scholarly journals Therapeutic strategies and challenges in the management of craniospinal tumours in pregnancy: a 10-year retrospective tertiary centre study, systematic review, and proposal of treatment algorithms

Author(s):  
Prajwal Ghimire ◽  
Graeme Pang ◽  
Jerry Philip ◽  
Sally Hazem ◽  
Kapil Rajwani ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: The study aims to evaluate therapeutic strategies in the management of craniospinal tumours in pregnant patients and the factors that influence the management along with their influence on maternal & foetal outcomes. Materials and Methods:A retrospective single-centre cohort study was performed at a tertiary neurosurgical referral centre. Pregnant patients referred to neuro-oncology multidisciplinary meeting (MDM) with craniospinal tumour were included. Ten-year patient data were collected from hospital records and neuro-oncology MDM outcomes. A systematic review was performed on the available literature in PubMed as per PRISMA guidelines. Results:Thirty-three patients were identified with a mean age of 31 years. 91%(n=30) had cranial lesions and 9%(n=3) had spinal lesions. Most of the patients had WHO Grade I/II tumours. 33.3% underwent surgery when pregnant whilst in 24.2% this was deferred until after the due date. 27.2% patients did not require surgical intervention and were followed up with serial imaging in the MDM. Left Lateral/park bench position was the preferred position for the spinal and posterior fossa lesions. Systematic review identified 26 eligible articles. Treatment algorithms are proposed addressing the therapeutic strategy for management of cranio-spinal tumours during pregnancy and the challenges for maternal and foetal outcomes were tabulated. Conclusions:Craniospinal tumours presenting in pregnancy are challenging. The surgical management needs to be tailored individually and as part of a multidisciplinary team approach. Maternal and foetal outcomes are to be considered during patient counselling.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangshin Park ◽  
Christina E. Nixon ◽  
Olivia Miller ◽  
Nam-Kyong Choi ◽  
Jonathan D. Kurtis ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-294
Author(s):  
Gloria Ejehiohen Iyawa ◽  
Aliyu Rabiu Dansharif ◽  
Asiya Khan

Author(s):  
Ashley D. Davidson ◽  
Amritha Bhat ◽  
Frances Chu ◽  
Jessie N. Rice ◽  
N. Aba Nduom ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
O E Okosieme ◽  
Medha Agrawal ◽  
Danyal Usman ◽  
Carol Evans

Background: Gestational TSH and FT4 reference intervals may differ according to assay method but the extent of variation is unclear and has not been systematically evaluated. We conducted a systematic review of published studies on TSH and FT4 reference intervals in pregnancy. Our aim was to quantify method-related differences in gestation reference intervals, across four commonly used assay methods, Abbott, Beckman, Roche, and Siemens. Methods: We searched the literature for relevant studies, published between January 2000 and December 2020, in healthy pregnant women without thyroid antibodies or disease. For each study, we extracted trimester-specific reference intervals (2.5–97.5 percentiles) for TSH and FT4 as well as the manufacturer provided reference interval for the corresponding non-pregnant population. Results: TSH reference intervals showed a wide range of study-to-study differences with upper limits ranging from 2.33 to 8.30 mU/L. FT4 lower limits ranged from 4.40–13.93 pmol/L, with consistently lower reference intervals observed with the Beckman method. Differences between non-pregnant and first trimester reference intervals were highly variable, and for most studies the TSH upper limit in the first trimester could not be predicted or extrapolated from non-pregnant values. Conclusions: Our study confirms significant intra and inter-method disparities in gestational thyroid hormone reference intervals. The relationship between pregnant and non-pregnant values is inconsistent and does not support the existing practice in some laboratories of extrapolating gestation references from non-pregnant values. Laboratories should invest in deriving method-specific gestation reference intervals for their population.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 795
Author(s):  
Leticia Matilla-Cuenca ◽  
Alejandro Toledo-Arana ◽  
Jaione Valle

The choice of an effective therapeutic strategy in the treatment of biofilm-related infections is a significant issue. Amyloids, which have been historically related to human diseases, are now considered to be prevailing structural components of the biofilm matrix in a wide range of bacteria. This assumption creates the potential for an exciting research area, in which functional amyloids are considered to be attractive targets for drug development to dissemble biofilm structures. The present review describes the best-characterized bacterial functional amyloids and focuses on anti-biofilm agents that target intrinsic and facultative amyloids. This study provides a better understanding of the different modes of actions of the anti-amyloid molecules to inhibit biofilm formation. This information can be further exploited to improve the therapeutic strategies to combat biofilm-related infections.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2221
Author(s):  
Hugo G. Quezada-Pinedo ◽  
Florian Cassel ◽  
Liesbeth Duijts ◽  
Martina U. Muckenthaler ◽  
Max Gassmann ◽  
...  

In pregnancy, iron deficiency and iron overload increase the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, but the effects of maternal iron status on long-term child health are poorly understood. The aim of the study was to systematically review and analyze the literature on maternal iron status in pregnancy and long-term outcomes in the offspring after birth. We report a systematic review on maternal iron status during pregnancy in relation to child health outcomes after birth, from database inception until 21 January 2021, with methodological quality rating (Newcastle-Ottawa tool) and random-effect meta-analysis. (PROSPERO, CRD42020162202). The search identified 8139 studies, of which 44 were included, describing 12,7849 mother–child pairs. Heterogeneity amongst the studies was strong. Methodological quality was predominantly moderate to high. Iron status was measured usually late in pregnancy. The majority of studies compared categories based on maternal ferritin, however, definitions of iron deficiency differed across studies. The follow-up period was predominantly limited to infancy. Fifteen studies reported outcomes on child iron status or hemoglobin, 20 on neurodevelopmental outcomes, and the remainder on a variety of other outcomes. In half of the studies, low maternal iron status or iron deficiency was associated with adverse outcomes in children. Meta-analyses showed an association of maternal ferritin with child soluble transferrin receptor concentrations, though child ferritin, transferrin saturation, or hemoglobin values showed no consistent association. Studies on maternal iron status above normal, or iron excess, suggest deleterious effects on infant growth, cognition, and childhood Type 1 diabetes. Maternal iron status in pregnancy was not consistently associated with child iron status after birth. The very heterogeneous set of studies suggests detrimental effects of iron deficiency, and possibly also of overload, on other outcomes including child neurodevelopment. Studies are needed to determine clinically meaningful definitions of iron deficiency and overload in pregnancy.


Author(s):  
Gonca Cinkara ◽  
Ginger Beau Langbroek ◽  
Chantal M. A. M. van der Horst ◽  
Albert Wolkerstorfer ◽  
Sophie E. R. Horbach ◽  
...  

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