Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fuensanta Gomez-Bernal, Yolanda Fernandez-Cladera, Juan Carlos Quevedo-Abeledo, Maria Garcia-Gonzalez, Agustin F. Gonzalez-Rivero, Antonia De Vera-Gonzalez, Candelaria Martin-Gonzalez, Miguel A. Gonzalez-Gay, Ivan Ferraz-Amaro
Summary: This study analyzed the relationship between VEGF and sVEGFR with SLE disease-related features and found that serum levels of VEGF and sVEGFR in SLE patients were associated with disease damage, with musculoskeletal manifestations being the most commonly associated feature.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matej Vicen, Ivone Cristina Igreja Sa, Katarina Tripska, Barbora Vitverova, Iveta Najmanova, Samira Eissazadeh, Stanislav Micuda, Petr Nachtigal
Summary: Membrane endoglin (Eng) and soluble endoglin (sEng) play important roles in metabolic syndrome-related disorders, including endothelial dysfunction, arterial hypertension, hyperglycemia, and diabetes. Reduced Eng expression is a hallmark of chronic pathologies related to metabolic syndrome, while sEng is considered a biomarker of preeclampsia.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Guilherme R. de Jesus, Marcela Lacerda, Bruna C. dos Rodrigues, Flavia C. Santos, Adriana P. do Nascimento, Luis Cristovao Porto, Nilson R. de Jesus, Roger A. Levy, Evandro M. Klumb
Summary: Evaluation of serum VEGF, PlGF, and sFlt-1 levels can differentiate between preeclampsia, inactive SLE, and active lupus nephritis during pregnancy. Preeclampsia patients had higher sFlt-1 and lower PlGF levels, while VEGF levels were higher in pregnant women with active lupus nephritis. The sFlt-1:PlGF ratio was significantly higher in preeclampsia patients.
ARTHRITIS CARE & RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jacinta I. Kalisch-Smith, Emily C. Morris, Mary A. A. Strevens, Andia N. Redpath, Kostantinos Klaourakis, Dorota Szumska, Jennifer E. Outhwaite, Xin Sun, Joaquim Miguel Vieira, Nicola Smart, Sarah De Val, Paul R. Riley, Duncan B. Sparrow
Summary: The placental vasculature plays an important role in embryo development, but it has been understudied in mice. This study characterized the arterial and venous endothelial cells in the mouse placenta using molecular markers and found that placental endothelial cells may be unique compared to embryonic endothelial cells. Additionally, the study revealed that heart defects can cause defects in placental arterial formation.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lucia Perez-Roque, Elena Nunez-Gomez, Alicia Rodriguez-Barbero, Carmelo Bernabeu, Jose M. Lopez-Novoa, Miguel Pericacho
Summary: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disease characterized by hypertension, with its etiopathogenesis related to abnormal placentation and the release of soluble factors. High plasma levels of soluble endoglin (sEng) may serve as an early diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for the disease, impacting the pathophysiology of preeclampsia significantly.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Hematology
Elisa Rossi, Miguel Pericacho, Alexandre Kauskot, Luis Gamella-Pozuelo, Etienne Reboul, Alexandre Leuci, Cristina Egido-Turrion, Divina El Hamaoui, Aurore Marchelli, Francisco J. Fernandez, Isabelle Margaill, M. Cristina Vega, Pascale Gaussem, Samuela Pasquali, David M. Smadja, Christilla Bachelot-Loza, Carmelo Bernabeu
Summary: The results of this study demonstrate that sEng interferes with thrombus formation and stability by binding to platelet αIIbβ3. sEng inhibits platelet aggregation and thrombus retraction without affecting platelet activation. These findings reveal the role of sEng in primary hemostasis control.
JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS
(2022)
Article
Hematology
Elisa Rossi, Miguel Pericacho, Alexandre Kauskot, Luis Gamella-Pozuelo, Etienne Reboul, Alexandre Leuci, Cristina Egido-Turrion, Divina El Hamaoui, Aurore Marchelli, Francisco J. Fernandez, Isabelle Margaill, Cristina Vega, Pascale Gaussem, Samuela Pasquali, David M. Smadja, Christilla Bachelot-Loza, Carmelo Bernabeu
Summary: The results of this study demonstrate that sEng interferes with thrombus formation and stabilization by binding to platelet αIIbβ3, suggesting its involvement in primary hemostasis control.
JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Iveta Nejmanova, Barbora Vitverova, Samira Eissazadeh, Katarina Tripska, Ivone Cristina Igreja Sa, Radomir Hyspler, Ivana Nemeckova, Miguel Pericacho, Petr Nachtigal
Summary: The study demonstrated that long-term exposure to high levels of sEng during aging can aggravate vascular function, leading to alterations in vasoconstriction properties and Eng signaling pathway. sEng may be considered a potential risk factor for the development of vascular dysfunction during aging.
JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Rugina Neuman, Langeza Saleh, Koen Verdonk, Anton H. van den Meiracker, Henk Russcher, Herold J. Metselaar, Willy Visser, A. H. Jan Danser
Summary: The study indicates that PlGF production is significantly upregulated in AFLP patients, mainly originating from the placenta. Compared to other disease groups, AFLP patients have significantly elevated levels of PlGF, which rapidly decline postpartum.
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Helen Casey, Natalie Dennehy, Abigail Fraser, Christoph Lees, Carmel M. Mceniery, Kayley Scott, Ian B. Wilkinson, Christian Delles
Summary: Gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and intrauterine growth restriction are associated with increased cardiovascular risk to the mother later in life. The development of placental syndromes and long-term cardiovascular risk is influenced by a woman's pre-conception cardiovascular health. Preclinical studies in models of preeclampsia inform our understanding of the links with later cardiovascular disease, and current pre-pregnancy studies explain the relative contributions of pre-conception factors and the occurrence of placental syndromes to long-term cardiovascular disease.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lei Liu, Rencheng Wang, Ran Xu, Yuening Chu, Weirong Gu
Summary: Preeclampsia is a severe complication of pregnancy, and soluble endoglin and sFlt-1 play important roles in its pathogenesis. Procyanidin B2 can reduce the secretion of soluble endoglin and sFlt-1, alleviating endothelial dysfunction and impaired angiogenesis.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jason D. Hinman, Fanny Elahi, Davis Chong, Hannah Radabaugh, Adam Ferguson, Pauline Maillard, Jeffrey F. Thompson, Gary A. Rosenberg, Abhay Sagare, Abhay Moghekar, Hanzhang Lu, Tiffany Lee, Donna Wilcock, Claudia L. Satizabal, Russell Tracy, Sudha Seshadri, Kristin Schwab, Karl Helmer, Herpreet Singh, Pia Kivisakk, Steve Greenberg, Charlie DeCarli, Joel Kramer
Summary: This study found that plasma PlGF levels are associated with cognitive impairment and white matter injury, and can serve as a stable and reliable diagnostic biomarker.
ALZHEIMERS & DEMENTIA
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
Kenichi Nakamura, Sachi Kojima, Miyuki Inoue-Mochita, Hidenobu Tanihara, Toshihiro Inoue
Summary: We investigated the levels of VEGF, sVEGFR1, and sVEGFR2 in the aqueous humor of glaucoma patients and found correlations among them. sVEGFR1 levels were significantly higher in neovascular glaucoma patients, while sVEGFR2 levels were significantly higher in all glaucoma patients compared to controls. The levels of sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 were positively correlated in glaucoma patients, and VEGF levels were negatively correlated with both sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 in primary open angle glaucoma patients.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Abhineet M. Sharma, Robert Birkett, Erika T. Lin, Linda M. Ernst, William A. Grobman, Suchitra Swaminathan, Hiam Abdala-Valencia, Alexander Misharin, Elizabeth T. Bartom, Karen K. Mestan
Summary: Placental lesions are associated with unique changes in gene expression in fetal monocytes and monocyte subsets. Fetal monocytes exposed to acute placental inflammation upregulate biological processes related to monocyte activation, monocyte chemotaxis, and platelet function, while monocytes exposed to maternal vascular malperfusion lesions downregulate these processes. Intermediate monocytes might be a source of mitogens implicated in different outcomes related to prematurity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cleo C. L. van Aanhold, Angela Koudijs, Kyra L. Dijkstra, Ron Wolterbeek, Jan A. Bruijn, Cees van Kooten, Hans J. Baelde
Summary: The study found that transfection with sFLT1 did not aggravate renal fibrosis and peritubular capillary loss, but reduced the expression of pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory markers. sFLT1 mRNA levels were not correlated with interstitial fibrosis or PTC loss in human samples.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Angela Gregoraci Fernandez, Juan Jose Comunas Gomez, Olalla Rodriguez-Losada, Vanessa Flores Espana, Anna Gros Turpin, Santiago Perez Hoyos, Felix Castillo Salinas
