Impact of COVID-19 disease on placental histopathology. PLAXAVID study

Background. The impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy has been analyzed suggesting an increased risk of placental lesions that might lead to maternal and neonatal complications. However, the current published evidence is not conclusive because contradictory results. Methods. PLAXAVID is an observational, retrospective, histopathological, single-center study that aimed to evaluate the prevalence of vascular and inflammatory lesions in placental and umbilical cord samples of one hundred women infected by SARS-CoV2 during pregnancy. Results. The histopathological analysis showed that in most of the placentas (77.8%) there were signs of maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM; primary endpoint). The most common MVM features were an accelerated villous maturation (37.4%), central villous infarcts (33.3%), and villous agglutination (46.5%). Fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM) was identified in 57.6% of samples, and the most frequent features were hyalinized avascular villi (38.4%), fetal vascular thrombi (20.2%) and umbilical cord at risk of partial obstruction (14.1%). Acute and chronic inflammatory pathology were noticed in 22.2% and 49.5% of placentas, respectively. No significant correlations were found between MVM presence and the time, duration, and severity of infection, nor with the duration of pregnancy. However, in critically ill patients, the pregnancy duration (p=0.008), newborn weight (p=0.003), and APGAR test scores (p<0.001) were significantly lower. The same trend was observed considering the presence of infection at the time of delivery and in preterm births. Conclusion. A very high percentage of placentas with vascular and/or inflammatory lesions was found in the analyzed cohort. Therefore, PLAXAVID study results supported that COVID-19 should be considered a risk factor during gestation and requires close monitoring of pregnancy

Improved Irritative Voiding Symptoms 3 Years after Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Background: Irritative voiding symptoms are common in elderly men and following prostate radiotherapy. The impact of hypofractionated treatment on irritative voiding symptoms has not been determined. This study sought to evaluate urgency, frequency and nocturia following SBRT for prostate cancer. Methods: Patients treated with SBRT monotherapy for localized prostate cancer from August 2007 to July 2011 at Georgetown University Hospital were included in this study. Treatment was delivered using the CyberKnife® with doses of 35 Gy-36.25 Gy in 5 fractions. Patient-reported urinary symptoms were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) before treatment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months post-treatment and every 6 months thereafter.Results: 204 patients at a median age of 69 years received SBRT with a median follow-up of 4.8 years. Prior to treatment, 50.0% of patients reported moderate to severe lower urinary track symptoms and 17.7% felt that urinary frequency was a moderate to big problem. The mean prostate volume was 39 cc and 8% had prior procedures for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A mean baseline IPSS-irritative score of 4.8 significantly increased to 6.5 at 1 month (p 8) at baseline, the mean IPSS-I decreased from a baseline score of 6.8 to 4.9 at three years post-SBRT. This decrease was both statistically (p < 0.0001) and clinically significant (MID = 1.45). Only 14.6% of patients felt that urinary frequency was a moderate to big problem at three years post-SBRT (p = 0.23).Conclusions: Treatment of prostate cance

Rationale for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients with Oligometastatic Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer

Despite advances in treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, patients eventually progress to castrate-resistant disease and ultimately succumb to their cancer. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard treatment for metastatic prostate cancer and has been shown to improve median time to progression and median survival time. Research suggests that castrate-resistant clones may be present early in the disease process prior to the initiation of ADT. These clones are not susceptible to ADT and may even flourish when androgen-responsive clones are depleted. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a safe and efficacious method of treating clinically localized prostate cancer and metastases. In patients with a limited number of metastatic sites, SBRT may have a role in eliminating castrate-resistant clones and possibly delaying progression to castrate-resistant disease

Predictors of multidomain decline in health‐related quality of life after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for prostate cancer

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136687/1/cncr30519_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136687/2/cncr30519.pd

Clinical Outcomes of a Zika Virus Mother-Child Pair Cohort in Spain

BACKGROUND: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has been associated with congenital microcephaly and other neurodevelopmental abnormalities. There is little published research on the effect of maternal ZIKV infection in a non-endemic European region. We aimed to describe the outcomes of pregnant travelers diagnosed as ZIKV-infected in Spain, and their exposed children. METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study of nine referral hospitals enrolled pregnant women (PW) who travelled to endemic areas during their pregnancy or the two previous months, or those whose sexual partners visited endemic areas in the previous 6 months. Infants of ZIKV-infected mothers were followed for about two years. RESULTS: ZIKV infection was diagnosed in 163 PW; 112 (70%) were asymptomatic and 24 (14.7%) were confirmed cases. Among 143 infants, 14 (9.8%) had adverse outcomes during follow-up; three had a congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), and 11 other potential Zika-related outcomes. The overall incidence of CZS was 2.1% (95%CI: 0.4-6.0%), but among infants born to ZIKV-confirmed mothers, this increased to 15.8% (95%CI: 3.4-39.6%). CONCLUSIONS: A nearly 10% overall risk of neurologic and hearing adverse outcomes was found in ZIKV-exposed children born to a ZIKV-infected traveler PW. Longer-term follow-up of these children is needed to assess whether there are any later-onset manifestations

The challenge of the laboratory diagnosis in a confirmed congenital Zika virus syndrome in utero: A case report

Introduction: Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused one of the most challenging global infectious epidemics in recent years because of its causal association with severe microcephaly and other congenital malformations. The diagnosis of viral infections usually relies on the detection of virus proteins or genetic material in clinical samples as well as on the infected host immune responses. Serial serologic testing is required for the diagnosis of congenital infection when diagnostic molecular biology is not possible. Patient concerns: A 2-year-old girl, born to a mother with confirmed ZIKV infection during pregnancy, with a confirmed ZIKV infection in utero, showed at birth a severe microcephaly and clinical characteristics of fetal brain disruption sequence compatible with a congenital ZIKV syndrome (CZS). Diagnosis: ZIKV-RNA and ZIKV-IgM serological response performed at birth and during the follow-up time tested always negative. Serial serologic ZIKV-IgG tests were performed to assess the laboratory ZIKV diagnosis, ZIKV-IgG seroreversion was observed at 21 months of age. ZIKV diagnosis of this baby had to be relied on her clinical and radiological characteristics that were compatible with a CZS. Interventions: The patient was followed-up as per protocol at approximately 1, 4, 9, 12, 18–21, and 24 months of age. Neurological, radiological, audiological, and ophthalmological assessment were performed during this period of time. Prompt rehabilitation was initiated to prevent potential adverse long-term neurological outcomes. Outcomes: The growth of this girl showed a great restriction at 24 months of age with a weight of 8.5 kg (−2.5 z-score) and a head circumference of 40.5 cm (−4.8 z-score). She also had a great neurodevelopmental delay at the time of this report. Conclusion: We presume that as a consequence of prenatal ZIKV infection, the fetal brain and other organs are damaged before birth through direct injury. Following this, active infection ends during intrauterine life, and as a consequence the immune system of the infant is unable to build up a consistent immune response thereafter. Further understanding of the mechanisms taking part in the pathogenesis of ZIKV congenital infection is needed. This finding might change our paradigm regarding serological response in the ZIKV congenital infection