The role of aspirin dose on the prevention of preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction: systematic review and meta-analysis

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are one of the most commonly occurring complications of pregnancy and include chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, and pre-eclampsia. New developments in early pregnancy screening to identify women at high risk for pre-eclampsia combined with targeted aspirin prophylaxis could greatly reduce the number of affected pregnancies. Furthermore, recent advances in the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, such as placental growth factor based testing, have been shown to improve the identification of those pregnancies at highest risk of severe complications. Evidence from trials has refined the target blood pressure and timing of delivery to manage chronic hypertension and pre-eclampsia with non-severe features, respectively. Importantly, a wealth of epidemiological data now links HDP to future cardiovascular disease and diabetes decades after an affected pregnancy. This review discusses the current guidelines and research data on the prevention, diagnosis, management, and postnatal follow-up of HDP. It also discusses the gap in knowledge regarding the long term risks for cardiovascular disease following HDP and illustrates the importance of improving adherence to postnatal guidelines to monitor hypertension and the need for more research focused on primary prevention of future cardiovascular disease in women identified as being at high risk because of HDP.

Stillbirth: prevention and supportive bereavement care

Around half of the two million stillbirths occurring worldwide each year are preventable. This review compiles the most up-to-date evidence to inform stillbirth prevention. Many general maternal health interventions also reduce the risk of stillbirth, for example, antenatal care attendance. This review focuses on specific aspects of care: glucose metabolism, targeted aspirin prophylaxis, clotting and immune disorders, sleep positions, fetal movement monitoring, and preconception and interconception health. In the past few years, covid-19 infection during pregnancy has emerged as a risk factor for stillbirth, particularly among women who were not vaccinated. Alongside prevention, efforts to address stillbirth must include provision of high quality, supportive, and compassionate bereavement care to improve parents' wellbeing. A growing body of evidence suggests beneficial effects for parents who received supportive care and were offered choices such as mode of birth and the option to see and hold their baby. Staff need support to be able to care for parents effectively, yet, studies consistently highlight the scarcity of specific bereavement care training for healthcare providers. Action is urgently needed and is possible. Action must be taken with the evidence available now, in healthcare settings with high or low resources, to reduce stillbirths and improve training and care.

Low-Dose Aspirin after ASPRE-More Questions Than Answers? Current International Approach after PE Screening in the First Trimester

Preeclampsia (PE) is a multi-factorial disorder of pregnancy, and it continues to be one of the leading causes of fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Aspirin is universally recommended for high-risk women to reduce preeclampsia risk. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recommendations of various scientific societies on predicting preeclampsia and their indications for the inclusion of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) prophylaxis. Fourteen guidelines were compared. The recommended dose, screening method, and gestational age at the start of the test vary depending on the recommendation. The societies are inclined to recommend using increasingly higher doses (>75 mg) of ASA, with many encouraging doses from 100 mg upward. Most societies indicate that the optimal time for implementing aspirin is prior to 16 weeks' gestation. Following the publication of the Aspirin for Evidence-Based Preeclampsia Prevention (ASPRE) trial results and other papers evaluating the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) screening model, a large number of societies have changed their recommendations from those based on risk factors alone to the ones based on the risk assessment proposed by the FMF. This allows for the detection of a high-risk pregnancy population in whom aspirin will be remarkably effective in preventing preterm PE, thereby decreasing maternal and fetal morbidity.

Fetal Biometric Assessment and Infant Developmental Prognosis of the Tadalafil Treatment for Fetal Growth Restriction

Background and Objectives: Tadalafil is expected to treat fetal growth restriction (FGR), a risk factor for stillbirth and neonatal morbidity. This study aimed to evaluate the fetal biometric growth pattern of fetuses with FGR treated with tadalafil by ultrasonographic assessment. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study. Fifty fetuses diagnosed with FGR and treated by maternal administration of tadalafil and ten controls who received conventional treatment at Mie University Hospital from 2015 to 2019 were assessed. Fetal biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) at the start of treatment and at two weeks and four weeks of treatment were mainly assessed by ultrasound examination. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to assess the measures. The Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development (KSPD) was used to assess the developmental prognosis on tadalafil-treated children at 1.5 years of corrected age (CA) and 3 years old. Results: The median gestational age at the start of treatment was 30 and 31 weeks in the tadalafil and control groups, respectively, and the median gestational age at delivery was 37 weeks in both groups. The Z-score of HC was significantly increased at 4 weeks of treatment (p = 0.005), and the umbilical artery resistance index was significantly decreased (p = 0.049), while no significant difference was observed in the control group. The number of cases with an abnormal score of less than 70 on the KSPD test was 19% for P-M, 8% for C-A, 19% for L-S, and 11% for total area at 1.5 years CA. At 3 years old, the respective scores were 16%, 21%, 16%, and 16%. Conclusions: Tadalafil treatment for FGR may maintain fetal HC growth and infants' neuro-developmental prognosis.

A Randomized Controlled Study Comparing the Efficacy of 75mg Versus 150mg Aspirin for the Prevention of Preeclampsia in High-Risk Pregnant Women

Background Preeclampsia is a major factor in both maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The most widely investigated preeclampsia prevention medication is low dose Aspirin. However, guidelines differ considerably regarding the prophylactic dose of Aspirin for preeclampsia. Objective The objective is to compare the efficacy of 150mg versus 75mg Aspirin for the prevention of preeclampsia in pregnant women at high risk of preeclampsia. Methodology This was a parallel, open-label, randomized control trial carried over a period of one year and three months at a tertiary care center of Eastern India. Block randomization was done and block sizes of 2 and 4 were used to ensure balanced distributions within the study arms. Primary outcome was the development of preeclampsia and secondary outcomes were fetomaternal complications in both groups. Results The present clinical trial was conducted on 116 pregnant women with a risk factor of preeclampsia and they were randomly assigned to receive either 150mg or 75mg of Aspirin daily beginning from 12 to 16 weeks of gestation till 36 weeks' gestation. A significantly greater number of pregnant females who received Aspirin 75mg (33.92%) developed preeclampsia in contrast to those who received Aspirin 150mg (8.77%), p=0.001, OR = 5.341, 95%CI = 1.829-15.594. There was an insignificant difference in fetomaternal outcome among both the groups of women. Conclusion Among women who are at high risk of developing preeclampsia, Aspirin 150 mg once a day at bedtime is more effective than Aspirin 75 mg once a day at bedtime in preventing preeclampsia with similar fetomaternal outcomes (NICU admission, IUGR, neonatal death, still birth, eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, placental abruption and pulmonary edema).

Prevention of pre-eclampsia with aspirin: A systematic review of guidelines and evaluation of the quality of recommendation evidence

BACKGROUND

Evidence has shown significant benefits of aspirin for preventing pre-eclampsia.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to systematically review recommendations from clinical practice guidelines and other recommendation documents on aspirin for the prevention of pre-eclampsia.

SEARCH STRATEGY

Ten databases were searched for statements from December 1, 2013, to January 1, 2022.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Without language restrictions, the most recent version of documents was considered.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors independently extracted recommendations. Guideline quality was assessed using a modified AGREE-II instrument and the AGREE-REX tool.

MAIN RESULTS

Out of 48 statements on the prevention of pre-eclampsia, 46 had recommendations on use of aspirin. Of them, 39 were supported by evidence from systematic reviews or randomized controlled trials. Three statements reported aspirin's significant reductions in preterm pre-eclampsia and one in perinatal death. Concerning quality, 41% of statements were rated as high quality in all domains of the AGREE-II tool, 15% were rated high quality in all domains of the AGREE-REX tool, and 11% were rated high quality in all domains on both tools.

