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Medicina
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Recent Advances in Maternal–Fetal Medicine
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Recent Advances in Maternal–Fetal Medicine

A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144). This special issue belongs to the section "Obstetrics and Gynecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2025) | Viewed by 2911

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Demetra Socolov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
Interests: maternal–fetal medicine; in utero fetal surgery; prenatal diagnosis; artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Dragos Nemescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mother and Child Care, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
Interests: maternal–fetal medicine; in utero fetal surgery; prenatal diagnosis; artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ingrid Andrada Vasilache

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Mother and Child Care, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
Interests: obstetrics; gynecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Maternal–fetal medicine is a particularly complex subdivision of obstetrics that offers us numerous research perspectives, from prenatal diagnosis to fetal surgery, and recent advancements in this field have been pivotal to improving the perinatal outcomes of both mothers and fetuses.

Moreover, the merging of artificial intelligence with combined approaches into hybrid screening strategies has greatly improved our understanding of the impact of clinical and paraclinical risk factors in the process of the risk stratification of pregnant patients in recent years.

This Special Issue, entitled “Recent Advances in Maternal–Fetal Medicine”, aims to focus on recent advancements in the screening, prediction, and diagnosis of maternal and fetal conditions such as pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and intra-amniotic infections. Additionally, we invite the submission of manuscripts that address the use of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for the prenatal screening of aneuploidies, the use of multi-omics approaches for identifying new biomarkers that can be included in prenatal screening and/or diagnosis, as well as the use of imaging techniques for the characterization of fetal congenital malformations.

We welcome the submission of high-quality and informative original studies (clinical and experimental), meta-analyses, reviews, clinical cases, and expert opinions. We look forward to receiving your contributions!

Dr. Demetra Socolov
Prof. Dr. Dragos Nemescu
Guest Editors

Dr. Ingrid Andrada Vasilache
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Medicina is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • maternal–fetal medicine
  • prenatal screening
  • artificial intelligence
  • personalized medicine
  • prenatal imaging

