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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an abnormal remodeling of the pulmonary vascular wall due to various causes, resulting in severe cardiovascular disease characterized by increased pulmonary vascular resistance and pressure. The mortality and morbidity of pregnant women with PAH are extremely high. This article reports a woman with severe PAH associated with connective tissue disease who developed cardiac arrest, PAH crisis, and right heart failure during her two consecutive pregnancies without regular prenatal examination. After multidisciplinary consultation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, effective cardiopulmonary support was timely, and the patient was finally discharged from the hospital in stable condition. After ten months of follow-up, the mother and child both had good outcomes. Although the mother and her child were survived, severe PAH is a contraindication for pregnancy due to its severely harmful effect on endangering maternal and fetal health.
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Objective:To investigate the diagnosis and management of partial or complete hydatidiform mole with coexistent intrauterine pregnancy.Methods:Clinical data of 10 cases of hydatidiform mole with coexistent intrauterine pregnancy admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, from September 2009 to May 2019 were retrospectively described.Results:(1) During the same period, 65 960 women were delivered at our hospital, and hydatidiform mole with coexistent intrauterine pregnancy was accounted for 1/6 596, among which complete hydatidiform mole and coexisting fetus (CHMCF) and partial hydatidiform mole and coexistent fetus (PHMCF) were found in four and six cases, respectively. The mean age of the ten patients were (30.9±4.1) years old, ranging from 26 to 35 years old, with 2.5 (1-4) times of pregnancies. Nine cases were identified at 22 +3 (12 +3-32 +3) gestational weeks and one at 9 + weeks. (2) Recurrent vaginal bleeding during pregnancy occurred in six cases, nausea and vomiting in three cases, and hyperthyroidism in mid- and late pregnancy in two cases. One patient developed preeclampsia and one case of severe mitral regurgitation with mild pulmonary hypertension. (3) In the 10 patients, the summit serum β -hCG level was 139 935 (16 990-546 033) U/L, and CHMCF and PHMCF patients were 212 500 (200 000-546 033) U/L and 60 768 (16 990-225 000) U/L, respectively. (4) The ultrasound results revealed a dark honeycomb area of the placenta in five cases, placental thickening in two cases, and vesicular placenta in one case. One case was found with bilateral giant luteinized ovarian cyst by ultrasound, multiple metastases in the left lower lobe of the lung by chest CT, multiple nodules in the pleural wall of the left lung by lung MRI, and CHMCF by pelvic MRI. In one case, ultrasound at 14 weeks of gestation showed interrupted fetal abdominal wall, visible mass, gastric bubble, liver, part of the intestinal echoes, and omphalocele. One case was found with embryo arrest. (5) The karyotype analysis of one case through amniocentesis was 46,XX with no anomalies, and chromosome microarray analysis was arr[hg19](1-22)×2. Prenatal diagnosis was refused in the remaining cases. (6) Among the ten patients, three were terminated by rivanol intra-amniotic injection, two received drug abortion, and uterine evacuation, and two with spontaneous abortion followed by curettage with a visible fetus and hydatidiform tissue. Total hysterectomy was performed in one patient due to partial invasion of the uterus by hydatidiform mole. One patient underwent a cesarean section on account of the left lower lung metastasis. One case developed preeclampsia at 33 +4 weeks of gestation and delivered two premature infants by cesarean section. Pathology examination found a complete and partial vesicular fetal mass in four and six cases, with P57 (－) and P57 (+), respectively. (7) During the follow-up, two women developed the persistent trophoblastic disease and received chemotherapy, while the remaining eight cases did not. Conclusions:When hydatidiform mole with coexistent intrauterine pregnancy is found, a timely differential diagnosis between CHMCF and PHMCF is needed. CHMCF is at a higher risk of abortion, intrauterine death, premature delivery, preeclampsia, and other maternal complications. Therefore, termination of CHMCF should be individualized. Most PHMCF patients have fetal malformation or fetal loss; thereby, timely termination is recommended.
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Objective:To investigate the appropriate method of labor induction in the second trimester for complete placenta previa patients.Methods:The labor induction outcomes of 85 cases with complete placenta previa in the second trimester were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty patients in group A were treated with cesarean section, 30 patients in group B were treated with ethacridine and mifepristone combined with uterine artery embolization (UAE), and 35 patients in group C were induced by using ethacridine and mifepristone. The clinical features and induction outcomes of three groups were compared.Results:The total duration of labor in group B [(28.7±30.1) hours] was significantly longer than that of group C [(24.3±21.9) hours; P<0.05]. The total amount of blood loss during induction and labor in group B [(302±271) ml] was significantly lower than those of group C [(393±523) ml] and group A [(626±487) ml; P<0.05]. The incidence of fever in group B (13%, 4/30) was significantly higher than those of group C (11%, 4/35) and group A (10%, 2/20; P<0.05). In group C, 13 patients (37%, 13/35) underwent emergency UAE, and 2 patients (6%, 2/35) underwent emergency cesarean section. As to average hemoglobin level and blood transfusion rate, there were no difference among the three groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Prophylactic UAE combined with drug induction in patients with complete placenta previa in the second trimester could significantly reduce the amount of bleeding during induction and reduce the risk of emergency procedures.
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Objective To find an ideal animal model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) through investigating the characteristics of three two-hit animal models of ARDS.Methods Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: Control group [2.5 mL/kg normal saline (NS) i.v.given at 0 min and 30 min];OA+OA group [0.5 mL/kg oleic acid (OA) i.v.given at 0 min and 30 min];LPS+LPS group [2.5 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) i.v.given at 0 min and 30 min];and OA+LPS group [0.5 mL/kg OA i.v.given at 0 min and 2.5 mg/kg LPS,i.v.given at 30 min].The samples were collected at 5 h after the second drug injection.White blood cells count (WBC),polymorphonuclear leukocyte ratio (PMN%),total protein concentration,tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) level in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF),arterial blood gas analysis and lung wet-dry weight ratio (W/D) were measured,respectively.Pathological changes in the lung tissues were observed and histological scores were evaluated.Results Compared with those in the control group,PaCO2,WBC,PMN%,total protein concentration and TNF-α levels in BALF were significantly increased,while PaO2 was dramatically decreased (P<0.01) in the OA+OA,LPS+LPS and OA+LPS groups.The levels of protein concentration in BALF and lung W/D ratio in the OA+LPS group were significantly higher than these in the LPS+LPS group (P<0.05 for all),but had no statistically significant difference compared with these in the OA+OA group.The levels of WBC,PMN% and TNF-α in BALF in the OA+LPS group were significantly higher than those in the OA+OA group (P<0.05),but not significantly different from those in the LPS+LPS group.The most typical pathological changes and the highest pathological scores were found in the OA+LPS group.Conclusions All the three different methods including OA+OA,LPS+LPS,and OA+LPS can be used to establish “two-hit” animal models of acute respiratory distress syndrome.The “two-hit” animal model of acute respiratory distress syndrome induced by OA+LPS is more closer to clinical ARDS and is useful for studies on the pathophysiology of ARDS,and is an ideal “two-hit” animal model of ARDS.