A pregnant woman presented at 32 weeks of amenorrhea with jaundice secondary to acute hepatitis C. Spontaneous delivery took place 3 days later. The infant's serum tested negative for C viral RNA 6 months after delivery. Treatment with high doses of interferon-alpha for a period of 4 weeks was begun ...

Liver dysfunction can appear at any point of pregnancy and causes great anxiety to the patient, her family and sometimes her medical attendants. This review concentrates on conditions specific to pregnancy (hyperemesis gravidarum, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, toxemia of pregnancy, HELLP syndrome) and provides a guide in diagnosis and management ...

ICP (intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy) is characterized by pruritus and biochemical cholestasis, including raised SBAs (serum bile acids) and, usually, elevated aminotransferases levels. However, AHP (asymptomatic hypercholanaemia of pregnancy) is defined as the presence of total SBA levels above the cut-off value (11 microM) in healthy pregnant women, thus elevation ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the frequency and clinical characteristics of pruritic dermatoses in pregnancy and to assess a rationalized classification. METHODS: Data of 505 pregnant patients seen at two university-based dermatologic hospitals (1994-2004) were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: Diagnoses included eczema in pregnancy (49.7%), polymorphic eruption of pregnancy (PEP) (21.6%), ...

The most commonly diagnosed pruritic dermatosis of pregnancy has a confusing nomenclature. The most commonly term used in the United States is pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP), and in Great Britain, since 1982, polymorphic eruption of pregnancy. The etiology of PUPPP is still unknown. Placental products, hormonal ...

Herpes gestationis, coined by Milton in 1872, or gestational pemphigoid is the most clearly characterized dermatosis of pregnancy. It is a rare vesiculo-bullous eruption that develops during the last trimester or even postpartum and creates severe pruritus. Its etiology is unknown, but it is considered as an autoimmune-mediated dermatosis closely ...

BACKGROUND: Treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy reduces concentration of transaminases and bile acids in maternal serum, and is thought to reduce fetal death. We report a case of fetal death in a patient with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy who had responded well to ursodeoxycholic acid, demonstrated ...

The influence of pregnancy on multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been a matter of controversy. Women with MS were often discouraged to consider pregnancy. The PRegnancy In Multiple Sclerosis (PRIMS) study was the first large prospective study aimed at assessing the possible influence of pregnancy and delivery on the clinical ...

AIM: To compare the efficacy of the ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) monotherapy with their combined effect on intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied singleton pregnancies at <36 weeks with a moderate or severe form of ICP between January 1999 and March 2004. Patients were ...

This retrospective study was done at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital between April 1999 to April 2003, to asses the maternal and perinatal outcome of acute hepatitis E in pregnancy. During this period a total of 19 patients presented with jaundice. Out of 19 cases, 16 suffered from acute hepatitis due ...

OBJECTIVE: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is associated with dyslipidemia, but the gestational lipid profile in relation to clinical diagnosis of the disease is unknown. The aim of this study was to undertake a detailed analysis of plasma lipids in women presenting with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and pruritus gravidarum. METHODS: ...

Using data from the compulsory Medical Birth Registry of Norway, the authors investigated the effect of maternal multiple sclerosis (MS) on pregnancy, delivery, and birth outcome in 649 births by MS mothers and 2.1 million control births. The mothers with MS had a higher proportion of neonates small for gestational ...

Multiple pregnancies from ART procedures are all too common. Efforts to reduce high-order multiple pregnancies will require both social and medical reforms. In lieu of a legislative agenda to reduce multiple pregnancies in the United States, efforts must come from the personnel within the individual ART clinics. The approach to ...

A 36-year-old woman, who was 19 weeks pregnant presented with epigastric pain and a one-week history of repeated vomiting. Endoscopy revealed twisted stomach. CT scan of the chest showed figure of eight stomach consistent with gastric volvulus. Confirmation of diagnosis was made by laparatomy in which reduction of the oedematous ...

OBJECTIVES: To provide a review of the current literature on hepatic disease in pregnancy, outlining the incidence, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of major diseases in this category. DESIGN: A thorough review of expert analysis, case reports, and randomized clinical trials was used to assess current methods of managing the major ...

AIM: To investigate the clinical characteristics of fulminant hepatitis in pregnancy. METHODS: We compared and analyzed the etiology, clinical characteristics, and laboratory examinations of 25 cases of fulminant hepatitis in pregnancy and 30 cases of fulminant hepatitis not in pregnancy. RESULTS: HBV infection and chronic fulminant hepatitis were most common ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The sensitivity of fetal rat liver to maternal obstructive cholestasis during pregnancy (OCP), and the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) were investigated. METHODS: UDCA was administered (i.g. 0.6 mg/kg b.wt./day) from day 14 to day 21 of pregnancy after maternal common bile duct ligation. RESULTS: Impairment in the activity ...

