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Objective: To evaluate second trimester fetal nasal length measurement results in healthy singleton pregnancies in Turkey. Material and Methods: We analyzed the nasal bone lengths within 19-24 weeks in 661 pregnancies in our hospital. All pregnant women with a single healthy fetus who applied to our perinatology outpatient clinic for detailed obstetric ultrasonography were included in the study. All measurements were performed by the same clinician during routine mid-trimester ultrasound scan. Only the patients who were considered healthy by the examining pediatrician were included in the study. The parents of all fetuses are of Turkish ethnicity. Pearson correlation, regression analysis and P value were calculated between gestational week and nasal bone length. Results: Mean nasal length measurement was 6,21 ± 0,08; 6,66 ± 0,05; 6,88 ±0,05; 7,13 ± 0,08; 7,77 ± 0,11 and 8,33 ± 0,25 mm from 19 to 24 week of pregnancy, respectively. A significant positive correlation was observed between gestational week and nasal bone length. Normal values of nasal bone length measuremens are identified for each gestational weeks acoording to our data and previous 5 studies. Conclusion: In this study, we presented the data of our own center and the results obtained from other studies conducted in our country show significant differences. We are of the opinion that studies conducted by different researchers in different regions remain insufficient to reflect the nomogram of Turkish ethnic origin. For this purpose, multicenter studies are needed to cover the whole society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zonulin, a protein that regulates intestinal permeability, has attracted attention as a potential biomarker for GDM. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether there are differences in zonulin levels between the GDM group and control groups, especially between those receiving different treatments (diet and insulin). Based on this idea, we included 90 patients with a gestational age between 24 and 28 weeks in our study. While GDM was not detected in 33 of these patients, as a result of OGTT, 57 patients were diagnosed with GDM and these patients were followed throughout their pregnancy. Gestational diabetes was diagnosed by an OGTT performed between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation according to American Diabetes Association (ADA) standards. During follow-up, GDM patients were divided into two groups according to whether they required insulin treatment. Plasma zonulin levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. The GDM group had significantly higher plasma zonulin levels than the control group (p < 0.005). According to our research, zonulin may be a non-invasive biomarker involved in the etiology of GDM. Large-scale research on this topic is still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We compared maternal serum and fetal cord blood proBNP levels in healthy pregnancies to those with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Methods: Prospectively, maternal and cord blood samples at childbirth of 40 pregnant women with isolated IUGR and 40 healthy pregnant women were evaluated for ProBNP levels. Results: The mean serum ProBNP level was significantly higher in newborn cord blood with IUGR than in the control group (181.28 ± 145.37 vs. 91.41 ± 49.77 pg/mL, p = <0.01). Mean serum ProBNP level trended higher in women with IUGR compared to the controls, but was not statistically significant (124.21 ± 113.32 vs. 88.73 ± 85.18 pg/mL, p= >0.05). Conclusion: Third trimester mean proBNP in fetal cord blood are increased in IUGR fetuses at term birth compared to pregnancies with normal fetal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fetal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (FCMR) can be used as an imaging modality in fetal cardiovascular evaluation as studied in recent years. We aimed to evaluate cardiovascular morphology using FCMR and to observe the development of cardiovascular structures according to gestational age (GA) in pregnant women. In our prospective study, 120 pregnant women between 19 and 37 weeks of gestation in whom absence of cardiac anomaly could not be excluded by ultrasonography (US) or, who were referred to us for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for suspected non-cardiovascular system pathology, were included. According to the axis of the fetal heart, axial, coronal, and sagittal multiplanar steady-state free precession (SSFP) and 'real time' untriggered SSFP sequence, respectively, were obtained. The morphology of the cardiovascular structures and their relationships with each other were evaluated, and their sizes were measured. Seven cases (6.3%) contained motion artefacts that did not allow the assessment and measurement of cardiovascular morphology, and three (2.9%) cases with cardiac pathology in the analysed images were excluded from the study. The study included a total of 100 cases. Cardiac chamber diameter, heart diameter, heart length, heart area, thoracic diameter, and thoracic area were measured in all fetuses. The diameters of the aorta ascendens (Aa), aortic isthmus (Ai), aorta descendens (Ad), main pulmonary artery (MPA), ductus arteriosus (DA, superior vena cava (SVC), and inferior vena cava (IVC) were measured in all fetuses. The left pulmonary artery (LPA) was visualised in 89 patients (89%). The right PA (RPA) was visualised in 99 (99%) cases. Four pulmonary veins (PVs) were seen in 49 (49%) cases, three in 33 (33%), and two in 18 (18%). High correlation values were found for all diameter measurements performed with GW. In cases where US cannot achieve adequate image quality, FCMR can contribute to diagnosis. The very short acquisition time and parallel imaging technique with the SSFP sequence allow for adequate image quality without maternal or fetal sedation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]