CONCLUSIONS

While 96% of statements advocated for use of aspirin, only 9% reported a significant reduction in preterm pre-eclampsia or perinatal death. Based on the AGREE tools, future statements could use methodological improvement.

Aspirin for the Prevention of Early and Severe Pre-Eclampsia Recurrence: A Real-World Population-Based Study

BACKGROUND

Many clinical trials have reported that low-dose aspirin decreases the risk of pre-eclampsia in women with prior pre-eclampsia. However, its impact in a real-world population has not been fully assessed.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the rates of low-dose aspirin initiation during pregnancy in women with a history of pre-eclampsia, and to evaluate the impact of low-dose aspirin in prevention of pre-eclampsia recurrence in a real-world population.

STUDY DESIGN

CONCEPTION is a French nationwide cohort study which uses data from the country's National Health Data System database. We included all women in France who gave birth at least twice between 2010-2018, and who had pre-eclampsia during their first pregnancy. Every dispensing of low-dose aspirin (75-300 mg) between the beginning of their second pregnancy and 36 weeks of gestation (WG) was identified. We used Poisson regression models to estimate the adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) of receiving aspirin at least once during their second pregnancy. In women who had early and/or severe pre-eclampsia during their first pregnancy, we estimated the IRRs of pre-eclampsia recurrence during their second pregnancy according to the aspirin therapy.

RESULTS

In 28,467 women who were included in the study, the aspirin initiation rate during the second pregnancy ranged from 27.8% for women in whose first pregnancy the pre-eclampsia was mild and late, to 79.9% for those women whose pre-eclampsia was severe and early. Just over half (54.3%) of those treated with aspirin-initiated treatment before 16 WG and adhered to treatment. Compared with women with mild and late pre-eclampsia, the aIRRs (95% CI) for receiving aspirin at least once during the second pregnancy were 1.94 (1.86-2.03) for women with severe and late pre-eclampsia, 2.34 (2.17-2.52) for those with early and mild pre-eclampsia, and 2.87 [2.74-3.01] for those with early and severe pre-eclampsia E. Social deprivation was associated with a lower initiation of aspirin (IRR = 0.74 [0.70-0.78]). Aspirin was not associated with a lower risk of mild and late pre-eclampsia, severe and late pre-eclampsia, or mild and early pre-eclampsia during the second pregnancy. The aIRRs for severe and early pre-eclampsia during the second pregnancy were 0.77 (0.62-0.95) for women who received prescribed aspirin at least once, 0.71 (0.5-0.89) for those who initiated aspirin therapy before 16 WG, and 0.60 (0.47-0.77) for those who adhered to aspirin treatment throughout their second pregnancy. The risk of severe and early pre-eclampsia was lower only when the prescribed mean daily dose was ≥ 100 mg/day.

CONCLUSION

In women with a history of pre-eclampsia, aspirin initiation during a second pregnancy and adherence to the prescribed dosage were largely insufficient, especially for women experiencing social deprivation. Aspirin initiated before 16 WG at a dose ≥ 100 mg/day was associated with a lower risk of severe and early pre-eclampsia.

Fetal Growth Restriction Is Associated with Pregnancy Associated Plasma Protein A and Uterine Artery Doppler in First Trimester

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a major cause of stillbirth and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. The early prediction may be important to establish treatment options and improve neonatal outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the association of parameters used in first-trimester screening, uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index and the development of FGR. In this retrospective cohort study, 1930 singleton pregnancies prenatally diagnosed with an estimated fetal weight under the third percentile were included. All women underwent first-trimester screening assessing maternal serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), free beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin levels, fetal nuchal translucency and uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index (PI). We constructed a Receiver Operating Characteristics curve to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of early diagnosis of FGR. In pregnancies with FGR, PAPP-A was significantly lower, and uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index was significantly higher compared with the normal birth weight group (0.79 ± 0.38 vs. 1.15 ± 0.59, p < 0.001 and 1.82 ± 0.7 vs. 1.55 ± 0.47, p = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that PAPP-A levels and uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index were significantly associated with FGR (p = 0.009 and p = 0.01, respectively). To conclude, these two parameters can predict FGR < 3rd percentile.

Relationship of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use During Pregnancy with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability Among Offspring

Objective: This study aimed to examine the association of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use by pregnant women during pregnancy with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) in their children among Medicaid-insured mother-child dyads. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study linking multiple datasets of South Carolina for the years between 2010 and 2017, in which the main exposure variable was NSAID use during pregnancy and outcome variables were ASD only, ID only, and ASD with ID. We conducted a multinomial logistic regression analysis, controlling for identified risk factors for ASD (mother's age, race, body-mass index, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes). Results: NSAID use during pregnancy was found to be associated with ID only in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Children with mothers who had NSAID prescriptions were 26% more likely to have ID in comparison with children whose mothers did not have NSAID prescriptions (odds ratio: 1.26 [1.10-1.46]). The other risk factors identified for ASD were maternal age, race, preeclampsia, smoking, low birth weight, and obesity. For ID, the risk factors were maternal age, race, smoking, birth weight, overweight, and obesity, all of which were also associated with ASD with ID, except for overweight. Conclusions: NSAID usage during pregnancy was found to be associated with ID only and not with ASD. However, more research is needed to validate the effect of NSAIDs during pregnancy on ASD and ID among children.

Aspirin and Pravastatin for Preeclampsia Prevention in High-Risk Pregnancy

Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy affecting up to 8% of pregnancies. It is associated with significant neonatal and maternal morbidities and mortality. Although its pathogenesis is not completely understood, abnormal placentation resulting in imbalance in angiogenic factors, increased inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction are thought to be key pathways in the development of the disease. Administration of low-dose aspirin is recommended by professional societies for the prevention of preeclampsia in high-risk individuals. In this review, we summarize the evidence behind the use of low-dose aspirin and pravastatin in pregnant individuals at high risk of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia: Narrative review for clinical use

Aim

Preeclampsia is a very complex multisystem disorder characterized by mild to severe hypertension.

Methods

PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched from January 1, 2002 to March 31, 2022, with the search terms "pre-eclampsia" and "hypertensive disorders in pregnancy". We also look for guidelines from international societies and clinical specialty colleges and we focused on publications made after 2015.

Results

The primary issue associated with this physiopathology is a reduction in utero-placental perfusion and ischemia. Preeclampsia has a multifactorial genesis, its focus in prevention consists of the identification of high and moderate-risk clinical factors. The clinical manifestations of preeclampsia vary from asymptomatic to fatal complications for both the fetus and the mother. In severe cases, the mother may present renal, neurological, hepatic, or vascular disease. The main prevention strategy is the use of aspirin at low doses, started from the beginning to the end of the second trimester and maintained until the end of pregnancy.

Conclusion

Preeclampsia is a multisystem disorder; we do not know how to predict it accurately. Acetylsalicylic acid at low doses to prevent a low percentage, especially in patients with far from term preeclampsia. There is evidence that exercising for at least 140 min per week reduces gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. Currently, the safest approach is the termination of pregnancy. It is necessary to improve the prediction and prevention of preeclampsia, in addition, better research is needed in the long-term postpartum follow-up.

Clinical practice guidelines on the use of aspirin in pregnancy: Systematic review

BACKGROUND

Placental related disorders, including preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction (FGR) are among the main determinants of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in both singleton and twin pregnancies. In view of its relevance, aspirin administration is commonly recommended to women at high risk for preeclampsia or FGR by the various national and international guidelines.

OBJECTIVES

To establish the clinical heterogeneity among the clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) on aspirin use in pregnancy and to investigate the quality of these CPGs.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review of Clinical practice guidelines on main databases searching for all peer-reviewed guidelines into the literature, analyzing the following aspects related to use of aspirin in pregnancy: indications for aspirin administration, dosage, starting of therapy, ending of therapy, safety and side effects. The assessment of risk of bias and quality assessment of the included CPGs were performed using "The Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch and Evaluation (AGREE II)" tool.

