It has been suggested that neurological problems more frequent in those born preterm are expressed prior to birth, but owing to technical limitations, this has been difficult to test in humans. We applied novel fetal resting-state functional MRI to measure brain function in 32 human fetuses in utero and found that systems-level neural functional connectivity was diminished in fetuses that would...

Preterm birth remains a considerable public health concern and priority. Little headway has been made in the prevention of preterm birth despite considerable research in this area. New ideas and treatments are desperately needed. The pessary has emerged as a possible treatment for the prevention of preterm birth in both singleton and twin gestations. It appears to be low cost with minimal side ...

A patient is described with premature labor at 32 weeks of gestation complicated by chorioamnionitis associated with Lactobacillus species, subsequent premature delivery, and possible neonatal infection. Mother and infant did well with antibiotic therapy. The significance of chorioamnionitis and neonatal pneumonia due to this organism group is discussed.

Stress increases corticotropin-releasing hormone and may ultimately result in increased uterine contractility. Stress also increases cytokine production, which independently may lead to preterm birth or increase susceptibility to infection, thereby increasing the risk of preterm birth. Finally, stress may change health behaviors that lead to preterm birth. Research findings on the relationship ...

Abstract: The labor admission test is a very useful screening test in early labor to detect compromised fetus on admission. It is used to select the woman in need of continuous fetal electronic monitoring during labor. It is a dynamic screening test to study fetal oxygenation at the time of admission of the mother in labor room. The labor admission test is a very useful screening test in early ...

OBJECTIVE We performed a systematic review to determine whether sonographic assessment of occipital position of the fetal head can contribute to the prediction of the mode of delivery. METHODS We performed a systematic literature search of electronic databases from inception to May 2011. Two reviewers independently extracted data from the included studies. We used a bivariate model to estimat...

BACKGROUND In Brazil, hospital childbirth care is available to all, but differences in access and quality of care result in inequalities of maternal health. The objective of this study is to assess the infrastructure and staffing of publicly financed labor and birth care in Brazil and its adequacy according to clinical and obstetric conditions potentially associated with obstetric emergencies. ...

Williamsia serinedens has been isolated from soil but has not yet been implicated in human disease. We report the first case of perinatal sepsis caused by a dual-morphotype form of Williamsia serinedens in a 31-year-old pregnant woman hospitalized with preterm labor.

Stillbirth is still an important problem for parents and healthcare providers worldwide. Nowadays, the neglected shoulder presentation is usually observed in developing countries and is associated with increased risk of fetomaternal morbidity and mortality. In recent years, there were limited reports about obstetric management of this serious complication in the literature. In this case report,...

As an obstetric nurse working in a Delivery Center and considering the studies and reflections on the new model of assistance to labor and birth (humanized assistance), I started to think about this concept, given the various connotations attributed to the term. This article was written with the aim of divulging our proposal of replacement of the expression "humanized assistance to child-birth"...