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Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of maternal and umbilical cord interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) serum levels with the existence and severity of preeclampsia. A particular objective was the comparison of normal umbilical serum levels to preeclamptic values.Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 24 patients with third trimester singleton pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (15 severe and 9 mild preeclampsia). The gestational age-matched 19 healthy pregnant women were compared by study group. Maternal and umbilical serum IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha were calculated by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: Significantly increased maternal and umbilical serum levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha were found in preeclamptic patient group in comparison with the control group. Maternal serum IL-8 and TNF-alpha concentration were significantly higher in patients with severe preeclampsia than in mild preeclampsia. Increased umbilical serum levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were found in severe preeclampsia than in mild preeclampsia. There were significantly higher levels of maternal serum IL-8 and TNF-alpha in patients with preeclampsia with IUGR than in patients with preeclampsia with normal fetal growth.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that increased concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha in the maternal and umbilical serum play a significant role in pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Alterations in maternal and umbilical serum levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha may also play role in preeclampsia complicated by intrauterine growth retardation. These associations may offer insight into the etiology and pathogenesis of preeclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effects of single and double courses of antenatal corticosteroid administration on neonatal mortality and morbidity. Material and Methods: 232 preterm babies delivered between 01.April 2007 and 31. March 2008 with gestational ages of 26- 34 weeks were evaluated prospectively. Infants were divided into three groups. The first group did not receive any antenatal betamethasone therapy. The second group received single (two doses of 12 mg betamethasone administered at 24 hour intervals) and the third group received double (repeated course after one week) courses of betamethasone therapy. Results: 156 (67.2%) infants received at least one dose of corticosteroid treatment where 76 (37.8%) did not. Of 156 infants who had received antenatal betamethasone, 36 (23.1%) developed respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), while the incidence of RDS was 35.5% in 76 preterms who didn't receive antenatal betamethasone (27/76) (p<0.05). When single and double courses of bethamethasone administration was compared, 20 (24.7%) infants with single course and 16 (21.3%) infants with two course group developed RDS (p>0.05). Conclusion: When single and two courses of antenatal steroid therapy were compared, there was no statistically significant difference between groups regarding the incidence of RDS and mechanical ventilator treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The object of this study was to compare the effects of oral conjugated estrogen (CEE) alone, CEE plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and tibolone on lipid profiles, and investigate whether these effects change in time. Plasma lipid levels were studied for CEE (n = 49), CEE + MPA (n = 50) and tibolone (n = 51). Mean per cent changes at certain intervals were compared with their previous intervals for each therapy. Paired t-test was used for statistical analysis. CEE alone had raised high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglyceride levels and lowered total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels at the end of the 2-year study period. Addition of MPA to the CEE regimen weakened the effect on HDL and triglyceride, augmented the decrease in total cholesterol and did not affect LIDL. The tibolone group revealed similar but more prominent effects in total cholesterol and LDL levels. HDL and triglyceride levels were significantly below baseline in the first 6 months, but HDL changes vanished and triglyceride levels remained decreased at the end of 2 years. These data did not support a correlation between lipid levels and the biphasic incidence of cardiac events that were observed in the Heart and Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study (HERS), but revealed period-dependent changes in the tibolone group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine long-term outcome of infants with isolated or multiple soft markers but no structural or chromosomal abnormalities., Methods: A retrospective study of 78 pregnant women who were referred for amniocentesis and found to have soft markers including echogenic intracardiac focus/foci (EIF), echogenic bowel (EB), unilateral or bilateral choroid plexus cysts, (UCPCs or BCPCs) mild pyelectasis and single umbilical artery but no structural anomalies and outcomes of the liveborns with a 4- to 9-year follow-up was conducted., Results: Among 28 fetuses with EIF, allergic asthma and epilepsy were diagnosed in two liveborns. We followed up nine pregnancies with EB, epilepsy was present in one case. Allergic asthma was detected in both UCPCs and BCPCs, whereas epilepsy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were diagnosed in two liveborns with BCPCs. Twelve liveborns with multiple soft markers were evaluated; no pathology was detected in most of them except one case of allergic asthma, one case of hearing impairment and one case of ADHD., Conclusions: This study shows longer-term favorable outcomes of the liveborns with isolated or multiple soft markers without any aneuploidy and may provide insight into this debated point., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.The study was approved by Ondokuz Mayis University Ethics Committee, and the patient records/information was anonymized and de-identified prior to analysis.Informed consent was obtained from each individual participant.

