Objective. To determine whether women with persistent aPL (>12 weeks apart on at least two separate occasions) without a history of thrombosis or adverse pregnancy outcome had the same adverse pregnancy outcomes as those with obstetric APS or unmatched controls.Methods. This was a case-control study between 2005 and 2011 where ...

Endocrine disease is common in pregnancy. Most pre-existing endocrine conditions, if well controlled, have little impact on maternal or fetal morbidity. Uncontrolled endocrine conditions in pregnancy, whether poorly controlled pre-conception or newly diagnosed, are associated with a variety of adverse fetal outcomes and maternal morbidity. Also, transplacental transfer of maternal ...

OBJECTIVE: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is the most common pregnancy-specific liver disorders. Although various biological effects of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) has in pregnancy have been reported, its activities in patients with ICP are lacking. Here we evaluated CRH and its receptor (CRH-R1) expression in placenta and serum in control ...

PURPOSE: The present study was designed to examine apoptotic cell death via the caspase-dependent pathway in human fetal membranes. METHODS: Amniotic membrane samples were collected from three groups of women: group 1, women with preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes (PPROM) after cesarean delivery (n = 10), group 2, women with preterm ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of placenta praevia accreta following primary (first) elective or primary emergency caesarean section in a pregnancy complicated by placenta praevia. DESIGN: Retrospective matched case-control study, employing variable matching. SETTING: Tertiary referral centre between 1993 and 2008. POPULATION: Sixty-five cases and 102 controls were used for ...

The primary aim of this case-control study was to compare women whose pregnancy was complicated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), diagnosed by the new International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria, with a control group of healthy, pregnant women in terms of incidence of large- (LGA) and ...

Objective: To investigate the potential value of maternal serum concentrations of free β-human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-hCG), pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and placental growth factor (PlGF) at 30-33 weeks of gestation in the prediction of pre-eclampsia (PE) developing at or after 34 weeks. Methods: Serum free β-hCG, PAPP-A and PlGF were ...

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are a major cause of infant mortality. Most CHDs are thought to result from genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors that include maternal obesity, diabetes, toxicant exposure, and alterations in anti-oxidant capacity. Since these well-documented risk factors are also associated with immune dysregulation, we sought to compare ...

We aimed here to assess the impact of dietary counselling during pregnancy on dietary intake of vitamins and the vitamin status of women and their children. At the first trimester of pregnancy, 89 women from allergic families were randomized to a control group (n = 45) or to receive individual dietary counselling ...

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to compare levels of acyl and des-acyl ghrelin, obestatin, nesfatin-1 and leptin in healthy gravidas to hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) patients. DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty pregnant women with HG and twenty healthy pregnant women all of similar ages, BMI and all at similar pregnancy ...

OBJECTIVE:: To compare the two control arms of HPTN 035 (a hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) gel control arm and a no gel control arm) to assess behavioral effects associated with gel use and direct causal effects of the HEC gel on STIs, pregnancy, and genital safety.Design: Randomized trial with one blinded (HEC ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of the Triage placental growth factor (PlGF) assay, together with its prognostic efficiency in determining the need for preterm delivery in all forms of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. A total of 130 pregnant women with a diagnosis of preeclampsia ...

To determine whether enhanced oxidative stress during pregnancy impairs vascular endothelial function and improves after delivery in preeclamptic women, we measured serum parameters of oxidative stress and endothelial function during pregnancy and 1 month after delivery in women with or without preeclampsia. We evaluated 18 participants with uncomplicated pregnancies, 11 ...

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is dimeric glycoprotein produced by placenta in pregnancy and also in low levels by pituitary gland. The main clinical use for exogenous hCG-administration is typically linked to infertility. The desired effect of hCG misuse in sport is due to the enhancement of testicular production of testosterone. ...

Objective. To evaluate the effect of a weight-gain restriction programme for obese pregnant women on sickness absence days and pregnancy benefit days during pregnancy and postpartum. Design. A prospective, controlled intervention study. The Swedish Social Security Agency's records were utilized to compile sickness absence and pregnancy benefit information. Setting. Antenatal ...

BACKGROUND: Vitamin A has been related to the etiology of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). We performed a case-control study to investigate whether maternal dietary vitamin A intake is related to CDH in the offspring. METHODS: Thirty-one pregnancies diagnosed with CDH and 46 control pregnancies were included during the study. After ...

High prevalence of anaemia has been reported among pregnant women especially in developing nations. This paper considers maternal haemoglobin (Hb) level, serum total iron, iron binding capacity, and serum ferritn iin antenatal women in Orlu-Imo State Nigeria. Haemoglobin level, serum iron, serum ferritin, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) were ...

To explore the effects of cervical loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) or cold knife conization (CKC) on pregnancy outcomes. Patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) who wanted to become pregnant and received LEEP or CKC were considered as the treatment groups. Women who wanted to become pregnant and only underwent ...

