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- Allbrand, Marianne, 1958-
(author)
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Gene expression of inflammatory markers and growth factors in placenta in relation to maternal obesity and foetal and postnatal growth
- 2020
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Maternal obesity is a growing health problem, that contributes to obstetrical complications in pregnancy, as well as neonatal morbidity and mortality. The placenta serves for gas and nutrient exchange between the mother and the foetus, and obesity may influence and modify placental growth and function. The aims of this thesis were to investigate associations between maternal obesity without associated morbidity and gene expression of inflammatory markers and growth factors in the placenta, as well as offspring birth weight and postnatal growth. Study I and III were designed as matched case-control studies including 32 obese women with an early pregnancy body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35.0 kg/m2, study II was an experimental study examining twelve placentas of normal weight women, and study IV was a cohort study including 109 obese women with a BMI ≥ 34.5 kg/m2. In studies I-IV analyses of gene expression were performed and in study III additionally cord blood concentrations were determined. No difference was found in the occurrence of placental gene expression of inflammatory markers or growth factors between obese and normal weight women, nor did the sampling site in placentas of normal weight women influence gene expression of these markers, except for leptin gene (LEP) and insulin receptor gene (INSR) expression. Ghrelin gene (GHRL) and LEP expression, as well as cord blood ghrelin and adiponectin levels, was not altered in maternal obesity, and a negatively U-shaped relationship between LEP expression and infant birth weight (BW) z-scores was observed in the placentas of obese women.In conclusion, no statistically significant difference in gene expressions of inflammatory markers and growth factors in the placenta between severely obese and normal weight women was found. These results are in contrast with earlier studies and could be due to the fact that we examined mainly healthy obese women. The correlations we found between gene expression of leptin in the placenta and the birth weight of the infants warrants further studies.
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| 2. |
- Jansson, Markus, 1982-
(author)
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Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Perineal and Vaginal Tears in Primiparous Women
- 2022
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), including urinary incontinence, faecal incontinence (FI), and pelvic organ prolapse, is highly prevalent among parous women. There is evidence that pregnancy, vaginal delivery, and obstetric perineal tears increase the risk of pelvic floor dysfunction, but many of the studies in this field are retrospective. The overall aim of this thesis was to prospectively examine risk factors for perineal and vaginal tears and postpartum PFD in primiparous women.Study I was a validation study of a protocol for documentation of perineal tears, including 187 primiparous women in 2015–2016. The coverage of documentation was higher in the protocol compared to the obstetric record system (ObstetriX). Incidence of second degree perineal tears was 26% according to the protocol and 11% according to ObstetriX.Studies II–IV utilized a cohort of initially nulliparous women (n=1049) prospectively included in early pregnancy in 2014–2017. Women completed questionnaires on PFD in early and late pregnancy and at 8 weeks and 1 year postpartum.Study II (n=644) showed that high foetal weight and vacuum extraction were risk factors for both second degree tears and OASI, suggesting that these tears should be viewed as a continuum rather than different entities. Risk factors for high vaginal tears were large foetal head circumference, vacuum extraction, and heredity of PFD/connective tissue deficiency. Study III (n=670) found that vaginal delivery increased the risk of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) but not urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) 1 year postpartum. No single characteristic of the vaginal delivery was associated with SUI. SUI during pregnancy increased the risk of SUI postpartum, and UUI during pregnancy increased the risk of UUI postpartum.Study IV (n=898) showed that FI increased by late pregnancy, and that this increase persisted 1 year postpartum. Obstructed defecation was associated with increased FI postpartum, suggesting that post-defecatory faecal loss may be an underlying mechanism of FI. Overall conclusion: The extent to which pregnancy, vaginal delivery, and their respective characteristics contributed to the development of PFD differed between the pelvic floor disorders studied. For SUI, both the pregnancy and the vaginal delivery increased the risk, whereas for FI it was the pregnancy itself rather than the vaginal delivery that was demonstrated to increase the risk.
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| 3. |
- Wijk, Lena, 1971-
(author)
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Enhanced Recovery After Hysterectomy
- 2017
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Objectives: To study recovery after hysterectomy under Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) care, and in relation to different operation techniques.Materials and Methods: An observational study was conducted comparing 85 patients undergoing hysterectomy with ERAS care to 120 patients immediately before establishing ERAS. In a prospective cohort study of 121 consecutive patients undergoing hysterectomy, the outcome was compared for patients with malignant versus benign indications. The main outcome measure was length of stay (LOS). A randomised controlled trial (RCT) of 20 women scheduled for hysterectomy compared robot-assisted laparoscopic with abdominal hysterectomy in terms of the development of insulin resistance, inflammatory reactions, and clinical recovery, and examined the relation to hormonal status. All studies were conducted in 2011--2015, at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Örebro University Hospital, Sweden.Results: Implementation of a structured ERAS protocol significantly reduced LOS compared to non-ERAS care. The effect was similar between patients with malignant and benign indications for surgery. No difference in complications was found. There was no difference in development of insulin resistance between robotic and abdominal technique, but clinical outcomes and inflammatory responses significantly favoured robot-assisted hysterectomy. Female sex hormone status was associated with the development of insulin resistance.Conclusions: Recovery after hysterectomy can be influenced. ERAS care seems to be effective and safe. Clinical outcome can also be influenced by operational technique. Hysterectomy triggers a stress reaction in both the metabolic and the inflammatory system. It remains unclear why the reduced inflammatory reaction and favourable clinical outcome in robotic surgery were not mirrored by less insulin resistance. This could not be explained by female sex hormone status.
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