Objective: The aim of this study evaluate the value of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PGF) serum levels in prediction of preeclampsia, severity and onset time of the disease., Methods: Twenty five placentas of pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia (15 severe preeclampsia, 10 mild preeclampsia) and peripheral venous blood samples were collected. The placental and serum levels of VEGF and PGF were measured., Results: VEGF level was significantly higher in cases and the optimal cut-off point was calculated as 600.5 to differentiate the cases and the controls, with 64% sensitivity and 100% specificity. There was a significant increase in median serum level of VEGF in severe cases compared to the mild cases and the controls. The optimal cut-off point for VEGF was calculated as 673.5 to differentiate mild and severe cases, with 93.3% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Whereas, PGF was significantly lower in severe cases than that in the mild cases and controls. The optimal cut-off point for PGF was calculated as 16.1 to differentiate mild and severe cases, with 66.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity., Conclusion: VEGF and PGF may be significant markers in prediction of severity of preeclampsia, and VEGF may also be valuable in prediction of preeclampsia.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between preoperative leukocyte and platelet counts and the stage of the disease in patients with endometrial cancer., Materials and Methods: Data for 100 patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingoophorectomy for benign uterine diseases and 177 patients surgically staged for endometrial cancer at Ondokuz Mayis University, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics between 2005 and 2013, with preoperative complete blood count in the week prior to surgery including WBC, platelet count, pathologic evaluation for both benign and malign endometrium lesions, tumor stage and presence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVI), were retrospectively analyzed., Results: The preoperative leukocyte count was significantly higher in patients with endometrial cancer when compared to the patients with benign diseases. However, there were no significant differences in platelet counts between the groups. Patients with advanced stage endometrial cancer had higher preoperative leukocyte counts when compared to the early stage disease whereas there was no difference in platelet count. Multivariate regression analysis identified preoperative leukocytosis as an independent prognostic factor for endometrial cancer. The optimal cut-off point for WBC was calculated as 10,500 to differentiate stage 1-2-3 and 4 with 88.9% sensitivity and 86.3% specificity (AUC: 0.901, 95% CI: 0.829-0.973, p<0.001, PPV: 25.8%, NPV: 99.3%)., Conclusions: Preoperative leukocytosis is independently associated with advanced endometrial cancer.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and preeclampsia., Methods: Demographic data and laboratory tests for NLR of 203 pregnant women (73 normotensive pregnants, 23 pregnants with mild preeclampsia and 107 pregnants with severe preeclampsia) were retrospectively analyzed. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios were compared between the study groups., Results: Preeclamptic pregnant women had smaller gestation weeks, lower hemoglobin level and fetal birth weight than that of normal pregnant women. NLR in preeclamptic group was significantly higher than that of normal group (p=0.023) and area under ROC curve was found statistically significant (p=0.023). However, there was no statistically significant relationship between NLR and severity, proteinuria level, subjective symptoms and onset time of the disease., Conclusion: The findings showed that the measurement of NLR periodically may be useful to predict high-risk pregnancies in terms of preeclampsia, but further studies are needed to determine its contribution.

