METHODS: The proposed device measures and displays the FHR on a screen liquid crystal display (LCD). The device consists of hardware that comprises condenser microphone sensor, signal conditioning, microcontroller and LCD, and software that involves the algorithm used for processing the conditioned fetal heart signal prior to FHR display. The device's performance is validated based on analysis of variance (ANOVA) test.
RESULTS: FHR data was recorded from 22 pregnant women during the 17th to 37th week of gestation using the developed device and two standard devices; AngelSounds and Electronic Stethoscope. The results show that F-value (1.5) is less than F𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡, (3.1) and p-value (p> 0.05). Accordingly, there is no significant difference between the mean readings of the developed and existing devices. Hence, the developed device can be used for monitoring FHR in clinical and home environments.
METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study at a tertiary urogynecological unit. A total of 337 patients were seen for a standardized interview, clinical examination (ICS POP-Q) and 4D translabial ultrasonography. Stored imaging data were analyzed offline to evaluate functional pelvic floor anatomy and investigate associations with symptoms and other findings.
RESULTS: Of the 337 women seen during the study period, 13 were excluded due to missing data, leaving 324. Vaginal laxity was reported by 24% with a mean bother of 5.7. In a univariate analysis, this symptom was associated with younger age, vaginal parity, POP symptoms and bother, clinically and sonographically determined POP and hiatal area on Valsalva maneuver.
CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal laxity or 'looseness' is common in our urogynecology service at a prevalence of 24%. The associated bother is almost as high as the bother associated with conventional prolapse symptoms. It is associated with younger age, vaginal parity, symptoms of prolapse, prolapse bother and objective prolapse on POP-Q examination and imaging, suggesting that vaginal laxity may be considered a symptom of prolapse. The strongest associations were found with gh + pb and hiatal area on Valsalva maneuver, suggesting that vaginal laxity is a manifestation of levator ani hyperdistensibility.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty pregnant SD female rats were used in this study for three treatment groups and a control group, each consisting of 20 pregnant female rats. Three doses of 850mg/kg/day (Low-dose), 1700mg/kg/day (Mid-dose) and 3400mg/kg/day (High-dose) were selected for the study, whereas 10mL/kg distilled water was served as the control. Examinations were conducted on pregnant rats and fetuses respects to mortality, body weight, body weights gains, food consumption and clinical observations. The pregnant females were gross necropsied on G20, followed by maternal and fetus examination, to evaluate the teratogenicity, reproductive and developmental performance of L. rhinocerotis mycelium.
RESULTS: Results showed that no L. rhinocerotis mycelium-related animal death and abnormal clinical sign were noted. No statistical differences were noted in maternal mean body weight and maternal mean body weight gains. Some animals in the high-dose group appeared audible respiration due to dosing accident, it resulted in lower food consumption but not relevant to L. rhinocerotis mycelium treatment. In maternal gross necropsy, no L. rhinocerotis mycelium-related gross lesion was noted. In maternal examination, parameters of gravid uterus weight, implantation number, corpora lutea number, litter size, live or dead fetal number, male or female fetus number, resorption number, fetal sex ratio (M/F), pre-implantation loss and post-implantation loss were all within the normal reference ranges and showed no significant difference when compared to the control group. In fetus examination, including external, visceral and skeletal evaluations, there were no significant changes between any of the L. rhinocerotis mycelium treated groups and the control group.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on the study results, the no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for pregnant female rats under the conditions of this study was 3400mg/kg/day.
Case presentation: We present a baby girl who had a neonatal tooth with sublingual ulceration (Riga-Fede disease), which resulted in a difficulty to breastfeed for the baby and nipple pain to the mother. Following the extraction of the baby's tooth, she immediately continued breastfeeding, and her tongue ulcer healed well.
Conclusion: Extraction of the neonatal tooth promoted rapid healing of oral ulcers and the reestablishment of breastfeeding.
METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted at baseline (after delivery), 2, 4 and 6 months postpartum. From 638 eligible mothers initially recruited, 420 completed until 6 months. Dependent variable was weight retention, defined as difference between weight at 6 months postpartum and pre-pregnancy weight, and weight retention ≥5kg was considered excessive. Independent variables included socio-demographic, history of pregnancy and delivery, lifestyle, practices and traditional postpartum practices.
RESULTS: Average age was 29.61±4.71years, majority (83.3%) were Malays, 58.8% (low education), 70.0% (employed), 65.2% (middle income family), 33.8% (primiparous) and 66.7% (normal/instrumental delivery). Average gestational weight gain was 12.90±5.18kg. Mean postpartum weight retention was 3.12±4.76kg, 33.8% retaining ≥5kg. Bivariable analysis showed low income, primiparity, gestational weight gain ≥12kg, less active physically, higher energy, protein, carbohydrate and fat intake in diet, never using hot stone compression and not continuing breastfeeding were significantly associated with higher 6 months postpartum weight retention. From multivariable linear regression analysis, less active physically, higher energy intake in diet, gestational weight gain ≥12kg, not continuing breastfeeding 6 months postpartum and never using hot stone compression could explain 55.1% variation in 6 months postpartum weight retention.
CONCLUSION: Women need to control gestational weight gain, remain physically active, reduce energy intake, breastfeed for at least 6 months and use hot stone compression to prevent high postpartum weight retention.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study consisted of 21 pregnant women with hypertension and 23 without hypertension. The gestational age ranged from 28 to 39 weeks (hypertensive) and 32 to 40 weeks (normotensive). The paraffin embedded formalin fixed placenta tissue blocks were retrieved from the pathology archives. Endocan immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue sections of full thickness and maternal surface of the placenta. The endocan expression was determined in fetal endothelial cells, maternal endothelial cells, cytotrophoblasts, syncytiotrophoblasts and decidual cells. The differences in endocan expression in placenta between hypertensive and normotensive subjects were evaluated by Pearson chi-square test and t-test were used in the statistical analysis.
RESULTS: The endocan expression was significantly higher in fetal endothelial cells (P
METHODS: This is a retrospective comparative cohort study design. Two hundred and fifty Malaysian women were part of a previous study examining the prevalence of PND in a multiracial country and the effects of postnatal rituals. All women were at least 6 weeks post-partum when asked to complete the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Sociodemographic and birth data were obtained.
RESULTS: Data collected were divided into two groups: 55 emergency delivery and 191 non-emergency delivery. There were four missing data. There was no significant difference in the mean age, parity, gestational period, baby birthweight, 5 min baby Apgar score and EPDS scores of the two groups. However, the analysis of PND indicated that women with emergency delivery had a relative risk of 1.81 compared with women with non-emergency delivery. The comparison of the two groups using chi2 indicated a significant (chi2 = 3.94, d.f. = 1, P = 0.04) increase in the presence of PND in the emergency delivery.
CONCLUSION: When compared with women having non-emergency delivery, women having emergency delivery had about twice the risk of developing PND. Special attention to this group appears warranted.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the pattern of gestational weight gain (GWG) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and their risk factors among a cohort of Emirati and Arab women residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A secondary objective was to investigate pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and its socio-demographic correlates among study participants.
METHODS: Data of 256 pregnant women participating in the cohort study, the Mother-Infant Study Cohort (MISC) were used in this study. Healthy pregnant mothers with no history of chronic diseases were interviewed during their third trimester in different hospitals in UAE. Data were collected using interviewer-administered multi-component questionnaires addressing maternal sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. Maternal weight, weight gain, and GDM were recorded from the hospital medical records.
RESULTS: Among the study participants, 71.1% had inadequate GWG: 31.6% insufficient and 39.5% excessive GWG. 19.1% reported having GDM and more than half of the participants (59.4%) had a pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. The findings of the multiple multinomial logistic regression showed that multiparous women had decreased odds of excessive gain as compared to primiparous [odds ratio (OR): 0.17; 95% CI: 0.05-0.54]. Furthermore, women with a pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 had increased odds of excessive gain (OR: 2.23; 95%CI: 1.00-5.10) as compared to those with pre-pregnancy BMI