a także moduł sprężystości aorty (AoEM). Wyniki: Stwierdzono statystycznie istotny wzrost hsCRP, wskaźnika sztywności aorty i modułu sprężystości aorty u pacjentów z PE w porównaniu z grupą kontrolną (2,43±1,91vs. 3,80±2,06, p=0.007; 3,09±2,41 vs. 7,32±6,89, p=0,001; 2,89±2,11 vs. 7,00± 6,83, p=0,001), natomiast znaczne zmniejszenie zaobserwowano w odkształceniu aorty i jej rozciągliwości (odpowiednio 22,35±15,99 vs. 12,24±9,22, p= 0,005; 11,17±9,68 vs. 6,13±4,99, p=0.018). Nie wystąpiły różnice pomiędzy tymi dwoma grupami w odniesieniu do wskaźnika wydolności mięśnia sercowego lewej komory (0,55± 0,16 vs 0,53± 0,19, p=0,630). Wnioski: Stwierdziliśmy po raz pierwszy w tym badaniu, że wystąpiły osłabiona elastyczność aorty i niezmieniony wskaźnik wydolność mięśnia sercowego (MPI) u pacjentek z łagodnym PE, ponadto, efekty te były znacząco skorelowane ze stanem zapalnym

GnRH agonist triggering affects the kinetics of embryo development: a comparative study

Background: To evaluate the effects of an ovulation triggering agent, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), versus a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) on early embryo development in vitro using a time-lapse system. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database. A total of 739 embryos from 152 infertile couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. Interventions : Embryo culture in a time-lapse incubator (EmbryoScope, Vitrolife, Goteborg, Sweden). Main Outcome Measures: Embryo morphokinetic parameters. Results: In the 152 women, 252 embryos were derived from GnRHa-triggered cycles compared with 487 embryos derived from hCG-triggered cycles. Time-lapse analysis revealed that embryos from cycles triggered by a GnRHa cleaved faster than embryos derived from hCG-triggered cycles. Conclusion: Triggering with a GnRHa in in vitro fertilization cycles affects embryo kinetics

Does mild preeclampsia cause arterial stiffness and ventricular remodeling through inflammation?

Background: A link between preeclampsia (PE) and excessive maternal morbidity and mortality is a commonly recognized fact. Moreover, it has been suggested that chronic inflammatory state connected with PE contributes to accelerated atherosclerosis. There is also an association between PE and maternal cardiac remodeling and biventricular diastolic dysfunction. The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of impaired myocardial performance and increased arterial stiffness in patients who experienced a mild case of PE five years previously. Methods: The study included forty PE patients (40 women; mean age 33.75 +/- 7.95) and 27 healthy volunteers (27 women; mean age 36.44 +/- 10.45) Transthoracic echocardiography, including Doppler echocardiography combined with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), and aortic stiffness index (AoSI), aortic distensibility (AoD), and aortic elastic modulus (AoEM) values were measured in each study participant. Results: There was a statistically significant increase in hsCRP, aortic stiffness index, and aortic elastic modulus in PE patients as compared to controls (2.43 +/- 1.91 vs. 3.80 +/- 2.06, p=0.007; 3.09 +/- 2.41 vs. 7.32 +/- 6.89, p=0.001; 2.89 +/- 2.11 vs. 7.00 +/- 6.83, p=0.001), while a significant decrease was observed in the aortic strain and distensibility (respectively, 22.35 +/- 15.99 vs. 12.24 +/- 9.22, p=0.005; 11.17 +/- 9.68 vs. 6.13 +/- 4.99, p=0.018). No differences between the two groups were observed with regard to the left ventricular myocardial performance index (MPI) (0.55 +/- 0.16 vs. 0.53 +/- 0.19, p=0.630). Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this has been the first study to demonstrate impaired aortic elasticity and unaffected myocardial performance index in patients with mild PE. Moreover, these effects turned out to be significantly correlated with inflammation

Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio: A new inflammatory marker for the diagnosis of preterm premature rupture of membranes

Objective: Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is closely related with maternal and fetal complications. Therefore, early diagnosis is extremely important to provide maternal and fetal well-being. Many inflammatory markers have been evaluated for their ability to diagnose membrane rupture at early stages. We aimed to investigate the relationship between the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and preterm premature membrane rupture. Material and Methods: In this study, 121 pregnant women with PPROM and 96 age-matched pregnant women with spontaneous preterm labor who were admitted to our hospital between January 2014 and December 2015 were enrolled. Demographic data, complete blood cell count results, and neonatal outcomes were recorded. Results: The neutrophil and platelet counts were higher in the PPROM group (9948.4 +/- 3393.2 vs. 7466.1 +/- 1698.5/mm(3) and 244.5 +/- 60 vs. 210.6 +/- 64.8/mm(3), respectively, p117.14 (p<0.001). Conclusion: The PLR might be a cost effective, easy to use, and practical marker for the early diagnosis of PPROM, which can help to determine the appropriate waiting time for delivery and provide maternal and fetal well-being