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Although many pregnant women have been infected by coronavirus, the presence of intrauterine vertical transmission has not been conclusively reported yet. What prevents this highly contagious virus from reaching the fetus? Is it only the presence of a strong placental barrier, or is it the natural absence of the some receptor that the viruses use for transmission? We, therefore, need to comprehensively understand the mechanism of action of the mammalian epithelial barriers located in two different organs with functional similarity. The barriers selected as potential targets by SARS-CoV-2 are the alveolo-capillary barrier (ACB), and the syncytio-capillary barrier (SCB). Caveolae are omega-shaped structures located on the cell membrane. They consist of caveolin-1 protein (Cav-1) and are involved in the internalisation of some viruses. By activating leukocytes and nuclear factor-κB, Cav-1 initiates inflammatory reactions. The presence of more than one Cav-1 binding sites on coronavirus is an important finding supporting the possible relationship between SARS-CoV-2-mediated lung injury. While the ACB cells express Cav-1 there is no caveolin expression in syncytiotrophoblasts. In this short review, we will try to explain our hypothesis that the lack of caveolin expression in the SCB is one of the most important physiological mechanisms that prevents vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Since the physiological Cav-1 deficiency appears to prevent acute cell damage treatment algorithms could potentially be developed to block this pathway in the non-pregnant population affected by SARS-CoV-2.

Purpose. We aimed to determine the predictive value of several hematological markers of inflammation on the presence/absence of cervical cancer and also to determine their ability in discriminating precancerous cervical pathologies from cervical cancer. Materials and Methods. In this study, patients who presented to Acıbadem Kayseri Hospital between May 2010 and June 2018 were evaluated. Forty patients with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), 40 patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), and 30 patients with cervical cancer (CC) were retrospectively included in this study. A control group of 70 healthy volunteers with normal cervical cytology was also included in the study. Results. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was significantly higher in patients with CC than in controls. The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was significantly higher in patients with CC compared to those with LSIL and HSIL diagnoses and also controls (p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that age (OR: 1.075, 95% CI: 1.020–1.132, p=0.007), NLR (OR: 1.643, 95% CI: 1.009–3.142, p=0.047), and PLR (OR: 1.032, 95% CI: 1.003–1.062, p=0.029) were predictors for the presence of CC. ROC curve analysis revealed that both NLR and PLR were predictive of CC with a cutoff value of 2.02 for NLR (71% sensitivity and 60% specificity, AUC: 0.682, p=0.004) and 126.7 for PLR (83% sensitivity and 69% specificity, AUC: 0.752, p<0.001). Conclusion. In addition to patients’ age, determination of NLR and PLR values, which are simple, inexpensive, and readily available markers of systemic inflammation, may help in decision making precancerous pathologies of the cervix.

Leaving the placenta in situ could become the treatment of choice for PAS disorders.

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Participation in a communication skills training program was associated with improved communication skills of emergency medicine residents, increased patient satisfaction, and decreased complaints.

Personality properties have an effect on the onset and triggering of psoriasis. The current study aimed to examine the personality of psoriasis patients in relation to the severity of the illness. Psoriasis and healthy participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory, Temperament and Character Inventory. Severity of psoriasis was evaluated by the PASI. MANCOVA results revealed significantly higher Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence and Self-Transcendence scores for psoriasis group. Severity of PASI was predicted by harm avoidance and reward dependence. Personality properties should be evaluated while planning therapeutic interventions for psoriasis patients.