Background Besides reducing the quality of obstetric care, the direct impact of COVID‐19 on pregnancy and postpartum is uncertain. Objective To evaluate the characteristics of pregnant women who died due to COVID‐19. Search strategy Cochrane Library, Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to February 2021. Selection criteria Studies that compared deceased and survived pregnant women with COVID‐19. Data collection and analysis Relevant data were extracted and tabulated. The primary outcome was maternal co‐morbidity. Main results Thirteen studies with 154 deceased patients were included. Obesity doubled the risk of death (relative risk [RR] 2.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.41–4.36, I2 = 0%). No differences were found for gestational diabetes (RR 5.71; 95% CI 0.77–42.44, I2 = 94%) or asthma (RR 2.05, 95% CI 0.81–5.15, I2 = 0%). Overall, at least one severe co‐morbidity showed a twofold increased risk of death (RR 2.26, 95% CI 1.77–2.89, I2 = 76%). Admission to intensive care was related to a fivefold increased risk of death (RR 5.09, 95% CI 2.00–12.98, I2 = 56%), with no difference in need for respiratory support (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.23–1.48, I2 = 95%) or mechanical ventilation (RR 4.34, 95% CI 0.96–19.60, I2 = 58%). Conclusion COVID‐19 with at least one co‐morbidity increases risk of intensive care and mortality.

Background: Ion channels play a crucial role in many physiological processes. Several subtypes are expressed in the endometrium. Endometriosis is strictly correlated to estrogens and it is evident that expression and functionality of different ion channels are estrogen-dependent, fluctuating between the menstrual phases. However, their relationship with endometriosis is still unclear. Objective: To summarize the available literature data about the role of ion channels in the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis. Methods: A search on PubMed and Medline databases was performed from inception to November 2019. Results: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), transient receptor potentials (TRPs), aquaporins (AQPs), and chloride channel (ClC)-3 expression and activity were analyzed. CFTR expression changed during the menstrual phases and was enhanced in endometriosis samples; its overexpression promoted endometrial cell proliferation, migration, and invasion throughout nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells-urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (NFκB-uPAR) signaling pathway. No connection between TRPs and the pathogenesis of endometriosis was found. AQP5 activity was estrogen-increased and, through phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), helped in vivo implantation of ectopic endometrium. In vitro, AQP9 participated in extracellular signal-regulated kinases/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK/p38 MAPK) pathway and helped migration and invasion stimulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP9. ClC-3 was also overexpressed in ectopic endometrium and upregulated MMP9. Conclusion: Available evidence suggests a pivotal role of CFTR, AQPs, and ClC-3 in endometriosis etiopathogenesis. However, data obtained are not sufficient to establish a direct role of ion channels in the etiology of the disease. Further studies are needed to clarify this relationship.

Background: Ovarian cancer is the first cause of death among gynecological malignancies with a high incidence of recurrence. Different treatment options are suitable to prolong the survival rate of these patients. Over the last years, one of the most intriguing methods, adopted in different oncologic centers worldwide, is the hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).Methods: A meta-analysis was performed to value the role of HIPEC for ovarian cancer recurrence.Search strategy was conducted with a combination of the following keywords: "ovarian recurrence, ovarian cancer recurrence, peritoneal cancer recurrence, ovarian recurrence AND HIPEC, secondary cytoreduction HIPEC". Seven studies were selected for analysis.Results: In women with recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC), the use of HIPEC in addition to cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy significantly improved 1-year overall survival (OS) when compared to protocols

