Placenta growth factor (PIGF), an angiogenic factor belonging to the vascular endothelial growth factor family, pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and free beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (beta-hCG) were measured in maternal serum from 45 pregnancies with trisomy 21, 45 with trisomy 18 and 493 normal controls at 10-13 completed weeks of gestation. In the normal pregnancies matern...

OBJECTIVE We examined the potential value of the uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) in pregnancies with fetal aneuploidies and in those that developed preeclampsia (PE) with the aim of distinguishing between these complications in pregnancies with low pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A). METHODS Uterine artery PI and serum PAPP-A at 11-13 weeks were measured in 165 cases of PE, ...

Background and purpose - Large metal-on-metal (MoM) articulations are associated with metal wear and corrosion, leading to increased metal ion concentrations and unacceptable revision rates. There are few comparative studies of 28-mm MoM articulations with conventional metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) couplings. We present a long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial comparing MoM versus M...

Adverse reactions to metal-on-metal (MoM) prostheses are well known from total hip joint resurfacing arthroplasty with elevated serum chrome or cobalt, pain and pseudo tumor formation. It may, however, also be seen after total joint replacement of the trapeziometacarpal joint using MoM articulation, and we present two cases of failure of MoM prostheses due to elevated metal-serum levels in one ...

In the last decade, the use of pasteurized donor human milk (DHM) has become the standard of care for very low birthweight (VLBW; <1500 g) infants throughout the world when mothers’ own milk (MOM) is not available. DHM banks have been established even in countries that use limited MOM feedings in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Little research informs this rapid practice change. Multip...

Background and purpose - There has been increasing alarm regarding metal-on-metal (MoM) joint replacements leading to elevated levels of metal ions and adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMDs). There is little information available concerning the prevalence of and risk factors for these adverse reactions, except with MoM hip joint replacements. We determined the levels of metal ions in blood a...

OBJECTIVE To compare the maternal serum concentration of placental growth factor-1 (PlGF-1) and PlGF-2 at 11-13 weeks' gestation in normal pregnancies and in those complicated by preeclampsia (PE), delivery of small for gestational age (SGA) neonates and fetal trisomies 21, 18 and 13. METHODS Serum PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 were measured in 270 pathological pregnancies (PE, n = 80; SGA, n = 80; triso...

Melanotic oncocytic metaplasia (MOM) of the nasopharynx is an extremely rare lesion, with only 21 cases reported in English literature to date. MOM typically occurs near the Eustachian tube opening in Asian men in their 60 s to 70 s. Here, we present a case of MOM in a 57-year-old Japanese man who is a heavy smoker. The patient did not have complaints; MOM was diagnosed incidentally as 4 flat e...