Association Between Plasma Asprosin Levels and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Purpose: This study sought to investigate whether asprosin can be used in the diagnosis of GDM or for diagnostic purposes in high-risk pregnancies, along with a review of other parameters that may be associated with serum asprosin levels. Patients and Methods: The study investigated the association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and asprosin levels. A total of 93 participants; 30 patients with GDM, 33 healthy pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), and 30 healthy non-diabetic women (control group) at the Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases outpatient clinic of a tertiary care university hospital were enrolled in the study. Patients with GDM and NGT were examined in terms of GDM between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy (2nd trimester). Patient data were collected during routine examinations, and asprosin levels were measured using the ELISA method. All participants underwent testing for measurements of serum hemoglobin, insulin, C-peptide, fasting plasma glucose, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels following a fasting period of at least eight hours. Results: Asprosin levels were higher in pregnant women with NGT and with GDM versus controls (Control-NGT asprosin, p = 0.001; Control-GDM asprosin, p = 0.001). Pregnant women with GDM had higher asprosin levels than those with NGT (p = 0.001). In detecting GDM in pregnant women, an asprosin cutoff value of >31.709 ng/mL yielded a sensitivity of 93.3%, specificity of 90.9%, positive predictive value of 90.3%, and negative predictive value of 93.75% (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Serum asprosin levels can potentially be used as a marker in the diagnosis of GDM.

The Effect of Treatment on Quality of Life, Symptoms, and Social Life in Gynecologic Cancer Patients.

This study was carried out to determine the effect of treatment on quality of life, symptoms, and social life in patients with gynecologic cancer. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews to evaluate the individual and disease characteristics of the patients. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale was used to determine the severity of the side effects. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General 4 was used to evaluate the quality of life. The total post-treatment quality of life scores of the patients were lower than their total pre-treatment scores. Patients who received chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy had a lower quality of life than those who received radiotherapy, and they were less involved in social activities. Half of the individuals participated in social activities in the pre-treatment period, but this rate decreased to 16.4% after the treatment started. In this study, the quality-of-life scores of the patients who received gynecologic cancer treatment decreased after treatment and the patients experienced many symptoms at an increasingly severe level.

Preterm birth in twin pregnancies: Clinical outcomes and predictive parameters.

OBJECTIVE: To document the neonatal outcomes of preterm birth in twin pregnancies and to investigate whether perinatal and obstetric parameters are associated with clinical outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective trial was conducted on data gathered from 176 preterm twins delivered in the obstetrics and gynecology department of our tertiary care center. Data extracted from medical files of 88 pregnant women who gave preterm birth (at 26(0/7) to 36(6/7) gestational weeks) to twins were analyzed. Maternal/fetal descriptive and obstetric parameters, sonographic data, route of delivery, indication for cesarean section, birth weight, Apgar scores, head circumference, umbilical cord length and placental weight were noted. RESULTS: The average age of the pregnant women was 28.8±6.4 years and ultrasonographic gestational age was 31.9±2.6 weeks. Apgar scores at 1(st) minute were affected significantly by fetal body weight (p=0.001), gestational age (p=0.001), height (p=0.004) and head circumference (p=0.011). None of these variables exhibited a noteworthy effect on Apgar scores at 5(th) minute. CONCLUSION: Efforts must be made to achieve advancement of gestational age until delivery in the follow-up preterm of twins. A well-established algorithm with special emphasis to risk factors is necessary to standardize and popularize the appropriate management strategy.

Third trimester maternal plasma total fibronectin levels in pregnancy-induced hypertension: results of a tertiary center.

The aim of this study was to evaluate maternal plasma total fibronectin values in pregnancy-associated hypertension in women in the third trimester of pregnancy. A total of 125 pregnant women at the 24th week of gestation participated in this study. Nonpregnant normotensive women were included as control group (n = 30). Plasma samples for fibronectin were obtained at the 24th, 28th, and 32nd weeks of gestation from all pregnant patients. From this cohort, 10 patients met the criteria for the diagnosis of gestational hypertension and 15 women met the stringent requirements of preeclampsia, whereas 100 patients were normotensive later in gestation. Plasma total fibronectin levels were determined by radial immunodiffusion technique. Data were analyzed using the SPSS program. The mean plasma fibronectin levels of the pregnant women in whom gestational hypertension and preeclampsia developed were significantly higher at the 24th, 28th, and 32nd weeks in comparison to normotensive pregnant women (p < 0.001). However, throughout the period from the 24th to 32nd weeks of pregnancy, plasma total fibronectin levels did not exhibit a significant change in normotensive pregnant patients or in patients with preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. There was also no correlation between plasma fibronectin levels and gestational age, mean arterial pressure, birth weight, and 5-minute Apgar scores in all groups (p < 0.05). The elevated maternal plasma fibronectin level over 40 mg/dL is capable of predicting preeclampsia with a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 92%. These results suggest that serial plasma fibronectin measurements before 24 weeks' of gestation may be helpful in the early detection of preeclampsia in normotensive gravid women who are destined to become clinically preeclamptic.