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Objectives: Fetuses with congenital heart disease (CHD) show evidence of abnormal brain development before birth, which is thought to contribute to adverse neurodevelopment during childhood. Our aim was to evaluate whether brain development in late pregnancy can be predicted by fetal brain Doppler, head biometry and the clinical form of CHD at the time of diagnosis.Methods: This was a prospective cohort study including 58 fetuses with CHD, diagnosed at 20-24 weeks' gestation, and 58 normal control fetuses. At the time of diagnosis, we recorded fetal head circumference (HC), biparietal diameter, middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA-PI), cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and brain perfusion by fractional moving blood volume. We classified cases into one of two clinical types defined by the expected levels (high or low) of placental (well-oxygenated) blood perfusion, according to the anatomical defect. All fetuses underwent subsequent 3T-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 36-38 weeks' gestation.Results: Abnormal prenatal brain development was defined by a composite score including any of the following findings on MRI: total brain volume <  10(th) centile, parietoccipital or cingulate fissure depth <  10(th) centile or abnormal metabolic profile in the frontal lobe. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that MCA-PI (odds ratio (OR), 12.7; P = 0.01), CPR (OR, 8.7; P = 0.02) and HC (OR, 6.2; P = 0.02) were independent predictors of abnormal neurodevelopment; however, the clinical type of CHD was not.Conclusions: Fetal brain Doppler and head biometry at the time of CHD diagnosis are independent predictors of abnormal brain development at birth, and could be used in future algorithms to improve counseling and targeted interventions. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five protein oxidation biomarkers, including orto-tyrosine (o-tyr), metatyrosine (m-tyr), 3NO2-tyrosine (3NO2-tyr), 3I-tyrosine (3I-tyr), were analysed to obtain preliminary data on the OS status of the fetuses, focusing on the correlation between the biomarkers and the gestational age. Oxidative stress (OS) is associated with poor perinatal outcomes but little is known regarding the levels of OS biomarkers in the fetus along the pregnancy. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives To construct gestational age (GA)- and estimated fetal weight (EFW)-adjusted reference ranges for tissue Doppler cardiac function parameters from 24 to 41 weeks' gestation. Methods This was a prospective cross-sectional observational study involving 213 singleton pregnancies between 24 and 41 weeks' gestation. Myocardial peak velocities and myocardial performance index (MPI′) were measured by tissue Doppler ultrasonography (values indicated by 'prime') in the left and right annulus and interventricular septum. Left and right atrioventricular parameters were also measured by conventional Doppler and ratios between the values found by the two methods calculated. Regression analysis was used to determine GA- and EFW-adjusted reference ranges and to construct nomograms for tissue Doppler parameters. Results All myocardial peak velocities, left and right E′/A′ and left MPI′ showed a progressive increase with GA. In contrast, left and right E/E′ showed a progressive decline. Septal E′/A′, and right and septal MPI′ remained constant. Myocardial peak velocities showed a progressive increase with increasing fetal weight. Conclusions Normal data of fetal myocardial peak velocities, their ratios and MPI′ by tissue Doppler adjusted by GA and EFW are provided. The reported reference values may be useful in research or clinical studies and can be used in fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which assesses the contribution of ductus venosus (DV) blood flow at 11-14 weeks of pregnancy to the prediction of congenital heart defects (CHD) in normal fetuses. The study uses the fetal echocardiography to determine the normality of the fetuses and the postnatal examination to measure of perinatal death's termination. Moreover, the study concludes that blood flow assessment can detect CHD through the use of translucency thickness (NT) measurement.

Objectives: To evaluate the serum levels of inhibin A in pregnant women with different types of hypertension.Methods: A case-control study, including 60 cases (20 women with preeclampsia, 20 with mild gestational hypertension, and 20 with chronic hypertension), and 60 gestational-age- and parity-matched controls. Inhibin A was measured in duplicate by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum samples frozen at -80 degrees C.Results: As compared to controls, inhibin A levels were significantly elevated in women with preeclampsia ¿2.32 standard deviation (SD) 1.4¿ versus 0.50 (0.29) ng/mL, p < 0.001) and gestational hypertension [1.09 (0.73) versus 0.55 (0.29) ng/mL, p < 0.05], but not in the group of chronic hypertension [0.88 (0.69) versus 0.54 (0.39) ng/mL, p = 0.08]. Overlap in inhibin A values between cases and controls was observed in 20% (4/20) of women with preeclampsia and 55% (11/20) with gestational hypertension.Conclusions: Increased serum inhibin A may indicate that a proportion of mild nonproteinuric hypertension cases are associated with placental involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fetal cardiac morphometry and function were evaluated in the third trimester, once COVID-19 symptoms ceased and at least 4 weeks after maternal infection. Results Echocardiography was performed in 269 fetuses including 70 asymptomatic patients (26.0%), 168 mild (62.5%) and 31 moderate/severe COVID-19 disease (one critical) (11.5%). To assess fetal cardiac structure and function in pregnancies with maternal COVID-19 infection, according to disease severity and gestational age at infection. [Extracted from the article]

Biparietal diameter (BPD), occipitofrontal diameter (OFD) and left Sylvian fissure depth (LSFD) were significantly different when corrected for GA and fetal sex (p respectively < 0.013, < 0.013 and 0.026). Insular depth, parieto-occipital fissure, cingulate fissure and calcarine fissure were not significantly different on either side of the brain. In the visual grading of the fetal brain, the left temporal area (0.0026), the bilateral Sylvian fissure (both < 0.003), the bilateral superior temporal fissure (both < 0.003), bilateral mesial area (both < 0.003) and left cingulate sulcus (0.01) were significantly different between LCDH and normal fetuses. [Extracted from the article]

We aimed to establish normal values for left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) S/D ratios in normal fetuses and to investigate its relation to heart rate (HR), gestational age (GA) and estimated fetal weight (EFW). LV and RV S/D ratios were significantly correlated to HR but not GA or EFW. We provide fetal reference ranges of LV and RV S/D ratios for HR. [Extracted from the article]

An abstract of the conference paper "Reference ranges for fetal myocardial velocities and performance indexa using tissue Doppler at 24-41 weeks of gestation," by F. Crispi and colleagues, is presented.