Obstetrics and gynecology news

This edition of our journal emphasizes maternal and fetal aspects, beginning with the first paper, that brings to the front a case report on a controvers­ial theme, whether cervical cerclage or pes­sary is responsible for cervical rupture. Although being a recommended and proven method for preventing preterm birth, the use of cerclage with or without the Arabin pessary can lead to unfavorable consequences, both for pregnancy viability and maternal obstetric future.

Gastroschisis is one of the most common fetal abdominal defects. The next paper highlights that early diagnosis is extremely important for the correct management and parents’ counseling in order to prevent further complications and give the future parents a real insight of expectations, allowing them to be prepared for the pregnancy evolution.

The gynecology section comes up with a new frontier in cervical cancer screening. DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification that alters gene expres­sion, has emerged as a key biomarker in the early detection and stratification of cervical cancer risk.

Moving on, stress urinary incontine­nce and mixed urinary incontinence are com­mon conditions affecting women’s quality of life. The surgical management of stress urinary incontinence is considered when conservative measures fail.

Starting from menarche, the onset of the first menstrual period, until menopause, which marks the end of reproduc­tive ca­pa­bi­li­ties, women undergo monthly fluc­tua­tions in hormones responsible for re­pro­duc­tive regulation. Abnormal menstrual symptoms are frequently reported by young women and, concurrently, sleep disturbances carry broad implications for the health, behavior and academic performance of individuals. The following paper shows that women experiencing significant emotional premenstrual symptoms tend to be sleepier during the late luteal phase compared to those with minimal symptoms.

The neonatology section begins with a paper which highlights the efficiency of using neonatal lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of respiratory pathologies that were previously diagnosed using radiography and computed tomography.

Furthermore, lung ultrasound has gained a crucial role in the early diagnosis and evaluation of respiratory distress in new­borns. Thus, the next article aims to describe the technique of lung ultrasound and the interpretation of the score obtained in order to determine the optimal mo­ment of administration of exogenous sur­factant.

The midwives and nurses section presents a study that looks at how shift work affects nurses’ quality of life, concentrating on their private lives and coping strategies for social, familial and domestic pressures.