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Obesity is currently an important public health issue, registering a rapid increase in recent decades and affecting young people more and more frequently. The result is an increasing number of overweight or obese patients who reach reproductive age and become pregnant. Obesity is considered as an increased volume of adipose tissue which has well-known negative effects on multiple systems, but also on reproductive function. This piece of information led to the search for the existence of a connection between an increased Body Mass Index and the dysfunction of uterine contractility. Most cases of post-term pregnancy which usually require the induction of childbirth are observed in patients with increased Body Mass Index. The most important adipokines are represented by adiponectin, leptin, ghrelin, visfatin and apelin. Leptin has been demonstrated to act at smooth muscle fiber level in the vascular wall where it produces a decrease in calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, thus reducing the uterine contractile force. Leptin has an inhibitory effect on the frequency and amplitude of uterine contractions. Increased serum levels of leptin in obese women are involved in the inhibition of the apoptotic phenomenon involved in uterine involution. Visfatin exerts a more potent inhibitory effect compared to leptin upon uterine contractions. The inhibitory effect of ghrelin on uterine contractility involves a possible role in the regulation of myometrial activity. Apelin exerts a potent inhibitory effect on myometrial cells, causing a reduction in both the amplitude and the frequency of uterine contractions. Adipose tissue is currently regarded as a real endocrine organ, responsible for the production of bioactive polypeptides, adipocytokins. Adipokines exert modulating effects during pregnancy and there is evidence of their involvement in the pathophysiology of pregnancy-related complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preeclampsia (PE), a multisystem pregnancy-associated disease, has a major contribution to maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, affecting approximately 10 million women worldwide. PE is thought to occur as a consequence of several factors, including defective spiral artery remodeling, placental oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and systemic inflammation. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been associated with the pathogenesis of PE and could play an important role in the development of PE. MicroRNAs are intensely expressed in the placenta during a normal pregnancy. Thus, analyzing miRNAs in the sera of PE patients could enrich knowledge about the pathophysiological mechanisms of this disease. Recent articles highlight the relationship between the aberrant expressions of several miRNAs and negative pregnancy outcomes. A number of miRNAs, including miR-16, miR-29b, miR-34a, miR- 155, miR-210 and miR-675, have been shown to decrease the proliferation and migration of trophoblasts. At the same time, recent studies have shown that miR-210 and miR-155 are constantly aberrantly expressed in women with PE. Thus, by elucidating the functional role of these modified miRNAs, important pathways involved in PE could be identified and potential predictive/diagnostic biomarkers could be brought to light, which could be used in PE. Moreover, enriching our knowledge about the role of miRNAs in pregnancy-associated diseases is necessary in order to develop therapeutic strategies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vitelline duct is the structure that can be visualized early inside the gestational sac, allowing the ultrasound diagnosis of intrauterine pregnancy. Embryological aspects. The vitelline duct begins to form at approximately 14 days post-conception. In the fourth week of embryological development, the vitelline duct wall consists of three thin cell layers: the outer layer (the ectoderm); the inner layer, lined by the endodermal epithelium; the mesodermal layer, consisting of island blood formations where hematopoietic stem cells can be identified. Aspects of 2D ultrasound. The ultrasound aspect of the vitelline duct initially appears as two parallel lines. Subsequently, from 5.5 weeks it appears as a round, transonic structure, with a diameter of 3-5 mm. Certain ultrasound parameters of the vitelline duct can be described, which can be used to evaluate the evolutionary prognosis of the pregnancy: early visualization, dimensions, number, form, persistence of visualization in the second trimester, calcification. Aspects of 3D ultrasound. Performing the volumetry of the vitelline duct allows a more accurate estimation of the relationship between the vitelline duct and the volume of the gestational sac, as well as the correlation between the volume of the vitelline duct and the cranial- caudal length of the embryo. The VOCAL method allows a detailed evaluation of the external surface of the vitelline duct. Aspects of Doppler ultrasound. The vascularization of the vitelline duct is related to the intervillous circulation and plays an essential role in the early maternal-embryonic exchange. Under normal conditions, the velocimetry profile of the vitelline duct is characterized by: low velocity, absence of diastolic flow, the average IP value of 3.24. In a pregnancy with reserved evolutionary potential, the vascular flow is characterized by: irregular vascular flow, permanent diastolic flow, signs of venous blood flow. The combination of 2D, 3D and Doppler ultrasound allows the identification of important moments in the development of pregnancy, allowing at the same time the thoroughgoing study of physiological and physiopathological mechanisms, characteristic of the first trimester pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The incidence of embryonic demise is 25%. Complications of the first trimester pregnancy are a current health problem. The etiology of the embryonic demise is multifactorial, with chromosomal abnormalities being the most common (40%). In prenatal monitoring, it is desirable to increase the effectiveness of screening methods and improve diagnostic methods for first-trimester pregnancies whose outcome can be reserved. Materials and method. The paper is a prospective case-control analysis that took place at the "Dominic Stanca" Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Cluj-Napoca between 2015 and 2017, and comprised two groups of patients: 81 patients with first-trimester pregnany in evolution and 89 of patients with a potentially reserved outcome pregnancy, both groups having amenorrhea between 6 and 11 weeks. Endovaginal ultrasounds were performed to assess the distance between the yolk sac and the embryo (DYSE), and venous blood was harvested for serum dosing of the soluble vasculo-endothelial growth factor (sFlt-1). Results. Significant statistical differences were observed between the serum level of the serological follow-up observed in the two groups, respectively a significantly lower serum level in the reserved outcome pregnancies compared to the favorable ones (p<0.001). Conclusions. The identification of low serum levels of sFlt-1 followed in this study can be considered as a screening prediction test of potentially reserved outcome pregnancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]