Summary: The aim of this study was to compare two methods of weaning from nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in very preterm babies. The results showed that weaning with nasal high flow therapy (nHFT) did not prolong the duration of oxygen therapy compared to weaning directly off nCPAP. It was associated with better perceptions of infant comfort among parents and lower rates of severe nasal injury.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PERINATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Anna Kajdy, Dorota Sys, Artur Pokropek, Steven W. Shaw, Tung-Yao Chang, Pavel Calda, Ganesh Acharya, Maya Ben-Zion, Tal Biron-Shental, Dariusz Borowski, Bartosz Czuba, Adolfo Etchegaray, Stepan Feduniw, Rosario Garcia-Mandujano, Monica Garcia Santacruz, Maria M. Gil, Sonia Hassan, Sebastian Kwiatkowski, Arancha Martin-Arias, Raigam Jafet Martinez-Portilla, Federico Prefumo, Michal Rabijewski, Laurent J. Salomon, Heidi Tiller, Stefan Verlohren, Hian Yan Voon, Omar Fernando Yanque-Robles, Soon Leong Yong, Liona C. Poon
Summary: This study examines risk factors for anxiety and depression among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate that pregnant women in high-income economies experience higher levels of anxiety and depression. Factors such as the need for psychiatric treatment before pregnancy, restrictions in social distancing and access to leisure activities, pregnancy-related complications, fear of adverse outcomes in children related to COVID-19, and financial burden are associated with increased risk of anxiety and depression during pregnancy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GYNECOLOGY & OBSTETRICS
(2023)
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Emily R. Smith, Erin Oakley, Gargi Wable Grandner, Gordon Rukundo, Fouzia Farooq, Kacey Ferguson, Sasha Baumann, Kristina Maria Adams Waldorf, Yalda Afshar, Mia Ahlberg, Homa Ahmadzia, Victor Akelo, Grace Aldrovandi, Elisa Bevilacqua, Nabal Bracero, Justin S. Brandt, Natalie Broutet, Jorge Carrillo, Jeanne Conry, Erich Cosmi, Fatima Crispi, Francesca Crovetto, Maria del Mar Gil, Camille Delgado-Lopez, Hema Divakar, Amanda J. Driscoll, Guillaume Favre, Irene Fernandez Buhigas, Valerie Flaherman, Christopher Gale, Christine L. Godwin, Sami Gottlieb, Eduard Gratacos, Siran He, Olivia Hernandez, Stephanie Jones, Sheetal Joshi, Erkan Kalafat, Sammy Khagayi, Marian Knight, Karen L. Kotloff, Antonio Lanzone, Valentina Laurita Longo, Kirsty Le Doare, Christoph Lees, Ethan Litman, Erica M. Lokken, Shabir A. Madhi, Laura A. Magee, Raigam Jafet Martinez-Portilla, Torri D. Metz, Emily S. Miller, Deborah Money, Sakita Moungmaithong, Edward Mullins, Jean B. Nachega, Marta C. Nunes, Dickens Onyango, Alice Panchaud, Liona C. Poon, Daniel Raiten, Lesley Regan, Daljit Sahota, Allie Sakowicz, Jose Sanin-Blair, Olof Stephansson, Marleen Temmerman, Anna Thorson, Soe Soe Thwin, Beth A. Tippett Barr, Jorge E. Tolosa, Niyazi Tug, Miguel Valencia-Prado, Silvia Visentin, Peter von Dadelszen, Clare Whitehead, Mollie Wood, Huixia Yang, Rebecca Zavala, James M. Tielsch
Summary: This sequential, prospective meta-analysis aimed to identify risk factors among pregnant and postpartum women with COVID-19 for adverse outcomes related to disease severity, maternal morbidities, neonatal mortality and morbidity, and adverse birth outcomes. Data from 21 participating studies were included, and risk factors and outcomes were analyzed. The study found that women with comorbidities, HIV infection, prepregnancy underweight, and anemia were at increased risk for severe COVID-19-related outcomes and adverse birth outcomes.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Acoustics
A. Arechvo, D. A. Nikolaidi, M. M. Gil, V. Rolle, A. Syngelaki, R. Akolekar, K. H. Nicolaides
Summary: This study aimed to examine the relationship between the English index of multiple deprivation (IMD) and the incidence of stillbirth and evaluate whether IMD contributes to the prediction of stillbirth provided by maternal demographic characteristics and elements of medical history. The study found that women living in the most deprived areas in South East England had higher rates of stillbirth, particularly placental dysfunction-related stillbirth. However, including IMD in stillbirth screening did not improve the prediction provided by race, other maternal characteristics, and elements of medical history.
ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Maria Lucia Rossi, Maria Clara Escobar-Diaz, Stephanie Marie Hadley, Paula Cecilia Randanne, Joan Sanchez-de-Toledo, Iolanda Jordan
Summary: This study evaluated pulmonary artery pressure in patients with bronchiolitis and analyzed their correlation with clinical outcomes. The results showed that the presence of pulmonary hypertension did not lead to worse clinical outcomes compared to normal pulmonary artery pressure group. Patients with severe bronchiolitis had higher values of NT-proBNP, but interestingly, there was no clear association with pulmonary hypertension.
PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Carmen Garrido-Gimenez, Monica Cruz-Lemini, Francisco V. Alvarez, Madalina Nicoleta Nan, Francisco Carretero, Antonio Fernandez-Oliva, Josefina Mora, Olga Sanchez-Garcia, Alvaro Garcia-Osuna, Jaume Alijotas-Reig, Elisa Llurba
Summary: N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and uric acid levels are increased in preeclampsia pregnancies. Using angiogenic factors for short-term prediction of preeclampsia has limitations. A machine-learning model (MLM) combining NT-proBNP, uric acid, and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio improves the prediction accuracy for preterm preeclampsia.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Patricia Zarzosa, Lia Garcia-Gilabert, Raquel Hladun, Gabriela Guillen, Gabriel Gallo-Oller, Guillem Pons, Julia Sansa-Girona, Miguel F. Segura, Josep Sanchez de Toledo, Lucas Moreno, Soledad Gallego, Josep Roma
Summary: This paper provides a comprehensive description of the Hedgehog signaling pathway in mammals and its activation mechanisms, focusing on its oncogenic role in rhabdomyosarcoma and the inhibitors developed so far. The article also discusses the differences between preclinical data and clinical trial results and the reasons behind them.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Marcos Javier Cuerva, Elena Rodriguez, Marta Perez De Aguado, Maria del Mar Gil, Valeria Rolle, Francisco Lopez, Jose Luis Bartha
Summary: The aim of this study was to assess whether intrapartum ultrasound (ITU) measurements in maternal lateral posture are comparable to ITU measurements in semi-recumbent position. The results showed that the angle of progression (AOP) and head-perineum distance (HPD) were lower in the lateral posture compared to semi-recumbent position, while they were higher with contractions. Therefore, monitoring the second stage of labor with ITU in lateral maternal posture is feasible.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Ignacio Zapardiel, Myriam Gracia Segovia, Ronalds Macuks, Rosanna Mancari, Patriciu Achimas-Cadariu, Giacomo Corrado, Arnoldas Bartusevicius, Vladyslav Sukhin, Juan C. Muruzabal, Pluvio J. Coronado Martin, Barbara Gardella, Jurgen M. Piek, Nicole Concin, Clemente Arab, Dimitrios Papatheodorou, Stephan Polterauer, Sara Iacoponi, Teresa Nieto, Martha C. Lopez-Sanclemente, Hanna Trukhan, Maria M. Gil, Irina Bakinovskaya, Alena Dalamanava, Marc Cucurull, Dzmitry Rovski, Laura Baquedano, Luis Chiva, Marcin Mardas, Siarhei Anatolievich Mavrichev, Jaroslav Klat, Carlos A. Lopez de la Manzanara, Yusuf Yildirim, SARCUT Study Grp
Summary: This retrospective study analyzed 683 patients with uterine sarcoma to identify and evaluate the impact of different prognostic factors on overall survival and disease-free survival. The results showed variations in 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates among different subtypes of uterine sarcoma. The presence of residual disease after surgery was identified as the most significant factor affecting overall survival.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GYNECOLOGICAL CANCER
