Wine growing areas as a special form of settlement in the example of Novo mesto community

In our final thesis we have closely examinated the wine-growing areas of the municipality of Novo mesto. For this purpose we have studied intensively the fundamental European documents, the official state documents and the official documents of the comminity, which dictate the development of agriculture and countryside. Clear maps of the area and photos have also been added to the anlysis. We have not forgot also about the tradition and characteristics in the way of the land managment in this area. The activities of the inhabitants should be in harmony with nature and they should also be ecologically aware. With the present analysis we have tried to help to make the best decision for the develepment of this area. The findigs of the present thesis are intended for land managment of the entire discussed area

Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms in spontaneous preterm birth: a case-control study

Aim To evaluate the association between the FokI (rs2228570), ApaI (rs7975232), Bsml (rs1544410), TaqI (rs 731236), and Cdx2 (rs11568820) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB), as well as their effect on clinical characteristics of women with SPTB and their newborns. Methods This case-control study enrolled women who gave birth at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Center Ljubljana between 2010 to 2019. Cases were 118 women with spontaneous initiation of PTB after natural conception and 119 controls with a term singleton delivery after an uncomplicated pregnancy. The molecular analysis of VDR SNPs employed polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results Patients and controls did not significantly differ in the distribution of genotype or allele SNP frequencies. However, the FokI polymorphism had a significant effect on newborn birth weight in women with SPTB but not in controls (F=5.17, P=0.007, one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Scheffe test), with newborns of FokI TT carriers having the lowest birth weight (P=0.011). No other VDR SNP was associated with any other clinical characteristic of women with SPTB and their newborns. Conclusion The TT genotype of the VDR FokI polymorphism is associated with newborn birth weight in women of European origin with SPT

Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms in spontaneous preterm birth: a case-control study

Aim To evaluate the association between the FokI (rs2228570), ApaI (rs7975232), Bsml (rs1544410), TaqI (rs 731236), and Cdx2 (rs11568820) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB), as well as their effect on clinical characteristics of women with SPTB and their newborns. Methods This case-control study enrolled women who gave birth at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Center Ljubljana between 2010 to 2019. Cases were 118 women with spontaneous initiation of PTB after natural conception and 119 controls with a term singleton delivery after an uncomplicated pregnancy. The molecular analysis of VDR SNPs employed polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results Patients and controls did not significantly differ in the distribution of genotype or allele SNP frequencies. However, the FokI polymorphism had a significant effect on newborn birth weight in women with SPTB but not in controls (F=5.17, P=0.007, one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Scheffe test), with newborns of FokI TT carriers having the lowest birth weight (P=0.011). No other VDR SNP was associated with any other clinical characteristic of women with SPTB and their newborns. Conclusion The TT genotype of the VDR FokI polymorphism is associated with newborn birth weight in women of European origin with SPT

DNMT3B rs1569686 and rs2424913 gene polymorphisms are associated with positive family history of preterm birth and smoking status

Aim To evaluate the association between spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)1, 3A, 3B, and 3L gene polymorphisms, and their contribution to the clinical characteristics of women with SPTB and their newborns. Methods This case-control study, conducted in 2018, enrolled 162 women with SPTB and 162 women with term delivery. DNMT1 rs2228611, DNMT3A rs1550117, DNMT3B rs1569686, DNMT3B rs2424913, and DNMT3L rs2070565 single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism methods. The clinical characteristics included in the analysis were family history of preterm birth, maternal smoking, maternal age, gestational week at delivery, and fetal birth weight.Results DNMT gene polymorphisms were not significantly associated with SPTB. DNMT3B rs1569686 and rs2424913 minor alleles (T) were significantly more frequent in women with familial PTB than in women with non-familial PTB, increasing the odds for familial PTB 3.30 and 3.54 times under dominant genetic models. They were also significantly more frequent in women with SPTB who smoked before pregnancy, reaching the most significant association under additive genetic models (odds ratio 6.86, 95% confidence interval 2.25-20.86, P < 0.001; odds ratio 3.77, 95% confidence interval 1.36-10.52, P = 0.011, respectively). Conclusions DNMT3B rs1569686 and rs2424913 gene polymorphisms might be associated with positive family history of PTB and smoking status

Cross-Country Individual Participant Analysis of 4.1 Million Singleton Births in 5 Countries with Very High Human Development Index...

