Eric Jauniaux

..Overall these data support the concept that abnormal decidualization and trophoblastic changes of the placental bed in placenta accreta are secondary to the uterine scar and thus entirely iatrogenic...

..The increased obstetrical risks in this population must be considered prior to attempts at assisted conception, and the transfer of more than one embryo should be avoided in women with a pre-existing maternal medical condition...

..The aim was to determine the activity of the glands throughout the first trimester, and to identify components of the secretions...

..This would impair the placentation process leading to chronic oxidative stress in the placenta and finally to diffuse maternal endothelial cell dysfunction...

..Compared to the standard amniodrainage technique it also appears to reduce the need for multiple procedures...

..To evaluate the impact of early pregnancy complications involving placentation and early placental development on adverse obstetric outcome in ongoing and subsequent pregnancies...

..This finding indicates that the uterine glands and the secondary yolk sac play key roles in supplying this essential vitamin to the developing fetus before the placental circulations are established...

..Tender loving care and health advice are the only interventions that do not require more RCTs. All other proposed therapies, which require more investigations, are of no proven benefit or are associated with more harm than good...

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..In particular, smoking interferes strongly with the fetal brain and pancreas biological parameters and induces chromosomal instability, which is associated with an increase in the risk of cancer, especially childhood malignancies...

..The objective of the study was to investigate the transfer pathways of folic acid inside the first-trimester gestational sac and to evaluate the impact of maternal smoking...

..Our purpose was to evaluate the changes in intrauterine gases and acid-base gradients inside the human fetoplacental unit at 7 to 16 weeks' gestation...

..To assess the influence of chronic active maternal smoking on cord blood amino acid and enzyme levels at term...

..To evaluate the distribution of cotinine in fetal fluids and serum during the first half of pregnancy, and compare the fetal and maternal cotinine levels in passive and active smokers...

..Women with this pregnancy complication should be offered immediate termination and a specific follow-up...

..This suggests that PLF may be involved in the pathogenesis of early pregnancy disorders related to an abnormal placentation...

..Further investigation should include a comparison between the coelomic fluid values of a molecule and its quantifiable presence in decidual, placental and fetal tissues...

..To assess the influence of active maternal smoking on fetal amino acid and enzyme levels in early pregnancy...

..To assess the value of ultrasonography and Doppler imaging in characterizing the intervillous circulation in normal and abnormal early pregnancy...

..This prolonged fetal exposure to tobacco carcinogens has important teratogenic implications and should be further explored...

..The reduction in the specific diffusing capacity of the villous membrane may contribute to the fetal hypoxia and increased fetal and neonatal morbidity associated with diabetes...

..Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the impact of these findings on routine histopathologic examination in first-trimester miscarriages...

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..To investigate prospectively the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome in women presenting with first-trimester threatened miscarriage...

..Our aim was to investigate the effect of the antihypertensive drug alpha-methyldopa on serum, urine and placental concentrations of inhibin A and activin A in women presenting with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy...

..High oxygen concentrations in the periphery of normal early placentas may similarly induce local regression of the villi, leading to formation of the chorion laeve...

..To investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and the underlying causes of infertility, preovulatory ovarian hormones, and ovarian response to gonadotropin stimulation in patients undergoing assisted reproductive techniques...

..There is an urgent need for more epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials to explore the use, efficacy and side-effects of both old and new drugs in early pregnancy after assisted reproduction treatment...

..This could explain some of the severe neurological outcomes, such as hypoxic ischemic brain damage, seen in these cases...

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..Higher MSAFP in threatened miscarriage suggests a direct placental injury even in the absence of a hematoma...

..We hope that this paper will facilitate the introduction of a revised terminology in an attempt to provide clarity and to enhance uptake and use in the literature as well as clinical assessment and documentation...

..Maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (MShCG) could be useful in predicting outcome in twin pregnancy combining normal pregnancy and CHM, but this needs to be investigated prospectively...

..There is a difference in the control of secretion of these proteins dependent on the gestation, suggesting that there is a tight regulation in the function of first-trimester trophoblasts depending on the gestational age...

..To assess clinical and sonographic fetal head position before induction of labor, position at delivery, and whether occiput posterior (OP) position is associated with adverse delivery outcome...

..The purpose of this study was to evaluate circulating and intracellular levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in women with threatened miscarriage (TM) and subsequent outcome...

..In order to assess this screening strategy, we have compared the diagnosis of chorionicity made by the sonographers in the ultrasound department with the diagnosis done in the fetal medicine unit...

..Polyols may also play important physiological roles in development of the human conceptus, possibly drawing water and solutes across the placenta and expanding the gestational sac...

..Thus, it is not justified to subject women to transabdominal chorionic villus sampling to achieve a high karyotype success rate...

..We speculate that this may serve a physiological role in stimulating normal placental differentiation, but may also be a factor in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia and early pregnancy failure if antioxidant defenses are depleted...

..The objective was to investigate placental inflammation in chromosomally normal miscarriages in vivo and in vitro...

..The optimal sample for prenatal diagnosis is fetal blood as no rubella-specific RNA was detected in the amniotic fluid...

..The low transferrin concentrations and the presence of NTBI in CF and AF suggest that transferrin-independent iron transfer is important in early gestation...

..In miscarriage with abnormal karyotype, there is an exacerbated placental inflammatory response, in contrast to miscarriage of normal karyotype where maternal systemic response is increased...

..To present the outcome of a consecutive series of 19 fetuses referred to our center for megacystis in the first half of the pregnancy...

..Overall, very early prenatal diagnosis and first-trimester 3D imaging provide very little additional practical medical information compared to the 11-14 weeks' ultrasound examination...

