The Value of Total antioxidant Status and Serum Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Levels at 24-28 Weeks of Gestation in the Prediction of Optimal Treatment Protocol in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the serum oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzyme and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels at 24-28 weeks of gestation and to evaluate the predictive value of them on the subsequent treatment protocol in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: A total of 58 GDM patients (30 treated with only conventional healthy dietary recommendation (CHDR), 28 treated with insulin) and 30 healthy pregnant women at 24-28 weeks of gestation, were enrolled in this prospective case-control study. The oxidative status, antioxidant enzyme and TNF-α levels were evaluated to determine if there is an association with the need of insulin therapy for glycemic control by using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: TNF-α (OR=11.976, 95%CI: 2.441-58.754, P=0.002) and total antioxidant status (TAS) (OR=12.769, 95%CI: 2.464-66.182, P=0.002) were found to be predictive for GDM at 24-28 weeks of gestation. Besides, further evaluation considering the treatment modality showed that increased TNF-α (OR=18.615, 95%CI: 2.338-148.240, P=0.006) and lower TAS levels (OR=99.471, 95%CI: 2.865-3 453.061, P=0.011) were independent predictors of the need for insulin treatment in GDM patients. CONCLUSIONS: Increased TNF-α levels and low TAS are significantly associated with the increased risk of insulin requirement for achieving good glycemic control in GDM.

Comparison of plasma fetuin A levels in patients with early-onset pre-eclampsia vs late-onset pre-eclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is among the most commonly researched topics in perinatology. Fetuin-A (FA), a multifunctional protein, has roles in the inhibition of ectopic calcification and the regulation of serum glucose levels. Reduced FA is an indicator of inflammation. This study was performed to investigate the potential role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of early- and late-onset PE by measuring FA levels. STUDY DESIGN: In total, 110 patients were included in this study. Early- and late-onset PE were defined as a diagnosis at <34 weeks or ≥34 weeks of gestation, respectively. Plasma FA levels were determined by immunoassay, which was performed in duplicate using a sandwich enzyme-based technique. Parametric data were appraised using an independent two-sample t-test, and non-parametric data were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the impact of certain parameters on PE. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of FA. RESULTS: There were 24 patients with early-onset PE and 19 gestational-age-matched controls. Plasma FA levels were significantly lower in the early-onset PE group compared with the controls (17.3±3.3ng/ml vs 21.4±3.5ng/ml, p<0.05). There were 36 patients with late-onset PE and 31 gestational age-matched controls. Plasma FA levels were significantly higher in the late-onset PE group compared with the controls [26.1ng/ml (range 13.4-52.0) vs 18.4ng/ml (range 14.9-24.9), p<0.05]. Besides the parameters used in the diagnosis of PE, the single most important variable related to PE was FA. The optimal cut-off level for FA in the prediction of early-onset PE was 19.6ng/ml [sensitivity 79%, specificity 83.3%, area under the curve (AUC) 0.796, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.650-0.943, p=0.001]. FA did not show a statistically discriminative value in differentiating late-onset PE from control subjects (AUC 0.196, 95% CI 0.085-0.306). CONCLUSION: Early- and late-onset PE were associated with lower and higher levels of FA, respectively. A relationship was found between inflammation and early-onset PE but not late-onset PE.

Factors affecting recurrence after surgery for ovarian mature cystic teratoma.

We aimed to evaluate the risk factors for recurrence of surgically managed ovarian mature cystic teratoma (MCT). A total of 178 women with MCT managed surgically at our clinic were included in this retrospective study. The cases were followed for a minimum of 34 months. Risk factors recorded were age, gravidity, diameter of MCT, tumour markers, bilaterality, operation time and recurrence time. One hundred forty-one women (79.2%) underwent laparoscopy and the other thirty-seven patients (20.8%) underwent laparotomy. The mean age of patients with cyst recurrence was significantly lower than that of patients without recurrence (p = 0.02). There was a significantly lower median gravidity and parity in this group. The capacity of younger age, lower gravidity and parity in predicting the recurrence of ovarian MCT was analysed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The cut-off value of age, number of gravidity and parity was 26, 1 and 0, respectively. In conclusion, younger age and lower gravidity and parity were predictive of recurrence due to a more conservative approach in young and nulliparous patients. Therefore, we suggest regular follow-up visits during the postoperative period, especially for younger patients and those with lower numbers of gravidity and parity.