OBJECTIVES: To review the course, predisposing risk factors, treatment employed, and complications of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) during pregnancy. Maternal and fetal outcomes will be discussed. METHODS: We reviewed the literature from February 1966 to January 2004 using MEDLINE and the key words autoimmune hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis, lupoid hepatitis, and ...

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is a rare disorder, predominately occurring during the third trimester of pregnancy and characterized by pruritus, jaundice, and biochemical disturbances in liver enzymes. While intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy poses little maternal risk, there is significant risk to the fetus such as preterm delivery, non-reassuring fetal status, ...

A 35-year-old woman at 30th gestation week of her second pregnancy presented to our department with a 2-month history of intense and generalized pruritus. She had a spontaneous abortion 1 year earlier. Itching initially presented during nighttime and localized on lower limbs and after became continuous, diffuse, and associated with ...

The possible influence of steroid hormones in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been a matter of great interest. A first illustration comes from the analyses of the influence of gender on susceptibility to MS and on MS severity. A series of arguments emerge in favour of a possible influence of steroid ...

BACKGROUND: Pemphigoid gestationis (PG) is a rare pregnancy-associated subepidermal immunobullous disease that targets hemidesmosomal proteins, particularly BP180. Clinically, PG can resemble the eruption known as polymorphic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP), and accurate differentiation between these 2 pruritic pregnancy dermatoses has important implications for fetal and maternal prognoses. ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and in the outcome of pregnancy. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of our 12-year experience treating ICP patients with UDCA. Thirty-two patients with pruritus starting before week 34 of pregnancy and with increased serum bile ...

Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy is a common benign dermatosis of pregnancy that was described in 1979 as an intensely pruritic urticarial cutaneous eruption. This is a well-defined clinical entity that mainly occurs in primigravidas in the third trimester, which resolves spontaneously or with delivery and is usually ...

BACKGROUND: Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP) is a specific dermatosis of pregnancy common to primigravid women in the third trimester. The rash usually begins on the lower abdomen within striae and spreads to the proximal extremities. Involvement of face, palms, and soles is unusual. Although intensely pruritic, ...

Macrosquare-wave jerks consist of high-amplitude saccadic intrusions occurring mainly during fixation that are observed in several disease entities, e.g., multiple sclerosis or parkinsonian syndromes, but very rarely in patients with multiple system atrophy. We present here a patient with multiple system atrophy exhibiting the oculomotor feature of macrosquare-wave jerks.

BACKGROUND: Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP), also known as polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, is the most common dermatosis of pregnancy. It usually evolves in the third trimester and resolves rapidly postpartum. CASE: A 25-year-old woman complained of an intensely pruritic rash for 2 days. The rash began ...

The SV40 capsid is composed of pentameric capsomeres of Vp1. We have previously shown that disulfide linkages at Vp1 Cys9, Cys104, and Cys207 are essential in formation of infectious virions. Here, the role of the remaining four cysteines was explored. Single, double, and quadruple cys --> ser mutant genomes at ...

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a pregnancy-specific liver disease associated with poor maternal and fetal outcome. The diagnosis is based on pruritus with abnormal liver function in the absence of other pathological conditions. However, pruritus in pregnancy is common, and it may be the only presenting feature in ICP. ...

BACKGROUND: Hepatic ischemia associated with coarctation of the aorta has not previously been reported in an adult; pregnancy increases the pressure gradient across a coarctation. CASE: A young woman with known coarctation of the aorta developed severe hepatic ischemia in pregnancy. A pregnancy-induced increase in the mean pressure gradient across ...

Concentrations of trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, T-Hg, Org-Hg, Tl and Pb) were determined in liver samples of estuarine dolphin (Sotalia guianensis; n = 20), Franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei; n = 23), Atlantic spotted dolphin ...

Transient latent cholestasis in young rats born from mothers with obstructive cholestasis during pregnancy (OCP) has been reported. The cause of this congenital impairment and the long-term effect on the pups of treating their mothers with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) during pregnancy were investigated. Complete biliary obstruction was imposed on day ...

Pruritus, an early symptom of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, may be severe. Conventional treatment includes ursodeoxycholic acid and cholestyramine. Ondansetron, a 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 receptor antagonist antiemetic, has been shown to reduce pruritus of different etiologies including cholestasis. We now report the successful preoperative use of ondansetron in a patient with ...

