Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Unvaccinated Pregnant Women: Non-Reassuring Fetal Heart Rate Tracing Because of Placentitis.

In 2020, a new coronavirus, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in China. SARS-CoV-2 infection has been shown to be highly morbid in pregnant women, being a risk factor for several obstetric conditions leading to increased maternal and neonatal mortality. A few studies since 2020 have shown SARS-CoV-2 maternal-fetal transmission and noted placental abnormalities grouped under the term placentitis. We hypothesized that these placental lesions could be responsible for abnormalities in placental exchange and therefore abnormalities in cardiotocographic monitoring, leading to premature fetal extraction. The objective is to identify the clinical, biochemical, and histological determinants associated with the occurrence of non-reassuring fetal heart rate (NRFHR) outside labor in fetuses of SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers. We conducted a retrospective multicenter case series of the natural history of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections resulting in fetal delivery outside labor due to NRFHR. Collaboration was sought with the maternity hospitals in the CEGORIF, the APHP and Brussels hospitals. The investigators were contacted by e-mail on three successive occasions over a period of one year. Data from 17 mothers and 17 fetuses were analyzed. Most women had a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection; only two women presented severe infection. No woman was vaccinated. We found a substantial proportion of maternal coagulopathy at birth: elevation of APTT ratio (62%), thrombocytopenia (41%) and liver cytolysis (58.3%). Iatrogenic prematurity was noted in 15 of 17 fetuses, and 100% were born by cesarean delivery due to emergency criteria. One male neonate died on the day of birth due to peripartum asphyxia. Three cases of maternal-fetal transmission were recorded following WHO criteria. Placental analysis in 15 cases revealed eight cases of SARS-CoV-2 placentitis, causing placental insufficiency. In total, 100% of the placentas analyzed showed at least one lesion suggestive of placentitis. SARS-CoV-2 maternal infection during pregnancy is likely to generate neonatal morbidity in relation to placental damage resulting in placental insufficiency. This morbidity may be the consequence of induced prematurity as well as acidosis in the most severe situations. Placental damage occurred in unvaccinated women and in women with no identified risk factor, in contrast to severe maternal clinical forms.

Clinical Relevance of BRCA1 Promoter Methylation Testing in Patients with Ovarian Cancer.

PURPOSE: Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is closely related to PARP inhibitor (PARPi) benefit in ovarian cancer. The capacity of BRCA1 promoter methylation to predict prognosis and HRD status remains unclear. We aimed to correlate BRCA1 promoter methylation levels in patients with high-grade ovarian cancer to HRD status and clinical behavior to assess its clinical relevance. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: This is a retrospective monocentric analysis of patients centrally tested for genomic instability score (GIS) by MyChoice CDx (Myriad Genetics). The detection of BRCA1 promoter methylation and quantification of methylation levels were performed by quantitative droplet digital PCR methodology. High BRCA1 methylation was defined as ≥70% and deemed to be associated with homozygous silencing. RESULTS: Of 100 patients, 11% harbored a deleterious BRCA1/2 mutation. GIS was considered positive (score ≥ 42) for 52 patients and negative for 48 patients. Using a 70% cutoff, 19% (15/79) of BRCA wild-type ovarian cancer had high BRCA1 methylation levels. All of the highly methylated tumors were classified as HRD, achieving a positive predictive value of 100%. We detected 14% (11/79) low-methylated tumors (1%-69%), and all of them were also classified as HRD. Mean GIS was 61.5 for BRCAmut, 66.4 for high-BRCAmeth, 58.9 for low-BRCAmeth, and 33.3 for BRCAwt unmethylated (P < 0.001). Low methylation levels detected in samples previously exposed to chemotherapy appeared to be associated with poor outcome post-platinum. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ovarian cancer with high levels of BRCA1 hypermethylation are very likely to have high GIS and therefore represent good candidates for PARPi treatment. These results may be highly relevant to other tumor types for HRD prediction. See related commentary by Garg and Oza, p. 2957.

Contribution of neonatal amniotic fluid testing to diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.

We evaluated the molecular diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) on neonatal amniotic fluid samples from 488 mother-child pairs. Maternal infection during pregnancy was diagnosed and dated or could not be ruled out. Forty-six cases of CT were defined according to the European Research Network on CT classification system and case definitions. Neonatal amniotic fluid testing had an overall sensitivity of 54% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 39 to 69%) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 99 to 100%). Its sensitivity was 33% (95% CI, 13 to 59%) when antenatal diagnosis was positive and 68% (95% CI, 48 to 84%) when antenatal diagnosis was negative or lacking. This difference in sensitivity may have been due to treatment of antenatally diagnosed cases. Relative to postnatal serology, neonatal amniotic fluid testing allowed an earlier diagnosis to be made in 26% of the cases (95% CI, 9 to 51%).

Evaluation of urinary dysfunction by urodynamic tests, electromyography and quality of life questionnaire before and after surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate urinary dysfunction and quality of life before and after surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). METHODS: This prospective study included 50 patients with DIE who required surgery. Urinary dysfunction was evaluated before and after surgery by both urodynamic tests and electromyography, and the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (BFLUTS) quality-of-life questionnaire. RESULTS: Preoperative electromyography showed that 14 patients (28%) had neurogenic alteration involving sacral reflex and pelvic floor muscles correlated with the presence of colorectal endometriosis (p=0.003). Postoperative quality of life and BFLUTS total scores were improved compared to preoperative scores (p=0.001 and p=0.005, respectively). After an initial improvement in BFLUTS, an alteration is observed at long-term (median follow-up of 66 months). In the 34 patients with pre- and postoperative urodynamic measurements, no difference was found before and after surgery. De novo peripheral neuropathy was only observed in patients who underwent DIE resection with colorectal resection (p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our results support that patients with DIE have a high incidence of preoperative urinary symptoms and neurogenic dysfunction. Colorectal resection appears to be a determinant factor of de novo peripheral neuropathy.

Laparoscopic versus laparotomic radical en bloc hysterectomy and colorectal resection for endometriosis.

BACKGROUND: Radical en bloc hysterectomy and colorectal resection (REHCR) is the ultimate and radical surgery for extensive pelvic endometriosis. Our aims were to evaluate feasibility, quality of life, and urinary function after REHCR by laparoscopy compared with laparotomy. METHODS: Single-center, retrospective study of 29 endometriosis patients having undergone REHCR (16 by laparoscopy, 13 by laparotomy). Gynecologic and digestive symptoms, quality of life [Short-Form (SF)-36 health status], and urinary function [International Prostate Score Symptoms (IPSS) and Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (BFLUTS)] were evaluated using validated questionnaires. RESULTS: Except for mean age, no difference in epidemiologic characteristics was found between groups. Mean follow-up was 14 months (range 1-78 months). Four of the 16 patients (25%) of the laparoscopic group required laparoconversion. Consumption of analgesic drugs was lower in the laparoscopic group, and diarrhea (P < 0.001) and lower back pain (P < 0.001) improved. Improvement in dysmenorrhea (P < 0.001), dyspareunia (P < 0.001), asthenia (P < 0.001), and quality of life was observed without difference between groups. Urinary function was not altered and did not differ between groups. CONCLUSION: Our data support the feasibility of REHCR by laparoscopy with less analgesic consumption. Efficacy in terms of symptoms and improvement in quality of life were similar between groups, suggesting that laparoscopy should be offered to patients requiring REHCR.