Placenta
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Previous clinical studies have shown the efficacy of a two-stage surgical procedure - the induced membrane (IM) technique - for reconstruction of large bone defects or bone non-union. The first stage involves radical debridement and insertion of a cement spacer into the bone defect. ⋯ The IM has been shown to (1) act as a protective physical barrier by preventing bone autograft resorption and (2) act as a bioreactor by promoting healing through revascularisation and growth factor secretion, and by concentrating mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) with osteogenic properties. New solutions to reduce this surgical procedure to a single step are being explored, for example by using an IM-like bioactive and protective barrier inserted into the bone defect at the same time as bone graft.
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Placental thickness in the second trimester of pregnancy has been associated with risks of placenta-mediated complications of pregnancy. We aimed to estimate the association between first-trimester maximum placental thickness and the subsequent risk of preeclampsia and/or the delivery of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonate. ⋯ First-trimester placental thickness diverges in pregnancies at risk of preeclampsia (increased) or SGA (decreased), but remains within normal values in pregnancies at risk of both conditions, suggesting that the underlying pathologies have some opposing effects on early placental growth. The current findings should be validated in a larger cohort.
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To investigate the color difference between two placental shares in monochorionic placentas with acute peripartum twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and twin anemia-polycythemia sequence (TAPS). ⋯ TAPS placentas have a higher CDR compared to acute peripartum TTTS placentas. Examining color difference on the maternal side of the placenta might help distinguish between acute peripartum TTTS and TAPS.
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To explore in women with late-onset preeclampsia (PE) the association between maternal levels of angiogenic/antiangiogenic factors in the first trimester of pregnancy and histological findings attributable to placental underperfusion (PUP). ⋯ In late-onset preeclampsia, first-trimester uterine Doppler and circulating levels of angiogenic/antiangiogenic factors are associated with placental underperfusion.