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), characterized by pruritus in the second half of pregnancy, entails an increased risk to the fetus. This study was designed to determine the incidence and fetal complication rates in ICP, and to define groups at increased risk. In an prospective cohort study conducted between February ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) may run an aggressive clinical course if untreated. The influence of pregnancy on AIH is variable. Both flares in disease activity and remissions, often followed by a post partum flare, are well recognized. In contrast, definite AIH first presenting in the early post partum ...

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is characterized by the occurrence of pruritus mostly in the third trimenon. Diagnosis is based on the presence of pruritus and elevated levels of serum bile acids in the absence of pruritic skin diseases. There is strong evidence of a genetic predisposition for ICP. Numerous ...

Fulminant hepatitis due to herpes simplex virus (HSV) is rare in immunocompetent adults. Most reported cases have clearly established pregnancy as a condition that can predispose to disseminated HSV infection. We report a case of a 25-year-old previously healthy pregnant woman who presented with fatigue, fever, and anicteric hepatitis. Triphasic ...

OBJECTIVES: To study the spectrum and the clinical and biochemical course of viral hepatitis E during pregnancy. METHODS: In this prospective study, sera of 62 pregnant women having jaundice in the third trimester of pregnancy were analyzed for markers of hepatitis A, B, C and E viruses. The cord blood ...

Infection of gravid Nya: NYLAR (NYLAR), C57BL/6J (C57), and BALB/c mice with Toxoplasma gondii, on gestation day 7, resulted in fetal resorptions, abortions, and stillbirths. Fetal wastage (estimated) was 35 and 40% in the NYLAR and C57 strains and 55% in the BALB/c strain. Postnatally, pups were cachectic and growth-retarded, ...

Research has shown that manuka honey has superior antimicrobial properties that can be used with success in the treatment of wound healing, peptic ulcers and bacterial gastro-enteritis. Studies have already shown that manuka honey with a high antibacterial activity is likely to be non-cariogenic. The current pilot study investigated whether ...

Patients with ICP should be considered to have a high-risk pregnancy. Once the diagnosis of ICP is suspected, usually because of generalized pruritus, it should be confirmed by liver function tests, and other causes of cholestasis should be ruled out. Treatment with UDCA is effective in ameliorating the cholestasis and ...

BACKGROUND: Liver masses in pregnancy are rare; some behave aggressively while others remain indolent. The paucity of case series has hindered the development of a defined approach to their diagnosis and management. This paper presents an algorithm for the diagnosis and management of hepatic hemangiomas, focal nodular hyperplasia, liver cell ...

Dynamics of sliding were explored in isolated actin and myosin filaments. Sliding occurs in steps. The steps are integer multiples of 2.7 nm, which is equal to the monomeric repeat along the actin filament. When filaments were forced to slide in the reverse direction, the size paradigm was the same. ...

Hepatic encephalopathy in pregnancy may be related to a wide variety of acute and chronic liver diseases, including acute viral hepatitis, acute fatty liver of pregnancy, pre-eclampsia-related liver injury, etc. Of these, hepatitis E virus infection is a particularly important cause in those developing countries where this infection is endemic. ...

A 62-year-old man with amyloid deposition associated with generalized morphea-like scleroderma is described. He had been occupationally exposed to organic solvents. Physical examination showed sclerosis of fingers, forearms, and trunk. Erythema was noted on the border of patchy sclerotic plaques on his chest and back. In addition, firm miliary, keratotic ...

Hepatitis C is a slowly progressive disease with significant long-term sequelae including cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. Many women of childbearing years are infected with this virus and are at risk of transmitting it to their offspring. Despite this, there are many unanswered questions about hepatitis C and pregnancy ...

PURPOSE: To compare the plaque removal efficacy of a control powered toothbrush (original Crest SpinBrush, flat bristle profile) to a prototype powered toothbrush (new Crest SpinBrush, rippled bristle pattern). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a randomized, controlled, examiner-blind, 4-period crossover design, which examined plaque removal following a single use. ...

Previous research on the effects of pregnancy on multiple sclerosis (MS) is somewhat flawed, and well-controlled, well-designed studies are needed to validate trial findings. In general, pregnancy appears to have a protective effect on MS course, with fewer, less severe relapses, especially in the third trimester. The exacerbation rate is ...

Many questions arise when counselling multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on the effects of MS on pregnancy, and vice versa. Reassurance can often be given regarding contraception, fertility, pregnancy management, pregnancy outcome, and the risk of the child developing MS. Much more information is needed, however, on the effects and implications ...

Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP) is a rare dermatosis of unknown etiology that is most frequently seen in primiparas and twin/multiple pregnancies. The prognosis is favorable. We report a case of PUPPP in a primipara and review the clinical signs, differential diagnosis, possible etiologic factors, diagnosis, and ...