Pregnancy failure in patients with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome with conventional treatment: the influence of a triple positive antibody profile.

Conventional treatment of obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome fails in approximately 20-30% of pregnant women without any clearly identified risk factor. It is important to identify risk factors that are associated with these treatment failures. This study aimed to assess the impact of risk factors on pregnancy outcomes in women with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome treated with conventional treatment. We carefully retrospectively selected 106 pregnancies in women with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome treated with heparin + aspirin. Pregnancy outcomes were evaluated according to the following associated risk factors: triple positivity profile, double positivity profile, single positivity profile, history of thrombosis, autoimmune disease, more than four pregnancy losses, and high titers of anticardiolipin antibodies and/or anti-ßeta-2-glycoprotein-I (aß2GPI) antibodies. To establish the association between pregnancy outcomes and risk factors, a single binary logistic regressions analysis was performed. Risk factors associated with pregnancy loss with conventional treatment were: the presence of triple positivity (OR = 5.0, CI = 1.4-16.9, p = 0.01), high titers of aß2GPI (OR = 4.4, CI = 1.2-16.1, p = 0.023) and a history of more than four pregnancy losses (OR = 3.5, CI = 1.2-10.0, p = 0.018). The presence of triple positivity was an independent risk factor associated with gestational complications (OR = 4.1, CI = 1.2-13.9, p = 0.02). Our findings reinforce the idea that triple positivity is a categorical risk factor for poor response to conventional treatment.

Paternal factor V Leiden and recurrent pregnancy loss: a new concept behind fetal genetics?

BACKGROUND: In up to 50% of couples affected by recurrent pregnancy loss, no identifiable cause is established. Fetal and maternal factors may be equally important in the establishment and maintenance of the placental/maternal arteriovenous anastomoses. Therefore,the inheritance of thrombophilia-related genes may be an important factor in the pathophysiology of recurrent pregnancy loss. Most of the research on recurrent pregnancy loss and thrombophilia has focused on maternal factors, but little is known about the paternal contribution. OBJECTIVES: On that basis, we studied the association between inherited paternal thrombophilias and recurrent pregnancy loss in a narrowly selective group of 42 Argentine males from couples that presented without any known risk factors for recurrent pregnancy loss. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The genotypic distributions of factor (F) V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A among cases were compared with those from a reference group composed of 200 Argentine men. RESULTS: We found a significant difference in the distribution of FV Leiden between both groups (16.7% vs. 3.0%), but no difference was found in the distribution of prothrombin G20210A (2.4% vs.2.0%). Those couples with paternal FV Leiden carriage would be six times more likely to experience recurrent pregnancy loss despite no other apparent cause (OR = 6.47; 95% CI, 2.06­20.39). CONCLUSION: We found evidence of an association between the paternal carriage of FV Leiden and the predisposition to recurrent pregnancy loss, thereby supporting the hypothesis that genetic contributions from both parents are essential factors in the development of this obstetric disorder.

The validity of Doppler-derived spectral analysis in the presence of multiple stenoses.

It has been suggested that mathematical analysis of ultrasonic Doppler spectral waveforms allows non-invasive quantification of arterial stenoses proximal to the Doppler probe. Less emphasis has been placed on the influence of distal stenoses or distance to the ultrasonic probe. A bench-top electromechanical model with multiple stenoses was constructed to evaluate the effects on spectral waveforms of variations in the severity of proximal and distal stenosis, length of stenoses, distance between stenoses, and distance between ultrasonic probe and stenoses. The following analytic indices, descriptive of spectral waveforms, were evaluated: pulsatility index, spectral broadening index, Laplace damping factor, mode frequency, mean frequency, arithmetic mean frequency, maximum envelope frequency and minimum envelope frequency. All these indices, except the mode frequency, were influenced by the degree of distal as well as proximal stenosis. They were also affected by the distance between the Doppler probe and the upstream and downstream stenoses. The length of stenoses did not influence the flow waveform. Of the model variables, the distal stenosis had the greatest influence on the calculated indices. However, none of the analytic techniques could detect a stenosis smaller than a 70% reduction in cross-sectional area. It was concluded that Doppler-derived spectral waveforms between sequential stenoses are inevitably influenced by events other than the degree of proximal stenosis alone. Therefore, ultrasonic spectral waveforms obtained at a single point of the arterial tree in patients with multi-segment arterial disease should be interpreted with caution.

Inactivation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 by ozone in vitro.

A device was designed to deliver a constant source of given concentrations of ozone to fluids containing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Ozone was found to inactivate HIV-1 virions in a dose-dependent manner. Greater than 11 log inactivation was achieved within 2 hours at a concentration of 1,200 ppm ozone. Similar concentrations of ozone had minimal effect on factor VIII activity in both plasma and immunoaffinity-purified preparations of factor VIII treated for the same time period. The data indicate that the antiviral effects of ozone include viral particle disruption, reverse transcriptase inactivation, and/or a perturbation of the ability of the virus to bind to its receptor on target cells. Ozone treatment offers promise as a means to inactivate human retroviruses in human body fluids and blood product preparations.

Cardiotocografia en el periodo expulsivo / Cardiotocography in the expulsive period

Fueron analizados 200 registros cardiotocográficos de pacientes en trabajo de parto, que reunían exigencias de normalidad en el mismo, como así también en los resultados perinatales. Se valoraron exhaustivamente las diferencias encontradas entre los dos primeros períodos del trabajo de parto y se hallaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas tanto en la frecuencia de la línea de base, que se torna braquicárdica (entendiendo como tal a una definición del período dilatante), como así también de la variabilidad que muestra un aumento, producido por la mayor dispersión de latidos considerados clásicamente como patológicos. Es importante también la diferencia significativa, en la aparición de desaceleraciones en el período expulsivo, en especial de descensos variables que no demostraron patología en el producto. Todo esto, nos lleva a la conclusión de no poder clasificar a los distintos patrones cardiotográficos observados en el período expulsivo como anormales teniendo en cuenta los patrones clásicos del dilatante y evitar así adoptar por aquéllos una conducta obstétrica inadecuada

Cardiotocografia en el periodo expulsivo / Cardiotocography in the expulsive period

Fueron analizados 200 registros cardiotocográficos de pacientes en trabajo de parto, que reunían exigencias de normalidad en el mismo, como así también en los resultados perinatales. Se valoraron exhaustivamente las diferencias encontradas entre los dos primeros períodos del trabajo de parto y se hallaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas tanto en la frecuencia de la línea de base, que se torna braquicárdica (entendiendo como tal a una definición del período dilatante), como así también de la variabilidad que muestra un aumento, producido por la mayor dispersión de latidos considerados clásicamente como patológicos. Es importante también la diferencia significativa, en la aparición de desaceleraciones en el período expulsivo, en especial de descensos variables que no demostraron patología en el producto. Todo esto, nos lleva a la conclusión de no poder clasificar a los distintos patrones cardiotográficos observados en el período expulsivo como anormales teniendo en cuenta los patrones clásicos del dilatante y evitar así adoptar por aquéllos una conducta obstétrica inadecuada (AU)