Asthma has a high burden of morbidity if not controlled and may frequently complicate pregnancy, posing a risk for pregnancy outcomes. Elevated plasma level of the inflammatory biomarker soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is related to a worse prognosis in many conditions such as infectious, autoimmune, or pregnancy-related diseases; ...

BACKGROUND: Few epidemiologic studies have investigated the use of venlafaxine (Effexor XR capsules, Product Monograph, Wyeth, Montreal, Canada), an antidepressant used to treat major depression and anxiety disorders in adults, during pregnancy. Our objective was to determine whether use of venlafaxine during pregnancy is associated with specific birth defects. METHODS: ...

Pollutants from burning of diesel fuel are hazardous to human health. Nanoparticles in diesel exhaust potentially have profound impact on fetal development and maternal endocrine function during pregnancy due to their ability to penetrate deeply into the body. To investigate the effects of nanoparticle-rich diesel exhaust (NR-DE) on pregnancy, pregnant ...

OBJECTIVEPregnancy in type 1 diabetes requires excellent glycemic control. Most pregnant type 1 diabetic women achieve normoglycemia; however, there is scarce data on their postdelivery characteristics. We aimed to examine postpregnancy glycemic control and weight changes in type 1 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe identified and followed (median 20 months) 254 ...

Aim: To investigate the potential link between maternal periodontitis and pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth (<37 weeks) and low birthweight (<2500g) Materials and Methods: Ninety nine pregnant females with mild/moderate periodontitis were randomly allocated to a control (n=50) or test group (n=49). Test group subjects received intra-pregnancy non-surgical periodontal treatment ...

Abstract Objective: To compare glycaemic control and pregnancy outcome in women with type 1 diabetes treated with the long-acting insulin analogues detemir or glargine. Methods: Retrospective study of singleton pregnancies from 2007 to 2011 in women with type 1 diabetes with a single living fetus at 22 weeks using either ...

Question One of my patients who has been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) is planning pregnancy. Her MG is controlled with medications. Can her condition or her medications adversely affect her pregnancy? Answer The course of MG during pregnancy is unpredictable, but there is no evidence that MG can adversely ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate gross and microscopic placental lesions associated with pre-eclampsia and to determine which lesions are most strongly linked to serious pregnancy complications. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study of 173 placentas from women with pre-eclampsia and 173 placentas from healthy normotensive women was conducted. RESULTS: The mean placental weight ...

Administration of chemotherapy during pregnancy may represent a big risk factor for the developing brain, therefore we studied whether the transplacental transport of doxorubicin may affect the development of neuroendocrine system. Doxorubicin (25mg/kg; 3 times interaperitoneally/week) was given to pregnant rats during whole gestation period. The disturbances in neuroendocrine functions ...

Objective: To investigate the potential value of maternal serum concentration of soluble endoglin (sEng) at 30-33 weeks' gestation in the prediction of preeclampsia (PE) developing at or after 34 weeks. Methods: Serum sEng was measured at 11-13 and at 30-33 weeks' gestation in a case-control study of 50 cases that ...

OBJECTIVE: To identify first trimester maternal serum biomarkers for the prediction of late-onset preeclampsia (PE) using metabolomic analysis. STUDY DESIGN: In a case-control study, NMR based metabolomic analysis was performed on first trimester maternal serum between 11-13 6/7 weeks of gestation in a case-control study. There were 30 cases of ...

Abstract Chronic villitis of unknown etiology (VUE) occurs in approximately 5-10% of third trimester placentas. It is characterized by lymphohistiocytic infiltration of the placental chorionic villi. VUE is associated with fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and recurrent pregnancy loss. Accumulating evidence suggests that VUE may represent a host-versus-graft reaction, analogous ...

Objectives: To determine whether periodontal clinical parameters, periodontal bacterial profiles, and inflammatory infiltrate in placental chorionic villi are associated with adverse pregnancy results. Material and Methods: We designed an observational case-control study in 244 puerperal women: mothers with preterm birth/low birth weight newborn (cases, n= 91) and mothers with full-term ...

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of antioxidant supplementation on the quality of flow cytometrically-sorted boar spermatozoa. The effects of ascorbic acid-2-glucoside (AA-2G) on the sex-sorting process were evaluated using a variety of concentrations. The effects of different antioxidants (AA-2G, l-glutathione, and vitamin E) on the ...

AIM: The present study aimed to compare Troponin T (Tp T) levels of infants born with meconium stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) to those with clear amniotic fluid. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study SUBJECTS: Thirty-five women who had delivery complicated by MSAF between 37 and 41weeks of gestation were defined as the ...

