Antiangiogenic factors are currently used for the prediction of preeclampsia. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between antiangiogenic factors and lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in maternal plasma and placenta. We analyzed 56 pregnant women, 30 healthy and 26 with preeclampsia (including early and late onset). We compared antiangiogenic factors soluble Fms-like Tyrosine Kinase-1 (sfLt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), and soluble endoglin (sEng)), lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in maternal plasma, and lipid metabolism in the placenta from assays of fatty acid oxidation, fatty acid esterification, and triglyceride levels in all groups. Antiangiogenic factors sFlt-1, sFlt-1/PlGF ratio, and sEng showed a positive correlation with triglyceride, free fatty acid, and C-peptide maternal serum levels. However, there was no relationship between angiogenic factors and placental lipid metabolism parameters. Free fatty acids were predictive of elevated sFlt-1 and sEng, while C-peptide was predictive of an elevated sFlt1/PlGF ratio. The findings in this study generate a model to predict elevated antiangiogenic factor values and the relationship between them with different products of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in maternal serum and placenta in preeclampsia.

Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is lower in placentas with pre-eclampsia. The aim of our study was to compare the placental mRNA expression of FAO enzymes in healthy pregnancies vs. different subgroups of pre-eclampsia according to the severity, time of onset, and the presence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). By using real-time qPCR, we measured the mRNA levels of long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD), medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD), and carnitine palmitoyltransferases 1A and 2 (CPT1A, CPT2) on the maternal side (anchoring villi in the basal decidua) and on the fetal side (chorionic plate) of the placenta (n = 56). When compared to the controls, LCHAD, MCAD, and CPT2 mRNA had decreased in all pre-eclampsia subgroups globally and on the fetal side. On the maternal side, LCHAD mRNA was also lower in all pre-eclampsia subgroups; however, MCAD and CPT2 mRNA were only reduced in severe and early-onset disease, as well as CPT2 in IUGR (p < 0.05). There were no differences in CPT1A mRNA expression. We conclude that the FAO enzymes mRNA in the placenta was lower in pre-eclampsia, with higher reductions observed in severe, early-onset, and IUGR cases and more striking reductions on the fetal side.

Introduction: The aims of the study were to evaluate perinatal outcome in monochorionic (MC) twins complicated with single intrauterine fetal death, spontaneously vs after fetal therapy, and to assess antenatal events that increase the risk of cerebral injury.Material and methods: Historical cohort study of MC pregnancies with single intrauterine fetal death diagnosed or referred to a tertiary referral hospital (2012–2020). Adverse perinatal outcome included termination of pregnancy, perinatal death, abnormal fetal or neonatal neuroimaging and abnormal neurological development.Results: A total of 68 MC pregnancies with single intrauterine fetal death after 14 weeks of gestation were included. Sixty‐five (95.6%) occurred in complicated MC pregnancies (twin to twin transfusion syndrome: 35/68 [51.5%]; discordant malformation: 13/68 [19.1%], selective intrauterine growth restriction: 10/68 [14.7%], twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence: 5/68 [7.3%] and cord entanglement in monoamniotic twins: 2/68 [2.94%]). In 52 cases (76.5%) single intrauterine fetal demise occurred after fetal therapy and in 16 (23.5%) occurred spontaneously. Cerebral damage included 14/68 cases (20.6%): 6/68 cases (8.82%) were prenatal lesions and 8/68 cases (11.8%) were postnatal. Risk of cerebral damage tended to be higher in the spontaneous death group (6/16, 37.5%) compared to the therapy‐group (8/52, 15.38%) (p = 0.07). The risk increased with gestational age at intrauterine death (OR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.04–1.41, p = 0.014) and was higher in those surviving co‐twins who developed anemia (OR 9.27, 95% CI: 1.50–57.12, p = 0.016). Pregnancies complicated with selective intrauterine growth restriction tended to be at higher risk for neurological damage (OR 2.85, 95% CI: 0.68–11.85, p = 0.15). Preterm birth rate (<37 weeks of pregnancy) was 61.7% (37/60). Seven of eight postnatal cerebral lesions (87.5%) were related to extreme prematurity. Overall perinatal survival rate was 88.3% (57/68) and 7% (4/57) of children had an abnormal neurological outcome.Conclusions: Risk of cerebral damage in single intrauterine fetal death is especially high when it occurs spontaneously. Gestational age at single intrauterine fetal death, selective intrauterine growth restriction and anemia of the surviving co‐twin are the main predictors for prenatal lesions and might be useful in parent counseling. Abnormal postnatal neurological outcome is closely related to extreme prematurity.