Background: Preterm birth is the most common single cause of perinatal and infant mortality, affecting 15 million infants worldwide each year with global rates increasing. Understanding of risk factors remains poor, and preventive interventions have only limited benefit. Large differences exist in preterm birth rates across high income countries. We hypothesized that understanding the basis for these wide variations could lead to interventions that reduce preterm birth incidence in countries with high rates. We thus sought to assess the contributions of known risk factors for both spontaneous and provider-initiated preterm birth in selected high income countries, estimating also the potential impact of successful interventions due to advances in research, policy and public health, or clinical practice. Methods: We analyzed individual patient-level data on 4.1 million singleton pregnancies from four countries with very high human development index (Czech Republic, New Zealand, Slovenia, Sweden) and one comparator U.S. state (California) to determine the specific contribution (adjusting for confounding effects) of 21 factors. Both individual and population-attributable preterm birth risks were determined, as were contributors to cross-country differences. We also assessed the ability to predict preterm birth given various sets of known risk factors. Findings: Previous preterm birth and preeclampsia were the strongest individual risk factors of preterm birth in all datasets, with odds ratios of 4.6–6.0 and 2.8–5.7, respectively, for individual women having those characteristics. In contrast, on a population basis, nulliparity and male sex were the two risk factors with the highest impact on preterm birth rates, accounting for 25–50% and 11–16% of excess population attributable risk, respectively (p < 0.001). The importance of nulliparity and male sex on population attributable risk was driven by high prevalence despite low odds ratios for individual women. More than 65% of the total aggregated risk of preterm birth within each country lacks a plausible biologic explanation, and 63% of difference between countries cannot be explained with known factors; thus, research is necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of preterm birth and, hence, therapeutic intervention. Surprisingly, variation in prevalence of known risk factors accounted for less than 35% of the difference in preterm birth rates between countries. Known risk factors had an area under the curve of less than 0.7 in ROC analysis of preterm birth prediction within countries. These data suggest that other influences, as yet unidentified, are involved in preterm birth. Further research into biological mechanisms is warranted. Conclusions: We have quantified the causes of variation in preterm birth rates among countries with very high human development index. The paucity of explicit and currently identified factors amenable to intervention illustrates the limited impact of changes possible through current clinical practice and policy interventions. Our research highlights the urgent need for research into underlying biological causes of preterm birth, which alone are likely to lead to innovative and efficacious interventions

Analysis of the internal structure of the Slovenian version of the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI)

A phrase maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) is used to describe a variety of emotions, behaviours, perceptions and cognitions of pregnant woman toward her unborn child. Several scales have been developed for measuring different aspects of MFA. The purpose of this study was to analyse the internal structure and reliability of the Slovenian version of Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI; Müller, 1993). PAI and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered to a sample of 619 pregnant women in their second trimester of pregnancy, recruited from Clinic of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Ljubljana. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a three-factor solution had better fit to the data than a one-factor solution. However, we decided to keep a more parsimonious one-factor solution as there was high overlap between factors in the three-factor solution. We also considered the theoretical background of the PAI and previous studies of its underlying structure. Results showed good reliability of the PAI. PAI is a psychometrically appropriate instrument for use in research setting

