AIM To assess the eventual influence of low dose betamethasone throughout pregnancy on fetal growth. PATIENTS AND METHODS 320 patients - admitted to the Section of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Ferrara University from January 2005 to December 2010 - were subdivided in two groups: 160 patients affected by recurrent spontaneous abortion (Group A), treated by low dose of betamethasone (0.5 mg/dai...

AIMS/INTRODUCTION The International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) criteria for gestational diabetes are associated with increased prevalence. However, it remains unknown if intervention for more women with gestational diabetes mellitus by the IADPSG criteria results in better pregnancy outcomes than adopting the Carpenter and Coustan (C&C) criteria in Asian popu...

Maternal, fetal, and neonatal mortality disproportionately impact low- and middle-income countries, and many current interventions that can save lives are often not available nor appropriate for these settings. Maternal and Neonatal Directed Assessment of Technologies (MANDATE) is a mathematical model designed to evaluate which interventions have the greatest potential to save maternal, fetal, ...

A pregnancy reaching 42 completed weeks (294 days) is defined as postterm (PT). The use of ultrasound in early pregnancy for precise dating significantly reduces the number of PT pregnancies compared to dating based on the last menstrual period. Although the fetal, maternal and neonatal risks increase beyond 41 weeks, there is no conclusive evidence that prolongation of pregnancy, per se, is th...

INTRODUCTION Pre-eclampsia is a major complication of pregnancy, globally responsible for 60 000 maternal deaths per year, and far greater numbers of fetal losses. There is no definitive treatment other than delivery. A drug that can quench the disease process could be useful to treat early onset pre-eclampsia, as it could allow pregnancies to safely continue to a gestation where fetal outcomes...

BACKGROUND Trauma occurs in 8% of all pregnancies. To date, no studies have evaluated the effect of the hospital's trauma designation level as it relates to birth outcomes for injured pregnant women. METHODS This population-based, retrospective cohort study evaluated the association between trauma designation levels and injured pregnancy birth outcomes. We linked Washington State Birth and Fe...

Despite declines in globalmortality rates in infants and children under five years of age in recent decades, neonatalmortality has remained relatively static. Consequently, approximately twothirds of deaths in infants and over one-third of deaths in under-five-year-olds now occur in the first 28 days of life (i.e., the neonatal period). There are an estimated four million neonatal deaths per ye...

The aim of this review is to summarize the principles of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in pregnancy.In particular, the aim of this review is to evaluate:Incidence and mother-to-child transmissionThe value of screening of pregnant womenDiagnosis of CMV maternal infectionDiagnosis of fetal infection (evaluate the value of ultrasound examination and amniocentesis and evaluate whether the amnioti...

Assessment of perinatal effects of drug exposure during pregnancy after approval is an important issue for regulatory agencies. The study aimed to explore associations between perinatal outcomes and maternal exposure to drugs for chronic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and autoimmune disease.We reviewed 521 cases of adverse reactions due to drug exposure during pregnancy who were re...

OBJECTIVE To address the maternal and neonatal risks of both depression and antidepressant exposure and develop algorithms for periconceptional and antenatal management. METHOD Representatives from the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a consulting developmental pediatrician collaborated to review English language articles on fetal a...