RESULTS

16 CPGs were included. There was an overall general agreement among the published CPGs as regards to the indication for aspirin intake in pregnancy, with prior preeclampsia, chronic hypertension, autoimmune disease, and diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2 recognized as solitary major risk factors for Aspirin administration in 93.7% (15/16) of CPGs. There was heterogeneity in the recommendations provided by the different CPGs as regards the gestational age at which aspirin should be commenced.

CONCLUSION

There is general agreement in the reported indications for aspirin intake in pregnancy, with prior preeclampsia and maternal medical co-morbidity associated with increased risk of preeclampsia being the major indications for aspirin intake. Conversely, there was heterogeneity in the recommended dose, gestational age at initiation and discontinuation of therapy among the different CPGs.

Reproductive health after thoracic transplantation: An ISHLT expert consensus statement

Pregnancy after thoracic organ transplantation is feasible for select individuals but requires multidisciplinary subspecialty care. Key components for a successful pregnancy after lung or heart transplantation include preconception and contraceptive planning, thorough risk stratification, optimization of maternal comorbidities and fetal health through careful monitoring, and open communication with shared decision-making. The goal of this consensus statement is to summarize the current evidence and provide guidance surrounding preconception counseling, patient risk assessment, medical management, maternal and fetal outcomes, obstetric management, and pharmacologic considerations.

Birthweight of children with isolated congenital heart disease-A sibling analysis study

OBJECTIVE

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is associated with decreased birthweight (BW) compared to population-based references. The aim of this study was to compare the BW of isolated CHD cases to their siblings, thus controlling for unknown and unmeasured confounders within the family.

METHODS

All isolated CHD cases in the Leiden University Medical Center were included (2002-2019). Generalized estimated equation models were constructed to compare BW z scores of CHD neonates with their siblings. Cases were clustered to minor or severe CHD and stratified according to the aortic flow and oxygenation to the brain.

RESULTS

The overall BW z score of siblings was 0.032 (n = 471). The BW z score was significantly lower in CHD cases (n = 291) compared to their siblings (-0.20, p = 0.005). The results were consistent in the subgroup analysis of severe and minor CHD (BW z score difference -0.20 and -0.10), but did not differ significantly (p = 0.63). Stratified analysis regarding flow and oxygenation showed no BW difference between the groups (p = 0.1).

CONCLUSION

Isolated CHD cases display a significantly lower BW z score compared to their siblings. As the siblings of these CHD cases show a BW distribution similar to the general population, this suggests that shared environmental and maternal influences between siblings do not explain the difference in BW.

Arterial stiffness for the early prediction of pre-eclampsia compared with blood pressure, uterine artery Doppler and angiogenic biomarkers: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to evaluate the ability of arterial stiffness parameters to predict pre-eclampsia early compared with peripheral blood pressure, uterine artery Doppler and established angiogenic biomarkers.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary care antenatal clinics in Montreal, Canada.

POPULATION

Women with singleton high-risk pregnancies.

METHODS

In the first trimester, arterial stiffness was measured by applanation tonometry, along with peripheral blood pressure and serum/plasma angiogenic biomarkers; uterine artery Doppler was measured in the second trimester. The predictive ability of different metrics was assessed through multivariate logistic regression.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, carotid-radial pulse wave velocity) and wave reflection (augmentation index, reflected wave start time), peripheral blood pressure, ultrasound indices of velocimetry and circulating angiogenic biomarker concentrations.

RESULTS

In this prospective study, among 191 high-risk pregnant women, 14 (7.3%) developed pre-eclampsia. A first-trimester 1 m/s increase in carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was associated with 64% increased odds (P < 0.05), and a 1-millisecond increase in time to wave reflection with 11% decreased odds for pre-eclampsia (P < 0.01). The area under the curve of arterial stiffness, blood pressure, ultrasound indices and angiogenic biomarkers was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74-0.92), 0.71 (95% CI 0.57-0.86), 0.58 (95% CI 0.39-0.77), and 0.64 (95% CI 0.44-0.83), respectively. With a 5% false-positive rate, blood pressure had a sensitivity of 14% for pre-eclampsia and arterial stiffness a sensitivity of 36%.

CONCLUSIONS

Arterial stiffness predicted pre-eclampsia earlier and with greater ability than blood pressure, ultrasound indices or angiogenic biomarkers.

Aspirin 75 mg to prevent preeclampsia in high-risk pregnancies: a retrospective real-world study in China

BACKGROUND

Several randomized clinical trials showed that aspirin could decrease the incidence of preeclampsia (PE) in women at high risk, but data from sources other than traditional clinical trials that investigating the preventive effect of aspirin 75 mg on PE is still lacking, especially in mainland China. We aimed to use Chinese real-world data to estimate the preventive effect of low-dose aspirin (LDA) on PE.

METHODS

Clinical data of pregnant women who were at high risk of PE and had their first prenatal visit at the affiliated Taicang People's Hospital of Soochow University during November 31, 2018 and May 10, 2021 was retrospectively analyzed. Among the 266 included pregnant women, 115 individuals treated with aspirin 75 mg per day and the other 151 without such treatment were considered as the LDA group and the control group, respectively.

RESULTS

In the LDA group, 64 (55.65%) of 115 pregnant women took aspirin before 16 weeks of gestation. Besides, 12 (10.43%) and 34 (22.52%) women developed PE in the LDA group and control group, respectively; the aspirin prophylaxis was associated with a lower risk of PE (odds ratio = 0.40, 95% confidence interval = 0.20-0.82, P = 0.0098). In addition, LDA is slightly more effective when initiated before 16 weeks of gestation or in those without chronic hypertension, when compared with their counterparts.

CONCLUSION

Prophylaxis with 75 mg per day of aspirin in high-risk women resulted in a significantly lower incidence of PE than that in the control group.

Aspirin for prevention of preeclampsia and adverse perinatal outcome in twin pregnancies: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the potential role of aspirin in reducing the risk of preeclampsia and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in twin pregnancies.

DATA SOURCES

Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrial.gov databases were searched.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The search and selection criteria were restricted to the English language.

METHODS

The primary outcome was the incidence of preeclampsia. The secondary outcomes included gestational hypertension; fetal growth restriction; preterm birth, either spontaneous or iatrogenic, before 34 weeks of gestation; gestational age at birth; neonatal birthweight; and adverse events secondary to the administration of aspirin, including antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage. In addition, subgroup analyses according to chorionicity (dichorionic vs monochorionic), aspirin dose, and gestational age at administration of aspirin (<16 vs ≥16 weeks of gestation) and considering only studies with a daily aspirin dose of ≥100 mg/d were performed. Head-to-head meta-analyses reporting results as summary odds ratios and mean differences were used to analyze categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Quality assessment for randomized controlled trials was independently performed by 2 researchers based on the risk of bias that was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. The conclusion of the meta-analysis on the primary outcome was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.

RESULTS

Overall, 9 studies (2273 twin pregnancies) were included. When considering all studies, the risk of preeclampsia was lower in twin pregnancies treated with aspirin than in those not treated with aspirin (odds ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.48-0.85; P=.003), although there was no significant difference in the risk of gestational hypertension (P=.987), fetal growth restriction (P=.9), or adverse maternal and perinatal events (P=.9) in twin pregnancies treated with aspirin compared with those not treated with aspirin. There was no significant difference in the gestational age at birth (P=.2) and neonatal birthweight (P=.06) between women receiving aspirin and those not receiving aspirin. When considering only studies with an aspirin dose of >100 mg/d, the risk of preeclampsia (odds ratio, 0.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.86; P=.02) was significantly lower in pregnancies receiving aspirin than in those not receiving aspirin, Conversely, there was no significant difference in the risk of gestational hypertension (P=.20), fetal growth restriction (P=.1), gestational age at birth (P=.06), and neonatal weight (P=.05) between the 2 groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the risk of preeclampsia when considering only studies with an aspirin dose of >80 mg/d (P=.611). The association between the administration of aspirin and preeclampsia persisted when considering an aspirin dose of >100 mg/day or when the medication was started before 16 weeks of gestation. The overall quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation assessment was low.