Levels of neopterin and C-reactive protein in pregnant women with fetal growth restriction.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether pregnant women with fetal growth restriction (FGR) have higher plasma neopterin and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations compared with those with uncomplicated pregnancy. A total of 34 pregnant women with FGR and 62 patients with uncomplicated pregnancy were included. Neopterin and CRP levels were measured at the time of diagnosis. The primary outcome of this study was to compare the neopterin and CRP levels in pregnant women with FGR and those with uncomplicated pregnancies. The secondary outcome of our study was to evaluate the correlation between fetal birth weight and maternal neopterin levels. The serum neopterin levels were significantly elevated in pregnant women with FGR (22.71 ± 7.70 vs 19.15 ± 8.32). However, CRP was not elevated in pregnant women with FGR (7.47 ± 7.59 vs 5.29 ± 3.58). These findings support the hypothesis that pregnancy with FGR is associated with a marked increase in macrophage activation and the natural immune system.

Endometrial adenocarcinoma in young-aged women: a Turkish population study.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: The present study aims to investigate the incidence, clinicopathological features, and experience of treat- ment outcomes of patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma (EC) at ≤ 40 years of age in a gynecologic oncology reference center in Ankara, Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 577 patients with EC, diagnosed and treated between 2007 and 2013. RESULTS: The incidence of EC ≤ 40 years of age was 5.1% (n: 30). The mean age at diagnosis was 35.5 (range: 27-40). Most of the patients with EC were overweight or obese. However, 23% had normal body mass index (BMI). Infertility was seen as a risk factor in 38.4%. The mean duration of postoperative follow-up was 38.3 months with rates of disease persistence and recurrence 14.2% and 28.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The disease is diagnosed usually in its early stage and has a good prognosis. Appropriately selected patients with fertility desire have the opportunity to conceive with conservative management.

Successful use of BT-Cath(®) balloon tamponade in the management of postpartum haemorrhage due to placenta previa.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate efficacy of the BT-Cath(®) in cases of uncontrollable haemorrhage due to placenta previa. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of women treated with the BT-Cath in the event of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) due to placenta previa, despite optimal management with medical treatment. RESULTS: Between 2011 and 2013, 237 women had placenta previa (0.45%) at the study hospital. This study evaluated 53 women who underwent uterine tamponade with a BT-Cath. Haemostasis was achieved in 45 women (85%), and hysterectomy was required in six women (11%). Two women required repeat laparotomy. The mean duration of balloon tamponade was 9.8h (standard deviation 6.4h). When the relationship between balloon volume and treatment success was evaluated, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.803 (95% confidence interval 0.633-0.973; p=0.007) and the optimal cut-off point was 220ml, with sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 71%. CONCLUSION: The intra-uterine BT-Cath is simple to use, even among clinicians with little experience, and is an effective treatment choice in patients with PPH due to placenta previa when medical treatment is unsuccessful. Minimal inflation of the balloon, a shorter period of intra-uterine balloon tamponade and early deflation of the balloon are recommended.