Osebnostne lastnosti parov z zmanjšano plodnostjo

Z raziskavo smo želeli ugotoviti, ali se pari z zmanjšano plodnostjo razlikujejo med seboj glede na uspešnost zdravljenja neplodnosti in od običajno plodnih parov v osebni anamnezi, osebnostni strukturi, stališčih do spolnosti, nosečnosti in poroda ter doživljanju neplodnosti. Primerjali smo dve skupini parov z zmanjšano plodnostjo. V 1. skupini so bili pari, ki z metodo homologne inseminacije (AIH) niso uspeli zanositi, v 2. skupini pa pari, ki so zanosili v prvih štirih ciklusih homologne inseminacije (AIH). Kontrolna skupina so pari, ki niso imeli težav z zanositvijo. Podatke smo zbirali z anamnestičnim vprašalnikom, vprašalnikom do stališč do spolnosti, nosečnosti in poroda (S-S-G) in osebnostnim vprašalnikom (MMPI-2). Rezultati nakazujejo, da je pri shizoidno strukturirani osebnosti neplodnih parov, ki prevladujejo v 1. skupini, večja možnost neuspešnega zdravljenja z metodo homologne inseminacije (AIH). Za te pare spolnost, nosečnost, porod in otrok pomenijo tako čustveno vznemirjenje, da ga povsem izrinejo iz zavesti v podzavest in na telesni nivo delovanja, kar prispeva k ohranjanju psihogene neplodnosti. V 2. skupini so pari bolj depresivno oziroma anankastično atrukturirani, zato imajo več možnosti, da po zdravljenju zanosijo. Osebnostnastruktura ima pomembno vlogo pri uspešnosti zdravljenja neplodnosti, ki je tudi psihosomatska težava in zato zahteva celosten pristop pri obravnavi.The aim of the study was to find whether with regard to the efficient outcome of treatment infertile couples differ among themselves and from fertile couples by: personal history, personality structure, attitudes towardssexuality, pregnancy amd labour and by experiencing infertility. We compare two groups of infertile couples: in the first group there were the couples in whom artificial insemination - husband (AIH) failed and in the second the couples who achieved pregnancy in the first four AIH cycles. The control group consisted of fertile couples. We collected the data obtained from the medical history record, the questionnaire on the attitudes towards sexuality, pregnancy and labour (SSG), and the questionnaire on personality characteristics (MMPI-2). The obtained results showed that in schizoid personalities, prevailing in the first group, the unsuccessful outcome of treatment with AIH was more likely. To those couples sexuality, pregnancy, labour, and the child itself represented such an emotional excitement that they suppressed it to subconsciousness and to the somatic level of activity which contributed to infertility. In the second group the couples were more depressive and /or anancastic thus having a higher degree of possibility to conceive. Personality structure plays an important role in successful treatment of infertility which is also a psychosomatic problem and demands a holistic approach

TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY FOR FETAL ANOMALIES – ANALYSIS OF CASES OVER A 4-YEAR PERIOD

Background: The consequence of prenatal detection of fetuses with congenital anomalies is induced ter- mination of pregnancy (TOP). The analysis of the indications for TOP and the agreements between prenatal and pathohistological findings is required to assess the quality of work and the appropriateness of diagnostic procedures. Methods: This retrospective analysis involved the indications for TOP performed for congenital fetal anomalies between January 2005 and March 2009. The TOP cases were divided into two groups: the early (up to 22 week, abortion) and the late (≥ 22 weeks 0/7, delivery) termina- tion group. With regard to the agreement between prenatal and pathohistological postmor- tem findings, 3 groups were created: complete agreement, agreement with additional data provided by pathohistological analysis, disagreement of findings. Results: Of the 220 cases of TOP for congenital anomalies, 180 (82 %) were abortion cases and 40 (18 %) were labour cases. In both groups, the most frequent causes for TOP were fetal structural abnormalities that were not due to chromosomal anomalies (102 (57 %) in the abortion group and 38 (95 %) in the delivery group). The percentage of chromosomal/monogenic anomalies was statistically significantly higher in the abortion (43 %) than in the labour group (only 5 %) (p < 0.001). Pathohistological examination was performed in 172 cases. In 126 (73 %) cases the agreement between prenatal ultrasound and pathohistological find- ings was complete and in 37 (22 %) pathohistological findings provided additional data on congenital anomalies that did not change the prenatally made diagnosis and would not affect the management of pregnancy. In none of the cases did pathohistological findings reject the prenatally made diagnosis. Conclusions: Fetal structural anomalies are frequent cause of TOP. Pathohistological examination of the fetus confirmed the prenatal diagnosis in all the cases, whereas in one fourth of the cases it provided additional information on congenital anomalies

The bond between a mother and her unborn child

The bond between a mother and a child starts to develop before birth, increases with the gestational age of the child and is related to the quality of postpartum mother–infant interaction. Even though the expression maternal-fetal or prenatal attachment is commonly used to describe the parent's emotions, behaviors and perceptions that are related to the fetus, its use seems to be unsuitable. Considering Bowlby's and Ainsworth's theory of attachment, the relationship between mother and her unborn child is guided by the caregiving system. The purpose of this article is to lay out the dilemmas about the terminology, to present different definitions, measurements and variables, related to the relationship between the mother and her fetus. This relationship is a predictor of various maternal and child outcomes postnatally, which is why the goals of future investigation should be directed towards greater clarity in conceptualization, definition and measurement of the concept, and in exploration of the risks and mediating factors