CONCLUSION

The administration of aspirin in women with twin pregnancies reduced the risk of preeclampsia. The findings from this study highlighted the need for randomized controlled trials elucidating the actual role of aspirin in affecting maternal and perinatal outcomes in twin pregnancies.

Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are a leading cause of global maternal and fetal morbidity. The four hypertensive disorders of pregnancy include chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia-eclampsia, and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia. A careful history, review of systems, physical examination, and laboratory analysis can help differentiate these disorders and quantify the severity of the disease, which holds important implications for disease management. This article reviews the different types of disorders of hypertension in pregnancy and how to diagnose and manage these patients, with special attention paid to any recent changes made to this management algorithm.

Evaluation of Liver Disease in Pregnancy

Liver disease in pregnancy often requires diagnostic and therapeutic considerations that are unique to pregnancy. Liver disease in pregnancy is commonly thought of as either liver disease unique to pregnancy, chronic liver disease, or liver disease coincidental to pregnancy. This review summarizes the approach to evaluation of liver disease in pregnancy.

Using the bayesmeta R package for Bayesian random-effects meta-regression

BACKGROUND

Random-effects meta-analysis within a hierarchical normal modeling framework is commonly implemented in a wide range of evidence synthesis applications. More general problems may even be tackled when considering meta-regression approaches that in addition allow for the inclusion of study-level covariables.

METHODS

We describe the Bayesian meta-regression implementation provided in the bayesmetaR package including the choice of priors, and we illustrate its practical use.

RESULTS

A wide range of example applications are given, such as binary and continuous covariables, subgroup analysis, indirect comparisons, and model selection. Example R code is provided.

CONCLUSIONS

The bayesmeta package provides a flexible implementation. Due to the avoidance of MCMC methods, computations are fast and reproducible, facilitating quick sensitivity checks or large-scale simulation studies.

Preeclampsia and the Kidney: Pathophysiology and Clinical Implications

Preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are major contributors to maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. This group of disorders includes chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension, and eclampsia. The body undergoes important physiological changes during pregnancy to allow for normal placental and fetal development. Several mechanisms have been proposed that may lead to preeclampsia, including abnormal placentation and placental hypoxia, impaired angiogenesis, excessive pro-inflammatory response, immune system imbalance, abnormalities of cellular senescence, alterations in regulation and activity of angiotensin II, and oxidative stress, ultimately resulting in upregulation of multiple mediators of endothelial cell dysfunction leading to maternal disease. The clinical implications of preeclampsia are significant as there are important short-term and long-term health consequences for those affected. Preeclampsia leads to increased risk of preterm delivery and increased morbidity and mortality of both the developing fetus and mother. Preeclampsia also commonly leads to acute kidney injury, and women who experience preeclampsia or another hypertensive disorder of pregnancy are at increased lifetime risk of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. An understanding of normal pregnancy physiology and the pathophysiology of preeclampsia is essential to develop novel treatment approaches and manage patients with preeclampsia and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. © 2023 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 13:4231-4267, 2023.

Aspirin use during pregnancy may be a potential risk for postpartum hemorrhage and increased blood loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The association between aspirin use during pregnancy and the risk of postpartum hemorrhage remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage and the amount of postpartum blood loss among women who used aspirin during pregnancy.

DATA SOURCES

From inception to October 2022, this study searched the following databases: MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Studies comparing pregnancy outcomes that covered the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage or the amount of postpartum blood loss in pregnancies with aspirin vs placebo (or no aspirin) were included.

METHODS

Reviewers separately ascertained studies, obtained data, and gauged study quality. The meta-analysis was conducted using a random effects model owing to the probable heterogeneity of the included studies. The rates of postpartum hemorrhage or the mean amounts of postpartum blood loss were compared, and the odds ratios or mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were estimated. Of note, 2 parts performed both a pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies and a separate analysis of randomized controlled trials.

RESULTS

Overall, 21 studies with 373,926 women were included in the postpartum hemorrhage part, and 7 studies with 10,163 women were included in the postpartum blood loss part. The results suggested that aspirin use during pregnancy was associated with an increased incidence of postpartum hemorrhage (odds ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.34). When only randomized controlled trials were retained, the results remained significant (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.25). In the second part, higher total blood loss after delivery was obtained (mean difference, 12.85 mL; 95% confidence interval, 3.28-22.42), and the result was unaltered when cohort studies were eliminated (mean difference, 13.72 mL; 95% confidence interval, 4.63-22.81). The conclusions are more likely to be obtained in developed countries.

CONCLUSION

Aspirin use during pregnancy is a potential risk of postpartum hemorrhage and does slightly increase the amount of postpartum blood loss. Without denying the combined value of aspirin, our conclusions raised an alarm for clinicians about postpartum hemorrhage in women using aspirin during pregnancy.

Application of low dose aspirin in pre-eclampsia

Aspirin is widely used in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Low-dose aspirin is also widely used to prevent pre-eclampsia and fetal growth retardation in utero. However, the use of aspirin during pregnancy is controversial. Since 1985, when aspirin was reported to be effective in obstetrics, numerous studies have attempted to determine the effect of low-dose aspirin on the morbidity of pre-eclampsia but have remained inconclusive. Guidelines for aspirin in preventing pre-eclampsia are different in different countries and regions. This article summarizes the research progress, mechanism, and application prospect of aspirin in preventing pre-eclampsia, providing a theoretical basis for the rational use of aspirin in pregnancy.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and long-term cardiovascular health: FIGO Best Practice Advice

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are the most common causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. They are responsible for 16% of maternal deaths in high-income countries and approximately 25% in low- and middle-income countries. The impact of HDP can be lifelong as they are a recognized risk factor for future cardiovascular disease. During pregnancy, the cardiovascular system undergoes significant adaptive changes that ensure adequate uteroplacental blood flow and exchange of oxygen and nutrients to nurture and accommodate the developing fetus. Failure to achieve normal cardiovascular adaptation is associated with the development of HDP. Hemodynamic alterations in women with a history of HDP can persist for years and predispose to long-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Therefore, pregnancy and the postpartum period are an opportunity to identify women with underlying, often unrecognized, cardiovascular risk factors. It is important to develop strategies with lifestyle and therapeutic interventions to reduce the risk of future cardiovascular disease in those who have a history of HDP.

Clinical risk factors for vasculo-placental disorders: results from a prospective case-control study nested in HEMOTHEPP French cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Determine clinical risk factors for vasculo-placental disorders in singleton pregnancies.

DESIGN

Prospective case-control study nested in HEMOTHEPP French cohort.

SETTING

Women delivered between June, 2015 and January, 2019 in any maternity ward of Finistère.

POPULATION

Cases were women with vasculo-placental disorders (pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), placental abruption or stillbirth). Controls were women matched for age at delivery and parity.

METHODS

Clinical data were collected by obstetricians or midwives during antenatal care visits and delivery, and recorded by trained research assistants.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Occurrence of a vasculo-placental disorder.

