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Objective: To investigate the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms and assessed the median nerve cross-sectional area measurement by ultrasound in pregnant women in the second and third trimester with hypertensive disorders. Methods: This study presented four groups that were included in the cross-sectional study: one group of healthy pregnant women (control group) and three groups of pregnant women with hypertensive disorders (gestational hypertension, chronic hypertension, and preeclampsia). Results: Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms such as hand numbness and hand pain were significantly higher in the hypertensive group than in the control group (p=.013, p= .002, respectively). We found that the right and left median nerves’ cross-sectional area was significantly higher in the hypertensive group than in the control group (p<.001). Also, participants had a positive low correlation and statistically significant difference between body mass index, gestational weight gain, and median nerve cross-sectional area (r= .347, p<.001; r=.414, p<.001). We showed excellent reliability for intraclass correlation coefficients of right and left median nerve cross-sectional area measurements (Intra observer Intraclass correlation coefficients= 0.926 and 0.955, respectively). Conclusion: Obstetricians should be aware of the increased prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in pregnant women with hypertensive disorders and increased carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms in the second and third trimesters. Because of its convenience and low cost, ultrasonography may be preferred for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms in pregnant women. In addition, pregnant women should be referred for early diagnosis and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introductıon: : We aimed to investigate whether the median nerve cross-sectional area (MNCSA) is affected in obstetricians due to occupational reasons Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 93 participants were included. The median nerve cross-sectional area was measured by high-resolution ultrasonography, and clinical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome were questioned. Results: The measurements of MNCSA for the right hand were higher in ≥ 8 years of working experience than in < 8 years of working experience (11mm2 vs. 8 mm2, p<0.001). A significant positive moderate correlation was also between right MNCSA and working experience and daily ultrasonography practice (r=0.557; p<0.001, r=0.561; p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: This study showed that increased MNCSA was associated with obstetricians' working experience and daily ultrasonography practice. Considering the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in specific occupational groups, MNCSA measurement by ultrasound may contribute to early diagnosis and convenient selection for further diagnostic tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to determine the utility of delta neutrophil index (DNI) in predicting superimposed preeclampsia (SPE) in chronic hypertensive pregnant women. The study included pregnant women diagnosed with chronic hypertension. SPE group was defined as developing acute or worsening hypertension, new-onset proteinuria, and/or significant new end-organ dysfunction after 20 weeks of gestation in a pregnant woman with chronic hypertension. Demographic variables such as maternal age, gravidity, parity, previous history of abortus, gestational age at SPE, birth week, birth weight, and Apgar scores were obtained from medical records. First-trimester laboratory parameters, including maternal aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), platelets, and delta neutrophil index (DNI), 24-hour urine proteinuria level were assessed. A total of 203 pregnant women with chronic hypertension were included in the study. Eighty-three of them were complicated by SPE. There were statistically significant differences in 24-hour proteinuria levels, the gestational week at birth, birth weight, and Apgar score at 1 minute and 5 minutes in the groups with and without SPE. In addition, the median DNI values were higher in the SPE group (p= <.001). The optimal cut -off value of DNI was 0.15 (76.1% sensitivity, 96.7% specificity, p= <.001). While DNI showed a weak positive correlation with the week patients were diagnosed with SPE (r = .223, p= .043), no significant correlation was found with the level of proteinuria (r =-.113, p= .318). DNI can be used in predicting SPE in addition to other parameters when used in the first trimester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the fetal cardiac functions in preeclampsia and control group, and determine whether the severity or amount of proteinuria affects fetal cardiac functions. Methods: This prospective case–control study involves 48 pregnant women with preeclampsia and 48 healthy women. Pulsed wave Doppler, M‐mode, and tissue Doppler imaging were used to measure the cardiac function between the 32 and 34 gestational weeks in each group. All Doppler indices and cardiac function parameters were also compared in subgroups with mild and severe preeclampsia and between subgroups with proteinuria >3 g/24 hours and <3 g/24 hours. Results: Decreased diastolic function (decreased E, A, E′, and A′ values in mitral/tricuspid valves and increased isovolumetric relaxation time) and decreased systolic functions (decreased mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and S′ value in mitral/tricuspid