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..Expectant management of miscarriage, using ultrasound parameters to determine eligibility, could significantly reduce the number of unnecessary evacuations of the retained products of conception, depending on the criteria used...

..To assess and compare the accuracy of clinical and sonographic fetal weight estimation in predicting birth weight prior to induction of labor...

..The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in circulating levels and the clinical use of inhibin A, activin A and follistatin as endocrine markers of early pregnancy loss...

..Inhibin A was best at predicting the likelihood of subsequent miscarriage in this group...

..This finding also confirms that the trophoblast is the major source of inhibin A after the luteo-placental shift in early pregnancy...

..93, 0.64-1.26 microg/mg, term; 3.67, 2.58-4.48 microg/mg) in normal pregnancy. Term APS placentas had a reduced beta2GPI content (2.31, 1.87-2.49 microg/mg), p <0.05. The placental role of these proteins remains to be identified...

..In the second trimester, high concentrations of inhibin B with testosterone in the fetal circulation indicate that these hormones may interact in the development of the male fetal gonads...

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..One fetus showed trisomy 13. QF-PCR requires very small volumes of sample compared with cell culture, suggesting that coelocentesis may prove useful for very early prenatal diagnosis...

..Our results indicate a direct relationship in the early intrauterine PaO(2) in vivo and inhibin A and sFLT-1 concentrations confirming our hypothesis that specific placental proteins are regulated by intrauterine O(2) tension...

..Measures to decrease vascular impedance in such women might enhance pregnancy rates by improving embryo quality and uterine receptivity for implantation...

..The early prenatal diagnosis of these anomalies may be improved by screening at 13-14 weeks rather than during the first trimester...

..The report also summarizes the perinatal outcomes of triplet pregnancies complicated by an acardiac fetus, where the median gestational age at delivery is 26-27 weeks, and discusses the possible therapeutic interventions...

..We aimed to establish normal ranges for parameters of pulse wave analysis in normal pregnancy and to compare different ethnic groups...

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..When needed, an amniocentesis was preferred to CVS. These data also indicate that the antenatal counselling needs to be adapted to couples presenting with an assisted conception twin pregnancy...

..Placental malignancy is most commonly in the form of gestatational trophoblastic disease, which requires assessment and management in specialist centers...

..A predictive model using these would allow more accurate counseling and better informed consent in the decision-making process regarding induction of labor LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-2...

..The superior migratory activity of fetal haemopoietic cells may underlie a more efficient homing ability, in keeping with their physiological role...

..However, there was no significant relationship between hormone concentrations, sperm DNA damage and total antioxidant capacity, suggesting other mechanisms for sperm dysfunction...

..Treatment at this stage of gestation would also minimize the risk of lung hypoplasia, which is the main clinical issue when shunts are inserted after 24 weeks...

..This study aimed to evaluate the impact of antihypertensive therapy with alpha-methyldopa on maternal uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) in women presenting with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy...

..A twin pregnancy consisting of a complete hydatidiform mole and a coexisting normal fetus (CMCF) is a rare and challenging condition when diagnosed prenatally and is associated with major obstetric complications...

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..The low ultrasound detection rate of a nuchal cord limits its use in decision making prior to induction of labor in high-risk pregnancies...

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..0%; 95% CI, 0-11.0%). In both cases of PROM the women presented in labor. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid amniodrainage using a vacuum wound-drainage system is safe and efficient to treat severe polyhydramnios, with a 3.1% complication rate...

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..Parvovirus B19 (PVB19) is a well-established cause of nonimmune hydrops fetalis and fetal anaemia in pregnancy. However, discordant viral infection of only 1 fetus in a twin pregnancy is a rare occurrence...

..05) when compared to corresponding term placental values. NAD(P)H oxidase mediated superoxide generation could be an important modulator of the antioxidant defence response in early pregnancy...

..Health-care professionals should spend more time to inform women adequately about the dangers of smoking and help them to quit before pregnancy...

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..These findings in four affected fetuses suggest that congenital adrenal hyperplasia should be added to the list of genetic anomalies associated with an increase in nuchal translucency...

..The technique and outcomes of a series of 12 pregnancies which have presented for treatment at the Fetal Medicine Unit of University College London are presented...

..This study indicates a new source of dopaminergic brain tissue for use as transplants to neurosurgically treat Parkinson's disease patients...

..TH transfected foetal cerebral cortex cells may therefore be a useful alternative supply of tissue for use in neural transplants to treat Parkinson's disease...

..These findings ought to influence our present approach to maternal hypothyroxinemia in early pregnancy regardless of whether TSH is increased or whether overt or subclinical hypothyroidism is detected...

..Our findings demonstrate that the uterine glands are an important source of nutrients during organogenesis, when metabolism is essentially anaerobic...

..This chapter describes techniques by which the effects of oxygen and oxidative stress on placental tissues can be systematically investigated in vitro...

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..Therefore, it should be systematically performed before any fetal reduction in high-order multiple pregnancies is planned...

..Administration of free radical scavengers, including vitamins C and E, can mitigate many of these effects, indicating the importance of a balanced maternal diet to successful reproduction...

..Most of these effects are mediated through the p38 MAPK and nuclear factor-kappaB pathways and can be effectively blocked by vitamins C and E in vitro...

..To review the role of oxidative stress in two common placental-related disorders of pregnancy, miscarriage and preeclampsia...

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..A simple equation using the cervical length (mm) divided by 3 can predict mid gestation scan-to-delivery interval in twin gestation...

..These findings have important implications for understanding the nature of proliferating neural precursors isolated from the developing CNS, and their potential for brain repair...

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..These results provide further evidence for inter-species difference in the capacity of neural precursors to generate oligodendrocytes...

..Our findings are consistent with intermittent perfusion being the initiating cause. Placentas subjected to labor do not reflect the normal in vivo state at the molecular level...