RESULTS

505 women with vasculo-placental disorder (299 pre-eclampsia, 253 IUGR, 44 placental abruptions, 11 stillbirths) and 1515 matched controls were selected out of 20,075 participants. In multivariable analysis, four clinical parameters were associated with pre-eclampsia: obesity (Odd ratio (OR) = 3.11, 95%CI 2.11-4.58), French overseas origin (OR = 4.41, 95%CI 1.87-10.42), previous vasculo-placental disorder (OR = 5.14, 95%CI 2.72-9.70), aspirin during pregnancy (OR = 10.10, 95%CI 1.99-51.08). Three clinical parameters were associated with IUGR: auto-immune/inflammatory disorder (OR = 3.75, 95%CI 1.83-7.68), previous vasculo-placental disorder (OR = 3.63, 95%CI 2.06-6.41), smoking during pregnancy (OR = 2.66, 95%CI 1.91- 3.71). A previous venous thromboembolism (VTE) was associated with IUGR in univariable but not in multivariable analysis (OR = 3.72, 95%CI 0.82-17.00, p = 0.09).

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical risk factors differ between IUGR and pre-eclampsia, the later, but not the former, being associated with cardiovascular risk factors.

Diagnostic efficacy of aneuploidy markers correlated with early onset preeclampsia

Low-dose aspirin administration before 16 weeks of gestation can prevent preeclampsia (PE) more effectively. In order to determine if aspirin should be administered, this study aimed to investigate the predictive value of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and aneuploidy markers for the onset period of PE. 1053 singleton pregnant women were included in the study, and serum PAPPA-A and aneuploidy markers were analyzed between 3 group (normotensive, late-onset PE, and early-onset PE). The utility of these markers for predicting early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE) was compared using each marker and their combination. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)/PAPP-A > 6.89 and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)/PAPP-A > 7.94 were associated with EOPE with a positive likelihood ratio (LR) (6.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.9-7.1), and (5.77, 95% CI 3.9-6.4). The combination of markers could predict EOPE more accurately compared to the single markers. AFP/PAPP-A > 6.89 and hCG/PAPP-A > 7.94had a predictive ability for EOPE, and these cutoff values can help determine the use of aspirin at an earlier gestational age (GA).

Early prediction and longitudinal modeling of preeclampsia from multiomics

Preeclampsia is a complex disease of pregnancy whose physiopathology remains unclear. We developed machine-learning models for early prediction of preeclampsia (first 16 weeks of pregnancy) and over gestation by analyzing six omics datasets from a longitudinal cohort of pregnant women. For early pregnancy, a prediction model using nine urine metabolites had the highest accuracy and was validated on an independent cohort (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.76, 0.99] cross-validated; AUC = 0.83, 95% CI [0.62,1] validated). Univariate analysis demonstrated statistical significance of identified metabolites. An integrated multiomics model further improved accuracy (AUC = 0.94). Several biological pathways were identified including tryptophan, caffeine, and arachidonic acid metabolisms. Integration with immune cytometry data suggested novel associations between immune and proteomic dynamics. While further validation in a larger population is necessary, these encouraging results can serve as a basis for a simple, early diagnostic test for preeclampsia.

Hypertension Across a Woman's Life Cycle

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We reviewed the effects of hypertension and the means to prevent and treat it across the spectrum of a woman's lifespan and identified gaps in sex-specific mechanisms contributing to hypertension in women that need to be addressed.

RECENT FINDINGS

Hypertension continues to be an important public health problem for women across all life stages from adolescence through pregnancy, menopause, and older age. There remain racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences in hypertension rates not only overall but also between the sexes. Blood pressure cutoffs during pregnancy have not been updated to reflect the 2017 ACC/AHA changes due to a lack of data. Additionally, the mechanisms behind hypertension development in menopause, including sex hormones and genetic factors, are not well understood. In the setting of increasing inactivity and obesity, along with an aging population, hypertension rates are increasing in women. Screening and management of hypertension throughout a women's lifespan are necessary to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease, and further research to understand sex-specific hypertension mechanisms is needed.

The effect of 150 and 80 mg doses of aspirin on preventing preterm birth in high-risk pregnant women

OBJECTIVES

Preterm birth (PTB) is the common cause of neonatal mortality nationwide. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of different doses of aspirin in preventing PTB in high-risk pregnant women. As secondary outcomes, other perinatal complications were compared.

METHODS

This double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on high-risk pregnant women with impaired placental perfusion diagnosed in the first trimester of pregnancy referring to the perinatal centers affiliated to Shiraz university of Medical Sciences between February 2020 and March 2021. The subjects were randomly divided in two groups administered with 150 or 80 mg aspirin every night from 11 to 13+6 weeks until 36 weeks or delivery. This study is registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20140317017035N6; http://www.irct.ir/). Univariate and multiple logistic regressions were applied using SPSS 22.

RESULTS

A total of 101 subjects received 80 mg aspirin and 89 ones received 150 mg aspirin. The results of multiple analysis revealed a significantly lower odds of PTB (OR 0.4 (0.19, 0.99)) in the 150 mg group compared to the 80 mg group. As secondary outcomes, preeclampsia (PEC) and PEC with severe features (PECsf) were lower (OR 0.2 (0.06, 0.82) and 0.1 (0.01, 0.92), respectively); however, fetal age and neonatal weight were higher in the 150 mg group (OR 1.2 (1.04, 1.33) and 1.001 (1-1.001), respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings indicated that, compared with 80 mg of aspirin, taking 150 mg of aspirin reduced PTB and perinatal complications in high risk pregnant women.

The effect of low-dose aspirin on platelet function during pregnancy compared to placebo: An explorative study

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effect of aspirin 80 mg compared to placebo on platelet function tests in the second and third trimester of pregnancy.

STUDY DESIGN

An explorative study was performed to assess laboratory platelet function in a subpopulation of the APRIL trial: a randomized double-blind trial comparing aspirin 80 mg once daily to placebo for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth. Platelet function was measured between 18 and 22, and between 28 and 32 weeks gestational age with three platelet function tests: VerifyNow®, Chronolog light transmission aggregometry (Chronolog LTA) and serum thromboxane B₂ (TxB₂). Medication adherence was evaluated by pill counts, self-reported diaries and structured interviews.

RESULTS

We included 11 women, six in the aspirin and five in the placebo group. In women receiving aspirin, platelet function was significantly lower compared to women receiving placebo for all three tests: VerifyNow® Aspirin Reaction Units (450.5 vs 648.0, p = 0.017); Chronolog LTA (9.5% vs 94.5%, p = 0.009); serum TxB₂ levels (11.9 ng/mL versus 175.9 ng/mL, p = 0.030). For all three tests, platelet function did not differ between the second and third trimester of pregnancy in the aspirin group. In the placebo group, serum TxB₂ levels were significantly higher in the third trimester. One non-adherent participant in the aspirin group showed results similar to the placebo group.

CONCLUSION

Aspirin 80 mg has a clear inhibitory effect on laboratory platelet function during pregnancy compared to placebo. This effect is similar in the second and third trimester of pregnancy.

Preeclampsia: a report and recommendations of the workshop of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the Preeclampsia Foundation

Preeclampsia is a substantial cause of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of this condition has increased over the past several decades. Additional opportunities are needed to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and improve patient care in the setting of preeclampsia. In recognition of the Preeclampsia Foundation's 20th anniversary and its work to advance preeclampsia research and clinical agendas, a 2-day virtual workshop on preeclampsia was cosponsored by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the Preeclampsia Foundation and held January 25-26, 2021 in conjunction with the 41st annual pregnancy meeting. Leaders with expertise in preeclampsia research, obstetrical care, primary care medicine, cardiology, endocrinology, global health, and patient advocacy gathered to discuss preeclampsia prediction, prevention, management, and long-term impacts. The goals of the workshop were to review the following issues and create consensus concerning research and clinical recommendations: This report, developed collaboratively between the SMFM and the Preeclampsia Foundation, presents the key findings and consensus-based recommendations from the workshop participants.