Newborn hearing screening programme outcomes in a research hospital from Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Universal neonatal hearing screening programmes are encouraged to define and manage hearing loss in early ages of life. The aim of this study is to introduce our 14-month three-step hearing screening programme results with 16 975 births in Turkey. METHODS: In healthy neonates, Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emission (TEOAE) is served as the initial screening in the first day of life. In newborns that did not meet pass criteria TEOAE was repeated in 10-day period. If the second test was 'refer' again, the screening was completed with auditory brainstem response (ABR). Additionally, ABR was performed for the neonates with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) requirement and at high audiologic risk. Neonates who failed the screening test with ABR were referred for further evaluation. RESULTS: A total of 15 323 newborns and 1652 NICU infants were tested. The screening coverage was 94.4%; 14 521 neonates (94.7%) passed the first screening step (TEOAE), while 802 (5.2%) neonate failed. In total, 322 (40.1%) of the neonates out of 802 was subjected to the second TEOAE after 10 days have failed and ABR was applied. From the neonates participated the third step (ABR) totalling 1974, 43 (2.17%) of neonates obtained a 'refer' response. Out of these 43 neonates, 17 neonates were (39.5%) NICU infants. From the 43 neonates, 38 cases (88.4%) were found to have hearing impairment. The false-positive rate for first step screening with TEOAE was 4.9%; second step with TEOAE was 1.85% and for ABR was 0.25%. CONCLUSIONS: It is apparent that three step national hearing screening programme which has been applied for the latest years in Turkey is an accurate and non-invasive method to determine the congenital hearing loss. In the future, screening programmes could be rearranged with two steps as initial with TEOAE and retest with ABR and the coverage of the screening programme can be extended.

Efficacy of pulsed estrogen therapy in relatively younger patients with surgically induced menopause.

BACKGROUND: Pulsed estrogen therapy is a new approach in estrogen replacement therapy. We carried out a prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of pulsed estrogen therapy in relatively younger patients with surgically induced menopause. METHODS: Patients (n=138) <45 years old and suffering from severe vasomotor symptoms secondary to surgically induced menopause were included in the study. After the initiation of pulsed estrogen therapy (300 microg/day), the patients were re-evaluated every 4 weeks. The dose was increased at each follow-up, if necessary (to a maximum of 600 microg/day). The patients who preferred another method after the first 12 weeks were prescribed oral conjugated estrogen (0.625 mg/day) and at the end of the second 12 weeks their satisfaction levels were assessed. RESULTS: At the end of the first 12 weeks, 26 patients were completely satisfied (18.8%) and 47 were moderately satisfied (34.1%), whereas 65 concluded that the pulsed estrogen therapy they received was ineffective (47.1%). At the end of the second 12 weeks, all the patients were completely satisfied. CONCLUSION: Pulsed estrogen therapy for 12 weeks reduced the frequency of hot flushes in relatively younger patients with surgically induced menopause; however, 81.2% of patients were not completely satisfied at the end of this period.

Evaluation of bone turnover in postmenopausal patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using biochemical markers and bone mineral density measurements.

Although osteoporosis is reported as a potential complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), the effects of type 2 DM on bone mass are conflicting. Most of the studies conducted in recent years reveal that bone mineral density (BMD) values of type 2 DM patients are not decreased and even increased when compared with healthy control groups. In this study we evaluated bone turnover in 57 postmenopausal type 2 DM patients utilizing biochemical markers for bone formation and resorption, and BMD measurements. We found that BMD values in diabetic patients (0.91 +/- 0.11 g/cm(2) for lumbar region, 0.89 +/- 0.14 g/cm(2) for hip region) were higher than healthy postmenopausal control group (0.81 +/- 0.12 g/cm(2) for lumbar region, 0.76 +/- 0.10 g/cm(2) for hip region). Serum alkaline phosphatase values were similar to the control group, whereas serum osteocalcin and N-telopeptide/creatinine (NTx/Cr) values were significantly lower than the control group (osteocalcin: 8.82 +/- 4.03 ng/ml, NTx/Cr: 122.70 +/- 81.76 nMBCE/mMCr) in diabetic patients (osteocalcin: 4.44 +/- 3.53 ng/ml, NTx/Cr: 42.24 +/- 29.97 nMBCE/mMCr). Also a significant correlation was observed between body mass index and BMD values. Our findings suggested that the bone turnover rate is remarkably lower in type 2 DM patients compared to healthy postmenopausal patients.

Risk factors and infant outcomes associated with umbilical cord prolapse.

OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to identify risk factors associated with umbilical cord prolapse and to review the perinatal outcome of cases of cord prolapse. METHODS: During the study years 77 cases were identified retrospectively. Associations between cord prolapse and potential risk factors were evaluated by means of the odds ratio. RESULTS: Of the 77 fetuses with umbilical cord prolapse 9.1% had a fetal weight of < 2500 gas compared with 9.4% for fetuses in control group (P > 0.05). The umbilical cord prolapse occurred in association with vertex presentation 66 times (85.7%), breech presentation nine times (11.7%) and transverse presentation two times (2.6%). The occurrence of breech presentation among the control cases was 2.6%, and that of transverse lie was 1.7% (P < 0.01). Case mothers were 1.6 times more likely to be multiparas compared with the control group (P < 0.01). The perinatal mortality rate was 39/1000. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that abnormal fetal presentation and multiparity are associated with an increased risk of umbilical cord prolapse. The association of risk of cord prolapse with low birth weight was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). We suggest that the cesarean delivery decreased the risk of perinatal mortality among cases of cord prolapse.

A case report of prenatally diagnosed ophthalmo-acromelic syndrome type Waardenburg.

Ophthalmo-acromelic syndrome type Waardenburg is an extremely rare autosomal recessive syndrome comprising eye malformations ranging from true anophthalmia to mild microphthalmia with acromelic malformations. We report a case of ophthalmo-acromelic syndrome type Waardenburg diagnosed prenatally.

Inevitable hysterectomy despite conservative surgical management in advanced cervical pregnancy: a case report.

A 35-year-old woman was diagnosed to have cervical pregnancy of 10.2 weeks duration. Methotrexate therapy was not chosen due to the presence of active tuberculosis. Since the patient had gradually increasing vaginal hemorrhage, she was taken to the operating room. A dilatation and curettage could not control the hemorrhage. A laparotomy was performed and the uterine arteries were ligated. A cervical hysterotomy was also performed to evacuate the products of conception. There was active bleeding in the cervix although no products of conception were observed. Two purse string sutures were placed, but the persistence of profuse bleeding despite these measures necessitated total hysterectomy.

Reasons why women have induced abortions in a developing country.

OBJECTIVE: The immediate explanation that women often give for seeking induced abortion is that the pregnancy was unplanned or unwanted. However, the myriad social, economic and health circumstances that underlie such explanations have not yet been fully explored. We wanted to evaluate these factors that lead one to have an abortion. STUDY DESIGN: This prospective study was performed on 588 women applied to our family planning unit to obtain an abortion. Analysis is based on the records of the women's age, educational level, their contraceptive usage and the reasons that they give for having an abortion. We also examined how these reasons were related to women's age, educational attainment and contraceptive choices. RESULTS: The desire to postpone a birth or to stop childbearing is a very common reason given by the women seeking abortion. It is seen that despite the women's desire to postpone or stop childbearing, the majority of them were not using an effective contraceptive method. Women's age is closely related to their reasons for seeking an abortion. On the other hand, we have found no clear association between women's educational level and their main reasons for seeking an abortion. CONCLUSION: Reasons women give for why they seek abortion are often far more complex than simply not intending to become pregnant. While improved contraceptive use can help reduce the unintended pregnancy and abortion, some abortions will remain difficult to prevent, because of limits to women's ability to determine and control all circumstances of their lives.

Acardiac twinning where the pump twin dies in utero due to thrombosis in the umbilical arteries.

A case of acardiac twinning where the pump twin dies in utero due to massive thrombotic occlusion of umbilical arteries at a site of umbilical cord stricture of the intact twin. In acardiac twinning the morbidity and mortality of the pump twin can be reduced by some invasive or medical approaches. The authors believe that in this interesting case the death of the pump twin could not be prevented by antenatal treatment.