BACKROUND: A case control study to evaluate whether a single serum measurement of Angiopoietin-1 (ANG-1) and Angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2) at 6-8weeks gestation can differentiate failed pregnancies, whether ectopic pregnancies (EP) or missed abortions (MA), from healthy intrauterine pregnancies (IUP). INTERVENTION(S): Serum and tissue mRNA determination of ANG-1 and ANG-2 levels by ...

Our previous study has demonstrated that dietary arginine supplementation during early pregnancy enhanced embryo implantation in rats. However, the mechanism was not clear. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism that arginine enhanced embryo implantation during early pregnancy. Rats were fed the basal diets supplemented with 1.3% ...

BACKGROUND: The study was conducted to examine the hypotheses that adolescent and young adult women who perceived they are susceptible to pregnancy when birth control is not used are less likely to practice unsafe sex, discontinue oral contraception (OC) and become pregnant during a 12-month follow-up period. STUDY DESIGN: We ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of GnRH antagonists in women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination cycles (COS/IUI). STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. Recruited women were randomized into two groups: GnRH antagonist and control group. The primary outcomes were incidence of premature LH surge and clinical pregnancy rates. RESULTS: ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the placental histopathological findings between pregnancies complicated by early (<34weeks' gestation) and late (≥34weeks' gestation) intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) and pregnancies with live births. MATERIAL & METHODS: Placentas of patients with unexplained IUFD between 22-42weeks of gestation were analyzed for maternal vascular supply lesions that include those ...

BACKGROUND: There are concerns about the effect of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) on fertility, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, but no long-term data on the health of offspring born to IBD mothers. The aims were to assess the short- and long-term effects of maternal IBD on the morbidity and development of ...

We conducted a case-control study at three main inner-city hospitals in Birmingham, UK between 2004 and 2006, to determine the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with tuberculosis (TB) (n = 24), compared with healthy pregnant controls (n = 72). The incidence of TB was 62/100,000 pregnancies, with 54.2% cases ...

Purpose: To investigate the expressional changes of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase subunits in the lacrimal glands (LG) of term pregnant rabbits. Methods: LG were obtained from term pregnant rabbits and age-matched female control rabbits for laser capture microdissection (LCM), real time RT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence. The mRNA and proteins of α1, α2, ...

OBJECTIVE: To apply stereology for the detection of possibly morphological abnormalities in placentas of women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case-control study of placentas from untreated and UDCA-treated ICP, respectively, and normal pregnancies, examined for morphological differences by systematic random sampling generated by computerized stereology methodology. ...

Objective: To examine aortic systolic blood pressure (SBP(Ao)), pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (adjusted to a heart rate of 75 beats per minute, AIx-75) at 11-13 weeks' gestation in pregnancies delivering small for gestational age (SGA) neonates with and without preeclampsia (PE). Methods: At 11+0 to 13+6 weeks' ...

Background:Obstetric complications have predicted future development of schizophrenia in previous studies, but they are also more common in mothers with schizophrenia. The aims of this study were to compare the occurrence of obstetric complications in children of mothers with schizophrenia spectrum psychoses and control children, and to investigate whether obstetric ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the concentration of syncytiotrophoblast-derived microparticles (STBMs) in the maternal circulation and the rate of syncytiotrophoblast apoptosis in the placenta of patients with early-onset and late-onset severe pre-eclampsia. METHODS: A prospective case-control study was conducted that enrolled 15 women with early-onset severe pre-eclampsia, 15 women with late-onset severe ...

To evaluate whether three daily doses of GnRH agonist (Inj. Lupride 1 mg SC) administered 6 days after oocyte retrieval increases ongoing pregnancy rates following embryo transfer (ET) in cycles stimulated with the long GnRH agonist protocol. Prospective randomized controlled study in a tertiary care center. Four hundred and twenty ...

PROBLEM: Increasing evidence supports the involvement of complex antibody-mediated immunologic events at the decidua-trophoblast interface. Our objective is to define the humoral immune responses of pregnant women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) compared with gestation-age-matched and non-pregnant controls in terms of trophoblast-derived antigenic targets and IgG subclasses. ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of vaginal progesterone as luteal phase support on pregnancy rates in controlled ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination cycles in couples with unexplained or mild male factor infertility. STUDY DESIGN: 290 Patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in a prospective randomized controlled trial. All ...

Abstract Objective: To examine the effect of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) on sFlt (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase)-1 in the fetal and maternal compartments of normotensive and preeclamptic placentas. Methods: Cotyledons of term normotensive and preeclamptic placentas were dually perfused for six hours, with control medium and MgSO(4) (6-7 mg %) in ...

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a common endocrine disorder of reproductive age women. Many controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) strategies have been offered for the treatment of patients with PCOS undergoing in vitro fertilization, but the optimal protocol is still a controversy. There is no compelling evidence for the advantage of one ...