Cumulative effect of maternal vascular malperfusion types in the placenta on adverse pregnancy outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Placental vascular disease, characterized by Maternal Vascular Malperfusion (MVM) lesions, is considered to be the underlying cause of pregnancy complications. Aim is to evaluate the relationship between the cumulative number of MVM lesion types, and adverse pregnancy- and neonatal outcomes.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included 272 women with singleton gestations who gave birth at a Dutch tertiary hospital between 2017 and 2018 with available placental histopathology reports. Analyzed according to the Amsterdam Placental Workshop Group Consensus Statement, placentas were divided into groups based on the cumulative number of MVM lesions: no lesions (n = 124), 1-2 types (n = 124) and 3-5 types of lesions (n = 24).

RESULTS

The proportion of placenta syndrome (PS) was highest (95.8%) in the 3-5 MVM lesions group (p < 0.001). The presence of MVM lesions was highly associated with PS during pregnancy (aOR 6.81, 95% CI 3.76-12.33). Furthermore, every additional type of MVM lesion corresponded with a threefold increased odds for the occurrence of PS (aOR 3.00, 95% CI 2.10-4.29). The group with 3-5 types of MVM lesions showed the highest incidence of adverse neonatal outcomes, lower mean birth weight, prolonged hospitalization, NICU admissions and neonatal deaths (aOR 6.47, 95% CI 0.33-127.68), corresponding with a fourfold increased odds for the occurrence of neonatal death for every additional MVM lesion (aOR 4.19, 95% CI 1.39-12.68).

DISCUSSION

A higher number of MVM lesion types is strongly associated with an increased incidence of adverse pregnancy- and neonatal outcomes, indicating that guidelines should focus also on the amount of MVM lesion types for the monitoring/management of subsequent pregnancies.

[Preventive activities in women. PAPPS update 2022]

In the 2022 PAPPS update we present those specific preventive activities for women's health, except those related to cancer prevention (which are included in another document) and those aspects related to differential gender morbidity, a cross-cutting aspect for all working groups. Contraception is an essential preventive activity, considering basic the right to decide both the number of children and the time to have them. We must inform about the possible contraceptive methods, guaranteeing the monitoring of their safety, efficacy and effectiveness (tables are included on changing from one method to another to preserve contraceptive protection). We must inform about emergency contraception and propose it in the event of unprotected intercourse. All this will be done through opportunistic screening without requiring screening for thrombophilia or dyslipidemia, but for arterial hypertension. Pregnancy is an important life experience and the family doctor should not remain oblivious. We must be competent both in the preconception consultation (recommending the intake of folic acid, avoiding exposure to occupational and environmental risks, screening for certain pathologies and assessing the intake of drugs not indicated during pregnancy) and in the monitoring of pregnancy. Whether or not we monitor the pregnancy, we must not disregard its control, taking advantage of this period to promote healthy lifestyles and participating in the intercurrent processes that may occur. Menopause in general and osteoporosis in particular exemplify the strategy of medicalization of vital processes that has been followed from different instances and organizations. In our update we address the prevention and treatment of symptoms secondary to estrogen deprivation. We also propose the prevention of osteoporosis, including carrying out densitometry based on the risk of fracture in the next 10 years, and therefore densitometric screening is not recommended in women under 60 years of age. In risk assessment we recommend the use of the frax tool or better, the calibration of the risk of hip fracture with prevalence data from our setting. We linked the indication for treatment with the Z-Score (bone mineral density compared with women of the same age), as it is a condition associated with aging.

Aspirin Responsiveness at a Dose of 80 mg and Its Impact on Birth Weight when Used in Twin Pregnancies: The GAP Pilot Randomized Trial

OBJECTIVE

Daily aspirin, started in the first trimester of pregnancy, is commonly used for the prevention of preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction in multiple gestation. However, the optimal dose remains controversial and the evidence for the use of aspirin in multiple pregnancies is scarce. We aimed to estimate the impact of 80 mg of aspirin in twin pregnancies.

STUDY DESIGN

We performed a pilot double-blind randomized trial of women with twin pregnancies recruited between 8 and 14 weeks of gestation. Fifty participants (25 in each group) were randomized to 80 mg of aspirin daily at bedtime or a placebo from randomization until 36 weeks of gestation. Primary and secondary outcomes included the birth weight of live infants, preeclampsia, and aspirin responsiveness evaluated by a platelet aggregation test (platelet function assay [PFA]-100).

RESULTS

All participants were followed until birth, including 48 and 47 live newborns in the aspirin and the placebo groups, respectively. The mean birth weight difference between the aspirin (2,385 ± 529 g) and placebo (2,224 ± 706 g) groups was of 179 g (95% confidence interval [CI]: -172-531 g, p = 0.32). We observed two (8%) cases of preeclampsia in the aspirin group and no case with placebo (p = 0.49). Most importantly,16 of 24 participants who received aspirin (67%; 95% CI: 45-84%) had a normal PFA-100 test at 22 to 23 weeks, including the two cases of preeclampsia, suggesting that the majority of the participants were nonresponsive to 80 mg of aspirin.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the majority of women with twin pregnancies showed a lack of response to a daily dose of 80 mg of aspirin according to the PFA-100 test, compared with the expected 29% of nonresponsiveness in singleton pregnancies. A daily dose of 80 mg of aspirin is likely to be insufficient for the prevention of preeclampsia and other placenta-mediated complications in twin pregnancies.

KEY POINTS

· Most women with twin pregnancies are nonresponsive to a daily dose of 80-mg aspirin.. · An 80 mg aspirin dose is insufficient to prevent placenta-mediated complications in twin pregnancies.. · Randomized trials using 100 to 160 mg of aspirin in twin pregnancies are needed..

Platelet protease activated receptor 4 (PAR 4) receptor genotype is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth

BACKGROUND

Platelet protease activated receptor-4 (PAR4) Thr120 is a common genetic variant associated with increased platelet activity. Increased platelet activity is implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and preterm birth.

OBJECTIVE

Compare the rate of preeclampsia and preterm birth in pregnant individuals homozygous for PAR4 Thr120 variant vs not.

STUDY DESIGN

This is a prospective cohort study of patients who delivered November 2020-July 2021. Maternal blood collected on admission for PAR4 genotyping. The primary outcome was the rate of preeclampsia/gestational hypertension in those with Thr/Thr genotype compared with Ala/Thr or Ala/Ala. Secondary outcomes included rates of preterm birth and placental pathology.

RESULTS

Three hundred and twenty singletons were included and 52 (16.3%) were PAR4 Thr/Thr. Those PAR4 Thr/Thr were more likely to be Black (67.3% vs 29.5%, p < .001), younger (28 ± 6 vs 31 ± 6, p = .004), and have higher body mass index (35.2 ± 6.8 vs 33.1 ± 7.4, p = .047). There was no difference in preeclampsia/gestational hypertension (19.2% vs 22.8%, p = .705). Those Thr/Thr had a significantly higher rate of preterm birth (15.4% vs 3.7%, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.04 [1.47-11.10], p = .007), indicated preterm birth because of fetal growth restriction or preeclampsia (5.8% vs 0.4%, aOR 10.03 [1.48-67.87], p = .02), spontaneous preterm birth (7.7% vs 2.2%, aOR 4.81 [1.27-18.27], p = .02), and placental intervillous thrombosis (18.5% vs 7.9%, aOR 4.12 [1.14-14.92], p = .03).

