Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Can The Date Of Last Menstrual Period Be Trusted In The First Trimester? Comparisons Of Gestational Age Measures From A Prospective Cohort Study In Six Low-Income To Middle-Income Countries, Archana Patel, Carla M. Bann, Vanessa R. Thorsten, Sowmya R. Rao, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu Kitoto, Melissa Bauserman, Lester Figueroa, Nancy F. Krebs, Fabian Esamai, Sherri Bucher, Sarah Saleem, Robert L. Goldenberg, Elwyn Chomba, Waldemar A. Carlo, Shivaprasad Goudar, Richard Derman, Marion Koso-Thomas, Elizabeth Mcclure, Patricia L. Hibberd

Global Health Articles

OBJECTIVES: We examined gestational age (GA) estimates for live and still births, and prematurity rates based on last menstrual period (LMP) compared with ultrasonography (USG) among pregnant women at seven sites in six low-resource countries.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This study included data from the Global Network's population-based Maternal and Newborn Health Registry which follows pregnant women in six low-income and middle-income countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia). Participants in this analysis were 42 803 women, including their 43 230 babies, who registered for the study in their first trimester based …

Ethnic Differences In Maternal Adipokines During Normal Pregnancy, Xinhua Chen, Theresa O Scholl

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Two adipokines (adiponectin and resistin) have opposite relations with insulin resistance and inflammation. Our major focus was to determine whether there were detectable ethnic differences in maternal adipokines during pregnancy. We also explored the correlation of the adipokines with maternal glucose homeostasis, blood pressure and anthropometric parameters. Pregnant women (n = 1634) were from a large prospective cohort study in Camden NJ (African-American 36.8%; Hispanic 47.6%; Caucasian 15.6%). Serum adiponectin and resistin were measured at entry (week 16.8) and the 3rd trimester (week 30.7) using the Luminex xMapTechnology. Significant differences were observed among ethnic groups, controlling for confounding variables. African …

Maternal Biomarkers Of Endothelial Dysfunction And Preterm Delivery, Xinhua Chen, Theresa O Scholl

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction is key to the development of atherosclerosis. Preterm delivery foreshadows later maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD), but it is not known if endothelial dysfunction also occurs. We prospectively measured circulating biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in pregnant women with preterm or term delivery.

METHODS: We conducted a case-control study nested within a large prospective epidemiological study of young, generally healthy pregnant women. Women who delivered preterm (gestation, n = 240) and controls who delivered at term (n = 439) were included. Pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia were analyzed separately. Circulating endothelial dysfunction biomarkers included soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), vascular …

Detection Of Enlarged Yolk Sac On Early Ultrasound Is Associated With Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes, D. Berdahl, J. Blaine, Bradley Van Voorhis, A. Dokras

Bradley J Van Voorhis

Pregnancies with mean yolk sac diameter>or=5 mm on early ultrasound require monitoring and counseling about a threefold increased risk for first-trimester loss independent of maternal risk factors such as age, body mass index, polycystic ovary syndrome, smoking, and diabetes. In addition, our study shows for the first time that enlarged yolk sac diameter may be associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery.

Research And Professional Briefs. Folate, Zinc, And Vitamin B-12 Intake During Pregnancy And Postpartum, M. Berg, D. Van Dyke, C. Chenard, Jennifer Niebyl, S. Hirankarn, A. Bendich, P. Stumbo

Jennifer R Niebyl

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Aspirin On The Course Of Induced Midtrimester Abortion, Jennifer Niebyl, D. Blake, L. Burnett, T. King

Jennifer R Niebyl

Prostaglandins appear to mediate the uterine contractions of abortion and labor, and aspirin has been shown to be an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective, and randomized study, aspirin was administered orally in doses of 600 mg. every 6 hours to patients undergoing induced midtrimester abortions with hyperosmolar urea and oxytocin augmentation. The mean injection-abortion interval was significantly prolonged by aspirin in nulliparous patients (aspirin 32.3 +/- 3.3 hr. vs. placebo 21.5 +/- 3.5 hr.) and no aspirin-treated nullipara aborted in less than 18 hours. There was no significant difference between treatment groups in the mean injection-abortion …

Therapeutic Drugs In Pregnancy. Caution Is The Watchword, Jennifer Niebyl

Jennifer R Niebyl

Many medical conditions during pregnancy are best treated initially with nonpharmacologic remedies. Before a drug is used during pregnancy, the indications should be clear and the risk-benefit ratio should justify its use. Then, the minimum effective dose should be employed. If possible, therapy should be postponed until after the first trimester.

