Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Lee Reicher, Yuval Fouks, Yariv Yogev
Summary: Preterm birth is considered a major cause of neonatal death and short- and long-term disabilities globally. Various pathophysiological processes leading to cervical modifications are the key factors in preterm birth. Cervical assessment is commonly used for prediction and risk stratification in women at high risk for preterm birth.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Acoustics
Vasilios Pergialiotis, Alexandros Psarris, Panagiotis Antsaklis, Marianna Theodora, Aggeliki Papapanagiotou, Alexandros Rodolakis, Georgios Daskalakis
Summary: The study aimed to compare the efficacy of cervical cerclage and cervical pessary in reducing preterm birth rates among women with a short (< 25 mm) or ultra-short (< 15 and < 10 mm) cervix during the second-trimester assessment. Retrospective analysis was conducted on hospital records of 294 singleton pregnancies diagnosed with cervical insufficiency. The results showed similar preterm birth rates < 37 weeks in both groups, but a higher prevalence of NICU admission and need for CPAP in the cerclage group.
ULTRASCHALL IN DER MEDIZIN
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Seri Jeong, Won Kyong Cho, Yeonhwa Jo, Soo-Ran Choi, Nuri Lee, Kibum Jeon, Min-Jeong Park, Wonkeun Song, Keun-Young Lee
Summary: This study explored and compared the interactions among microbiome, inflammatory factors, and immune-checkpoint proteins in patients with cervical insufficiency and preterm birth. The study identified microbiological and inflammatory factors associated with preterm birth and demonstrated the excellent predictive performance of combining these factors. These findings contribute to the understanding and management of cervical insufficiency and preterm birth.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Magdalena Wierzchowska-Opoka, Zaneta Kimber-Trojnar, Bozena Leszczynska-Gorzelak
Summary: Cervical insufficiency is a major factor contributing to recurrent pregnancy loss and preterm birth, with emergency cerclage procedures proving to reduce the rate of preterm birth, prolong gestational age, and improve newborn survival rates.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Sandra E. Juul, Thomas R. Wood, Bryan A. Comstock, Krystle Perez, Semsa Gogcu, Mihai Puia-Dumitrescu, Sara Berkelhamer, Patrick J. Heagerty
Summary: Understanding the causes and circumstances of death in extremely preterm infants is crucial for healthcare practitioners. This study retrospectively examined a cohort of infants born between 24 and 27 weeks of gestation to determine the risk factors, causes, timing, and circumstances of death. The study found that respiratory distress or failure, pulmonary hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, catastrophic intracranial hemorrhage, sepsis, and sudden unexplained death were the primary causes of death. The risk of death decreased over time, and preterm labor was associated with a decreased hazard of death. Clinical factors such as low birth weight, low Apgar score, sick appearance at birth, necrotizing enterocolitis, pulmonary hemorrhage, severe intracranial hemorrhage, and severe sepsis were also associated with death.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco, Lauren S. Richardson, Paul Mark B. Medina, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: This study developed an organ-on-chip model of the cervical epithelial layer that can recapitulate the ectocervical and endocervical regions of the cervix. It was found that LPS and TNF alpha stimulation can lead to increased apoptosis, necrosis, senescence, and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in cervical epithelial cells.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Rie Seyama, Shintaro Makino, Jun Takeda, Satoru Takeda, Atsuo Itakura
Summary: This study aimed to clarify the effectiveness of cervical cerclage in preventing recurrent preterm births. The results showed that subsequent preterm births were effectively prevented only in physical examination-indicated cerclage cases. For history- or ultrasound-indicated cerclage, statistically significant differences in subsequent preterm births were not evident.
TAIWANESE JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Yan Yan, Zhuorong Gu, Baihe Li, Xirong Guo, Zhongxiao Zhang, Runjie Zhang, Zheng Bian, Jin Qiu
Summary: This study used mouse models and human cell experiments to demonstrate the association between preterm birth and premature cervical ripening. It identified differentially expressed metabolites that may be involved in the development of premature cervical ripening in preterm birth. Taurine was identified as an important metabolite that modulates human cervical smooth muscle cells.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY AND ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Gozde Gokce Isbir, Figen Inci, Burcu Komurcu Akik, Wilson Abreu, Gill Thomson
Summary: This study aimed to investigate factors associated with birth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women who had preterm birth in Turkey. The results showed that older age, positive impact from mother's birth experience, absence of traumatic experiences during pregnancy and postnatal period, lower stress level after traumatic events during birth, not feeling at risk during birth, amniotomy, psychological well-being after childbirth, not being negatively affected by witnessing other parents' happy moments with their babies, absence of infant illness, and positive interactions with healthcare team were associated with decreased likelihood of birth-related PTSD.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Maryam Najjarzadeha, Sakineh Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi, Shamsi Abbasalizadeh, Mohammad Asghari-Jafarabadi, Mojgan Mirghafourvand
Summary: This prospective cohort study aimed to determine the technology-free predictors of preterm birth in singleton women with threatened preterm labor. Seven variables were determined as predictors: rupture of membranes, cervical dilation, gravidity, psychological violence during pregnancy, medical problems in pregnancy onset, vaginal bleeding/spotting, and woman age. These factors seem to have moderate power in predicting preterm birth in singleton pregnant women.
BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Zacharias Fasoulakis, Antonios Koutras, Thomas Ntounis, Panos Antsaklis, Marianna Theodora, Asimina Valsamaki, George Daskalakis, Emmanuel N. Kontomanolis
Summary: Inflammation is directly responsible for or contributes to 50% of all premature deliveries, with chorioamnionitis being the root cause of persistent inflammation in preterm newborns. Inflammation also plays a critical role in the development of various conditions in neonates, including necrotizing enterocolitis, retinopathy of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage, and periventricular leukomalacia. The immature immune systems of premature infants are easily disrupted, leading to exposure to different antigens and detrimental implications for their health.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Kyoko Kumagai, Jun Murotsuki, Satoshi Dohi, Naomi Nishikawa, Naomi Kimura, Makoto Nomiyama, Satoshi Osaga, Hiroya Hashimoto, Akihito Nakai, Mayumi Sugiura-Ogasawara, Yasuhiko Ozaki
Summary: The cervical pessary effectively reduces cervical shortening during pregnancy, but does not reduce the rate of preterm birth.
JOURNAL OF PERINATAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Daniela Ravizzoni Dartora, Adrien Flahault, Carolina N. R. Pontes, Ying He, Alyson Deprez, Anik Cloutier, Gael Cagnone, Perrine Gaub, Gabriel Altit, Jean-Luc Bigras, Jean-Sebastien Joyal, Thuy Mai Luu, Yan Burelle, Anne Monique Nuyt
Summary: This study found that neonatal hyperoxia in rats resulted in impaired left ventricle mitochondrial structure and function, and lower levels of humanin in preterm adults. These findings suggest that preterm birth-related conditions may lead to cardiac changes and increased risk for heart health.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Casey Crump, Jan Sundquist, Kristina Sundquist
Summary: This study found that preterm delivery is associated with an increased risk of stroke, which remains elevated for at least 40 years after delivery and is independent of other factors and familial influences.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Zahra Najafi, Mojgan Mirghafourvand, Solmaz Ghanbari-Homaie
Summary: The occurrence of preterm birth can lead to negative perception towards birth, but there is no significant difference in childbirth experience between mothers with term and preterm births. However, fear of delivery during labour has a significant relationship with childbirth experience. Interventions to reduce fear during labour should be implemented to improve women's childbirth experience.
BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
(2023)
