A longitudinal study of C1q and anti-C1q autoantibodies in homologous and heterologous pregnancies for predicting pre-eclampsia
C1q, the recognition molecule of the classical pathway of the complement system, plays a central role in pregnancy. Lack of C1q is characterized by poor trophoblast invasion and pregnancy failure. C1q can be the target of an antibody response: anti‐C1q autoantibodies (anti-C1q) are present in several infectious and autoimmune diseases. The presence of these autoantibodies has been detected also in 2-8% of the general population. Recent evidence indicates that women who undergo assisted reproductive technology (ART) have an increased risk of developing pre-eclampsia (PE), particularly oocyte donation (OD) pregnancies. The aim of this study was to characterize the levels of C1q and anti-C1q i…
Hysteroscopic removal of a gauze inadvertently retained in uterus for two years following caesarean section
Despite the worldwide accomplishment of manual counting procedures of surgical textiles and instruments, cases of retained (forgotten) surgical items (RSIs) still occur. Gauzes are the most frequently RSIs, accounting for 90% of the cases because they are widely used. Approximately half of the cases occur in the context of general surgery procedures, fol- lowed by gynaecological – obstetrics surgery. The time inter- val between initial surgery, diagnosis and removal of the gauze is clinically relevant, as the morbidity and mortality are reduced if the foreign body is removed immediately after the offending operation. We report on a successful hysteroscopic identification and removal of a ga…