Introduction. All findings of preeclampsia appear as the clinical consequences of diffuse endothelial dysfunction. Soluble tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK) was recently introduced as a TNF related cytokine in various inflammatory and noninflammatory disorders. sTWEAK was found to be related to endothelial dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease. In our study we aimed to compare sTWEAK levels in women with preeclampsia to corresponding levels in a healthy pregnant control group. Materials and Methods. The study was undertaken with 33 patients with preeclampsia and 33 normal pregnant women. The concentration of sTWEAK in serum was calculated with an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Results. Serum creatinine, uric acid, LDH levels, and uPCR were significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group. sTWEAK levels were significantly lower in preeclamptic patients (332 ± 144 pg/mL) than in control subjects (412 ± 166 pg/mL) (p = 0.04). Discussion. Our study demonstrates that sTWEAK is decreased in patients with preeclampsia compared to healthy pregnant women. There is a need for further studies to identify the role of sTWEAK in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and to determine whether it can be regarded as a predictor of the development of preeclampsia.

Dental hygienic habits should be maintained in pregnancy despite challenges. We aimed to study the dental attitudes and habits of pregnant women. The patients attending our hospital clinic were invited to fill out a structured questionnaire categorised into three major domains: (1) general oral hygiene status, (2) dental habits, and (3) dental attandence both during pregnancy and prior to pregnancy. Four hundred and seventy four women agreed to participate. Mean age of participants was 28 (18-43). While 184 (38%) women reported brushing twice a day, only 98 (20%) women claimed using floss and or mouth rinse. Fifty-nine (12.4%) women had a dental visit in their current pregnancy and 24 (5.1%) received professional treatment. Obstetric care givers should convey the importance of dental care to their patients. We suggest that dental health should be improved antenatally, and be assessed in detail by dental health care providers. Impact Statement Poor oral health conditions have shown to be associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, especially in low-income countries and regions. There is escalating evidence to support the lack of awareness among pregnant women about health consequences and long term risks associated with poor oral hygiene. Our results showed that dental hygienic practices of pregnant women are disconcerting in Turkey. The need for inter-professional collaboration among obstetric healthcare providers and dental specialistis is crucial for conveying to women the importance of dental care in pregnancy and beyond.

Objective: To evaluate the interobserver and intraobserver reliability of smartphone colposcopy (SPC) versus conventional colposcopy and to determine diagnostic performance.Methods: A smartphone back camera was used to capture cervical images before and after application of acetic acid, and after application of lugol solution. Captured images were reviewed independently by two experienced colposcopists and findings were noted as per colposcopy. Smartphone-based diagnostic performance was calculated, and kappa statistics were used for measurement of agreement between SPC and conventional colposcopy findings.Results: A total of 114 women were included in the study. The kappa statistic for intraobserver reliability was 0.77 for both normal colposcopic findings and the transformation zone, indicating substantial agreement. Kappa values were 0.54 for acetowhite epithelium, 0.51 for lugol staining, and 0.51-0.60 for atypical vascularization.Kappa values for interobserver reliability were 0.76 for normal colposcopic findings, 0.56 for acetowhite epithelium, and 0.60 for lugol staining. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of SPC for CIN2+ were 88.2 (95% CI, 72.5-96.7), 48.7 (95% CI, 37.4-60.2), 0.42 (95% CI, 0.36-0.48), and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.79-0.96), respectively. Conclusion:SPC showed substantial agreement between the histologic diagnoses based on the captured images and conventional colposcopic findings.

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Background/Aim: Recognition and assessment of apical vaginal support defects remains a significant challenge in the evaluation and management of prolapse because there are no consensus or guidelines address the degree of apical support loss at which an apical support procedure should routinely be performed. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether preoperative genital hiatus (GH), perineal body (PB), and total vaginal length (TVL) are associated with prolapse recurrence after apical prolapse surgery. Methods: Our cohort study included 98 patients who underwent vaginal hysterectomy apical suspension due to uterovaginal prolapse of grade 2 or higher according to Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) staging between 2020 and 2021. Patients with a history of gynecologic malignancy, those who could not tolerate surgery or anesthesia, those who had previously undergone pelvic organ prolapse surgery, those with concomitant stress urinary incontinence, and those with abnormal cervical smear results were excluded. Patients were followed for 2 years at intervals of 3 months in the first year after the surgery. The last POP-Q was performed 24 months after surgical intervention. Surgical failure or recurrence was defined as apical descent greater than one third of the total vaginal length, anterior or posterior vaginal wall past the hymen, subsequent surgery, or bothersome vaginal bulge. Patients were given the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Symptom Score (POP-SS) questionnaire before surgery and 6 months postoperatively, and the severity of symptoms was compared between the groups with and without postoperative recurrence. Logistic regression (LR) analysis was performed to determine the factors affecting recurrence. Areas under the ROC curve were calculated as a differential diagnosis for the presence of recurrence, and the predictive value (cut-off) of variables was determined using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and LR (+) values. Results: While surgery was successful in 80 patients, genital relapse was seen in 18 patients. The mean preoperative perineal body was 3.05 (0.28) cm, mean preoperative GH was 3.9 (0.39) cm, and mean preoperative TVL was 8.54 (1.33) cm. The mean GH of the group with recurrence was significantly higher than the group without recurrence (P=0.004). The mean preoperative POP-SS score was 15.14 (1.86), and the postoperative POP-SS score was 4.01 (3.74). The postoperative POP-SS score mean of the recurrence (+) group was significantly higher than the group without recurrence (P<0.001). For the genital hiatus, the cut-off >4 cm had a sensitivity of 61.11%, specificity of 76.25%, positive predictive value of 36.70%, negative predictive value of 89.70%, and LR (+) value of 2.57. For POP-SS Preop-Postop Change %, the cut-off <60 had a sensitivity of 94.44%, specificity of 98.75%, positive predictive value of 94.40%, negative predictive value of 98.80%, and LR (+) value of 75.56. Conclusion: Apical vaginal support loss is highly associated with genital hiatus size. In particular, according to all study definitions, a Pelvic Organ Prolapse-Quantification measurement genital hiatus of >4 cm is a strong predictor of apical support loss. This simple measurement can be used to screen for apical support loss and further evaluate apical vaginal support before planning a hysterectomy or prolapse surgery.