Objective This document addresses the clinical application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies for prenatal genetic diagnosis and aims to establish clinical practice recommendations in Spain to ensure uniformity in implementing these technologies into prenatal care. Methods A joint committee of expert obstetricians and geneticists was created to review the existing literature on fetal NGS for genetic diagnosis and to make recommendations for Spanish healthcare professionals. Results This guideline summarises technical aspects of NGS technologies, clinical indications in prenatal setting, considerations regarding findings to be reported, genetic counselling considerations as well as data storage and protection policies. Conclusions This document provides updated recommendations for the use of NGS diagnostic tests in prenatal diagnosis. These recommendations should be periodically reviewed as our knowledge of the clinical utility of NGS technologies, applied during pregnancy, may advance.

Background: Tubal patency testing constitutes an essential part of infertility work-up. Hysterosalpingo-foam-sonography (HyFoSy) is currently one of the best tests for assessing tubal patency. The objective of our study was to evaluate the post-procedure rate of spontaneous pregnancy among infertile women submitted for an HyFoSy exam with ExEm^® foam and the factors associated with this. Methods: Multicenter, prospective, observational study performed at six Spanish centers for gynecologic sonography and human reproduction. From December 2015 to June 2021, 799 infertile women underwent HyFoSy registration consecutively. The patients’ information was collected from their medical records. Multivariable regression analyses were performed, controlling for age, etiology, and time of sterility. The main outcome was to measure post-procedure spontaneous pregnancy rates and the factors associated with the achievement of pregnancy. Results: 201 (26.5%) women got spontaneous conception (SC group), whereas 557 (73.5%) women did not get pregnant (non-spontaneous conception group, NSC). The median time for reaching SC after HyFoSy was 4 months (CI 95% 3.1–4.9), 18.9% of them occurring the same month of the procedure. Couples with less than 18 months of infertility were 93% more likely to get pregnant after HyFoSy (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.34–2.81; p < 0.001); SC were two times more frequent in women under 35 years with unexplained infertility (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.07–4.65; P0.033). Conclusion: After HyFoSy, one in four patients got pregnant within the next twelve months. Couples with shorter infertility time, unexplained infertility, and women under 35 years are more likely to achieve SC after HyFoSy.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has been associated with congenital microcephaly and other neurodevelopmental abnormalities. There is little published research on the effect of maternal ZIKV infection in a non-endemic European region. We aimed to describe the outcomes of pregnant travelers diagnosed as ZIKV-infected in Spain, and their exposed children. Methods: This prospective observational cohort study of nine referral hospitals enrolled pregnant women (PW) who travelled to endemic areas during their pregnancy or the two previous months, or those whose sexual partners visited endemic areas in the previous 6 months. Infants of ZIKV-infected mothers were followed for about two years. Results: ZIKV infection was diagnosed in 163 PW; 112 (70%) were asymptomatic and 24 (14.7%) were confirmed cases. Among 143 infants, 14 (9.8%) had adverse outcomes during follow-up; three had a congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), and 11 other potential Zika-related outcomes. The overall incidence of CZS was 2.1% (95%CI: 0.4–6.0%), but among infants born to ZIKV-confirmed mothers, this increased to 15.8% (95%CI: 3.4–39.6%). Conclusions: A nearly 10% overall risk of neurologic and hearing adverse outcomes was found in ZIKV-exposed children born to a ZIKV-infected traveler PW. Longer-term follow-up of these children is needed to assess whether there are any later-onset manifestations.