Objective: To evaluate the results and the necessity of chromosome analysis in fetuses prenatally detected with a neural tube defect and to determine the significance of ultrasonographic evaluation for the identification of underlying or accompanying chromosomal anomalies., Methods: Ninety fetuses that underwent prenatal and/or postnatal chromosome analysis after being diagnosed with open neural tube defects (NTD) between the years 2006 and 2010 in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine were included in this study. Detailed fetal ultrasonography was performed in all cases in order to investigate any additional anomalies. Karyotype was determined in the prenatal period by amniocentesis in 72 (80%) of the 90 fetuses, and by cordocentesis in 5 (5.5%). In 13 (13.3%) fetuses, karyotype was determined in the postnatal period by blood sampling., Results: Fourteen (15.5%) of the 90 fetuses were diagnosed with acrania/anencephaly, 14 (15.5%) with encephalocele, 2 (2.2%) with iniencephaly, 60 (66.6%) with open spina bifida. None of the 90 fetuses with open NTD who had undergone chromosome analysis was diagnosed with chromosomal anomalies. None of the 19 (21.1%) fetuses diagnosed with additional ultrasound findings had a chromosomal abnormality, either. Seventy-one (78.9%) fetuses having sonograhically isolated NTD were also isolated in postmortem examination., Conclusion: In fetuses with open NTD, we could not find the chromosomal anomaly rate as high as reported in previous literature. The necessity of fetal karyotyping should be questioned especially in isolated cases.

Bladder exstrophy (BE) is a rare congenital anomaly. Owing to the advanced reconstructive surgical techniques and effective antibiotics, the incidence of urinary and systemic complications in patients with BE has decreased and the life expectancy has increased. However, this brings along social, sexual, and psychological problems; particularly, successful pregnancy and delivery is extremely rare in females with BE. We present a pregnancy of an 18-year-old female with BE, who has been followed at our university hospital since birth., (Copyright © 2012 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Urethral coitus is a very rare sexual disorder seen in women either with intact or anomalous vagina such as vaginal agenesis or imperforate hymen. Only about 25 cases have been reported in the literature. We report a case of urethral coitus in a patient with surgically corrected ambiguous genitalia due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The patient had megalourethra and stenotic vaginal introitus. Megalourethra was corrected by plication technique. Correction of megalourethra with this technique has not been reported in literature up to now. To the best of our knowledge, the present case is the 26th of total cases with urethral coitus reported so far and the first case of urethral coitus associated with a stenotic vaginal introitus developing due to surgically corrected ambiguous genitalia.

Fraser syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by cryptophthalmus, variable expression of cutaneous syndactyly of fingers and toes, genital ambiguity and renal agenesis/dysgenesis. We present here molecular and clinical findings of four fetuses with FS from two families. Molecular genetic studies in the two families revealed mutations in FRAS1 gene allowing better genetic counselling and subsequent prenatal diagnosis in one of the two families. In family one, a nonsense mutation (c.3730C>T, p.R1244X) previously described in a Polish patient was found. In family two a novel nonsense mutation previously not known was detected (c.370C>T, p.R124X). PGD is planned for family 1.

Summary: Polyps are the most common benign lesions in the endometrium. Metastasis to the endometrial polyp from a distant primary tumor is rare. Breast carcinoma is the most frequent extragenital cancer that metastasizes to the endometrial polyp. We report the case of a 63-year-old with metastatic gall bladder adenocarcinoma involving endometrial polyps detected by endometrial curetting. It was the first sign of her metastatic disease. After this diagnosis, bone metastases were detected during radiologic screening. Gastrointestinal tumor metastasis to an endometrial polyp is a very rare event, but if a patient with a known primary extragenital tumor has abnormal vaginal bleeding, the possibility of metastasis should be included in the differential diagnosis.