CONCLUSION

Platelet receptor PAR4 Thr120 is a common variant associated with an increased risk of placental vascular pathology and preterm birth in homozygous individuals. Although a cohort study cannot establish causation, this strong association warrants further exploration.

Risk of adverse neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with disabilities

BACKGROUND

To compare risk of neonatal morbidities between women with and without documented disability and to evaluate mediation of these associations by pre-term birth and caesarean delivery.

METHODS

Using data from the Consortium on Safe Labor (2002-2008; n = 223 385), we evaluated risk of 22 neonatal outcomes among singleton deliveries using ICD-9 codes to define physical (n = 1733), sensory (n = 250) and intellectual disability (n = 91). Adjusted relative risk (aRR) was estimated for each outcome among each category of disability, and among women with any disability using Poisson regression models with robust variance. Causal mediation methods evaluated pre-term birth and caesarean delivery as mediators.

RESULTS

Compared with no disability, neonates of women with any disability had higher risk of nearly all neonatal outcomes, including pre-term birth (aRR = 1.77; 95% CI 1.62-1.94), small for gestational age (SGA) (aRR = 1.25; CI 1.11-1.41), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission (aRR = 1.70; CI 1.54-1.87), seizures (aRR = 2.81; CI 1.54-5.14), cardiomyopathy (aRR = 4.92; CI 1.15-20.95), respiratory morbidities (aRR ranged from 1.33-2.08) and death (aRR = 2.31; CI 1.38-3.87). Women with disabilities were more likely to have a maternal indication for pre-term delivery, including pre-pregnancy diabetes (aRR = 3.80; CI 2.84-5.08), chronic hypertension (aRR = 1.46; CI 0.95-2.25) and severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (aRR = 1.47; CI 1.19-1.81). Increased risk varied but was generally consistent across all disability categories. Most outcomes were partially mediated by pre-term birth, except SGA, and heightened risk remained for NICU admissions, respiratory distress syndrome, anaemia and a composite of any adverse outcome (aRR = 1.21; CI 1.10-1.32).

CONCLUSION

Neonates of women with disabilities were at higher risk of a broad range of adverse neonatal outcomes, including death. Risks were not fully explained by pre-term birth.

Effect of acetylsalicylic acid on uterine blood flow, gestation length, foal birth weight and placental weight in pregnant Thoroughbred mares - a clinical pilot study

The aim of this double-blinded placebo-controlled study was to investigate the effect of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on uterine blood flow, gestation length, placental and foal weights in pregnant mares. Sixteen Thoroughbred mares of different age (13.3 ± 4.1) and parity (7.4 ± 3.1) were randomly assigned to three treatment groups. Mares in group C (n = 4) served as controls and received 5000 mg lactose orally once daily from D 120 (D 0 = day of ovulation) until parturition. Mares in group ASA1 (n = 7) received 5000 mg ASA orally once daily from D 120 until parturition. Mares in group ASA2 (n = 5) received the same dose ASA as group ASA1 from D 120 to D 285, but twice daily from D 285 until parturition. Mares were examined by ultrasonography on D 14, 28 and 60, and in 21-days intervals from D 120 until parturition. The cross-sectional area, time average maximum velocity (TAMV), and pulsatility index were measured in both uterine arteries and the blood flow volume was calculated for each uterine artery and then summarized. All 16 mares carried a normal pregnancy and delivered live foals. In group ASA2 TAMV in the ipsilateral artery was significantly higher (P = 0.03) and these mares showed a tendency of increased total blood flow volume (P = 0.07) during late pregnancy (D 305 to 346). Results indicate that oral administration of 5000 mg of ASA twice daily in pregnant mares causes a rise in uterine blood flow during late pregnancy.

Development of a prediction model on preeclampsia using machine learning-based method: a retrospective cohort study in China

Objective: The aim of this study was to use machine learning methods to analyze all available clinical and laboratory data obtained during prenatal screening in early pregnancy to develop predictive models in preeclampsia (PE).

Material and Methods: Data were collected by retrospective medical records review. This study used 5 machine learning algorithms to predict the PE: deep neural network (DNN), logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), decision tree (DT), and random forest (RF). Our model incorporated 18 variables including maternal characteristics, medical history, prenatal laboratory results, and ultrasound results. The area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC), calibration and discrimination were evaluated by cross-validation.

Results: Compared with other prediction algorithms, the RF model showed the highest accuracy rate. The AUROC of RF model was 0.86 (95% CI 0.80–0.92), the accuracy was 0.74 (95% CI 0.74–0.75), the precision was 0.82 (95% CI 0.79–0.84), the recall rate was 0.42 (95% CI 0.41–0.44), and Brier score was 0.17 (95% CI 0.17–0.17).

Conclusion: The machine learning method in our study automatically identified a set of important predictive features, and produced high predictive performance on the risk of PE from the early pregnancy information.

Relationship between changes of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in advanced pregnancy and the risk of neonatal small for gestational age in healthy full-term puerpera

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between changes in blood high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in advanced pregnancy and the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) in healthy full-term pregnant women.

METHODS

In this retrospective nested case-control study, pregnant women who got antenatal visits and experienced a healthy full-term delivery in Affiliated Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine in 2017 were enrolled. From the cohort, 249 women delivered SGA infants with completed clinical data were set as SGA group, 996 women who delivered normal neonates were randomly selected as matched controls (1∶4). The data of baseline characteristics, the HDL-C levels in 24 th-27 th week and after 37 th week were collected, the average HDL-C changes every four weeks in the third trimester (ΔHDL-C) were calculated. Paired t test was used to compare the differences of HDL-C and ΔHDL-C between cases and controls, and a conditional logistic regression model was applied to analyze the association between ΔHDL-C and the risk of SGA.

RESULTS

HDL-C levels after the 37 th week in both groups were lower than those in mid-pregnancy (ΔHDL-C<0 and P<0.05 for both groups), while the ΔHDL-C levels in SGA group were significantly higher ( P<0.05). Compared with women with low ΔHDL-C, the risk of SGA was higher for women with middle and high ΔHDL-C ( OR=1.74, 95% CI：1.22-2.50; OR=2.48, 95% CI：1.65-3.70, both P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

In healthy full-term pregnant women, the risk of SGA is associated with the HDL-C changing trend, HDL-C level decreasing slowly or even raising in the third trimester indicate that SGA may be likely to occur.

Impact of replacing or adding pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A at 11-13 weeks on screening for preterm pre-eclampsia

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) alters or provides equivalent screening performance as placental growth factor (PlGF) when screening for preterm pre-eclampsia (PE) at 11-13 weeks of gestation.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of a non-intervention screening study of 6546 singleton pregnancies that were screened prospectively for preterm PE in the first trimester between December 2016 and June 2018. Patient-specific risks for preterm PE were estimated by maternal history, mean arterial pressure (MAP), uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI), PlGF and PAPP-A. A competing-risks model with biomarkers expressed as multiples of the median was used. All women and clinicians were blinded to the risk for preterm PE. The performance of screening for preterm PE using PlGF vs PAPP-A vs both PAPP-A and PlGF was assessed by comparing areas under the receiver-operating-characteristics (AUC) curves. McNemar's test was used to compare detection rate at a fixed false-positive rate (FPR) of 10%.

RESULTS

PlGF and PAPP-A were measured in 6546 women, of whom 37 developed preterm PE. The AUC and detection rate at 10% FPR using PlGF in combination with maternal history, MAP and UtA-PI were 0.854 and 59.46%, respectively. The respective values were 0.813 and 51.35% when replacing PlGF with PAPP-A and 0.855 and 59.46% when using both PAPP-A and PlGF. Statistically non-significant differences were noted in AUC when replacing PlGF with PAPP-A (ΔAUC, 0.04; P = 0.095) and when using both PAPP-A and PlGF (ΔAUC, 0.002; P = 0.423). However, on an individual case basis, screening using PlGF in conjunction with maternal history, MAP and UtA-PI identified three (8.1%) additional pregnancies that developed preterm PE and that were not identified when replacing PlGF with PAPP-A. Screening using PAPP-A in addition to maternal history and other biomarkers did not identify any additional pregnancies.