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Olga Gomez, Laura Nogue, Iris Soveral, Laura Guirado, Nora Izquierdo, Miriam Perez-Cruz, Narcis Masoller, Maria Clara Escobar, Joan Sanchez-de-Toledo, Josep Maria Martinez-Crespo, Mar Bennasar, Fatima Crispi
Summary: This study reveals that fetuses with tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) have significantly increased cord blood concentrations of transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) and that TGFβ levels are correlated with the severity of right ventricle outflow obstruction. These findings provide new opportunities for research on prognostic and preventive strategies.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Esther Aurensanz-Clemente, Alex Perez Casares, Juan Pablo Munoz, Patricia Garcia-Canadilla, Flavio Zuccarino, Joan Sanchez-de-Toledo
Summary: Immunotherapy has shown great clinical efficacy in cancer treatment, but it can also lead to myocarditis, especially when immune checkpoint inhibitors are used. We report the first cases of myocarditis after anti-GD2 immunotherapy, which presented with severe myocardial hypertrophy and were confirmed through cardiac imaging. These cases highlight the importance of recognizing and managing myocarditis in patients undergoing anti-GD2 immunotherapy.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Carla Dominguez-Gallardo, Nuria Ginjaume-Garcia, Johana Ullmo, Antonio Fernandez-Oliva, Juan Parra, Ana Vazquez, Monica Cruz-Lemini, Elisa Llurba
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the association between fetal growth restriction (FGR) and cardiac left-ventricle (LV) dysfunction. The global and segmental LV longitudinal strain was measured using 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) software, and the differences in cardiac function were compared between FGR and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) fetuses. The study found that FGR fetuses had lower LV strain values, indicating subclinical cardiac dysfunction. The findings provide more insights into fetal cardiac function in cases of placental dysfunction and highlight the potential use of 2D-STE in monitoring the cardiac function of these fetuses.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Madalina Nicoleta Nan, Alvaro Garcia-Osuna, Josefina Mora, Cristina Trilla, Assumpta Antonijuan, Vanesa Orantes, Monica Cruz-Lemini, Francisco Blanco-Vaca, Elisa Llurba
Summary: Algorithms for first-trimester prediction of pre-eclampsia lack sensitivity for predicting late-onset pre-eclampsia and other placental complications. This study aimed to assess the screening performance of biomarkers in the prediction of adverse obstetric outcomes related to placental insufficiency. PlGF, sFlt-1, NT-proBNP, and uric acid measurements combined with maternal factors improved the prediction of complications.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Ana M. Fidalgo, Raquel Miguel, Irene Fernandez-Buhigas, Asuncion Aguado, Marcos J. Cuerva, Elisa Corrales, Valeria Rolle, Belen Santacruz, Maria M. Gil, Liona C. Poon
Summary: After appropriate training, attending midwives and obstetricians have a level of agreement in ultrasound measurements to evaluate fetal head position and progress of labor.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GYNECOLOGY & OBSTETRICS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Raquel Martin-Alonso, Valeria Rolle, Ranjit Akolekar, Catalina de Paco Matallana, Irene Fernandez-Buhigas, Maria Isabel Sanchez-Camps, Tara Giacchino, Miguel Rodriguez-Fernandez, Jose Eliseo Blanco-Carnero, Belen Santacruz, Maria M. Gil
Summary: In late-term uncomplicated singleton pregnancies, the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) has shown poor predictive capacity for adverse perinatal outcomes.
MEDICINA-LITHUANIA
(2023)