Aim: This prospective, single-blind and controlled clinical study aimed to research if CA-125 levels could be a useful test in the differential diagnosis of intact and ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy., Methods: Sixty-five women with tubal ectopic pregnancy of 5-10 weeks' duration (27 women with ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy [REP] and 38 women with unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy [UREP]) and 65 women with normal intrauterine pregnancy (NIUP) of the same gestational age were studied prospectively. Serum CA-125 levels were measured in all women and these levels were compared among the REP, UREP, and NIUP groups., Results: The mean CA-125 levels didn't show any significant difference between the REP and NIUP groups (P > 0.05). The mean CA-125 levels of these two groups were higher than that in the UREP group (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, respectively). The dispersion ratios of the CA-125 levels had a statistically significant difference between the REP and UREP groups (chi(2): 42.44, P < 0.0001). CA-125 levels weren't correlated with gestational weeks in the REP and UREP groups (r: 0.005, P > 0.05; r: 0.008, P > 0.05, respectively)., Conclusion: In intact tubal ectopic pregnancies, expectant or managed with medical treatment, the increase of CA-125 levels in the serial measurements could be a supplementary test for an early diagnosis of tubal rupture.

Objective: To analyze the cause of changing maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) in a tertiary women's health center in Turkey in the last eight years., Materials and Methods: Charts of patients seen between 1998 and 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test. The results were accepted to be significant when the p value was <0.05., Results: During this period, 27 pregnancy-related deaths were identified via hospital death records. The MMR was found to have decreased in rate by approximately 50% from 822.2/100,000 live births in the previous report including the years 1978-1997 to 412.0/100,000 during the last eight years (p < 0.01). Pregnancy-induced hypertension was still the most frequent cause of maternal death. The decrease in MMR was due to the decrease in the ratio of maternal infection (26.4% in 1978-1997 to 7.4% in 1998-2005, p < 0.01)., Conclusion: Although treatment in the antenatal care and health service has decreased maternal deaths, it was discovered that the MMR has not reached the optimum levels found in developed countries in the last eight years. Also the percentage of direct obstetric deaths (with the exception of those caused by infection) showed no change and was similar to that found in the previous report (1978-1997).

In the present study we aimed to investigate whether basal inhibin A and B levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) would be used in diagnosis of the condition. Forty women with PCOS and 40 women with normal cycles (control group) were evaluated. There was no statistically significant difference in mean age and mean body mass index between the two groups (p > 0.05). Serum levels of inhibin A and B, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone and total testosterone, and total ovarian volume, were determined in the PCOS group and the control group on day 3. In the PCOS group, total follicle number was obtained by counting follicles of diameter > or =2 mm in both ovaries. Results were evaluated using Student's t test, Pearson correlation and regression tests. There was no significant difference in mean basal inhibin A or inhibin B levels between the two groups. Basal inhibin B levels showed a statistically significant negative correlation with basal FSH levels and a positive correlation with total follicle number in the PCOS group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). We conclude that basal inhibin A or B levels cannot be used in the diagnosis of PCOS.

It is now clear that estrogen intervention reduces bone loss in postmenopausal osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the route of estrogen administration or addition of progesterone changes this positive effect. Transdermal estrogen (T-E), oral estrogen (E), and oral estrogen plus progestogen (E-P) were administered to 15, 18, and 17 postmenopausal women, respectively, who all had normal bone mineral density (BMD) before hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Calcium (500 mg/day) was routinely added to all HRT regimens. The BMD of the lumbar spine (L2-L4) was measured initially and at the end of the first and second years of treatment. The paired-sample t test, independent-sample t test, and Pearson correlation analysis were used for the statistical evaluation. The initial BMD measurements and the values at the end of the first and second years of the therapy were not significantly different either within or among the groups (P > 0.05). These results indicate a similar therapeutic value of each HRT regimen in the prevention of bone loss in postmenopausal women.

The effects of smoking on maternal and cord plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels were measured in 40 smoker mothers and their newborns and compared to nonsmokers. Significantly higher levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol were found in smoker mothers and their newborns in comparison to nonsmokers. These results suggest that smoking does not affect only the lipids and lipoproteins of pregnant women but also those of their fetuses.