Outcome of 1040 consecutive breech deliveries: clinical experience of a maternity hospital in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the optimal route of delivery in breech presentation. METHOD: One-thousand and forty singleton breech deliveries among a total of 41785 deliveries that occurred at Zubeyde Hanim Maternity Hospital between 1990 and 1994 were analyzed. RESULT: The breech deliveries accounted for 2.4% of all deliveries. Of the patients, 572 (56.3%) were delivered vaginally and 468 (43.7%) were delivered by cesarean section. The mean ages of vaginal and cesarean delivery groups were 25.2 and 24.6 years, respectively. Forty-one (3.9%) of the fetuses had congenital anomaly. The leading congenital anomalies were meningocele in seven and hydrocephalus in six patients. Mullerian anomalies were encountered in 29 (6.1%) patients at cesarean section. Fetal morbidity observed in cesarean deliveries were fracture of the humerus in one and fracture of the femur in one and soft tissue injury in four cases. Fracture of the humerus was observed in two, Erb's paralysis in four, facial paralysis in one and soft tissue injury in 43 fetuses delivered vaginally. The leading causes of puerperal maternal morbidity were genital tract lacerations in vaginal delivery group and wound infection in cesarean delivery group. The overall perinatal mortality of this series was 54.8/1000 (57/1040). The corrected figures for cesarean delivery and vaginal delivery groups were 8.5/1000 (4/467) and 57.9/1000 (32/552), respectively. CONCLUSION: We favor a selective approach for mode of delivery in patients with breech presentation in order to balance the fetal morbidity associated with vaginal delivery and maternal morbidity and cost associated with cesarean delivery.

Emergency postpartum hysterectomy.

Twenty-two deliveries were followed by emergency postpartum hysterectomy among 109,842 deliveries in the last 10 years, an incidence of 1 in 4992 deliveries (20/100,000). The leading causes of emergency postpartum hysterectomy were uterine rupture in 8 (36.3%), uterine atony in 7 (31.8%), and abnormally adherent placenta in 6 (27.3%) patients. Five of the uterine rupture cases followed previous cesarean births, whereas the other 3 followed dystocia. Of the 7 patients with uterine atony, 4 were after vaginal delivery and 3 were after cesarean birth. Of the 6 patients with adherent placenta, 4 had repeat cesarean deliveries and the other 2 were subjected to cesarean section for postterm pregnancies. The maternal mortality rate was found to be 4.5% (1/22). The perioperative morbidity included blood transfusion in 72.2%, febrile morbidity in 40.9%, and wound infection in 13.6% of the patients. Fetal mortality rate was 45.4%.

Maternal mortality in a maternity hospital in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: To determine the leading causes of maternal mortality in a large maternity hospital and to define priorities regarding this subject throughout Turkey. METHODS: Retrospective, institutional study among 100,531 live births between 1983 and 1992. RESULTS: Seventeen maternal deaths took place in this institution. Thus, the overall maternal mortality ratio was 16.9 per 100,000. The leading causes of maternal mortality were hemorrhage in seven (41.2%) and pulmonary embolism in six (35.3%) patients. The majority of deaths were observed in the 25-29 and 30-34 age groups and in patients with parity more than two. CONCLUSION: The relatively low figure of 16.9/100,000 for maternal mortality may be seen as a promising health index. However, obstetric hemorrhage is still the leading cause of this series. Pregnant women less than 20 years old and greater than 35 years old, and grand multiparous women as well as women with hypertension and heart disease are at high mortality risk. The observation of such cases demands further efforts for improved obstetric care in the hospital and throughout Turkey.

PIP: During 1983-1992 in Turkey, 17 maternal deaths occurred out of 100,531 live births at the Zubeyde Hanim Maternity Hospital in Ankara for a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 16.9/100,000 live births. Hemorrhage (41.2%) and pulmonary embolism (35.3%) were the leading causes of maternal death. Cases referred to the hospital after home deliveries accounted for 57% of the hemorrhage-related deaths. Other causes of maternal death were eclampsia (11.7%), puerperal infection (5.9%), and heart failure attributed to rheumatic heart disease (5.9%). The MMR fell over time from 22.6 (1983-1984) to 12.8 (1991-1992). Women younger than 20 and those 35 and older suffered from the highest MMRs. MMR increased with parity (8 for primigravida, 10 for parity 1-2, 27.3 for parity 3-4, and 62.1 for parity =or 5). Cesarean delivery was associated with a higher MMR than vaginal delivery (44.7 vs. 14.1). This association was likely a result of pregnancy complications that led to a cesarean section rather than the cesarean section itself.