CONCLUSION

On an individual case basis, adoption of a screening strategy that uses PAPP-A instead of PlGF results in reduced detection of preterm PE, consistent with previous literature. © 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Aspirin-Mediated Reset of Preeclamptic Placental Stem Cell Transcriptome - Implication for Stabilized Placental Function

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific disease, occurring in ~ 2-10% of all pregnancies. PE is associated with increased maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, hypertension, proteinuria, disrupted artery remodeling, placental ischemia and reperfusion, and inflammation. The mechanism of PE pathogenesis remains unresolved explaining limited treatment. Aspirin is used to reduce the risk of developing PE. This study investigated aspirin's effect on PE-derived placenta mesenchymal stem cells (P-MSCs). P-MSCs from chorionic membrane (CM), chorionic villi, membranes from the maternal and amniotic regions, and umbilical cord were similar in morphology, phenotype and multipotency. Since CM-derived P-MSCs could undergo long-term passages, the experimental studies were conducted with this source of P-MSCs. Aspirin (1 mM) induced significant functional and transcriptomic changes in PE-derived P-MSCs, similar to healthy P-MSCs. These include cell cycle quiescence, improved angiogenic pathways, and immune suppressor potential. The latter indicated that aspirin could induce an indirect program to mitigate PE-associated inflammation. As a mediator of activating the DNA repair program, aspirin increased p53, and upregulated genes within the basic excision repair pathway. The robust ability for P-MSCs to maintain its function with high dose aspirin contrasted bone marrow (M) MSCs, which differentiated with eventual senescence/aging with 100 fold less aspirin. This difference cautions how data from other MSC sources are extrapolated to evaluate PE pathogenesis. Dysfunction among P-MSCs in PE involves a network of multiple pathways that can be restored to an almost healthy functional P-MSC. The findings could lead to targeted treatment for PE.

Low-dose aspirin therapy improves decidual arteriopathy in pregnant women with a history of preeclampsia

Preeclampsia, a multisystem pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder, results in significant maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. This condition is associated with placental histopathological abnormalities and particularly affects the decidual spiral arteries. Reportedly, aspirin prevents preeclampsia, specifically early-onset preeclampsia, although findings in decidual arteries in women treated with aspirin therapy remain unclear. We compared the clinical and histopathological placental findings between women with a history of preeclampsia, who did and did not receive low-dose aspirin therapy (LDA and non-LDA groups, respectively). We identified 26 women with a history of preeclampsia; 9 women received LDA (aspirin ≤ 100 mg/day, initiated at < 16 weeks, LDA group), and 17 women did not receive LDA (non-LDA group). The mean gestational age was higher (36.7 weeks vs. 32.3 weeks, P = 0.0221) and the incidence of preeclampsia was lower (11% vs. 59%, P = 0.0362) in the LDA than in the non-LDA group. Histopathologically, the incidence of decidual arteriopathy, particularly that of fibrinoid necrosis and thrombosis, was lower in the LDA than in the non-LDA group (44% vs. 88%, P = 0.0283). Immunohistologically, endothelial marker (CD31 and CD39) expression was stronger in the LDA than in the non-LDA group. Notably, we observed no significant intergroup differences in inflammatory changes (chronic perivasculitis, protease-activated receptor 1 expression, and CD3-positive cells). This study highlights that LDA inhibits hypertension-induced endothelial injury and thrombosis, and thereby protects maternal placental perfusion and prevents preeclampsia.

The preventive effect of low-dose aspirin in a PPAR-γ antagonist treated mouse model of preeclampsia

Background

Preeclampsia (PE) is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. Low-dose aspirin (LDA) is the most widely used drug to prevent PE, but the recommended dose of LDA varies according to different guidelines. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ is involved in the formation of the placenta during pregnancy and is expressed in women with severe PE. In the present study, Our purpose was to investigate whether aspirin intervention in preeclampsia was related to PPAR-γ.

Methods

We administered pregnant mice with PPAR-γ-specific antagonist(T0070907) 2 mg/kg/d at 8.5–12.5 days of pregnancy. Mice treated with T0070907 developed key features of preeclampsia. Two doses of LDA (10 mg/kg/d and 20 mg/kg/d) were administered to the mice with a PE phenotype for intervention.

Results

LDA effectively decreased the increase in blood pressure in mice caused by T0070907 and decreased urinary protein levels and the urinary protein/creatinine ratio. LDA also inhibited the overexpression of endoglin and IL-β treated by T0070907. In addition, LDA evidently increased the placental weight and alleviates the degree of placental lesions of placenta and kidney. LDA alleviated the inhibition of PPAR-γ mRNA expression. The beneficial effect of 20 mg LDA was significantly better than that of 10 mg.

Conclusions

(1) LDA has a preventive effect against PE treated by PPAR-γ antagonist. (2) The preventive effect of LDA against PE is dose-dependent.

Reduction in Preterm Preeclampsia after Contingent First-Trimester Screening and Aspirin Prophylaxis in a Routine Care Setting

Objectives: Several multivariate algorithms for preeclampsia (PE) screening in the first trimester have been developed over the past few years. These models include maternal factors, mean arterial pressure (MAP), uterine artery Doppler (UtA-PI), and biochemical markers (pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) or placental growth factor (PlGF)). Treatment with low-dose aspirin (LDA) has shown a reduction in the incidence of preterm PE in women with a high-risk assessment in the first trimester. An important barrier to the implementation of first-trimester screening is the cost of performing tests for biochemical markers in the whole population. Theoretical contingent strategies suggest that two-stage screening models could also achieve high detection rates for preterm PE with lower costs. However, no data derived from routine care settings are currently available. This study was conducted to validate and assess the performance of a first-trimester contingent screening process using PlGF for PE, with prophylactic LDA, for decreasing the incidence of preterm PE. Methods: This was a two-phase study. In phase one, a contingent screening model for PE was developed using a multivariate validated model and a historical cohort participating in a non-interventional PE screening study (n = 525). First-stage risk assessment included maternal factors, MAP, UtA-PI, and PAPP-A. Several cut-off levels were tested to determine the best screening performance, and three groups were then defined (high-, medium-, and low-risk groups). PlGF was determined in the medium-risk group to calculate the final risk. Phase two included a validation cohort of 847 singleton pregnancies prospectively undergoing first-trimester PE screening using this approach. Women at high risk of PE received prophylactic treatment with 150 mg of LDA. The clinical impact of the model was evaluated by comparing the incidence of early-onset (<34 weeks) and preterm (<37 weeks) PE between groups. Results: Cut-off levels for the contingent screening model were chosen in the first and second stages of screening to achieve a performance with sensitivities of 100% and 80% for early-onset and preterm PE detection, respectively, with a 15% false positive rate. In the development phase, 21.5% (n = 113) of the women had a medium risk of PE and required second-stage screening. In the prospective validation phase, 15.3% (n = 130) of the women required second-stage screening for PlGF, yielding an overall screen-positive rate of 14.9% (n = 126). The incidence of preterm PE was reduced by 68.4% (1.9% vs. 0.6%, p = 0.031) after one year of screening implementation. Conclusions: Implementation of contingent screening for PE using PlGF in a routine care setting led to a significant reduction (68.4%) in preterm PE, suggesting that contingent screening can achieve similar results to protocols using PlGF in the whole population. This could have financial benefits, with a similar reduction in the rate of preterm PE.