The Association Of Anti-P And Early Abortion, R. Shirey, P. Ness, T. Kickler, J. Rock, N. Callan, W. Schlaff, Jennifer Niebyl

Jennifer R Niebyl

The current report details the serologic findings in a case reported previously of a P1k woman, para 0 gravida 13, who was treated during her fourteenth pregnancy with plasmapheresis to reduce the anti-P titer. These studies suggest that anti-P can induce early abortion in Pk women and that the abortions are immunologically mediated. Further, this case supports the disputed proposal that the anti-P component of anti-PP1Pk is responsible for pregnancy loss in p women.

Cornual Contraction Ring With Retained Placenta In Midtrimester Abortion, Jennifer Niebyl, A. Montague, A. Tapper, T. Horrigan

Jennifer R Niebyl

No abstract provided.

Prostaglandin F Metabolite Concentration As A Prognostic Factor In Preterm Labor, C. Weitz, R. Ghodgaonkar, N. Dubin, Jennifer Niebyl

Jennifer R Niebyl

Concentration of the 13,14-dihydro,15 keto-metabolite of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGFM) was measured in women being observed for preterm labor. The mean initial PGFM level was significantly higher in patients who delivered preterm (65.9 +/- 9.7 pg/mL; N = 14) than in patients not in preterm labor (32.1 +/- 4.3 pg/mL; N = 11; P less than .01). Plasma PGFM concentrations decreased significantly during ritodrine therapy only in successfully treated patients (P less than .05). All patients with initial PGFM concentrations greater than or equal to 55 pg/mL delivered preterm. Two of four patients not considered to be in preterm labor …

Multiple Pregnancy With Late Death Of One Fetus, P. Cherouny, I. Hoskins, T. Johnson, Jennifer Niebyl

Jennifer R Niebyl

Twenty cases of fetal death complicating a multiple pregnancy after 20 weeks' gestation are reviewed. We evaluated gestational age at diagnosis and delivery (29.3 +/- 0.7 and 31.8 +/- 0.9 weeks, respectively), interval from diagnosis to delivery (2.6 +/- 0.6 weeks), and cause of fetal death as a group and by type of placentation (76.5% monochorionic). Eighty-five percent of the surviving fetuses were delivered preterm, and the four neonatal deaths were all due to extreme prematurity, with a mean (+/- SEM) birth weight of 794 +/- 237 g. Perinatal mortality was 585 per 1000, 450 for twin A and 750 …

Liver Transplant After Massive Spontaneous Hepatic Rupture In Pregnancy Complicated By Preeclampsia, Stephen Hunter, M. Martin, J. Benda, F. Zlatnik

Stephen K. Hunter

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous hepatic rupture associated with preeclampsia is a rare but life-threatening situation. Several different surgical treatments have been described, depending on the severity of the rupture. Liver transplantation has become the mainstay for patients with end-stage liver disease. Transplantation in the setting of liver trauma or massive parenchymal disruption is not well defined. To our knowledge, this treatment has not been reported for spontaneous hepatic rupture in pregnancy. CASE: Massive, spontaneous hepatic rupture occurred in a patient at 36 weeks' gestation as a result of severe preeclampsia. Conventional surgical therapies were unsuccessful in controlling the massive hemorrhage. As a …

Histologic Chorioamnionitis, Microbial Infection, And Prematurity., F. Zlatnik, Thomas Gellhaus, J. Benda, F. Koontz, L. Burmeister

Thomas M Gellhaus

The purpose of this study was to relate histologic chorioamnionitis to the isolation of microorganisms from the freshly separated chorioamnion in women who had early preterm delivery (before 35 weeks' gestation) following spontaneous labor. Histologic chorioamnionitis was identified in 51 of 95 study subjects. It was more common in the second trimester (72%) than from 27-34 weeks' gestation (33%) (P less than .001). Culture specimens were obtained for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, yeasts, mycoplasmas, and Chlamydia. Microorganisms were recovered from 38 subjects; all culture reports were negative in 36. A statistically significant association was demonstrated between histologic chorioamnionitis and positive …