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 868 KiB  
Article
Prenatal Determinants of Maternal 25(OH)D Levels at Delivery: The Role of Diet and Supplement Use in a Cross-Sectional Study in Greece
by Artemisia Kokkinari, Evangelia Antoniou, Kleanthi Gourounti, Maria Dagla, Maria Iliadou, Ermioni Palaska, Eirini Tomara and Georgios Iatrakis
Medicina 2025, 61(7), 1249; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61071249 - 10 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: Maternal vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D) deficiency during pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes for both mother and fetus. While vitamin D supplementation is commonly recommended, dietary and lifestyle factors influencing maternal 25(OH)D levels at term remain underexplored, particularly in [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Maternal vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D) deficiency during pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes for both mother and fetus. While vitamin D supplementation is commonly recommended, dietary and lifestyle factors influencing maternal 25(OH)D levels at term remain underexplored, particularly in Southern Europe. Aim: This study aimed to investigate prenatal determinants of maternal 25(OH)D levels at the time of delivery, focusing on dietary intake, supplement use, and seasonal variation. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 248 pregnant women admitted for delivery at the General Hospital of Piraeus “Tzaneio” between September 2019 and January 2022. A structured questionnaire was used to assess prenatal intake of vitamin D-rich foods (such as fatty fish, eggs, dairy, and fortified products), supplement use (dose, frequency), sun exposure habits, and lifestyle factors. Maternal serum 25(OH)D concentrations were measured from blood samples collected at the time of admission for delivery. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and multivariate linear regression to identify independent dietary and supplemental predictors of maternal vitamin D status. Results: A high prevalence of maternal vitamin D deficiency (VDD) was observed, particularly during the autumn and winter months. Women who reported regular intake of vitamin D supplements (400–800 IU daily) had significantly higher 25(OH)D levels compared to those who did not. Dietary intake of vitamin D-rich foods was positively associated with maternal 25(OH)D status, although the effect size was smaller compared to supplementation. Seasonal variation, BMI, and limited sun exposure were also independent predictors. Conclusions: Both vitamin D supplementation and increased dietary intake were positively associated with maternal 25(OH)D concentrations at delivery. These findings underscore the importance of prenatal nutritional assessment and targeted supplementation strategies to prevent maternal VDD in Mediterranean populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Maternal–Fetal Medicine)
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11 pages, 651 KiB  
Article
The Role of Mid-Trimester BUN and Creatinine Assessment in Predicting Preeclampsia: Retrospective Case–Control Study
by Ebru Celik Kavak, Cigdem Akcabay, Meryem Demircan, Ibrahim Batmaz, Cengiz Sanli, Ahmet Senocak, Mesut Ali Haliscelik, Miray Onat, Batuhan Tepe and Salih Burcin Kavak
Medicina 2025, 61(4), 746; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61040746 - 18 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 536
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Preeclampsia (PE) is a major cause of adverse perinatal outcomes. Early diagnosis of pregnant women at risk of PE can facilitate disease prevention and management. However, the presence of different phenotypes of the disease complicates its prediction. In particular, the [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Preeclampsia (PE) is a major cause of adverse perinatal outcomes. Early diagnosis of pregnant women at risk of PE can facilitate disease prevention and management. However, the presence of different phenotypes of the disease complicates its prediction. In particular, the challenges in the early diagnosis of term PE cases necessitate research on PE prediction in the second and third trimesters. This study aims to examine the association between PE development and mid-trimester blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, and the BUN/creatinine ratio in pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This retrospective case–control study was conducted on women diagnosed with PE. Pregnant women who underwent routine biochemical blood tests between the 18th and 24th weeks of gestation and subsequently gave birth at our hospital between January 2022 and May 2023 were categorized into three groups. Accordingly, healthy women who had term deliveries were classified as Group 1 (150 cases), women diagnosed with PE were classified as Group 2 (58 cases), and those diagnosed with severe PE were classified as Group 3 (44 cases). Results: There were no significant differences in age, gravidity, parity, body mass index, or gestational week at blood sampling between the patient and control groups (p > 0.05). When comparing the mean blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and BUN/creatinine ratios, a significant difference was observed between the control group and those who developed PE (p = 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.031, respectively). Univariate analysis revealed a significant association between BUN levels and PE development (OR 1.083; 95% CI, 1.031–1.139; p = 0.002). A stronger association was observed between serum creatinine levels and PE development (OR 112.344; 95% CI, 11.649–1083.416; p < 0.001). However, no significant association was found between the BUN/creatinine ratio and PE in univariate analysis (OR 1.003; 95% CI, 0.979–1.028; p > 0.05). Mid-trimester BUN and serum creatinine levels were significantly higher in patients who developed PE and severe PE. The AUC value for the BUN parameter in predicting PE was 0.614 (AUC 0.614; 95% CI, 0.539–0.689; p = 0.002). A BUN cut-off value of 16.2 mg/dL predicted disease development with a sensitivity of 52.9% and a specificity of 74%. Similarly, the AUC value for the serum creatinine parameter in predicting PE was 0.644 (AUC 0.644; 95% CI, 0.574–0.751; p < 0.001). A serum creatinine cut-off value of 0.58 mg/dL was able to predict disease development with 37.2% sensitivity and 88% specificity. No significant AUC value was obtained for the BUN/creatinine ratio (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that elevated BUN and serum creatinine levels measured during the mid-trimester (18–24 weeks) are associated with an increased risk of developing preeclampsia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Maternal–Fetal Medicine)
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Review

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19 pages, 1342 KiB  
Review
CRISPR/Cas-Based Prenatal Screening for Aneuploidy: Challenges and Opportunities for Early Diagnosis
by Irisappan Ganesh, Ilangovan Karthiga, Manoranjani Murugan, Kumar Rangarajalu, Vishnu Bhat Ballambattu and Sambandam Ravikumar
Medicina 2025, 61(4), 610; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61040610 - 27 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1055
Abstract
Aneuploidy is increasingly recognized globally as a common cause of miscarriage among expectant mothers. The existing prenatal screening techniques for detecting aneuploidy have several limitations. The ability to diagnose aneuploidy early in a non-invasive manner is not feasible with the current screening methods, [...] Read more.
Aneuploidy is increasingly recognized globally as a common cause of miscarriage among expectant mothers. The existing prenatal screening techniques for detecting aneuploidy have several limitations. The ability to diagnose aneuploidy early in a non-invasive manner is not feasible with the current screening methods, as they may produce false positive or false negative results. Recently, the widely used gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas has shown great promise in diagnostics. This review summarizes the prenatal screening tests used in the first trimester to assess aneuploidy conditions. Additionally, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of molecular diagnostic tests, including the benefits and challenges of CRISPR/Cas-based trisomy detection. Thus, the proposed prenatal screening using CRISPR/Cas could provide significant benefits to expectant mothers by potentially enabling the early diagnosis of trisomy, helping to prevent miscarriage and birth defects. Furthermore, it opens new avenues for research, allowing clinicians and researchers to develop, optimize, and implement CRISPR/Cas-based prenatal screening assays in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Maternal–Fetal Medicine)
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