valves) were detected in the preeclampsia group. Decreased tricuspid E value in severe preeclampsia compared with mild preeclampsia was shown in the present study. Conclusion: Preeclampsia may cause changes in systolic and diastolic functions in the fetal heart. Subclinical functional changes of these fetuses can be detected earlier and more sensitively with the help of tissue Doppler imaging. Biventricular diastolic functional changes are more prominent in preeclamptic cases with proteinuria >3 g/24 hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We aimed to investigate the effect of systemic inflammation indices in predicting pregnancy outcomes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Materials and Methods: Pregnant women with Crohn's disease (CD) and Ulcerative colitis (UC) were identified from hospital medical records. Demographic features, disease type, duration and activity, and obstetric outcomes such as gestational age, mode of delivery, birth weight, Apgar scores at the first and fifth minutes after birth, and neonatal intensive care unit admission were assessed. Laboratory tests were conducted in the first trimester, including complete blood count and liver function. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), systemic inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIR-I), and aspartate transaminase/platelet ratio (APRI) were measured. Results: The study involved 48 pregnant women, 26 diagnosed with UC and 22 with CD. At least one attack occurred in 31.3% of all patients during pregnancy. For predicting attacks during pregnancy, the optimal cutoff values of dNLR, NLR, SII, SIR-I, and APRI were 2.12 (86.7% sensitivity, 82.8% specificity), 2.89 (86.7% sensitivity, 81.8% specificity), 850.7 109/L (66.7% sensitivity, 63.6% specificity), 1.06 109/L (66.7% sensitivity, 72.7% specificity), 0.051 (80% sensitivity, 75.8% specificity), respectively. A cut-off value of 0.07 for APRI (71.4% sensitivity and 73.2% specificity) was calculated to predict low birth weight. Conclusion: NLR, dNLR, SII, SIR-I, and APRI might help predict attacks in pregnant women with IBD. In addition, APRI may be utilized to predict low birth weight in pregnant women with IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Autoinflammation and increase in free oxygen radicals due to maternal familial mediterranean fever (FMF) may affect fetal lung maturation and cause changes in fetal pulmonary artery Doppler parameters. We aimed to investigate the fetal pulmonary artery acceleration time/ejection time (PATET) ratio in the pregnancies complicated with familial mediterranean fever (FMF). Methods: This cross-sectional study included 32 pregnant women with FMF, and 64 gestational ages matched healthy pregnant women, between the 29-30 gestational weeks. Maternal characteristics and fetal ultrasonographic information were recorded. Fetal pulmonary artery acceleration time (AT) and ejection time (ET) were measured manually and PATET ratio were calculated in the study groups. The duration of the disease and the AT and PATET measurements were analyzed with the Pearson correlation test. Results: The study groups were similar in terms of maternal characteristics, gravidity, parity and gestational week at the time of examination. AT and ET values were found to be significantly shorter and PATET (AT/ET) was found to be significantly lower in pregnant women complicated with FMF. A moderately significant negative correlation was found between the time elapsed since FMF diagnosis and fetal pulmonary artery acceleration time. (r=-.566, p=.001) and PATET (r=-.533, p=.002) Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the fetal pulmonary artery Doppler indices in the pregnancies with FMF. In the presented study, it was shown that FMF significantly shortened the fetal pulmonary acceleration and ejection time and significantly reduced the PATET ratio. In addition, as the time elapsed from the diagnosis of the disease increased, it was shown that the shortening in AT and the decrease in PATET were higher, with a significant moderate negative correlation between the duration of the disease and these values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare maternal serum midkine (MK) level in pregnant women with idiopathic fetal growth restriction (FGR) and healthy. In addition, we assessed the value of maternal serum MK level in predicting neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. A total of 144 pregnant women were included, 72 with idiopathic FGR and 72 healthy in this study. The control group was matched for the mother's age, parity, gestational age, and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) with the idiopathic FGR group at the time of recruitment into the study and sample collection. Serum MK level is higher in the idiopathic FGR than the control group (0.24 ng/mL (0.19–0.32) vs. 0.18 ng/mL (0.14–0.23), p<0.001). In addition, we compared the maternal serum MK level of those with and without NICU admission in the FGR group (0.25 ng/mL (0.19–0.37) vs. 0.21 ng/mL (0.18–0.28), p=0.014). We performed ROC curve analysis to serum MK level predicting NICU admission in the FGR group (AUC: 0.668, %95 CI [0.550, 0.785], p=0.014). A sensitivity of 63% and a specificity of 62% for the serum MK level were achieved with a cut-off value of 0.22 for NICU admission. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to compare maternal serum MK level in pregnant women with idiopathic FGR and healthy. We showed that maternal serum MK level was significantly elevated in pregnant women with FGR than healthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]