Background This paper describes the clinical practice and performance of cell-free DNA sequencing-based non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) as a screening method for fetal trisomy 21, 18, and 13 (T21, T18, and T13) and sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCA) in a general Italian pregnancy population. Methods The AMES-accredited laboratory offers NIPT in maternal blood as a screening test for fetal T21, T18, T13 and SCA. Samples were sequenced on a NextSeq 550 (Illumina) using the VeriSeq NIPT Solution v1 assay. Results A retrospective analysis was performed on 36,456 consecutive maternal blood samples, including 35,650 singleton pregnancies, 800 twin pregnancies, and 6 triplet pregnancies. Samples were tested between April 2017 and September 2019. The cohort included 46% elevated-risk and 54% low-risk patients. A result indicative of a classic trisomy was found in 356 (1%) of singleton or twin samples: 254 T21, 69 T18, and 33 T13. In addition, 145 results (0.4%) were indicative of a SCA. Of the combined 501 screen-positive cases, 484 had confirmatory diagnostic testing. NIPT results were confirmed in 99.2% (247/249) of T21 cases, 91.2% (62/68) of T18 cases, 84.4% (27/32) of T13 cases, and 86.7% (117/135) of SCA cases. In the 35,955 cases reported as unaffected by a classic trisomy or SCA, no false negative cases were reported. Assuming that false negative results would be reported, the sensitivity of NIPT was 100.00% for T21 (95% Cl 98.47–100.0), T18 (95% Cl 94.17–100.0), and T13 (95% Cl 87.54–100.0). The specificities were 99.99% (95% Cl 99.98–100.0), 99.98% (95% Cl 99.96–100.0), 99.99% (95% Cl 99.97–100.0), and 99.95% (95% Cl 99.92–99.97) for T21, T18, T13, and SCA, respectively. Conclusion This retrospective analysis of a large cohort of consecutive patients who had whole-genome sequencing-based NIPT for classic trisomies and SCA shows excellent detection rates and low false positive rates.

Background Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and wound infiltration (WI) with local anesthetics are used for postoperative analgesia after cesarean section (CS), reducing the need for administration of opioids. Objective To compare the analgesic effect of TAP block related to WI. Search strategy MEDLINE, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL were searched from inception until April 2020. Selection criteria Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about women who underwent TAP block or WI after CS. Data collection and analysis Relevant data were extracted and tabulated. Review Manager 5.3 was used for data analysis. Primary outcome was cumulative opioid consumption (COC) 24 and 48 h after CS. Main results Five RCTs, enrolling 268 women, were included. There were no significant differences between the interventions regarding COC at 24 (mean difference [MD] –1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] –6.29 to 2.93) and 48 hours (MD 1.28, 95% CI –10.44 to 13.00). Adverse effects (relative risk [RR] 0.93, 95% CI 0.75–1.16), gastrointestinal reactions (RR 1.30, 95% CI 0.46–3.68), or mild‐moderate sedation (RR 1.12, 95% CI 0.72–1.74), pain scores, satisfaction of women, and withdrawals were similar between groups. Conclusions There might be no significant advantages selecting TAP block over WI for post‐CS analgesia.

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Background and Objectives: Hot flushes and sleep disturbances are the most common vasomotor symptoms (VMS) reported by postmenopausal women. Hormonal treatment is to date referred to as the gold standard approach but not suitable for all the patients. Alternative treatments are needed in case of a contraindication to menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), adverse side effects, and poor compliance. Paroxetine salt is the only nonhormonal medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the management of VMS. Nonetheless, few trials with low consensus are available about this topic. In this review, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of low-dose paroxetine therapy in the treatment of vasomotor hot flushes and night sleep disturbances in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: We performed an electronic search from the beginning of all databases to July 2019. All results were then limited to a randomized trial. Restrictions for language or geographic location were not utilized. Inclusion criteria were randomized clinical trials of physiological or surgical postmenopausal women experiencing hot flushes and sleep disturbances who were randomized to either low-dose paroxetine or placebo (i.e., formulations without active ingredients). The primary outcome evaluated was the mean weekly reduction of hot flushes. Results: Five randomized clinical trials, including 1482 postmenopausal women, were analyzed. Significant heterogeneity (I2 = 90%) between studies was noted. Hot flushes episodes were significantly reduced in the treatment arm compared to placebo (mean difference (MD) −7.97 [−10.51, −5.92] episodes/week). Results on the improvement on sleep were limited by being reported in only two studies; however, no significant reduction of night-time awakenings was observed (MD, −0.40 awakenings/night [−1.38, 0.58 CI]). Conclusions: Low-dose paroxetine is an effective treatment for vasomotor menopause symptoms, including hot flushes.